Aftermath
Charles
"Shocking business... shocking... miracle none of them died... never heard the like... by thunder, it was lucky you were there..."
"Thank you, Minister."
"Order of Merlin, Second Class, I'd say. First Class, if I can wangle it!"
"Thank you very much indeed, Minister."
"I heard about Black bewitching all the others..."
Charles lay listening with his eyes tight shut. He felt very groggy. The words he was hearing seemed to be traveling very slowly from his ears to his brain, so that it was difficult to understand... His limbs felt like lead; his eyelids too heavy to lift... He wanted to lie here, on this comfortable bed, forever...
"Yes, Minister. Even Sirius was convinced that Regulus was innocent... I don't blame any of them for what happened. A Confundus Charm, it was, to judge by their behavior. They mustn't be held responsible for their actions."
"What amazes me most is the behavior of the dementors... how they could attack innocents..."
"Yes, well, sir... For a moment there, I'd been scared we'd all be kissed. Even Harry and Jéricho's patronuses weren't powerful enough, and they collapsed after Sirius, who has a weakness for dementors, as you must be aware..."
"Yes, yes."
"My son, Charles, was the one who created the other Patronus. It was quite strong, I'll admit. I think Harry must have been giving him private lessons, or some such..."
There was a pause. Charles' brain seemed to be moving a little faster, and as it did, a gnawing sensation grew in the pit of his stomach...
He opened his eyes.
Everything was incredibly blurred. Somebody had removed his glasses. He was lying in the dark hospital wing. At the very end of the ward, he could make out Madam Pomfrey with her back to him, bending over a bed. Charles squinted. Ron's red hair was visible beneath Madam Pomfrey's arm.
Charles moved his head over on the pillow. In the bed to his right lay Hermione and Jéricho, and to his left was Harry. They were all awake, and Sirius seemed to be waking up slowly, too, from across Charles.
Moonlight was falling across Hermione's bed. She looked petrified, and when she saw that Charles was awake too, she pressed a finger to her lips, and then pointed to the hospital wing door. It was ajar, and the voices of Cornelius Fudge and James were coming through it from the corridor outside.
Madam Pomfrey now came walking briskly up the dark ward to Charles' bed. He turned to look at her. She was carrying the largest block of chocolate he had ever seen in his life. It looked like a small boulder.
"Ah, you're awake!" she said briskly. She placed the chocolate on his bedside table and began breaking it apart with a small hammer.
"How's Ron?" Charles and Hermione asked together.
"He'll live," Madam Pomfrey said grimly. "As for you two you'll be staying here until I'm satisfied you're - Sirius, what do you think you're doing?"
Sirius was sitting up and picking up his wand. "I need to see the headmaster," he said.
"Sirius," said Madam Pomfrey soothingly, "it's all right. They've got Regulus locked away upstairs. The dementors will be performing the kiss any moment now -"
"WHAT?"
Sirius jumped up out of bed; the others all did the same. But his shout had been heard in the corridor outside; the next second, Cornelius Fudge, James, and Lily had entered the ward.
"Mr. Black, what's this?" said Fudge, looking agitated. "You should all be in bed - have they had any chocolate?" he asked Madam Pomfrey anxiously.
"Minister, listen!" Harry said. "Regulus Black's innocent! Barty Crouch faked his own death! We saw him tonight! You can't let the dementors do that thing to Regulus, he's -"
But Fudge was shaking his head with a small smile on his face.
"Harry, Harry, you're very confused, you've been through a dreadful ordeal, lie back down, now, we've got everything under control..."
"YOU HAVEN'T!" Sirius yelled. "YOU'VE GOT THE WRONG MAN!"
"Minister, listen, please," Hermione said; she had hurried to Charles' side and was gazing imploringly into Fudge's face. "I saw him too. We all did. It was Ron's rat, he's an Animagus, Crouch, I mean, and -"
"You see, Minister?" James said. "Confounded, all of them... Black's done a very good job on them..."
"WE'RE NOT CONFUNDED!" Sirius roared. "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND, JAMES?! YOU SAW HIM TOO! OR MAYBE THIS IS THE OLD-"
"Sirius!" Lily chided. She had hurried to Sirius' side and was digging her nails in his arm. "Calm down, you reacted horribly to all those dementors."
Charles noted that while he didn't know what Sirius had been about to say, James apparently did, and he looked very hurt indeed. Still, Charles shared Sirius' sentiments. What was his father playing at?
"Minister!" Madam Pomfrey said angrily. "I must insist that you leave. My patients should not be distressed!"
"We're not distressed, we're trying to tell them what happened!" Charles said furiously. "If they'd just listen -"
But Madam Pomfrey suddenly stuffed a large chunk of chocolate into Charles' mouth; he choked, and she seized the opportunity to force him back onto the bed.
"Now, please, Minister. Please leave."
The door opened again. It was Dumbledore. Charles swallowed his mouthful of chocolate with great difficulty and got up again.
"Professor Dumbledore, Regulus Black -"
"For heaven's sake!" Madam Pomfrey cried hysterically. "Is this a hospital wing or not? Headmaster, I must insist -"
"My apologies, Poppy, but I need a word with Messers Potter and Black, and Miss Granger," said Dumbledore calmly. "I have just been talking to Regulus Black -"
"I suppose he's told you the same fairy tale he's planted in these people's minds?" Fudge asked disapprovingly. "Something about a rat, and Barty Crouch being alive -"
"That, indeed, is Black's story," Dumbledore said calmly, surveying Fudge closely through his half-moon spectacles.
Fudge looked a bit flustered at the scrutiny.
"I would like to speak to Messers Potter and Black, and Miss Granger, alone," Dumbledore repeated abruptly. "Cornelius, Poppy - please leave us."
"Headmaster!" sputtered Madam Pomfrey. "They need treatment, they need rest -"
"This cannot wait," said Dumbledore. "I must insist."
Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips and strode away into her office at the end of the ward, slamming the door behind her. Fudge consulted the large gold pocket watch dangling from his waistcoat.
"The dementors should have arrived by now," he said. "I'll go and meet them. Dumbledore, I'll see you upstairs."
He crossed to the door and left. It closed behind him, and Dumbledore turned to the occupants of the room. They burst into speech at the same time.
"Professor, Regulus is telling the truth - we saw Crouch-"
"- he escaped when Professor Lupin turned into a werewolf -"
"- he's a rat -"
"- Crouch's front paw, I mean, finger, he cut it off -"
"- It wasn't Regulus -"
But Dumbledore held up his hand to stem the flood of explanations.
"It is your turn to listen, and I beg you will not interrupt me, because there is very little time," he said quietly. "There is not a shred of proof to support Black's story, except your word - and the word of four children and a single adult will not convince anybody, especially since you are so closely connected to the convict. A street full of eyewitnesses swore they saw Regulus murder Barty Crouch."
"Remus can-"
"Remus is currently deep in the forest, unable to tell anyone anything. By the time he is human again, it will be too late, and Regulus will be worse than dead. I might add that werewolves are so mistrusted by most of our kind that his support will count for very little."
"And James?" Sirius snarled. "Why'd you lie? Your evidence could have been important-"
"No, it couldn't have been," Dumbledore said calmly. "James is your best friend, Sirius; he would've been branded a liar, or worse. Besides, Regulus committed many other crimes. He has the dark mark, and he was a death eater. He lied because otherwise, you, Sirius, would have surely been convicted for aiding a fugitive."
Sirius' eyes were wide as he stared at James and his rage melted into guilt. "I'm sorry, Prongs-"
"It's okay," James gave a smile that was very, very fake. He was still obviously affected by whatever Sirius had been about to say in his anger.
Dumbledore continued, "Listen to me. It is too late, do you understand me? Regulus has not acted like an innocent man. Overlooking his past, too. The attack on the Fat Lady - entering Gryffindor Tower with a knife - without Crouch, alive or dead, we have no chance of overturning Regulus' sentence."
"But you believe us."
"Yes, I do," said Dumbledore quietly. "But I have no power to make other men see the truth, or to overrule the Minister of Magic..."
Charles stared up into the grave face and felt as though the ground beneath him were falling sharply away. He had grown used to the idea that Dumbledore could solve anything. He had expected Dumbledore to pull some amazing solution out of the air. But no... their last hope was gone.
Suddenly, McGonagall entered, a smirk on her face. "He's free."
Gasps of shock echoed around the room.
"W-what?" Sirius breathed. "How?"
"Officially, Regulus Black is a brilliant picker... he picked the lock on his door open with a small pin he found lying around and fled. Unofficially, I unlocked the door while Filius kept watch and he transformed into a cat and ran away."
A laughter escaped Charles that soon everyone joined in, and couldn't stop. Even Dumbledore was chuckling. McGonagall seemed torn between confusion and amusement. "What is so funny?"
"Just... it was so easy," Harry choked, "And you just freed him like that. You, Minnie!"
Professor McGonagall pinked.
Harry
Lyra stopped by to visit them the next day, along with Ginny and Effie. Sera, Adrian, and Cedric also came by bearing news that Cornelius Fudge had been utterly humiliated and furious with how Regulus Black had escaped his clutches like that. Again. Sirius was in a disgruntled mood when Madam Pompfrey wouldn't let him leave the infirmary the next day, and was also worried about Regulus.
"I think you owe me an explanation," Charles approached Harry and his friends two days later, with Hermione and Ron in tow.
Harry smiled slightly. "I suppose I do... How d'you feel about the Shrieking Shack?"
"I was thinking of bringing Lyra along, too," Jéricho said. "I mean, we haven't yet told her about what happened, and she'd be really mad if she's the last one in."
Charles nodded fervently. "Right you are, mate."
"I'll grab her," Adrian offered. "She'd be in the common room right now. Meet you there!"
Adrian took off at a jog. "What 'bout Effie?" Charles frowned.
Harry shook his head. "Maybe later, but not right now."
After ten minutes of sitting in the Shrieking Shack, Adrian returned with Lyra, who looked puzzled as to what she was doing in there.
"We're here to explain to you the details about what happened the other night," Jéricho said. Lyra seemed momentarily surprised before smiling. "Go on, then."
So they did. They told her everything, including how Harry and Jéricho had turned into Animagi... To their shock, it wasn't the thing that most surprised her, like it had Charles, Ron, and Hermione. No, she was the most interested about the cat. "Sleek black, silver paws?! That's-that's the cat I've been meeting all term, since Christmas! I've been confiding in it about everything... I even named it Crux!"
Charles burst out in barely-suppressed giggles as they all turned red with containing their laughter. Ron didn't even bother; he started cackling. Lyra scowled good-naturedly. "Shut up."
"So..." Hermione turned to Harry and Jéricho. "You're animagi."
Harry nodded. "We all are. Sera, Ced, and Ace, I mean. We call ourselves the Prowlers. I'm, as you saw, a black dog."
"Exactly like Sirius, just shorter," Charles piped up.
Harry shrugged. "I'm Charcoal. Jéricho's a panther, named Silver. Sera's an owl," On cue, Sera transformed into a beautiful owl. "We call her Midnight. Adrian, a snake, is Slate," Adrian turned into a long, poisonous-looking snake, "And Ced's Flaxen, a Koala." Cedric turned into a cute unique-type-of Koala.
"So... you're like the Marauders." Charles hummed. "Got anything like the map or something?"
"Top secret, brother," Harry winked, "Can't tell."
"By the way... that was some patronus you created," Jéricho commented to Charles, who blushed at the praise. "Thanks."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "Were you taking classes from someone else, Charles? Or maybe practicing in your own time?"
Charles shifted uncomfortably and shook his head. "No... It was my first time."
Jéricho's and Harry's eyes widened comically. "What?! B-but it was, like, too powerful!" "Impossible!"
Charles shrugged smugly. "I suppose I'm just special."
Lyra
As Lyra left the Shack with Charles, Hermione, and Ron in tow, a shadow fell across them and they looked up to see a very bleary-eyed Hagrid, mopping his sweaty face with one of his tablecloth-sized handkerchiefs and looking extremely miserable.
Lyra suddenly remembered about Buckbeak's execution and gasped, lurching forward to pull him into a hug. The others - Hagrid included - were startled, but Hagrid hugged her back, sniffling. "M'sorry... but Beaky! He was so... and..."
"I'm so, so sorry, Hagrid," Lyra whispered. "I... maybe I could've done something..."
"Nothing yeh could've done, Lyra. Don't beat yourself up..."
"You're, uh, still our teacher though, aren't you?" Hermione asked in a small voice.
Hagrid barked a bitter laugh. "No, 'course. They didn't kill Beaky on the condition I resign-"
"What?!" they all jerked. "Buckbeak... isn't dead?!"
Hagrid frowned. "Ah, no. They canceled the execution, but I'd t' resign from teachin'. Oh, an' Beaky was taken 'way. I'm still keeper, though."
Lyra felt as though a burden had been lifted from her shoulders. It was what she had wanted; Hagrid to not teach. She'd just been torn that a poor creature was to be executed, but now that Buckbeak was safe and well... "That's excellent, Hagrid."
Hagrid gazed happily out over the grounds, no longer looking sad. "I was worried this mornin', mind... Met Remus on the grounds, poor man never ate anythin' las' night..."
"What?" Charles asked quickly.
"Blimey, haven' yeh heard?" Hagrid's smile faded a little. He lowered his voice, even though there was nobody in sight. "Er, Snape told all the Slytherins this mornin'... Thought everyone'd know by now... Professor Lupin's a werewolf, see. An' he was loose on the grounds las' night... He's packin' now, o' course."
"He's packing?" Lyra asked, alarmed. "Why?"
"Leavin', isn' he?" said Hagrid, looking surprised that Lyra had to ask. "Resigned firs' thing this mornin'. Says he can't risk it happenin' again."
Lyra gasped as she exchanged a look with Charles, an unspoken agreement between them. "We're going to see him," they said to Ron and Hermione.
"But if he's resigned -"
"- doesn't sound like there's anything we can do -"
"Doesn't matter. He's our uncle, and we want to see him."
Remus' office door was open. He had already packed most of his things. The grindylow's empty tank stood next to his suitcase, which was open and nearly full. Remus was bending over something on his desk and looked up only when Lyra and Charles entered.
"We just saw Hagrid," Charles scowled. "And he said you'd resigned. It's not true, is it?"
"I'm afraid it is," Remus sighed. He started opening his desk drawers and taking out the contents.
"Why?" Lyra asked. "The Ministry can't have forced you."
Remus crossed to the door and closed it behind them. "No. Actually, it was Severus... he, uh, accidentally let slip that I am a werewolf this morning at breakfast."
"You're not leaving just because of that!" Lyra protested.
Remus smiled wryly. "I know what you guys are going to say. Believe me, I've already had a lengthy argument with your fathers this morning. But this time tomorrow, I can guarantee you both that owls will start arriving from parents... They will not want a werewolf teaching their children. And after last night, I know you can, too, see their point. I could have bitten any of you... That must never happen again."
"You're the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had!" Charles almost whined. "Don't go!"
Remus shook his head and carried on emptying his drawers. "You know I must leave, both of you. Don't try arguing otherwise. Sirius may take over the post for a while, maybe, or Albus will have to hire someone else. By the way, from what he told me this morning, you saved a lot of lives last night, Charles. I'm proud of you... Tell me about your Patronus."
Lyra saw Charles biting his lip as he fought back a smile and a blush. "It's a stag. Prongs, to be precise."
Remus grinned and hugged both Lyra and Charles.
Nobody at Hogwarts knew the truth of what had happened the night that Regulus and Crouch had vanished except Charles, Lyra, Ron, Hermione, the Prowlers, and Professor Dumbledore. As the end of term approached, Lyra heard many different theories about what had really happened, but none of them came close to the truth.
Malfoy was a bit upset about Buckbeak but wasn't as petty as to throw a tantrum. To him, at least one goal had been accomplished. Hagrid was no longer the teacher of Care of Magical Creatures. Lyra and Charles were no longer hostile to one another, but still not on speaking terms unless with a group.
Percy had much to say on the subject of Regulus' escape. "If I manage to get into the Ministry, I'll have a lot of proposals to make about Magical Law Enforcement!" he told the only person who would listen - his girlfriend, Penelope.
Meanwhile, almost everyone, even most of the Slytherins, was miserable about Remus' resignation.
"Wonder what they'll give us next year?" Aurora Moon asked gloomily.
"Maybe a vampire," Theo suggested jokingly.
Charles
The exam results came out on the last day of the term. Charles, Ron, and Hermione had passed every subject. Charles was amazed that he had gotten through Potions. He had a shrewd suspicion that Dumbledore might have stepped in to stop Snape from failing him on purpose. Snape's behavior toward Charles and Harry over the past week had been quite alarming. Charles wouldn't have thought it possible that Snape's dislike for him could increase, but it certainly had. A muscle twitched unpleasantly at the corner of Snape's thin mouth every time he looked at Charles or Harry, and he was constantly flexing his fingers, as though itching to place them around their throats.
The OWLs and NEWTs results would be out during the holidays, and so the fifth and seventh years were all very nervous. Gryffindor House, meanwhile, largely thanks to their spectacular performance in the Quidditch Cup, had won the House championship again. This meant that the end-of-term feast took place amid decorations of scarlet and gold and that the Gryffindor table was the noisiest of the lot, as everybody celebrated.
As the Hogwarts Express pulled out of the station the next morning, Hermione gave Charles and Ron some surprising news.
"I went to see Professor McGonagall this morning, just before breakfast. I've decided to drop Muggle Studies."
"But you passed your exam with three hundred and twenty percent!" Ron frowned.
"I know," sighed Hermione, "but I can't stand another year like this one. That Time-Turner, it was driving me mad. I've handed it in. Without Muggle Studies and Divination, I'll be able to have a normal schedule again."
"I still can't believe you didn't tell us about it," said Ron grumpily. "We're supposed to be your friends."
Yes, Hermione had told them both about it just before the feast the previous night. She had been the only one with so many subjects in their year, prompting her to have to get a time-turner. In Harry's case, his friends and a few others had all been full of subjects, avoiding any necessity of time-turners, and had instead had evening classes.
"I promised I wouldn't tell anyone," said Hermione severely.
Suddenly, Ron perked up. "It's the Quidditch World Cup this summer! How about it, Hermione? Come and stay, and we'll go and see it! Dad can usually get tickets from work, and all the Potters and the Blacks will be there, too."
This proposal had the effect of cheering Hermione up a great deal, who looked ecstatic at the opportunity. "Thanks a lot, Ron!"
Charles joined Ron and Hermione in several games of Exploding Snap, and when the witch with the tea cart arrived, he bought himself a very large lunch, though nothing with chocolate in it. It was late in the afternoon before something very exciting turned up, though.
"Charles," said Hermione suddenly, peering over his shoulder. "What's that thing outside your window?"
Charles turned to look outside. Something very small and gray was bobbing in and out of sight beyond the glass. He stood up for a better look and saw that it was a tiny owl, carrying a letter that was much too big for it. The owl was so small, in fact, that it kept tumbling over in the air, buffeted this way and that in the train's slipstream.
Charles quickly pulled down the window, stretched out his arm, and caught it. It felt like a very fluffy Snitch. He brought it carefully inside. The owl dropped its letter onto Charles' seat and began zooming around their compartment, apparently very pleased with itself for accomplishing its task. Hedwig clicked her beak with a sort of dignified disapproval. Crookshanks sat up in his seat, following the owl with his great yellow eyes. Ron, noticing this, snatched the owl safely out of harm's way.
Charles picked up the letter. It was addressed to Jéricho, and frowning, Charles told Hermione to get him here. She obliged, and after five minutes, Harry and Jéricho were there. Charles handed the Black heir the letter, who ripped it open and shouted, "It's from Regulus!"
"What?" said Ron and Hermione excitedly. "Read it aloud!"
Dear Jéricho,
I hope this finds you; the owl is rather tricky. I have some doubts about his reliability, but he is the best I could find, and he did seem eager for the job.
I'm in hiding. I won't tell you where, just in case. Sirius knows, though. I believe he would tell you in his own time. I believe the dementors are still searching for me, but they haven't a hope of finding me here. I am planning to allow some Muggles to glimpse me soon, a long way from Hogwarts, so that the security on the castle will be lifted.
Of course, Sirius disgreed strongly, but James was able to bring him 'round.
"Ow!" The tiny owl, hooting happily in Ron's hand, had nibbled one of his fingers in what it seemed to think was an affectionate way.
I'm really sorry for all that has happened between us, Jéricho, and I hope you'd be willing to talk it out when we meet again, which, I dare say, shall be soon.
Whenever you talk of me in public, kindly refer to me as Crux. It is the name Lyra gave to my animagus form. Please say my apologies to her, by the way, for listening to her private talks when she believed me to be a harmless stray. It is just that I enjoyed hearing them, which is no excuse for invading her privacy.
Crux.
"It's okay."
The occupants of the room all jumped in unison at the voice. Lyra was leaning against the glass.
"How long have you been standing there, Ly?" Harry asked.
Lyra smirked. "Since nearly the beginning, actually. I was on my way to the trolley. Stopped by to hear the letter."
Jéricho nodded, conflicting emotions flickering in his eyes. "Yeah..."
P.S. Tell your friend Ronald to keep the owl, as it's my fault he no longer has a rat.
Ron's eyes widened. The tiny owl was still hooting excitedly.
"Keep him?" he said uncertainly. He looked closely at the owl for a moment; then, to everyone's great surprise, he held him out for Crookshanks to sniff.
"What do you reckon?" Ron asked the cat.
"Definitely an owl?" Crookshanks purred.
"That's good enough for me," said Ron happily. "He's mine."
As they stepped out of the train onto the platform, Hermione was the first to bid them goodbye and go in search of her parents.
"I'll call about the World Cup!" Ron yelled after her.
"You got any letter from Regulus?" Lily asked lowly as she hugged Charles and Harry. Neither Sirius nor James were at the platform. Jéricho nodded. "Just on the train."
Lyra looked around. "Where's Dad and James?"
Lily sighed tiredly. "You'll see. Let's go."