𝙿𝚞𝚖𝚙𝚔𝚒𝚗 𝙿𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜 - 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑤𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑙𝑒𝑦 | ✔︎

Chapter 6

Nightfall hit and the four pranksters slowly made their way up to the school for dinner as a lonesome howl came from the Whomping Willow. The four froze, and bravely, Natasha stood in front of the boys, her wand raised and ready to fight off any creature.

"What was that?" Lee asked, and Natasha shushed him, just in time for a second howl to sound.

"I swear you didn't pay any attention to Quirrell's third year class Jordan," she grumbled, pointing up to the full moon in the sky.

"Ohhh," said Lee, as another sound came from the direction of the Whomping Willow. Natasha nodded her head towards the tree, and one by one, they crept towards the tree, with Natasha still in the lead.

They hid behind a boulder as they heard voices, and Nat groaned as she realised Snape was there. "You will stay here Mr Weasley, with Miss Granger, whilst I find Mr Potter," he sneered, as he walked quite dramatically towards the direction of the forest.

Too bad he hit a tree.

"Ow son of a Potter," he cursed, causing everyone present to giggle. Hermione and Ron turned their heads to the boulder, where four heads popped out, each grinning.

"Well, that's a new one," George commented as they walked over to Ron and Hermione. Natasha was the first to see Ron's leg, and she gasped, immediately summoning bandages and a pillow to stop the bleeding.

"What happened Ronald?" she asked, her scary voice coming out.

"He was attacked, Natasha," Hermione answered, but Natasha knew there was more to what the girl wanted to say.

"By whom, Hermione?"

Hermione gulped and looked to Ron, who just nodded quickly.

"By your father, Natasha. He was an Animagus, in the form of a dog, and he was trying to capture Scabbers, who was actually Peter Pettigrew in his Animagus form, when Professor Lupin arrived, but then we realised the full moon was out and well, here we are," she said nervously, as Natasha's face turned from shock, to anger to concern.

"Where's my father now?" she asked, gritting her teeth.

"He was protecting Harry from Lupin when he was thrown down into the forest. But now I-" he stopped as he saw Snape dragging two people behind him, both completely passed out.

"Harry!?"

"Dad!?"

Ron and Natasha both yelled at the same time as a clearly pissed off Snape dropped them to the ground, shooting a spark in the air to alert Dumbledore.

Ignoring the greasy-haired professor, Natasha ran past him to her father, whose consciousness was just regaining. He was just as she remembered, maybe slightly dirtier and more scarred, but he was still him.

"Natasha?" he croaked, and she nodded, latching her arms around him, her sobs uncontrollable. He sat up with much difficulty but held his child tightly as tears of his own spilt as well.

Snape was about to force them apart when Dumbledore arrived, accompanied by Madam Pomfrey and Professor Sprout, and he held up his hand, allowing the father and daughter to reunite after 12 years.

"My child, you look so much like your mother, yet so much like me," he whispered, as she buried her head in his chest. Everyone surrounding them secretly awed at the sight, apart from Snape who simply wished to remove his best potion student and enemy from each other.

"Dad, mum and I never gave up on you. I know you didn't kill them; I hope you know," she muttered, and he gave a slight nod, standing up before helping Natasha up.

"As long as you and Harry know, I can die in peace my girl." His voice trembled as he spoke the words, his hand reaching up to run his fingers through Natasha's curls. He looked past the child to see the shocked and concerned faces coming from everyone but Dumbledore, who had a knowing smile on his face.

"Professor Dumbledore, I am truly sorry for causing such disruptions to your school, and I know that my life shall end tonight, but please, may I spend my last moments with Natasha? I won't make a fuss, all I want is to see her, even if for the last time," he pleaded.

Dumbledore nodded, the look in his eyes unnerving to Natasha. "Of course, Mr Black. I shall lead you up to the tower myself," he explained, before grabbing the wrists of both Natasha and Sirius, and apparating to the tallest tower at Hogwarts.

The father and daughter sat together in the tiny cell, as Dumbledore looked on, into the distance. "If you happen to receive any visitors, Miss Black, taking a few days off wouldn't be so bad of an idea." With that cryptic speech, he apparated once again, leaving a puzzled Natasha and a smiling Sirius to talk.

"I'm glad to see you made it into Gryffindor, how many detentions are you on?" Sirius asked, and Natasha giggled, bringing light into the cell with her wand.

"Well, it depends on what year. Fred, George and I landed one the second we got off the boats, but I think it was about fifty detentions that year," Natasha recalled, bringing a grin to Sirius' face.

"How on earth did you manage to get one off the boats?" he asked.

"Well, on the train, the three of us had planned to set off a firework we had made, using fireworks and old things from your room," she added, the smile on Sirius' face growing as he realised a part of him was responsible for his daughter's first detention.

"We called it the Colour Me Blind Bomb, and it's only function was to throw colour on everything. When we reached the shore, George accidentally set it off early, spraying the lake, shore and students in a range of colours," she giggled, as Sirius roared with laughter.

"Oh, how I wish I could have seen that sweetheart, it sounds like you outdid the Marauders by a margin."

Just by looking at the two, their similarities were even stronger, from the way they smiled with their lopsided grins to the way their ears moved each time they over-exaggerated. But just as the dementors were set to arrive, there was a whoosh of wings, and Harry and Hermione's faces peered in.

"Pick up for Sirius?" Harry asked, his face seemingly better than what it had looked only 20 minutes ago.

"How on earth?" Natasha exclaimed, as her father climbed on first, helping her up after. He sat behind her, making sure she was safe, before Harry directed Buckbeak to the courtyard. They all screamed with joy in the descent, although Natasha hid her face in her father's tattered shirt when they were too close to the ground for her liking.

Sirius held her close as Buckbeak landed in the courtyard, helping her down before helping Hermione down. As he talked to Hermione and Harry, Natasha stroked Buckbeak's head, quickly summoning her favourite cloak to keep the wind off her neck.

She wrote a quick note to the twins and Lee, letting them know where she was going, before pocketing it, knowing that she could slip it onto their beds once her father and her set off.

After giving Harry and Hermione a final farewell, Sirius turned to Natasha, helping her climb onto Buckbeak. "Dad, before we go, can I drop a letter by for the boys? I don't want them having panic attacks because their ray of holiness has disappeared."

Sirius snorted at his daughter's words and nodded, making sure she was comfortable before Buckbeak started to flap his wings, elevating the small family off of the ground. He swung by the Gryffindor tower, where thankfully, the boys weren't at, and Natasha quickly slipped through the window, dropping the letter on Fred's pillow and snatching two Sugar Quills.

"Now that's my girl," Sirius said, as the two munched the sweet on the flight to Grimmauld Place. They conversed about their lives, Natasha's favourite things, even the best pranks they had ever pulled.

It was the best night of Natasha's life.