𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 ;𝐑.𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐲

"Oh crap."

Ron had become an instant celebrity. For the first time in his life, people were paying more attention to him than to Harry, and it was clear that Ron was rather enjoying the experience. Though still severely shaken by the night's events, he was happy to tell anyone who asked, what had happened, with a wealth of detail.
'... I was asleep, and I heard this ripping noise, and I thought it was in my dream, you know? But then there was this draught ... I woke up and one side of the hangings on my bed had been pulled down ... I rolled over ... and I saw him standing over me ... like a skeleton, with loads of filthy hair ... holding this great long knife, must've been twelve inches ... and he looked at me, and I looked at him, and then I yelled, and he scarpered."

Rachelle was pleased to see Ron finally getting some attention, but Hermione, Harry and her had all been wondering.

Why had Black, having got the wrong bed, not silenced Ron and proceeded to Harry? Black had proved twelve years ago that he didn't mind murdering innocent people, and this time he was faced with 5 unarmed boys, four of which were asleep.

It didn't make sense.

Neville was in total disgrace. Professor McGonagall was so furious with him she had banned him from all future Hogsmeade visits, given him a detention and forbidden anyone to give him the password into the Tower. Poor Neville was forced to wait outside the common room every night for somebody to let him in, while the security trolls leered unpleasantly at him.

Luckily for him, Rachelle had taken it upon herself to make sure to open the portrait hole for him every night so he wouldn't have to spend the night freezing his butt off.

None of these punishments, however, came close to matching the one his grandmother had in store for him. Two days after Black's break-in, she sent Neville the very worst thing a Hogwarts student could receive over breakfast – a Howler.

The school owls swooped into the Great Hall, carrying the post as usual, and Neville choked as a huge barn owl landed in front of him, a scarlet envelope clutched in its beak. Harry and Ron, who were sitting opposite him, recognised the letter as a Howler at once – Ron had got one from his mother the year before.
'Run for it, Neville,' Ron advised.

Neville didn't need telling twice. He seized the envelope and, holding it before him like a bomb and sprinted out of the Great Hall. All while the Slytherin table exploded with laughter at the sight.

The Lupin girl had flipped them all off, glaring menacingly until slowly the house of silver and green quietened down and went back to their food.

She didn't realize her father staring at her all the while. Against popular belief that he would lecture her, a small smile graced his scar ridden face. Everyday she became more and more like her mother, and in a way, Rose had never left him. Rachelle was most definitely not Rose, but her spirit lived on in her daughter.

•••

Hermione had spent the Hogsmeade weekend in the castle doing her homework, and made sure that Rachelle stayed too. The latter had less work to complete, but decided she didn't need the former to pissed at her too, and obediently stayed, though her eyes kept wandering to the window.

Hermione knew Rachelle wanted to go to Hogsmeade—she wasn't exactly secretive in her glances to the window, and was very pleased when Rachelle decided to stay with her. The girl would never choose to stay in Hogwarts when she could go to Hogsmeade, but for her friends sake she stayed.

"Thanks for staying." Hermione said quietly and suddenly.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm not daft. I know you want to go to Hogsmeade. Thanks for staying with me." Hermione smiled.
A childish smile grew on Rachelle's face. "Staying was a better option than going out and dealing with Ron and Harry acting stupid." She said, lying about the real reason she stayed.

Hermione grinned and shook her head, seeing right through her friends lie. "Fair point."

An hour passed, just the two girls doing their homework, occasionally groaning at the difficulty of Divination and asking the other for help.

Rachelle, to her credit, was making decent progress on her Athrimancy work when a smallish fluffy lump hit the window in front of her. She almost dropped her quill out of shock before realizing it was just Vix.

"Hey Vix! What do you have there?" Rachelle opened the window and let the owl into the room. Vix dropped an envelope onto Hermione's muggle studies homework, and Hermione handed it back to her friend.

Rachelle tore open the envelope and her eyes landed on a messily scrawled message with huge teardrops on it, smudging the ink and making it difficult to read.

Dear Hermione and Rachelle,
We lost. I'm allowed to bring him back to Hogwarts. Execution date to be fixed.
Beaky has enjoyed London.
I won't forget all the help you gave us.
Hagrid

"Oh crap." she mumbled.

The frizzy-haired girl looked up at Rachelle's words. "What happened?"

"Buckbeak's going to die." Rachelle mumbled, her voice uncharacteristically soft.

Hermione looked over Rachelle's shoulder at the letter. She read it once. Snatched the letter from Rachelle's grasp. Read it twice. "Oh no." She finally whispered, her lips trembling.

Both girls looked at each other, and made an unspoken agreement that the boys deserved to know.
Hermione marched out of the common room, her features set in preparation for any idiotic or insulting thing the redhead might say.

Just as they turned the corner, they spotted the boys walking in their direction, and Ron's face twisted into a scowl.

Both girls were very aware that Harry had snuck out of the castle, but none had the heart to tell the professors. It wouldn't help their current situation of the boys being mad anyway.

"Come to have a good gloat?' said Ron savagely, as the girls stopped in front of them. 'Or have you just been to tell on us?'
'No,' said Hermione. Her lip was still trembling, Rachelle was pale faced and quiet. 'I just thought you ought to know ... Hagrid lost his case. Buckbeak is going to be executed."

a/n: i've been toying with the idea of making a prequel sort of book? it would follow the story of rachelle's parents in the marauders era, so like a remus lupin fic with rose as the oc? so the books would be linked but can be read as a standalone. would you like me to do it?

i'm sorry this chapter is so short :/

ok my phones dying bye :) comment and vote
-cheyenne <3