Found AIAOY 4

Chapter 17

After things had finally settled back into the routine of normalcy, something was bound to shake it up--With Harry and Rebecca, it was inevitable.  Luckily for the both of them, the shaking-up came in the form of something they had both been anticipating.

A letter from Sirius.  It was shorter than usual which told them that Sirius was worried about the letter being intercepted, but it contained directions to a location just outside of Hogsmeade's limits and a request for food.

Hearing back from Sirius eased Harry's background worries about the man slightly, though not by much.  February had faded to March and classes had only raised themselves in exam preparation.  Rebecca wasn't worried about Transfiguration or Charms, but Potions had her wound-tightly.  It didn't help that Snape seemed to find error with everything she did.

"Here, what about this one."  Fred asked, looking up from her textbook that he'd borrowed from her earlier in their studying.  "What would a-"

"It doesn't matter."  Rebecca groaned, letting her head fall to the table top dramatically.  "He's going to give me a T anyway."

"No, we won't let him."  Fred laid his hand on her back and rubbed it gently.  He knew first-hand how Snape's preference for Slytherin often blurred into a dislike of Gryffindor, but the sheer hatred of Harry and Rebecca the professor felt confounded Fred deeply.  "You'll just have to do so well he can't find anything wrong."

"That's reassuring."  Rebecca said, keeping her head down and looking up with a little smile.  "No pressure, right?"

"None at all."  Fred leaned back in his seat.  "We could do some extra studying this weekend if you'd like, stay behind from Hogsmeade and nab an empty classroom."

Harry's head shot up across the table where the were studying.  

"We can't, remember?"  Rebecca's answer calmed Harry instantly--she had remembered.  "Snuffles is in town."

Fred nodded, "Ah, yes.  I do remember now.  Sunday then."

"Where was this help when I could have used it?"  Ron demanded, gratefully taking the excuse to abandon his school work.

Hermione peered over his paper, eyeing his work warily.  "You still don't?"  Ron immediately recoiled, covering his paper and beginning to shout that he couldn't work under these conditions--under such a 'know-it-all genius.'  Hermione paused and looked at Ron a long moment, seeing the win of this argument clearly.  "You really think I'm a genius?"

Ron scowled at his parchment.  He'd lost.

Harry wished he could have joined in the light-heartedness of his friends, but he couldn't quite swing it.  He kept his attention focused onto the list of revised offensive and defensive spells he'd started compiling between the lists the others had made for him before the first two events--Trying to prepare for the third the best he could while wishing that the 24th would come quicker so he could know already.

"It'll be alright, Harry."  Rebecca said quietly, slipping away from the shouting of fun and wrapping her arms around him.  "Just think about this instead--Two days and it's Snuffles' time, yeah?"  Harry nodded, cracking a smile at how funny it sounded like that.  Rebecca shook him, repeating herself so that he would answer out loud.  "Yeah?"

"Yeah!"  Harry laughed at last.  Rebecca felt that she had succeeded.

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"Ah," Snape spat, sneering at the class as Rebecca took her seat next to Harry and Hermione next to Ron.  "Miss Potter and Miss Granger!"