Penny Potter may be the twin of Harry Potter but she does not share his proclivity for a hatred of the Potions Master, Severus Snape. Likewise, Snape finds, despite his better efforts that Penny has become dangerously intertwined in his life. Given...
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When Penny returned to classes the following day, it was to a great sense of detachment. Everything moved around her, but none of it felt real, except for the endless anticipation that at any moment the door to her classrooms would swing open and the magical law enforcement would enter and escort her to Azkaban, or worse, her closet in the department of mysteries. But though she spent an obscene amount of time glancing back at the door, they never showed up, and all her obvious paranoia accomplished was making Harry Ron and Hermione suspicious, leading them to corner her and harass her about what was wrong.
The answer to their question was a reality Penny could not even begin to put to words, all she could do was stare at her hands, convinced Umbridge's blood still lingered there in some crevice she had not yet noticed, and lie about being fine. Being more attuned to her than she cared to acknowledge, they did not believe her, but let it be for the time being; Penny escaping to the bathroom for the umpteenth time to scrub her hands raw. Despite checking and double checking for any remnants of her sins, her fastidious Potions Master had not left a single trace of the evening's events, a fact that both bothered her and put her turmoil at ease, although it could not erase it in its entirety.
Having skipped dinner, Penny went to bed early, wanting to avoid Harry after his occlumency lesson with Snape, knowing full well he would corner her and attempt to get to the bottom of her odd behavior. In her bed, Penny stared up at the ceiling, a single urge obsessing her every thought: she wanted to talk to Sirius. It was a desire that was impossible to fulfill due to Umbridge's takeover at Hogwarts. Penny hadn't been able to speak to Sirius or Remus for that matter, for the three months since she'd returned to Hogwarts, a fact that not only angered her but made her feel very alone as she tried to figure out how she felt about the entire situation.
In the isolation of her thoughts, a single fear berated her conscience, a fear she dared not share even with Snape. While she knew he'd done all he could to put her mind at ease, and Penny appreciated him dearly for that, he could not remove this thought from her heart, this nagging feeling that her parents would be disappointed in her if they knew what she'd succumbed to. Penny knew merely bringing up the topic of James would result in a very unproductive conversation, and that Snape would have his own reasons for justifying her behavior, after all he had to live with himself and all he'd done, making him the very wrong person to discuss these feelings. The only person at this point who Penny would trust to tell her the truth and to know what her parents would have thought was the person who knew them best, Sirius. She could not and would not listen to another soul on the matter. Unfortunately, for obvious reasons, Penny could not put any of this in a letter, much less try to send it to Sirius for fear of the Ministry finding out, so she wracked her brain for another way, any other way to speak to Sirius.
Bolting upright, Penny realized there was a way to do precisely this sitting in Harry's trunk. Remembering how Harry had told her it'd been a two way mirror Sirius had given to him so suspiciously the day they'd returned to Hogwarts, Penny flung her legs over the side of the bed and raced for the door. When she made it to Harry's dormitory, she found it empty. Crossing the room in a few strides, Penny rummaged through Harry's things, finding the mirror tucked neatly at the bottom. Looking into it at her own reflection, Penny wondered vaguely what she was supposed to do with it.
