Gryffindor Princess and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter Fanfiction)

Chapter Twelve: Christmas

The next day Hope had come down to the common room to find it almost entirely deserted. Hermione was sitting in the common room alone, having spread her Homework out over three tables, while Ron divulged himself in his Honeydukes sweets.

She'd pulled them over to her favourite chairs by the fire and told them everything she and Harry had over heard yesterday. They spoke in hushed whispers, aware that Harry could appear from the boys dormitory at any moment.

"He's going to go looking for Black now", Hermione said, looking alarmed.

"Harry's not that thick", Ron said, though he himself didn't look convinced.

She chose to spend her first day of the holidays practicing basic jinxes on Ron's rat Scabbers, having taken him out of Ron's bag. Ron only noticed when Hopes enlargement spell went wrong, and the rat grew big enough to jump over the barriers she'd created, and land on the ground with a loud thud. ("Just leave him alone! Between you and that cat he's never going to get a break!")

So she'd had to resign herself to practicing simple charms instead. She began to attempt learning summoning charms, but found it was far more difficult than she'd expected. She'd only just managed to make one of the pillows on the chair beside her twitch, when Harry walked in.

He looked exhausted, clearly he hadn't slept well.

"Harry", she said, causing the others to turn their heads.

"Where is everyone?", Harry asked, staring at the empty common room.

"Gone! It's the first day of the holidays, remember?", Said Ron, "it's nearly lunchtime; I was going to come wake you up in a minute."

Harry slipped into a chair beside her.

"You really don't look well, you know", Hermione peered towards Harry anxiously.

"I'm fine", said Harry.

"Harry, listen", Hermione began, "we know you must be really upset about what you overheard yesterday -"

"You told them?", Harry turned to her.

Hope immediately felt guilty. Perhaps she should have consulted Harry before telling Ron and Hermione about what they'd learned, but she'd been too concerned about what Harry might do.

"I thought they should know", she said, "their just worried about you, Harry, I am too. We've been thinking - you musn't do anything stupid."

"Like what?'

"Like trying to go after Black", said Ron.

Harry didn't say anything.

"You won't, will you, Harry?", Asked Hermione.

Harry stared at them all incredulously. Hope had been sure Harry wouldn't take well to their conversation.

"D'you know what I see and hear every time a Dementor gets too near me?", He said, "I can hear my mum screaming and pleading with Voldemort. And if you'd heard your mum screaming like that, just about to be killed, you wouldn't forget it in a hurry. And if you found out someone who was supposed to be a friend of hers betrayed her and sent Voldemort after her -"

"There's nothing you can do Harry", Hope said, "you heard them yesterday - Blacks too powerful to be beaten by a thirteen year old boy. The Dementors will catch him, and then he'll be sent back to Azkaban."

"You said yourself they don't affect him", Harry said, "it's not a punishment for him like it is for everyone else."

"So what are you saying?", Ron looked very tense, "you want to - to kill Black or something?"