Daughter of a Criminal

Goodbye Again

'Ann!' Hermione and Harry were tugging at her sleeve, staring at their watches.
'We've got exactly ten minutes to get back down to the hospital wing without anybody seeing us â€" before Dumbledore locks the door â€"' said Harry
'OK,' said Ann, wrenching her gaze from the sky, 'let's go …' They slipped through the doorway behind them and down a tightly spiralling stone staircase. As they reached the bottom of it, they heard voices. They flattened themselves against the wall and listened. It sounded like Fudge and Snape. They were walking quickly along the corridor at the foot of the staircase. '… only hope Dumbledore's not going to make difficulties,' Snape was saying. 'The Kiss will be performed immediately?'
'As soon as Macnair returns with the Dementors. This whole Black affair has been highly embarrassing. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to informing the Daily Prophet that we've got him at last … I daresay they'll want to interview you, Snape … and once young Harry's back in his right mind, I expect he'll want to tell the Prophet exactly how you saved him …' Harry clenched his teeth. Ann caught a glimpse of Snape's smirk as he and Fudge passed Ann, Harry and Hermione's hiding place. Their footsteps died away. Ann, Harry and Hermione waited a few moments to make sure they'd really gone, then started to run in the opposite direction. Down one staircase, then another, along a new corridor â€" then they heard a cackling ahead.
'Peeves!' Harry muttered, grabbing Ann, who grabbed Hermoine. 'In here!' They tore into a deserted classroom to their left just in time. Peeves seemed to be bouncing along the corridor in tearing spirits, laughing his head off.
'Oh, he's horrible,' whispered Hermione, her ear to the door. 'I bet he's all excited because the Dementors are going to finish Sirius …' She checked her watch. 'Three minutes, guys!' They waited until Peeves's gloating voice had faded into the distance, then slid back out of the room and broke into a run again.
'Hermione â€" what'll happen â€" if we don't get back inside â€" before Dumbledore locks the door?' Harry panted.
'I don't want to think about it!' Hermione moaned, checking her watch again. 'One minute!' They had reached the end of the corridor with the hospital-wing entrance.
'OK â€" I can hear Dumbledore,' said Ann tensely. 'Come on, guys!' They crept along the corridor. The door opened. Dumbledore's back appeared.
'I am going to lock you in,' they heard him saying. 'It is five minutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it. Good luck.' Dumbledore backed out of the room, closed the door and took out his wand to magically lock it. Panicking, Ann, Harry and Hermione ran forwards. Dumbledore looked up, and a wide smile appeared under the long silver moustache.
'Well?' he said quietly.
'We did it!' said Ann breathlessly. 'My dads escaped on Buckbeak …' Dumbledore beamed at them.
'Well done. I think â€"' he listened intently for any sound within the hospital wing. 'Yes, I think you've gone, too. Get inside â€" I'll lock you in â€"' Ann, Harry and Hermione slipped back inside the dormitory. It was empty except for Ron, who was still lying motionless in the end bed. As the lock clicked behind them, Ann, Harry and Hermione crept back to their own beds, Hermione tucking the Time-Turner back under her robes. Next moment, Madam Pomfrey had come striding back out of her office.
'Did I hear the Headmaster leaving? Am I allowed to look after my patients now?' She was in a very bad mood. Ann, Harry and Hermione thought it best to accept their chocolate quietly. Madam Pomfrey stood over them, making sure they ate it. But Ann could hardly swallow. She, Harry and Hermione were waiting, listening, their nerves jangling … And then, as they both took a fourth piece of chocolate from Madam Pomfrey, they heard a distant roar of fury echoing from somewhere above them … 'What was that?' said Madam Pomfrey in alarm. Now they could hear angry voices, growing louder and louder. Madam Pomfrey was staring at the door. 'Really â€" they'll wake everybody up! What do they think they're doing?' Ann was trying to hear what the voices were saying. They were drawing nearer â€"
'He must have Disapparated, Severus, we should have left somebody in the room with him. When this gets out â€"'
'HE DIDN'T DISAPPARATE!' Snape roared, now very close at hand. 'YOU CAN'T APPARATE OR DISAPPARATE INSIDE THIS CASTLE! THIS â€" HAS â€" SOMETHING â€" TO â€" DO â€" WITH â€" POTTER AND MISS BLACK!'
'Severus â€" be reasonable â€" Harry and Anastasia have both been locked up â€"' BAM. The door of the hospital wing burst open. Fudge, Snape and Dumbledore came striding into the ward. Dumbledore alone looked calm. Indeed, he looked as though he was quite enjoying himself. Fudge appeared angry. But Snape was beside himself.
'OUT WITH IT, POTTER!' he bellowed. 'WHAT DID YOU DO?'
'Professor Snape!' shrieked Madam Pomfrey. 'Control yourself!'
'See here, Snape, be reasonable,'said Fudge. 'This door's been locked, we just saw â€"'
'THEY HELPED HIM ESCAPE, I KNOW IT!' Snape howled, pointing at Ann, Harry and Hermione. His face was twisted, spit was flying from his mouth.
'Calm down, man!' Fudge barked. 'You're talking nonsense!'
'YOU DON'T KNOW POTTER!' shrieked Snape. 'HE DID IT, I KNOW HE DID IT â€"'
'That will do, Severus,' said Dumbledore quietly. 'Think about what you are saying. This door has been locked since I left the ward ten minutes ago. Madam Pomfrey, have these students left their beds?'
'Of course not!'said Madam Pomfrey, bristling. 'I've been with them ever since you left!' 'Well, there you have it, Severus,' said Dumbledore calmly. 'Unless you are suggesting that Ann, Harry and Hermione are able to be in two places at once, I'm afraid I don't see any point in troubling them further.' Snape stood there, seething, staring from Fudge, who looked thoroughly shocked at his behaviour, to Dumbledore, whose eyes were twinkling behind his glasses. Snape whirled about, robes swishing behind him, and stormed out of the ward.
'Fellow seems quite unbalanced,' said Fudge, staring after him. 'I'd watch out for him, if I were you, Dumbledore.'
'Oh, he's not unbalanced,'said Dumbledore quietly. 'He's just suffered a severe disappointment.'
'He's not the only one!' puffed Fudge. 'The Daily Prophet's going to have a field day! We had Black cornered and he slipped through our fingers yet again! All it needs now is for the story of that Hippogriff's escape to get out, and I'll be a laughing stock! Well … I'd better go and notify the Ministry …'
'And the Dementors?'said Dumbledore. 'They'll be removed from the school, I trust?'
'Oh, yes, they'll have to go,' said Fudge, running his fingers distractedly through his hair. 'Never dreamed they'd attempt to administer the Kiss on an innocent girl… completely out of control … No, I'll have them packed off back to Azkaban tonight. Perhaps we should think about dragons at the school entrance …'
'Hagrid would like that,' said Dumbledore, with a swift smile at Ann, Harry and Hermione. As he and Fudge left the dormitory, Madam Pomfrey hurried to the door and locked it again. Muttering angrily to herself, she headed back to her office. There was a low moan from the other end of the ward. Ron had woken up. They could see him sitting up, rubbing his head, looking around.
'What â€" what happened?' he groaned. 'Harry? Why are we in here? Where's Sirius? Where's Lupin? What's going on?' Ann, Harry and Hermione looked at each other.
'You explain,' said Harry, helping himself to some more chocolate.
When Ann, Harry, Ron and Hermione left the hospital wing at noon the next day, it was to find an almost deserted castle. The sweltering heat and the end of the exams meant that everyone was taking full advantage of another Hogsmeade visit. Neither Ron nor Hermione felt like going, however, so they, Ann, and Harry wandered into the grounds, still talking about the extraordinary events of the previous night and wondering where Sirius and Buckbeak were now. Sitting near the lake, watching the giant squid waving its tentacles lazily above the water. A shadow fell across them and they looked up to see a very bleary-eyed Hagrid, mopping his sweaty face with one of his tablecloth-sized handkerchiefs and beaming down at them.
'Know I shouldn' feel happy, after wha' happened las' night,' he said. 'I mean, Black escapin' again, an' everythin' â€" but guess what?'
'What?' they said, pretending to look curious. 'Beaky! He escaped! He's free! Bin celebratin' all night!'
'That's wonderful!' said Hermione, giving Ann and Ron both a reproving look because thy looked as though they were close to laughing.
'Yeah … can't've tied him up properly,' said Hagrid, gazing happily out over the grounds. 'I was worried this mornin', mind … thought he mighta met Professor Lupin in the grounds, but Lupin says he never ate anythin' las' night …'
'What?' said Harry quickly.
'Blimey, haven' yeh heard?' said Hagrid, his smile fading a little. He lowered his voice, even though there was nobody in sight. 'Er â€" Snape told all the Slytherins this mornin' … thought everyone'd know by now … Professor Lupin's a werewolf, see. An' he was loose in the grounds las' night. He's packin' now, o' course.'
'He's packing?' said Ann, alarmed. 'Why?'
'Leavin', isn' he?' said Hagrid, looking surprised that Ann had to ask. 'Resigned firs' thing this mornin'. Says he can' risk it happenin' again.' Ann scrambled to her feet.
'I'm going to see him,' she said to Harry Ron and Hermione.
'But if he's resigned â€"' 'â€" doesn't sound like there's anything we can do â€"yeah Ann just-'
'I don't care. I still want to see him. I'll meet you back here.' Harry got up to go with her. Lupin's office door was open. He had already packed most of his things. The Grindylow's empty tank stood next to his battered old suitcase, which was open and nearly full. Lupin was bending over something on his desk, and only looked up when Ann knocked on the door.
'I saw you two coming,' said Lupin, smiling. He pointed to the parchment he had been poring over. It was the Marauder's Map.
'We just saw Hagrid,' said Ann. 'And he said you'd resigned. It's not true, is it?'
'I'm afraid it is,' said Lupin. He started opening his desk drawers and taking out the contents.
'Why?'said Harry. 'The Ministry of Magic don't think you were helping Sirius, do they?' Lupin crossed to the door and closed it behind Harry and Ann.
'No. Professor Dumbledore managed to convince Fudge that I was trying to save your lives.' He sighed. 'That was the final straw for Severus. I think the loss of the Order of Merlin hit him hard. So he â€" er â€" accidentally let slip that I am a werewolf this morning at breakfast.' 'You're not leaving just because of that!' said Harry. Lupin smiled wryly.
'You can't!' said Ann
'This time tomorrow, the owls will start arriving from parents â€" they will not want a werewolf teaching their children, Harry, Ann. And after last night, I see their point. I could have bitten any of you …that must never happen again.'
'You're the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had!'said Harry.
'Don't go!' said Ann. Lupin shook his head and didn't speak. He carried on emptying his drawers. Lupin said,
'From what the Headmaster told me this morning, you saved a lot of lives last night, you two. If I'm proud of anything, it's how much you've learned. Tell me about your Patronuses.' 'How d'you know about that?' said Ann, distracted.
'What else could have driven the Dementors back?' Harry and Ann told Lupin what had happened. When they'd finished, Lupin was smiling again.
'Wow! Ann, an elephant, though I'm not surprised, you're a strong girl. And Harry, your father was always a stag when he transformed,' he said. 'You guessed right … that's why we called him Prongs.' Lupin threw his last few books into his case, closed the desk drawers and turned to look at Harry and Ann. 'Here â€" I brought this from the Shrieking Shack last night,' he said, handing Harry back the Invisibility Cloak. 'And …' he hesitated, then held out the Marauder's Map, too. 'I am no longer your teacher, so I don't feel guilty about giving you this back as well. It's no use to me, and I daresay you two, along with Ron and Hermione will find uses for it.' Harry took the map and grinned.
'You told us Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs would've wanted to lure me out of school …you said they'd have thought it was funny.' said Ann
'And so we would have done,' said Lupin, now reaching down to close his case. 'I have no hesitation in saying that James would have been highly disappointed if his son had never found any of the secret passages out of the castle, And Ann Marlene would be very proud of her daughter,' said Lupin. There was a knock on the door. Harry hastily stuffeted the Marauder's Map and the Invisibility Cloak into his pocket. It was Professor Dumbledore. He didn't look surprised to see Harry and Ann both there.
'Your carriage is at the gates, Remus,' he said.
'Thank you, Headmaster.' Lupin picked up his old suitcase and the empty Grindylow tank. 'Well â€" goodbye, Harry, Ann' he said, smiling. 'It has been a real pleasure teaching you. I feel sure we'll meet again some time. Headmaster, there is no need to see me to the gates, I can manage …'
'Goodbye, then, Remus,' said Dumbledore soberly. Lupin shifted the Grindylow tank slightly so that he and Dumbledore could shake hands. Then, with a final nod to Harry and Ann, and a swift smile, Lupin left the office. Ann shrugged and walked off leaving Harry with Dumblodore, realising this was a private moment between the two.
Nobody at Hogwarts knew the truth of what had happened the night that Sirius, Buckbeak and Pettigrew had vanished except Ann, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Professor Dumbledore. As the end of term approached, Ann heard many different theories about what had really happened, but none of them came close to the truth. Malfoy was furious about Buckbeak. He was convinced that Hagrid had found a way of smuggling the Hippogriff to safety, and seemed outraged that he and his father had been outwitted by a gamekeeper. Percy Weasley, meanwhile, had much to say on the subject of Sirius's escape.
'If I manage to get into the Ministry, I'll have a lot of proposals to make about Magical Law Enforcement!' he told the only person who would listen â€" his girlfriend, Penelope. Though the weather was perfect, though the atmosphere was so cheerful, though she knew they had achieved the near impossible in helping Sirius to freedom, Ann had never approached the end of a school year in worse spirits. She certainly wasn't the only one who was sorry to see Professor Lupin go. The whole of Ann's Defence Against the Dark Arts class were miserable about his resignation.
'Wonder what they'll give us next year?' said Seamus Finnigan gloomily.
'Maybe a vampire,' suggested Dean Thomas hopefully. It wasn't only Professor Lupin's departure that was weighing on Ann's mind. She had been so close to living with her dad, to not staying with her uncle Mason who was always working. And while no news of Sirius was definitely good news, because it meant he had successfully gone into hiding, Ann couldn't help feeling miserable when she thought of the home she might have had, and the fact that it was now impossible. The exam results came out on the last day of term. Ann, Harry, Ron and Hermione had passed every subject. Percy had got his top-grade NEWTs; Fred and George had scraped a handful of OWLs each. Gryffindor house, meanwhile, largely thanks to their spectacular performance in the Quidditch Cup, had won the House Championship for the third year running. This meant that the end-of-term feast took place amid decorations of scarlet and gold, and that the Gryffindor table was the noisiest of the lot, as everybody celebrated. Even Ann managed to forget about the journey back to home the next day as she ate, drank, talked and laughed with the rest.
As the Hogwarts Express pulled out of the station the next morning, Hermione gave Ann, Harry and Ron some surprising news.
'I went to see Professor McGonagall this morning, just before breakfast. I've decided to drop Muggle Studies.'
'But you passed your exam with three hundred and twenty per cent!'said Ron.
'I know,' sighed Hermione, 'but I can't stand another year like this one. That Time-Turner, it was driving me mad. I've handed it in. Without Muggle Studies and Divination, I'll be able to have a normal timetable again.'
'I still can't believe you didn't tell us about it,' said Ron grumpily. 'We're supposed to be your friends.'
'I promised I wouldn't tell anyone,' said Hermione severely. 'Oh, cheer up, Harry!' said Hermione sadly.
'I'm OK,' said Harry quickly. 'Just thinking about the holidays.'
'Yeah, I've been thinking about them, too,' said Ron. 'Harry, you've got to come and stay with us, I mean Ann comes at the end of every summer-'
'My uncles pretty busy,' said Ann gloomily
'I'll fix it up with Mum and Dad, then I'll call you. I know how to use a felly tone now â€"'
'A telephone, Ron,' said Hermione. 'Honestly, you should take Muggle Studies next year …' Ron ignored her.
'It's the Quidditch World Cup this summer! How about it, Harry? Come and stay, and we'll go and see it! Dad can usually get tickets from work.'
'I personally can't wait,' said Ann in higher spirits.
'Yeah … I bet the Dursleys'd be pleased to let me come … especially after what I did to Aunt Marge …' Feeling considerably more cheerful, Harry joined Ann, Ron and Hermione in several games of Exploding Snap, and when the witch with the tea trolley arrived, he bought himself a very large lunch, though nothing with chocolate in it.
'Harry,' said Hermione suddenly, peering over his shoulder. 'What's that thing outside your window?' Harry turned to look outside. Something very small and grey was bobbing in and out of sight beyond the glass. He stood up for a better look and saw that it was a tiny owl, carrying a letter which was much too big for it. The owl was so small, in fact, that it kept tumbling over in the air, buffeted this way and that in the train's slipstream. Harry quickly pulled down the window, stretched out his arm and caught it. He brought it carefully inside. The owl dropped its letter onto Harry's seat and began zooming around their compartment, apparently very pleased with itself for accomplishing its task. Hedwig clicked her beak with a sort of dignified disapproval as did Anns owl Gray. Crookshanks sat up in his seat, following the owl with his great yellow eyes. Ron, noticing this, snatched the owl safely out of harm's way. Harry picked up the letter. It was addressed to Ann. Harry handed it to Ann and she ripped open the letter and shouted,
'It's from Sirius!'
'What?' said Harry Ron and Hermione excitedly. 'Read it aloud!'
Dear Annie, I hope this finds you before you reach your uncle. I don't know whether Mason would check for some sort of jinx or something. Buckbeak and I are in hiding. I won't tell you where, in case this falls into the wrong hands. I have some doubt about the owl's reliability, but he is the best I could find, and he did seem eager for the job. I believe the Dementors are still searching for me, but they haven't a hope of finding me here. I am planning to allow some Muggles to glimpse me soon, a long way from Hogwarts, so that the security on the castle will be lifted. There is something I never got round to telling you during our brief meeting. It was I who sent you the Firebolt â€"
'Ha!'said Hermione triumphantly. 'See! I told you it was from him!'
'Yes, but he hadn't jinxed it, had he?' said Ron. 'Ouch!' The tiny owl, now hooting happily in his hand, had nibbled one of his fingers in what it seemed to think was an affectionate way. 'Crookshanks took the order to the Owl Office for me. I used your name but told them to take the gold from Gringotts vault number seven hundred and eleven â€" my own. Not the one my and Marlene opened for you. Please consider it as thirteen birthdays' worth of presents from your dad. I am enclosing something else for Harry, which I think will make his next year at Hogwarts more enjoyable. If ever you need me, send word. Your owl will find me. I'll write again soon. Your dad, Sirius. Ann looked eagerly inside the envelope. There was another piece of parchment in there which she handed to Harry. He read it through quickly
'That'll be good enough for Dumbledore!' said Harry happily. Ann looked back at Sirius's letter.
'Hang on, there's a PS … I thought your friend Ron might like to keep this owl, as it's my fault he no longer has a rat. Ron's eyes widened. The minute owl was still hooting excitedly. 'Keep him?' he said uncertainly. He looked closely at the owl for a moment, then, to Ann, Harry and Hermione's great surprise, he held him out for Crookshanks to sniff. 'What d'you reckon?' Ron asked the cat. 'Definitely an owl?' Crookshanks purred. 'That's good enough for me,' said Ron happily. 'He's mine.' Ann read and re-read the letter from her dad all the way back into King's Cross Station. It was tucked into her robes when they got of the train, Ann, Ron and Hermione stepped back through the barrier of platform nine and three-quarters. Ann spotted Uncle Mason at once. He was close to Mr and Mrs Weasley, talking up a storm.
'I'll call about the World Cup!' Ron yelled after Harry, as Harry bid him, Ann and Hermione goodbye.
'How was Hogwarts?,' Mason asked
'It was fun, we won the Quidditch cup,' said Ann
'Here, now that you-well know that the criminal is no longer near Hogwarts, I thought you'd enjoy this,' said Mason handing her a signed Hogsmeade persimmon form. Ann squealed and the two headed home very light and happy.
At home Ann decided to start owling her dad. And they owled all summer long. Ann kept each letter under a floorboard in her room under her bed.