The Loyal and Just

Chapter Fourteen

The Thursday after Lupin approached me, I was walking into the History of Magic classroom. Harry was already there.

"Aran?" He asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I talked to Lupin about teaching me how to do a Patronus. I figured the next time dementors came, I would be able to ward them off for you. Especially when you play Slytherin."

Harry smiles, "Thanks, but I'm learning it with you."

"Yeah," I run a hand through my hair, "But it doesn't hurt to learn new stuff."

All of the sudden, Lupin came in carrying a large case and threw it upon Prof Binns' desk.

"What is that?" I inquired,

"Another Boggart," Lupin said, "I've been combing this castle ever since Tuesday, and very luckily, I found this one lurking inside Mr. Filch's filing cabinet. It's the nearest we'll get to a real Dementor. The boggart will turn into a dementor when he sees you, Harry, so we'll be able to practice on him; there's a cupboard under my desk he'll like."

"But what about me, Professor?" I asked him, "I hate to sound pressing, but my boggart isn't a Dementor, it's a-" I hesitate, "It's a clown." I barely get the words out. This is a problem, I think to myself.

Lupin pauses and thinks, "I hadn't thought of that to be honest. I guess you're just going to have to practice the spell and watch Harry. I'll try to find a better substitute by next Thursday."

"Okay, Professor," I say, sounding very dejected.

Harry tried and failed, about three times before coming up with something that barely resembled a Patronus. I feel like even more pressure is on him than on me. Every time he faces a dementor, even one in Boggart from, he hears his parents dying. I can't even imagine that.

I figured out the incantation, but I decided not to perform it in front of Harry so it didn't look like I was bragging or anything. We may be in opposing houses, and I might've blown him up two months ago, but we're friends - I think. Either way, I respect him.

Lupin sent us off to our common rooms after a while. My first thought was to go back to the common rooms like I was told, but I also kinda wanted to go practice Patronuses, now that everyone should be going to bed and no one would watch. The only thing that might happen is that being caught by Filch.

Then again, Filch can't catch me if he believes that everyone will be in the Castle.

Harry interrupts my thoughts by saying: "Hey Aran, can I trust you?"

My first thought was no, but then I thought, he obviously has something that he wants to share. I can be trustworthy enough for that.

"Yeah, what is it?" I told him

"Well, I was just remembering what you said when I was in the hospital wing last November." Harry said, "about being free if I ever wanted to talk about something."

I remember now.

"Yeah, I remember." I say, "what do you want to talk about?"

"It's, uh," Harry hesitates for a moment, "it's Sirius Black. I found out recently that he was friends with my parents. He was my dad's best man at their wedding and he's my godfather."

I know exactly where this is going.

"He was their best friend and he sold them out Voldemort." Harry continues, his temper flaring, "he was their best friend and he murdered them."

I stand by him awkwardly. I wish I could just tell him that Sirius isn't a killer, but Harry probably wouldn't believe me and rat me out to the teachers for knowing where Sirius is.

"Harry," I start, "sometimes, you have to understand that not everything is as it appears to be. Whether or not Sirius betrayed your parents or not, I don't know, but you need to be open to a chance that maybe there are more sides to the story."

I can tell this isn't the answer Harry was expecting.

"Do you know something that nobody else does?" Harry asks

"Maybe, maybe not," I say coyly. "Well see ya later sometime, Harry."

"Bye, Aran," Harry says as I start leaving.

Instead of going to the common room, though, I head outside and turn into a fox, darting towards the Forbidden Forest.

~✯~

"Expecto Patronum!" I cry, performing the spell perfectly exactly as Professor Lupin instructed me to.

Wisps of light blue smoke puff out of my wand, just like I had seen Harry's wand do when he was practicing on the Boggart. I grin, but then I think to myself that I could probably do better than a few puffs of smoke. My smile turns into a grimace as I scour my mind for a more powerful memory.

I pick out the memory of seeing Hogwarts for the first time. The awe and greatness of seeing the Great Hall when I was sorted, the glory of the castle upon the lake water as we sailed across the Lake. It had to be powerful enough.

"Expecto Patronum!" I shout

This time, the smoke formed a sort of shield. I smiled again, it's exactly how Professor Lupin performed the spell on the train.

"Not bad," Someone says behind me. I spin around, frightened.

Sirius Black walked out of the trees and into the clearing I was practicing in.

"Not all third years could be able to do that, you know," Sirius says,

"Thanks," I grin at him

"Who's teaching you how to do Patronuses?" Sirius asks

"Uh, Professor Lupin," I tell him, Sirius's face lights up

"He's a professor now?" Sirius asks me

"Yeah," I inform him, "He's really good, the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had. I asked him to teach me."

"Why do you want to defend the Dementors?" Sirius asks, "You're a student."

"Well, for starters, because I hate the feeling they give off." I start

"Everybody does," Sirius says, his mind distant and lost in thought.

"Also because they came to a Quidditch Game and Harry almost died." I say, "I thought that if the Dementors came again, I might be able to ward them off, or at least a few of them."

Sirius's face was deadly serious. "Harry nearly died?" he asked, obviously worried

"Yeah, he fainted and he fell off his broom." I tell him, "That was back at the end of October, though. He's okay. Professor Lupin's also teaching Harry the Patronus."

Sirius nods, "Damn right he is, otherwise I would barge up there and teach Harry myself."

My mind wanders back to my conversation with Harry earlier.

"Hey Sirius, another thing is that Harry might not want to see you," I say

Sirius looked kinda hurt, but he seemed to get over it.

"I talked to him earlier," I continue, "And he knows about you and his dad being friends and -" I hesitate, should I be telling him this? "He hates you for what Pettigrew did."

Was there a glint in his eyes? He must sad, he has good reason to be. But looking at him more, I know what he must be thinking.

Sirius Black has murder on his mind.