Into The Light (Golden Trio Era) {2}

Padfoot Printed

Mikayla went to sit on the couch by the fire, exhausted, occasionally she sipped her butterbeer. Hermione woke with a jerk soon after as Harry set is schoolbag down on the floor. He sat next to Mikayla and turned his attention to Hermione who rubbed her eyes sleepily. "Oh, Harry, it's you... Good about Ron, isn't it?" she paused to yawn. "Here." Hermione spoke tiredly handing Mikayla the potion. Mikayla begins tending to Harry's hand as Hermione continues, "I'm just so- so - so tired, I was up until one o'clock making more hats. They're disappearing like mad!" "Great," Harry said, not too intrigued by her quest to free the house elves.

Then he turned to Mikayla, as well as motioned Hermione to come closer. "Listen, I was just up in Umbridge's office and she touched my arm..." He informed them of the pain he felt when tangible to her. He was worried she was somehow connected to Voldemort. He also told her, finally, about what Umbridge had been having him do. "You're worried that You-Know-Who's controlling her like he controlled Quirrell?" Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Well," Harry lowered his voice and looked around for any listeners. "It's a possibility, isn't it?" "I suppose so," said Hermione, sounding unconvinced. "But I don't think he can be possessing her the way he possessed Quirrell, I mean, he's properly alive again now, isn't he, he's got his own body, he wouldn't need to share someone else's. He could have her under the Imperius Curse, I suppose..." Mikayla spoke her thoughts, Harry looked across the room, watching, not too pleased with the girls' interpretation. Hermione spoke up, "But last year your scar hurt when nobody was touching you, and didn't Dumbledore say it had to do with what You-Know-Who was feeling at the time? I mean, maybe this hasn't got anything to do with Umbridge at all, maybe it's just coincidence it happened while you were with her?" "She's evil," Harry said grimly. "Twisted." "She's horrible, yes, but... Harry, I think you ought to tell Dumbledore your scar hurt." Harry seemed to grow more irritated at Hermione's responses the more she spoke.

"I'm not bothering him with this. Like you just said, it's not a big deal. It's been hurting on and off all summer- it was just a bit worse tonight, that's all-" "Harry, I'm sure Dumbledore would want to be bothered by this-" Mikayla had a worried tone set. "Yeah," said Harry. "that's the only bit of me Dumbledore cares about, isn't it, my scar?" He looked as if he immediately regretted saying it. "Don't say that, it's not true!?" "I think I'll write and tell Sirius about it, see what he thinks-" "Harry, you can't put something like that in a letter!" Mikayla spoke looking alarmed. "Don't you remember, Moody told us to be careful what we put in writing! We just can't guarantee owls aren't being intercepted anymore! Heck, Selene was intercepted today, she was in the owlery with ruffled feathers and a partly detached wing." "All right, all right, I won't tell him, then!" Harry huffed and got to his feet. "I'm going to bed. Tell Ron for me, will you?" "Oh no," said Hermione, looking relieved, "if you're going that means I can go without being rude too, I'm absolutely exhausted and I want to make some more hats tomorrow. Listen, you can help me if you like, it's quite fun, I'm getting better, I can do patterns and bobbles and all sorts of things now." Hermione looked ecstatic with her work, but Harry frowned shaking his head and walked toward the stairs. Mikayla got up, making her way over to Ron, "'Mione and Harry are gone to bed, they're wrecked." Ron nodded disappointedly before wrapping his arm around Mikayla's shoulder, causing the girl to chuckle briefly, "I still got you..."

--

"Oh... yeah..." said Ron. He set down his half eaten toast, took a drink, then said, "Listen... you two don't fancy going out a bit earlier with me, do you? Just to- er- give me some practice before training? So I can, you know, get my eye in a bit..." "Sure," Mikayla responded excitedly. "Look, I don't think you should," said Hermione seriously looking at Ron and Harry, "you two both are really behind on homework as it-" But she stopped short of finishing, the morning post had arrived as per usual, the sound of wings flapping and calling owls filled the hall. A screech owl landed on the table with a Daily Prophet in it's beak and a leg held out for payment. She dropped a knut into the small leather pouch and it flew away. She took a moment to scan the front page. "Anything interesting?" Ron asked, Harry gave him a smile, probably glad he was keeping her off the subject of homework. "No," she sighed, "just some guff about the bass player in the Weird Sisters getting married..." She opened the paper to the first page and disappeared behind it. We continued to eat our breakfast as she read. "Wait a moment," Hermione said suddenly. "Oh no... Sirius!" "What's happened?" Mikayla said immediately, lunging over the table to grab the paper so fast it ripped in two pieces. "'The Ministry of Magic has received a tip-off from a reliable source that Sirius Black, notorious mass murderer... blah blah blah... is currently hiding in London!'" she said in a quiet but shocked whisper. "Lucius Malfoy, I'll bet anything." Harry said grimly. "He did recognise Sirius on the platform..." "What?" Ron said in an alarmed tone that was a little higher than preferred for this conversation. "You didn't say-" "Shh!" we hushed him. "...'Ministry warns Wizarding community that Black is very dangerous is very dangerous... killed thirteen people... broke out of Azkaban...' the usual rubbish ," Hermione concluded, laying down the torn paper and looking back at them, frightened. "Well, he just won't be able to leave the house again, that's all," she continued in a quiet whisper. "Dumbledore did warn him not to." Harry looked down at the shredded paper Mikayla placed on the table, frowning, then he erupted.

"Hey!" he said frantically, flattening the paper for the group to see. "Look at this!" "I've got all the robes I want," said Ron, looking at the advertisement for Madame Malkin's Robes of All Occasions.  No," said Harry, pointing at a column near the bottom. "look.... this little piece here..." It was a very tiny paragraph .  It was headlined "TRESPASS AT MINISTRY" we bent over it to read.  "Sturgis Podmore, 38, of number two, LaburnumGardens, Clapham, has appeared in front of the Wizengamot charged with trespass and attempted robbery at the Ministry of Magic on 31st August. Podmore was arrested by Ministry of Magic watch-wizard Eric Munch, who found him attempting to force his way through a top-security door at one o'clock in the morning. Podmore, who refused to speak in his own defence, was convicted on both charges and sentenced to six months in Azkaban." "Sturgis Podmore?" Ron said slowly, "but he's that bloke who looks like his head's been thatched, isn't he? He's one of the Ord-"  "Ron, shh!" Mikayla waved a hand in front of him, and looked around for anyone eavesdropping. "Six moths in Azkaban!" whispered Harry, mouth hanging open a bit. "Just for trying to get through a door!"  "Don't be silly, it wasn't just for trying to get through a door- what on earth was he doing at the Ministry of Magic at one o'clock in the morning?" Hermione breathed. "D'you reckon he was doing something for the Order?" Ron asked, being careful to talk quietly so Mikayla wouldn't hit him. "Wait a moment..." Mikayla began. "Sturgis was supposed to come and see us off, remember?" they all turned to look at Mikayla. "He was supposed to be part of our guard going to King's Cross, remember? And Moody was all annoyed because he didn't turn up, so that doesn't seem like he was supposed to be on a job for them, does it?" "Well, maybe they didn't expect him to get caught," suggested Hermione. "It could be a frame-up!" said Ron excitedly. "No- listen!" he dropped his voice from his excited yell as Hermione and I shot him warning looks. "The Ministry suspects he's one of Dumbledore's lot so- I dunno- they lured him to the Ministry, and he wasn't trying to get through a door at all! Maybe they've just made something up to get him!" We didn't answer immediately, we pondered whether or not his wild idea could be correct, even in the slightest. Hermione seemed rather impressed however, baffled that Ron had the capacity to think like this. "Do you know, I wouldn't be at all surprised if that were true." She folded up her newspaper and smiled to herself. "Right, well, I think we should tackle that essay for Sprout on Self Fertilising Shrubs first, and if we're lucky we'll be able to start McGonagall's Inanimatus Conjurus before lunch..." Harry let out a sigh.

"I mean, we can do it tonight," said Ron as they trotted down toward the Quidditch pitch with their brooms slung over their shoulders. "D'you think she meant it when she said we weren't copying from her?" "Yeah, I do," Mikayla chuckled.  "This is important too, we've go to practice if we want to stay of the Quidditch team..." "Yeah, that's right," Ron said, a little more confident now. "And we have got to plenty of time to do it all..." Once in the changing room they collected the balls from the trunk in the cupboard. Ron guarded the three goal posts as Keeper, Harry and Mikayla played as chasers to give him more of a realistic game, an extra person to make it more difficult. "3 galleons to the person who gets the most shots through." Harry dared as they mounted our brooms. "You're on, Potter." Mikayla laughed and soared into the air. 

By the end of the game she had scored 6 times and Harry only two, he reluctantly threw her the winnings and sulked. "I can see why they didn't make you Chaser." She teased as she threw her hair into a bun. Her broom rested on her shoulder and her arm draped over the handle to keep it up, the other hand juggled a Quaffle. "You just got a couple lucky throws, is all." he demanded, chuckling along side her as they trekked back to the storage. "I let you win." "Hah! If that's what you need to tell yourself to sleep at night! The great Quidditch champion Harry James Potter was beaten by a girl! A girl!" He only grinned.