The Lost Potter

New and Old Friends

"O-Olivia?" Hermione's voice was as shaky as her hands, lowering her wand slowly, as if Olivia would vanish at any moment.

"Please let me explain before you jump to any-" Olivia said quickly, scared of how Hermione would react. Hermione cut her off, however, by engulfing her in a hug. Olivia sighed, "-conclusions."

"I'm so glad you're safe! We all thought- well, we thought-" Hermione choked on her words, her tears welling up to match Olivia's already flowing ones.

"Hermione I'm so glad to see you, but I really can't stay long," Olivia broke their embrace apart, and Hermione sat on her bed next to her.

"Why not? You're free! And how did you get here anyway? Are you an animagus? Is that how you escaped-" Hermione bombarded with questions, her words feeling too slow for everything she wanted to say.

"I was never kidnapped. While I was in prison, I met Sirius Black," Hermione gasped, but Olivia carried on, "And he helped me get out by teaching my how to be an animagus. He was framed, and all he wants to do is protect Harry."

"Then why slash the Fat Lady? How can you be sure he's not just using you?" Hermione questioned again.

"He's not- well, neither of us are in a good mental state right now. That place, it does things to you. And we're trying to protect Harry from-" Olivia was cut off by the dorm room door opening. In an instant, she transformed back into a bird, her bones cracking loudly as they shifted around. It was Lavender Brown, another Gryffindor girl in their year. She looked at Hermione oddly as she walked in.

"Who were you talking to? And what was that noise?" Lavender asked, making her way to her own bed before she saw Olivia, "And why do you have a bird in here?"

Hermione was still stunned, but replied, "It's just a rook who was caught in the storm. I'm fixing its wing."

Lavender nodded and carried on, obviously not caring much about what Hermione did in her free time. Hermione scooped up the bird and placed her in her pocket again, deciding to grab Ron and Harry so Olivia could explain it all.

Unfortunately, Hermione didn't get the chance. Once she got into the common room, she ran almost headfirst into Percy Weasley, causing both of them to stumble. Olivia tumbled out of Hermione's pocket, and Hermione didn't even bother with an apology as she searched for the bird in the dim light.

"Hermione? What are you looking for?" Percy asked after balancing himself and seeing Hermione's frantic shuffling.

"It's nothing. I just dropped a," Hermione was about to make up something clever when Percy shrieked.

"Is that a bird? In the common room?!" Percy screeched, pointing at Olivia as if she was a poisonous rat.

"Percy, its fine, I was just going to help it with its wing," Hermione insisted, picking up Olivia with a careful hand. Percy, however, was not having it.

"I will not allow you to spread its germs everywhere! Release it at once!" Percy tried to use his commanding voice, but he was still a little shrill sounding.

"Percy, its injured," Hermione tried again, showing Olivia's injured wing. Percy, however, was having none of it.

"Release it this instant or I will be forced to take points away from Gryffindor." Percy snapped, crossing his arms and staring Hermione down. Hermione, not one to go against authority, walked over to the window and opened it.

"Meet us at the Quidditch pitch's announcer box tomorrow night. I'll bring Harry and Ron so you can explain everything." Hermione whispered the instructions while placing her on the windowsill and closing it behind her.

Olivia couldn't really fly with a broken wing, but managed to glide to the ground relatively safely. It felt like it took days to hop back to the Whomping willow, but it only took a matter of hours. Soon enough, Olivia was back in the shack- at three in the morning, no less.

"Sirius?" Olivia asked as she transformed in the entranceway, bracing herself against the wall and grinding her teeth together with the pain of standing. She could feel the adrenaline wearing off, and the pain rushing in and taking its place, "-Sirius?" She asked again, sounded as feeble as she felt.

She tried to use the walls to brace herself, but could only move centimetres at a time before the pain started again. While she hobbled along, she kept calling out for Sirius.

"Sirius? Answer me, damn it!" Olivia shouted as she rested from walking. Even if he was preoccupied and couldn't help her walk, he could at least have the decency to say he's alive!

Olivia had almost made it to the nearest chair when she heard dog-like panting coming from behind her. She pivoted on her good leg and watch the tunnel as a large, shaggy, black dog ran out of it.

"Sirius! Where were you?" Olivia accused him, putting all her weight on her good foot while still bracing herself.

Sirius transformed quickly and snapped back at her, "Where was I? Where were you! I looked all over the Quidditch pitch, the surrounding area, I went around the whole castle!"

"I broke my wing, and Hermione picked me up to try and fix it. I even started to tell her what's going on! Stupid Percy kicking me out.."

"Your broke your wing? Is that why you're hobbling?" Sirius asked, replying once Olivia nodded, "Here, let's get you to your bed and we can talk more then."

Sirius had to squat at an awkward height, and Olivia felt like her arm would pop out, but they eventually got her up the stairs into her room, and her leg propped up on to her bed.

"Where is it broken?" Sirius asked as her surveyed the injury.

"At my ankle." Olivia hissed as Sirius removed her shoe and sock to better look at the swelling. The whole area was dark purple, and swollen to the size of a softball.

"I can try and make a splint, but you won't be able to walk at all no matter what I do." Sirius sighed, scratching his head in frustration. Olivia just nodded at him to try anything, and Sirius set off to find supplies.

He managed to tear up extra sheets and use the removed floorboards to make a very rudimentary splint, and was beating himself up for leaving Olivia there alone. Of course she would have gotten hurt! She's just a kid, I shouldn't have left her there, even if the Dementors were hot on me.

"Sirius, are you okay?" Olivia asked. Sirius had wrapped her ankle up in the splint and then was sitting there, deep in some troubling thought.

He snapped out of it in an instant, "Fine. Although our trip wasn't a complete waste, you'll never imagine who I met while looking for you."

Olivia quilted an eyebrow, instantly suspicious, "Who did you meet?"

"It's someone who wants to help, I swear. His name is Crookshanks..."

~~

Next chapter woohoo. For those who read my other works, be on the lookout for an update on my Merlin fanfic- I'm rewatching the series to try and get that story finally finished.

Anyway, please leave feedback and I hope you enjoyed!