Icy Heart #wattys2017

Meetings at Midnight

At 11:50 pm, Icy snuck out of her dorm,taking a jumper that she'd knitted with her, leaving Hermione to her dreams. The teenage girl waited anxiously by the fireplace, until the clock struck twelve.

Icy was beginning to think that Sirius had forgotten about her when she heard a little pop, and there was a head in the fireplace.

"Sirius!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him. "Happy Christmas. Thank you for your gift, I have something for you aswell!"

Sirius laughed hoarsely at the girl's excitement. He smiled when he noticed his aunt's ring on her finger. Icy shoved the jumper she'd knitted through the fire, and Sirius's eyes lit up.

"Thank you, Icy," the man grinned, slipping it over his head. "Oh, and I have this! Muggles have such amazing technology nowadays!" He handed her a small photo, and Icy burst out laughing. It was a photo of Sirius holding a baby, except that the baby didn't look like she belonged in the photo.

"Thanks, Sirius," Icy laughed. "I read your letter, of course I wouldn't be down here if I hadn't... Anyways, I'd love for us to be a family."

"You would?" Sirius asked, surprised. He'd thought that he would meet the girl, who he already thought of as a daughter, and be rejected.

"I would. Icy Black... Sorta has a ring to it, eh? Much better than Icy Peverell, I think," Icy said, half speaking to Sirius, half speaking to herself. "Icy Potter wouldn't sound half bad either..."

"Hey, you're barely fourteen, missy, you're not marrying anyone anytime soon!"

"I'm only joking, Sirius," Icy laughed. "Well, half joking."

Sirius opened his mouth to speak, when he heard footsteps. A raven haired boy with spectacles appeared at the bottom of the boys dormitory,and Icy froze.

"Goodbye love," said Sirius hurriedly, kissing her on the head and popping into the fire.

"Couldn't you have given me an hour or so with him?" grumbled Icy, as Harry sat on the couch beside her. "I haven't seen the man in forever!"

"Th-that was Sirius Black?" Harry asked her, staring into the fire. "But- he seemed so... Ordinary. Sane... He- he couldn't have betrayed my parents..."

"He didn't," Icy rolled her eyes. "It's too bad you three don't believe me, because Sirius's name could be cleared in about an hour if you did, and then you'd never have to go back to the Dursley's again, you'd live with us..."

Harry's eyes had a spark of joy in them when he next spoke. "How?"

"How, what?" Icy asked, watching the emerald-eyed boy carefully.

"How would we clear his name?" A smile grew on Icy's face, and she flashed Harry a toothy grin.

"Ron's rat," she said simply. "He's not actually a rat, he's an animagus. Haven't you ever wondered why Crookshanks is always after him?"

"He's a cat. Cats chase rats," said Harry, a confused expression on his face.

"Crookshanks is half-kneazle. He was your Mum's cat, and so he recognised Peter in his animagus form," Icy said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Nobody else seems to have made the connection yet, other than Sirius. But he did talk to the cat..."

"Why in the world is Peter an animagus? In the pub McGonagall was saying how he wasn't the smartest..."

"Your dad, Peter and Sirius all were," she explained patiently. "Anyways, we'll need to catch Peter, which shouldn't be too hard as he's your best friend's pet, but we need to make a cage of some sort that won't allow him to transform, and that will be difficult."

"Hermione could-"

"Harry, Hermione doesn't trust me yet. And if I were to tell her, she'd tell Ron, and then Peter would know," Icy cut him off.

"We can ask Professor Flitwick then. Just for charms that won't allow magic, or Professor McGonagall," suggested Harry, and Icy nodded.

"Perfect. Er- I'm really tired, so I'm going to bed, but I'll see you tomorrow, Harry, we'll discuss more," Icy blushed slightly as she brushed past Harry to get to the girls dormitory staircase.

"Goodnight, Icy!" called the boy who lived.

"Goodnight, Harry," she responded.