Wands and Wings

Chapter 31

For the time that January rolled into February, I was spending less and less time with my friends and pets, and more time of the roof of Gryffindor Tower.
I was never noticed, surprisingly enough, and no dementors came to bother me. The Quidditch match against Ravenclaw was making Harry jittery and nervous, because he still didn't have his broom back.
He had gone to ask Professor McGonagall many times whether the broom was ready or not, but each time she said no.
And Harry's secret lessons with Professor Lupin weren't going very well either. I had been there at each one, Harry not knowing, and Lupin talking to me afterwards.
He asked me to bring Kiba one day, but I didn't plan to.
I sat on the roof, milling over my thoughts. Sometimes my mind flashed back to the visions I've had.
I took the heavy frame out of my robes. The statue was concealed inside it, weighing down the thick wood.
I let out a low sigh. The wind picked up and whipped my braid around violently, but I didn't care.
I lowered the frame and gave a start.
The dog was back.
He hadn't shadowed me for weeks, why was he back now?
The scruffy black dog had somehow gotten onto the roof.
"I know who you are." I said, lowering my gaze.
A whoosh of air blew past my face, and that man was there.
I had seen him on the school newspapers.
"What at you doing here?" I asked, looking at him.
"I need to find...something." The man sat in front of me, talking slowly. His sunken eyes were examining me.
"What are you looking for?"
"A...person, you might say."
I looked at him. A mass murderer, sitting right in front of me.
"Why did you do it?" I asked finally.
"Do...what?" Black questioned, but I was certain he knew what I was talking about.
"Why did you kill those innocent people?" I asked after a short silence.
"One wasn't innocent." He said sourly. "He blew apart the street. I only wanted to kill him." Black shut his eyes. "I never killed those people. He did."
I found myself believing him.
"Harry hates you. Everyone knows you're going after him."
The man's eyes snapped open. "I'm not going after Harry! Why would I go after my own godson?"
I blinked. "Godson?"
"Yes. I was friends with Harry's parents. Great friends, actually. Now the whole wizarding world believes I killed them."
I looked into the man's face and something told me he wasn't lying.
"Why are you telling me this?" I asked. Sirius let out a short breath.
"No one else listens. Except Crookshanks." He explained.
"Crookshanks? Hermione's cat?" I said, bewildered.
"Is that the girl's name? Yes, I can talk to him. Well, not really, we sort of just...understand each other." Sirius looked up at the sky.
He folded his arms over his knees. "It's a terrible place. Azkaban." He said suddenly.
"What?"
"The wizard prison."
Sirius looked at me. "There are dementors all over this school. They bring back horrid memories." He gave a small shrug.
My wings gave a violent twitch inside my jacket. I turned to adjust my jacket, and when I turned back around, he was gone.
I furrowed my brow. Maybe I had just imagined it.
A plop of rain fell on my forehead, and I started to climb down to the window. I peeked inside, and then slid in.
I walked into a crowd of people surrounding Harry, which wasn't unusual.
I noticed he had his broom back.
Eventually he gave it to Ron to take it upstairs, and the crowd dispersed. I went over.
Kiba was quietly watching Harry and Hermione do their homework.
He never had any homework, so I let him do mine.
"Hey, Katrina." Hermione said cheerfully, right before a loud, strangled yell came echoing down the stairs from the boy's dormitory.
Heads turned, the whole common room silent as Ron came thundering down the stairs carrying a bed sheet.
He stormed over to Hermione and shoved the sheet in her face.
"LOOK!" He yelled.
"Ron, are you oka-" Ron shoved the sheet in my own face before I could finish my sentence.
"SCABBERS IS GONE. AND LOOK WHAT I FOUND!" Ron bellowed.
Ron slammed the sheet down, and across the sheet was something scarlet. "BLOOD. AND GUESS WHAT I FOUND ON THE FLOOR." Ron threw something down on the table, looking furious.
Hermione's face paled as she picked up several long, ginger cat hairs.
And I believed that was the end of their friendship.
Ron was so furious at Hermione for never taking Crookshanks' attempts to eat Scabbers seriously, and Hermione was still fiercely maintaining the thought that Ron has absolutely no evidence about it, and the cat hairs might have been there since Christmas.
And Kiba and I were stuck right in the middle of it.
Harry started to slide towards Ron's points.
"Hermione," he tried explaining once, "it all points straight to your cat-" "oh sure, side with Weasley!" Hermione had snapped back. "I knew it. First your stupid broom, and now Ron's stupid rat! Is everything my fault!" She had yelled.
Harry was so bewildered that he couldn't speak. Hermione promptly told him to leave her alone, and then left the room.
And then there was Ron, who was taking Scabber's loss very roughly. Fred and George attempted to make him feel better.
"Scabbers was really boring, actually. All he did was eat and sleep. He probably didn't feel a thing when Crookshanks-" "Fred!" Yelled Ginny. Ron's sister gave them all sharp looks and walked away.
"He bit Goyle for us once." Ron said with a small sob.
"He did." Confirmed Harry.
"His finest hour." Fred attempted to keep a straight face. "The scar upon Goyle's finger will last forever as tribute."
I snorted, and then tried to cover it up with a cough. George sent me a sideways look, grinning.
"Oh, come on, Ron, can't you just go get another rat?" Fred persisted.
Harry suddenly perked up. "How about you come to the next Quidditch practice! You can ride the Firebolt!" He said in a desperate attempt to cheer Ron up.
"Really?" Ron seemed to forget Scabbers. "Can I shoot some goals on it?"

I FEEL LIKE THESE CHAPTERS ARE WAY TOO SHORT I MEAN SERIOUSLY.
No, actually SIRIUSLY.
*waits for reaction*
Okay now that that's off my chest.
To put it shortly.
Craps goin down.
Next chapter will be updated soonly. That's not a word. Whatever.
-Leap