Daughter of Mine | Harry Potter

XVI.

Lalia walked through the passageway with Hermione listening to her no longer estranged father talk to Harry. 

She heard him offer Harry a place at home with him, Remus, and her. She heard the hesitation and embarrassment in his voice until he realized how thrilled Harry was at the idea. 

They had reached the end of the corridor and one by one climbed out between the roots. They began walking across the grounds towards the castle. 

A cloud shifted, casting a bright white light down on them. Snape collided into the backs of Remus, Pettigrew, and Ron who had stopped walking. Harry, Hermione, and Lalia had been blocked from continuing forward by Sirius's arm that was flung in front of them. 

Remus had gone rigid and then suddenly begun to shake. 

"No, no. Dad," said Lalia, trying to run to the man, but being held back by Sirius. 

"He didn't take his potion tonight! He's not safe!" Hermione gasped. 

"Run," Sirius whispered. "Run. Now."

But no one moved. Ron was chained to Remus and even if he wasn't Lalia wasn't about to abandon her dad. 

"Leave it to me - RUN!" 

Lupin snarled as his body began to shift. Sirius transformed into an enormous bearlike, black dog. He bounded towards the werewolf. Remus wrenched his arm free of the cuff, battling with Sirius. Lalia free from Sirius's grip ran towards the men, ignoring everyone else around her. 

Remus had flung Sirius against a rock and was running at the collapsed form of the man when Lalia acted without thinking. 

She ran forward and skidded in front of her father, ignoring his barked warning. 

Remus's claw came down across the girl's torso flinging her across the grass with gashes in her side. 

The girl blinked for a couple a seconds. She heard a howl and rumbling growl and watched as Remus ran into the woods and Sirius had run after the escaped Pettigrew. 

"Dad," she tried to call after both of them. She hissed in pain and her vision faded to black. 

Lalia woke up with pain across her chest and stomach to a door flying open. 

"OUT WITH IT, POTTER!" Snape bellowed. "WHAT DID YOU DO?" 

"Professor Snape!" shrieked Madam Pomfrey "Control yourself!"

"See here, Snape, be reasonable," said Fudge. "This door's been locked, we just saw -"

"THEY HELPED HIM ESCAPE, I KNOW IT!" Snape howled, pointing at Harry and Hermione. His face was twisted; spit was flying from his mouth. 

"Calm down, man!" Fudge barked. "You're talking nonsense!" 

"YOU DON'T KNOW POTTER!" shrieked Snape. "HE DID IT, I KNOW HE DID IT -"

"That will do, Severus," said Dumbledore quietly. "Think about what you're saying. This door has been locked since I left the ward ten minutes ago. Madam Pomfrey, have these students left their beds?"

"Of course not!" said Madam Pomfrey, bristling. "I would have heard them!" 

"Well, then you have it, Severus," said Dumbledore calmly. "Unless you are suggesting that Harry and Hermione are able to be in two places at once, I'm afraid I don't see any point in troubling them further."

Snape stood there, seething, staring from Fudge, who looked thoroughly shocked at his behavior, to Dumbledore, whose eyes were twinkling behind his glasses. Snape whirled about, robes swishing behind him, and stormed out of the ward.