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Lina's birthday came, she was officially sixteen. It was a good birthday, she celebrated with her friends and it was the first birthday in a long time that she had actually spent with Remus but she hadn't heard from her dad, Lina pretended she was fine as she ate cake stolen from the kitchens, no one was expecting her to be upset over it but Lina couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed, she was secretly hoping she'd get another photo from him.
Her birthday bliss didn't last for long as exams came crashing down around her Lina had never felt so stressed in her life. The exams were spread out over a two-week base, some days she had too exams some days she had one, they were a mix of practical and theory but were all as equally as hard as each other.
Her Arithmancy and Potions were the ones she was most worried about, Snape would be tough when it came to letting in students for his N.E.W.Ts classes if she got anything below an Outstanding she could kiss Potions away as well as her career as a healer.
But in the end, Lina survived the hardest exam she had to do, two weeks of exams revise sleep repeat she walked out of her last exam, Against the Dark Arts feeling totally relieved, all she wanted right now was a pumpkin juice and to finally figure out what form her dad could take as an Animagus.
"Black!"
Lina looked up surprised, Oliver was leaning up against the wall next to where she had just had her final exam "Wood, what are you doing here?"
"I was passing, thought I'd wait to see how you're doing" he shrugged and the pair started to walk outside.
"Have you finished your exams?" Lina asked.
"I've got one more tomorrow, you?" Oliver answered.
"Yep! All done" the pair got outside and just aimlessly walked towards the Quidditch grounds "you know I feel completely honoured to be walking with the hero of Gryffindor."
"Are people calling me that?" Oliver chuckled throwing her head back slightly.
"No, but I am, and will for the rest of your life. How're the ribs by the way?"
"Fixed up in seconds of the match being finished."
"Well done on that by the way I'm so-" Lina stopped when she saw the dog, the same dog that was seemingly following her in the tree line of the forbidden forest, in the daylight and it being so close Lina was finally able to recognise it, it was the dog from her happiest memory. Lina turned away from the dog and stood in front of Oliver. "Oliver?"
"Yeah."
"Random question incoming, but I was reading about nicknames relating to animals, you know bumble relating to bee and the such and there was one I just couldn't figure out. Padfoot, what do you think?"
"Padfoot?" Oliver asked confused.
"Yeah."
Oliver mulled over it for a couple of minutes "I dunno a dog maybe."
"A dog!" Lina looked back to the enchanted forest, the dog was gone, she reached up and kissed his cheek "thank you, Oliver, I've got to go" she didn't wait for his reply before she ran up to the castle. She raced upstairs, past classrooms, past students, teachers and ghosts and as she did everything was clicking into place.
She stopped at Remus's classroom and after checking he was the only one there she burst in "a dog!" she said, Remus looked up confused "my dad, the form he takes is a dog."
"How did you know?" Remus asked.
"So I'm right?" Lina asked taking a step forward, she couldn't believe she had worked it out, albite with a little help but still.
"Yes."
Before either could say anything Danny ran into the classroom "Lina there you are! We've been looking everywhere for you."
"What's going on?" Lina asked confused, even Remus was confused.
"Just come with me" he replied beckoning Lina frantically.
Lina looked back at Remus and shrugged following Danny all the way to the entrance for the Hufflepuff common room where a large crowd of students from multiple houses had gathered, the pair joined Lucy, Cedric was nowhere to insight.
"What's happened?" Lina asked Lucy as she went up on her tiptoes to get a better look.
"I don't know exactly" Lucy looked to Lina "but people are saying Sirius Black tried to break in."
Lina's bag dropped to the floor "shit" she cast her eyes down, she spotted footprints imprinted in the stone, eyes followed them to the stairs that lead to the entrance hall where halfway up they turned to paw prints, some people may think nothing of this but Lina knew they belonged to one person.
Without saying anything Lina ran away from the common room and followed the foot/paw prints, through the entrance hall and out of the castle.
Lina huffed and looked across the grounds, he was here somewhere, he had to be and then she spotted the dog by the willow dragging Ron by his ankles into the Whomping Willow, wait, what! Lina gripping her wand and ran through the grounds.
Just as she got the violent willow, it became still and the backs of Harry and Hermione entered through the small opening at the base. Lina pointed her wand at the tree which had started to twinge, she raised her wand up "Immobulus."
Lina slid headfirst into the opening and landed straight on her stomach, she groaned and looked up, Harry and Hermione were both looking at her shocked "hi" she said.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked.
"I saw Ron being dragged in here and then you two followed, if I'm right you're going to need me."
"We don't need you," Harry said stubbornly.
Hermione rolled her eyes and helped Lina up "yes we go." The three started to make their way through the tunnel, Lina held her wand tightly "where does this tunnel come out?"
"I don't know" Harry answered "It's marked on the Marauder's Map but Fred and Goerge said no ones ever got into it. It goes off the edge of the map, but it looked like it ends up in Hogsmeade."
On and on the three walked as quickly as they could but the passage seemed to go on forever until finally, the path began to rise, around a corner they went and came upon a small opening, they raised their lighted wands and walked through.
They came out into a room, a messy, dust collected room, the wallpaper was peeling and stains were all over the floor, windows were boarded up apart from some small gaps and nearly all the furniture was smashed.
Lina knew in an instant where they were "this is the Shrieking Shack" she said.
"How do you know?" Harry asked.
"The twins and I tried to break in during our second year" she replied nonchalantly looking around and noticed some initials engraved on the wall.
At that moment a creak sounded from the floor above them, someone was there. Hermione gripped Harry's arm in a vice-like grip, Lina looked at Harry and Hermione, they nodded at each other proceeded upstairs.
As quietly as they could they crept up the crumbling staircase, everything was covered in such a thick layer of dust that their feet make imprints like it was snow.
On the second floor only one door was open, as they got closer they could hear a low moan and a deep loud purring coming from the room.
Harry and Lina looked at each other, Harry nodded and kicked the door open.
