Chapter 135 - part 6

Chapter 8: Echoes of the PastChapter TextSkyla's first day of school had been a rather eventful affair, even before she and Hermione had gone exploring in the library for several hours. They were forced to run at full speed out to 'Greenhouse One' in order to make their Herbology class on time, though thankfully, they did still manage arrive before their teacher. 

They hadn't managed to beat Ron and his friends to class this time around, however.

"The perfect pair," Ron said with a distasteful expression as the girls came to a sliding stop outside the entrance to Greenhouse One, "looks like you aren't so perfect after all. Late for class? Where's your point deductions for that, hm?"

"We aren't late," Hermione pointed out as she attempted to cover up her heavy breathing and stand up straight with as much dignity as she could muster, "there's no teacher here. If the teacher isn't here yet, then class hasn't started. If the class hasn't started, we aren't late."

Ron scoffed in response.

"I bet she's listening in somewhere, probably hiding out as a plant this time," he said with a roll of his eyes, "I bet you a entire galleon that she'll jump out from behind the bushes to deduct more points off Gryffindor, because of you two."

"What!?" Hermione exclaimed indignantly, "and who was it that-"

"Oh give it a rest, Ron," Neville said with a sigh, cutting Hermione off before she could finish inflating fully, "they've handed Gryffindor a ton of points today; we're in a solid lead because of them. They could lose fifty points and they still would have provided more to the house than we have."

"Yeah you girls are doin' pretty good on that front," Dean nodded in acknowledgement, "shame we don't get anything for winning the cup though."

"It's the first day," Seamus laughed, "with you in Gryffindor I bet we'll still come last."

"Oh, and what's your contribution? You ain't even opened your book since you bought it-"

The two boys bantered back and forth while Ron glared at Hermione, who icily stared back. Eventually he simply huffed and walked off towards the other side of the greenhouse, dragging his friends, and a reluctant looking Neville, along with him.

"Are you okay?" Skyla asked the visibly-seething Hermione after the boys had left.

"Am I okay? Not until I slap that obnoxious boy back to the stone age."

"Well we certainly have provided a lot of points to Gryffindor, even if we did lose points it-"

"It's not about that," Hermione said, frustrated, "it's obvious they have been talking about us all day and who knows what they have been saying behind our backs. Doesn't that get under your skin?"

Skyla shrugged, "well, I suppose we're an interesting topic to talk about."

"Besides all of that," Hermione continued with a huff, "he clearly doesn't even want to be here and he doesn't appreciate the advantage that he had growing up in a magical household. He seems lazy, self-entitled and arrogant. This is such a fantastic opportunity that many people would kill for, and he is taking up a spot in a school that he doesn't even want to attend."

"I suppose you have a point there," Skyla conceded, "but then, this is the only world that he's ever known, so to him it's probably completely normal and nothing interesting. I bet we'd be the same way if someone was really interested in the muggle world."

"You're just being nice," Hermione huffed, "we both would appreciate the opportunity to learn, wherever it was. That boy is seriously such a ungrateful-"

Skyla didn't get to find out exactly what Ron was, as Professor Sprout had finally arrived and begun to open up the greenhouse, which forced the girls to rejoin the collective group of students that were waiting to go in, alongside Ron, Dean and Seamus. Hermione and Ron glared daggers at each other and immediately found their ways to the opposite side of the room once inside, however neither said anything further while they had a teacher in such close proximity.

"Welcome to Greenhouse One!" Professor Sprout announced loudly to the students as everyone began to form a circle around her in the center of the crowded greenhouse, "now, in here you will find a variety of useful plants that we are going to be studying in detail throughout the year! I am Professor Sprout, Head of Hufflepuff House, and I'll be teaching you all about the wonderful world of magical plants and their importance to our lives."

"Look at that… thing!" Lavender gasped loudly, pointing across the room to a collection of strange looking vines that were wriggling and moving up the glass wall. It was a little unsettling to watch a vine actively moving its entire body around as if it were a snake, and it gave Skyla a few chills down her spine. She thought she recognised it vaguely though…

"I've read about that one!" Hermione exclaimed, "it was in a book I got from Flourish and Blotts called Fabulous-"

"-Flora and Fauna," Skyla finished for her with a chuckle, "I got it too, it was on display. I've only skimmed through it though."

"I was really glad that it was on sale," Hermione admitted, "it meant that I could sneak it into the budget, but it was quite interesting and definitely worth it."

"You've read F.F.F.?" Neville asked, as he appeared to Skyla's side, "sorry for eavesdropping but…"

"Neville?" Skyla asked in surprise. Neville had apparently split off from his group of friends to stand next to them, and his friends (especially Ron) were collectively staring at him as though he were conducting mutiny.

"Just between us," Neville said quietly, "I get the impression that those three aren't particularly interested in Herbology."

Hermione laughed, looking back over and meeting Ron's angry stare with her own look of contempt.

"You've read the book too?" Skyla asked curiously, "I didn't think that many people would have read it. It wasn't on our reading list or anything."

"I love Herbology," Neville said fondly, "even if it's not the most popular subject. My grandmother was a mediwitch, and she relied heavily on brewing potions from magical plants. Herbology isn't just useful for that though, its dead useful for just about every other subject there is-"

"Absolutely correct there, Longbottom!" Sprout called out to the group, making them jump, "you'll make a fine professor one day, but perhaps while I'm talking is not the right time to start your career!"

Neville sheepishly fell silent as a few of the students snickered in his direction.

"Now, if you will, gather around and pay attention," Sprout said, causing the students to huddle closer.

"As Mr Longbottom said, Herbology is an extremely underappreciated field that is absolutely essential to almost every other specialisation of magic. You want to brew a bewitching potion? Good luck doing that without knowing the right herbs and fungi to use, you'll just poison someone. You want to heal a cursed wound? Good luck healing it without understanding the subtle properties of essential flowers and roots, otherwise those cursed wounds are never closing. You decide that you want to transfigure that tree over there into a walking bodyguard to settle a grudge? Good luck achieving that impressive feat of magic without understanding just how deep the roots run, or what kind of magic the bark may be resistant to."

Skyla felt a little guilty as she listened to Sprout for having neglected her Herbology studies already. She had looked over her books vaguely on the subject, however she wasn't really sure what to focus on learning for the subject, and instead she had instinctively found herself seeking our her charms, transfiguration or potions books. She hadn't realised that Herbology had so many applications until Sprout had pointed it out; the thought of 'gardening' in any capacity hadn't really held any meaning to her, neither when she was locked in her cellar nor when she was living in a room above the Leaky Cauldron. She hadn't exactly seen a lot of green in either place, let alone done any form of gardening before.

"Now, we're going to be starting very small scale in Greenhouse One," Sprout informed them, "but don't make the mistake of thinking that these plants are safe or simple. There's nothing lethal in this greenhouse, however unless you fancy a trip to the hospital wing and a very, 'very', uncomfortable overnight stay, I suggest you don your dragonhide gloves, dragonhide boots if you haven't already, and your protective goggles." 

Chatter broke out among the students as they collectively reached into their backpacks and began equipping their safety gear.

… all except for one particular student.

"I think I left mine at home," Ron said to Sprout with slightly red ears.

"Not to worry, I think we have some spare goggles over there in the corner," Sprout replied vaguely, waving her hand in the direction of the corner.

"No, I mean… the rest of it."

"What are you missing?"

"Well, I don't have my gloves or boots either. I forgot to pack them."

Sprout raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'm surprised your brother Percy let you forget them," Sprout said disapprovingly, "I thought the brother of one of the brightest students to come through Hogwarts would be a little more diligent. Even Fred and George at least bring their equipment to class, even if they hardly use it…"

Ron stared off bitterly to the side as Sprout reprimanded him, though her chastising was admittedly rather tame in comparison to the dressing down he would have received from McGonagall. Hermione simply watched on from a distance with a smirk of satisfaction at the sight.

"Ha!" Hermione exclaimed with content, "maybe this will teach him something…"

Skyla stared at the scene with mixed feelings. She felt as though she was supposed to be sharing an enjoyable moment with Hermione, since she was clearly quite pleased with the sight, yet something about the way that Ron stared off mournfully into the distance without meeting anyone's eye while being admonished… 

… it reminded her of herself, and her time at the orphanage.

To Hermione's immeasurable surprise, Skyla suddenly stepped forward and crossed the room, opening her bottomless bag and pulling out a pair of dragon-hide gloves.

"These may not fit," Skyla admitted, "but if they do, you can have these. I brought two, just in case mine broke. Same with these."

She handed the extremely stunned Ron two black dragon-hide gloves and a pair of simple, clear goggles.

"The gloves are enchanted to stop you from dropping anything while wearing them, and the goggles will clear any fog away on their own," Skyla pointed out, "I thought having an extra set might be useful. Hopefully they will do?"

"Oh, wonderful!" Sprout said happily, "what a generous friend you have! Ah… but of course… Skyla Potter. I should have known; Lily and James would have never left a friend hanging. It's a pleasure to see their daughter upholding their values!"

Skyla blushed slightly at the praise, however she felt a warmth in her chest at the thought that she was doing something her parents would have agreed with.

"Well, you'll be fine without the boots for today Mr Weasley, but you best get them sent out to you immediately otherwise I'm afraid I won't be able to let you back in."

"R-Right…"

Ron stared down at the gloves for a moment in astonishment, before slowly pulling them on. They were too tight at first, however after a moment the gloves seemed to expand of their own accord to accommodate his hands.

"Where did you get these?" Ron asked in surprise.

"Twilfitt and Tattings," Skyla explained, "they make some really neat things in there."

"Some really expensive things," Ron pointed out with raised eyebrows, "I've never even been inside. There's no way I can accept these, they must be worth a dozen galleons."

"I don't actually know how much they were," Skyla admitted, "but you can have them. As I said, they were spares anyway and I much prefer my ones."

She pulled out her own gloves and Ron ogled in astonishment at the bright pink dragonhide gloves, that had a thick outer layer of protective scaling and a smooth, cream-coloured surface on the palms and inside of the fingers.

"Oh ho!" Sprout chuckled at the sight, "those are… quite exuberant."

"I like them," Skyla said happily.

"Well that's what matters, dear," Sprout laughed.

"Anyway, now that we're all kitted up," Sprout announced to the rest of the students, "gather round the table down the end here-"

The students turned and followed Sprout to the back of the greenhouse where a series of palm-sized pots were neatly lined up in rows, filled with dirt and housing small seedlings that all appeared to be the same plant. Skyla didn't recognise them and she peered down at the seedlings with interest, noting that most of them had a rather long stem starting to form with a single green leaf budding at the top. Hermione wasn't paying any attention to the plants at all and was, instead, giving Skyla a very strange look, though Skyla just assumed that it must be about her gloves. She noticed that was the only one who had coloured gloves on and she was getting a few amused looks from the other students at her choice of colour.

"We're going to be working on these for the next three weeks so you better get familiar with these plants," Sprout explained, "can anyone tell me what they are called?"

The students collectively peered down at the plants and the Gryffindors looked expectantly at Hermione and Skyla, however it was someone else who claimed the first answer.

"Horned Itchweed!" Neville said excitedly, "it's naturally found in the south but is grown all over the world for soothing potions and other uses. It requires a particular amount of sun and is known to have very sensitive receptors on the surface that respond to physical contact and to temperature. I've heard that you can even substitute it into a Felix Felicis if the maker is skilled enough which can produce an easier version of the potion and it's possible to-"

"Correct, Professor Longbottom. Take five points," Sprout said in amused voice, cutting off his long-winded explanation while the other students chuckled. Neville sheepishly turned slightly red, however he still seemed rather pleased with himself, which caused Skyla to chuckle at the sight.

"There are no points for guessing what it does to you if you touch it with your bare skin, hence the gloves. Needless to say, there will be an awkward conversation with Madam Pomfrey if you scratch yourself in the wrong places afterwards. Now, we're going to be raising these from seedlings all the way through to their maturity. You're going to be working in groups of three and documenting your progress in a journal. You best get your groups sorted out now, then we'll move on."

There was a slight scramble as some students immediately began to cling to those they wished to partner with, and other students looked around wildly for anyone who was not already in a preexisting group. Skyla spotted Lavender and Parvati standing with what could only be Parvati's identical twin sister in Ravenclaw while Ron, Dean and Seamus quickly huddled together, whispering conspiratorially and giving Neville the occasional look over their shoulders.

At least for Skyla, Hermione and Neville, things seemed to simply fall into place.

"I guess it's us three then?" Hermione suggested, "if you want to, that is."

"Sure," Neville replied happily, "you know, I've actually grown these before, at my house."

"Really?" Skyla asked with interest.

"Yeah, as I mentioned earlier I live with my grandmother who used to be a mediwitch and we have a small greenhouse out the back with some essential plants in case we need to brew some potions. It's mostly just me who uses it these days though. It's quite peaceful out there."

"I was never much of a green thumb," Hermione admitted, "my parents and I often moved from rental to rental so we never did much with the gardens besides mowing."

"I could probably count on one hand the amount of times I've seen anything green," Skyla said with a slightly nervous laugh, "so I'm happy to team up with someone who knows what they are doing, Neville. Although," she added, "maybe someone else better do the actual writing..."

"I'm happy to manage the journal," Hermione offered, "I love taking notes and organising documents."

"That works for me," Neville said happily, "I know how to grow these and maintain them but… writing journals and stuff like that was never really my strong suit…"

"Okay, great," Hermione nodded contentedly, "Neville can manage the plant, I'll manage the journal-"

"-and I'll… uh… provide moral support?" Skyla suggested, causing Neville and Hermione to laugh.

"Everyone sorted?" Sprout called out to the newly formed groups, getting their attention once again, "right. The first thing that we have to do is re-pot the seedling from its current pot into a larger and more suitable home for it to grow. This can be tricky for plants that are magical in nature, as they are often very reluctant to uproot themselves…"

Sprout demonstrated by lightly poking one of the seedlings, and the class murmured with surprise as the seedling began to wiggle and shake in what appeared to be annoyance.

"Be careful not to damage them," Sprout warned as she began to hand out the pots to each group, "it takes a full week for the seedling to develop so if you damage it, you will be setting yourself back an entire week!"

"The trick is to run your fingers along the stem," Neville explained privately to Skyla and Hermione after they had received their pot, "as long as you go 'with the grain' you won't be stabbed by the small horns along the stem and it will relax. Just… don't try it without gloves. Take my word for it…"

The class eventually began their attempts to re-pot the rather combative seedling (which had a tendency to wriggle and thrash wildly at the slightest of touches). It seemed that everyone was struggling with the plant, however true to Neville's advice, all it took was a single gentle stroke down the stem, matching the downward gradient of the small spines. The plant grew deathly still, allowing them to carefully re-pot it in a matter of minutes with hardly any fuss at all.

"Excellent job!" Sprout commented as she made her rounds among the groups, "take, oh, let's say ten points to Gryffindor for being the first to complete it."

"What if we hadn't all been Gryffindors?" Hermione asked curiously, "what if we had a Hufflepuff in the group?"

"Well then I would have given twenty points to Gryffindor," Sprout said mischievously, "for being welcoming and accepting of others."

She walked away, leaving a rather confused Hermione.

"Hufflepuffs, eh?" Neville laughed.

"I was almost put into Hufflepuff," Skyla mused, "but then… I was almost put into every house. The hat let me choose."

"Why Gryffindor then?" Neville asked.

Skyla shrugged, giving Hermione a side-eye look as she said, "just had to pick one, I suppose."

Hermione smiled fondly in return, which made Skyla feel rather pleased with herself for some reason.

"How come you are in Gryffindor?" Skyla asked Neville, "it doesn't seem like you fit in with the other boys."

"Skyla," Hermione admonished, "a bit blunt, don't you think?"

Skyla just shrugged. It was an honest question.

"You're right actually, I wouldn't have chosen Gryffindor personally," Neville said with a thoughtful look, "but the hat said my 'ability to accept, my capacity to forgive and my strength to continue in the face of adversity are the bravest traits that any soul can possess."

"That's quite poetic," Hermione said, sounding impressed.

"I thought you were a nice person," Skyla said happily, "I'm glad the hat agrees with me."

Neville turned bright red and ducked away, mumbling something unintelligible as he hid his face with embarrassment.

The rest of their Herbology class proceeded without a hitch and the three made quite a strong team in the end, or at least, Hermione and Neville did. Hermione organised their notes within their new journal perfectly, while Neville set up the plant in its new environment and placed it by the rear wall, where it would avoid the harsh midday sun and catch the gentler morning rays instead. Skyla simply hopped between the two and tried to provide as much help as she could, though she didn't feel that she had actually done all that much at all in the end.

"I'm ravenous," Hermione commented as the three finished their work and departed the greenhouse in the late afternoon, "early dinner for me I think."

"I'm practically still full from the opening feast," Skyla said, "but… I'll come. Sam wouldn't be happy if he heard I had refused a meal, ever."

"Sam?" Hermione asked questioningly.

"Yeah, the cook at The Leaky Cauldron," Skyla explained as they walked, "he-"

Hermione stopped and looked back, which caused Skyla to pause and follow her gaze.

"Oh, aren't you coming, Neville?" she asked.

Neville had paused just outside the doorway, since Ron, Dean and Seamus were clearly heading out towards the grounds while Skyla and Hermione were heading in the direction of the Great Hall.

"You don't have to come with us," Skyla pointed out with an understanding nod, "I get it. I don't want you to make life hard on yourself by being friends with us."

"No… no, I'll come," Neville eventually said with a determined expression, "if they don't like it… they can stuff it. I've had much more fun with you two so far than anything I've done with them."

"Glad we set the bar so high," Hermione laughed, "actually doing our work, or losing points for Gryffindor and getting scolded by the teachers… hm… a tough choice…"

Neville chuckled, "and don't forget talking rubbish about people behind their back. I don't mind a gossip sometimes, but…"

"I got the impression they were saying some cruel things," Hermione said with pursed lips.

"Yeah well… I'm not going to repeat anything," Neville shook his head, "you don't want to know."

"At least you aren't like that Neville," Skyla said fondly.

"I grew up in a pureblood household," Neville pointed out, "we may not be a large family but I still interacted with some of the other magical children on a regular basis. Magical families can be quite cruel and often exclude others who don't line up with their way of thinking. We Longbottoms stand out since we don't buy into all the pureblood hierarchy stuff. I know what it's like to be bullied and spoken about behind my back and I just don't think it should happen to anyone."

"Well said," Skyla nodded, "I agree entirely."

"Me too," Hermione agreed, "but can we talk and walk? I'm really hungry."

Neville and Skyla both laughed as they joined Hermione, heading towards the Great Hall while Ron, Dean and Seamus all stared incredulously at the back of Neville as he headed into the castle, with the two girls walking on either side of him and a slight spring in his step.

***************

Skyla awoke the following morning feeling slightly fatigued, and it was much more of a struggle for her to drag herself out of bed than it usually was. Admittedly, she had gone to sleep far later than usual as neither herself nor Hermione had been particularly eager to spend more time in the dormitory with Lavender and Parvati than was strictly necessary, and they had instead stayed up late with Neville in the common room, sitting in the corner and quietly discussing all things magical. With a combined yawn, the two girls eventually dragged themselves out of bed and began to prepare themselves for the day ahead.

Unlike the very exciting and eventful start to her first day of school, the start to Skyla's second day was significantly less engaging and Skyla struggled to keep her eyes open during the first class; something she never thought she would have difficultly with. Perhaps it was the fact that there was absolutely no magic being taught in the class at all, or the extremely stale air in the room that felt as though merely breathing it was causing asphyxiation. There was no air circulation in the room at all and the only source of light was the hint of morning sun coming in through a very small, very narrow window to the side. It didn't help that the very dry class content was being delivered by someone who had died hundreds of years ago; how the ghost called 'Professor Binns' ended up teaching History of Magic was anyone's guess.

"You'd think being taught by a ghost would be more interesting," Hermione complained with a stifled yawn as they departed the classroom after a very long, and very sleepy, two hours had passed. Even Hermione had struggled with the class and Skyla had noticed that Hermione had stopped taking notes after the first forty-five minutes, which was slightly reassuring for her own lack of note-taking.

"He is dead, after all," Neville commented from alongside the girls, "the dead aren't known for being particularly funny or engaging."

Skyla was quite pleased that Neville had decided to continue sitting with her and Hermione, as she had been slightly worried that after they had split apart in the common room to go bed, Neville might changed his mind about them after spending a night with the boys in the dormitories. Skyla loved having Hermione as a friend so far, yet she was certainly more than happy to expand her social group beyond a single other person. A lifetime of loneliness left her eager for all the friends that she could make, and Neville was most certainly a welcome addition in her mind.

"The things that he is teaching are not even really that helpful anyway," Hermione continued with annoyance, still clearly disappointed with their first history lesson, "what's the point of learning about who invented the self-stirring cauldron? I'd much rather learn about the history of Hogwarts, or the founders, or even Merlin himself. Self-stirring cauldrons…"

Hermione continued to grumble quietly while Neville and Skyla both watched on in amusement. She certainly had a point, however Skyla was actually grateful in a way that the class had been rather pointless, since she had almost fallen asleep through the whole thing and hadn't retained anything from it.

"How was last night?" Skyla asked Neville quietly as they walked through the hallways towards their next class, "was everything… okay? With the boys?"

"They didn't really talk to me much," Neville frowned slightly, "but I can live with that. If that's the worse they do, then I'll consider myself lucky."

"Yeah, being ignored is not always a bad thing," Skyla laughed slightly.

"You don't think they would do anything… bad to you, would they?" Hermione asked with a slightly worried expression forming on her face.

"I don't think so," Neville shook his head, "I don't think they're bad people, they're just… different than me. I think they'll just make their own little group and do their own thing without me."

"Well, we'll just have to make our own group then," Hermione said briskly, "a group that will actually contribute to Gryffindor and the school."

"what, like a team?" Skyla asked.

"Or a club or something?" Neville mused.

"No, nothing like that," Hermione shook her head, 'just… a group of friends. Who help each other, you know?"

"Sounds good to me," Skyla said with a smile, "but I haven't had any friends before you two so I don't really know what I'm supposed to do."

"I'm no expert on friendship either," Neville admitted with a hesitant laugh, "I wasn't exactly popular among the magical families."

"Well, I know in theory how it works…" Hermione said hesitantly, "but… I've never really had any actual friends before."

The three stopped in the hallway and looked at each other for a moment, before bursting out into laughter.

"We might just be the worst group of friends," Neville laughed.

"The blind leading the blind," Hermione nodded with an amused smile.

"At least we're all in the same boat?" Skyla offered with a small chuckle.

Something about the collective admittance of inexperience helped the three to relax with each other and by the time they had reached their next class, they already felt as though they had a much stronger bond than they had a few minutes ago.

The next class on their list was Defense Against the Dark Arts and the very mention of the subject generated quite the buzz among the first years. The Gryffindor first years in particular were very excited about the subject, as the prospect of combat magic seemed to be what many of the 'House of the Brave' seemed most interested in. Even Skyla felt quite excited as they waited outside of the classroom to enter, discussing enthusiastically with Hermione and Neville what kind of magic they might be learning. It was, at the very least, guaranteed to be better than spending two painfully slow hours learning about some wizard that no-one cared about, who invented something that no-one uses.

Upon entry to the mysterious 'DADA' classroom, the students found a rather normal looking classroom, though the tables and chairs had been stacked neatly to the side, leaving an empty space in the middle.

"Come in, come in," a voice called out to the from the rear of the classroom, "just clearing out a little space for us."

The students all piled into the classroom with Gryffindor instinctively occupying one side of the room while the Slytherins, who shared DADA for this term, claimed the opposite side; both houses standing around in their huddled groups and giving each other slightly suspicious looks.

"Oh come on now, come on, we're all Hogwarts students," their teacher said warmly as he finished putting away the last of the chairs and greeted them fondly. He seemed to be the youngest of their teachers so far, although Skyla was having trouble correctly guessing his age since he looked quite tired and run-down, which made him look slightly older than he probably was. His robes looked quite cheap and tattered from the various hastily-patched rips and tears, and his medium-length, light-brown hair was marred with multiple streaks of grey. He almost seemed a little ill due to how pale his skin was, however he still greeted them all with a smile.

"Welcome to Defense Against the Dark Arts," he said fondly, "I am Professor Lupin and I'll be your mentor and guide for the year."

"It might be nice having a young teacher," Hermione whispered to Skyla, "especially for a subject like this."

"Young?" Lupin laughed as he turned towards Hermione, making her jump slightly, "you're not trying to flatter me for house points, are you?" He chuckled once again before returning his attention to the rest of the class once again.

"His hearing is amazing," Skyla said, impressed.

"Yeah… that was… unnaturally good," Hermione said slowly, with a furrowed brow as she looked him up and down.

"Now I know that you are all excited to begin," Lupin said to the class, "so I don't plan to bog down our first class with a lot of theory. That will come later. Instead, we are going to dive straight into what it actually means to defend yourself against the dark arts. So, before we start, what exactly are the 'dark arts'? Let's start with… you!"

He pointed to Seamus at random, making the boy jump slightly.

"Uh… well it's… magic that hurts people," Seamus said while scratching his head.

"Not always," Lupin said with a smile, "not exclusively, at any rate. What about you?"

He pointed to a Slytherin girl with long black hair that was quite similiar to Skyla's, though she had brown eyes instead of Skyla's emerald green and a rather self-satisfied expression on her face (despite having done nothing so far to warrant it).

"Uh… it's… stuff that… destroys things?" she said vaguely.

"Not quite correct I'm afraid," Lupin said gravely, "in fact many spells considered to be within the 'dark arts' cause no visible damage at all. How about… you?"

He pointed to Skyla, staring deeply into her eyes with an unreadable expression.

"Oh. Well, I've read that the 'dark arts' is a pretty broad term but it usually refers to spells that require something in exchange. Blood magic, soul magic, black magic, the kinds of magic that usually requires a sacrifice of some kind from the caster. That's what differs dark arts from any other spell, at least. Other spells don't have a 'cost'."

"A very astute observation," Lupin said with an impressed nod, "spells that belong to the category of the 'dark arts' are not there because of what they 'do' but because of what they 'require'. Most people think of spells that cause death when thinking of the dark arts, yet I could use a simple cutting curse to remove someone's head and it wouldn't be considered to be a 'dark' spell. Of course, it's still highly immoral, illegal and despicable to do, but that's because of the decision, not the spell itself. Are you following?"

A few students were nodding along, while others simply held blank expressions on their faces. Skyla however raised her hand.

"Yes?" Lupin asked.

"I was wondering," she began hesitantly, "I've read there are many dark spells that are highly illegal to use, but… why are they so heavily punished? Doesn't the caster kind of punish themselves by using it?"

"You are not wrong there," Lupin said thoughtfully, "for most who use dark magic, the unpleasant consequences of their actions are more than justified. However if there aren't any additional restrictions placed upon the casting of such spells, then it is the ignorant who become the victims. Ignorance is deserving of education, not criminal punishment."

"I've always heard that ignorance is never a valid defense," Hermione pitched in, "does that not hold true in the magical world?"

"Ah, but now we get into the depths of ignorance," Lupin smiled, "for there are many kinds. A child who picks up a book and casts an unknown spell is ignorant, but does the child deserve to lose their right to use magic for the rest of their life because of it? A fully grown man who wishes to murder someone without realising that the spell will steal his own soul in the process is ignorant, yet should he be absolved of his sins because of it?"

Hermione fell silent as she considered his words.

"You are asking very poignant questions," Lupin said warmly, "I encourage you to continue looking at the world critically and to always examine what makes up your point of view. However, for this first class, we might just bring it back to the topic of the dark arts, and we can discuss the rather complicated matter of criminal prosecution another time."

"Right… sorry, Professor."

Lupin waved her apology off with a smile, before turning his attention back to the class.

"Now, how do you defend yourself against some of these 'dark' spells that misguided people may cast in your direction? Well, most of the spells have very particularly defenses that are incredibly complex, and some spells have no defense at all. Yet, there is one simple thing that can always, always, aid you against any aggressor. Can you think what it might be?"

"Invisibility?" Dean called out.

"A shield charm?" Skyla suggested.

"A dog?" Lavender guessed.

"What? No," Lupin laughed, "although a shield charm is a useful spell to have in your arsenal. No, I am talking about the very simple, but highly effective, disarming spell."

"Oh… that makes sense," Skyla considered, "why bother with a complicated defense if you can just remove their ability to cast."

"Exactly!" Lupin said with approval, "now, there are a few elite witches and wizards out there who can cast wandless magic, yet it is exceptionally difficult and even if they do switch to wandless magic, they will not be as fast or as effective as if they had their wand."

"But wandless magic isn't terribly difficult," Skyla said with a frown, "and I've never noticed it being slow or anything…"

Lupin raised an eyebrow at her.

"You are saying you can do wandless magic?" Lupin asked skeptically.

"Well not like… levitating things and such," Skyla admitted, "but I can do this-"

She held out her palm and summoned her small ball of blue light, which she proceeded to float out into the middle of the room, to the astonishment of everyone present.

"-although I guess doing actual combat magic would be quite tough. I've never tried anything… that was… particularly…"

Skyla trailed off as she realised that everyone, including Hermione and Neville, were staring at her with shock on their faces. Suddenly growing anxious, she quickly withdrew the orb of light to her palm and closed it, removing it from existence. She took a step back nervously, regretting having stepped forward at all.

"That's some seriously advanced magic," Lupin said, sounding very impressed, "you've inherited your mother's gift, no doubt."

"You knew my mother?" Skyla asked. She didn't know why she even asked; it seemed as though everyone in this magical world knew her parents in one way or another.

"Oh… you could say that we've met," Lupin said with a sad smile as he thought of Lily and James.

"That's incredible," Hermione whispered to Skyla excitedly, "I didn't know you could do that!"

"I didn't think it was a big deal!" Skyla whispered back with concern, "is… is it weird? Is there something wrong with me? I thought everyone might be able to do it…"

"No, that's very rare," Hermione said with a shake of her head, "but it's also very cool! You have to show me how you do it later!"

"I don't know how I do it, I just… do it?"

"Okay well, unnaturally impressive magic aside, let's move on with the class," Lupin laughed slightly with a shake of his head, "a lot to get through today and we're going to run out of time otherwise."

"Sorry…" Skyla apologised quietly.

"Never apologise for your achievements," Lupin said firmly, "wear them proudly. You can do what many people will never achieve, hold onto that."

Skyla's cheeks turned slightly red as everyone stared at her once again, and she retreated a few steps back towards the wall, until everyone eventually looked back to Lupin.

"Now, the disarming spell itself is not particularly difficult to cast, nor is it fancy in its wand movements or incantation," Lupin continued to the class, "everyone in this room will be able to cast it. The real question becomes how powerful can you make the spell, and how accurate can you be with it?"

At his words, a few of the Gryffindor and Slytherin boys perked up.

"I think I shall need two volunteers to help me demonstrate," Lupin called out, "would anyone like to try it?"

Silence permeated the classroom; a few people looked as though they were on the edge of stepping forward, however no-one did.

"Really? No-one? Well then… let's get you," Lupin pointed to the black-haired Slytherin girl who jumped in surprise, "and you," he pointed towards Ron, who was leaning against the wall at the very back.

"You two, come up here. Don't fret, it's nothing stressful," Lupin said with a wave of his hand, "it will be fun. Come on."

The surly looking Ron and the hesitant Slytherin girl both stepped out towards the center of the room, as each house began to cheer on their 'champions' in support.

"Show this Gryffindor how it's done!" Draco called out with a laugh.

"You can't lose to a girl!" Seamus yelled to Ron.

Lupin simply watched on with an amused expression.

"Alright, here's what we're gonna do," Lupin instructed, "you both stand across from each other - just like that - and then when I say 'go', you'll both flick your wands towards your opponent and say 'expelliarmus' nice and clearly."

Ron gripped his wand tightly in his hand as a visible beat of sweat ran down from his brow, while the Slytherin girl narrowed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. The Gryffindors and Slytherin resumed their cheering as Lupin began his countdown.

"Ready? Set? Go!"

"Expelliarmus!" 

Matching cries came from the two students as they shouted and flicked their wands forward. A jet of scarlet light shot from both wands and collided in the middle, however it seemed that the Slytherin girl was far superior in strength as it blasted straight through the center of Ron's spell, splitting his jet of light into two shards that fizzles out in the air. Her own blast collided with Ron's right hand and sent his wand spinning uncontrollably onto the floor with a loud rattle.

"Bravo," Lupin said with a smile, "five points to Slytherin."

"Good work, Pansy!"

"Way to go, Pans'!"

The Slytherins cheered on as a smirking Pansy returned to her house, being congratulated and admired while Ron picked up his wand and angrily stomped back to the Gryffindors. Skyla was quite impressed; the girl had seemed rather unintelligent and disinterested, however the sheer force behind her spell made Skyla suspect that Pansy was far more experienced than she was letting on. Skyla looked around and realised that none of the others had actually noticed the wave of energy the girl had released upon casting her spell; the other students seemed to be under the impression that Pansy had simply won out on technique or skill.

"I let her win, you know," Ron said with a furrowed brow, "just… being a good bloke, you know?"

"Uh huh."

"Sure."

"Excellent work from both of you," Lupin called out, "now… who's next?"

A queue began to form on either side of the room as the Gryffindors and Slytherins lined up, each side cheering on, or groaning in commiseration, as the duels took place one by one. After Dean and Lavender had both faced off against a Slytherin boy (called 'Nott' from the cheers) and a Slytherin girl (called 'Daphne'), Skyla found herself at the front of the line, facing none other than Draco Malfoy.

"Potter," Draco said, appraising her from head to toe, until his eyes rested on her hand, "what the hell is that thing?"

"What?" She asked defensively, gripping her wand a little tighter, "it's my wand?"

"Why is it pink?" Draco laughed, while the rest of the Slytherins chuckled along.

"Why is yours black?" Skyla countered, "that's boring, isn't it?"

"I'm not sure I can attack this girl," Draco scoffed, "given that she is apparently five years old." 

The Slytherin's laughed, however Skyla felt rather angry at his words.

"Well don't go crying to mummy then when I disarm you," Skyla said crossly.

"Don't you talk about my mother," Draco snapped, "at least I have one."

A chorus of "oooh's" came from the Slytherin side, while several indignant Gryffindors began to shout back on Skyla's behalf.

"That's far enough," Lupin warned firmly, "keep it civil or I start docking points. Ready?"

Skyla and Draco both gripped their wands and held them out, with anger and determination lining their features.

"Set-"

"Expelliarmus!" 

Draco caught Skyla by surprise as he flung the spell early, sending a bolt of scarlet light towards her. 

Working on pure instinct, Skyla had no choice but to throw herself to the side in a wild dive to avoid the spell, however since she was so small and light, she was able to turn her sudden dive into a graceful roll at the last second and she quickly rolled back up onto one knee, aiming her wand directly at Draco from her crouched position.

"Expelliarmus!" 

The spell caught Draco completely by surprise and he didn't react in the slightest as the jet of scarlet light struck him in the center of his chest. Skyla had been expected to triumphantly witness his wand go spinning out of his hand, however to her complete shock the spell struck him in the chest and sent him flying straight back into the Slytherins behind him, sending them all collectively sprawling over the floor in a comical display. His wand did go clattering to the floor as it flew from his hand, however it wasn't exactly done in the way that Skyla had been planning.

The Gryffindors roared loudly with laughter at the sight, as the Slytherins attempted to untangle themselves from the chaotic twister that was now forming on the ground.

"Get off me!"

"Ow that's my hair!"

"Your foot is stuck in my robes!"

Skyla couldn't help but chuckle a little as Hermione and Neville rushed over to her, pulling her back onto her feet.

"That was incredible!" Neville said excitedly.

"How did you react so quickly?" Hermione asked in shock.

Skyla just shrugged, "just… seemed like the thing to do."

"That one I would say you inherited from your father," Lupin said fondly.

"That's completely unfair!" Draco suddenly shouted as he finally finished untangling himself and returned to his feet, "she cheated!"

"You… you what?" Skyla exclaimed in disbelief to the boy who had jumped the gun early.

"She used a dark spell!" Draco continued on angrily, "she should be expelled! or… arrested!"

"Mr Malfoy," Lupin said directly, "she used the same spell that you did. It was merely that her spell was extremely powerful, which caused a knockback effect. It can happen, though I must admit I wasn't expecting anyone in this class to do it."

"She's a freak!" Draco said with venom as he glared at her angrily.

Skyla slowly came to a stop as the world fell silent around her. Her smile dropped from her face as she heard the words echo within her mind, and despite the fact that Hermione and Neville were still talking to her, she could no longer hear anything at all. She merely thought of the uncaring hand gripping her head as she was thrown roughly down the stairs into the cold, dark cellar and the scraps that she picked up off the floor to eat, grateful for any kind of food, no matter what it was. She couldn't help but wonder; what was she even doing here? This was madness. She should be home, where she belonged, in her cellar. Where she couldn't hurt anyone, where she could live without the guilt of existing, without the responsibility of living while knowing she was nothing but a burden to everyone, a freak, something unnatural, that deserved only to be locked away from sight-

"Skyla? Skyla?"

Skyla blinked slowly, realising that someone was shaking her rather roughly by the shoulders. She realised that it was a very concerned looking Hermione, who was shaking her as though she were a particular compacted salt shaker.

"Hermione, my brain," Skyla laughed, "you're gonna rattle it out of my head."

"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

"Yeah… I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?" Skyla asked curiously.

"Uh… because you were just standing there for like two minutes?" Hermione exclaimed, "I thought you had been cursed or something…"

"Oh? No I just… had a moment," Skyla said airily.

Hermione didn't seem convinced, but Lupin spoke over the top of her.

"Perhaps we should finish there," he said, holding his hands up as the students who hadn't got to have a go protested loudly.

"We'll do some more later in the week," Lupin promised, "everyone will get a chance to try it, do not fret. For now, let's get the classroom restored, we have a few things we still need to cover…"

Disappointed groans circled around the room as the students reluctantly began to pull the tables and chairs back out from the sides. Eventually, the students had all occupied seats within the room, though the Gryffindors and the Slytherins were still split entirely down the middle. The rest of the class was still rather interesting as they discussed the application of the disarming spells and what kind of situations they might find it useful for (such as a muggle knife attack to harmlessly defuse the situation), however Skyla was noticeably less enthusiastic as she sat at her desk and idly jotted down some notes.

"Alright, I'll see everyone on Thursday," Lupin called out as the class ended and the students rose to their feet, "we'll continue our work on disarming then!"

"What a lesson," Neville commented as he packed up his books.

"It was really engaging," Hermione agreed, "Professor Lupin seems like he's really thought about how to deliver his content."

"Yeah, exactly, he didn't just bore us to death like a certain professor tried to earlier," Neville laughed. 

"Are you… are you sure you're okay?" Hermione asked Skyla, who thus far, hadn't said a word.

"Me? I'm fine. Yeah that was a really good class," Skyla said happily, though her eyes did not quite meet her statement. Hermione pursed her lips but she refrained from saying anything further, which Skyla appreciated.

"Ah, Skyla, a word?" Professor Lupin called out to Skyla as they made to walk past his desk, and she paused. Lupin waited for a moment, until the rest of the students had shuffled out of the room, leaving only Skyla, Neville and Hermione standing there.

"We'll uh, just wait outside then," Hermione said hesitantly.

"Oh, you guys go ahead and get lunch, I'll meet you down there," Skyla said. Hermione and Neville reluctantly departed the classroom, closing the door behind them as they left, though Skyla chuckled slightly as she noticed the shadow of Hermione's hair underneath the door, indicating that they were still planning on waiting for her. It was a surprisingly comforting thought.

"How are you settling in?" Lupin asked, "made some friends already I see."

"Oh. Yeah it's been okay, Hermione and Neville are great. Just been… trying to learn my way around and everything." 

Of all the things that Skyla had been expecting Professor Lupin to talk about, 'idle chatter' hadn't been particularly high on the list.

"That's good, that's good."

"..."

"..."

"So… was there anything else, sir?" Skyla asked slowly.

Lupin appeared as though he were waiting for something, however when Skyla simply stood there looking confused, he merely sighed softly in apparent disappointment.

"No, no nothing… you can go…"

"Uh… okay…"

Thoroughly confused, Skyla slowly made her way towards the door and slipped out into the corridor.

"What was that about?" Hermione asked curiously.

"I have absolutely no idea."

Skyla was utterly baffled at the strange exchange and simply shook her head, until she noticed Professor McGonagall approaching the classroom.

"What are you three doing out here?" McGonagall asked suspiciously, "you'll miss out on lunch."

"We were just on our way Professor," Hermione said quickly.

"Hm. Is Remus still in there?" McGonagall asked.

"Who?" Hermione said, confused.

"Professor Lupin."

"Oh, yes he is still inside."

McGonagall headed into the classroom to speak with Professor Lupin, while Hermione and Neville began to head down the corridor in the direction of the stairs, chatting quietly as they went, until they eventually realised that Skyla was not with them. They turned around to find that Skyla was still standing outside of the DADA classroom with a shocked expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked.

"I'm not going mad, am I?" Skyla asked quietly, "she… she did say 'Remus', didn't she?"

"Yeah," Hermione frowned, "unusual name… but, what about that is so important?"

Skyla turned to look at the classroom door and Hermione was alarmed to see an extremely intense look on Skyla's face that almost looked like anger.

"Remus… it can't be a coincidence," Skyla said darkly, "it can't be."

"What is going on Skyla, tell us," Hermione said with worry.

Skyla looked back to Hermione with her emerald green eyes blazing full of righteous fury.

"I know that there are five names involved with my parents' deaths," Skyla said, "I've thought about it a lot ever since I read - well, since recently. I just don't know how they all fit together."

"What names?" Neville asked curiously.

"Voldemort; their killer," Skyla began to list, "Dumbledore; the wildcard, and the three unknowns; Sirius… Peter… and, Remus."

"Who are they?"

"That," Skyla said slowly as she turned back to the classroom door with a steely expression, "is precisely what I'm about to find out."

***************

Chapter 9: Shattered IllusionsChapter TextSkyla stepped briskly back into the classroom after insisting that Hermione and Neville go on to lunch without her, and found that Professor Lupin and Professor McGonagall were both sitting by his desk, speaking quietly to each other with their elbows resting on the rather cheap wooden table. Despite the emotional roller-coaster that was racing around her heart and mind, she still knew better than to interrupt her own Head of House in the middle of a staff conversation, so she (im)patiently waited by the door for the two to finish.

"Oh, Skyla?" Lupin asked curiously after eventually noticing her waiting, "was there something you needed?" 

McGonagall looked around in surprise to find Skyla standing there, with a strange expression that was both nervous and determined at the same time.

"Excuse me Professor McGonagall," Skyla said quietly, "I don't mean to interrupt but I was hoping to speak with Professor Lupin about some… unfinished business."

"Indeed?" McGonagall raised an eyebrow in her direction, "well I am almost finished with your Defense teacher, as it were."

"Right. I'll get that over to you right away," Lupin nodded in her direction, "my apologies for the misunderstanding."

"Don't let it happen again, Remus," McGonagall said with a disapproving look, "it doesn't set a particularly good example to the students when even a staff member submits his paperwork late."

Lupin bowed his head politely as McGonagall rose to her feet and departed, giving Skyla a brief, appraising look as she passed by. With an audible sigh, Lupin indicated towards the chair across from his desk, which was now vacant and Skyla slowly sat down, peering at the visibly exhausted man.

"What was that about? Sir?" Skyla asked, her curiosity getting the better of her for a moment.

Lupin laughed, "almost fifteen years passes, and it's still like I'm a naughty schoolboy who didn't hand in his homework. I still have some documents that need filing about my employment and my-well, my health condition."

He looked at her with tired, sunken eyes, and Skyla felt a little of her sense of anger and determination fading. He just seemed so worn down and fatigued that she found she didn't really have the heart to begin aggressively demanding answers from him, despite her intense desire for the knowledge.

"Are you okay, sir?" Skyla asked, "you look a bit unwell."

"I've seen better days," Lupin admitted, "I am notoriously poor of health. Do not be surprised if I miss some classes during the year."

"Are you sick?"

"In a manner of speaking," Lupin said with a weary smile, "I always wanted to teach and I'm glad to have the opportunity, but it really does take its toll on me. Anyway, enough about that; what brings you back in here?"

"Well… Professor McGonagall mentioned that you were called Remus."

"That is my given name, yes."

"Well… if you are who I think you are, then I have some questions for you. About my parents."

Lupin faltered slightly and looked at Skyla with a sad expression.

"I had wondered when you would ask me about that," he admitted, "that's why I wanted to speak with you earlier. I thought you may have taken the opportunity then."

"I didn't know who you were then," Skyla said quietly, "but… when I found out you were this 'Remus'… well it's not a very common name, is it?"

"No… it's not," Lupin agreed, "can I assume that you have heard of me from Professor Dumbledore, then? I know he was looking after you in your parents stead. Did he tell you anything about me?"

Once again, Skyla shook her head.

"No. I heard of you from a letter that my parents left in a highly protected vault for me, where they mentioned you by name, along with a few others they seemed to think of as friends."

"Oh."

"As a matter of fact, despite what everyone seems to think, I've never actually spoken with Dumbledore in my whole life. I grew up in an orphanage in London, not in some mysterious place with Dumbledore, learning magic daily or riding dragons or prancing around with unicorns or whatever else it is that people seemed to think I was doing with my time."

"Oh."

She may have been calmed down initially by Lupin's visibly poor health, however her anger began to flare once again as she continued her tirade that was growing in both intensity and volume.

"Instead of living this apparently glamourous life with Dumbledore, I was instead locked in a cellar by the matron of the orphanage who fed me scraps from the table and made me pee in a drain. I would have starved if not for magic, I'm quite sure of that. I stole food from a muggle bakery for a long time until something went wrong, and I couldn't go back to the bakery again because the 'police' showed up."

"... wait-"

"And now that I'm starting to understand how people normally live, I can see just how awful my life used to be. I had no money, no family, no friends, nothing. Even still, I used to love the simple things; I loved to read and write and learn. But what did I get for that? Bullied. Excluded. Hated. I was the devil, the freak, the cursed child, a waste of oxygen; you name it. My little ball of light that was 'so' impressive to everyone else? I figured out how to do that so I could actually see, otherwise I wouldn't have seen any light for years and just sat in the dark like a vegetable. I can't even-"

Tears began to fall down her cheeks and Lupin stared in shock, but she angrily brushed them away and continued while she still had the courage.

"I can't even write a simple sentence without making an absolute mess of things, and without Hermione's help I'd be even more of a laughing stock! I smudge everything I write and my letters are atrocious; it was humiliating to have to be taught how to write them properly again."

"..."

"And after spending years thinking that I was the devil or a demon and that the world would be a better place if I was dead, Hagrid literally knocks down my door and pulls me out of there, gives me my first real clothes, introduces me to the magical world and lets me know that, and get this part; my parents did actually care about me and didn't just dump me on the side of the road as I believed! Crazy, right?"

"... Skyla I-"

"And! In their one final letter to me," Skyla cut him off, her emotions rampaging throughout her entire body as she physically trembled, "they mention the fact that I can always go to three people for help; Sirius, Remus and Peter. Apparently they trusted these three people with their lives, yet, when they were killed by some raving lunatic, no-one came to find me? No-one wanted me? Not a single person cared? Instead of growing up in this beautiful magical world, I lived in a filthy dark cellar and ate apple cores and disgusting old mashed potato from the floor…?"

"Skyla-"

"Why?" Skyla practically begged, with tears in her eyes, "why did no-one want me? Why was no-one there? Was-was I a really horrible child or did-did I do something to someone, or-"

"Skyla, no!" Lupin exclaimed with a pained expression, his own eyes watering, "it wasn't like that at all. I loved James and Lily, I would have died for them! I would have died for you!"

"Then where were you?" Skyla sobbed slightly, "where was anyone? What did I do…?"

"I-" 

Lupin gulped for a moment, attempting to stifle the dam that threatened to burst as he stared in shock at the overwhelmed girl in front of him who was lightly sobbing with her small hands pressed against her lips in two balled fists. He was having difficult processing her words at all.

"-I trusted Dumbledore to look after you more than I trusted myself. You have to understand; I am not capable of looking after a child. I have… a problem. A condition. You've seen my state, I can barely keep myself functional let alone look after a small girl. There was no way that I could have looked after anyone and… and I thought Dumbledore-"

"You didn't even want to see me?" Skyla asked tearfully, "not even once? I never had any family come to visit, ever… Sarah was the closest thing I ever had to… well… anything..."

"Of course I did," Lupin said softly, "but Dumbledore said it was better to-"

"I don't want to hear anymore about Dumbledore," Skyla said with a sudden burst of anger, "every time I talk about what happened, his name always comes up. Dumbledore said this, Dumbledore thought that. Do people in the magical world not think for themselves? Why is Dumbledore's word the only thing that matters around here? Who is he anyway? I don't know him, not really. Does anyone? People talk about him like he's this mysterious god of magic-"

Lupin fell silent at her words, rather alarmed at the surprisingly rapid emotional shift that Skyla was experiencing.

"-and anyway, what about this 'Sirius'? Or 'Peter'? who are they? Why didn't they come either?"

"You don't know?" Lupin asked in surprise.

"Should I?" Skyla replied defensively.

"Out of anyone, you should," Lupin shook his head, "everyone knows about Sirius."

"Well I'm sorry, I was a bit out of the loop while I fought with mice over the scraps of the other children."

Skyla knew that she was being rather rude to what was still her Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, however her emotions had suddenly spiraled out of control, surprising even herself with how rapidly they were changing. Thankfully Lupin didn't seem to be considering any kind of punishment for Skyla. Instead, he simply stared at her with sad eyes until the condescending pity became too unbearable for her to look at.

"So what about them?" Skyla said with a sniff as she looked away, "what makes them so special?"

"We were all friends at school," Lupin began with a soft sigh, "me, James, Sirius and Peter. Lily as-well, in our later years. We were inseparable, and quite arrogant now that I look back on things. James was the ringleader no doubt, and Sirius was his right-hand man and best friend. They had a bond like no others ever would."

"So why didn't Sirius or Peter come find me then? Because of 'Dumbledore'?" she asked with an exaggerated emphasis on Dumbledore's name. She knew it was childish, but, she was too upset to care.

"No… not exactly," Lupin said slowly, "I'm sure that you know already, but back when Voldemort was at the peak of his power, your parents and Dumbledore were the only things that stood in the way of his total and absolute victory."

"I've heard as much, yes," Skyla commented.

"But do you know how they fell in the end?" Lupin asked. Skyla shook her head.

"It was by betrayal," Lupin said sadly, "one of us betrayed them and sent them to their deaths."

Skyla's eyes widened as shock quickly overtook her anger.

"Someone betrayed them? Who?"

"Peter Pettigrew," Lupin said with a bitter tone, "or Wormtail, as we called him. We should have seen it coming in hindsight; we considered him to be a close friend yet we constantly made fun of him and sometimes excluded him from our inside jokes. It all seemed like harmless banter at the time, but Peter always had to bear the brunt of it and it's clear now that his grudges carried through to our adult lives. Well… that and he was always easily intimidated; his fear of Voldemort was overwhelming. Why he was put into Gryffindor remains a mystery to me, honestly."

"How did he betray them?"

"Your parents were protected from Voldemort by a powerful magic called the Fidelius charm; a complicated and highly advanced concealment charm that works by binding the secret of a location to a person. Only that person, who becomes the 'secret keeper', can divulge the information, even if other people already know it. It could be your own home, yet if the secret keeper has not told you the location, you will never find it again. It is extraordinarily powerful magic, though as far as I'm aware, Dumbledore is the only one who could cast such magic."

"So then, how did Peter betray them exactly? Was he this secret keeper?"

"Sirius was their secret keeper at first," Lupin explained, "it was a closely guarded secret and even I only knew because I visited your parents sometimes. As Voldemort's influence spread however and we began to lose more and more important locations like the Ministry and Diagon Alley, Sirius grew afraid that he would be captured soon and the information forcefully extracted from him; since as James' best friend he was an obvious target. Instead, they decided to switch to Peter as the secret keeper, as he would have been the last person that anyone would have expected to hold such valuable information. It was a clever misdirection, that might have worked in any other circumstances."

"But it didn't."

"No… Peter took the information straight to Voldemort and within a day, your parents were dead," Lupin said sadly.

"So the 'Peter' my mother spoke of is just a traitor… what about Sirius?"

"Sirius Black… well, he's a difficult one. Sirius knew immediately what had happened and he had a tendency to be… hot headed. He sought out Peter immediately after your parents' death and found Peter quite quickly within muggle London."

"Peter didn't run? Or hide? Was he an idiot as-well as a traitor?"

"Sirius is a hard person to escape," Lupin smiled slightly, "he's a very good… tracker."

"So what happened when Sirius found him?" 

"Well that's the big question now, isn't it?" Lupin mused, "no-one knows exactly. All that we know is that there were eye witness accounts of Sirius cornering Peter in the street, and the next thing you know half the street has been destroyed and Peter had been blown to pieces, along with over a dozen muggles. It was such a violent incident that aurors were instantly dispatched to put down what was being treated as 'magical terrorism'. They arrived and a skirmish broke out, but Sirius fought them off and ran, shouting something about a promise that he made. He's been on the run ever since for mass murder. They held a funeral for Peter, but it was a token affair since all they found of him was one little finger. Not many people know he was a traitor; Dumbledore thought it best that he not tarnish the Potters memory with such a dark and unfitting end. Many think he was a hero, who died fighting the traitorous Sirius."

Skyla frowned as she thought about it.

"That doesn't make sense," she said slowly, "why would Sirius rush off to hunt Peter specifically, catch him, corner him, then… blow everything up? Why wouldn't he just… kill him?"

"Sirius was always… rather theatrical," Lupin said with a dry scoff, "it doesn't surprise me, honestly. Perhaps he was hoping to take himself out at the same time. After losing James, I can't imagine that Sirius had much to live for."

"But you said he was saying something about a promise," Skyla pointed out, "and that he fought the aurors off to escape. That doesn't sound like a man who wanted to die."

"No… no you're right, it doesn't."

"And what's this rubbish about people thinking Peter was a hero?" Skyla said in annoyance, "do people really think that the one who betrayed my parents, and in turn betrayed me, is a damn hero?"

"He got awarded the Order of Merlin posthumously."

"He got an AWARD!?" Skyla said in outrage, even though she didn't recognise the award, "for betraying my parents!?"

"Well, it kind of sounded like he was standing up to Sirius who was the traitor, at least that's how it got conveyed in the courts. He's dead anyway, Skyla," Lupin said gently, "and so are they. It's not like it really matters now."

Skyla gaped at Lupin, how could the man not be deeply and personally offended at the thought of her parents betrayer being awarded some medal as if he were a courageous hero to the world?

"It was a long time ago," Lupin said with a sniff, "I think it best that we leave their memory in peace."

"You don't get to decide that," Skyla huffed, "so where would Sirius have gone, then?"

"I have no idea, but I suspect he fled the country," Lupin said, "and is hiding out in America or Europe somewhere. He can't return here due to his crimes, and there's nothing here for him anyway."

"Hm. I don't know. It sounds like Sirius was avenging my parents and trying to bring a traitor to justice. Sounds like Peter got what he deserved."

"He killed thirteen other people in the explosion," Lupin reminded her, "no amount of vengeance justifies mass murder."

"... if he was the kind of person to do that," Skyla asked suspiciously, "then why didn't he join Voldemort in the first place? Or betray my parents himself? Unless he just hated muggles or something…?"

"No," Lupin laughed, "for his many failings, Sirius actually loved muggles. He found their ways of living without magic to be fascinating and entertaining. He grew up in the very strict, and rather bigoted, House of Black, so when he rebelled and ran away from home during our youth to live with your father, he embraced everything and anything that his family had hated, in order to spite them. Including muggle habits."

Skyla thought deeply for a moment before she came to a conclusion.

"This all comes back to Dumbledore, doesn't it?" Skyla asked flatly, "everyone I've spoken to always mentions him but it sounds to me like he didn't do a whole lot. Isn't he meant to be the greatest wizard of all time? Yet somehow Voldemort took over half the country or something and the man did nothing about it? My parents seemed to do more than he did by the stories… he cast the spell that was supposed to protect my parents and it failed. He was supposed to look after me after they died but somehow I ended up at an orphanage and he didn't check on me, ever. He did nothing about Sirius; either to punish him or help him. Tell me, what exactly is this man's contribution to the world that makes him so great? Because I'm not seeing it."

"Dumbledore is a great man," Lupin said with a shake of his head, "he is highly intelligent and can perform magic that-"

"So his contribution is being powerful and smart?" Skyla asked skeptically, "this makes him different from Voldemort… how, exactly?"

Lupin shook his head with a pitying look.

"You're too young to understand," he said softly. "he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Every decision he made had far reaching consequences."

"Right," Skyla scoffed, "because Dumbledore was the one who had to live in a cellar. Dumbledore was the one who had to eat the scraps off the floor. Dumbledore was the one who… anyway, what exactly HAS Dumbledore done in the past ten years? Seems like he's been living comfortably, thanks to my parents' sacrifice."

"It was you who killed Voldemort," Lupin corrected, "not your parents. Back when you were a-"

Skyla shook her head, "no. I know what really happened, it was in their letter, and I had nothing to do with it. Not really."

Lupin peered at her with hesitant curiosity.

"They made some kind of… trap for Voldemort in my hand. A rune or something made with their blood. It was made to be much more powerful if they were dead, which I am guessing is why it killed him."

Skyla opened her hand and indicated to the star-shaped scar on the inside of her palm. The scar that was famous all around the world because of Hagrid, although Skyla didn't really begrudge him for that slip up. She knew he was excitable and liked a drink, and besides, he had more than made up for his failures of the past by rescuing her from her cellar in the first place.

"Blood and runic magic?" Lupin asked with shock at her words as he considered the implications, "I never thought they would resort to such methods of magic… you already know that blood magic is very dark and dangerous, runes almost equally so…"

"Well, dark magic comes at a price," Skyla said with a shrug, "I guess they were willing to pay it to protect their daughter. I've heard they were brave like that."

"I… yeah I guess they were. I just hope-"

He paused as he looked at Skyla hesitantly.

"-I just hope that wasn't what caused them to lose their lives in the first place."

"Voldemort caused them to lose their lives," Skyla said firmly, "and Peter. Maybe even Dumbledore… I don't know. I don't trust him."

"You're more angry at Dumbledore than at Sirius?" Lupin asked skeptically, "the mass murderer?"

"It sounds like Sirius attempted to avenge my parents and that he was mad with grief at their loss," Skyla said with a shrug, "he already sounds a lot more loyal than Dumbledore."

"And if he killed THIRTEEN people?" Lupin pointed out once again.

"You said it yourself, no-one knows what actually happened," Skyla said thoughtfully, "maybe…"

"What?"

"... maybe I need to talk to him. Maybe I need to find him. Get the truth of all this."

"You must be joking. Skyla, he's a killer."

"So?"

Lupin laughed.

"So? So you don't have a problem with that?"

Skyla thought seriously about his words before replying.

"It sounds like he cared deeply about my parents," she said thoughtfully, "he wouldn't go charging off recklessly to murder a former friend in front of everyone otherwise. He didn't seem ashamed of his actions. That says to me there's more to this. I think it's worth hearing his side of the story. He hasn't even been to court, right? So he's not even technically guilty of anything yet."

"When did kids start being so insightful," Lupin scoffed, "I know kids in trauma experience enhanced magical development, but-"

"I just have a working brain," Skyla pointed out, "and you know, thanks to Voldemort, Peter and Dumbledore, I had a lot of time to use it while I was sitting there doing… nothing."

"Look, you don't know Sirius."

"I don't, you're right."

Lupin sighed, relaxing slightly.

"... but you do," Skyla continued with growing determination, "tell me, what does he look like? How could I track him down? Where might he go? Where did he frequent?"

"Like I said, he's probably not even in the country anyway," Lupin said defensively.

"Which country would he go to, then?" Skyla pressed further.

"You really want to speak to him that badly?" Lupin asked in surprise, "you would be willing to go to another country just to speak to him?"

"I would be willing to go to another planet for my family," Skyla said quietly, "and if he was my father's best friend, then... doesn't he deserve a chance to defend himself?"

Lupin looked at her sadly, before sighing softly.

"I… I do find it a bit hard to believe that Sirius would do all of that," he admitted, "I mean, I could see him killing Peter in blind rage but… a entire street of muggles? But then, he had just lost James and Lily… so… I don't know…"

He continued to stare into the beautiful emerald green eyes of the girl who looked as though she could have been Lily herself, were in not for James' almost iconic wild, black hair that was held back in a loose ponytail behind her head. Despite her tear-stained face and runny nose, she still managed to look oddly regal with her clearly expensive, tailored school robes, even if they were slightly ruffled and skewed, which caused Lupin to chuckle slightly in spite of the situation. She looked every part her mother from her facial features, yet she looked every part her father from her rugged and care-free image, complete with messy black hair and a button undone here and there that she had obviously missed when dressing herself.

It was hard to tell who would have been prouder of their daughter; James for her roguish looks or Lily for her outstanding intelligence. The thought that they would never know how amazing their daughter was, utterly broke his heart in two.

"Look…" Lupin finally said, sounding defeated, "there's a reason that no-one could ever find Sirius. He has an… ability that not many have."

"Which is?"

"He's an animagus," Lupin admitted in barely more than a whisper, "he can change into the shape of a large dog. I bet you anything that's why no-one has found him, because no-one else knows he can do that."

"Really?" Skyla asked curiously, "what does it look like?"

"Well if he still looks the same, he's about waist height with matted, usually filthy, black fur that is long and shaggy, with long legs and a thick tail. His eyes are completely black and people often think he looks like the 'grim', or a demon-wolf. He looks terrifying from the outside, but he's always quite happy in his animal form and very playful."

Skyla's eyes widened at the description.

"And he would be very intelligent in his dog form, right? Maybe even able to hold a basic conversation with someone?" she asked excitedly.

"Of course," Lupin shrugged, "he's still himself inside that dog form, even if he can't speak in words. His mind is still his own."

Skyla ogled Lupin for a moment until surprisingly, she began to laugh wildly, startling him.

"I can't believe it… no... no, you know what? I CAN believe it," Skyla exclaimed as she laughed, "as if it wasn't fate… as if it wasn't magic… probably even to do with Dumbledore since everything else is…"

Lupin gave her a questioning look, however she continued to laugh to herself and mutter quietly until, all of a sudden, she looked up at him directly.

"I know where he is," Skyla said firmly, "or at least… I know where he was. It's been a long time, but-"

"What?"

"He's not in another country," Skyla shook her head, "and it makes sense that he would still be here. If he was going to leave the country, he would have left already. Why hang around in a place where you are wanted? You would only if stay if you had somewhere to be or… or something to do… but of course; this 'promise' of his… he must have stayed to see it through, whatever it was…"

"What are you talking about, Skyla?" Lupin asked with growing concern.

"I've met him," Skyla said quietly with a wild expression of almost insane joy, "I've met him! I spoke to him! I knew that dog was unusual but-

"You spoke with him?" Lupin asked in shock.

"Well, I spoke with a dog that matches the description perfectly," Skyla explained, "but the dog was smart. Far too smart for a normal dog. How many dogs have you spoken with that understood you and spoke back?"

She suddenly laughed wildly again, causing Lupin to stare at her as if she had gone mad.

"We were both there to steal food from the bakery!" she laughed loudly, sounding a little unhinged, "you can't tell me that he isn't family! Who else would bump into each other while raiding a muggle bakery for survival? I even fed him. I fed my father's best friend stolen bread!"

Lupin continued to stare at her with concern as she laughed. Or cried; he couldn't quite tell.

"Oh…" Skyla sighed as she wiped a tear from her eye, "I have to go back. I have to find him."

"If what you said is true," Lupin considered, "maybe we should consider telling the ministry? They could find him easily."

"So he can be locked up?" Skyla asked incredulously.

"So he can stand trial," Lupin corrected, "as people should in a fair and just system. If he's innocent, then it will be proven before the Wizengamot."

"If you really believed that, you would have told them about his animagus ability," Sklya pointed out astutely, "but you didn't."

Lupin faltered.

"You're right, I didn't…" he said quietly, "look, I don't want the things they say about him to be true, and I know that you want to believe that Sirius is family and he certainly was to your parents, but what if he really is the horrible person that they say he is?"

"Weren't you friends with him?" Skyla asked.

"Well, yes."

"Then who else would know him better than you?" Skyla asked incredulously, "do you think he is guilty of the things they say?"

Lupin paused, hesitantly, for a long time.

"You just don't want to deal with it, do you?" Skyla said shrewdly, "if Sirius is innocent in all of this, then it means that you left a friend of yours out to dry while you got on with living your life, right? You did nothing to help keep my parents alive, you did nothing for me, and you did nothing for Sirius. You're no better than Dumbledore."

Her words stung him right to his core, however he didn't respond in anger as Skyla was half-afraid he might, thinking maybe she had gone too far. Instead, to Skyla's surprise, he slumped down with his face falling into his hands and he began to cry, which was a strange sight to Skyla and actually made her feel rather uncomfortable, despite having just cried her eyes out herself.

"I was always the outsider," Lupin admitted through his sniffles, "James and Sirius were closer than anyone, almost closer than James and Lily were. Peter was always the target of their jokes, but, at least he was involved. I was just kind of… there."

"So you think that's a good enough reason to give up on Sirius?" Skyla asked, confused, "you think that… you think that justifies… anything? At all?"

She considered him for a moment.

"Do-do you want to know what my mother thought of you?"

With shaky hands, Skyla reached into her robes and withdrew the letter that she kept in an enchanted pocket on the inside of her robes, specially made for her by the assistant Twillfitt and Tattings. She wouldn't dare leave it anywhere else while she was at Hogwarts; she kept her parents' letter in the safe pocket right above her heart. Her little secret; a small piece, the last piece, of her parents that she kept with her at all times. For comfort. For solace.

"I-I know that Sirius, Remus and Peter will look after you," Skyla read aloud in a small voice, "so if you have any questions you can always ask them. We trust them to guide you in our stead, to instill the values of truth, honesty and integrity within you."

Lupin's heart somehow managed to break even further at her words, although bizarrely, Skyla began to laugh instead.

"My… dad, he also said," Skyla laughed softly, "that he'll haunt you for a thousand years if you don't."

Lupin paused for a moment before breaking out into his own awkward combination of tears and laughter.

"That's definitely something your father would say."

"I wouldn't really know."

Lupin stared at Skyla for a moment.

I've been a coward," he admitted in a choked voice, "and a terrible friend."

Skyla looked at the broken and defeated man, before sighing softly and letting her anger fade from her body. Reading her mother's words again had made her realise that for better or worse, this man had been very important to her parents once; if she really wanted to honour them she wouldn't kick him while he was down.

"It's not too late," Skyla pointed out, "they might not be alive but, well… I am. And Sirius is. I hope, at least."

"You're right," he said, slowly nodding as if a bright light was suddenly dawning in his mind, "you are alive. James and Lily's daughter is standing in front of me, and here I am sobbing like a complete mess."

He shook his head and sniffed, wiping his eyes and nose on his arm as he suddenly got to his feet, with more vibrant vitality displayed on his face than Skyla had seen thus far. It was as though he had just suddenly awoken from a long and deep sleep.

"Let's do it," Lupin said firmly, surprising Skyla, "let's find him. Find him, and get the truth."

"Sirius?" Skyla asked with growing excitement, "yes! Let's do it!"

"It will have to wait until the semester break though," Lupin said and held up a hand to stop Skyla's immediate complaint, "I know, you want to go right now, I know, I do too, but we have to be smart about this. We can't just up and leave school and besides, I'll need time to prepare as well. Come up with a plan. Do some research, go over the old news articles again…"

"I guess that makes sense," Skyla said reluctantly, "I should probably learn more about his situation myself."

"We can talk about this in more detail later," Lupin said with a sigh, "it's been ten years; if he's still in London, then I doubt he's going anywhere anytime soon."

Lupin smiled at her, though he had a sad tone to his voice as he said;

"You know, for what it's worth… I'm sorry."

"I…" Skyla began, but eventually sighed gently, "I can't hate you. Part of me wants to, but… I know that you were important to my parents and that makes you important to me."

Lupin smiled warmly and began to speak, however Skyla cut him off.

"But! I want to know what it was that my parents saw in you," she said pointedly, "I want to know what made you a good friend to them and why they trusted you so much."

"That's more than fair," Lupin nodded, "I'll show you. Both as your teacher and, hopefully, as a friend."

"We'll see," Skyla said quietly, suddenly feeling rather exhausted.

"I should go," she realised, "we've been in here for ages."

"Oh sh-yeah, yeah we have," Lupin ran his hands through his hair in stress, "I need to get those documents to McGonagall!"

"She calls you Remus," Skyla queried, "but you don't call her by her first name?"

Lupin laughed, "I… I can't. It's too weird, she taught me for seven years too, you know, and we were… rowdy students."

Skyla chuckled slightly at the notion, admitting that it would be a strange situation to be in.

"You can call me Remus though if you would like to," he said hesitantly, "you know. In an unofficial capacity."

"Would you like me to?" Skyla asked curiously.

"I would, yeah."

"Well… alright then. Remus," Skyla said, causing him to smile fondly.

"Thank you, Skyla. I better get to it. I'll see you next week," Remus said warmly. He watched Skyla get to her feet and begin to walk away, until she reached the door.

"Oh, and Skyla?"

"Yeah?"

"You're very lucky to have friends like those, you know."

Remus indicated to the door, underneath which the shadow of some very bushy hair outside the door was clearly visible on the ground. At the comment, the hair suddenly retreated, causing both Remus and Skyla to laugh.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay in there!" a muffled voice yelled from the other side.

Skyla chuckled while jogging over to the door and swung it open, surprising Hermione by suddenly throwing herself at the girl and dragging her into a tight hug.

"I'm okay," Skyla said fondly as Hermione patted her hesitantly on the back in return, "you know what? I've never been better. Shall we go to lunch?"

"Lunch ended ages ago," Neville pointed out, "what we should be doing it rushing to Charms class and throwing ourselves on the floor to apologise for being so late."

"Oh right! Here," Remus spent a few moments hastily scribbling a note on his desk, before walking over and handing it to Skyla, "this should get you out of trouble."

Skyla looked down at the note and read it.

"Dear Filius,

My sincerest apologies for keeping Skyla and her friends back late. Entirely my fault I'm afraid, I got to talking with her about James and Lily, and well, emotions got the better of us both.

Her friends thoughtfully decided to hang around to make sure she was safe. Extremely caring and loyal friends. I certainly wouldn't recommend that you award them for something on my behalf within your own class. That would be highly unprofessional of me.

Oh and Skyla, don't let your friends see this note.

Remus Lupin."

***************

"Is that a new quill?" Flitwick asked curiously.

"Oh, yes my old on-"

"Ten points to Gryffindor for Mr Longbottom's dedication to his studies!"

"Huh?" Neville let out in surprise.

Hermione laughed, "well it is quite a nice quill. Well done Neville."

"Ten points to Gryffindor for Miss Granger's outstanding moral fiber!"

"Huh?" Hermione let out in surprise.

"Well it is quite nice moral fiber," Neville commented with amusement.

Flitwick caught Skyla's eye and gave the tiniest of winks, causing the girl to burst out in poorly concealed giggles while the rest of the class simply scratched their heads in confusion at just what on earth was going on.

For the rest of the day, Skyla had a rather large smile on her face and for the first time in her life, she felt a strange feeling in her chest that she would later come to realise was the bizarre sensation often known as 'hope'. 

She wasn't particularly familiar with it so far, but it was definitely starting to grow on her.

***************