⌁☍

Holiday went on and still, the castle was practically empty and yet Tilly had found herself entangled in a web of Harry, Ron, and Hermione's drama. The two boys were upset because Hermione told McGonagall about the mysterious broom Harry had received on Christmas. Like the quill Tilly had received mysteriously, Harry's broom had no recorded sender. After hearing Harry explain the broom Tilly thought it would be safe to tell Harry about her own present.

"I also received a gift with no tag on it," said Tilly, in a whisper, even though the three of them was alone in the Ravenclaw common room. "It seems you're not alone."

Harry, who had been sullenly sitting on the couch watching the fire in the fireplace quickly brought his gaze up to meet hers. He at first thought Tilly was trying to tease him or be sarcastic and by the look on her face, he could see that she wasn't.

"What?" asked Ron turning to face her. "You got a firebolt too? Tilly, you hate Quidditch."

"No Ron, I did not receive an instrument for a sport I don't even enjoy," said Matilda, rolling her eyes at the red-headed boy who sat beside of her.

"If you didn't get a broom," Harry began, "then what did you get?"

"I received an Enchanted Quill," She answered him. "I know that none of my family had bought it for me because of the insane price, and it also came without the name of the giver."

"Wow," Ron scoffed with a jealous look on his face and rolling his eyes. "Must be nice to have a loaded Secret Santa!"

Harry and Tilly rolled their eyes at Ron's jealousy and blatant sarcasm and chose to ignore him as they continued with their previous conversation.

"Harry, do you think it's at all possible that Sirius Black sent us those gifts?" Matilda asked, trying not to mention his name too much, she knew it was still a sore topic for Harry.

"Honestly, I'm not sure anymore," Harry said with the shrug of his shoulders, looking at Tilly with a confused look. "It's me he wants dead though, why would he be trying to get to you too?"

A sudden rage went through Tilly's body as she quickly stood from the comfortable, blue couch placed by the fire. Trying to calm herself down she ran a hand through her hair and took a few deep breathes like her dad taught her to do.

"That is what I've been trying to find out since we've gotten here," said Tilly frantically, beginning to pace in front of the fireplace. "Dumbledore told me he could just want me dead because of association, but if that's the only reason why would he be sending me gifts?"

"Wait?" Said Harry holding up his pointer finger, trying to absorb all the new information that had just been revealed by Tilly. "Dumbledore talks to you about Sirius Black?"

Tilly opened her mouth to speak but another voice sounded before she could answer Harry.

"Sirius Black is killing everyone that Harry associates with?" asked Ron with a scared look on his face. "Oh no . . ."

Again, Tilly ignored Ron and went back to speaking with Harry.

"Vaguely," said Tilly with a scoff, crossing her arms over her chest. "All he's told me for sure is that he fears Sirius may be trying to reach out to me or potentially kill me because I talk to you!"

Before Harry and Ron left the Ravenclaw tower that evening they all swore to keep Tilly's gift from Hermione because if she had told on Harry she'd more than likely tell about the quill too. Tilly still hasn't used or even started to use the new quill. It could be enchanted or jinxed, it could be a trap. Perhaps, Sirius has been studying her, believing that if he got someone like herself the Elite Quill she'd be ecstatic to use it.

. . .

The squabble between Harry, Ron, and Hermione continued, and Matilda suddenly saw herself acting as Switzerland. Hermione had taken refuge in the library where she and Tilly would read together throughout the day and study for their upcoming assignments and in the evenings, she was with Ron and Harry in either the Gryffindor or Ravenclaw common rooms when she wasn't with Hermione. All in all, Tilly was glad when the students returned from Holiday after New Year, and she was able to talk to her other friends and Harry, Ron, and Hermione had others to keep them busy. Luna and Tilly had talked about their Holidays most of the night before term started.

"How was Christmas with your father?" asked Tilly, going to sit on the edge of Luna's brightly decorated bed.

"It was great fun," said Luna with a bright smile. "I reckon you had a nice Christmas as well, seeing as you love the castle when it's empty and silent."

"I did," Tilly confirmed. "I even got to see my dad after everyone had gone."

As Luna and Tilly went on talking Cho and Padma were comparing gifts to see whose were better and who ended up with more. Seeing as Cho is the only child she had won their little game.

"This is incredibly unfair," said Padma angrily, stomping her foot. "I only lost because I have a twin sister and you're the only child your parents have to shop for!"

"Doesn't matter," laughed Cho, happily dancing around the room in glory while laughing triumphantly. "Pay up buttercup."

With the roll of her eyes, Padma angrily stalked over to her bed and rummaged through her bag. Hesitantly, she walked over to Cho and handed her ten Sickles. Cho happily took them from Padma while teasing her as she went to put them in her own change purse.

"This is so stupid," muttered Padma, stomping over to her bed. "I'm going to sleep now!"

She angrily covered herself up before glaring at Cho one last time. Once she turned her bedside lamp off the rest of the girls in the room decided it'd be best for them to get some sleep as well and hope that Padma doesn't carry her dramatics into the morning.

Classes started again the next day. The last thing anyone felt like doing was spending two hours on the grounds on a raw January morning, but Hagrid had provided a bonfire full of salamanders for their enjoyment, and they spent an unusually good lesson collecting dry wood and leaves to keep the fire blazing while the flame-loving lizards scampered up and down the crumbling, white-hot logs. Arithmancy and Transfigurations went on as usual, except both Professor McGonagall and Vector warned the class that the material would be getting more difficult this term.

The class that Tilly was most keen to get to, though was Defense Against the Dark Arts; after catching Harry in a lie and forcing him to tell her what his plans were, she wanted to get started with the anti-dementor lessons as quickly as possible.

Harry approached Professor Lupin right after class ended to remind him of his promise and to inform him that Matilda would be joining them because he was unable to keep this from her and tell her no. Professor Lupin glanced over Harry and gave Tilly a confused look, to which she replied with a smile and a wave.

"Ah yes," said Lupin. "Let me see. . . how about eight o'clock on Thursday evening? The History of Magic classroom should be large enough. . . I'll have to think carefully about how we're going to do this. . . We can't bring a real dementor into the castle to practice on. . ."

"It would encourage us to learn a lot faster if we did," said Matilda, still standing back at her desk with her arms crossed and a sarcastic smile spread across her face. "I suppose though since they could potentially harm us that you're set on no real dementors?"

Professor Lupin nodded his head at Matilda causing her to sigh loudly and roll her eyes dramatically.

"Still looks ill, doesn't he?" said Ron as they walked down the corridor, heading to dinner. "What d'you reckon's the matter with him?"

"It should be quite obvious to everyone in the castle, truthfully," said Tilly almost as if she was amused.

Ron looked over at her and opened his mouth to speak but there came a loud and impatient "tuh!" from behind them. It was Hermione, who had been sitting at the feet of a suit of armor, repacking her bag, which was so full of books it wouldn't close.

"And what are you tutting at us for?" said Ron irritably.

"Nothing," said Hermione in a lofty voice, heaving her bag over her shoulder.

"Yes, you were," said Ron.

"Can we please not get into this today," groaned Tilly, having become tired of their squabble. "Just apologize and get it over with, all three of you!"

"Tilly's right," said Hermione, squaring her shoulders up professionally. "I don't want to get into this today!"

Tilly's shoulders dropped disappointedly, having thought Hermione was going to apologize.

"If you don't want to talk to us, then don't!" snapped Ron.

"Fine," said Hermione, with maddening superiority.

"Are we still meeting in the library later?!" Tilly yelled after Hermione but got no answer as she was already gone. "I'm going to take that as a yes."

"I think Hermione was tutting as us purposely," said Harry after Hermione had gone. "She's trying to get us to talk to her, again."

"You're just now coming to that conclusion?" Tilly asked, turning to face Harry. "You two are her best friends and the people she talks to daily, of course, she'd be wanting to talk to you!"

Both boys only shrugged their shoulders causing Tilly to become even more annoyed than their little hallway squabble did. Just as Hermione did Tilly gave them both a hard glare before stalking off herself.

She turned so quickly that she almost ran right into Daisy Morgenstern who had been walking behind Tilly while frantically digging through her bag, also not watching where she was going. Both girls halted quickly before the collision had a chance to happen.

"Oh! Matilda, I'm terribly sorry--I've seemed to have misplaced my quill and I was not watching where I was going..." the timid blonde quickly began to try and explain herself.

But Tilly had no time to stand around and listen to her ramble on about a misplaced quill, so she quickly told Daisy that it was fine and quickly walked by her. Daisy stood there a bit shocked, truthfully, she had been expecting for Tilly to scold and yell at her.

. . .

At eight o'clock on Thursday evening, Tilly left the Ravenclaw Tower, refusing to tell anyone where or why she was leaving. She met Harry near the library like they had planned to meet then started for the History of Magic classroom. It was dark and empty when they arrived, but Tilly lit the lamps with her wand and they had only waited five minutes when Professor Lupin turned up, carrying a large packing case, which he heaved onto Professor Binn's desk.

"What's that?" said Harry.

"Well it certainly isn't a dementor," said Tilly rolling her eyes, still a little bitter that they would only be pretending to ward one off.

"Another boggart," said Lupin, stripping off his cloak. "I've been combing the castle ever since Tuesday, and very luckily, I found one lurking inside Mr. Filch's filing cabinet. It's the nearest we'll get to a real dementor when he sees you, so we'll be able to practice on him. I can store him in my office when we're not using him; there's a cupboard under my desk he'll like."

"Okay," said Harry, looking a bit apprehensive about the plan.

"Professor Lupin," said Tilly, shooting her hand up into the air quickly, as if she were in class racing to be the first one to answer a question or to ask one.

Professor Lupin turned to face the eager learner with an amused smile.

"Matilda, we aren't in class, you don't have to raise your hand when you want to speak," he told her.

Tilly lowered her hand, having not even noticed herself putting it up in the air. It had become such a habit for her to quickly put it up in class that she'll sometimes find herself doing it in other settings as well, sometimes even at home which causes her dad a lot of confusion.

"I was just wanting to point out that, yes, Harry's boggart will more than likely take the form of a dementor, but mine won't, we saw what happened in class," she reminded Lupin about her boggart taking the form of only herself. "I can't possibly act as though I'm killing myself because I could or would never truly do that to myself."

"You're right, and I did think about that," said Lupin nodding. "Since I am unable to teach you the way I plan to teach Harry, I assumed the best way to help you is to let you go at this on your own terms with only minor assistance from me if needed."

Tilly raised her eyebrows questionably at Professor Lupin, placing a hand on her hip.

"So, you expect me to believe that you're going to let me take charge of my own lesson?" said Tilly with a skeptic smile. "A Professor, letting a student teach themselves?"

"With supervision from me of course," said Lupin with a nod.

Tilly being a skeptic automatically began to question if Lupin suggested this method to her only because he didn't want to have to work with her or because he believed that she wouldn't be able to produce a true Patronus. Though, she began to think that maybe he just truly sees how smart she and powerful she is and that she could do this without being motivated by fear.

"I mean I have read almost everything ever written on the Patronus Charm that I'm able to get my hands on," Tilly whispered to herself before turning back to face Lupin. "Okay, it sounds like a plan."

Remus smiled, relieved that he wouldn't have to fight with Matilda about how he believed that she is truly bright enough to conjure this without any form of extra help. He's never seen her need help before, he would watch as she'd make it point to figure things out herself just, so she could teach herself the correct way before anyone could teach her anything incorrect. He was truly in awe of her, as she showed much more intelligence than what most her age will ever achieve.

"So..." Professor Lupin had taken out his own wand and indicated that Harry and Tilly should do the same. "The spell I am going to try and teach you is highly advanced magic, well beyond Ordinary Wizarding Level. It is called the Patronus Charm."

"How does it work?" said Harry nervously.

"Tilly," said Remus, getting her attention. "Would you like to tell us the answer to that?"

He knew from having her in class that she truly enjoyed showing off to the other students how much more she knows about the subject than they do, and so, he's found that he's gotten into a habit of turning to her to answer questions that require answers with great detail before any other student in her class. She didn't mind the habit he's gotten into, she enjoyed answering questions.

"Well, when or if it works correctly, it conjures up a Patronus," said Tilly, "which is a kind of anti-dementor – a guardian that acts as a shield between the dementor and yourself."

As Tilly explained the Patronus she could see that Harry was nervous about the complexity of it all, it was evident that he began to question himself. He was nervous for a good reason though because Tilly knows that this charm is very complex and nothing short of difficult.

"The Patronus is a positive force, it is a projection of the very thing the dementors feed upon – hope, happiness, the wanting to survive – only a Patronus cannot feel despair, as true humans can, so, the dementors can't hurt them. The charm is very advanced magic and even some of the most qualified wizards have true difficulty with it."

"Thank you, Matilda," Remus smiled at her with a nod before looking back over at Harry, "Any questions?"

"What does a Patronus look like?" said Harry curiously.

"Each one is unique to the wizard who conjures it."

"And how do you conjure it?"

"With an incantation, which will only work if you are concentrating, with all of your might, on a single, very happy memory."

"Expecto Patronum..." whispered Tilly, having already become accustomed to the incantation after having read it hundreds of times in her books.

When Tilly began reading the books she had a little trouble in trying to discover which memory of hers was happier than all the rest. First, she thought of when her parents were still together and took her and Harper to see the Northern Lights for the first time, up close; another she thought of was when she was shopping at Diagon Alley and was able to hold her very own wand for the first time ever. Both of those memories she thinks of fondly, but neither gave her the sensation she needed to focus solely on them. She discovered that her happiest memory was when she and Dumbledore had their first tea together, which ended up being the start of a tradition that Tilly has become very fond of.

"Exactly, great job Matilda," said Lupin looking down at her proudly.

"Expecto pantronum," Harry repeated under his breath, "expecto patronum."

Harry went on repeating the spell under his breath while Professor Lupin found a spot for Matilda to use, so she wouldn't get caught in the crossfire of the boggart. Even though he knew if it were to happen she'd be able to dispel it quickly.

"Remember, concentrate hard on your most happiest memory," said Lupin before turning away from her and making his way back over to a very nervous Harry.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," said Tilly, waving Lupin off. "I've read it all before, more than once."

Once Lupin was back with Harry Tilly began reviewing everything she read related to what she's doing now in her head.

She began to recite the familiar spell and moved her wand in a way that might seem like she's trying to draw circles in the air, but prior to this meeting, Tilly read that when attempting to cast a Patronus Charm, drawing circles with the wand will help the power increase, and give better and/or quicker results. The few attempts there was no activity coming from her or her wand, it was as if she couldn't feel the magic. Having become established with usually getting everything right or to work very quickly, Tilly could feel herself unintentionally becoming irritated. Quickly, before she went into a tantrum of self-doubt and self-hatred she reminded herself how complicated this charm truly is, and some wizards will never be able to do this in their lives. Also, looking over at Harry she realized she was doing just fine.

She inhaled deeply through her nose and slowly exhaled through her mouth, and calming technique that her dad introduced that sometimes came in handy. While she breathed deeply she went back to first year, sitting in Dumbledore's office, and drinking tea that he offered to her instead of punishing her per Snape's request. She almost laughed as she remembered how Dumbledore would spill little droplets of tea into his beard and go for the rest of the time without noticing. She thought of how he was the first adult to never look at her as though she were naïve when she told him her plans of becoming the Minister of Magic.

With her mind elsewhere Tilly almost didn't notice the bright string of silver light emitting from her wand. The light looked as if it were made of silk, like the ribbons she uses to tie in her hair every day. It lit up the entire part of the room she was standing in, beyond the light there was also a silvery mist, she smiled proudly as the light began to dim... and even though nothing spectacular happened, she now at least knew she was able to produce something.

Tilly spun around to see if anyone else had seen what she just accomplished.

"Oh, my Merlin!" said Tilly excitedly as she turned around, only to see Professor Lupin wrestling with a boggart and Harry lying flat on the ground. "Oh, my Merlin..."

This time her tone wasn't as excited, but more along the lines of annoyance but also she expected this to happen.

"Harry," said Tilly with a sigh, placing her wand into the hem of her skirt as she began approaching where he lay on the ground. "You all right down there?"

"Yeah..." Harry pulled himself up on of the desks and leaned against it. Lupin had finished with the boggart and was next to Harry again.

"Here—" Lupin handed him a Chocolate Frog. "Eat this before we try again. I didn't expect you to do it your first time; in fact, I would have been astounded if you had."

"It's getting worse," Harry muttered, biting off the Frog's head. "I could hear her louder that time – and him – Voldemort –"

Tilly watched as Lupin's face turned paler than usual.

"Harry, if you don't want to continue, I will more than understand—"

"I do!" said Harry fiercely with a mouth full of chocolate. "I've got to! What if the dementors turn up at our match against Ravenclaw? I can't afford to fall off again. If we lose this game we've lost the Quidditch Cup!"

"All right then..." said Lupin. "You might want to select another memory, a happy memory, I mean, to concentrate on... That one doesn't seem to have been strong enough..."

While Harry ate the rest of his chocolate and tried thinking of another memory happy enough to where he could focus on that instead of the screams caused by the dementor, Lupin turned his head and looked down at Tilly with his eyebrows raised curiously. She stood there for a while waiting for him to do or say something, but he just kept looking with that same expression.

"Yes?!" Tilly asked suddenly, becoming annoyed with him just staring at her.

"You aren't practicing," said Lupin, now becoming amused. "Why?"

Tilly scoffed and rolled her eyes as she tossed her hair over her shoulder just to be dramatic.

"Well, Harry had gotten hurt and you were chasing around a boggart so, I decided to be a good person and check on him," Tilly began as she kicked her leg out and crossed her arms over her chest as well. "Second, I thought that you'd like to know I got a stream of silver light to come out of my wand!"

"Well then, very good, Matilda," said Lupin with a genuine smile.

He was always polite to everyone even when they were complete knobs to him. Tilly often wondered how he has never wolfed out on anyone, especially Professor Snape. She honestly wouldn't mind if something were to happen between the two and for some reason Professor Snape never returned to Hogwarts. Actually, if that were to happen, she'd consider Lupin an inspiration and be forever grateful to the man.

"Yes," said Tilly, in a very calm but almost evil sounding tone. "That's what I thought."

After her almost maniacal sounding words Tilly turned her heel and went back to her spot towards the front of the classroom and once again began moving her wand in a circular motion and attempting to cast the incantation. Most of the time the same that happened before kept happening; the silky, silver light came from her wand and produced a silvery mist before her. There were other times though when sometimes the charm would seem more powerful than the other times and sometimes it seemed as if the silver mist was trying to grow larger or to take on a form of something. There was no denying that a Patronus was trying to get through, but her casting still wasn't strong enough to get a form.

Since the day she began reading about the Patronus Charm and learning about wizards and their own Patronus, she'd wondered what from hers was likely to take. Maybe she'd get a Panda Bear like her mum, or a Raven like her dad, Harper had none that Tilly could hope to get since during her OWL exams last year she was unable to produce a corporeal Patronus, and by the way, she acted Tilly suspected she couldn't cast the charm either. Though, of course, her older sister mentioned how easily Cedric Diggory was able to produce his; according to Harper, with ease, Cedric was able to conjure up a Patronus that took the form of a Hedgehog.

Tilly continued to practice casting the Patronus Charm, and when the silver light shot from her wand it wasn't like before, it was almost, something—not really something yet, but there was something coming from her wand. But, just as she had gotten it, there came a loud thump that caused Tilly to lose focus and her possible Patronus.

She stood there for a moment to let herself bask in the self-pride she felt before alloying the anger and annoyance to seep through her veins. She almost did something – she was really doing something, and now it's gone... as if it never happened, and she was angry and very annoyed.

"Are. You. Kidding. ME?!" said Tilly in a fuss, flailing her arms as she turned to face the cause of the thud that had caused her to get distracted. "Ugh! I was so close—I practically had something!"

So, concerned with herself and her own Patronus issues, Tilly almost didn't notice or care about Harry lying on the floor again. For a second, she thought to just let him lay because this had become normal, but then she saw the tears running down his cheeks like raindrops racing down a window. Tilly decided to be a friend and go over to check on him... again!

"I heard my dad," Harry mumbled. "That's the first time I've ever heard him—he tried to take on Voldemort himself, to give my mum time to run for it..."

Tilly watched as Harry suddenly realized that there were tears on his face and he quickly bent his face down just, so he was able to wipe them away, though he pretended to do up his shoelaces so that no one would see him.

"You heard James?" said Lupin in a strange voice.

"Yeah..." Harry looked up, his face dry. "Why—you didn't know my dad, did you?"

"I—I did, as a matter of fact," said Lupin. "We were friends at Hogwarts. Listen Harry—perhaps we should leave it for tonight. This charm is ridiculously advanced... I shouldn't have requested putting you through this..."

"No!" said Harry. He got up again. "I heard Tilly—she was doing it, and I believe I can too."

Harry looked over at Tilly for assurance, and she wanted to help him because she knew these dementors were sucking the life out of him. They had been messing with his head since the day he returned. She didn't know how to help him though, she knew he was a great wizard and very strong, but in certain things, like charms, Tilly knew herself to be more advanced than him.

"Harry..." Lupin sighed.

"Wait a moment!" said Tilly quickly, deciding to come to Harry's defense. "Let me talk to him, I can help."

Without waiting for any type of approval from Professor Lupin, Tilly reached out and grasped onto Harry's wrist leading him into a corner of the room.

"What on earth are you thinking about over there?" asked Tilly. "You're supposed to think of the happiest memory in your life... it seems like your memories are nightmares, Harry!"

Tilly didn't feel bad about talking to Harry like this because she knew he was more likely to listen to her when she was being slightly mean to him.

"My first memory was how I felt when I first flew on a broom," said Harry, and Tilly scrunched her nose obviously unimpressed with memory. "Then I thought back to when Gryffindor won the House Championship last year"

Tilly pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes tightly until she knew for sure she wasn't going to snap at Harry.

"Really?" asked Tilly, her eyebrows raised. "Gryffindor wins the House Championship EVERY YEAR! At this point the entire student body expects it to happen."

"It's a good memory—"

"— of course, it's a good memory but it isn't personal enough, your memory has to be something only you know makes you feel the happiest," said Tilly in an attempt to try to get through to Harry. "I mean I remember you telling me about how you felt when you were finally able to leave the Dursley's and met Hermione and Ron; that is personal!"

Harry took a moment to process everything Tilly had just stressed to him, but he finally nodded in understanding before turning to face Lupin once again. He seemed more confident already, and Tilly hoped that it stuck with him.

"I'll have one more go," said Harry, not even asking permission.

Harry began getting into position and Lupin glanced over at Tilly, to which she gave a smile and shrug. She decided instead of going back to her part of the room she'd stand by and watch Harry have another try. She hoped that the advice she gave to Harry would help him.

"Ready?" said Lupin, who looked as though he were doing this against his better judgment. "Concentrating hard? All right – go!"

He pulled off the lid of the case for the third time, and the dementor rose out of it; the room fell cold and dark.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry bellowed, loud then he or Tilly had done all evening. "EXPECTO PATRONUM! EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

Tilly watched proudly as the dementor came to a halt and a huge, silver shadow came bursting out of the end of Harry's wand, it hovered between him and the dementor, as Harry continued to push, Tilly was able to notice his knees beginning to shake and she knew Harry wasn't going to give in before he collapsed, and by the time Professor Lupin noticed Harry's shaking legs Tilly had already drawn her wand and was yelling out:

"Riddikulus!" shouted Tilly, springing forward as she had previously been instructed to do.

There was a loud crack, and Harry's cloudy Patronus vanished along with the dementor; he sank into a chair exhaustedly as his legs continued to shake. When Tilly started walking up to him Professor Lupin had already begun forcing the boggart back into the packing case with his wand; it had turned into a silvery orb again.

"It worked, the memory worked," said Harry, breathing as if he'd just ran a mile. "Thank you."

"No problem," said Tilly, shrugging it off as nothing. "I'm just glad I was able to get rid of the dementor before your legs turned to jelly."

Harry let out a breathy laugh and thanked Tilly once again for her help.

"Excellent, the both of you!" Lupin said, striding over to where Harry sat. "Excellent, Harry! That was definitely a start. Matilda, beautiful work, truthfully, I truly believe you'll be the youngest witch I will ever see cast a corporeal Patronus Charm – your both well on your way!"

"Can we have another go? Just one more go?"

"You're kidding right?" Tilly asked, turning to look at Harry like he's some sort of nutter. "Harry, you're barely able to stand—your legs are still shaking!"

All three looked down at Harry's legs and sure enough, they were shaking.

"Matilda's right Harry, not now," said Lupin firmly. "You've both had enough for one night. Here—"

He handed Harry a large bar of Honeydukes' best chocolate.

"Eat the lot, or Madam Pomfrey will be after my blood."

"Okay," said Harry, taking a bite from the chocolate bar.

Lupin then turned to Tilly and offered her a chocolate bar of her own.

"Why are you giving this to me?" asked Tilly, looking to Lupin then to very colorful and decorated candy wrapper.

"To get your strength back up," he told her as if expected her to be worn out. "Don't you feel the least bit worn down?"

She shook her head beginning to wonder if she should be feeling worn down or tired like Harry, who could hardly even sit up straight. She didn't think she'd been doing anything wrong.

"I mean—truthfully no, I don't feel too tired," Tilly shrugged, telling the truth.

"Then I insist you take it as a precaution, the effects may present themselves to you later on," said Lupin, making her take the chocolate.

Tilly stood beside the chair that Harry sat in, his legs not shaking as much anymore, as Professor Lupin extinguished the lamps that had rekindled with the disappearance of the dementor.

"Professor Lupin?" he said. "If you knew my dad, you must've known Sirius Black as well."

Lupin turned very quickly.

Tilly though straightened her posture at the name mentioned and began to listen very intently, wanting to be sure that she hears everything said, to collect any new information that may be talked about.

"What gives you that idea?" he said sharply.

"Nothing—I mean, I just knew they were friends at Hogwarts too..."

Tilly noticed Lupin's face relax.

"Yes, I knew him," he said shortly. "Or I thought I did. You two better be off, it's getting late."

So, Harry and Tilly left the classroom, walking along the corridor and around a corner, but what threw Tilly off was when Harry decided to take a detour and go behind a suit of armor when she approached she seen him sunken down on its plinth eating his chocolate.

"You don't have to stay, I know you've got plans to meet Hermione in the library," said Harry, not bother to look over at Tilly who was now seated beside of Harry.

"Calm down, it isn't like I'm running late," said Tilly, rolling her eyes at Harry. "I'm sure I have enough time to find out what is bothering you and then meet Hermione."

"I just wish now that I would have never brought up the topic of Sirius Black, to Professor Lupin," Harry easily admitted to Tilly. "He obviously wasn't keen on the subject."

Tilly nodded, she was able to see that in the way he spoke when Harry mentioned his name.

"Yeah, I picked up on that as well," said Tilly, trying her best to sound comforting. "Though if you think about it, it's a sore topic for everyone here, especially you."

Harry stayed silent for a short moment after Tilly had said that. He looked down at his chocolate bar, broke a piece off to nibble on.

"The only time I ever hear my parents' voices is when I hear their last moments of being alive replay in my head," said Harry, surprising Tilly, because she wasn't the type others would consider someone to be able to express themselves too. "That's the only way I can hear their voices, and if I want to hear them again, I'll never be able to produce a proper Patronus."

Tilly didn't respond to that because whatever she was going to say wouldn't have helped or comforted him in any way. It was hard to try and console someone who has been through things that Tilly will never truly be able to understand. Harry may talk to her about these things and she does feel sympathetic for him, but she'll never be able to relate to him or offer him the real advice he needs because she'll never understand his true feelings of that night. Usually, Tilly was the one people knew to be blunt and to tell the truth no matter how hard it is to hear, but in this situation, there is no truth to be told.

"I know you think I sound crazy because they're dead," he said sternly. "They're dead and listening to echoes of them won't bring them back, I need to get a grip if I want that Quidditch Cup."

"You're right, they are dead, and listening to their echoes in your head will not bring them back, ever, but Harry, it's only human to miss them or to wish they were here with you," Tilly tried explaining in the most sympathetic way she knew how. "You were too young to remember your parents, I can understand why you'd want to keep at least their voices around, but hearing their last moments, I truly don't believe that is how they'd want you to remember them."

"How else am I supposed to remember them then," Harry asked, turning to look at Tilly. "I've only got pictures and the stories people tell me."

"Harry you play Quidditch just like your father and you can be incredibly smart, and I know your mum was smart because I see here academic achievements everywhere, and you are in the house that they both were sorted into," said Tilly, trying to get through to Harry. "Truthfully, I think you're keeping their memories around in more ways than one, you don't need those voices."

"I guess you're right," sighed Harry, standing up and shoving the rest of his chocolate bar into his pocket.

"Of course, I'm right," she said with a grin, once again back to her arrogant self. "I am Matilda Winters, aren't I?"

With that, she turned away from Harry and hurried off towards the library hoping she wasn't too late because she and Hermione both still had a lot to do for Hagrid and his trial with Buckbeak.

. . .

A week after the start of term Ravenclaw played Slytherin. Narrowly, Slytherin's beat the Ravenclaws, which will secure Gryffindor a second-place spot if they're able to beat the Ravenclaw team as well. According to Harry this was fantastic, except Tilly knew now that Harry was busier than ever now; Wood had added an extra day of practice, which means they practice six days a week now, he still attends anti-dementor training with Lupin and Matilda every week, and that leaves Harry with one night a week to finish all his school work. Though, Tilly would applaud him for holding it together, at least, holding it together better than Hermione.

Every night in the library, without fail, Hermione was to be seen using several tables to spread out all of her books, Arithmancy charts, rune dictionaries, diagrams of Muggles lifting heavy objects, and file upon file of extensive notes; she barely spoke to anybody and snapped at everyone who wasn't Tilly that interrupted her.

Because Matilda was Hermione's only confident right now, due to her on-going squabble with Harry and Ron, Hermione started telling Tilly everything; most of the things that Hermione told her, Tilly could care less about, so most of the time she only pretended to listen.

"I don't understand when you even meet with these Professors," said Tilly, as she helped Hermione sort through a mountain of notes. "When I requested every class, I had to set up special meeting times with the Professors and practically beg them to allow me to do this."

"I—I uhm—I guess..." Hermione began to trail off nervously, as she helped sort through her notes.

Hermione continued to stutter as Tilly became impatient.

"Well, spit it out," ordered Tilly in a stern voice, "I may be able to get you on my schedule if you'd just tell me why yours is so stressful."

"I don't have special meeting times with certain Professors, okay?!" Hermione snapped, standing up from her seat quickly, then just as quickly as she sat back down and began to breathe heavily. "I thought that I could do this, but the truth is I can't — I don't even see how you're doing this with such ease."

"Hermione how are you taking all of these classes without meeting with Professors outside of normal class times?" asked Tilly, surprisingly remaining calm herself after Hermione sudden outburst. "It's impossible to take every class listed and attend every scheduled class time."

Hermione shook her head as she began digging into her robe, she looked to be reaching for something in her shirt. Tilly watched with a confused look on her face.

"It's this," whispered Hermione, laying what Tilly knew very well to be a Time-Turner on the table in front of her. "I was never supposed to tell anyone about this, but Tilly, I can only do this so much longer."

Tilly was rendered speechless at the sight of the Time-Turner. Sure, she had heard about them plenty of times before and seen them when she was at the Ministry with her dad, but she never expected for a student, most of all, Hermione Granger, to be using one while in school. She then began wondering why she never thought of using such a device to get around to all of her classes.

"Professor McGonagall allowed me to use this when she heard my plea to take every course offered to us," said Hermione, making sure to keep her voice at a whisper. "I assumed you were using one as well until we began meeting here in the evenings, then I found out you made special arrangements."

"Yeah, no Time-Turner was offered to me, I really didn't ask for one though, to be fair," said Tilly. "By the time I went to have Dumbledore and Flitwick sign off on my request, I had already made other meeting times with certain Professors."

Hermione sat down and stuffed the Time-Turner back into her deep robe pockets, making sure to look around so no one would accidentally catch a glimpse of her with it.

"I never expected it to be this hard," Hermione confessed, resting her chin upon her hand. "Thank you for the help, it really means a lot."

Tilly nodded as she continued to sort through Hermione's papers but stopped when she came across her werewolf assignment that Snape had given them. She looked it over and noticed that she and Hermione had decided to go with many of the same sources.

"What?" Hermione asked, raising up when she noticed Tilly had stopped sorting through the paper. "Did you find something?"

Tilly shook her head continuing to skim over Hermione's work. It was very well done and very descriptive and organized, almost just like Tilly's, minus a few key differences.

"It's just the paper you wrote on werewolves, it's very – informative," said Tilly, tilting her head to the side. "Truthfully, by reading this I would assume you thought that Professor Lupin was a werewolf himself."

Tilly made sure her voice was quiet enough to where only Hermione was able to hear her comment. Quickly, Hermione stood from her seat, leaned across the table and snatched the scroll from Matilda.

"Of course, I don't believe that," said Hermione a bit too fast and a nervous chuckle that gave her away. "Why, I would sound completely bogus if that's what I was trying to get at."

Tilly grinned knowing that she had already caught Hermione.

"Well then," said Tilly with a long and over-drawn sigh. "I guess my thoughts are bogus then."

She wasn't worried about admitting to Hermione that she thought Professor Lupin was a werewolf because it was easy to tell she thought the same thing when she snatched her assignment away with such passion.

"What?!" Hermione asked with wide eyes, excitedly as she moved her chair closer to Tilly's, so they could talk without anyone having a chance to hear. "You really believe that?"

"Well duh," said Tilly, rolling her eyes at Hermione. "I mean the evidence is all there. He's sick one time out of the month, Professor Snape brews him a special medicine every month, and when he returns the poor man looks as if he's a survivor of the Bubonic Plague."

Hermione nodded vigorously, agreeing with every word that Tilly spoke.

"I had the same exact thoughts," said Hermione with a wide grin. "When did you start suspecting or when did you know for sure?"

"Well, I grew suspicious of him when Harry and I visited his office while everyone else was at Hogsmeade for the day," said Tilly, recounting the ordeal with Professor Snape and him bringing in the potion for Professor Lupin, to Hermione. "I knew for sure after Professor Snape took over his lessons for the day."

"That's when I began to suspect something because Professor Snape was very adamant on us learning about werewolves that day and there had to be a reason," said Hermione. "I knew for sure when he missed Christmas Dinner though."

For all hours of the night, the two girls stayed in the library whispering among themselves about having a werewolf in the school. Both agreed that they'd keep it to themselves, because he was a wonderful educator and frankly him being a werewolf is less important to them, than a good education. Hermione was the one to notice the time when she had looked down at her watch and quickly the two girls gathered their things and ran their separate ways for the night. Surprisingly enough Tilly had been enjoying her time spent with Hermione, as they often have a lot to discuss on an intellectual level.

It seemed completely different when she was around Harry and Ron, and when she was with them she'd try pleading with them to try and mend things with Hermione, but they would decline and insist that she apologize first. Tilly wanted this drama between the three of them to hurry and clear up because she's found herself getting tired of being their Hermione 2.0. Every time they talked about Quidditch Tilly felt as if she was going to explode with annoyance because if it wasn't Quidditch it was about the Firebolt. Often, Tilly would come up with an excuse to leave the two boys and go back to her own common room and talk to Luna—she'd actually feel like a Ravenclaw again instead of Gryffindor.

. . .

January faded imperceptibly into February, with no change in the bitterly cold weather. As the match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw began to draw nearer the nerves of every house, besides Hufflepuff and Matilda, began to show. Every day Harry would complain that he has no broom and would set off, followed closely by Ron to ask Professor McGonagall for an update.

"Aren't you coming with us?" said Ron, standing from the table with Harry after they had just finished their breakfast.

Tilly who had been reading a book looked up at Ron, furrowing her eyebrows in annoyance.

"To help you badger Professor McGonagall for the tenth consecutive day?" said Tilly, now raising her eyebrows as if expecting Ron to already know the answer to her rhetorical question. "I think not, Ronald Weasley."

With that, she averted her gaze away from him and began reading the book that had been placed in front of her face all morning.

"And why not?" Ron continued to fuss even though Harry had started to tug at the sleeve of his robes.

"Because I respect the woman and if I wanted to question her on any matter I'd make sure it was one of intellect and integrity," said Tilly rolling her eyes, lowering the book once again to look up at Ron. "Also, I hate Quidditch and could care less about the outcome of it all."

When she finished she was sure to give Ron a big and obviously fake smile just, so he'd know that she intends for this conversation to be over. Finally, having gotten the hint Ron finally allowed Harry to drag him off towards Professor McGonagall's office.

One thing Tilly has been enjoying was the weekly Patronus and anti-dementor lessons with Harry and Professor Lupin. With every lesson she found herself getting closer and closer to getting something, but she felt as if she needed a push—something to make her want to work even harder. Lupin, though, insists that she is making exceptional progress and believes that in no time she'd be producing a corporeal Patronus. Unfortunately, while Tilly's lessons had been going great for her, Harry's anti-dementor lessons were not going as well as anybody had hoped. Several sessions on, he was able to produce an indistinct, silvery shadow every time the dementor approached him, but his Patronus was still too feeble to drive the dementor away, and it, drained Harry of every bit of his energy.

With so many things happening with Matilda and around her she felt as if the days were passing her by too quickly and she hasn't been getting the chance to make any time for herself; it's now only classes, friends, homework, library, constantly having Sirius Black on the back of her mind, and sleep. Soon everyone would be leaving for the summer and Tilly feels already like it's too early, she's even attempted to persuade certain Professors to allow her to take their classes over summer, but they've all declined, each wanting their own summer break. Tilly loved being at Hogwarts, everything about it made her feel as though she belongs and there would never be any limits on what she could achieve while being here; when she was here she didn't have to place a cap on her magic.

"Matilda," sounded a calm and low voice drawing her from her inner conflictions. "You seem lost in thought more than usual, might I say."

Tilly let out a soft sigh as she turned her attention to Dumbledore and away from the large window in his office that overlooked the entire grounds of the school and the tip of the mountains beyond the forest. Truthfully, she had been so in her head she hadn't even noticed that she had turned her attention away from Dumbledore.

"Yes, well, many things leave me more conflicted than usual, Albus," said Tilly, as she leaned down to pick up her small, glass tea-cup that was decorated in an unusual pattern of pastel colors. "Suddenly everyone is expecting me to see things through too many points of view and they all expect me to be in agreement with them."

"Please, tell me more of these conflicts that are piling up on you," said Dumbledore, adding a second sugar cube to his tea. "Maybe I can be of assistance."

Hardly ever had Tilly refused to tell Professor Dumbledore anything that was on her mind or just happening in her life because out of all the people she knows, he is the person that she trusts with her words the most. She values his advice and thoughts more than anyone else and she has looked up to him since she was old enough to understand who he was.

"Well recently, Harry and Ron have been quarreling and somehow I've found myself entangled in it as well, they expect me to be neutral, but at the same time they want me to pick sides, and usually I would, but this whole thing is immature and not worth my time," said Tilly, starting to feel annoyed just by explaining everything to Dumbledore, but he sat and listened to her every word. "Also, I've been looking into Patronus Charms pretty in-depth recently seeing as though we have all these dementors around, and I'm exceeding expectations, but I fear that when I finally produce a Patronus it'll be less than what I hoped for."

The Headmaster took a moment to truly process everything Tilly had just told him and began preparing what he was going to say to her.

"I have heard about the unfortunate issues that have arisen between your three Gryffindor friends, and I know it feels awful being put in the middle of your friends' drama, but they both want you on their side because they all realize how privileged they'll be if you agree with them," said Dumbledore, running his hands through his beard as he looked at her curiously.

Tilly only shrugged at his comment before taking another sip of her tea, which was still too hot to enjoy.

"Now, about the Patronus lessons," said Dumbledore with slight amusement. "You haven't told me about this recent interest, why is that?"

"I didn't want to be told no," said Tilly, truthfully. "I've gotten tired of expressing my current studies only to be told how they're too advanced for a girl of my age—these people have no clue as to how advanced I am though!"

With an aggravated huff Tilly crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back into the soft, leather chair a bit more harsh than normal.

"I know for a fact that you're more advanced than most students currently in their seventh year Matilda," said Dumbledore with a small smile and an assuring nod. "What is it that want from your Patronus?"

"I want something that is nothing less than magnificent, Albus," said Tilly quickly, leaning up to use her hands as she spoke. "The Patronus is to reflect something about the spell caster and if anything is a reflection of me, then it should be magnificent because I'm very aware of how magnificent I am!"

If there were to be someone that was picked as Matilda's biggest fan it'd be herself. She is very prideful, but that is because she's aware of how smart and powerful she is, she's seen first-hand what all she's capable of. She isn't and will never be the type of person to put herself down or to dumb herself down because she fears what others may think of her. Matilda has built herself up to be great and it took and still takes a lot of work; she's not about to put all her time and energy to shame by not noticing how great she is.

"Since the day you walked into the Great Hall I've known of your magnificence, which is too often rare to find these days, especially in a wizard who takes notice of their excellence, because for some reason when someone recognizes their true worth they're looked down upon and thought of as someone who wants to do wrong," said Dumbledore as he looked intently at Tilly. "I would love to see how far you've come with the casting of the Patronus Charm if you'd be up to showing me."

When she told Dumbledore about practicing the Patronus Charm her eyes went wide, she didn't expect for him to take to the idea so quickly, and she didn't expect for him to want to see her cast it. Truthfully, she thought he would try and tell her that there is no need to learn such a defensive spell and that she's safe in the castle.

"I'd love to show you—but it's still a work in progress," said Tilly quickly to warn him not to expect too much from her today.

"Please don't worry about performance, it's an accomplishment just to get anything to come out of your wand when using that spell," said Dumbledore, helping Tilly's nerves.

Tilly stood from the comfortable chair that she sits in every Thursday afternoon and made her way over to an empty part of his office. She was surprised to have found a spot because his office is filled with trinkets and magical objects. When she decided on her spot she began to ready her wand, making sure in the process that her feet were firmly placed in the ground. Before she let any spell escape through her lips she glanced back at Dumbledore who gave her a solid nod of approval, which was everything she needed.

So, while taking a deep breath and closing her eyes tight she made sure to tell herself that she couldn't make a mistake, not when she's performing in front of Dumbledore. Slowly, letting her eyes flutter open everything felt calm and peaceful, as she was thinking back to her first tea time with Dumbledore. More determined than ever she recited the incantation.

"Expecto Patronum!"

She didn't yell when she cast it, she only used a strong and determined tone. She knew there was no need for her to yell because if she was determined enough the volume of her voice had no true correlation to how to spell worked.

With more ease than ever, silver began to immerse from her wand as Tilly watched in awe because this time it wasn't the usual clouds of silver mist that she's become so used to producing during training. This time what came from her wand was a blinding, silver animal.

The small, pellucid animal fluttered its wings and came to a stop right in front of Tilly, and just hovered there before her. This was nothing like Tilly had ever felt before because at this very moment she felt as if she was surrounded by happiness, luck, and immense joy. And not only had she just cast a corporeal Patronus, but she has done so in front of one of the most powerful wizards to ever live.

"I'm sure you know what this lovely animal is, don't you?" said Dumbledore, walking up to stand beside of Matilda.

"I know that it's a Magpie—which is a bird," said Tilly, turning to give Dumbledore a quick glance. "What does it represent, though?"

Before he answered he allowed Tilly to watch the small, fluttering bird fade away.

"Well, most usually, those with the Magpie Patronus have an impressive mind... and are always striving more—for something better," said Dumbledore, still looking straight ahead where he Magpie once fluttered. "I can see why you got it, for you have one of the best and strongest minds I've ever encountered."

Tilly let out a sigh, normally she'd easily accept such a compliment from Albus, but with her recent troubles, her mind hasn't been feeling as powerful as it normally does. Recently it seems as if she and her mind are in two different spots.

"Matilda, is there something else that has you troubled?" Dumbledore asked, taking notice of how she didn't accept the compliment as she normally would.

"The whole ordeal with Sirius Black has gotten my thoughts all jumbled around," said Tilly. "Rightfully so, everyone believes he's a murderer and so did I at first... but my father has recently become hell-bent on making sure I form my own opinion on him without letting any other person influence me."

For a moment Dumbledore was struck silent, the moment was brief, but Tilly was able to notice it before he quickly readjusted himself. He looked slightly amused, but by looking into his eyes Tilly could conclude that he was confused or indignant. She knows that he must tire of always discussing Sirius Black and the dementors.

"I must say I'm not surprised by this, for Rueban has always been the kind to try and find the truth without any bias," said Dumbledore nodding as he began walking to his desk, Tilly followed close behind. "I must tell you though, digging into the man that is Sirius Black will likely give you answers you do not like, for it's a lot of darkness and hidden evils."

Dumbledore sat down in his large chair behind his desk and looked across at Tilly.

"But as much as I express this to you I'm afraid you have already made up your mind and from experience, I know there is nothing I can say or do to stop your curiosity," said Dumbledore with a long sigh, but a knowing smile on his face.

"I'm afraid your right Dumbledore," said Tilly, nodding her head. "I just—I think my dad is right, I should find out about him and decide how I feel about Sirius Black and to do so fairly, I can't be biased – even if one of my friends are hurting because of him."

Dumbledore nodded, and for only a while longer did they continue their tea time before they both bid their farewells and promised to meet again next week.

Tilly made her way down the corridors towards the Great Hall wanting to eat some real food after just having eaten cookies with Dumbledore. After talking with Dumbledore, she felt as if a huge weight that had been weighing her down had been lifted from her shoulders. This was a normal thing, whenever she went to Dumbledore feeling down or out of place, after talking she feels better.

Just as she walked into the Great Hall her stomach let out a quiet growl, letting her know that she was hungrier than she thought. She walked past the Ravenclaw table and greeted a few of her friends who were seated, along with Luna before going to sit with Ron and Harry at the Gryffindor table. Something she's been doing since Christmas Holiday.

She sat herself down beside Ron who was across from Harry. Tilly noticed that Harry was looking at Ron with an expression of sympathy, this had already sparked her curiosity. Turning to look at Ron she saw how his face expression was pouty but with how red the tips of his ears were and his hands clenched into fists on his lap, she could easily see that Ron was angry about something.

"What's the matter with Ron?" said Tilly, turning back to look at Harry. "Did something turn out to be wrong with your Firebolt?"

As she waited for an answer from Harry, Tilly began filling her plate with an assortment of fruits.

"No, I was actually given the Firebolt back not long ago," said Harry, masking his smile so he wouldn't upset Ron any more than he already is. "Something happened with Scabbers..."

By the tone of Harry's voice, it was now very clear to Tilly why Ron seemed so upset. He had lost Scabbers.

"He's gone," said Ron bringing his fists down on the table making the silverware jump, Tilly quickly grabbed ahold of her goblet, so no juice would spill out. "Hermione's bloody cat got to him, and it killed him!"

Tilly continued to watch Ron as she put his head in his arms, laying on the table like he does when he sleeps in class. Usually, Tilly would express to him how lucky he was to have spent so much time with Scabbers because the lifespan of a rat is only a few years at most, only she couldn't bring herself to say that to Ron. She knew how much Ron cared for Scabbers and she could clearly tell it had taken a toll on the poor boy.

So, instead of saying something that might upset him more, Tilly slowly lifted her hand and placed it in the middle of Ron's back, giving him a few comforting taps before just letting it lay there comfortably. She's never been very good at comforting people and she's never really wanted to comfort someone, but with Ron, it almost feels like she has to. To her it feels like if Ron feels upset, so does she; this has never happened to her before.

"I'm terribly sorry for your loss, Ron," said Tilly, leaning down to whisper to him, her hand still on his back. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Ron sniffled then shifted around so he was looking over at her with his head still lying on his arms. Tilly had to force herself not to tell him that if he continued to lay like that his arms were going to fall asleep and become sore.

"Aren't you going to make fun of me for being so upset over losing an old rat," said Ron, expecting Tilly's normal behavior. "I mean that's what you'd normally do."

Tilly shook her head, telling Ron that she wasn't going to say anything like that. Deep down though, she knew if it were anyone else besides Ron Weasley, she wouldn't be nearly as comforting and nice. She didn't like it when he wasn't happy, she believed that Ron deserved happiness.

Harry took notice of the way Tilly was around Ron, he noticed she was different around him, he could tell she cared about him more than a lot of other people. He didn't say anything though, because unlike anyone else today—Tilly was actually helping him because he was letting her help him.

Matilda didn't know what she was feeling or why it caused her to act this way with Ron, and the fact that she didn't know made her a little afraid.

But, Matilda Winters isn't afraid of anything...

⌁☍

Sooo sorry for making everyone wait for almost an entire month for an update, but I've been getting used to my new schedule, and now that I'm here and settled in I promise to upload in a more timely manner!

xoxo