chapter fourteen; the quidditch final

"HAVE YOU FOUND ANY LEADS YET?" REMUS ASKED AS HE BUTTERED A PIECE OF TOAST, GLANCING OVER AT TEMPEST. The woman jumped a little at the address, far too tired to be alert of her surroundings. Remus sighed softly, pushing forward his plate of food so that she could eat something. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she forced a smile, though she felt the complete opposite. She hadn't slept a wink the past few days; she had been wide awake, stressing about the secret she was carrying. She wanted to tell her friend everything, but she knew it wasn't the best idea in any sense. He would hate her for speaking to the 'enemy', to the 'traitor'. 

It had taken her days to convince herself that the words she had been trained to think were lies. 

Checking her old pocket watch, the woman exhaled anxiously. She new that it was time to see him again; to learn more about what had actually happened so long ago, and how she could help him become a free man. She looked up at Remus, who was watching her with a concerned expression. "Have you seen Ron Weasley?"

"He should be helping Harry get ready for the Quidditch final today," Remus responded, before nodding towards the entrance of the Great Hall. "There he is now."

Tempest followed where he was looking, her eyes resting on the trio who were speaking outside in the corridor. She cleared her throat, before offering Remus a soft smile. She pushed herself up from the bench and got to her feet, brushing off her grey robe. "I'll speak with you later Remus."

With that, she left the professor sitting alone, as she strode into the corridor to see the golden trio muttering under their breaths. Upon seeing the woman, Hermione Granger smiled politely, before she nudged Harry. The spectacled boy's head whipped around to spot her, and a wide grin appeared on his face. He rushed over to embrace Tempest, who chuckled softly at his newfound energy. "Tempest! Are you coming to the Quidditch game?"

"Of course I am," she responded warmly, to which Harry brightened at. She then looked over at Ron, who was clearly happy that his best friend was happy. "Ron, I have a bit of an odd question for you, if that's alright."

Ron shrugged.

"How's your pet rat...Scabbers?" she inquired, and his face contorted slightly in a worried fashion. He shifted from foot to foot, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out the animal, who squirmed frantically upon seeing the woman. 

"He's been quite awful lately, actually," he muttered, holding the rat out towards Tempest, whose eyes narrowed in its direction. Terrified shrieks sounded, and she made a taunting 'hmph' sound, playing off a concerned expression. "He's losing hair and keeps hiding whenever he sees anything, like Hermione's bloody cat."

"It's not Crookshanks fault!" Hermione snapped, stomping her foot defensively. Ron rolled his eyes, before returning his attention to Scabbers. 

Tempest hummed, scratching her chin as the rat continued to struggle in the Weasley boys' grip. As Sirius had noted, the animal was missing a toe, and it had a striking resemblance to the ugly animagus the tubby boy had back in Hogwarts. So, as Tempest stared it in the eye with a thoughtful expression, she tilted her head. "Well, I'm sure he's scared for a reason, Ron. Just make sure you don't let him out of your sight, alright? The poor thing probably couldn't last an hour on his own, especially in this state."

"Yeah, you're right," Ron sighed, before shoving Scabbers back in his pocket. Tempest straightened her posture again and pursed her lips. She glanced down at Harry, ruffling his hair fondly. 

"I'll see you at the Quidditch game, yeah?" she said, and he nodded enthusiastically. She chuckled, before waving at him and his friends, strolling off towards her chambers. Once she was left in one of the empty corridors outside of the Transfiguration classroom, she looked around her just in case, before she shrunk into a cat.

Tempest felt so much more awake in her animagus form, and eager to explore. She had one thing on her mind now, and that was to find the cat belonging to Hermione Granger. 

The first place she thought to look was the kitchens, where many of the animals were about to be fed breakfast. She retreated back to the room beside the Great Hall, incredibly cautious of figures who were already suspicious of her, such as Remus and Severus Snape. Though the latter wasn't completely sure of her being an animagi, he had had his curiosities since they were in school together. 

After another period of looking, Tempest eventually found Crookshanks hanging around the area of the Whomping Willow. His bright orange fur represented that of a Kneazle, and Tempest bounded in his direction, eager to use his subtly for her own advantage. She stopped in front of him, making her presence known. 

While being an animal, there was a clear understanding between all others she came across, and it was handy when she made contact with another feline. Ever since Ron had mentioned Scabbers being terrified of Crookshanks, she knew that he would be useful in helping her defuse the entire situation. 

Have you been trying to catch Peter Pettigrew?

Crookshanks nodded. Tempest wanted to throw her hands up in celebration -- as if Sirius' story had actually been confirmed. 

Do you know where Sirius Black is?

Crookshanks nodded again. Tempest hesitated, before continuing. 

Would you be able to deliver a message for me?

Crookshanks eyed her suspiciously. Why should I help you?

Tempest inhaled for a second, before her she wandered in the direction of the Whomping Willow. She cast her eyes to the entrance, before she returned her gaze to the ginger cat. 

Because I want to help him. 

★☆

Tempest settled in the Gryffindor stands beside Remus, who was cheerfully waving his red and yellow flag. He was really trying his best to support all his students, especially since the end of year exams were coming up in the next few weeks. The pupils were stressed, particularly the older ones who were heading into their O.W.Ls. Tempest knew exactly how they felt, as she was in their position years ago, though she had a war to worry about. 

"Harry's the seeker, right?" She asked Remus, who nodded quickly. She smiled at this, glad that the boy had taken interest in the sport she and his father played. She had heard he was quite the player too, and had won a number of games for the house team. 

About ten minutes later, a young boy by the name of Lee Jordan began enthusiastically yelling out a commentary. "Welcome to this year's Quidditch final -- the mighty Gryffindor versus the fierce Slytherin! Both teams have played extraordinarily well in preliminary rounds, and there's no denying the tension is high this morning! Both seekers Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter have proved their talent in securing successes for their houses, so there's no predicting how this game will go!"

Once the quaffle was thrown in the air, the players began rushing around to gain possession. Tempest watched closely, feeling nostalgic about the times she used to be on the field herself. Her eyes often found themselves on Harry just in case, and it took her a moment to notice the broom he was riding. She reached over and grabbed Remus' binoculars ignoring his protests as she stared through them to get a closer look. She then gasped, nudging him repeatedly. "Remus! Is that a Firebolt?"

"Yes, it is," Remus responded, realising what she was staring at. He wasn't much of a fan of the sport, though he did appreciate it, especially since he had friends on the team when he was at school. "He received it in the mail from someone anonymous, though he got it taken off him for a while so that it could be tested for dark magic."

"What do you mean?" Tempest asked, before she trailed off and lowered the binoculars onto her lap. "Oh, you think Sirius sent it?"

"It was a possibility," the professor shrugged, and Tempest felt the familiar pain in her chest when she remembered that she was sworn to secrecy. She knew she had to keep up the act in despising the man, but whenever she thought something scornful about the man, guilt swallowed her whole. "But there was nothing evil attached to the broomstick, so Harry got to keep it. Must've been a kind admirer. It's quite the mystery, as those things cost an awful lot of money."

Tempest nodded, pursing her lips and returning the binoculars to her friend, before paying attention to the game again. 

★☆

"Did you see the way he caught the snitch?!" Tempest exclaimed, running her hands through her hair. "I mean, he's a natural! We never had a seeker like that on our team!"

Sirius grinned from where he sat at the wooden table. He was watching her fondly, as if seeing her so happy was a rare event; which it was. Tempest couldn't explain why she was so bubbly all of a sudden, but being in the presence of the man combined with the success of their godson was so uplifting and felt so right. 

"And how he was able to swerve the Malfoy boy, my goodness it was incredible to watch!" She was pacing back and forth on the squeaky floorboards of the Shrieking Shack, her eyes bright and her lips upturned happily. She then stopped and looked at Sirius, feeling something strange in her stomach. "I'm so glad you were able to come."

"Thank you for sending Crookshanks to get me," the man shrugged, feeling the same churn in his stomach that she was. The only difference between the pair was that he didn't want the feeling to go away, he knew it was something magical. "I never know what time Harry's games start. I suppose its hard not having a clock in here."

"I suppose," Tempest hummed in agreement, glancing around at the bare, depressing walls.  A thought struck her, and she averted her eyes back to the man. "Harry has a Firebolt. did you know that?"

"He does?" Sirius asked, though he had always been an awful liar. Tempest sent him a look, and he cleared his throat, a slightly smug shine in his eyes. "He's gone this long without a present from his Godfather, so I thought I'd treat him."

"That was nice of you," Tempest responded, and he smiled in return. The woman rocked back and forth on her heels, not really sure what to say. "So, how are you doing?"

"Could be better, could be worse," he sighed, scratching the back of his head. "I have to scrounge around Hogsmeade for scraps if I get hungry, but it's better than nothing."

"Oh, that reminds me," at the mention of his diet, Tempest rushed over to the doorway, where her bag was stood up against. She picked it up and heaved it onto the table, which caused Sirius' eyebrows to furrow curiously, as it wasn't particularly large in size. He watched as she reached inside, half of her arm disappearing. Upon seeing his puzzled expression, the woman smiled slightly. "Undetectable extension charm."

"I thought the Ministry disapproved of personal use?" Sirius asked, shuffling in his seat a little. "Won't you get in trouble?"

"Since when have you cared about rules, Sirius?" she taunted, which caused a smile to return to his face at the brief return of the woman's old personality. "Besides, Dumbledore helped me do it, and no one in their right mind would try and arrest him."

"Fair enough," Sirius muttered, before his eyes widened when Tempest pulled out a number of tin cans, setting them on the table. "What's all this?"

"Food," she responded, pushing them in his direction. "I've brought you soup, fruit and beans. That way you can heat things up if you'd like, though I did buy the nice flavours that don't taste awful when they're cold. I can bring you some bread too, if you'd like."

"You didn't have to do this," Sirius soaked in all the things she had brought him, tears brimming his eyes. The woman shrugged, brushing his comment off awkwardly. "Thank you, Tempest."

Tempest hesitated, before clearing her throat. "Onyx."

Sirius inhaled sharply, before wiping his eyes. "Thank you, Onyx."

"And here's a clock," Tempest reached into her pocket, taking out her pocket watch. She held it in her hand for a moment, before tossing it in his direction, which Sirius caught relatively easily. His eyes were wide in surprise. 

"But this is yours," he stuttered, pushing himself off his chair. "I can't take this, I know how important it is to you."

Tempest was hesitant as he approached her -- as though she wanted to trust him completely once again, she didn't know if she could handle such close proximity. "It's fine, Sirius. Honestly."

Sirius hung back reluctantly, and it was clear he wanted to hold her, his eyes and his general fidgeting selling the assumption. Tempest could see this and she paused, her lips tightening a little. Her heart was pounding, as the thought of being close to him once more threw her on edge. 

"You don't know how grateful I am," he whispered, hanging his head in an almost guilty fashion. Tempest swallowed nervously, before she took a step forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into an embrace. Sirius gasped in shock, before he quickly responded, holding her waist as if he'd never get to envelop her again. 

Tempest felt her shoulder dampen, and she herself grew slightly emotional, her eyes squeezing shut as Sirius turned a little to press his lips to her head for the briefest of seconds. She felt herself choke up a little, realising how long it had been since someone had physically comforted the deprived man. She held him even tighter than before, knowing how much this must have meant to him -- meant to both of them. 

The woman shushed him softly as he wept, stroking his greasy hair and giving him the assurance she should have given him years ago. She was struggling to breathe due to how securely he was holding her, but in that moment, she didn't care.

★☆

CUTE

also i love my parents

tell me what you thought fellas!!