Next day, Fred could barely focus as he played Quidditch -- Gryffindor versus Slytherin. They were in the lead, of course, but George had to yell at Fred because Fred would occasionally doze off in thought or scan the Slytherin crowd hoping she would be there, watching. But she wasn't. 

They won in the end, but that didn't stop George from going off at him for not paying attention. Even the rest of the team had their own say against Fred, but all he did was shrug, mumble, and walk off. He could hear them asking each other what was wrong with him, but he didn't care what they said or to answer. 

George caught up to him and wrapped his arm around his twin's shoulder, sweaty and panting. 

"Look, Freddie," he started, still panting, as the two walked out of the changing room. "I know what you're feeling sucks, believe me, I know. I can feel it. But you've got to let her go."

"But I can't just --"

"I know what Lee did was crappy, his vow was the worst out of all of us and the whole thing was his idea, and he's feeling pretty bad about himself for doing that to you. I don't think he meant for you to feel...attached. What he did was pretty selfish on Beth's end as well but...you can't keep ignoring Lee. It's driving him crazy."

"In case either of you hadn't noticed, I'm pretty much ignoring everyone," Fred said in a small voice. 

"Well, we'll be partying tonight. We won the Quidditch Cup! Isn't that exciting? Partying with us all tonight might cheer you up a bit and take your mind off Black," George suggested, but Fred couldn't see himself socialising with anyone let alone partying. He was happy that they won the cup, but still miserable about what had happened the day before. "Fred?"

"No. Maybe next time. I'm gonna have to sit this one out," he mumbled, drifting away from his twin and thinking about just laying in his bed and sleeping for as long as he can. He heard George sigh and walk away.

Even as their O.W.L exams showed up in June, Fred still didn't have it in him to even worry about failing or passing. He just...didn't care. He didn't even remember the last time he smiled because he wanted to, every other smile was forced so that nobody would ask him what was wrong. The only person who knew Fred was suffering was George. Lee didn't even notice, as he and Fred and made up already. 

Fred looked across the hall at Beth. He could only see the back of her head but he could see the side of her face whenever she turned to look at one of her other pages beside her exam papers. She looked so deep in concentration, like the idea of losing Fred didn't even bother her. He had wanted to talk to her for a while now, but every time they made eye-contact she sneered and looked away, whenever they were passing by each other she would pretend not to see him and keep walking, whenever they were in class she pretended he wasn't there or glared at him when he looked at her. It was horrible, and gave him the worst feeling in the world.

Beth could see that Fred was struggling and that he wasn't okay, but it wasn't like she was having such a grand time. She had grown so used to having him around, so used to his company, so used to getting annoyed by his constant presence and his silly grins and his pathetic jokes, that her life felt so dull and empty now. Just like how it used to be before he came along. 

She knew things with Fred would end eventually, she just wasn't sure how. She was very surprised about why things had ended with him. Out of all the things that could have gone wrong, an Unbreakable Vow was not one that had crossed her mind. 

One night, though, she had been sent a letter signed by Professor Snape. One that told her to meet him in the West Tower at specifically 11:45pm. Beth had almost dismissed it, though, almost tossed it in the trash thinking that it was just something from Fred trying to get her attention, trying to get her to meet him by thinking it was signed by someone with authority over her. But, she couldn't risk it. Not a letter signed by her Head of House. 

Beth muttered drowsily to herself, annoyed that she had only gotten two hours of sleep before she had to force herself to get up to meet Snape. It was suspicious, but loads of students had done detentions later than this, only what had she done wrong?

If this was Fred, she didn't know what she'd do to him when she saw him. 

Also annoyed by the fact that Snape had said the West Tower, which was on the other side of the castle, Beth slipped on her robes and exited her dormitory. Professor Snape had never really admired her -- he couldn't stand her actually. She was the only Slytherin who seemed to irk her Head of House, and Snape loved his House and the students in it. Just not Beth. She knew it was because of Sirius Black, she just never would have assumed a teacher would hold a grudge against an innocent girl just because her older relative was a maniac. 

"Beth?" a quiet voice whispered, a voice of a girl that had to have been a few years younger than herself. "Beth Black, is that you?"

"Who else would it be," Beth yawned, rubbing her eye. "Where's Snape? Did he summon you as well, what does he want?"

When Beth stopped rubbing her eye and blinked a couple times, she realised she was speaking to Hermione Granger, and behind her were two other figures on the battlements, along with the shadow of a giant bird. Beyond bewildered, Beth looked, perplexed, from Hermione to over her own shoulder, wondering if she was really supposed to be here, wondering if she had read her letter wrong or rocked up to the wrong place. 

"Er...okay...what? I'm in the right tower, aren't I? This is the West...?"

Hermione winced. "I...may have signed my letter off by using Snape's name because I wasn't sure if you'd come or not if I used mine, or Harry's for that matter. Considering...we don't really know each other."

Beth, grumpy that she had been forced to awake under false presumptions, crossed her arms and glared at the bushy-haired Gryffindor, who shifted uncomfortably under Beth's icy stare. 

"There's...there's someone who wants to meet you, though. But, you might want to hear me out before you step any further. It's -- it's about Sirius Black...your uncle," Hermione said in a shaky voice, as though she was afraid of Beth's reaction. 

Beth simply blinked. "What about my crazy uncle?"

"He's not crazy, he's innocent," Hermione breathed out, tucking a bushy strand of her behind her ear, just for it to pop back out again. "He was framed by a man named Peter Pettigrew. Dumbledore knows all about this, I swear, but...Harry and I have just rescued Sirius..."

"What?!" Beth shouted, retreating instantly. Her heart began to hammer rapidly into her chest when she realised who the third figure at the back of the battlements was. "What..."

"Beth, please, listen to me. Your uncle is innocent, he was framed! You can go to Dumbledore after this if you want, he knows all about it, but will you please just come and talk to Sirius? We don't have much time."

Innocent? Framed? Beth wanted to ask so many questions, ask how Hermione Granger and Harry Potter possibly could have figured out that Sirius Black was framed for the murder of a dozen people. If two thirteen-year-olds could stand to be so close to him, could rescue him...then she could be near him for a minute or two surely...after all, this is her father's brother. 

Beth nodded and slowly stepped onto battlements, taking in a deep breath as she approached her uncle. 

Sirius Black was very skinny and looked beyond tired. His face was terribly unshaven and he was covered in filth and his face was so thin that the skin had begun to sag a little under his eyes. His eyes though, much like her own. Grey. 

Beth could hardly breathe as she stopped right in front of him, staring up into his grey eyes. The man managed a smile and then an amazed chuckle. Beth couldn't manage a smile back, she was in too much shock. Staring up at an escaped convict that she wasn't even sure was truly innocent, all she had was the word of two thirteen-year-old Gryffindors. 

Sirius pulled Beth's face into his hands and caressed her cheeks a little with his thumbs, smiling with what looked like...love? 

"You look...exactly like my brother," Sirius said in a soft, distant voice. "Just like Regulus...only much prettier of course."

Harry walked away from the two and over towards Hermione to give Beth and Sirius some privacy. 

Beth didn't know what to say. Sirius dropped his hands back down to his side. 

"You're...truly innocent?" she said stupidly, biting her lip, looking from Buckbeak to Sirius. "You're escaping."

"Yes, I'm afraid so. It's that or the Dementor's Kiss. But yes, I'm innocent. Only wrong thing I ever did in my life was give up my position as the Potters' Secret Keeper, which undoubtedly would mean that Harry would still have his parents and...and I could have spent more time getting to know you," he said, smiling, a very sad smile with a particular look in his eyes. Regret. "I'll...try to write you as much as I can. Look for the letters signed from Padfoot. I must leave now."

"Wait, can't you tell me--" Beth started, stopping as Sirius turned back around. "What happened to my dad?"

Sirius sighed and looked away from Beth. "Perhaps another time, Beth."

Beth nodded and stupidly stuck her hand out for him to shake. Sirius only widened his smile, took Beth by the hand and pulled her into a hug. It was rather awkward at first, hugging a stranger even though he was her uncle. But after a second or two, after she wrapped her arms around him, Beth began to feel as though she was right at home. 

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A/N: This is the end of this book! Kinda sucks it doesn't have more reads but that's okay, thanks to those who have read so far :))) I'm going to update again soon so keep this book in your library until then, because I'm going to let you all know when the next book is posted!