The three Slytherins sat around the table, gazing intensely into the crystal ball. Once in a while, the boys' eyes diverted towards the girl, hoping that she would catch a glimpse of something in the fog.

Theodore fought hard against his urge to sleep, though his eyelids were betraying him. He was just about to doze off when a loud yell sobered him up.

"Fine!" It was Hermione from the table beside them. "Fine." She repeated, swinging her bag over her shoulder. "I give up! I'm leaving!"

"What the hell happened?" He hissed.

"Trelawney told her she wasn't capable of having the Sight. Also told her that her life was as dry as the pages of a book.. or something like that." Blaise explained slowly, eyes not leaving the orb. He felt like a corpse as he tried to battle his sleep and tiredness.

"Damn.. Ruthless." He muttered. "Zabini, you didn't spike Ria's pumpkin juice, did you?"

"Why'd you ask?" He asked.

"Why the fuck has she not seen a thing yet?"

"Because I'm not trying to, moron." Ria commented, tired out of her mind. "Do some work yourself. Why did you take the subject?"

The boys looked at her. "Why the bloody hell would you not look?"

"Because I don't do crystal visions. And I don't follow Trelawney's tricks." She answered. "I follow those which actually do work for me."

"And which are those? The ones that you make?" Theo chuckled.

"Duh." She shrugged. "It's all in here." She tapped her temple. "Turns out I'm a genius. My brain tells me what I need when the time's right."

"Okay, but why are you risking our grades?"

As if on beat, Trelawney appeared in front of her. "Miss. Edwards?" Ria almost jumped in surprise. "What do you see?" She asked expectantly.

Oh shit, I haven't looked yet.

"I see.." she trailed off, and quickly saw something. Oh wow, maybe I should start looking more. "It's big.. black.."

"The Grim?" The Professor asked with a grasp. And from the corner of her eye, she saw Harry and Ron tense.

"No." She answered truthfully. "It's.. It's a werewolf, actually. Wait—" she wondered. "Oh.. of course, it is. Makes sense.. it's a full moon today."

Harry and Ron visibly relaxed, while Trelawney looked disappointed. She shook her head and walked away, muttering something. Ria gave her a side eye. "Rude."

Now there was a white figure that ran past her in the crystal ball. She leaned forward. "Hedwig? No. Buckbeak?" She guessed.

"If you move any closer, your Inner Eye might make contact with that orb and the world might begin crumbling into pieces." said Blaise, and Theodore laughed. Ria quickly sat back.

Though, a paper ball hit her head. She looked around, and saw Draco Malfoy stare at her intently. She gave him a questioning glance.

"Hey.. look." said Theodore, opening up the ball. "'Meet after class?' Why does he wanna do that?"

"Who knows.." she muttered, crumpling up the ball again. She was surprised. In all honesty, she hadn't faced him properly since the incident with the Cheering Charm. Sure, they had practised and played matches together, but that was all.

"What is it?" She asked him once the class ended and everyone was out.

He opened his mouth to talk, but then his eyes moved to the two bodyguards behind her. Blaise and Nott. They were warily glaring at him for some reason. "What's with you two? Get going!"

Ria looked at them with questioning glances. "I'll be back in a while. Go on."

"Er— why don't you talk to him and then we'll go down together?" suggested Blaise.

"What?" She chortled. "No. Go on. I'll be fine."

"But it's Malfoy—" Began Theo with a whisper to her, but she just shook her head.

"And he's nothing I can't handle." She assured. But she had to admit, it felt nice to see them care.

"Yeah.. it's nothing, Nott." He said loudly. "Just making sure I stay in good terms with my fellow teammates before the final match. Or else the Captain might strangle me."

With a strange look, the two finally left Ria alone, and Draco sighed. "Alright, Edwards. Let's make an agreement."

She raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me? Can you stop talking like you're my boss? It's annoying." She admitted. "It's you who wants to make a deal, you better bloody beg for it."

He gave out an exasperated sigh. "Listen. We have told each other major secrets under the influence of that Cheering Charm—"

"Who's we?" She laughed. "It was you. And it wasn't a major secret or anything. All I got was that you might have a little crush on my best friend."

That sentence was enough to make him turn red. "You don't know that!"

"Yeah.. sure. I don't know that when you practically tried to snog her." She rolled her eyes. "Wake up, widow's peak! People you don't like are not as stupid as you think."

He opened his mouth to talk, but Ria had already interrupted. "And no. I'm not interested in any agreement of any sort. I know you want to keep it a secret and all that crap. And the answer is no, I'm not helping you."

He sighed, rubbing his temples. He hadn't really thought about how annoying she could be. "Edwards, I'm trying to make amends here."

Ria raised her eyebrow, an amused one as a laugh escaped her lips. "Amends? Draco Malfoy, are you really the one to be talking about those?" She asked. "Amends?!"

Her slow, scary steps backed him up against a wall. "How do you even say you like Sophie when because of you—" She pointed an accusing finger at him. "That poor thing hasn't slept properly in days!"

"What— What did I do?" He whispered, frightened that she might do something to him with her magic.

"What did you do? What did you do?!" She repeated. "Who the fuck sues a bloody hippogriff over a goddamn scratch?!" She snarled.

Though she was quick to take a step back and breath. She couldn't let that uncomfortable feeling build up and destroy something else. She still hadn't managed to bring it under control.

"That— That was one time! I'll apologise if you like!"

Ria took another threatening step towards him and smiled. "If the result of this trial makes Sophie suffer in any way, Malfoy?" She chuckled. "I'll make sure your arm gets more than a scratch, this time. And keep in mind, I don't give empty threats."

She was about to walk away, when he stopped her. "Scamander doesn't believe that I might.. er.." He hesitated, and Ria gave him a questioning look. He did care about something, surprisingly enough. "Can you.. Can you keep this between us.. please?"

Okay, him showing basic human decency? She must be dreaming.

"Fine." She huffed, extending her hand towards him. "Deal." A breath of relief left his mouth, and he shook hands with her.

Yeah, that had happened. But you know what had also happened? Days later?

Buckbeak had lost the trial.

Even though Newt Scamander himself had made an appeal to the Ministry, Hagrid and Buckbeak had lost the trial. Lucius Malfoy had played the dirty game and reminded the Ministry officials about Newt's expulsion from Hogwarts for keeping a dangerous creature inside the castle during his school days.

And Ria had kept her word. She had accidentally striked a Bludger in Draco's direction during practice and actually broken his arm. But since the finals were near, Flint had asked him to just suck it up.

"Gather 'round, all of you.." said Flint, his tone sounding quite nervous for the first time ever. His team members knew why, it was his last chance at winning the Cup.

The players were currently in the locker room. The final match was about to start in some time. "This is the last chance.. I'll ever get to lead my team to the Cup. And this is the best team I've ever had."

Yeah, sure.. Ria thought, unsure about the game for what seemed like the first time ever.

The planning was too weak, there were no special tactics. The only thing their Captain had told them was: 'Do anything if you have to, but make sure we win.' And Ria clearly knew he meant anything and everything, including fouls and penalties.

She was kind of tired of his game-play. As a Captain, all he did was select the team and yell at his teammates. She had always imagined a team Captain to be like Cedric; compassionate, caring, helping others improve, ruling out strategies, maintaining a good team image. And Flint did none of that, somehow. Because every other match, Slytherin was accused of cheating.

There was one thing Ria knew for sure. If she was ever going to be the Quidditch Captain of Slytherin, she was going to build a better image.

The team gave a cheer before walking out. And soon, Lee's voice greeted them. "And here comes the Slytherin team, led by Captain Marcus Flint!" He commented, a little less enthusiastically than he had done for Gryffindor. Amelia and Ria didn't mind though, he had already apologised for all the Slytherin slander he was about to do, that day.

"Captains, shake hands!" said Madam Hooch. Flint and Wood gripped each other's hand; it looked as though they were trying to break the other's fingers.

Ria and Harry looked at each other and exchanged encouraging smiles. And even though sometimes they wished to, they realised how heavenly it was to not go directly against each other in the game; since they were a pair of Seeker and Keeper, they rarely interacted. It was easier to play their parts without really worrying much about the other.

Ria breathed out to calm her nerves. She had one goal, like always; don't let the Quaffle in. Simple as that. But her ambition was really being deceived by the dull planning of her Captain. And she was sure she wasn't the only one who felt that way.

"Mount your brooms!" said Madam Hooch. "Three.. two.. one!"

The sound of her whistle was lost in the crowd's roar as the fourteen brooms rose into the air. "And here it begins! It's Gryffindor in possession. It's Alicia Spinnet with the Quaffle heading straight towards the Slytherin goal posts! Looking good, Alicia— Argh!"

"Quaffle intercepted by Adrian Pucey of Slytherin. He's tearing up the field— and wham! Nice Bludger work there by Weasley! Pucey drops the Quaffle, it's caught by Johnson! Gryffindor back in possession— come on, Angelina! Nice swerve around Henry— and she ducks from the Bludger— SHE SHOOTS— NO!"

Angelina threw her hands in the air in irritation as the serpents cheered at Ria's clean save. She quickly passed the Quaffle on to Flint. Though she regretted it the moment later. Angeline was nearly thrown off her broom as Marcus went smashing into her, catching the Quaffle.

"Sorry!" he said as the crowd around booed at him. "Sorry, didn't see her!"

And a moment later, Fred chucked his Beater's club at the back of Flint's head. His nose smashed into the handle of his broom and began to bleed. "That will do!" shrieked Madam Hooch, zooming between them. "Penalty shot to Gryffindor for an unprovoked attack on their Chaser! Penalty shot to Slytherin for deliberate damage to their Chaser!"

"Come off it, Miss!" howled Fred, but Madam Hooch blew their whistle and Alicia flew forward to take the penalty.

"Come on, Alicia!" yelled Lee, breaking the silence that had descended onto the crowd. She shot. "NO! COME ON, RIA!" He yelled in annoyance, while the Slytherin's supporters cheered. Asteria had a subtle smirk on her face as she tossed the Quaffle to Flint.

He, with his bloody nose, took position in front of the Gryffindor hoops for the penalty shot. Wood had his jaw clenched in concentration as they stared off at each other. If this wasn't a serious match, Ria would've yelled 'ship!' since the tension between them seemed immaculate.

"'Course, Wood's a superb Keeper!" Jordan announced with anticipation, while Flint waited for the whistle. "Superb! Very difficult to pass— very difficult indeed— YES! I DON'T BELIEVE IT! HE'S SAVED IT!"

"Gryffindor in possession, no! Slytherin in possession! Gryffindor back in possession and it's Katie Bell with the Quaffle, she's streaking up the field—"

The game went on for long, or at least it felt like it. Because both the teams were hardly scoring, with Wood being at one end, and Edwards being at the other. Though the first goal was soon scored by Slytherin, and Wood admitted to himself that he had underestimated Asteria a little bit.

"And it's Gryffindor in possession again, as Johnson takes the Quaffle— Flint alongside her— poke him in the eye, Angelina!" Laughter echoed through the stadium. "It was a joke, Professor, it was a joke— oh, no— Flint in possession. He is flying towards the Gryffindor goal posts, come on now, Wood, save—!" But Flint had scored.

There was an eruption of cheers from the Slytherin end, and Lee swore so badly that Professor McGonagall tried to tug the magical megaphone away from him. "Sorry, Professor, sorry! Won't happen again! So, Slytherin in lead, twenty points to zero, and Gryffindor in possession—"

It had already turned into the dirtiest game Ria had ever witnessed. Despite having a lead, Slytherin chasers were rapidly resorting to any means to take the Quaffle. Ria knew Flint, but she didn't know Amelia and Adrian had such a side to them while playing. Even Derrick; he had hit Alicia with his club and tried to say he'd thought she was a Bludger.

George elbowed Derrick in the face as a result. And again, Madam Hooch awarded both team penalties, and Wood pulled off a spectacular wave, but Ria didn't. Gryffindor scored their first goal of the match. Twenty-to-ten, Slytherin in lead.

The Gryffindor team called out for a timeout, and Flint came down to his team with a huge grin, unknown of the storm that was brewing inside Asteria Edwards. She wasn't against playing dirty at all. She could play dirty herself, but only if the other team had started it. All she needed was something to justify her dirty play, and she'd make sure she'd win.

But Flint wasn't all that. He didn't care. He ruined his team's reputation and went straight at it. "That was a great game—"

Ria couldn't stop the snigger that left her mouth. "A shit game, more like.." she muttered to herself.

Flint had heard that. With a sigh, he said, "Edwards, listen. I know I call you the best Keeper Hogwarts has ever seen, but that doesn't mean I'll let you walk all over me."

"Oh.. no, no." She shook her head, but the smile didn't leave her face. "I'm not walking all over you.. or anything like that, trust me. I'm just laughing at your poor game-play and your shitty captaincy."

"What?"

"Yeah.. you heard it right." She nodded. "It's because of people like you that our House has such a terrible reputation in everything! We won the last game against Ravenclaw in the fucking cleanest way possible, yet half the school was still shitting all over our victory. Why do you think that is?"

"They're so used to our dirty games, that they can't believe we won a game with our skills for once.. why do you think that is, Flint? Who do you think built that image?"

He breathed out hard, trying to contain his anger. "This.. isn't one of the fairy tales you read about in your books, Asteria. This is reality. You want to win a game, you need to push the limits a little."

"There are several other ways of pushing limits." said Ria. "Maybe you just don't have enough brains to think about it!"

"A fight has broken out between the Slytherin Captain and his Keeper. It looks like the Keeper disagrees with the Captain's views— no, Professor, not at all. I'm not gossiping. Just keeping the crowd updated." Lee justified. "As you should, Ria. We're with you— okay, okay, I'll stop." He pulled the megaphone away from McGonagall's grasp.

"What did you just say?" asked Flint, in a threatening manner.

Ria clenched her jaw. "I said just what you heard." she added fuel to the fire. Their teammates were keeping a cautious eye on them. "You're ambitious, but just not cunning enough to be a Slytherin. I know players in this team that could make a better Captain than you." she commented, glaring at his tall figure. He took a step forward, standing too close for her liking, but she didn't falter.

Far away, into the stands, Lee Jordan had a shiver run down his spine. "No, no, Ria, ew! Seriously? Anyone but Marcus Flint! Oi! She's reserved for someone else! BACK OFF, YOU SCUM!"

At the implication of his words, Harry's gaze snapped so fast towards the Slytherin team that his neck almost cracked. Why were they so close? "Oi! Potter! Focus!"

"Well then, go on, Edwards. I challenge you." said Marcus with a growing smile. "If they ever make you the Captain, take the challenge and win the cup. Show me just how much better you are than me." He smirked.

Ria poked his chest with her pointer finger. "I'll invite you to the match myself. And I promise, Flint, you'll see me holding that Cup over the sea of serpents, while I make even the lions clap for me." She pushed him back forcefully and picked up her broom, walking away from the team.

But then, she just stood there staring at the ground, as if comprehending the situation. Whatever that had happened.. why had she done that?

Amelia ran after her. "Hey, Ria.. is everything alright?"

She looked back at her, confused, as if she had just snapped out of something. "I.. I don't know what I was thinking.." She really didn't. It was as if she had said something that she had wished to for so long. She never planned to say it out loud, but she did it anyway. Why was that?

She shook her head. "Anyway.. let's get back to the game."

She realised why. She did care about the Cup, but not more than she cared about the glory. Anyone could win the Cup, and they could win it in the foulest ways possible, while their opponents and even their supporters lose respect for them. But one could play the best game ever, and even their loss would bring them all the praise in the world.

Something along the line of Quidditch, Ria wanted to achieve both; the victory and the praise. It was hard, but not at all impossible,

The game resumed. The tension between Ria and literally everyone on the field— even her own teammates— was indescribable. She was losing her temper every time her team committed a foul. Their fouls were encouraging the Gryffindor team to play the same way too.

"Gryffindor in possession— Angelina strives towards the goal— oh! A Bludger! Quaffle intercepted by Henry— no! Taken by Johnson again— Bole shoots a Bludger— she dodges— she shoots— oh shit! Wait!" 

It all happened so quickly.. Angelina shot the Quaffle after dodging the Bludger. Ria dived to save the goal, but the same Bludger collided painfully with her arm. She had missed the save.

The pain wasn't even bad until the same arm collided with the goal post. It became worse when she fell from her broom; her injured arm colliding with the ground first. She screamed in pain, rolling over to a side as she clutched the arm.

Harry, who was chasing after the Snitch, paused and looked for her. "POTTER! NOW IS NOT THE TIME!" bellowed Wood, making him curse under his breath and zoom after the Snitch.

"YOU DAFT IDIOT! I SAID AFTER THE GAME IS OVER!" Flint yelled at Bole.

That statement didn't go unnoticed by the commentators. The severe cursing from Lee and Minerva was the last thing Ria heard before her vision blacked out.

"I don't know! How can he be so irresponsible?!"

"That foul— evil— gargoyle!"

"When do you think she'll wake up?"

"I don't know.. But what after she wakes up? She wanted to win the game so bad."

"Ah, shit! Did we lose?" Was the first question Ria asked as she began regaining her consciousness. She saw her three friends by her bed. Theo and Blaise had painted their faces with green colour, while Sophie was wearing Ria's Slytherin scarf.

"Er.. well... um—"

"Okay, I understand, we lost." She confirmed, feeling a pang of hurt in her chest. She waved her hand dismissively, but clutched it tightly as a sharp pain struck through it. Her arm was bandaged.

"Don't move! You're not well!" Sophie scolded, pushing her hair out of her face.

She shook her head. "Flint didn't deserve the Cup, anyway. What was the final score?"

"They scored ridiculously well after you passed out. It was eighty to forty, but then Potter caught the Snitch—"

"Of course, he did." sighed Ria. She could never doubt his Seeking skills, unlike Malfoy's.

"Two hundred and thirty to forty, when the game ended." Blaise explained in a monotone, and Ria nodded dispassionately.

The silence of disappointment hung in the air until the matron came in. "Oh, you're awake! Now, let's mend your bones, dear. Because of the Bludger and the fall, you have broken and cracked the bone of your forearm in two areas."

Ria hissed as she began taking off the bandage. She turned her face away at the deep purple shade of her arm. "I don't think I can watch it.." She said, instinctively holding whoever's hand that was the closest to her.

Madam Pomfrey began the incantation, and a sharp pain shot in her arm again, making her yelp. She closed her eyes. At that time, she couldn't help but think about that little agreement she had made with Marcus Flint.

Now, her self-respect was at bait. She needed to prove herself. And if she ever got the chance, she was going to give her everything to win.

The euphoria of finally winning the Quidditch Cup lasted at least a week among the Gryffindors. But as June approached, the days became cloudless and sultry. Asteria loved that kind of weather, cool and gloomy. There was something calming about it.

But the calming weather was no longer effective when exams dawned upon the school.

Everyone in the castle seemed to be tense. Even Fred and George Weasley, they were about to take their O.W.L.s (Ordinary Wizarding Levels). Percy was getting ready to take his N.E.W.T.s (Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests), the highest qualification Hogwarts offered.

All the work that came with the preparation of the exams bugged Ria to the depths of her soul. She already had a lot of work on her head; the research about her visions, learning about her Enchantress magic, Buckbeak's loss in the trial that had now lead to the notice of his execution. She had to take severe sleeping potions to have dreamless sleep, just so she could wake up fresh the next day and prepare.

She was pretty fine academically. She had her best subjects (Potions, Astronomy, Divination) and she had her worst subjects (Transfiguration, Herbology). All the others were the subjects she was alright at. She should really be working hard on her weak subjects, but she didn't. It didn't matter to her. The pending work on her head was already enough to numb her. The subjects she was bad at couldn't hurt her more.

Exam week began and an unnatural hush fell over the castle. The third years emerged from Transfiguration at lunchtime on Monday, limp and ashen-faced, comparing results and bemoaning the difficulty of the tasks they had been set, which had included turning a teapot into a tortoise.

"Mine didn't have a tail.." Theo complained.

"Milo was perfect!" Sophie beamed proudly.

The other three looked at her. "Milo?" They asked, making her nod.

"My tortoise. How was yours? Blaise?" she asked.

"Was it supposed to be the teapot's colour? Or was it required green?" He asked, then shook his head. "What about you, Ria?" He asked.

"Umm.. mine was blue and stuck completely in the teapot? Without a shell?" replied Ria. The three looked at her, baffled. "Was that supposed to be normal?" She asked again.

Of course, it wasn't.

Then after having a quick lunch, it was straight back upstairs for the Charms exam. Alright, Charms wasn't that bad. Ria managed it just alright. All of the Quad did. They had to perform Cheering Charms. Ria and Sophie had exchanged a look since it reminded them of Draco.

After dinner, the students hurried back to their common rooms, not to relax, but to study for Care of Magical Creatures, Potions, and Astronomy.

Care of Magical Creatures had to be the easiest exams of that year. They had to keep the Flobberworms alive for an hour. Hagrid looked pretty upset and uninterested about it.. about everything, actually, since the day of Buckbeak's execution was drawing nearer and nearer.

They had Potions that afternoon, which Ria was pretty confident about. When Snape assigned them with the Confusion Concoction, she thought the exam couldn't get any easier. She was certain about getting full marks on that subject.

Then came Astronomy at midnight, up on the tallest tower. Ria knew she had aced that subject. She couldn't control her visions, of course, so she had decided to embrace them. She was trying to learn how to calculate their occurrence. And studying positions of stars, planets and zodiacs almost every day was one of the necessities. Because of this, she didn't really need to study for the subject again before exams.

History of Magic on Wednesday morning was just awful, much like her regular History tests or exams. Wednesday afternoon meant Herbology in the greenhouses under the scorching sun, students felt like they were being baked like a treacle tart.

On Thursday morning, was Defence Against the Dark Arts. Professor Lupin had compiled the most unusual exam any of them had ever taken; a sort of obstacle course outside in the sun, where they had to wade across a deep paddling pool containing a Grindylow, cross a series of potholes full of Red Caps, squish their way across a patch of marsh while ignoring misleading directions from a Hinkypunk, then climb into an old trunk and battle with a new Boggart.

Ria had overcome every obstacle nicely. Thankfully, her boggart hadn't been a coffin this time. But it was something unusual again; a turkey.

It became worse when it charged towards her, and she had started running away from that monstrosity. Blaise and Theodore who were watching her along with Professor Lupin, had bursted out laughing. Even the Professor was finding it hard to not laugh. But Ria had finally stopped it and turned it into a stuffed toy.

Then Thursday afternoon was Arithmancy. Ria had never had a problem with mathematics. So that wasn't a big deal. The genuine worry started building when she stood near the silver staircase for the Divination exam, waiting for her turn to come..

"Asteria Edwards." Her voice echoed. The perfume in the room— like always— made her feel numb, dizzy and overall stupid. Trelawney was looking at her with an excited smile. Ria forced a smile back at her, taking her seat.

"I was waiting for you." Her misty voice said in a tone of admiration. "You.. You have abilities that normal witches or wizards don't possess. Look in the crystal ball, tell me what you see.." She added.

Ria nodded and focused on the ball. It was completely blank for almost a minute, but then a dark figure started appearing. A small snout, big teeth.. "It's a rat? That's— That's Scabbers! Ron's rat, who was supposedly dead. Maybe he's alive?" She looked at the Professor, who nodded furiously.

"Yes! Yes, my dear. Very good. What else do you see?" She pushed.

Ria internally rolled her eyes and looked again. The rat had changed into a cat. She raised her eyebrow in confusion when it took the shape of Crookshanks, Hermione's cat. Her confusion heightened when she saw a white bird.. Hedwig.

Why was she seeing her friends' pets?

"I— Er— Nothing.. Nothing else.." She shook her head, looking at the Professor. Trelawney sighed, but nodded. Ria quickly slipped off her chair and exited the room.

Her head had started pounding because of the scent. The perfume always made her sleepy, but it never really had an adverse effect on her before. Though her train of thought was broken when some treading footsteps made her look up, and she stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes went wide and the pounding pain in her head increased.

In front of her were Hermione, Harry.. and another Asteria.

What was happening?

It definitely was not another vision. She knew what her visions looked like.. felt like. Why was she seeing another image of herself standing in front of her?

The Asteria in front of her took swift steps towards her and gripped her arms, scaring the shit out of her. "This is just a hallucination, Asteria. Rub your eyes and wake up!" The figure yelled, shaking her furiously.

She rubbed her eyes and after opening them, the figure disappeared. She breathed out in relief, her hand resting on her pounding chest. Was it the perfume? Had Trelawney drugged her or something?

"I think I need sleep..." She muttered to herself. But then she shook her head and reminded herself that she had to go down to Hagrid's hut. She had promised Sophie that she would go see him instead of her and insisted that the Hufflepuff get some serious sleep.

She had stressed herself out too much when the news about Buckbeak's execution had come out. Her friends hadn't known why, at first. But then Justin Finch-Fletchley had explained to them how Buckbeak had first been in care of Newt Scamander, and how Sophie had a bond with him. And suddenly, all her distress made sense.

Ria somehow managed to reach the grounds without anyone noticing. She could see Hagrid's hut, she could also see Buckbeak tied to a post in his pumpkin patch. She was about to tread down the hill when she collided hard with someone.

Three voices came out of thin air. Ria stared at nothing in confusion. But that was when it clicked. "Wait.. Harry?" She whispered.

Soon enough, the invisibility cloak was shed and three Gryffindors looked back at her. "What— What are you three doing here? Like this?" She asked.

"Just visited Hagrid— ouch! Scabbers, stop biting! That poor lad.." said Ron, shaking his head in pity while trying to calm his rat.

Ria looked at him in surprise. "Hey! He's alive! I saw him in my crystal ball today.. during exam." she said. "Anyway.. How's Hagrid doing? I've to go and meet him as well."

"No, don't!" said Hermione, glancing back at his hut. Her cheeks were glistening with tears. "He's been miserable.. Oh no! They're— They're going to do it.. Please, let's move. We're not supposed to be here. They're going to do it!"

Soon enough, Ria was pulled inside the cloak too. The four somehow adjusted themselves inside. She looked back, and saw the black-clothed executioner. Her senses began to overwhelm with nausea as she thought about the axe striking the poor creature.

Ron stopped suddenly. "I can't hold him— Scabbers, shut up, everyone will hear us—" The rat was squealing wildly, but not loudly enough to cover up the sounds drifting from Hagrid's garden.

Footsteps echoed behind them, and curiosity got the best of Asteria. She looked back, only to catch the sight of the axe being held high in the air. Her heart raced. "No. No. No.." She muttered, grabbing Harry's arm and hiding her face into his shoulders. She closed her eyes tightly, flinching a little as the axe fell on the ground with a thud. Harry put his arm around her, his mind blank with the shock.

Hermione swayed on the spot. "They did it.." She whispered. "I— I don't believe it— they did it! How could they?!" She bellowed, hiding her face in Ron's chest, who seemed too shocked by the sudden sound.

He gasped, looking down at his bleeding finger. "He bit me.. Scabbers.." said Ron in disbelief, taking his friend's attention. And the very next moment, he was out of the cloak, running behind his pet. "No.. wait!"

"Ron.. Ron!" Hermione chased, and the two followed her closely behind, trying to not let the cloak fall off.

"Scabbers! Come back!" He yelled in desperation.

"Ron, wait!" Harry shouted after him. The three watched as Ron made a dive for him, clutching Scabbers tightly in his hand.

"Scabbers, you bit me!" he said to him.

Ria was frozen in her place as she watched the scene unfold in front of her eyes. "Guys.. isn't— isn't that the Whomping Willow?" They panicked.

"Ron! Get away from there!" Harry warned, finally letting the cloak fall. Their memories with the tree were not pleasant.

The redhead looked at them, confused, but soon, his eyes went wide in fear. He pointed in their direction. "Harry! Hermione! Ria! Run! It's the Grim!" He yelled, making the three whip around.

There stood a gigantic black dog, growling at them. Before any of them could reach for their wands, the enormous dog leapt forward towards Ron and grabbed his foot by his jaw.

"Harry!" He cried out, reaching his hand out. The three ran behind them, but the dog had already slipped off into the large gap in the root of the tree, dragging Ron with him.

He screamed, and Ria was instantly pushed into panic mode. Flight, fight, freeze or fawn. She had to make the decision in three seconds; before the tree came to life and flung all them around like ragdolls.

And she did.

"After me! Quick!" She yelled at them and dived in without another thought. But Harry and Hermione had been too late to react. The Whomping Willow had already acknowledged them.

"No— NO!" He attempted to go after her.

"Harry! Get back!" Hermione pulled him back, nearly missing a hit.

"We have to help them!" He said desperately, and she nodded.

"I know! I know!"

Ria found herself sliding down inside the Whomping Willow like on a slide in some amusement park. She fell down with a loud thud, groaning in pain. Slowly, she got up and looked around. The place was too dark for her liking. Her hand fumbled for her wand.

"Lumos.." She whispered almost immediately, and breathed out in relief. She touched her neck where it burnt for some reason, and found the red of blood on the tip of her finger.

Ron's scream echoed across the place, and Ria ran towards it.

"Ron!" She yelled. "Where are you?"

He didn't respond, but she just kept running towards the direction of the previous yell. "Ron!" She screamed again.

The trace of dragging on the floor caught her eye and she followed it closely. It led her to a room. "Oh.. thank God.." She rushed towards a distraught Ron and crouched in front of him. She removed the thin sweater off her uniform.

"Are you mad? What are you doing here?" He whispered cautiously.

"Shh.. we don't want it to get worse." Ria said, continuing to tie the sweater tightly around his wound. He yelped in pain. "Just a little while. Just a little while."

Though a growl made her stop. She slowly turned around, wand tightly clutched in her hand. There stood the big, bad grim, baring its teeth at them. She stood in front of Ron, with her wand raised. "You're no normal dog.."

The dog stopped growling, and into the darkness, his silhouette began to shift. Ria gulped in fear. She saw it.. the same long hair, the distressed and thin face, the maddened dark eyes that she had been seeing in her dreams all these past months.

There he was, standing right in front of her. Sirius Black.

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