First days are always difficult, but Amy's was the hardest. She didn't have any classes with Cedric, since he was older, so she had to find her way by herself. Most people just whispered behind her back, but didn't come over to help. Mustering up all of her courage, she walked up to someone and asked:
        "Excuse me, but do you know the way to the Potions classroom?" The person turned around, and was revealed a boy about her age, with jet black hair, green eyes, wire-rimmed glasses - and a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. "Oh! You're-I didn't know-that's-sorry!" Amy squawked and made to leave, but the boy stopped her. 
        "Yeah, I'm Harry Potter. I know that can be a bit startling...I'm actually going to Potions right now, too. Wanna come with me?"
        "Um...I can?! I mean...sure- I mean ok, I- yes!"
        "Er...well...let's go then."
        As they walked, there was a lot going through Harry's mind. Who was this new girl? What was Ilvermorny? And why was everyone surprised about her last name? Hmm... Harry thought. There was somewhere that he had seen the name 'Scamander' written before. Maybe in a textbook...
        "Oh!" Harry exclaimed, then covered his mouth with his hands instinctively, dropping all of his books. Amy jumped, and then made to help him, but Harry quickly picked his books up and stood. "Er, sorry... but are you somehow related to Newt Scamander?"
        "Yes," Amy blushed. "He's my grandfather."
        "Oh!" Harry jumped, again his books spilling out of his hands. At that moment, someone walked up and tapped Amy on the shoulder, and she turned.
        "Hello, Luna!" Standing behind Amy was none other than Luna Lovegood.
        "So you've met her already?" Harry asked. 
        "Of course she has!" Luna exclaimed. "She's my cousin. And," she continued, completely ignoring Harry's shocked expression, "Did you hear about our new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor?" Not awaiting an answer, she turned and left. "Bye!"
        "Bye, Luna!" Amy waved, and Harry just stood there, as if he had just been hit with patrificus totalus. His first day back had definitely been full of surprises!  

        Potions was boring. Not that it was any better at Ilvermorny. In fact, Amy hadn't enjoyed Ilvermorny all that much, so she begged her parents to let her take a portkey all the way to King's Cross Station. 
        "What's wrong with Ilvermorny?" her parents had asked. 
        "Well," Amy had answered, "Nothing interesting had ever happened. Grandpa said that when he went to Hogwarts, there were so many cool things going on. The Chamber of Secrets had been opened, and some of his creatures escaped, so the exams were canceled. At Ilvermorny, the least boring thing that happened was when John let his owl fly around the classroom and squawk at everyone. Isn't that right, Niffy?" she patted the Niffler sitting on her shoulder, who chirped happily.
        "Miss Scamander?" a cold, monotonous voice interrupted Amy from her daydreaming. 
        "Yes, Professor Snape!" Amy exclaimed, embarrassed as the rest of the class chuckled. 
        "You still had not answered my question." Blushing, Amy responded:
        "I'm sorry, Professor. Can you please repeat it?"
        Rolling his eyes, Professor Snape hissed, "I said, what are the properties of a bezoar?" Huh? Amy thought. We never learned any of this stuff at Ilvermorny!
        "Um..."
        Snape sighed. "How disappointing. 10 points from Hufflepuff for your carelessness." Half the class groaned. "Seems that school of yours wasn't very good at potions." Niffy chirped in disapproval, and burrowed deeper into Amy's hair.
        The rest of the period went by slowly and painfully, as Snape instructed the class what exactly to use a bezoar for. Finally, last period was over, and Cedric met Amy outside of the classroom. 
        "Ready?" Cedric asked.
        "You bet. Accio Cleansweep!" Amy's broom flew right into her hand. 
        Cedric raised his eyebrows. "Very impressive, for a third year!"
        "Thanks. If there's one thing that Ilvermorny is good for, that's spells and charms."

        The two headed out to the Quidditch field. 
        "Sit right over here, and wait your turn." Cedric walked to the center of the field, and addressed the group. "Another year, another team. We're taking the best, and only the best, so be prepared! Available positions are: Chaser: 3 slots. Beater: 2 slots. Keeper: 1 slot. And seeker: 1 slot. Good luck to all of you! Up first, Smith, Zacharias, trying out for chaser!" Amy waited patiently on the bench, but couldn't help but worry. Cedric had told her earlier that his favorite position to play was the seeker, and that just happened to be the position she was trying out for. There was no way to beat the team captain! Amy looked around. There were at least 50 people waiting to try out, and only 7 would get in. She definitely did not have a high chance of making it.
        "Scamander, Amelia, trying out for seeker!" Amy got up slowly, and walked onto the field. Her steps dragged, and her heart pounded so hard, as if it was trying to break out of her chest.
        "So, Amy. Since you're new here, I'll explain the rules for trying out. The Chudley Cannons and the Montrose Magpies have volunteered to help us today. For these tryouts, you will take the place of the Chudley seeker, and I'll see how you do. Ready? Fly on up." Amy mounted her broom, and flew up.
        The next couple of minutes were a blur, and before she knew it, Amy woke up in the hospital wing, to find Cedric standing over her.
        "W-what happened?" 
        "You crashed into the Whomping Willow. Don't worry, you're broom handle chipped a little, but it can be repaired."
        "Oh." There was not much to say to that. "How long have I been out?"
        "Three days."
        "OH."
        "Hey, kiddo. I've got good news, though! Look in your left hand." Amy lifted her arm, and found it in a cast. "No, look what you're holding. We couldn't pry your hand open!" Amy opened her hand, and the golden snitch zoomed out of it. "Congratulations. You made the team, and earned the Cannons their first victory in a while."
        "But-how...? Aren't you...?"
        "It's alright," Cedric said. "I've been playing seeker for too long, so I've decided to give someone else a chance. I'll play keeper!"
        Amy blinked in realization, and suddenly squealed: "I MADE THE QUIDDITCH TEAM!! EEEE!!" and clasped her mouth closed with her right hand, which was fortunately in one piece. 

        Finally, Amy was released from the hospital wing, much to her relief. When she got back to the dormitories, she found Niffy sitting on her bed and - much to her disappointment - all of her hair clips gone from her bedside table. 
        "Oh, c'mon little guy. Up you go..." Amy grabbed him by his legs and shook him upside-down, earning stares from her housemates who were getting ready for bed, and unhappy chirping from Niffy. He covered his pouch quickly, though two hair clips managed to escape. Amy felt for her wand and grasped it in her palm, pointing it at Niffy. "Acci-"  No, Amy thought. I don't want to hurt him on accident. "Alright, sneaky," Amy sighed, "It has come to this." Holding Niffy in one hand, she held her wand in her mouth and tickled him with the other. Giggling, he couldn't take it anymore, and hair clips came spilling out all over the place. This was an old trick that her grandfather taught her, when he presented her with Niffy on her eleventh birthday, the day she was of age to start wizarding school. Amy put Niffy back down on her bed, and started gathering the hair clips. After getting all of them, she turned back to the furry creature. "Now, what do you have to say for yourself?" Niffy gave a guilty chirp, then giggled and buried himself in Amy's bedspread.         
        The girls' dormitory was silent, until Amy realized that she was being stared at and blushed.
        "What was that thing?" asked a dark haired girl who Amy knew as Hannah Abbott from Potions. 
        "Oh, that's a Niffler. Cunning, those guys. Anything shiny, they'll stick it right into their never ending pouch. Sometimes people say they don't make good pets, but you've just gotta know how to handle 'em."
        "Oh..." Hannah said. "Well, it's adorable!" 
        A long line formed at Amy's bed to get to pet Niffy. He chirped and jumped around, determined to show off his skills in front of the crowd of people that already got a turn. In fact, everyone was so fed up with Niffy that they forgot the exams awaiting them in Defence Against the Dark Arts class the next day...        Finally, Amy was released from the hospital wing, much to her relief. When she got back to the dormitories, she found Niffy sitting on her bed and - much to her disappointment - all of her hair clips gone from her bedside table. 

        "Oh, c'mon little guy. Up you go..." Amy grabbed him by his legs and shook him upside-down, earning stares from her housemates who were getting ready for bed, and unhappy chirping from Niffy. He covered his pouch quickly, though two hair clips managed to escape. Amy felt for her wand and grasped it in her palm, pointing it at Niffy. "Acci-"  No, Amy thought. I don't want to hurt him on accident. "Alright, sneaky," Amy sighed, "It has come to this." Holding Niffy in one hand, she held her wand in her mouth and tickled him with the other. Giggling, he couldn't take it anymore, and hair clips came spilling out all over the place. This was an old trick that her grandfather taught her, when he presented her with Niffy on her eleventh birthday, the day she was of age to start wizarding school. Amy put Niffy back down on her bed, and started gathering the hair clips. After getting all of them, she turned back to the furry creature. "Now, what do you have to say for yourself?" Niffy gave a guilty chirp, then giggled and buried himself in Amy's bedspread.         
        The girls' dormitory was silent, until Amy realized that she was being stared at and blushed.
        "What was that thing?" asked a dark haired girl who Amy knew as Hannah Abbott from Potions. 
        "Oh, that's a Niffler. Cunning, those guys. Anything shiny, they'll stick it right into their never ending pouch. Sometimes people say they don't make good pets, but you've just gotta know how to handle 'em."
        "Oh..." Hannah said. "Well, it's adorable!" 
        A long line formed at Amy's bed to get to pet Niffy. He chirped and jumped around, determined to show off his skills in front of the crowd of people that already got a turn. In fact, everyone was so fed up with Niffy that they forgot the exams awaiting them in Defence Against the Dark Arts class the next day...

        Amy woke up still in her robes from the day before, with Niffy curled up on her head. Slowly, she got up, and started to plan her day. So, she thought. Today is Friday, so my first class is Defence Against the Dark Arts. And, oooh! Care of Magical Creatures is next! Getting up, Amy felt that something was missing. Wait, don't I have a quiz today? Then it all came back to her. She and everyone else in the Girls' Dormitory stayed up almost all night playing with Niffy, and they forgot to study! How could I have forgotten?! Amy thought, as she grabbed a textbook for some last minute studying. 
        "Ok...Boggart, Werewolf, Animagus, blah, blah, blah..." Looking at the time, Amy jumped up, threw on a headband, grabbed a startled Niffy and her books, and ran all the way to class, to find everyone already taking the quiz.
        "I'msorryI'mlateProfessorLupinbutIforgotIhadaquiztodaysoIstayeduplateand-"
        "It's alright," the professor replied, in a calm, warm voice. "Please take a seat, the quiz should be there."
        Sitting down, Amy wrote her name in the top left corner, and read the first question. 
What? I don't remember this! I should have studied more! Sighing, and mentally screaming at herself, Amy took her best guess and moved on to the next question. 
        The next morning, word spread quickly about what happened in Defence Against the Dark arts. 
        "Did you hear?" A Gryffindor student told her friend. "Every student failed the quiz. Every single one! Even me! But we did learn the stuff, didn't we? I just couldn't remember..."
        "What if it's because of Friday the 13th? That was yesterday, wasn't it?" A Slytherin on the other side of the hallway told to the person next to him. 
        "You're right!" His friend agreed. "That must be it. There's no other explanation!"
        As Amy listened to the conversations around her, she realized that there was no other possible answer. Everyone failed? This isn't a coincidence. It can't be. And it wasn't just the Hufflepuff girls! At least it wasn't my fault... Questions crowded Amy's mind, and distracted, she turned the wrong way.

        Amy was late. Really late. She was bound to get a howler for this. Care of Magical Creatures was her favorite class, and now she was lost! I want to go back, I want to go back, I want to go back! Amy thought over and over again while circling the hallway that she couldn't get out of. Suddenly, she found a door that hadn't been there before. Well, it's worth a try! Making sure that there wasn't a class already going on inside, she went through the door-
        -And found herself outside! Well that was lucky, Amy thought, and ran to the gamekeeper's hut, where the class was held. She arrived only to find that she wasn't late at all! 
        "Alright. So, today yer gonna meet Buckbeak. Nice fellow, that one. He's a hippogriff. Anyone ever heard of 'em?" Amy and a Ravenclaw girl's hands shot up. "Great. So, who volunteers to meet 'im? Remember, hippogriffs are very gentle creatures, but must be approached the right way, or they can get very violent." Amy stepped forwards without hesitation. "Ah, Miss Scamander! Ever handled a hippogriff before?" Amy nodded excitedly. "Alright, get to it then."
        Amy slowly and gently walked up to Buckbeak, and bowed down as low as she could. After waiting exactly 5 seconds, she looked up slightly, still keeping her head down, to find that Buckbeak had bowed down as well. Amy got up, and slowly walked towards him. She rested a hand on his head, and gently slided it backwards, picked it up, and repeated the motion. Buckbeak cawed happily.
        "Well done!" Professor Hagrid exclaimed. "Now ya get ter ride 'im!" Amy hopped on, and gently but firmly held her hands around Buckbeak's neck. She loved hippogriff riding! The beast flew up, and Amy gasped. The view was amazing! She saw the ginormous school, with all its towers sticking up like the skyscrapers in New York, going through the clouds. The forest extended as far as she could see, and the wind blew her hair behind her. After going 2 laps around the school, she flew down and dismounted, and decided to give someone else a try. 
        "Great job, Amelia! Who wants to go-" a cold feeling suddenly swept over the class, and it suddenly became dark. A dark cloaked figure swooped over Amy and lifted its hood when everything went black.

        A man stuck in the prisons of Azkaban. Starved, thin, and practically mad. Dementors flew everywhere he looked; there was no chance of escape. But, he had a secret. With his last energy, he summoned his powers and instances later, a black, shaggy dog appeared in his place. The dementors were blind; they could only feel positive energy. As if he had any! And of what use would a dog be to the guardians of the famous wizarding prison? He slipped through the bars of his cage. He was starved, skinny, and desperate. He jumped out the window, and apparated back home. That day would soon be known to all witches and wizards: the escape of Sirius Black!

        Amy snapped awake, to find herself in the hospital wing- with Professor Lupin standing over her, and her head in bandages. 
        "Ah, you're awake. Here, eat this. You'll feel better." Spying Amy's confused look, he chuckled. "It's alright, it's just chocolate. It'll help." Amy broke off a small piece, and sucked on it until it melted in her mouth.
        "What was that thing that attacked me? I didn't get to see it before I passed out!" She asked, alarmed. 
        "That was a dementor. Nasty creatures, they are. Don't tell me you haven't heard of them!"
        "I have, actually. But I haven't ever seen one. At least not in New York. I moved there from Dorset when I was five. We travel a lot." After an odd moment of silence, she decided to ask him something that had been on her mind for a while. "The- the test. Why did you make it so difficult?"
        "Oh, Amy..." Professor Lupin laughed. "I didn't! Take a look now. Accio test!" He handed her the paper, and she looked at the questions.
        '1) What spell is used to fend off a Boggart?
                a. Riddiculus
                b. Expelliarmus
                c. Stupify'
        "But...how?" Amy choked out.
        "Friday the 13th was never a lucky day. Thanks to Peeves, that is. Oh, that prankster. He jinxed all the quizzes to become too difficult to take."
        "Oh." Amy made to get up, but the professor stopped her.
        "You should finish that chocolate. It'll help." And with those words, Professor Lupin stood up and walked out of the Hospital Wing. 
        Amy slowly lay back down, her head throbbing with pain. She lay on her side, with nothing to do but think about that odd, scary dream that she just had. Sirius Black. That name seemed familiar... oh! She should have known. She had seen that name in the Daily Prophet! He was the criminal known to have led He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named to Harry Potter's family! And he escaped from Azkaban? What an odd nightmare. Wait, but why was he in the daily prophet? She thought back to the headline. He had made the front page...of course! Sirius Black had escaped from Azkaban! But nobody knew how he did it. The dementors looked so realistic. Oh no. I'm doing it again. When Amy was five, she accidentally swallowed a demiguise hair that had fallen into her lunch when she was sitting next to Dougal. Dougal was the family demiguise, and they could predict the future, or the most likely possible outcome of what will happen. This had, of course, reflected on Amy, and every so often, she would have a dream about what present she would get for her birthday, or what she had scored on her charms exam. 
        "I HAVE TO TELL DUMBLEDORE!" Amy jumped, and ran out the door, but felt a gentle, but firm hand hold her back. 
        "Not so fast," Madam Pomfrey said. "Is your head feeling better?"

        "Yes'm."
        "Alright, you may go." Amy dashed out of the Hospital Wing, and straight to Professor Dumbledore's office-
-or where it was supposed to be. There was a golden status of an eagle blocking the entrance. Unsure of what to do, she knocked on it. When that didn't work, she asked politely:
        "Can you open please?" nothing happened. "What about if I give you..." she thought of her favorite dessert, "sherbert lemons?" the eagle shuttered a little, and started turning, revealing a spinning spiral staircase. I guess statues have a good taste in desserts, Amy thought, and hopped on.

        Amy entered the office of Professor Dumbledore, and was pulled into a state of awe. There were portraits of past headmasters hanging on the walls, a pensieve in the corner, and many miscellaneous objects all over. What amazed her was that it was exactly as her grandfather described it. 
        "When in doubt, visit Professor Dumbledore. He will listen to what you have to say, and don't be afraid to tell him. Also, if you feel like playing with a phoenix, that's the right place to go." Grandpa Newt had told her. Playing with a phoenix... Amy repeated mentally. I hope he meant that literally. 
        Suddenly, she heard a burst of flame behind her. Amy jumped, and turned around just in time to see a bird erupt in flames. 
        "Whoa... I can't believe I got to see a regeneration in person! I'm so lucky!" From the ashes, a little pink bird with a couple of orange feathers rose and cawed softly. "Oh you little angel," Amy cooed, and stroked underneath its beak. The phoenix purred.
        "I see you've met Fawkes." A calm voice jolted Amy out of a trance that she seemed to get into every time she was around a creature. "It seems that you have experiences with phoenixes."
        "Erm, yes. Grandpa Newt has one in his suitcase... He told me a lot of great things about you, actually!"
        "I'm glad that I left a good impression on him. Newton was one of my best students. What have you come here to tell me?"
        "Well, when I was young, I swallowed a demiguise hair, and I see the future in my dreams sometimes. My dream last night was of Sirius Black escaping from Azkaban, and how he did it."
        "I see. Thank you for telling me. You can return to your common room. I will contact the ministry. In the meanwhile, you have nothing to worry about."
        "Phew. Thank you for having me, Professor. Grandpa Newt said to come to you if I needed help or someone to talk to. Or," Amy chuckled a little, "If I wanted to play with Fawkes."
        Dumbledore laughed. "Well he was certainly right about that. And remember, it does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live. Run along now. You best be getting ready for bed."
        Satisfied, Amy skipped down the stairs, and to the common room, ignoring Niffy's light tugs on her shiny earrings.

        The first few classes of the day dragged by, and pretty soon she found herself heading to Care of Magical Creatures, but the right way this time. 
        "Professor Hagrid won't be teaching today, so I'm filling in." a calm, female voice coming from a teacher that Amy had never met stated. "We're going to be studying Bowtruckles. Can anyone tell me about them?" Amy pushed the thought aside; she would check back after lunch to see if the professor was back. When the thought about Bowtruckles registered in her mind, Amy tried very hard not to jump in joy. 
        "A-Bowtruckle-is-a-gentle-beast-with-a-Ministry-of-Magic-of-M.O.M.-Classification-of-XX-" taking a deep breath, she continued, a bit slower. "Well, Bowtruckles are tree guardians that usually live in wand-making trees, and have very long fingers with which they poke the eyes of intruders and those who can hurt their tree. They're found mainly in the west of England, southern Germany, and certain Scandinavian forests. A way to get wand-wood from a Bowtruckle's tree is to give them a generous offering of woodlice, which will calm and distract them long enough for the wand-wood to be taken from the tree. They're pretty friendly, really!" 
        "Thank you, Miss...?"
        "Scamander."
        "Ah! If it isn't Miss Amy Scamander. A pleasure. So you must know all about these beasts! Ok, everyone. Get in pairs and come get a Bowtruckle. One per each pair, and be very careful. Don't forget to take notes!" the tall teacher in long purple robes said.
        Luna skipped over to where Amy was standing, evidently almost just as excited as her cousin. 
        "I'll go get one!" Amelia chirped. Jogging over to where the professor was handing students the creatures, Amy gently held her finger out for one, who grabbed it with its twig-like fingers, and crawled up her arm onto her other shoulder, which wasn't occupied by a Niffler. Carefully bringing it over to the rock on which she and Luna had settled, Amy held her finger out for the Bowtruckle, and placed it on Luna's lap. 
        "He's so sweet!" Luna laughed, as the creature scurried across her lap. 
        "I call holding him first!" Amy exclaimed.
        "Fine, but it's bad luck!" Luna warned. She handed the Bowtruckle over to her cousin, who petted its head. The little guy smiled, but then faltered a bit and its stance became shaky. 
        "Um, Luna? His forehead- it's burning! I think he's got a fever!" The girls excused themselves and ran as fast as their legs could carry them to the Hospital Wing, only to be faced with a very big disappointment.
        "I'm really sorry, children, but I only treat humans here. I've never cured a Bowtruckle before!"
        "Well, Amy could take care of him, right?" Luna spoke up. 
        "Yeah, actually. My grandfather and both of my parents are Magizooligists, so I have plenty of experience. Also, Professor Hagrid's not here, so could I?"
        "Well," the healer said, "You leave me with no other choice. Take very good care of him, and check back tomorrow."
        Very grateful, the girls walked out slowly, and Amy whispered:
        'It's alright. It's going to be alright. I'll tell Grandpa Newt and he'll tell me exactly how to help you. For now, just hop into my pocket. It's warm. You're going to be okay. You just have to believe that you'll make it.' 

        The cousins ran up into the Hufflepuff common room (after some protesting from Luna, but Amy insisted on it). Finally making it into the girl's dormitory, Amy dragged out an old, brown suitcase from under her bed.
        "Behold: my home." Amy flipped open the hatches of the case, and climbed inside. "Come in!" Luna did not hesitate, and followed her cousin. She'd been in the suitcase many times, when she came to visit. Climbing down the ladder, the girls found themselves in a messy room with herbs, plants, and all kinds of other things. 
        Something to reduce fever... aha! Rummaging through drawers and shelves, Amy pulled out a clear bottle with some green powder in it. She poured some on her hand, spit in it, and mixed it up in her palm. Taking a small folded paper towel, she soaked it in some cold water, rung it out, and covered it in the green paste. 
        "Here you go, little guy." Amy handed the paper to the Bowtruckle sitting on Luna's hand, and he pressed it to his forehead, sighing in relief. 
        "Who's there?" a quiet, nervous voice asked. "Ah, Amy, Luna! What brings you here?" The figure came into view: a man with with reddish/light brown hair, green eyes, and an expression very similar to Amy.
        "Grandpa Newt!" the girl exclaimed, and ran into his arms. Looking very young for his age, Newton Artemis Fido Scamander was often mistaken for Amy's father during trips that they took together. "Where are Mum and Dad?"

        "They went shopping. We ran out of Niffler feed. Shouldn't you two be in class?"
        "Well, we've got a dire situation here..." Luna held up her hand, and the Bowtruckle gave a shy wave. 
        "He had a fever," Amy explained. Newt gently picked him up, and inspected him.
        "You gave him the fever remedy? The one with elder flower, peppermint, boneset, cayenne and ginger? Green and powdery?" 
        "That's the one," Amy reassured her grandfather.
        "He is looking better, though!" Luna noticed. Indeed, the Bowtruckle's leaves weren't wilted and had become greener.
        "What are you gonna name him?" Newt asked unexpectedly. 
        "Name him?!" Amy asked, surprised. "You mean, he can stay?!"
        "One of the side effects is chills, so he'll be needing some body warmth. Is there any room in that pocket of yours?"
        "Oh yes!" Amy squealed. Luna handed her cousin the small twig-like creature, who shivered, but smiled and hooked onto Amy's fingers. 
        "Alright, little guy. I'm gonna call you... Tip!" Tip nodded in approval of his new name, and lowered himself into Amy's front pocket.

        Sensing that something was up, Niffy stuck his head into the pocket as well, and chirped a 'hello!' 

        "I know you're trying to be nice," Amy laughed, pulling Niffy out, "But I think you're scaring him." Indeed, she could feel Tip shaking through her pocket. Luna and Newt laughed along. The moment couldn't be better, until the shocking truth had hit.

        "Amy... I think Charms is starting in 5 minutes!" Luna exclaimed.

        "Bye, Grandpa!" And the girls ran off, determined to make it to their next class on time.

        Hallowe'en. Amy's favourite time of year. She loved the costumes, the pranks, the candy, but most of all, she was looking forward to the feast in the Great Hall! After escaping their last class before lunch, Amy and Luna raced to the Great Hall, to find floating Jack-o-Lanterns, skeletons standing by the door and handing out Hallowe'en menus while raising their hats to people that passed by, and plenty of bats squeaking and occasionally trying to eat the Jack-o-Lanterns. 

        "You know," Luna brought up, "Somebody's bound to play a prank on us sooner or later."

        "Of course! And you know what we'll do?" 

        "What?" 

        "We'll get them back of course!" Amy declared. "Which one?"

        "Which what?"

        "You know! Which beast!" the Hufflepuff smiled in glee. 

        "I personally think that the beast could get hurt... are you sure about this?" the blonde cautioned.

        "Of course I'm sure! I can't think of a single person that would do such a thing!"

        It was half-way through the feast, and the girls had come up with the perfect prank. Amy snuck into the Hufflepuff girls' dorm, and came out with the suitcase. Running into the girl's bathroom on the first floor (Luna informed Amy that no body ever went in there except Harry Potter and his friends), Amy placed the suitcase into one of the stalls, locked the door, and entered, coming out moments later holding Dougal the Demiguise, who had a Jack-o-Lantern on his head. Faced with these new unfamiliar surroundings, Dougal turned invisible, leaving a floating pumpkin.

        "Alright, Dougal," Amy whispered. "Just follow some people around, but freeze if they turn around to look at you. Okay?" The floating pumpkin nodded. 

        "Remember, don't leave the Great Hall," Luna continued, concerned. Dougal skipped away, and found his first victim. 

        "EEEEEEEEEEEEECK!" Amy and Luna high-fived in their hiding place. That was the fifth scream so far! Their prank was a big success.

        Finally, after a long two hours when it got dark and was time for bed, and girls retrieved Dougal and headed back to their common rooms, unbeknownst to them the chaos that their little prank had caused.

        There was nothing that could ruin the mood of Draco Malfoy on Hallowe'en. He loved the food, and when he was done, Malfoy would patrol the hallways with Crabbe and Goyle, teasing unsuspecting students. And the best part? People feared him too much to get him back. So, when he found himself turning around to find a floating pumpkin edging towards him ever-so-slowly, he knew something was up. His first thought was: POTTER! And he ran up to the Gryffindor table, ignoring the pumpkin which he could see floating away to find another victim. 

        "That-good-for-nothing-obviously-hexed-that-pumpkin-to-" Draco muttered under his breath, but another idea came up into his head: the Weasley twins. Of course! How could he have not thought of that before?! Turning around and earning confused stares from the Griffindors, he sprinted to where Professor Snape was sitting, but stopped suddenly, as something caught his eye. Was that the new girl with Loony Lovegood? And was that the pumpkin floating next to them? Suddenly, Malfoy knew who had done it, and continued even faster towards Professor Snape.

        Halloween turned out to be more fun than Amy expected. That is, until they noticed Professor Snape walking towards them. 

        "What's he want?" Amy whispered, leaning in towards Luna, who shrugged and started backing away.

        "What do you two think you are doing with that pumpkin?" Snape calmly but firmly insisted. Millions of thoughts went through Amy's mind. She could lie about practicing Wingardium Leviosa... No. She did not like lying. Even to Snape. 

        "T-that's my p-pet Dougal. H-he's a Demiguise, s-so he can turn invisible. He's j-just wearing a pumpkin. Since it's Halloween... I j-just thought that..." Amy stammered nervously. 

        "Yes?" Snape answered monotonously, as if he couldn't care less.

        "W-we thought it would be funny if he followed people around for a bit. As a Halloween prank?" Luna added. 

        "How disappointing," Snape mumbled, "That such intelligent young girls as yourselves find it entertaining to frighten people with a floating pumpkin."

        "But-"

        "I'll take 5 points off from-"

        "You'll do nothing of the sort." A short, plump woman whom Amy recognized as Professor Sprout, her herbology teacher and head of Hufflepuff House walked up behind them. "Don't you think," she said, "That is should be up to these girls' head of House to decide?" Snape mumbled something and stomped away. "Now, you two should be getting to bed. Surely you don't think you should be punished for something as innocent as a little Halloween prank? Go on now!" The cousins sighed and thanked Professor Sprout. If not for her, Amy was sure that they would have lost their Houses 5 points each and would be spending the evening in detention. 

        When the girls split up to go to their common rooms, Amy could tell that Luna was just as relieved and shaken as she was. That was a really close call, and if someone didn't know better, they would have thought that they would have given up on doing anything like that again. But if anything, it just made Amy more enthusiastic... 

        Everyone had probably heard the expression of "beginner's luck", but Amy was certain that it wouldn't help her today. It was her first Quidditch match playing for the Hufflepuff team, and she couldn't stop worrying.

        Before she knew it, Amy was mounting her Cleansweep and soaring up. Looking to the Hufflepuff stands, she saw that Luna had made a sign for her, saying 'Support the Seeker!' Amy gave her a smile, and flew to her position. As Cedric shook hands with Oliver Wood, the Griffindor captain, the balls were released and the game began. 

        The snitch was no where to be found. After dodging a bludger three times in a row, Amy's eyes drifted over to the stands. Suddenly, they stopped on a formally dressed man sitting next to Professor Sprout. Could it be...? The Minister of Magic. Cornelius Fudge himself! Why would he be wasting his time on a little school Quidditch game? Suddenly, he stood up and whispered something to Lee Jordan, who was commentating. 

        "Would Amelia Scamander please come up? The minister must speak with you." Amy nervously flew over. The match was done for! "Looks like Hufflepuff lost their seeker! It's up to their team captain to fill in and play both his position and her's!" 

        Amy met the minister behind the stands, unsure why he called her in the middle of her first game. 

        "Dumbledore has made me aware of a dream you had. And you are a dream Legilimens, correct?"

Amy nodded.

        "Please tell me about this dream."

        "Well, there was this man. Sirius Black. He looked starved! Then, he morphed into a shaggy black dog. I think he's an animagus. He slipped right through the bars of his cell, and the dementor guarding it didn't even notice!"

        The minister muttered something under his breath, and a floating quill next to him took notes. 

        "Thank you. Please go back to your match now." 

        Frustrated that she had to miss most of it, Amy mounted her broom and flew as fast as it could go onto the field... to find that the game had ended. Everyone was crowded around the center, and Amy flew over to observe the scene:

        Harry Potter, the Griffindor seeker, was on the ground, unconscious.

        "What happened?" Amy asked Cedric, who had flown up besides her.

        "Dementor attack. They appeared out of nowhere!"

        After everyone had cleared, Amy was the last one there, deep in thought. Dementors weren't supposed to do that, were they? And why did it choose Harry as its target? And what was the meaning of her dream?

        After seeing what happened, Amy couldn't help but give a visit to Harry Potter in the hospital wing. After all, sportsmanship was very important, even though he was the other team's seeker. And, she thought, He did help me out on my first day... After thinking for a moment, she thought she would tell him about how she was attacked by Dementors as well. Maybe it would make him feel better? Amy walked through the door to the Hospital Wing, and found that Professor Lupin was already talking to Harry. Tip clicked curiously and stuck his head out of Amy's pocket. She made to turn around, but found the teacher looking at her. 

        "Ah, Amy. I was just telling Harry what I told you about the Dementors! You two seem to be the only ones attacked. How strange. They seem to ignore everyone else."

        Harry acknowledged his classmate, and turned back to the professor. "Is there any way to keep them from attacking us?"

        "There is one spell, yes. But it is very advanced magic, I doubt you two will be able to perform it."

        "Please teach us, Professor!" Amy pleaded. 

        "Even if we fail," Harry pointed out, "It's worth a try!"

        "Alright," Professor Lupin surrendered, "Meet me in my office next week on Monday at 8 o'clock. We have to make sure you're all healed up first!" He chuckled and gave Harry a look of false intimidation. Harry gave a small smile and Amy giggled. 

        The rest of the week dragged on, but eventually Sunday came to its end. Filled with anxiety, Amy lay in her four-poster, staring up at the ceiling. Time seemed to stop as seconds turned to minutes, minutes turned to hours, and hours turned to forever. Patience was something that Amy could never master. It was in her nature, of course, as a Hufflepuff, but she just never inherited it, much to her surprise. Nevertheless, she could master it perfectly when working with her grandfather's creatures. 

        Slowly, she drifted off into a strange dream...

A big pair of round, yellow eyes staring down at her. A jet black German Shepherd. Sharp teeth. Low growl. Sharp claws aiming for her throat-

        Amy snapped awake. A pair of round, yellow eyes stared into her's. The dog nuzzled her, and ran off. Surprised, Amy realized that she had seen him somewhere before... It was Sirius Black. He was at Hogwarts.

        Amy's eyes lazily flickered open, and moved her gaze to her watch. She jumped up with a start, her confrontation with the dog long forgotten. 

        "7:30?! I'm late for breakfast!" Amy pulled a pair of robes over her head, not bothering to take off her pajamas. She'd do it later. Grabbing Niffy and Tip and putting them on her shoulder, Amy snatched her bag from her bedside table and ripped out her wand. "Accio Cleansweep!" Hopping on her broom (and ignoring the 'no riding broomsticks in school' rule), the Hufflepuff sped as fast as she could to the Great Hall, her messy hair almost completely covering her vision. 

        Gasping for breath, Amelia zoomed into the Great Hall. Almost every student turned to look at her, some of them sneering and whispering (those being mostly Slytherins). Embarrassed, she slid off of her broom, and took a seat next to Cedric, who gave her a quizzical look. 

        "Slept late," Amy panted. Cedric nodded, and went back to his French toast. 

        The rest of the day didn't go in her favour, either. During potions, Snape caught her and a Gryffindor girl whispering instructions to Neville Longbottom, who seemed to be hopeless in the subject. 

        "10 points off for both of you," he grumbled, after testing the potion on the poor boy's frog, and finding that it shrunk successfully. 

        So, when it was 7:45 and her classes were finally over, Amy collapsed face-down on her bed.

        "Amy?" called Hannah Abbott, whose four-poster was right next to her's. 

        Amy muttered something unintelligible in response.

        "Professor Lupin is looking for you!" 

        Those simple words caused Amy to jump up and dash out of the room, tying up her hair and shouting something that sounded like "Ialmostforgotthankyouhannah!"

        She hopped out of the passageway from the Hufflepuff common room, Hannah staring after her with a dazed look on her face. 

        Professor Lupin met Amy outside his room. 

        "Come in," he greeted. "Harry's already inside." Amy looked in, and Harry gave her a sheepish wave. 

        "So, the spell is called Expecto Patronum. Can you repeat it after me?" 

        "Expecto Patronum," Harry and Amy said.

        "Good. This is a very difficult spell to master. To do it, you must think of a very happy memory. The happiest you have ever had. Got that?" The two nodded. "Now," the professor placed his hand on the clasp of a large trunk, "I'm going to let this Boggart out. Concentrate on your happy memory: I'll make sure that the Boggart assumes the form of a dementor. Now, Harry, you go first." Lupin flipped the clasp open, and a large, scary looking cloaked figure swooped out. Cold and unhappiness seemed to fill the room, and Amy found it harder to concentrate on her memory, and she could see Harry tense up and shiver.  "When you're ready," Lupin reassured. 

        Harry slowly raised his wand. "E-exp-expecto p-pat-pa..." His voice faded out, and he collapsed onto the floor. Amy let out a shriek, but the professor silenced her. He magicked the Boggart back into its trunk, and slowly shook Harry awake. 

        "Here, have some chocolate. I think you should take a break. Amy, come. It's your turn." The Hufflepuff slowly walked over, and raised her wand. 

        "I-I'm ready," Amy declared, mustering up as much determination and bravery as she could. With a flick of a wand, the 'dementor' was out. Amy staggered a little, but managed to keep her balance. Concentrate... Come on you can do it... An image filled her mind:

        A small Niffler, scared and tense was handed to her. Immediately relaxing as soon as he felt her touch; they were a perfect match. 'I'm going to call you... Niffy!' The creature chirped, rubbing his small head against her hand. A warm feeling spread out inside, blocking the cold. Light against dark.

        "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Amy exclaimed, and a white mist shot out of her wand, engulfing her and the Boggart. A sound of notes mangled together, a beautiful noise with no melody, played out. A white mare, his glorious mane flowing behind him, flew out of the mist, galloping through the air. The dementor slowly shrunk, backing away back into its case. With one final crack! it shut itself away.

        "Wow! Well done, Amy! What memory did you use that was so powerful? And on your first try, too!"

        "When I got my pet Niffler," Amy blushed. "Magical creatures mean a lot to me."

        "Alright! You can go now. Harry, want to try again?"

        Walking out of the room, with a nice, enlightened feeling, Amy soon heard the same music play out. Harry had done it as well. They had both cast the patronus charm. 

        Homework. The third years had too much of it, especially with the exams nearing. Sitting in the Hufflepuff common room next to the fireplace, Amy spread out her quill, some ink and a piece of parchment out on the table. Right, she thought. First thing's first. The Potions essay is the longest... two whole feet! I better get than done and out of the way. Amy rummaged through her bag for Intermediate Potion Making, but found it nowhere to be seen. In such a hurry to get out before Professor Snape took anymore points off of Hufflepuff, she must have left it there by mistake!

        Crawling through the barrel-tunnel passageway leading out of the common room, Amy ran straight into the same Gryffindor girl that had helped Neville with her. 

        "I'm so sorry!" Amy exclaimed, but it seemed that the other girl hadn't payed any attention to her at all. "Wait, have you seen my Potions textbook by any chance? I think I left it in class. Wait!" Amy ran after her, but she didn't seem to notice. Amy saw her look right and left, before running into a spare classroom. Wondering what the Gryffindor was up to, Amy peeked inside, just in time to see her spinning a golden pendant on her neck and disappearing. Before Amy had time to think, the same girl ran into the room, panting. Spying the confusion, on Amy's face, she straightened up quickly. 

        "Oh, um, hi. You're Newt Scamander's granddaughter. Right?"

Unconvinced, Amy answered, "Yes, that's me. Now what were you just doing?"

        "H-huh?" The girl stammered, nervous sweat building on her forehead. "I d-don't know what you're talking about!" She then mumbled something about the obliviate charm under her breath. After a long internal battle, she sighed and said, "Fine, I'll tell you. But promise not to spread the news, okay?" Amy nodded.

        "So, what was that thing that made you disappear?" 

        "That-" the girl hesitated, "That was a time turner. I wanted to sign up for every class available, so this lets me be two places at once. By traveling through time," she added, noticing Amy's look of suspicion. After a few seconds of silence, Amy exclaimed: 

        "TRAVEL THROUGH TIME?! THAT'S AMA-mmph!" The girl covered Amy's mouth. 

        "Ssh! Professor McGonngal told me not to tell anyone. She made me promise. I'm going to have to obliviate you."

        Amy gasped. "What?! No! You can't do that! It's a very dangerous charm! Only experts should attempt it!"

        "I know," she sighed, "But a promise is a promise."

        "Yes!" Amy exclaimed. "And I promise not to tell anyone!" 

        "Alright," the girl raised her arms in defeat. "I'm Hermione. Hermione Granger." She held out her hand to shake. Amy took it.

        "Amy. Amy Scamander. Nice to meet ya." They shook hands. 

        From then on, the two became acquainted.  Amy even met Hermione's friend, Ron, and learned that she too was friends with Harry. Knowing that she had just met a couple new friends added to the list of positive energy that Amy started gathering for her Patronus charm. 

        Amy hopped excitedly in her seat, hardly able to pay attention to the boring, drowsy mumbling of Professor Binns, who was droning about how the cauldron was invented. When the bell signaling the end of class rang, Amy was out and dashing before you could say, 'Quidditch!' And speaking of Quidditch, that's exactly where she was headed. 

        Amy had been looking forward to that week's Quidditch practice since the beginning of the week, as she found it was a great way to take off the pressure of schoolwork and really fun. With a flick of her wand, Amy summoned her broom, and rushed to the locker room right next to the Quidditch field. After ducking into the girls' changing room and pulling on her Quidditch robes, Amy was practically jumping up and down with excitement. 

        "Whoa there," Cedric cautioned. "Don't go wasting all of your energy just yet!" 

        The practice was refreshing, even though the warm, moist air made Amy's hair all poofy and static. Unbeknownst to her, she had a spectator. A dog. A thin, black, shaggy dog. 

        "Today's practice was a good one," Cedric concluded. "Remember that strategy we worked on. I bet none of the teams can come up with something as good as this!" He beamed. "Alright, let's go eat lunch."

        As Amy walked out of the locker room and past the bleachers, something grabbed her leg and started dragging her towards the Whomping Willow. She screamed for help, but the rest of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team were already inside the Hogwarts castle. Amy heard a noise sounding something like wood being scratched, and she was dragged into a hole. 

        Whatever was pulling her let go. Amy sat up, wincing as her head hit a low ceiling. She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. When they focused, Amy saw that she was in a small hallway, with the dog panting over her. The same dog that visited her at night. Panicking, Amy backed up, breathing fast. The dog growled menacingly. Alarmed, she stopped. The dog's expression softened, and he licked Amy's nose. Startled, she didn't say anything. The dog turned around, and bounded away. Confused, the Hufflepuff stayed where she was. But what happened next confused her even more. 

        Sirius Black walked out from where the dog went. He was a tall, really thin man with long black hair, a long tattered cloak, and a frightening look on his face. 

        "W-wha... h-how... b-but..." Amy was at a loss for words. The man who killed twelve people with one curse and then been the first one who escaped from the wizarding prison of Azkaban was standing right before her. "D-don't hurt me!" Amy exclaimed, backing away. 

        "It's alright," the escaped criminal cooed. "I don't mean any harm. I just need to tell you something, okay?" A feeling of uneasiness made its way through Amy, from her poofed up hair all the way down to her toes. 

        "W-why are you here?" She cautiously asked.

        "I just need you to deliver a message from me."

        "To who?"

        "Harry Potter."

        Amy started shaking nervously. "W-what? Why? Don't kill him, please! What has he done to you?"

        "What? No!" Sirius said quickly. "It's nothing of the sort! I just want you to tell him... that... that he's safe. There's no need to worry. And that I need his help. And the help of his friend, Ron, to catch the real culprit. The one who really committed that murder. Think you can do that?"

        "Fine..." Amy said, still suspicious, "But why me? I mean, why don't you just tell Harry himself, if you really aren't planning to hurt him?"

        "No. It will be too suspicious if I tell Harry myself. And what is the guarantee that he won't tell anyone? That he won't run off and spread the news that I am here. And I've been watching you, Amelia Scamander." (Amy shuddered at these words.) "You have expressed most kindness and integrity towards others. It is in fact more likely for Harry and Ron to believe you because of these traits, and your acquaintance with them."

        "Oh alright," Amy surrendered, "But I'll tell Harry that you told me to say this. But," She noticed Sirius's nervous look, "I believe you. I believe your innocence. Because if you were lying, I'd probably be dead right now." And with those words, Amy turned around and clambered out of the hole, narrowly avoiding the branches of the Whomping Willow, hurrying back to Hogwarts castle before she missed lunch. 

        With a determined look upon her face, Amy put her sandwich back down on her plate, and walked over to the Gryffindor table. 

        "Harry, can I speak to you in private?" She blurted, ignoring the teasing giggles from some girls she didn't know.

        "Er... okay," he said, uncertain.

        Amy grabbed his hand, and pulled him into the hallway.

        "I have to tell you something very important. I know you might not believe me, but I swear I'm telling the truth." Ignoring Harry's confused look, she continued. "Sirius Black-" (She was cut off by a gasp from Harry) "Sirius Black is here. At Hogwarts. But he doesn't mean any harm," She added quickly. "He told me to tell you that he needs your help. He wasn't the one to commit all those murders. He needs your help to catch the real culprit. It's just this feeling. It's telling me that he's innocent, I just kno-" But before she could finish her sentence, she felt a cold hand on her shoulder.

        "What are children like yourselves doing in the hallway when you should be enjoying the feast?" Professor Snape asked monotonously. 

        "We were- we were just- well- we-"

        "We were just going to the library for some extra studying for the exams," Harry lied. 

        "That's very pleasant, but are you not aware that the exams have already finished? Five points from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff for such lousy behavior." He turned around, and strolled out calmly, his long robe flailing behind him.

        "Now look what you've done!" Harry exclaimed. "First of all, how do I know that you're not just making this up? And second of all, if you're telling the truth, do you seriously believe him? He didn't kill you ONLY because he needed you alive!"

        "I'm just trying to help!" Amy retorted.

        "How? By getting me killed?" Harry snapped. 

        "It's wrong to lie. Especially to a teacher. Even Snape." Amy scolded.

        "Well, what else was I supposed to do?" Harry exclaimed. 

        Amy gave up, and left for the girls' dormitory. She wasn't hungry anymore. 

        Collapsing onto her bed, she lay there and thought. Harry was right. How could I have thought just for one moment that Sirius Black had good intentions. He's a murderer, nothing more, so why, why did I believe him? This continued for about an hour, until Amy came to a conclusion. She would go after Sirius Black. And make sure that he tells the truth this time. 

        At 5:00 sharp, Amy hopped up and dismissed her watch, which was silently vibrating on her wrist. It was still dark out and Amy was exhausted; she had spent almost all night coming up with a plan. She slowly slid off of her bed, and carefully pulled out her cauldron and potions book. Tip-toeing down the steps, she leafed through her book. Veritaserum, Veritaserum... Where are you? Making it to the last page, Amy started again. Come on, you have to be in here somewhere! But once more, she made it to the end with no luck. Oh of course, Amy thought, it's in the Restricted Section! Sighing, she collapsed onto an armchair, and buried her head in her hands. I've got no chance of getting in there, that's for sure. But how else can I get it?... Veritaserum was, as Amy had learned a while back, the most powerful truth potion in existence. It was obviously in Advanced Potion-making, which meant that she needed a teacher's signature to get it. And at 5 o'clock in the morning? Not very likely that she would be able to get it. And unlike most Hufflepuffs, Amy found that she was rather impatient, and would definitely not be able to get back to sleep.

        So, she sat contemplating a plan. During study period, she would ask Professor Lupin, one of the only professors who wouldn't question her sudden interest in potions. Then, she would check out Advanced Potion-making, and... what next? She didn't know what ingredients she would need, or how long it would take to brew the potion. For all she knew, it could take a year! And Amy definitely did not have a year to spare.

        Finally, deciding she couldn't come up with anything else, Amy summoned Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and immersed herself in her very own copy, the first one ever printed. (It had originally belonged to her grandmother, Porpentina Goldstein, but she had passed it on to Amy's father, who passed it on to Amy herself). Very soon, the young Hufflepuff found herself nodding off, right before she got to the Why Magizooligy Matters section. And even sooner, she was immersed in a sweet dream about riding a Common Welsh Green dragon around Hogwarts castle.

       At about 10 o'clock, Amy found herself being nudged repeatedly by a pair of tiny paws. Her eyes flickered open, and she saw Niffy, his wide, black eyes gleaming with excitement.

       "Whuh?" Amy yawned. Niffy nudged her again, and pointed to her cauldron. "Relax, Niffy! It's Saturday, remember?" The Niffler still did not give up, and pointed stubbornly to the cauldron, the potions book, and mimed mixing something. "Brewing a potion?" Niffy shook his head. "Oh, c'mon, now's not the time for charades! Let's go get breakfast." Amy stood up, but Niffy desperately tugged at her robes. "Please, Niffy. Can't we do this later?" He shook his head and chirped frustratedly. "Wait..." a thought popped into Amy's head. Niffy was never a big fan of charades, so why would he be so desperate to play right now? Unless... "Are you trying to tell me something?" Niffy nodded vigorously. "So... something about a potion?" Again, more nodding. "A potion..." Amy was then hit with a pang of realization. "Oh! Veritaserum! You found the recipe?" Niffy thought for a moment, and shrugged. "What do you mean? Either you found it or you didn't." Amy desperately wished just then that Niffy could speak. Of course, she had always been able to understand most of what he was trying to tell her, but then again, he had never been trying to tell her anything as complicated as he was now.

       Abandoning the cauldron, Niffy started miming something else. He pretended to sneak across the common room, and then quickly snatched a quill that someone must have dropped the night before, and stuffed it in his pouch. He repeated the action again and again, each time more eagerly and more determined to get his point across.

       "Ok, so... stealing? You stole something? You stole... a potion? You stole the potion?!" Niffy shook his head, but then chirped excitedly. "You didn't steal the potion but... you want to? You want to steal the potion for me? But from where?" Niffy stood up on two legs, and started pacing around grouchily, occasionally pretending to scowl at an empty space. "Professor Snape? You want to steal Veritaserum from Professor Snape?" Finally, Niffy nodded, and jumped victoriously a couple of times. "But... stealing is wrong. You know that! It doesn't help that you're the one doing it. I'll still feel responsible!" Niffy shrugged, and got on all four paws, and made some noises that somewhat sounded like barking. "I know, I know. For Sirius Black's sake... and for Harry's. As much as I hope Sirius was telling the truth, I still have to make sure. If Harry gets killed, it would be all my fault! You're right, Niffy. Stealing a little potion is nothing compared to just standing there and watching my friend get murdered."

       And so, the decision was made. Ever since Amy found out she was in Hufflepuff, she promised herself that she would never go against the House's basic morals: honesty, loyalty, and kindness. Stealing, of course, broke all of those rules, but Amy wasn't doing the actual stealing. Niffy was! She could surely make it seem like she let him loose on accident... oh no, what was she thinking? That would definitely not be honest, nor would it be loyal or kind towards Niffy to blame him. But, to counter all of that, she would be doing it for a good purpose, right? With these complicated thoughts, Amy sat Niffy on her shoulder, and headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

It was 9:37 pm, and Amy was laying wide awake in bed. She and Niffy had spent the day coming up with a plan - well, it was mostly her talking to Niffy. At 12:30, Amy would head to the potions classroom where she 'forgot' her notebook, if Snape showed up. Niffy would silently jump off her shoulder, and scurry into the professor's office. Nifflers, as Amy discovered once the hard way, have the power to slip underneath tiny door cracks that would barely let a fly through. Niffy would then retrieve the potion and stick it in his pouch, (that pouch could hold so many countless treasures; Nifflers were practically born for stealing. Wait, scratch that. They were born for finding and stealing things). Simple, right? Not so much. Amy, even though she tried not to, couldn't keep from contemplating everything that could possibly go wrong. What if she was caught on the way down? The caretaker, Filch, wouldn't give her any mercy. Just one look at him confirmed that. Or what if... Amy had to stop her thoughts there, as a possible disaster too terrible to even think about came to mind. W-what if Niffy is taken away from me? She immediately began to clear that thought out of her head, but it just wouldn't go. Giving up, Amy drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

       Amy found herself gently prodded awake.

       "H...huh? Oh. Niffy. It's- mmmph!" Niffy put his paw over her mouth, and pointed to her watch. 12:27. It was time.

       Amy silently crept downstairs with Niffy perched on her shoulder, and ducked out of the Hufflepuff common room. Looking right and left, she pulled out her wand, and whispered, "Lumos." A small, white, whispy light flew out of it, as she tip-toed through the eerily empty and deserted hallway.

       "Do you really think this is a good idea?" she asked Niffy. The Niffler gave a determined nod, and pointed ahead, as if saying "Onward!" Amy ignored a voice in her head screaming at her to turn back, and trudged on.

After what seemed like forever, she reached the dungeons. Just one more turn... C'mon, don't be a flobberworm now! Surprisingly, Amy reached the outside of Snape's office with no interruptions.

       "See? It was all right, Niffy. All right. There's no need to worry..." Although it seemed as though Amy was reassuring Niffy, it was more to convince herself. The Niffler, the carefree little creature, hopped off of his perch, and slipped underneath the door crack. Now, all there was left to do was wait.

       To her surprise, (for Amy had not realized she had fallen asleep), she was awoken by the sound of footsteps across the hallway. Tap, tap, tap... Panicking, Amy scuttled away and hid behind a conveniently placed, rather intimidating statue of a man whom Amy could not identify in the dark.

       "Who's there? Show yourself!" A voice, Professor Snape's, rang out through the empty dungeons. Amy's heart started hammering, and was practically bursting out of her chest when he started nearing her hiding place. She held her breath, worried that just a single exhale could give her away. When she couldn't take it any longer, Amy finally heard the footsteps start up again, and a door slam nearby. About a minute later, after she was certain Snape was gone, she let out her breath. Finally. But, her relief didn't last for long, as the realization of what just happened dawned on her. Amy pressed her ear to the door of Snape's office to hear some terrified chirps and angry scolding: Her worst nightmare had come true. Snape had entered his office. And he had caught Niffy.  

        The next few hours were a blur. Soon, it was morning, and Amy lay sobbing in her bed. What have I done? He's gone because of me. My best friend! Gone... Tip crawled out of her pocket, and nuzzled her cheek, his leaves wilting as he looked to the spot where Niffy would have been sitting. Amy got up and silently pulled her robes on, not bothering to do anything with her hair. She solemnly ate breakfast, and made her way to the dungeons. Double potions. Ugh. But somehow, she didn't feel anything. Just an empty, yet heavy feeling at the pit of her stomach. Luna soon skipped up to her, but didn't say anything, noticing the empty spot on her cousin's shoulder. 

        During class, Amy sat in the back of the room, next to Luna, silently staring up at Snape's face, yet not really seeing. Listening, yet not really hearing. When the bell rang, she gathered her things and moved to leave with the rest of the class. But before she could leave, the thing she was dreading happened:

        "Miss Scamander? May I see you please?" The cold, emotionless voice belonging to none other than Severus Snape. The rocks in Amy's stomach seemed to weigh two-hundred tonnes, as she slowly made her way towards Professor Snape. Moving closer, she saw something that made her heart sink. He was holding a struggling Niffy by the scuff, and she felt her eyes well up with tears.         

        "N-Niffy..."

        "Care to explain?" Snape prompted. "I found this little beast robbing my office last night." 

        "It's only the n-nature of Nifflers..." Amy managed in between sobs. Niffy chirped pleadingly, and kicked even more. 

        "So you were not aware of your pet breaking into my office in the middle of the night?" Amy shook her head regretfully. "I'm afraid I must keep it here until further notice. Having creatures like this in the school is quite dangerous."

        "B-but, he's not! He's not dangerous! Niffy isn't a threat!" she managed, but Snape was already turning around to leave. 

        It seemed like all was lost, but at that moment, Lupin walked into the classroom.

        "What is going on here?" Amy felt an immense surge of gratitude towards Lupin for choosing to visit Snape at that exact moment.

        "I found this thing robbing my office," Snape spat.

        "That's no excuse to take it away. I'm sure it was an accident, and Amelia obviously didn't mean for this to happen. Right?" Amy gave a forced nod.

        "Fine." Snape thrust Niffy into Amy's arm, and she immediately squeezed him and felt like she would never let go. "But, 20 points from Hufflepuff for letting your creature out at night." And with those words, the professor left the room, scowling. 

        "Thank you so much, Professor Lupin! Thank you!" Amy exclaimed.

        "It's alright. Just try to keep an eye on your little friend there, okay?" Amy nodded, and Lupin left the room to follow Snape.

        "Niffy! I missed you so much! I'm so sorry! Really! I never should have left you there... I n-never..." her voice trailed off. Niffy chirped and nuzzled her neck with his snout. But then, he did something that really surprised her: he stuck his paw into his pouch and pulled out a round, green, glass bottle, labeled Veritaserum. Niffy had done it.

        Amy was the first one to burst out of Greenhouse 3 as she clutched the bottle of Veritaserum so tight that she thought it would crack. Suddenly, something rather odd caught her eye, and she stopped to see what it was. That dog again! Sirius Black! And he was.... dragging something? Amy was too far away to tell. Without hesitation, she ran after him, chasing desperately after the black, shaggy canine. 

        Before long, Amy completely lost track of Sirius. She arrived panting at the Whomping Willow, the dog nowhere to be seen. 

        "This way," Amy heard a familiar voice say. Harry?

        "Where does this tunnel come out?" Another voice replied. Hermione? 

        "I don't know.... It's.... Marauder's.... George.... into it...." Amy strained to hear more, but the voices sounded farther and farther away. She pressed her ear to the tree, stepping closer, until-

        "EEK!" Her foot slipped on something smooth and silver-y, and she fell underneath the Whomping Willow. 

        "Ow...." Amy mumbled. Pain shot through the top of her head. She winced rubbing it. Her hand felt very wet for some reason. Looking at it, Amy realized that it was covered in some kind of clear liquid. She picked out some shattered glass on her palm, when it dawned on her. The Veritaserum bottle had broken. 

        "No! This can't have happened! Now I'm trapped down here with the potion gone to waste.... Well, looks like there's nothing left to do except follow the tunnel." Amy got up, wiped the spare Veritaserum on her robes, and continued through the dirt passageway.

        Amy was practically bent in half, stumbling and tripping through the tunnel as she felt the ground rising. She was in a dusty, old room that seemed to have been deserted for a long time. The walls were peeling, the furniture was all broken, but what struck Amy as odd were the relatively new footsteps in the dust. Suspicious, she continued on. Light began to shine through an opening in the ceiling and soon a hole was revealed. Pulling herself through, she looked around, until the realization dawned on her. She most certainly was not alone, for right in front of her were the Golden Trio, Lupin, and Sirius Black. Lupin was holding Black back, while the latter was attempting to lunge at Ron, who was clutching his terrified pet rat, Scabbers.

        "Er.... hi...." she mumbled, embarrassed. "Did I.... er.... interrupt something?" As expected, she didn't get much of a response. Apparently Amy's appearance went unnoticed, as Black continued trying to escape Lupin's grip, and Harry was fuming, being held back by Hermione to keep from jinxing the escaped criminal. Well, this certainly is not what I expected to see, Amy thought. She didn't know what to expect, but it definitely wasn't this. 

        "They've-got-a-right-to-know-everything!" Lupin panted, his grip on Black's arm ever-so tight. "Ron's kept him as a pet! There are parts of it even I don't understand! And Harry- you owe Harry the truth, Sirius!"

        "Sorry, but Ron was keeping who as a pet? Surely you don't mean Scabbers," Amy blurted, and immediately regretted doing so. All of the eyes in the room were turned on her, and even Black stopped struggling. 

        "Amy? You too?" Lupin asked, surprised. "Well, alright. It can't get any worse, I suppose." 

        The Hufflepuff's eyes fell on Black once more, who was glaring daggers at Ron's pet rat, who was desperate to escape his bitten, scratched, and bleeding hands.

        "Alright then," Black said, refusing to let his eyes leave the rodent. "Tell them whatever you like. But make it quick, Remus. I want to commit the murder I was imprisoned for...." 

        "You're nutters, both of you," Ron said, shakily, eyed Harry and Hermione for help. "I've had enough of this. I'm off." He tried to get up, and Amy noticed that one of his legs was badly injured and bloody- it looked as if a dog had bitten it, and she was quite sure that it was exactly what happened. 

        "You're going to hear me out, Ron," he said quietly. "Just keep a tight hold on Peter while you listen." Peter? Amy thought. 'The murder I was imprisoned for?' Could it be.... No. It was impossible. There was no way that it could be true, but indeed, there was no way that this was a coincidence. Peter Pettigrew? 

        But, her thinking was cut short when Ron hollered, "HE'S NOT PETER, HE'S SCABBERS!" and attempted to shove the said rat back into his pocket, but he was flailing too hard, and Ron ended up toppling over, only to be caught and pushed back up onto the old bed he was previously sitting on by Harry. 

        Turning to Lupin, Harry said, "There were witnesses who saw Pettigrew die. A whole street full of them...." 

        "They didn't see what they thought they saw!" Black snarled, still glaring at the struggling rat.

        "Everyone thought Sirius killed Peter," said Lupin. "I believed it myself- until I saw the map tonight. Because the Marauder's Map never lies.... Peter's alive. Ron's holding him, Harry." Amy met Harry and Ron's eyes, and they silently agreed that the two adults were indeed mad. How could a rat be someone that's been dead for twelve years? Black was evidently mad from Azkaban, but what about Lupin? 

        Hermione seemed to have caught on as well, and said shakily, "But Professor Lupin... Scabbers can't be Pettigrew... it just can't be true, you know it can't...." If she was trying to talk some sense into the instructor, it certainly wasn't working. 

        "Why can't it be true?" the said teacher stated calmly. 

        "Because.... because people would know if Peter Pettigrew had been an Animagus. We did Animagi in class with Professor McGonagall. And I looked them up when I did my homework- the Ministry of Magic keeps tabs on witches and wizards who can become animals; there's a register showing what animal they become, and their markings and things....and I went and looked up Professor McGonagall up on the register, and there have been only seven Animagi this century, and Pettigrew's name wasn't on the list-" Hermione was rather rudely cut off by Lupin's laughs. 

        "Right again, Hermione!" he said. "But the Ministry never knew that there used to be three unregistered Animagi running around Hogwarts."

        "If you're going to tell them the story, get a move on, Remus," Black growled, continuing to glare intensely at the poor rat. "I've waited twelve years, I'm not going to wait much longer."

        The twelve years he spent in Azkaban, Amy thought.

        "Alright... but you'll need to help me, Sirius. I only know how it began...." Lupin was cut off. Everyone in the room, even Black (who had finally stopped giving poor Scabbers the death glare), turned to look at the bedroom door, which had opened. All on it's own. 

        After a short moment of silence, Lupin got up and stuck his head through the door. "No one there..."

        "This place is haunted!" Ron squawked. 

        "It's not. The Shrieking Shack was never haunted." The Shrieking Shack. So that's where we are. "...The screams and howls the villagers used to hear were made by me."

        "Did I miss anythi-" Amy started, but was silenced by a stern look from Hermione.

        "That's where all of this starts - with my becoming a werewolf. None of this would have happened if I haven't been bitten... and if I haven't been so foolhardy...." Lupin continued, oblivious to the interruption. A... a werewolf? Amy thought. I never knew.... 

        "I was a very small boy when I received the bite. My parents tried everything, but in those days there was no cure. The potion that Professor Snape has been making for me is a very recent discovery. It makes me safe, you see. As long as I take it in the week preceding the full moon, I keep my mind when I transform.... I am able to curl up in my office, a harmless wolf, and wait for the moon to wane again. 

        "Before the Wolfsbane Potion was discovered, however, I became a fully fledged monster once a month. It seemed impossible that I would be able to come to Hogwarts. Other parents weren't likely to want their children exposed to me.

        "But then Dumbledore became headmaster, and he was sympathetic. He said that as long as we took certain precautions, there was no reason I shouldn't come to school...." Lupin sighed, and turned his gaze to Harry. "I told you, months ago, that the Whomping Willow was planted the year I came to Hogwarts. The truth is that it was planted because I came to Hogwarts. This house" - Lupin looked around the room with a miserable expression on his pale face - "the tunnel that leads to it - they were built for my use. Once a month, I was smuggled out of the castle, into this place, to transform. The tree was placed at the tunnel mouth to stop anyone coming across me while I was dangerous." 

        Amy listened intently, and so, apparently, did everyone else, as the only sound other than Lupin's voice was Scabbers's desperate squeaking. 

        "My transformations in those days were- were terrible. It is very painful to turn into a werewolf. I was separated from humans to bite, so I bit and scratched myself instead. The villagers heard the noise and the screaming and thought they were hearing particularly violent spirits. Dumbledore encouraged the rumour.... Even now, when the house has been silent for years, the villagers don't dare approach it....

        "But apart from my transformations, I was happier than I had ever been in my life. For the first time ever, I had friends, three great friends. Sirius Black... Peter Pettigrew... and, of course, your father, Harry - James Potter.

        "Now, my three friends would hardly fail to notice that I disappeared once a month. I made up all sorts of stories. I told them my mother was ill, and that I had to go home to see her.... I was terrified they would desert me the moment they found out what I was. But of course, they, like you, Hermione, worked out the truth....

        "And they didn't desert me at all. Instead, they did something for me that would make my transformations not only bearable, but the best times of my life. They became Animagi."

        "My dad too?" Harry asked, wide-eyed.

        "Yes, indeed. It took them the best part of three years to work out how to do it. Your father and Sirius here were the cleverest students in the school, and lucky they were, because the Animagus transformation can go horribly wrong - one reason the Ministry keeps a close watch on those attempting to do it. Peter needed all the help he could get from James and Sirius. Finally, in our fifth year, they managed it. They could each turn into a different animal at will."

        "But how did that help you?" Hermione asked, puzzled.

        "They couldn't keep me company as humans, so they kept me company as animals. A werewolf is only a danger to people," Lupin explained. "They sneaked out of the castle every month under James's Invisibility Cloak. They transformed... Peter, as the smallest, could slip beneath the WIllow's attacking branches and touch the knot that freezes it. They would then slip down the tunnel and join me. Under their influence, I became less dangerous. My body was still wolfish, but my mind seemed to become less so while I was with them."

        "Hurry up, Remus," Black snarled, who was still glaring at Ron's rat.

        "I'm getting there, Sirius I'm getting there... well highly exciting possibilities were open to us now that we could all transform. Soon we were leaving the Shrieking Shack and roaming the school ground and the village by night. Sirius and James transformed into such large animals, they were able to keep a werewolf in check. I doubt whether any Hogwarts students ever found out more about the Hogwarts grounds and Hogsmeade than we did... And that's how we came to write the Marauder's Map, and sign it with our nicknames. Sirius is Padfoot. Peter is Wormtail. James was Prongs." 

        "What sort of animal-?" Harry started, but Hermione interrupted.

        "That was still really dangerous! Running around in the dark with a werewolf! What if you'd given the others the slip, and bitten somebody?"

        "Hermione does have a point...." Amy agreed. "Even if you try very hard to be self-conscious in your wolf form, natural instincts might take control regardless."

        "A thought that still haunts me," Lupin sighed. "And there were near misses, many of them. We laughed about them afterwards. We were young, thoughtless - carried away with our own cleverness.

        "I sometimes felt guilty about betraying Dumbledore's trust, of course... he had admitted me to Hogwarts when no other headmaster would have done so, and he had no idea I was breaking the rules he had set down for my own and others' safety. He never knew I had led three fellow students into becoming Animagi illegally. But I always managed to forget my guilty feelings every time we sat down to plan our next month's adventure. And I haven't changed...." 

        Lupin's face had on a cold expression, and his voice dripping with self-disgust. "All this year, I have been battling with myself, wondering whether I should tell Dumbledore that Sirius was an Animagus. But I didn't do it. Why? Because I was too cowardly It would have meant admitting that I'd betrayed his trust while I was at school, admitting that I'd led others along with me... and Dumbledore's trust has meant everything to me. He let me into Hogwarts as a boy, and he gave me a job when I have been shunned all my adult life, unable to find paid work because of what I am. And so I convinced myself that Sirius was getting into the school using Dark Arts he learned from Voldemort, that being an Animagus had nothing to do with it... so, in a way, Snape's been right about me all along."

        "Snape?" spat Black, finally looking away from Scabbers. "What's Snape got to do with it?"

        "He's here, Sirius," Lupin said heavily. "He's teaching here as well." He looked at Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Amy.

        "Professor Snape was at school with us. He fought very hard against my appointment to the Defense Against the Dark Arts job. He has been telling Dumbledore all year that I am not to be trusted. He has his reasons... you see, Sirius here played a trick on him which nearly killed him, a trick which involved me-"

        Black made a grunting noise.

        "It served him right. Sneaking around, trying to find out what we were up to... hoping he could get us expelled...."

        "Severus was very interested in where I went every month," Lupin told the third years. "We were in the same year, you know, and we - er - didn't like each other very much. He especially disliked James. Jealous, I think, of James's talent on the Quidditch field... anyway, Snape had seen me crossing the grounds with Madam Pomfrey one evening as she led me toward the Whomping Willow to transform. Sirius thought it would be - er - amusing, to tell Snape all he had to do was prod the knot on the tree trunk with a long stick, and he'd be able to get in after me. Well, of course, Snape tried it - if he'd got as far as this house, he'd have met a fully grown werewolf - but your father, who'd heard what Sirius had done, went after Snape and pulled him back, at great risk to his life... Snape glimpsed me, though, at the end of the tunnel. He was forbidden by Dumbledore to tell anybody, but from that time on he knew what I was...."

        "So that's why Snape doesn't like you," Harry realized, "because he thought you were in on the joke?"

        "That's right," an all-too-familiar voice sneered from the wall right behind where Lupin was standing. 

        Severus Snape was pulling off a silvery-fabric, an Invisibility Cloak, with his wand pointed directly at Lupin's throat.

"So that's why Snape doesn't like you," Harry realized, "because he thought you were in on the joke?"

        "That's right," an all-too-familiar voice sneered from the wall right behind where Lupin was standing. 

        Severus Snape was pulling off a silvery-fabric, an Invisibility Cloak, with his wand pointed directly at Lupin's throat.

        Hermione screamed. Black hopped up to his feet. Harry flew at least a metre in the air. Ron tried to hide behind a pillow. Amy just stared.

        "I found this at the base of the Whomping Willow," Snape said, throwing the Cloak onto the ground and pointing his wand directly at Lupin's chest. So that's what I tripped on, Amy thought. "Very useful, Potter, I thank you...." 

        Snape seemed a little out of breath, but triumphant nonetheless. "You're wondering, perhaps, how I knew you were here? I've just been to your office, Lupin," he sneered. "You forgot to take your potion tonight, so I took a gobletful along. And very lucky I did... lucky for me, I mean. Lying on your desk was a certain map. Once glance at it told me all I needed to know. I saw you running along this passageway and out of sight."

        "Severus-" Lupin began, but was interrupted. 

        "I've told the headmaster again and again that you're helping your old friend Black into the castle, Lupin, and here's the proof. Not even I dreamed you would have the nerve to use this old place as your hideout-"

        "Severus, you're making a mistake," Lupin said hurriedly. "You haven't heard everything - I can explain - Sirius is not here to kill Harry-" 

        "Two more for Azkaban tonight," said Snape, not even bothering to hide his excitement this time. "I shall be interested to see how Dumbledore takes this.... He was quite convinced you were harmless, you know, Lupin... a tame werewolf-"

        "You fool," Lupin said under his breath. "Is a schoolboy grudge worth putting an innocent man back in Azkaban?" 

    Something snapped inside Snape, and before Amy could even blink, thin, snakey ropes burst out of the end of the enraged professor's wand with a loud BANG! They binded Lupin's mouth, wrists, and ankles, and he helplessly fell to the ground, unable to move. Black roared, and stormed towards Snape, but the latter stopped him, pointing his wand straight between Black's eyes.

        "Give me a reason," he snarled. "Give me a reason to do it, and I swear I will."

        Black froze. Amy couldn't tell whose face was full of more hatred. 

        She stared at the scene, no idea who was telling the truth or what was going on. She looked around, and saw that Harry and Ron were wearing the same look of confusion, Ron still trying to restrain the wriggling rat. Hermione, though, took a slow step towards Snape, and stammered, shakily, "Professor Snape- it- it wouldn't hurt to hear what they've got to say, w-would it?"

        "Miss Granger, you are already facing suspension from this school," Snape spat. Suspension? Hermione? Golly, I really did miss a lot, Amy thought. "You, Potter, Scamander, and Weasley are out-of-bounds, in the company of a convicted murderer and a werewolf. For once in your life, hold your tongue."

        "But if- if there was a mistake-"

        "KEEP QUIET, YOU STUPID GIRL!" Snape screamed, suddenly enraged. "DON'T TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Some sparks shot out of the end of his wand, which was still pointed at Black. Hermione bit her lip, and quieted. 

        "Vengeance is sweet," Snape breathed in Black's face. "How I hoped I would be the one to catch you...."

        "The jokes on you again, Severus," Black sneered. "As long as this boy-" he gestured in Ron's direction "-brings his rat up to the castle, I'll come quietly...."

        "Up to the castle?" said Snape in a singsong voice. "I don't think we need to go that far. All I have to do is call the dementors once we get out of the Willow. They'll be very pleased to see you, Black.. pleased enough to give you a little Kiss, I daresay...." KISS?! Amy internally exclaimed. The Dementor's Kiss?! No one, not even a murderer deserves such a fate! Being the Magizooligist-raised child she was, Amy knew just about every creature in her grandfather's book and many more. During a Kiss, a dementor would lift its hood and suck out the recipient's soul. This wouldn't kill them. In fact, it's a fate far worse than death. The poor victim would be just a body, with no thoughts, no feelings, no movement. They would just exist, and just that. Like a hollow turtle shell or a shedded snakeskin. 

        Black's already pale face turned even paler. 

        "You-you've got to hear me out," he stammered. "The rat - look at the rat-"

        But the maniacal feel radiating from Snape's bold figure only increased. Amy had never seen him that angry. In fact, he looked almost insane beyond reasoning. 

        "Come on, all of you," he said. With a snap of his fingers, Lupin's cords flew him over to Snape. "I'll drag the werewolf. Perhaps the dementors will have a Kiss for him too-"

        Before Amy realized what was happening, Harry had crossed the room and stood boldly, blocking the door. 

        "Get away, Potter, you're in enough trouble already. If I hadn't been there to save your skin-"

        "Professor Lupin could have killed me about a hundred times this year," Harry said. "I've been alone with him loads of times, having defence lessons against the dementors. If he was helping Black, why didn't he just finish me off then?"

        "Uh, Harry, I wouldn't-" Amy started, but both Harry and Snape ignored her. 

        "Don't ask me to fathom the way a werewolf's mind works," Snape hissed. "Get out of the way, Potter."

        "This is definitely not gonna end well," Amy mumbled under her breath. Hermione and Ron seemed to have similar thoughts.

        "YOU'RE PATHETIC!" Harry screamed. "JUST BECAUSE THEY MADE A FOOL OF YOU AT SCHOOL YOU WON'T EVEN LISTEN-"

        "SILENCE! I WILL NOT BE SPOKEN TO LIKE THAT!" Snape shrieked. Amy sent a wary look at Harry, which went completely ignored. "Like father, like son, Potter! I have just saved your neck; you should be thanking me on bended knee! You would have been well served if he'd killed you! You'd have died like your father, too arrogant to believe you might be mistaken in Black - now get out of the way, or I will make you." When Harry didn't move, Snape screamed, enraged, "GET OUT OF THE WAY, POTTER!" 

        But, it seemed the Gryffindor had made his decision. Before Snape could even move one step forward, he had raised his wand. Amy looked around, and saw that his House mates had done the same.        

        "G-guys? I d-don't think that's really necessary...," she stuttered nervously.

        "Expelliarmus!" all three students screamed.

        Amy covered her eyes and turned away.

        Snape flew into the air, slamming against the wall and sliding down onto the ground, unconscious. His wand soared out and landed on the bed, while he lay there, a droplet of blood sliding down his forehead.

        "You shouldn't have done that," Black said, staring at Harry. "You should have left him to me...."

        Opening her eyes, Amy saw Harry look down, as if avoiding Black's gaze.

        "We attacked a teacher.... We attacked a teacher...," Hermione whined, sending frightened glances in Snape's direction. "Oh, we're going to be in so much trouble-"

        Lupin struggled to escape his bonds, and Black bend down to untie them. After a moment, the professor straightened up, stretching and rubbing where the rope cut his arms. 

        "Thank you, Harry," he said. 

        "I'm still not saying I believe you," Harry added, hastily. 

        "Then it's time we offered you some proof," Black declared. "You, boy - give me Peter. Now."

        Turning her head in Ron's direction, Amy saw him nervously clutching Scabbers even tighter.

        "Come off it," he whimpered. "Are you trying to say he broke out of Azkaban just to get his hands on Scabbers? I mean..." He sent a worried glance in Amy, Ron, and Hermione's direction, but they didn't offer much support. "Okay, say Pettigrew could turn into a rat - there are millions of rats - how's he supposed to know which one he's after if he was locked up in Azkaban?" 

        "You know, Sirius, that's a fair question," said Lupin, frowning thoughtfully at Black. "How did you find out where he was?"

        Black stuck a bony hand into his robes and extracted a crumpled piece of paper, which he feebly attempted to smooth out and held it up to the others. 

        Amy wormed her way closer, and saw a picture of Ron and what seemed to be his rather large family (That hair must run in the family, then, she thought)...

        ...And on Ron's shoulder was none other than the scrawny rat known as Scabbers.

        "How did you get this?" asked Lupin, gawping. 

        "Fudge," Black explained. "When he came to inspect Azkaban last year, he gave me his paper. And there was Peter... on the front page... on this boy's shoulder.... I knew him at once... how many times had I seen him transform? And the caption said he would be going back to Hogwarts... to where Harry was...."

        "My god," Lupin whispered, looking back and forth from the Scabbers in the picture, to the actual rat. "His front paw..."

        "What about it?" Ron grumbled.

        "He's got a toe missing," said Black.

        "Of course," Lupin said, under his breath. "So simple... so brilliant... he cut it off himself?"

        "Just before he transformed," Black confirmed. "When I cornered him, he yelled for the whole street to hear that I betrayed Lily and James. Then, before I could curse him, he blew apart the street with the wand behind his back, killed everyone within twenty feet of himself- and sped down into the sewer with the other rats...." 

        "Didn't you ever hear, Ron?" Lupin said. "The biggest bit of Peter they found was his finger."

        "Look, Scabbers probably had a fight with another rat, or something! He's been in my family for ages, right-"

        "Twelve years, in fact. Didn't you ever wonder why he was living so long?" Lupin persisted. 

        "That is true, Ron," Amy said, softly. "A normal rat shouldn't be able to survive more than two years."

        "We- we've been taking good care of him!" Ron insisted. 

        "Not looking too good at the moment, though, is he?" Lupin said. "I'd guess he's been losing weight ever since he heard Sirius was on the loose again...."

        "He's been scared of that mad cat!" exclaimed Ron, nodding towards the ginger, (Somewhat Kneazle looking, Amy noticed), cat, calmly purring on the bed. 

        But, Amy realized, I've never seen that cat before! Judging by the pitch in which he is purring, it seems that he'd only met his human quite recently. And Scabbers has been looking ill for a long time, ever since I first met Ron! Something's not right here... 

        "This cat isn't mad," Black croaked. He stroked the cat, who rubbed his fluffy head against the former's head. "He's the most intelligent of his kind I've ever met. He recognized Peter for what he was right away. And when he met me, he knew I was no dog. It was a while before he trusted me.... Finally, I managed to communicate to him what I was after, and he's been helping me...."

        "What do you mean?" Hermione said, nervously.

        "He tried to bring Peter to me, but couldn't... so he stole the passwords into Gryffindor Tower for me.... As I understand it, he took them from a boy's bedside table...."

        "Kneazle!" Amy suddenly blurted.

        Everyone's heads turned to her.

        "...What?" Harry asked.

        "K-kneazle," Amy replied. "That cat must be part Kneazle. I can tell because of his tiger-like appearance, and intelligence. We have two pet Kneazles, Hoppy and Milly. Mauler passed last year...."

        "I'm sorry for your loss," Lupin said. "But it does seem that you are correct, Amelia. No ordinary cat would be able to figure that concept out."

        "Are you going to listen, or not?" Black grumbled. 

        Everyone quieted, and the center of attention was once again the escaped prisoner.

        "Anyway, Peter got the wind of what was going on and ran for it.... This cat- Crookshanks, did you call him?" Hermione nodded in confirmation. "-told me Peter had left blood on the sheets.... I supposed he bit himself.... Well, faking his own death had worked once...."

        "And why did he fake his death?" Harry snapped. "Because he knew you were about to kill him like you killed my parents!" 

        "No," Lupin began, "Harry-"

        "Harry, his explanation makes perfect sense! I know it's hard to believe, but-"

        "You too, Amy?! I trusted you! I trusted both of you! And now, you're just standing here while he's-" Harry gestured furiously in Black's direction, "-come to finish Pettigrew off!"

        "Yes, I have," Black sneered, glaring at Scabbers.

        "Then I should've let Snape take you!" Harry hollered.

        "Harry," said Lupin quickly, "don't you see? All this time we've thought Sirius betrayed your parents, and Peter tracked him down - but it was the other way around, don't you see? Peter betrayed your mother and father - Sirius tracked Peter down-"

        "THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Harry screamed. "HE WAS THEIR SECRET-KEEPER! HE SAID SO BEFORE YOU TURNED UP. HE SAID HE KILLED THEM!"

        He pointed at Black, who sighed, and shook his head.

        "Harry... I as good as killed them," he rasped. "I persuaded Lily and James to change to Peter at the last moment, persuaded them t use him as Secret-Keeper instead of me.... I'm to blame, I know it.... The night they died, I'd arranged to check on Peter, make sure he was still safe, but when I arrived at his hiding place, he'd gone. Yet there was no sign of a struggle. It didn't feel right I was scared. I set out for your parents' house straightaway. And when I saw their house, destroyed, and their bodies... I realized what Peter must've done... what I'd done...."

        He stopped, and turned away, face full of guilt and sorrow. 

        "Enough of this," Lupin declared, sternly. Amy had never heard him speak in such a manner. "There's one certain way to prove what really happened. Ron, give me that rat."

        "What are you going to do with him if I give him to you?" Ron asked, cautiously.

        "Force him to show himself," explained Lupin. "If he really is a rat, it won't hurt him."

        Ron hesitated. After a long while, he reluctantly held out Scabbers, and Luping grabbed him. The rat began to squeak uncontrollably, eyes bulging as he tried to wiggle out of the teacher's grasp.

        "Ready, Sirius?" asked Lupin.

        Black had already grabbed Snape's wand from where it lay on the crowded bed. He approached Lupin, eyes burning. 

        "Together?" he said quietly, as if not believing that he was finally achieving his goal. 

        "I think so," Lupin replied, gripping both his wand and Scabbers tightly. "On the count of three. One- two- THREE!"

        A flash of blinding, bright light zapped Scabbers from both wands. He froze for a moment in mid air, writhing. 

        Ron screamed.

        The rat hit the floor.

        There was another flash of light.         

        Amy closed her eyes.

        Then, it was over. 

        Cautiously, Amy opened her eyes, and gasped. Before her was a short, shaggy, balding man, with grubby skin, and a pointed, rat-like nose.

        Peter Pettigrew.