Chapter V

It was reasonably early in the morning and as I pressed my ear to Harry's bedroom and listened hard for any signs of movement. Nothing. Good. I was tempted to give an evil cackle as I carefully opened the door but it might have been a bit a giveaway. Tip-toeing into the room I looked over at the empty bed where Harry had been less than ten minutes ago and quickly scampered over.

Where is it?

Where is it?

I checked the trunk which had nothing of interest, before scrambling under the bed where the dust was thick and I desperately held my nose, willing myself not to sneeze.

But as I was about to reverse back out, something caught my eye.

Invisibility cloak; you are mine!

I grabbed it and promptly ran from the room, quietly closing the door behind me.

I chuckled inwardly at my own amazing sleuthing ability before skipping down the stairs, shoving the cloak into my old bag as I did so – technically not mine but Mione lent it to me until I was no longer a tramp with no proper clothes.

I was also wearing the jumper that Mrs Weasley had knitted for me which was notably too large, and a pair of old jeans which Dumbledore had brought be on one of my first days here.

As I caught a glance at myself in the mirror, I realised that I did look quite the picture – picture of a madwoman that is.

"Good morning, good morning! We've danced the whole night through! Good morning good morning to you and you and you and you!" I pointed at the sombre faces that sat around the breakfast table as I sang before I went to grab myself something to eat.

"Why all the long faces?" I asked, pretending that I wasn't aware of what was going on.

"It's my court hearing today" Harry replied miserably whilst I continued to raid the cupboards.

"Don't worry I'm sure everything will be fine" I said brightly, giving Sirius a very obvious wink.

"Oh btw is there any way that I could maybe tag along" I gave a little nervous smile as the table went silent and I sat down with a glass of apple juice and some sort of weird looking biscuit.

"Tag along?" Mrs Weasley questioned and I nodded with enthusiasm.

"To a court hearing?" Mr Weasley also looked confused.

"Btw?" Tonks seemed more interested in my strange way of talking.

"By the way" I prompted and there was a large ooh from most of those sitting at the table.

"Absolutely not, the ministry of magic is not a good place for an impressionable girl like you" Sirius argued suddenly and I turned with a look of pretend shock.

"ME? Impressionable? Honestly, I don't know where you get these ideas. Have you been hanging around with those twins?" I babbled and went to get another biscuit.

"Joke all you want, you're still not going" Sirius snapped, standing up and getting another cup of tea.

"But Harry needs me there, don't you Harry?" I didn't wait for his likely to be miserable answer. "And I haven't left this bloody house in weeks" I finished spitefully and Sirius grabbed my arm before pulling me out of the room.

"Isabella you're not going and that's the end of it" he ordered angrily and I felt my face go red.

"You can't tell where I can and can't go! You're not my father" I jabbed him accusingly but still refused to raise my voice higher than a whisper.

"Well I might as well be since you're staying in my house, eating my food and interfering in my business" he roared and I was taken aback. "Go to your room" he sighed tiredly and I obediently climbed the stairs.

"Tell Harry to arrive early for the hearing" I muttered before continuing up the spiral staircase.

Bastard.

As soon as I heard the door slam behind Sirius, I changed my direction and began to descend the stairs in silence.

Creeping to the front door I grabbed the pair of chunky black boots that I had been lent and sat on the stairs, tying the laces and trying my best not to swear. I looked up when I heard voices and quickly reached into my bag for the cloak, before hastily covering myself with it.

"Right, well … see you later then" I heard Harry's voice then footsteps ascending the stairs and quickly stood out of the way so as not to be bumped into.

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As we left the house, them walking two steps ahead, me lagging behind, I almost screamed with joy for the feel of fresh air on my face. London. My London.

Ok maybe a slightly younger version of my London but London all the same.

I twirled on the spot and skipped and danced all the way to the station, where I watched amusedly as Mr Weasley talked excitedly about ticket machines whilst Harry gave less than enthusiastic replies.

As we reached the ticket gate I now realised that perhaps I had not thought this through. Glancing around at the people watching, before realising I was invisible, I clumsily climbed over one of the out of order ticket turnstiles things, only just managing to get over.

Oh bollocks.

There was the sound of the closing doors and without a second thought I sprinted down the platform to the nearest carriage.

"FUCK!" I shouted as my arm got caught in the door and I scrambled to push the doors part with my foot before the tube started to move. People in the carriage all looked around in bewilderment, except Harry and Mr Weasley that is, who were sitting silently looking worried.

Once we got off the underground I once again faced the terrors of the ticket machine but eventually got through and caught up with the indecisive pair.

"Here we are" Mr Weasley indicated to an old telephone box and I gave a little squeal of delight.

"After you Harry" Mr Weasley smiled but Harry had obviously heard me and looked around before stepping in and I hastily followed.

As Mr Weasley came in I realised I might have overestimated the size of the phone box and pressed myself into a corner, trying to take up the least space possible. I hardly listened to the female voice as I stood holding my breath and sucking in my gut. As the box started to move I felt nervous and tried my best to convince myself that I wouldn't get caught. After a minute or two we stopped and the door opened, allowing me to breathe again which I can safely say I was grateful for.

"Wow" I whispered, standing beside Harry who's face showed equal awe.

"This way" Mr Weasley said and we both followed, or rather Harry followed whilst I stumbled along in a daze.

I kept my distance as Harry gave in his wand and we continued down the endless corridors to a lift where I was again forced into a tight squeeze next to Harry.

We got out after several floors and I realised that we were going to Mr Weasleys office, which sounded a little less than fun but a continued anyway.

I stood outside the office waiting for the running to begin, checking the clock every few seconds.

"Merlin's Beard!" I heard Mr Weasley yelp and followed them as we all sprinted down the corridor.

Sunshine, lollipops and rainbows. Everything that's wonderful is what I feel when we're together.

I sang in my head as we got in the lift and got out not too long after.

"Go on" Mr Weasley panted as we reached the courtroom and I pushed in front of Harry to get in.

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I sat on the floor beside Harry in the Courtroom, still covered in the cloak and still bored out of my mind. Things were not as exciting as you think when you already know what's going to happen. Dumbledore and the Minister were currently having a very heated conversation whilst Harry and everyone else were practically silent.

"Yo Harry" I whispered and saw the boy's eyes widen but he remained silent. "Don't look to your left cause I'm right beside you and if someone sees me I am in deep trouble" I continued whilst the judges whispered in reaction to something I hadn't been listening to.

"Izzy is that you?" Harry muttered whilst still obediently looking straight ahead.

"Yeah and sorry I had to borrow your cloak for this one" I murmured as another polite argument broke out. "Look Harry, I'm here to reassure you. I'm sorry I left you to the death eaters in Little Hangleton but you have to believe me when I say that I knew you would survive. And I know you will come out of this alright too" I smiled even though he couldn't see it, but was mostly ecstatic at the fact that my tongue had allowed me to say so much.

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Harry and I walked slowly down the road towards 12 Grimmauld Place.

"Do we have to walk so fast?" I moaned as he glanced back at me.

"You're going to have to go in sometime" Harry smiled chirpily.

"Yea well I still don't like it" I muttered miserably and took out the invisibility cloak.

"Here" I handed it over to him regretfully, "And sorry I didn't ask".

"That's ok" Harry replied, tucking it under his arm as the house appeared and we reached the door.

"You know maybe they'll be too busy congratulating you that they won't notice" I suggested hopefully as I knocked on the door.

"Harry, Isabella, get inside quickly" Mrs Weasley beckoned us in and we gratefully stepped into house where voices could be heard shouting all over the place. "IT'S OK; I'VE FOUND HER, AND HARRY'S BACK!" Mrs Weasley shouted and there was a loud rumble of feet that did not help my nervous feeling.

"Izzy where have you been? We've been so worried. Harry how did it go? Is everything ok?" Hermione questioned relentlessly as we came into the kitchen, followed by Mrs Weasley.

"Charges were dropped" Harry beamed happily and I suddenly felt out of place.

"I knew it" yelled Ron and I took this opportunity to sneak away.

"Isabella?" I heard Sirius' voice behind me as I crept up the stairs.

"Hello" I smiled weakly and turned around.

"Isabella, I …I" he began but I cut him off.

"I'm sorry Sirius, really I am. Please don't be angry at me" I felt like a child as I looked down at my not matching socks.

"Isabella, I'm not angry, I was just worried." he trailed off and I looked up in silence. Full of uncertainty I approached him then in a moment's decision, hugged him tightly and refused to let go.

"I can't stay here forever you know" I whispered hoarsely and he gently hugged me back.

"I know" he replied, his voice unreadable.

"You should go back in and congratulate Harry" I ordered and smiled one last time before running up the stairs to my bedroom.

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I didn't sleep well that night. My unfamiliar bed felt out of place as ever and the sound of Hermione's light snoring and Ginny wispy breaths sounded louder and louder in my mind the later it got. I didn't fit, didn't belong. I wasn't wanted. I was changing things and not necessarily for the better.

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I am standing on a street full of green smoke. There is Sirius on his flying motorbike. He looks young; carefree. He beckons to me and I run to him but cannot catch up. When I next look up he is gone and I am standing in front of the Old Riddle House.

There is screaming.

So many screams.

I am walking along an endless corridor with countless open doors. I approach one and there is an old couple and a man dying on the floor. They all scream for help and as I back away, I see that above the door there are the words "Tom Riddle, Thomas Riddle, Mary Riddle" scratched into the wall. I stumble backwards then run to the next door.

"Hepzibah Smith" is scrawled above the door and there is a woman weeping inside. "HELP ME!" she cries and tries to grasp at my clothes. I push her away and continued to run down the corridor, but the screams only get louder.

"James and Lily Potter" is above the third door and I can make out Lily's dying words above all the noise. I look in and I see them both, weak and hardly able to move. "Look after Harry" Lily reaches for me and I start to run. "12 Filthy Muggles" is written above the next door and I do not stop to look inside.

"Edgar Bones", "Caradoc Dearborn", "Benjy Fenwick", "Frank and Alice Longbottom", "Marlene McKinnon", "Dorcas Meadows", "Gideon and Fabion Prewitt".

I passed more and more familiar names as I carried on. "Bertha Jorkins", "Frank Bryce", "Cedric Diggory". I stopped and peered into the dark room. There he was lying dead in the middle of the graveyard. No, no! I panicked and stumbling backwards. "Sirius Black" I started to cry as I watched Sirius falling into the veil. "Amelia Bones", "Emmeline Vance", "Florean Fortescue", "Igor Karkaroff", "Mrs Abbot", "Albus Dumbledore".

I stare at the old man falling further and further away, a tranquil look on his face, the only person not screaming. Dragging my eyes away I crawled a little further.

"Octavius Pepper", "Charity Burbage", "Alastor Moody", "Rufus Scrimgeour", "Gregorovitch", "Bathilda Bagshot", "Gellert Grindlewald", "Ted Tonks", "Dirk Cresswell", "Dobby", "Fred Weasley", "Remus Lupin", "Nymphadora Tonks", "Colin Creevey", "Severus Snape".

"No! No! Why are you doing this? Remus? Tonks? Fred? Speak to me Fred!" I scream as I shake his body violently.

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"Speak to me, speak to me" I heard myself murmur as I began to awake from the nightmare. Sitting up in bed I realise I am sweating and my face is hot to touch. It is then that I feel the tear tracks beneath my fingertips. I look around; there is no one else awake. I am alone.