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Yeah! Here's the new chapter!
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-Hogwarts-
After going back to the Room of Requirement and waiting for my other self to go into the past, I left the room, deciding to take a walk around the Hogwarts grounds to clear my head, wanting to get all the bad thoughts out of my mind.
Already outside Hogwarts I started walking along the edge of the black lake, not thinking about anything and thinking about everything at the same time, but even so I still tried to relax, looking at the dark waters of the lake and seeing the giant squid playing while it dangled one of its tentacles out of the water.
"Ethan?" I heard someone call out to me, and turning around I saw Astoria approaching me as she held some books in her arms.
"Hi" I said with a small smile on my face.
"Are you well?" she asked me, with a worried face.
"Yes, why wouldn't I be?" I asked confused.
"It's just that you've been here, walking around doing nothing for a while with the look of someone who is going through a bad situation" she replied, walking until she stopped in front of me, "Did something happen?"
And seeing her, someone I haven't known for a long time but who turned out to be very kind, looking at me with such concern made me smile warmly at her.
"Sigh... It's nothing, I'm fine," I said, lifting my hand and patting her head.
"Hey, I'm not a kid," she said with an irritated pout, but not rejecting the pats.
"Actually, you are a kid," I teased, which only made her pout grow.
'I bet the other Slytherins would be outraged to see the daughter of the Greengrass family acting like that' I thought with an amused snort.
"But then, what are you doing out here?" I asked Astoria.
"Oh, I was looking for my sister" she replied, looking around, "But it looks like she's not out here either"
"Have you tried looking her up at some obscure Slytherin pureblood meeting to talk about how muggleborns are littering the wizarding world?" I asked, and Astoria looked at me with a blank stare.
"Slytherins don't hold meetings to badmouth muggleborns," she said.
"You THINK not, maybe you just haven't been invited yet" I shrugged.
"Or maybe you're just overreacting"
"Do you really think someone like Malfoy hasn't or doesn't intend to have a meeting like this?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Okay, maybe not all Slytherins" she said grudgingly, but then she shook her head, "But my sister isn't that kind of Slytherins"
"Did you know your sister was staring and ignoring me on our first train ride to Hogwarts as soon as she found out I'm a muggleborn?"
"Well... She usually ignores everyone" Astoria said trying to defend Daphne, looking away, "And that day she could have just been shy about meeting new people."
"She? Shy?" I asked with a strange look.
"Yes?" Astoria said uncertainly, and I snorted, "Oh come on, she's not that bad, she's even part of your study group!"
"Yes, she has been part of the study group for almost three years... And in that time she has spoken to me a total of 0 times" I said.
"It's just that she's not used to talking to people," Astoria said. She then looked at me, "Please give her a chance, Daph is really nice and she's an amazing sister so... pleeease"
And as she pleaded, she used the secret weapon, which I thought only Cele and Lily knew about... The damn puppy dog eyes.
'Where's all that pureblood pride and nobility?' I wondered, trying and as usual, failing to resist the effects of those sad, imploring little eyes.
"Ugh, okay, okay, I'll give your sister a chance" I said, rolling my eyes, 'It's not like I hate her or anything anyway'
"Yeah!" Astoria cheered, and seeing her so happy made me smile in amusement.
And looking at Astoria and feeling my emotions, I realized that I wasn't as worried or sad about the events that happened this afternoon.
'I guess I just needed someone happy to talk to'
I then glanced at Astoria, seeing her smile at me, and I could feel her feelings of concern with a hint of happiness.
'And it looks like she noticed it too' I thought, lifting my hand to stroke her head again, and this time she didn't pout and just smiled.
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-Ministry of Magic - Back with Amelia and the others-
[POV – Third Person]
"How is this possible?" Andromeda asked, frowning at the parchment in front of her.
On this parchment was Auror Connor's statement about what happened in the Cells Room, or at least what he remembers happened before he was stunned.
"We don't know. Who or what helped Pettigrew escape left us no clues," Amelia replied with a weary sigh.
At this time Amelia, Nick, Penny, Sirius, Andromeda and Moody were in Amelia's office, where she filled them in on all the information and assumptions she had about Pettigrew's escape.
And just as expected, none of them were happy about the news, and the person who reacted most strongly to it was obviously Sirius, who wanted to go out and hunt the rat.
But Andromeda reminded him that trying to hunt the damn rat 12 years ago was what got him arrested and kept away from his godson, and remembering Harry was enough to calm the rabid dog.
"But that doesn't make sense," Nick said, scratching his goatee as he thought, "Who and why would anyone help Pettigrew escape? As far as I know, he doesn't have any friends, and I doubt any of his old associates would want to risk their own skins helping him."
And hearing this Sirius snorted before speaking, "And even if there wasn't any risk, I highly doubt the scum who kissed the feet of the same master as him would want to help someone like him."
"I doubt it either" Moody said, grimmer than usual, "I should have accompanied Connor and Myers in escorting Pettigrew to his cell... Actually, I should have escorted that damned traitor."
"Sigh, yeah, if you were there maybe he wouldn't have gotten away" Amelia said, and Moody stared at her as he wondered why there was a maybe in that sentence.
"What now Amelia? What do we do?" Andromeda asked, causing Amelia to stop and look at them, before sighing.
"You'll go home, and I'll handle this situation," Amelia said, and before Sirius could say anything she held up a hand to silence him, "Look, you've done a lot, but none of you are an law enforcement officer, and I cannot allow you to put yourselves in danger by looking for Pettigrew"
"So you just want us to sit back and wait for you and your Aurors to capture him?" Sirius asked, frowning ahead.
"Sigh... Look, I know you don't trust the ministry, but please trust me when I say I won't rest until I capture Pettigrew" Amelia said.
"Oh, the same way you managed to capture me when I escaped Azkaban?" Sirius asked sarcastically.
"That coming from the person who managed to get framed by the rat when he tried to hunt he is rich," Moody sneered, making Sirius turn to him.
"What does that mean?" Sirius asked angrily.
"Listen Black, I can understand why you are angry and want to look for Pettigrew, but I agree with Amelia about you not getting involved in this hunt" Moody said, glaring at Sirius with his magical eye, "You guys getting involved will only get in the way the investigation and will possibly put others in danger."
"Put others in danger? Like who?" Sirius asked with a frown.
"Oh, I don't know, how about your godson?" Moody asked sarcastically, and that silenced Sirius.
After that the room fell into silence, which after a few seconds was broken by Nick.
"I agree with Amelia," he said, bringing attention to him.
"What?" Sirius asked confused and dazed, not expecting Nick of all people to agree with Amelia and by extension the ministry.
"I don't trust the British Ministry to capture Pettigrew either, but I don't think us looking for him is a wise choice either" Nick began to explain, "Pettigrew is probably already a long way from here, and he may even have left the country already, as I doubt he would want to remain in the same country as a man who wants to kill him, especially with his cowardly personality."
Seeing that everyone was paying attention to his words and agreeing with them, Nick continued.
"And looking around the world for Pettigrew is going to take a lot of time, and for now I think we have more important matters to attend to, especially you Sirius"
"Yes, I know, Harry" Sirius sighed tiredly.
"And not just Harry, but yourself. You just got out of Azkaban and it's only now that you're a free man... You must now take care of yourself and enjoy this newfound freedom" Nick said, and then he looked for Amelia.
"And that being said, even though I agree with you, if I happen to know any information about Pettigrew or even if I accidentally meet him, don't expect me to sit still, and I think I can say that for all of us."
And Amelia could only sigh at that, nodding.
"Fine, as long as you don't actively look for him," she said.
Seeing that no one tried to argue or say anything else the room fell into another moment of silence, which this time was broken by Penny.
"Well, since everything is resolved, I think it's time for us to go home. The others must be waiting for us to hear how the trial went and what the jury's decision was" she said, getting up from the seat she was sitting on.
"Yes, Nymphadora is probably pacing back and forth waiting for us as she stumbles all over the house" Andromeda said, and Moody snorted, knowing full well how clumsy Dora was.
Everyone then started to get up, and after a brief farewell where Amelia said she was going to send a letter to Sirius informing him of his compensations, Nick and the rest of the group left, leaving only Moody and Amelia in the office.
End.
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(End AN: I'm thinking of inviting some friends over for a RPG game, but I've never played RPG and I don't know how to organize one...)