Outstanding powers

What happened to Sirius

The next day:

When Professor Lupin entered the classroom, the room burst out in whispers and murmurs. Lupin walked to his desk, took off his cloak, and smiled.

"Hello students, it's nice to see you all again. Now, this year we will be preparing you for your N.E.W.Ts, and we will be studying a lot of curses and counter curses. For those of you who weren't in the D.A last year, you might want to speak to those who were. Now we will be starting with the simple Expelliarmus. Let's just see if you all remember it. Come on, pair up everyone."

Ron turned to Harry by instinct. Isabella paired up with Hermione. When Lupin counted to three, Harry and Hermione, along with other students, shouted, "Expelliarmus". Isabella's wand flew straight into Hermione's outstretched hand and Ron went flying into Lupin's desk, his wand flew into Harry's hand. Lupin, Hermione, Isabella and Harry rushed to his side.

"Ron! Are you okay mate?" Harry asked, concerned. Ron groaned in response.

"Ron, please, say that you're okay!" Hermione squealed. She looked immensely worried, yet managed to scowl at Harry. "Are you trying to kill him?!" she yelled.

Lupin put a calming hand on her shoulder. She shook it off impatiently. Ron slowly sat up.

"Mione, please calm down, you're giving me a migraine," Ron said. "You hate me that much huh Harry?"

"No...Ron I never meant to...I didn't know that...I'm sorry," Harry stuttered. Lupin smiled.

"Ron, Harry never meant to do that. Harry, it's not your fault. Your spell power is higher than your friends' spell powers by far. That's why Ron went flying into my desk while Izzy just lost her wand. You are used to channel all your energy into your spell. Now you only need to use a little energy in order to cast a spell."

"I am going to need some training on energy channeling. Sorry Ron," Harry said with an apologetic smile. Ron smiled back.

"Don't worry about that mate. You didn't know."
"Sorry I yelled at you Harry, I was just worried," Hermione apologized.

"Come on, now switch!" Lupin said.

The students who hadn't cast the spell the last time raised their wands. On the count of three, they cast the spell. No weird incidents happened this time.

"Wonderful. Now who doesn't know how to produce a Patronus?" Lupin asked.

Nobody raised his or her hand.

"Very good. Now, who has produced a Patronus against a Dementor?"

Harry and Isabella raised their hands.

"Excellent. Let's just practice our Patronuses. One, two, three."

The whole class was silent for a while then they all shouted, "Expecto Patronum!" A stag came out of Harry's wand, an otter from Hermione's, a lion from Ron's wand, and a great, shabby black dog from Isabella's wand.

"Padfoot, Prongs and Moony in the same room once again," Harry said, looking at Isabella's Patronus. Isabella grinned. They practiced an enormous variety of spells and jinxes, and Professor Lupin decided to teach them a new one.

"Concentrate all your energy on one thing: Fire. Then say the incantation: "Flagellum." And please point your wands towards the ceiling. One, two, three!"

Everyone, except Isabella, shouted "Flagellum" together. Sparks flew out of Harry's wand, the tip of Hermione's wand glowed, but nothing happened to the other wands. The students frowned and looked at Professor Lupin, puzzled.

"It's alright. I didn't expect you to master it. Isabella, why didn't you try?" Lupin asked.

Isabella looked at Lupin and smiled.

"I don't need to try, I already know it," she answered. Lupin looked impressed.

"Please show us Isabella." Isabella took a deep breath then pointed her wand at the ceiling.

"Flagellum!" she yelled.

Flames erupted from the tip of her wand and formed a whip. She smiled and flicked it in the air. It was about to touch Dean's head when she whispered, "Finite Incantatem" and it disappeared. Dean looked deadly pale; Lupin had an impressed look on his face and most students looked slightly frightened.

"Very well. Miss Black I want to talk to you after class please," Lupin said. Isabella nodded. "Now, let's try again, one student at a time. This time I want you to visualize the whip Miss Black created. One, two three!"

Ron's wand emitted a great deal of sparks. Hermione's wand let out a single jet of flames that disappeared before they could form a whip. Neville's wand glowed slightly, Dean's wand too, as well as Lavender, Parvati and Seamus's wands.

"Very well students. Harry, go ahead."

Harry inhaled deeply. "Focus on the whip Is created. Focus!" he thought.

"Flagellum!"

Flames flew out of his wand and formed a whip just like Isabella's. Harry felt a jolt of pain in his hand and ended the spell. He let go of his wand as if it was burning his fingers and looked at Lupin quizzically. Lupin smiled.

"The pain is normal. It's part of the spell. You get used to it. Normally, the pain is supposed to lessen every time you cast the spell." Just then, the bell rang. "I want one foot of parchment on the Flagellum spell. See you next time."

All students exited the class except Isabella. When the class was empty, she turned to Lupin. He was sitting at his desk, writing. He laid his quill down and stood up. He looked at Isabella with the most enormous smile he could manage. Isabella smiled and ran at him. She flung her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. When they finally let go of each other, Lupin held her out at arm length and looked at her from head to toe.

"You have grown so much since the last time I saw you Izzy! That was when Sirius escaped and I came to tell you. You were just twelve!"

"Yeah, it feels like it was last century! Good thing you kept writing letters! I would've killed you if you had forgotten me! Listen, Remus, I want to ask you about what happened in the Department of Mysteries. I heard that dad was dead, then, the next month, he was alive. I never asked him what happened."

"Okay, I guess you have the right to know more than anyone. When Sirius fell through the veil, he didn't die. He was in an alternative dimension, where all those who have fallen through the veil remain indefinitely. Clinging to the thought of seeing you and Harry together in Black Manor, he made his way out. When Ministry people saw him, safe and sound, most of them-including Cornelius Fudge-thought that Dumbledore had made the whole Sirius-Black-is-innocent-Peter-Pettigrew-is-alive thing up, so Sirius was on the run once again. When he got to Black Manor, he found that Narcissa Malfoy was living there. He used his Marauder's skills to scare her out of the house. I don't really know what he did to her but she swore she would never come back there. Dumbledore checked the house to see if it was safe, and when he saw that it was, he increased the security spells around it and Sirius moved back in."

Isabella listened silently, smiling occasionally.

"Is he okay now, Remus?" she asked when Lupin was done.

Lupin nodded.

"Yes, he is fine. He asked about you as soon as he could. I told him you would meet Harry this year. You'll probably see your dad at Christmas. Now, off you go, or else you'll be late for class!" Isabella nodded and orbed out.

She appeared right next to Ginny and Colin in front of the Ancient Runes Class. Class was okay. They didn't get any homework. Their next class was transfiguration. They got to class just before Professor McGonagall got there.

"Good morning class, welcome Miss Black. I trust you will not be as much as a troublemaker as your father was. I will need to talk to you after class. I wish to give you a few pointers."

Class was mildly difficult, and they got two feet on Metamorphmaguses. After class, Isabella walked up to McGonagall's desk. McGonagall smiled at her.

"Isabella, I am glad to finally talk to you. I just wanted to tell you, as head of Gryffindor House, that I want you to earn as much points as you can. I also wished to talk to you about your attitude in Professor's Snape's class..."

"Attitude? I didn't do anything, I controlled my temper and I..."

"I know, that's exactly what I want to talk to you about. Potter told me about it and I wanted to congratulate you. You know Professor Snape was never exactly er...fond of your father, and he will be picking on you a lot. Ignore that and treat him like you would treat any other teacher: with respect. Now, go have lunch!"

"Thanks professor," Isabella said. She walked slowly to the Great Hall. Lunch was punctuated with jokes from Seamus and Dean. Double Arithmancy was fine; they didn't get homework at all. Before and after dinner, Isabella was in the library, doing her homework with Hermione. Harry, Ron and Ginny were at the Quidditch try-outs. When they finally met back in the common room, they were all exhausted. Ginny had made the team as Chaser. The other new chaser was a second-year girl called Aurora Bliss. Katie Bell was still on the team. Two third-years made Beaters. Matt Bones and Scott Roman.

"I think we have a pretty good chance of winning the Quidditch Cup this year," Harry said.

As team captain, he had the most responsibilities.

"Let's go to bed, I don't think I can stay awake much longer," Ron yawned. The others approved and they separated. Isabella and Ginny were extra quiet because their dorm mates were asleep. Isabella's bed was right next to the window, and Ginny's was right next to hers.

"Hey Gin," Isabella whispered.

"Hmm?" Ginny asked sleepily.

"Congratulations on making Chaser."