chapter six; the first day of research

"TEMPEST THATCHER!" THE LOUD, BOOMING VOICE OF RUBEUS HAGRID CAUGHT TEMPEST'S ATTENTION AS SHE MARCHED THROUGH THE GROUNDS OF HOGWARTS. It was early in the morning so there was a chill in the air, but it didn't bother either adult as they met in the middle of the path winding towards the Quidditch field. Hagrid was still a humongous brute of a man, dressed in rags big enough to fit his half-giant body. "Don' you look all grown up?"

"Hagrid," Tempest grinned, rushing towards him and embracing him tightly, only reaching his stomach. It was wonderful to see him again, he seemed to be the one part of Hogwarts that would never change. Sure, his hair was starting to grey a little and he slumped a bit when he walked, but he was still the same Gamekeeper she knew. "Oh, how I've missed you!"

"You're jus' sayin' that to me feel better," Hagrid chuckled loudly, a wide smile on his face. "What brings you t' Hogwarts?"

Tempest's face fell slightly as she pulled away, adjusting the satchel around her waist. She knew she'd be receiving that question a lot, but it would take more than a few days to become accustomed to constantly repeating the name of her former flame. Clearing her throat, she tried to revive her smile. "Well, I'm here to help find, uh, Sirius Black."

Hagrid stopped for a second, before sighing and resting his hand on Tempest's shoulder. For such a big man, he seemed to have ten times more emotion than any regular being, and that was one of the things Tempest liked about him. He was in no way, shape or form a surface level person, and gave no warning when he was about to start blubbering. Luckily, this wasn't one of those times, though his eyes were a little watery. "I see. An' what does Dumbledore think about this?"

Tempest shrugged, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. Her eyes were droopy from lack of sleep, but she was clearly intrigued to see what the day had to offer. "I'm not completely sure just yet. Remus isn't overly keen on me galavanting the grounds without protection while he teaches his classes."

"Understandably so," Hagrid raised one of his bushy eyebrows, and Tempest smiled lopsidedly, averting her eyes to the ground. "That man ain't got many friends, I doubt he'd want to lose you."

"He's not going to lose me," Tempest muttered, rocking back and forth on her heels. She hated how protective everyone seemed to be over her suddenly. She knew why, but she was still an adult, one who had survived the first Wizarding War. She was still part of the original Order of the Phoenix, and would return to them in a heartbeat. She could have been an auror if she wanted to, but after what happened to James and Lily, she knew her future lay in watching over their son. "I can take care of myself."

"Alright, tough one," Hagrid scoffed, and Tempest glanced up to see him smiling slightly. No matter how long they had been apart, he was always the one who seemed to have the most faith in her. The half-giant sighed, his eyes trailing up to the castle. "I would suggest you tag along with my class today, but I'm off to London for a hearing."

"A hearing?" Tempest inquired curiously, her heart suddenly beating a little faster. Hearings weren't awfully common unless it was something serious, and for Hagrid to have to attend one was a little out of the ordinary. "You aren't in trouble, are you?"

"Oh, no. It's not me," the bumbling man mumbled, scratching his beard as he tried to think of the right words to say. "It's my Hippogriff, Buckbeak. Lucius Malfoy's boy got him angry and the beast gave him a scratch. Malfoy now wants 'im dead."

"My, I'm so sorry," Tempest responded sympathetically, and Hagrid shook his head, sniffling softly. She stepped forward and pulled him in for another hug, causing him to nearly burst into tears. "Would you like me to come? I'm sure my research can wait."

"It's alright, I couldn't ask you to do that," Hagrid tried to compose himself as Tempest fell back, a sympathetic expression upon her face. "Ron wrote an appeal an' everything, he put a lot o' effort into it. He's Molly an' Arthur's boy."

Tempest smiled. She remembered when he was a baby, same as Harry. She hadn't seen the fiery-haired family for years, but she always remembered to send cards and money over for Christmas and birthdays (as much as Molly and Arthur hated her helping out financially, seeing as she wasn't the most stable herself).

"Well, good luck. Tell me how it goes?" She asked hopefully, and Hagrid hummed instantly, reaching up to wipe his eyes with his gigantic sleeve. 

"An' you do the same with all that research," he responded, and Tempest nodded in reply. "If you want, you can take Fang out for a walk. Then you can wonder 'round the forest without going too far out on yer own. Then I'll be close enough to help you if you get into any trouble, an' Remus can keep his head on."

Tempest was silent for a second, before she felt a smile appear on her face again. "That sounds perfect."

★☆

Tempest missed the comfort of Hogwarts. Though she had ventured far from the castle itself, the lake and the forest were familiar and brought a sense of calm to her being. With Fang trotting cheerfully at her side, she strode through the bushes leading to the Black Lake. The trail was familiar, as she had spent a lot of her teenage years running through it with her old friends.

"Alright,  Padfoot," she mused, glancing around her. This particular part of the forest had sunlight streaming through it, as it wasn't too deep in to find centaurs and other marvellous creatures. All she managed to come across were a few oversized beetles and an adder minding its own business, which wasn't too out of the ordinary for the outskirts of the woods. "Come out, come out, wherever you are."

She didn't expect to find him out in the open, though that would be awful convenient. Her heart was hammering and she couldn't control it. The laughing face from the WANTED poster haunted her mind, having replaced the old image of him as a younger man. She didn't have any old pictures to look at, as she had torn a lot of them up after he killed James and Lily. The remains were in an old box tucked up in the corner of her wardrobe in her Surrey home. 

Tempest couldn't deny she was slightly paranoid, she was hoping she wouldn't be sprung upon by the man she had loved for so long. Whether he was in his animagus form or not, part of her hoped she didn't run into him. Gryffindors were supposed to be brave, but she felt she was lacking that quality as she brushed against the ferns of the forbidden forest.

As she and Fang reached the shore of the Black Lake, the woman sat down and leaned against one of the large boulders stretching the space. She took out the contents of her satchel, which included a copy of Sirius' Azkaban report, papers including his recent sightings and his poster. Her stomach felt hollow staring down and meeting his crazed eyes. 

Fang wandered the stone bank, his paws soaking in the cool, fresh water. Tempest hummed softly, reaching into her coat pocket and pulling out a hair grip, tying her chopped black locks back into a ponytail. The rustling wind now wasn't much of a bother to her as she began taking down notes. 

Before she knew it, hours had passed and she began to feel drowsy. With Fang now dozing with his head in her lap, she had barely processed how she put her notes to the side and had rested her head on the rock she was leaning against. With her eyes settling on the serene horizon, a soft smile fell on her lips.

Despite all the hurt she had felt for so long, the rolling hills of Scotland always had the same effect on her. Even though the reasons she had returned weren't ideal, being able to sit on the rocky shore of the lake and overlook the beautiful castle she used to call home made her feel the safest she'd ever felt in a while. 

Safe enough that her eyes slowly began to involuntarily close and her heart to slow a little in sync with the calm ripples of the moving water. 

★☆

A sudden chill made Tempest shoot up from where she was sitting. Her tired eyes widened a little bit as she saw the setting sun in the distance, and she gasped a little. Fang grumbled quietly as he stood up, his large jaw opening as he yawned. Tempest looked down at her watch and sighed when she saw the time. 6:48.

"I think we might have missed dinner, Fang," she muttered, looking over at the large dog and frowning a little. She turned and began gathering her notes, shoving them into her satchel. "Don't worry, I'll give you something when we get back to Hagrid's."

The woman got to her feet and sighed softly as she felt her bones crack from how long she'd been in that position. Her eyes fell forward, and rested on something in the distance. 

Her heart stopped. 

Hidden in the trees were a pair of yellow eyes, surrounded by a coat of black. She would recognise them anywhere. Her breath hitched in her throat as her brain began processing what exactly she was seeing, hoping it wasn't anything from her imagination. Goosebumps rose across her body and Fang began to growl, letting her know it wasn't something her mind had conjured up.

The large dog noticed that it had been spotted, and backed away. Tempest quickly broke into a run, her feet struggling to gain grip against the wet stones on the shore. "Hey!"

The thing quickly turned around and began moving back through the thick bushes, so Tempest clenched her jaw and instantly morphed into her animagus form. With Fang on her tail, she sprinted through the forest in search for what she saw. She knew it was him. 

Her feet pounded against the dirt of the forest floor and due to her change in height, she struggled to see over the tall foliage. Fang released an echoing bark as he came up behind her, and she turned her head, before leaping onto his back and overlooking the clearing. It was a known fact that animagus could attain a rudimentary understanding between other animals, which was why Fang didn't hesitate in helping her. 

Tempest growled irritably as she saw that the dog had disappeared. Her heart was still pounding at the speed of light and her head was spinning, but she was incredibly alert. 

"Tempest?" The booming voice of Hagrid caught her attention, and Tempest glanced around her once more before dropping back to the ground and transforming into her regular body. Her hair was slightly messy and her eyes were vigilant, but she tried to seem as normal as possible when the half-giant appeared in her line of vision. Fang hung by her side as she anxiously kept a lookout while approaching her friend, feeling strangely ill. "Oh, thank goodness yer alright. Remus was worried sick."

Tempest failed to remain calm, as she stumbled over to him without making eye contact, far too focused on trying to catch a glimpse of the black dog. 

"Tempest, what's wrong?" Hagrid asked as she and Fang stopped before him, the former appearing to be a little shaken. "Tempest?"

"I-I," she began, her voice trembling as she tried to speak, itching to go back out to find the dog. She knew it wasn't a good idea though, especially with night falling. She finally glanced up at Hagrid, trying to force a smile on her face. "I'm okay. J-just a little cold."

"Well, let's get you inside, aye?" Hagrid wrapped his hand around her shoulder as he led her back to the entrance of the forest, where there was still a slither of light helping them see. Fang remained at Tempest's side throughout the walk back, his head turning to look back every minute or so. Hagrid hummed as he noticed his pet's antics. Tempest followed his gaze and cleared her throat.

"He saw a snake back there, got a little spooked," she lied through her teeth. Hagrid easily bought it, guffawing a little in amusement. Tempest didn't know why she was being dishonest, but she felt like she needed more evidence in what she saw rather than a pair of yellow eyes. There were plenty of wild dogs roaming around the forest, weren't there? 

"I'm not surprised," Hagrid chuckled. "He's a good beast, just a coward."

Tempest smiled hesitantly and nodded once, though she knew that wasn't completely true. She had faith in the giant boarhound that clung to her, full of appreciation for his help only moments ago. 

The air seemed clearer once they reached Hagrid's house, and Tempest gripped the satchel around her body as she tried to forget the brief chase she had just taken part in. Her eyes rested on a figure in Hagrid's window, and her eyebrows furrowed once it began to move once they came into view. The door swung open and revealed Remus, who ran out with a relieved expression. 

"Tempest! Oh, thank goodness you're alright," he gasped out as he tackled her into an embrace. "Where were you? Why didn't you come up for dinner?"

"I got a little distracted, that's all," Tempest responded as he held her tightly, clearly opposed to letting her go again. The woman chuckled lightly and hugged him back, trying to ignore the concern in the pit of her stomach. She knew she should tell Remus and Hagrid what she saw, but what if she was wrong? What if she was leading them on? What if she was just being irrationally anxious and there was nothing really to worry about?

What if she hadn't just seen Sirius Black?

★☆

OOF

guess who finally updated?? i've been meaning to write this for so long but i keep getting stuck,, now here we are!! i just need a change of scenery for my writing so woo i got shit done!! 

tell me if it was shit or not, it's fab to hear your feedback. i might not be able to immediately reply seeing as i deleted the app from my phone (i have school shit to do). like i said on my message board, i'll try to update as much as i can but my real life needs me right now, so i won't have as much time to write :((

hopefully i'll be able to find time to update this again soon, it's definitely a book i'd like to continue and develop in the future!

xx