Up at the castle, Lilleth was still reeling from what she'd just heard. Of course, she'd already had a hunch that she and Sirius Black were related, but to find out that her birth parents had abandoned her in an alleyway and then he, a mass murderer, and her professor had found her and had adopted her? She could never have predicted that.

Her stomach twisted in knots, although it was impossible to tell whether it was from guilt or nerves. She suddenly wished that she could go back, ask more questions, but her feet were dragging her towards the common room in the basement, farther and farther away from him and the forest.

"What's up with you?"

Lilleth almost hadn't realised she'd entered the common room, where Piper, Mira, Missy and Ella were all still working at one of the tables.

"You look like you've seen a ghost." said Ella jokingly in her thick accent.

"I – can't find Mourka." Lilleth lied. "I've searched everywhere for him."

"I think he's taken perch in one of the flowerpots in the dorm." said Missy. "He was playing with the vines last time I saw him."

"I should go look." muttered Lilleth.

Her entire stomach tossed and turned as she scampered the short way up the stairs and pushed the door open. Mourka was indeed sat in one of the flowerpots, filled with the bright green plants that were everywhere around the Hufflepuff basement, batting boredly with his paws at some of the vines that hung from above him.

"Hey there." said Lilleth, sighing softly.

His emerald eyes were instantly drawn to her as soon as she entered the room, and he leapt delicately down from his perch and padded across the floor to jump up onto her shoulder. With tears brimming in her eyes, she stroked him gently and sat down on her bed.

"I think I've done something horrible." she whispered. "I met Sirius Black. And... and he's my father. He and Professor Lupin found me in an alleyway when I was just a baby. And when he told me, I jinxed him and ran away. Do you think I was wrong?"

Mourka meowed and batted at Lilleth's face gently with one of his paws. He wrapped himself around her shoulders as if he was a scarf, and quickly went to sleep.

"Right." Lilleth sighed again. "Thanks."

Three days went past, and Lilleth could hardly contain her curiosity. She had stopped Sirius Black from telling her why he was actually innocent, and while she knew she shouldn't, she was desperate to find out more. She wanted to know everything, despite Harry's claims of what he had heard in Hogsmeade. One question lingered in her mind, tugging constantly at her brain.

Why would he adopt a baby a month before betraying his best friends?

It just didn't make any sense.

By the time Saturday came back around, she had resolved to go back to the forest. The big black dog hadn't been seen on the grounds in the entire week, and she had no idea if Black was still there, but she had to try.

She rushed through her Transfiguration and Potions essays, fairly early in the morning, and then made various excuses to Piper about going out for some time in the grounds, and quickly left. She didn't go straight to the grounds, however, instead first sneaking down to the kitchens.

The pear in the painting delighted at her tickles, and swung open to let her down the steps, into the cavernous kitchens filled with the hustle and bustle of elves – just like Dobby, the strange little elf that had visited Lilleth and Harry at the Dursleys the year before.

It was just as big as the Great Hall, and had the four long house tables, but without any food on them. Lilleth was gobsmacked by the sheer size of it. If only Aunt Petunia could have any of this, she'd have a fit.

She barely had time to take in the smell of the food that was cooking up in the ovens and fires before she was surrounded by three house elves, barely up to her waist and all wearing the same tatty pillowcases as Dobby once had.

"Oh – hello." she said, startled slightly, although she gave them a kind smile.

"Hello Miss!" one of them squeaked. "What can Keely do for Miss?"

"I need some food." said Lilleth. "My friends and I would like to have lunch in our common room or our dorm, so we need a bag of food. Just a bit."

"Of course Miss!" said Keely excitedly. "Keely and Keely's friends can get that for Miss!"

"Thank you Keely." said Lilleth sincerely.

It didn't take long for the house elves to scrape together an enormous bag that was filled to the brim with food, yet when Lilleth picked it up, it weighed little more than a feather.

"An enchantment, Miss!" said one of the other elves. "Dibsy did it for Miss!"

"Thank you so much." said Lilleth. "It's very kind of you."

"Miss is a Hufflepuff." said Dibsy cheerily. "And Hufflepuffs is always nice to house elves. So house elves is always nice to Hufflepuffs."

"We is always happy to help!" Keely chimed in. "Miss can have food any time."

"I'll bear that in mind." said Lilleth, grinning. "I'm Lilleth."

"It is nice to be meeting you!" said Keely.

"Nice to meet you too." said Lilleth. "I'll see you soon."

"Goodbye Miss Lilleth!"

Lilleth quickly departed from the kitchen, her head still filled with the excitable chatter, and still grinning. They were a very nice bunch, the house elves. Far more helpful than Dobby. At least they hadn't dropped a violet plum pudding on anyone's head.

She did her best to hide her bag of food under her robes as she snuck up through the castle and towards the entrance hall and the courtyard, but luckily, she didn't run into anyone. With heavy snow blanketing the grounds and the chilly wind biting at anyone who dared even open a window, most had sought refuge in their common rooms or the dining hall. For a minute, Lilleth wished she was one of them.

Then she stepped outside.