Professor Lupin then brought out a box with a cover over it, "Now, does anyone have any possible idea, what is in here?"
Of course, Lucifer and Hermione were the only ones to raise their hands.
He pointed to both of them, "A Hinkypunk, a little one-legged creature that looks frail and harmless-"
"- but is actually incredibly dangerous if you allow yourself to be fooled by its appearance. It uses a lantern dangling from its hand to lure people deep into bogs where they never find their way out."
"Excellent description, Ten Points each for Gryffindor. I couldn't have said it better myself," Professor Lupin looked extremely proud of his Gryffindor students, and didn't seem surprised that the Slytherin half were much more passive and less motivated in his class.
He could only imagine what Snape lets them get away with.
He then removed the cover and revealed the Hinkypunk for everyone to see.
It made a squelching noise when it pressed itself against the glass and Hermione involuntarily shuddered at the disgusting sound.
He gave them simple homework, having them detail defining characteristics and giving a detailed description of the kinds of places a Hinkypunk will inhabit, no specified length for the parchment.
"Wait a moment, Harry," they heard Professor Lupin call out, "I'd like a word."
They watched Harry walk away, and the other three of them left the classroom, "What do you think Professor Lupin wants with Harry?" Hermione asked Lucifer.
"Dunno, you think it has something to do with what happened during the Quidditch Match?" But, it was Ron who butted in their conversation.
"Probably. That's twice now Potter has been horribly affected by the Dementors..." Lucifer said, while making a small glance to Hermione's face, to notice any kind of weird thoughts.
But, to his relief, the girl wasn't affected by the mention of Dementors.
"Maybe Professor Lupin is going to teach him how to deal with those creatures?" Hermione suggested.
"There is a counter to every Magical Creature... it wouldn't surprise me that there is one for them," Lucifer said, continuing forth to the Hogwarts Library to get a start on his homework.
Harry found them a while later and informed Lucifer that he was going to be attending anti-Dementor lessons with him after Christmas break had ended, "Professor Lupin told me to ask you if you wanted to join me for them?"
"Of course I do. If I can stop those horrible memories of Hermione to get on the surface..." he trailed off for a moment.
"I don't think, she is yet stable enough to learn counters, tell Professor Lupin I'll be there...."
xxxxxx
The first week of December, Hufflepuff had their game against Ravenclaw, who completely stomped them.
Their Seeker, a girl named Cho Chang, was apparently pretty good.
Hermione noticed a significant improvement in Harry's mood as a result, because it meant Gryffindor wasn't out of the running for the Cup, but according to Lucifer, they couldn't lose another match, and had to win at least one of their next matches by a wide margin, especially if it was against Ravenclaw or Slytherin, but they hadn't had a game yet, so it was unknown how they'd perform against Ravenclaw.
The day after the Hufflepuff v Ravenclaw game, the muddy grounds had been blanketed in glittering frost.
The inside of the Castle had been buzzing with talks of Christmas.
Professor Flitwick had already decorated his classroom with shimmering lights that turned out to be real, fluttering fairies.
The students were all happily discussing their plans for the Holidays.
Lucifer and Harry signed at once, but they were followed shortly after by Ron and Hermione.
He had known Hermione was going to stay. She'd been talking for a while about spending their first Christmas together as a couple.
"Hermione, are you sure you don't want to go back home and be with your family?" Lucifer asked her one evening in the Common Room, sitting next to a warm fire, with Hermione in the armchair across from him.
"It's alright, I already talked to Mum using the mirror and she is okay with me staying here," she said, looking up at him briefly before returning to her Transfiguration Homework.
It was true, she hadn't seen her Mum for Christmas since her First Year, but her boyfriend was also important and meant just as much, no at this point, Lucifer was the most important person in her life.
"Well... alright... if you're sure..." Lucifer dropped the subject after that.
xxxxx
Then, on the last weekend of term, it was announced that there would be another Hogsmeade weekend.
This time, in the light of Harry's extremely downtrodden face once they'd read the notice, Lucifer and Hermione decided to stick to the main shops instead of another date so that they could get some stuff for their friend.
"But if it turns into a date after that then..." Hermione shrugged innocently.
On the morning of the trip, they made their way out into the Entrance Hall where they ran into Filch, once again ticking off names on his list and ensuring that they were all allowed to leave the castle.
Lucifer had expected to make the trip into Hogsmeade with Ron, but he was several people ahead of them in the queue, standing with Seamus and Dean.
Which suited him perfectly.
"I have so much to do for Christmas shopping!" Hermione said the moment they were walking down the path out of the castle. 'Mum would love those Toothflossing Stringmints from Honeydukes-'
"You may not want to read out anymore of that," Lucifer said as he spied his own name on the list she'd made. "We can split up part way through 'cause I need to get something for you as well. I've actually been pretty stumped this year."
'I'm sure you'll manage, you always find incredible gifts!" Hermione said happily, wrapping herself around his arm.
They made their first stop at Zonko's Joke Shop, where they both picked up some loose tricks for Harry and Lucifer snapped up a couple of top shelf items to send to Fred and George, before moving onto Dervish and Banges where he spied an enchanted homework planner.
It had a colour coded section which flashed brighter based on which one you were due to revise and timed how long you were revising for.
He subtly swiped it up and paid for it whilst Hermione was looking at enchanted muggle statues that slowly moved when they thought they weren't being watched.
Next stop was Honeydukes, where they spied Ron over under a banner labelled 'Unusual Tastes'.
The two of them instead made their way over to the other side of the shop where they began looking at some of the flavoured creatures, such as Cockroach Cluster, Chocolate Frogs and Jelly Slugs.
They were just scooping up bags of stuff to give to Harry, Ginny and Luna, when a man with a very shiny bald head shimmied past them and began unloading bags of Jelly Slugs back into the almost empty container.
Lucifer and Hermione shuffled off, paid for their sweets and then stepped outside.
"Shall we head to the Three Broomsticks now?" Hermione asked as she shivered, "Getting a bit too cold for my liking."
'Sounds like a brilliant idea,' came a voice from behind them.
Hermione gave a small shriek and Lucifer span around, plunging his hands into his robes.
Harry stood next to Ron, looked mildly amused and Harry as though it was the best day of his life.
'What the f-' Lucifer began, as he was so enthralled, that he didn't even notice the cloak.
'Harry!' Hermione hissed 'What are you doing here?!"
Harry beckoned them off the main street and explained to all of them in a hushed whisper about a run he'd had with the twins and about how they'd shown him a seemingly harmless piece of parchment.
'Oh my,' Lucifer asked, at once, putting his face in his hand.
'What?' asked Hermione at once.
'That's the thing Fred and George told me about stealing from Filch's office. It's a map of Hogwarts."
'That's the one,' said Harry, 'and it's got all the secret passageways on it. The one I've just used is behind a one-eyed witch statue and it leads straight into the Honeydukes cellar.'
'I assume they told you how to activate it and work it? It requires some sort of password doesn't it?'
"Yep!' Harry said brightly, 'you just need to say, 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good' and it will appear. Then 'Mischief Managed' to turn it off again."
'Why didn't Fred and George ever give it to me!' Ron said, looking furious. 'I'm their brother!'
'And you already have permission to go to Hogsmeade,' Lucifer snapped at him, "They clearly think Potter needs it more.'
'You don't agree?' Harry asked, eyebrows raised.
'I think it's risky. Black's already made it inside the castle, what's to stop him being out in Hogsmeade?'
'Plus, he's not going to keep the map. Harry's going to hand it in to Professor McGonagall, aren't you Harry?'
Ron opened his mouth looking indagated, but Lucifer cut across him.
"No point, McGonagall would only question where he got it. And that would get the Weasleys in trouble. We'll have to let him keep the map, at least for now. But Potter, you need to be careful. He could be anywhere."
Ron pointed straight past Lucifer. He followed the finger and saw a ministry decree in the window of one of the nearby shops.
- By order of -
THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC
Customers are reminded that until further notice, Dementors will be patrolling the streets of Hogsmeade
every night after sundown.
This measure has been put in place for the safety of Hogsmeade residents and will be lifted upon the recapture of Sirius Black.
It is therefore advisable that you complete your shopping well before nightfall.
Merry Christmas!
'I'd like to see Black try to break into anywhere here with Dementors swarming all over the village. And anyone else would hear a break in wouldn't they? Everyone lives over their shops.'
'The Dementors didn't stop him at Azkaban,' Lucifer muttered darkly. 'If he can get out of a fortress of them and sneak into Hogwarts without crossing the army that are watching the gates, I think he can make it into Hogsmeade. In fact, he'd have probably had to come through Hogsmeade to even get to the castle.'
'I don't like this, Harry. You really need to be careful. You haven't got a signed form! If you get caught, you'll get in so much trouble!" Hermione planned his future demise at once.
'Will you two stop being such goody two shoes?' Ron said.
"Ah yes. Forgive me, let's just drag Potter outside into Sirius Black, ignoring every rule put in our way," Lucifer said, flaring up at once.
"Don't try and be a smart arse with me, Weasely. It doesn't suit you!"
'Now's not the time,' Harry hissed as Ron opened his mouth, looking furious, "If we get into a shouting match, it's only going to make it more likely that we get caught. Come on!"
He slipped out of the alleyway and moved off up the street.
Ron followed him at once, but Hermione and Lucifer hesitated, sharing a look.
"Should we....?" She said tentatively.
"He'll get caught without us. Come on."
xxxxxx
Together they followed after the black- and red-haired boys.
They slipped inside the Three Broomsticks and moved off over to a table whilst Lucifer moved up to the bar and ordered 4 butterbeers.
He'd so wanted to say 3, but thought he should at least play nice for Harry's first Hogsmeade visit.
He carried the drinks over to the table and placed them down in front of the two sitting there and the mysterious gap that had now appeared between them.
'Any reason for the cloak or?' Lucifer asked, sitting as far along the bench as he could away from it whilst rubbing his forehead.
'Oh right, yeah... sorry,' Harry's voice came, 'I just thought it'd be better to make sure I don't get seen.'
Lucifer was about to respond when the door to the pub opened and he heard spluttering come from where the cloak was.
Professors McGonagall and Flitwick had just entered, alongside Hagrid and Cornelius Fudge.
Lucifer saw out of the corner of his eye as both Ron and Hermione pushed the invisible boy off his stool and under the desk.
Lucifer muttered under his breath, 'Mobiliarbus', causing the nearby Christmas tree to shift a few inches along, hiding them all from view.
It was a good thing he did so, because a moment later and he heard four chairs being pulled out from the table closest to them and the definite sound of Hagrid being one of those to sit down.
Then, a fifth set of footprints approached and the voice of Madam Rosmerta spoke.
'A small gillywater -'
'Mine,' said Professor McGonagall's voice.
'Four pints of mulled mead -'
'Ta, Rosmerta,' said Hagrid.
'A cherry syrup and soda with ice and umbrella -'
'Mmm!' said Professor Flitwick.
'So you'll be the red currant rum, Minister.'
'Thank you, Rosmerta, m'dear,' said Fudge's voice. 'Lovely to see you again, I must say. Have one yourself, won't you? Come and join us.'
'Well, thank you very much, Minister.'
The sound of the footsteps moved away and fell quiet, before returning again a few moments later and a fifth chair was withdrawn from the table.
'It's a good thing we stayed' Lucifer thought as he heard the teachers settling in.
He glanced across to Hermione who shared a similar look, though hers was mixed with apprehension at getting caught.
"So, what brings you to this neck of the woods, Minister?" came Madam Rosmerta's voice.
But Fudge's response came in a quiet voice, as though he was trying not to be overheard.
However, in such a crowded pub, it meant he at least had to talk loud enough that they could hear.
"What else, m'dear, but Sirius Black? I daresay you heard what happened up at the school on Halloween?'
'I did hear a rumor,' admitted Madam Rosmerta.
'Did you tell the whole pub, Hagrid?' said Professor McGonagall, sounding exasperated.
'Do you think Black's still in the area, Minister?' whispered Madam Rosmerta.
'I'm sure of it,' said Fudge shortly.
'You know that the Dementors have searched the whole village twice?' said Madam Rosmerta, a slight edge to her voice. 'Scared all my customers away. It's very bad for business, Minister.'
'Rosmerta, m'dear, I don't like them any more than you do,' said Fudge uncomfortably. 'Necessary precaution... unfortunate, but there you are. I've just met some of them, they're in a fury against Dumbledore. He won't let them inside the castle grounds.'
'I should think not,' said Professor McGonagall sharply. 'How are we supposed to teach with those horrors floating around?'
'Hear, hear!' squeaked tiny Professor Flitwick.
'All the same,' demurred Fudge, 'they are here to protect you all from something much worse... We all know what Black's capable of.'
'Do you know, I still have trouble believing it,' said Madam Rosmerta thoughtfully. 'Of all the people to go over to the Dark Side, Sirius Black was the last I'd have thought. I mean, I remember him when he was a boy at Hogwarts. If you'd told me then what he was going to become, I'd have said you'd had too much mead.'
'You don't know the half of it, Rosmerta,' said Fudge gruffly. 'The worst he did isn't widely known.'
'The worst?' said Madam Rosmerta, her voice filled with curiosity. 'Worse than murdering all those poor people, you mean?'
'I certainly do,' said Fudge.
Lucifer's stomach gave a lurch. Of course this all went deeper, why wouldn't it? Can't just be a mass murderer after Potter. There's something even worse in there.
'I can't believe that. What could possibly be worse?' said Rosmerta, aghast.
'You say you remember him at Hogwarts, Rosmerta,' Professor McGonagall muttered, 'Do you remember who his best friend was?'
'Naturally,' Madam Rosmerta said, with a small laugh. 'Never saw one without the other, did you? The number of times I had them in here, ooh, they used to make me laugh. Quite the double act, Sirius Black and James Potter!'
There was a clunk from under the table followed by a sharp intake of breath.
Lucifer closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.
This wasn't going to be good...
'Precisely,' Professor McGonagall said, 'Black and Potter. Ringleaders of their little gang. Both very bright, of course, exceptionally bright in fact, but I don't think we've ever had such a pair of troublemakers-'
'I dunno,' Hagrid chuckled, 'Fred and George Weasley could give 'em a run fer their money.'
'You'd have thought Black and Potter were brothers!' chimed in Professor Flitwick. 'Inseparable!'
'Of course they were,' said Fudge. 'Potter trusted Black beyond all his other friends. Nothing changed when they left school. Black was best man when James married Lily. Then they named him godfather to Harry. Harry has no idea, of course. You can imagine how the idea would torment him.'
'Oh boy...' Lucifer thought, staring at the chair Harry had been sat on previously.
'Because Black turned out to be in league with You-Know- Who?' Madam Rosmerta whispered.
'Worse even than that, m'dear...' Fudge dropped his voice and proceeded in a sort of low rumble. 'Not many people are aware that the Potters knew You-Know-Who was after them. Dumbledore, who was of course working tirelessly against You-Know-Who, had a number of useful spies. One of them tipped him off, and he alerted James and Lily at once. He advised them to go into hiding. Well, of course, You-Know-Who wasn't an easy person to hide from. Dumbledore told them that their best chance was the Fidelius Charm.'
'How does that work?' said Madam Rosmerta, breathless with interest.
Professor Flitwick cleared his throat.
'An immensely complex spell,' he said squeakily, 'involving the magical concealment of a secret inside a single, living soul. The information is hidden inside the chosen person, or Secret-Keeper, and is henceforth impossible to find, unless, of course, the Secret-Keeper chooses to divulge it. As long as the Secret-Keeper refused to speak, You-Know-Who could search the village where Lily and James were staying for years and never find them, not even if he had his nose pressed against their sitting room window!'
'So Black was the Potters' Secret-Keeper?' whispered Madam Rosmerta.
'Naturally,' said Professor McGonagall. 'James Potter told Dumbledore that Black would die rather than tell where they were, that Black was planning to go into hiding himself, and yet, Dumbledore remained worried. I remember him offering to be the Potters' Secret-Keeper himself.'
'He suspected Black?' gasped Madam Rosmerta.
'He was sure that somebody close to the Potters had been keeping You-Know-Who informed of their movements,' said Professor McGonagall darkly. 'Indeed, he had suspected for some time that someone on our side had turned traitor and was passing a lot of information to You-Know-Who.'
'But James Potter insisted on using Black?'
'He did,' said Fudge heavily. 'And then, barely a week after the Fidelius Charm had been performed -'
'Black betrayed them?' breathed Madam Rosmerta.
Lucifer rubbed his forehead in pain.
So, Black was coming back to finish the job was he? Two Potters weren't enough, he needed the third one as well.
'He did indeed. Black was tired of his double-agent role, he was ready to declare his support openly for You-Know-Who, and he seems to have planned this for the moment of the Potters' death. But, as we all know, You-Know-Who met his downfall in little Harry Potter. Powers gone, horribly weakened, he fled. And this left Black in a very nasty position indeed. His master had fallen at the very moment when he, Black, had shown his true colors as a traitor. He had no choice but to run for it-' said Fudge
'Filthy, stinkin' turncoat!' Hagrid said, so loudly that half the bar went quiet.
'Shh!' said Professor McGonagall.
'I met him!' growled Hagrid. 'I musta bin the last ter see him before he killed all them people! It was me what rescued Harry from Lily an' James's house after they was killed! Jus' got him outta the ruins, poor little thing, with a great slash across his forehead, an' his parents dead... an' Sirius Black turns up, on that flyin' motorbike he used ter ride. Never occurred ter me what he was doin' there. I didn' know he'd bin Lily an' James's Secret-Keeper. Thought he'd jus' heard the news o' You-Know-Who's attack an' come ter see what he could do. White an' shakin', he was. An' yeh know what I did? I COMFORTED THE MURDERIN' TRAITOR!' Hagrid roared.
Even Lucifer felt a pang for Hagrid and turned to look at Hermione who had small tears swimming in her eyes.
She turned to look back at him and whispered, "Oh... Hagrid..."
'Hagrid, please!' said Professor McGonagall. 'Keep your voice down!'
'How was I ter know he wasn' upset abou' Lily an' James? It was You-Know-Who he cared abou'! An' then he says, "Give Harry ter me, Hagrid, I'm his godfather, I'll look after him" Ha! But I'd had me orders from Dumbledore, an' I told Black no, Dumbledore said Harry was ter go ter his aunt an' uncle's. Black argued, but in the end he gave in. Told me ter take his motorbike ter get Harry there. "I won't need it anymore," he says. I shoulda known there was somethin' fishy goin' on then. He loved that motorbike, what was he givin' it ter me for? Why wouldn' he need it anymore? Fact was, it was too easy ter trace. Dumbledore knew he'd bin the Potters' Secret-Keeper. Black knew he was goin' ter have ter run fer it that night, knew it was a matter o' hours before the Ministry was after him. But what if I'd given Harry to him, eh? I bet he'd've pitched him off the bike halfway out ter sea. His bes' friends' son! But when a wizard goes over ter the Dark Side, there's nothin' and no one that matters to 'em anymore...'
A long silence followed Hagrid's story.
Then Madam Rosmerta said with some satisfaction, 'But he didn't manage to disappear, did he? The Ministry of Magic caught up with him next day!'
'Alas, if only we had,' said Fudge bitterly. 'It was not we who found him. It was little Peter Pettigrew, another of the Potters' friends. Maddened by grief, no doubt, and knowing that Black had been the Potters' Secret-Keeper, he went after Black himself.'
'Pettigrew ... that fat little boy who was always tagging around after them at Hogwarts?' said Madam Rosmerta.
'Hero-worshipped Black and Potter,' said Professor McGonagall. 'Never quite in their league, talent-wise. I was often rather sharp with him. You can imagine how I- how I regret that now...' her voice shook a little as she spoke
'There, now, Minerva,' said Fudge kindly, 'Pettigrew died a hero's death. Eyewitnesses, muggles, of course, we wiped their memories later, told us how Pettigrew cornered Black. They say he was sobbing, "Lily and James, Sirius! How could you?" And then he went for his wand. Well, of course, Black was quicker. Blew Pettigrew to smithereens...'
Professor McGonagall blew her nose and said thickly, 'Stupid boy, foolish boy... he was always hopeless at duelling, should have left it to the Ministry.'
'I tell yeh, if I'd got ter Black before little Pettigrew did, I wouldn't've messed around with wands, I'd've ripped him limb. From. Limb,' Hagrid growled.
Hermione felt herself shudder involuntarily.
Hagrid was scary when he was furious.
'You don't know what you're talking about, Hagrid,' said Fudge sharply. 'Nobody but trained Hit Wizards from the Magical Law Enforcement Squad would have stood a chance against Black once he was cornered. I was Junior Minister in the Department of Magical Catastrophes at the time, and I was one of the first on the scene after Black murdered all those people. I- I will never forget it. I still dream about it sometimes. A crater in the middle of the street, so deep it had cracked the sewer below. Bodies everywhere. Muggles screaming. And Black standing there laughing, with what was left of Pettigrew in front of him... a heap of bloodstained robes and a few- a few fragments...'
Fudge's voice stopped and there was the sound of five noses being blown.
'Well, there you have it, Rosmerta,' said Fudge thickly. 'Black was taken away by twenty members of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad and Pettigrew received the Order of Merlin, First Class, which I think was some comfort to his poor mother. Black's been in Azkaban ever since.'
Madam Rosmerta let out a long sigh. 'Is it true he's mad, Minister?'
'I wish I could say that he was,' said Fudge slowly. 'I certainly believe his master's defeat unhinged him for a while. The murder of Pettigrew and all those muggles was the action of a cornered and desperate man, cruel, pointless. Yet I met Black on my last inspection of Azkaban. You know, most of the prisoners in there sit muttering to themselves in the dark; there's no sense in them... but I was shocked at how normal Black seemed. He spoke quite rationally to me. It was unnerving. You'd have thought he was merely bored. Asked if I'd finished with my newspaper, cool as you please, said he missed doing the crossword. Yes, I was astounded at how little effect the dementors seemed to be having on him, and he was one of the most heavily guarded in the place, you know. Dementors outside his door day and night.'
'But what do you think he's broken out to do?' said Madam Rosmerta. 'Good gracious, Minister, he isn't trying to re-join You-Know-Who, is he?'
'I daresay that is his eventual plan,' said Fudge evasively.
'But we hope to catch Black long before that. I must say, You-Know-Who alone and friendless is one thing but give him back his most devoted servant, and I shudder to think how quickly he'll rise again...'
There was a small chink of glass on wood. Someone had set down their glass.
'You know, Cornelius, if you're dining with the headmaster, we'd better head back up to the castle,' said Professor McGonagall.
The sound of the chairs scraping rang through the room and a moment later they heard the door open and close.
With Lucifer staring at the back of Fudge's head, while he repeated the spell, sending the Christmas tree out the way.
'Harry?'
He looked around at how softly Hermione had spoken and followed her and Ron's gaze under the table where he saw Harry, cloak wrapped down around his shoulders so only his head was visible, and shaking with suppressed rage.
"And they apparently decided that was a perfectly reasonable thing to not tell him?"
"Lucifer, you know they were just trying to protect him!"
"And what? Now we need to deal with a Potter who wants to charge down every door looking for Black because he's found out what he did?"
Lucifer and Hermione stood in the Hogwarts grounds. They had just returned from Hogsmeade.
Harry had slipped back into the Honeydukes cellar and Ron had almost sprinted ahead to get away from the duo.
Lucifer was pacing back and forth. He wasn't angry at Hermione. Far from it, he just needed to vent.
'The most we can do now is be there for him,' she said reassuringly, placing a hand on his shoulder so Lucifer's pacing slowed.
'Sorry…' He said with a sigh, turning his eyes towards the Forbidden Forest. "Just always seems like things happen to us because our 'elders' decide it's not an important enough detail until the wrong moment. Hagrid's involvement with the Chamber, Quirrell almost got the stone, and now this. I get they don't owe us anything, but the lack of forthcoming information keeps almost getting you killed."
"Believe me, I know," Hermione's voice was so soft, so shaky, that Lucifer turned to look at her.
The frustration he felt at the teachers was fading away. "I've almost lost you two years in a row now. And we've only been here for two years. First to Manticore and then the Basilisk. If not for you being a descendant-'
Hermione paused. Took a deep breath and then pushed on.
'-I know how you feel. Because I feel it too. But getting frustrated at the teachers won't help us. We need to just get on with things and stay out of it. Black should be left to the teachers."
"So were Riddle and Quirrell and that was still left to us…" Lucifer muttered under his breath.
xxxxxx
For the first day of break, Hermione and Lucifer were working on their homework; more so Hermione because Lucifer got most of his work done after coming back from Hogsmeade.
Ron was eating Peppermint Toads and massaging his stomach. They were the only ones in the Common Room, as most everyone else had left for the holidays.
Harry had eventually come down, moments before Lunch was to be served, "Where is everyone?" He asked as he descended the steps.
"Gone. It's the holidays, remember?" Ron asked him.
Harry slumped into a chair near the fire, but instantly shot up again
when a cat spat angrily at him.
Eve jumped off the chair, and curled up beside the sofa where Lucifer and Hermione were sitting.
Crookshanks, who had gotten up from his resting spot in front of the fire after he heard Eve's squeal in distress.
He started licking the top of Eve's head to comfort her.
While Hermione peered anxiously into Harry's face, "You don't look well, you know..."
"Well, I found out that Sirius Black gave up my parents to Voldemort-"
"Don't say the name!" Ron interjected.
"- and that's why he most likely escaped Azkaban. To finish what his Master started!" Harry was angry, shaking from his anger.
"Harry, you mustn't go after Black," Hermione said in vain.
Lucifer didn't expect Harry to just let this go, "She's right. You shouldn't go after him," he said.
"I heard dad say what they found of Peter Pettigrew after Black murdered him; a finger, that's the largest bit of him they found, a finger!" Ron said, shuddering slightly.
"Potter, I advise you to not go after him. Black's very clearly a better duelist than you are, he will not hesitate to kill you," Lucifer said, reminding Harry how much better Black is than him with a wand.
Harry remained quiet, however.
He looked at all of them; Lucifer felt like the look was one of misunderstandings on their part.
Harry then broke his silence, "D'you know what I see and hear every time a Dementor gets too near me?" Ron and Hermione shook their heads, but
Lucifer had an idea, and Harry confirmed it for him.
"I can hear my mum screaming and pleading with Voldemort. And if you'd heard your mum screaming like that, just about to be killed, you wouldn't forget it in a hurry. And if you found out someone who was supposed to be a friend of hers betrayed her and sent Voldemort after her-"
"There's nothing you can do!" Hermione said, looking stricken, "The Dementors will catch Black and - and he'll go back to Azkaban!"
Hermione didn't even sound so sure of it herself.
"You heard what Fudge said! Black isn't affected by Azkaban like normal people are! It's not a punishment for him like it is for the others," Harry explained before he turned his attention to Lucifer, "What about you? What do you hear from them?"
Lucifer looked down; he knew what Harry was trying to do, "Our situations.... are not comparable, Potter."
"What do you hear?" Harry asked again.
Lucifer sneered at him with a bored look, "I hear nothing."
Harry obviously didn't believe a single word, "Then, what about your parents Lucifer? You never talk about them! Why is that?!"
"I am not welcome there."
The three of them were silent; not expecting that, and not knowing how to continue after that.
Lucifer looked back at Harry, and said in a clear voice, "Revenge for you will only end in your death."
"Malfoy said it himself in Potions class that one day, 'If it were me, I'd want revenge,," Harry said in response.
"So, you're going to take Malfoy's advice instead of ours?!" Ron asked furiously.
Harry ignored him.
"Malfoy's dad must've told him, he was right in Voldemort's inner circle, so obviously, the Malfoys knew Black was working for-and Malfoy'd love to see you blown into about a million pieces, like Pettigrew! Get a grip, Malfoy's just hoping you'll get yourself killed so he doesn't have to play you at Quidditch!" Ron yelled.
"Harry, please," Hermione began, her eyes shining with tears, "please be sensible. Black did a terrible, terrible thing, but d-don't put yourself in danger, it's what Black wants... oh, Harry, you'd be playing right into Black's hands if you went looking for him. Your mum and dad wouldn't want you to get hurt, would they? They'd never want you to go looking for Black!"
"I'll never know what they'd have wanted because, thanks to Black, I've never spoken to them," Harry said shortly.
"So you're really going to go find Black anyway? Even though there is a one-hundred percent chance he will kill you without hesitation?" Lucifer asked, but Harry didn't answer.
"Look," Ron said, obviously casting around for a change of subject, "it's the holidays! It's nearly Christmas! Let's - let's go down and see Hagrid. We haven't visited him for ages!"
Hermione was about to object, but then decided against it.
Harry looked privy to the idea, "Yeah, let's go," he sat up, "and I can ask him how come he never mentioned Black when he told me all about my parents!"
Ron went wide-eyed, clearly not what he intended.
He tried to deter Harry from going down, but he was adamant about going down now, so they all got their Cloaks from their dormitories and set off through the portrait hole, ignoring Cadogan's raving, and down the empty Castle and out through the oak front doors.
They made their way slowly down the lawn, making a shallow trench in the glittering, powdery snow, their socks and the hems of their cloaks soaked and freezing.
The Forbidden Forest looked as though it had been enchanted, each tree muttered with silver, and Hagrid's cabin looked like an iced cake.
Ron knocked, but no one answered.
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Author's Note
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