Chapter 58: The story of Black and Potter

Holidays were very near. The Gryffindor Quidditch team were practising very hard for their much-awaited match with the Slytherins.

Two weeks before the end of term, the sky lightened suddenly to a dazzling, opaline white and the muddy grounds were revealed one morning covered in glittering frost. Inside the castle, there was a buzz of Christmas in the air. Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, 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. Chris decided to stay, her father asked her to stay in Hogwarts for the Christmas as he couldn't come back from his business trip. Chris liked the Christmas in Hogwarts, so she was happy to stay.

The day before everyone leaves for Holidays, Chris, Ginny and Colin were talking about the Quidditch matches. Colin had taken lots of photos and Ginny and Chris were looking at them.

"This picture is really good Colin. I'm looking a perfect chaser in it." Ginny grinned.

"I like this one more. It has all of us, look. The entire Gryffindor team." Chris showed a picture.

Ginny smiled and picked up another one. "Well, It's funny."

"What?" Chris asked curiously.

"Look at this, it's Crookshanks, Hermione's cat," Ginny answered giving Chris the picture.

"You've taken pictures of Hermione's cat? Colin, you're crazy." Chris grinned too as she took the picture but as soon as she looked at it, her smile disappeared. The picture was Crookshanks', indeed but there was another figure beside him, a big black dog. The thing everyone believed as the grim. The dog was sitting beside Crookshanks, it was the rainy day when Harry's accident happened. Before Chris could say anything the Common room's door opened and the seniors walked in from their Hogsmeade trip. Fred and George were giving them few weird looking candy when Harry, Ron and Hermione came in. 

Hermione was looking sad, Ron looked confused (like, he didn't know how he should feel) and Harry was looking completely lost. Harry walked towards boys dormitory and went upstairs. Hermione bit her lip and sat down.

"Everything ok Hermione?" Chris asked.

Hermione looked at her then nodded.

Chris didn't push it. She slipped the picture of Crookshanks', between her selected pictures and picked them up. 

"I'm taking all of these. Ginny, you can take the rest." Chris said and Ginny nodded. Then she went upstairs towards her room.

Next Morning almost everyone left. Ginny wanted to stay with Chris but her mother asked her to come, so Chris insisted her to go. Chris said bye to her friends and came back and sat in the common room. A few minutes later Ron entered the common room.

"Hey, Chris!" Ron said sitting on a chair.

"Hey!" Chris noticed Ron was still looking very down. "Everything alright?"

"Huh?" Ron asked startled.

"Everything ok, Ron? You three are looking very disturbed from yesterday."

"Oh! Yeah, about that. . ."

Chris raised her eyebrows. "About what?"

Ron sighed. 

"Yesterday Harry sneaked into Hogsmeade. We were having fun together then —"

"Ron?" Hermione came down. She was looking shocked.

"What? She can help us with this situation, why not?" Ron said to Hermione.

Hermione looked troubled for a moment then nodded.

"Fine." She sat down. "We went to three broomsticks yesterday, where we heard Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Hagrid, Minister of Magic and Madam Rosmerta talking." Chris nodded seriously, Hermione continued, "They were talking about Sirius Black and —" Hermione's voice cracked, so Ron completed the line, "And Harry's parents."

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"Harry's parents? They have got a connection with Black?" Chris asked surprised.

"Yes. A big one. They were best friends, Harry's father and Sirius Black. . . He is Harry's godfather." Ron sighed again.

"He betrayed them. He told You-Know-Who their location." Hermione was about to cry.

"Wait. Wait. Tell me from the beginning. It's doesn't make any sense." Chris said.

"Everything started when they were in school, like us," Ron said.

Hermione shouted looking teary-eyed, "Ron!"

"What? We'll never betray Harry like that." Ron snapped.

"Still — it feels weird," Hermione said quietly.

"Guys, back to the point?" Chris said.

"Oh! Yes, so they were best friends in school. Sirius Black, Harry's Dad and a boy named Peter Pettigrew." Ron said.

"Professor Flitwick said, Sirius Black was like a brother to Harry's father. Even at their wedding, he was the best man." Tears were leaking from Hermione's eyes. "When Dumbledore's spy told Dumbledore that You-Know-Who is after Harry, Dumbledore asked them to go in hiding and told them to use the Fidelius Charm. . . it involves 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 couldn't have found them."

"And Black was their secret keeper. He told You-Know-Who about their location and then —" Ron stopped.

"Dumbledore himself wanted to be the secret keeper but Harry's father refused. He trusted Black."

"Fudge, the Minister said that 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 Harry's parents' death. But, as we all know, You-Know-Who went down after meeting little Harry. That left Black in a very nasty position. His Master had fallen at the very moment when he had shown his true colours as a traitor."

"Hagrid was the one who rescued Harry from there. . . he said that Black came there in his motorbike and asked Hagrid to give him Harry, but Hagrid refused as he had Dumbledore's orders. Then he gave Hagrid his motorbike so no one can track him."

"Peter Pettigrew went there and cornered him, asked him about his betrayal and he blew him in pieces. He had only a finger left, the muggles saw that. 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 blood-stained robes and a few — a few fragments. . . Fudge saw this."

"Trained Hit Wizards from the Magical Law Enforcement Squad stood a chance against Black once he was cornered. At last, Black was taken away by twenty members of the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol and Pettigrew received the Order of Merlin, First Class." Hermione finished.

There was a long pause, Hermione was sobbing.

Chris took a few deep breaths then spoke, "So, Harry heard everything?"

"Yes. After that, he didn't talk. I'm worried about him." Hermione said. "We've to tell him not to go after Black. We've to stop him."

"I agree. He'll be very angry and don't know what," Ron said and ate a few Peppermint Toads.

"Let's act normal. Then — Harry will come down and we'll talk to him." Hermione said and went towards her room.

"Do you know Chris, Fudge said, the Dementors didn't affect him. He was very normal in Azkaban, people go mad there but he — he was asking for Fudge's newspaper for crosswords. It's unbelievable because his cell is most guarded one by Dementors —" Ron stopped then said with a scared voice, "Everyone fears, if he joined You-Know-Who before the Dementors can catch him then You-Know-Who will rise in his power soon and Harry —"

Hermione came back with lots of books. She set them on the table and opened her different Homeworks.

"Er. . . Hermione, how many subjects you have got this year?" Chris asked looking at those books.

"Many, why?" Hermione said.

"Nothing. You're really talented." Chris said. Chris had never been a book person. She couldn't read books this much if it's not necessary. She always focused on class and tried to base her knowledge of understanding, not on books.