The Forgotten Room

Harry walked through the thick crowds of bustling people, most of whom were wizards and witches. He could have apparated to 12 Grimmauld place, but Hermione had said it would be better if people could see him and he had, unfortunately, agreed to it. Quite a few people stopped to speak to Harry, to praise him for how well he did in the battle, wanting to know how exactly he had killed Voldermort. He smiled and nodded through it all, not listening to what they were really saying but wanting to only be alone.

1

He was exhausted from the long week of events that had followed the battle of Hogwarts. They'd had to bury the dead, treat the ill and those who were well enough had to the hardest job of all. They had to rebuild Hogwarts, which was a long, tedious job as the death eaters had put a fair share of dark magic into the grounds. Harry remembered, how it had seemed like the castle had been working against them. How it had resisted every new stone, every new spell.

Finally Harry walked away from the wizards and witches. He walked down Grimmauld place, stopping between numbers 11 and 13. He looked directly at 12 Grimmauld place and wondered what the muggles would see when he walked through an apparently normal brick wall. Until he remembered that he had once not been able to see 13 Grimmauld place. Quickly, so as not to arouse suspicion he gained speed, like he did at kings cross station, he walked in through the door of his house.

A ghostly figure of Albus Dumbledore floated down the hall shouting "You. Killed. Me". After the tongue-rolling spell wore off Harry managed to choke out the words "I didn't kill you", after a second or so he mumbled "Snape didn't either".

He had wondered if the spell would have worn off after Snape's death, but it appeared that Moody's spell didn't end, even after Snape's death. Harry carefully stepped around the troll-leg umbrella stand, which Tonks had knocked over on so many occasions. Making a mental note to himself to ask Hermione about the spell later.

Harry stared around the hallway of 12 Grimmauld Place remembering all the times he had come here, how he, Ron and Hermione had led Yaxley here, after there 'adventure' at the Ministry. But, even now he still felt haunted from the memories of his time here with Sirius... so many people had died since Sirius, Harry thought with a pang of regret. Lupin, Fred, Tonks, Mad- eye Moody, Dobby, Colin Creevy, Snape- Harry's thoughts were interrupted by the painting of Sirius's mother.

"Blood- traitor, half- blood, abomination to my fathers' house!", she screamed loudly.

Harry spared a glance at her face, before he wrenched the curtains over her painting. This was the end of it all Harry thought determinedly, Voldermort was gone along with the majority of the death-eaters. People would be able to walk around without fear that they would be murdered. Diagon Alley would be bright and sunny, filled with chattering people, the way that it used to be, the way it should be.

He felt like all he needed was a nice, home cooked meal, they hadn't had a feast at Hogwarts because the house-elf's had been busy cleaning. He thought wistfully of Mrs Weasleys cooking, until he remembered Kreacher, he would have finished cleaning at Hogwarts by now. "

"Umm, Kreacher, err I need you, you can come back from Hogwarts now…please" Harry said, tacking on a please at the end, after thinking of Hermione.

Within a few seconds Kreacher had disapparated into the hallway of 12 Grimmauld place. "Hello Kreacher, do you think you can make me some food?" Harry asked tentatively, after all the last time Harry had seen Kreacher, he had led Yaxley to him.

"Yes master, of course there will be a roast casserole ready soon, after you take off your cloak and your shoes". Harry smiled a small smile, then removed his shoes and hung his cloak in the closet. He then walked up the stairs to the room he and Ron had shared a few years ago, a few years which had felt like a life time.

Deep in thought, Harry was shocked when he heard a voice muttering. After looking up, he realised that it was only the painting of Phineas Nigellus Black, Sirius's great- great grandfather and the once headmaster of Hogwarts. Hermione had restored his painting to his original place after the battle of Hogwarts. Harry ignored Phineas's taunting and put away his clothes. Until, Phineas said something that made Harry's blood turn cold. "He left something for you, you know? He never told anyone, because he thought he was something special, my good-for-nothing great- great grandson". "What, what did he leave for me tell me" Harry said without taking a breath. "Ah, not so quick to dismiss me now, are you. Well I am in a good mood so I may as well tell you", he said quite cheerily. Harry waited, Phineas was quiet for a few seconds, and then he spoke. "He didn't like me, he didn't like anybody. He kept to himself. But I caught him going up there one day; he made me swear not to tell anybody, though… So I can't tell you". Harry swore, there went Phineas's 'good mood'. He tried thinking of something that would change the old headmasters mind, but before he thought of something good to say, Phineas spoke. "But, and I'm only telling you this because you defeated him, the house elf knew and the house elf like you a hell of a lot better than he liked Sirius black" he said haughtily. Harry didn't spare the portrait a second, instead he ran out of the room and down the stairs. He wrenched open the door to the kitchen, before stopping to gasp for breath. "Kreacher, listen carefully. I want you to tell me everything you know about a secret that Sirius kept", said Harry.

Kreacher looked rather worried and started rambling, like he did when Hermione questioned him on the locket 'Kreacher is sorry, Master Sirius told Kreacher to tell Master Harry, but Kreacher didn't'.

'What did Sirius tell you, to tell me Kreacher', Harry asked, starting to loose patience

Kreacher answered in a trembling tones 'Master Sirius told me to tell Master Harry that Master Sirius hated his bedroom and so he found a room, long forgotten by Mistress Black, and put something very important in there which he wanted only to show to you'. Harry was now full of renewed interest 'Show me Kreacher, show me where it is'.

After leading Harry up two flights of stairs and into the dusty attic, which Harry hadn't known had existed. Kreacher stopped to face a dusty wall then to Harry's utter bewilderment he rubbed at it with his, now dusty, cloth rag until some faint words were visible 'Sirius', yet Kreacher still continued to rub until an out line of a door was visible.

'Kreacher cannot enter, Master Sirius put an enchantment on the door so that only people that Master Sirius would want to enter, could'.

Kreacher then walked down the stairs, out of the attic. Cautiously, Harry turned the door knob and entered the surprisingly spacious room. There was an old dusty wooden desk overflowing with parchment after parchment, along the wall there were several pictures of Sirius, Remus Lupin, his dad and… Wormtail.

Harry glanced towards the desk and spotted a journal. The last journal that Harry had held had been a Horocrux of Tom Riddle, therefore upon spotting this journal Harry gave an involuntarily step back.

But, knowing from instinct that Sirius would not want to harm him, he picked up the journal and flicked through it at random until he landed on a page at the end, he began to read.

James and lily are dead. I can't believe it, it was Wormtail, he sold them to Voldermort, and everyone thinks it's me as if I would be coward enough to do that. But of course we switched keeper without anyone knowing. It was my idea, so it's my fault. I thought that He would think that it was me, nobody would have ever guessed it was Peter. He must have been so happy, he was always the weak one, he always hid in me, Prongs and Moony's shadow. It's still a shock though, my best friend was killed by another friend! Even Moony doesn't want to talk to me anymore, I see the way that he looks at me, he's disgusted. But so am I. But there's still hope He is gone and Harry is still alive. Harry, he looks like James, so much it's surprising and has Lily's eyes. Even though he's my Godson he's going to live with Lily's sister, Petunia, on Dumbledore's orders.

It was a weird feeling, seeing his name written down on this over 10 years old page of parchment. Harry continued reading, this was what Sirius had wanted him to find he was sure of it.

I got a letter today from the ministry I'm not going to have a trial and will probably end up in Azkaban, not because of James and Lily death they can't prove anything about that, they think that I killed Wormtail… as if I was lucky enough. Before James died he sent me a letter. It said that there was a secret… a secret that nobody knew. But they decided to tell me, only me and one other new of it. The letter from James is at the end of this journal.

Harry quickly flicked through the journal to the last page, there was no letter there… only blank parchment. Harry wondered if someone else had been in this room before Harry… other than Sirius. Maybe Mundungus Fletcher, no it couldn't have been Mundungus, he would have taken everything.

I'm just being paranoid, Harry thought rationally. Anybody who wanted to take the letter couldn't have because of the enchantment put on the door.

But even so he was sure this was what he needed to find. But what help was it to him without the secret? He stowed the diary carefully into his pocket. He was curious about the other pages, but it wasn't right to read Sirius' private thoughts.

Shaking away his doubts, Harry turned and strode out of the room.