AN: Hiya. Life's a bitch sometimes. Hopefully reading makes it a little better to you guys. Love and prayers go out to the families who lost innocents in Manchester, and love and prayers for the innocent Muslim families accused for something they didn't do and are mourning like the rest of us.
Chapter 9
She should've screamed, or at least backed away. However, Izzy did neither of those things. She shut down the tiny flicker of fear that would've drowned out any rational thought and instead stood up smoothly, attempting to connect the lovable dog to the convicted criminal before her.
He can't have transfigured himself, I didn't see a wand...an Animagus. Of course. That must be how he escaped, too.
She stared at the hollow face, and realized that she wasn't repulsed, or even angry at the man said to have killed 12 muggles. All she had was longing for her old friend back, the reality where the dog was simply just a dog. With a start, she noticed that he had been talking.
"...do it. It wasn't me, you must know that. Please consider that before you go to your head," he ran a hand through his hair. "McGonagall was always quite strict as it is," he laughed.
Izzy found only one thing to respond to. "My head of house is Professor Snape."
His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "But you're a muggleborn, and you tell stories about the Weasley's, they're in Gryffindor, are they not?"
Izzy nodded. "I am a muggleborn. In Slytherin. Why do you think my only friends are in Gryffindor?" She raised an eyebrow of her own. Some part of her was in disbelief that she was having a civil conversation with Sirius Black, of all people.
His eyes held understanding. "So, you won't tell?"
She crossed her arms. "Give me proof."
Sirius hesitated for a moment, which Izzy took to her advantage. "Expelliarmus." His wand flew out into her hand. "Just in case," she spoke gently, sitting down.
"Understandable. Do you know the story, that I killed 12 people? Well, that's a load of shi - erm, dung. It started back when James, Peter, Remus, and I-" Izzy cut him off. "Remus? As in Lupin?"
Sirius nodded in confirmation. "Yes. We all used to be the best of friends, even as the war came against You-Know-Who. I was named Harry Potter's godfather after he was born. We encouraged James and Lily to go into hiding, using the Fidelius to make sure no one found out, and I was the Secret-Keeper. However, there was a snitch, I suspected it to be Remus, and so without telling anyone but Dumbledore, I gave up my position to Peter. You can imagine how much I regret that now." Despair clouded his sunken eyes.
"He was the snitch, wasn't he," Izzy murmured, not really asking but rather asking for confirmation to something she already knew.
He nodded. "And when I went to confront him, he stopped me in the middle of a muggle street, saying a load of nonsense about me killing James and Lily. He held his wand behind his back, and killed those poor people, and then Animagi-ed himself into a rat after cutting off his finger."
"All they ever found of him was a finger," Izzy whispered in sick realization. "But, that would mean a rat is running around without a finger, and that's imposs…" her voice trailed off as a certain rat popped into her mind.
"Scabbers," she breathed. "Ron Weasley's rat, Scabbers - that's Peter. But, he's been missing for awhile, Ron practically broadcasts that Crookshanks-"
"Oh, yes, the cat," Sirius recognizes, "Yes, he's been trying to catch Peter for quite some time now for me. He's taken rather a liking to me, in my dog form at least," Sirius sheepishly scratched his neck.
Izzy shook her head disbelievingly. "Yes well, Crookshanks apparently 'ate' Scabb - erm, Peter. Ron found blood stains and Crookshanks' hair on his bedsheets."
Sirius growled savagely, making Izzy wonder if being a dog for so long addled the human mind afterwards. "Of course. Classic Peter, he's a master at faking his own death."
Izzy nodded, and for a long while, no words were spoken between the two; only the comfortable yet slightly worried silence sat midst the two. Sirius had the same air of thoughtfulness and deep sadness, dog or human.
"How can I help?" Izzy said finally, voice dry.
A pause. "You can't," Sirius glanced up warily. "I already am indebted to you for caring for me, and I'm grateful, but there's nothing you can do. This is how Peter stayed alive for as long as he did; the damn coward hides. I'll find him though." Sirius had so much hatred and sorrow in his voice that she couldn't help feel an ache in her heart for him.
Izzy took a deep breath. "It's getting late, the teachers will be out soon. You should get going," she stood up.
Sirius responded by wordlessly transforming back into Padfoot. She led him out into the night, and then promptly passed out from exhaustion as soon as she returned to the Slytherin dorms.
"Oh they've caught Sirius Black, the Daily Prophet must hear of this…"
Izzy stopped dead in her tracks as she heard the Minister's muttering as he came up the hallway to the infirmary. She had been released early in the morning near two because during the Potions final, Pansy had dreadfully made her Calming Concoction into a violent mass of bubbling blue goop, which had spattered all over Izzy the next table over. Some of it even got into her potion, which she hastily attempted to fix, refusing to go to the infirmary(despite the blue pimples that began to pop up everywhere) until her Calming Concoction was the proper translucent shade of light blue.
She had seen Harry, Ron, and Hermione passed out on the cots but had thought nothing of it; who could blame her, Madame Pomfrey practically expected them at least thrice a term. Though, considering the Trio's reputation, it would be no surprise if they were with Sirius too, on the night he was caught, that too, she thought grimly, and crept back to the infirmary, careful not to draw the attention of the Minister.
Izzy groaned the moment she stepped inside. "Something...something burns,"
Madame Pomfrey rushed over and helped her to a cot. A flicker of success bloomed in her stomach, somewhat subduing the growing anxiety that she would no longer be having midnight meetings with Padfoot.
The Minister, Professor Dumbledore, and Professor Snape marched into the hospital. Izzy noted through one eye that Snape looked perhaps the most savagely happy she had ever seen him.
Apparently, Harry and Hermione had noticed too, since they both jumped up, saying Sirius was innocent. They talked about the same story Sirius had told her, and her heart leapt with hope: Dumbledore would believe them, and Sirius wouldn't get the Dementor's Kiss.
Snape nearly growled, talking nonsense about how Black had imperious-ed them well. Anger bubbled beneath the surface, and the noise died down as the Minister and Snape left to go witness the kiss being bestowed on Sirius. Dumbledore spoke in hushed tones to Hermione and Harry, and Izzy felt a bubble of bitterness, that she wasn't to help him, her friend. Dumbledore exited the infirmary. She sneaked a glance, and no Harry and Hermione.
She let her guard down, and thought she may as well get some sleep while she could. However, the next moment, Harry and Hermione burst into the infirmary, looking worse for wear, and plopped into their cots, seemingly waiting for something.
That question was answered within minutes, when Snape's outraged roar echoed throughout the grounds, followed by Snape himself marching into the infirmary, followed by a bewildered Fudge and a practically skipping Dumbledore. "YOU!" he pointed a finger at Harry, proceeding to blame Harry for the escape of Sirius Black. The word bounced around her mind.
Escape. Escape. Escape. He's free now.
After an incredulous Madame Pomfrey shooed the men out of the infirmary so as to take care of her patients, Izzy shot out of bed, walking to the Trio.
"Hello, Izzy," Hermione spoke politely, after nudging Harry to get his attention.
"Is Sirius alright?" Izzy asked, practically shaking.
Shock mirrored on their facing. "How do you-"
"I took care of Sirius for half a term as Padfoot, but he revealed himself and told me everything a month or so ago," Izzy explained impatiently. "Now answer me instead of gaping like fish, is Sirius alright? What happened? Is Pettigrew dead?"
The two exchanged glances, trying to see if they could trust her or not.
"He's safe. He went off with Buckbeak, and no, Pettigrew is alive." That last bit seemed to be a tender point for Harry, as he had to force the words out.
She nodded slowly, taking in the information. "Oh. Please, erm, please tell him that Izzy says hello, and that I hope he's alright, if you'll be in touch with him. He was a good friend."
Izzy said no more and didn't look back when she strode out of the dormitory, feeling suddenly hollow instead of joy. I'm selfish, so so selfish, she thought, because though she was happy he had escaped, bitterness coated her tongue like glue that yet another friend she had was gone, gone and the only person he cared about was Harry.
