It's been a little over a week since Pansy told me what she knew. Since no rumours had gone around I assumed that Pansy kept Draco quiet. I was walking towards the courtyard to meet up with all my friends when I saw Draco leaning against the wall talking to Crabbe. Draco hadn't tried to talk to me in a while so I assumed that part of my life was over. I thought I could walk past him no problem but of course, I was wrong.
"Hey, Ashlee!" Draco called waving over to me. I rolled my eyes but stopped to hear what he had to say none the less. "Next trip to Hogsmeade, you want to go with me?"
"No." I said bluntly and started walking towards my friends again.
"But, I heard Pansy yelling-" Draco started but I cut him right off.
"She was being possessive." I said walking away from him quickly.
I made it to the courtyard without any more unexpected delays. There was only our group of friends and a couple people walking in the courtyard due to the brisk weather. We liked to sit in the quiet where no one could hear our conversations. I smiled and sat down with them shivering at the feeling of the cold ground on my bum. Everyone had mitts and tuques on to protect ourselves from the cold. Everyone was laughing when I arrived except for Harry who had just returned from practice. Seamus was definitely right about Oliver working them into the ground. I was sat in between Dean and Parvati who were both deep in the conversation about Hermione Granger.
"She's in my class! I was partnered with her for goodness sake!" Parvati fought and Dean just shook his head.
"Do you really need to have this argument again?" I asked raising an eyebrow and trying to ignore the silly faces Seamus was making at me.
"We'll have it repeatedly until you all drop this silly game." Parvati said while she crossed her arms. "I know she's in my class."
"Can we just-" I started but Dean put his hand over my mouth.
"If you say agree to disagree your going to get a visit from the twins." Dean muttered threateningly but also jokingly. He pulled his hand away from my mouth slowly.
"I have nothing to say then." I laughed and everyone but Parvati chuckled. "Oh come on Par, lighten up a little." She huffed but nodded and uncrossed her arms.
"Let's just drop it then." Parvati suggested and everyone nodded. "So Harry, how's Wood?" Harry let out a groan at the mention of the captains name.
"He's one plan away from being maniacal." Harry groaned and everyone laughed.
"He just really wants the cup." Lavender said patting Harry on the back.
"The cup I can help him get but trust me, that's not all the help he needs." Harry laughed and we all joined in on the laugh. "But I hope we win. Wood's earned it."
"Yeah, I've never seen a bloke work so hard on anything." Seamus said leaning his hands back on the cool grass.
"Agreed." Harry muttered playing with the bottom of his sleeve.
"I think you'll take it." Lavender said smiling at Harry who gave a small smile in return.
I looked up and saw Hermione walking past us. No one paid much attention but I couldn't shake a weird feeling from my body. I looked over at her retreating form and made the split second decision to follow her. I quickly raced after her and ignored the group calling my name. I yelled an excuse without looking back at them. When I caught up to her I put my hand on her shoulder. She jumped slightly but turned around. He just stared at me for a minute before raising an amused eyebrow.
"You're not carrying around your boulder of a knapsack." I commented seeing her arms were free of any type of books.
"I just returned a whole stack to the library. I swear the librarian fears when I go in there." Hermione said smiling a little and I could tell she'd gotten a lot more sleep then when I last talked to her.
"She just fears the other students won't get the books they need." I joked and Hermione laughed and we both stopped and looked behind Hermione when her name was called.
"I have to go." Hermione said walking towards the short black haired boy that called her.
"Wait!" I said reaching out for her again and she turned and looked at me patiently.
"What class are you in?" I asked her and she didn't falter.
"What do you mean?" She asked coolly.
"You know what I mean." I retorted and she looked at me and swallowed hard.
"Hermione!" The boy called and she turned around and undoubtedly mouthed something to him. I didn't know what.
"I have to go." Hermione said to me again and rushed off with the boy.
I started walking back towards the courtyard but my friends were no where in sight when I got there. Not that I minded, however. I needed to have a think. I walked to the middle of the courtyard and sat down. When I was sure no one else was around I laid back on the grass. The cold, and sharp grass blades pricked the back of my neck. The cold snuck its way into the gap between my glove and sleeve causing the cold to creep up my arm. I tried to think of somethin else to distract myself. Tomorrow was the next trip to Hogsmeade. The perfect opportunity to get my Christmas shopping done.
I needed to think about what I was goin to do. I had to focus. I sat thinking about Harry and Black for at least twenty minutes. Should I tell him? I've known for a while. But what if I'm wrong and this is some ploy of Draco's? What if Harry gets depressed and it turns out to be untrue? All these thought were bouncing around in my head at once preventing me from making a rational decision. When I thought I had been thinking long enough I decided to go find my friends. It had been a while and I assume Seamus was about to plan a search party to find me.
"Ashlee Longbottom." I heard a stern voice behind me and turned to see Seamus standing there pointing a finger at me. "We do not rush off while a murderer could be lurking about."
"Yes mum." I sassed and turned to begin walking to the common room to have a sit by the roaring fire.
"Seriously. When you rushed off I nearly had an anxiety attack." Seamus said walking alongside me.
"I just wanted to talk to Hermione." I said not slowing my pace.
"You could have said that." Seamus reasoned and I rolled my eyes.
"She was getting away." I joked and Seamus grabbed my elbow pulling me to a harsh stop.
"You fill me with worry every single year. And you dropped the bomb that Black could be trying to blast Harry and you haven't told him. It's been a week. If he finds out-"
I was tired of hearing him rant about my safety as he seems to do every year. I cut him off by pressing my lips to his softly. He immediately stopped talking. When I pulled back moments he looked stunned but also happy. He was smirking and I peeked around to see that there was no one around to have seen us.
"Do you, want to go to Hogsmeade with me? I mean, with me." Seamus asked not taking his eyes off of me.
"I'd like that, Shay." I said smiling at him.
The next day at Hogsmeade Seamus and I had snuck away from the rest of the group when they went to get ice cream. Who wants ice cream when you need to leave the castle in scarves and mitts anyway? Seamus and I walked over to Tomes and Scrolls thanks to my suggestion. When we walked in Hermione rushed passed with a forced wave and smile. It didn't surprise anyone that she was walking out of the bookshop cradling a few books. The store was basically empty, assuming that most of their business didn't include students right before vacation. Seamus led me over to the part of the store filled with different spells. He picked one up and examined it. I stood on the tips of my toes and peeked over his shoulder. When I realized it was a fire spell I snatched it from his hand.
"You should consider some sort of water spell. Everyone knows you need it." I joked putting the spell back on the shelf.
He faked a look of shock. He dropped the face and laughed making the book keeper glare at him. Seamus and I looked around the shop for a while before I settled on a potions book that wasn't assigned during any year of Hogwarts. When Seamus wasn't looking I snatched a book about the Irish Quidditch teams and hid it under my larger book. Luckily Seamus didn't see. Seamus chuckled at my choice but followed me up to check out anyway. When I paid for the books we left the shop and decided to go get Harry's present.
Seamus and I walked over to Honeydukes which was as full as it always is. We walked over to the side and were looking at different candies.
"What about this one?" Seamus asked picking up a flamethrower lolly.
"It's supposed to seer your tongue. Merry Christmas, enjoy your third degree burns!" I joked and made him set it back on the shelf. "Maybe cockroaches."
"Definitely not." A voice said behind us and we turned to see Harry standing there smiling.
"What are you doing here?" Seamus asked looking him up and down for his cloak.
"Uhm, I'll tell you somewhere else." Harry said looking around at the crowd.
"Yeah, let's go to the three broomsticks. After candy." Seamus said smiling and I was happy that Seamus wasn't annoyed at Harry's arrival.
Harry nodded and wandered around the shop looking as if he was filled to the rim with glee. Seamus winked at me from where he was standing and went off to go pick out some candy. I grabbed a few different things off the shelves for my other friends. I walked over to see Harry and Seamus waiting on me so I paid and rushed over to them. I walked between them happy that Harry could join us. Seamus didn't seem to mind either. Usually he gets aggravated and testy when this kind of thing happens so I wondered if he even considered this a date. I did.
We walked into the three broomsticks and sat at the first available seat without checking the surroundings. I sat alone on my side of the booth while Harry and Seamus sat across from me. We heard Madam Rosmerta's heels clicking against the floorboards. We heard her list off drinks but ignored it. Although, McGonagall's voice caught us off guard. All of our eyes widened and Harry ducked behind a menu.
"Lovely to see you again, I must say. Have one yourself, won't you? Come and join us..." We heard Fudge say and Seamus and I shared a woeful look. Harry was going to get caught.
"Well, thank you very much, Minister." Rosemerta said leaving the table only to return a moment later with a drink of her own.
We were right behind them as they began to talk. My heart was racing and as if Seamus knew he rested his hand on top of mine slightly calming me. I smiled at him and he pulled his hand away again to try and focus on the conversation.
"So, what brings you to this neck of the woods, Minister?" Rosemerta asked bluntly.
"What else, m'dear, but Sirius Black? I daresay you heard what happened up at the school on Halloween?" Flitwicks voice floated over to us and Seamus sucked in a breathe.
"I did hear a rumour." Rosemerta admitted.
"Did you tell the whole pub, Hagrid?" McGonagall asked with an airy voice. Hagrid was here too?
"Do you think Black's still in the area, Minister?" Rosemerta whispered.
"I'm sure of it." The Ministers voice was blunt and it sent a shiver up my spine.
"You know that the dementors ave searched my pub twice? Scared all my customers away, bad for business, it is." Rosemerta quipped and we heard a slurp of a drink.
"Rosemerta, m'dear, I don't like them any more than you do. Necessary precaution, unfortunate, but there you are ... I've met some of them. They're in a fury against Dumbledore – he won't let them into the school grounds." Fudge said spitefully.
"I should think not." McGonagall defended. "How are we supposed to teach with those horrors floating around?"
"Here, here!" Flitwick cheered agreeing.
"All the same, they are here to protect you all from something much worse... we all know what Black's capable of.." Fudge whispered and Seamus looked at me accusingly.
"Do you know, I still have trouble believing it. Of all the people to go to the Dark side, Sirius Black was the last I'd thought of. I mean, I remember him when he was a boy at Hogwarts." Rosmerta said sadly.
"You don't know the half of it, Rosemerta." Fudge said gruffly.
"The worst? Other than murdering all those people?" McGonagall asked in disbelief.
"You say you remember him at Hogwarts? Do you remember who his best friend was?" Fudge asked.
"Course, you wouldn't see one without the other. Used to make me laugh, why, it would be Sirius Black and James Potter. Quite the double act." Rosemerta said and Harry dropped his drink loudly. Seamus nudged him warningly.
"Black and Potter. Ringleaders of their little gang. I don't think we'd ever had such trouble makers." McGonagall remembered.
"I dunno, Fred 'n' George give em a run for their money." Hagrid chuckled.
"Practically brothers they were." Flitwick chirped. "Inseparable."
"Potter trusted Black more than anyone in the world and that fact never changed after they left school. Black was the best man at Potter's wedding, and they even named Black the Godfather of Harry. He doesn't know that though, how it would torment him." Fudge said and I heard Harry cough.
"Because he was in league with you-know-who." Rosemerta said cluing in.
"Worse than that yet. Not many people knew but you-know-who was after them and they knew that. Once they did they went into hiding with the help of Dumbledore. He told em' to use the Fidelius Charm." Someone must have been confused because he explained it. "It's a very complex spell, involving the magical concealment of a secret inside a single, living soul. The information is hidden inside the chosen person , or the secret keeper, and is henceforth impossible to find- unless the Keeper chooses to divulge it. As long as the secret keeper refused to speak, you-know-who could search the village where the Potters lived and never find them.
"So, Black was the Potters secret keeper?" Rosemerta asked and we could practically feel Harry stiffen up.
"Naturally," McGonagall started. "James Potter told Dumbledore that Black would rather die 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?" Rosemerta asked seemingly stunned.
"He was sure that somebody close to the Potters had been keeping you-know-who informed of their movements." McGonagall said in a very dark tone.
"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?" Rosemerta asked.
"He did." Fudge said and the tap of a cup being set down could be heard. "And then, barely a week after the Fidelius charm had been preformed –"
"Black betrayed them?" Rosemerta asked and the tone of shock returned.
"He did indeed. Black was tired of his double agent role. He was ready to declare his support 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 a 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 he, Black, had shown his true colours as a traitor. He had no choice but to run for it." Fudge explained.
"Filthy, stinkin', turncoat!" Hagrid yelled slamming his fist on the table making the entire pub quiet instantly.
"Shh, Hargrid!" McGonagall harshly whispered.
"I met him!" Hagrid said loudly but quieter than before as the pub filled with noise yet again. "I musta bin the last ter see him before he killed all them people! It was me what rescued Harry from Lily an' James' 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' Secret Keeper. Thought he'd jus' heard the news o' you-know-who's attacks 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 please!" McGonagall whispered again. "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! Dumbledore said Harry was ter go to his aunt and uncles. Black argued but in the end he gave in. Told me ter take his motorbike ter git Harry there. Said he wouldn't need it anymore." Hagrid said and stopped to chug his drink before continuing. "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 for 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 nothing and no one that matters to 'em anymore .."
"But he didn't manage to escape did he? The ministry of magic caught up to with him the next day!" Rosemerta said trying to recall what the papers said. She didn't know so much had been left out.
"If only we had," Fudge started with a sigh. "No, it was little Peter Pettigrew that caught him. Worshipped Potter and Black he did. He cornered Black, many eye witness accounts. Muggles, who had there memories wiped later. Pettigrew died a hero's death, blown to smithereens but for the memory of his friends. When they found him there were only his bloodied robes and a few ... fragments." Fudge explained and I shivered for the second time.
"Stupid ... foolish boy, he was always helpless at duelling. Should've left it to the ministry." McGonagall said with a saddened tone.
"He was stricken with grief, Minerva." Fudge said calmly.
"Say, Cornelius, if you're dining with the head master then we really should head up to the castle." McGonagall said and they all began to put on their warmer clothes.
Seamus began to animatedly talk about his favourite Irish football team when they passed our table. Rosemerta returned behind the bar and the teachers left sending a gush of now and wind through the pub. Both Seamus and I turned to Harry and saw him shakin and speechless. Before Seamus and I could get a word out, Harry was already up and leaving as fast as he could. We decided it best to leave him be. We still didn't know how he even got to Hogsmeade in the first place. We walked outside and saw no trace of Harry. At this point, I couldn't follow him if I wanted to. Seamus looked over at me and I looked down. We started walking and Seamus didn't say a word.
"You were right." I said sighing deeply. "I should've told him."
"Ash, it's okay." Seamus cooed wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "I would bet my life that you were going to tell him as soon as you found out if it was true or not."
"Obviously then, but, I should've told him the rumour, at least." I mumbled and turned towards the shrieking shack. "He didn't deserve to find out that way."
"Might as well quit beating yourself up over it. Nothing you can do now." Seamus said and we walked towards the small fence that was the only thing blocking us from the large field that led to the shack.
"I guess," I agreed grabbing the fence and leaning back trusting my grip. "We should go back. I need to know he's okay."