AUTHORS NOTE!

How is everyone? You all good?

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!

Here's the new chapter, hope you like it :)

Enjoy!

-Rach ;)

Max's POV

The teachers sat down at the table beside ours. I was holding my breath, just waiting for us to get discovered. Luckily, Hermione had moved the Christmas tree in front of our table so we were blocked from the teachers view. We heard someone else walking toward their table, and a woman's voice saying, "A small gillywater-"

"That would be mine, Rosmerta," came McGonagall's voice. "Four pints of mulled mead," Rosmerta said. "Mine, Rosmerta," Hagrid said.

"A cherry syrup and soda with ice and umbrella-"

"Yes, please Rosmerta," Little Flitwick squeaked.

"So the red current rum will be yours, Minister."

"Thank you, Rosmerta," Fudge said, "And I must say, it is great to see you again. Won't you join us, dear? Have a drink for yourself, m'dear."

"Oh, why thank you, Minister," Rosmerta said, and she walked off, her heels clicking off the wooden floor as she walked.

My heart was hammering in my throat. You'd think Harry was realize that it was the last week of term before Christmas? How long were they all going to sit there? "So what brings you around here, Minister?" Rosmerta asked. Fudge cleared his throat nervously and he said, "What else, dear?" There was silence, but Fudge continued, "Sirius Black, Rosmerta! I'm sure you've heard about what happened up at the school on Halloween!"

"I heard rumours," Rosmerta said.

"Hagrid, did you tell the whole village?" McGonagall groaned.

"Do you think Black's still around here, Minister?" Rosmerta asked, her voice slightly strained. "I'm sure of it," Fudge said confidentiality. "You know the Dementors have searched my pub more them twice, Minister? Not very good for business," Rosmertra said, sounding annoyed.

"M'dear, you know quite well that I don't like it anymore then you do," Fudge said, sounding uncomfortable. "Necessary precautions, you must understand. Unfortunate but, there you have it. Just spoken to some there. Their all in a fury against Dumbledore. Not letting them into the castle grounds, you see."

"Well, I should hope not!" McGonagall exasperated. "Imagine trying to teach with those horrors going around!" "Hear, hear!" tiny Flitwick said.

"All the same," Fudge said. "They are there protecting us all from something much, much worse. We all know what Black is able to do."

"You know, I still have trouble believing it," Rosmerta said. "Of all the people to change to the Dark side, I would never of thought that Sirius Black would. I still remember him as a boy from Hogwarts. If you told me then what he was going to...I'd tell you that you were crazy!"

"I'm sure you only half of it, Madam Rosmerta," Fudge said gravely. "The worst he did isn't known to many people." I held my breath. For some reason, Black intrigued me. For a man to kill thirteen people with one spell! And according to Fudge, he did something worse. I shared a look with the others. They all looked interested, yet frightened. I could only imagine what Harry was feeling right now.

I put my hand under the table, searching for Harry's. After a minute, I felt Harry's hand slip into mine. My hand was smaller then his, and my hand seemed to fit perfectly in his. I blushed slightly, but covered it with my hair.

"The worst?" Rosmerta gasped. "You mean he did something worse then that?"

"I do, Rosmerta," Fudge said. "Well, that's hard to believe. What could possibly be worse then killing all those poor people?"

Fudge took a deep breath, but it was McGonagall that spoke first. "You say you remember Black from school, Rosmerta. Do you remember who his best friend was?"

"Of course," Rosmerta said, laughing quietly. "Never seen them without the other. They were inseparable. Oh, the two of them would make me laugh when they came in here. Quite the act, Sirius Black and James Potter."

Harry squeezed my hand, and dropped his bottle. I squeezed back, and kicked him to make him shut up.

"Exactly. Black and Potter. The leaders of their own little group. Both very smart. Exceptionally smart, really. I don't think I've ever seen two people more likely to cause more trouble in one day," McGonagall said. Hagrid chuckled, and said, "I dunno. Fred an' George Weasley could give 'em a run fer their money, if you ask me."

"James Potter trusted Black more then any of his other friends. And that never changed after they graduated from Hogwarts. Black was James' best-man when he married Lily. And, when Harry was born, they named Black his godfather-" again, Harry squeezed my hand. I stroked his hand with my thumb, trying to comfort him. "Harry has no idea, though. Imagine what that would do to him. Poor lad."

"And then, Black was engaged to be married. I'm sure you remember Lily's best friend, Grace Collins? They only started dating a short while after Lily and James. And, I'm sure you remember what happened to Grace?" Fudge said. When Madam Rosmerta spoke again, she sounded like she was going to cry.

"She died. You-Know-Who killed her. I remember well. She was a great, kind woman, Grace. And right after they had a daughter!" she said. "You heard what happened to the daughter, then?" McGonagall asked. I heard Madam Rosmerta nodding her head, her many beads clinking as she nodded.

"She was killed as well, wasn't she?" Rosmerta said. "That's what we heard. But there have been stories that she was kidnapped, and taken somewhere where no one could find her. But, as far as Sirius Black knew, she was as good as dead. I reckon that's what did it for him. That's what drove him over the edge, to do what he did," Fudge said.

"Am I the only one that thinks that we have a student in the castle that strongly resembles Grace and Sirius?" Flitwick squeaked. "I mean, Miss Ri-" "Filius!" McGonagall snapped. "We discussed this! There is no chance that she is their daughter! Their daughter was killed, she's not Miss R-"

"Why did Black start working for You-Know-Who after it was him that killed his family?" Flitwick interrupted McGonagall. "Sources tell me that You-Know-Who lied to Black, and he used his damaged state to his advantage. Made him do what he asked and wanted," Fudge explained. "Black joined You-Know-Who because of his family?" Madam Rosmerta asked, sounding depressed.

"Oh, no," Fudge said, "He was working for You-Know-Who long before his family was killed. This though, put him over the edge. He was determined to prove himself, to actually kill someone." "That's awful!" Madam Rosmerta gasped.

"Worse still, Madam Rosmerta. Not many people knew that You-Know-Who was after James and Lily for a long time before he actually killed them. But, even less people knew that the Potter's themselves knew that they were being hunted down. Dumbledore, who of course, was working endlessly, had a lot of very useful spies. One of them spies tipped him off that You-Know-Who was going after the Potter's. Of course, Dumbledore warned them straight away. He ordered them to go into hiding. Obviously, You-Know-Who isn't easy to hide from, so Dumbldore said their best chance was a Fidelius Charm," Fudge explained.

"How does that work?" Madam Rosmerta asked, breathless with interest. Immediately, Flitwick started explaining. "It's a hard, complex spell that conceals a secret inside a living soul. The information is hidden inside one, single person called a Secret-Keeper. Henceforth, the person in hiding is impossible to find. Unless, of course, the Secret-Keeper chooses to tell someone where they're hiding. As long as the Secret-Keeper kept his mouth shut, You-Know-Who would be able to stroll down the street where Lily and James were living for weeks on end, and never find them. He'd be able to put his nose (AN: What nose?) right against the Potter's sitting room window and he would never be able to see them!" He finished his long explanation with a sigh, and he took a large gulp of his drink.

"So Black was the Potter's Secret-Keeper?" Madam Rosmerta asked. "He was of course," McGonagall said. "James told Dumbledore that Black would rather die then tell their secret. He told him that Black was planning on going into hiding as well. It didn't matter what Black did then, as Grace would of already been dead, and their daughter dead or missing. Yet, Albus was worried. I remember that he even offered to be the Potter's Secret-Keeper himself."

"He didn't trust Black?" Madam Rosmerta asked. "He was pretty sure that someone close to the Potter's were betraying him. Giving You-Know-Who information about the Potter's movements," McGonagall said grimly. "He suspected someone from our side for a very long time. He didn't want to take any chances. He was quite fond of the Potter's, if I say so myself."

"But James still insisted on using Sirius?"

"Naturally," Fudge said darkly. "And not even a week after the Fidelius Charm was put into place-"

"He betrayed them!" Madam Rosmerta gasped.

"Indeed," Fudge said. "It would of been a few months after Grace and his daughter was killed. Their child was only a few weeks older then young Harry, actually. I suspect he was tired of being the double-agent, and he didn't have a family stopping him from announcing his true loyalties. But, as we all know, You-Know-Who met his downfall with young Harry. Destroyed of all power, and left weak, he fled. Now, Black was in sticky situation. He had finally shown his true colors, and his master get's destroyed. He didn't have a choice but to run."

"Filthy traitor!" Hagrid howled suddenly, loud enough for the whole pub to hear him. "Shh Hagrid!" McGonagall hissed.

"I met him!" Hagrid howled again. "I musta bin the the last one ter see him before he killed all those people! It was me that rescued Harry from Lily an' James' house after they died. Jus' got him out of the house, poor little thing he was, with the great slash across his forehead, an' his parent's dead...an' Sirius Black shows up on that flyin' motorbike he used ter have. Never thought what he could of been doin' there. I didn't know he'd bin James and Lily's Secret-Keeper. Just thought he heard 'bout what happened and came ter have a look, see if there was anything he could do. He was white an' shakin'. And yeh know what I did? I COMFORTED HIM! I COMFORTED THE MUDERIN' TRAITOR!"

I winced at the pain, and sorrow in Hagrid's voice. Sometimes, Hagrid can be too loving for his own good, and he takes everything to heart. Sometimes, that wasn't a good thing in someone his height.

"Hagrid, please, keep it down!" snapped McGonagall.

"I didn't know he was there fer You-Know-Who! I thought he was jus' upset 'bout James and Lily! An' then he says, he says `Give Harry ter me, Hagrid. I'm his godfather, I'll look after 'im.' Ha! But I had orders from Dumbledore, I did, so I told Black, no, Harry needs to go ter his aunt an' uncles. He argued, but in the end, he gave in an' told me ter use his bike ter take him there. Said he wouldn't be needin' it anymore.

"Shoulda known somethin' was up though. He loved that bike, I knew he did. Why was he givin' it ter me for? Fact was, would of been too easy spotted, if he was on the run. Dumbledore knew he'd bin their Secret-Keeper. Black knew he had no choice but ter run fer it, knew the Ministry would be after 'im. But what if I had given Harry ter him? I bet he would of pitched him off the bike somewhere! His best friend's son! But there's nothin' that'll stop a wizard once they go on ter the Dark side."

There was a grime silence after Hagrid's story. Madam Rosmerta was the first to recover, and she said, "But you got him! The Ministry got him in the end!"

Fudge sighed, "If only we had, dear. It wasn't the Ministry that caught Black the next day, but another of the Potter's friends. You remember Peter Pettigrew?" There was a silence before Madam Rosmerta said, "Pettigrew...That fat little boy that used to follow Black and James at Hogwarts?"

"The very same, Madam Rosmerta. Pettigrew worshiped the floor which James and Black walked on," McGonagall said. "Never in the same league as them though, talent-wise. I was rather sharp with him, which I'm sure you can imagine I regret now." McGonagall sounded like she had a sudden head cold. She blew her nose, and sniffled.

"There now Minerva. Pettigrew died a hero's death, we all know that. There were eyewitnesses, of course. Muggles, you know, but we wiped their minds later. Told us how Pettigrew ran up to Black, sobbing `James and Lily Sirius! How could you?' Then little Pettigrew went for his wand, and obviously Black was faster. Blew Pettigrew to pieces, and half the street," Fudge said.

"If I had gotten ter Black before Pettigrew, I wouldn't've messed around with wands. I'd've ripped 'im limb from limb!" Hagrid growled. I swallowed. I never knew Hagrid could ever sound so...well, mean.

I could feel Harry's hand shaking in mine. I gripped his hand more tightly, trying to make him relax. Ha, like that was going to happen anytime soon.

"Come now Hagrid," Fudge said sharply. "You have no idea what your talking about. No one stood much a chance against Black. It took fully trained Hit Wizards to take him down that morning. At the time I was the Junior Minister at the Department of Magical Catastrophes, so I was one of the first on the scene. I will never forget that day. Still have nightmares about it, believe it or not. A huge crater in the middle of the street, bodies lying everywhere, Muggle's screaming, and Black standing against the wall, laughing. What was left of Pettigrew was in front of him, a heap of bloodstained robes, and a few fragments. The biggest part of Pettigrew we found, was his finger. That's all that was left, a finger-" Fudge stopped suddenly. There was the sound of about five people blowing their noses.

"There you have it now, Rosmerta," Fudge said in a thick voice. "Black was taken away by more then twenty members of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad, and we gave Pettigrew an Order of Merlin, First Class. We think it was of some comfort to his poor old mother."

"Is it true that he's mad, Minister?" Madam Rosmerta sighed.

"I'd like to say that he is," Fudge said, sounding distant. "Perhaps his master's defeat was enough to unhinge him for a little while. You have to admit, the murder of Pettigrew and all those Muggle's was a pointless act- cruel, the actions of a desperate man. Although, on my last inspection of Azkaban, I met Black. You know by now that most of the prisoners just sit in the corners of their cells, muttering to themselves; no sense left in them! But I was shocked at how normal, and calm Black seemed to be. He spoke rationally to me, not any bit of gibberish like from the other prisoners. It was quite unnerving. You'd swear he was just merely bored! He asked me if I was finished with my paper, cool as though we were having tea in a cafe. Told me he missed the crosswords. I was astounded by how little the Dementors were affecting him. And there are Dementors outside his cell every hour of every day," Fudge finished. There was something this whole thing has taught me. Fudge loved the sound of his own voice. Not a good quality for the man who manages the magical community.

"What do you reckon he's broken out to do?" Madam Rosmerta asked. "Merlin's beard, he's not trying to rejoin You-Know-Who, is he?"

"That could well be his eventual plan, Rosmerta. But we plan on catching him long before that. You-Know-Who, alone and friendless is one thing, but You-Know-Who with his most devoted servant...I shudder to think how fast he will actually rise again."

There was the sound of someone leaving their empty glasses on the table. "You know Cornelius, if you are dining with the Headmaster this evening, we really must leave," McGonagall said. I let out a sigh of relief.

One by one, they all stood up, and walked out the door. Madam Rosmerta returned to the bar once more, and we were left in silence.

"Harry?" we all said at the same time. The five of us stuck our heads under the table, staring at Harry. His hand was still in mine, and he didn't look like he was going to remove it anytime soon.

Harry stared back at us, and like us, he was speechless.

Hi everyone! How was the chapter?

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2012!

Thanks for all the reviews!

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-Rach ;)