I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS.

Chapter 21

"Those weasels!" Ron exclaimed indignantly. "They never told me about any Marauder's Map."

Devyn and Harry had just finished telling Ron, Hermione, and Neville about the Map. Ron was understandably upset that his older brothers had never told him about the incredible object, but Devyn figured that was because it was the twins' little secret. Besides, Ron might have accidentally let slip that Fred and George had the Map, and get them in trouble. The mischievous twins couldn't have had that happen, now could they?

"But Harry isn't going to keep it. He's going to turn it in to Professor McGonagall, aren't you?" Hermione asked, her tone indicating that there would be no discussion on the matter. Devyn had kept mostly quiet after Ron, Hermione, and Neville processed this information, but now she snorted in amusement. There was no way Harry would turn in the Map, nor would Devyn let him.

Something in the back of her mind warned her that if Harry left the Map lying around, and it happened to fall in Sirius Black's hands, he could use it to find Harry, but Black's words came back to her: I'm trying to protect Harry!

Devyn had been thinking a lot about the encounter she had had with Black, but she still hadn't mentioned it to anyone. She had spent some time with Moony a couple days previously, and the knowledge that she had met Black was eating her alive inside, but a little voice inside her told her that she needed to keep this information to herself…

She thought that she wasn't the only one keeping important information from others either…now that she knew Black was an Animagus, it would have been foolish to think that Moony wasn't aware of this fact. He had been close friends with Black at one point, and Devyn doubted that Black would have had the strength to become an Animagus in prison, which meant that he had become an Animagus (and subsequently took on the name Padfoot) before James and Lily were killed.

And, considering the Marauder's Map had their nicknames written on the front, it was likely that he had become an Animagus during his school years. Which meant that James, Peter Pettigrew, and her father had all been Animagi, too.

Obviously the name 'Hoot' was pretty self-explanatory – Michael Murphy's Animagus form had been an owl. Black's form – Padfoot – was a black impossibly large dog…but what were Peter's and James' forms?

Wormtail…Prongs….

What could they refer too? Devyn was at a loss for the answer. Obviously she knew the name 'Moony' referred to her godfather's condition and the fact that he transformed at the full moon.

But as for 'Prongs' and 'Wormtail'…Devyn had no idea whatsoever.

Wrenching herself out of her thoughts, she heard Ron scoff at Hermione's suggestion that he turn in the Marauder's Map and say, "Oh yeah, along with his Invisibility Cloak."

The Cloak was currently stored away safely in Harry's coat, away from the falling snow. They came to a stop some ways away from The Three Broomsticks, and Devyn noticed a tall blonde woman – Madam Rosmerta, Devyn realized, The Three Broomsticks' barmaid - hammering a dreamcatcher onto the large wooden post outside of The Three Broomsticks.

Devyn noticed Ron had suddenly gotten a dopey smile on his face when he laid eyes on Madam Rosmerta.

"Oh, look who it is!" Hermione said, teasing slightly. "Madam Rosmerta; Ron fancies her!"

"It's not true!"

Devyn looked away for just a second and sighed heavily at one of the many 'Wanted' posters for Black. They were tacked up everywhere, as though people would forget that Black was on the loose.

"Cornelius!"

Devyn's head snapped back around when she heard Professor McGonagall's voice calling out the name of the Minister of Magic. Sure enough, there the Minister was, sitting in a coach; he must have just pulled in behind Madam Rosmerta. And approaching the Minister was McGonagall and Hagrid.

"Oh, bloody hell," Devyn muttered. She looked beside her and noticed that Harry had suddenly disappeared. He must have pulled out the Cloak again. Good, she thought. Harry was smart to go underneath the Cloak. The last thing he needs is to be discovered here by McGonagall, or the Minister.

"Allow me, Minister!" Hagrid said. The four of them (and the invisible Harry) were frozen where they stood, both wanting to get Harry as far away from the Minister and McGonagall as possible and wanting to stay and hear what was going to be said.

Hagrid had walked straight up the Minister's coach and, trying to be polite, had opened the door to the coach for him so he could get out. Unfortunately, Hagrid underestimated his strength and ended up pulling the half-door straight off its hinges.

"Oh, Hagrid…" Fudge said, shaking his head at the door that Hagrid was holding in his large hand.

"Sorry abou' that!" Hagrid said, sounding far happier than would be required for a sincere apology. Devyn giggled to herself. She couldn't blame Hagrid for not being entirely sorry – Fudge had, after all, only last year, arrested Hagrid and sent him off to Azkaban, simply because he had been suspected in a crime 50 years earlier and because the Ministry "had to act".

Devyn imagined that the large, friendly Gamekeeper held something of a grudge against Fudge, and with just cause.

"Rosmerta, my dear," Fudge said jovially. "I hope business is good."

Rosmerta paused in pounding the nail into the dream catcher she was pinning up and turned around to face the Minister.

"It'd be a lot better if the Ministry weren't sending Dementors into my pub every other night," Rosmerta replied, tapping Fudge on the head with her hammer, although it was only lightly. Fudge put his head down as Rosmerta drew nearer with the hammer, as though he was ashamed of himself for allowing the Dementors to enter The Three Broomsticks.

"We have…" Fudge stammered. "We have a killer on the loose."

That's his excuse? Really? Devyn scoffed internally. Although, she knew Fudge was only doing his job, she seriously resented the presence of the Dementors in her beloved school. They weren't helping matters at all – in fact, they were making it worse.

Not for the first time, Devyn was ecstatic that she would soon be learning how to ward them off.

"Oh, Sirius Black?" Rosmerta grumbled, turning back to her dream catcher and hammering the nail in even more. "In Hogsmeade? And what would bring him here?"

Devyn's heart jumped into her throat when Fudge leaned in to Rosmerta and said softly, although his voice carried quite a bit, "Harry Potter."

"Harry Potter?!" Rosmerta repeated loudly. McGonagall and Fudge both shushed her and Fudge beckoned for her to follow McGonagall, and himself into The Three Broomsticks, presumably to continue the conversation in a more private setting.

Off they went, and Devyn knew instantly that Harry was no longer by their side. Of course, he would have followed the three adults into The Three Broomsticks; if they were talking about Black, Harry would want to hear.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, realizing that he was no longer by their side. The four of them tried to follow him but when they reached the door to the pub, the numerous shrunken heads protested, one of them saying, "I say, no underage wizards allowed in today!"

When they didn't immediately listen, another one said, "Shut the damn door!"

Devyn snorted in disgust but moved away from the doorway all the same. She and Neville walked over to a bench outside of the pub and sat down.

"So rude!" Hermione said, looking upset.

"Thick heads…" Ron muttered. That comment set the shrunken heads off on a rant about how they were "young whippersnappers", and other things that didn't need repeating.

Hermione, Ron, and Neville were bemoaning the fact that they wouldn't be able to eavesdrop with Harry (for that's what he was surely doing) and Hermione fretted about what would happen if Harry was caught, but Devyn wasn't listening.

She was already tuning out her friends and using her lupine hearing to locate the Minister's voice.

There!

He, McGonagall, Hagrid, and Rosmerta were in a private room on the upper level of the Three Broomsticks and Devyn zeroed in on that room, listening to what they were saying.

"Now, tell me what this is all about," Rosmerta said.

Devyn heard a door shut quietly, and a few of them moving around.

"Well now, years ago, when Harry Potter's parents realized they were marked for death, do you remember? They went into hiding. Few knew where they were. One who did was Sirius Black! And he told You-Know-Who!"

Devyn inhaled sharply, almost not able to believe what she was hearing. Black was the one who sold out James and Lily?

"Not only," Fudge remarked, "did Black lead You-Know-Who to the Potters that night, but he also killed one of their friends, Peter Pettigrew!"

"Peter Pettigrew?" Madam Rosmerta repeated, her tone suggesting that she was trying to remember Pettigrew.

"Yes, little lump of a boy. Always trailing after Sirius Black and…" McGonagall said, trying to jog Rosmerta's memory.

"Oh, I remember him. Never let James and Sirius out of his sight. But what happened?" Rosmerta said.

"Well, Peter Pettigrew tried to warn the Potters, and might have managed to, had he not run into an old friend, Sirius Black," McGonagall explained.

"Black was vicious," Fudge told Rosmerta. "He didn't kill Pettigrew…he destroyed him. A finger. That's all that was left; a finger – nothing else."

"Yes," McGonagall said. "Sirius Black may not have put his hands to the Potters, but he's the reason they're dead."

"And now he wants to finish what he started," Fudge commented.

"I don't believe it," Madam Rosmerta said. For that matter, Devyn wasn't sure what to believe. She had met Black and he seemed desperate for her to believe that he didn't want to harm Harry. The very look in his eyes when he mentioned James and Lily, even if it was only in passing, was heartbreaking. It looked as though he couldn't miss them more if he tried.

Either Black was a very good actor, or he was actually innocent, and Peter Pettigrew was still alive and the real culprit of the entire thing.

"Hah," McGonagall scoffed. "That's not the worst of it."

"What could be worse?" Rosmerta asked, as though she couldn't possibly imagine what else would be said regarding Black.

"This," McGonagall said, with the air of admitting something very grave and miserable. "Sirius Black was, and remains to this day, Harry Potter's godfather."

Devyn felt all air leave her lungs at that moment. Black was Harry's godfather? What the hell was going on here?

Devyn didn't know what to believe, but the image of Black's heartbroken, desperation filled eyes flashed before her own, and suddenly doubt was cast upon the accusations put towards Black. No one that remorseful could have done what everyone was saying Black did. If he was a cold-blooded murderer, he wouldn't have let her live, much less try and get her to believe the truth.

But maybe he only let you live because if he killed you, it would be too conspicuous. I mean, especially with Moony in the castle…they would notice you'd gone missing. And if Black didn't hide the body…

Devyn shuddered, refusing to allow that train of thought to go any further. Black just didn't seem like a killer to her. She knew that was what many serial killers were like…you didn't truly see the monster that lives inside them until it was too late.

But if Black was truly a mad murderer, he was very good at hiding it. Nothing about Black, that night, suggested to Devyn that she was in any immediate danger.

Oh, it was all so confusing. She truly didn't know which to believe; that Black was innocent, or that he was guilty…she just hoped Harry was okay. She didn't suppose that he would take the news too well…

And sure enough, within seconds, Devyn saw disembodied footprints making their way through the sparkling white snow. Harry must have been really upset because he stomped right through a group of caroling dwarves.

Ron, Hermione, Neville and Devyn all started running after Harry, pausing only to apologize to the disgruntled dwarves that had suddenly found themselves on their backs in the snow.

The four of them tracked Harry's footprints to a secluded area, where it seemed like only a snow covered rock was around. Ron and Neville stopped walking when the four of them heard soft crying coming from the general area of the rock.

Hermione and Devyn looked at each other and kept walking forward, leaving the two boys behind. The two girls approached the rock carefully, and Hermione reached out and pulled off the Invisibility Cloak, revealing Harry, who was looking very angry and very sad at the same time.

He had his head down when Hermione removed the Cloak but looked up when Hermione asked, "Harry, what happened?"

Devyn hugged Harry tightly as he answered, "He was their friend. And he betrayed them. HE WAS THEIR FRIEND!"

Hermione flinched slightly when he shouted, but Devyn refused to move until Harry asked her to. He was one of her best friends and he needed her right now, regardless of whether or not he'd eve admit it.

"I hope he finds me. Cause when he does, I'm gonna be ready. When he does, I'm gonna kill him."

Devyn knew that Harry was only speaking out of anger, and regardless of how furious and hurt he felt, he would never take another human's life. It didn't matter whether they deserved it or not – Harry was not a murderer.

Devyn was sure, when the time came (because eventually, Harry and Black would meet. It was inevitable, especially with their luck), Harry would not be able to kill Black. It just wasn't in him to kill.

"Oh, Harry…" Devyn said. She felt Harry's arms wrap around her waist and he held onto her for dear life, shaking with silent, angry sobs. "It's alright. It'll be alright."

Harry didn't answer, but Devyn didn't expect him to.

"Come on, Harry…let's go back up to the castle," Hermione said gently.

Again, Harry didn't answer (and again, Devyn hadn't expected him to) but he did loosen his hold on Devyn, and she took that as a signal to let go of him. She did so and he stood up, removing his glasses and wiping the tears from his eyes.

The three of them walked back to Ron and Neville, and thankfully, Ron didn't make a comment. Devyn suspected Neville warned him to keep his mouth shut for now. She smiled at Neville when they reached him and slipped her hand back into his.

As they walked back up to the castle, the cold air helping to rid Harry's eyes of the reddish hue that had been caused by the crying, Devyn found herself resenting Black and disliking him for causing those horrible emotions in Harry. He had gone through enough already. He deserved to be happy for once.

However, as angry as she felt towards Black, she didn't wish him to die. She just hoped she was doing the right thing, keeping quiet about her accidental meeting with Black. She had made a deal with him after all; if she kept quiet about seeing him, he would stay away from her and her loved ones.

She hoped Black had, at the very least, a semblance of honor in him. If he did, that might, with a substantial stroke of luck, keep him from breaking their deal. She simply wanted to keep her friends and family safe. That's all she wanted.