Continued from Padfoot returns Part 1
Harry carried on up to the castle. He went straight through to the great hall to get some dinner. Ron and Hermione were already there. He sat down in a seat next to them.
'Harry, where've you been all day. We looked for you everywhere,' Hermione said very quickly.
'Yeah, we went to the library (Hermione's suggestion), Hagrid's, and everywhere,' said Ron (as if they'd rehearsed this conversation).
'Tell yer later,' Harry said dreamily, helping himself to some pizza. After he'd stuffed himself with all the food he could, he walked back up to the Griffindor common room with Ron and Hermione, and sat down in the best armchairs by the fire. He pulled them close together so that nobody would be able to hear them, and Harry told them everything.
'Why couldn't you have told us! Wed've come too,' said Ron angrily.
'Both of you can come tomorrow,' he offered 'Sirius said it was fine. We need to take some food though. There's some there but it's all twelve years old and mouldy.'
Next morning Harry went down to the gargoyle and said 'Orange Sherbet.' The It slid away leaving a clear passageway. Harry climbed the spiral staircase (which seemed twice as long today) and knocked on the door at the top.
'Yes, come in,' came Dumbledore's familiar voice. Harry went in and showed Dumbledore the diary's and said that he needed to speak to the minister of magic quite soon.
'Hmmm…' Dumbledore was obviously doing some quick thinking, when he said 'I'm sorry Harry, you won't be able to see Fudge for another four weeks. You can see him when he comes to do the school inspection every term (semester).' Dumbledore could read minds too because next he said 'and yes I don't mind you, Mister Weasley and Miss Granger going to visit Sirius today.
Harry left for the common room, with the diaries in his arms feeling slightly down. 'Four weeks,' he murmured to himself. He climbed through the portrait hole, and went up to his dormitory to lock the diaries in his trunk. When he came down, he spotted Ron and Hermione sitting down ready to go.
'Come on then,' he said to them. At that, they jumped up and followed Harry through the portrait hole. They went down through the grounds in silence, until Harry found the portkey.
'Okay, we'll do it on three. ONE…TWO…THREE!' Harry felt himself lift up and then flump down in the long grass.
'Oh, is this it,' Hermione said eagerly looking up at the house.
'Yep, come on.' Harry tried to open the front door, but it was locked. Hermione tried her 'Alohomora' charm but it didn't work. Then harry remembered the key in his pocket (duh). They walked in. The hall was still as dusty, but the smell from the kitchen had gone. Then Harry heard Sirius.
'Harry, that you?' he called.
'Yeah,' he called back.
'I'll be down in second,' he replied.
Harry showed Ron and Hermione into the living room. It was much different to how it was the day before. Sirius had obviously been cleaning, because there wasn't a speck of dust anywhere. They sat down, and almost straight away, Sirius came in.
'Hi,' he said with a smile, looking and sounding very different to how he did in Harry's memory. Rons and Hermione's jaws dropped, whereas Harry just raised his eyebrows. Sirius was wearing emerald green robes. He had also shaved, because his spiky beard and moustache had gone and his hair was much shorter that it used to be. His face was no longer gaunt and white, but full of colour. His voice was, instead of being hoarse and croaky, was cheerful (as if he'd learnt how to use it again.)
'Wow Sirius,' Harry said grinning. Ron and Hermione had realized their jaws were open, so the shut them and grinned too. They talked to each other about whatever came into their minds for a while. Then Sirius said he'd go and get some lunch ready, but there came a knock on the door. Sirius quickly transformed into a dog, Ron and Hermione hid and Harry crept upstairs and onto the balcony. Slowly tiptoeing towards the edge, he heard the man knock again. Harry peered over the balcony and saw a man in a black cloak. The man suddenly looked up and stared at Harry. He felt his legs freeze like ice. He stood there shaking with fear when the man pulled down his hood. Harry felt a great deal of relief when he saw him smiling. Then, Harry realized who he was. It was Remus Lupin.
'Can I come in,' he asked. Harry felt his legs re-join his body, and he went downstairs and opened the door.
'Thank you Harry,' Lupin said in a sigh. Ron and Hermione came out of the cupboard under the stairs, with Sirius, who then transformed himself back into a human.
'Remus, a surprise to see you here,' said Sirius smiling again.
'A surprise to see you looking so human again,' Lupin replied, also smiling with an eyebrow raised.
'We were just about to have lunch Remus.'
'Not mould soup I hope,' said Remus with a slight tone of amusement in his voice, looking into the kitchen. Sirius glared at him. Then the both smiled at each other. Sirius walked into the kitchen and got five yellow and blue plates. He put them in the sink and tapped the taps with his wand. Then Remus turned and talked to Sirius.
'Lucky this place has such a long driveway,' he said 'plus the gates are locked, did you know?'
'Yes, I had trouble getting in yesterday,' Sirius replied. 'Aha,' he said when he realised the plates had been washed and dried. He took them through to the dining room and set them out infront of five tall black chairs. Harry and Sirius sat on one side with Ron and Hermione the other, and Remus at the end. Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at their plates, then looked at each other grinning. Then they smelt the smell of cooked cheese. The looked up and saw Remus' plate with a toasted cheese and tomato sandwich on it. Harry looked at Sirius and saw him tapping his plate and muttering 'Roast Chicken' and at that, his plate had filled with some roast chicken, vegetables, mashed potato, gravy and salad. Sirius looked up at them.
'Oh yeah, all you need to do is tap the plate with your wand and say what you want to eat. It'll keep refilling itself so just say stop when you're full.' Ron's eyes widened.
'Anything,' he said eagerly.
'Yep… well, only proper foods, not things like fried rat or anything.' Remus snorted in his food. After lunch they went back into the living room. They talked to each other again. Harry heard Sirius saying to Remus 'I can't believe I forgot about this place.' He thought about what it must be like to loose all your happy thoughts in Azkaban.
'Harry, Harry- Were you listening to me,' Hermione said angrily.
'What… oh, yeah.'
The time slipped by and, soon enough, it was six o'clock, and Harry, Ron and Hermione said goodbye to Sirius and Remus and left to get the portkey. Soon enough, they were back in Hogwarts about to sit down for dinner.
'I'm still full from lunch,' said Ron.
'Me too,' said Hermione.
'Me three,' said Harry 'let's go back to the common room.
The next four weeks passed quite quickly. Harry was in potions, creating aggression potion. Snape was breathing down the back of Harry's neck as usual. He was working with Hermione.
'Five points from Griffindor. Your potion's a shade to dark.' Harry was about to argue with him when there was a knock on the door. It was Fudge.
'Could I have Harry Potter please Severus,' he said calmly.
'Can't you see he's in the middle of a potions lesson,' spat Snape.
'Yes I can, and don't speak to me like that again.' Snape eventually agreed to let Harry leave.
'Harry, I understand you want to see me,' said Fudge with his usual calm voice back. Harry led him out of the dungeons and into a small chamber off the entrance hall. Harry took the diaries out if his bag and thrust then into Fudge's hands.
'Sirius Black in innocent and these are proof,' said Harry showing the words at the back of his father's diary. 'Revenge on Peter Harry, Not Sirius.'
Fudge stared then said 'You think that Black could possibly be innocent…' he said with a note of disgust in his voice.