Chapter Eight

"Are you serious? Your last name is Black? What's your Dad's name, Alex?" Harry was remaining calm, although inside he felt as if he was going to burst.

"Why, It's Sirius. The famous convict who is on the run, Sirius Black. Boy, do I miss him. We write letters and correspond, but I haven't seen him for ages." Alex was still holding Hermione as he said this, for she nearly fainted. She fell down and Alex caught her by the back, and as he said this, it seemed she came to and stood up on her own.

"Thank you for catching me, I'm quite fine now.." Hermione said and adjusted her hair. She looked around for Sirius but couldn't see him.

"Hey, what are you guys all talking 'bout?" Ron had come over and was looking at them questionably.

"They seemed very odd by my telling them my last name is Black, I daresay do you all know my father?" Alex had yet again sat on a haystack and was looking at them all with eyes of curiosity.

"Err, Well--" Harry began, but was for once glad to see Snape. He had walked to them and looking at Alex.

"You, with the golden brown hair, follow me. Now." He said in a curt voice and pointed at Alex. Alex looked at Hermione for help, but she just shrugged.

He stood up and walked to where Snape stood, and he walked away towards the castle, throwing glances back towards Harry, although Hermione thought he was looking at her.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron decided to sneak up behind Snape and Alex. Ron had the great idea to go and fetch Harry's invisibility cloak, so he went off towards Gryffindor Tower the minute they reached the doors to Hogwarts.

Harry and Hermione slowly but swiftly followed behind Snape and Alex. Ron caught up to them within 5 minutes, and they all hid under the cloak. Snape led Alex up many winding staircases until they reached a familiar room. It was Dumbledore's office, and Harry had been here before. Snape said the password, which this year seemed to be "gumdrops" and slipped into the room, Alex hesitantly following behind. Harry, Hermione, and Ron slid in before the door shut, and stood on a side of the room obscured by the cloak.

"Harry, what has Snape got to do with Alex?" Ron asked, still confused by the situation. They hadn't told him that Alex was Sirius' son yet, so he didn't know.

"Alex Black is his name, Sirius' son, and be quiet Ron, we're trying to listen!" Hermione screeched in a quiet voice and pointed to the desk where Dumbledore was sitting and Snape and Alex were standing. From this point on, they didn't say a word.

"Ah, thank you Severus. Alex, you may have a seat. As you may know, Alex, you are in a great deal of danger, young man." Dumbledore said quietly, looking at him with trepidation.

"What ever do you mean, Sir?" Alex politely asked, not at all letting the worry come out in his voice.

"Your father is on very bad standards with the Dark Lord, as you know, and as Lord Voldemort is on his reign, he will be coming after you and Harry Potter." At this Harry gasped and remembered that Dumbledore could see through invisibility cloaks. Dumbledore looked over to the side of the room they were in and winked, reassuring Harry that he was in no trouble.

"Oh dear, if only I knew where my father was, he could possibly protect me!" Alex said, his sense of worry flying out along with his voice, making him sound scared and uncertain of what to do.

"No, no, Alex. That would be the worst thing to happen at this time. For if he knew both of you were together, he could kill you two at the same time. Severus, would you please be kind enough to leave us alone for a few minutes? I will talk to you soon. Thank you." Dumbledore said as Snape bowed and walked out of the circular room.

"Now, Mr. Potter, Mrs. Granger, and Mr. Weasley, will you please unmask yourselves from the side of the room?" Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles.

Harry pulled the cloak off, and to Alex's astonishment, appeared in the room. Alex looked quite pleased by Hermione's entrance and smiled at her.

"We're extremely sorry we followed sir, but we were very curious!" Hermione covered for them, making Dumbledore smile even more.

"Oh dear, no need to apologize. All four of you are in danger, and I suggest, Harry, Ron, that you do not participate in the upcoming Quidditch Game. Oh please, do not get upset!" Dumbledore said as Harry stood up in rage and started to say something.

"But, sir! I need to play in that game, if Slytherin beats Gryffindor, Malfoy won't stop teasing me for years!" Harry began, but Dumbledore held up his hand.

"I believe my decision is final. Do not question my authority, and do not play in the Quidditch Play-off on Sunday. Do you understand me? Trust me; it is for your own safety." He said in his usual calm voice.

"Sir, not to be rude, but why did you call me up here?" Alex began, looking tired and worn with his eyes droopy and his smile gone.

"Oh yes, Alex, I believe this is your father." Dumbledore motioned to a shaggy black dog behind his desk that no one had noticed yet. Sirius transformed into the actual human, and ran and hugged Alex.

"Son! It's so great to see you, how have you been?" You could tell by the way they began talking immediately that they were very close father and son.

"Great Dad, I'm so happy you signed me up for Hogwarts, I already made 3 new friends! Do you know them?" Alex began, not knowing that Sirius was Harry's Dad's best friend.

"Er, Alex, I must go. I'm terribly sorry, son. Please, do not get into as much trouble as you did before..." Sirius said, his voice filled with sorrow.

"Sure..Dad..Bye!" They embraced, and Hermione was nearly about to faint yet again for she believed she saw tears in both their eyes.

"Well now, none of that. You four may return to the Gryffindor Common Room." Dumbledore ended the session and motioned for them to exit. Harry caught a slight glimpse of Fawkes, Dumbledore's Phoenix. He was quivering his wings, sparkles of dust flying everywhere.

"This is no fair! Who will be the replacement seeker? We're going to lose!" Ron was overreacting about the Quidditch thing, but Harry knew Dumbledore never lies.

"Ron, he said it was for my own safety. It must be for a good reason! Dumbledore would never put me in harm's way or lie to me, you know that." Harry tried to calm Ron down, but it didn't work. When they reached the Common Room, Ron stomped off to his four poster bed in the dormitory, as Hermione, Harry, and Alex all sat down in the, now three, chairs by the fire. Apparently, McGonagall had put another there because of all the complaints of nobody ever getting the puffy chairs.

All three took a seat in the chairs, Hermione in the center one. Soon, Crookshanks had appeared and jumped on her lap, and Alex's pet cat also bound into his lap. Everyone had a laugh out of this, for they did it nearly at the same time.

"This is Twifflo. Yes, I do know it is an odd name, but it was my mother's pet name for me. Even if Twifflo is a girl anyways. I miss her dearly.." Alex said and heaved a giant sigh.

"She must have been a wonderful woman, Alex." Hermione asked, trying to console him. He looked to the fire and just watched it for quite some time.

"She was wonderful. Voldemort killed her when I was three, however. I remember her smile, her wonderful fragrance. He had killed her secretly, and it had never reached the media. This increased my father's aversion towards him also." He sighed again, and his face became somber.

"I'm sorr--" Harry was cut off by a noise outside. He felt his scar hurt, but he only winced, and didn't show any sign. A blast of green light shone outside the Common Room door before a cold voice had said "avada kedavra" and you could hear screams from the students and teachers walking along the corridor.

Suddenly, Twifflo and Crookshanks both screeched and jumped from Hermione and Alex's laps. They ran to the door and began clawing at it. Harry screamed in pain as his scar began to suddenly throb, and he seized his forehead as he began to fade away, and as he heard Hermione's screams and Alex's yells.

( A/N: Chapter 8~Ooh..^.^ PLEASE R/R!! THANK YOOS!! ^.^!! )