5th
Year Sorrows Part 7
The ride back to the castle was the best one ever. It wasn't as crowded and it wasn't as noisy, but even those two together couldn't be as good as the best part of it. The best part was Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle weren't there. Of course they wouldn't be there at all, as their parents were all death eaters, and that made the ride one to take advantage of. There was one downside. Someone from the Ministry of Magic would be in each compartment, and some of the teachers were there as well, but to Harry, Ron and Hermione's luck, it was Arthur Weasley who accompanied them. If they had thought this trip couldn't get any better, they were wrong. The real surprise came about half way through the trip. The door slid open and a familiar face came around the door.
"Hello, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville," said the person. It was Lupin!
"Professor Lupin!" Harry, Ron and Hermione in unison.
"No, no, don't call me 'Professor' anymore. Call me Remus. Or Lupin. Or Mr. Lupin. Or even Moony. Just don't call me professor," he said grinning. I've been patrolling the train with Mrs. Figg and someone you three would be happy to see." Harry looked past Lupin to see old Mrs. Figg standing in the doorway.
"Hello, Harry. I haven't seen you in years," she said in her old croaky voice, "if you ever need to get anywhere in the wizarding world, just tell me, the Dursleys don't know I'm a witch." Harry smiled. He was glad to know there was a witch nearby, and he knew perfectly well that if asked to stay with Mrs. Figg for the remainder of his summer, only to go and stay at the Leaky Cauldron, the Dursleys wouldn't refuse. Harry looked around again. Didn't Lupin say there was someone that they'd be glad to see?
"Neville, do you remember in your third year when Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban?" Lupin asked him. Neville nodded. Harry, Ron, and Hermione each had a broad grin spread across their faces. Harry then noticed a crowd of people petting a big black dog. It was Sirius.
"You have to trust Arthur and I on this. Sirius Black is innocent. Believe me. Sirius is innocent. Do you trust us?" Neville slowly shook his head. Harry saw Sirius walk in and Lupin locked the doors on either side of the compartment and then there was a popping noise. Where there once was a dog was now a man, a man by the name of Sirius Black.