Chapter 7: A Discovery
Harry entered the room after Prof. Dumbledore and was instantly taken back. His whole body felt a wave of cold was over him. He touched his scar that suddenly began to tingle and noticed his forehead was hot and slightly sweaty.
The room was windowless and small with a few boxes stacked in the corners along the walls. The boxes were labeled with gold writing saying 'butterbeer' or 'glass - handle with care'. Harry guessed this was a storage room.
There were several candles floating around where Margerite sat on a box. She was talking quickly and quietly. A parchment lay on a box next to her. It was being written upon by a quill that stood up on its point by itself.
Even worse then what Harry was feeling was the sight. Though the light was flickering and inconstant, making it hard to see things clearly, the unmistakable body of Sirius hung in the air of a dark corner across from where Margerite sat.
Sirius was still alive but unconscious. The way his body hung there like that, it was almost too much for Harry.
"Wonderful of you to come so quickly." Margerite nodded to them as she finished talking to the quill. "The dementors will be here momentarily. Before they do get here, it would be good of Harry to answer some questions. That is, if approve Headmaster."
"It's not my decision." Dumbledore answered as he gently looked down at Harry. "It's up to you."
Harry thought for a moment and then nodded. Maybe if he told the truth about everything, Margerite would let Sirius go. She already heard Hermione's confession. Surely she would be skeptical of Sirius being guilty.
"I've already heard quite a story from Ms. Hermione Granger. No doubt your story will be just as entertaining Harry." She said as she looked darkly at Sirius.
"But it's the truth! You have to believe us!" Harry yelled.
"Why you show any affection, or pity for this traitor is beyond my reasoning. There are many spells and tricks Sirius Black could have used. And it's quite interesting that it has worked on you, Harry. I thought you were stronger then that. But what is unforgivable is imagining a story were you soil the reputation of a fallen ally to save this man. Peter Pettigrew deserves better then that."
"But what about my mum and dad! They deserved better then what they got!" Harry yelled furiously at Margerite. His face was burning and his scar hurt tremendously.
There was a sudden cracking noise and suddenly, one of the boxes labeled 'glass' broke open to dispel chunks of broke glass all over the floor.
"Control your temper, Harry. The Ministry of Magic would like not to pay a heavy damage fee because you've angered yourself over nothing." Margerite said as she took out a gold watch from her pocket with a white-gloved hand and held it to the light to see the time.
"Margerite, you pride yourself on bringing justice to this world. There is a good chance Harry and Hermione are telling the truth. In fact, I believe what they have seen to be true. If you kill Sirius Black then you will have gone against everything that you stand for. The old Margerite would never try an innocent man."
"Too bad, the old Margerite is longer here. There's a good chance you'd be right." She said unaffected by Prof. Dumbledore's statement. "Shouldn't be long now. I've taken the liberty of contacting Mister Fudge. He regretfully is unable to make it here on such short notice you, Headmaster, will have to serve as witness to the fulfillment of Sirius' sentence. Do you understand?"
Dumbledore nodded rigidly. Harry could not believe that Dumbledore would go along with this. He felt sick to his stomach. Everything was getting blurry but he stood planted to the spot.
"Harry, that is all, you may leave. One of the guards outside will escort you back to Hogwarts."
"Harry, if you wish to stay."
Harry shook his head in shock of what he was hearing. There didn't seem to be anyway out of this one. Sirius was going to die and there was nothing Harry could do about it. Suddenly, the feeling in his legs returned and in a mad dash, Harry ran out of the room, down the stairs and out of The Three Broomsticks as fast as he could.
"I've got to find Remus." Harry thought frantically. He moved through the dark maze of passageways between the tall buildings of Hogsmeade. Maybe Remus had returned to the home they were staying in. Maybe Remus could save Sirius from a fate worse then death. Harry noticed that even though it about noon, everything seemed darker and quieter. Margerite must have ordered everyone in the town to stay in their homes until it was all over because there was no one in the streets at all and everything was closed and locked.
He reached the home and found the door wide open but no one was inside.
"Remus! Remus? Are you here?" Harry called out but got no response.
"Crucio!" A voice suddenly called out, making Harry fall backwards, narrowly missing a shot of light hit him from behind.
Harry scampered quickly behind a dusty old couch and felt for his wand. He looked around frantically but didn't see anyone there. The voice came from the direction of the room next to the door. If the person was in there, Harry was trapped. It was quiet for a moment before the voice called out again.
"Expelliarmus!" The voice yelled as Harry felt the wand fly out of his hand. He watched it zoom through the air and land into the waiting palm of Wormtail.
"H-here I was, waiting for Moony and instead, I g-got you. Well, this make things a lot easier." Wheezed Wormtail, who looked tired and haggard. The disgusting little man held out both wands toward Harry with shaking hands. "I'll m-make it quick." He muttered as he put Harry's wand in his pocket. "Avada Ke-"
"EXPELLIARMUS!" roared someone from the wide open door.
The wand flew from Wormtail's hand and slid across the floor to Harry.
"STUPEFY!" roared the voice once more and in a flash of light, Wormtail lay on the floor, out cold.
A hand reached out and Harry took it gratefully.
"Harry? Are you all right? He didn't hurt you did he?"
"No, Remus. I'm ok." Harry said as he dusted off his robes.
"What? Are you sure Harry?" He said as he helped Harry up.
Harry finally looked up at Remus to find it wasn't Remus at all. It was Sirius.
"Sirius!" Harry gasped. Without even thinking, he hugged Sirius so suddenly that they fell over.
"I thought you were going to be.but Dumbledore must have reasoned with her! Everything will be alright now!" Harry laughed.
"You must have hit your head Harry. I'm afraid I'm not following you." Sirius said standing and helping Harry up once more.
"Hermione had been tricked by Margerite into tell everything so that's how she knew where you and Remus were. She must have found you and knocked you out. Don't you remember anything?"
"Harry, I was never knocked out. Nor did I run into Margerite Adler. When we all separated, I had made it to the edge of the town but remembered that Wormtail here was still in the area. I returned just in the knick of time. Is Moony ok?"
"I haven't seen him."
"At all? That's strange. Did he contact Dumbledore?"
"He hasn't seen him either."
Sirius's face began intensely serious as he looked over at the body of Wormtail. Sirius held out his wand and ropes flew from the tip, wrapping themselves tightly around Wormtail.
"Mobilicorpus." Sirius said, making Wormtail levitate in the air. "We better get him to Dumbledore quickly." He sighed. "Wait, he's dropped something." Sirius mumbled as he picked up an empty bottle as sniffed it.
"I don't remember him dropping a bottle." Harry said, thinking quickly.
"Smells like.polyjuice potion? Harry, I don't think this belongs to Wormtail. It has Remus's scent on it as well."
Suddenly, the pieces came together for Harry.
"Remus used himself as a decoy." Said Harry.
"Damn it! He's always trying to play the hero." Sirius said, punching the wall.
"Sirius, Margerite has sent for dementors. They should be here to give Remus the dementor's kiss within the hour."
"No, that won't happen." Sirius said, furrowing his brow and raising his wand. "Not if we get Wormtail to Margerite before the dementors arrive. We've got to hurry."
Harry, Sirius and Wormtail, floating in front of them, still unconscious, moved quickly from the tiny house towards The Three Broomsticks. Harry hoped within the deepest part of his soul that they were not too late.
a/n: wow! I've written two chapters within the same week! That's definitely a record for me. Well, if you've come this far, you deserve a congratulations!!!!! Well, one more chapter to go! I hope the ending is to your liking and it should be up by the end of the week at least! Finally, please review!! I love all feedback. I'm a review junkie. I'd like to know if ppl are reading my stories and enjoying them and if not, I'd like to know what I can do to improve. So, this is me(Ally) signing off to go write the final chapter
and this is me(Marisa) saying hey there!!! ^_^ I'm the co-author, by the way.
Harry entered the room after Prof. Dumbledore and was instantly taken back. His whole body felt a wave of cold was over him. He touched his scar that suddenly began to tingle and noticed his forehead was hot and slightly sweaty.
The room was windowless and small with a few boxes stacked in the corners along the walls. The boxes were labeled with gold writing saying 'butterbeer' or 'glass - handle with care'. Harry guessed this was a storage room.
There were several candles floating around where Margerite sat on a box. She was talking quickly and quietly. A parchment lay on a box next to her. It was being written upon by a quill that stood up on its point by itself.
Even worse then what Harry was feeling was the sight. Though the light was flickering and inconstant, making it hard to see things clearly, the unmistakable body of Sirius hung in the air of a dark corner across from where Margerite sat.
Sirius was still alive but unconscious. The way his body hung there like that, it was almost too much for Harry.
"Wonderful of you to come so quickly." Margerite nodded to them as she finished talking to the quill. "The dementors will be here momentarily. Before they do get here, it would be good of Harry to answer some questions. That is, if approve Headmaster."
"It's not my decision." Dumbledore answered as he gently looked down at Harry. "It's up to you."
Harry thought for a moment and then nodded. Maybe if he told the truth about everything, Margerite would let Sirius go. She already heard Hermione's confession. Surely she would be skeptical of Sirius being guilty.
"I've already heard quite a story from Ms. Hermione Granger. No doubt your story will be just as entertaining Harry." She said as she looked darkly at Sirius.
"But it's the truth! You have to believe us!" Harry yelled.
"Why you show any affection, or pity for this traitor is beyond my reasoning. There are many spells and tricks Sirius Black could have used. And it's quite interesting that it has worked on you, Harry. I thought you were stronger then that. But what is unforgivable is imagining a story were you soil the reputation of a fallen ally to save this man. Peter Pettigrew deserves better then that."
"But what about my mum and dad! They deserved better then what they got!" Harry yelled furiously at Margerite. His face was burning and his scar hurt tremendously.
There was a sudden cracking noise and suddenly, one of the boxes labeled 'glass' broke open to dispel chunks of broke glass all over the floor.
"Control your temper, Harry. The Ministry of Magic would like not to pay a heavy damage fee because you've angered yourself over nothing." Margerite said as she took out a gold watch from her pocket with a white-gloved hand and held it to the light to see the time.
"Margerite, you pride yourself on bringing justice to this world. There is a good chance Harry and Hermione are telling the truth. In fact, I believe what they have seen to be true. If you kill Sirius Black then you will have gone against everything that you stand for. The old Margerite would never try an innocent man."
"Too bad, the old Margerite is longer here. There's a good chance you'd be right." She said unaffected by Prof. Dumbledore's statement. "Shouldn't be long now. I've taken the liberty of contacting Mister Fudge. He regretfully is unable to make it here on such short notice you, Headmaster, will have to serve as witness to the fulfillment of Sirius' sentence. Do you understand?"
Dumbledore nodded rigidly. Harry could not believe that Dumbledore would go along with this. He felt sick to his stomach. Everything was getting blurry but he stood planted to the spot.
"Harry, that is all, you may leave. One of the guards outside will escort you back to Hogwarts."
"Harry, if you wish to stay."
Harry shook his head in shock of what he was hearing. There didn't seem to be anyway out of this one. Sirius was going to die and there was nothing Harry could do about it. Suddenly, the feeling in his legs returned and in a mad dash, Harry ran out of the room, down the stairs and out of The Three Broomsticks as fast as he could.
"I've got to find Remus." Harry thought frantically. He moved through the dark maze of passageways between the tall buildings of Hogsmeade. Maybe Remus had returned to the home they were staying in. Maybe Remus could save Sirius from a fate worse then death. Harry noticed that even though it about noon, everything seemed darker and quieter. Margerite must have ordered everyone in the town to stay in their homes until it was all over because there was no one in the streets at all and everything was closed and locked.
He reached the home and found the door wide open but no one was inside.
"Remus! Remus? Are you here?" Harry called out but got no response.
"Crucio!" A voice suddenly called out, making Harry fall backwards, narrowly missing a shot of light hit him from behind.
Harry scampered quickly behind a dusty old couch and felt for his wand. He looked around frantically but didn't see anyone there. The voice came from the direction of the room next to the door. If the person was in there, Harry was trapped. It was quiet for a moment before the voice called out again.
"Expelliarmus!" The voice yelled as Harry felt the wand fly out of his hand. He watched it zoom through the air and land into the waiting palm of Wormtail.
"H-here I was, waiting for Moony and instead, I g-got you. Well, this make things a lot easier." Wheezed Wormtail, who looked tired and haggard. The disgusting little man held out both wands toward Harry with shaking hands. "I'll m-make it quick." He muttered as he put Harry's wand in his pocket. "Avada Ke-"
"EXPELLIARMUS!" roared someone from the wide open door.
The wand flew from Wormtail's hand and slid across the floor to Harry.
"STUPEFY!" roared the voice once more and in a flash of light, Wormtail lay on the floor, out cold.
A hand reached out and Harry took it gratefully.
"Harry? Are you all right? He didn't hurt you did he?"
"No, Remus. I'm ok." Harry said as he dusted off his robes.
"What? Are you sure Harry?" He said as he helped Harry up.
Harry finally looked up at Remus to find it wasn't Remus at all. It was Sirius.
"Sirius!" Harry gasped. Without even thinking, he hugged Sirius so suddenly that they fell over.
"I thought you were going to be.but Dumbledore must have reasoned with her! Everything will be alright now!" Harry laughed.
"You must have hit your head Harry. I'm afraid I'm not following you." Sirius said standing and helping Harry up once more.
"Hermione had been tricked by Margerite into tell everything so that's how she knew where you and Remus were. She must have found you and knocked you out. Don't you remember anything?"
"Harry, I was never knocked out. Nor did I run into Margerite Adler. When we all separated, I had made it to the edge of the town but remembered that Wormtail here was still in the area. I returned just in the knick of time. Is Moony ok?"
"I haven't seen him."
"At all? That's strange. Did he contact Dumbledore?"
"He hasn't seen him either."
Sirius's face began intensely serious as he looked over at the body of Wormtail. Sirius held out his wand and ropes flew from the tip, wrapping themselves tightly around Wormtail.
"Mobilicorpus." Sirius said, making Wormtail levitate in the air. "We better get him to Dumbledore quickly." He sighed. "Wait, he's dropped something." Sirius mumbled as he picked up an empty bottle as sniffed it.
"I don't remember him dropping a bottle." Harry said, thinking quickly.
"Smells like.polyjuice potion? Harry, I don't think this belongs to Wormtail. It has Remus's scent on it as well."
Suddenly, the pieces came together for Harry.
"Remus used himself as a decoy." Said Harry.
"Damn it! He's always trying to play the hero." Sirius said, punching the wall.
"Sirius, Margerite has sent for dementors. They should be here to give Remus the dementor's kiss within the hour."
"No, that won't happen." Sirius said, furrowing his brow and raising his wand. "Not if we get Wormtail to Margerite before the dementors arrive. We've got to hurry."
Harry, Sirius and Wormtail, floating in front of them, still unconscious, moved quickly from the tiny house towards The Three Broomsticks. Harry hoped within the deepest part of his soul that they were not too late.
a/n: wow! I've written two chapters within the same week! That's definitely a record for me. Well, if you've come this far, you deserve a congratulations!!!!! Well, one more chapter to go! I hope the ending is to your liking and it should be up by the end of the week at least! Finally, please review!! I love all feedback. I'm a review junkie. I'd like to know if ppl are reading my stories and enjoying them and if not, I'd like to know what I can do to improve. So, this is me(Ally) signing off to go write the final chapter
and this is me(Marisa) saying hey there!!! ^_^ I'm the co-author, by the way.