Chapter Eight: A Heart Felt Decision
Harry and Sirius reached the edge of the alleyway that spilled into the main street and stopped. They kept to the shadows as best they could but they could not move any closer without being discovered.
"There are wizards guarding The Three Broomsticks from all sides. The room they have Remus in has no windows. There is no way in except through the front." Harry informed Sirius.
"Things are looking pretty grim, aren't they." Sirius said in a low voice. "But don't lose hope, Harry. There's still time."
"I'm not too sure about that. What's going to happen once the Polyjuice potion wears off?" Harry asked.
Sirius's voice caught in his throat. "You know, I didn't think of that."
There was a sudden bang as Margerite burst from the front door of the bar, followed closely by Dumbledore, who wore the tiniest smile on the corners of his lips that were half hidden by the long white beard.
"Quickly! Search the town! I don't want anyone to enter or leave. The fugitive is still on the loose!" Margerite ordered to the wizards who stood guard. At first they didn't move, unable to register that Sirius Black was not in custody. "Now!" Margerite commanded firmly, making the men scramble in several directions. "Headmaster, I'd like you return to Hogwarts. I don't think it's safe for you or Harry at the moment. Do you think you can make it back one your own?"
"I think I can handle it perfectly." Dumbledore nodded as he took out his wand and hailed the horseless carriage to take him back to the school.
With that, Margerite took off in another direction, swiftly and silently.
"Now's our chance Harry!" Sirius said nudging him to get ready to run.
Harry looked back at Sirius and caught a glance at Wormtail. He had awoken and was squirming in the tight ropes that bound his hands, feet and mouth. He tried to talk but it came out only as a choking noise.
"Don't move, don't speak, don't even breathe, you scum." Sirius growled as he got close to Wormtail's face. "There's no escape so don't even try it. I won't think twice about killing you right now so stop squirming before I break your neck." He finished as he grabbed Wormtail around the collar of his shabby robes.
Wormtail nodded vigorously, his eyes were wide with fear and his throat silent.
"Time to make our move, the coast is clear." Sirius said as he broke into a run.
The main street in Hogsmeade was not the widest street Harry had ever seen, but crossing it felt like running a mile. Harry felt so vulnerable in the empty street, being only a few strides from the entrance to the bar.
They threw open the door and huddled inside, glancing nervously out a window.
"We're safe, I think." Sirius said, waving his wand, lowering Wormtail to the ground. "I think you can walk the rest of the way." Sirius kicked the tiny man toward the stairs and ordered him to march.
The three of them made it up the stairs and Harry led the way to the room where Margerite was keeping Remus. They reached a locked door, which was easily opened by Sirius.
"Reducto!" And the wooden door splintered into tiny pieces.
Sirius shoved Wormtail to the ground and looked around the dark, tiny room.
"Lumos." Harry said, to brighten the windowless room up.
"I.I was wondering when you two would get here." Remus coughed as he smiled weakly.
"You fool! Always trying to be the hero, aren't you." Sirius yelled at Remus as he walked over to stand above him. "What if the potion had worn off after the dementors had come? What then?"
"Well, I had planned on the potion lasting for a day, but I guess I didn't make it strong enough." Remus though out-loud. "They would think you were dead and that would be the end of it. The important thing is that you're still alive." Sirius still glared at him, silently. "I did it for Harry's sake and yours. Besides.." He coughed once again as he stood up. "You shed, I had to do something with all that mess."
Sirius let a small smile penetrate his lips before becoming serious once more.
"Look what we've found." He motioned to Wormtail, wriggling like a fish out of water.
"Wonderful to see you again, Wormtail." Remus frowned. "Should we just hold him here till that woman returns or find Dumbledore first?"
"Dumbledore is back at Hogwarts. We could never make it all the way back there without being spotted."
"Then what should we do with him?"
"I think you should step away slowly and drop your wands."
"What?" Harry, Sirius and Remus (even Wormtail) gasped.
Suddenly, Margerite immerged from the dark hallway into the room, wand pointing directly at Sirius's face.
"Drop your wands now!" She ordered. Sirius did so very slowly and moved away. "You too, Harry."
Harry looked to Sirius, who nodded for him to do so. Margerite gathered up the wands, but never let her brilliant purple eyes falter from Sirius's face.
"What luck I have. I come back here to see if the imposter has fled yet and I find the real Sirius Black. There's no escape now; the dememtors will be here any moment. Your time is up." She said calmly and collected with an unmistakable coldness.
"Nice to see you again Margerite. Miss me?"
"No. But I do long to be back at Azkaban. So the sooner you die, the sooner I'll be back where I belong."
"Margerite, listen to me!!" Harry pleaded. "We caught Worm-er, Peter Pettigrew! Look! He's alive!" Harry pointed to the nervously shaking man on the floor, still bound and gagged.
"Lumos." Margerite said to her wand to add light to the room. She stared blankly at Wormtail, having never noticed him there due to the darkness of the room and his tiny size. "Who is this man?" She bent down to untie him.
"It's Peter Pettigrew. He faked his death fifteen years ago and he's working for Voldemort. That's the truth and you would be making a grave mistake if you let this man go." Remus said, stepping forward. "I said don't move." Margerite ordered as she undid the rope that gagged Wormtail.
"Untie me, please!" He blurted out just as the rope was removed from his mouth. "I...I was just passing by and I sp-potted Black running with H- harry Potter to this place. I thought he was going to hurt the p-poor boy! I just wanted to see if I could help!" He sputtered in between whimpers.
"He's lying!" Harry yelled. "I swear on your family's life. That's Peter Pettigrew and he's the one who killed my parents."
At this statement, Harry noticed the tiniest flinch in the corner of Margerite's pale lips and a strange flicker in her eyes.
"Well, well. It seems Headmaster Dumbledore must have told you my little secret. But swearing on someone else's dead family is in poor taste." She said with a shifting uneasiness.
"What secret?" Sirius asked Harry.
"She preformed the Nonsentirus curse on herself. She no longer has any feelings."
"Still, for a person who is all about bringing criminals to justice, you sure aren't doing a very good job." Sirius grumbled.
"Have you caught on yet, Sirius? I don't care."
"I think that you do. I can see in your eyes there is some human still alive in you. And if you untie him, you'll be destroying everything that you ever stood for. At least get Professor Dumbledore. He can positively identify Peter Pettigrew." Remus reasoned.
Margerite thought for a moment. Her flawless complexion darkened with what looked like confusion. She looked from Sirius to Harry numerous times before responding.
"Alright. Headmaster Dumbledore will the final word in all of this." As she said this, ropes flew from the end of her wand and wound around both Sirius and Remus. However the ropes only tied about their arms and not their feet, indicating that they would be walking. "Harry, since you too are involved in this, I'll need to know whose side you are on."
"I just want this man to pay for his crimes." He said, glancing at Wormtail, who had been working at his ropes.
"Very well." She nodded as she pulled the little man to his feet. "Personally Harry, this is starting to make sense. I hope for your sake that Sirius is innocent." She said quietly.
Harry put his hands on Sirius and Remus's arms, to show that he would watch these two. Margerite looked to Wormtail, whose glance never left the floor. From the little light there was in the room, Harry could make out the beads of sweat that dripped from the tiny man's almost bald head.
"I think this is all a big misunderstanding." He squeaked as he shifted strangely in the ropes, his eyes suddenly glittering.
Margerite turned away to open the door and just as she did, the ropes dropped from around Wormtail's body. Harry watched in slow motion as his free arm raised toward him, holding out a wand. Before anyone could shout a warning, Wormtail made his move.
"Avada Kedavra!"
"No!"
In a blinding flash of light, time seemed to stand still. Harry clenched Sirius's arm, bracing for the impact of the spell. It was a strange sensation. It didn't hurt at all. Harry didn't mind that. At least he knew his parents didn't feel pain when they were killed. Suddenly, something large and heavy hit him, knocking him back.
"Harry!" Sirius yelled.
Harry opened his eyes to find he was far from dead. He was on his back on the cold wooden floor. The body of Margerite lay on top him. She had shielded Harry from the curse, sacrificing herself to save him. Wormtail had fled, dropping the wand he had used to kill Margerite. It was Harry's wand that he had pocketed when he had first attacked Harry. Sirius quickly transfigured into a dog, stepped out of the ropes and back to human form. He quickly united Remus and then pulled Margerite off of Harry.
"She's alive!" Harry gasped.
Sirius held Margerite in his arms and noticed her brow twitch with pain.
"Margerite?"
"Looks like I was wrong...I'll admit it. I made a mistake it seems."
"We have to get you to a doctor. It doesn't look fatal and if we get help immediately..."
"That's where you're wrong." She said, cringing. "I don't need a doctor. I'm already dead. That's why I'm still talking but not for too much longer."
"Don't talk like that. You're not dead yet. I won't let you, not after saving Harry's life."
"I'm sorry Sirius."
"For what?"
"I will not be able to reopen your case to clear your name."
"It's alright. You saw Pettigrew alive. You'll be able to testify."
"No...I won't." She gasped.
Harry tried but could not turn away. His throat began to hurt. He tried to speak but his voice caught in his throat, making the pain worse. He watched helplessly as the beautiful shimmer in Margerite's eyes faded quickly.
"I truly am sorry." She whispered.
Just then, Sirius let out a gasp. Large tears began to fall down Margerite's white cheeks.
"Impossible." Harry muttered.
"That's strange..." Margerite said lifting a hand to touch her wet cheek. "They came out on their own." She sighed as her body went limp and her eyes glazed over.
"That spell is extremely powerful. It should have completely erased all emotion from her." Harry choked out.
"Maybe...a piece of her heart still felt something for her family. Love is too strong. No spell can destroy it completely. And that's what probably saved her soul." Sirius thought out loud.
Moments later, Sirius and Remus fled for their own safety and Harry left to find help. Though Harry tried to explain that Peter Pettigrew was the one who killed Margerite Adler, no one believed him, except for Prof. Dumbledore and Hermione. A final search of the town revealed that Sirius Black was nowhere to be found and was gone.
The next few days flew by quickly. There were still no signs of Sirius anywhere and for that, Harry was glad. However, because of the recent events, the summer term at Hogwarts would be canceled this year, meaning Harry would have to return to the Dursleys for the remaining two and a half months of summer. The students were quick to pack and rushed off to the Hogwarts express. Harry didn't mind leaving this place. Reporters for the Daily Prophet swarmed Hogsmeade and Harry was not up for talking to anyone.
"Harry, I guess this means I won't see you still till September." Hermione said, trying to start a light conversation.
"I guess not." Harry sighed, staring out the window at the scenery.
"Are you going to be ok?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine."
"I'll make sure to send you something on your birthday."
"Thank you, Hermione." He answered in a less then thrilled tone.
That was the last thing they said to each other before they arrived at the Kings Cross Station to be picked up and taken home. For some reason, Harry didn't seem to feel much of anything about returning to the Dursleys. Maybe it was because he was too tired to care, or maybe the events of that short lived summer term had more effect on him then he thought.
A/n: well that's it! Sorry, I know it's not the happiest ending in the world, but the way I look at it, this is far from the end! The sequel to this, 'Harry Potter and the Eye of the Golden Dragon' picks up right after this so if you liked reading this story, the next one is much longer and much happier! I'm going to start posting that one soon, but not for another couple weeks while I organize it.
I'm not one to leave a story on a low note, so I would like to thank everyone who has read my story and left reviews, and if you have yet to do so, please! Leave a little something for me so I know what you think about my story!
That's it for now, so I'll see y'all around!
Comments, questions, anything, email me at tougaparty4me@hotmail.com
Harry and Sirius reached the edge of the alleyway that spilled into the main street and stopped. They kept to the shadows as best they could but they could not move any closer without being discovered.
"There are wizards guarding The Three Broomsticks from all sides. The room they have Remus in has no windows. There is no way in except through the front." Harry informed Sirius.
"Things are looking pretty grim, aren't they." Sirius said in a low voice. "But don't lose hope, Harry. There's still time."
"I'm not too sure about that. What's going to happen once the Polyjuice potion wears off?" Harry asked.
Sirius's voice caught in his throat. "You know, I didn't think of that."
There was a sudden bang as Margerite burst from the front door of the bar, followed closely by Dumbledore, who wore the tiniest smile on the corners of his lips that were half hidden by the long white beard.
"Quickly! Search the town! I don't want anyone to enter or leave. The fugitive is still on the loose!" Margerite ordered to the wizards who stood guard. At first they didn't move, unable to register that Sirius Black was not in custody. "Now!" Margerite commanded firmly, making the men scramble in several directions. "Headmaster, I'd like you return to Hogwarts. I don't think it's safe for you or Harry at the moment. Do you think you can make it back one your own?"
"I think I can handle it perfectly." Dumbledore nodded as he took out his wand and hailed the horseless carriage to take him back to the school.
With that, Margerite took off in another direction, swiftly and silently.
"Now's our chance Harry!" Sirius said nudging him to get ready to run.
Harry looked back at Sirius and caught a glance at Wormtail. He had awoken and was squirming in the tight ropes that bound his hands, feet and mouth. He tried to talk but it came out only as a choking noise.
"Don't move, don't speak, don't even breathe, you scum." Sirius growled as he got close to Wormtail's face. "There's no escape so don't even try it. I won't think twice about killing you right now so stop squirming before I break your neck." He finished as he grabbed Wormtail around the collar of his shabby robes.
Wormtail nodded vigorously, his eyes were wide with fear and his throat silent.
"Time to make our move, the coast is clear." Sirius said as he broke into a run.
The main street in Hogsmeade was not the widest street Harry had ever seen, but crossing it felt like running a mile. Harry felt so vulnerable in the empty street, being only a few strides from the entrance to the bar.
They threw open the door and huddled inside, glancing nervously out a window.
"We're safe, I think." Sirius said, waving his wand, lowering Wormtail to the ground. "I think you can walk the rest of the way." Sirius kicked the tiny man toward the stairs and ordered him to march.
The three of them made it up the stairs and Harry led the way to the room where Margerite was keeping Remus. They reached a locked door, which was easily opened by Sirius.
"Reducto!" And the wooden door splintered into tiny pieces.
Sirius shoved Wormtail to the ground and looked around the dark, tiny room.
"Lumos." Harry said, to brighten the windowless room up.
"I.I was wondering when you two would get here." Remus coughed as he smiled weakly.
"You fool! Always trying to be the hero, aren't you." Sirius yelled at Remus as he walked over to stand above him. "What if the potion had worn off after the dementors had come? What then?"
"Well, I had planned on the potion lasting for a day, but I guess I didn't make it strong enough." Remus though out-loud. "They would think you were dead and that would be the end of it. The important thing is that you're still alive." Sirius still glared at him, silently. "I did it for Harry's sake and yours. Besides.." He coughed once again as he stood up. "You shed, I had to do something with all that mess."
Sirius let a small smile penetrate his lips before becoming serious once more.
"Look what we've found." He motioned to Wormtail, wriggling like a fish out of water.
"Wonderful to see you again, Wormtail." Remus frowned. "Should we just hold him here till that woman returns or find Dumbledore first?"
"Dumbledore is back at Hogwarts. We could never make it all the way back there without being spotted."
"Then what should we do with him?"
"I think you should step away slowly and drop your wands."
"What?" Harry, Sirius and Remus (even Wormtail) gasped.
Suddenly, Margerite immerged from the dark hallway into the room, wand pointing directly at Sirius's face.
"Drop your wands now!" She ordered. Sirius did so very slowly and moved away. "You too, Harry."
Harry looked to Sirius, who nodded for him to do so. Margerite gathered up the wands, but never let her brilliant purple eyes falter from Sirius's face.
"What luck I have. I come back here to see if the imposter has fled yet and I find the real Sirius Black. There's no escape now; the dememtors will be here any moment. Your time is up." She said calmly and collected with an unmistakable coldness.
"Nice to see you again Margerite. Miss me?"
"No. But I do long to be back at Azkaban. So the sooner you die, the sooner I'll be back where I belong."
"Margerite, listen to me!!" Harry pleaded. "We caught Worm-er, Peter Pettigrew! Look! He's alive!" Harry pointed to the nervously shaking man on the floor, still bound and gagged.
"Lumos." Margerite said to her wand to add light to the room. She stared blankly at Wormtail, having never noticed him there due to the darkness of the room and his tiny size. "Who is this man?" She bent down to untie him.
"It's Peter Pettigrew. He faked his death fifteen years ago and he's working for Voldemort. That's the truth and you would be making a grave mistake if you let this man go." Remus said, stepping forward. "I said don't move." Margerite ordered as she undid the rope that gagged Wormtail.
"Untie me, please!" He blurted out just as the rope was removed from his mouth. "I...I was just passing by and I sp-potted Black running with H- harry Potter to this place. I thought he was going to hurt the p-poor boy! I just wanted to see if I could help!" He sputtered in between whimpers.
"He's lying!" Harry yelled. "I swear on your family's life. That's Peter Pettigrew and he's the one who killed my parents."
At this statement, Harry noticed the tiniest flinch in the corner of Margerite's pale lips and a strange flicker in her eyes.
"Well, well. It seems Headmaster Dumbledore must have told you my little secret. But swearing on someone else's dead family is in poor taste." She said with a shifting uneasiness.
"What secret?" Sirius asked Harry.
"She preformed the Nonsentirus curse on herself. She no longer has any feelings."
"Still, for a person who is all about bringing criminals to justice, you sure aren't doing a very good job." Sirius grumbled.
"Have you caught on yet, Sirius? I don't care."
"I think that you do. I can see in your eyes there is some human still alive in you. And if you untie him, you'll be destroying everything that you ever stood for. At least get Professor Dumbledore. He can positively identify Peter Pettigrew." Remus reasoned.
Margerite thought for a moment. Her flawless complexion darkened with what looked like confusion. She looked from Sirius to Harry numerous times before responding.
"Alright. Headmaster Dumbledore will the final word in all of this." As she said this, ropes flew from the end of her wand and wound around both Sirius and Remus. However the ropes only tied about their arms and not their feet, indicating that they would be walking. "Harry, since you too are involved in this, I'll need to know whose side you are on."
"I just want this man to pay for his crimes." He said, glancing at Wormtail, who had been working at his ropes.
"Very well." She nodded as she pulled the little man to his feet. "Personally Harry, this is starting to make sense. I hope for your sake that Sirius is innocent." She said quietly.
Harry put his hands on Sirius and Remus's arms, to show that he would watch these two. Margerite looked to Wormtail, whose glance never left the floor. From the little light there was in the room, Harry could make out the beads of sweat that dripped from the tiny man's almost bald head.
"I think this is all a big misunderstanding." He squeaked as he shifted strangely in the ropes, his eyes suddenly glittering.
Margerite turned away to open the door and just as she did, the ropes dropped from around Wormtail's body. Harry watched in slow motion as his free arm raised toward him, holding out a wand. Before anyone could shout a warning, Wormtail made his move.
"Avada Kedavra!"
"No!"
In a blinding flash of light, time seemed to stand still. Harry clenched Sirius's arm, bracing for the impact of the spell. It was a strange sensation. It didn't hurt at all. Harry didn't mind that. At least he knew his parents didn't feel pain when they were killed. Suddenly, something large and heavy hit him, knocking him back.
"Harry!" Sirius yelled.
Harry opened his eyes to find he was far from dead. He was on his back on the cold wooden floor. The body of Margerite lay on top him. She had shielded Harry from the curse, sacrificing herself to save him. Wormtail had fled, dropping the wand he had used to kill Margerite. It was Harry's wand that he had pocketed when he had first attacked Harry. Sirius quickly transfigured into a dog, stepped out of the ropes and back to human form. He quickly united Remus and then pulled Margerite off of Harry.
"She's alive!" Harry gasped.
Sirius held Margerite in his arms and noticed her brow twitch with pain.
"Margerite?"
"Looks like I was wrong...I'll admit it. I made a mistake it seems."
"We have to get you to a doctor. It doesn't look fatal and if we get help immediately..."
"That's where you're wrong." She said, cringing. "I don't need a doctor. I'm already dead. That's why I'm still talking but not for too much longer."
"Don't talk like that. You're not dead yet. I won't let you, not after saving Harry's life."
"I'm sorry Sirius."
"For what?"
"I will not be able to reopen your case to clear your name."
"It's alright. You saw Pettigrew alive. You'll be able to testify."
"No...I won't." She gasped.
Harry tried but could not turn away. His throat began to hurt. He tried to speak but his voice caught in his throat, making the pain worse. He watched helplessly as the beautiful shimmer in Margerite's eyes faded quickly.
"I truly am sorry." She whispered.
Just then, Sirius let out a gasp. Large tears began to fall down Margerite's white cheeks.
"Impossible." Harry muttered.
"That's strange..." Margerite said lifting a hand to touch her wet cheek. "They came out on their own." She sighed as her body went limp and her eyes glazed over.
"That spell is extremely powerful. It should have completely erased all emotion from her." Harry choked out.
"Maybe...a piece of her heart still felt something for her family. Love is too strong. No spell can destroy it completely. And that's what probably saved her soul." Sirius thought out loud.
Moments later, Sirius and Remus fled for their own safety and Harry left to find help. Though Harry tried to explain that Peter Pettigrew was the one who killed Margerite Adler, no one believed him, except for Prof. Dumbledore and Hermione. A final search of the town revealed that Sirius Black was nowhere to be found and was gone.
The next few days flew by quickly. There were still no signs of Sirius anywhere and for that, Harry was glad. However, because of the recent events, the summer term at Hogwarts would be canceled this year, meaning Harry would have to return to the Dursleys for the remaining two and a half months of summer. The students were quick to pack and rushed off to the Hogwarts express. Harry didn't mind leaving this place. Reporters for the Daily Prophet swarmed Hogsmeade and Harry was not up for talking to anyone.
"Harry, I guess this means I won't see you still till September." Hermione said, trying to start a light conversation.
"I guess not." Harry sighed, staring out the window at the scenery.
"Are you going to be ok?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine."
"I'll make sure to send you something on your birthday."
"Thank you, Hermione." He answered in a less then thrilled tone.
That was the last thing they said to each other before they arrived at the Kings Cross Station to be picked up and taken home. For some reason, Harry didn't seem to feel much of anything about returning to the Dursleys. Maybe it was because he was too tired to care, or maybe the events of that short lived summer term had more effect on him then he thought.
A/n: well that's it! Sorry, I know it's not the happiest ending in the world, but the way I look at it, this is far from the end! The sequel to this, 'Harry Potter and the Eye of the Golden Dragon' picks up right after this so if you liked reading this story, the next one is much longer and much happier! I'm going to start posting that one soon, but not for another couple weeks while I organize it.
I'm not one to leave a story on a low note, so I would like to thank everyone who has read my story and left reviews, and if you have yet to do so, please! Leave a little something for me so I know what you think about my story!
That's it for now, so I'll see y'all around!
Comments, questions, anything, email me at tougaparty4me@hotmail.com