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Her quick footsteps resounded through the halls of the empty school. Quickly she headed to the headmasters office, a worried look upon her face. When she arrived before the gargoyle she said "Chocolate frogs" and she entered when it jumped aside. A minute later she knocked on the door and entered the office. The old wizard looked up from some papers he was looking at and smiled when he saw her. His smile quickly turned to a frown when she didn't return it. He dropped the papers and leaned back in his seat.
"Hello Minerva, sit down." She did as she was asked and looked him straight in the eye. He could tell she was fairly angry and wondered what had happened to upset her this way. Before he could ask she started to talk.
"Today I went to check on Harry." Dumbledore rose an eyebrow and asked.
"How's he coping?" Minerva looked him in the eye and with a stiff voice she said.
"He's not" Dumbledore narrowed his eyes and sat up straight.
"What do you mean." Minerva sighed.
"I'm not an expert in that field, Albus, but I think he has had a nervous breakdown. I went as a cat with Arabella, and when he came down he looked horrible, he's pale, has become thinner and has dark rings under his eyes. His eyes are dull and he spoke with such a flat voice it sent shiver up our spines. His aunt went away to make tea and Arabella asked how he was doing. He simply ignored her. He slipped away as soon as his aunt returned. I followed him up to his room to see what he was doing."
"What was he doing?"
"Nothing, absolutely nothing. He just was laying in bed, facing the wall. Even when I transformed he just looked at me to see who it was, he didn't even seem surprised to see me and didn't react at my voice at all. We need to get him out of there Albus, he's just wasting away and no one in that dratted house cares a bit." Dumbledore now had a worried look on his face. He looked pensively at the papers till Minerva interrupted him.
"What are we going to do Albus?"
"Tomorrow we'll get him out of there."
"Why tomorrow?" Albus looked her in the eye, with a slight smile on his face.
"Because tomorrow it will be made public that Sirius Black has been found innocent of all charges and will be given custody of Harry Potter."
"What!" Minerva shot out of her chair, looking at him like he had finally lost it. "Have you gone insane Albus?"
"Hush Minerva." Dumbledore laughed a little at her reaction. "I'm sorry I didn't inform you earlier about Sirius's innocence, but you must understand that his life was in danger." Minerva sat down in her seat looking shocked.
"Sirius is innocent?"
"Yes. Peter was the secret keeper and also faked his death when Sirius went after him."
"I can't believe it, how comes he was never found?"
"They were animagy, all three of them, Sirius a dog, James a stag and Peter a rat. You even might remember Peter as Ron Weasley's pet rat." Minerva sunk her head in her hands.
"Stop it Albus, you're going to quickly for me to keep up with it. You mean we had three unregistered animagy in the school and we never noticed?"
"Exactly."
"I can't believe it." She then looked sharply at the headmaster. "Are you sure it's safe for Harry to go live with Sirius? It might shock him even further that the man he thought was a murderer is now his legal guardian." Dumbledore laughed again.
"Don't worry Minerva, Harry has known the truth for quite some time now, he and Sirius have been in contact regularly and I can't imagine someone who would take better care of Harry than Sirius." McGonagall shook her head.
"If you're sure."
"I am, don't worry about it. Now I have to finish feeling these papers. Peter was just given the dementors kiss and I need to make sure Sirius gets his things back as soon as possible." The witch nodded and stood up, leaving the old man to his things she left the room.
The next day the news of Sirius's innocence was in all papers, either muggle or wizarding, the ministry had put up a story so the muggles would believe them and Sirius didn't risk being caught by some policemen. On the other side, the Daily Prophet told the whole story, also officially announcing Voldemort's return and the removal of the dementors of Azkaban. Most of the wizarding world was shocked that morning, all that news at once was starting to affect people and they started to panic. Luckily knowing that Dumbledore had long ago taken matters into his hands seemed to calm the panic and simply turn it into anxiety. The aurors started to work seriously once again, Moody having been put out of his retirement was once again leading raid to capture as many death eaters as possible now Voldemort was still weak.
In a house in Surrey the news of Sirius's innocence was met with different reactions. As soon as Dudley had heard it he had stormed up into his room, screaming at the top of his lungs. Vernon didn't quite know how to react, he just was red faced and kept shooting murderous looks at Harry. Petunia went on about her work pale faced and looked fearfully at the door, as if she expected it to be blasted aside. The strangest reaction was Harry's. When he heard Sirius's name mentioned he looked up and listened. Deep inside him he felt some happiness at the news his godfather had been freed, but it didn't reach outside. The layers and layers on numbness that surrounded him didn't allow that little spark of happiness to break through his dull eyes. With his now common flat voice he excused himself from breakfast and went up to his room. He looked a little around but immediately headed to bed, were he laid once again doing nothing, just lost in his memories once again.
To be continued...
Author's notes: Thanks for all reviews.
Free.
Her quick footsteps resounded through the halls of the empty school. Quickly she headed to the headmasters office, a worried look upon her face. When she arrived before the gargoyle she said "Chocolate frogs" and she entered when it jumped aside. A minute later she knocked on the door and entered the office. The old wizard looked up from some papers he was looking at and smiled when he saw her. His smile quickly turned to a frown when she didn't return it. He dropped the papers and leaned back in his seat.
"Hello Minerva, sit down." She did as she was asked and looked him straight in the eye. He could tell she was fairly angry and wondered what had happened to upset her this way. Before he could ask she started to talk.
"Today I went to check on Harry." Dumbledore rose an eyebrow and asked.
"How's he coping?" Minerva looked him in the eye and with a stiff voice she said.
"He's not" Dumbledore narrowed his eyes and sat up straight.
"What do you mean." Minerva sighed.
"I'm not an expert in that field, Albus, but I think he has had a nervous breakdown. I went as a cat with Arabella, and when he came down he looked horrible, he's pale, has become thinner and has dark rings under his eyes. His eyes are dull and he spoke with such a flat voice it sent shiver up our spines. His aunt went away to make tea and Arabella asked how he was doing. He simply ignored her. He slipped away as soon as his aunt returned. I followed him up to his room to see what he was doing."
"What was he doing?"
"Nothing, absolutely nothing. He just was laying in bed, facing the wall. Even when I transformed he just looked at me to see who it was, he didn't even seem surprised to see me and didn't react at my voice at all. We need to get him out of there Albus, he's just wasting away and no one in that dratted house cares a bit." Dumbledore now had a worried look on his face. He looked pensively at the papers till Minerva interrupted him.
"What are we going to do Albus?"
"Tomorrow we'll get him out of there."
"Why tomorrow?" Albus looked her in the eye, with a slight smile on his face.
"Because tomorrow it will be made public that Sirius Black has been found innocent of all charges and will be given custody of Harry Potter."
"What!" Minerva shot out of her chair, looking at him like he had finally lost it. "Have you gone insane Albus?"
"Hush Minerva." Dumbledore laughed a little at her reaction. "I'm sorry I didn't inform you earlier about Sirius's innocence, but you must understand that his life was in danger." Minerva sat down in her seat looking shocked.
"Sirius is innocent?"
"Yes. Peter was the secret keeper and also faked his death when Sirius went after him."
"I can't believe it, how comes he was never found?"
"They were animagy, all three of them, Sirius a dog, James a stag and Peter a rat. You even might remember Peter as Ron Weasley's pet rat." Minerva sunk her head in her hands.
"Stop it Albus, you're going to quickly for me to keep up with it. You mean we had three unregistered animagy in the school and we never noticed?"
"Exactly."
"I can't believe it." She then looked sharply at the headmaster. "Are you sure it's safe for Harry to go live with Sirius? It might shock him even further that the man he thought was a murderer is now his legal guardian." Dumbledore laughed again.
"Don't worry Minerva, Harry has known the truth for quite some time now, he and Sirius have been in contact regularly and I can't imagine someone who would take better care of Harry than Sirius." McGonagall shook her head.
"If you're sure."
"I am, don't worry about it. Now I have to finish feeling these papers. Peter was just given the dementors kiss and I need to make sure Sirius gets his things back as soon as possible." The witch nodded and stood up, leaving the old man to his things she left the room.
The next day the news of Sirius's innocence was in all papers, either muggle or wizarding, the ministry had put up a story so the muggles would believe them and Sirius didn't risk being caught by some policemen. On the other side, the Daily Prophet told the whole story, also officially announcing Voldemort's return and the removal of the dementors of Azkaban. Most of the wizarding world was shocked that morning, all that news at once was starting to affect people and they started to panic. Luckily knowing that Dumbledore had long ago taken matters into his hands seemed to calm the panic and simply turn it into anxiety. The aurors started to work seriously once again, Moody having been put out of his retirement was once again leading raid to capture as many death eaters as possible now Voldemort was still weak.
In a house in Surrey the news of Sirius's innocence was met with different reactions. As soon as Dudley had heard it he had stormed up into his room, screaming at the top of his lungs. Vernon didn't quite know how to react, he just was red faced and kept shooting murderous looks at Harry. Petunia went on about her work pale faced and looked fearfully at the door, as if she expected it to be blasted aside. The strangest reaction was Harry's. When he heard Sirius's name mentioned he looked up and listened. Deep inside him he felt some happiness at the news his godfather had been freed, but it didn't reach outside. The layers and layers on numbness that surrounded him didn't allow that little spark of happiness to break through his dull eyes. With his now common flat voice he excused himself from breakfast and went up to his room. He looked a little around but immediately headed to bed, were he laid once again doing nothing, just lost in his memories once again.
To be continued...
Author's notes: Thanks for all reviews.