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Sirius remembered all too well where Belle Figg lived. He had been there many times with Lily, James, Remus and… Peter. When she came to visit him in his cell, he recalled that she knew about Harry—she knew how he was doing. Therefore, in his haste to find him, Sirius assumed that she must know where he could find Harry. And, maybe, she would let him explain… maybe if he came knocking on her door, he could make her understand. He needed someone to hear him out—anyone.
Before he had come up with the idea to drop in on Belle, Sirius had thought of Remus. Remus would have listened, and surely he would have helped. But Remus had a tough enough life as it was, and he most certainly didn't need an escaped criminal knocking on his door. Werewolves weren't exactly looked up to, and having Sirius at his house might look too fishy.
His bear-like body lumbered down the streets, making his way to Belle's house. Obviously the Ministry had discovered that he had broken out, but he was surprised to see the extremities they were taking to get him back. Sirius could find his own face looming up at him even from the muggle newspapers, claiming that he was dangerous and carried a gun. Sirius had to admit he found this rather amusing—he didn't even have food to eat, let alone a wand, or even a gun. He'd never even touched a gun in his life.
So because of all this, Sirius traveled at night, with the moon and stars high above him. Sirius found that the darkness was comforting. He didn't have to worry about being spotted, and he didn't have to remember the sunny days before Lily and James died.
It didn't take long for Sirius to find Belle's house. It was like he had been waiting ages to come back here. Sirius found comfort just looking at the outside of it. It's perfect lawn, with the cobblestone steps looked so inviting, and its white paint glowed under the moonlight. Warm yellow light flooded out from behind the lacey curtains, and Sirius didn't want to wait another second before going inside. If she would let him in, at least.
Carefully, Sirius looked up and down the street to be sure that no one was watching him. When he was certain that he was alone, he transformed back into a man. He wasn't all too sure that he wanted anyone—including Belle—to know he was an Animangus. It was a powerful secret, and was an important factor in staying hidden and out of Azkaban. With a deep, settling breath, Sirius stepped onto Belle's porch. He saw there was a cat-door laid inside her front door and he smiled. He had never thought of Belle as a cat person, but he must have been wrong. After a moment, Sirius brought his knuckles down on the door.
And he waited. He prayed that she would answer the door, even though it was late—too late for normal visitors. Finally, the door began to creak open, and Sirius moved into the shadows made by the bright light that was now spilling onto the porch.
"Belle!" Sirius cried softly.
"Oh my God!" The woman cried. Sirius nearly screamed and ran when he saw the woman in full. She wasn't Belle—she was a little stooped old woman, clutching a newspaper under one arm. Her straggly gray hair was pulled out of her face, and she was dressed in a loud patterned skirt, a moose sweater that didn't match and bunny slippers covered her feet.
"I am so sorry, ma'am… I thought—I came to the wrong house…" Sirius stammered, wondering why he had been such an idiot.
"Shut up and get inside!" The woman said angrily, grabbing Sirius by the front of his shirt and pulling him in the door. Sirius was surprised by her strength, and didn't make for the door as she slammed it closed, and dashed to the windows to draw closed the curtains. She then dashed back to the front door and bent down to lock the cat-door, which Sirius found to be rather odd. The whole house smelled like a mix of cats and cabbages, and nothing looked the way it had when Sirius had come to visit Belle more than 12 years ago. Why had he come here? She apparently didn't live here anymore… but then why was this woman running around her house, screeching and banging shut windows and doors?
"I had a feeling you'd come here, but my God! What were you thinking?! If you ever wanted to get yourself out of Azkaban, this was not the way to go about it, you idiot!" The woman shouted at him. "What are you staring at? What are you doing standing there in plain view of anyone outside the windows? No, better question: what are you doing here at all?" She continued, but Sirius still didn't know what to answer. Who was this insane person ushering him into her living room?
The old woman shoved him into an uncomfortably stiff chair, and sat down across from him. She was breathing heavily as she watched him, leaning forward as far as she possibly could, without toppling out of the chair. She didn't say anything, but just stared at him, thoughts and questions whipping though her brain.
"Er," Sirius gulped, shifting awkwardly in the chair. This seemed to wake the woman up again, and she finally blinked.
"Oh my God, Sirius. Oh my God." She breathed, tears starting to fall down her face. Now Sirius was beyond confused. Why was this wrinkled old woman sobbing over him? He wracked his mind—had he ever even met her before?
"I'm sorry… who are you?" Sirius asked rudely, unable to stand contemplating her identity anymore.
"Sirius, it's me, Belle." She snapped through her tears.
"What? Belle? No way…" Sirius replied, looking at her carefully. She glared back at him. "Whoa—12 years has been pretty rough on you."
"Shut up, I'm under the polyjuice potion, you prat." She snapped back angrily. "You think I like looking like this? It's the only way I can help…"
"Help with what?"
"Hell no, I'm not telling you anything." She shook her head in frustration. She took a deep breath, and looked at him again sadly. "Sirius, why did you do it? What were you thinking? You… you can't break out of Azkaban."
"And I thought I already had." Sirius chuckled, kicking his feet onto her coffee table, now that he was sure he was indeed in Belle's house.
"Get your dirty feet off my table!" Belle cried, giving them a whack. Sirius pouted, and Belle rolled her eyes. They sat in silence for a moment, and Sirius's eyes roamed around the room. "How did you do it, Sirius? How did you get past the dementors?" Belle whispered, finally.
"It was pretty easy, actually," Sirius said, with a casual air. He stood up and walked over toward Belle's mantle to poke around at the trinkets displayed on it. "They thought I was so crazy, that it didn't matter if there was a body in my cell or not. The mind there was the same."
"You were perfectly sane when I went to see you." Belle said almost defiantly. She didn't believe him again. But Sirius noticed that her voice was trembling, and her eyes were full of emotion.
"A rather lot of things have changed since then, haven't they?" Sirius looked over his shoulder at Belle and laughed. But she didn't find his jokes amusing.
"Everyone's looking for you, Sirius." Belle said compellingly. "I've read about it all in the papers—they say that there are dementors looking everywhere for you. They've even set up a hotline for the muggles to call, if they see you."
"Wow, cool."
"It's not cool, Sirius." Belle said angrily, standing up from her chair. Even as a little old lady, she was almost as tall as he was. Sirius didn't answer her, but turned back to look at the mantle. He glanced at the clock there.
"You've only got ten minutes of you potion left." Sirius told Belle, recalling that the polyjuice potion only lasted one hour.
"I know. I have to drink more." She said, moving towards the kitchen.
"Don't."
"And why not? I have to." Belle said bitterly, continuing to walk to the stove. "Do you want something to eat? You look hungry."
"I want to see you how I remember you—how you were when you came to visit me." Sirius said, not answering her previous question.
"That's terribly romantic, and everything Sirius, but I really don't care what you want." Belle said, stirring the potion on the stove, and then moving to the fridge. "Now would you like something to eat?"
"Yeah. Fine." Sirius replied, put off slightly. Belle started to take things out of the fridge to make sandwiches. "I'll help." Sirius offered, making his way into the kitchen to help her.
They made the sandwiches in silence. Sirius watched Belle's hands tremble as she brought the plates to the kitchen table. But when she got there, she collapsed into the chair and started to cry again. Sirius put his hands on her shoulders, and waited for her to control her sobbing.
"Can't you just go?" Belle whispered, trying to stem her steady flow of tears. "Haven't you put me through enough?"
"I'm sorry, I… I just had to talk to you." He said, pulling up a chair next to her. She pushed one of the plates with a sandwich towards him, and he started to eat. It was the most food he'd eaten in days.
"Take mine too." Belle said, pushing her own plate at him as well.
"Thanks." Sirius replied, grabbing it without hesitation. Belle was watching her hands, and Sirius instantly noticed her hair growing darker and tamer, her skin tightening, and her face becoming more round. "You didn't drink your potion." Sirius said softly.
"No shit." Belle sniffed, obviously outraged with herself. But Sirius smiled; she looked just how he remembered, though now her face was blotchy from crying.
"You look beautiful." Sirius said, trying to catch her eye.
"Shut up." Belle bit back.
"Okay, so the potion explains why your house smells like cabbages." Sirius mused. "But what's with the cats? I haven't seen a single cat since I got here."
"You have no idea how lucky you are, either. If one of them had seen you…" Belle trailed off, craning her neck to look out the kitchen windows, as if the cats were spying on them at that moment. At Sirius's confusion, Belle replied, "They aren't really cats. They're all Animangi."
"Seriously?" Sirius asked, eyes wide. Maybe he wasn't safe here.
"But like I said, they're all outside—lucky for you. They would have arrested you in an instant." She said quietly.
"Why are they all here?"
"Why do you think?" She snapped. "To watch Harry."
"So he lives near here?" Sirius asked excitedly, leaning forward. "Where?"
"I'm not going to tell you." Belle said forcefully. "And I never will."
"Why? Are you his Secret Keeper or something?" Sirius joked.
"Could be!" Belle said crossly, getting up and snatching the plates from the table.
"You are!"
"And I take my job quite a bit more seriously than some people!" Belle shouted, as she jammed the plates into the sink to wash. She flicked on the sink, and started scrubbing. There was a deafening silence while Sirius absorbed what she had just said.
"Belle, there's something you have to understand. I—"
"I don't really care why you did it, or how you did it… I don't even want to talk about it," Belle said, reaching for a towel to dry her plates.
"Well I do!"
"Look, Sirius, I let you in, I fed you. Just leave, okay? I won't tell anyone that you came here, if you just go!" Belle said desperately. "I don't even know why I let you into my house… you're a murderer!"
"Please don't," Sirius said, staring at his hands.
"Don't what? Call you a murderer?" Belle asked, still upset. "Well, why not? You are one. You killed three people, Sirius! You're a murderer."
"I didn't kill any of them. And you wouldn't have let me into your home if even the smallest part of you didn't believe that." Sirius said, looking up at her.
"God damn it, Sirius! Everyone I ever talk to treats you like a murderer—the newspapers say it, the Minister says it! I can't help it—to the world, you're a murderer. You killed Lily, James, and Peter. You killed them. It doesn't matter how it happened—but it did. And… it's your fault." Belle was in tears again. She covered her face. "It's your fault their dead. It's your fault that I can't talk to my best friend anymore."
"Belle, come on." Sirius was taken aback by her forwardness.
"It's your fault, Sirius! You killed Lily, and now her son hates me because I have to bore him every time he comes over, just so his aunt and uncle will send him here again. It's your fault that Harry doesn't have a family—it's your fault." Belle sobbed.
"You don't mean that." He breathed. He stared at the floor, determined not to look at Belle.
"Yes! Yes I do!" Belle cried, chucking the dishtowel to the counter. "You turned to Voldemort and murdered Lily and James—and then when Peter tried to avenge their deaths… you killed him too!"
"You don't know anything about it." Sirius said, temper rising. He got up abruptly from his chair. He didn't have to stand for this. "You don't know what I've been through…"
"I do, because I've been through it too. Do you honestly think that temptations don't come up for me too? Harry doesn't even know who I really am—and I would still never betray him! If you loved them at all, you would have died for them!" Belle said, staring at him. She paused, and recollected herself. Flatly, she added, "Get out, Sirius. Please, just get out." She started to leave the room. But Sirius had waited too long—it was not going to end like this. He jumped in front of the doorway. Belle looked mildly surprised. "Oh, going to kill me, now?"
"I'm not leaving until you listen. You have to hear to what really happened, or you're going to regret it later." Sirius said, steering Belle back to the kitchen table. "So sit down, shut up, and listen to me."
"I don't want to hear your damn lies, anymore. I've heard enough, don't you get it?" She said furiously. "And don't touch me." She said, when Sirius tried to hold her hands in his own.
"I don't care if you don't want to hear what I have to say—you're going to." Sirius said, taking a seat across from her. He took a deep breath. "Peter's alive."
"Sirius! Don't be an idiot—you killed him! Just stop doing this—"
"No, he's alive. He's an Animangus—just like your cats. You can even ask Remus." He said, knowing that she eventually would. "He can turn into a rat, and that's what he did the day I 'murdered' him."
"Fine, I'll play along: so where is he, if he isn't dead?"
"He's in hiding, from the Death Eaters."
"And why would he be hiding from Voldemort's followers?"
"Because when he killed Lily and James, he destroyed Voldemort, too." Sirius said. "He knows that the Death Eaters will kill him soon as look at him, for ruining everything they had going." Sirius explained.
"Either you've thought about this waaay too long, or…"
"Look, James and Lily switched Secret Keepers from me to Peter the morning before it happened." Sirius said. "Dumbledore did it—he knows."
"You said that at your trail." Belle said, but then she shook her head. "If Albus knows, then why didn't he testify at your trial? He could have saved you 12 years in prison!"
"I don't know why he wasn't there—I rather would like to ask him that myself." Sirius said softly. "But you know Dumbledore, he always has these long-run plans… I must be a part of one." He half-joked.
"So you're saying that Peter was—is a Death Eater, and he killed Lily and James, which caused Voldemort to die, so now he's in hiding from the other Death Eaters, because he's a coward and doesn't want to be killed?" Belle reviewed. "And, let me guess, you broke out of Azkaban just so you could kill him and get sent straight back to Azkaban, right?" She laughed.
"Pretty much, yeah." He answered, a smile breaking over his face.
"You're insane." Belle said quickly.
"Told you that awhile ago, didn't I?"
"I need some proof, here, Sirius." She said, though Sirius could see the gears in her brain turning excitedly. "I mean, this isn't possible—how… there's no way!"
"Yes there is," Sirius said. He reached into his pocket, and pulled out the article about the Weasleys' trip to Egypt, and pointed at the rat on the gangly boy's shoulder. "That's Peter."
"What? No it isn't…"
"It is! I swear!" Sirius cried, jabbing his finger at the picture. "See his missing toe? Well, Peter's got a missing finger, doesn't he?"
"You are crazy. There could be hundreds of rats with a missing finger—toe, whatever." Belle said, trying to be logical. "It doesn't mean anything."
"I've seen Peter transform countless times, Belle. I know that's Peter. It has tobe him. Just look at his face—how uncomfortable he is. A normal rat doesn't look that human like, either… and see the look in his eyes? He's so shifty…"
"Jesus, you've been studying this, haven't you?"
"Had nothing better to do." Sirius said with a barking laugh.
"So let's just say that I believed you. Then why—" But she broke off, when they both heard a thunk on the front door, as though something had hit the door at a run. "Oh shit! Hide!" Belle exclaimed, putting away the plates, so it wouldn't look as though she had company. Sirius transformed. "Did you hear me? Get out of—You're an Animangus, too? Hell no!"
Sirius looked at her with his puppy-dog eyes, and Belle slapped her forehead. "I won't tell them." She promised. "But honestly!" She hurried to the door, and Sirius followed curiously. Belle bent down and unlocked the cat door.
"What were you doing, locking it?! I hit it at full-speed!" The cat transformed into a man with a loud pop. He was rubbing the top of his head, eyes screwed up in pain.
"I didn't know it was locked—God, what's the rush, anyway?" Belle asked sourly.
"Why aren't you taking your potion?" The man asked confusedly. "And what's with the dog?"
"The dog is just a stray I found outside, and I need to make more." She lied quickly. "What's the problem?"
The man bent down to scratch Sirius behind the ears. "Harry blew up his aunt."
"What?!"
"Not Petunia—Marge." The man said. "What's the dog's name?"
"Snuffles—I don't know!" Belle cried. "And what do you mean, he blew her up?" Sirius was just as interested as Belle, though not half as angry.
"He inflated her like a balloon—it was pretty funny, actually." He laughed.
"It's not funny! What if they expel him from Hogwarts? That's the second time he's used magic outside of school!"
"That's not why I came over here, though. He's running away." The man said, finally stopping stroking Sirius. He's running away… Harry couldn't run away, not with Voldemort on the rise again. Sirius started to bark and paw at the door. "Looks like Snuffles wants to save the day." The man laughed again.
"You have no idea." Belle rolled her eyes. "Look, you go call the Minister. Tell him to meet Harry at… the Leaky Cauldron. Then call the Knight Bus and get it to go to… Magnolia Crescent. If I know Harry at all, he'll be traveling away from their house, and towards the park."
"You got it, Mrs. Figg." The man chuckled, giving Belle a salute. Belle frowned and hurried into the kitchen, and came out with a flask of something. She took a big swig of it. "I thought you had to make more…?"
"I guess I didn't." Belle snapped, though now she looked like the wild old woman that had answered the door. She pushed Sirius out of the way with her leg, and opened the door. The second that the door was open, however, Sirius began to sprint toward Magnolia Crescent. "Siri—Snuffles! Wait!"
But Sirius couldn't wait. He was going to see Harry.