Chapter 5

A strange thing happened on Wednesday. James, Sirius, Peter and Remus entered the Great Hall for Breakfast to find it buzzing with whispered conversation. "I heard he's seven feet tall!" A scared looking first year was saying to another.

"I heard his fingers were seven feet long!" Another one hissed back.

"Nah, that's a rumour." A third said knowledgeably.

"Hey, what's going on?" James asked Bertha Jorkins, who had got up from the Hufflepuff table and was passing them.

"Don't ask me!" She laughed. "I don't tend to read the Daily Prophet. I just heard from what Florence was telling Abigail to pass on to William that a dark wizard has been killing muggles and they can't catch him. Everytime they try, he vanishes. They're not sure who it is, but no doubt they'll be back in Azkaban before William dates Annabel!" Bertha walked out of the Great hall.

"Sounds like my Dad." Sirius joked. "Not that he'd kill muggles... Just, the way he talks about them!"

"C'mon we'd better go, we're late for potions as it is." James muttered. The four of them headed towards the dungeons together.

"Hello," Professor Gryllus hissed as they sat down. To the professor's disappointment they were not late.

They said nothing, watching him carefully. He prowled up and down the classroom again. "Yesterday, a wizard was killed." He breathed. "Do any of you know who that wizard was?" He stopped at James' desk. The class was following him with their eyes.

"Yes Professor." Came a girlish voice from the front. All heads turned towards her.

"Well, Miss Black, could you tell me who it was?" Professor Gryllus said coldly.

"Anthony LeStrange." She said, lowering her head.

"Indeed." Professor Gryllus said. "Now, none of you will know who he is but he was a great man. He rid the world of so much scum! He was more than that, he was my cousin."

The class held its breath. "I, I'm sorry Professor." Narcissa simpered.

"You should not be the one apologising." Professor Gryllus said icily. "James Potter, could I see you after the lesson please?"

James stared at Gryllus as the whole class gaped at him. James was of course sad to hear of Gryllus' family loss but why did it concern him?

Professor Gryllus had never been nastier. "What do you call this?!" He roared at James during the lesson. "It's supposed to be pearl not grey! Start again!"

James looked angrily into the dregs of a Slytherin boy's potion, which was a violent shade of blue but Professor Gryllus merely frowned at it. "Head down James! Here comes trouble!" Sirius hissed.

James stared at his potion but- "Potter! Why is this vile mess still here? It is a disgrace to wizard! Twenty-five points from Gryffindor!"

"WHAT!" Shouted James and Sirius at the same time. Remus was staring at Professor Gryllus and the girls were looking scared. The Slytherins entertained.

"A further ten points." Professor Gryllus smirked.

"You- You evil! Foul!-" Sirius and James shouted at him.

Professor Gryllus, instead of looking angry or upset, smiled even more. "Well now, this is a nice excuse for me to meet your parents isn't it Potter. Yes, I've been wanting a word with them... And you Black, you be careful you don't stray in Potter's dangerous path."

It was lucky perhaps that the bell rang then, else James himself had no idea what he might have been provoked into doing. All he knew is that he hated Gryllus to the bone and nothing anyone said could change that. "Nice lesson Potter, wasn't it." Severus Snape breezed out of the dungeon. James made to race after him but felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I think not." James stared up into the face of Professor Gryllus.

"See you in the common room," Sirius whispered before vanishing.

"Come with me Potter," Professor Gryllus said. He walked through the classroom, down a corridor and into a room James supposed was his office. "Sit down." He ordered.

James did so and looked round. There were many peculiar jars lining the windowsill, caged animals and a skeleton of a huge bird. "I have brought you here to talk about my dead cousin." Gryllus breathed as he sat down too.

"What about him?" James blurted out.

Gryllus raised his eyebrows. "Manners Potter." He said silkily. "Now, do you know by whom he was killed?"

"No." James said truthfully.

"Your parents." Gryllus muttered. James stared at him. He was lying, he had to be! His parents would never kill another human; they would rather die themselves!

"It's not true!" James said, heart pumping very fast.

"Oh yes it is." Gryllus' sunken eyes seeped into James'. "And they received much fame and fortune from it. Yes indeed, this is just the beginning of their reign of terror though. They will continue to-"

"You're lying!" James growled. He would have heard about it if his parents had done such a thing.

"I am certainly not." Gryllus said folding his arms. "But I would advise you not to turn out like your dear parents. You have potential of doing just that. I sense it already. You James Potter are as much a murderer as them."

"What! I'd never-" James felt awful. Much as he hated the potions master, and it sounded like his cousins was from a similar mould, he wouldn't even dream of murdering him! It would be the last thing he's do. Did Professor Gryllus really think him capable of such a thing? People often told him we was like his parents but he was not like them. Not at all.