5. The Daily Prophet

Harriet drooled on Siria's shoulder and a stink drifted up to her nose. Siria scrunched her nose up and waved her wand under her coat. Most of the stink vanished, leaving only a slight pongy smell lingering in the air. At the desk a few feet away, Remus spoke to one of the motel staff with a purse of emergency muggle money Siria had taken to carrying in one hand. It wouldn't last them long and that was reflected in the grungy walls and sticky floor of the hotel.

"D'you want double or twins?"

"Twin beds please."

There was no hesitation - only the slightly higher tone in Remy's voice told Siria that she had noticed the significance as well. Harriet murmured and Siria turned her attention to the toddler, shushing her. She pressed one hand to her newly scarred forehead and frowned at the heat emanating off her. As convenient as it had been for them, she had noticed Harriet sleeping far more than she ever had when Siria had visited Jane and Liam. Was it the effects of whatever spell had been cast on that night?

That night. It was only yesterday.

Jane stared up from the stairs.

Something sharp pierced Siria's heart.

"Here we go," Remy said. She stood next to Siria, smiling and holding up a key card. "Come on, let's get her to bed."

Siria grimaced a half-attempt at a smile and followed Remy up the creaky stairs, shaking her head to try and rid it of that ghost. Harriet's curls, already so much like her mother's, made it difficult.

The door beeped and Remy pushed it open to reveal a tiny room with two twin beds pushed against the walls and a yellowing cot between them. Siria lowered Harriet carefully and Remy arranged the blanket over her.

"That scar's from last night, isn't it?" Remy asked, brushing one delicate finger over Harriet's forehead with a troubled expression. Siria could easily recall the names that Remy had been called in her first year for the scars on her face, before their quartet had formed more of a reputation that had stopped even Petra being teased.

"Yup. Unless it was one of Jane's pranks, left over."

Siria wasn't sure which thought was worse. She took one step back before her legs hit the bed and she sat, glancing back out of the window. It was dark out and fireworks spun through the air of north London - some muggle, for Bonfire Night, but others of a decidedly magical origin. People were still celebrating.

"Can I read the Prophet now?"

Remy reached into the pocket of her coat which she had thrown onto her bed and passed the paper over. She peered through the window as well, looking at her reflection rather than the fireworks. She tugged one length of ragged hair down and sighed.

"It's going to take months to fix this."

Siria snorted, unrolling the paper to stare again at the cover.

SHE WHO MUST NOT BE NAMED DEFEATED

Only one paragraph in tiny print was below the headline.

Ministry sources confirmed the death of She Who Must Not Be Named at 2am this morning from Godric's Hollow. News spread fast throughout the wizarding world, shortly followed by the name of her vanquisher: Harriet Potter."What?"

Siria looked over into Harriet's cot. She slept soundly with soft snores just like Jane's. They must have got it wrong. There must be another Harriet.

"What is it?"

Siria continued to read, this time aloud. "Then the final piece of news to blow over anyone who remained standing: Harriet Potter, saviour of the wizarding world, is a baby. Our sources, highly tarined in spell-tracing, can exclusively reveal that after m-" Siria stopped, gulped, then continued "-murdering her parents, Liam and Jane Potter, the Dark Lady attempted to turn the Killing Curse on 1-year-old Harriet. Inexplicably, she survived and instead She Who Must Not Be Named was destroyed in a small house in Godric's Hollow. We are still awaiting news on the whereabouts of the Girl Who Lived."

Siria stopped and looked up at Remy. Her friend had turned white, her mouth hanging slightly open. With no other response, Siria pulled open the paper to read the next page. Two pictures shifted on the page and both turned Siria's stomach. Jane and Liam's house, more of it collapsed than when she had last seen it, was surrounded by swarming Ministry officials. On the opposite page, Petra cowered tearfully beneath a second headline: FAMILY FRIEND REVEALS BETRAYAL

"No."

Petra Pettigrew, a schoolfriend of the recently deceased Liam and Jane Potter, could not hide her grief when she spoke to the Prophet early this morning, immediately after the news had broken. 'They were my friends, my only friends at school,' she said. 'Jane defended me when no one else would - and now they're-'

Petra broke down, but when she spoke again it was to tell of more tragedy behind this miracle.

'Siria had been named Secret Keeper for the Fidelius Charm protecting them. I don't want to think about it - but I know she must have betrayed them. Maybe the Dark Lady was too strong for her, maybe she couldn't resist an offer.'

When we asked the Ministry for comment, they confirmed that they were currently in the process of tracking down Siria Black, who is the older sister of Death Eater Regina Black who disappeared two years ago.

Siria threw the paper across the room and Remy jumped up from the bed.

"What is it?"

Siria drew her wand and started for the door. Remy leapt in front of her, pushing out one hand to hold her back.

"What are you doing? You can't leave."

"Petra," Siria growled, clenching her wand tighter. "She did this. It's her fault. And she's getting away with it!"

"So you're going to run after her? Get yourself caught, arrested?"

"Who cares if I do, so long as she's dead?"

"Leave me and Harriet alone?" Remy shouted, shoving hard enough to make Siria stumble a few feet back. "Does revenge matter more than Harriet? Than me? You think I want to see you in Azkaban?"

Jane's face, glasses askew.

Liam on the floor.

"You didn't see it!"

"We'll get her! Siria, I promise we will." Remy reached out to catch Siria's wand hand and pushed it down. "She will not get away with this. But we need to be patient - we need to go to Dumbledore, like we planned. Rushing in won't help."

Remy pulled the wand from Siria's hand and Siria let her, shoulders slumping. Remy's arms crept around her and she leaned in, her own hands hanging numbly by her sides while silent tears dripped down her face.

Her curly hair. Her half grin. Her pranks. Her generosity.

Gone.

A cry broke out of Siria and she buried her face in Remy's shoulder to block the noise from Harriet. Harriet, all alone in the world. A world without the Dark Lady - but a world without her parents. A world without Siria's best friend.

Was that defeat worth the cost?

Jane would have said yes in a heartbeat.

Thanks for reading! :)