'Read this.' Malfoy shoved a piece of paper into Harry's hand.
Harry looked at the elegant writing scribbled across the paper, number twelve Grimmauld Place.
'What?' Harry looked around at the houses. He could see number eleven and thirteen but no twelve.
At a loss Harry looked down and read the address again, number twelve Grimmauld Place. As soon as he reached the part about number twelve, a batted door emerged out of nowhere between numbers eleven and thirteen.
Harry's mouth dropped open, beside him Malfoy walked up the stairs and into the house without looking back. Harry stared after Malfoy helplessly until the dog gently nudged him forward.
There was a silver door-knocker in the shape of a serpent on the door. So like the Malfoy's, Harry thought, walking past into the hallway. The room they entered was dark, with dreary wallpaper and age-blackened portraits. It looked like the house had been abandoned for some time. The dog followed in after Harry.
'Don't touch anything,' Malfoy said.
'I thought you said your relative lived here?' Harry said. 'It doesn't look like anyone's lived here in years.'
'He's been away,' Malfoy said shortly.
'Right...' Harry said looking around again. The house looked like it belonged to dark wizards. Harry wondered again if he'd made a mistake in trusting Malfoy. His eyes landed on nearby serpent shaped candelabra. Malfoy must have followed his gaze.
'Trying to make friends Potter?' Malfoy taunted. 'I don't want to disappoint you but it's not a real snake.'
'Be nice Draco,' an unfamiliar voice came from behind Harry before he could answer.
Harry jumped and spun around, his heart in his throat. Standing behind him, where the dog had been a moment ago, was a tired looking man with shaggy hair. He looked vaguely familiar.
Harry stumbled backwards as he realised why the man looked familiar. It was the escaped convict from the muggle news. He looked at Malfoy with wide eyes but Malfoy looked perfectly calm. Had this been his plan all along? To lead Harry into a trap?
'Harry,' the man said, his voice full of emotion and holding his hands up in surrender. 'Harry, it's OK, I'm not going to hurt you.'
Harry held out his wand.
'Put your wand down Potter, he's not going to kill you.'
'Draco,' the man warned sharply. He turned back to Harry and spoke in a softer voice. 'Harry, I'm Sirius. I'm your godfather.'
A short while later Harry and Sirius were sitting on a dusty couch in the living room. Sirius had explained that he was an animagus and had escaped Azkaban by turning into a dog. He told Harry that he'd been best friends with Harry's dad and how he'd been James and Lily's secret keeper until they'd swapped at the last minute. Sirius teared up as he explained how their friend, the one they had thought they could trust, had betrayed Harry's parents and framed Sirius. Mafloy had disappeared somewhere in the middle of Sirius's story, for that Harry was grateful.
'What was his name?' Harry asked. 'The man who betrayed my parents?'
Sirius's face darkened. 'Peter Pettigrew.'
Harry's face was blank as he nodded. He didn't know how he felt. 'Where is he now?' he asked.
'He's…'
'Sirius? Can I talk to you?' Malfoy had reappeared in the doorway.
'Yes, just…'
'Now,' Malfoy said firmly.
Sirius frowned at Malfoy but got up to follow. 'I'll be right back,' he said laying a gentle hand on Harry's arm.
Harry sat stunned on the couch struggling to process what he'd just heard. Was Sirius telling the truth? He'd certainly sounded sincere but why had nobody told him? Dumbledore, Hagrid … surely they'd known.
Harry didn't have a very clear idea what he was doing as he stood up and crept to the door behind which Sirius and Draco were talking. Harry lent an ear against the door listening.
'Because, you don't know him like I do,' Malfoy was saying. 'Saint potter won't let you go through with your plan.'
'Pettigrew killed his parents,' Sirius argued.
'That won't matter. He won't let you kill him.'
Sirius sighed. 'I don't want to keep anything from him.'
'What do you think he'll do if he finds out Pettigrew is at Hogwarts?' Draco said. 'He'll probably go straight to Dumbledore, or try to catch Pettigrew himself.'
'He's so much like James,' Sirius said.
Malfoy huffed. 'Gryffindors,' he muttered.
Harry made his way back to the couch in a daze. He still had a lot of questions but it seemed clear that Sirius had been telling the truth. He thought about what Malfoy had said he won't let you kill him. Harry wasn't so sure. His parents were dead because Pettigrew had betrayed them. He had never met his godfather because Pettigrew had framed him for murder. Sirius had spent twelve years in Azkaban because of Pettigrew. Now Pettigrew was somewhere at Hogwarts? Malfoy didn't know Harry as well as he thought he did.
It was a few more moments before Sirius and Malfoy returned.
'I was thinking,' Sirius said to Harry as he sat down, 'the ministry is probably looking for you after what happened.' Harry tensed. So much had happened in the last few hours that he'd forgot the ministry were probably out to arrest him for what happened to aunt Marge. 'We should let them find you before they start a man hunt.'
Harry looked at Sirius in shock. Sirius wanted him to turn himself in?
'You don't have to stay with them. You can come back here. I mean … if you want to,' Sirius rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
'But …' Harry said, 'wont they arrest me?'
Malfoy laughed at that and even Sirius allowed himself a small smile.
'They won't arrest you for accidental Magic,' Sirius said. 'But they'll need to know you're safe after you run away.'
'Oh.' Harry felt his cheeks heat up.
'So where will they look for him?" Malfoy asked.
Sirius looked at Harry. 'Where were you going to go?'
'I … I don't know,' Harry said. 'I didn't know about the Knight Bus.'
'If you had?' Sirius asked.
Harry thought carefully. 'I would have needed money, so, Diagon Alley?'
Sirius nodded. 'OK, Diagon Alley it is. Are you coming Draco?'
'I think I've spent more than enough time on that bus tonight,' Malfoy said as he stood up. 'I'm going to bed.'
The Knight Bus conductor was much friendlier when he saw that Malfoy wasn't with Harry. Sirius had come along in dog form and had sat beside Harry as Stan Shunpike had read a news article about him. It was a rather uncomfortable trip and Harry was relieved when they arrived at the Leaky Cauldron.
Sirius slipped off the bus first and hurried into the dark shadows by the wall. Harry watched him go until he was startled by a loud voice. 'There you are Harry!' the voice said as Harry stepped of the Knight Bus. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see that he'd walked right into the Mister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge.
