Heeeeellooo! ~.~ How's yall doin? (ouch, that sucked)

Well, this took me a while, but it's finally here! YIPPIE! I actually started writing this totally differently, but I wasn't satisfied with how it was turning out (I'm quite the perfectionist sometimes), so I deleted it COMPLETELY and started all over again. So yeah, took me a while :x

Reviews ~.~
Usuihentai727 - ooooh the Elena hate going on :x Well, it's probably best not to like her anyway so... :X and what's this about you posting reviews but me not receiving them? D: This website is craaaay-zey. Making me think that my readers totally abandon me when they haven't D:

BlueGreen216 - Sooo sorry this took a while D: but it's not abandoned, don't worry. I never abandon my stories!

Guest - I hope you like! :o

And my usual reviewer - miss MeganAllard - is being a cheeky monkey and didn't review (even though she read it. Stop being so lazy! kk)

Btw, I'm only talking/typing (kk) like that to her cause I'm allowed to. No one is to be mean to her! :p

Let's get to it, shall we? Enjoy! ~.~

The Marauder's Map

Hermione and Lila sat outside, in the freezing cold weather, chatting non-stop about their next Hogsmede weekend. Ron had spent the entire morning with them, but after a while he got tired of the constant girl-talk. He eventually found Neville and decided to help him search for a strange, orange plant, which was only found in the snow. Hermione was excited about spending time with Lila at Hogsmede again, but she wanted Jessica to be there also. However, she was happy that Harry finally got a chance to spend Christmas somewhere other than Hogwarts. It was a shame he still had to go home to his horrible aunt and uncle. If only he had family somewhere... A godfather even! That would've been ideal for him.
"Hermione, are you listening?" Lila asked, waving her gloved hands around.
"Yeah... Sorry. I was just thinking about Jess and Harry. I bet they're having a good time." Hermione smiled. Lila frowned almost instantly. Hermione had temporarily forgotten about her situation with Josh. She hadn't really understood what exactly happened between them, but Lila seemed depressed. "I'm sorry... I know you're still upset over what happened, but-"
"It wasn't his fault. I'm not mad at him. There's nothing we can do about it right now." Lila sighed.
"What happened anyway?" Hermione asked, rather curiously.
"Trust me... You don't want to know." Lila laughed, slightly.
"Come on... We should go inside and sit by a fire, or something." Hermione said, standing up and reaching a hand out for Lila to grab onto.

The two girls were shivering as they walked along the practically deserted hallways. Hermione had started talking about an interesting book she'd been reading about werewolves, but Lila wasn't paying much attention. Her mind kept focusing on soft lips, hazel eyes, dark blond hair...
"I think you're the one that isn't listening this time." Hermione laughed.
"I know." Lila sighed. "I can't stop thinking about him. It's almost like I see him everywhere I go!"
Hermione stopped in her tracks and stared, confusedly, at the three people entering the castle. She lightly shook Lila's arm and pointed, hoping she would understand.
"I'm not joking! For example, I see him now. He looks so handsome and-"
"You see him because he's actually here. So are Jess and Harry." Hermione said. Lila's eyes widened slightly. She wanted to run and jump onto him, but she couldn't. Not out in the open for everyone to see. He'd get into trouble again, more trouble than she would.
"I thought they wouldn't be back until January." Lila eventually said.
"So did I... Come on!" Hermione grinned.

Josh tensed slightly when he caught a glimpse of those dark eyes. He didn't know what to do now that he was back at Hogwarts. He'd been so determined to not allow the teachers to get in the way, but now he wasn't sure what to do. His mind was still on different things, different and disturbing things.
"Why are you back so early?" Hermione asked, quite excitedly.
"No idea, ask him." Jessica said, glancing toward Joshua. "He woke us up at dawn and practically dragged us over here."
"Why? What happened?" Lila asked, now coming closer to them. She knew Joshua and he wouldn't do something without a reason. There was something in his eyes, something that was unnerving Lila to the core. "Do your parents know you're here?"
"No." Jessica and Harry answered in unison.
"What? What's going to happen when they find out? They'll be so worried!" Hermione cried.
"It's fine. I've got it sorted. Go get some sleep, you two; it's been a long day." Josh said, avoiding eye contact with everyone. Lila narrowed her eyes. Hermione glanced between them and silently decided to follow Harry and Jessica back to Gryffindor Tower. It was quite obvious that they needed some time alone.

"What happened?" Lila asked once again.
"Nothing. We just had to get out of the house for a while and-"
"Bullshit." Lila spat, irritably. "Don't you dare lie to me, Joshua. Something's going on with you and you're running from it. You're scared."
"Scared? Are you trying to be funny or something? Why would I be scared? There's nothing to be scared about." Josh insisted. His voice was quivering slightly. He hated it. He had to keep calm and not break down.
"I don't know why you'd be scared, but it's probably something really bad." Lila said.
"I... It's just-"

"Mr. Selwyn."
The two teenagers startled at the sound of Remus Lupin's voice. Lila glanced out toward the snow instantly. The last time they were all together, things hadn't turned out well. She knew Lupin was doing his part as a teacher, but the grudge was still there, threatening to explode.
"I'll talk to you later. We'll make sure to do it in the Great Hall, so all the teachers know we're just talking." Lila practically spat her words out, giving Lupin a rather angry look. It was still the holidays, so technically she couldn't get detention. Even if she did, somehow, she would manage to make her way out of it. She gave Josh a short nod and headed down the hallway, toward the dungeons.
"I'm quite relieved that you came here. A part of me thought you'd run further away." Remus said, trying to maintain a calm tone. Josh still seemed anxious.
"I'm not done yet. I wanted to make sure Jess was out of the house. I need to find Anna." He said angrily.
"Do you know where Anna is?" Remus asked, curiously.
"No." Josh muttered.
"Then how are you going to find her? You can't leave school in the middle of your fifth year."
"I can't sit here and do nothing. What do you know?" Josh's trunk hit the ground, violently. Remus was quite surprised it didn't open.
"I know enough to get some research done. However, you aren't to get involved. You're fifteen-"
"Sixteen, actually." Josh smirked, slightly.
"Joshua, you're still not allowed to use magic outside school. In fact, you've still got two years and a half of school. You have the potential to become someone great! There's no need for you to throw that all away for something that might not even be true." Remus said. Josh chuckled, quite sarcastically, and bent down toward his trunk. He carelessly opened it, pulled out a small bag and tossed it toward Remus.
"If it weren't true, then that wouldn't have been in the drawing room." He said, glaring viciously toward the bag. Remus clutched it, but refused to open it where there was a risk of others seeing.
"Your father and I will deal with this. You should go rest." Remus said, in the best fatherly tone he could do.
"Whatever." Josh shrugged.

x.x

Jessica wasn't in the mood for the Hogsmede weekend, no matter how much Hermione and Lila insisted she should join them. All she wanted to do was curl in her blankets and sleep all day. There wasn't much time left before classes returned, and she knew that once that happened, she'd get little sleep. It wasn't that she had trouble sleeping; she would normally fall asleep whenever her head hit the pillow, but she was hardly ever able to sleep early. Hermione was always pestering her about it, but it hadn't worked ever since she started Hogwarts two years ago. She'd followed Hermione down to the common room, but hadn't bothered to change out of her pyjamas.
"Please come? It won't be the same without you!" Hermione said, for the billionth time in just half an hour.
"No thank you." Jessica replied, also for the billionth time.
"Look, just think about it for a moment. This is Hogsmede! This is time outside the castle! Please?" Hermione begged.
"Don't waste your time, Hermione." Ron's voice echoed through the staircase.
"Mind your own business, Ronald! You have to come, Jess. I can't handle him alone!" Hermione said, sending Ron a menacingly glare. Jessica raised an eyebrow as she looked between her two friends. They had been at each other's throats ever since she'd returned.
"I can't handle you two together." Jessica said, rolling her eyes. "Mione, I'm really not in the mood, okay? Lila's going... Ron's going... Most of the Gryffindor's will be there. I'm not going to make much of a difference."
"Yes you will!" Hermione insisted, stomping her feet slightly. "Besides, Lila cancelled, remember? She's also doesn't seem to be in the Hogsmede mood."
"Either that or she's planning to sneak around with Josh again." Ron smirked.

Ron eventually managed to drag an irritated Hermione out of the common room. Harry had appeared downstairs, also in his pyjamas, during the ongoing argument, just as the conversation took a turn toward Crookshanks and Scabbers. The two left Gryffindor tower in shouts and Jessica silently wondered if she'd be able to hear them once the door had closed. She could... Faintly, but she could.
"Why aren't you going?" Harry wondered, slightly surprised that she wasn't enjoying the fabulous chance to get out for a bit.
"Not in the mood." She shrugged.
"What did your parents say?" He asked, curiously. He silently wondered how her mother would've reacted once she realised they weren't in the house anymore.
"Nothing. They didn't send me any letters, Josh hasn't said anything either. It's almost like they couldn't care less that we left without telling them." She said, pouting slightly.
"Maybe they sent it to your brother." Harry said, trying his best to sound reassuring. He doubted they wouldn't care. The memory of her mother yelling at everyone was still quite clear in his mind.
"I just told you that Josh hasn't said anything." She said, if possible, pouting even more. Harry sighed deeply and looked toward the window. It was snowing outside, and if she wasn't in the mood for Hogsmede, he doubted he'd be able to get her outside. Then again, it probably wouldn't hurt to try.
"Come on." He said, heading toward the stairs.
"Where?" She asked, curiously.
"You're going to get dressed and we're going out. No idea where, but we're not going to stay in here all day long. It's still the Christmas holidays." He smiled. She wanted to argue and say no, but he grabbed her hand and started dragging her up the stairs before she got a chance.

Jessica and Harry wondered around the castle, chatting rather loudly and not really caring whether or not there were any teachers around. If there were, they should be resting and not doing schoolwork. That's what the two teenagers thought, at least. Jessica hadn't seen many of the teachers since she'd returned. Professor McGonagall had given them a small lecture about returning early without letting her know about it, but other than that, she said nothing, at least not to them. Jessica had made it quite clear that it was Josh's fault.
"Psst – get over here!"
They were in a middle of a very important Quidditch discussion when they heard it. They were halfway along the third floor corridor, when they spotted Fred and George peering out at them from behind the statue of a humpbacked, one-eyed witch.
"What are you doing? Why aren't you going to Hogsmede?" Harry asked, curiously.
"We've come to give you a bit of festive cheer before we go." Fred said, with a mysterious wink.
"Come in here." George said, nodding toward an empty classroom. Jessica and Harry followed the twins inside and stared at them, waiting to be marvelled by whatever they had in store.
"This is a Christmas present for you, Harry. Sorry we didn't get you anything, Jess, but I'm pretty sure you can share." Fred said, pulling something from inside his cloak. It was a large, extremely worn piece of parchment with nothing written on it. Jessica almost thought there was nothing special about it, but she was dealing with the twins, so she couldn't be entirely sure.
"What is it?" Jessica asked.
"This is the secret to our success." George grinned.
"We decided, last night, that your needs are greater than ours." Fred nodded.
"We also know it by heart, so we don't really need it anymore." George said, tapping his chin with a finger.
"What exactly am I going to do with a bit of old parchment?" Harry asked.
"A bit of old parchment!" Fred said, closing his eyes with a grimace as though Harry had mortally offended him. "Explain, George."
"Well... When we were in our first year – young, carefree and innocent-" Jessica snorted. She doubted the twins had ever been innocent. Harry smirked at her reaction, silently agreeing with her. "Well, more innocent than we are now – we got into a spot of bother with Flich."
"We let off a Dungbom in the corridor and it upset him for some reason. It was originally Josh's idea though!" Fred interrupted.
"So he hauled us off to his office and started threatening us with the usual." George continued.
"Detention-"
"Disembowelment-"
"And we couldn't help noticing a drawer in one of his filing cabinets marked 'Confiscated and Highly Dangerous'." Fred smirked.
"Of course, you stole it from him." Jessica said, not really surprised by their actions.
"Well, what would you've done?" Fred asked. "George caused a diversion by dropping another Dungbomb, I whipped the drawer open, and grabbed – this!"
"It's not as bad as it sounds, you know. We don't reckon Filch ever found out how to work it. He probably suspected what it was, though, or he wouldn't have confiscated it." George said.
"I'm assuming you know how to work it." Harry grinned, excitedly.
"Oh yes. This little beauty's taught us more than all the teachers in this school." Fred smirked.
"They're winding us up, Harry." Jessica sighed, impatiently.
"Oh, are we?" George wondered. He took out his wand and touched the parchment lightly. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

At once, thin ink lines began to spread like a spider's web from the point that George's wand had touched. They joined each other, they crisscrossed, and they fanned into every corner of the parchment. Then words began to blossom across the top. Great, curly, green words, which proclaimed:

Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs
Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischeif-Makers
are proud to present
THE MARAUDER'S MAP

It was a map showing every detail of the Hogwarts castle and grounds. The truly remarkable thing, however, were the ink dots moving around it, each labelled with a name in minuscule writing. Jessica and Harry bent over it, astounded. A labelled dot in the top left corner showed that Professor Dumbledore was pacing in his study; the caretaker's cat, Mrs. Norris, was prowling the second floor; and Peeves the Poltergeist was currently bouncing around the trophy room. Jessica's eyes travelled up and down the familiar corridors, and she suddenly noticed something. Something that could finally give Harry what he wanted.
"Harry! Look... They lead right into-"
"Right into Hogsmede." Fred grinned.
"There are seven in all. Now, Filch knows about these four..." George said, pointing out the passageways. "But we're sure we're the only ones who know about these. Don't bother with the one behind the mirror on the fourth floor. We used it until last winter, but it's caved in – completely blocked."
"We don't reckon anyone's ever used this one, because the Whomping Willow's planted right over the entrance, but there's one here, this one leads right into the cellar of Honeydukes. We've used it loads of times." Fred said, still grinning.
"As you may have noticed, the entrance is right outside this room, through that one-eyed old crone's hump." George added.

"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs..." Jessica read out loud, wondering what the names could mean.
"We owe them so much." George sighed.
"Noble men, working tirelessly to help a new generation of lawbreakers." Fred said, solemnly.
"Right! Don't forget to wipe it after you've used it, or else anyone could read it." George said, warningly.
"How do we do that?" Harry asked, almost worriedly.
"Just tap it like this, and say – Mischief managed – it'll go blank." Fred grinned. He pocketed his wand and headed toward the door, giving the two teenagers an excited wave.
"See you in Honeydukes!" George winked. They both left the room smirking in a satisfied way.

"Are we really going to do this?" Jessica wondered. She wanted to get him out of the castle, but a small part of her wondered whether it was a good idea or not.
"I don't know... Do you think we should? I mean, what if I got caught out there? I'm not supposed to be at Hogsmede." Harry said, almost frowning.
"True... Then again, you don't necessarily have to be seen." She said. There was a mischievous, almost evil looking smirk growing on her face. Harry sometimes wondered what went on in her mind.

x.x

Jessica and Harry practically cuddled each other under the invisibility cloak. Harry kept hold of the map and Jessica made sure they were always going in the right direction. They had made it all the way up to Gryffindor Tower and back to the third floor corridor in less than five minutes. However they had managed to do so was beyond their imagination. They stopped by the statue of the one-eyed witch and Harry analysed the map once again. He was still amazed by the little 'Harry Potter' and 'Jessica Selwyn' labels.
"I bet there's some sort of spell or something." Jessica muttered. At that very moment, Harry let out a small gasp and shook Jessica's arm, rather urgently. Rolling her eyes, she turned to look down at the map in his hands. It was almost as if it was telling them exactly how to get things done. Jessica pulled out her wand and tapped the stone witch. "Dissendium!"
The statue's hump opened wide enough for both of them to squeeze through. Harry glanced quickly up and down the corridor, before dragging Jessica into the hole. They slid a considerable way down what felt like a stone slide, then landed on cold, damp earth. They stood up, looking around. It was pitch dark.
"Lumos!" Harry whispered. They were in a very narrow, low, earthy passageway.
"Kind of reminds me of our second year." Jessica smirked. It had been the first time she'd managed to be humorous about the events of the Chamber of Secrets.
"Mischief managed! And yeah... I know what you mean." Harry chuckled slightly.

The passage twisted and turned, more like the burrow of a giant rabbit than anything else. They hurried along it, stumbling now and then on the uneven floor. After what felt like an hour, the passage began to rise. Panting, they sped up, their faces hot and their feet very cold. Ten minutes later, they came to the foot of some worn stone steps, which rose out of sight above them.
"I'm going to kill Fred and George." Jessica groaned.
They climbed a hundred steps, two hundred steps, and eventually lost count as they watched their feet. Then, without warning, Harry's head hit something hard. It seemed to be a trapdoor. Harry stood there, massaging the top of his head. Jessica eventually reached him, grinning about the fact that she was shorter and her head didn't reach the top, and carefully opened the trapdoor. She slowly peered over the edge, her other hand gripping her wand tightly. Harry gently pushed her aside and climbed up, then, he helped her up. They crept slowly toward the wooden staircase that led upstairs. Now they could definitely hear voices, not to mention the tinkle of a bell and the opening and shutting of a door.
"We should probably put the cloak on now." Jessica whispered. Harry nodded and wrapped the invisibility cloak around the two of them. It wasn't going to be easy for them to climb the wooden staircase, but they'd manage.

Quickly and silently, they climbed the stairs, dodging the random boxes that were placed in difficult places. They reached the door at the top of the stairs, slipped through it, and found themselves behind the counter of Honeydukes. There were shelves upon shelves of the most succulent looking sweets imaginable. Creamy chunks of nougat; shimmering pink squares of coconut ice; fat, honey coloured toffees; hundreds of different kinds of chocolate in neat rows; there was a large barrel of Every Flavour Beans, and another of Fizzing Whizbees, the levitating sherbet balls that Ron hadn't stopped talking about. Along yet another wall were the 'special effects' sweets: Droobles Best Blowing Gum – which filled a room with bluebell coloured bubbles that refused to pop for days; the strange, splintery Toothflossing Stringmints; tiny black Pepper Imps – 'breath fire for your friends!'; fragile sugar spun quills and exploding bonbons.

They squeezed past the crowd of Hogwarts students and saw a sign hanging in the farthest corner of the shop that read 'Unusual tastes'. Ron and Hermione were standing underneath it, examining a tray of blood flavoured lollipops. They sneaked up behind them.
"Harry won't want one of those, they're for vampires, I expect." Hermione said.
"How about these?" Ron asked, shoving a jar of Cockroach Clusters under Hermione's nose.
"Definitely not." Harry said, swiftly pulling the cloak away from them and folding in neatly back into his backpack. Ron nearly squealed and dropped the jar.
"Nice one, Weasley, now the whole place will be infested by cockroaches." Jessica said, rolling her eyes.
"I knew you'd come! Harry! What are you doing here? How... How did you...?" She said, in a mixture of happiness and surprise.
"Wow! You've learned to apparate!" Ron said, looking very impressed.
"Of course hasn't." Jessica groaned.
"Come on. Let's get out of here and I'll explain." Harry grinned.

x.x

The four thirteen year olds sat in the freezing snow, on top of a blanket Hermione had brought along, with the fantastic view of the Shrieking Shack before them. Harry was quick to pull out the Marauder's Map and let Ron and Hermione have a look. They were both quite amazed, especially Hermione, who was almost desperate to know exactly how it worked.
"How come Fred and George never gave it to me? I'm their brother!" Ron exclaimed.
"You're not going to keep it, though. Right, Harry? You're going to hand it in to Professor McGonagall." Hermione said, almost sounding like a teacher.
"No he's not." Jessica said.
"Are you mad? Hand something that good?" Ron said, goggling at Hermione.
"If I hand it in, I'll have to say where I got it. Filch would know Fred and George nicked it." Harry answered simply.
"What about Sirius Black?" Hermione hissed. "He could be using one of the passages on that map to get into the castle! The teachers have to know!"
"He can't be getting in through a passage." Harry answered, a little too quickly for his liking. "There are seven secret tunnels on the map, right? Fred and George reckon Filch already knows about four of them and of the other three... Well, one of them's caved in, so no one can get through it. One of them has the Whomping Willow planted over the entrance, so you can't get out of it-"
"Where did you go through then?" Ron asked, curiously.
"Well... It's really hard to see the entrance to it down in the cellar, so unless he knew it was there..." His voice trailed off slightly. What if Sirius Black did know about it?
"That's ridiculous. Someone would've noticed him walking into Honeydukes. Sirius Black doesn't know about the secret passageways. Even if he did, he wouldn't be crazy enough to get to Harry while I'm around." Jessica smirked, heroically. Ron, however, cleared his throat significantly, and pointed to a notice that had been pegged onto a tree nearby.

BY ORDER OF THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC
Customers are reminded that until further notice, Dementor's will be patrolling the streets of Hogsmede every night after sundown. This measure has been put in place for the safety of Hogsmede residents and will be lifted upon the recapture of Sirius Black. It is therefore advisable that you complete your shopping well before nightfall.
Merry Christmas!

"Right... Well that changes everything." Jessica pouted.
"Black won't try to break into Honeydukes with Dementor's swarming around, though. He'd have to be quite daft." Ron said, trying to ease the sudden tension.
"Yes... But... But..." Hermione seemed to be struggling to find another problem. "Look, Harry still shouldn't be coming into Hogsmede. He hasn't got a signed form! If anyone finds out, he'll be in so much trouble and it's not nightfall yet – what if Black turns up today? Now?"
"He'd have a hard time spotting Harry in this." Ron said, nodding at the thick, swirling snow. "Come on, Hermione, it's the holidays. Harry deserves a break."
"That and we'd totally kick his butt." Jessica shrugged. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Are you going to report me?" Harry asked, amusedly. He already knew the answer to his question.
"Of course not! But honestly, Harry..." Hermione sighed, shaking her head.
"Interesting how they wish us all a merry Christmas, even after they've announced such terrible news." Jessica said, as she re-read the notice.
"They probably don't want anyone to feel like they're in danger or something." Harry shrugged.

Jessica perked up slightly when she thought she heard something rustling through the snow. Harry also heard something and moved to get his cloak on. He couldn't risk being seen by anybody that could rat him out to the teachers.
"Someone's definitely coming." Hermione whispered, getting up from her spot on the blanket and helping Harry to cover up faster. She then started to pull the cloak toward Jessica, who stared at her confused.
"I have permission to be here." Jessica said, flatly.
"Yes, I know that, but technically you're back at Hogwarts for the day." Hermione said, urging Harry's cloak toward her. Jessica groaned, but accepted it. They huddled together on top of Hermione's blanket and hoped it wouldn't be too obvious.
"Come on Ron, we have to look like we're in a middle of an important conversation." Hermione said, irritably.
"What could we possibly be talking about?" Ron asked.
"I don't know. Anything! Did you know the Shrieking Shack is meant to be the most haunted building in Britain?" Hermione grinned, excitedly.
"You're definitely not dragging me over there." Ron replied, going rather pale.
"It's probably not true though." Hermione shrugged slightly.
"I wouldn't doubt it. We've got ghosts in Hogwarts; imagine what weird things we'd find in a haunted shack?" Ron exclaimed.

At that very moment, Draco, Blaise and Crabbe appeared. They seemed to be in the middle of a very interesting conversation, something that had to do with werewolves and Professor Snape, apparently. Jessica suppressed the urge to groan. She knew Draco wouldn't resist the temptation once he saw Ron and Hermione alone. It was almost quite obvious what was about to happen.
"Well, well... Look who's here. Are you two shopping for your new dream home?" Draco sneered as he approached the two Gryffindor's. He stopped for a moment and took a good look at the Shrieking Shack. "It's a bit grand for you, isn't it Weaselbee? Don't you and your family sleep in one room?"
"Shut up, Malfoy." Ron said, through gritted teeth. Hermione nudged him slightly.
"Someone's in a bad mood." Blaise sniggered.
"Boys... I think it's time someone taught Weaselbee how to respect their superiors." Draco smirked. Crabbe took a few steps forward and cracked his knuckles right before Ron's eyes.
"I hope you don't mean yourself!" Hermione chuckled.

Jessica cautiously nudged Harry on his arm. She had a very mischievous smile on her face. If Draco Malfoy and his friends were looking for a fight, she'd give them one, with style. Harry slowly followed her train of thought and nodded excitedly. They carefully crawled backward until they were close enough to the edge of the blanket. Harry, ever so slowly, grabbed a handful of snow and carefully formed it into a ball. Jessica did the same, though she hadn't been as cautious. Jessica mouthed the word 'now' and soon enough, two small snowballs found their way to Draco Malfoy's face.

"Who's there?" He demanded, angrily.
"Show yourself!" Blaise shouted.

Harry carefully pulled Jessica up from the ground and crept behind the three Slytherin's. He wasn't done having fun with them just yet. Crabbe screamed loudly when he felt the cold snow entering his trousers. Draco was spinning around; trying to see if he could find what was responsible for all this. He was certain he hadn't heard Hermione Granger speak any incantations. Harry and Jessica soon spotted Blaise trying his best to get away, but they weren't going to let him off so easily. Rushing forward, silently hoping the cloak wouldn't suddenly fall to the ground, Jessica grabbed hold of one of Blaise's legs and his face soon met the ice cold on the ground. She had to bite the insides of her cheeks to keep her from laughing. Harry soon pulled her up and nodded toward Draco. He was the only one left, and he looked extremely terrified. Within a second, Jessica and Harry were armed and ready with snowballs. Two hit Draco directly on the face, at the exact same time, and he stumbled backward. He tripped on his own two feet and found himself on the ground. Thinking fast, Jessica grabbed Harry by the arm and rushed to Draco's feet. Harry soon understood and the two began dragging him across the snow. Hermione and Ron were laughing uncontrollably while all this happened.
"Do you suppose he's learnt his lesson?" Ron wondered.
"I doubt it." Hermione giggled.
"We should consider locking him up in the Shrieking Shack." Ron grinned.
"That does sound quite interesting."

Jessica allowed herself to laugh out loud once Draco and his friends were far gone. She could still picture the look on their faces. It was definitely the perfect plan. She and Harry had to work together more often to make sure Draco Malfoy was always put in his rightful place.
"We really should go somewhere warm. It's getting even colder." Hermione said, slightly shivering.
"I don't know what you're talking about. That little game of ours totally warmed me up." Jessica grinned.
"Why don't we all go for some butterbeers? I doubt anyone in there will notice Harry's around." Ron suggested.
"You forget he's the boy who lived. Everyone notices him." Jessica said, mockingly.
"Shut up." Harry laughed, as the snowball he threw connected with Jessica's red cheek. She gasped at him and tried to tackle him to the ground. She failed miserably.

x.x

Jessica and Harry kept their hoods up and faces down as they walked alongside Hermione and Ron. Though, they did suspect some people would notice they were around, especially because the four of them were practically inseparable. Jessica let out a very satisfied sigh once she caught a glimpse of The Three Broomsticks. There was a person outside, just by the door, adjusting a few ornaments that were hanging around.
"Oh... Look who's over there... It's Madam Rosmerta. Ron fancies her." Hermione teased.
"No I don't!" He said, turning bright red.
"Harry! Cloak!" Hermione blurted out. She was quick to spot Professor McGonagall and Cornelius Fudge, just about ready to go through the door. The last thing they needed was to get caught.

"How's business Rosmerta?" Fudge called out, excitedly. Hagrid soon appeared, alongside Professor Flitwick.
"It'd be better if you weren't sending Dementor's into my pub every other night!" Rosmerta bellowed, waving what looked to be a small hammer around.
"We have a killer on the loose!" Fudge exclaimed.
"Sirius Black in Hogsmede, what would bring him here?" Rosmerta asked, curiously. Professor McGonagall whispered something to her, something the four teenagers couldn't hear because of the distance. Rosmerta suddenly gasped and nearly dropped her small hammer on the snow. "Harry Potter?"
"Shh!" Fudge exclaimed, waving his arms around. "Come, I'll explain inside."

Jessica startled when she suddenly didn't feel the warmth of the cloak around her any longer. She should've known Harry would follow them all inside. She quickly grabbed hold of Hermione and Ron's hands and dashed toward the door. If she got caught, she would make up any excuse possible. At that moment, she didn't care.
"Sorry, no minors in today!" A talking head exclaimed.
"We just need to find a friend of ours." Jessica insisted.
"Are you deaf? No minors in today! Close the damn door!" Another talking head shouted.
"So rude." Hermione huffed.
"Thick heads." Ron muttered.

"What are we going to do?" Jessica asked, worriedly.
"We'll wait for him to come back out again. In the meantime, you should keep your hood up and head down." Hermione said, pulling on Jessica's hood, which at some point had fallen off.
"He'll be alright, as long as he doesn't get caught." Ron sighed.

x.x

"No one's going to come into my pub! They'd have to be out of their wits!"

Harry could hear Madam Rosmerta's irritated, loud voice echoing through the walls. He slowly opened the door to the private room they were all in and allowed himself in. They seemed to have all believed it was a gust of wind that opened the old, wooden door. Rosmerta quickly shut it again and made sure to lock it. Harry mentally cursed. So much for making a quick getaway if needed.
"I heard the rumours about Halloween. I wonder how he managed to get into the castle unseen! I thought there were Dementor's there also." Rosmerta sighed.
"There are, but the ones over there are practically throwing a fit, because Dumbledore won't let them in." Fudge said, rubbing his forehead slightly.
"And a good thing too! How are we supposed to teach with those horrors floating around?" McGonagall spat.
"Hear, hear!" Professor Flitwick squeaked. He sat on an armchair, with his feet dangling off the edge.
"All the same, they are here to protect you all from something much worse. We all know what Black's capable of." Fudge said, in a regretful tone. All those present frowned at the mention of Sirius Black.
"I still have trouble believing it, you know?" Madam Rosmerta said, thoughtfully. "Of all the people to go over to the dark side, Sirius Black was the last I'd have thought. I mean, I remember him when he was a boy at Hogwarts. If you'd told me then what he was going to become, I'd have said you'd had too much mead."
"You don't know the half of it, Rosmerta. The worst he did isn't widely known." Fudge said, gruffly.
"The worst? Worse than murdering all those poor people, you mean?" Rosmerta's voice was alive with curiousity.
"Indeed." Flitwick sighed. Harry couldn't help but wonder what could possibly be worse than that.
"You say you remember him at Hogwarts, Rosmerta. Do you remember who his best friends were?" McGonagall murmured. The entire situation was only making Harry more curious to know more about Sirius Black and how he was involved.
"Naturally!" Madam Rosmerta said, with a small laugh. "Never saw one without the other, did you? The number of times I had them in here – oh, they used to make me laugh! Quite the group act they were. Especially Black and James Potter."

Harry felt his heart ache. Sirius Black was once friends with his father and now he wanted to kill his best friend's only son. Why?

"Black and Potter were the ringleaders of their little gang. Both very bright, of course – exceptionally bright, in fact – but quite the troublemakers." McGonagall slightly smiled at the memory. The smile instantly faded into a look of regret.
"I bet Fred, George and Josh could give 'em a run fer their money!" Hagrid chuckled.
"You'd have thought Black and Potter were brothers! Inseparable!" Professor Flitwick chimed in.
"Indeed they were. Potter trusted Black with his life! Nothing changed when they left school. He even became Harry Potter's godfather! Harry has no idea, of course. You can imagine how it would torment him." Fudge said.

Harry suddenly wished he hadn't followed them in. He wished he hadn't been handed the Marauder's Map. He couldn't listen to this. Sirius Black, a notorious mass murderer, was his godfather. If he ever wanted to leave the Dursley's, the only person that would legally be allowed to take him in would be Sirius Black. Suddenly Dudley didn't seem so bad.

"Shouldn't he know? I understand that he'd be tormented because Black turned out to be in league with You-Know-Who, but shouldn't he know?" Rosmerta whispered.
"It's worse even than that, my dear." Fudge dropped his voice and proceeded in a sort of low rumble. "Not many people are aware that the Potter's knew You-Know-Who was after them. Dumbledore, who was of course working tirelessly against You-Know-Who, had a number of spies. One of them tipped him off, and he alerted James and Lily at once. He advised them to go into hiding. Well, of course, You-Know-Who wasn't an easy person to hide from. Dumbledore told them that their best chance was the Fidelius Charm."
"How does that work?" Rosmerta asked, breathless with interest. Professor Flitwick cleared his throat.
"An immensely complex spell, involving the magical concealment of a secret inside a single, living soul. The information is hidden inside the chosen person, or secret-keeper, and is henceforth impossible to find – unless, of course, the secret-keeper chooses to divulge it. As long as the secret-keeper refused to speak, You-Know-Who could search the village where Lily and James were staying for years and never find them, not even if he had his nose pressed against their sitting room window!" He squeaked.
"So Black was the Potter's secret-keeper?" Madam Rosmerta whispered, dumbfounded.
"Naturally." Professor McGonagall said. "James Potter told Dumbledore that Black would die rather than tell where they were, that Black was planning to go into hiding himself... And yet, Dumbledore remained worried. I remember him offering to be the Potter's secret-keeper himself."
"He suspected Black?" Rosmerta gasped.
"He was sure that somebody close to the Potter's had been keeping You-Know-Who informed of their movements. Indeed, he had suspected for some time that someone on our side had turned traitor." Professor McGonagall said, darkly.
"But James Potter insisted on using Black? Oh my! Why couldn't he have chosen one of his other friends? The lovely Athos... I remember him also. I haven't seen him in years! I hear he's a very important man nowadays. Might even be next in line for your job, Minister! That boy wouldn't hurt a fly!" Rosmerta gasped.

Athos? Did she mean Athos Selwyn, as in Jess' father? Harry resisted the urge to groan loudly. If only he had the Selwyn's as godparents. He'd take on Mrs. Selwyn's yells any day.

"He wanted Black." Fudge said, heavily. "And then, barely a week after the Fidelius Charm had been performed-"
"He betrayed them?" Rosmerta breathed.
"He did indeed. Black was tired of his double agent role, he was ready to declare his support openly for You-Know-Who, and he seems to have planned this for the moment of the Potter's death. But, as we all know, You-Know-Who met his downfall in little Harry Potter. Powers gone, horribly weakened, he fled. This left Black in a very nasty position indeed. His master had fallen at the very moment when he, Black, had shown his true colours as a traitor. He had no choice but to run for it." Fudge said.
"Filthy, stinkin' turncoat!" Hagrid grunted. "I met him! I musta been the last ter see him before he killed all them people! It was me that rescued Harry from Lily an' James' house after they was killed! Jus' got him outta the ruins, poor little thing, with a great slash across his forehead, an' his parents dead... An' Sirius Black turns up, on that flyin' motorbike he used ter ride. Never occurred ter me what he was doin' there. I didn' know he'd been Lily an' James' secret-keeper. Thought he'd jus' heard the news. White an' shakin', he was. An' yer know what I did? I comforted the murderin traitor!"
"Hagrid, please, calm down." McGonagall sighed, as the giant man bellowed.

Harry still couldn't believe any of it. Why would someone, who was his father's best friend – his own godfather – betray them? Why would he want them dead? What was in it for him? None of this made any sense. It couldn't be possible.

"But he didn't manage to disappear, did he? The Ministry of Magic caught up with him the next day!" Rosmerta said, with some satisfaction.
"Alas, if only we had. It was not we who found him. It was little Peter Pettigrew. Maddened by grief, no doubt, and knowing that Black had been the Potter's secret-keeper, he went after Black himself." Fudge said, bitterly.
"Pettigrew... That fat little boy who was always tagging around after them at Hogwarts?" Madam Rosmerta wondered.
"He worshipped all of them. Never quite in their league, talent-wise. I was often rather harp with him. You can imagine how I... How I regret that somehow." McGonagall said, sounding as though she could cry at any moment.
"There, now, Minerva. Pettigrew died a hero's death. Eyewitnesses – Muggles, of course, we wiped their memories later – told us how Pettigrew cornered Black. They say he was sobbing, he couldn't believe what Sirius had done, and then he went for his wand. Well, of course, Black was quicker. Blew Pettigrew to smithereens." Fudge said. Professor McGonagall blew her nose.
"Stupid boy... Foolish boy... He was always hopeless at duelling... He should have left it to the Ministry." She said, thickly.
"I tell yer, if I'd got ter Black before little Pettigrew did, I wouldn't 'ave messed around with wands – I'd 'ave ripped him limb from limb." Hagrid growled.
"You don't know what you're talking about, Hagrid." Fudge said, sharply. "Nobody but trained Hit Wizards from the Magical Law Enforcement Squad would have stood a chance against Black once he was cornered. I was Junior Minister in the Department of Magical Catastrophes at the time, and I was the first on the scene after Black murdered all those people. I... I will never forget it. I still dream about it sometimes. A crater in the middle of the street, so deep it had cracked the sewer below. Bodies everywhere... Muggles screaming... And Black standing there, laughing, with what was left of Pettigrew in front of him."

Harry bit his lip to keep himself from sobbing. He couldn't get caught. Even if he did, now he knew. Perhaps they'd all be sympathetic with him. No... He had to leave. He needed space. He needed to understand all this somehow. He needed to be alone, so he could scream his lungs out and curse Black to hell. All of the adults were blowing their noses by now. He wanted to reach out for a tissue also, but it possibly wouldn't be the best of ideas.

"Well, there you have it, Rosmerta." Fudge sighed. "Black was taken away by twenty members of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad and Pettigrew received the Order of Merlin, First Class, which I think was some comfort to his poor mother."
"Is it true he's mad, Minister?" Rosmerta asked, after a long, deep sigh.
"I wish I could say that he was. I certainly believe his master's defeat unhinged him for a while. The murder of Pettigrew and all those muggles was the action of a cornered and desperate man – cruel... Pointless. Yet I met Black on my last inspection of Azkaban. You know, most of the prisoners in there sit muttering to themselves in the dark; there's no sense in them... But I was shocked at how normal Black seemed. He spoke quite rationally to me. It was unnerving. You'd have thought he was merely bored – asked if I'd finished with my newspaper, cool as you please, said he missed doing the crossword. Yes, I was astounded at how little effect the Dementor's seemed to be having on him, and he was one of the most heavily guarded in the place, you know? Dementor's outside his door day and night." Fudge said.
"But what do you think he's broken out to do?" Rosmerta wondered. "Good gracious, Minister, he isn't trying to re-join You-Know-Who, is he?"
"I do believe that's his eventual plan... But we hope to catch Black long before that. I must say, You-Know-Who alone and friendless is one thing, but give him back his most devoted servant and I shudder to think how quickly he'll rise again." Fudge said, shaking his head slightly.

Harry noticed Professor McGonagall getting up from her spot. She was still crying a bit. Harry still wanted to cry. He truly wanted someone to open the door, because he didn't want to risk it. Not now.

"He's probably looking for some of You-Know-Who's old followers. I doubt he'd be willing to work alone with all these Dementor's after him. He also wants Harry... He wants to finish what he started." McGonagall started sobbing again and she rushed to get yet another tissue.
"Is Athos the only one alive from their little gang?" Rosmerta asked.
"Mr. Selwyn and Remus Lupin are both still alive. I wouldn't be surprised if Black wanted to go after them too." Fudge said.
"Well, Professor Lupin is safe at Hogwarts... but yet 'ave ter warn Mr. Selwyn." Hagrid said.
"Athos Selwyn is very well aware of the entire situation, Hagrid. He played a big part in all this, after all." Fudge sighed.
"It must've been hard for him to see his old friend doing all that." Rosmerta said, sadly.
"Oh... I need to use the loo. I can't handle this story. We need to find Black soon!" McGonagall said, heading toward the door.

Harry took the opportunity to leave. He was ever so thankful that McGonagall also wanted to get out of there. He still couldn't believe it. He wanted to hurt Black. He wanted Black dead. He'd never wished anything bad on anyone... Except now. He hated Black more than he hated Voldemort.

x.x

Jessica patiently sat, on a frozen wooden bench, just outside the pub. Ron and Hermione also sat on a bench, but on the other side of the door. They had to keep an eye out for random footprints in the snow, which was the only way of knowing when Harry would leave. He'd been in there for quite some time already and it was getting Jessica more and more worried for him. What on Earth could those adults all be talking about?
"Jess! Come on!" Hermione shouted, suddenly.

They followed the set of body-less footprints all the way back to where they had previously attacked Draco, Blaise and Crabbe. They approached cautiously, because they weren't sure what had just happened. It was quite obvious that Harry was crying, however. Hearing him cry made Jessica feel terrible. She wanted him to know that he wasn't alone, that he had friends that would always be there for him, so she took a few steps forward. Hermione tried to get her to stay put, but it didn't work. Jessica could hear him muttering a few words in between his sobs. He sounded furious.
"Harry?" Jessica said, quietly. She reached out and clutched onto the soft fabric of the invisibility cloak. Harry kept his head bowed and refused to look toward his friends. He didn't want them to see him crying and feeling so defeated. "Harry... What happened?"
"He... He was their friend... He betrayed them..." He hiccupped. Hermione and Ron slowly walked toward them, standing just behind Jessica. Jessica bent down and placed a hand on Harry's chin, making him look into her eyes.
"Who?"
"Sirius Black... He betrayed my parents... He was their friend!" He bellowed the last phrase. Hermione looked around, anxiously hoping no one was passing by. "I hope he finds me. When he does, I'll be ready. When he does, I'm going to kill him!"
"Harry... Don't... I don't want Black to find you. I keep joking around that we'd kick his butt if he ever came near you, but the truth is, we don't stand a chance. He escaped Dementor's... A few third year students will be a piece of cake." Jessica said, worriedly.
"I don't care. He betrayed them... He..." Harry started crying again.
"Maybe we should head back to the castle." Hermione said, cautiously.
"My parents... They... He... He's m-my godfather." Harry mumbled in between hiccups. Jessica, Hermione and Ron all stared at him with their eyes wide. They didn't know what to say to that, or how to make Harry feel better.
"Come... Hermione's right. We should go back." Jessica said, standing up and pulling Harry to his feet. She wrapped the cloak around them and led the way back to Honeydukes.

Harry wasn't sure how he found his way back to his room, but he was certain Jessica had something to do with it. He stayed, motionless, in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He couldn't remember asking to be alone, but he remembered thinking it. Perhaps his friends had understood by just a certain look in his eyes. He still couldn't accept it. His own godfather – his father's best friend – Sirius Black betrayed their trust. He didn't care what happened. Either he'd find Black or Black would find him... No matter how, Black would die.

A bit of dark, pissed off Harry toward the end... but me like ~.~

How was it? Good? Okay? As always, I'd like to know! I'm about half way done with this story... AND THEN IT'S PART FOUR! (oooh there's quite a bit of Cedric in part 4 ~.~ #spoileralert)

Until next time - which hopefully won't take too long!

xoxo