It's My Life

by Fyreheart

After his second year, Harry begins to realize Hogwarts isn't everything it could be. Are there other options available? While the Hogwarts characters belong to JK Rowling, the story is obviously outside of canon.

6. Write Soon

Chapter 6 – Write Soon

Albus Dumbledore ambled into the staff room at Hogwarts, and a look of relief briefly crossed his face when he saw most of the teachers already assembled for the first staff meeting of the new term. After seeing that Harry Potter's letter was copied to Minerva, he had been avoiding the woman all afternoon. He was certain that she wouldn't make a scene in front of the other professors and he was safe for a few more hours.

His relief was short-lived when a furious Minerva McGonagall stalked into the room a minute later and spied the Headmaster as her rarely heard brogue demonstrated her ire. "Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, what did ye do to that puir bairn!" The other staff members quietly picked up their tea cups and pushed away from the table, not wanting to gain the attention of the seething Deputy Headmistress or get in her way.

Albus put on his best grandfatherly face, and let his aura glow as the Scotswoman reached him and threw a letter down in front of him. "Now Minerva," he began soothingly.

"Dinna be trying that approach with me, Albus" she spat at the elderly wizard, ignoring his visible aura. Several feet away, Severus Snape smirked visibly at the old tabby hissing at the Headmaster. "Five murder attempts in two years! Mail wards left illegally on the boy! Did ye even think to send the puir boy to a mind healer after all those ordeals? Nay, ye dinna! Ye continued to send him back to an abusive family!"

The rest of the staff looked at the irate woman in shock. One of their children was sent to an abusive home? How could they have missed that? And murder attempts? Inconceivable!

Albus groaned mentally as all eyes turned to him. This was going to be a very long staff meeting.

OoOoOoOo

Pansy Parkinson slipped back into the compartment and allowed a small smirk to escape as she sat down across from Draco Malfoy, who merely raised an imperious eyebrow at her. When he didn't ask any questions, she huffed and crossed her arms across her chest and looked out the window.

Blaise Zabini rolled his eyes at the blonde teen and turned to Pansy. "You look like you found some delicious gossip while you were out, Pansy. Would you care to share?"

She turned her head and opened her mouth as if to speak, before she saw Draco Malfoy's smirk. She smiled sweetly to Blaise and simpered "Knowledge is power, Blaise. Why should I share something with no benefit to me?"

He ran through a list of what to offer, from copying homework to helping with some retaliation before settling on the easiest. "Did I mention, my dear Pansy, that I brought cioccolato coperto fragile back from Italia?" He smiled enticingly at her as her eyes sparked their interest. "I remembered how much you like them." They both knew he had her; now it was only a matter of the quantity.

"Well, perhaps for half a dozen, I might share my news."

"They are larger than normal. Perhaps three?"

The bargain made, Pansy smirked "Harry Potter isn't on the train and isn't expected to be at Hogwarts this year."

Draco forgot himself enough to lean forward. "What!"

A triumphant smile lit the Slytherin girl's face. "The little Weaselette was speaking to her loony Ravenclaw friend. According to her, he applied to and left for another school over the summer. He didn't tell anyone in advance. Her family didn't know until Potter wrote the Weasel and the Mudblood after the fact."

Blaise reached into his new bottomless bag and felt for the box of chocolates and handed it to her, his eyes on Draco.

The blonde leaned back on his seat and closed his eyes. "Well, well, well" he murmured, "What are you doing Scarhead?" His father would be interested in this news. After Potter tricked him into freeing the house elf, he had been livid with rage at the Gryffindor. Perhaps now that the prat wasn't under Dumbledore's protection, his father could exact some vengeance.

Students streamed into the Great Hall and it was easy to spot the redheads in the group. With ease of practice, Malfoy slipped through the crowds that mostly parted as the two large boys in front of him pushed their way through.

Crabbe roughly knocked the Gryffindor who turned with a scowl as Malfoy spoke in his most condescending and irritating voice to his quarry. "Careful Weasel, your Golden Boy isn't here to protect you this year. Ran away sniveling in fear, did he? His true colors finally showed, apparently."

Ronald Weasley's hands curled into fists as he glared at the Slytherin, his face flushing an unbecoming red. He spluttered in rage, unable to form a coherent response which made Malfoy curl his lip in a derisive sneer.

A dreamy voice spoke from Malfoy's left, "Who is the more foolish; the one who takes the initiative to preserve and grow his power or the one who carelessly returns to a place where one's safety and power can be diminished?" Malfoy turned a frown on Luna Lovegood as she smiled absentmindedly at him and then wandered into the Great Hall, leaving him speechless. Potter wasn't capable of that type of premeditated planning, was he?

More than his owl left Hogwarts that night with the news that Harry James Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived hadn't returned to Hogwarts for his Third Year.

OoOoOoOo

Harry Potter smiled at the letter from Molly Weasley. As expected, she admonished him for making such a decision without an adult (of whom she approved was the unstated phrase), but then thanked him for his concern about Ginny possibly needing counseling after the traumatic events of the previous year. She dismissed his thanks for the jumpers and allowing him to stay at the Burrow, and invited him to return for the holidays and during the summer.

With a warm feeling inside, he laid that letter aside and turned to the next. He didn't recognize the seal, but since it passed the filters, he wasn't concerned.

Dear Harry,

Thank you very much for the "Beginning Potions" book from your new school. I can see what you meant about how it filled in so many gaps that Snape never explained. It made so much sense when I could look at it from how the ingredients interacted with one another. Perhaps I'll even be able to keep from exploding a cauldron this term. One can dream, right?

I was sorry to read that you've chosen a new school, but certainly understand your reasons. If it weren't a tradition for the Longbottoms to attend Hogwarts, I might have asked Gran about it myself. However, she wants me to experience all that my Father did, so it's Hogwarts for me.

If your time permits, I would be interested in knowing how you are doing and how you enjoy your classes at your new school. Perhaps you wouldn't mind hearing from me from time to time?

Best wishes,

Neville Longbottom

He chuckled as he thought about Snape's disbelief if Neville's cauldrons became safe. He reread the letter and paused at the last paragraph. Poor Neville was used to being overlooked, wasn't he? He hadn't been a very good friend to his dorm mate if he didn't think Harry wanted to hear from him. He would have to be sure to write the other boy once a month or so.

His thoughtful expression turned into a scowl as he recognized the Hogwarts seal and the handwriting on the next letter. With a growl he set it aside, but his bad mood couldn't last as the next letter was from Hermione.

Dear Harry,

Your revision classes sounded exciting! You learned so much in such a short time. I envy you that one-on-one time with your new professors. Congratulations on finishing successfully and in time for your new term. You get to start a week before us!

I'm thrilled that you're going to catch up on Arithmancy, although I was surprised it started in their First Year. I'll be starting that class myself this year and would love to learn how the two schools approach it to see the similarities and disparities in the teaching methods.

How do you feel sharing a room with only one other boy? It must be much quieter than the dormitories at Hogwarts. I wouldn't mind not having to listen to Lavender and Parvati some days. Elias sounds very nice and his mixed iquana-fire lizard pet seems to be amusing. I'm so sorry that he climbed up on your broom and caused so much burn damage! Does it still fly?

We went to Diagon Alley yesterday for the term's supplies and there were a number of Aurors (those are the wizarding law enforcement) visible on the street. Apparently, a mass murderer escaped from Azkaban, the wizarding prison. It's supposed to be escape-proof, and no one knows how it happened. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley refused to talk about it, but held some whispered conversations and kept us away from the Daily Prophet for some reason, but we could hear everyone else gossiping about it.

I'm sorry to say that Ron is still irritated with you not sharing your decision to leave in advance, but he'll come around. The twins seem to think it's a wonderful prank on the entire school, and sent you their congratulations.

It's back to school tomorrow, so I'll write you again after we're settled in again.

Your friend,

Hermione

He smiled at his brainy friend. Only she would be jealous of a five-week crash course in all of his lessons and starting school a week early. He was sorry to read that Ron still was being a prat, but it wasn't too surprising after his actions when he learned that Harry was a parselmouth plus all of the Heir of Slytherin accusations last year. But of course the twins would approve of pranking the entire school.

He thought about leaving Dumbledore's letter unopened, but decided that would be too babyish. He was thirteen now after all! He broke the seal and scanned the contents.

Dear Harry,

I am sorry that you believe Hogwarts is unsafe for you. Please rest assured that the staff and I care deeply about the wellbeing of each and every student. I must admit that I bear the burden of not thinking about a need for counseling. Mind healers are a relatively new profession, but you are correct that it should have been offered. Professor McGonagall expressed similar views quite fervently.

Regarding the mail wards, I set them immediately after your parent's deaths in an effort to keep Voldemort's followers from trying to finish what he had started. Over the years, I simply forgot that I had set them or would have removed them once you arrived at Hogwarts. In the same way, the tracking charms were for your safety in case you were captured or injured. All of my actions were made because I wanted to keep you safe.

The new term begins in a few days. We have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher whom I am certain you would have enjoyed. Professor Remus Lupin was a friend of your father's throughout their school years and beyond. I'm sure he would be willing to share some stories of their time together should you be interested.

Although you stated that your decision is final, please know that your place at Hogwarts will always be kept open and that you are welcome back at any time. If you do not object, I would like to discuss your safety with your school's Headmaster.

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

Headmaster Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Order of Merlin, First Class; Chief Warlock, Wizengamot; Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards

Harry read the letter several times. The old man was sorry that Harry felt the school was unsafe, but implied that it wasn't unsafe after everything that had happened! He never even acknowledged the five murder attempts. At least he admitted he should have offered counseling. The dark-haired boy reread the comments about Professor Remus Lupin. He had to admit he was tempted to write the man and ask about what his father was like growing up. The comments about speaking to Principal Graham he totally ignored. He wasn't about to tell that meddling old man where he was.

OoOoOoOo

After breakfast on the first day of classes, Professor McGonagall passed out everyone's schedules. She paused after handing Ron and Hermione their schedules and said in a disapproving tone, "The Headmaster would like a few words with you immediate after breakfast. The password is 'Liquorice Sticks'." She hesitated before adding, "You are not required to speak to him about anything not school related." With that peculiar comment, she turned away and continued passing out schedules.

Ron looked after their Head of House with confusion. "What was that about," he asked Hermione.

The bushy-haired girl shook her head. "I'm not sure, but I see Professor Dumbledore has left the staff tables, so we may as well go to his office now." Her face was set in the look she had when she was trying to figure out a puzzle, so Ron kept quiet on the walk to the Headmaster's office.

"Come in, come in," the elderly wizard's voice said jovially as they reached up to knock on his door. With a shrug, Ron opened the door and the two entered the Headmaster's office. "Have a seat, please. I'll only take a few minutes of your time," Dumbledore said in a friendly voice.

The two sat and looked at him uncomfortably. "We're not in trouble, are we Professor" asked Ron hesitantly.

"Not that I'm aware of, Mr. Weasley," answered the elderly man with a smile. "Should you be?"

The red-head shook his head vigorously. "No sir, we've only just arrived!"

"Well in that case, no one is in trouble. I just wanted to see how you were doing without young Mr. Potter with you. We've all been worried about him."

Ron immediately scowled at the thought of his former best friend and his voice was petulant as he said, "We haven't given too much thought to him. He just upped and went elsewhere, didn't he? Not as if we meant much to him."

Hermione immediately frowned at her friend. "Now Ron, that's not fair. It's not like you told either of us that you were going to Egypt until it was a 'fait accompli' either."

"Huh? Fate what?"

"An accomplished fact; a done deal. You didn't tell us, so you have no right to get upset that he didn't tell you something either."

Albus interrupted the argument with his best grandfatherly voice, "Yes, every friendship has a few bumps along the way. How is Mr. Potter getting along at his new school?"

Hermione turned a smile on the Headmaster. "Very well sir. He spent five weeks in intensive revision, primarily in Potions, History and Herbology and started his classes at the end of August. He said it was tiring, but rewarding."

"How did his new professor compare to Professor Snape? I know he struggled in that class." He ignored Ron's muttered "Everyone but the snakes have trouble with the git."

Hermione was delighted to share the new information Harry had learned. Perhaps the Headmaster could help Professor Snape improve his teaching skills. "Harry bought their first two year books and was amazed at how much information they contained about potion ingredients and how they react to each other, the reasons why the number of stirs affects a potion, the differences the temperature makes and such. He's really looking forward to this year's class."

After a few more questions, the Headmaster thanked them and sent them on their way to class with a note excusing their tardiness. Once the children were gone, he wrote down several observations. He preferred not to have to use Legilmens on the children, but sometimes it was the only way to get the pertinent information. In this situation, while neither child had the name of the school, the Granger girl had narrowed it down to schools that offered both muggle and wizarding classes, as well as year-round classes. He should be able to track the boy down with that knowledge.

OoOoOoOo

Ms. Sadler left Principal Graham's office with a pensive look. The Principal had held an interesting discussion with the school's attorneys about young Harry Potter. Those attorneys suggested that the boy retain his own legal counsel to look after his interests, especially as his current legal guardians had signed a blank form approving of a change of guardianship. Once back in her classroom, she wrote a quick note, asking Harry to meet her before dinner and summoned a house elf to deliver it.

She wasn't surprised when later that afternoon she heard a very hesitant knock on her Blair House office door and saw the black-haired boy looking at her anxiously from under his bangs. "Come in, Harry. Please have a seat." She quickly cast a privacy charm, which allowed the door to stay open but maintained the confidentiality of the discussion.

"Yes ma'am," the young teen said quietly. "Have I done something wrong, Ms. Sadler," he asked uncertainly.

She smiled warmly at him and shook her head. "Not at all, Harry. I just wanted to speak to you privately about something that may be to your benefit."

Harry relaxed slightly in the seat, glad that none of the teachers had complained about him in his first week of regular classes.

"Harry, when you first applied, your guardians had signed their approval for you to attend St. Croix Academy as a year-round student." She paused for him to nod his head cautiously. "I believe you also mentioned to Mr. Talbot that they were open to considering a change in guardianship."

Harry wasn't certain where this conversation was going, but responded readily, "Yes ma'am. They signed an approval in advance if I find someone I want to ask."

Christina Sadler phrased her comments carefully to avoid future accusations or repercussions. "The laws in the United States and the United Kingdom may be different. Here in the States, we usually retain attorneys to review and evaluate our cases as well as to protect our rights and interests." She met his eyes and waited for his response.

Harry opened his mouth to say "yes ma'am" politely and then paused to consider her words. Was she advising him to find a solicitor? Had Dumbledore tried to force his return? But she hadn't mentioned anything other than the guardianship. He opened his mouth again and asked, "How does a young teen find an attorney, Ms. Sadler?"

"The Yellow Pages of the telephone book will have advertisements for different legal firms as well as lawyer referral services. It's just something to think about, Harry. It never hurts to be prepared." She waited for the boy to nod warily and then smiled again, and dropped the privacy wards. "You must be hungry. Let's go to dinner."

In the Common Room after dinner, before starting homework with some of his year group, Harry found a telephone book and started looking through the legal advertisements. He was interrupted by an amused "Going to sue someone, Harry?" from Elias.

Harry gave a half-hearted grin to his roommate and hissed a hello to Xolotl, who was riding on the boy's shoulders. The lizard had begun joining them for their joint homework time, and Harry translated his haughty comments to the amusement of the rest of the group.

"I was just curious about finding a solicitor…err, I mean an attorney to represent my interests," he began. "But I don't know anything about it."

Rich Lovell nodded in approval. "Considering you are a celebrity as the only known survivor of a killing curse, it would be a sensible measure." At Harry's look of surprise, the boy admitted, "You are mentioned in some of the History books Harry, even over here."

Elias opened the Transfiguration text book and his notebook as he said, "My cousin Miguel and his wife are both attorneys. He works in contract law, but she's a family attorney. I could write them if you are interested. If neither of them can help, they could probably recommend someone."

Harry gave the boy a grateful smile. "Would you? Please? There are too many firms and names for me to choose from here." With the promise of future help, they turned to the homework Mr. Latham had given them.

Three days later, Harry had a letter from Anarosa Diaz. She offered him one free 60-minute meeting to see if they would suit one another. If he agreed, she was going to be in St. Paul the following weekend and would be happy to come to the Academy on a Saturday morning to meet with him. Elias pointed out that he couldn't go wrong with a free on-campus meeting, and he quickly agreed to it.

Several days later, Harry met Mrs. Anarosa Diaz on a Saturday morning. The thirty-something woman arrived in a tailored black pantsuit with a crisp white shirt under it. Her dark hair was pulled back, showing her high cheek bones and deep brown eyes. With Ms. Sadler's permission, they used her office for their discussion, and Mrs. Diaz cast several quick privacy spells.

With a nod of satisfaction, she gave him a small smile. "Now Mr. Potter, let's talk about the type of legal representation you might need." She pulled out a folder and a pad of paper as she spoke.

"Yes ma'am, thank you for coming." At her nod, he continued, "I'm looking for whatever representation is needed to keep me safe. I'm considered a celebrity in my world because of this," he paused to shift his bangs away from his scar. "I found out that my former Headmaster took much too much interest in my life before I ever went to Hogwarts. He had a mail ward on me and tracking charms. And at Hogwarts.."

He paused as the woman held up her left hand as her right was busy writing. "Would you back up a bit please, Mr. Potter. Tell me what you know about how you gained your scar."

Harry nodded and started over. "My parents were killed on Halloween in 1981 by the dark wizard Voldemort. I lived through the attack, and everyone says I survived the killing curse and somehow killed him. However, I think my parents did something that saved me. Anyway, Voldemort turned into a spirit and I was left with my Mum's sister and her family."

"By whom?" asked Mrs. Diaz.

"Well, I learned only this year that it was the Headmaster of my old school, Professor Albus Dumbledore. And he left me on the doorstep in a basket without even talking to my Aunt. They didn't want me; they considered me a freak and a burden."

Her eyes flicked quickly to his as she asked, "Did they actually say so, Mr. Potter?"

"Yes ma'am, almost every day. In fact, I didn't even realize my name was Harry until it was time for primary school. They almost always called me 'boy'." He watched her pen fly across the page and waited for her to nod again.

"I didn't know I was a wizard; I only knew I did 'freaky' things that made my relatives angry. My Aunt and Uncle told me my parents had died drunk in a car crash. They tried to keep me from getting my Hogwarts letter, but they kept coming, more and more all the time no matter where we went. Eventually, Hagrid hand-delivered it on my birthday."

"Hagrid?" asked the attorney.

"Yes ma'am, Rubeus Hagrid, he's the Keeper of the Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts."

"Does he normally deliver letters to the students from non-magical families?"

Harry paused and then shrugged. "I know my friend Hermione was visited by Professor McGonagall, but I don't know about the others."

"That's fine, go on Mr. Potter."

"At Hogwarts, I loved learning magic and playing Quidditch, but it just wasn't safe. A mountain troll got loose in the school my first year, my broom was hexed in a Quidditch match and I almost fell off, I was attacked by something in the Forest, and then by the three-headed dog inside the school, and finally Professor Quirrell tried to kill me, but he was possessed by Voldemort. He died when I touched him. He burned up and crumbled into dust."

He watched her pen flying across the page. "Ma'am, I made a copy of the lists I made to help me decide what to do. Would you like that before we go further?"

She gave him a warm smile. "Yes, thank you, Mr. Potter." He pulled out the notebook and the copied pages and passed them to her.

"What does this mean, 'cupboard under the stairs' under the Dursleys?" Her eyes were fixed on the page as she waited for him to reply.

"Well, I slept in the cupboard under the stairs until my Hogwarts letter, and then they moved me into my cousin's second bedroom because they thought someone was watching them."

"I see. And these two? 'Scraps for food' and 'forced to work long days'?"

Harry hunched his shoulders and slumped in the chair. "Well...I had to earn my food, didn't I? I did most of the cooking, and laundry, and cleaning, and yard work. I wasn't usually allowed to eat until everyone else had their fill so it usually wasn't much, and if I did anything wrong with the chores...or anything 'freaky'...then I didn't eat at all."

Over the course of the next hour, Mrs. Diaz asked him dozens of questions. After she was done, she re-visited some of the topics and asked even more questions, sometimes asking the same one in multiple ways. She learned that he did have the funds for a retainer, although she had mentioned something about 'pro bono' work as well.

"Mr. Potter, if you are comfortable working with me, I would be happy to accept you as a client. I will need to research more into the laws of the United Kingdom, but if your relatives are willing to relinquish their guardianship rights, then perhaps we should speak more about the alternatives. Perhaps we should discuss emancipation in addition. In addition, I will endeavor to gain as much information as possible about your parents, their estate, whether they left a will and if so, was it executed.

The voice of a very angry woman filled the hotel room that night as she spoke to her husband over the telephone. "Miguel, if I find most of what my young client told me is true, it's outrageous! It will be the scandal of the decade if it comes to light. In addition to everything else, I picked up some British papers and learned that the man who betrayed his parents was a mass murderer who escaped from prison this summer! I need to find out more about that to determine whether additional safety precautions are necessary. I will draft a letter to the Academy's law firm tomorrow."

A week later, Harry received another visit from Mrs. Diaz, who told him to call her Anarosa. "Harry, the man who was imprisoned for mass murder after betraying your parents to the dark wizard was a man named Sirius Black. It turns out that he was also named your guardian by your parents. I asked for the transcripts of his trial and learned that he never received one, but was sent to prison without one."

"But...aren't trials required? And how did they know he was guilty? If my parents trusted him enough to be my guardian, shouldn't there have been a lot of proof before they threw him in prison?"

"One would assume so, Harry. I've been in contact with both Gringotts and a sister law firm over there. They're looking for a will, as well as why you were sent to the Dursleys. If Mr. Black was your godfather, then who was your godmother and why weren't you placed with her? So far, no one knows why your placement wasn't supervised by Children's Services other than a few excuses about the chaos at the time. Harry, I think we need to consider multiple options, even beyond emancipation." Over the next two hours, they developed a working draft of a flexible plan to ensure Harry's safety for the next several years.

OoOoOoOo

Remus Lupin entered his quarters after a long day and ran a hand through his grey-flecked brown hair. The students seemed fine, although their education had been sorely lacking. He would have to work hard to cover several years of spells in only two terms. He looked down as his foot scuffed a folded piece of paper. Picking it up, he unfolded it and read the few lines.

Mooney

It wasn't me. I wasn't the secret keeper; that was too obvious. It was Peter. He betrayed them. He's still alive. Look at the rat in this clipping. He's at Hogwarts. He has to die. You can find him. You know his scent. It was Peter and he has to die. We have to keep Harry safe. Kill the rat.

Padfoot

Remus Lupin looked up from the scrawled missive he found in his room. The scent on the paper was definitely Padfoot's, that murdering traitor. Padfoot had killed Peter...hadn't he? He looked at the faded newspaper clipping suspiciously. His amber eyes slowly widened and he conjured a magnifying class. Oh sweet Merlin! He dodged students who looked after him in shock as he ran through the hallways with his robes flapping behind him to the Headmaster's office.

OoOoOoOo

Ashwini Ranganathan was a fifteen year old girl with long black hair from Tamil Nadu in South India, although she came to the United States with her parents when she was only six years old. Her family felt strongly about excelling, and she demonstrated that ethic with her studying and grades. A week after the new term started, she met with Harry for the first time.

"I'm pleased to meet you, Harry. I understand Arithmancy wasn't offered at your previous school until you were in the ninth grade, is that correct?"

Harry nodded, "Yes, although we just called it Third Year, and it was an elective."

"OK, let's start with a little background on it then. Arithmancy is a branch of magic concerned with the magical properties of numbers. It's commonly viewed as a precise and measurable way of predicting the future based on trends. The predictions can be used with other forms of magic to increase the chance of success. It was first used a method of divination by the ancient Greeks to help foretell the outcome of battles. It involves working with large number charts, with the position of each number having a specific purpose." She pulled out her first year text and they started to study in earnest.

Harry was very relieved to learn that not all of his classes had regular homework as he might have had to drop his electives. His Music Appreciation had one quiz of 10 questions every week and one paper due two weeks before the end of the term. Latin had a brief quiz at the start of every class to reinforce what had been used in previous classes and the list of study questions at the end of each chapter that had to be handed in. History required developing a journal by country by date with key events and the impact of the event due at the end of the term, but could be filled out after each class. Fortunately, Physical education had no homework. The other classes had short theory essays usually given on Mondays and due the following Monday.

All in all, Harry was one very busy teenager. He developed and copied a brief form letter with which he declined all invitations, solicitations and endorsement requests and had begun to dread seeing the mail box glowing when he came into the room. He groaned when he saw it and smacked Elias on the shoulder for laughing. After shuffling through the unknown mail, he set it aside when he recognized Hermione's handwriting.

Dear Harry,

So much has happened in the last week! Firstly, on our way back to Hogwarts, the train was stopped and searched for that escaped murderer by horrible things called Dementors. They're really tall, perhaps almost three meters, have grey bodies and are covered in dark hooded cloaks. They have an aura that makes you remember your absolutely worst memories and are just awful! Fortunately the new DADA teacher, Professor Lupin was on the train and could make them go away. He gave everyone chocolate, which helped with the after effects. Even so, I know many people had nightmares that night.

Then yesterday, Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall and Lupin all came to the Gryffindor commons room, talked to Ron Weasley for a few minutes and then told all the students stay downstairs. The professors then went up to the Third Year boys' dormitory. We heard some shouting, and then they returned, levitating a short shabby man down the stairs. It turns out he was an animagus, someone that can turn into an animal! Remember Professor McGonagall turning from a cat into herself in Transfiguration? Just like that. What's more, he had been posing as Scabbers, Ron's rat (and Percy's before him) for the last twelve years! The Weasleys are in shock; they had no idea!

It turns out that the man's real name is Peter Pettigrew, the man Sirius Black, the escaped prisoner was accused of killing! But more than that…Harry, Sirius Black was the one accused of betraying your parents to Voldemort, but he didn't do it! He never even had a trial; they just snapped his wand and sent him to prison because Pettigrew made it look like he was a mass murderer.

This morning's Daily Prophet said Pettigrew confessed under Veritaserum (a truth serum) that he was a Death Eater, admitted that he betrayed your parent's location to You-Know-Who and that he blew up the street that killed all the Muggles. The article also asked Sirius Black to contact any auror or seek medical attention. Rumor has it that he was a friend of our new professor and that's how it all came to light.

I'll let you know more as I find it out and will send you any articles the Daily Prophet publishes.

Write soon,

Hermione

OoOoOoOo

Author's Note: I had more about Sirius planned for this chapter, but was not satisfied with the writing, so moved it to the next chapter so that I could publish this.