I think I was inspired this weekend ( not sure if that's a good thing or not...)
Anyway, Enjoy!
Chapter 16: All Black
Harry was no doubt confused by Alexis and Ron's quick action to shove him under the table and Hermione's to move the Christmas Tree in front of them but he quickly caught on as Cornelius Fudge and Company came and sat by them.
Next he saw another pair of feet, wearing sparkly turquoise high heels, and heard a woman's voice.
"A small gillywater -"
"Mine," said Professor McGonagall's voice.
"Four pints of mulled mead -"
"Ta, Rosmerta," said Hagrid.
"A butterbeer -"
"Thanks Rosie," said Swine, surprisingly pleasantly.
"So you'll be the red currant rum, Minister."
"Thank you, Rosmerta, m'dear," said Fudge's voice. "Lovely to see you again, I must say. Have one yourself, won't you? Come and join us..."
"Well, thank you very much, Minister."
Alexis looked down to see Harry's eyes wide as saucers.
'Everything alright?' she thought to him.
'Why hadn't it occurred to us that this was the last weekend of term for the teachers too?' he whined in a panic. 'And how long are they going to sit there? We need to sneak back into Honeydukes if we don't want to be caught!'
'I know, just calm down, okay?'
Taking a deep breath, Harry nodded his head slowly just as Rosmerta spoke again.
"So, what brings you to this neck of the woods, Minister?"
Fudge's thick body twist in his chair as though he were checking for eavesdroppers. Then he said in a quiet voice, "What else, m'dear, but Sirius Black? I daresay you heard what happened up at the school at Halloween?"
"I did hear a rumor," admitted Madam Rosmerta.
"Did you tell the whole pub, Hagrid?" asked McGonagall harshly.
"Do you think Black's still in the area, Minister?" whispered Madam Rosmerta.
"I'm sure of it," said Fudge shortly.
"You know that the Dementors have searched the whole village twice?" said Madam Rosmerta, a slight edge to her voice. "Scared all my customers away...It's very bad for business, Minister."
"Rosmerta, dear, I don't like them any more than you do," said Fudge uncomfortably. "Necessary precaution... unfortunate, but there you are...I've just met some of them. They're in a fury against Dumbledore - he won't let them inside the castle grounds."
"As to be expected," said Swine sharply. "Can you imagine what they'd do to the students there? We'd have a second Azkaban, damn near did at the at the Quidditch game in November."
"I heard about that," said Rosmerta. "Dementors attacked two students. Harry Potter and -"
"Alexis McPherson," finished Fudge as if Alexis's name was vile. "Have you learned anything about the girl?"
"Who, Hex?" asked Hagrid. "We al'eady told ya abou' 'er."
"Nice girl," said Rosmerta. "From what I've heard, she's always running around with Harry or at least that's what all the other Hogwarts students say. Kind of a déjà vu moment if you think about it."
There was an odd pause at the table were no one spoke and only the sound of people shifting in their chairs could be heard.
"I suppose it is, isn't it?" said McGonagall softly.
"Of all the people to go over to the Dark Side," said Madam Rosmerta thoughtfully. "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," said Fudge gruffly. "The worst he did isn't widely known."
"The worst?" said Madam Rosmerta, her voice alive with curiosity. "Worse than murdering all those poor people, you mean?"
"Far worse," said Swine.
"I can't believe that. What could possibly be worse?"
"You say you remember him at Hogwarts, Rosie," murmured Swine. "Do you remember who his best friend was?"
"Naturally," said Madam Rosmerta, with a small laugh. "Never saw one without the other, did you? Kind of like you and..." Rosmerta coughed awkwardly before continuing, "The number of times I had them in here - ooh, they used to make me laugh. Quite the double act, Sirius Black and James Potter!"
Harry dropped his tankard with a loud clunk. Alexis grabbed his hand as a million thoughts started running through his head.
"Precisely," said McGonagall. "Black and Potter. Ringleaders of their little gang. Both very bright, of course - exceptionally bright, in fact - but I don't think we've ever had such a pair of troublemakers -"
"I dunno," chuckled Hagrid. "Fred and George Weasley could give 'em a run fer their money."
"You'd have thought Sirius and James were brothers," said Swine with a cold laugh. "Always in the Common Room scheming their next prank. The two of them were inseparable!"
"Of course they were," said Fudge. "Potter trusted Black beyond all his other friends. Nothing changed when they left school. Black was best man when James married Lily. Then they named him godfather to Harry. Harry has no idea, of course. You can imagine how the idea would torment him."
"Because Black turned out to be in league with You-Know-Who?" whispered Madam Rosmerta.
"Worse," said Swine grimly.
Fudge nodded his head in agreement before continuing in Swine's place with a low voice.
"Not many people are aware that the Potters knew You-Know-Who was after them. Dumbledore, who was of course working tirelessly against You-Know-Who, had a number of useful 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?" said Madam Rosmerta, breathless with interest. McGonagall cleared her throat.
"An immensely complex spell," she said, "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!"
"So Black was the Potters' Secret-Keeper?" whispered Madam Rosmerta.
"Obviously," said Swine. "James told Dumbledore that Sirius would die rather than tell where they were, that Sirius was planning to go into hiding himself."
"...and yet, Dumbledore remained worried," said McGonagall. "I remember him offering to be the Potters' Secret-Keeper himself."
"He suspected Black?" gasped Madam Rosmerta.
"He was sure that somebody close to the Potters had been keeping You-Know-Who informed of their movements," said McGonagall darkly. "Indeed, he had suspected for some time that someone on our side had turned traitor and was passing a lot of information to You-Know-Who."
"But James Potter insisted on using Black?"
"He did," said Fudge heavily. "And then, barely a week after the Fidelius Charm had been performed -"
"Black betrayed them?" breathed Madam Rosmerta.
"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 Potters' death. But, as we all know, You-Know-Who met his downfall in little Harry Potter. Powers gone, horribly weakened, he fled. And this left Black in a very nasty position indeed. His master had fallen at the very moment when he, Black, had shown his true colors as a traitor. He had no choice but to run for it -"
"Filthy, stinkin' turncoat!" Hagrid said, so loudly that half the bar went quiet.
"Shh!" said McGonagall.
"I met him!" growled Hagrid. "I musta bin the last ter see him before he killed all them people! It was me what rescued Harry from Lily an' James's 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 bin Lily an' James's Secret-Keeper. Thought he'd jus' heard the news o' You-Know-Who's attack an' come ter see what he could do. White an' shakin', he was. An' yeh know what I did? I COMFORTED THE MURDERIN' TRAITOR!" Hagrid roared.
"Hagrid, please!" said McGonagall. "Keep your voice down!"
"How was I ter know he wasn' upset abou' Lily an' James? It was You-Know-Who he cared abou'! An' then he says, 'Give Harry ter me, Hagrid, I'm his godfather, I'll look after him -' Ha! But I'd had me orders from Dumbledore, an' I told Black no, Dumbledore said Harry was ter go ter his aunt an' uncle's. Black argued, but in the end he gave in. Told me ter take his motorbike ter get Harry there. 'I won't need it anymore,' he says.
"I shoulda known there was somethin' fishy goin' on then. He loved that motorbike, what was he givin' it ter me for? Why wouldn' he need it anymore? Fact was, it was too easy ter trace. Dumbledore knew he'd bin the Potters' Secret-Keeper. Black knew he was goin' ter have ter run fer it that night, knew it was a matter o' hours before the Ministry was after him.
"But what if I'd given Harry to him, eh? I bet he'd've pitched him off the bike halfway out ter sea. His bes' friends' son! But when a wizard goes over ter the Dark Side, there's nothin' and no one that matters to em anymore..."
A long silence followed Hagrid's story. Then Madam Rosmerta said with some satisfaction, "But he didn't manage to disappear, did he? The Ministry of Magic caught up with him next day!"
"Alas, if only we had," said Fudge bitterly. "It was not we who found him. It was little Peter Pettigrew - another of the Potters' friends. Maddened by grief, no doubt, and knowing that Black had been the Potters' Secret-Keeper, he went after Black himself."
"Pettigrew...that fat little boy who was always tagging around after them at Hogwarts?" said Madam Rosmerta.
"Hero-worshipped Black and Potter," said McGonagall. "Never quite in their league, talent-wise. I was often rather sharp with him. You can imagine how I - how I regret that now..." She sounded as though she had suddenly lost her voice.
"There, now, Minerva," said Fudge kindly, "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, 'Lily and James, Sirius! How could you?' And then he went for his wand. Well, of course, Black was quicker. Blew Pettigrew to smithereens..."
McGonagall blew her nose and said thickly, "Stupid boy...foolish boy...he was always hopeless at dueling...should have left it to the Ministry ..."
"I tell yeh, if I'd got ter Black before little Pettigrew did, I wouldn't've messed around with wands - I'd 've ripped him limb - from - limb," Hagrid growled.
"You don't know what you're talking about, Hagrid," said Fudge 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 one of the first on the scene after Black murdered all those people. So was Carter and Pherson before Pherson... well before he turned too. 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...a heap of bloodstained robes and a few - a few fragments -"
Fudge's voice stopped abruptly. There was the sound of four noses being blown and an odd cough from Swine.
"It took twenty of us to take him in," said Swine gruffly. "Peter Pettigrew received the Order of Merlin, First Class, which I think was some comfort to his poor mother. Black's been in Azkaban ever since."
Madam Rosmerta let out a long sigh.
"Is it true he's mad, Minister?"
"I wish I could say that he was," said Fudge slowly. "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 Dementors seemed to be having on him - and he was one of the most heavily guarded in the place, you know. Dementors outside his door day and night."
"But what do you think he's broken out to do?" said Madam Rosmerta. "Good gracious, Minister, he isn't trying to rejoin You-Know-Who, is he?"
"I daresay that is his - er - eventual plan," said Fudge evasively. "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..."
There was a small chink of glass on wood. Someone had set down their glass.
"You know, Cornelius, if you're dining with the headmaster, we'd better head back up to the castle," said McGonagall.
"Right," said Rosmerta, clearing her throat. "I have to get back to work too. Goodbye Minister, Professor, Hagrid, Carter."
Four goodbyes filled the air as the barmaid left. Once she was gone, Fudge spoke in a dull whisper.
"She says Alexis and Harry are always together? Have you even tried to separate them as I insisted?"
"No we haven't," snapped McGonagall harshly. "Nor do we plan to."
"Hex wouldn' do nothin to hert Harry," added Hagrid. "They've been best frien's since firs' year!"
"So were Potter and Black," grumbled Fudge. "What is your opinion on the girl, Carter?"
"No respect for the Ministry," Swine answered instinctively.
"That's because you came in threatening to carry her off the Azkaban from the moment you saw her!" barked McGonagall. Swine looked unfazed.
"I wasn't finished," he said calmly. "She may be disrespectful but she does seem to genuinely care for Potter. The two of them have been through the mill together and are still best friends... But then again, Rosie was right about the déjà vu moment with the two of them. The only thing different is the time."
"At least the girl doesn't know she's related to Black," sighed Fudge. "Then we would have a problem."
The four made their way out of the inn just as Alexis crumbled to the floor next to Harry.
Maybe she hadn't wanted to know her heritage as much as she thought...
.
Dinner had been a quiet occasion for the four third years, agonizingly quiet. Hermione and Ron kept sending glances at their two friends trying to understand what was going through their minds. Alexis and Harry merely stared at their dinner plates full of food and untouched before heading up to the Tower. They were halfway there when Alexis remembered she had to feed Grim.
"I'll meet you up there," said Alexis emotionlessly.
"Don't bother," said Harry. He hugged his best friend close. "I'll meet you in the boathouse. I have to grab something first."
He disappeared up the grand staircase before Alexis headed towards the boathouse. She was greeted by a massive, and now only slightly skinny, monster of a dog.
Grim barked happily at his owner's return but stopped as soon as Alexis came into view. It was almost as if he could tell something was wrong. Immediately, Grim tried to comfort his distressed owner.
"Harry's godfather," Alexis mumbled into the dog's fur as she squeezed it. "He's Sirius Black."
Grim made a yelping noise. Alexis released him immediately.
"Sorry, Grim," she sniffed. "I didn't mean to squeeze you so tight."
Just then, Harry entered the boathouse carrying the leather-bound photo album Hagrid had given him two years ago, which was full of wizard pictures of his mother and father.
"I thought," he started but stopped. "I was hoping we could... Maybe Fudge was mistaken."
"Maybe," agreed Alexis halfheartedly. She motioned for him to sit next to her and Grim.
Harry took his seat and flipped through the photo album for one picture in particular: his parent's wedding photo. There was Harry's father waving up at them, beaming, the untidy black hair Harry had inherited standing up in all directions. There was Harry's mother, alight with happiness, arm in arm with Harry's dad. And there...
With a jagged intake of breath, Harry buried his face in Alexis's shoulder, his body shaking with anger and sorrow. Alexis wrapped her arms around her best friend comforting him as best she could. She paid no attention to Grim, who had buried his snout in the wedding photo. Her only concern was Harry.
"Amo Tu, Harry," Alexis whispered.
Almost immediately, Harry ceased to shake but he remained firm in Alexis's arms.
"Hex," he said, his voice muffling in her shoulder.
"Yeah, Prongs?"
"I'm... I'm sorry."
Alexis looked down at her best friend. Grim had long since laid across the two third years' laps to comfort them and was now looking at Harry with sorrowful brown eyes.
"What for?" she asked truly bewildered.
"For being weak."
"You're not weak, Harry," Alexis said matter-a-factly. "Just because you're sad doesn't mean you're weak. You're strong and you're my best friend. I care about and I'm not going to let some psychopath hurt you even if he is my blood."
"I'm still sorry," said Harry, looking Alexis in the eye.
"Why are you sorry now?"
"Because the next time I see Sirius Black I'm going to kill him."
Alexis looked at Harry. She could see the determination in his eyes, the hatred. Harry was never one to show such emotion. It was new, different, perhaps even dangerous.
"I'm with you."
They've made a pack to kill Sirius Black! What!? I just had to skip Grim's reaction because I think it's best you imagine that one! Anyway, Alexis has just been given a major hint on her heritage! Will she finally figure it out or will I drag this out for another book? Who knows!
Kuroi-Akuma-no-Okami: Who said I was trying to trick you ;P haha I'm glad I'm updating faster than everyone else. It bothers me to know end when it takes months to update (I know, I took a month to update earlier but I'm trying to make up for it)
mwinter: no more awaiting!
pheonixfelicis07: Well hello lovely! Haven't heard form you in a week!
Ch 13: I'm glad you like Remus's reaction in the tower and understand his more protective feelings towards Harry. Your theory on why Sirius can not be Hex's father are rather solid though I can't say its one hundred percent accurate (I can but I'm not going to ;D) Hex and Harry are going to get teased about their relationship more and more as the story goes on (I want a embarrassing scene in front of Dumbledore or Snape so much it hurts) with very similar reactions from the duo. I'm glad you get the relationship between Alexis and Cedric is completely sibling too!
Ch 14: Snape is still a champion when it comes to Occlumency but he had no idea Alexis was that advance at Legilimency or else he would have kept up better shields around her (which he most definitely will start doing!) I made Snape a little more readable in this story so in the end he won't be nearly as hated. We all already knew he cared about Harry though it was never openly admitted in HP so I just decided to add a few special scene proving that along with showing his feelings towards Alexis. The Fudge scene does seem to go a thousand ways, doesn't it? *cheshire grin* Lucius and Snape both know who her mother is but don't be too quick to assume they know who her father is (though they could I'm just saying don't assume ;P) As for why Lucius is scared, well you're just gonna have to wait and see aren't you?
I agree, the Hex and Ron scene was cute and very important in chapters to come
Ch 15: As you can see, if Hex hadn't already accepted Remus as one of her friends she most definitely has now! Poor Remus... Just kidding but their relationship will still develop even farther so don't worry (and yes there will be more embarrassing Hex and Harry scenes along the way)
Patronus scene coming soon! Please review again!
NeverBeyondRedemption: you got really close to a bullseye with that guess, nice job!
Whoa it's fandoms: Interesting Boggart, Alexis doesn't have a wand so opps gotta call Peeves, and glad to know you like the series!
Luna the HP fan: Haha glad you liked the Remus scene! I'm not exactly sure what my Patronus is but I'll try and figure it out by next chapter!
Anyway, as always, thanks for the reviews! Please send more!
DCF