Chapter Twenty-Two – The Turning Point

A normal life, as a small part of the big picture. Isn't that enough for you?

"No, it's not."

You want more?

"Yes."

How much more?

"Until there's nothing left."

And what role does Harry play in these plans?

"He'll want the same."

Is that your head talking or your heart?

"My heart."

You love him, don't you?

Daphne smiled at her reflection, a warm feeling in her chest. "Yes. Yes, I do."

She loved Harry. Just the thought of it warmed her heart and her smile widened even more. There was something almost comical about it. That she, the little girl from back then, bitter and disgusted by her parents' weakness, obsessed with the idea of power and strength and the promise of magic, and willing to cross boundaries that most people would probably call immoral for those ideas, that this girl would fall in love with Harry Potter, of all people, the selfless saviour of the wizarding world.

Well, not quite so selfless anymore, Daphne thought with a smirk. She had changed that. But in return, Harry had changed her as well. Not that that was a bad thing, quite the opposite. They made a good team, helping each other keep the right balance. And together they would achieve great things, Daphne was sure of that.

Yes, she loved Harry, with all her heart. And today she was finally going to tell him.

With these thoughts, Daphne rose from her dressing table, where she had been looking at herself in the mirror, and left her dormitory to meet up with the others. Another day of intense study lay ahead of them, thanks to Hermione. The overzealous Gryffindor forced Harry, Ron and her to spend every free minute in the school library preparing for the year-end exams. Even though they were still weeks away.

But maybe that wasn't such a bad thing, Daphne thought. She and Harry were still the best students in the year; especially in the practical application of magic, they were miles, oh, light years ahead of the others. But admittedly, neither of them had studied and practised as much as they could have in the last few months. They also hadn't been to Professor Lupin's for months to practise the Patronus Charm. Daphne was a little disappointed that they still hadn't mastered that demanding charm, but it was just that they often had other things to do, or rather, they wanted to spend their time doing other things. And that had to happen sometimes, despite all their big plans for the future, didn't it? Just to be a normal teenage couple in love...

At this thought, Daphne felt a warm feeling in her chest again. This feeling even made her forget the ugly grimaces of her housemates as she walked past them in the common room without so much as a glance.

Daphne Greengrass loves Harry Potter, she thought to herself. And today she will tell him.

Bored, Harry's eyes glided over the letters in front of him without even trying to take them in. For hours they had done nothing but read, interrupted only by the occasional sound of pages being turned or a quill being scratched against parchment. The air in the library was heavy and warm, and the incoming sunlight made the dust in the air visible.

By now, Harry was almost a little annoyed that he had agreed to these study sessions with Hermione. After all, he'd already learnt all that last summer, and he'd much rather spend his time doing other, more exciting things, like magic, flying, kissing. Or blowing off some steam in the Room of Requirement.

But it was all to no avail. He had promised Hermione that they would study together. And he also felt a little bad that he had had so little time for her, for her and Ron, in the last few months. There had always been something... something else to do. That was another thing he felt a little guilty about, all the secrets he kept from them. But he feared that he had long since crossed the line of what he could tell them. Somehow he didn't think they would find it particularly cool that Daphne and he were secretly torturing animals or studying books and scrolls that couldn't even be found in the Restricted Section but contained such exciting magic.

Harry stifled a sigh and tried to concentrate on the text in front of him. It was very difficult, because apart from the fact that he had read it all a thousand times, something else was distracting him. It was Daphne. He couldn't put his finger on it, but somehow she was different today. Where she was usually calm and cool, especially in the presence of others, today she was somehow ... fidgety.

Yes, that was probably the right word to describe her. She was fidgety. She wiggled her feet, played with her fingers and kept glancing at him from the side, only to smile enigmatically when he looked back at her questioningly. And not only that. Through their bond, he could almost physically feel Daphne's fidgetiness without being able to do anything about it. It was like an itch in a place on your back that you just couldn't reach to scratch, but that you couldn't ignore either because it kept pushing itself to the forefront of your thoughts. It was maddening. What was wrong with her today? Or was it just that she was as bored as he was?

Across the table, Ron began to stretch, his hands full of ink stains, but he remained silent. Yes, he hadn't complained or whined once all morning, just like the days before. His friend seemed to be taking his studies much more seriously than he had the previous two years. But then again, he was spending a lot more time with Hermione now, after Harry himself had been out with Daphne so often. It was probably just a natural consequence.

Harry's eyes fell on the parchment in front of him, on which he had written down his to-do list for the day. Eight of the ten items had already been crossed out, and he was about to cross out the ninth, a review of the magical theory of growth and shrinkage charms. He would not read the book any more carefully than he already did, so it would have to do. And by now he could grow a pebble to the size of a classroom and vice versa, then he would also be able to master the theory behind it in the exam. Nothing could be easier.

His eyes wandered to the tenth and final item on the list: Writing the essay for Ancient Runes.

Now Harry actually let out a sigh. He didn't want to do this essay at all, but how lucky that the best Runes student in the school was his girlfriend. He glanced to his right at Daphne, who was also staring at him at that moment, playing thoughtfully with her quill. A glance at the book in front of her showed that she hadn't turned a page for at least three-quarters of an hour, for it still showed the picture of a goblin ramming his axe into a wizard's head that Harry had last seen when he had looked over at her.

"Can I copy your Runes essay?" asked Harry, and in all the silence around them, his own voice seemed unusually loud at that moment.

From across the table, Ron and Hermione looked over at them.

Daphne, on the other hand, just blinked at him in confusion and asked, "We have to write an essay?"

"You can use mine," Hermione said quickly. "I've already finished it."

Harry smiled gratefully at her but shook his head. "No problem, I'll just do it myself then." He leafed through his Runes notes, looking for the specific assignment. "Oh, the topic is the runes of light and their meaning in ritual magic. Didn't we read about that in detail last year, Daph, when we..."

He stopped just before he could say aloud that last year they had prepared and performed an ancient and now forbidden ritual in which the light essence of fireflies was transformed into pure magical essence, but with rather negative consequences for the lives of the fireflies involved. But for every great deed and achievement there was a sacrifice, that was just the way it was.

"...were preparing for the school year," Harry finished the sentence he had started.

Daphne's eyes twinkled mischievously; she knew exactly what had been going through his mind. "I remember now," she said, "that's why I decided not to write the essay until the night before. I still know everything about it."

"Everything?" asked Hermione sceptically. "I sat for over eight hours on the essay, and that was after I even found the right books for it. It is a challenging subject, so don't underestimate it just because you've read something about it before."

"Don't worry, I don't. But I still know all about it." With that, Daphne turned back to Harry. "Well, let's get this essay done quickly, because then we're done for the day, right? Then we can go outside and stretch our legs a bit. Because there's something I want to talk to you about."

The unreachable, metaphorical itch on Harry's back grew stronger at Daphne's words and so he nodded at her. "Then let's start, so we can get it over with quickly."

They managed to write their Runes essay in record time, much to Ron and Hermione's amazement. And so Harry and Daphne were able to leave the library in the early afternoon for a walk outside. It was a lovely spring day, not too cold but not too warm either, with bright sunshine and a clear sky with only a few white clouds. The air was fresh and smelled of nature in bloom, and there was only a light breeze, just strong enough to feel it brushing through their hair and over their faces.

It was a lovely day for a walk, but Harry was unable to enjoy it. Daphne's fidgeting, or whatever it was, had only got worse since they'd been outside. Her face was hidden behind a curtain of pitch-black hair, so Harry couldn't see it, but he noticed that she kept looking at him. Her fingers played with the black ring on her right hand, and through their bond he felt a never-ending tingle emanating from her, and her thoughts today seemed more like a whirlpool than a calm surface of water.

If this had been one of their Occlumency exercises, Harry would probably have had an easy time with her mind today; but then again, maybe not. Daphne could also be trusted to use the whirlpool of her thoughts to drown him – metaphorically speaking. Never underestimate a witch's resourcefulness, Daphne had taught him that. Well, maybe not every witch when he thought of some of his classmates, but definitely Daphne.

Harry shook his head. His mind had wandered. He looked back at his girlfriend and found her eyes fixed on him.

"Is everything okay?" asked Harry.

Daphne stopped and he stopped with her. She looked at him and Harry wasn't sure, but he thought he saw a sudden determination in her golden eyes. Then she took his hands in hers. "I have something to tell you." Daphne took a deep breath and took a step towards him. "Harry, I lo–"

A sudden dog bark cut her off. They both jumped and turned their heads to the nearby edge of the forest where the barking had come from. There they saw the big black dog they had encountered almost every time they had been out in the last few months, ever since the wild snowball fight at Christmas. This time, too, their four-legged friend came running towards them, tail wagging happily.

A smile spread across Harry's face. Sometimes he had the feeling that their friend was just waiting for them to come out, to greet them and play with them. But who knew how interesting a wild dog's life could be otherwise. Perhaps they were the highlight of his day.

But Harry's smile turned to a frown when he saw that this time the dog was accompanied by another animal. It was a decidedly ugly cat with tabby fur and a flattened face – Crookshanks! But what did Hermione's pet have to do with their wild friend?

Next to Harry, Daphne clicked her tongue but said nothing. He could sense her irritation, so she also had no idea what the cat and the dog had to do with each other.

Eventually the dog came to them. Harry immediately started to scratch him behind his ears. "Good to see you, mate. How are you? And what are you doing with Crookshanks?"

Hermione's cat had sat down a few metres away and was watching them with his head cocked. He meowed loudly, as if complaining about something.

The dog barked again as he broke free of Harry's hand. He began to jump up and down in front of them, wagging his tail wildly. As he did so, he kept moving his head in one direction.

Harry and Daphne exchanged looks. Daphne shrugged. "He seems to want us to follow him somewhere."

At her words, the dog barked in agreement and moved his head back in the previous direction.

"Feel like a new adventure?" asked Harry.

Daphne rolled her eyes. "If I end up in the mud again because of you, I'll scratch your pretty eyes out."

"That was one time."

"One time too many."

Crookshanks let out a loud meow, this time sounding visibly annoyed. This was followed by a bark from the dog, accompanied by a smack with his muzzle, first against Harry's arm, then against Daphne's. There was no clearer way of saying what the animals wanted from them.

Daphne sighed, "Let's go then."

Harry gestured for the dog to lead the way, which he did, accompanied by Crookshanks. Harry and Daphne followed the two animals a few yards away. Meanwhile, the dog kept turning to them, as if to make sure they were really following him, and all the time his tail seemed to be wagging madly.

They followed the dog and cat to the Whomping Willow, a dangerous tree in the Hogwarts grounds that Harry and Daphne usually deliberately stayed away from. The branches of the tree groaned and whipped in the light wind. It was impossible for them to approach the willow without uprooting it or burning it to the ground.

But suddenly Crookshanks shot towards the tree like an arrow, deftly dodging the blows of the branches. At last he reached the trunk and touched a small knot with his paw. The tree froze; not a branch moved, not a leaf trembled.

The black dog barked loudly and ran to the willow, where he disappeared into a hole in the ground. But a moment later he stuck his head out again and barked in the direction of Harry and Daphne.

They exchanged a look, then both shrugged and followed the dog. There was something he wanted to show them and Harry was curious to see what it was. Crookshanks, on the other hand, walked back to the castle with a smugness that only cats – and Daphne – could manage. He had obviously done his job.

Head first, Harry crawled through the opening in the ground, eventually reaching a very deep underground tunnel. Behind him followed Daphne, her black cloak, like his, full of earth. A few yards in front of them they saw the dog, wagging his tail happily and motioning with his head for them to follow.

Harry and Daphne exchanged another glance. At the same time they drew their wands.

"Not much room in here," Harry commented.

Daphne nodded. "Then we'd better hold off on the big spells. And no fire."

Stooping low, they walked through the tunnel, watching for any sign of danger. But there was nothing to see. They and the dog seemed to be the only living things for miles around, apart from a few earthworms in the ground around them. The tunnel just didn't seem to want to end as they got further and further away from Hogwarts.

Eventually, the tunnel began to rise, and after a final bend, they reached a wooden corridor that led into a desolate, dusty room. The wallpaper was peeling from the walls, the floor was covered in dirt and the few pieces of furniture were broken, as if someone had smashed them. The windows were boarded up, shrouding the room in a dim darkness.

Harry thought he knew where they were. In the Shrieking Shack. Supposedly the most haunted building in Britain. Well, that was an interesting turn of events.

He scanned every corner of the room to see if danger lurked anywhere. Daphne stood beside him with her wand raised, watching the room intently as well.

But Harry noticed nothing unusual, no hidden danger, apart from the battered furniture, so his eyes finally turned to the dog in the middle of the room. Their four-legged friend was still wagging his tail in excitement and seemed to be trembling all over. The dog's trembling got worse and worse. At one point it seemed to Harry that the animal's outline was becoming blurred.

Harry watched in amazement as the body of the dog they had played with all these months changed. The back straightened, the fur disappeared, the paws became hands. Finally, a tall man stood before them, his tangled hair down to his elbows. His eyes were deep, dark sockets and his skin was so white and stretched over his bones that he looked almost dead.

The man looked at Harry and Daphne with a wide grin that showed ugly yellow teeth. Harry felt as if he had been struck by lightning as he recognised the man in front of them. Stunned, he looked into the face of Sirius Black, the man who had betrayed his parents. He felt trapped, unable to move.

"Harry," Black said in a husky voice. "I've waited so long for this –"

He didn't get to finish the sentence. With a loud scream, Black was thrown against the far wall. Harry glanced down his arm at his wand, which was smoking slightly. Had he done that?

Harry felt numb. Blood rushed to his head. Then he heard moaning cries of pain and, with hatred in his heart, he looked back at Black, who had gotten to his feet by now.

Black opened his mouth, but suddenly a blue beam hit him in the chest. He fell backwards to the ground, his limbs convulsing and he stopped moving. Only his dark eyes flickered with life.

Harry looked at Daphne who was standing beside him with her wand raised. Her golden eyes flashed dangerously and her face was contorted with rage. She had paralysed Black, Harry realised.

"Fate is with us, Harry," she hissed, "do you want to kill him now or torture him first?"

Harry looked back at Black and thought he saw a pleading expression on his face. But all Harry felt was burning rage. If it hadn't been for this... If it hadn't been for this man, his parents would still be alive. He had been their friend! Their best friend! He should have died for them, he would have done it for Daphne without hesitation. But Black had betrayed his parents and now they were dead.

Harry clenched his wand. A terrible heat gripped him, but at the same time his heart felt as if it were encased in an icy fist.

It took all his willpower but he shook his head. "No," he said, his voice shaking. "Not yet. First... I want him to tell me. I want to look him in the eye when he tells me why ... he betrayed my parents and me. Then I will have my revenge, but I need to know, I need to see it in his eyes."

Daphne nodded briefly. That was all it took to show him that she would support him in whatever he decided to do. She would always stand by him, Harry knew that, even if he stained his hands with the blood of vengeance. And for that, he was incredibly grateful to her at that moment.

Slowly, Harry walked towards Black, his wand still pointed at him. Still, he had the feeling that Black was giving him a pleading look. How dare this creature beg for mercy when he had shown no mercy to his parents?

The searing heat inside Harry became unbearable and the familiar taste of blood spread across his tongue. He wanted nothing more than to see Black dead, to torture him, to hear his screams of pain and finally to strike him down with satisfaction. But first he wanted some answers.

He nodded to Daphne. She released Black's paralysis spell, but at the same moment heavy ropes were wrapped around his body to bind him.

Black's flat chest rose and fell rapidly as his eyes followed Harry as he rose over his bound body.

"Are you going to kill me, Harry?" he whispered.

Harry looked down at him, the wand pointed directly at Black's heart. "Why?"

A word that meant the world to him. A word that abruptly extinguished the flames of his rage and gave way to an inner emptiness like an ash-covered wasteland.

"Why?" Harry repeated in a trembling voice, but the wand was still in his hand.

Black stared at him with sunken eyes. "It wasn't me, Harry. I didn't betray your parents."

Harry froze. He was so surprised by Black's words that his breath caught. Unlike Daphne.

"Liar!" she hissed, "You were their Secret Keeper! You betrayed them to Voldemort! You are responsible for their deaths!"

"I am, but not in the way you think. I didn't mean for it to happen!"

"You didn't mean it?" Harry repeated as if in a trance. He could hear the blood rushing to his ears. "You told Voldemort where to find them and you didn't know he was going to kill them?"

"Listen to me," Black said, and now there was a pleading tone in his voice. "Kill me if you wish, but listen to me first... If not, you will regret it ... You don't understand ..."

"I don't understand?" said Harry, his wand hand shaking now. "I understand enough. I understand that you are a vile piece of scum and that my parents should never have trusted you!"

"Yes! Yes, they shouldn't have, they'd still be alive! But –"

Daphne put her hand on Harry's arm. "Kill him. He doesn't deserve to walk this earth one second longer."

Harry's hand gripped his wand even tighter. Daphne was right, this was the time. This was the moment to avenge his mother and father. He opened his mouth and –

"No!" cried Black. "Please hear me, Harry! Please hear me! I wasn't the Secret Keeper! Peter Pettigrew was! He betrayed your parents, and I can prove it!"

It took them a while to digest this ridiculous claim. Then Daphne said what Harry was thinking. "Liar! Pettigrew is dead."

"You killed him," Harry said to Black, whose face twitched convulsively.

"I wanted to," he muttered. "But I couldn't. He got away." Black's dark eyes looked at him pleadingly. "Please, Harry, Daphne, listen to me. Interrogate me with Veritaserum, penetrate my mind if you like, but please let me explain... the whole story. Peter was the traitor and I... I am innocent ..."

Black's voice grew faster and faster and in the end he was panting with exertion. Sweat trickled down his deathly pale face. The sight disgusted Harry, but ...

He shook his head. It was too much. It was all too much for him. He didn't know what to do. Now would be the perfect time to avenge his parents, but ... what if Black was telling the truth? What if he really was innocent? And he had been the dog they had healed, the dog they had played with. Black had had so many opportunities to attack them, but he hadn't. Why?

Daphne squeezed his arm gently. Harry looked at her and found the warm gaze of her golden eyes with a green gleam in them. They were filled with understanding and tenderness. "You don't have to decide now," she said, "we can wait. We can keep questioning him and find out the truth."

The truth. Never had two words sounded so seductive to Harry. He nodded at her. "Yes," he said, his voice suddenly hoarse. He coughed. "Yes, I want to know the truth."

Harry looked back at Black and now he knew what they were going to do. Determined, he said, "We will take you to the castle. There we will interrogate you, with Veritaserum and Dumbledore's help. Then we will find out the truth."

Black breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes. Take me to Dumbledore. And I promise you that I am telling the truth. I will prove it to you. Then, if you still don't believe me, you can hand me over to the Ministry."

"No," Harry said coldly. "If you have lied, a far worse fate awaits you."

"Is... is that Sirius Black?"

"How can that be?"

"Is that Potter and Greengrass? What the hell are they doing?"

"Somebody do something!"

Loud murmurs and stunned, shocked faces accompanied Harry and Daphne as they walked through the corridors of Hogwarts. Floating in front of them was the bound and gagged figure of Sirius Black, unable to move even his little finger.

"Don't worry," Daphne called to the others. "We've got everything under control."

Harry was grateful that she was taking over, because he didn't know if he could get a sentence out without his voice shaking like crazy. All the way back to the castle his thoughts had been a jumble of questions and doubts, but soon they would finally know the truth.

They were getting closer and closer to Dumbledore's office. They didn't need to, though, for as they turned the next corner, the Headmaster came towards them. As the first person they met, Dumbledore's eyes did not widen in shock, nor did he turn ashen. Dumbledore's expression was as calm as ever; only if you looked closely, you could see that his shoulders were a little tense and that his robed right hand was clutching his wand.

"Professor," Daphne greeted him. "We were on our way to see you."

"News travels fast in this castle," Dumbledore said. "That is why I decided to meet you halfway."

"You seem to be taking this rather well." Daphne cast a disdainful glance at the students around them. "Unlike all the scaredy-cats around here."

"Oh, I'm not calm at all. In fact, I'm very nervous. A thousand questions are running through my head, but I'm sure they will soon be answered." Dumbledore's eyes wandered over Black's emaciated form in the restraints. "But perhaps we should move this conversation to the hospital wing."

Now Harry spoke for the first time since they had reached the castle, and he was glad that his voice sounded firm and sure. "Good idea. And you should send for some Veritaserum."

"Already done," Dumbledore said. "I have just asked Professor Snape to bring it to the hospital wing. And I have also summoned Professor Lupin."

At the mention of Lupin, something suddenly flashed in Black's dark eyes, but Harry wasn't sure what it was.

"How?" asked Daphne.

"I have my ways," Dumbledore replied enigmatically before turning to the onlookers. "There is nothing to worry about. Everything will be sorted. And until then, please carry on as normal."

Again there were loud murmurs around them, but they gradually died down as they made their way to the hospital wing. No one followed them. Dumbledore walked beside Harry and Daphne, his wand also pointed at the bound, floating Black.

"He says he's innocent," Harry said, his heart pounding.

Dumbledore nodded. "I suspected as much when you brought him here."

"Do... do you think..."

"We'll soon find out, Harry."

For the rest of the way, neither of them said another word. And as if some magical force had cleared their path, they met no other people. Only the eyes of the portraits' occupants curiously followed their procession as they whispered to each other and jumped from one portrait to the next.

Finally, they reached the hospital wing, where Snape and Lupin were waiting for them. Both men froze at the sight of them. Lupin's face turned snow-white, while Snape's turned bright red.

"Sirius Black!" he hissed, drawing his wand. "What –"

"Thank you for coming," Dumbledore said calmly. "Severus, did you bring the Veritaserum I asked for?"

"It's Sirius Black!" said Snape, louder this time, almost shrill. His black eyes darted towards Harry and Daphne. "And what have they got to do with this?"

"Harry and Daphne caught him. Now please give me the Veritaseum, Severus." With that, Dumbledore walked over to Snape and held out his hand.

For a moment, Snape just stared at the Headmaster, as if he didn't understand. But finally, after a few moments under Dumbledore's gaze, Snape reached into a pocket of his robes and pulled out a small vial containing a clear, shimmering liquid.

"Thank you, Severus," Dumbledore said as he took the vial. "You can go now."

"What?" hissed Snape. "No, I –"

Dumbledore held up his hand to stop him. "We must now seek the truth with unclouded eyes, Severus. And that, for all your merits, is unfortunately not one of your strong points, at least not when it comes to those involved here."

Snape seemed to be about to protest further, but he must have seen something in Dumbledore's eyes. For the next moment he straightened and nodded curtly. "As you wish, Headmaster."

With a last disdainful glance at Black, Lupin, Daphne and Harry, Snape turned and walked away, his black cloak billowing ominously behind him.

Dumbledore motioned for them to follow him into the hospital wing, which they did. Lupin, who hadn't said a word the whole time, also followed them, his face still pale, his eyes fixed on Black.

The hospital wing was deserted, not even Madam Pomfrey was to be seen. Dumbledore turned back to them and with a quick wave of his wand, a large chair with iron shackles on its arms and legs appeared in the middle of the room. Harry and Daphne levitated their prisoner onto the chair, where the shackles immediately closed around his arm and leg joints.

"You may remove his restraints now," Dumbledore said.

Harry also waved his wand and the gag in Black's mouth disappeared.

Black gasped and coughed, but after a few moments he calmed down. He looked at them in turn and his lips curved into an ugly smile that showed his yellow teeth. "Hello, Remus," he said to Lupin. "You're looking well. Your little fur problem isn't taking too much of a toll on you, I hope?"

Lupin's jaw tensed, but their Defence teacher didn't answer.

Black's eyes moved to Dumbledore. "But you, Professor, you look terrible. If I hadn't seen the youthful faces of Remus, Harry and his lovely girlfriend, I'd think I'd been in Azkaban for fifty years, not twelve, the way you look."

Dumbledore's face showed neither amusement nor anger. "Hello, Sirius," he said calmly, but without any friendliness. "You say you are innocent?"

Lupin's eyes widened as Black nodded. "I am. And I'm prepared to prove it."

"We will see," Dumbledore said.

Harry stepped forward and asked, "What are we going to do? To find out if he is telling the truth?"

"Is that wise, Professor?" said Lupin, pointing in their direction. "For these two to stay here?"

Dumbledore slowly turned to Lupin. "No one deserves to know the truth more than Harry."

"But he's –"

"I'm staying," Harry said firmly. "After all, we're the ones who caught him."

"It would take a fight to get us out," Daphne added, her voice as determined as his, her threat reflected not only in her words but in her glittering eyes and raised wand.

"You have heard, Remus," Dumbledore said. "The decision has been made. And as for your question, Harry, I will administer the Veritaserum in a moment. I will also use Legilimency to make sure he is not lying."

"I agree," Black said.

Dumbledore turned his gaze back to him, his blue eyes narrowing for a moment. "Your agreement is not necessary."

Black swallowed, then nodded briefly. "Begin."

Tense, Harry watched as Dumbledore opened the vial and poured a few drops into Black's mouth. Daphne stepped up beside him and took his hand in hers. Her manicured fingernails dug into his flesh, but Harry didn't mind. He didn't even feel it as he watched Black swallow and his eyes glaze over.

"I'm in his head now," Dumbledore said to the others. "I will know if he tries to resist the Veritaserum." So Dumbledore began the interrogation.

"Have you betrayed the Potters?" he asked.

"No," Black replied, shaking his head vigorously. "I would rather be tortured to death than betray James and Lily!"

"Did you kill Peter Pettigrew and the twelve Muggles?"

"No, I didn't!" Black reared up in his bonds. His body shook. "I ... I tried to kill him, but he got away. He killed the Muggles! And he betrayed James and Lily! He did it!"

Lupin shook his head, but Dumbledore didn't pull a face. "Tell us the whole story. Start at the beginning and don't leave anything out."

The revelations that followed shook Harry to the core. The revelations of swapped Secret Keepers, of cruel betrayal and attempted revenge. Of desperation and madness and terrible guilt. It was a story too cruel for anyone to have invented, too sad even for the darkest tragedy.

By the end, Sirius had tears streaming down his face. And Harry had his hands clenched into fists, while Daphne had her arms around him.

Sirius was innocent. That one thought burned like a slow, smouldering fire in Harry's mind. Sirius was innocent. He was innocent. He had come to Azkaban innocent of a crime he had not committed. A crime committed by another friend of his parents... Peter Pettigrew.

"I'm going to kill him," Lupin hissed with anger and hatred. "I'm going to pull his filthy ratskin over his ears and hang him by his own intestines!"

"That's why I broke out," Sirius said quietly. The effects of the Veritaserum had long since worn off, but the words were still bubbling out of him. "When I saw him in the newspaper, with the Weasley boy... I had no other purpose after that..."

"That's why you tried to break into Gryffindor Tower," Dumbledore said weakly. His Legilimency must have cost him a lot of strength, for the old wizard was shaking all over. Harry conjured up an upholstered chair and Dumbledore sank into it. "Thank you, Harry."

Remus walked over to Sirius and grabbed his shoulders. "We'll have to go and get him then! Peter!"

Harry and Daphne exchanged a look as the full implications of this revelation began to sink in.

"Er, that won't be possible," Daphne said slowly. All eyes turned to her as she continued. "The rat is no longer here."

"We suspect Crookshanks ate him," Harry added quickly, his heart thumping like mad. "That's a friend of ours' cat."

Sirius shook his head. "No, I spoke to him. He didn't eat him. But he also said that the rat disappeared without a trace."

Harry cursed under his breath. Then he said, "Anyway, he hasn't been seen for months and –"

"It's all right, Harry," Daphne cut him off. "You don't have to lie for me." She looked at Sirius. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to deny you any hope of your well-deserved revenge, Mr Black. For there is nothing left of the rat. Scabbers... Pettigrew was unfortunately – accidentally – hit by one of my spells while practising for Defence. His little heart couldn't take it. But I didn't tell anyone except Harry because I was ashamed..."

She was lying herself now, but at least it came down to the undeniable truth: Pettigrew, the traitor, was dead; and he had died a painful death. As if these were Daphne's thoughts too, a hint of self-satisfaction crept into her gaze at her words, and their bond vibrated with pride like a cat's purr.

Sirius and Lupin looked at Daphne in confusion before Sirius suddenly began to laugh out loud. His laugh sounded croaky and hoarse, as if he had forgotten what a human laugh sounded like, and it also sounded a little crazy, but still Harry had to grin when he heard it.

"You really need to tell me the details, Daphne," Sirius said. "I want to know everything."

"But that also means we cannot use Pettigrew to prove Sirius' innocence," Dumbledore said. His face fell into deep wrinkles.

Harry felt a pang in his heart. "But we can still prove he's innocent, can't we? What he's told us, he can surely tell the Ministry."

"That will be the objective," Dumbledore said. "I will rest for a moment, and then I will have some discussions to plan the way forward. So I will leave you to yourselves for now." The headmaster looked at Sirius. "We will have much to discuss, Sirius, but until then I would like to apologise to you."

"There's nothing to apologise for," Sirius said. "After all, you didn't know we'd changed the Secret Keeper."

"Still, I should have been more persistent in my search for the truth, and that burden will weigh on my conscience for the rest of my life. I will now call Madam Pomfrey to examine you, and then you may rest. You may spend the night here."

"Thank you, Professor. For everything."

With that, Dumbledore left the hospital wing, visibly exhausted and weakened, Harry noticed. Moments later, Madam Pomfrey entered, as if she had been waiting outside the door all the time. The Healer said not a word about the fact that a wanted, suspected mass murderer was in her hospital wing, but immediately began to examine Sirius with a series of diagnostic spells. She then retrieved some healing potions from a cupboard and gave them to Sirius to drink before he changed behind a screen.

Sirius was now wearing a white hospital gown, which at least made his skin look less deathly pale. But he still looked haggard and exhausted, and it made Harry's heart bleed to see him like that. So much wrong had been done to Sirius and Harry just couldn't understand how it had come to this.

Daphne squeezed his hand and said gently, "I'll leave you now. So you can talk."

"You don't have to leave," Harry said.

But his girlfriend just smiled at him. "You have so much to tell each other. I'd only be intruding."

With that, she gave him a tender kiss on the lips as a farewell. Then she turned and left the hospital wing, her heels clicking loudly on the stone floor. Just before the door closed behind her, she waved to Harry. He waved back. His heart swelled at the thought of having such a great girl as Daphne as his girlfriend. He was lucky to have her.

And he was lucky to have found out the truth about Sirius, Harry thought, turning back to his godfather, who was now sitting on one of the beds talking to Lupin.

"... sorry," Sirius said just then.

"No, I'm sorry," Lupin said. "I should never have doubted you. I have a lot to make up for, my friend." Then Lupin noticed Harry looking at them. "We can talk later."

Sirius looked briefly at Harry and then back at Lupin. He nodded. "Yes, later."

With that, Lupin left the hospital wing as well. Only Harry and Sirius were left behind. They looked at each other from head to toe.

"You... look like your father," Sirius said hesitantly. "Only your eyes, they're..."

"From my mother, yes, I know," Harry finished. "A lot of people have told me that."

Sirius nodded, as if he didn't know what else to say. But then he leaned forward and took Harry's hand. Harry winced but didn't pull his hand back. "And you are very much their son, Harry. Thank you ... thank you for giving me a chance ..."

"Of course. But it was probably good that you came to us as a dog and not ... like this." Harry pointed at Sirius' haggard form. "No offence."

A fleeting smile played on Sirius' lips. "It's all right. I know I've already looked better. I've even had one or two cute witches fall for me in the past, would you believe? Not that you have a problem with that, do you?" Sirius grinned at him, showing his yellow teeth. "Got yourself a cute witch, haven't you?"

Now Harry had to smile too. "Yeah, Daphne's something special."

"Definitely has quite the protective instinct," Sirius said with a nod. "I was really worried there for a moment. She really looked like she was out for my blood."

"Oh, she was. And so was I. But I'm glad we didn't."

Sirius squeezed his hand. "Me too, Harry, me too..."

There was silence between them for a few moments as they both seemed to lose themselves in their thoughts. Then Sirius let out a hoarse chuckle. "Then you have saved my life twice, so to speak. Once today when you didn't kill me and then when you healed me. Man, was I surprised when I looked into the faces of my godson and his girlfriend, after I had already resigned myself to the fact that the Dementors were going to get me..."

"What happened then?" asked Harry.

"I was at the Quidditch match. Because I was sure you must have inherited your father's talent. I ... I wanted so much to see you again after seeing you in the forest... but then the Dementors came and I had to get away before they found me. I ..." Sirius shook his head, his voice shaking. "I panicked and fell off the stands, through boards and railings, hurting myself. I had to dodge the students to avoid detection, finally I collapsed..."

"You didn't have to risk that. I don't play Quidditch. Not anymore anyway."

"What happened?"

Harry shrugged. "Long story."

"What's the short version?" Sirius looked at him with his dark eyes and Harry felt that he really cared. Just because he cared about him. The thought caused a warm feeling in Harry's chest.

"The short version is that I was protecting Daphne from evil bastards. As punishment, I've been banned from playing Quidditch ever again. But I have no regrets."

Sirius laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "Hah, you really are your father's son. Daphne's not the only one with a protective instinct, I see."

"We protect each other," Harry said. "That's what we promised each other."

"That's certainly an exciting story."

"Hmm," Harry grumbled.

There was silence between them again for a few moments before Sirius let out a small sigh. "I'm so glad I finally decided to reveal myself to you today. After you've become such good friends with the other me over the past few months." He sighed again, louder this time. "And it's good to be back here in this castle. You know, in a way, this was always my first real home."

"I can understand that," Harry said.

"Not a good family life?"

Harry shook his head. "Not really."

"Not for me either. My friends were my first real family. James, Remus and..." Sirius trailed off. "...And later James' parents, your grandparents. Those were great people."

Again, people Harry knew nothing about, people he had never met. A past and a future stolen from him, irretrievably lost, but ... perhaps not entirely forgotten.

"Can you tell me about them?" Harry asked. "Sometime, I mean?"

"Of course," Sirius said. "I'd be happy to, sometime ..." He took a deep breath. "And maybe, I mean maybe you could also imagine ... you know, your parents wanted me to be your guardian in case something happened to them ..."

Harry waited. Did Sirius really mean what he thought he meant?

"Well, maybe you can imagine, once my name is cleared and ... and I'm a bit better ... if you want a different home, and Daphne too, of course ..."

"Yes, I can imagine that," Harry said sincerely. "Of course, I'll have to talk it over with Daphne, and you'll have to learn a few things about us, but it would be nice to have a real home..."

Sirius's haggard face broke into the first truly happy smile Harry had ever seen on him. The difference was startling, as if a person ten years younger shone through the emaciated mask. For a moment, he was clearly recognisable as the man who had laughed at Harry's parents' wedding photographs.

Harry returned Sirius's smile – until it was wiped from his face from one moment to the next. It got freezing cold in the hospital wing.

Daphne felt as light as a feather as she flew high in the sky in her crow form. The wind gently caressed her wings as the sun's rays danced on her black feathers. Below her stretched the endless sea of forest, broken only by scattered clearings and the mountains of the highlands in the distance. The trees swayed gently in the breeze, and in the clearings flowers bloomed in all the colours of the rainbow. It was really beautiful... if you liked that sort of thing.

Daphne didn't usually do this, but now she couldn't help but twist her beak into a happy smile. She hadn't been able to carry out her decision to confess her love to Harry – yet – but the day had still held some amazing twists and turns for them. The man they had always thought of as a crazy mass murderer had turned out to be innocent – who would have thought?

She certainly hadn't. How good it was that she had been wrong. And how good it was that Harry hadn't listened to her this time, when she'd told him to kill Sirius. She felt how much it meant to Harry to have found his godfather, and so it meant a lot to her too. What would that mean for them in the future? Well, they would find out together, as they always did.

Daphne was about to rise further into the air when suddenly all her feathers were ruffled. A terrible chill ran through her body, clutching her little crow's heart like an icy fist.

Harry!

A bitter, unnatural cold had settled over the room like an ominous fog. Harry and Sirius looked at each other. Sirius' face was a mask of terror. He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, the door to the hospital wing creaked open.

It got even colder. Dark figures floated into the room, Dementors, at least a dozen of them, with loud, rattling breaths.

Harry felt like he was being pulled into a deep pit. Icy cold crept under his skin. It penetrated his chest, his heart...

And then, from far away, he heard screams, horrible, terrified, pleading screams. And beside him, a whimper. "No, no, no..." It was Sirius, shaking his head desperately, his hands pressed to his ears. "No, please don't, please..."

Harry was jolted out of his stupor. Sirius! The Dementors were here because of him! He had to do something!

He jerked his wand upwards and thought as hard as he could about his first flight as a crow. "Expecto Patronum!"

A thin, silver thread shot out of his wand and hovered in front of him like a veil of mist, powerless and ineffective. It was not enough.

It was not enough.

The Dementors floated inexorably towards them. Sirius was trembling all over now.

"Expecto Patronum!" shouted Harry, trying to drown out the screams in his ears. "Expecto Patronum! Expecto Patronum!"

It was no use. The Dementors did not stop. They were only a few metres away now.

Desperately, Harry tried again, thinking with all his might of his first kiss with Daphne, of their evening by the fire at Christmas, of all the happiness he had felt then. But ... he could not feel it anymore. The happiness was gone.

"Expecto Patronum," he gasped.

The silver mist before Harry began to flicker. A Dementor reached out with a bony hand and brushed it aside.

"No – no," Harry gasped. "He's innocent ... expecto patronum ... expecto patronum ..."

Harry felt himself sink to his knees. Fog billowed around him, icy cold ate at his insides. His breath came only intermittently.

"He... he's innocent..." Harry tried to sit up, but he had no strength left.

Suddenly he was pushed aside. He blinked. Sirius was standing over him with his hands in the air. But he had no wand.

"S-Sirius..." Harry whispered.

Sirius' body shook. He slowly turned his head towards Harry. But before their eyes could meet, several Dementors pounced on Sirius. Harry's godfather collapsed beneath them.

Harry screamed, and his screams mingled with Sirius', the most horrible sounds Harry had ever heard, inhuman and full of agony, sounds from the deepest pits of hell.

Harry tried desperately to raise his wand, but he didn't have the strength. He screamed and screamed, tears streaming down his face.

A Dementor broke away from the others and bent over Harry. It raised both its rotten hands – and lowered its hood.

Where the eyes should have been, there was only thin, gray scabbed skin, stretched blankly over empty sockets. But the Dementor had a mouth... a gaping, shapeless hole, sucking the air with the sound of a death rattle.

Two strong, clammy hands wrapped around Harry's neck. The Dementor pushed his chin up... Harry felt its sickening breath slide across his face.

Harry's head exploded with pain. His blood boiled like red hot lava. Then he felt a tug, as if red-hot hooks had bored into him, into his core, and were now pulling at him. He screamed and tried to struggle, but he could not move. The tug inside him grew stronger and stronger.

And then suddenly – resistance!

Like chains wrapped around his heart like an anchor, the pulling stopped. The Dementor's rattling grew louder, angrier, but it went no further. The chains trembled but did not give way.

Harry inhaled sharply, but his relief was short-lived. The next moment his scar burned with excruciating pain and he screamed again. Hot blood ran from his forehead to his eyes. Harry felt as if his entire being was being torn apart.

As if from afar, the sound of breaking glass reached him, followed by a desperate, animal scream. Dimly, Harry made out the shape of a crow as she swooped through the foggy air, swooping down on the Dementor above him. But the Dementor struck the crow with its bony hand and she was flung aside, out of Harry's sight.

A hot tear ran down Harry's cheek. He hadn't wanted it to end like this. He hadn't even been able to tell her...

"No!" cried a shaky, panicked voice. "Expecto ... Expecto ... Expecto Patronum!"

A brief sensation of warmth enveloped Harry, a flicker of hope in the night, and then everything faded into darkness.