Nobody at Hogwarts knew the truth of what had happened the night that Sirius, Buckbeak and Pettigrew had vanished except Harry, Ron, Hermione, Professor Dumbledore and I. As the end of term approached, we heard many different theories about what had really happened, but none of them came close to the truth.

Malfoy was furious about Buckbeak. He was convinced that Hagrid had found a way of smuggling the Hippogriff to safety, and seemed outraged that he and his father had been outwitted by a gamekeeper. Avery, Mulciber and Yaxley skulked around sullenly too, being close friends with Malfoy meant they too had been very excited by Hagrid's punishment, and very disappointed when it didn't end up happening. Percy, meanwhile, had much to say on the subject of Sirius's escape.

'If I manage to get into the Ministry, I'll have a lot of proposals to make about Magical Law Enforcement!' he told the only person who would listen – his girlfriend, Penelope.

The exam results came out on the last day of term, and I was very relieved to find out I had passed every subject. All my closest friends had too, by varying degrees. Andrew had come very close to failing Charms, but as that was his worst subject, it was no surprise.

Harry was amazed that he had got through Potions. He told me that he had a shrewd suspicion that Dumbledore had stepped in to stop Snape failing him on purpose, and I would have been completely unsurprised if that was true for both of us.

Percy had got his top-grade NEWTs; Fred and George had scraped a handful of OWLs each. Gryffindor house, meanwhile, largely thanks to our spectacular performance in the Quidditch Cup, had won the House Championship for the third year running. This meant that the end-of-term feast took place amid decorations of scarlet and gold, and that the Gryffindor table was the noisiest of the lot, as everybody celebrated.

As usual the lot of us shared a compartment on the Hogwarts Express and we were talking happily together, as the train left Hogsmeade Station. That is, with the exception of Harry, who seemed somewhat depressed.

'Oh, cheer up, Harry!' said Hermione sadly.

'I'm OK,' said Harry quickly. 'Just thinking about the holidays.'

'Yeah, I've been thinking about them, too,' said Ron. 'Harry, you've got to come and stay with us. I'll fix it up with Mum and Dad, then I'll call you. I know how to use a felly tone now –'

'A telephone, Ron,' said Hermione. 'Honestly, you should take Muggle Studies next year-"

"Actually, Harry, can I have a private word?" I said, interrupting.

Everyone looked at me.

"Yeah, it's certainly just "a word" that you're having, isn't it" said Demelza

"Come on Ginny, you can be more transparent with us" added Amy, "Andrew and I have no trouble admitting when we want to snog"

"Oh shut up!" I said, as everyone except Harry and I laughed.

I took Harry out to a space between the carriages, where there were some small wooden benches in a semi circle shape on each side.

"First of all Harry, you have no need to worry, you'll defo be coming round to ours this summer. We have a moral duty to give you an escape from that hellhole you live in with those horrible Muggles, and I especially do now that we're together" I said. "It's the Quidditch World Cup too, Dad should be able to get some tickets from work!"

"I wish more than anything that I didn't have to go back there, I don't even know why for fuck's sake! Why can't I just move in with you guys permanently?"

"Believe me Harry, we'd love that, and we have tried, but Dumbledore always says you must go back there for at least a few weeks every year. Why, god knows, but he surely has his reasons. Speaking of that actually, I know that you and Sirius were talking about something when we were going back out to the grounds. I was only able to catch a few of the words, like "guardian" but I couldn't make out the whole conversation. What was that about?"

Harry didn't reply straight away, and when I looked at him, I saw, to my shock, that he was crying!

"Harry, what's wrong, why are you crying?" I asked, wrapping my arm around his shoulders.

"Because... because that was our whole conversation! You know he was my godfather, but he was also made my legal guardian! But no, instead, fucking Pettigrew had to frame him and curse me to a life with the fucking Dursley's! I was so so close to being able to move and live with Sirius this summer, but no, instead, Lupin had to forget to take his potion that one fucking night, of all the nights, which ruined everything! And I stopped Sirius and Lupin killing Pettigrew too, which means Voldemort will probably rise again!"

He started crying into my shoulder, and I didn't even scold him for saying You Know Who's name.

At that point, the carriage doors opened, and in came, of all the bloody people, Lillian Avery.

"Oooh what do we have here, a little moment of emotional tension between Potty and the Weasel? Oh my god, do my eyes deceive me, or is Potter actually crying?!"

"He's just having a moment" I said through gritted teeth.

"Big, strong famous Harry Potter isn't as tough as everyone says is he, he's so overrated, just like I always thought, oh Draco's going to love this!"

"I SAID, HE'S HAVING A MOMENT, NOW LEAVE HIM ALONE!" I roared.

Avery, however, just started laughing maniacally, and the memory of this gives me the chills because, well, you'll find out later actually.

I sprang to my feet and pushed my wand into Avery's neck, but this, if anything, made her laugh even harder. Bloody hell this girl was messed up!

"I'm warning you, you have five seconds to get the fuck out of here!"

Still Avery stood there and laughed.

"Fine, have it your way" I said savagely, and I raised my wand

"STUPEFY!" came a voice from my right, before I could utter an incantation.

Avery dropped to the floor, unconscious.

I turned around and saw Ron.

"Ron, what the, how long have you-"

"Just got here now. Was wanting to check up on you 2, and seeing the scene I found, I'd say I was right, wasn't I?"

"Yeah I guess you were" I said, biting my lip as I looked down at Avery's unconscious form. "I can attack people myself though you know"

"I felt you were about to use a much more painful spell than Stupefy though, I didn't think that would be appropriate. You ok Harry?" Ron asked. "Bloody hell mate, have you been crying?"

"Yeah" I said, wrapping my arm around the now standing Harry. "We were talking about Sirius, the Dursley's and everything and it just got a bit much for him. Then Avery here had to come in and make fun of him"

There was a short pause.

"On reflection" Ron said slowly "perhaps she did deserve something more painful. You in, Harry?" Ron said

"Sure" Harry replied

We then used a large number of spells on Avery, so that by the end of it she looked very deformed and barely even human.

"Right then!" Harry said, seemingly cheered up. "With her out of the way, shall we get back to the compartment?"

Before we could do so though, Hermione walked inside.

"Oh my, what the-" she said, upon seeing Avery

"We'll explain later, let's just go back to the compartment-" I began, but again, before we could, we were interrupted.

'Harry,' said Hermione, peering over his shoulder. 'What's that thing just behind you?"

She was pointing out of the large window that split the carriages.

Something very small and grey was bobbing in and out of sight beyond the glass. It was a tiny owl, carrying a letter which was much too big for it. The owl was so small, in fact, that it kept tumbling over in the air, buffeted this way and that in the train's slipstream. Harry quickly opened the window, stretched out his arm and caught it.

He opened the letter and kept the owl in his grasp, so that it didn't zoom away down the train.

'It's from Sirius!' he said!

'What?' said Ron and Hermione and I excitedly. 'Read it aloud!

"Hold on" Harry said. He pulled out his wand and cast locking and silencing spells on the doors either side of us.

"Dear Harry, I hope this finds you before you reach your aunt and uncle. I don't know whether they're used to owl post. Buckbeak and I are in hiding. I won't tell you where, in case this falls into the wrong hands. I have some doubt about the owl's reliability, but he is the best I could find, and he did seem eager for the job. I believe the Dementors are still searching for me, but they haven't a hope of finding me here.

I am planning to allow some Muggles to glimpse me soon, a long way from Hogwarts, so that the security on the castle will be lifted. There is something I never got round to telling you during our brief meeting. It was I who sent you the Firebolt –

'Ha!' said Hermione triumphantly. 'See! I told you it was from him!'

'Yes, but he hadn't jinxed it, had he?' said Ron

Crookshanks took the order to the Owl Office for me. I used your name but told them to take the gold from Gringotts vault number seven hundred and eleven – my own. Please consider it as thirteen birthdays' worth of presents from your godfather. I would also like to apologise for the fright I think I gave you, that night last year when you left your uncle's house. I had only hoped to get a glimpse of you before starting my journey north, but I think the sight of me alarmed you. I am enclosing something else for you, which I think will make your next year at Hogwarts more enjoyable. If ever you need me, send word. Your owl will find me.

I'll write again soon.

Sirius

Harry looked eagerly inside the envelope. There was another piece of parchment in there.

"I, Sirius Black, Harry Potter's godfather, hereby give him permission to visit Hogsmeade at weekends"

'That'll be good enough for Dumbledore!" said Harry happily.

"Finally, we'll all get to go legally!" I added.

He looked back at Sirius's letter.

'Hang on, there's a PS …

"I thought your friend Ron might like to keep this owl, as it's my fault he no longer has a rat"

Ron's eyes widened. The minute owl was still hooting excitedly.

'Keep him?' he said uncertainly. Then, to our great surprise, he said "I think Crookshanks better test him first, come on, let's get back to our compartment, the others will probably be so confused"

When we got back to the compartment, Ron got Crookshanks's approval that it was actually an owl, and we then told the others everything that happened, other than the owl being from Sirius of course.

Harry re-read the letter from Sirius all the way back to King's Cross, then, after taking a hug from Mum, and after we shared a kiss and embrace ourselves, he moved off to the Dursley's, probably in his best mood upon seeing them that he'd ever been in.

'I'll call about the World Cup!' Ron yelled after Harry, and I waved back to him, mouthing "I'll write soon!"

He nodded in understanding.

My family then left, for a summer that would probably top even the last!

There we are, that was the true story of my second year! On Wednesday, the story of my third year will begin! Don't miss it!