"Those weasels!" Ron hissed. "Never told me about any Marauder's map," he complained.

"But they're not going to keep it," Hermione spoke up, looking narrowly at Harry and Grace. "They're going to turn it over to Professor McGonagall, aren't you?"

"Oh sure, along with Harry's invisibility cloak!" Ron retorted.

"Oh, shut up," Hermione rolled her eyes. Grace tried not to grin at their bickering, but her smile fell when she spotted Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Hagrid, and the Minister of Magic outside The Three Broomsticks.

"Rosmerta, m'dear!" Cornelius Fudge greeted brightly.

"That's Madam Rosmerta," Hermione said dramatically. "Ron fancies her-"

"No, I don't!"

"Shh," Harry and Grace hissed at their friends.

"I trust business is good?" Fudge asked.

"It'd be a right sight better if the Ministry wasn't sending Dementors into my pub every other night!" The woman snapped, shaking something in Fudge's face.

"We have a killer on the loose!"

"Sirius Black? In Hogsmeade!? And what would bring him here?" She asked.

"His daughter," Fudge started and Rosmerta frowned.

"His daughter?" she asked, frowning. Grace tensed beside Harry.

"And Harry Potter-"

"Harry Potter?!" At the mention of his name, Harry threw the invisibility cloak over the two of them and grabbed her hand, then they followed the Minister and McGonagall inside, and up the back stairs to an empty room.

"Come on then, let's hear it," Madam Rosmerta motioned for someone to start talking.

"Years ago, when Harry Potter's parents were marked for death, they went into hiding," McGonagall started, sitting down on the sofa. "Few knew where they were, those who did were the Blacks, and Sirius told –"

"You-know-who," Rosmerta nodded impatiently. Grace's heart was beating rapidly in her chest, and she started to feel ill. "I've heard this rot. It was all overThe Daily Prophetback in the day! I'll say now what I said then: of all the boys I ran out of here, Sirius is the last who would've gone over to the dark side!"

"You don't know half of it, Rosmerta," Fudge said gruffly. "The worst he did isn't widely known."

"The worst?" Rosmerta asked curiously. "Worse than murdering all those people, you mean?"

"I certainly do."

"I can't believe that. What could possibly be worse?"

"You remember him at Hogwarts, Rosmerta," McGonagall started sadly. "Do you remember who his girlfriend was? Who his best friend was?"

"Naturally," Rosmerta said, laughing lightly. "Never one saw one without the other, did you? 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 sucked in a breath, and Grace squeezed his hand. "Can't forget him and Helena Prewett either. They rivaled James and Lily – those two, being in love as much as they were. Black worshiped the ground Helena walked on, no wonder they married not long after graduating," she shook her head in disbelief. "Hearsay. That's all the Ministry had! Hearsay!"

Grace held her breath. Sirius Blackwasher father... she knew it. The nausea grew, and she found it hard to breathe.

"Hah!" Fudge barked. "Tell that to Peter Pettigrew!"

"Peter Pettigrew?" Rosmerta asked, confused.

"Little lump of a boy? Always trailing around Sirius Black-"

"Yes, yes, I remember him. What's he got to do with it?"

"After the Potters were killed, Pettigrew went looking for Black and, unfortunately, found him..." McGonagall continued.

"Black wasvicious!" Fudge said as he poured himself a drink. He looked up when he heard Harry and Grace breath, and they held their breath. "He didn't kill Pettigrew. Hedestroyedhim! A finger! That's all that was left, a finger! There's your hearsay!"

"Didn't Helena try to fight for-"

"Hah!" Fudge barked a laugh again. "She fought for a few hours, but when presented with all the evidence and a pensieve, no fight was left in her. Black wasn't in Azkaban long before she sent divorce papers."

"Refused to sign them too," McGonagall sighed sadly, shaking her head.

"Yes," Fudge nodded grimly. "He refused to sign them unless he could have a picture of Gracia in return and for her to deliver it herself."

"What?!" Rosmerta gasped. Grace felt disoriented and sick to her stomach.

"Mhm," Fudge nodded, then sipped his drink. "It took a while for Helena to agree. Although plans changed and she couldn't deliver the photo herself, nonetheless, Black got the picture of his daughter. It was the only thing he had in his cell, still after twelve years. Last I was there, he still cradled the picture in his hands," Fudge continued. "I was shocked on hownormalBlack seemed. He spoke quite rationally to me, it was unnerving. He asked If I'd finished with my newspaper, said he missed doing the crossword," Fudge scoffed, shaking his head.

"But what do you think he's broken out to do?" Madam Rosmerta asked. "Good Gracious, Minister, he isn't trying to rejoin You-Know-Who is he?"

"I daresay that is his – er – eventual plan," Fudge nodded slowly. "But not before kidnapping his daughter, and taking her with him to You-Know-Who, or kill them both. Gracia and Harry." Grace's heart plummeted, and she felt bile rise in her throat, and tears swell in her eyes. "That isn't even the most gut-wrenching part of it all..."

"What could be worse than all that?"

"This," McGonagall started grimly. "Sirius Black was, and remains today... Harry Potter's Godfather."

's heart froze. She didn't have time to fully process anything before she felt Harry tug on her hand, and he dragged her out of the room, not caring if anyone noticed the door opening and closing. They pushed through all the people, pulled open the door to the Three Broom Sticks, and then ran. They ran through the streets of Hogsmeade, not caring who they pushed over, and they ran until they were alone. They sat down on a fallen tree trunk, and it was then that Grace finally allowed herself cry.

She cried for her Mum, now realizing why she had freaked out over the summer, why she had always been so protective of her.

She cried for Remus, because she knew he was friends with Sirius Black, and had lost almost everyone.

She cried for Harry...

Grace felt the grip on her hand tighten and she looked down, blinking away the tears and saw that Harry was still holding her hand. Why was he still holding her hand? Why was he still next to her? Why hadn't he shoved her away? Why wasn't he hating her? He should hate her. Her father was the reason his parents were dead.

The invisibility cloak slipped from over their heads, and she saw Hermione and Ron crouching in front of them.

"He was theirfriend. And he betrayed them..." Harry cried and Grace's heart twisted. "He was theirfriend!" he shouted. "I hope he finds me," he started again. "But when he does, I'm going to be ready. When he does, I'm going to kill him," Harry promised.

Something in Grace twisted like a knife in the heart, and a brick fell in her stomach. She clenched her eyes shut and tried to hold in her sob.


Harry and Grace snuck back to the castle. Neither of them said a word. Every time Harry tried to grab her hand, she tore it from him and after the fifth or sixth time, she stuffed her hands into her pockets. She couldn't wait until they got back into the castle. Once the initial shock and grief wore off, she became angry.

Angry at her father.

Angry at her mother.

Angry at Remus. Especially Remus.

They climbed through the one-eyed witch passage way, and the moment the statue pivoted back to where it was, Grace ripped the cloak off.

"Grace..." Harry called softly, but she ignored him as she made her way down the hall way. "Grace!" He called again but she shook her head as she continued down the hall, then turned the corner. She glared at the floor, pushing her way through the younger students as she made her way to Remus' office.

She didn't bother knocking on the door as she stormed into the room. Remus' jumped from the sudden, loud, noise and looked up from his desk. He frowned in confusion when he saw that it was Grace; then he noticed tear-stained cheeks, red and puffy eyes, and lastly, the fury that was in her stormy grey eyes. He shivered, he had seen that same look on Sirius' eyes when they were younger.

"Gracie, what's wrong?" he asked carefully as he stood up, making his way around the desk.

"You're a liar," she hissed. Remus faltered and looked at her confused.

"I'm sorry?"

"Youliedto me!"

"Grace, I don't know what you're-"

"Youpromisedme that you wouldneverlie to me! But that's what you've been doing my whole life!" She shouted.

"Grace, I understand whatever is going on is upsetting you, but I am still you're teach-"

"No!" She snapped. "No! You're not my teacher right now, Remus! Right now, you're my uncle!" Remus pulled out his wand, flicked it, and the door closed. Whatever was bothering her, they needed privacy... and a silencing spell, which he cast on the room.

"Grace, please tell me what's wrong-"

"I came to you. Iaskedyou if Sirius Black was my father," Remus' entire body slacked as he stared at her in shock. "I'veaskedyou so many times to tell me about my father! To tell me who he is, to tell meanythingabout him!" she shouted, her voice wavering as she blinked away the angry tears. "I asked you... and youliedto me! My entire life, all I wanted was to know about my father!"

"Grace-"

"No!" She snapped. "I had the right to know! I had the right to know that he was my father!"

"How did you find out?" Remus whispered, not trusting his voice to be any higher.

"Does it matter?" she asked.

"Grace-"

"Does. ?" she hissed. "Is there a different story? Was it all fake? Is he innocent and just waiting for the right time to come back?" she asked, her voice breaking as some part of her, deep inside hoped that everything she heard today was a lie.

"Grace-"

"Is that why he left me and Mum? To go follow Voldemort?"

"I-"

"To kill Harry's parents?"

"Grace-"

"Did he even care-"

"Yes-"

"Did he really betray them-"

"I don't know!" Remus shouted, his voice echoing through the classroom and his chest heaving. He swallowed down the lump in his throat as he looked at her. "I don't know," he whispered. "But the evidence, the eyewitnesses, the memories... it all pointed-"

"Did he even want me?" she asked, her voice cracking, not fighting the tears.

"Gracie-"

"Did he even love me?"

"Yes," Remus he answered breathlessly. "He loved you very much."

"Thenwhy?" she cried, her voice finally breaking. "Why did he betray everyone? Why did he leaveme?"

"I don't know," he shook his head, feeling helpless. He'd always been able to comfort her; he always knew what to say, he always knew what she needed. He still did, knowing what she needed, and what Grace needed was her father... not him.