The Allure of Darkness

Loyalty

Hogsmeade [May 21st]

James Potter crouched on the ground, observing the footsteps in the mud. It was difficult to make out direction the fugitive was running solely from the prints, since it looked rather chaotic–as if he'd been running in several different directions.

His frown grew more severe as he rose, observing the long stretch of empty land on the border of Hogsmeade. There was nothing here for miles. And yet, as he glanced back at the patch of mud imprinted with footprints, he was positive there were two distinct sets of prints. One set looked like it definitely belonged to the Sirius Black he knew–or at least, used to know, James corrected himself. The other set of footprints was considerably smaller, and seemed a bit odd at the scene.

What could Sirius Black be up to here? There was nothing visibly threatening this far away from Hogsmeade. And who was the person with him?

James was deep in thought as he considered the possibilities. He could've caught that bastard, and his accomplice. If only he hadn't received the notification that Black was spotted in Hogsmeade too late, he could've been there to hunt the criminal down himself. He sighed, walking away from the scene to where his second-in-command, Anthony, stood speaking to their team of Aurors.

"We've concluded that Sirius Black was indeed here prior to his attempt to escape through Hogsmeade, but we've also discovered something rather alarming. Black was not alone. There is another set of footprints aside from his own," Anthony was saying, "We have yet to decipher who those other set of prints belong to."

"Could it be an accomplice of his?" One of his men suggested, crossing his arms across his chest, "He broke out of Azkaban last summer, surely he couldn't do it alone."

"If he's a suspected member of the dark, then perhaps he was with a Death Eater?" somebody else pointed out.

James shook his head slowly, quickly identifying who had spoken, "I don't think so, Nolan. For one, Sirius Black is a known fugitive, probably a greater threat than any other Death Eater. Second, as much as I like to believe otherwise, Black isn't stupid. He knows how dangerous it is for him to step outside of whatever hovel he's been hiding at. Why would he come out all the way here, in the middle of nowhere Hogsmeade, just to meet up with a fellow Death Eater? Not to mention, in broad daylight."

"Pretty risky of him," Anthony whistled, "No wonder he was in Gryffindor. Man's got guts, I'll give him that."

James scowled, "Don't disgrace the Gryffindor house by associating it with anything to do with that traitor."

Anthony shrugged, "Sorry, Sir. I just meant to say he was reckless like I heard all Gryffindors were..." He trailed off, cowering slightly under the irritated glare James bestowed upon him. "What do I know, I was home-schooled," He muttered under his breath.

"Maybe he's onto something," Jackson, another one of the higher-ranked Aurors, called out, "Not about the Gryffindor thing, but about Hogwarts itself. Maybe Black was trying to get into Hogwarts again."

Nolan frowned, "I doubt it. This is literally the middle of nowhere. If Sirius Black was trying to get into Hogwarts, I doubt he would've come out here. He'd want to get to a location closer to the school to avoid getting caught. It seemed like Black just wanted a private location, somewhere he knew he wouldn't be disturbed. Perhaps he just needed a secluded area to meet with his accomplice?"

"But why Hogsmeade?" Someone asked, "It's mostly shops and vendors. Nobody lives out here unless they need to be near Hogwarts for some reason."

"Maybe his accomplice is in Hogwarts," Anthony snorted, "I wouldn't put it past him to imperious a little first year into doing his bidding for him."