Come Home + Sirius Black

ten: wormtail

June.

It seemed that Sirius had taken Charlotte's warning to heart, as he had gone quiet for another couple of months. Part of her was relieved, of course. Another part of her was growing anxious due to the radio silence. Even though she tried, she could not help but worry for his wellbeing. Last she saw him, he was living in a cave, having to rely on other people feeding him in his dog form. It ate away at her consciousness for weeks, but she was determined not to let this distract her.

The longer Sirius evaded the Ministry, the more impatient they got. They were chasing every lead, every tip that they got. And naturally, every time they ran off looking for ghosts, it meant more paperwork. For once, Charlie was glad that she had a mere desk job within the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. As long as she was stuck at the Ministry, it meant she was not actively trying to catch the same person she was trying to protect. It gave her some kind of comfort, despite knowing that if they ever found out she knew where Sirius was hiding, she'd not only lose her job, but she'd probably get sent to Azkaban herself.

She had just received word that a few Aurors had just returned from another tip that resulted into nothing (which meant she'd have to take their reports and file them correctly) when an owl had flown into her office. It landed right atop her mountain of paperwork. It wasn't Hedwig, so she doubted it was a letter from Harry, but she untied the letter that was attached to its leg, after which it flew off immediately. Immediately, she recognized the handwriting on the envelope and tore it open.

Charlie,

He was telling the truth. Come quickly.

Moony.

She froze, reading the short letter over and over again as she processed the words. He was telling the truth. Sirius was telling the truth. Peter was alive, and he was the one that betrayed James and Lily. Sirius was innocent.

As if snapping back into gear, she abruptly folded the letter up and rushed out of her office to track down Amelia Bones.

When she finally spotted her walking down a corridor towards her office, she broke into a run. "Madame Bones! I have a lead."

Amelia stopped in her tracks when she was called out to, and she was staring at Charlotte, bewildered. "Miss Wilson? What lead?"

"Remus Lupin, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts this year. He's a close friend of mine, and I asked him to keep a close eye on Harry this year, and to keep an eye out for Black. He thinks he might be able to track him down."

The other woman seemed to consider this for a long time. "Very well. I'll put together a team of Aurors—"

"No," Charlotte interrupted. "Respectfully, ma'am... If we send a group of Aurors, it might scare the culprit off. Please, just trust me this once and let me go alone. I swear, I will send an owl for backup as soon as I'm able. I need him to tell me the truth of what happened that night, I need to hear it from him."

Madame Bones sighed. "I should have taken you off this case a long time ago, Wilson, this is too personal for you."

"Maybe, but I am the only one he won't run from, and you know that."

"...You believe he'll be at the castle?"

"Yes, I do."

"Very well. You may go to Hogwarts alone, but I will send a group of Aurors to Hogsmeade village."