The Minister

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~Main Street~

The trio trudges through the swirling snow. Harry donned Hermione's scarf and Ron's hat to disguise himself. Ron: "Those weasels! Never told me about any Marauder's Map!" Hermione: "Y/n! Tom! Hurry up!" Tom shakes his head. Hermione: "But Harry isn't going to keep it. He's going to turn it over to Professor McGonagall, aren't you?" Ron: "Oh sure. Along with his invisibility cloak, his pack of exploding snap cards, his --" Hermione: "Oh, shut up." Fudge: "Rosmerta, m'dear!" Y/n & Tom: "He gets a sleigh?!" Up ahead Cornelius Fudge emerges from a Ministry Sleigh as Hagrid swings the door clear and -- with unfortunate ease -- rips it clean off the fittings. Fudge joins McGonagall and a Curvy Barmaid (Rosmerta) outside the Three Broomsticks Pub. Hermione: "That's Madam Rosmerta. Ron fancies her." Ron: "It's not true!" Harry: "Shhh." Fudge: "I trust business is good?" Y/n runs up to the bar. Madam Rosmerta: "It'd be a right sight better if the Ministry wasn't sending Dementors into my pub every other night." Fudge: "We have a killer on the loose." Madam Rosmerta: "Sirius Black? In Hogsmeade! And what would bring him here?" Fudge: "Harry Potter and Y/n Malfoy." Y/n: "Riddle. Y/n Riddle-" Tom: "Yay!" Y/n: "I hate Riddle less than Malfoy. Anyway! What did I do this time?" Fudge: "Enjoying the mansion?" Y/n: "Yeah. The reserve is twice as big." Madam Rosmerta: "Harry Potter!" Fudge looks around nervously, then jerks his head toward the pub. As he leads Rosmerta and McGonagall inside, we --" Ron: "Harry? Y/n? Tom?" They're gone. Footprints track through the snow, into the pub.

~Three Broomsticks pub~

Y/n: "We need an adult." McGonagall: "W-What are you two doing-" Tom: "There's our adult. Now can we have two-" McGonagall: "Wait-" Y/n: "Someone aged 16 or 17 and accompanied by an adult, can drink; but not buy; beer, wine or cider with a meal at a licensed premises (except in Northern Ireland). But it's illegal for people this age to drink spirits in a pub anywhere in the UK, even with a meal." McGonagall: "They'll have two Strongbows." After the two got their drinks McGonagall ushers them to where the Minister is. As Harry threads through the teeming pub, past a sign ("No Underage Wizards") and nearly collides with some very strange-looking patrons. Ron and Hermione ripple briefly past a frosted window, then... three shrunken heads swing into view. Shrunken Head # 1: "So I says to him, 'Careful, Ned. Don't want to go losing your head!'" As the three heads cackle hysterically, bobbing up and down on their strings, Harry turns... just as a wizard's arm whips down and a dart goes whistling right toward Harry's eyes. Harry duks, pivots, and -- THWOCK!-- see the dart pierce the cork of the disfigured dartboard behind him. Harry hurries on, trailing Fudge, Y/n, Tom, and McGonagall up a dark stairwell as Rosmerta leads them into a small back room. As the door starts to close, Harry rushes forward: SLAM! Too late. Y/n watches the knob turn, and the door opens...

~Card Room~

Snow flutters off the sill of a half-open window. McGonagall turns, frowning, and re-closes the door, harder this time, then joins Fudge and Rosmerta. Y/n and Tom are finishing their ciders. Fudge: "Are you even old enough for that?" Y/n: "We're both 16." Tom: "My birthday is December 31." Y/n: "(Your Birthday)." Fudge: "Oh." Rosmerta: "Come on then. Let's hear it." McGonagall: "Years ago, when Harry Potter's parents were marked for death, they went into hiding. Few knew where they were. One who did was black. And he told..." Rosmerta: "You-Know-Who. I've heard this rot. It was all over The Daily Prophet back in the day. And I'll say now what I said then: Of all the boys I ran out of here, Black's the last who would've gone over to the dark side. Hearsay. That's all the Ministry had. Hearsay." Fudge: "Ha! Tell that to Peter Pettigrew!" Tom: *Whispering* "I did. He laughed and then killed some muggles." Y/n snorts. Rosmerta: "Peter Pettigrew?" McGonagall: "Little lump of a boy? Always tagging after Black and..." Rosmerta: "I remember him. What's he got to do with it?" McGonagall: "After the Potters were killed, Pettigrew went looking for Black. And, unfortunately... found him." Fudge: "Black was vicious. He didn't kill Pettigrew. He destroyed him. A finger. That's all that was left. A finger -- there's your hearsay." Y/n giggles. Everyone stares at her. Y/n: "Pettigrew deserved it." Tom: "His fear was great for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named-" Y/n: "Shut up." Tom: "Don't talk to me like that-" Y/n: "I saw Pettigrew in Hogwarts a few days ago! Looking quite sick from being in Egypt." Everyone stares at her. Y/n: "Unregistered Animagus? Him, James, and Padfoot, are all unregistered because they wanted to help Moony with his furry problem!" Tom: "Hillarous, a rat, a dog, a buck, and a werewolf." Rosmerta looks to McGonagall. She nods grimly. McGonagall: "Sirius Black may not have put his hands to the Potters, but he's the reason they're dead. And now he wants to finish what he started." Y/n is snickering. Tom: "Damn if I knew I had Sirius my plan would've worked better." Rosmerta: "Harry." McGonagall nods and then looks pained. Fudge: "But that's not the worst of it." Rosmerta: "What could be worse?" McGonagall: "This: Sirius Black was and remains today... Harry Potter's godfather." BLAM! The pub doors fly open, revealing Main Street, where Ron and Hermione wait, rubbing their hands against the chill. As they look down.

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