Strange Beginnings

Chapter i.III

Amos let out a long sigh as he folded the Daily Prophet's morning news. Y/N looked up from their half finished piece of toast to see if something was wrong. The man spooned an extra helping of sugar into his coffee and stirred the dark liquid roughly. A couple drops spilling over the sides. The now thirteen year old glanced over to Beth who watched her frustrated husband shovel large bites of oatmeal to his mouth. They tilted their head towards Mr. Diggory inquiringly and she nodded in acknowledgement. The woman cleared her throat softly.

"Anything interesting in the paper this morning, Amos?"

He grunted, "Nope," he answered curtly, chewing the last of his buttered bread.

He finished shortly after, picked up the paper, and rushed off to retrieve his coat, hat, and satchel. Kissing the top of Beth's head and waving to Y/N he headed out the door, dumping the newsprint in the can by the kitchen counter on the way. After they heard Mr. Diggory apparate, Y/N stood from the table and walked over to the garbage. Bits of fruit stuck to the corner and stubbornly held on until it was smacked on the edge a couple times. Beth watched as they unfolded the paper to reveal the front page. "Escape from Azkaban" it read in large bold print. A picture of a scraggly man smiled before yelling at the camera and people off the sides of the shot. He held a board, "Azkaban Prison; XY390."

"It says this wizard, Sirius Black, has broken out of Azkaban and that he's the first person to ever escape."

The woman's eyes lit up with concern. It had been thirteen years since she had seen Sirius Black but at that time he hadn't committed his crimes. She thought carefully on how to go about the conversation most likely to happen, knowing Y/N and their curious mind.

"What did he do to be put in Azkaban?" Y/N started.

"Officials said he killed twelve muggles and his old friend, Peter Pettigrew."

"That's terrible! Why did he do it?"

"I don't know, Y/N. Some say he was a follower of he who must not be named and others say he is mad and did it for fun."

Y/N could tell that Beth wasn't voicing all of her knowledge. Her tell was never mentioning her own thoughts, often deflecting on what everyone else said. "Why do you think he did it?"

"Like I said I don't know. The last time I saw him was a year before all of that happened."

"You knew him?" Y/N's interest was through the ceiling now.

"Well, not really." She fidgeted with her fingers under the table, a nervous habit she hadn't learned to stifle. "I only just met him for a brief moment."

They felt as though Mrs. Diggory wanted to share more that was flying around her mind but didn't let herself. Y/N knew they were brought to Amos and Beth before their first birthday so they wondered how these events lined up. Before they could press a little further to find out more Cedric came running down the stairs. He held his yearly Hogwarts letter in a tight grip, waving it in the air.

"Mom! I'm going to be prefect!"

She smiled with delight (either from the good news or for the distraction). "That's wonderful to hear! And that reminds me, Y/N, have you read your materials list for this school year?"

Y/N groaned. "No," they said, sinking into the chair.

Beth chuckled at their response. "Don't worry. You still have a month before we'll go shopping."

Cedric joined the table to enjoy his helping of eggs and oatmeal. The three ate in silence, Beth enjoying her tea, while Y/N kept reading the article on the table. Sirius Black is said to be extremely dangerous and anyone who sees him must report it immediately. They couldn't come to a comprehension of any reason for killing so many people. They watched the picture over and over again scanning the mans face as he looked from side to side and howled for the camera. They had never met someone truly mad so they couldn't look for the similar traits in his expressions.