Runaways (Don't Save Me Book 2)

Chapter 54: The Truth

 Over the next few weeks I regained my strength. No one seems to know why I was unconscious for a week. It baffled the teachers and even Poppy didn't understand it. The only thing she could think of was that they sensed "a potential darkness in you and were trying to snuff it out," as she worded it. Harry had been to visit me a few times in the hospital wing and I was able to return to my normal duties that Monday just like poppy had said, though I had switched to being the Potions assistant.

I was walking in Hogsmeade with Minerva, one cold winter afternoon, when Cornelius arrived in a small carriage.

"Professor Mcgonagal! Professor Y/l/n!"

"Cornelius!" she exclaimed.

"Allow me, Minister," Hagrid said, trying to open the carriage door but taking the entire door off. A small giggle escaped my lips as Hagrid went a bit red.

"Oh, Hagrid," the Minister chuckled.

"Sorry about that," Hagrid said, staring at the door.

"Rosmerta, my dear, I hope business is good," Cornelius said as Minerva and I walked toward the pub.

"It'd be a lot better if the Ministry wasn't sending dementors into my pub every other night!" she replied, brandishing a small hammer she was using to hang a sign.

"We...have... we have a killer on the loose."

"Oh, Sirius Black in Hogsmeade! And what would bring him here?" she responded, returning to hanging the sign.

"Harry Potter," Cornelius whispered, before his eyes flicked to mine. "And Miss Y/l/n here."

"Harry Potter?! And Y/n! What could he possibly want with them?"

Minerva and Cornelius quickly shushed her before ushering her inside the pub. We made our way to a small room upstairs. We took off our cloaks as Rosmerta began speaking.

"Nobody's going to come to a pub where they're going to get scared out of their wits! Why?" she hissed.

"Professor Dumbledore doesn't want dementors around the place, I can assure you. They keep attacking Y/n and Harry! Y/n was just in the hospital wing for a week after an encounter with them!" Minerva exclaimed.

The door opened from what we assumed to be a gust of wind. Rosmerta quickly closed the door before turning to us.

"Now, tell me what this is all about."

"Well, now, years ago, when Harry Potter's parents realized they were marked for death, do you remember? They went into hiding," Minerva began. Rosmerta nodded and Minera continued. "Few knew where they were. One who did was Sirius Black and he told You-Know-Who!"

"Not only did Black lead You-Know-Who to the Potters that night, but he also killed one of their friends, Peter Pettigrew!" Fudge exclaimed as MInerva and I took a seat.

"Peter Pettigrew?"

"Yes, little lump of a boy. Always trailing after Sirius Black," Minerva answered.

"Oh, I remember him. Never let James and Sirius out of his sight. But what happened?"

"Well, Peter Pettigrew tried to warn the Potters, and he might've managed to, had he not run into an old friend - Sirius Black."

Fudge began grabbing us drinks from a small table near the door before speaking.

"Black was vicious. He didn't kill Pettigrew... He destroyed him!"

"Mm-hm," Minerva agreed as Cornelius returned to Minerva and I with drinks. 

"A finger. That's all that was left - a finger! Nothing else."

"Oh, yes. 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."

"I don't believe it!" Rosmerta exclaimed in disbelief.

"That's not the worst of it," Fudge said as he placed a drink in mine and Minerva's hands as we stood up to take it from him.

"What could be worse?"

"This," Minerva began, once again taking a seat. "Sirius Black was, and remains to this day... Harry Potter's godfather."

"Oh my word!" Rosmerta exclaimed. She looked at me quickly before returning her gaze to Minerva. "But, what's this got to do with our dear Y/n?"

"Well, she's Harry's godmother, and..." Minerva trailed off, looking at me.

"Sirius and I used to date... before I found out he betrayed us."

All eyes in the room were now and me and I looked down, twirling the glass in my hands, before completely finishing it off, knowing I was going to need it before dealing with all the questions.

"No one knows this... apart from a few close friends... my own godson doesn't even know. I was reunited with him when he was 11 and I felt he was too young to know the details of his parents' betrayal by one of our closest friends. I didn't think I would need to tell him until much later and now... well he's only 13. He's still just a boy. I can't bring myself to tell him the truth and I worry he'll hate me when he finds out."

"Oh, my dear... I don't think the boy will hate you... but I think you best tell him the truth... before he hears it from someone else."

***

A few days later I was sitting in Remus's office grading papers when I heard a small knock. With a wave of my hand the door opened and Harry entered. The boy had been avoiding me the last few days it seemed and I hadn't been able to speak with him about my relationship with Sirius Black.

"Aunt Y/n... I wonder if I might have a word," he began. I smiled at him. A few weeks ago when he was still speaking to me, he asked what he should call me because 'godmother' seemed a bit much. I had laughed at the time and told him Lily had always said I would be Aunty Y/n, to which he seemed happy about.

"I've been meaning to speak with you as well, though you seem to have been avoiding me the last few days."

"I'm sorry about that. It's just... well, it's about something I overheard... though I can't tell you where I overheard it."

I set down my pencil, giving him a curious look, as I gestured for him to take a seat.

"What is it?"

"Well, it's about Sirius Black. He's my godfather... isn't he?"

I looked up, frozen, as the words hit me like a ton of bricks and my blood ran cold.

"Where did you hear that?"

"I overheard it somewhere... but I can't tell you where."

"Sneaking around in your father's cloak again, are we?" I chuckled.

Now it was his turn to freeze. "H-how did you..."

"I know many things, Harry. Now, about Sirius... yes he is your godfather. I wanted to tell you sooner but I didn't want to burden you with the details when you were still so young."

He nodded, seeming as if he already knew this. For the next few hours we discussed what had happened with Sirius and how I was there the night they took Sirius away, though I left out the part about Severus, knowing that was not my story to tell.

By the end of the conversation Harry seemed understanding as to why I didn't tell him and we parted ways, my conscience feeling lighter.