Elegy//Harry Potter [3]

15

Harry told Hermione and Ron all about the Marauder's Map, Autumn commenting every few moments to add to the story or to validate it. 

"How come Fred and George never gave it to me? I'm their brother!" Ron exclaimed.

"But Harry isn't going to keep it. He'll turn it over to Professor McGonagall. Won't you?"

"Along with his invisibility cloak?" Autumn added.

"Look who it is." Hermione changed the conversation, speaking in a mocking manner. "Madam Rosmerta. Ron fancies her."

"That's not true!" Ron tried to defend himself, but his face was going slightly redder than it normally was in the snow.

Autumn chuckled.

"Allow me, minister," Hagrid's booming voice said, catching the attention of the four. But, Hagrid just tore the door off of the sleigh that the Fudge had rode down to Hogsmeade.

"Oh, Hagrid. . ." The Minister of Magic said.

"Sorry about that," Hagrid spoke, staring at the door in his hands.

"Rosmerta, my dear. I hope business is good," Fudge said.

"It'd be a lot better if the Ministry wasn't sending dementors into my pub every other night!" Rosmerta said angrily. 

"We have. . . We have a killer on the loose." Fudge said in a low voice.

"Sirius Black in Hogsmeade! And what would bring him here?" 

The minister muttered something to Rosmerta.

"Harry Potter? Autumn Grey?" Rosmerta exclaimed loudly.

Autumn gasped.  Harry grabbed Autumn's hand and pulled her into the pub, following the minister and a few professors. It was after a moment's notice that Autumn realized they were under the invisibility cloak.

Before Autumn could say anything, they were in a room alone with the professors and minister. 

"Tell me what this is all about." Rosmerta demanded, shutting the door after Harry and Autumn, unknowing that it was them.

"Years back, when Amelia Grey was in school, here at Hogwarts, she and Sirius Black were friends throughout their fifth year." McGonagall told.

Autumn thought about her and wondered if that woman could be her mother.

"Yes, I remember that. They would hang out around my pub all the time."

"I presume that you also remember their big fight?" The Professor asked.

"No, what fight?"

"Well," McGonagall explained, "Grey had heard what Black had done in his past years: all of his pranks with Potter and decided to rethink their friendship."

"Alright, so what happened?"

"She was about to mention it to Black, but he had thought about their friendship as well."

"And?"

"Black decided he wanted to date Grey. He formally asked her on a date, well, as formal as Black could get, but Grey declined. That was when Black took a turn, he gradually got darker and turned to You-Know-Who instead."

Autumn almost gasped.

"Now, you remember when Harry Potter's parents realized they were marked for death. . . Remember? They hid. Few knew where they were. One who did was Sirius Black. And he told You-Know-Who." McGonagall mentioned. 

"Not only did Black lead him to the Potters that night. . . he also killed Peter Pettigrew!" Fudge's voice grew louder than usual.

"Peter Pettigrew?" Rosmerta asked.

"Little lump of a boy. Always trailing after Black." The professor said.

"I remember. Never let James and Sirius out of his sight. What happened?" Rosmerta questioned.

"Peter tried to warn the Potters. . . and might have, had he not run into an old friend, Sirius Black." McGonagall said.

"Black was vicious. He didn't kill Pettigrew." The minister poured himself a drink. "He destroyed him! A finger. That's all that was left. A finger. Nothing else."

"Sirius Black may not have put his hands to the Potters. . . but he's the reason they're dead." Professor McGonagall paused. "We think he's turned bad because of Amelia Grey." 

Autumn tears fall down her face. How could her own mother, her flesh and blood, cause someone so much pain?

"He wants to finish things," Fudge said. "Kill Harry, kill Autumn."

"I don't believe it," Rosmerta muttered.

"That's not the worst of it," Fudge said normally.

"What could be worse?" Rosmerta asked.

"This: Sirius Black was. . . and remains to this day. . . Harry Potter's godfather!" McGonagall exclaimed.

Autumn turned to face Harry, but he had begun to run out of the pub. Luckily, Autumn had a hold of the cloak as well. They exited the pub, and Autumn spoke.

"Harry?" 

Harry ran off, leaving Autumn alone in the snow in the middle of Hogsmeade, visible to everyone.

"Oh, Harry," Autumn said. She stared at the ground, but noticed something: Harry's footprints. She wiped the tears from under her eyes as she followed the footsteps that appeared in the ground.

Autumn followed the footprints to find a group of singers who had been knocked down. She kept walking, trying to find the footprints. Autumn felt a presence beside her, to which she immediately recognized as Ron and Hermione. 

"Where has he gone?"

Autumn didn't verbally answer, she only pointed to a small boulder. She watched as Hermione carefully stepped towards it. Then, Hermione removed the invisibility cloak from Harry, showing him crying.

Autumn immediately felt bad and started silently crying.

"Harry, what happened?"

Autumn watched as Harry looked at Hermione.

"He was their friend. . . and he betrayed them." Harry paused. "He was their friend! I hope he finds me. Because when he does, I'm gonna be ready! When he does, I'm gonna kill him!"

Autumn just stared as Harry let his feelings out. Her mother was the reason his parents were dead. 

She shook her head and turned away. She couldn't bear to look.