Smile - Book One of the RP Saga

Noses are Red, Fingers are Blue ( 35)

"Rachel, do you know about Sirius?" Dumbledore leant forward, peering over his half-moon glasses.

"That he is mine and Harry's godfather? Yes." She nodded fiddling with the cuff of her jumper.

"And, did you help him enter the castle and gain access into the Gryffindor common room not too long ago?"

"No!" She exclaimed. "If anything I would be helping him get out of the school, I can't bear him to be caught and chucked back in Azkaban!"

"I don't mean to be rude, but Rachel you hardly know him." Dumbledore said, in an almost mocking tone it sounded to Rachel.

"I don't need to have known him long! That day we met in the forest he told me everything, everything! We've wrote to each other too, briefly like but still. Professor this man isn't guilty and he isn't lying. I trust him." Rachel snapped out of frustration.

"Shall I tell you what happened thirteen years ago Rachel?"

"Yes." She shakily said, she suddenly became very nervous and flustered. Sirius had not told her everything that had happened that night, in fact all he had said was Peter Pettigrew was nothing more than a foul betrayer.

"Thirteen years ago Peter Pettigrew was made your parents 'secret keeper', he was meant to protect them from Voldemort. Sadly he was interrogated by him and Peter betrayed your parents. They ended up being murdered that night. Black, like any friend, was furious at Peter. He set off to find revenge in London. That's when Pettigrew created that explosion killing those twelve muggles and faked his own death to frame Sirius." Dumbledore said with a look of upmost severity, something that Rachel did not see often.

"But I don't understand." Rachel sighed, Dumbledore cocked his head slightly. "Why did my parents need a secret keeper?"

"That is a story for another time, I can tell you've been through a lot today."

"But Professor! I need to know! Why was Peter trusted and not Sirius or Remus? Why someone who's animagus is a rat? An animagus reflects a persons personality, the rat is just is the cherry on the cake!" Rachel blurted out.

"You must remember, he was their friend at the time. They trusted him." Dumbledore put a hand to his temple.

"But... can't we prove Sirius is innocent?" She whispered sadly.

"We have no evidence, we cannot prove Peter Pettigrew is alive."

"But it's not fair!"

"You should for one know Rachel, life is not fair." He shook his head in pity. "Now off to bed, pip-pip." He clapped his hands eagerly at Rachel.

She jumped suddenly but stood up and headed towards the door, forcing angry tears down.

"Miss Potter," Dumbledore called out to her before she could leave, she stopped abruptly - her finger tips still touching the wooden door she was stood by.

"Yes sir?"

"Remember, happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light." He wisely nodded before turning away to pet his Phoenix. Rachel smiled at the headmaster before bidding goodnight and actually leaving.

She made it back to the dorm, was dressed and in bed before the others had entered the common room. Rachel quickly closed her eyes as she heard footsteps approach the room. Hermione slipped in through the dorm door and crept over to her bed. She could tell Rachel was not asleep but did not bother speaking, she knew she would not be up for talking. Instead, Hermione too got dressed and into bed.

*

Sunday was uneventful. Students either went outside in the winter wonderland or stayed inside their common rooms. Rachel and Hermione decided that maybe an evening walk outside would be nice, the air was not too cold so it would not bother them. Unless they were outside for hours. The sky was darkening but it was not too dark for them. Hermione had decided to bring one of her many books whilst Rachel bought out her sketchpad and pencils.