Draco Malfoy *3rd Year*

Chapter 9

I was standing away from Ron and Hermione as the looked through the snow at the shrieking shack, I had seen it many times before so I wasn't really bothered with seeing it again.

"It's meant to be the most haunted building in Britain. Did I mention that?" Hermione asked holding onto the fence

"Twice" Ron laughed awkwardly

"Should we move a bit closer?" Hermione asked walking towards the entrance

"Huh? Oh... All right... " Ron followed. I sighed and did the same. Just then we heard people approaching, I turned and saw Malfoy and a couple of his cronies

"Well, well. Look who's here. You two shopping for your dream home? Seems a bit grand for you, WeaselBee. Don't your family all sleep in one room?"

"Shut your mouth, Malfoy," Ron said looking embarrassed and uncomfortable.

"Now that's not very friendly. Boys, I think we're going to have to teach Weasel-Bee to respect his superiors." Malfoy said, looking self-righteous, I scoffed and crossed my arms glaring at them.

"Hope you don't mean yourself." Hermione chuckled bitterly. Malfoy looked over to her with disgust in his eyes

"How dare you speak to me, you filthy, little mud --" He was cut off from his insult when a snowball hit him splat, square in the face. I let out a giggle before covering my mouth when he looked at me.

"Who did that!" He then looked around in confusion when he was hit with another snowball. He gets hit with a few more and Ron, Hermione and I look around uneasily.

"Well, don't just stand there!" Malfoy said panicking to his cronies, who stood there not sure what to do. They suddenly went to go for us when they were both kicked and their knees buckled making them fall headfirst into the snow. I laughed at them as Malfoy backed away not sure where to look. He gave me a helpless glance and I shrugged feeling sorry and not sorry for him. His ski mask was then suddenly pulled over his eyes and he was spun around and given a rough kick to his arse which sent him stumbling forward, he landed at my feet and looked up at me after he had removed the hat from his eyes.

"Stop laughing at me" He mumbled when he stood up, he was taller than me but he didn't have to bend down to whisper that in my ear. I just winked at him and another snowball hit him, it bounced off him and some of it hit me, it was freezing! He then gave me one last glance before running off with his posse following scared behind him. I felt my cheeks go pink and I wasn't sure if it was because of the cold or if it was because of Malfoy. Hermione looked around to make sure they had gone before saying

"Harry?" The Invisibility Cloak drops. Sure enough, there was Harry, grinning.

"Bloody hell Harry! That was not funny" Ron said trying not to smile. Harry then threw a snowball at him and that then started a snowball fight between us all.

We were then back in Hogsmeade, Harry was once again under his invisibility cloak. He had just told us about the Marauder's Map that the twins had given him.

"Those weasels! Never told me about any Marauder's Map" Ron huffed

"But Harry isn't going to keep it. He's going to turn it over to Professor McGonagall, aren't you? " Hermione said in that motherly tone of hers.

"Oh sure. Along with his invisibility cloak, his pack of exploding snap cards, his --" Ron started

"Oh shut up" Hermione stopped him. I laughed at their interaction and we continued to walk. We stopped when we saw Fudge and Madam Rosmerta,

"That's Madam Rosmerta. Ron fancies her. " Hermione grinned making me laugh.

"It's not true!" Ron tried to defend himself

"Shhh." Harry hissed trying to hear the conversation up ahead.

"I trust business is good?" Fudge said as he climbed out of his carriage.

"It'd be a right sight better if the Ministry wasn't sending Dementors into my pub every other night." Madam Rosmerta said as she nailed up a sign.

"We have a killer on the loose." Fudge replied dusting off his coat.

"Sirius Black? In Hogsmeade! And what would bring him here?" She scoffed.

"Harry Potter." Fudge whispered

"Harry Potter!" Rosmerta said loudly. I looked over to where I knew Harry was standing feeling sorry for him. Fudge was looking around nervously and Rosmerta then leads him into the pub closing the door behind them.

"Harry?" Ron asked, but it was too late. We could see his footprints in the snow leading to the pub door. We followed but couldn't get in due to the voodoo dolls. 

*Harry's POV*

I had entered the room where they were all waiting,

"Come on then. Let's hear it" Madam Rosmerta said sounding tired.

"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..." McGonagall started saying

"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." Rosmerta said, flicking her wrist.

"Ha! Tell that to Peter Pettigrew!" Fudge laughed bitterly

"Peter Pettigrew?" Rosmerta asked

"Little lump of a boy? Always tagging along after Black and..." McGonagall explained

"I remember him. What's he got to do with it? " Rosmerta said, remembering him.

"After the Potters were killed, Pettigrew went looking for Black. And, unfortunately... found him." McGonagall replied sadly from her position on the sofa.

"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." Fudge added pouring himself a drink.

"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." McGonagall said looking into the fire.

"Harry," Rosmerta confirmed, McGonagall nodded looking pained.

"But that's not the worst of it." Fudge said sadly.

"What could be worse?" Asked Rosmerta.

"This: Sirius Black was and remains today... Harry Potter's godfather." McGonagall sighed. I felt my heart pounding in my ears and that was all I needed to hear. I slammed open the door and sprinted out of the pub, straight past Rory, Hermione and Ron who had been sitting on a bench waiting for me. 

*Aurora's POV*

We watched as the pub door flew open and footprints appeared in the snow, they were quickly making their way out of Hogsmeade. I pointed them out to Hermione and Ron, we stood and hurriedly followed them to a rocky outcrop where we could hear sobs. I knelt beside the rock and carefully raised my hand up, once I felt the cloak's material I pulled it off to reveal a distraught Harry.

"He was their friend. And he betrayed them. He was their friend. I hope he finds me. But when he does, I'm going to be ready. When he does, I'm going to kill him." Harry said with tears in his eyes. We sat with him in the snow, I moved next to him on the rock and wrapped my arm around his shoulder. He leaned into me and let me give him a sideways hug. I could feel how he was feeling, this overwhelming sadness and anger towards Sirius Black. All I could do was hug him and be there when he needed us.