All five of us rushed across the road, and after throwing some change at the carollers, we ducked into the bar. It was crowded, noisy, warm with a faint smoky haze over it from all of the pipes that were lit.

"I'll get the drinks," Ron said hurriedly, and I noticed that the barmaid was very attractive and curvy.

"I'll help you," Cole said eagerly, and we watched as the two of them kept shoving and pushing each other in order to speak to the barmaid.

The three of us headed to the back of the room, to find a vacant table between a vacant table and a large Christmas tree. Even though the table was sticky with spilt drink, it was out of the main hustle and bustle of the bar.

Ron and Cole returned five minutes later, carrying five butterbeers between them. Cole had lipstick on his cheek.

"Madam Rosmerta kissed me on the cheek," he said proudly.

"Just because you chatted her up." Ron said huffily. He handed out the drinks, and the two of them squeezed into the round booth with us. "Right then, Merry Christmas!"

We clinked the glasses together, before I downed a mouthful. I almost moaned, it was the most delicious thing I'd tasted in my life, the warmth of the drink warming me from brain to toe.

A sudden breeze ruffled my tangled hair. The door had opened again. I glanced up, and raised an eyebrow. McGonagall and Flitwick had entered, followed by Hagrid, and a man with a bowler hat.

"Bloody hell, that's Fudge-the Minister of Magic!" Cole gaped.

Ron and Hermione panicked and pushed Harry under the table. Cole grabbed me by the back of my jumper, shoving me under the table as well. Harry and I collided heads, butterbeer dripping over us.

Somewhere above us, Hermione whispered, "Mobiliarbus!"

The Christmas tree beside the table rose a few inches off the ground, landing in front of us and hiding us from view. Staring through the branches I could see the teachers and Minister sit down on the vacant table.

They ordered their drinks, and I bit on my nail, nervous all of a sudden. Of course, it was the last week of term for teachers too, of course they'd go out for a drink....

"So, what brings you to this neck of the woods, Minister?" Madam Rosmerta asked, as she placed all the drinks on the table.

He said in a quiet voice, "What else, m'dear, but Sirius Black? I daresay you heard what happened up at the school at Halloween?"

"I did hear a rumour," admitted Madam Rosmerta.

"Do you think Black's still in the area, Minister?" whispered Madam Rosmerta.

"I'm sure of it," said Fudge shortly.

"You know that the Dementors have searched the whole village twice?" said Madam Rosmerta, a slight edge to her voice. "Scared all my customers away...It's very bad for business, Minister."

"Rosmerta, dear, I don't like them any more than you do," said Fudge uncomfortably. "Necessary precaution... to protect us from a monster like such..."

"Do you know, I still have trouble believing it," said Madam Rosmerta thoughtfully. "Of all the people to go over to the Dark Side, Sirius Black was the last I'd have thought...I mean, I remember him when he was a boy at Hogwarts."

"You don't know the half of it, Rosmerta," said Fudge gruffly. "The worst he did isn't widely known."

"The worst?" said Madam Rosmerta, her voice alive with curiosity. "Worse than murdering all those poor people, you mean?"

"You say you remember him at Hogwarts, Rosmerta," murmured Professor McGonagall. "Do you remember who his best friend was?"

"Naturally," said Madam Rosmerta, with a small laugh. "Never saw one without the other, did you? The number of times I had them in here - quite a pair, Sirius Black and James Potter!"

Harry dropped his tankard, and I scooted closer to him, linking arms. I remembered Gennie telling me now.... Remus, dad and Sirius Black were all best friends....

"Precisely," said Professor McGonagall. "Black and Potter. Ringleaders of their little gang. Both very bright -- but I don't think we've ever had such a pair of troublemakers --"

"I dunno," chuckled Hagrid. "Fred and George Weasley could give 'em a run fer their money."

"You'd have thought Black and Potter were brothers!" chimed in Professor Flitwick. "Inseparable!"

"Of course they were," said Fudge. "Potter trusted Black beyond all his other friends. Nothing changed when they left school. Black was best man when James married Lily. Then they named him godfather for both of their children."

I felt sick. This-this murderer was my godfather as well as Remus? How-how could Remus not have told me, told us? Told us that this mass-murderer looking for us wasn't just our dad's friend, but our godfather?

"But anyway, James and Lily hid with their children-protected with the fidelous charm. It's a very complex spell, concealing a secret in a person's soul, like the location of Lily and James. So if the secret remained unbroken, You-Know-Who could search for years without finding them. He could even press his nose against their living room window without knowing they lived there!"

"So Black was the Potters' Secret-Keeper?" whispered Madam Rosmerta.

"Naturally," said Professor McGonagall. "James Potter told Dumbledore that Black would die rather than tell where they were. But there were rumours around of somebody becoming a double agent, and Dumbledore suspected Black..."

"Black betrayed them?" breathed Madam Rosmerta.

Anger rose in me, and I clenched my fist to stop myself from screaming. How could he? How could he?

"Yes, and we all know what happened next. So he ran for it...."

"I met him!" growled Hagrid. "I rescued Harry, and he appeared, on that flyin' bike! And what did I do? COMFORTED THE MURDERIN' TRAITOR! Even 'ad the nerve to ask where little Aurora was!" Hagrid roared.

"Hagrid, please!" said Professor McGonagall. "Keep your voice down!"

"An' then he says, "Give Harry ter me, Hagrid, I'm his godfather, I'll look after him --" Ha! But I'd had me orders from Dumbledore, an' I told Black no, but he gave me 'is bike. Imagine if he did take 'im..."

"But Peter Pettigrew found him before the Ministry, remember... that little fat boy who hero-worshipped James and Sirius?" McGonagall said, and everybody murmered.

"And of course Black then blew Pettigrew to smithereens, only a finger left...."

Professor McGonagall blew her nose and said thickly, "Stupid boy...foolish boy...he was always hopeless at dueling...should have left it to the Ministry ..."

Madam Rosmerta let out a long sigh. "Is it true he's mad, Minister?"

"I met Black on my last inspection of Azkaban. He acted normal, he was bored. He asked for my paper, wanted to do a crossword... But of course, he wants to be reunited with his master now he's escaped..."

There was a small chink of glass on wood. Someone had set down their glass. "Did you hear the rumours, Minerva?" Fudge asked softly. "There are rumours going around that Aurora Potter is in fact alive, and at your school."

I froze up, as petrified as Hermione in her second year. How did rumours about be flying so quickly?

"Oh, it is true Minister." McGonagall said softly. "Aurora Oswin. And she is in more danger than her brother...."

There was a long silence.

"You know, Cornelius, if you're dining with the headmaster, we'd better head back up to the castle," said Professor McGonagall.

One by one, the pairs of feet in front of us got up and walked off, Madam Rosmerta's glittering heels disappearing behind the bar. The door opened, there was another flurry of snow, and then silence between the five of us.

"What have I walked into?" Cole said in disbelief, and I couldn't help wonder the same

* * *

Somehow I managed to make it back to the castle without hitting something or running off to tear Sirius Black apart with my bear hands. I was shaking with anger, that's how mad I was.

Gennie and Remus hadn't told me about Sirius, how he'd betrayed my parents, how he was my godfather, and I was sick to think about what else they might be keeping from me. How could they lie to me, after my entire past was a lie?

I skipped dinner, going straight upstairs to pack Christmas presents instead. The organisation gave me purpose, and every piece of paper I sliced open with scissors, I pretended it was Sirius Black's neck. Well, not really, but I wanted him to hurt, badly.

Once I'd packed Hollie's present up with a neat bow, I sat on my bed with a heavy heart. Scrabbling in the drawer, I found the photo album Harry had given me. It was a gift from Hagrid to Harry, but he'd given it to me for, as a way of trying to reclaim my past.

Flipping through the photos I'd pored over for the last four months, I stopped on the picture of my parents wedding day. There was my father; untidy hair, cheeky smirk, almost a mirror-image of my brother. And there was my mother, glowing brightly with happiness, gazing at my father with such admiration and love my heart ached.

And the best man, well I'd never given him a second thought.

It was clearly Sirius Black, even though he was handsome and full of life and laughter in the photo. Had he already started the process of stabbing my family in the back, planning the deaths of thirteen people.

But of course he was happy, he didn't have to hear my mother every time he saw a dementor--

The dormitory door burst open, and I slammed the album shut abruptly, wiping my stray tears away. It was Gennie, wind-swept and pink. "Hello!" she said breezily. "Oh my, my date was perfect! Seamus was a perfect gentleman, he took me for tea, and then we kissed all deep and romantic by the Shrieking Shack under the snow.... It was the best day of my life."

"Ha, glad somebody enjoyed their Hogsmeade visit." I said bitterly, my jaw locked with anger.

"You went to Hogsmeade?" Gennie said curiously, still sounding so happy and breezy.

"I snuck out with Harry and Cole." I said shortly.

"What bit you in the arse this morning?" Gennie laughed, un-wrapping her scarf from her neck. I just scoffed, turning away from her. "Rory, are you angry with me?"

"Of course I am!" I burst out, stepping up so abruptly the picture of Lacey, Hollie and me bounced off the table. "You didn't tell me!"

"Rory, I tell you everything!" Gennie laughed. "I even told you when I started my period for crying out loud!"

"Well you didn't tell me about Sirius Black, did you?!" I screamed. "How he betrayed my parents, and is the reason they're dead. Oh yeah, and he's godfather to me and Harry?! Thanks for the memo!"

Gennie shrunk away from my anger. "I-I thought It'd be best not to tell you and Harry. You were both so happy at being together again, I just-"

"No-just stop." I laughed, though I was starting to cry again. "I don't want any more lies about my past, not anymore."

And with that, I stormed out of the room

* * *

With shoe-less feet and a heavy heart I wandered the corridor, unable to face going back to Gennie. I understood why she did it, but it was the act of it that I hated. She knew how much I cared about my past, and finding the truth, how could she...

Hearing footsteps, I stopped in my tracks and turned around, just in time to see a pair of hands roughly push me forward. Shrieking as I fell through a cupboard door onto the cold hard ground, I fumbled around for my wand.

"Lumos!" I shouted angrily, and I held up my wand to see-Draco Malfoy. "Holy flying shit, Malfoy, have you moved from stalking to kidnap?! What is wrong with you?"

"I didn't kidnap you." He said shortly. "You're still in the school."

"You know what I mean!" I said angrily. "Help me up, would you?

Rolling his eyes he held out a hand, and I wrapped my hand around his and he yanked me up so abruptly I was only a few inches from his face, the wand making light between our faces.

Looking down at our linked hands, I noticed a thick silver ring on his hand. "Nice ring," I said.

"Oh what, is it too girly?" Malfoy said in a high-pitched imitation of a girl's voice.

"No, I like it."

"Oh. Well it's my family ring, it'll be passed down to my child when I have one."

"Is this why you brought me in here?" I asked, and Malfoy choked in air. "Not to make babies!" I shouted. "Did you want to snog me?"

"As if," Malfoy scoffed, "I wanted to talk to you--in private."

"Then talk," I said shortly, and I glanced at our linked hands, and he finally dropped his grip on mine. For some reason I felt thoroughly disappointed.

"I saw you coming back with your little gang after a very illegal trip to Hogsmeade, Miss Potter." Malfoy said with a smirk, before morphing into a more concerned expression. "You looked ready to kill something."

"Maybe not the best idea to meet me in an enclosed private space then, is it?" I huffed. "No, but basically, I found out that Sirius Black betrayed my parents and Gennie didn't even tell me."

"I knew that, I tried to tell you in potions at the start of term." Malfoy said. "My dad told me when I was old enough to hear about your family's story." He paused. "That must really suck."

"It does, thanks for the concern." I said quietly, surprised that Malfoy actually owned a heart. "So, is that all you want to know?"

He rolled his eyes in the dark. "I got you a Christmas present, duh."

"A... You spent money on me, for Christmas?"

"You said I have enough money to throw around," He rolled his eyes, passing me a small box. "I shrank the packaging down, otherwise it'd be so obvious what it is."

"It's not Sirius Black's heart, is it?" I said hopefully.

Malfoy laughed a proper, almost giggly genuine laugh. "No, that's for your birthday. Don't-don't open it, stupid!" he exclaimed as I fiddled with the bow. "Once the package is open the present grows fully sized!"

I snorted. "Nice innuendos."

Malfoy turned bright red. "You're funny, Potter, real funny."

"Are you blackmailing me?" I asked nervously, worrying this is too good to be true. "Are you winding me up?"

"I actually have a heart you know. And I want you as a friend." Malfoy said boldly. "You stand up for yourself, seem nice enough and well.... You aren't running away from me now, are you?"

"I heard you asked to be Harry's friend in first year but he turned you down." I said playfully. "Am I replacement?"

"No," he scoffed. "I don't care about him, I care about you, Rory, you moron."

He avoided my eyes, sheepishly looking at the floor, and a smile crept onto my face. Ignoring the moron comment, it was pretty sweet of him.

"Well, Draco, I don't think you're as bad as you let the world see you." I said softly. I realised something. "Why'd you call me Rory?"

He shrugged. "You prefer it, and well, I can't go around calling you Potter, can I? And well, you just called me Draco. You did in the hospital wing too."

"Friends generally call each other by their first names, right?" I said after a long pause. "I'll mail you a present."

Draco's face lit up, and he held out a hand for me to shake. Instead, I wrapped my arms around him in an awkward hug-especially considering I was taller than him-and he hesitantly hugged me back, his arms resting on my lower back.

Pulling back, I felt both awkward and a little lost at the same time. "Merry Christmas, Draco." I said softly, my hand resting on the door handle.

"Merry Christmas, Rory."