(The Potters and the Prisoner of Azkaban, act three, chapter nine)

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"Those weasels! Never told me about any Marauder's Map." Ron spoke as the four friends made their way through the cozy, snow covered streets of Hogsmeade. The more time Nora spent looking around, the more she loved the place and wish she could actually just walk around without having to be careful someone sees her or her brother.

"They won't keep it. They'll turn it over to Professor McGonagall. Aren't you?" Hermione asked the twin as they stopped. Ronald crouched down to the floor so that he could tie his shoes again.

"Oh, no they won't!" James spoke.

"It's their legacy!" Sirius said as well.

"Sure. Along with the Invisibility Cloak." Ron sarcastically spoke when he was done tying his shoes and walking back over to his waiting friends.

"Look who it is. Madam Rosmerta. Ron fancies her." Hermione spoke in a teasing voice as she pointed at the woman she was talking about since Nora was looking in the complete wrong direction.

"That's not true!" Ron denied.

"Professor McGonagall!" Minister Fudge greeted from inside a carriage, waving at a woman and a man who were walking past them into a pub, where Rosmerta stood right next to the door.

"Cornelius!" The four heard their Transfiguration professor reply as she made her way over to the carriage, also greeting some people like the minister had done.

"Rosmerta, my dear. I hope business is good." Fudge spoke, carefully stepping over a puddle of water, clearly not wanting his shoes to get any dirtier, before stepping over to the woman by the door, greeting her with an outstretched hand.

"It'd be a lot better if the Ministry wasn't sending dementors into my pub every other night!" Rosmerta spoke, not shaking his hand.

"We have... We have a killer on the loose." Fudge spoke, more quitely, looking around to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation, but he didn't notice the four thirteen-year-olds ahead of them.

"Sirius Black in Hogsmeade! And what would bring him here?" Rosmerta asked them as she turned her backs to them, continuing hanging the new ad to the door.

"Nora and Harry Potter." The minister whispered in her ear. 

"The Potters?" Rosmerta almost yelled out, receiving some weird looks from people walking by.

"Jezus, lady yell louder." Caroline spoke.

Fudge and McGonagall quickly shushed her and pushed her back inside her pub to not attract any more unwanted attention.

The screen turned back to the Potters and their two friends, but this time only Hermione and Ron were visible and the twins were under the Invisibility Cloak, already making their way over to Rosmerta's pub, following behind their professor and the minister.

"Nora! Harry!" Hermione called after them as she looked down to the ground to see two pair of footsteps appear in the snow, passing by people to get to the pub. Hermione and Ron quickly followed after them, but unlike Harry and Nora, who were pushing the front door of the building open, and got inside it without any problems, they did not.

"No underage wizards allowed in today!" The two heard from Hermione's right. 

"Shut the damn door!" Another small head spoke to them.

"So rude." Hermione shook her head with annoyance.

"Thick heads." Ron also spoke, also not bothering to hide his annoyance towards the heads on the wall.

Meanwhile upstairs, Harry and Nora had managed to sneak into the room where the discussion was happening about Sirius Black. Rosmerta walked over to the door, quickly pressing it back shut, thinking that it was probably just the wind blowing it open. "Now tell me what this is all about."

"Years ago, when Harry Potter's parents and Nora's mother 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 spoke and the twins shared a glance with each other. Nora took a hold of her brother's hand when she heard his breathing going faster and to be honest she wasn't really sure if she wanted to hear more. Her hand was already giving away to Harry that she was very nervous for what they were going to reveal about Sirius Black to Rosmerta.

"Not only did Black lead him to the Potters that night he also killed one of their friends, Peter Pettigrew!" Minister Fudge continued.

"Peter Pettigrew?" Rosmerta asked. She had a confused look on her face, not recalling anyone with that name.

 "Little lump of a boy. Always trailing after Black." McGonagall explained.

"I remember. Never let James and Sirius out of his sight. What happened?" Rosmerta asked, finally recalling the young Pettigrew boy, who indeed always trailed behind the two best friends, James and Sirius.

As Fudge went over to the table to poor himself a drink, he stared in front of his for a few seconds. The Potters panicked, thinking that the man had heard them breathing, but both let out a relieved sigh when he looked down to his glass.

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

"Black was vicious. He didn't kill Pettigrew. 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." Minerva continued.

"And now he wants to finish what he started." Fudge added.

"I don't believe it." Rosmerta shook her head.

"That's not the worst of it." McGonagall spoke again.

"What could be worse than that?" The bartender asked confused.

"This. Sirius Black was and remains to this day Harry Potter's godfather and Nora Potter's father."

"Poor kids, finding out like that." Rebekah spoke.

"It's like thy can't catch a break." Finn said as well, his eyes full with pity as he looked at the Potters on the screen.

Stefan shook his head, looking genuinely empathetic. "This is going to hit them hard. They're already carrying enough as it is."

"Yeah, but it shouldn't have gone down like this. I mean, finding out your dad's...well, him." Caroline spoke, but then quickly turned to Sirius, who was sitting on the first row. "No offence or anything, I know you have said you didn't do anything, but they think, well, they think you killed his parents and her mother. That's not gonna be easy for them. And I think, I'm gonna shut up now." 

Sirius glanced back at Caroline, his face shadowed with guilt and frustration, but he managed a small, sad smile. "No offense taken. I get it. They've probably heard the worst stories about me during that year."

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Normally this act was gonna have 12 chapters, but I think I'm gonna make it 14. I have more motivation to write when the chapters are less longer and a Nora and Theo moment is coming in the next chapter again!! x

Words: 1187

Posted: November 6, 2024 

Be sure to comment. I love reading them and it keeps me motivated! And thank you all so much for reading again! I love you <3

mwah Katherine