Melancholy || Harry Potter's twin brother

3: chapter twenty

Sirius was taking an early evening stroll with Rowan, when the dog suddenly ran towards a familiar trio stood on the hill. Sirius sighed and ran  after him, soon losing sight of him. He found Rowan again when the dog ran past him, pulling Ron by the leg.

"What on earth?" Sirius was astounded as he tried to grab hold of Ron as the boy reached out to him.

"Sirius! What are you doing here?" Harry and Hermione reached him, he just continued to look bewildered as they ran after the dog and Ron, soon Rowan disappeared into the womping willow, dragging Ron with him.

"I've never seen him act like that before." Sirius mused as the womping willow hit out at them.

"You know that dog?" Harry asked as the group dodged out of the way.

"Yeah, he's a stray, but normally he's really gentle." Sirius frowned. "He never goes for people, and you three have never seen him before?"

"Not that I know of." Hermione shook her head.

"Weird." Sirius shrugged, falling to the ground as he was bashed in the head by the tree. "Oh that's gonna bruise." He grumbled.

"Sirius are you okay?" Harry asked, vaulting over a branch as it tried to thwack him in the shin.

"Could be better." Sirius rubbed his head, having to immediately duck as soon as he stood up as the tree attempted to hit him again. "This tree is lethal!"

Hermione screamed, Sirius and Harry looked up in surprise to see her clinging onto a branch for her life. They were even more surprised when she grabbed hold of both of them and all three went into the air. Sirius could feel Hermione's grip on them slipping.

"Please don't let go." He begged her.

"Sorry." She let go of both at once and the twins tumbled into the hole in the trunk of the tree and down into a secret passage below.

"Oh merlin." Sirius grumbled, pulling himself up from the floor, before he could help his brother up, Hermione flew through the opening and landed onto Harry.

"Sorry." She said with a smile as Sirius helped them both up.

"Well this is nice, where do you think it goes?" Sirius asked, looking around.

"I have an idea." Harry told them as he set off down the tunnel. Sirius and Hermione exchanged a look.

"Oh sure, let's go galavanting off into danger!" Sirius sighed, Harry didn't listen.

"We have to help Ron." He called over his shoulder.

"I know, but shouldn't we make a plan?" Sirius turned his question to Hermione.

"We don't really have time, and if you know the dog, than maybe you can distract it whilst we get Ron." She suggested, it was the best plan any of them would have been able to think of, so Sirius just admitted defeat and followed them deeper into the strange tunnel system that Harry claimed he knew where it would lead.

Sirius didn't believe him. How on earth would Harry know anyway?

They reached a set of dusty old staircases that definitely did not look safe. Paw prints and a scuff mark disturbed the dust all the way up.

"Where on earth are we now?" Sirius asked, it was dark and the only light came from a slat from the boarded up windows.

"The shrieking shack." Hermione answered as the three ascended the stairs.

"Its creepy." Sirius said, he swore he could feel the house moving in the wind.

"Its him! He's an animagus." Ron said as they got to the top of the stairs.