Keep Breathing ♢ James Potter

10 | Deatheater "Attack"

After reading the third entry, Harry found himself falling asleep on the couch. In the early morning, Harry wrapped himself in his invisibility cloak before sneaking out of the Room of Requirement and into his dorm. Luckily, none of the boys were awake so they hadn't noticed.

Harry wanted to read more, but he didn't want to want his roommates to become suspicious about where he was all night. Astrid's diary would just have to wait.

The following day, Dumbledore asked Harry to meet him in his office. Professor Dumbledore wanted to show Harry an old memory of his from when he had first met young Tom Riddle in an orphanage.

After being drawn out from the Pensieve once Riddle revealed his ability to talk to snakes, Harry couldn't stop himself from turning towards his professor and asking. "Did you know, sir, then?"

"Did I know I just met the most dangerous dark wizard of all time? No. If I had, I..." Dumbledore let the reality weigh on him of how a young boy had become so corruptive. But he refused himself to be distracted from his mission. "Over time while here at Hogwarts, Tom Riddle grew close to one particular teacher. Can you guess who that teacher might be?"

As Professor Dumbledore spoke, Harry began to connect the dots. "You didn't bring Professor Slughorn back simply to teach potions, did you, sir?"

"No, I did not," admitted Dumbledore, "you see, Professor Slughorn possesses something that I desire very dearly. He will not give it out easily."

"You said Professor Slughorn would try to collect to me."

"I did." Dumbledore turned to Harry and looked at him.

"Do you want me to let him?" Harry asked, despite already knowing the answer deep down.

"Yes."

Harry began to understand what Professor Dumbledore was asking of him. As he processed what he needed to do to get closer to Slughorn, Harry decided to ask a question that was brought to mind.

"Professor Dumbledore. If you don't mind me asking, do you happen to remember a student named Astrid Black? "

Dumbledore's face didn't change as he responded, looking as if he was unaffected. "Ah yes, Sirius Black's sister. I had seen her a handful of times while she was at Hogwarts."

"Do you know how she died?" The words slipped out of Harry's mouth before he realized it. "Well, uh-uh, I had talked to Sirius about her before he died. He mentioned that she died a bit after they graduated." Harry was curious about her death, especially with her possible connections not only with death eaters but his father.

There was a small glint in Dumbledore's eyes. One that Harry would have hardly seen if it wasn't for him looking at Dumbledore at that exact moment.

"I believe it was a death eater attack according to the Ministry. Aurors suspected that Sirius's brother, Regulus, wanted out from being a death eater, so he was targeted and killed. It is possible that Astrid was targeted for those same reasons."

After, Harry said goodbye to his headmaster and headed towards the Gryffindor common room as he allowed those words to sink in. He couldn't help but feel there was more to her death than just being a death eater attack. Little did Harry know; he was right.