Stay - Mattheo Riddle

Realisation

Stan had unfurled a copy of the Daily Prophet and was now reading with his tongue between his teeth. A large photograph of a sunken-faced man with long, matted hair blinked slowly at Kirra from the front page. 

Kirra looked at her hands in sadness, even though she was no longer Emily Barnes, she felt strangely like she was and she felt a deep amount of pain in her chest as she stared at her - or Emily's - old best friend. He looked different and it broke her heart.

"That man!" Harry said, causing his sister to look over at him quickly. "He was on the Muggle news!" Stanley turned to the front page and chuckled. 

"Sirius Black," he said, nodding. "'Course 'e was on the Muggle news, Neville. Where you been?" He gave a superior sort of chuckle at the blank look on Harry's face, removed the front page, and handed it to Harry. 

Kirra watched carefully, but kept quiet. "You oughta read the papers more, Neville." Harry held the paper up to the candlelight and Kirra could just make out the words: 

BLACK STILL AT LARGE 

Sirius Black, possibly the most infamous prisoner ever to be held in Azkaban fortress, is still eluding capture, the Ministry of Magic confirmed today. 

"We are doing all we can to recapture Black," said the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, this morning, "and we beg the magical community to remain calm." Fudge has been criticized by some members of the International Federation of Warlocks for informing the Muggle Prime Minister of the crisis. "Well, really, I had to, don't you know," said an irritable Fudge. 

"Black is mad. He's a danger to anyone who crosses him, magic or Muggle. I have the Prime Minister's assurance that he will not breathe a word of Black's true identity to anyone. And let's face it — who'd believe him if he did?" 

While Muggles have been told that Black is carrying a gun (a kind of metal wand that Muggles use to kill each other), the magical community lives in fear of a massacre like that of twelve years ago, when Black murdered thirteen people with a single curse. 

Kirra felt hot rage burn in her chest, she was sure that they had the wrong person, the Sirius Black that she knew - or Emily had known- would have never of done that, and she was certain of it. "Scary-lookin' fing, inee?" said Stan, who had been watching Harry and Kirra read. 

 "He murdered thirteen people?" said Harry, handing the page back to Stan, "with one curse?" 

"Yep," said Stan, "in front of witnesses an' all. Broad daylight. Big trouble it caused, dinnit, Ern?"

 "Ar," said Ern darkly as Kirra squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. Stan swivelled in his armchair, his hands on the back, the better to look at the twins. "Black woz a big supporter of You-Know-'Oo," he said. 

"What, Voldemort?" said Harry, without thinking. Even Stan's pimples went white; Ern jerked the steering wheel so hard that a whole farmhouse had to jump aside to avoid the bus. 

"You outta your tree?" yelped Stan. "'Choo say 'is name for?" 

 "Sorry," said Harry hastily. "Sorry, I — I forgot —" 

 "Forgot!" said Stan weakly and Kirra couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Blimey, my 'eart's goin' that fast..." 

"So — so Black was a supporter of You-Know-Who?" Harry prompted apologetically. "Yeah," said Stan, still rubbing his chest. "Yeah, that's right. Very close to You-Know-'Oo, they say... anyway, when little 'Arry Potter got the better of You-Know-'Oo" — 

"I'm sorry but when was Sirius Black a supporter of You-Know-Who?" the girl asked accusingly and it was evident in her tone that she was annoyed, it was like she was defending him and this made Harry and Stan look at her in confusion, she knew she had to play it safe so she tried to cover herself, "well I just thought, because he was so young you know, it must have been crazy back in those times"