too close to the stars - H.J.P

Chapter Eight

Harry pulled Noel behind him. As Sirius rose Ron's wand to disarm them.

"I thought you'd come and help your friend," he said hoarsely. His voice sounded as though he had long since lost the habit of using it. "Your father would have done the same for me. Brave of you not to run for a teacher. I'm grateful... it will make everything much easier..."

"If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too!" He said fiercely, though the effort of standing upright was draining him of still more color, and he swayed slightly as he spoke.

Something flickered in Black's shadowed eyes.

"Lie down," he said quietly to Ron. "You will damage that leg even more."

"Did you hear me?" Ron said weakly, though he was clinging painfully to Harry to stay upright. "You'll have to kill all four of us!"

"There'll be only one murder here tonight," said Black, and his grin widened. Noel stared at him not knowing what it was that wasn't clicking.

"Why's that?" Harry spat, trying to wrench himself free of Ron, and Hermione. "Didn't care last time, did you? Didn't mind slaughtering all those Muggles to get at Pettigrew... What's the matter, gone soft in Azkaban?"

Noel watched numbly as Harry and Sirius fought each other.

"Going to kill me, Harry?" He whispered.

Harry stopped right above him, his wand still pointing at Black's chest, looking down at him. A livid bruise was rising around Black's left eye and his nose was bleeding.

"You killed my parents," said Harry, his voice shaking slightly, but his wand hand quite steady.

Black stared up at him out of those sunken eyes.

"I don't deny it," he said very quietly. "But if you knew the whole story."

"The whole story?" Harry repeated a furious pounding in his ears. "You sold them to Voldemort. That's all I need to know."

"You've got to listen to me," Black said, and there was a note of urgency in his voice now. "You'll regret it if you don't... You don't understand..."

"You didn't kill them," Noel said, breaking up their squabble.

Harry looked at her as if she had slapped him across the face. Ron and Hermione looked at her aghast. Noel began to pace as she grew anxious. "I've studied you all this year. Sirius Black, born 1959. First ever Gryffindor to the Black family. Later disowned circa 1975. Joined the Order of the Phoenix 1997-1981. Later sent to Azkaban for the murder of 12 muggles and the betrayal of Lily and James Potter."

She recited what she had learned as she continued to pace nervously. "You didn't get a trial, they never even checked your wand." She said looking at Sirius who nodded his head. Noel groaned frustratedly, "What's missing?" She asked him, ignoring the other three in the room.

Before Black could answer there came a new sound. Muffled footsteps were echoing up through the floor — someone was moving downstairs.

"WE'RE UP HERE!" Hermione screamed suddenly. "WE'RE UP HERE — SIRIUS BLACK — QUICK!"

The door of the room burst open in a shower of red sparks and Harry wheeled around as Professor Lupin came hurtling into the room, his face bloodless, his wand raised and ready. His eyes flickered over Ron, lying on the floor, over Hermione, cowering next to the door, to Harry, standing there with his wand covering Black, to Noel who was pacing anxiously watching Sirius, and then to Black himself, crumpled and bleeding at Harry's feet.

"Expelliarmus!" Lupin shouted. Harry stood there, feeling suddenly empty. He hadn't done it. His nerve had failed him. Black was going to be handed back to the Dementors.