A Memorable Tale

26 | Potions and a Good Night's Sleep

"Thank you, Y/N," he said.

"Not a problem, sir."

As I left, I took out a piece of parchment and noted down all the ingredients I used in the potion.

•••

Because of Sirius Black, Amos and my father were holed up at work, even during the holidays. They didn't fail to give us presents but the "Christmas Spirit" wasn't quite there.

Instead, Cedric's mother was taking care of us.

"Studying during Christmas break?" Cedric questioned, aghast. "You can't be this serious about Care of Magical Creatures, can you?"

"It's not studying!" I insisted. "It's for Buckbeak!"

My arms lifted the pile of books and dropped them all into the open bag on my floor, each disappearing into the fabric in an instant.

I rushed across the library and reached up, trying to grab a book from the top shelf.

"Are you sure it's not studying?" Cedric pulled the book off the shelf and gave it to me. "You're doing that thing where everything you say is quick and loud - that normally means you're stressed."

"For Buckbeak!"

I stopped, noticing all the newspapers that my dad had kept, each neatly folded and filed into a labelled shelf.

My dad only kept newspapers he found interesting or curious. Some of them were cases that were concluded but he felt the conclusion was incorrect; some were about people he liked; some were the ones that I solved before the Ministry of Magic.

But in the shelf labelled 1981, there was a singular newspaper, yellowed from its age but readable all the same. Sirius Black is Arrested.

I pulled it out and sat on the floor, prompting Cedric to sit beside me and read over my shoulder.

On November 1, Sirius Black, the killer of James and Lily Potter, has finally been apprehended. After cornering Peter Pettigrew on a street in London, Peter Pettigrew was heard by muggle bystanders.

He said, "How dare you kill the Potters! They trusted you!"

Before he could get away, Sirius Black set off a powerful explosive curse, killing both Peter Pettigrew and twelve muggle bystanders. Only Peter's finger remained.

"Oh god..." Cedric winced, placing his hand over his mouth. He glanced at me, noticing my drawn together brows. "What, you're going to investigate something that was solved thirteen years ago?"

I stared, truly contemplating it. There was something my dad found interesting about the newspaper. None of the newspapers he found interesting were about something so gruesome, so it wasn't that. I was one year old when the incident occurred, so it couldn't have been because we solved the case either.

Was he doubtful about the conclusion?

"If only dad didn't have to work!" I groaned.

Because of Sirius Black, every single member of the Ministry of Magic was on high alert, even my dad. He was looking through every prophecy, every bit of research trying to find something about Sirius Black.

Cedric's dad was occupied with issues involving house elves that once belonged to the Black Family.

So, naturally, Cedric and I were alone, when I needed them to be there.

I rubbed my fingers along my chin, staring at the open newspaper in front of me.

The name Peter Pettigrew was so clearly in my mind, right beside Ron's name. I hadn't bothered looking into common rooms or dormitories since then, since I had no reason to look at them.