Murderous Criminal [Harry Potter]

The Truth

"GET BACK HERE!" Uncle Vernon roared up the stairs. Harry appeared moments later, his Hogwarts trunk banging loudly against each step. "PUT HER BACK RIGHT NOW!"

"No! She deserved it!" He pulled his wand out when Uncle Vernon stepped towards him. "She deserved what she got! You stay away from me!"

"You're not allowed to do magic out of school boy! They wont take you back now, you've nowhere to go!" Uncle Vernon tried to sound like he was in charge but Harry made him back down by pointing his wand right up to his chest.

"Yeah? Try me!" Harry then opened the door and power walked with anger down the street and round the block only stopping once he reached a round-a-bout splitting into 3 separate directions with a park located to his right. He dragged the trunk from the middle of the road to the curb and sat down, only then realizing how cold it was.

Harry was confused. It was the beginning of August, still the middle of summer yet Harry was shivering even though he was wearing a jacket. He opened his trunk and retrieved his Gryffindor scarf, then noticed something across the road in the bushes, a dog.

The dog was huge, black from what Harry could see and was coming towards him. Harry stood up and was about to run when the dog came and sat in front of him, wagging its tail. After a moment it stood up and walked around the corner of a building, Harry couldn't help but follow so grabbed his trunk and went after the dog. As he rounded the corner he expected to see either nothing or the dog waiting for him, instead there stood a man dressed in raggy clothing with messy hair. He looked angry but also happy.

Harry immediately took a step back but was stopped when the man spoke. "Harry, I know you don't know who i am but i'm not going to hurt you!"

"Why would you say you're not going to hurt me if you wasn't thinking about it?" Harry took another step back. "And how do you know my name?"

"Your trunk... and you look scared out of your skin, besides i don't look very welcoming..." The man looked down at himself and sighed.

"Who are you?" Harry slowly moved his hand for his wand in his pocket.

"My names Sirius Black... I... I knew you're father." Sirius moved forwards and placed his hands on Harry's shoulders, Harry didn't move.

"What do you mean?"

"Please... We can't talk here..." Sirius looked behind him anxiously. "I have a place where i can tell you everything!"

Before Harry could answer he felt himself being pulled through what felt like a pipe. He couldn't breath and it felt like forever but he fell on the ground moments later and almost threw up, he stopped himself though. Sirius helped him up and apologised.

"Sorry about that, you'll get used to disapparating in time." He muttered a spell with a wand which he quickly shoved back in his pocket, then the houses in front of them began to move. Harry's eyes went wide as another house suddenly appeared from nowhere.

"Whoa..."

"Just a secrecy spell Harry, come in." They both walked to the door, Sirius a little faster than Harry who rushed him through the door. "Sorry about the mess, haven't been here in years... there is a house elf here but he never did his job properly since my mother passed."

"A house elf? I thought only old wizarding families had them..." Harry looked down the dark, dusty hallway.

"The Black family is old... I didn't share their views on blood purity though, your father was a better family to me than them..." Sirius smiled at Harry and led him through to a large, long kitchen.

"If you're not going to hurt me... give me your wand..." Harry stopped by the kitchen door as Sirius walked to the other end. Sirius sighed and willingly took the wand from his pocket and slid it down the long table where Harry stepped forward and shoved it in his pocket. "If you were a friend of my father then why have you only showed up now? And why do you look so..."

Harry didn't finish his sentence, but he didn't have to as Sirius grabbed a Daily Prophet from the side and placed it on the table in front of Harry. They both sat down across from each other and Harry felt his heart start to race as he looked at the front page which showed Sirius screaming at the people who where locking him up. He was an escaped murderer, Harry was wondering if he was going to kill him and how he could be so stupid to willingly go with him.

"Let me explain... I was framed Harry, by who i believed, by who me and your father believed to be a close and loyal friend." Sirius paused for a moment and wiped his eye quickly. "At Hogwarts i was the closest of friends with James, your father and two others. Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. We all grew up so close and remained close after we graduated, but after you was born you-know-who began to hunt you down, I don't know why but you was a target so James and Lily went into hiding and chose me as their secret keeper..."

"What's a secret keeper?" Harry's heart was racing.

"Dumbledore used Fidelius charm which allows someone to remain hidden. The only way somebody could find them was if the secret keeper, who was the only person to know their location was to tell where they was..."

"YOU BETRAYED THEM?!" Harry stood up in anger, pointing his wand at Sirius' face.

"NO! It was my stupid decision to make them change secret keeper to Peter! I thought that as i was James' best friend, Voldemort would assume I was secret keeper so Peter was a better choice as he was least to be suspected! We would have chosen Remus but we knew somebody on our side was spying for Voldemort and for certain reasons, i blamed Remus for being a spy..." Tears started to fall from Sirius eyes, he didn't try to wipe them away and just carried on. "...I was wrong, it was Peter who was betraying us... He sold James and Lily out to Voldemort and after their deaths i knew what had happened and went after him, thats where he killed a street full of muggles and then framed me by chopping of his own finger and then changed into his animagus form of a rat and disappeared. NOBODY KNEW THE TRUTH SO I WAS BLAMED AND HE WENT FREE!" Sirius was fully sobbing now, angry at himself and at Peter. Harry felt his own eyes begin to water but held them back.

"How do i know you're not lying?" Harry's hand was sweating as he held a firm grip on his wand. Sirius stood up and brought Harry another clipping from The Daily Prophet. It was the Weasleys on holiday in Egypt. "Why are you showing me the Weasleys?"

"Look at his rat! Missing a toe!" Sirius pointed hard at the picture, his hand shaking. "How long has he had that rat?"

"Ron? He said about a Decade in first year so i guess about 12-"

"12 YEARS! UNUSUALLY LONG LIFE FOR A COMMON GARDEN RAT?!" Sirius was beginning to get angry.

"Sirius..." Harry looked at him and Sirius met his eyes. "I believe you..." Sirius burst out into tears again and met Harry round the table where they both hugged.

"Harry i didn't tell you before and i don't know if you already know but... Im your godfather..." Harry was silent, contemplating if he'd just been lied insanely to or if he had finally found someone he could call family.