CHAPTER TWO
SIRIUS BLACK'S INTENTIONS
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The doors to the bus swung open as Tom, the innkeeper of the Leaky Cauldron, appeared. "Mr. and Miss. Potter. At last."
We got off the bus, Harry grabbing his trunk on the way out. The bus rocketed away the second we stepped off the last step.
Harry and I trailed after Tom as we passed through the quiet room of the inn. The bartender glanced up as we walked by, then went back to cleaning the glasses. Another wizard was seated at a table, reading a book as his coffee stirred itself. Tom led Harry and I upstairs. I glanced around and noticed that it was oddly quiet. Tom opened the door to a room and led the two of us inside. Harry's owl, Hedwig, is waiting there for us. I also notice that my trunk and my owl, Ivory, are also there. The Weasley's must've sent them.
"Hedwig!" Harry gasped delightedly at the owl, rushing over to her. I knew that Hedwig was quite literally Harry's only friend while he was at the Dursely's. He had a real bond to her.
"Real smart bird you've got there, Mr. Potter. Arrived here only minutes after yourself." Tom told Harry.
I heard a man clear his throat. I turned to the front of the room and saw the outline of a man standing, looking out of the window of the room. Tom stood against the wall near the door. It was Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic. "I should tell you, Potter twins, that your uncle's sister was located earlier this evening just south of Sheffield, circling a chimney stack. The Accidental Magic Reversal Department was dispatched and she's been properly punctured and her memory modified. She has no recollection of the incident whatsoever."
I look at Harry, wondering what could've made him do what he did.
I'll tell you later. I hear him, jumping slightly. I had forgotten we could do that.
Reading my mind now? I ask, hoping he can't.
No. I think it's just when you make eye contact with me and think about something you want to tell me or something I can hear it.
Oh.
"So that's that, no harm done. And we have record of your organizing spell, Miss. Potter. Which of course, has done no harm either. Pea soup?" Fudge gestures to the table that hold a collection of food on it.
"No thank you, Minister. I don't understand - we broke the law. Underage wizards and witches aren't allowed to use magic at home..." Harry trails off. I internally groan. Fudge was letting us off the hook! Did Harry want to get expelled?
"Oh, come on now, Harry. The Ministry doesn't send people to Azkaban for blowing up their aunts or organizing their things!" Fudge paused and I let out a sigh of relief. "On the other hand... the two of you running away like that... given the state of things... very, very irresponsible."
He's talking about Sirius Black. But everyone is in danger of him, so why are the two of us in even more danger than everyone else?
Then again, when are we not?
Harry tilted his head. "'The state of things', sir?" He asks.
"We have a killer on the loose."
"Sirius Black, you mean. But what's that got to do with us?" Harry frowns, practically reading my mind. I bet he actually did.
"Hm? Oh, nothing. You're safe, that's what matters. In a few days you'll be on your way to Hogwarts." Fudge looks back out the window. "Oh, and Potters, while you're here, it would be best if you didn't... wander."
"Yes, sir."
It took Harry a while to get used to his strange new freedom. It was obvious that he never before had he been able to get up whenever he wanted or eat whatever he fancied. He could even go wherever he pleased, as long as it was in Diagon Alley, and as this long cobbled street was packed with the most fascinating wizarding shops in the world, Harry felt no desire to break his word to Fudge and stray back into the Muggle world.
We ate breakfast in the Leaky Cauldron, then afterwards went into Diagon Alley, when we've been doing for the past few days. We were finishing up buying our school supplies for the new year. It was hard not to spend our money on useless and stupid things that we would buy just for fun. The worst was the Quidditch store, and we had to refrain from buying literally everything in the store.
"Harry!" I exclaim, rushing to the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies. He follows me, also pressed up against the glass. There was a new broom on display. One much nicer than Harry and I's Nimbus 2000's. It was called the Firebolt. I was practically drooling over it.
"Price on request..." He trailed off. We didn't ask what the current requested price was, knowing it was going to be very high. So we didn't end up buying ones, but returned practically every hour just to look at it.
Later that day we had finished getting all the books we needed, including one for our new subject, Divination, and a animal-like one for Care of Magical Creatures. Which we heard Hagrid is teaching this year.
The next morning I awoke to a pounding on my door. I rolled my eyes and opened it, revealing my twin brother. "Get dressed, we've got to eat." He says, and I glance at the clock.
"Why so early?" I groaned, stepping aside so Harry could come into my room. He did, and flopped down onto my bed as I pulled out clean clothes from my trunk and went into the bathroom to change.
"Well, we're going to Hogwarts today." Harry states, and my eyes widen. I had totally forgotten. After I got changed, and brushed my hair and my teeth, Harry and I left my room. We walked over to the staircase and stopped on the top step.
Mainly because, right at the bottom of the stair case, was a ginger and a brunette.
"I'm warning you, Hermione! Keep that bloody beast of yours away from Scabbers or I'll turn it into a tea cozy."
"He's a cat, Ronald! What d'you expect? It's in his nature!"
Ron was protectively cradling his rat, Scabbers, as Hermione glared at him while holding her orange fluffy cat, Crookshanks. I sighed, they had been doing this when I left the Burrow last week.
Ron looks up at us, and his glare turns to a grin. "Harry! Giovanna!" Hermione turns as well and smiles. Harry and I descend the steps, and hug our two friends.
The four of us walk over to the table where the rest of the Weasley's were sitting. "Did you get a new wand?" I ask Ron.
"Oh yeah, I almost killed people with my old one." He grins.
Harry says his hello's first, since I live with the family. We sit down at the table, the order of the side I sat on going Ginny, me, Hermione, Ron, then Harry. Right now Ron was showing Harry the photos from when the Weasley's and I went to Egypt.
While Harry, Ron, Fred, and George spoke about Egypt, Hermione, Ginny, and I caught up.
"So, Giovanna, ready to see Noah again?" Hermione smiles cheekily.
"Noah! No way, it's her and Malfoy for the win!" Ginny exclaims. I sigh.
"I really don't know which one to chose. I like both of them, but I also know that I like Noah more than Draco." I say.
"Then the obvious choice is Noah." Hermione nods.
"It should be. But when I think about letting go of Draco, I just remember first year and how we could just hug all the time and talk and not care about anyone or anything else." I sighed.
"Yeah, you were eleven. You didn't have to care about anything else." Hermione says.
"And now I'm thirteen. Which is still so young, I still shouldn't have to worry about anything else." I frowned.
"Yeah but people get offended so easily when you're thirteen." Ginny rolls her eyes, then the three of us laugh because she's only twelve. "What I'm saying is that sure, feelings aren't serious now, but they're more serious than they were in your first year."
"Yeah, I guess you're right." I groaned. "I haven't seen either of them, besides when Noah visited the Burrow last month. I just have to wait and see them both again."
"Or this could be the year when you don't worry about boys, and focus on your school work." Hermione says in a motherly tone.
"That's true, we do have new subjects this year anyways. Honestly, I might just do that." I agree.
"Boooooringggg," Ginny drawls out, and we all laugh.
"Giovanna, I wonder if I might have a word." Mr. Weasley says from behind me. I nod, and stand up from my seat at the bench. He gets Harry, and then leads over to the far side of the room.
"Looking forward to a new term?" Mr. Weasley asks us.
"Yeah, it should be great." Harry nods.
"Harry, Giovanna, there are some within the Ministry who would strongly discourage me for divulging what I'm about to reveal to you two." He lowers his voice to a mumble that only Harry and I can hear. "But, I think that you both need to know the facts. You are in danger, grave danger.
"Has this got anything to do with Sirius Black?" I asked, gazing at a wanted poster of the man.
"What do you know about Sirius Black, Giovanna? Harry?" He asks.
"Only that he's escaped form Azkaban." Harry says.
"And that he supported Voldemort." I say, and Mr. Weasley cringes.
"Don't say his name."
"Fine." I huff in annoyance.
"Do you know why he's escaped, Harry?"
Harry shakes his head.
"Thirteen years ago, when you both stopped," Mr. Weasley looks side ways at me. "When you stopped You-Know-Who, Black lost everything. But, to this day, he still remains a faithful servant as Giovanna said. In his mind, you two are the only things that stand in the way of You-Know-Who returning to power. And that is why he has escaped from Azkaban. To find you both."
"And kill us." Harry and I say at the same time.
"I want you both to swear to me that whatever you might hear, you won't go looking for Black."
Harry frowns. "Mr. Weasley, why would we go looking for someone who wants to kill us?"