•This story takes scenes from the Harry Potter series. I want to make it clear that I don't own those scenes. That's owned by
J.K. Rowling. Thank you•

~Scarlett~

Finally, the last weekend of the term came. Saturday morning, the second Hogsmeade trip.

Fred, George, and I had been planning for awhile to give Harry the map, but today was when we were planning on doing it.

Well, we had been planning on doing it together, but Fred and George ended up asking to do it themselves.

So I was now wondering the small village, waiting to see Harry appear.

I would've been here with the girls, but they had all stayed to pack. They were all going home for the holidays, I was staying at the castle with Mum.

So I was admiring things through the windows, slightly freezing in the cold weather.

But at long last, Harry appeared walking out of Honeydukes with Ron and Hermione.

"Harry!" I called, running over to them.
"Hey, Scarlett!" Harry smiled, waving at me.
"I see you got here fine then," I grinned.
"Yeah, that map is wicked," Harry breathed.
"Isn't it?" I laughed.
"It really is," Harry nodded.
"So what are you three up to?" I questioned.
"We were about to go to The Three Broomsticks," Ron smiled.
"Brilliant. Would you mind if I joined you?" I asked.
"Of course not," Hermione grinned, leading the way to the pub.

It was extremely crowded, noisy, warm, and smoky. I could see Rosmerta handing out drinks to a few students towards the back.

"That's Madam Rosmerta," said Ron. "I'll get the drinks, shall I?" he added, slightly going red.

Harry, Hermione, and I made our way to the back of the room, where there was a small, vacant table between the window and a handsome Christmas tree, which stood next to the fireplace. Ron came back five minutes later, carrying four foaming tankards of hot Butterbeer.

"Merry Christmas," he said happily, raising his tankard.

We all took a sip. Savoring the delicious taste. We were interrupted, however, as a sudden breeze blew against our skin. The door of The Three Broomsticks had opened again.

Professors McGonagall and Flitwick had just entered the pub with a flurry of snowflakes, shortly followed by Hagrid, who was deep in conversation with a portly man in a lime-green bowler hat and a pinstriped coat — Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic.

Ron, Hermione, Harry, and I instantly ducked under the table. We watched the teachers' and Fudge's feet move toward the bar, pause, then turn and walk right toward him.

"Mobiliarbus!" Hermione hissed.

The Christmas tree beside our table rose a few inches off the ground, drifted sideways, and landed with a soft thump right in front of our table, hiding us from view. Staring through the dense lower branches, I saw four sets of chair legs move back from the table right beside ours, then heard the grunts and sighs of the teachers and minister as they sat down.
Next I saw another pair of feet, wearing sparkly turquoise high heels, and heard a woman's voice.

"A small gillywater–"
"Mine," said Professor McGonagall's voice.
"Four pints of mulled mead–"
"Ta, Rosmerta," said Hagrid.
"A cherry syrup and soda with ice and umbrella–"
"Mmm!" said Professor Flitwick, snacking his lips.
"So you'll be the red currant rum, Minister."
"Thank you, Rosmerta, m'dear," said Fudge's voice. "Lovely to see you again, I must say. Have one yourself, won't you? Come and join us..."
"Well, thank you very much, Minister."

The glittering heels marched away and back again. My heart raced nervously. My breath seemed to be caught in my throat.

"So, what brings you to this neck of the woods, Minister?" came Madam Rosmerta's voice.

I could see the lower part of Fudge's thick body twist in his chair as though he were checking for eavesdroppers. Then he said in a quiet voice, "What else, m'dear, but Sirius Black? I daresay you heard what happened up at the school at Halloween?"
"I did hear a rumor," admitted Madam Rosmerta.
"Did you tell the whole pub, Hagrid?" said Professor McGonagall exasperatedly.
"Do you think Black's still in the area, Minister?" whispered Madam Rosmerta.
"I'm sure of it," said Fudge shortly.
"You know that the dementors have searched my pub twice?" said Madam Rosmerta, a slight edge to her voice. "Scared all my customers away....It's very bad for business, Minister."
"Rosmerta, m'dear, I don't like them anymore than you do," said Fudge uncomfortably. "Necessary precaution...unfortunate, but there you are....I've just met some of them. They're in a fury against Dumbledore – he won't let them inside the castle grounds."

Hermione and I met each others eyes, both wide and alarmed.

Dementors in Hogwarts would be pure chaos.

"I should think not," said Professor McGonagall sharply. "How are we supposed to teach with those horrors floating around?"
"Hear, hear!" squeaked tiny Professor Flitwick, who's feet were dangling a foot from the ground.
"All the same," demurred Fudge, "they are here to protect you all from something much worse....We all know what Black's capable of...."
"Do you know, I still have trouble believing it," said Madam Rosmerta thoughtfully. "Of all the people to go over to the Dark Side, Sirius Black was the last I'd have thought...I mean, I remember him when he was a boy at Hogwarts. If you'd told me then what he was going to become, I'd have said you'd had too much mead."
"You don't know the half of it, Rosmerta," said Fudge gruffly. "The worst he did isn't widely known."
"The worst?" said Madam Rosmerta, her voice alive with curiosity. "Worse than murdering all those poor people, you mean?"
"I certainly do," said Fudge.
"I can't believe that. What could possibly be worse?"
"You say you remember him at Hogwarts, Rosmerta," murmured Professor McGonagall. "Do you remember who his best friend was?"
"Naturally," said Madam Rosmerta, with a small laugh. "Never saw one without the other, did you? The number of times I had them in here – ooh, they used to make me laugh. Quite the double act, Sirius Black and James Potter!"

Harry dropped his tankard with a loud clunk. Ron kicked him.

But I was lost in thought. Mum said dad was really close friends with Harry's dad?

"Precisely," said Professor McGonagall. "Black and Potter. Ringleaders of their little gang." Little gang? "Both very bright, of course – exceptionally bright, in fact – but I don't think we've ever had such a pair of troublemakers–" Troublemakers?
"I dunno," chuckled Hagrid. "Fred and George Weasley could give 'em a run fer their money."
"You'd have thought Black and Potter were brothers!" chimed in Professor Flitwick. "Inseparable!"
"Of course they were," said Fudge. "Potter trusted Black beyond all his other friends. Nothing changed when they left school. Black was best man when James married Lily. Then they named him godfather to Harry. Harry has no idea, of course. You can imagine how the idea would torment him."

We all stared open mouthed at Harry, who was wide eyed.

"You can't forget about Black's girl, Clairesse," Madam Rosmerta piped.
"You knew her, Rosmerta? Clairesse Bennet?" Fudge questioned.

My eyes widened. Shock consuming me.

"Oh yes. That boy would go on for ages about her. He truly loved her," Madam Rosmerta sighed.
"Doubtful. Black went on to marry Clairesse, and then of course they had Scarlett. Poor girl has no idea that she's his daughter, better yet that her mother is still married to him."

A gasp left my mouth. Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked to me with wide eyes and mouths agape.

"You mean the Clairesse Bennet that resides in Hogwarts at this very moment?" Professor McGonagall asked, shocked.
"The very one. She's convinced he's innocent. Doesn't want to believe that he's the bad guy," Fudge sighed.
"That would torment Scarlett," Professor Flitwick stated.
"Because Black turned out to be in league with You-Know-Who?" whispered Madam Rosmerta.
"Worse even than that, m'dear...."

There's nothing worse than finding out my father was a bloody Death Eater.

Fudge dropped his voice and proceeded in a sort of low rumble. "Not many people are aware that the Potters knew You-Know-Who was after them. Dumbledore, who was of course working tirelessly against You-Know-Who, had a number of useful spies. One of them tipped him off, and he alerted James and Lily at once. He advised them to go into hiding. Well, of course, You-Know-Who wasn't an easy person to hide from. Dumbledore told them that their best chance was the Fidelius Charm."
"How does that work?" said Madam Rosmerta, breathless with interest. Professor Flitwick cleared his throat.
"An immensely complex spell," he said squeakily, "involving the magical concealment of a secret inside a single, living soul. The information is hidden inside the chosen person, or Secret-Keeper, and his henceforth impossible to find – unless, of course, the Secret-Keeper chooses to divulge it. As long as the Secret-Keeper refused to speak, You-Know-Who could search the village where Lily and James were staying for years and never find them, not even if he had his nose pressed against their sitting-room window!"
"So Black was the Potters'
Secret-Keeper?" whispered Madam Rosmerta.
"Naturally," said Professor McGonagall. "James Potter told Dumbledore that Black would die rather than tell where they were, and that Black was in hiding himself with his family...and yet, Dumbledore remained worried. I remember him offering to be the Potters' Secret-Keeper himself."
"He suspected Black?" gasped Madam Rosmerta.
"He was sure that somebody close to the Potters had been keeping You-Know-Who informed of their movements," said Professor McGonagall darkly. "Indeed, he had suspected for sometime that someone on our side had turned traitor and was passing a lot of information to You-Know-Who."
"But James Potter insisted on using Black?"
"He did," said Fudge heavily. "And then, barely a week after the Fidelius Charm had been performed–"
"Black betrayed them?" breathed Madam Rosmerta.

I felt sick.

"He did indeed," said Fudge. "Black was tired of his double-agent role, he was ready to declare his support openly for You-Know-Who, and he seems to have planned this for the moment of the Potters' death. But, as we all know, You-Know-Who met his downfall in little Harry Potter. Powers gone, horribly weakened, he fled. And this left Black in a very nasty position indeed. His master had fallen at the very moment when he, Black, had shown his true colors as a traitor."
"And Clairesse is still willing to defend him after all of that?" Madam Rosmerta questioned.

I may actually hurl.

"She does. Clairesse claims that he told her he changed the Secret-Keeper. But could you imagine all the lies Black told her in their marriage? And to just think of what he's potentially done to her? And now Clairesse has to raise his child alone. And just think of what Scarlett will go through when she finds out."

I was done. I pushed myself out from under the table, and ran out of the pub after placing a temporary concealment charm on myself.

It was extremely weak however, and I could tell it was completely worn off by the time I passed the dog I had, more recently, started calling Snuffles.

I could hear Snuffles follow me as I ran, stopping when I finally reached what I was looking for.

~Claire~

"Mum!" A voice yelled almost, angrily?

I turned from where I was overlooking the Black Lake, to see Scarlett running towards me, anger evident all over her face.

"When were you going to tell me?!" She demanded.
"Pardon?" I questioned.
"When were you going to tell me that my father is Sirius Black?!" She screeched.

My eyes widened.

"Where did you hear that?" I inquired.
"That doesn't matter! When were you going to tell me?!" She screamed.
"Scarlett I couldn't! You know I couldn't tell you anything!" I exclaimed.

She glared at me before storming off.

And right there where she had been standing, was a dog.

But not just any dog. Snuffles.

Before I could react, he turned around and ran off.

"Sirius!" I called, tears starting to well up.

"Sirius, please," I cried, "don't leave me again."
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It happened! She knows! The moment you've all been waiting for!

And, ironically, the chapterly question (which we need more of so please comment your questions) goes along with this chapter.

Said question is from undermau1
Hi, My question is will Scarlette ever know who Sirius is and he is her father? Also, Will Sirius and Remus Die?

My answer,
Well, I think this whole chapter answered half of your question. But in case you didn't catch it somehow, she does find out Sirius is her father. As for Remus and Sirius, yes. Pretty much all of J.K. Rowling's planned deaths will go along with this story.

I hope you're all having a great day! I love you all! Bye!
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