Arlene stared, it was a map showing every detail of the Hogwarts castle and grounds with tiny ink dots moving around it, each labelled with a name in minuscule writing. One the top left corner showed that Professor Dumbledore was pacing his study; the caretaker's cat, Mrs. Norris, was prowling the second floor; and Peeves the Poltergeist was currently bouncing around the trophy room. And as her eyes travelled up and down the familiar corridors, she noticed something else.

This map showed a set of passages she had never entered and many of them seemed to lead-

"Right into Hogsmeade," said Fred, tracing one of them with his finger. "There are seven in all. Filch knows about these four-"he pointed them out "but we're sure we're the only ones who know about these, don't bother with the one behind the mirror on the fourth floor, we used it until last winter, but it's caved in, completely blocked and we don't reckon anyone's ever used this one, because the Whomping Willow's planted right over the entrance, but this one here, this one leads right into the cellar of Honeydukes. We've used it loads of times and as you might've noticed, the entrance is right outside this room, through that one-eyed old crone's hump."

"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," sighed George, patting the heading of the map. "We owe them so much."

"Noble men, working tirelessly to help a new generation of lawbreakers," said Fred solemnly.

"Right," said George briskly. "Don't forget to wipe it after you've used it --"

"-or anyone can read it," Fred said warningly.

"Just tap it again and say, "Mischief managed! And it'll go blank."

"So, young children" said Fred, in an uncanny impersonation of Percy, "mind you behave yourselves."

"See you in Honeydukes," said George, winking.

They left the room, both smirking in a satisfied sort of way.

Arlene frowned "Did they just call us children?"

Harry shook his head "Did they just give us the map?"

'Right' Arlene thought glumly 'the map'.

As much as she would love to sneak into Hogsmead, she can't, she had promised Sage. And her friend was right, if Sirius Black could sneak into the fortress that is Hogwarts, going to the village would be walking into the lion's den.

"We can't go," Arlene announced, she bit her lip and pushed a stray curl behind her ear "Black is still on the loose, it's too dangerous."

Harry looked conflicted "What if he can't see us?"

Arlene gave him confused look "What?"

Hesitantly, Harry told her about his little secret, the cloak of invisibility, how he got it in his first year and how he had been using it to sneak out ever since.

Once again, Arlene was conflicted, she promised Sage.

'But you'll be invisible' a voice told her 'there won't be any danger.'

"Okay," she agreed "let's go."

Arlene really wished her life would stop revolving between all is well land and bad news train like an out of control pendulum.

The 'bad news train' left the station when they squeezed through the narrow passage and into Honeydukes which was coincidentally where both Hermione and Ron currently shopping.

"Ugh, no, Harry won't want one of those, they're for vampires, I expect," Hermione was saying.

"How about these?" said Ron, shoving a jar of Cockroach Clusters under Hermione's nose.

Harry chose that moment to make a dramatic entrance "Definitely no."

"Harry!" Ron exclaimed, dropping the jar.

In one swift movement, Arlene grabbed it before it hit the ground and placed it back on the shelf.

"Arlene?" Hermione whisper-yelled.

"Wow!" said Ron, looking very impressed, "you've learned to Apparate!"

"'Course we haven't," said Harry, he dropped his voice so that none of the sixth years could hear him and told them all about the Marauder's Map.

"How come Fred and George never gave it to me!" said Ron, outraged "I'm their brother!"

"But Harry and Arlene aren't going to keep it!" said Hermione, as though the idea were ludicrous "they're going to hand it in to Professor McGonagall, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not!" said Harry.

Arlene arched an idea "Why in the name of Merlin would we do that?"

"Are you mad?" said Ron, goggling at Hermione "hand in something that good?"

"If we hand it in, I'll have to say where I got it! Filch would know Fred and George had nicked it!"

"But what about Sirius Black?" Hermione hissed "he could be using one of the passages on that map to get into the castle! The teachers have got to know!"

"He can't be getting in through a passage," said Harry quickly. "There are seven secret tunnels on the map, right? Fred and George reckon Filch already knows about four of them and of the other three, one of them's caved in, of them's got the Whomping Willow planted over the entrance, and the one I just came through, well, it's really hard to see the entrance to it down in the cellar, so unless he knew it was there-"

Harry hesitated, Ron, however, cleared his throat significantly, and pointed to a notice pasted on the inside of the sweetshop door.

BY ORDER OF THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC

Customers are reminded that until further notice, Dementors will be patrolling the streets of Hogsmeade every night after sundown. This measure has been put in place for the safety of Hogsmeade residents and will be lifted upon the recapture of Sirius Black. It is therefore advisable that you complete your shopping well before nightfall.

Merry Christmas!

"See?" said Ron quietly "I'd like to see Black try and break into Honeydukes with Dementors swarming all over the village, anyway, Hermione, the Honeydukes owners would hear a break-in, wouldn't they? They live over the shop!"

"Yes, but- but-" Heroine seemed to be struggling to find another problem. "Look, Harry and Arlene still shouldn't be coming into Hogsmeade, they haven't got a signed form! If anyone finds out, they'll be in so much trouble! And it's not nightfall yet, what if Sirius Black turns up today? Now?"

"He'd have a job spotting them in this" said Ron, nodding through the mullioned windows at the thick, swirling snow come on, Hermione, it's Christmas. They deserve a break."

Arlene watched the two fight with an amused grin, as if she was watching a tennis match.

"But-" Hermione started, but Ron ignored her.

"Seen the Fizzing Whizbees, Harry?" said Ron, grabbing Harry and leading him over to their barrel. "And the Jelly Slugs? And the Acid Pops? Fred gave me one of those when I was seven, it burnt a hole right through my tongue. I remember Mum walloping him with her broomstick."

Arlene noticed Hermione's annoyed expression, she knew the girl was only worried about their safety.

She threw an arm around Hermione "Come on, Granger," she told her "if you can't beat them, join them. Let's go sweet hunting, I want to taste everything here."

She took her arm off and started to follow Harry and Ron to the Jelly Slugs, but noticed Hermione still wasn't moving.

"Scared Granger?" Arlene called out with a smirk.

Hermione smiled lightly at the joke "You wish."

Originally, Arlene was planning to ditch Harry once they arrived and go look for Theo and Blaise, but as she found herself heading up the street, Ron and Hermione talking through their scarves about where to go, she couldn't complain.

"That's the post office-"

"Zonko's is up there-"

"We could go up to the Shrieking Shack-"

"Tell you what," said Ron, his teeth chattering, "Shall we go for a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks?"

"I think I'm speaking for all of our freezing toes when I say yes please." Arlene declared, already crossing the road to the little inn.

It was extremely crowded, noisy, warm, and smoky, a curvy sort of woman with a pretty face was serving a bunch of rowdy warlocks up at the bar.

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

Arlene, Harry and Hermione made their 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.

Arlene grinned as she sipped the white off the top, she usually drank the canned Butterbear, so, it wasn't often that she got to taste the foam, which in her opinion, was the best part of the drink.

A sudden breeze ruffled her hair, the door of the Three Broomsticks had opened again. Arlene looked over the rim of her tankard and choked.

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 cloak, Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic.

She snorted in her head, she didn't know why nobody else found the name 'Minister Fudge' hilarious.

In an instant, Hermione grabbed Arlene and Ron grabbed Harry, then they pushed them under the table.

Somewhere above them, she heard Arlene whisper "Mobilarbus!" and the Christmas tree levitated a few inches and landed in front of their table.

"Well," Arlene mumbled to Harry "this was not how I was expecting things to go."

Harry chuckled lightly and they both watched a 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, smacking 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 march away and back again. Why hadn't it occurred to her that this was the last weekend of term for the teachers too? And how long were they going to sit there? She needed time to sneak back into Honeydukes if she wanted to return to school tonight, oh merlin if she got caught, Sage would skin her alive.

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

Arlene saw 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 the whole village twice?" said Madam Rosmerta, a slight edge to her voice. "Scared all my customers away, it's very bad for business, Minister."

"Rosmerta, dear, I don't like them any more than you do," said Fudge uncomfortably. "Necessary precaution, I've just met some of them, they're in a fury against Dumbledore, he won't let them inside the castle grounds."

"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, whose 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."

Harry gave her a worried look, but he didn't have to, her mother had told her what Sirius Black had done, this was hardly breaking news.

"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 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."

"The ordeal is too horrid, and the media outlets aren't helping, I can't leave the castle without being pounced on by reporters 'how was is teaching a serial killer?' 'Was Sirius Black as sadistic when he was young?'.'was his brother and niece as troubled?' bloody morons," McGongall sighed "Honest to god, I still think this is all a bad dream, for him to be a traitor is one thing, but what he did to his little brother..."

Now this was breaking news.

"Regulus? Rosmerta questioned "I remember him, looked a lot like his brother, but he was completely different, very calm and collected, he was always either reading a book or sitting with that nice Ravenclaw girl, what was her name?"

"Paloma," Flitwick replied "they got married actually, had a daughter, Arlene."

She heard McGongall sigh deeply "They had a fallout during Regulus' third year, a lot of screaming and cursing, hexes thrown left and right, me and Slughorn had to separate them by force. Some might say we should have seen it coming, but I knew they still cared for each other, I couldn't have imagined..." she trailed off.

"What Minerva?" Posmerta pressed "What happened?"

"During the First Wizarding War, Dumbledore was leading the resistance, he had this secret group called The Order Of The Pheonix, Regulus was a spy for him." She announced.

If Arlene was standing up, she would have fallen down. Sure, her mother had always told her that her father didn't support Voldemort, not truly, but a spy?

All her feelings were summed up by Rosmerta's gasp.

"Yes, it's shocking, Regulus was a spy, but when little Arlene was born, he and Paloma decided to go into hiding. A few people knew about Regulus' true loyality and even fewer knew about his plan. So you can imagine our shock when the news that Voldemort killed him arrived."

"It was Sirius?"

"There was a spy in our ranks, we knew that, but we didn't know who, I trusted each member with my life. I guess that's a mistake both me and Regulus made." McGongall finished sadly, and Arlene heard her gulp down her drink.

"That's the most horrible thing I can imagine." Rosmerta told them with deep sorrow.

"You don't know the half of it, Rosmerta," said Fudge gruffly "The worst he did isn't widely known."

"The worst?" exclaimed Madam Rosmerta, her voice full of disbelief "Worse than murdering all those poor people and signing his brother's death warrant, 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, they used to make me laugh. Quite the double act, Sirius Black and James Potter!"

Harry dropped his tankard with a loud clunk, she couldn't say she blamed him, it seemed that the surprises were not over.

"Precisely," said Professor McGonagall. "Black and Potter. Ringleaders of their 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-"

"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."

It was Arlene's turn to look at Harry with a worried expression, and to say he looked shocked was the understatement of the century.

"Because Black turned out to be in league with You-Know-Who?" whispered Madam Rosmerta.

"Worse even than that, m'dear," 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, was tipped off by a spy, possibly Regulus, and he alerted James and Lily at once, had 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 is 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, that Black was planning to go into hiding himself 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 some time 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.

"He did indeed. 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. He had no choice but to run for it-"

"Filthy, stinkin' turncoat!" Hagrid said, so loudly that half the bar went quiet.

"Shh!" said Professor McGonagall.

"I met him!" growled Hagrid. "I musta bin the last ter see him before he killed all them people! It was me what rescued Harry from Lily an' James's house after they was killed! Jus' got him outta the ruins, poor little thing, with a great slash across his forehead, an' his parents dead an' Sirius Black turns up, on that flyin' motorbike he used ter ride. Never occurred ter me what he was doin' there. I didn' know he'd bin Lily an' James's Secret-Keeper. Thought he'd jus' heard the news o' You-Know-Who's attack an' come ter see what he could do. White an' shakin', he was. An' yeh know what I did? I COMFORTED THE MURDERIN' TRAITOR!" Hagrid roared.

"Hagrid, please!" said Professor McGonagall. "Keep your voice down!"

"How was I ter know he wasn' upset abou' Lily an' James? It was You-Know-Who he cared abou'! An' then he says, 'Give Harry ter me, Hagrid, I'm his godfather, I'll look after him'Ha! But I'd had me orders from Dumbledore, an' I told Black no, Dumbledore said Harry was ter go ter his aunt an' uncle's. Black argued, but in the end he gave in. Told me ter take his motorbike ter get Harry there. 'I won't need it anymore,' he says.

"I shoulda known there was somethin' fishy goin' on then. He loved that motorbike, what was he givin' it ter me for? Why wouldn' he need it anymore? Fact was, it was too easy ter trace. Dumbledore knew he'd bin the Potters' Secret-Keeper. Black knew he was goin' ter have ter run fer it that night, knew it was a matter o' hours before the Ministry was after him.

"But what if I'd given Harry to him, eh? I bet he'd've pitched him off the bike halfway out ter sea. His bes' friends' son! But when a wizard goes over ter the Dark Side, there's nothin' and no one that matters to em anymore."

A long silence followed Hagrid's story. Then Madam Rosmerta said with some satisfaction, "But he didn't manage to disappear, did he? The Ministry of Magic caught up with him next day!"

"Alas, if only we had," said Fudge bitterly. "It was not we who found him. It was little Peter Pettigrew, another of the Potters' friends. Maddened by grief, no doubt, and knowing that Black had been the Potters' Secret-Keeper, he went after Black himself."

"Pettigrew, that blond little boy who was always tagging around after them at Hogwarts?" said Madam Rosmerta.

"Hero-worshipped Black and Potter," said Professor McGonagall. "Never quite in their league, talent-wise, I was often rather sharp with him. You can imagine how I -- how I regret that now..." She sounded as though she had a sudden head cold.

"There, now, Minerva," said Fudge kindly, "Pettigrew died a hero's death. Eyewitnesses, Muggles, of course, we wiped their memories later, told us how Pettigrew cornered Black. They say he was sobbing, 'Lily and James, Sirius! How could you?' And then he went for his wand. Well, of course, Black was quicker. Blew Pettigrew to smithereens."

Professor McGonagall blew her nose and said thickly, "Stupid boy...foolish boy...he was always hopeless at dueling...should have left it to the Ministry ..."

"I tell yeh, if I'd got ter Black before little Pettigrew did, I wouldn't've messed around with wands , I'd 've ripped him. Limb. From. Limb," Hagrid growled.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Hagrid," said Fudge sharply. "Nobody but trained Hit Wizards from the Magical Law Enforcement Squad would have stood a chance against Black once he was cornered. I was Junior Minister in the Department of Magical Catastrophes at the time, and I was one of the first on the scene after Black murdered all those people. I- I will never forget it. I still dream about it sometimes. A crater in the middle of the street, so deep it had cracked the sewer below. Bodies everywhere. Muggles screaming. And Black standing there laughing, with what was left of Pettigrew in front of him, a heap of bloodstained robes and a few- a few fragments-"

Fudge's voice stopped abruptly. There was the sound of five noses being blown.

"Well, there you have it, Rosmerta," said Fudge thickly. "Black was taken away by twenty members of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad and Pettigrew received the Order of Merlin, First Class, which I think was some comfort to his poor mother. Black's been in Azkaban ever since."

Madam Rosmerta let out a long sigh.

"Is it true he's mad, Minister?"

"I wish I could say that he was," said Fudge slowly. "I certainly believe his master's defeat unhinged him for a while. The murder of Pettigrew and all those Muggles was the action of a cornered and desperate man, cruel, pointless. Yet I met Black on my last inspection of Azkaban. You know, most of the prisoners in there sit muttering to themselves in the dark; there's no sense in them, but I was shocked at how normal Black seemed. He spoke quite rationally to me. It was unnerving. You'd have thought he was merely bored, asked if I'd finished with my newspaper, cool as you please, said he missed doing the crossword. Yes, I was astounded at how little effect the Dementors seemed to be having on him -- and he was one of the most heavily guarded in the place, you know. Dementors outside his door day and night."

"But what do you think he's broken out to do?" said Madam Rosmerta. "Good gracious, Minister, he isn't trying to rejoin You-Know-Who, is he?"

"I daresay that is his, er, eventual plan," said Fudge evasively. "But we hope to catch Black long before that. I must say, You-Know-Who alone and friendless is one thing, but give him back his most devoted servant, and I shudder to think how quickly he'll rise again... we have reasons to believe he has other motives, though."

"Which are?"

"The kids," Fudge said "Arlene and Harry, we think he wants to get rid of them first. Finish what he started, I suppose."

There was a small chink of glass on wood. Someone had set down their glass.

"You know, Cornelius, if you're dining with the headmaster, we'd better head back up to the castle." said Professor McGonagall.

One by one, the pairs of feet in front of Harry took the weight of their owners once more; hems of cloaks swung into sight, and Madam Rosmerta's glittering heels disappeared behind the bar. The door of the Three Broomsticks opened again, there was another flurry of snow, and the teachers had disappeared.

"Harry? Arlene"

Ron's and Hermione's faces appeared under the table. They were both staring at them, lost for words.

So Sirius Black was not only responsible for her father's death, but for Harry's parents' as well.

Merry Christmas to her.

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Words cannot express how sorry I am for the late update.

I was the director for our school play last month and I have finales right now, but vacation starts on Tuesday so hopefully I'll be able to update more.

Thanks for reading :)