Our trip so far has surely been exciting. The visit to the Museum at Cairo was completely fascinating as it held the earliest records of the presence of the essence of magic in Egyptian culture. 

Bill had shown us around his working site as well and we had met a few of his colleagues. Only the visit to Lake Nasser and the Luxor Temple was left. 

We were all having breakfast in the living room (for a change) instead of the yard, when a few owls swooped in through the open window. 

"Looks like your Hogwarts letters have arrived," Charlie remarked. 

True enough two of the owls delivered envelopes that were bearing the Hogwarts crest and seal, while the last dropped a package to Percy. "This month's edition of the Daily Prophet," he added in reply to the twins staring curiously at the package. 

"What good is the Daily Prophet for anyway?" Fred remarked and focused on his bacon instead. 

Percy read his school letter first then began tearing off the tapes from the magazine's package. 

"Oh good old Fifth year," George mumbled, "even the letter bears a note of warning." 

I opened my envelope which felt slightly heavier (wonder why though I'm pretty sure I could have been mistaken) and took out the letter. However something metallic brushed against my knuckles so I turned the envelope upside down. 

"Oh God no!" Fred and George both looked horrified at seeing what had tumbled out of the envelope: a Prefect's Badge. 

"Katerina, dear, a Prefect! That's marvelous!" Mom was clearly overjoyed. 

"I think they placed it in the wrong envelope," I finally spoke recovering from the shock. 

"Clearly, we two have the same assumption," the twins agreed. 

"But why would they? Honey, there hasn't ever been a single mistake in the sending of letters and badges," Mom explained, "if you receive a badge, it means that you've been chosen as a Prefect. And nearly everyone in our family has been a prefect." 

Fred smirked, "nearly everyone, Except us." 

Mom turned towards them, "I see they haven't made you two Prefects." 

George remarked, "who wants to be a Prefect? It would take all the fun out of life." 

However I understood why I had been made a prefect; just so I could keep the twins from causing any severe harm from their pranks and to keep them in line. Dunno if I'll succeed in that. Very little possibility, to be honest. 

"It's good to see that a few of my lectures did rub off on you," Percy mumbled still fully focused on opening his magazine edition, "however now that you're a Prefect, if you still don't abide by school rules and stay out after curfew..." 

Fred cut him short, "save the sermons for later, will you?" 

He grumbled in reply but got silent nevertheless. I was still a bit dazed by it all. I mean, I had just joined school and barely an year had passed since then and I didn't even have a much of a goody two shoes reputation. 

For example, I get stuck in detention nearly everyday, I started my first day of session by getting 500 points docked off from Gryffindor and ending up in two consecutive detentions altogether; one for writing insulting words about a teacher in an essay that was supposed to state said teacher's accomplishments and the other for exploding the Elixir to Induce Euphoria in the Potionsmaster's face.

So why would anyone honestly assign me with a task as this? In that case, the first possible assumption I had come up with seemed most likely. Definitely a misconception. 

"Mom, Dad, take a look at this!" Percy's voice shook me out of my reveries. 

Before Mom could take a look at whatever Perce meant to show her, the twins snatched the magazine out of his hands and began reading out loud, "Escape From Azkaban: the Wizarding World's most dangerous and highly protected prison is not so protected anymore. A high security prisoner, Sirius Black, notorious mass murderer and Dark Wizard has broken out of Azkaban and is wandering freely in the open. Wizards are cautioned to be at their guard and if Black is sighted, report immediately to the Ministry." 

Wait a second... Sirius Black? 

"Show me the paper," I tried to take it from George but Mom had already taken it. 

Her eyes scanned the whole article and I noticed how her face turned visibly pale. She went off immediately and I had a guess that she had gone to inform Dad about it. 

Bill was reading the article by now. When he turned over the page, I saw a picture of Sirius on the front page screaming like a mad man with the Azkaban Prisoner plate in his hands. 

It horrified me to see that he looked much more worse than I had seen him that night in one of my terrifyingly realistic nightmares. 

Nothing like his old handsome self I had known, this Sirius looked crazed and terrifying; the hollows round his once mischievous eyes visible, his skin sunken and starched, his hair matted and his youth all evaporated. 

My hand unknowingly tightened round my goblet such that my knuckles went white. It was all... So horrifying. I wished it all to be a nightmare, nothing else.

"I didn't betray them," his voice echoed in my ears, "it wasn't me! I can't even think of hurting my friends!"

The spine chilling flashes of that nightmare whirled through my head once again and I wanted to shut my eyes and ears in order to block the terrible noise and the unbearable pain. With great difficulty, I willed myself to calm down and drank the water in my goblet. 

A few deep breaths, that's it. 

I can't have my family finding out that I know Sirius. Things would get much more complicated if they did find out though, and I surely don't want to deal with that. When I was sure that my voice won't shake, I asked, "who's this Sirius Black?" 

Bill spoke up, "he was a strong supporter of You-Know-Who and a day after his downfall, Black was also arrested. It is believed that he was the second in command after the Dark Lord. The last time he was sighted was when he blew up a Muggle street killing 13 people out of which one was a wizard; Pettigrew. And he has been in Azkaban ever since. Until today, that is." 

Charlie looked thoughtful, "bugs me how he managed to trick those Dementors. As far as I know, no one has managed to escape past them ever before. And those who have tried have never succeeded." 

It sent an unnerving chill down my spine. Supporter of the Dark Lord? Sirius? How can that ever be possible? 

Dad came to the living room with Mom and even he looked as worried as I felt. "I'm really sorry kids, but we'll have to pack up. We're leaving for London today. By Floo Powder. The Ministry currently has a situation on its hands and I'm wanted at work. Try to pack your stuff as quick as possible." 

Mom, Bill and Charlie helped us by piling all the items in the trunks with magic. When we were all done, we were assembled by the fireplace. 

"Now keep in mind, we are going to the Leaky Cauldron," Mom instructed, "you all know how to use the powder. Percy, you go first. Fred, you're next. Then Kat and then George. Ginny, you'll come with me." 

Percy took the pot of Floo Powder and stepped into the fireplace. I turned to see Mom and Dad talking in hushed voices to Bill and Charlie and caught hold of a few sentences. 

"Of course, Harry is safe," I heard Dad. 

By this time even Fred and George were eavesdropping in. 

"He ran away from those Muggles but he's at the Leaky Cauldron under the strict watch of many wizards. Black can't think of laying a hand on him at the moment. Besides we all are going to be with him for as long as he's out of Hogwarts." 

I nudged Fred reminding him that it was his turn and that he should better step into the fireplace before Mom starts to suspect that we were listening in on them. After him, I sprinkled the powder and knowing what I had to do I stepped in the fireplace as well, "The Leaky Cauldron." 

Green flames sprouted around me and soon the whizzing took over and I knew I was being transported to London where Harry currently was, at the moment. All this was a bit too much for me to digest, to be honest.

 Sirius being referred to as a murderer and Dark Wizard, him escaping Azkaban, Harry running away from the Dursleys and everyone thinking that Black was after Harry... I closed my eyes letting the whirling take hold completely. 

It won't be long before I step out of a fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron. And perhaps then, perhaps, I would be a tiny bit closer to getting the answers of all these questions that were clustering my mind.

***