Chapter Text
Once again, Hogsmeade.
"No, agonizing over things doesn't suit me."
Carina Malfoy stood up from her seat, tossing her long hair back.
Whether or not to tell Harry Potter the information she had about Sirius Black.
Her deliberation had been long, but it yielded no answers. In cases like this, Malfoy knew of a far better option than just sitting around worrying.
"Instead of wavering back and forth, it's better to just pick a side and push through. I'm going to meet Harry Potter during this Hogsmeade visit and settle this once and for all!"
At Malfoy's declaration, Crabbe and Goyle, who had been sitting nearby playing a card game, looked up with expressions that said the inevitable has finally happened.
"You've finally made your decision?"
"You're going to ask him out? Are you?"
"Wh-wh-what are you talking about, that's ridiculous nonsense!"
Malfoy, stumbling while still on her feet, screeched in response.
"Who is it? Who's been spreading such absurd rumors?"
"Uh... technically us, I guess?"
"You two have been closest to me, so you should know! Harry Potter and I are mortal enemies who can never mix!"
Crabbe and Goyle looked at each other. Through gazes alone, they came to a silent agreement to just nod along for now.
"But Malfoy, you were staring at the fireplace while rubbing your forehead for three hours."
"And if the conclusion you reached after all that agonizing is that you're meeting Harry Potter in Hogsmeade... isn't that a little suspicious?"
True, her deliberation had been rather long and serious. But that was strictly because of the gravity of the matter at hand, absolutely not because she cared about Harry Potter.
Malfoy gave a haughty hmph through her nose and spoke.
"You really are girls in your prime, aren't you. Trying to spin some trivial fragments of truth into a romance no matter what. I'm sorry to say, but I have zero interest in such petty love affairs, unlike you two."
"Crabbe, what should we do? Haven't we had enough by now?"
"Hold it in just a little longer, Goyle."
Crabbe and Goyle exercised their utmost patience and held themselves back.
"So what is it about? If it's so important, you could just tell him at school."
"It's something absolutely no one else can hear. And... it has to be Hogsmeade. That way, I can take action if things go south."
Malfoy trailed off, looking faintly into the distance. Goyle couldn't hold it in any longer and blurted out.
"If you want to have a secret romance, go write in a shared diary or something. Stop making us sick."
"Goyle!"
Crabbe hurriedly covered his mouth, but it was no use. Fortunately, however, Malfoy, having been caught off guard once, didn't fall for the same provocation twice.
"Phew... I wasn't going to say this, but I'll let only you two know."
Malfoy brandished her wand and cast a spell.
"Muffliato."
"What spell is that?"
"A spell that prevents anyone outside from hearing us. My father used to use it often."
While she was at it, Malfoy leaned in so that even the shape of her lips couldn't be seen. Her long blonde hair draped down like a curtain, and Crabbe and Goyle leaned in close with faces full of curiosity.
"I have very important information for Harry Potter... It's about Sirius Black."
"Goodness, it really was something important."
"I told you over and over again that it was important!"
Malfoy stomped her foot and shouted. Lately, it seemed her friends had been getting rather cheeky.
"Anyway, I'm going to use this to negotiate with him. As for what exactly it is, that's a secret."
"But Harry Potter can't go to Hogsmeade, can he?"
"No, that guy will find a way to go no matter what."
Harry Potter had never once stopped doing what he wanted to do. It was true in their first year, and true in their second year. Knowing absolutely nothing, he'd throw himself into danger with nothing but a wand.
That was why Malfoy had decided she had to tell him.
If he was going to go looking for Sirius Black anyway, he should at least know what had happened. That would be the bare minimum of mercy Malfoy could show him.
"...Umm, Malfoy. Do you happen to need any help?" Crabbe offered cautiously.
"Should we shake off the others on the way to Hogsmeade? If the two of us walk around with another kid, people will just assume it's you."
"If you would."
It was a very much appreciated offer, as she needed to avoid the public eye. Malfoy secured their promise of cooperation and waited for the next Hogsmeade visit.
The visit right before the Christmas holidays was so bitterly cold that absolutely no one thought it strange when Malfoy wore a thick fur hat.
Crabbe and Goyle, who had been walking down the street with Malfoy, rounded a corner at one point and approached Daphne Greengrass; taking advantage of the opening, Malfoy slipped away down a side alley. By hiding her hair and pulling up her collar, no one recognized her.
She hadn't made a specific appointment with Harry Potter. She had merely muttered "The Shrieking Shack" as she walked past him. But Harry Potter, as if to show he understood, had curled his fingers into an 'OK' sign and held it up.
Since they hadn't set a time, she had to go first and wait. Bundled up tightly in her clothes, Malfoy waited for Harry Potter in front of the Shrieking Shack.
The weather was far too cold. Even wrapped in thick layers and a hat, the icy air bit into her skin.
Standing still with her collar pulled up, she heard someone giggling as they passed by, saying, "Did she come alone?"
She wanted nothing more than to spin around and snap at them, but she barely managed to hold it in. Malfoy stood perfectly still, thinking of the rude boy who was making her wait.
Just then, she spotted a black dog over there.
It was the dog she had seen at Hogwarts before. Surely there couldn't be another dog that scrawny around here.
"...What is that thing doing all the way out here."
She had fed it a whole bunch of chocolate back then, but it still looked completely starved. Malfoy glared at the dog sullenly for a moment, then turned around and headed toward The Three Broomsticks.
Malfoy brought back a mug of Butterbeer and a roasted chicken leg from the pub. The black dog was still guarding the same spot.
Malfoy spoke loudly to herself.
"It was so cold anyway, I needed something to warm up my body. Butterbeer is an excellent drink for warming up. I merely brought a chicken leg along since they happened to be tossing them out over there."
The dog just sat there, quietly looking at Malfoy. Of course it wouldn't understand, Malfoy muttered softly, placing the chicken leg on the ground.
"Eat it if you want. I'm not undignified like you, so I won't be ravenously tearing into a chicken leg outdoors."
The dog looked at Malfoy with an expression that seemed to say, What on earth are you talking about? Malfoy thought that the saying 'dogs have facial expressions too' might actually be true.
Regardless, upon smelling the chicken leg, the dog nudged the wrapping apart with its nose and began tearing into it deliciously.
Malfoy spent the time until Harry Potter's arrival watching the seemingly starving dog eat the chicken leg.
"Well, it's not like I particularly care what happens to some mutt, but it's a decent enough hobby to kill time."
She was just muttering to herself about perhaps adopting one when it happened.
"Whoa, a dog!"
"A stray?"
"It's eating a chicken leg? Looks like this dog eats better than we do!"
A group of students approached, chattering loudly. Malfoy instinctively knew what they were going to do.
They had the faces of ruffians. They would probably poke and prod at the dog. Whether the dog ran away or lunged at them, it wouldn't be a very pleasant sight.
However, the noble Malfoy had no desire to step up just to protect a mere dog.
Malfoy just sipped her Butterbeer and watched what they were doing.
"Hey, hey. Is it tasty?"
The boys picked up a long tree branch and slowly approached. The dog, which had been eating the chicken, let out a low growl.
But the wand-carrying children didn't seem to feel particularly threatened.
"What are you gonna do if you bark? We could hang you upside down..."
The standoff was dragging on. At this rate, it would eventually lead to a clash.
She didn't want to interfere, but Malfoy had to stay here until Harry Potter arrived. Drawing unnecessary attention from others was the last thing she wanted.
The very moment Malfoy was about to take a step forward.
[KYEEEEK!]
A scream rang out from near the Shrieking Shack. The boys were startled out of their wits.
"Wh-what the?"
"A ghost?"
"There's a ghost in the Shrieking Shack... but it's daytime right now?"
[Kee-kik, kiree-gik, kueeeek!]
The bizarre shrieking echoed once more, and the boys cowered to the fullest.
Whoosh. A barrage of mud came flying from out of nowhere and covered the boys. It pelted them with pinpoint accuracy, aiming squarely at their faces and clothes.
"Agh!"
"It's a ghost!"
The boys fled, covering their faces with both hands. Malfoy crossed her arms and watched them run away in such an unsightly manner.
A small, thin scream sounded right by Malfoy's ear.
[Kyeee--]
"Cut it out and show yourself, Potter."
"Oh?"
Harry Potter pulled off his Invisibility Cloak. As always, he wore a mischievous smile, his forehead fully exposed.
"You actually managed to recognize me?"
"There's no way I wouldn't recognize your annoying, frivolous voice. Causing such a bizarre commotion with everyone watching... if it were me, I wouldn't have been able to lift my face out of sheer embarrassment."
"Why would I be embarrassed? No one knows what I did."
"I know."
"So what if I show off a little to you?"
Harry Potter handed Malfoy a button heater. It was an item sold at Zonko's Joke Shop, a magical heater that warmed your entire body when attached to a coat button.
Malfoy hid her mouth behind her collar and spoke.
"Hmph, I suppose you do have a tiny bit of what could be called sense."
"I went through a lot of trouble, you know. Do you have any idea how hard it was to buy this while wearing an Invisibility Cloak?"
"Instead of taking the time to buy that, you should have just come earlier. I've been waiting forever. Why are you so la... wait a minute."
Malfoy, who had been attaching the button heater, realized something and furrowed her brow.
He had enough spare time to go buy a heater button, and the exact moment Malfoy was about to step forward, he had mimicked a ghost's scream.
That meant Harry Potter had arrived a long time ago.
If he had enough time to go buy the button heater, he had probably been watching Malfoy shiver in the cold for quite a while.
Malfoy spoke, her voice laced with fury.
"You made me wait? On purpose?"
"Ah, wait. Don't misunderstand."
"Explain yourself clearly so I don't misunderstand. I will be holding you accountable for your rudeness afterward."
Malfoy glared at Harry Potter with icy eyes. Harry Potter smiled as if he were in a tight spot, then let out a small sigh and confessed.
"I had a prior engagement."
"Hmm, is that so?"
"Coincidentally, our paths crossed. Because of that, you ended up meeting a black dog instead of me... You two kept hanging out together. Somehow, I couldn't find an opening to interrupt."
"Hrmmm."
It felt as though he was referring to the dog as a person, but she was so focused on the fact that he had a 'prior engagement' that she failed to notice.
Malfoy crossed her arms and fiddled with the button heater as if she were going to rip it off at any second.
"Right. And who was this appointment with?"
"It's not that important. Compared to my date with you, that is."
"You too?! Why on earth is that the only direction everyone's minds go?!"
Malfoy shrieked. Letting go of the button heater, she glared at Harry Potter, huffing in indignation.
"It's a very important matter. It's information regarding the Sirius Black."
For a moment, Harry Potter's face twisted into something bizarre. It was an expression that looked like he desperately wanted to laugh but was holding it back with all his might.
He briefly glanced behind him. The black dog was chewing on a chicken bone, watching their conversation.
Malfoy spoke, putting on her most arrogant air.
"Potter, do you know who Sirius Black is? He was your parents' friend. So close, in fact, that they entrusted him with their most important, life-or-death secret."
"Uh-huh, um. I see."
"Aren't you curious as to why someone so close ended up locked away in Azkaban?"
"Wow, I am so curious."
"Hmph, well I could tell you."
Every single reaction coming from Harry Potter was incredibly subtle and sarcastic, but Malfoy, drowning in her own sense of superiority, failed to notice.
"Potter, if you want, I can share that information with you. On one condition... Give me back the diary."
"What?"
Instantly, Harry Potter's face hardened coldly. Malfoy gulped unconsciously upon seeing that expression, but she didn't back down, tilting her chin up haughtily once again.
"Yes. Wouldn't that be a fair trade? It's information about your parents' sworn enemy, after all."
Harry Potter looked back at the dog. Then, he let out a sigh and brushed his hair back.
Having watched Harry Potter for quite a long time, Malfoy knew.
The act of casually brushing his scar while pretending to sweep his hair back.
That was something Harry Potter—who always seemed endlessly cheerful—only did when he was getting truly serious.
"Malfoy, I know about Sirius Black. Though it seems you don't."
The temperature of his voice was ten degrees lower than usual. Hearing his cold tone made her feel as if her body was freezing solid, despite the button heater attached to her.
Dementors? Malfoy found it impossible to believe that a Dementor could take down Harry Potter.
Because an angry Harry Potter was far more terrifying than some Dementor.
However.
"I know enough! And I'm certain you must be curious about the information I have! If you want to know it—!"
Her parents' lives were tied up in that diary. While it didn't seem likely that Harry Potter or Dumbledore would carelessly reveal it to the public, it was far better for the Malfoy family to have it back than for it to be used against them while in their hands.
Now was the decisive moment. Confronting her fear, Malfoy proposed the deal—
"No. Not at all. You know nothing."
She was rejected flat out.
Malfoy flinched. That wasn't him being stubborn or bluffing; it was absolute sincerity.
Harry Potter genuinely did not need that information.
"I really appreciate you taking an interest in me, but this matter is..."
After saying that much, Harry Potter fell into thought for a moment.
"Never mind. Since things have gone this far, it's probably better just to tell you."
"Wh-what?"
"I'll let you know exactly what it is you don't know, just this once. So don't ever bring up the diary again. Ever."
Harry's words were so terrifyingly resolute that Malfoy unconsciously took a step back.
Harry looked at Malfoy with a cold expression tinged with a hint of sorrow. He then turned his gaze away and spoke to the black dog.
"Sirius. I wanted to meet you. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to reveal your true identity here."
Woof, woof.
The dog barked as if replying to Harry's words.
Malfoy stared at Harry Potter, who was attempting to converse with a dog, with a look of utter bewilderment.
Harry Potter didn't pay her any mind and continued his conversation with the dog.
"It's alright, I have leverage over her. So please, rest easy and return to your human form."
"What does that..."
Malfoy stopped mid-sentence and stared at the dog with eyes full of shock.
The black dog suddenly fell to its knees, then soon stood up on two legs and brushed its face with its front paws. In that fleeting moment, its snout shortened and its hair lengthened, and before she knew it, it had transformed into the shape of a human standing on two feet.
Malfoy saw his face. The face she had seen every single day in the Daily Prophet this past summer.
A man who would have been considered remarkably handsome with even a little grooming, but who now was nothing more and nothing less than an emaciated, skeletal prison escapee.
Standing right there, wearing literal rags and sporting a bushy, unkempt beard.
Harry Potter pointed at him.
"Let me introduce him."
An Animagus. A wizard capable of transforming into an animal.
Only then did the puzzle pieces snap into place. How he had escaped Azkaban, and how he had evaded the Ministry of Magic's pursuit.
Dementors feed on human emotions. That's why they serve as the guards of Azkaban. Because only human emotions can serve as their prey.
Sirius Black wouldn't have needed an insider or a secret passage to enter Hogwarts. He probably just slipped right in while in his dog form.
The identity of the Grim, the large black dog that had appeared at school, was...
A transformed Sirius Black!
"This is Sirius Black. Escapee from Azkaban, my sworn enemy, and at the same time... my godfather."
With a completely nonchalant expression, Harry Potter introduced the escaped convict who had supposedly come to kill him.