"No one would dare come to this bar after being so badly frightened!"
Madam Rosmerta led Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge and Professor McGonagall's group upstairs, complaining all the while about how her business had suffered. But Fudge glanced around the bar—it was packed, not a single seat empty, with no signs of poor business at all.
Harry Potter pushed open the door to the upstairs room and slipped quietly into a corner to avoid being seen.
The effect of the Disillusionment Charm caused everyone present to ignore the fact that the door had seemingly opened and closed on its own.
"Now, can someone please tell me what exactly is going on here?"
Madam Rosmerta looked rather indignant, and it was clear she was about to start demanding compensation from the Ministry.
"Let me explain first," Professor McGonagall said, removing her scarf and placing it on the back of a chair. "Many years ago, when Harry Potter's parents realized that Voldemort was hunting them, only a handful of people knew where they were hiding. One of them was Sirius Black."
"You're saying Sirius Black told the Dark Lord where the Potters were hiding?"
Madam Rosmerta was in disbelief. After all, the Marauders had once been quite famous.
"That night, Black didn't just lead the Dark Lord to the Potters—he also murdered their friend, Peter Pettigrew."
Cornelius Fudge added this, though his expression made it hard to discern his true thoughts.
"Who is Peter Pettigrew?"
Well—that was a mood killer. But it was also the very question Harry wanted to ask.
"He was the shortest of the four friends," said Professor McGonagall, gesturing with her hand to show his height, "always following Sirius around like a shadow."
"Oh! I remember now. There was a small fellow who was always with James and Black. So, how did he end up dead?"
Rosmerta pressed on. Hadn't they just said the Potters were the ones who were killed? Now Pettigrew too?
"Peter might have tried to alert the Potters," Fudge explained, wearing an expression of sorrow. "He might have succeeded—if he hadn't run into his old friend, Sirius Black."
Fudge walked over to the liquor cabinet and poured drinks for himself and McGonagall.
"Sirius was ruthless. Not only did he kill Peter, he destroyed his body completely. Only a finger—just one finger—was left behind. That's all the Ministry found."
Fudge held up his pinky finger to demonstrate, indicating that this was the sole remnant recovered.
"Sirius Black may not have personally killed the Potters," McGonagall said, downing her drink in one gulp, "but he was directly responsible for their deaths."
"And this isn't even the worst part!" Fudge added, signaling for McGonagall to go on, clearly knowing what was coming.
"Sirius Black was—still is—Harry Potter's godfather."
Professor McGonagall's voice was heavy with emotion. She didn't know how much harm this truth would cause Harry, but it had to be said.
"So… he came back to finish what he started? I can't believe this…"
Madam Rosmerta began to piece things together—Sirius Black had broken out of Azkaban to kill Harry Potter. He had betrayed his friends, and now, even as a godfather, he had come to complete the job.
Harry could no longer endure it. He burst out the door, knocking over several people in the process.
Outside the Three Broomsticks, Hermione and Ron had been waiting for him and immediately gave chase.
"Harry Potter has left. Thank you all for your cooperation."
Regulus Black entered the room. Clearly, this had all been a performance—staged just for Harry.
"Regulus! You're here, thank goodness! I wasn't sure how far to go with it, but clearly, you're satisfied with how it turned out."
Cornelius Fudge embraced Regulus Black like a man who had found salvation.
As Minister of Magic, Fudge knew far more than he let on. Whether Sirius Black was guilty or not could already be judged from existing evidence. That was why he agreed to Regulus's plan—to use Sirius's escape as a chance to overturn the verdict.
Sirius was undoubtedly innocent, but since the Wizengamot had declared him guilty, overturning it wouldn't be easy. It was a political problem, not a legal one.
"Professor McGonagall, thank you for your effort. When my brother's name is finally cleared, the Black family will owe you a great debt."
Regulus stood before McGonagall, speaking with genuine gratitude.
A favor from the Black family wasn't something to take lightly. Fudge had done quite a bit to earn benefits from them, and even he looked a little envious upon hearing Regulus offer such a promise to McGonagall.
"Tell me, Regulus—is Sirius really innocent?"
Dumbledore had ordered McGonagall to cooperate with Regulus at all costs. Though she didn't know why, she accepted the mission in the name of the Order of the Phoenix.
She hadn't expected Regulus's request to be so simple: just speak about Sirius in front of the Minister of Magic. And because she wasn't privy to the inside knowledge Fudge had, everything she said naturally painted Sirius in a negative light—mostly speculation. Even so, she felt she was going against her conscience. That's why she had downed the drink Fudge gave her in one shot.
"Whether my brother is truly innocent depends on whether he can present the evidence before Harry. Of course he's innocent—but he's stubborn. And stupid! If he followed my script, everything would fall into place after the truth was revealed."
"Let's hope so. I just can't get used to your Slytherin methods. What even is truth? What even is fact?"
Professor McGonagall's voice brimmed with frustration and bitterness. As a Gryffindor, she had no shortage of courage but no habit of scheming. Now she was being used as a pawn by a Slytherin—it didn't matter if her words were sincere; the whole thing just left a bad taste.
"Please, no unnecessary actions. No one wants Sirius's name cleared more than I do. No one wants to see Harry gain the love of his godfather more than I do. So, please cooperate."
With that, Regulus Black left the Three Broomsticks. As for Madam Rosmerta, the bar's owner, the Minister's presence alone was enough to keep her silent.
"Harry! What happened?!"
Hermione caught up to Harry, who had run far away. His invisibility cloak hung loosely over his shoulders. When she pulled it down, she saw he was crying.
"He was their friend, and he betrayed them. He's my godfather… and now he wants to kill me. I hope he finds me—because when he does, I'll be ready. When he shows up… I'll kill him."
Harry had issued a declaration of vengeance—impressive, considering he was only a third-year wizard.
Spring had arrived—or rather, Hogwarts's winter had passed—but Sirius Black was still nowhere to be seen.
Harry continued his training in the Patronus Charm. Unfortunately, he had very little talent for it. After all, Remus Lupin's teaching method revolved around the idea of "finding joy in pain" to help Harry master it.
So, as expected, progress was slow. Even when facing Boggart-generated Dementors, Harry struggled.
During this time, he had eaten so much chocolate that even Regulus Black noticed he was getting a little chubby.
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