A Forever Love

Chapter Eight: Back in Black

"Hagrid! Open up! I've found her!"

No more than a few seconds later, Hagrid swung the door open. "Wha? Why'd you go an' get her fer? It ain't safe!"

"I know, I know. I thought she'd want to know before anyone told her though. It's brutal news, after all."

Hagrid looked as if he was questioning letting us in. Finally he let out a big sigh and said, "A'right, come in. Bet'r than out there." The man led me in, still gripping my arm. He finally released it once we were inside. Also there, other than Hagrid, was Professor Dumbledore.

"Professor!" I said in surprise. "Wha- what's going on?"

"I'm afraid I have some bad news to deliver, Miss Montague." I clenched my teeth around these words. Bad...? Didn't that man say it had something to do with Harry, though? Oh, God... I winced, expecting the worst... and I got it. "Harry Potter..." I was anxious yet at the same time dreading the next part of his sentence. "...is missing."

All of a sudden, I felt as if some one had punched me right in the gut... hard. I was practically shaking, but I was too worried to be afraid.

"Where is he?" I said in a feeble voice. "What's happened?!"

"We're unsure of anything, other than the fact that he is indeed... gone."

"Gone?! How can he just be... gone? This is Hogwarts, for pity's sake! The safest place in the wizarding world!! How can he just be gone?!"

"We thought of everything..." Hagrid said, trying to help but not really accomplishing the task.

"No, not everything," spoke up the man in black. The same man who had taken me from the owlery. I had almost forgotten he was there. "If we thought of everything, he wouldn't be missing!" he snapped.

"Calm yourself. It's not good to get too worked up over these things," Professor Dumbledore said.

"Who are you, anyway?" I asked him. He finally lowered his hood so I could see his face. I jumped back in horror at the man I saw. Frightened, now more than ever, I tried to run out, but Hagrid stopped me.

"Ya can't go out there!" he said. "It ain't safe!"

"DO YOU KNOW WHO THAT IS? ARE YOU ALL MAD? LET ME GO!"

"Krystal! Calm down!" Professor Dumbledore spoke up. "He is not what you've heard. Has Harry told you nothing about him?" I stopped dead and turned to the man.

"Professor, with all due respect, I realize you're a trusting man but Sirius Black is not a man to be trusted! He's on the dark side! Killed Harry's parents, that one! HOW CAN YOU EXPECT ME TO BE CALM?"

"Evidently Harry hasn't said a word about me..." he spoke. "Calm yourself, Krystal. I'm Harry's godfather and I'm not a murderer!" I was still unsure. Sure, Dumbledore and Hagrid trusted him and it seemed as if Harry must have trusted him too... but this was a man who spent years in Azkaban and managed to escape. He was on the loose... and now I knew where.

"And what would he have told me about you?" I snapped.

"He told you nothing of his third year?"

"Well..." It took enough time, but they managed to convince me that Sirius was innocent. Things were a little shaky after that. It felt very strange being in the presence of an escaped convict from Azkaban... but as long as he was truly innocent, it was all right, I suppose.

"Krystal, the last we know, you were in the owlery with Harry. What happened?" Sirius asked me.

"How'd you kn-"

"Don't bother asking... it was hard enough to spy on him from outside the castle - don't make me explain. Now, what happened?"

"Well, Harry and I were just sitting and, well, we leaned in to..." I blushed a violent color of red, "...to kiss. Then I felt somebody push the two of us apart. When I looked back up, I could hear Harry but I couldn't see him. I suspect he was under the invisibility cloak. It was pitch black all of a sudden and I found my way to the door, following their voices. Then the door slammed and I couldn't hear them anymore. When I tried to open the door it was locked until Sirius came and brought me here. That's it."

"And you didn't see anything? The man's face? Are you sure it was a man?"

"Well it was definitely a male but I suppose it could've been a boy, as well." Sirius and Dumbledore exchanged a look before turning back to me. "What?"

"Well, if it was some one around your age - a young boy - it could be any male student in the school," Sirius explained. "Couldn't we just see who arrives to class tomorrow and use the process of elimination to figure out who it might've been?"

"We could... but it's not a boy from this school. No, I don't think it was a boy at all. A male, indeed... yet, not just a boy. No, some one who knows their way around Hogwarts fairly well did this. They'd have to, you see, because the lock on the door of the owlery is hidden. Not just a boy..."

"How can you be so sure?" I asked him.

"I have my own process of elimination, Krystal." he told me.

"Sir, not to be rude or anything, but what do you expect we can do here? I mean, we are completely clueless to where Harry might be or who might have him. Isn't this just some wild goose chase?"

"Ah, Miss Montague, but we do have a clue as to who might have him." Now Sirius and I exchanged a look.

"Who?" Sirius asked.

"Who do we know that hates our Mr. Potter? Other than Voldemort, that is." My eyes widened, immediately realizing whom he was talking about.

"Professor! You can't mean..." he only nodded. "But... but he would never!"

"...Did I miss something...?" Sirius chimed in.

In unison, Professor Dumbledore and I said, "Malfoy."

"Malfoy? Malfoy as in Lucius Malfoy?!" he asked with rage. "What is he doing here?"

"Not him, Sirius. His son, Draco. He's here. He could be working through his son," Dumbledore explained.

"No! Professor, he wouldn't! I know he wouldn't!" I cried, trying to defend Draco.

"You must admit that Draco and Harry have never gotten along, Miss Montague."

"Well, yes... but..."

"Draco Malfoy, huh? Should we have a talk with this Draco Malfoy?" Sirius said with a sneer. I didn't want Draco to get hurt and I was so sure that he wouldn't hurt seriously hurt Harry. Draco just... wouldn't. He'd never. "Does Draco resemble his father? Lucius? That sleazy, hideo-"

"That'll do, Sirius."

"Sorry, sir. Well, Krystal - I think we've kept you enough for tonight. Wouldn't you agree?" he asked Dumbledore. The professor nodded. "I'll take you back up to the Gryffindor common room safely." I nodded in agreement. I knew I'd probably never get to sleep with the thought of Harry missing in my mind, but at least I might be able to talk to Roxeanne about it.

"Oh, and Krystal, we'd appreciate it if you could keep this to yourself for some time." How did he do that? It's like he's reading my mind!

"Oh. Yes, sir." Sirius took me back into Hogwarts. He left me at the entrance to the common room.

"Mr. Black? Sirius? Do you think I might be able to talk to Draco before... before you do?" Sirius turned back around and looked at me and I knew he was seriously debating what his answer was going to be. "It's just... well, we're pretty decent friends and I haven't really talked to him, not seriously, in quite some time and I'd like to before you go questioning him, if you don't mind." I'd never admit it, but Sirius was intimidating. I was more than just a little scared of him. His seriousness plus the intensity of Harry missing sent shivers down my spine.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt."

"Thanks!" I left into the common room.