The Last Marauder

Diagon Alley

The letter from school had arrived three weeks ago, containing a personal note from Professor McGonagall who asked Harry to meet her at the Leaky Cauldron after he had finished his shopping. She wanted to meet him today so Harry prepared to leave.

"Sirius, is it really okay if I go to Diagon Alley now?"

Sirius sighed. He was sitting in the living room and pretended to read a book so that Harry would not worry any more than he already did.

"Harry it is okay. I can look after myself, believe me. Go and try to distract yourself for a couple of hours. Merlin knows you've earned it."

Harry nodded and threw a hand full of Floo Powder into the fireplace. The flames turned green.

"Bye then. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Take your time."

Harry stepped into the flames and yelled "Diagon Alley".

When he climbed out of the public fireplace at Diagon Alley, he couldn't spot any trace from Ron and Hermione and so decided to collect some money from his vault at Gringott's and then start his shopping immediately.

First he went into Flourish & Botts to get his new school books, then he ordered new robes at Madam Malkin's for he had grown a lot over summer.

Next stop was the pharmacy where he refilled his potions supplies, then he sat down at the Ice Cream Parlour to relax a little. He still had over an hour left before he had to meet with Professor McGonagall.

"Look whom we got here. If that's not Potty Potter."

Harry recognized the drawling voice instantly as Draco Malfoy's but decided not to react.

"Still mourning for that werewolf, are we?"

Don't react. He just wants to provoke you.

Malfoy now stepped in front of Harry. He was guided by Crabbe and Goyle as usual, his father was no where to be seen.

"Nice picture in the Prophet, holding hands with the dog-man. How many shots did it take until you two were content with the result?"

That was enough. Harry jumped from his seat and threw himself onto Malfoy. Before Crabbe and Goyle were able to figure out what was going on, Harry had already given Malfoy a bleeding cut on the left temple and a black eye. He now focussed his anger on Malfoy's stomach and hit it as hard as he could.

He barely realized that Crabbe pulled him back while Goyle now took his term to hit Harry. He didn't realize the pain at all, he was still focusing on his anger towards Malfoy. The Slytherin now rose and stared at Harry, his grey eyes filled with disgust.

"You will pay for that Potter. That lunatic didn't earn anything better, and you and your dog-guard will be next, believe me. It will be a glorious day when the wizarding world gets finally rid of scum like you!"

He spit in Harry's face and then hit him hard, one fist in the stomach the other in the face.

"What's going on here? Mr. Malfoy! Mr. Crabbe! Mr. Goyle! Let go from Mr. Potter right now!"

Professor McGonagall was storming towards them.

"What, for Merlin's sake are you doing here? Outnumbering him three on one, that's typical Slytherin courage! Leave immediately. Unfortunately I cannot take any points from you yet, but I'll inform your parents about this incident, believe me."

Harry had sunk onto the floor when Crabbe and Goyle had let go of him and now slowly got to his feet again.

"Mr. Potter, are you alright?"

Harry nodded.

"I was looking out for you in fact. I thought that maybe you had finished your shopping and as everybody is already assembled in the Leaky Cauldron I thought we might have our meeting a little earlier."

"Everybody is assembled? Who else is there? I thought it was just you and me meeting."

"Professor Dumbledore is there and some other members of the staff. Nothing to worry about. Can you come?"

"Sure, I'm finished. The sooner I get through this, the sooner I can return home."

They made their way to the Leaky Cauldron and Professor McGonagall handed Harry a handkerchief to clean the blood from his face. He had a nasty cut above the eyebrow where Malfoy had hit him.

They entered the Pub and made their way to the back room, Harry kept looking on the floor to avoid the curious gazes.

As they entered the back room, Professor McGonagall directed him into a chair on one end of the table.

Harry could see Dumbledore, next to him McGonagall sat down, Snape was sitting opposite of him and Flitwick, Sprout and Hooch were also there. Nearly the entire staff was assembled in the Leaky Cauldron, not only some members.

"Albus, Harry has just been beaten up by Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle. I could not believe my eyes when I saw it. They deserve punishment even though the term has not started yet."

Before Dumbledore could respond, Harry interrupted.

"Professor, it was me who started the fight. Malfoy made some rude comments, but it was me who hit him first. I could have reacted differently, there was no need for me to hit him. I should be used to him by now. If you punish him for that, it will make things only worse."

Dumbledore nodded.

"All right Harry, if you say so. But Mr. Malfoy is not the reason we wanted to meet you. How are you doing?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "Okay. Could be better, but it has already been worse."

"Do you feel like going back to school again?"

"I feel like going back to school, but I definitely don't want to leave Sirius. He's doing worse than I am, and if there is nobody to look after him...I don't want to imagine."

He looked at Dumbledore. The headmaster nodded.

"I see. But you have to understand that Hogwarts is the most secure place for you to be. One reason why I didn't approve that Sirius took you from your aunt and uncle was that he cannot give you the protection a blood relative can give. But I have to admit that he had good reasons to do so.

Well, we thought about possible arrangements. Do you think that Sirius would decide to say yes if you asked him to stay at Hogsmeade?"

"Professor, with all due respect, but Sirius hardly decides to say anything when I ask him if he wants something to eat. I don't know what he would say. But I can ask."

"I see. Then I will talk to him in person. But I need you to understand that you have to go back to school. Everyone in this room is aware of your situation and the difficulties that come along with it. We asked you to meet us here so that we can assure you that the entire staff is willing to give you all the support you need. So if there is anything you need or want, not only now but throughout the year, just ask."

Harry thought for a moment.

"If I can really convince Sirius to come to Hogsmeade, I think I will resign as a Prefect. It costs too much time, I'd rather spend that time with Sirius."

Dumbledore nodded. "I had expected that much."

Harry sighed. "The same with Quidditch."

McGonagall looked up. "We'll find another team captain."

Harry shook his head. "Not only the position of team captain. I want to quit the House Team. There are too many practice sessions, it would only be wasted time. And what if I fall off my broom again and have to stay in the Hospital Wing? No, I won't play Quidditch this year."

McGonagall looked at Harry as if she could not believe what she had just heard, but then nodded. "We'll arrange tryouts for a new seeker and find a new captain."

"Thank you. Is there anything else you want to talk about? Otherwise I would like to leave now if you don't mind."

"No Harry, you may leave if you want to. Tell Sirius that I will talk to him tomorrow. Good Bye Harry."

"Good Bye Professors."

Harry got up, collected his bags and left the room.

When the door had closed behind him, Dumbledore looked at the rest of the teachers.

"Now, what is your impression?"

McGonagall shook her head. "He's rather functioning than anything else. Taking care of Sirius is too much for him alone. He won't stand that much longer, not even with the help of Molly Weasley. And if Sirius is really doing as bad as he described it, neither will he."

"Maybe that's what the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters want."

All eyes turned onto Snape.
"What do you mean Severus?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.

"I've been thinking about it ever since Lupin's house was attacked.

I reveal no secret when I say that before his downfall, the Dark Lord tempted both Lupin and Black. I surely share the belief of you all when I say that the reason he could not pull them to his side was the strong bond between them and their close relationship towards the Potters. None of those four would have betrayed their aim and their friends like Pettigrew did.

When he realized that he could not turn them, he wanted them dead.

Well, the Potters were killed years ago, and now that Lupin is dead..."

Dumbledore interrupted.

"You think that Remus was murdered so that Sirius would become desperate enough to join the Dark Side? That doesn't make sense, he knows who is responsible for Lupin's death."
"Dumbledore, I know how that works. The one thing Black is longing for now surely is revenge. And who could offer him that except from the man who sent the murderers? He can offer them to him on a silver tray. If Black would give in to that, he'd be nearly lost.

Black is not himself right now, people who are mourning don't think rational. An Merlin knows that he's mourning, Lupin was the only friend from his youth that was left.

And even if that was not the Dark Lord's plan, we need to get Black rational again. He is of no use if he's just messed up, and a Sirius Black who has joined the Dark Lord is an idea none of us would want to imagine.

We need to have him save on our side, and we need to have him fighting for us.

And believe me, I would not say something like that about him without having considered it over and over again.

There's no way out, we have to bring him to Hogsmeade where we can have an eye on him."

Dumbledore nodded. "I'll talk to him tomorrow. I'll see what I can do."

They all rose and left the room.

"Harry, what has happened to you? You're bleeding!"

Harry had just stepped out of the fireplace when Sirius stormed towards him, took him by the shoulders and led him to the sofa.

"I've had a little encounter with Malfoy and his bodyguards, but it's not as bad as it looks. He's off worse, believe me. And McGonagall has interrupted before anything else could happen."

Sirius got up and fetched his wand from the windowsill.

"Let me mend that cut." He waved his wand and the pain in Harry's head vanished.

"Where else did they hit you?"

"In the stomach, but it's really not as bad as you think it is."

"Let me decide that. Lay back."

Harry did as he was told because he knew that there was no way to stop Sirius from examining him.

His godfather lifted his robes and the shirt he wore underneath.

"Merlin, Harry what have they hit you with? An anvil?"

Harry looked down on himself and saw that large bruises had already appeared on his belly.

"Ever seen Goyle? I'm sure there is an anvil somewhere in the line of his ancestors."

"Does that hurt?"
"Ouch, of course that bloody hurts. You've been pushing right into the bruise, what do you think that would do?"

"Sorry Harry. I just want to check whether anything's broken."

He waved his wand and the bruises disappeared. Harry rose and saw that Sirius watched him with sorrowful eyes.

"Oh Sirius, really. It's not as bad as it looks. I've been brawling that's all. I appreciate it a lot that you're concerned, but it's really not serious. Thank you for mending the bruises."

Sirius kept on looking on him.

"You're all that I have left. I just can't help it, I'm scared to loose you as well."

Harry gave his godfather a long hug. "I don't intend to leave you. In fact, I want to ask you something about the next year."