You hadn’t even planned on following Harry, Ron, and Hermione through the tunnel. But when the trapdoor swung open and the three of them vanished beneath the Whomping Willow, instinct kicked in. Something about the way Harry’s hands had been shaking. The way his eyes had looked when he’d said “He betrayed them.”

You couldn’t let them go alone.

Now, here you were in a crumbling shack that stank of damp wood and dust, facing the most wanted man in Britain.

Sirius Black.

His eyes were hollow and wild, sunken into his face like he’d forgotten how to sleep. His hair was long, tangled, and grey at the roots. He looked more ghost than man. And when his eyes found yours, something in them shifted. Not with recognition exactly. But something closer to grief.

“You brought her?” he said, barely glancing at Ron or Hermione. “Of all people—”

Harry stepped forward, jaw clenched. “Don’t talk to her. Don’t you dare.”

Sirius ignored him. His gaze was locked on you now. Your hands were trembling, and not just from fear. Something about his voice. You knew it from somewhere. Not from newspapers or magical wanted posters. From lullabies you didn’t remember, from a voice that used to say your name like it was something sacred.

“You remember, don’t you?” he asked, quiet now. “You were just a baby, but—”

Hermione grabbed your arm. “Don’t listen to him. He’s dangerous.”

Sirius didn’t argue. Instead, he crouched in front of you slowly, like someone approaching a wild animal. He didn’t reach out. He didn’t try to touch you. Just looked.

“There’s a scar just behind your left ear,” he said. “You fell on a toy broom. James laughed so hard he cried. You were always more fearless than smart. Just like your mum.”

You blinked, and a memory that didn’t belong to now flickered behind your eyes. A hand in your hair. A laugh like warm sunlight.

Harry raised his wand. “Get away from her.”

Then came the creak of a door opening. Remus Lupin stepped inside, his expression unreadable. He looked from Sirius to Harry to you, then said, evenly, “Nobody is going to hurt anyone. Put your wand down, Harry.”