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Percy just blinked at him. "Ah... no. Pretty sure I am not."
"Maybe not my son in actual blood!" Sirius Black cheered, his eyes shining with a sudden, wild energy. He clapped Percy on the shoulder hard enough to make him stumble.
"But certainly, most definitely, my son in pure prankster spirit! Ah-ha! A new Sirius Black for this new generation! I honestly thought this glorious day would never come! Oh, you, my boy, you deserve your own special name put onto the Marauder's Map! Haha, this is fantastic! I am so glad, so very glad, there is still someone brave enough to spread a little chaos and cheer in these old Hogwarts halls, even now!"
Percy rubbed his head, looking a bit nervous but also pleased by the unexpected praise. "Hey, uh, no problem, Sirius. It is just... me being me, I guess... Wait a second," Percy's eyes suddenly narrowed, his good mood shifting to intense focus. "Did you just say... map?"
"Oh, yeah, I have a magical map of Hogwarts," Harry informed Percy casually, like it was common knowledge. "Basically, it shows you where everyone in the castle is at all times. Their little names moving around. It is very useful for, you know, sneaking around places and-"
"-WHAT?!" Percy absolutely roared, spinning around to face Harry. His voice was so loud it echoed in the small cave.
"You had a bloody map like that this entire time, and you didn't think to tell me?! I have been working my arse off trying to make my own map of Hogwarts for over a year now! Do you have any idea how many sleepless nights I have had?! How many times I felt completely useless because I couldn't figure it out?! You are giving me that map right now for research purposes, Harry James Potter, and I swear to Merlin, if you don't, I will tell every single person in this school that you still sleep with your fluffy pink teddy bear!"
Harry just blinked, looking completely unfazed. "But... I don't sleep with a teddy bear, Percy."
Percy's face split into a very wicked, smug smirk. "Oh, I didn't mean your teddy bear. I meant Susan's." He winked at the now bright red Susan.
Harry's eyes widened in mock horror. "You... you absolute monster."
"Yes, I am," Percy agreed cheerfully. "Now, the map. Don't forget about the map."
Hermione sighed loudly, shaking her head in exasperation. "Boys," she muttered. "Honestly. Please, Sirius, just try to ignore them. They are both completely crazy."
Sirius just chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Well, so am I, Hermione, my dear. Just a little bit crazy, anyway. It runs in the family, I think." He stretched, his bones cracking audibly. "Now," he said, his tone becoming more serious, "I suppose it is about time you all went away from here. It is getting quite late, and we really do not want any reason for three Triwizard Champions to suddenly go missing, do we? That could cause quite a stir, a big fuss. And if people in the Ministry start looking around too closely..." He let the sentence hang, the unspoken threat clear.
"Sirius," Harry spoke up, his earlier argument with Percy forgotten now. His voice was filled with concern. "Where are you going to go from here? You can't stay in this cave forever."
Sirius hummed thoughtfully, scratching his scruffy beard. "Well, I am not too sure, to be honest. I am thinking I will just roam around this area for a bit, find a bite to eat. The wildlife around these parts is not too bad, actually. And if I get really, really hungry," he added with a grimace, "I suppose I will just leave off eating the rats for a while."
"Sirius, no! You can't stay here!" Harry insisted, looking horrified at the thought. "It is not safe for you out here!"
"Well, I do not exactly 'ave anywhere else I can go, now do I?" Sirius replied, a hint of bitterness in his voice.
"Well... actually," Percy spoke up casually, shrugging his shoulders like it was no big deal, "you could stay at my place, if you want."
Sirius blinked, looking completely taken aback. "I am sorry... your place?"
"Yeah, my place," Percy repeated. "It's right next to Harry's place, you know, where his aunt and uncle live. Literally right across the road. I stayed there for most of the summer with my aunt Hecate, but now we both don't really use it much. My aunt is always traveling all over the world doing her... stuff... and I am here at Hogwarts, obviously. So, if you want, you can go there and stay for a while. It really shouldn't be a problem at all."
"That is... that is brilliant, Percy! Absolutely brilliant!" Harry cried out, his face lighting up with hope. "And did not you mention something about powerful wards around your house? If Sirius lives there, the wards could protect him! Keep him hidden! Plus, no one from the Ministry would ever suspect he is hiding out so close to my Muggle home! It is the perfect hiding spot!"
"That is... that is a very kind and generous offer, Percy," Sirius began slowly, looking genuinely touched but also hesitant. "But I can't possibly take you up on it. It just would not be right for me to impose like that."
Percy just shrugged again, dismissing the concerns. "It's fine, really. Like I said, I'm not using the place, and my aunt honestly doesn't give a damn about things like that. Plus," he added, a dangerous glint in his eye, "if you even try anything funny with her, or mess with her stuff, you'll be dead before you can utter your second syllable. I'll write to her today and ask. You can stay here in the cave for a few more days until she replies back. But I am pretty sure she will say yes, especially if I tell her that it's a special favor for Harry."
Sirius blinked, looking overwhelmed. "Percy, I-"
"No," Harry stepped in firmly, his expression determined. "Percy is right, Sirius. I am not letting you stay out here in this cold cave any longer than you absolutely need to. You need a proper roof over your head, and some decent food, proper food, not just scraps. You will go to Percy's aunt's house and wait there for her answer. Do you understand me? And no arguing about it."
Of course, Sirius did argue some more. He was a proud man, after all. But after being relentlessly bombarded with pleas and logical arguments from Harry, Susan, and Hermione, he finally, reluctantly, relented and agreed to the plan.
Percy promised to get an answer from Hecate as soon as humanly (or divinely) possible, but he made no concrete promises about when that would be.
Who knew when that busy goddess would actually be free to reply to an owl?
That night at dinner, Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat with Percy, Fleur, and Susan at the Hufflepuff table. The mood was a bit more subdued than usual, but also hopeful.
"Here," Harry whispered, leaning close to Percy. He subtly slipped a folded piece of old, yellowish parchment into Percy's hands under the table.
"It is the map. The Marauder's Map. To activate it, you just tap it with your wand and say, 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good'. And then, when you are done using it and want to wipe it clean, you tap it again and say, 'Mischief Managed'."
Percy took the offered parchment, his fingers tracing its worn edges. He nodded seriously. "Thanks, Harry. I'll be sure to give it back to you as soon as I can. Just need to study it a bit. Oh, and I already wrote to Hecate about Sirius. Shouldn't be too long before we get a reply, I hope."
"Thanks so much for doing all this, Percy," Harry said, his voice full of gratitude. He looked Percy right in the eyes. "It really, really means a lot to me. Thanks."
Percy just shrugged, trying to look casual, though he felt a warmth spread through him at Harry's sincere thanks. "Eh, he's the only real family you have got left, right?"
Harry nodded, his gaze dropping to his plate for a moment. "Yeah... he is my Godfather. The closest thing to a dad I've ever had."
Percy nodded understandingly. "Well then, it's fine. Family sticks together, Harry. It's no trouble at all. Besides," he added, his expression turning a bit worried, "I'm more worried about Sirius's eating habits right now. Did he really mention something about eating rats if he got too hungry?"
"'E really muzt love you very much t'en, 'Arry," Fleur said softly, nodding her head in agreement. "I find it very 'ard to imagine doing zo, eating rats. Ugh."
"Yeah," Harry sighed, a small frown on his face. "But do not worry too much about that anymore. I already sent him up big baskets of food from the kitchens with Dobby. He should be fine for food now, at least for a while."
Percy nodded, relieved. "Right... good." He paused, then looked at Harry thoughtfully. "You know, there is still one thing I don't quite get about all this."
Harry blinked, looking up from his food. "What do you mean, Percy?"
"Sirius," Percy stated simply. "Why didn't you mention him to anyone before now? Especially to me?"
"Well," Harry said, looking a bit uncomfortable, "he is a wanted criminal, technically still running from the law. That is a pretty big reason. Plus, if too many people know I am in contact with him, then they might try to track my mail, or his."
Percy just shrugged again, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "So? Just find another way to talk to him then. Does he know how to use a normal muggle telephone? You said he mentioned something about having a flying motorbike, didn't he? He must be at least a little bit competent with basic muggle tech, right?"
Harry frowned, thinking. "Well... yes, I guess so. He probably does."
"So, The Ministry of Magic wouldn't be able to track me if I just called you on a phone now, would they?" Percy asked with another shrug.
"I'll admit, it's a bit of a basic problem to solve, but hey, if you really want to, you could easily devise some kind of system to stay in contact safely. Don't you guys already use a different, untraceable owl to send letters to him anyway?"
Harry nodded slowly, realization dawning on his face. "Yes... yes, we do..."
"So," Percy pressed on, leaning forward slightly, "why don't you just tell everyone he's innocent? Start spreading the truth?"
Harry blinked, looking completely stunned by the simple suggestion. "I... I do not know. I never really thought about it that way."
"It is actually a very good idea, Harry," Susan spoke up, her voice gaining confidence. "People will listen to you now, especially since you are doing so well in the tournament, you're second overall. People's opinions on almost any matter could be swayed quite easily if you just tell them to think differently about it. You have influence."
"So, what do you want me to do then?" Harry asked, looking around at his friends, a new idea taking root. "Just stand up on the Great Hall table and shout, 'Sirius Black is innocent!' at the top of my lungs?"
Percy just grinned widely. "Why not?"
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If you want to read ahead by 20+ chapters you could take a visit on my patreon Or check it out.
http://patreon.com/SageOf016