Lucinda Dursley: Alternate Version

Sirius Returns

Lucinda's POV

Today I'm sneaking into Hogsmeade. Sirius has apparently returned, he wants to see Harry and I. Along with the other two. As I'm not a third year, I have to sneak in. Harry is letting me take his invisibility cloak. He said he and the others would meet me outside Honeydukes.

So here I am in a dark tunnel alone making my way to Hogsmeade. I arrive at the end and peak out. See the ghost is clear and climb out of the tunnel. I put the door back in place and cover myself with the invisibility cloak.

I come up the stairs into the store. I see Harry and the other two outside with a black dog holding the daily prophet. I smile and make my way through the crowd and go outside. "Hey Sirius" I say smiling as I apt his head. He yips through the paper and starts to walk away.

"Lulu, is that you?" Harry asks.

"Who else numb nuts?" I ask him and the other two chuckle. Sirius leads us out of Hogsmeade. Then across the scrubby patch of ground that rose to meet the rocky foot of the mountain. Harry, Ron, and Hermione climbed over the stile. Harry and Ron then helped me over before we continued to follow Sirius.

Sirius led us to the very foot of the mountain, where the ground was covered with boulders and rocks. It was easy for him, with his four paws. But the others and I were soon out of breath. We followed Sirius higher, up onto the mountain itself. For nearly half an hour we climbed a steep, and stony path. Following Sirius's wagging tail, sweating in the sun.

Then, at last, Sirius slipped out of sight. When we reached the place where he had vanished, we see a narrow fissure in the rock. We squeeze into it and found ourselves in a cool, dimly lit cave. Tethered at the end of it, one end of his rope around a large rock, was Buckbeak.

We all bowed low to him, and after regarding us imperiously for a moment. Buckbeak bent his scaly front knees and allowed Hermione & I to rush forward and stroke his feathery neck. "I missed you" I say and he coos happily. Harry, however, was looking at the black dog.

I look up to see Sirius was wearing ragged gray robes. His black hair was longer than it had been when I last saw him. It was untidy and matted once more. He looked very thin as he put the papers down. "Chicken" he says hoarsely. Harry pulled open his bag and handed over the bundle of chicken legs and bread. "Thanks" he says as he sits down digging into the food.

"Why are you so thin Sirius?" I ask him concerned.

"I've been living off rats mostly. Can't steal too much food from Hogsmeade; I'd draw attention to myself" he explains.

"What are you doing here, Sirius?" Harry asks him.

"Fulfilling my duty as godfather" he states. "Don't worry about it, I'm pretending to be a lovable stray" he assures us. He still smiles and he notices Harry's anxious face. So he becomes serious. "I want to be on the spot. Your last letter. . . well, let's just say things are getting fishier. I've been stealing the paper every time someone throws one out. By the looks of things, I'm not the only one who's getting worried" he explains.

"What if you are capture uncle?" I ask him worried.

"Exactly, what if you're seen?" Harry asks him.

"You four and Dumbledore are the only ones around here who know I'm an Animagus" he reminds us. Ron nudged Harry and passed him the Daily Prophets. There were two: The first bore the headline Mystery Illness of Bartemius Crouch, the second, Ministry Witch Still Missing - Minister of Magic Now Personally Involved.

"They're making it sound like he's dying" Harry states after reading the one about Crouch. Honestly I don't really like the Daily Prophet. Not after all the lies Rita Skeeter wrote about Harry, Draco, Hermione and I.