The Girl Who Hid | ✓

|29| Sirius Black

"Expelliarmus!" he croaked, pointing Ron's wand at us.

Harry's, Hermione's, and my wands shot out of our hands, high in the air, and Black caught them. Then he took a step closer. His eyes flickered from Harry to me then back to Harry.

"I thought you'd come and help your friend," he said hoarsely. His voice sounded as though he had long since lost the habit of using it. "Your father would have done the same for me. Brave of you not to run for a teacher. I'm grateful... it will make everything much easier..."

The taunt about our father rang in my ears as though Black had bellowed it. A boiling hate erupted in my chest, leaving no place for fear. Without knowing what I was doing, I started forward, but there was a sudden movement on either side of me. Harry seemed to have had the same idea that I had; Hermione grabbed me and Ron grabbed him.

"No!" Hermione gasped in a petrified whisper; Ron, however, spoke fiercely to Black, "If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too!"

The effort of standing upright was draining him of still more color, and he swayed slightly as he spoke. Something flickered in Black's shadowed eyes.

"Lie down," Harry said quietly to Ron. "You will damage that leg even more."

"Did you hear me?" Ron said weakly, though he was clinging painfully to Harry to stay upright. "You'll have to kill all four of us!"

"There'll be only one murder here tonight," said Black, and his grin widened.

"Why's that?" Harry spat, trying to wrench himself free of Ron. "Didn't care last time, did you? Didn't mind slaughtering all those Muggles to get at Pettigrew... What's the matter, gone soft in Azkaban?"

"Harry!" Hermione whimpered. "Be quiet!"

"HE KILLED OUR MUM AND DAD!" Harry roared and, with a huge effort, broke free Ron's restraint and lunged forward —

"Harry!" I shouted.

Black didn't raise the wands in time— one of Harry's hands fastened over his wasted wrist, forcing the wand tips away; the knuckles of Harry's other hand collided with the side of Black's head and they fell, backward, into the wall.

There was a blinding flash as the wands in Black's hand sent a jet of sparks into the air that missed Harry's face by inches; Harry felt the shrunken arm under his fingers twisting madly, but he clung on, his other hand punching every part of Black it could find.

But Black's free hand had found Harry's throat.

"Please! Don't hurt him," I cried.

"I've waited too long—"

I lunged at Black and kicked his hands out from under him. Black let go of Harry with a grunt of pain; Ron had thrown himself on Black's wand hand and Hermione pushed Harry out of the way.

"Argh!" I heard, but before I could look, Black grabbed me by my shoulders and pushed me onto the ground. I screamed in his face as I heard Ron and Hermione trying to pull him off of me.

"NO YOU DON'T!" roared Harry. "Get out of the way!"

Ron and Hermione jumped out of the way as Black still held me down.

"Get off me," I cried, thrashing under his weight.

"You want to kill me not her!" Harry bellowed. Black's weight changed on top of me as he turned to look at Harry. I took the chance to knee him and move out from under him.

I panted as I stood up, scurrying away from Black and standing behind Harry who held his wand to Black's chest.

"Going to kill me, Harry?" he whispered, as Harry inched towards Black.