Alrighty, here is the next post

As she walked, she thought of the journal. She hoped her gut was right, that her heart was right. There’s only one way to find out, Emily thought to herself. She found herself at the tree sooner than she’d imagined. She slowly took out her wand and stared at the truth.

“Immobulus!” she said hesitantly. The tree seemed the same as it was a second ago, but knew that it couldn’t move. She slowly walked toward the trunk where she saw the knot. She nudged it with her foot and nothing happened. She figured as much since she already charmed the tree. She got down on the ground in front of the opening in the trunk. Grasping her wand more closely, she scooted down into the tree. It was cold and damp and had the woodsy smell. She tiptoed up the slanting walk. The dirt turned into wood, and as she stepped onto it, it creaked beneath her feet.

Taking a deep breath, she continued up the stairs. She looked around at the Shrieking Shack; it was dusty and moldy. She saw a few doors beyond the landing. She heard some paws scratching behind the second one and decided to try it first. She made her way down the narrow hall as silently as she could manage. She was almost positive he knew he had a visitor, but didn’t care. Her palms were sweating when she reached out for the doorknob. It felt cold and abandoned. She closed her eyes and prayed he was innocent. Twisting the knob, she flinched on the ready.

“Hello?” she asked hesitantly as she opened the door slightly. “Is anyone in here? Padfoot?” she asked. She took a half step into the room and glanced around. On top of the bed, she saw a ginger cat. “Crookshanks!” she exclaimed. “We’ve been wondering where you’ve been running off to,” she said to the cat. She crossed the room and scratched behind his ears. She heard footsteps beyond the door she just entered and braced herself. She saw wands before she saw the two bodies to whom they belonged.

“F...Fred? George?” she asked surprised.

“Is he here?” Fred asked back as George blushed.

“What are you doing here?”

“I told you, you wouldn’t ever lose me. I’m always going to be here for you, and nothing will change that. So, here I am,” George said.

Emily just nodded, not able to put the gratitude she felt into words. Then, she shook her head. “I haven’t found him yet, but I did find Crookshanks.” She pointed toward the bed and they followed her gaze. Fred plopped down on the bed and started petting the animal while Emily and George silently stared at each other, both at a loss for words.

They all jumped at the sudden sound of the door creaking closed. Their eyes were locked on a black, shaggy dog. Its paw started scraping the hardwood floor, as if it were getting ready to attack. Emily had her hands in front of her as if she were surrendering.

“Whoa, doggy,” said Fred. The dog didn’t like that name; it started barking.

“Maybe you should let me handle it, Freddie,” Emily stated. Fred nodded. “Don’t attack us. I know who you are.” The dog bared his teeth. “You’re Sirius Black, one of the four marauders. You started writing a journal your first year at Hogwarts. This, of course, is your animagus form. You were the best man at James and Lily’s wedding. You were once in love with Amelia and married her. You had a daughter who you named Emily James Remus Amelia Sirius Black. Her godmother is Lily Potter and her godfathers are James and Remus, which you thought was perfect because if she needed serious advice she could go to Remus, but if she needed mischief advice, she could go to James. I know that you are not the one that betrayed your best friend or killed my mother in that street. It was Peter Pettigrew and you tried to go after him. He is the reason that my mother is dead and that my father was sent to Azkaban. He is the reason I had to grow up with my godfather, which I’m not complaining about.” Emily took a deep breath. The dog was staring at her blankly. “I’m your daughter, Sirius. I’m Emily James Remus Amelia Sirius Black. It’s me. Long time no see.” Emily watched as the dog backed up slightly. She saw tears coming out of his eyes and hit the dusty floor. Emily wiped away her own tears and then took a half step forward. George caught her arm.

“What if—” George started.

Emily shook her head. “I know he’s innocent. Trust me.” He nodded and dropped his arm. Emily continued forward toward her father. “Dad?”

The dog barked once and then started shaking slightly. He started transforming into his human self, and before Emily could even register what was happening, she was staring at her father.


*dun, dun, dun... Tell me watchya think.