While Hermione snuck off to the kitchens to get some food for Sirius, Harry and his "pet dog" went to the Shrieking Shack for a chat. Harry put up a few wards just in case the shack's reputation wasn't enough to keep people away. Sirius watched him until he was finished, and then transformed back to his human form. He looked ragged and weak, but not nearly as bad as when Harry saw him last year. He smiled and gave his godson a hug.
"Harry, it's so good to see you again!" he exclaimed. "How've you been holding up?"
"I'm fine, Sirius," Harry said, shaking his head. "Why are you even here?"
"Harry, Harry, Harry, aren't you glad to see your godfather? We haven't spoken or written to each other for half a year!" He let out a loud, barking laugh as he slapped Harry on the back.
"Yeah, but you're the one that told me not to write to you because you're in hiding," Harry said. "So what's worth coming back to Britain and risking getting thrown into Azkaban again?"
"You, of course! I read an article in the paper about you!"
Harry sighed and slapped his hands over his eyes. "Ugh... please don't tell me you've been reading Rita Skeeter..."
"What? That crazy woman? She's got a regular column in the Prophet but nobody outside of Britain listens to her, pup. Don't worry about it. No, I got my news from a newspaper in France. Said you collapsed at New Year's. I got worried, so I made my way here."
"That's it? That was nothing, Sirius!" Harry debated whether or not to let him know about the vision or just use his public excuse. He decided to let Sirius know the truth. "Well... I'm fine, at least, but... Voldemort's back, Sirius."
"What? How do you know? Did Dumbledore actually decide to tell you?" Sirius asked, wide-eyed.
"No, I'm the one telling Dumbledore, actually. I guess he hasn't passed on that information to you," Harry said, frowning. "I've had visions of Voldemort twice so far. The first time was the night of my birthday. Back then, he was in some mutilated baby's body. On New Year's Eve, he transferred his soul to some new, adult-sized artificial body."
"He's back? Oh, we're not ready for this... not another war..." Sirius muttered.
"Well, Voldemort doesn't have many people at his side. In my last vision I think he only had two Death Eaters helping him." Harry tried to be optimistic.
"Was... was Peter one of them?" Sirius's eyes locked on to Harry's.
"...Yes." Harry knew the pain it would cause Sirius, but felt he deserved to know.
Sirius's voice turned into a low, angry growl. "So he really was Voldemort's man, through and through. All this time I hoped that, maybe, he was scared into giving up the secret. Peter never was the bravest of the Marauders, you know. He was always jumpy and afraid of getting caught. Heh." He shook his head. "But now, old Voldie's already gone, Death Eaters are mostly captured... and Peter goes to revive him anyway."
"We'll catch him, Sirius... but don't go hunting for him again," Harry told him solemnly. The two of them sat in silence for a while, which was broken by the sound of the trap door opening.
"Hello, boys! The house-elves have given us a feast! I hope you're hungry, Sirius!" Hermione happily shouted as she popped her head out of the secret passage. "Um, guys?" She waved the picnic basket in front of them.
"Thanks, Hermione." Harry took the basket and handed a sandwich to Sirius. "Forget about Peter for now. We'll take care of him when we find him. Eat up."
Sirius wolfed down one of the sandwiches right away. "Delicious! I haven't had food like this since... oh, I can't even remember any more. Probably when I was still a student myself. Let me tell you, I couldn't cook for the life of me, and neither could James. He got lucky, marrying your mum."
Harry and Hermione were both worried- after all, it was only a simple sandwich, not the kinds meals that were served at the holiday feasts. "How... have you been eating, Sirius? Where were you staying?"
"Mmm... well, it was just some vineyard in France. Muggle folks, to boot. Not that big a deal because I haven't got a wand anyway," he shrugged as he grabbed another sandwich. "They... uh... don't ask too many questions. All the other workers... well, we know not to talk too much."
"That sounds kind of shady..." Hermione said with a concerned look. "Do they feed you at least?"
Sirius gave a hollow laugh. "I'm a criminal as far as the Aurors are concerned. There aren't many places to choose from. The owners give me a few francs for my work and a roof over my head. It's hard to be picky, you know. I've managed to scrape by with what I've got. I head down to the wizarding areas as a stray dog to nick some papers every once in a while to see what's happening."
"But you've been picking good foods, haven't you? You're keeping yourself healthy, right?" Hermione was about to launch into a lecture on the food pyramid and the proper balance of vitamins and minerals and the best fruits and vegetables for getting them.
"I just pick up what I can. You know muggles have this place called McDonald's? The food's pretty cheap there..."
Hermione sighed. "Please tell me you haven't been eating that stuff all the time..."
"No, no... I usually just buy a few things from the local market. But I swear, muggles must have figured out some kind of compulsion charm, because whenever I eat there I feel a little queasy afterwards but I still want to go back for more..."
Harry laughed. He'd seen plenty of the fast-food restaurants and known about its reputation, but never actually eaten there. The Dursleys never saw fit to buy food for him, no matter how little it cost, and the Grangers didn't eat such unhealthy junk. Sirius had actually experienced a muggle custom that he hadn't. They continued to talk about food and Sirius's living conditions, which in turn led to Harry's home life.
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