November started out much colder than usual. There was no way of knowing whether it was due to an actual climate disruption or a microclimate disturbance produced by the Dementors. Godric had already returned from escorting Luna, and that first day of November had been a very busy one.
"It's fortunate you told Sprout," Godric said, looking at Helga.
"Both McGonagall and Flitwick, while impartial, can be discreetly partisan. And what I remember of Snape is that he favors Slytherins and penalizes any Gryffindor for the most stupid things," Helga said.
"Snape hates me because he and my father hated each other when they were students," Salazar shrugged. "Shall we focus?"
Salazar had unfolded the map, showing it to his two friends. The three were amazed that someone had managed to create such a detailed topography of the work they had built. The lines weren't perfect or completely accurate, but it was precise enough to be very close to reality. Best of all, it identified everyone who entered the castle.
"We aren't on it," Helga noted. "Neither is this room."
"Not that it's easy to find," Godric said with a relaxed tone. "You still think Sirius Black is in the castle?"
"Supposedly, his target is me, and I'm still here with you," Salazar said.
Helga looked at him with some concern.
"That's what I heard Mr. Weasley say, and what I got McGonagall to confirm. In any case, it's very odd that he attacked the portrait instead of hiding and waiting for the right moment. If he is the psychopath the media portrays him as, that kind of action is very disorganized."
"I sent a letter to my grandmother this morning," Godric said. "I assume we'll have an answer in a couple of days. The godparent naming ceremony is never held twice."
"Is Black your godfather?" Helga asked, frowning. "But then it would mean that he can't harm you, and—"
"That the dead walk among the living," Salazar interrupted, staring towards the Gryffindor common room on the map.
"Well, yes. We were dead and now we are alive. But if Black is your sworn godfather… well, we've already talked about that."
"That's not it, Godric," Helga pointed out. "Black was convicted of treason against the Potters based on Pettigrew's screams in the middle of a Muggle street, supported by Dumbledore's testimony, and for the murder of Peter Pettigrew and a dozen Muggles. However, Pettigrew has a lot to say. He's alive." She pointed in the direction of Salazar's gaze on the map.
"It's not because he's an ashen man, but… couldn't he be a student?" Godric asked.
"Godric, in that case, he'd have to be our age or in the twins' year at most. However, he's in our dorm on Ron's bed," Salazar said.
"Should I be concerned about such precision on your part, Salazar?" Helga asked playfully.
"Of course not, my dear Helga. You know I only have eyes for one lady," Salazar replied.
Godric cleared his throat, looking at them with some amusement. At this moment, everything seemed to indicate that this time would be much better than the last. This time, they would be much luckier. A part of him felt the desire to go and catch him, cut to the chase, and uncover the truth as abruptly and quickly as possible.
"Don't even think about it," Salazar warned. "We need to act with caution."
"I know," Godric replied.
"You'll have to find out which of all the people in that dorm is Peter Pettigrew, and we also have to figure out how to corner the elusive Sirius Black," Helga added. "We're going to mount an operation, lads."
"You tell us," Godric said, as Salazar stood silently in agreement. With a gesture, Godric told him to share the plan he had in mind.
---
Helga and Kingsley had just Disapparated to the Ministry of Magic. As they waited to report to their superiors, Helga reflected on everything she, Godric, and Salazar had researched. It had been a week since she'd seen their names on Salazar's map. Now, she knew with near certainty that the two of them were Animagi—unregistered ones, most likely. It was a crime she knew she couldn't overlook, but she also understood that, having grown up in the era they had, they would have had good reason to conceal their abilities. Helga was clear about where her loyalties lay. She could say nothing about these discoveries; she hadn't been ordered to investigate, and revealing such a bombshell would be betraying her friends and likely causing further trouble in the wizarding world.
"You're not going to get away that easily, Nymphadora," Kingsley said, completely serious. "We need to talk about your behaviour during that student fight."
"Did I do something wrong?" she asked.
"No, our hands were tied. But you can't deny that a confrontation of four fifth-year boys against two third-years was somewhat uneven."
"I would have intervened if any of the students' lives were in danger," Helga retorted. "I just reported it to one of the teachers. You know perfectly well I would have preferred to disarm them all and immobilise them."
"They're not criminals, Tonks."
"I'm not talking about treating them like criminals; I'm talking about containing a situation that needed to be contained. We can't let a school become a playground for insecure bullies who have nothing better to do than make others feel worse."
"That is something the teachers and Heads of House should be dealing with. Bullying falls outside our responsibilities. It is not the competence of the Aurors."
"Kingsley... technically you're right, but don't you think that's a societal problem?" Helga objected. "These young people will be entering society in two or three years. What will they do then? How will they act with others?"
"That's a fair point, but there's nothing we can do."
"Perhaps... to subtly suggest the issue?"
"Don't get into trouble, Nymphadora. We must be where we are. It's a shame, but that's the way it is. Remind me of the mandates of our mission."
"Patrol and guard the castle. Protect the students. Capture Black if the opportunity arises," Helga said, her voice filled with boredom. "Protecting students is one of our mandates. Isn't stepping aside a breach of it?"
"Don't twist my words. You know that's not what the directive means. You sound like a Slytherin when you talk like that."
"You lived with one for many years, didn't you?"
"Yes, your mother was one, wasn't she?"
Helga nodded, a small smile on her lips. It was true, but her thoughts were on someone else. She was, in fact, giving the mandate a much broader interpretation than her superiors intended. Helga remained silent for the rest of their wait. As soon as their boss, Scrimgeour, finished his meeting, he ushered them in. It was time to give their report. Helga knew that because of her rank, she had to remain silent behind Kingsley and only speak if Scrimgeour addressed her directly. It was a matter of proper procedure; the immediate superior and the one in charge of an investigation were the ones who had to provide the report.
---
That Saturday in mid-November, the second Quidditch match of the season took place: Ravenclaw versus Hufflepuff. For Godric, given his past behaviour, it was normal for him to skip the game. The Aurors weren't allowed to enter the stadium—Dumbledore had advised against it. Helga suspected he was upset that they had acted before him. Salazar had a harder time, but he was still able to slip away and join the other two.
They met again in the Room of Requirement, spreading out the map and studying it. As they had seen before, Peter Pettigrew was in the common room, while Sirius Black was bordering the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
"We've confirmed that Peter Pettigrew is Ronald Weasley's pet, Scabbers... a rat," Godric reported.
"The common room is empty, except for Hermione, who is still studying," Salazar added.
"I'll take care of the rat, Salazar. You're supposed to have gone down to the game," Godric said.
"That leaves Black to me," Helga said, her eyes fixed on the map.
"Be careful. The fact that his guilt is in doubt doesn't mean he isn't dangerous," Salazar warned.
"Worried?" Helga asked, looking at Salazar.
"Take the map and the cloak," he replied.
"You may be disappointed," she said with a small smile.
"Don't worry," Godric interjected. "The cloak is more effective than the map anyway."
"Okay. We'll meet here when we've finished the mission. You two be careful, as well. Rats are transmitters of many dangerous diseases."
"Huh?" Godric looked at her, puzzled, while Salazar was laughing.
"We'll see you here when we're done."
When they left the Room of Requirement, they separated. Helga continued onto the grounds while Salazar and Godric headed towards the common room. The latter were intercepted by the ghost of Ravenclaw House, Helena. They looked at each other in silence. The two of them knew who she was, and by the ghost's expression, they could have sworn she had identified them.
"Teachers. It is a joy to see you again," she said. Her expression was one of melancholy and guilt. "I want to speak with you. It's important."
"Let's find an empty classroom," Godric suggested.
"It won't be necessary. If I wait any longer, I will not have the courage to confess," Helena said. "I've been gathering the courage since Master Hufflepuff returned. And now that you too..."
"Helena. What's wrong?" Salazar asked, with a serious expression and a relaxed posture.
"I... it was my fault... I told him. About my mother's diadem." She fell silent, looking completely nervous, as if she wanted to run away.
"Take it easy," Godric urged.
They both watched her expression transform from fear to doubt, and from doubt to determination. When she began her story, the tale of how she had betrayed her mother and everything she had done after that, both Salazar and Godric listened patiently. As soon as she finished, they exchanged a single glance and immediately aborted their mission to capture the rat. The Horcrux—one of those anchors—was far more important. The freedom of a single man was insignificant compared to the potential lives that would be lost if they didn't intervene. The sooner they found and destroyed all the anchors, the better.
Meanwhile, Helga walked around the grounds, consulting the map. She moved cautiously, completely covered by the Invisibility Cloak and alternating her gaze between the map and the point indicating Sirius Black's location. After a while, she had a clear view of him. Where Black was, there was a black dog, similar to the Grim. She had to make an effort not to laugh, remembering the rumours about what had appeared in Salazar's teacup at the beginning of the year. "Mischief managed," she thought, activating the charm to conceal the map's information without uttering a word. Animals had much keener hearing than humans, and if she wanted to get close successfully, she had to avoid attracting attention. She had a plan: to treat him as if he were an abandoned pet.
She hid for a second in the bushes to take off her cloak and put it in the inner pocket of her jacket, a pocket enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm. Then, as if nothing had happened and with a jovial smile, she continued walking towards the Animagus. It was a dangerous move, but she knew what she was doing. When she reached him, she stopped, looked at him for a few moments, and smiled.
"Hey, boy, are you alone?" She crouched near him and, taking some biscuits out of her pocket, she opened the wrapper and offered them to him.
The dog approached her cautiously, looking at her with some distrust and a hint of recognition in his intelligent eyes. She remained calm as he approached to sniff the biscuits before eating them. As he ate from her hand, she reached out and began to stroke his fur.
"You're a bit sloppy, aren't you?" she said softly. "I don't see that you have an owner."
The dog approached her, raising his paws until they rested on her shoulders, and licked her face, at which she couldn't help but laugh; it tickled. While playing with him, she thought about whether it would be better to bring him into the castle or stun him and take him away. The first was a big risk, and the second, if it went wrong, would be just as bad. If she made a sudden move, he would surely become defensive.
"Are you coming with me?" she asked. She could sense a certain reservation in the dog. "I promise you a good bath and all the food you want." She thought that argument would appeal to the dog, but he still seemed suspicious. She could understand it. He was a fugitive, someone who didn't know whom to trust or if he could trust anyone at all, regardless of whether or not he was guilty of the crimes for which he had been imprisoned.
Suddenly, a fight reached her ears—a brawl between Slytherin and Gryffindor students. It seemed the match was over. She knew she had to send a Patronus to a professor, but on the other hand, that would make Black escape. She took advantage of the fact that the dog was distracted by watching the fight to take out the wand hidden under her sleeve and stun him.
"I'm sorry, but it was necessary," she whispered to him before he fell on her lap.
She sat up and walked toward the students. With her wand in hand, she raised it in the direction of the castle. It wasn't necessary for her to conjure the Patronus; the students, upon seeing her, stopped and moved away from the area. She guessed that word had spread that she was the one who had warned on the Ravenclaws, and they didn't want to suffer the same fate. It was a real pity that they were reacting out of fear. She put on her cloak again and carried the dog, allowing the cloak to cover him as well, and returned to the castle.
Upon entering the Room of Requirement, she found Godric and Salazar sitting at a table on which rested a magnificent diadem. The scene seemed odd to her, for as far as she knew, Rowena had kept the diadem, even if it didn't exactly fit her. Helga dropped her cloak and imagined a dog bed, where she deposited the Animagus.
"Meet Sirius Black," she said. "I had to stun him."
"Did he attack you?" Salazar asked with a frown.
"No. I just took the opportunity. You would have done the same," she replied.
"True."
"And that?" she asked, pointing to the diadem. "Where did you find it?"
"In this very place, in the form of the Room of Hidden Things," Godric said with a sad smile. "It's a Horcrux."
"How?" she asked.
"Rowena never hid the diadem; Helena stole it," Godric explained. "When Riddle was a student, he tricked her into revealing where she had hidden it."
"We're going to have to destroy it," Helga said with determination. She knew it was the only solution, no matter how sad it made her feel.
"Yes, but I want to wait for the next full moon," Salazar said. "There is a ritual we can use to find out which ones and where the rest are. It will save us time."
"I'm okay with that," Godric said.
"Well, we're a triumvirate now, aren't we?" Helga said. "It bothers me to have to destroy it, but if it serves to stop evil, so be it. Will you need help with the ritual?"
"It would make things easier. Now, what do we do with the dog?" Salazar asked.
"The dog is your godfather," Godric said with amusement. "You know that, don't you?"
Helga shook her head with a smile, walked to the table, and took the diadem to hide it on one of the shelves before the other two's eyes. Then she pulled out her wand and pointed it at the dog. With a gesture, she motioned for her friends to do the same.
"Enervate."
The dog opened his eyes and quickly analysed the room with alarm. He fixed his eyes on Helga, growling at her. Then he looked at Godric and Salazar, whom he looked at with a bewildered longing.
"How about you change your shape so that we can talk, my dear cousin," Helga said. "I can guarantee you that no one in this room will do you any harm."
"I want to know what happened," Salazar said, looking at him without showing what he felt at that moment. He could finally get some answers, and he was going to make sure he wasn't lied to. Godric had, meanwhile, moved to block the door and commanded the room not to let Black out. "I've heard that you are my godfather, and also that you sold the man who longed for my death to my parents."
The dog looked at the three of them before transforming into the man he was hiding under his disguise. Helga immediately conjured some magical restraints to hold him while she remained completely calm. Black tried to transform again, but he couldn't. He looked at them as if they had betrayed him, especially Helga.
"Don't look at me like that. You know that as an Auror, I should have turned you in. There's just something that doesn't fit. So give us a reason not to surrender you to the Dementors."
"Who is he?" Black asked, looking at Godric. He had recognised Salazar as his godson, Harry Potter; he looked too much like James, almost a copy. Helga, too, was the daughter of his favourite cousin. But the other one... his face sounded familiar, but he couldn't place it.
"Neville Longbottom. Now, you'd better start talking. I'm not as patient as they are."
"Lads! Let me go, you don't understand! I just want the rat!" the prisoner said.
"The rat, now," Salazar said harshly. "That solves everything, don't you think? If you're not going to be clear, we'd better take you to your Auror friend, Tonks. A sentence has already been handed down, right?"
"Are you sure, Harry? The Dementor's Kiss is something very serious—there's no coming back from it," Helga replied.
"Listen to me, please! I didn't sell your parents to Voldemort. It was Peter Pettigrew! It's a long story, you have to believe me, Harry," Black said, frightened and desperate.
"Very well. Let's listen to that story."
"Neville, go get some food for our guest," Helga said, as she thought about adding a bathroom and a change of clean clothes to the room. Then she released the magical restraints on Black. "Go take a shower and change. You don't know what I'm capable of."
"Are you really going to make Black your captive?" Godric asked mockingly before leaving.
Sirius looked at them, his eyes wide with surprise as he caught the tone and content of the comment. Especially at the fleeting glance that Salazar and Helga exchanged. It seemed a bit surreal to him. Sirius was speechless. This could be a nuisance.