"What... happened here?" Jerry asked when he returned to The Three Broomsticks and found Harry looking utterly lost. How had he gotten so depressed in the short time Jerry had been gone?
"We just ran into Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, and Mr. Fudge, the Minister for Magic, here at the pub. We overheard their conversation!" Hermione explained.
"Really? What did you hear?" As he spoke, Jerry picked up the steaming Butterbeer from the table and took a small sip. Its warmth instantly chased away the chill clinging to him.
Hermione glanced at Harry, who sat staring blankly, then pulled Jerry aside and whispered:
"Did you know that when Sirius Black was at Hogwarts, he was very close friends with Harry's parents? Professor Flitwick even used to think Black and Potter were brothers. After Harry's parents got married, they asked Sirius Black to be Harry's godfather. But he betrayed them, and that was what led to Voldemort killing them!"
"Jerry, have you heard of the Fidelius Charm?" Hermione continued. "Professor Flitwick just mentioned it. Apparently, it's an incredibly complicated spell that hides a secret inside a living person's soul. Only the person chosen as the Secret Keeper knows the secret, so it's almost impossible to uncover unless the Secret Keeper willingly reveals it."
"So as long as the Secret Keeper kept his mouth shut, Voldemort could have searched the village where Harry's parents lived for a thousand years and still never found them. Even if he pressed his nose against their window and looked inside!"
"But Sirius Black, their Secret Keeper, chose to betray Harry's parents. He willingly told Voldemort the secret, and that was how Voldemort found Harry's family. Harry's parents died at Voldemort's hands protecting Harry."
"Later, another friend of Harry's parents, Peter Pettigrew, tracked Black down. He was