Draco scanned the tense crowd, finally looking at the completely bewildered Harry, and told him, "He is Sirius."
"That means he's your father James Potter's best brother in his life, and also your legal godfather."
Harry was stunned. "The Godfather?"
He never knew he had a godfather.
Draco himself remained completely unfazed, yet he laid bare the cruelest truth before everyone:
"When the Potters were murdered, everyone said he betrayed them. The Ministry of Magic imprisoned him in Azkaban, where he stayed for thirteen years!"
"But he was wronged. The one who truly betrayed your parents was the mouse that was captured— Peter Pettigrew."
"I think he escaped from Azkaban not to harm people, but to seek revenge on Peter, and also to find you."
"Everyone outside is saying he's a dangerous fugitive, a murderer, but he's innocent."
"For thirteen years in Azkaban, he was devoured day and night by Dementor; his only thought that kept him going was you."
These words shocked everyone, and their initial fear and wariness gradually faded away.
Lavender, Parvati, and Olivia relaxed their tense expressions, Neville's clenched fists slowly loosened, and Hermione simply sighed sympathetically.
All eyes were on Harry.
Harry stood there, stunned, as if struck by lightning.
He had no prior knowledge of Sirius, nor did he know he was a fugitive; all this information was being heard from Draco for the first time.
It turned out that the disheveled man with broken eyes was his relative, his father's best friend.
But he was wrongly accused for thirteen years, suffered torture in Azkaban, and escaped for his sake!
These words made Harry's lips tremble slightly. His mind went blank, and all that remained was the frantic pounding of his heart.
He saw in the man's eyes no madness, no malice, only overflowing longing, pain, and cautious tenderness.
Harry's throat tightened, and his eyes instantly reddened.
All his previous confusion, unfamiliarity, and wariness collapsed at this moment.
Instead, a surge of uncontrollable bitterness and grievance welled up from the bottom of my heart.
This was the first time he had ever known this in his life.
I still have family in this world.
There was another person who was willing to endure thirteen years in hell for him.
Harry's voice trembled as he asked incredulously, "You... you're really my godfather?"
Sirius shuddered violently, his whole body trembling, and his hoarse voice cracked completely. "Yes... I am."
" Harry, I've come to pick you up."
Harry could no longer hold back; his eyes welled up, and tears fell silently.
He didn't back down, he wasn't afraid, he just stared blankly at the man in front of him, and whispered, "I... I never knew I had family."
In that instant, he was no longer alone.
In that instant, his aunt's family all turned into clowns; in fact, they didn't treat Harry as family at all.
So Harry's statement isn't wrong.
The common room was so quiet you could hear the crackling of the fireplace. Everyone held their breath, watching the family members who had finally reunited after thirteen years.
Sirius's body trembled violently, and his eyes, which had never shed a tear during his thirteen years of torture in Azkaban, were now completely red.
He dared not approach, dared not touch, but stared intently at Harry, as if afraid that the child before him would vanish in the blink of an eye.
Harry wiped away a tear from the corner of his eye and took a small, uncontrollable step forward.
He still had no memory of the man in front of him, but an innate sense of closeness welled up inside him.
That was the warmth from my father's dearest friend, the call from my only remaining relative in the world.
Draco released his grip on Hermione, took a half-step back, and left the two of them completely alone.
Hermione gently tugged at Draco's sleeve, her eyes red-rimmed, but she didn't say a word.
Harry looked up. "... They said you're a fugitive?"
Sirius's throat bobbed. "Yes, but they slandered me. I didn't betray your parents, never."
"I know," Harry nodded.
These three words were like a key, completely unlocking Sirius's emotions that he had suppressed for thirteen years.
He couldn't hold on any longer, and slowly knelt down, opening his arms to Harry as gently as if afraid of disturbing him. "May I... hug you?"
Without any hesitation, Harry threw himself into Sirius's arms.
"Godfather--"
A choked voice called out to him, and Sirius froze instantly, then completely broke down.
He hugged Harry tightly, his thin, bony arms holding the boy firmly in his embrace.
It was as if all the guilt, longing, and pain of the past thirteen years were being poured into this embrace.
He didn't cry out loud, but his shoulders trembled uncontrollably, and hot tears fell onto Harry's hair.
"I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry Harry, I'm late..."
I will never leave you alone again...
Harry buried his face in his thin but reassuring embrace, listening to his chaotic and heartbroken whispers, and his tears flowed even more fiercely.
All the grievances he suffered at the Dursley family, all the loneliness he experienced at school, seemed to find their home in that instant.
Those around them felt a lump in their throats, but no one spoke to disturb them.
Lavender and Parvati quietly wiped away their tears, Olivia sighed softly, and Neville lowered his head, his eyes reddening.
Ron also recovered from his sadness and was genuinely happy for Harry, who finally had family.
Hermione leaned gently on Draco's shoulder and said thankfully, "That's great... Harry finally has a home."
Draco reached out and gently ruffled her hair, saying softly, "Yes, he won't be lonely anymore."
After an unknown amount of time, the two slowly let go of each other.
Sirius cupped Harry's face in his hands, his fingers trembling.
He stared at the face that looked almost exactly like James's over and over again.
"Would you like to come with me? We can live together, and no one will be able to bully you anymore."
"Okay." Harry nodded vigorously, though tears still clung to his face, but for the first time, he showed a genuinely relieved smile.
Just then, a soft cough came from outside the portrait of the Fat Lady.
Dumbledore's gentle voice rang out. " Sirius, I know you're excited, but we need to talk, for your safety and for Harry's."
Sirius didn't refuse; Dumbledore was the only one who could help him.
Dumbledore slowly walked in, his approving gaze falling on the two embracing figures.
"Don't worry, I'm not here to arrest you, I'm here to help you."
"I know, it was you who saved me," Sirius replied.