Here's the second one-shot. It covers some stuff that takes place in February or March or something. The exact dates aren't important. Just know that this happened before Chalice of the Moon. Speaking of Book 3, please note that BOOK 2 IS COMPLETE. I was originally going to have one more chapter after Daughter of Frost, but then I decided it would fit this collection of one-shots better and it became Ultimatum (the previous chapter). Don't expect any more updates on Book 2.
"I'm bored."
"That's nice."
"No it's not. I hate being bored."
"So find some way to entertain yourself." The pale boy scowled. Back home, before it had happened, he'd often had conversations like this with his mother, who had always dropped everything to oblige him. Now, though, he was talking with a man over twice his age.
Sirius rolled onto his belly. "It's not like there's much to do," he pointed out, acting as though he, not Dudley, was the twelve-year-old. "It's too cold to explore the island, no one's here but you- no offense, of course- and I've already read all the books in the castle." The wizard's lips quirked. "And you've already finished home school, so unless you wanted to learn more, there's really nothing to do."
Dudley shuddered. "No." He paused. "You could tell me another story about that school Harry's going to." A brief pang swelled inside him, and the Muggle smiled bitterly. He'd never thought that he would ever miss the younger boy, but with his parents still in that place and Mark the one who put them there, Harry was the only family he had left.
Sirius launched into a complex story involving house-elves, Lily Evans, and baking soda, but Dudley could tell his heart wasn't in it.
Wonderful. Now he was bored too.
"I'm still bored," Sirius moaned. He shifted into dog form and whined pitifully.
A year ago, that action would have made Dudley run screaming. Now, though, he didn't bat an eyelash. Compared to some of the other things he'd seen in the magical world, the Animagus transformation was downright tame.
They spent a few minutes discussing why Lucius Malfoy was currently being held prisoner in the dungeons before lapsing into silence. Boredom was not fun at all.
"Good afternoon, Sirius, Dudley."
The males started, swinging guiltily around. Saysa smiled at them, mouth closed to hide her too-sharp teeth.
Neither Sirius nor Dudley was entirely certain as to Saysa's race, but they knew one thing- she wasn't human. Humans didn't have eyes like hers: golden, slit-pupiled, and filled with magic. Padfoot inhaled, canine nostrils flaring. That was another reason Saysa couldn't be human. She smelled like snake.
"Not really," the Animagus shrugged, shifting back to his human form. "We're bored."
The woman grimaced. "Yes, prolonged periods of solitude will do that." Her lips perked up briefly, obviously in remembrance of some inside joke.
"So what do you do when you're bored?" Dudley wondered. He was curious about all six of the men and women who'd arranged his rescue from Azkaban, but Saysa's blatant inhumanity made her the most compelling.
The serpent-woman cocked her head, glossy black hair rippling. "I think," she explained simply.
"What about?"
She smiled. "Many things: memories of my friends and family, interpretations of the books I've read and memorized, plans for the future. Other times I sleep and dream." She sighed. "But I can't expect you to do the same. My apologies for not adequately stocking the castle."
"It's fine," Sirius assured her. "I should be used to boredom- there wasn't much to do in Azkaban- but then I had constant exposure to the dementors. They weren't boring- awful, but not boring."
Saysa bared her teeth, inhuman fangs flashing in the sunlight. Her eyes blazed gold. "The filthy creatures ought to be eliminated."
Dudley had gone pale and clammy. A tiny part of him was ashamed- Sirius had been there much longer, and he could talk about dementors without almost throwing up- but the rest of him was back in the cell, listening to the things gliding byand realizing once again that he was nothing but a worthless, spoiled bully….
A wet nose buried itself in his stomach. Dudley blinked, returning to reality. Padfoot whined softly, giving him the puppy-dog eyes.
"Are you alright, Dudley?" asked Saysa gently.
"Yeah," he mumbled, not meeting her eyes. Padfoot snorted. Dudley glared. "Can- can we change the subject?" He hated how weak he sounded, how small and pathetic.
"Of course." Saysa launched into news of her five human companions. Pallas was trying to improve the anti-dementor amulets, Pollux was researching his unnamed illness with help from Apollo and Bianca (who had joined the group two weeks after Sirius and Dudley arrived on Founder's Isle), and Alexander was trying to acquire plants for their as-yet-nonexistent greenhouse.
Inspiration struck, and Sirius grinned. "Is anyone actually working on the greenhouse?" he demanded.
Saysa blinked at him, confused. "We do have plans to create it, but Alexander wants to learn how many plants he can obtain before making any definite plans."
"I'll do it," the Animagus volunteered. "Make the greenhouse, that is. It's not like I've got anything better to do."
"Why stop at a greenhouse?" blurted Dudley. The adults turned and stared. "Maybe make- I dunno- a guest house or something. Maybe another library. If Pallas keeps bringing in all these books, we'll need the space."
"That is very true," admitted Saysa. "We can provide you with building supplies and books on architecture."
The males glanced at each other, remembering how bored they'd been before the woman's visit. Sirius smirked. "When can we start?"
Sirius had absolutely no idea how no one had thought of that before.
They were wizards, for Merlin's sake! Of course they could duplicate literature without a printing press!
Still, the sight of the old Muggle typewriters in the otherwise one hundred percent magical library always made him shake his head.
"You're gonna make a newspaper?" Dudley parroted blankly. The adults nodded, smug as the cat who got the canary. Sirius was strongly reminded of the day Professor McGonagall learned that Lily and James were dating and she'd become five hundred Galleons richer.
"You've read the Daily Prophet, haven't you, Dudley?" Pallas inquired. At the Muggle's nod, she continued, "Well, then you know it's all a load of dung. It's run by purebloods, so they know absolutely nothing about Muggles or werewolves or anything, and you've seen the propaganda it prints about Dumbledore." Her lips thinned, reminding the Animagus once again of Professor McGonagall.
Apollo took over. "It's not exactly a newspaper," he explained. "More like a newsletter. We're only going to publish once or twice a month, and it'll include things like house-elf rights and facts about Muggles."
"So when exactly did you come up with this?" the Marauder wondered.
"We've been thinking about it for months," Pollux replied, "but we got distracted by all the other things that were going on."
Sirius nodded; he could understand that. Between breaking him out of prison, rescuing dozens of kidnapped teenagers, and their daily lives, the six of them had barely had time to eat and sleep, let alone publish a newsletter.
"I can help with the Muggle stuff," Dudley volunteered.
The adults gawked. The boy hadn't displayed any interest in their endeavors before, so what brought this on? Boredom, perhaps, or was he really starting to care for the world around him?
How interesting, thought Pollux. His lips twitched. "That would be excellent, Dudley. Thank you."
The Muggle scowled. "I'm not doing this for you, Riddle. I'm doing this for my Mum and Dad." Who you left to rot in Azkaban. "They're… there because wizards and Muggles don't understand each other." He shuddered. As always, memories of his time in prison brought sweat to his forehead and trembling to his hands.
The wizards changed the subject. "We're calling it the Vox Veri," Alexander announced. "That's Latin for 'Voice of Truth.' What do you think of that?"
"It's a good name," Sirius agreed, "and a good plan." He sighed heavily. "The wizarding world needs more like it."
Pollux smiled grimly. "That's why we're here."
I don't like the second half as much, but I had to get something published before you lost patience and killed me.
-Antares
