The Night the Rat Escaped
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter characters in any way, shape, or form. The following is merely the ramblings of a bemused fan.
This is SLASH. If you do not like it, I'm sorry. You have been warned.
Author's Notes: I first have to give a big thank you to Dollface786, your review made me feel so frothy that I scurried to update this fic just as soon as I read it! Yet again, I need to thank Tanya J. Potter not only because you're my only other reviewer, but because you pointed out that highly ignorant mistake of mine. I hope you all enjoy this next chapter.
That afternoon at lunch Sirius ate with Ron, Harry, and Hermione in the Great Hall. Fred and George told them that Dumbledore had explained last night's occurrences that morning at breakfast, but apparently not everyone was yet convinced of his innocence. Thus, Sirius had received several yelps of horror upon entering the hall full of students. One second year Hufflepuff had even fainted into his bowl of scolding tomato soup after seeing Sirius, only to regain consciousness as soon as the steaming soup came in contact with his skin.
"So Sirius, where are you guys going to live?" Ron asked Sirius with a mouth full of chicken,
"Well, Dumbledore helped me find a nice little place out in the country, but I'd rather not say where, it's meant to be a surprise for Harry," Sirius smiled,
"Does Lupin know?" Harry asked,
"Yes actually, he's leaving with me this evening so that we can get the place set up before you come home from school," Harry's heart leapt, Sirius had just referred to that mysterious place as his home, it was music to his ears,
"Can you really get the whole place set up in time?" asked Hermione,
"Well, the neighbors are very nice people and they volunteered to help out," Sirius said,
"You know the neighbors already?" Harry was shocked,
"We've …talked before," Sirius replied suspiciously
The ride home on the Hogwarts Express was the best Harry had ever experienced. Trips on the scarlet steam engine were never dismal; this is true. However, without the thought of returning to the Dursleys for two long months to haunt him, Harry felt a hefty burden of stress lifted from his shoulders.
When Harry got off the train with Ron and Hermione he met Sirius waiting on Platform 9 ¾, along with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley; Hermione's parents were on the other side of the barrier,
"Well, Harry I reckon you have your broomstick with you." Sirius said, "We'll be flying to the house."
"Yeah, I've got a Firebolt," Harry said proudly,
"I know, I gave it to you, consider it 13 years worth of birthday presents that you should have received," Sirius told him, Harry's jaw dropped,
"See, I told you! I told you Sirius sent you the broom!" Hermione boasted,
"Yeah, but he wasn't trying to curse me was he?" Harry retorted. Hermione just kept her mouth shut,
"Mrs. Weasley always a pleasure," Sirius kissed Mrs. Weasley on the hand, receiving a very bubbly giggle from the flame headed woman, "Mr. Weasley thanks for the er, interesting conversation," he shook hands with Ron's dad,
"And watch out for those air pleens!" Mr. Weasley advised, referencing the fact that Harry and Sirius would be flying,
"I'll keep that in mind," Sirius responded,
"Its airplanes, Mr. Weasley," Hermione corrected innocently,
"Right you are Hermione, I had forgotten," Mr. Weasley announced, his ears turning rouge.
"Ready Harry?" Sirius asked,
"Hold on," Harry wanted to say good-bye to Ron and Hermione, "Maybe we can get together this summer,"
"I'm sure that can be arranged," Hermione agreed lightly, "Good-bye Harry,"
"Bye mate!" Ron shook his hand. Harry mounted his broom,
"Bye guys, see you this summer!" it felt so good to be certain that he would see them this summer, maybe they could even come over to his house. He had never been allowed to have friends over at his house before, not that he had had any friends at the Dursleys.
"Not that long of a fly Harry, only about 20 minutes," Sirius shouted over the wind, Harry nodded,
"Oh no!"
"What?" Sirius wondered
"I just remembered! Uncle Vernon must be on the other side of the barrier, still waiting for me! I never told the Dursleys I wasn't going back to them!" Harry began to turn his broom around, but Sirius caught him by the twigs of his Firebolt.
"It's alright Harry, Dumbledore contacted them days ago. I hope you're not as much trouble with Lupin and I as you appeared to have been with them, it seems they had a celebration when they got the news," Sirius scowled, and then a grin escaped his disposition.
Harry smiled back at him, breaking out into a fit of joyous laughter. They were so happy; both of them had lived lives of utter distress for the past 12 years, and were now flying off to a better life. It was wonderful.
"Harry! Sirius!" they had landed in front of a fairly large brick house that was about 6 stories high, with plenty of greenery and trees all around it. Lupin was walking off the large wrap around deck onto the stone pathway to greet them,
"Remus," Sirius outstretched his arms to hug the man, but Remus stopped him,
"Sirius, excuse me," he looked at Harry who had been admiring the beautiful house, which he could now call his own, "Harry, are you okay with Sirius and I hugging? If not just tell us, we won't do anything that makes you uncomfortable,"
"No, er, hugging is fine," Harry looked at his feet, shuffling them in the bright green blades of grass.
"Sure?"
"Yeah, no, I'm fine with that," he could feel his face turning red, as he stuttered a response.
"Alright," Remus pulled Sirius into a warm hug.
"So did you two have a good flight?"
"Yes, Professor Lupin," Harry answered,
"Harry, we're not in class anymore, it's alright if you call me Remus. Just make sure that when we're in school you call me Professor Lupin,"
"Right," Harry mumbled. He didn't think he could ever call Professor Lupin Remus, Lupin maybe, but never Remus; it would be too weird,
"So, would you like a tour of your new house?" Sirius asked,
"Yeah!" Harry shouted.
Sirius and Lupin showed him all over the house. It was only the second wizard house Harry had ever seen and it was spectacular. The other one had been the Weasley's, which supposedly was a bit drab, but Harry had always loved it. This house, however, was obviously more how a wizard house was supposed to look. Its living rooms had large ceilings and bookshelves filled to bursting with wizard books. The kitchen, which was on the bottom floor, had stonewalls and all of its supplies ran by magic. In the drawing room, Lupin had left the W.W.N. on. Harry heard the little speaker box advertising,
"And now the celestial sounds of the Orion Warlocks!"
Harry's room was on the 4th floor. When he opened the large oak door to it he found it was almost as big as the living rooms. Boasting an immense bed, complete with red and gold bedspread, an oak desk, and a large wardrobe.
"What do you think?" asked Lupin nervously,
"It's brilliant! Thank you!" Harry ran towards them and hugged them both. It was his own room, not a cupboard under the stairs, and certainly not the smallest room in the house. A real room, all for Harry; he couldn't believe it!
"Our room is on the 5th floor just above yours, and than the 6th floor is just an attic with a bunch of junk that we couldn't find another place for." Sirius said. Harry mentally cringed for a second when he realized that Lupin and Sirius would be sharing a room. However, he had barely time to ponder this when a knock came from the front door,
"Oh, that'll be the neighbors, we agreed to have a bit of a neighborly get together this evening," Lupin said, jogging down the stairs to the front door. Sirius and Harry followed him. Harry had been curious who the neighbors were; perhaps they had a son from Hogwarts he didn't know lived near by. When Lupin opened the door, Harry's jaw dropped,
"Fred?"
"How you doin' mate?" Fred asked cheerily, as his twin came up behind him, and Harry could see that the whole Weasley clan (minus Bill and Charlie, as usual) was waiting on the porch,
"You're the neighbors?" Harry asked,
"Well, don't look so disappointed," said George,
"Yeah, we don't smell that badly," added Fred,
"Ron, did you know?" Harry spotted Ron,
"Not at all. When Mum said we were going for dinner at a neighbor's I assumed she meant the Lovegood's, and I was so disappointed because the daughter there is a real whack job,"
"Ron!" scolded Mrs. Weasley; Ron ignored his mum and continued,
"Then we passed the Lovegood's and started towards this house, I put two and two together, and my prediction was right!"
"Trelawney would be proud," joked Harry, "I can't believe it!"