A/N – Wow,

Dear Diary – Today was my first day at Hogwarts, and I must say that all of this magic is stunning! I can't wait to learn everything…it is so important to me to do well. I was sorted into Gryffindor, too, which is the best house. I met a lot of new people today, but the two that stand out the most are Ron Weasley and Harry Potter – they're jerks! They treat me like an annoying pest! Harry would have been an interesting friend too – he is apparently the one credited with You-Know-Who's defeat. I haven't found much competition gradewise. I start classes TOMORROW!

Draco stared at the entry in disgust. "I can't believe anyone can be that enthusiastic about school!" He flipped through first year, pausing briefly at entries and skimming them.

Dear Diary – It looks as if Harry, Ron, and I are friends!

Dear Diary – Harry won the Quidditch match!

Dear Diary – I am so nervous about end-of-year exams! (Draco sighed as he saw that this one was dated in March.)

Dear Diary – Harry has defeated You-Know-Who again, and he's only 11!

Dear Diary – Today is the last day of my first year at Hogwarts.

Draco quickly flipped through her summer, uninterested until his name caught his eye.

Dear Diary – Draco Malfoy called me a Mudblood again today. Even though I pretend I don't care, it really bothers me. I hate thinking that maybe I'm not good enough for this world, this fantasy that I am living in. Maybe I am what he says. I know that's illogical; I am at the top of every class. But I can't stop the ache in my stomach when he calls me names. I feel unwanted, inferior in some way. I get terribly angry at him for making me resent my heritage and my family. However, in the end I understand him. I can't imagine what he must have gone through with his parents; It's no wonder he turned out the way he did. I can't imagine having parents that are evil. Are evil people capable of love? Even if they are, I doubt they can really show it. I am so lucky that my parents love me, and that they can tell me and show me in so many different ways. I wish that everyone, especially Draco, could have the childhood that I have. In the end I suppose that what I should do is forgive him and try not to add more misery to his life.

Draco stared at the entry, thoroughly shocked. Hermione – and he had never thought of her by first name – had forgiven him, all of those times that he had called her names. He snorted in derision. She was so pathetic! He would have gotten revenge, or at least felt some hatred, some rage. And now this diary was his. He looked at it in delight. He had not yet gotten halfway through it and yet he had discovered why Potter had defeated the Dark Lord, he had learned of Weasley and Potter's infiltration of the Slytherin Common Room, and he had dug up so much dirt on the Gryffindors that he was tempted to Run over there now and demand Potter's Firebolt and Invisibility Cloak as down payments. He read on.

Dear Diary – Ginny Weasley is acting so very odd lately.

Dear Diary – How I wish that I knew more about this Chamber of Secrets!

Dear Diary – Quidditch game tomorrow!

Dear Diary – Sorry I haven't written, but I was Petrified.

Dear Diary – I am on the Hogwarts Express, headed for home.

Draco flipped to third year, where it started getting really interesting.

Dear Diary – I arrived at The Leaky Cauldron today and saw Harry and Ron. I don't know what's gotten into me – I have to keep on mentally slapping myself just to avoid walking up to Ron and kissing him! I can't let him know how I feel. It would completely ruin our friendship.

Draco regretted not having known about this one sooner – he could have thought of some ingenious ways of manipulating Hermione's feelings towards Ron. Apparently it was too late, as their late-night "library session" suggested that they were close to being a couple.

Dear Diary – Apparently Sirius Black, a convicted killer, has escaped from Azkaban and is looking for Harry. Things could not be bleaker. Harry seems so blasé about the whole thing – it's truly annoying!

Draco shook his head, still amazed that Harry was completely oblivious to the Sirius Black saga. He knew that Harry was in no danger, since one of his father's favorite stories was how he and Pettigrew had set up Black, a rival from school, to take the blame for being the Potters' secret keeper. Still, Harry had no idea, and Draco liked to imagine that the thought of having a murderer after him caused Harry many sleepless nights.

Dear Diary – I am so worried about Harry! It is only stressing me out more, and my classes do enough of that already. I am glad that Professor McGonagall believed in me enough to give me this Time Turner, but I can see why it is only permitted in rare cases.

Dear Diary – Well, Crookshanks has really done in this time. He killed Scabbers! Ron is infuriated, and I am miserable. Harry sided with Ron and so I really have no one to talk to. On top of it all, I have so much work and so little time!

Dear Diary – I miss Ron so much! I wish that we could be friends again, but every time he sees me he says something mean or just glares. I won't be able to stand this much longer. I went to see Hagrid, and he was sympathetic, but really did nothing to boost my spirits. How I wish that Ron knew how I feel about him, but I definitely can't tell him now!

Dear Diary – We have done it! Oh, there is so much to say! (A/N this is basically a summary of the whole incident at the end of Book 3, so if you find it boring just skip to the end of the diary entry.) I suppose I should start with us going down to Hagrid's hut to help console him over Buckbeak's impending execution. I found Scabbers in a milk carton! When we were walking back to the castle, this huge dog came from nowhere and grabbed Ron by the arm. He dragged Ron inside the little passageway behind the Womping Willow – you know, the one that decimated Harry's broom? It turns out the dog was Sirius Black, and he was using Ron as bait to lure Harry into the Shrieking Shack (where the tunnel goes, it turns out). Professor Lupin saw us on the Marauder's Map and followed. When he got there, the whole story came out. First, I was right about him being a werewolf. He was best friends with Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, and James Potter. He was NOT James and Lilly Potter's secret keeper! That was Pettigrew, who gave them away to Voldemort. It turns out that Pettigrew was really hiding undercover as – you will never believe this – SCABBERS! Sirius and Remus wanted to kill Scabbers, I mean, Pettigrew on the spot, but Harry was too noble for that. He wanted to turn Pettigrew in. However, Remus forgot to take his potion, and he became a full-fledged werewolf, causing enough mayhem that Pettigrew was able to escape. As we tried to find him, the Dementors came and tried to give the kiss to Sirius, but something drove them off. Sirius was locked in a room, waiting to receive the Dementor's Kiss, while Harry, Ron, and I ended up in the Hospital Wing. We thought it was all over for Sirius, but then Dumbledore suggested that I use my Time Turner – and we saved Buckbeak and used him to rescue Sirius out the window! It turns out that the "something" that saved us from the Dementors was really Harry – and he conjured up a perfect Patronus, in the form of a stag like his father's. So it turns out that Scabbers is Pettigrew, Pettigrew was responsible for Harry's parents' deaths, and Sirius Black is innocent, though no one but us can know. I have also decided to turn in the Time Turner. You know most of all how much it stressed me out, and I really feel that Divination and Muggle Studies are useless courses anyway.

Draco glared at the entry, rather put out. It seemed that Potter knew all about Sirius; in fact, he knew more than Draco! Oh well, many things were unknown to Potter and his horde of Gryffindors, Draco thought smugly. He looked down at the diary in his hand. He imagined his father's face when he, Draco, handed it to the Dark Lord. It held so many secrets. And more importantly, Draco knew that this diary, because of the written word it contained, held a piece of Hermione's soul. He recalled a different diary, and a different lonely girl only a few years before. Perhaps this diary would be more useful to the Dark Lord than even he could imagine.

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Hope's stomach dropped when she saw Hermione standing there in the doorway to the library. She wasted no time in pulling Hudson around the corner and running. Hudson, she could tell, was frazzled as well.

"Hope, don't we turn here?"

"Yes, yes, yes, just GO!"

They skidded to a halt in front of the Fat Lady.

"Um, um, oh what was it, I can't remember!"

"The password? Did they even tell you?"

"Yes, they did. It was a sort of animal, a bird or something…"

"Come on, Hope, they'll be here soon!"

It was then that Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny rounded the corner. Harry stepped forward and looked at Hudson calmly. "Hello, Hudson. Nice to see you again."

Hudson looked warily at him. "Look, we were just walking around, you guys were out after hours too."

Harry smiled faintly. "I don't care that you guys are breaking the rules. You will find that I myself am susceptible to pranks and rule-breaking. What I care about is that had Hope remembered the password you would know exactly how to get into the Gryffindor Common Room. Was this planned or merely a perk?"

Hudson, clearly enraged, advanced threateningly, but Hope stepped between the two. "Stop," she said clearly.

The Gryffindors stared at her, surprised at her audacity. However, Hudson's expression immediately softened and he lowered his head.

"I didn't mean to spy on the all-mighty Gryffindors' Common Room," he sneered. "I was merely trying to be, er, chivalrous and get her inside before leaving. And I will not leave until I am sure that she is safe, so you may as well just get in."

Hermione, sensing the hopelessness of standing out here and arguing, rolled her eyes and walked up to the Fat Lady. Reaching up, she managed to whisper inaudibly into the woman's ear. The woman nodded and the portal swung open. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny stepped inside. Harry stood outside. "Go on, Hope," he said firmly. Hope looked at Hudson timidly, tried to smile, and climbed in. Hudson looked thoroughly put out.

"Look, Harry-"

"No, you look, Hudson. I know that you guys are close. I know that you love her, and I can tell that you would never intentionally harm her. However, you are a Slytherin. I have certain biases against your house, and you probably know why by now. I don't care what Hope decides to do, stay with you or stay with us, but either way you have to remember that we just can't trust you."

Hudson looked angry for a second, and then sighed. "Harry, you're a Gryffindor. I'm surprised that you would judge me that quickly, even if I was sorted into Slytherin. That doesn't mean that I'm going to hurt Hope, that doesn't mean that I'm trying to find out Gryffindor's secrets, and that doesn't mean that I hate you. I actually admire you, for reasons you can't know. Why don't you try giving me a chance?"

Harry looked at him carefully, taken aback. "Sorry. I guess I was assuming that you were, well, a normal Slytherin. Frankly you'll have to prove it to me, but I'll give you a chance."

"For the record, I hate Malfoy."

"All right, in that case forget what I said about not using this to the advantage of our houses – kill him in his sleep tonight, will you?"

"Ha, ha. I'd better go. Oh, and Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

As Hudson disappeared around the corner, Harry turned to the portrait. "Phoenix," he said softly. It swung open. Ginny was waiting for him on the couch.

"Ron and Hermione are, um, saying goodbye on the stairs. I thought I'd wait here." There was a tint of red on her cheeks.

Harry laughed out loud. "I'm so glad they're together, finally." To tell the truth, he was a little put out that they hadn't told him, but he pushed his resentment away and looked at his new girlfriend. "You're very pretty," he said quietly.

Ginny shifted uncomfortably, her face positively blazing. "Um, thanks, you're very pretty too I mean you're very handsome."

Harry laughed again. "Thanks." He walked up to her and kissed her softly, gently, tentatively. She returned the kiss. Unlike the quick ones in the hall, this kiss was patient and content. They pulled apart.

Ginny's eyes were closed. "Harry, let's think of that as our first kiss. I mean, no offense, the others were sort of, well…"

"Yeah. I agree. Definitely."

"Yes, well, I am exhausted," Ginny yawned. "See you tomorrow, oh boyfriend of mine."

"See you," Harry smiled.

Ginny turned and ascended the stairs to her dorm room. Harry turned to his stairs, where Ron stood, leaning against the wall. Harry felt a prickle of fear, but then remembered that Ron was okay with it.

"Harry," Ron said slowly, "just don't hurt her, okay?"

Harry smiled. "Ron, I would never, ever do that. So how's Hermione?"

Ron started. "Oh! In the, um, confusion I forgot to tell you! We're kind of…I mean…"

"Yeah, Ginny told me."

"Damn! We were going to tell you before anyone else! Harry, I'm sorry, it just happened today, it's not like we've been keeping anything from you. We went into our room to tell you, and then you were there with Ginny, remember?"

"Yes. I have to say, I was a little worried, but don't worry about. It's cool."

Ron looked at him gratefully. "Good. Jeez, the last thing we need right now is to be mad at each other. We still have to go get Malfoy, remember?"

Harry started and slapped a hand to his forehead. "Malfoy! Ginny's just gone up to bed, should we wake her?"

Ron shrugged. "Nah. No reason. We have an excuse now for not bringing her."

"I'm glad. I didn't really want her to come, it is too dangerous and anyway what could she do?"

"I'm so glad to see that I'm wanted." Harry and Ron started at the cold voice behind them. There was Ginny, looking very put out.

Harry's legs turned to jelly. "Ginny, we were, well, we were just-"

"Talking about me behind my back. I know. Well, if you don't want my company, I'll just go then. I came down here as soon as I remembered, but I guess you guys would rather I just disappeared."

With that she left the room, two very chagrined boys watching her hopelessly.

Harry moaned. "Shit."

"You can say that again. I wouldn't go in there now – better apologize tomorrow." Ron shook his head and turned to Harry. "We really should go. Get your Invisibility Cloak, will you?"

Harry shook out of his stupor and walked over to his dorm. "Yeah, sure, give me a sec."

------------------------------------------

Hope did not even notice when Hermione came is, grinning broadly. She was sitting in a seat by the window, looking at the moon. It was full, round, and stunning. She hated it so, for nightmarish things happened during the full moon. And yet she was enthralled by the pale luminescence, the spectacular brightness of its surface. She shivered as she thought of one man she knew who hated the moon, hated its fullness with a passion she would never fully comprehend.

--------------------------------------------

The wolf is so quiet, Lupin reflected as he strolled. I am the wolf, I have four legs and paws and a tail, but somehow I am myself. Oh, it is so good to be back at Hogwarts! Lupin had realized that under the influence of the Wolfsbane Potion, he was able to walk freely and safely through the Hogwarts grounds. He felt a prickle of fear as he remembered the close shaves, the dangers that he had laughed at here in his youth. He wondered yet again if he was doing the right thing. As doubt ran through his mind, he looked up at Gryffindor tower and saw a window still lighted. There was a figure sitting at the window, and he knew it was her. His doubts vanished. It was all worth it to protect her. He would just have to be really careful.

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Voldemort looked out the window at the full moon. How he loved it! There was so much power and greed in the moon, so much evil – and yet it radiated purity. He often found it amusingly ironic that such a sight was really a curse to so many beings, a time of transformation of body and mind. He closed his eyes as he felt a presence leave him and smiled cruelly. Wormtail's soul had departed from his own, as he had predicted.

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Peter scurried through the forest, smelling his way. He was close, so close…he could feel it. A huge weight had been lifted from his back. Voldemort's presence was not so strong…and he knew that he had done the right thing.

---------------------------------------------

Sirius Black loped towards Hogwarts. He had wanted to be there to surprise Harry when he arrived, but had been held up with a near-sighting by a Muggle that had left him unnerved and jumpy. As he trotted across the grounds, he heard a yelp, and squealing. He knew those sounds. He raced in the direction of the noise.

A wolf was standing on the path, a rat clenched in its teeth. Sirius's canine eyes glanced up into the sky, and the full moon told him who the wolf was. As he looked at the rat, his keen eyes focused on the missing toe. He growled and lunged, but the wolf pulled back. Its eyes were pleading, reminding.

Sirius wanted more than anything to bite that rat in half, to kill it at last. But as he mulled over this desire he recalled Harry, holding up his hands, telling him to stop. Even as a third-year Harry understood, and Sirius wanted to respect that. He grudgingly changed into human form.

"Well, Remus, I suppose you want to give me Wormtail, right?"

Remus nodded.

"Because it's not exactly like a werewolf can go storming into Hogwarts castle and present Dumbledore with a rat."

Remus again nodded.

"And you want me to get him there safely?"

Remus nodded, looking impatient.

"But here's the question – why hasn't he changed back?"

Remus looked at him, his entire stance radiating "duh."

"Oh, if he changed back, you would bite him, or maybe you already have?"

Remus nodded.

"But as soon as I take him he will just change."

Remus turned and walked away, jerking his head in a gesture that Sirius should follow. Sirius changed back into a dog; it was better to keep in dog form around a werewolf, even if he was under the influence of the Wolfsbane Potion. Remus led Sirius to the Whomping Willow and held the knot as Sirius climbed inside. Remus slipped in after him. They went into the Shrieking Shack, and Sirius started. Remus had done a little fixing-up, so now there was a couch and a table. Remus walked over to the table and looked pointedly at it.

Sirius changed back and examined the table. Some clothing and food were on it, as well as- "your wand," Sirius said suddenly. Of course. All right, I'll stupefy him if he tries anything. Peter, I know you can hear me. Change back and it'll be worse for you."

Peter, who had been writhing in Remus' mouth the entire time, stopped resignedly. He let out what can only be called a sigh.

"Right then, Remus, hand him over. You had better be careful not to bite me though – are you sure you have that thing under control?"

Remus looked at him determinedly.

"Okay, but if I spend even more of my time in canine form because of you you will never hear the end of it!"

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Dumbledore sighed. He pored over his books one more time, trying, searching for the answers. He wanted so much to keep these children safe. Hope, Hudson, Harry…and everyone else. There was something different about Hope, he was sure. When the Ministry had approached him about the children they had been tight-lipped – all he was told was that there would be two new fifth-years, and that they were from America.

A knock interrupted his thoughts. "Come in," he called, rising and putting on a welcoming smile.

In came Sirius Black. Dumbledore gave a start but recovered quickly. "Mr. Black! I am glad to see you alive and well."

Sirius held out his hands. He was holding something very tightly. "Mr. Dumbledore, sir, I've brought you Pettigrew."

Dumbledore did his best to appear unsurprised. "Did you? You really must call me Albus, Sirius, after all you are a grown man now. Shall we have a drink? I have some delightful sparkling cider…"

Sirius looked extremely confused. "I-I said that I brought you Peter Pettigrew, sir."

"Yes, so you have told me. You wish to deal with him directly? I suppose we can, though I hope you don't mind if I have some of that cider!" Dumbledore grinned at Sirius' obvious surprise and disapproval.

"Yes, I want to 'deal with him directly!' It took all my willpower to not kill him on the way here – I had to constantly think of Harry's wishes! Please, at least make him pay!"

Dumbledore dropped the charismatic expression and assumed a somber one. "Sirius, justice is not about revenge. You should know that. And I think that we should hear this man speak before we go any further with this."

Sirius sighed, nodded, and placed the rat on the ground. It sat there, shivering, making no move to change into its original and true form.

Dumbledore looked at the rat kindly. "I have had many of my dear friends go over to the Death Eaters, Peter. It is rare that I have one so brave as to return. I commend your bravery, though I regret the harm you have done. I welcome you."

Peter slowly grew and became himself. "I-I wasn't bravery, Professor Dumbledore, sir, it was cowardliness…the Dark Lord would have killed me, now that he has no use for me."

This was quite enough for Sirius. "Well, now that you've nowhere else to go, why don't you try turning yourself in! You owe Harry and me that much!"

Dumbledore held up his hand, beckoning Sirius to stop. "Peter, I really do not understand this habit so many of my students have – they never stop calling me 'professor!' You are a man now, no longer a boy-"

"HE IS NO MAN, HE IS A RAT!"

"Sirius, please, do refrain from insults. I believe that there were times in life when you would have liked to have your fair say."

This shut Sirius up rather quickly, though he still glared at Peter with hatred in his eyes. Peter shifted uncomfortably.

"So, Peter," Dumbledore said softly. "Why did you come back?"

"Well, the Dark Lord is surrounded my many followers now, and I could just tell that since he didn't need me anymore and I'm practically useless he was going to kill me eventually, so I ran away. He definitely knows I'm gone now. This is the only place where I'm safe."

Dumbledore sighed. "Peter, what you did to Lily, James, and Sirius was very wrong. What you did last year was very wrong. I will not be able to trust you until you earn my trust. In the meantime, why don't you put right what you can? Let's see if we can't get Sirius' name cleared."

Peter considered this, then nodded. "Yes, but I want protection."

"Why you lily-livered, cowardly-"

"Sirius, that is enough. Peter, if protection from Voldemort is what you wish, that is what you will have, to the best of my abilities. However, I will abide by the law. I am fairly certain that you will take Sirius' place in Azkaban for a time. I cannot protect you from that."

"They're planning to break open Azkaban soon," Peter said fearfully.

Dumbledore's eyes widened. "Then they are ready for their first real move. Perhaps it is information like that, Peter, that will save you from Azkaban in the end…hmm…"

Peter suddenly realized that Dumbledore was right – he knew a lot about the Dark Lord, his followers, his plans. He could use that to his advantage. "I know a lot," he stated boldly. "But I think that bargaining would be best."

"Perhaps," Dumbledore responded. Sirius looked infuriated and clenched his fists as though longing to throw himself at Peter.

---------------------------------

Draco was still up when he heard rather loud whispers coming from the hall outside the Slytherin Common Room. He walked over, expecting it to be some Slytherin first-years who had been out for a midnight snack and had had trouble remembering the password, but stopped dead at the door when he heard a voice hiss, "Harry Potter, you are such an idiot!"

--------------------------------

Ginny was infuriated. Ron and Harry had spent the last twenty minutes arguing over what to do – they had forgotten the imperativeness of learning the Slytherin password before breaking into the Slytherin Common Room. What angered her was that neither of them had had the decency or the common sense to ask her what to do – she was being ignored, and she hated it.

"Harry Potter, you are such an idiot!" she hissed finally. Ron and Harry both turned in surprise, having virtually forgotten her presence. Ginny walked over the Harry and glared at him. "How about asking me, including me, acknowledging my presence every once in awhile – did that even occur to you? If you really liked me you would actually treat me like an equal instead of EXCESS BAGGAGE!" Ginny yelled the last part, and Harry looked so surprised at her outburst that it fell to Ron to place a hand over her mouth.

"Ginny, you have to be quiet, you and Harry can have a lover's quarrel later-"'

Ginny bit down hard on his hand, causing him to let out a stifled cry of pain and stagger back. "LOVER'S QUARREL?! Let me make something PERFECTLY CLEAR to YOU, MR. WEASLEY – don't you EVER A)try to gag me, B)try to tell me what to do or C)belittle me AGAIN! That goes for you too, Harry! If EITHER of you ever treat me like that again I WILL TAKE AWAY YOUR NEED FOR CONTRACEPTION!" She whirled and ran as Ron and Harry just stared, stunned.

The momentary silence was broken by a burst of laughter from inside the Slytherin Common Room. Ron and Harry exchanged horrified glances – a SLYTHERIN had heard the outburst – it would be all over school tomorrow! "I am so glad I couldn't sleep!" came the distinguishable voice of Draco Malfoy.

"Malfoy!" Ron hissed. "Give back Hermione's diary!"

"But I'm having so much fun reading it!" Draco exclaimed gleefully. "It's ever so interesting, Potter…so informative…"

Harry clenched his fists. "You give me that diary, Malfoy," he hissed quietly. "Or I will personally beat the crap out of you."

"Temper, temper," Draco said slowly, relishing the moment. He was inside and Potter and Weasley outside – he was in no danger. "What has caused you to become so upset? Maybe your godfather hasn't been in touch, or perhaps you lost your invisibility cloak. Oh I know, Peter Pettigrew's been on your mind…or has Hermione informed you that she's had the hots for me for years…" (this was a major exaggeration, but the momentum carried him)

There was a brief silence on the other side, and then both Harry and Ron threw themselves against the door and pushed, yelling threats. Draco laughed delightedly.

"You open this door RIGHT NOW you piece of SLYTHERIN SCUM!" Ron raged.

Their tirades were cut off by a voice. "Well, well, Potter and Weasley." Ron and Harry froze. They knew that voice. They turned slowly, their anger replaced with dread. There stood Snape, who was trying (and failing) to look somber. It was obvious that Christmas had come early for him. "Out after hours…trying to break into the Slytherin Common Room…causing quite a ruckus…I daresay you forgot which common room was yours?"

A gleeful laugh came from inside the Slytherin Common Room. "Professor, I am so glad you're here! Potter and Weasley have been banging on this door for hours…I've had to stay up to make sure they don't succeed…I'm exhausted! Please help me, Professor!"

Snape's smile widened. "So we have a motive…good thing the door was there, or Draco would have probably been outnumbered and injured. Draco, you can go back to sleep. I appreciate your work on behalf of Slytherin House. Potter and Weasley, it will be my great pleasure to tell you to come with me."

Harry and Ron were seething and groaning inwardly at the same time. They followed Snape without protest, knowing that he would take them to Dumbledore. At least then they could get Hermione's diary from Draco. Snape led them to the gargoyle. "Snickers!" he whispered at the statue. It leapt aside, and he led Harry and Ron down to Dumbledore's quarters.

However, there was already someone there. "SIRIUS!" Harry yelled, running to the thin figure and throwing his arms around him. "I was so worried! Where the hell were you?"

Sirius meanwhile was hugging Harry back and yelling, "Why didn't you write to me?! I was so worried!"

"I did write!"

"Well, I didn't get anything…but then again I've been on the move a lot."

"Oh well, it doesn't matter, I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Yeah me too, but what are you doing here?"

Harry instantly remembered the reason for his late-night visit. "Oh…I, um, got into some trouble…"

Sirius grinned. "That's my boy!"

Dumbledore turned to Snape. "What seems to be the trouble?"

Snape stepped forward. "It was considerably more than 'some' trouble, Headmaster. I am confident that you will see fit to expel these two after hearing what they have done…"

Sirius looked positively delighted. "It's that bad?! Go Harry! I'm so proud of you! Let's hear it!"

Snape looked pained, but gave every effort to ignore Sirius. "Potter and Weasley here saw fit to sneak out after hours, go to the Slytherin Common Room, and attempt to break in, causing trauma to Draco Malfoy as well as extreme ruckus. I personally feel that such actions, not the first of their kind, justify immediate expelling. Just give the word…" He looked pleadingly at Dumbledore, who was trying valiantly to suppress a slight smile.

"Still at the Slytherins, eh, Harry? Oh yeah, they're the best to tease, taunt, and torture…but a little advice, next time use the invisibility cloak to make sure that scum like him" – Sirius pointed at Snape – "don't walk in on it."

Snape looked at Sirius with hatred in his eyes. "You would do well to avoid undermining my authority, Black! Your godson is in danger of being expelled!"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, me and James did things much worse, and a lot of them. Dumbledore never expelled us!"

Harry's spirits were considerably lifted by this statement.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Well, I think that Harry and Ron do deserve punishment for this, er, infringement, but as it seems to be a harmless prank I see no reason for expulsion. Let it suffice to say that Harry and Ron will serve two detentions each, forty points will be taken from Gryffindor, which I believe puts Slytherin in the lead, and Draco will also serve one detention for provocation."

Harry and Ron stared at Dumbledore in disbelief. How had he known? Dumbledore winked at them and turned to an infuriated Snape.

"B-but Dumbledore! Surely repeat offenders such as these-"

"Oh can it you lump of grease! Harry, we have a lot to catch up on, you know! Dumbledore, I think I'll take these two back to their common room." Sirius looked pleased with himself as Snape glowered at him.

Dumbledore nodded. "And no, er, stops along the way, Mr. Black – these two are on thin ice already."

"Wouldn't dream of it, sir!" Sirius led Harry and Ron out of the room. As soon as they were out of earshot the three burst into laughter.

"Did you see – the look – on his face?!" Ron guffawed.

"Priceless!" Sirius grinned.

"That was so great!" Harry gasped. 'I can't wait to tell Hermione, Seamus, Ginny, Dean, Fred, George, oh well everyone!"

"Yeah!" Ron agreed.

Sirius grinned, a mock teary expression on his face. "Reminds me of the good old days…just the Marauders, to rule the school…" He suddenly seemed to remember something. "Harry! I can't believe I forgot to tell you! I've brought Peter!"

Harry looked at him blankly. "Sirius, what? Who?"

Sirius looked expectantly at Harry, waiting for him to figure it out.

"Oh! Peter! Wormtail! Sirius, really? I mean, this is fantastic!"

Sirius shrugged his shoulders. "Not as great as it seems. Dumbledore has decided not to give him up just yet – he wants information first. And that rat has information that he can bargain with."

Harry's face fell. "Damn! Why can't he just take the pressure off you?"

"Well, then Wormtail wouldn't have anything to bargain with! And one of the things he's told us is that the Death Eaters are planning to break Azkaban open, something they are more than capable of. Do we really want that thing to just scurry back to his master?"

"How did you catch him?" Ron asked curiously.

It wasn't really me, it was Remus. He's just, um, not himself at the moment and needed someone to take Peter to Dumbledore. I think he caught him on the Hogwarts grounds."

"The Hogwarts grounds!" Harry gasped.

"To turn himself in, Harry, I'm almost sure. Though I wouldn't put it past the SNIVELING piece of-"

"Oh DEAR! It's…OH MY GOD!" Upon arrival at the Gryffindor Common Room they had been greeted by a terrified voice. The Fat Lady stared at Sirius, utterly horrified. "It's SIRIUS BLACK!" she screeched, accentuating this with a shrill scream.

Once Sirius had gotten over the shock, he immediately turned into a dog. Harry and Ron did their best to look puzzled and confused. "Miss, what are you talking about?" Harry questioned curiously.

"Harry – my dear – RUN! Sirius Black has returned!"

Harry looked behind him. "I see no Sirius Black."

The Fat Lady calmed down enough to look. "But…he was just here! Surely you saw him?"

Ron shook his head. "It's just us and Snuffles here."

"Well, I thought that I had seen the last of the nightmares! But I suppose a shock like that can cause disillusion…sorry about that boys, I hope you weren't frightened. Now," she stated, standing straighter and sending the two a patronizing glare. "WhatEVER are you doing out so late? And does any authority know about this – er, this dog?"

Harry knew how to handle the Fat Lady's queries. "Phoenix!"

Muttering about irresponsibility and unsanitary conditions, the Fat Lady admitted them. Ron, Harry, and Snuffles entered the Common Room.

Curled in an armchair was Ginny Weasley, and Hermione was stretched out on a sofa.

Snuffles immediately changed back into Sirius. "Aaaaaawwwww, how sweet, your girlfriends waited for you!"

Ron and Harry blushed and tried not to look too pleased.

Sirius grinned. "So they are your girlfriends! Which is yours, Harry?"

"Er, Ron's sister," Harry replied.

"Man, I should've guessed! Red hair! And that means that you, Ron, have the intelligent and rather good-looking Hermione! I'll be upstairs!" Sirius strode off, grinning cheekily at the four behind his shoulder. It was obvious that he felt that Harry and Ron wanted privacy.

Harry walked over to Ginny. He was taken aback by how cute she looked. He made a mental note to sneak into her dormitory in the middle of the night once in awhile and watch her sleep.

"Dammit, why does she have to be so beautiful," Ron muttered, breaking Harry's trance. Ron was stroking Hermione's hair, gazing at her with love in his eyes. Harry smiled. It was very obvious that Ron had it bad. Though he was attracted to Ginny and enjoyed her company, he knew that he was not in love with her. Ron, it seemed, had fallen in love. Harry was almost jealous.

"Do you suppose we should carry them to bed?" Ron asked, shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts.

Harry eyes Ginny doubtfully. "Um, Ron, we're not exactly pumped up. Sure, a couple inches taller than them, but I don't think I could carry Ginny across a room, up a flight of stairs, and into a dorm room full of sleeping girls. And I don't even want to think about what would happen if I dropped her. And you know Hermione's a light sleeper. Imagine waking up and finding yourself suspended off the ground, being carried somewhere…I bet you'd scream."

"I guess you're right," Ron chuckled. "It's just that that's what they do in all the romances…"

"Yeah well it's impractical, improbable, and unrealistic."

"But it makes for a great story."

"Since when do you read romance?"

"Well, Ginny's got some books…"

Harry did his best to laugh quietly. However, the idea of Ron Weasley engrossed in a romance novel was so hilarious that he could not contain himself. He let out a snort. Ginny stirred, and Ron and Harry watched her apprehensively. She seemed on the verge of waking, then settled back down. They let out sighs of relief.

"Romance? You have got to be kidding me!" Harry stuttered.

"Hey, don't knock what you haven't tried," Ron said defensively. "Besides, it's not like I'm a fanatic or anything. So I've read a couple. Big deal."

"Why?"

"Well, if you must know, Ginny was getting all teary reading one one day. I was curious, 'cause Ginny never cries, you know? So I sneaked into her room when she was asleep, just to make sure it wasn't one of those dangerous enchanted book that dad warned us about. And it was part one of a trilogy so naturally I had to read the other two. But that was it. And if you tell anyone," he continued menacingly, "I will kill you, Boy-Who-Lived or not."

"Yeah, yeah. Oh jeez, what time is it?"

Ron glanced at his watch. "Two-freaking-thirty in the morning!"

"Well, we can sleep in tomorrow, but we should still go to sleep."

"What should we do about these two? We can't just leave them."

"Um…."

------------------------------------

A/N – Well, sorry to leave you guys hanging, but that's the best place to stop…I SWEAR!!! The next scene is the next morning…and it's LONG!!! So even though this seems like an awful place to end the chapter, just trust me!

And here are my reviewers…thanks SO MUCH for reviewing, I was so excited when I got THREE for this chapter… (*Keeper runs to each of her reviewers and gives them a BIG hug*)

Calista Black – Wow, thanks! You're right, Mary Sues can be VERY bad, lol. I was really worried about writing one because it's hard to keep them from being pathetic, but I know it's possible because I've read some spectacular ones… (Read Sins of the Father by Talia Carter…it's excellent, one of the best Mary Sues I've ever read!!!)

Anna – Aaaawww…thanks. o.O

DaRkGoDdEsS024 – Well, you will have to wait and see…but let's just say that the action DOES pick up… :^)