Chapter 9

"I can't believe you just did that" snapped Louise as she dragged Jessica into the kitchen area, Harry followed them giggling.

"Do what?" Jessica asked innocently, her big blue eyes wide. The façade was fooling nobody, least of all her fellow babysitter.

Louise glared at her, her expression putting Harry in mind of a volcano about to erupt. Jessica decided to opt for forgiveness; "I didn't mean to" she whined causing Harry to laugh again.

Louise raised her eyebrows and winked at Harry.

"I didn't!"

"Hmm " she turned away and ignored her further proclamations of innocents and made herself a cup of tea.

Harry sat at the table and watched fascinated at Jessica's belief that the more she went on the truer her lie would become, and at the way Louise seemed to have just flicked the off switch on her anger and was now sipping tea opposite him.

"Hey, can I have a cheese sandwich?" Jessica asked once she was satisfied she was no longer in trouble, Harry and Louise to give her funny looks, "What?"

"Fine, what would you like Harry?" Louise asked as she climbed to her feet in an all suffering manner Harry smiled shyly at the small woman and mumbled something that wasn't understandable. Jessica flopped down next to him and put a hand to her ear theatrically, "Pardon?"

Harry stared at her.

Louise sighed "Would you like cheese, ham, tuna, jam, banana –"

"- Hey! Why does Harry get to have banana? You never let me have it" Jessica exclaimed dramatically, pointing an accusing finger at her. Harry laughed at his new found clown before relpying;

"Can I have banana and jam please?"

"Of course you can Harry" Louise smiled at him, Jessica looked insulted.

"Oh I see how it is, you like Harry more than me! Well fine than if that's the way things are going to be" she leapt at the four year old and tackled him to the ground. Harry shrieked and kicked her in the shin, Jessica howled and hopped in a circle clutching her leg, "Nobody loves me!" And she collapsed in a heap on the floor.

"You asked for cheese" Louise pointed out her pulling her up from the floor and pushing her into the chair next to Harry who was sniggering.

"Oh yeah" she said sheepishly, grinning at Harry who stuck out his tongue, Lou just sighed, "Jess go find me a banana"

Jess huffed dragging herself out of the chair huffing and puffing like it was the worst task in the world, "See Harry" she moaned "She treats me like her very own personal slave"

Harry smiled sadly, he knew this was all a game the girls were playing with him but he had only left the Dursleys a week ago. He shook his head and watched as Jess walked straight past the fruit bowl next to her and started to ransack the pantry.

"Well how else am I meant to treat you?" than turning to wink at Harry she quietly added "slave" Harry tried to keep a straight face.

"Well for starters you could be nice – kind, actually ASK for things" Jess listed trying to find the bananas.

Louise turned to Harry with a sigh and waved the fruit bowl at her, Jess shrugged and continued her investigation of the fridge.

"Turkey-Ham! I wonder how they make that, maybe there's an animal that is part pig and part turkey" her head came out of the fridge "Damn that's one painful mating season" Louise and Harry exchanged amused looks.

"Jess" Harry asked innocently, drawing out her name in an infant whine.

"Yes Har-Bear"

"What's mating season?"

Louise grinned gleefully at her from the chopping bord, a look of pure satisfaction written across her face which could have been translated as "Explain that then, no not me, YOU!"

"Erm well" Jessbegan fiddling with her hair, "When a boy and girl love each other very much they can have babies, but Lou and I can't really go into it much more until your older"

"How much older?" Harry asked

"13"

"9" Harry said back

"No way 12"

"9 ½"

"Nu uh 12" Jess said not budging

"Fine than 10?"

"11"

"Deal"

"What? No! Damn you Harry!" Jess moaned, Harry cackled at her.

"Shame Jess, outsmarted by a 4 year old"

"Shut up Lou" Jess sulked. Shaking a fist at the triumphant toddler.

Harry just smirked and walked into the front room turning the television on, Jessica and Louise followed with the sandwiches and settled down to wait for Harry's guardians to come back.

"I like Cheese" Jess stated randomly and hour later, having just watched only just finished her sandwich much to Harry's bemusement.

"Apples are nicer" Louise said back, Jess frowned,

"No way! Cheese all the way"

Harry decided to take advantage of Jessica been distracted and stole the remote of fher and began to flick through the channels.

A scream ripped though the house.


"You alright Padfoot?" Remus asked "You've been oddly quiet ever since the meeting"

"Yeah I'm fine, there's nothing wrong, nothing at all" Sirius said a little too quickly, he turned to Remus and smiled, Remus sighed and was about to say something else when both men stopped. Their hearts lept into their mouths, "Harry" Sirius gasped

They both turned and ran to the house, three wide eyes and shocked expressions greeted them in the living room.

"We heard a scream" Remus explained, feeling a blush start around his neck,

"Yeah" Sirius added feeling just as embarrassed, "Sorry, don't really expect screaming on a 5 O'Clock show do you?"

"Right, sorry. Harry must have turned the volume up by accident" Louise mumbled, Harry nodded miserably, Remus smiled weakly at him, "No problems... How much for the two hours?" The spell of shock and embarressment broke and time seemed to rush until the babysitters had left and the two men and boy were left alone.

"I'm sorry I-" Harry began,

"Don't be Harry, it was an accident" Remus said, "I think we should have a talk"

"I really am-"

"No" Sirius interrupted, "We want to talk about your parents and you and ... magic"

A/n: The cliffie is not my own so blame Hippie Jade, and also blame Hippie Jade for actually kicking me into gear and typing the basics of this chapter all finetuning and adjustments go to the wonderfull Hippie Jade.

Thanks to ALL the reveiwers, story alerters, story favouriters and C2 adders it means the world!