Chapter 11
A Long Lost Road
A Harry Potter Fanfic
Disclaimer: I am reading the Hobbit in English and I wish I could own a hobbit but I don't own that or any other multi billion dollar magical world.
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Sirius tried very hard to not mope, but he did retract from Harry a little bit because he was trying to come to terms with the outcome of Harry's trial. And since I wasn't at Grimmauld for a whole week, Hermione took Sirius' withdrawal from Harry in the perfectly wrong way and chewed him out for it. That of course, only made Sirius feel worse, especially when he learned that she had told Harry of her assumptions. When I finally returned for an Order meeting, I was met at the door with Hermione's bushy brown hair and a frown on her face. I raised my eyebrows up at her abruptness. She didn't seem to take notice in my shock because she ushered me right into the library.
"Is there something you needed?" I asked calmly. She crossed her arms over her chest and purse her lips together.
"Yes, actually. I wanted to inform you that Sirius has been moping recently and I talked to him about it, so he might be a little upset." I winced after she explained this.
"Oh, Hermione, you didn't." I said hopefully.
"I did." She replied loosening her arms slightly as she watched my shoulders sag. I shook my head and walked out to go find Sirius. I had some fixing to do. After a few minutes of searching I found Sirius sitting in his room with his head in his hands. I knocked on the door and leaned against the frame of it slightly. He looked up at me and nodded his head. I gave him a sad smile as I walked over to sit down beside him.
"Hermione talked to you." It wasn't much of a question. I pulled one of his hands away from his face so that I could lace my fingers in his.
"Yeah she did." I tried to catch his eyes but I was unsuccessful. When he didn't respond after awhile I reached over and cupped his face in my hand so that I could get him to look at me.
"I thought you promised me you wouldn't mope." I reminded him. He nodded.
"I really tried but I did pull away from Harry a little, just to make sure I was okay with it. I am happy that Harry got cleared, its just" He stopped.
"I know." I said and leaned against him.
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The meeting was long and drawn out. After Tonks and I had informed everyone of Umbridge's plan to get information on our loyalties, there was a lot of very loud cussing from everyone after Dumbledore had, regretfully, informed us that Umbridge would be taking up the Defense against the Dark Arts position. There was even curses from Minerva, which Sirius and Remus had both almost fallen out of their seats from in shock. When Dumbledore dismissed the meeting I kissed Sirius on the cheek and said I would see him in a minute. I was on a mission to make sure things got righted. I walked up the stairs and went straight to the room I knew Ron, Hermione and Harry were currently sharing probably discussing the latest things that Fred and George had heard through their latest invention. I knocked on the door lightly and waited for someone to open it. Ron cracked the door slightly then opened it fully after I smiled at him and followed him in after he beckoned me inside. Harry looked up and smiled at me.
"Hey Calli." He said.
"Hiya Harry, Ron, Hermione." I nodded at each one of them.
"Was there something you needed?" Ron asked hesitantly. I sighed.
"Can I explain something to you all? Its about Sirius." I requested. Harry and Ron instantly nodded their heads while Hermione took a little bit longer to agree.
"Firstly, Harry I'm sorry Sirius ignored you a little bit but it was only because he wasn't sure of himself." I started only to be cut off by Hermione's snort of disbelief.
"He was being selfish about not having Harry here with him." She stated. I shook my head at her.
"No actually he was feeling guilty." I explained. Harry perked up at this.
"Guilty about what?" He questioned. I swallowed gently.
"He blames himself for what you have to go through every summer with the Dursley's. And he thought, just for a little bit, that if you weren't cleared he would be able to make that up to you." I finished. Hermione looked horrified and had her hand clapped over her mouth.
"I said such awful things to him." She spluttered.
"Poor guy." Ron muttered and patted Hermione's back a bit awkwardly.
"Its not his fault. Its Voldemort's fault." Harry responded ferociously.
"You try telling Sirius that." I groaned.
"I figured you should know about the real reason Sirius was moping." I arose and shot a glance at Hermione when I said real because what she did was kind of heartless. I walked out of the room, but before the door closed Harry stopped me.
"Tell Sirius I'm sorry for not understanding." Hermione requested before Harry could speak. I nodded and looked at Harry. He had wrapped his hand around my wrist over top of one of my bruises and was squeezing a little bit. I winced and he released his grip slightly.
"I need to talk to Sirius." He said in between clenched teeth. I nodded and led him to where Sirius was waiting for me. He hadn't know what I was doing, I had just told him to wait until I was done. He's a generally smart guy, but I think he was a little shocked to see me come back with Harry, though.
"Hey Harry." Sirius opened the conversation rather well for being himself. He could've said much worse. Harry didn't wait for much other welcoming he just hurled his arms around Sirius and hugged him tightly.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I am always only thinking about how hard things are for me." Harry blurted. It was the first time I had ever seen Harry not holding something back. Sirius hugged Harry back.
"I never want you to feel guilty about the Dursley's anymore. Its not your fault my Mom and Dad are dead. Its Voldemort's fault." Harry was very good at making his points stick with his godfather.
"Okay I promise." Sirius said and then Harry pulled away and then turned around to face me so he could hug me. It was a good thing that my hair had been neon green since this morning because it would've turned that colour from my shock.
"Thank you for taking care of Sirius for me." He explained. I hugged him back .
"Anytime." I replied, looking over Harry's shoulder at Sirius. Harry pulled away and walked out of the room. I assumed he was going to bed before Molly skinned him alive. Sirius tugged on my hand so he could pull me into a hug. I buried my face in his chest.
"Did you just give Hermione a talking to?" Sirius asked. I was glad I had buried my face into his chest because now he couldn't see me blushing.
"Yes." I muffled out, then smiled when I felt Sirius start to chuckle slightly.
"There are not many people who would attempt something like that." He chuckled. I smiled.
"I'm not most people." I tossed back.
"I am very aware of that fact." He retorted, but I could tell he was still smiling.
"Hermione says she's sorry for not understanding." I relayed the message to him.
"I see. And exactly how hard did you talk to Hermione?" He questioned.
"Well I made some implications." I trailed off and left it there. Sirius didn't need immense details for this.
"Hey, did you see the picture Mad Eye found the other day?" He asked abruptly. I looked up at him.
"No. What picture?" I queried tipping my head to one side. He went running out into the dining room and came back with a picture in his hand.
"Its a picture of the original Order."He replied handing it to me. I grasped it and stared at it all the people waving up at me. Sirius leaned over and started pointing people out.
"There's Mad-eye and Dumbledore and, you know Dedalus. Marlene Mckinnon, she was killed with her whole family two weeks after this was taken. Frank and Alice Longbottom, Bellatrix tortured them to insanity because they wouldn't give up information about the Order. I think you know, Emmiline Vance, Moony, Benjy Fenwick, we only ever found bits of him. Edgar Bones, that's Amelia Bones' brother, they killed his family too. Sturgis, much younger of course. Caradoc Dearborn, he vanished and was never found. You know Hagrid and Elphias, those are Molly's brothers, Gideon and Fabian Prewett, it took five death eaters to kill them, Dumbledore's brother Aberforth, Dorcas Meadowes, she was personally killed by Voldemort, me who is still alive, and I hope that you know James and Lily, and that traitorous bastard Peter Pettigrew." There was a lot of people and most of them were dead or in the case of the Longbottoms worse than.
"When was this picture taken?" I asked out of pure curiosity.
"1979." He answered. I glanced at the photo again. I was seven when this picture was taken. My life was just starting when people lost theirs. It was kind of weird from my perspective. (an the 1979 is like a total guess)
"I was seven when this picture was taken. I was just thinking on the fact that when my life was starting theirs was ending. I guess its just weird to me in a way." I explained, answering his silent question.
"I always forget how much older than you I am." Sirius mused. I smiled bitterly.
"You learn to start acting older when your older brother beats on you because your a useless infidel child who doesn't deserve to be alive." I recalled one of the most often insults my brother, Train, enjoyed using while, Sven his best friend, would kick me senseless. Sirius grabbed my shoulders with such a fire in his eyes and ferocity in his actions that I dropped the picture and gasped in shock.
"It wasn't just your dad who did that. It was your siblings too!" He said it like he couldn't believe it. I nodded figuring I might as well give him the whole story.
"My eldest brother would call me the useless infidel child who doesn't deserve to be alive while his friend Sven would kick me senseless. My sister was angry because I had the power to make myself prettier but I couldn't make her prettier. So she would grow her nails out really long and then she would cut my face so that she could be the prettier one. My father thought it was the perfect way to get rid of his failed experiment and my mother was always too sickly to do anything to stop it." I spilled it all out and Sirius dropped his arms by his side and clenched his hands into fists. Then he pulled me against him and started to kiss me. It wasn't a soft kiss in any way. It was hard but I kissed him back and let his tongue have entrance into my mouth after he had run it along my bottom lip. I even gasped slightly when he found the sensitive spot in the back of my mouth. He pulled away but still held me close to him.
"You are none of those things and I love you." Amazing how ten words can make a girl more dizzy than a kiss involving tongue.
"I love you too Sirius." I replied easily but then came to a sudden realization. It was the first time we had ever said that. I smiled and felt very happy all of a sudden. The only sad thing was the meeting was about to start so we couldn't revel in this moment.
(an it is actually their first time saying that. I checked. Twice!)
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In truth some of the Meetings were frighteningly dull, others were full of tales of mysterious raids gone wrong and such like that. This one fell somewhere in between, it was full of plans and strategies but it wasn't actually a dangerous endeavour. Six of us were going to escort Harry to Hogwarts Express. I was excited for that because I had never seen the Hogwarts Express, but still was there really a need for six people and four of them being Aurors? Apparently Tonks was thinking along the same lines as me but she had enough guts to ask the question. Mad-eye wasn't all to impressed and immediately launched into one of his paranoid speeches.
"We are taking the very thing that Voldemort wants most to a highly crowded place, which is of course Harry, and an escaped convict who is the number one wanted man on the ministry's list of wanted men, which is of course Sirius. The four Aurors are highly trained enough to hold their own against any death eater or ministry official who should recognize Sirius despite him being in his animagus form." Mad-eye said something along those lines, but I wasn't really paying attention. I was a little bit worried about Sirius despite the fact that he would be in Snuggles form. I had remembered that Train should have kids who go to Hogwarts and I was worried about what he would do if he saw me, and what Sirius would do to Train if Train saw me. Here's hoping it would never come to that.
"Mad-eye term doesn't start for two weeks, why are we planning this now?" Tonks asked lamely while twirling her wand in her hand trying to amuse herself. I payed attention this time, I wanted to here his response
"There are too many things that could go wrong and we have to walk through all of them so we are prepared for whatever happens." He explained. This should throw a wrench in his plans.
"Also, Mad-eye, none of your plans have considered any of the children helping with the fighting should a death eater appear. I know that all the Weasley's and Harry and Hermione would fight and possibly other students who don't believe the rubbish that the Prophet is prophesying." I pointed out. Mad-eye seemed to ponder over it and then gave me a smile.
"Good point. Very good point. I'll have to make plans and strategies for that, so can we continue this next meeting?" He asked Dumbledore.
"Meeting dismissed." Dumbledore announced with a lazy wave of his hand. I stood up and waved good bye to Sirius as I walked towards the door. Most days I would've stayed but today I really had to go and get some sleep. If the ministry was planning a series of raids that need Aurors and the Order was giving me a bunch of guard duties all following those raids, It was a sign that getting as much sleep as possible was required. After this week was over I would most likely be dead in my shoes. Then the week after was what Scrigmour called, Paperwork Week. Talk about a double negative. What great joy proceeded me in these coming weeks. I was so deep in my thought that I didn't notice Harry standing in front of me. I practically walked into the boy. I muttered a sorry but he seemed to take no notice.
"Here's your good luck charm back." He said shyly and gave me back the familiar piece of paper. I smiled and pocketed it.
"Thank you Harry." I replied.
"I had Hermione cast a charm on it. Its like a prevention of damage charm. I figured that since it was so special you would want it protected." He explained quietly. I suddenly realized why he was being so quiet and shy, he didn't want to be seen as a softie. I quirked up on side of my lip.
"Thank you Harry. That was incredibly thoughtful of you." I said and slid to one side so I could continue on my path out the door. He slid out of my way.
"Your welcome." He replied. I smiled and walked out of Grimmauld and apparated straight to my flat.
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Well, I think that was an okay chapter. There won't be any updates for at least two weeks because I'm going on vacation. I am so pumped. Make me more pumped and review!