SNEAKING OUT

Here's another chapter for you all! Thanks for all the lovely Reviews :) You make me so happy!

Harry Potter is J.K. Rowling's.

The door to the Leaky Cauldron swung open with a light squeak of the hinges, and I slumped inside. No matter how much I hated to admit it, I had no other choice; I was going to have to talk to Snape, and I was going to have to do it within the next couple of hours.

The pub wasn't as crowded as it was this morning, something I was very grateful for. There were a few people sitting at the bar and some groups of people in a couple booths, but it was nowhere close to the madhouse it was this morning. I was able to easily navigate my way around the few stray tables and chairs to Tom, who was wiping off a back table as a group cleared out.

"Tom?" I called once I reached him. He grunted in acknowledgment but didn't look up from his work. I took it as a sign to continue on, "Do you have any Floo Powder? I have to stop in at my Mum's for a minute to grab something."

Tom finished cleaning the table and stood up straight, wiping sweat from his brow. "Sure, but that'll be ten Galleons and three Knuts," he replied.

I nearly toppled backwards. "Ten Galleons?! For a pinch of dust?"

"Well," Tom began to explain, "that will cover the expenses for renting the room. We don't want anyone sneaking off with the Floo Powder without paying, not would we?"

"But I've only been here for one night!" I countered.

"It will also take care of the cost of fixing the shower you broke," he told me.

"I broke?" I defended. "It was like that when I got here! You're lucky I didn't get hypothermia from using it this morning!"

Tom grumbled, "It will also pay the fee of keeping pets in the room."

"What pets?" I asked, dumbfounded. "I don't have any pets."

"Well then perhaps you can explain why there is a dog up in your room that refuses to leave."

I could feel my brow furrow. "What dog?"

"Look," Tom said impatiently, "all I know is that a dog walked up to your room this morning and hasn't left. You can pay the ten Galleons and three Knuts for your Floo Powder, or you can just walk back upstairs to your room with nothing."

I contemplated drawing my wand and hexing the hunchback right in the middle of the pub, but I shoved my frustration to the side. I needed the Floo Powder. That was my only way of getting to Hogwarts. So, I begrudgingly handed over the required sum, which was the money I had planned on using to pay for the last four days of my stay here. Tom took the coins from me and went into the back room. He returned with a small cup of a gray powder.

"Here you go," he said, handing the cup to me. "It's all yours."

I mumbled a thank you and took the Floo Powder from him. I hurried up the stairs to my room, determined to find out what Tom had meant about a dog in my room. I unlocked the door with a click and pushed the door open.

To my surprise, the room looked untouched. The bed was neatly made, the curtains were pulled open to let in the light, and the room looked freshly swept. The only thing that had changed since I had left was the small, torn piece of parchment that was resting on the bed.

I put the cup of Floo Powder on the bedside table and sat down on the bed to better examine the clipping. I felt my heart drop to the floor when I saw that it was a note. I would recognize the messy scrawl anywhere.

Tonks,

Came to talk. Went back so Moony wouldn't get worried. Be back tonight to talk.

Though there was no signature save a large, black paw print, I instantly knew who had written the note. I groaned loudly out of frustration. I was going to kill Sirius. What was he thinking? Didn't he know that I didn't want him here, or did I not make myself clear enough? He was going to get himself killed!

I paced around the room angrily for several moments. Why couldn't Sirius just leave well enough alone? He was going to get thrown back in Azkaban if he kept this up!

I sighed deeply and sat on the bed, trying to calm myself down. Though I was sure that I was going to wring Sirius' neck the next time I saw him, I knew that I had more pressing matters to attend to. If I didn't talk to Snape soon, there was no telling when I would be able to get back home.

So, shoving my irritation with my cousin to the back of my mind, I picked up the Floo Powder from the bedside table and walked over to the fireplace. I threw a pinch of the dust onto the grate, yelling "Potions Office" as I did so. Once the emerald flames flew from the ashes, I stepped inside, feeling myself twist away.

-oOoOoO-

Sirius

I carefully pushed open the front door to Remus' house. I had been gone for a little over an hour, and I hoped that Moony hadn't noticed my absence. Of course, I forgot to account for the fact that Moony notices everything, so I really shouldn't have been surprised when he was waiting for me. He was sitting on the couch, his feet bouncing expectantly. The dark circles that had been plastered to his face since Tonks left seemed more prominent, and his forehead was wrinkled in worry. His head perked up upon hearing me enter. He stood up and started pacing around the room.

"Where have you been?" he asked as though I was a child that had stayed out passed curfew. "Do you realize that I've been looking for you all morning? What were you thinking? Someone could have recognized you!" he continued fussing. Although Remus would never admit it, there were striking similarities between him and his over-protective mother; for one they were both annoyingly worried when the smallest thing was missing or out of place. I knew that it wasn't exactly right not to tell him where I was going, but I had a mission, and I preferred that he not know about it yet.

"Will you calm down before you make yourself sick," I said casually, throwing myself onto one of the armchairs. "I just went out for some air. It gets so stuffy in here, I couldn't take it anymore." I had been trying to keep the mood light over the last couple of days. I knew that Remus was trying to look like Tonks' leaving hadn't phased him, but I could tell that he was hurting on the inside. She'd done something to him that I didn't think anyone could do, and he was missing that now.

Remus shook his head and sighed, "You can't do that, Sirius. Someone could catch you," he finished a little more calmly.

"Relax," I told him. "No one saw me." He gave me a doubtful look. "Okay," I gave in, raising my hands in surrender, "I'll be more careful."

"Good," he said, satisfied. We sat in silence for a few moments before Remus told me he was going to his room and to tell him if I needed anything.

Moony had been spending a lot more time in his room lately. I had no idea what he did in there all day, but he was becoming more solitary. Our conversations hadn't been as easy and flowing; they were awkward and choppy. When he laughed at a joke I'd made, it was forced and unconvincing.

I wasn't used to this. I was worried for him. I knew that he would be taking things hard after what had happened at the end of October, but now, he was trying to prevent himself from falling over the edge. Remus held everything in until he was about to explode, and I could tell that the combination of James' and Lily's deaths, the Ministry's tightening control, and Tonks' running away was going to be too much for him. There were only two things that could change what he was feeling. One: the Ministry could repeal its new laws; or two; Tonks could come back. Seeing as the former was not likely, that left one option.

I was going to help my friend. I didn't care what happened to me, but Remus needed someone to pull him out of this hole.

…

Before long, the sun started to set in the sky, causing a dim orange light to shine through the fogged glass of the windows. Remus had stayed in his room for the remainder of the day, and I wasn't expecting him to come out any time soon.

The clock on the side table said that it was seven o'clock. I settled on waiting another five minutes before leaving. I watched the hands of the clock intently as they continued their path around the clock face with light ticks. Five minutes passed, and still Remus had not emerged. I decided that it was safe enough to sneak out for a while. I opened the front door as quietly and carefully as I could, tiptoed outside, and shut the door lightly. I then kneeled onto the ground on all fours and felt my back begin to curve. Black fur sprouted from my face and arms. My nose grew longer and into a snout. A tail began to sprout behind me, and my tongue hung out of my mouth in a pant. I took a step down the street and felt the familiar sensation of concrete against my padded feet. A sudden rejuvenation flowed through me and I broke out into a trot that turned into a run. I sprinted down the road and started my trek to London.

I hope you liked the newest chapter! Sorry for ending it with a little bit of a cliffhanger. Don't worry, we'll see what happens with Snape, Tonks, and Sirius in the next chapter. Let me know what you guys thought in a Review!