Chapter Three: Detention
After he left Ginny, Harry trudged over to Snape's office and went inside. Harry saw a note on Snape's desk addressed to him. He opened it and read:
……Harry, I am in a meeting with Dumbledore, and unfortunately can not be there to supervise your detention, as I am sure that you will most likely destroy or take something. (Harry rolled his eyes) However, I will leave this assignment in hopes that you will complete it without too much trouble. I would like you to clean out the cages of the Gripoys as they are most filthy and I hate to do it. -Professor Snape.
Harry sighed as he went over to the Gripoys' cages. This had to be the worst detention yet. Harry knelt down and stared at them sliding over each other in the cages. They had to be the most disgusting things Harry had ever seen. They looked like a cross between an eel and a lobster. They had eel-like bodies but had lobster-like legs and pincers. While they had no eyes or noses, they did have huge mouths. If they got spooked they would scream and emit a horrible smell. Not that they didn't smell bad anyway. The smell came from a liquid that would ooze from flaps in their skin. Oddly enough it was used in making love potions, but if you got any of the raw stuff on you, the only things you would be attracting for weeks would be flies. No wonder Snape didn't like to do this. Harry took a deep breath, found some gloves, and very gently picked up the first Gripoy and moved him into a separate container. He held his breath the whole time so he would not spook the creatures or inhale their stench. He had moved all the Gripoys and finished cleaning out the cages when he heard something behind him. Harry thought it was Snape and suppressed the urge to throw one of those nasty animals at him, but when he turned around an exceptionally large dog met him. "Sirius!" Harry exclaimed. The dog went to the door and nudged it shut with his snout. He then returned to his human form.
"Hi Harry." Sirius said.
"What are you doing here? Harry asked holding a rather large Gripoy.
"I had to meet with Dumbledore to discuss some things." Sirius replied.
"Really? Snape had to do the same thing." Harry said.
"I know." Sirius replied rather annoyed, "He was in there with me. He told me that you were put in detention for hitting the Malfoy boy."
Harry placed the Gripoy in its cage, "Yeah." he said.
Sirius laughed, "Well, if Draco Malfoy is anything like his father, than there's no doubt that he deserved it."
Harry smiled and went back to transferring Gripoys back into their cages. Sirius frowned and wrinkled his nose, "He must really hate you to have given you this assignment."
Harry nodded and tried to force the last one in the cage. The Gripoy, not taking kindly to this treatment began to moan. "Wait!" Sirius said, "Here, let me show you." Sirius took the Gripoy and rubbed the back of its tail, which seemed to calm it immediately. Harry looked up amazed.
"Hey, you're not the only one that has had to do this. I can't begin to count the number of times your father and I had to clean out Gripoy cages. We got sprayed once, it wasn't pretty." Sirius said.
The mention of his father made Harry remember what he wanted to tell Sirius. "Sirius!" Harry started, "you'll never believe what I found!"
"What?" Sirius asked washing his hands in a nearby sink.
"My family tree!" Harry shouted. "I found out that my grandmother was an mugmu-…mangu-"
"Magmanos." Sirius replied drying his hands on his robes.
"You knew?" Harry asked.
Sirius smiled faintly, "Yes, I knew."
"Do you know about my mother's other sister, Selene?" Harry asked.
At the mention of Selene's name Sirius sat down suddenly as if he had just had the wind knocked out of him. "Where's this tree?" he asked.
Harry ran upstairs to get the book and the photo album to bring to Sirius who was waiting outside in the garden. Harry couldn't help but wonder why Sirius had reacted like that. Did he know Selene? Was she dead? Harry was afraid of the answer to the last question. Finally, with tree and book in hand he went outside to find Sirius, who was sitting on a bench and playing with something in his hand. Before Harry could get a good look at it, he put it in his pocket. Harry handed over the tree and Sirius examined it, his eyes stopping when they came to Selene's name. "Do you know her?" Harry asked.
"Yes." Sirius said, his voice revealing nothing.
Harry opened the photo album. "Is this her?" he asked pointing to the woman who had scared him off his bed the previous night.
Barely looking at it, Sirius replied, "Yes."
"Well where is she?" Harry demanded. "How can I see her? Is she in London?"
"She's dead." Sirius replied, his eyes fixed on the ground.
Harry sank into the ground. He had wanted more than anything for her to be alive. Although he was grateful that he had Sirius as a godfather, Harry had wanted to have a living blood relative somewhere on this planet. "When?" Harry asked quietly.
"A long time ago. She died trying to…." he stopped and looked around. Harry saw what Sirius was looking at, it was the Ravenclaw Quidditch team heading towards the entrance of Hogwarts. Apparently they had been practicing and had come in when it had gotten too dark and too cold to play. The problem was that Sirius and Harry were between them and the front door.
"Harry," Sirius said, "I need to go. I can't be seen."
"What did Selene die trying to do?" Harry asked, ignoring Sirius' previous statement.
"She died trying to save me, Harry." Sirius blurted out glancing at the Ravenclaws, making sure they were far enough away. He grabbed Harry's shoulders. "Harry," he said. "Leave this alone." Harry tightened his shoulders and shook his head no. Sirius grabbed his arms tighter. "I'm serious Harry! Now is not the time. I'll explain it to you one day, Harry, but today is not that day. There would be serious problems if people found out about--" Sirius cut himself off and backed away from Harry. "Promise me." he said.
Harry stood still.
"Promise me." Sirius repeated.
Harry nodded in compliance. Sirius, who seemed satisfied, returned to his dog shape and ran toward the woods.
After he left Ginny, Harry trudged over to Snape's office and went inside. Harry saw a note on Snape's desk addressed to him. He opened it and read:
……Harry, I am in a meeting with Dumbledore, and unfortunately can not be there to supervise your detention, as I am sure that you will most likely destroy or take something. (Harry rolled his eyes) However, I will leave this assignment in hopes that you will complete it without too much trouble. I would like you to clean out the cages of the Gripoys as they are most filthy and I hate to do it. -Professor Snape.
Harry sighed as he went over to the Gripoys' cages. This had to be the worst detention yet. Harry knelt down and stared at them sliding over each other in the cages. They had to be the most disgusting things Harry had ever seen. They looked like a cross between an eel and a lobster. They had eel-like bodies but had lobster-like legs and pincers. While they had no eyes or noses, they did have huge mouths. If they got spooked they would scream and emit a horrible smell. Not that they didn't smell bad anyway. The smell came from a liquid that would ooze from flaps in their skin. Oddly enough it was used in making love potions, but if you got any of the raw stuff on you, the only things you would be attracting for weeks would be flies. No wonder Snape didn't like to do this. Harry took a deep breath, found some gloves, and very gently picked up the first Gripoy and moved him into a separate container. He held his breath the whole time so he would not spook the creatures or inhale their stench. He had moved all the Gripoys and finished cleaning out the cages when he heard something behind him. Harry thought it was Snape and suppressed the urge to throw one of those nasty animals at him, but when he turned around an exceptionally large dog met him. "Sirius!" Harry exclaimed. The dog went to the door and nudged it shut with his snout. He then returned to his human form.
"Hi Harry." Sirius said.
"What are you doing here? Harry asked holding a rather large Gripoy.
"I had to meet with Dumbledore to discuss some things." Sirius replied.
"Really? Snape had to do the same thing." Harry said.
"I know." Sirius replied rather annoyed, "He was in there with me. He told me that you were put in detention for hitting the Malfoy boy."
Harry placed the Gripoy in its cage, "Yeah." he said.
Sirius laughed, "Well, if Draco Malfoy is anything like his father, than there's no doubt that he deserved it."
Harry smiled and went back to transferring Gripoys back into their cages. Sirius frowned and wrinkled his nose, "He must really hate you to have given you this assignment."
Harry nodded and tried to force the last one in the cage. The Gripoy, not taking kindly to this treatment began to moan. "Wait!" Sirius said, "Here, let me show you." Sirius took the Gripoy and rubbed the back of its tail, which seemed to calm it immediately. Harry looked up amazed.
"Hey, you're not the only one that has had to do this. I can't begin to count the number of times your father and I had to clean out Gripoy cages. We got sprayed once, it wasn't pretty." Sirius said.
The mention of his father made Harry remember what he wanted to tell Sirius. "Sirius!" Harry started, "you'll never believe what I found!"
"What?" Sirius asked washing his hands in a nearby sink.
"My family tree!" Harry shouted. "I found out that my grandmother was an mugmu-…mangu-"
"Magmanos." Sirius replied drying his hands on his robes.
"You knew?" Harry asked.
Sirius smiled faintly, "Yes, I knew."
"Do you know about my mother's other sister, Selene?" Harry asked.
At the mention of Selene's name Sirius sat down suddenly as if he had just had the wind knocked out of him. "Where's this tree?" he asked.
Harry ran upstairs to get the book and the photo album to bring to Sirius who was waiting outside in the garden. Harry couldn't help but wonder why Sirius had reacted like that. Did he know Selene? Was she dead? Harry was afraid of the answer to the last question. Finally, with tree and book in hand he went outside to find Sirius, who was sitting on a bench and playing with something in his hand. Before Harry could get a good look at it, he put it in his pocket. Harry handed over the tree and Sirius examined it, his eyes stopping when they came to Selene's name. "Do you know her?" Harry asked.
"Yes." Sirius said, his voice revealing nothing.
Harry opened the photo album. "Is this her?" he asked pointing to the woman who had scared him off his bed the previous night.
Barely looking at it, Sirius replied, "Yes."
"Well where is she?" Harry demanded. "How can I see her? Is she in London?"
"She's dead." Sirius replied, his eyes fixed on the ground.
Harry sank into the ground. He had wanted more than anything for her to be alive. Although he was grateful that he had Sirius as a godfather, Harry had wanted to have a living blood relative somewhere on this planet. "When?" Harry asked quietly.
"A long time ago. She died trying to…." he stopped and looked around. Harry saw what Sirius was looking at, it was the Ravenclaw Quidditch team heading towards the entrance of Hogwarts. Apparently they had been practicing and had come in when it had gotten too dark and too cold to play. The problem was that Sirius and Harry were between them and the front door.
"Harry," Sirius said, "I need to go. I can't be seen."
"What did Selene die trying to do?" Harry asked, ignoring Sirius' previous statement.
"She died trying to save me, Harry." Sirius blurted out glancing at the Ravenclaws, making sure they were far enough away. He grabbed Harry's shoulders. "Harry," he said. "Leave this alone." Harry tightened his shoulders and shook his head no. Sirius grabbed his arms tighter. "I'm serious Harry! Now is not the time. I'll explain it to you one day, Harry, but today is not that day. There would be serious problems if people found out about--" Sirius cut himself off and backed away from Harry. "Promise me." he said.
Harry stood still.
"Promise me." Sirius repeated.
Harry nodded in compliance. Sirius, who seemed satisfied, returned to his dog shape and ran toward the woods.