Sorry about the delay, but here it is!!! Chapter Five!!! And I would just like to say that
Angel has nothing to do with me (apart from the fact that I created her). I just liked the
name. Personally, I reckon this is the best chapter yet, despite its stoopid name. People
were complaining that they were too short, so I've made this one longer. well, thats it from
me. ~Wind to thy wings!
Chapter Five: The Encounter
That morning Sirius woke early, just before sunrise. Buckbeak was still deep in slumber and
he didn't want to deprive the poor animal of more sleep. He settled himself against a tree,
trying to think of a decent plan. Absent-mindedly, he began fingering his locket, opening
and closing it, only able to agonize about all he had lost the night Peter betrayed James and
Lily. He allowed a tear to spill down his dirty, unshaven face. Angel. James. Lily. Sirius
covered his face with his filthy hands, screwing his eyes shut.
"Stop moping, Padfoot."
A voice shattered his thoughts. Sirius' heart stopped. It couldn't be....
"It's not like you to be so depressed."
Sirius froze. That voice.... deep... bordering on laughter...
No. I'm hearing things, that's all.
"Azkaban does change people." stated another voice, this one higher, more musical.
Slowly, Sirius took his hands from his face, and opened his eyes, hardly daring to believe
what he had heard. "James? Lily?"
The spectre that held James' shape smiled. "The very same."
They are definately not ghosts. Sirius thought numbly. They lacked the pearly white
quality that the Hogwarts ghosts had. They had colour, vibrant colour, radiating an unearthly
light, and if it wasn't for the slight transparency, Sirius would have sworn they were alive and
standing in front of him. James was still tall and messy-haired, a grin hovering around his
lips. Lily was smiling kindly, her red hair falling on her shoulders and her green eyes
twinkling.
"What... You're...." he stammered, unable to make his voice obey him.
"We're messengers." said Lily, in the soft, sweet voice that was so familiar to him.
"Messengers?" Sirius repeated, looking between his old friends. "Prongs?"
He smiled. " I know this'll really annoy you, but we have to be cryptic." he gave Sirius an
apologetic look. "This is the message: 'You have many trials ahead of you Sirius. But be
strong.'" he began.
"'Dark times are approching." Lily continued. "Your destiny has yet to be fulfilled.'"
"That's it?"
"'fraid so."
"What does it mean?!" Sirius demanded, rising to his feet. "My destiny? I don't
understand!"
"We can't say." Lily said firmly. The two spirits were slowly fading. James glanced at Lily,
who nodded.
"Sirius, about Angel...." he ran his fingers though his untidy black hair. "We've talked to
Kate..."
"That's Fate. She's a hopeless romantic."
"And she says she's sorting it. Hang in there, Padfoot."
Sirius smiled weakly. "I'll try, Prongs." They were now only shadows, and their voices
reduced to whispers.
"Be strong." And they were gone.
"I'll try." Sirius repeated, staring at the place where his best friend had stood. Great.
he thought tiredly. Not only am I the most wanted man in Britain, have a bunch of
soul-sucking fiends out to destroy me, but now I have a destiny. Fan-bloody-tastic. He
shut his eyes and rubbed his head, deep in thought. What did they mean 'sorting things'?
Divine intervention was the last thing he needed. His life was complicated enough as it was.
Buckbeak butted Sirius with his head. The Hippogriff was awake now, and was prancing
nervously, anxious to get started. It seemed he was ill-at-ease; the sun had completely
risen, and Sirius suddenly felt very exposed. This was a pine-reserve after all.... probably
swarming with Muggles... There was no way Buckbeak and Sirius could hide out here... the
only possible choice Sirius' tired, confused brain could come up with was to somehow
disguise Buckbeak (Illusion probably) and leave him in the reserve while Sirius himself went
into the city. Some family would probably take in a poor, homeless dog.... but he couldn't
just abandon Beaky! He was getting quite fond of him. But if he found somewhere to leave
food... Hippogriffs are pretty smart, right?
"Beaky?" Sirius began hesitantly, staring into his sharp face. "Remember this part of the
forest." Sirius didn't only say the words, he thought them, with all the power he could
muster. He had always had a certain gift with animals, something that had come in useful
when dealing with Crookshanks last year. Once he was satisfied that Buckbeak understood,
he walked over to a large tree. "Remember this tree." He muttered 'Ardente' and burnt the
letters 'SB' into the trunk. "Remember." he repeated. "Come here in two days time. I'll
have something for you by then." Sirius cast an illusion of a deer over his companion,
stroking his feathery neck. "'til then, try to find your own food. Off you go. "It was
impossible to tell what Buckbeak was doing under the illusion, but he butted Sirius again
with his head and trotted away. What a smart Hippogriff. he thought, watching the
'deer' dissappear into the treeds. Proffessor Kettleburn always told us they were
intelligent, but I didn't quite believe him then. I better be off. He transformed to dog-
form and took in the smells. Hmmm.... civilization should be... that way.
The sun was at it's peak when Sirius found a suitable place. It was a huge lake, surrounded
by Muggles (and some wizards - he could smell the magic), feeding the ducks, buying lunch,
and basically having a fun day out. There were parents with their children buying icecreams,
a man and his daughter on the bridge, a few coulples walking along the water's edge and an
artist capturing the whole scene on canvas. Sirius sat for a moment and watched; taking in
the beauty, the sounds, the... the smells! HOT DOGS! His tail began to wag like it had a
mind of its own. It had been so long since he had tasted cooked meat...
"Hey boy!" The teenager manning the hot dog stall looked down at the pleading face of the
big black dog. "You hungry fella?" For a second he thought the dog nodded. Nah, couldn't
have. He grabbed a sausage and threw it up into the air for Sirius to catch - which he did
with ease. He held up another sausage, ready to throw.
"You want anoth--" he started, cut off by a high-pitched, petrified, scream. Sirius didn't
even think. He whirled around and sprinted as fast as his four legs would carry him towards
the source of the noise; the lake. In a second, his eyes took in the panicked expression of
the man on the bridge, looking over to where his daughter had fallen in. She was thrashing
around in the murky water, screaming as loud as she could.
No-one saw or heard the shape of a cheeky young woman on the bridge giggle, "Kate, you're
a GENIUS.", and disappear.
Sirius leapt into the water, knocking over the artist's easel as he went. He paddled as
quickly as possible, trying to reach the drowning girl before she went under again. He seized
the back of her dress in his teeth, being careful not to hurt her with his sharp teeth, and
dragged her to shore, trying not to choke on lake-water. The girl was still screaming when
they finally reached the water's edge. The girl's father pulled her out, hugging her tightly,
almost crying himself.
Sirius hadn't noticed the huge crowd of people that had gathered during the panic. The
crowd swarmed around the three of them, cheering, and sharing theories.
"Never seen anything like it!"
"One minute I'm feeding him, next he's rescuing a drowning girl!"
"That's one smart dog!"
Concerned for the child, Sirius shook himself dry, dispersing the now wet group of people and
trotted over to where she and her father were crouched. He nuzzled her with his nose, and
she looked up, her eyes puffy.
"Thankyou." she sniffed. Then she let go of her father and hugged Sirius around the neck.
Once he got over the initial shock, he licked her ear. She giggled. When she let go of him,
she turned to her father and said,
"Daddy, can we keep him?"
"Now Jenny, owning a pet is a big responsibility..."
"He saved my life, dad." Jenny stood up, somewhat shakily, crossed her arms across her
chest and stared at him defiantly.
He sighed. "He probably already has a home, sweetie."
Jenny's eyes filled with tears again. "Pleeeeeeaseeeee????"
Her father picked her up. "Does anyone own this dog?" he called to the crowd over Jenny's
shoulder. Silence greeted this question. "We'll have to ask your mother. And he still might
have a home, you know. But we'll take him home."
"Thanks Dad!!" Jenny squealed with delight. It was only then that Sirius smelt the strange
aura around the two of them that could only be magic. He grinned to himself. Everything
was going to plan.
_______________________________________________________________________
Didja like it?? Didja hate it??? It gets more interesting later on, so bare with me. PLEASE
review I really NEED some feedback. (If you're an author I'll read your fic and review it too!
I promise!) Or even email me! (windangel@thespark.com). Thankyou for reviewing! (I
KNOW you did) and until we meet again, I'll leave you with this little question...If you know
the answer, put it in a review!
What does 'severus' translate to in Latin?
hehehe... this one's a hard one...
Angel has nothing to do with me (apart from the fact that I created her). I just liked the
name. Personally, I reckon this is the best chapter yet, despite its stoopid name. People
were complaining that they were too short, so I've made this one longer. well, thats it from
me. ~Wind to thy wings!
Chapter Five: The Encounter
That morning Sirius woke early, just before sunrise. Buckbeak was still deep in slumber and
he didn't want to deprive the poor animal of more sleep. He settled himself against a tree,
trying to think of a decent plan. Absent-mindedly, he began fingering his locket, opening
and closing it, only able to agonize about all he had lost the night Peter betrayed James and
Lily. He allowed a tear to spill down his dirty, unshaven face. Angel. James. Lily. Sirius
covered his face with his filthy hands, screwing his eyes shut.
"Stop moping, Padfoot."
A voice shattered his thoughts. Sirius' heart stopped. It couldn't be....
"It's not like you to be so depressed."
Sirius froze. That voice.... deep... bordering on laughter...
No. I'm hearing things, that's all.
"Azkaban does change people." stated another voice, this one higher, more musical.
Slowly, Sirius took his hands from his face, and opened his eyes, hardly daring to believe
what he had heard. "James? Lily?"
The spectre that held James' shape smiled. "The very same."
They are definately not ghosts. Sirius thought numbly. They lacked the pearly white
quality that the Hogwarts ghosts had. They had colour, vibrant colour, radiating an unearthly
light, and if it wasn't for the slight transparency, Sirius would have sworn they were alive and
standing in front of him. James was still tall and messy-haired, a grin hovering around his
lips. Lily was smiling kindly, her red hair falling on her shoulders and her green eyes
twinkling.
"What... You're...." he stammered, unable to make his voice obey him.
"We're messengers." said Lily, in the soft, sweet voice that was so familiar to him.
"Messengers?" Sirius repeated, looking between his old friends. "Prongs?"
He smiled. " I know this'll really annoy you, but we have to be cryptic." he gave Sirius an
apologetic look. "This is the message: 'You have many trials ahead of you Sirius. But be
strong.'" he began.
"'Dark times are approching." Lily continued. "Your destiny has yet to be fulfilled.'"
"That's it?"
"'fraid so."
"What does it mean?!" Sirius demanded, rising to his feet. "My destiny? I don't
understand!"
"We can't say." Lily said firmly. The two spirits were slowly fading. James glanced at Lily,
who nodded.
"Sirius, about Angel...." he ran his fingers though his untidy black hair. "We've talked to
Kate..."
"That's Fate. She's a hopeless romantic."
"And she says she's sorting it. Hang in there, Padfoot."
Sirius smiled weakly. "I'll try, Prongs." They were now only shadows, and their voices
reduced to whispers.
"Be strong." And they were gone.
"I'll try." Sirius repeated, staring at the place where his best friend had stood. Great.
he thought tiredly. Not only am I the most wanted man in Britain, have a bunch of
soul-sucking fiends out to destroy me, but now I have a destiny. Fan-bloody-tastic. He
shut his eyes and rubbed his head, deep in thought. What did they mean 'sorting things'?
Divine intervention was the last thing he needed. His life was complicated enough as it was.
Buckbeak butted Sirius with his head. The Hippogriff was awake now, and was prancing
nervously, anxious to get started. It seemed he was ill-at-ease; the sun had completely
risen, and Sirius suddenly felt very exposed. This was a pine-reserve after all.... probably
swarming with Muggles... There was no way Buckbeak and Sirius could hide out here... the
only possible choice Sirius' tired, confused brain could come up with was to somehow
disguise Buckbeak (Illusion probably) and leave him in the reserve while Sirius himself went
into the city. Some family would probably take in a poor, homeless dog.... but he couldn't
just abandon Beaky! He was getting quite fond of him. But if he found somewhere to leave
food... Hippogriffs are pretty smart, right?
"Beaky?" Sirius began hesitantly, staring into his sharp face. "Remember this part of the
forest." Sirius didn't only say the words, he thought them, with all the power he could
muster. He had always had a certain gift with animals, something that had come in useful
when dealing with Crookshanks last year. Once he was satisfied that Buckbeak understood,
he walked over to a large tree. "Remember this tree." He muttered 'Ardente' and burnt the
letters 'SB' into the trunk. "Remember." he repeated. "Come here in two days time. I'll
have something for you by then." Sirius cast an illusion of a deer over his companion,
stroking his feathery neck. "'til then, try to find your own food. Off you go. "It was
impossible to tell what Buckbeak was doing under the illusion, but he butted Sirius again
with his head and trotted away. What a smart Hippogriff. he thought, watching the
'deer' dissappear into the treeds. Proffessor Kettleburn always told us they were
intelligent, but I didn't quite believe him then. I better be off. He transformed to dog-
form and took in the smells. Hmmm.... civilization should be... that way.
The sun was at it's peak when Sirius found a suitable place. It was a huge lake, surrounded
by Muggles (and some wizards - he could smell the magic), feeding the ducks, buying lunch,
and basically having a fun day out. There were parents with their children buying icecreams,
a man and his daughter on the bridge, a few coulples walking along the water's edge and an
artist capturing the whole scene on canvas. Sirius sat for a moment and watched; taking in
the beauty, the sounds, the... the smells! HOT DOGS! His tail began to wag like it had a
mind of its own. It had been so long since he had tasted cooked meat...
"Hey boy!" The teenager manning the hot dog stall looked down at the pleading face of the
big black dog. "You hungry fella?" For a second he thought the dog nodded. Nah, couldn't
have. He grabbed a sausage and threw it up into the air for Sirius to catch - which he did
with ease. He held up another sausage, ready to throw.
"You want anoth--" he started, cut off by a high-pitched, petrified, scream. Sirius didn't
even think. He whirled around and sprinted as fast as his four legs would carry him towards
the source of the noise; the lake. In a second, his eyes took in the panicked expression of
the man on the bridge, looking over to where his daughter had fallen in. She was thrashing
around in the murky water, screaming as loud as she could.
No-one saw or heard the shape of a cheeky young woman on the bridge giggle, "Kate, you're
a GENIUS.", and disappear.
Sirius leapt into the water, knocking over the artist's easel as he went. He paddled as
quickly as possible, trying to reach the drowning girl before she went under again. He seized
the back of her dress in his teeth, being careful not to hurt her with his sharp teeth, and
dragged her to shore, trying not to choke on lake-water. The girl was still screaming when
they finally reached the water's edge. The girl's father pulled her out, hugging her tightly,
almost crying himself.
Sirius hadn't noticed the huge crowd of people that had gathered during the panic. The
crowd swarmed around the three of them, cheering, and sharing theories.
"Never seen anything like it!"
"One minute I'm feeding him, next he's rescuing a drowning girl!"
"That's one smart dog!"
Concerned for the child, Sirius shook himself dry, dispersing the now wet group of people and
trotted over to where she and her father were crouched. He nuzzled her with his nose, and
she looked up, her eyes puffy.
"Thankyou." she sniffed. Then she let go of her father and hugged Sirius around the neck.
Once he got over the initial shock, he licked her ear. She giggled. When she let go of him,
she turned to her father and said,
"Daddy, can we keep him?"
"Now Jenny, owning a pet is a big responsibility..."
"He saved my life, dad." Jenny stood up, somewhat shakily, crossed her arms across her
chest and stared at him defiantly.
He sighed. "He probably already has a home, sweetie."
Jenny's eyes filled with tears again. "Pleeeeeeaseeeee????"
Her father picked her up. "Does anyone own this dog?" he called to the crowd over Jenny's
shoulder. Silence greeted this question. "We'll have to ask your mother. And he still might
have a home, you know. But we'll take him home."
"Thanks Dad!!" Jenny squealed with delight. It was only then that Sirius smelt the strange
aura around the two of them that could only be magic. He grinned to himself. Everything
was going to plan.
_______________________________________________________________________
Didja like it?? Didja hate it??? It gets more interesting later on, so bare with me. PLEASE
review I really NEED some feedback. (If you're an author I'll read your fic and review it too!
I promise!) Or even email me! (windangel@thespark.com). Thankyou for reviewing! (I
KNOW you did) and until we meet again, I'll leave you with this little question...If you know
the answer, put it in a review!
What does 'severus' translate to in Latin?
hehehe... this one's a hard one...