Chapter 5
April sighed as she hung up the phone. There was nothing she could do now but wait. She new there was no guarrantee these kids were "magic" but she knew they were. Harry Potter, Harry Potter the envy of every kid in the world, was sleeping up stairs in *her* house.
"Cake" she muttered to herself. "I'll make a cake."
With that she got to work. She just finished her cake, when she spotted Hermione watching her from inside the doorway inbetween the kitchen and living room.
"Hey Hermione! Wanna help me ice the cake?"
"No, thats... alright," she said staring at the blob of icing on April's nose. She liked April. She liked her alot in fact. April was so nice. After all, its not everyday a muggle lets 6 self procaimed wizards sleep in her house. "You've got frosting.... on your nose" Hermione said with a grin. "How'd you manage to do that!?"
"I do? Huh. I do!" April wiped it off. "There. Done. My beautiful white wedding cake is done. Wannna piece?"
"Oh yes please! I love wedding cake!"
April sliced them each an extra large slice.
April and Hermione were sitting, both thinking intently, and of course enjoying the cake.
"Hermione... do you like Harry?" April blurted it before she could stop.
"Do I like him? Where did that come from?"
"Well..." April wasn't sure how much she knew about the books. She'd compleatly forgten to ask Jo. "It's just a question. Courisity. Girl talk. I suppect you don't get much of that with Ron and Harry. Sometimes you need an outlet. Plus you'd be satisfaiying me need for uh... 'information'." She smiled at Hermione.
Luckily, Hermione smiled back. She cut a bite of the cake off with her fork. "Well... I suppose... I kinda do. But I don't. But I do. Not really though."
April laughed. "You like him enough to know you don't *really* like him."
"Exactly."
"Well.. what about Victor?"
"How did you..."
"I told you I know allot of stuff."
"Well... it's alright, I suppose..."
"So, you like him, but you don't *like* him, but not the same way as with Harry. Right?"
"Exactly... I think..."
"Well.. what about Ron then?"
At this, Hermione shifted uncomfotably. "Well... I like Ron... but.."
"You wouldn't do that to Harry. And you wouldn't break up your friendship. Becuase you aren't totally head over heels in love with him?"
Hermione gapped at April. "How did you know?"
April sighed. "Been there, done that, doing it now actually..."
"Ohh!!!! Who?" Hermione asked eagerly.
April laughed. "I suppose I should tell you shouldn't I? Unfortunatly its no one you know."
"Is it those partners of yours you were talking about?
"Yes and no. The later comment, your situation, relates to ours. Sucks doesn't it?" Hermione nodded.
April sighed. "As for the other two... I honeslty can't remember who I did that with. It was in high school.. that's all I remember though." She shrugged. "No biggie though."
A slience filled the room again.
"You, won't tell.. will you?"
"Why Hermione Granger. Why on earth would I spill information recived during girl talk? I shudder at the thought!"
"Shudddd...errrrrrrrrrrrrr at what thought?" Harry was standing in the door, a yawn interupting his sentence.
"Girl talk," April promtly answered. "How about that walk Hermione?" She said giving her a look.
"Uh.. sure!"
"Okay. Harry, help your self to the cake, if they others wake up they can have some too. Please stay off the first floor, unless your in the kitchen. No walking infront of windows. Stay upstairs, in here, or down in the basement. We've got the N64 down there, if you boys want to play. The alarm system will be on, so do NOT go outside or let anybody in. No body. okay?"
Harry grumbled soemthing that sounded similar to okay, so the girls took that as a good sign, and left. The walked around the area surrounding April's house. They walked on the side walk and though the park. They talked... boys, school, work, girls, sports, harry. Harry.
"Hermione, you, you live with your parents right?" She nodded. "Do you know about the Har-" Her words were cut off. Standing infront of her were Jo, Dumbledore, and Sirius.
Jo and Sirius's eyes almost poped out. They were both starting at April so intently. However, Dumbledore showed no suprise.
"You must be Professor Dumbledore," said April extending her hand, also showing no suprise. If anything she felt uncomfortable. Why were they staring at her like that?
"It's a pleasure Mrs..."
"Ms. Thomas. Speacial Agent April Thomas. You can call me April." She let go of Albus, and turned to Jo. Again, she extened her hand. "You must be Ms. Rowling. Its a pleasure to meet you."
"The pleaseurses all mine," Jo and Sirius were recoving quickly.
"And you," said April moving on to Sirius, "must be Mr. Black." She caught his eyes, and they stayed there for the duration of the shake. "I'm sure you'll want to go soon. They're up at the house."
"You left them alone?" Sirius finaly spoke.
April turned around to face him. "Well.. considering I have no magical powers, I'm quite useless if some one did try and attack. Belive me sir, I did think of that. It's my job to think of that. I did leave my seurity system on. If anyone did get in and triped an alarm, it would go off. I also told them to stay away from the windows and to stay on the top or bottom floors."
"It sounds like you've done a wonderful job April." Dumbledore commented lightly.
"Thank you Professor."
Jo caught up with April. She leaned over and wispered so only April could hear. "How much do they know.. about the books?"
April looked Jo in the eyes. "I didn't tell them anything, although I suspect Hermione suspects something."
The rest of the walk up to the house was quiet.
"Here we are!" April sprang up the steps, and unlocked the door. She let the others in. "They're downstairs."
Everyone looked at her. "How did you know that?" Jo was in awe.
"What. You can hear it now and then. They're playing Nintendo. Mario Party I'd say. Hermione can take you down. I've got to order dinner and make a few phone calls."
With that, Hermione led the adults down the stairs, while April situated herself at the breakfast table.
"Hello? Pizza Hut? I'd like a delivery, I neeed two large cheese, two large pepperoni, and two pepperoni lovers. I also need... oh give me 5 orders of the familiy size bread sticks. I also need 10 things of breadstick dip. Yes... that's all. Okay. Thanks."
She hung the phone up, then walked downstairs. "Who's winning?"
Ron looked away from the tv long enough to say "Neville" then he retuned to the game.
April joined Jo, Dumbledore and Sirus twords the back of the room.
"So what do we do now?"
"Well, I'm not sure."
Everyone turned to stare at Dumbledore.
"What do you mean sir?"
"I mean, they have obiously been sent here for a reason, as with your friends Ms. Thomas. I belive I know, one reason of course, but the other is not so clear."
"Well, what's clear?"
Sirius and Jo traded uncomforable looks.
"That, April will wait for another day. Now, we eat!"
It was three in the morning when Hermione tiptoed down the stairs to see if she could get something to eat, when she saw a light on in the den. Abandoning her quest temporarily, she went to go see who was up. She padded silently into the door way, and saw April sitting at her computer, looking thoughtful.
"What are you doing up this late?" Hermione walked in.
April turned around in her chair, suprised that anyone was up. "Hello Hermione..."
"What're you doing?"
"Oh, nothing much. Why?"
"Just wondering."
April laughed. "I think the question is what are you doing up? You need your sleep."
"I was hungery."
"Well.. we can't have that can we? I just made some cookies, mabey you'd like one?"
April and Hermione walked down the stairs together. They reached the kitchen, where they sat down at the island eating freshly made cookies.
After a few moments of silence, Hermione spoke up. "What do you think will happen now?"
April sighed. "I'm not sure. I suppose you and the others will go back and Mulder and Scully will come back."
"But.. it can't be that easy can it? I mean.. someone sent us here... there had to have been a reason. If it was Voldemort, he wouldn't let us go back that easily..."
"No, you're right he wouldn't Hermione. But... You have to go back. I can't offer you any protection here. I'd love for you to stay, but you have to go back. And Mulder and Scully have to come back. FBI agents can't just go missing.. especialy these two."
"So...why were you up April?"
"Oh... I had some work. I was trying to think how to explain this whole thing away for my report."
"Oh. Did you finish it?"
"No. I couldn't think of what to say. You just cant explain away two agents, one assistant director and three geeks. It'll probably take a couple of nights."
"So when exactly, Ms. Thomas, do you sleep?" Hermione had been about to ask the exact same thing, when Sirius steped out of the door way and asked for her. Both Hermion and April jumped.
"Oh... it's just you... I don't sleep. I haven't slept in weeks. I'll get a nap here and there. But I don't ever just sleep."
"How can you do that though?" Hermione was thougholy amazed.
April sat up and went around to the counter. "Can I get you something?" She got out the cookies with out even waiting for him to answer. "All though high school my grandparents made me go to my room at nine sharp."
"So when I went to college I stayed out late. Some of it was partying, some of it was work."
"Ohh.. where did you go?" Hermione asked.
"Oxford. Thats where I met Mulder. Anyway. My grandfather owned a publishing company. He and my grandmother had moved to America half way though my senior year at high school, so they were there, and I helped with the company occasionaly."
"So you lived with your grandparents?" This time it was Sirius who asked the question.
"Yes. My grandfather died about five years ago. My grandmother two years ago. My parents both died when I was two. But anyway, after I finished college, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, so I worked for her Mary as her secratary. Such a lovey family. Mary's been like my surroget mother.?
"Mary?"
"Oh. Mary... laugh I forget. Her Royal Highness Mary of England." Hermione's jaw dropped. April laughed. "When you're with her it's not like your with roylty at all. They're all great."
"So what brought you to the FBI?" Hermione was keeping up the stream of questions.
"Things became... eh... complicated between me and John, that's Mary's youngest son, so I decided it was time for me to go. I remebered Mulder, and decided I might as well join the Feds too."
This whole time Sirius had a look on his face, that wasn't quite discernable as anything in particular. "Where did you go to high school?" He said this in a controlled voice.
"A boarding school. Some where. I don't quite remember, why?"
Before he had a chance to say why, Jo joined them.
"Hullo! Midnight meeting? What's the menu?"
"Hi! We have cookies, cake, and brownies. What can I get you?"
"Oh.. brownies sound good. And a warm glass of milk. What were you talking about?"
"Oh, Sirius was just asking me where I went to high school" she said as she sat the plate of brownies on the island along with a glass of milk. She reached for a brownie herslef.
"Really? Where did you go?"
"A boarding school. I don't remember where honsestly. Where did you go?"
Jo was already on her second brownie. "Hogwarts, just like...." Jo stuffed the third brownie in her mouth. Needless to say, she didn't quite think though how Harry and others had gotten to the world of Muggles. The brownies were already working their illegal magic on her.
Sirius interupted her. "Jo.. you really don't want to talk about that do you?"
"Oh no! Do! What's it like?"
Jo giggled. "You should know silly! You were in my class!"
April sighed as she hung up the phone. There was nothing she could do now but wait. She new there was no guarrantee these kids were "magic" but she knew they were. Harry Potter, Harry Potter the envy of every kid in the world, was sleeping up stairs in *her* house.
"Cake" she muttered to herself. "I'll make a cake."
With that she got to work. She just finished her cake, when she spotted Hermione watching her from inside the doorway inbetween the kitchen and living room.
"Hey Hermione! Wanna help me ice the cake?"
"No, thats... alright," she said staring at the blob of icing on April's nose. She liked April. She liked her alot in fact. April was so nice. After all, its not everyday a muggle lets 6 self procaimed wizards sleep in her house. "You've got frosting.... on your nose" Hermione said with a grin. "How'd you manage to do that!?"
"I do? Huh. I do!" April wiped it off. "There. Done. My beautiful white wedding cake is done. Wannna piece?"
"Oh yes please! I love wedding cake!"
April sliced them each an extra large slice.
April and Hermione were sitting, both thinking intently, and of course enjoying the cake.
"Hermione... do you like Harry?" April blurted it before she could stop.
"Do I like him? Where did that come from?"
"Well..." April wasn't sure how much she knew about the books. She'd compleatly forgten to ask Jo. "It's just a question. Courisity. Girl talk. I suppect you don't get much of that with Ron and Harry. Sometimes you need an outlet. Plus you'd be satisfaiying me need for uh... 'information'." She smiled at Hermione.
Luckily, Hermione smiled back. She cut a bite of the cake off with her fork. "Well... I suppose... I kinda do. But I don't. But I do. Not really though."
April laughed. "You like him enough to know you don't *really* like him."
"Exactly."
"Well.. what about Victor?"
"How did you..."
"I told you I know allot of stuff."
"Well... it's alright, I suppose..."
"So, you like him, but you don't *like* him, but not the same way as with Harry. Right?"
"Exactly... I think..."
"Well.. what about Ron then?"
At this, Hermione shifted uncomfotably. "Well... I like Ron... but.."
"You wouldn't do that to Harry. And you wouldn't break up your friendship. Becuase you aren't totally head over heels in love with him?"
Hermione gapped at April. "How did you know?"
April sighed. "Been there, done that, doing it now actually..."
"Ohh!!!! Who?" Hermione asked eagerly.
April laughed. "I suppose I should tell you shouldn't I? Unfortunatly its no one you know."
"Is it those partners of yours you were talking about?
"Yes and no. The later comment, your situation, relates to ours. Sucks doesn't it?" Hermione nodded.
April sighed. "As for the other two... I honeslty can't remember who I did that with. It was in high school.. that's all I remember though." She shrugged. "No biggie though."
A slience filled the room again.
"You, won't tell.. will you?"
"Why Hermione Granger. Why on earth would I spill information recived during girl talk? I shudder at the thought!"
"Shudddd...errrrrrrrrrrrrr at what thought?" Harry was standing in the door, a yawn interupting his sentence.
"Girl talk," April promtly answered. "How about that walk Hermione?" She said giving her a look.
"Uh.. sure!"
"Okay. Harry, help your self to the cake, if they others wake up they can have some too. Please stay off the first floor, unless your in the kitchen. No walking infront of windows. Stay upstairs, in here, or down in the basement. We've got the N64 down there, if you boys want to play. The alarm system will be on, so do NOT go outside or let anybody in. No body. okay?"
Harry grumbled soemthing that sounded similar to okay, so the girls took that as a good sign, and left. The walked around the area surrounding April's house. They walked on the side walk and though the park. They talked... boys, school, work, girls, sports, harry. Harry.
"Hermione, you, you live with your parents right?" She nodded. "Do you know about the Har-" Her words were cut off. Standing infront of her were Jo, Dumbledore, and Sirius.
Jo and Sirius's eyes almost poped out. They were both starting at April so intently. However, Dumbledore showed no suprise.
"You must be Professor Dumbledore," said April extending her hand, also showing no suprise. If anything she felt uncomfortable. Why were they staring at her like that?
"It's a pleasure Mrs..."
"Ms. Thomas. Speacial Agent April Thomas. You can call me April." She let go of Albus, and turned to Jo. Again, she extened her hand. "You must be Ms. Rowling. Its a pleasure to meet you."
"The pleaseurses all mine," Jo and Sirius were recoving quickly.
"And you," said April moving on to Sirius, "must be Mr. Black." She caught his eyes, and they stayed there for the duration of the shake. "I'm sure you'll want to go soon. They're up at the house."
"You left them alone?" Sirius finaly spoke.
April turned around to face him. "Well.. considering I have no magical powers, I'm quite useless if some one did try and attack. Belive me sir, I did think of that. It's my job to think of that. I did leave my seurity system on. If anyone did get in and triped an alarm, it would go off. I also told them to stay away from the windows and to stay on the top or bottom floors."
"It sounds like you've done a wonderful job April." Dumbledore commented lightly.
"Thank you Professor."
Jo caught up with April. She leaned over and wispered so only April could hear. "How much do they know.. about the books?"
April looked Jo in the eyes. "I didn't tell them anything, although I suspect Hermione suspects something."
The rest of the walk up to the house was quiet.
"Here we are!" April sprang up the steps, and unlocked the door. She let the others in. "They're downstairs."
Everyone looked at her. "How did you know that?" Jo was in awe.
"What. You can hear it now and then. They're playing Nintendo. Mario Party I'd say. Hermione can take you down. I've got to order dinner and make a few phone calls."
With that, Hermione led the adults down the stairs, while April situated herself at the breakfast table.
"Hello? Pizza Hut? I'd like a delivery, I neeed two large cheese, two large pepperoni, and two pepperoni lovers. I also need... oh give me 5 orders of the familiy size bread sticks. I also need 10 things of breadstick dip. Yes... that's all. Okay. Thanks."
She hung the phone up, then walked downstairs. "Who's winning?"
Ron looked away from the tv long enough to say "Neville" then he retuned to the game.
April joined Jo, Dumbledore and Sirus twords the back of the room.
"So what do we do now?"
"Well, I'm not sure."
Everyone turned to stare at Dumbledore.
"What do you mean sir?"
"I mean, they have obiously been sent here for a reason, as with your friends Ms. Thomas. I belive I know, one reason of course, but the other is not so clear."
"Well, what's clear?"
Sirius and Jo traded uncomforable looks.
"That, April will wait for another day. Now, we eat!"
It was three in the morning when Hermione tiptoed down the stairs to see if she could get something to eat, when she saw a light on in the den. Abandoning her quest temporarily, she went to go see who was up. She padded silently into the door way, and saw April sitting at her computer, looking thoughtful.
"What are you doing up this late?" Hermione walked in.
April turned around in her chair, suprised that anyone was up. "Hello Hermione..."
"What're you doing?"
"Oh, nothing much. Why?"
"Just wondering."
April laughed. "I think the question is what are you doing up? You need your sleep."
"I was hungery."
"Well.. we can't have that can we? I just made some cookies, mabey you'd like one?"
April and Hermione walked down the stairs together. They reached the kitchen, where they sat down at the island eating freshly made cookies.
After a few moments of silence, Hermione spoke up. "What do you think will happen now?"
April sighed. "I'm not sure. I suppose you and the others will go back and Mulder and Scully will come back."
"But.. it can't be that easy can it? I mean.. someone sent us here... there had to have been a reason. If it was Voldemort, he wouldn't let us go back that easily..."
"No, you're right he wouldn't Hermione. But... You have to go back. I can't offer you any protection here. I'd love for you to stay, but you have to go back. And Mulder and Scully have to come back. FBI agents can't just go missing.. especialy these two."
"So...why were you up April?"
"Oh... I had some work. I was trying to think how to explain this whole thing away for my report."
"Oh. Did you finish it?"
"No. I couldn't think of what to say. You just cant explain away two agents, one assistant director and three geeks. It'll probably take a couple of nights."
"So when exactly, Ms. Thomas, do you sleep?" Hermione had been about to ask the exact same thing, when Sirius steped out of the door way and asked for her. Both Hermion and April jumped.
"Oh... it's just you... I don't sleep. I haven't slept in weeks. I'll get a nap here and there. But I don't ever just sleep."
"How can you do that though?" Hermione was thougholy amazed.
April sat up and went around to the counter. "Can I get you something?" She got out the cookies with out even waiting for him to answer. "All though high school my grandparents made me go to my room at nine sharp."
"So when I went to college I stayed out late. Some of it was partying, some of it was work."
"Ohh.. where did you go?" Hermione asked.
"Oxford. Thats where I met Mulder. Anyway. My grandfather owned a publishing company. He and my grandmother had moved to America half way though my senior year at high school, so they were there, and I helped with the company occasionaly."
"So you lived with your grandparents?" This time it was Sirius who asked the question.
"Yes. My grandfather died about five years ago. My grandmother two years ago. My parents both died when I was two. But anyway, after I finished college, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, so I worked for her Mary as her secratary. Such a lovey family. Mary's been like my surroget mother.?
"Mary?"
"Oh. Mary... laugh I forget. Her Royal Highness Mary of England." Hermione's jaw dropped. April laughed. "When you're with her it's not like your with roylty at all. They're all great."
"So what brought you to the FBI?" Hermione was keeping up the stream of questions.
"Things became... eh... complicated between me and John, that's Mary's youngest son, so I decided it was time for me to go. I remebered Mulder, and decided I might as well join the Feds too."
This whole time Sirius had a look on his face, that wasn't quite discernable as anything in particular. "Where did you go to high school?" He said this in a controlled voice.
"A boarding school. Some where. I don't quite remember, why?"
Before he had a chance to say why, Jo joined them.
"Hullo! Midnight meeting? What's the menu?"
"Hi! We have cookies, cake, and brownies. What can I get you?"
"Oh.. brownies sound good. And a warm glass of milk. What were you talking about?"
"Oh, Sirius was just asking me where I went to high school" she said as she sat the plate of brownies on the island along with a glass of milk. She reached for a brownie herslef.
"Really? Where did you go?"
"A boarding school. I don't remember where honsestly. Where did you go?"
Jo was already on her second brownie. "Hogwarts, just like...." Jo stuffed the third brownie in her mouth. Needless to say, she didn't quite think though how Harry and others had gotten to the world of Muggles. The brownies were already working their illegal magic on her.
Sirius interupted her. "Jo.. you really don't want to talk about that do you?"
"Oh no! Do! What's it like?"
Jo giggled. "You should know silly! You were in my class!"
