A/n: So very sorry for the big delay… I've been incredibly busy, not to mention the fact that I've had writer's block for a couple weeks. But It was all worth it, cuz now I have two new chapters, so yeah.
I want to thank the following
people for reviewing: K.i.w.i, Hedwig(no, I cannot kill off Hermione…),
The Destructive Blossom, Rowena, Tai's Gurl, Kewl Gurl, et Ladybuggy
(They didn't apparate cuz… um… well, how fun would THAT
be???)
Thanks again to all you guys…
The reviews are what keep me going! Luv ya all!
-Nymphean
Chapter 3: Sirius
The students were crowded into the huge grand hall at
Hogwarts later that evening, awaiting the annual feast in celebration of the
new school year. Albus Dumbledore sat in the middle of the large head table,
which sat a few feet above the other tables in the hall. Teachers sat all
around him. Harry scanned them all, seeing many familiar faces. There was
professor Sprout, the Herbology teacher; Professor Flintwick, whose specialty
was Charms; Professor Trelawny, the air-headed Divination teacher. Harry
disliked her; every year, she'd predicted his death, and each time it was
worse than the last. Professor MacGonnagal, the Transfiguration teacher and
head of Gryffindor house. Hagrid, Laelyn... Harry's eyes landed on
professor Snape, the potions master, and he grimaced. Professor Snape had hated
Harry from the first moment he'd laid eyes on him, and it was safe to say
that the feeling was mutual. He shook his head, turning his eyes back to
Laelyn, who was sitting on Snape's left. She seemed too small for her
chair, and only reached up to Snape's neck when sitting down. But it was
truly comical to look at her beside Hagrid, who was on her other side. She was
about half as tall as him. Harry was reminded of a sparrow sitting next to an
elephant. She and Hagrid were conversing merrily, and Harry noticed that Laelyn
had moved her chair as close to Hagrid's as it would go in an attempt to
put as much distance between her and Snape as possible. Every now and then she
would glance at him and turn away quickly, trying unsuccessfully not to make a
disgusted face. She glanced in Harry's direction, saw him looking at her,
and waved enthusiastically. Harry smiled back and turned his attention towards
Dumbledore, who was standing up. He clinked his glass with his golden fork and
everyone in the hall turned towards him. The gray-haired wizard's eyes
twinkled as he surveyed the crowd.
"Welcome,
students, to the new school year at Hogwart's school of Witchcraft and
Wizardry!" he exclaimed jovially, opening his arms as if planning to
embrace to entire crowd. "This promises to be a very exciting
year," he continued, smiling. "We have many exciting events
planned, as well as the usual Quidditch cup and house tournament." there
were several cheers at this. Dumbledore clinked his glass again. "I know
you are all anxious to eat, so I'll keep this short and sweet. Before we
begin the feats, I would like to introduce you to our new Defense against the
dark Arts Teacher, Miss Laelyn Thorne. Professor Thorne, if you will please
stand up..." Laelyn stood, and the students clapped politely. Harry,
Hermione, Ron and even Ginny cheered loudly. Laelyn smiled in their direction.
Professor Snape glared at her evilly. He had long had his eye on the position
that Laelyn was filling, and grew increasingly bitter with each year that he
didn't get the job. Laelyn sat back down, Dumbledore muttered some words,
waved his wand, and a delicious feast appeared in front of them. The ravenous
students dug into the food with relish, and soon it was all consumed. The
students went back to their dormitories happy and full. On his way out,
Professor Dumbledore, who pulled him aside into a narrow corridor, stopped
Harry. Neither of them spoke until them were around the first corner. Then
Dumbledore turned to Harry, a smile on his face.
"Harry,
it is good to see you again. I trust your summer went well?" Harry
nodded.
"Yes,
and I got your letter. This is about Sirius, isn't it?" he asked,
gesturing about the hallway. Dumbledore nodded.
"Your
godfather has been quite anxious to see you. Just around a few more
corners..." They soon arrived at a large wooden door. Dumbledore knocked
four times in a rhythmic pattern, and Harry heard some rustling sounds inside.
The door swung open, and Dumbledore ushered Harry inside. Harry's eyes
rested first on the lavish furnishings in the room; the elegant tapestries, the
ornately carved armoire, the rich velvet blankets on the bed, and then on the
hooded figure sitting, with his back to them, at the large oak desk. Harry
cleared his throat, and the figure turned around, removing his hood as he did
so. It was Sirius. Harry broke into a smile to match his godfather's.
Sirius was much cleaner than when Harry had seen him last; his jet-black hair
was trimmed and he was clean-shaven. His eyes still held a slightly haunted
look; a reminder of his days in Azkaban, but other than that, Sirius was
looking better than Harry had even seen him look. Sirius got up from his chair
and embraced Harry, then pulled back and looked him over thoroughly.
"You
grew," Sirius stated seriously. Harry nodded.
"We
tend to do that, you know, kids do."
Sirius
shook his head. "You can barely be called a kid anymore, Harry. You
should look in the mirror sometimes."
"Well
I would, but my reflection and I are having a fight." Sirius flashed him
a smile, displaying a row of perfect teeth. Dumbledore spoke up.
"I'll
let the two of you get caught up. Harry, don't stay too late now, we
don't want people getting suspicious..." Harry nodded.
"All
right, professor. Thanks." Professor Dumbledore pulled the door shut
behind him, leaving Sirius and Harry alone. Harry sat down in one of the lavish
armchairs and Sirius sat down across from him.
"So,
how was the remainder of your summer, Harry?" he asked. Harry launched
into the story of Dumbledore's letter, and Sirius listened intently. He
raised his eyebrows at the mention of Laelyn.
"Bill
Weasley going with a nymph. How did Molly take that?" Harry shrugged.
"I
thought she'd blow her top when she found out too, but she loves the girl
to death. And there's no reason why she shouldn't! Laelyn's
great. She'll make a good teacher." Sirius nodded.
"A
lot of people have been grossly misinformed about nymphs. Kind of like
parcelmouths." Harry nodded.
"We
have a lot in common, that's for sure. And Hermione thinks Laelyn's
great too. She's finally found someone who can identify with the whole
not-so-pure-blooded situation."
"How
are Hermione and Ron doing?"
Harry
shrugged. "They're okay. They're so involved with each other
now that I hardly ever see them, though." Sirius laughed.
"You
know, Harry, you could have what they have." Harry raised an eyebrow.
"How
do you mean?"
Sirius
shook his head. "Harry, for someone so bright, you're certainly not
very perceptive." Harry furrowed his brow.
"I
don't know why everyone keeps saying that! You know, Laelyn said exactly
the same thing to me when we first met. She'd just come in the room with
Ginny, and was talking to Hedwig..."
Sirius
put up a hand to silence him. "Examine that sentence. Repeat what you
JUST said."
Harry
cocked his head, looking at Sirius as if he were crazy. "Al-riiight... I
said, 'She'd just come in the room and was talking to
Hedwig'..."
Sirius
shook his head. "No, no, you've changed it. WHO did she come in the
room with?"
"Ginny.
What's your point?" said Harry indignantly. Sirius raised both
brows and looked at Harry as if the answer were painfully obvious. Harry rolled
his eyes.
"Okay,
okay. I get the point. But Sirius... I don't know." Sirius nodded
wisely.
"Harry,
I remember when your father was your age. He and your mother were good friends
at the time. Your mother had been mad for your dad ever since they first met,
but he never noticed, really. Sound familiar?" Harry nodded silently.
Sirius sighed. "So I thought. Well anyway, your father finally came to
his senses and started taking notice of your mother. I'm sure you can
figure out the rest of the story." Harry narrowed his eyes at Sirius.
"You
really think she'd go out with me?" Sirius laughed.
"I
can't assure you that she will, but I think if you watch how she acts
around you, the answer will be fairly clear." There was a loud, rhythmic
knocking at the door, and Sirius raised his wand, shooting blue sparks at the
lock. The door swung open, and Harry caught a glimpse of a short figure in
black Hogwarts robes.
"Hi
Laelyn. What are you doing here?"
Laelyn
jumped. "Harry! You startled me! I was just bringing Sirius some
dinner." She placed a large silver platter on the table in front of
Sirius, who nodded politely at her. Laelyn grinned at the both of them.
"It's
so nice that you two finally have a chance to talk! When I first met Sirius
this summer, he was so eager to come live here this year. Told me all about his
godson Harry Potter. So you can imagine what a surprise it was for me to see
you at Bill's house when we first arrived."
"Why
didn't either of you tell me that you knew each other?" asked
Harry. Sirius shrugged.
"Don't
know, I guess we just didn't think it was important." Laelyn
nodded.
"And
besides, if I'd told you, you would have known I was at Hogwarts."
She sat down on the edge of the desk. "So, what've you two been
talking about?" Harry looked at the floor, embarrassed, but Sirius spoke
up.
"Ginny
Weasley, actually." Harry shot him a piercing look. Laelyn responded with
her light, tinkling laugh.
"Harry,
there's no need to be embarrassed. I talked to Ginny a lot this summer
while you were all off doing your own things, and she's absolutely wild
for you! I can't tell you what to do, but I'd really give her a
try!"
Harry
shook his head, unconvinced. "You're just saying that."
Laelyn looked at him, wide-eyed.
"I
wouldn't lie to you Harry. Not that I could even if I wanted to!"
He looked confused, but Sirius cut in and explained.
"Harry,
don't you know anything about nymphs? Laelyn is physically unable to tell
a lie."
"You're
kidding!"
Laelyn
shook her head seriously. "No, he's not. I can't say anything
that isn't true, even if I think it is." Harry raised an eyebrow.
"So,
you can never, EVER tell a lie? It just won't come out?" she shook
her head again.
"Nope.
I can never say anything that isn't true. But I can refuse to tell the
truth. Hiding the truth is not the same as lying." By now, Harry looked
as if he were forming a plot in his head.
"Laelyn,
I want you to repeat after me: Sirius Black is completely and totally innocent
of all crimes he has been convicted of."
"Sirius
Black is completely and totally innocent of all crimes he has been convicted
of. Why?"
A
grin spread slowly across Harry's face. "All we have to do is bring
Laelyn to the Ministry of Magic, get her to say that, and Sirius'll be
free!"
Sirius
shook his head. "I wish it were that simple, Harry, but I'm afraid
it just won't work."
"Why
not?"
Laelyn
sighed. "Nymphs aren't really considered... trustworthy. A lot of
people see us as, well... evil. True, there are a lot of untrustworthy nymphs.
I'm not one of them, but the Ministry doesn't know that. We were
long ago outlawed from being witnesses in trials. People just don't trust
what they can't understand."
Harry
shook his head. "But that's just not fair! You're a good
person, and I'm sure if the ministry just bothered to get to
know…"
"No,
Harry," Laelyn whispered, "It's wouldn't matter."
She sighed, and then smiled, not without a great deal of effort on her part,
Harry thought. "Well, not to worry, I'm sure you'll soon find
a way of clearing Sirius' name, and until then, he'll be safe at
Hogwarts."
Harry's godfather nodded. "Dumbledore's been quite kind, allowing me to
stay here."
"You'll
be here all year, then?" Harry asked hopefully. Sirius nodded.
"Great! I can come visit you every day! It's great that we finally
have a chance to get to know each other."
"And
what's more, he can even come and watch you beat Slytherin this year in
the house cup."
Sirius
grinned. "We've come up with a fool-proof plan. No one except you
and your friends and a select few teachers knows about my being an animagus, so
I can change before every game, and then Laelyn can take me with her to watch.
That way, if I ever feel the need to roam around the school for any reason,
people will just think I'm Laelyn's pet." He grinned
mischievously. "No one'll even know."
Laelyn
shook her head in mock disapproval. "Sirius… behave…"
He laughed.
"All
right, all right, no pranks." Harry had never seen Sirius in such a good
mood. It was almost funny to see this man, who three years before had been
sullen and frightening, laughing over the idea of fooling the entire student
body. This must have been the Sirius his parents had known.
Laelyn
stood up and sighed. "I'd best be heading back, before someone
realizes I'm gone. You too, Harry." Harry nodded begrudgingly.
"It's
great having you here, Sirius," He said earnestly. Sirius nodded.
"Come
back any time. It shouldn't be too hard to find me." Laelyn put a
hand on Harry's shoulder and shepherded him out the door. When they had
left the room, she stopped abruptly in the middle of the hall. Turning to face
Harry, she stood on her toes and put her hands on his shoulders, looking into
his eyes.
"Laelyn,
what…"
She
shook her head. "Shh… don't say anything, just hear me out. I
want you to think. I want you to think really hard. About how you feel, about
what you want. You know what I'm talking about?" Harry nodded.
"Good. You do like her, don't you?" Harry was silent.
"Wait… Harry likes Ginny Weasley. OOH! You DO like her!"
Harry turned away.
"Damn
you and that whole honesty thing." Laelyn gave a little squeal.
"This
is SO exciting! I have to tell Ginny! No, no, what am I saying… YOU have
to tell Ginny! She's just mad about you, and she thinks she doesn't
even have a chance… oh, it's just too perfect."
"You're
sure?" Asked Harry, suddenly feeling nervous. "Are you positive she
won't turn me down?"
"Well,
no, I'm not POSITIVE, but I'd say you have a pretty good
chance."
Harry
breathed in and out several times. "Okay, all right, well I'm
gonna, um, go now…" Laelyn laughed and shook her head.
"Go,
go… Don't forget to tell me how it all turns out!" by the
time she said this, Harry was already half way down the hall.