Ok, here's the next chapter. I logged onto fanfiction.net with no intention of spending the next hour and a
half typing, but then I saw the beautiful number of reviews... *sniff* I don't think I have ever felt so happy.
Thanks people, you really made my day. This is for the divine people who reveiewed the last chapter.
~Windangel
______________________________________________________________________________________
How Sirius managed to reach the Gryffindor table, he didn't know. He collapsed into a chair just opposite
Hermione, some colour returning to his cheeks.
Dumbledore gestured for silence again. "There is one more announcement before the feast can begin," he
announced, sounding rather annoyed. "Unfortunately, I was unable to find a Defence against the Dark Arts
teacher for this year. I have someone in mind for the job, but for now, all lessons that will be taken up by
Defence against the Dark Arts will be frees. Thankyou." He returned to his seat. The babble returned.
"Hey," said Harry nonchalantly from the other side of the table, helping himself to the potatoes that had just
appeared in front of him. "I'm Harry Potter, and this is--"
"Harry Potter?" Sirius repeated, his voice immediatly changed to melodramatic hero-worship. "The Harry
Potter? Famous nemesis of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?! Harry Potter, Champion of the Triwizard
Tournament? Harry Potter---"
"That's enough already..." Harry interrupted, blushing scarlet.
Sirius sat back in his seat. "I expected someone taller." he shrugged, grinning at his godson. Everyone
who could hear laughed, previous uncertainty from the other students evaporated. Harry grinned back, and
went on introducing the other sixth-years.
"This is Ron and Hermione, my best friends..."
Ron grinned, waving a hand brightly. Hermione nodded at him, a puzzled expression on her face.
"This is Dean,"
"Hi."
"and Seamus..."
"Hey."
"And Neville..."
Neville smiled nervously at him.
"They'll be in our dorm. And Lavender and Parvati are just over there..."
Sirius waved at the two girls sitting at the far end of the table. They blushed, and began whispering to each
other. He congratulated himself; he still had it.
"That's about it... oh, there's Ginny, Ron's little sis. She's in Fifth year."
"Hi." Ginny squeaked, eyes wide, face reddening.
***
After the introductions, dinner went pretty well. Sirius kept up his 'Australian' act flawlessly, answering
questions about his 'original school' without hesitation. By the time the students were ordered to bed, he
had pretty much gained the respect of all the other Gryffindors. He traipsed up to the corridor with Harry,
Hermione and Ron the way they directed him, even though he knew about three secret passages that were
much quicker.
Sirius was exhausted. He had probably eaten more food than was wise, given the amount of food he was
used to, and began to find it difficult to put one foot ahead of the other. He watched Hermione tell the Fat
Lady and climb through, but what the password actually was went in though one ear, and out the other. Oh
well, he'd find it out from Harry tomorrow, he thought sluggishly, practically falling through the now exposed
hole in the wall.
"This way," Harry yawned, with a tired wave at Hermione. "'night Hermione."
"'night you guys."
It was all Sirius could do to lift a hand and wave it in her general direction. He followed his godson up the
stairs to the semi-familiar dormitory, the place where he had lived all those years ago, the happiest years of
his life. But the only thing Sirius registered at that moment was that there were BEDS. Lovely, soft,
comfortable beds. He hadn't slept in a proper bed for years. He collapsed into the only spare one, kicking
off his shoes. As he crawled into the pajamas that were folded under his pillow, he wondered vaguely about
where they came from. Then he fell asleep.
***
Sirius woke early the next morning, just before dawn as he always did. For a moment he puzzled about why
he was in a big, soft bed, before his brain caught up. He glanced over at the bed next to him. Through a
gap in the drapes he could see Harry was still asleep. He could have almost been James, with his eyes shut
like that. Sirius smiled sadly. If Harry was going to grow up to be like his father, he was going to be a great
wizard indeed. His parents would have been proud.
After a few futile minutes of trying to get back to sleep, Sirius decided to get up. If he remembered correctly,
the other students wouldn't be awake for hours yet.
He dressed quickly, pulling on the clean robes that had been left at the end of his bed sometime during the
night. He tied his shoes hurriedly, and sneaked out of the dormitory, careful not to wake anyone.
He swung the yawning portait of the Fat Lady open, and stepped into the candlelit corridor, thinking vaguely
about making his way down to the lake to watch the sunrise. He took a few shortcuts that Filch was certain
only he knew about, and within a few minutes, was standing outside, looking out over the half-lit grounds.
Even though it was summer, the wind had a cold bite to it, and it was only when Sirius was contemplating
going back up to the dormitory for a cloak that he realised he didn't know the password.
"Bugger." he said to the empty grounds, scuffing his foot on the grass. He pulled his robes tighter around
himself, hoping that when the sun came up, it would get warmer. Anyway, it wasn't as if he wasn't used to
cold.
He wasn't far from the lake now. The water shone golden in the pre-dawn light, and the sun was only just
peeping out from over the horizon. He sat down under the long, dangling branches of a weeping willow by
the waters edge, and watched through a gap in its branches as the sun banished the night completely. It
was truly, a beautiful sight.
His internal reverie was interrupted by the soft sound of feet on grass. Every instinct he had, honed from
almost three years hiding from any human, ordered him to transform, and run. He fought it down; he
reminded himself he didn't have to live like that anymore. As quietly as he could, he pushed apart the
branches that concealed him a fraction, just enough to see the edge of the lake. A figure, silhouetted for a
moment against the rising sun, was pacing there. He squinted at her, he was sure it was a girl, but as soon
as she moved out from in front of the sun, he knew her.
"Hermione?" He stood up, parted the willow's branches and stepped over to her.
"Sirius?!" she whirled around, obviously not expecting anyone to be around that early in the morning.
"What are you doing here?"
He shrugged. "I always used to get up this early. I guess I still have to break the habit." He looked at her
closer, noticing two tears on her flushed face. His grin was replaced by a look of concern. "Hermione, are
you ok?"
She hurriedly turned her back on him, wiping her face furiously. "I'm fine." she replied in a would-be calm
sort of voice. "Perfectly fine."
Sirius rolled his eyes. A two year old would have noticed she was stressed about something, and considering
term had only just started, it couldn't be work. And she was sixteen, he reminded himself, and at that age,
anxiety could usually be blamed on the opposite sex. "So, who's the guy?" he asked.
"What makes you think it's a guy I'm upset over?" she replied primly. "If I am upset. Which I'm not."
"Hermione." Sirius said exasperatedly. "You can tell me. I might be able to help."
"You won't tell anyone?" she asked suspiciously, still not facing him.
"If I tell a living soul, you may go to Fudge himself and tell him where I am. Sit down." He flopped down
on the grass, motioning for her to sit down next to him.
She sighed, staring out over the lake. "It's Ron."
"Ah." Sirius nodded. That made sense. "What's he done?"
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Hermione picked up a dead leaf and began tearing it apart. "He doesn't even
notice me." Sirius stayed silent. It was probably better if she got it all off her chest before he offered any
advice. "The only time he's noticed me, you know, *noticed* me, was when Vicktor and I went to the Yule
Ball together." Ah, so he's the jealous type... Sirius thought with a grin. "Otherwise it's always him and
Harry. In Potions, I always have to work with Neville, not that he's not a sweet guy, he's just..." she waved
a hand around, trying to think of a good word. "Incompetant at potion-brewing." she finished.
"Ok..." Sirius bit his lip, thinking hard. He gave up, unable to get his brain to work that early in the morning.
He stood up. "Let me think about it. My amazing brain isn't at its best just after dawn." he offered his hand
to her, pulling her easily to her feet. "I'll think of something. Matchmaking is one of the things I do best."
He winked impishly. Hermione's already pink face went scarlet.
"If you do so much as to mention this conversation to anyone, I will personally kill you." she threatened,
managing to look intimidating even though he stood head-and-shoulders taller than her.
"Hey, I gave you my word. My lips are sealed."
______________________________________________________________________________________
What will Sirius do about the Hermione/Ron situation? Will he embarass all parties involved? Find out next
time on: "Sirius goes back to Hogwarts"!
Heh heh heh... sorry about that one. I've been watching too much Digimon...
Disclaimer: The HP characters aren't mine, blah blah blah.
To read is human, to review, divine.
So please... for me?? Review??
Sorry, I had to post this one again. I reread it and found some mistakes... oops.
half typing, but then I saw the beautiful number of reviews... *sniff* I don't think I have ever felt so happy.
Thanks people, you really made my day. This is for the divine people who reveiewed the last chapter.
~Windangel
______________________________________________________________________________________
How Sirius managed to reach the Gryffindor table, he didn't know. He collapsed into a chair just opposite
Hermione, some colour returning to his cheeks.
Dumbledore gestured for silence again. "There is one more announcement before the feast can begin," he
announced, sounding rather annoyed. "Unfortunately, I was unable to find a Defence against the Dark Arts
teacher for this year. I have someone in mind for the job, but for now, all lessons that will be taken up by
Defence against the Dark Arts will be frees. Thankyou." He returned to his seat. The babble returned.
"Hey," said Harry nonchalantly from the other side of the table, helping himself to the potatoes that had just
appeared in front of him. "I'm Harry Potter, and this is--"
"Harry Potter?" Sirius repeated, his voice immediatly changed to melodramatic hero-worship. "The Harry
Potter? Famous nemesis of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?! Harry Potter, Champion of the Triwizard
Tournament? Harry Potter---"
"That's enough already..." Harry interrupted, blushing scarlet.
Sirius sat back in his seat. "I expected someone taller." he shrugged, grinning at his godson. Everyone
who could hear laughed, previous uncertainty from the other students evaporated. Harry grinned back, and
went on introducing the other sixth-years.
"This is Ron and Hermione, my best friends..."
Ron grinned, waving a hand brightly. Hermione nodded at him, a puzzled expression on her face.
"This is Dean,"
"Hi."
"and Seamus..."
"Hey."
"And Neville..."
Neville smiled nervously at him.
"They'll be in our dorm. And Lavender and Parvati are just over there..."
Sirius waved at the two girls sitting at the far end of the table. They blushed, and began whispering to each
other. He congratulated himself; he still had it.
"That's about it... oh, there's Ginny, Ron's little sis. She's in Fifth year."
"Hi." Ginny squeaked, eyes wide, face reddening.
***
After the introductions, dinner went pretty well. Sirius kept up his 'Australian' act flawlessly, answering
questions about his 'original school' without hesitation. By the time the students were ordered to bed, he
had pretty much gained the respect of all the other Gryffindors. He traipsed up to the corridor with Harry,
Hermione and Ron the way they directed him, even though he knew about three secret passages that were
much quicker.
Sirius was exhausted. He had probably eaten more food than was wise, given the amount of food he was
used to, and began to find it difficult to put one foot ahead of the other. He watched Hermione tell the Fat
Lady and climb through, but what the password actually was went in though one ear, and out the other. Oh
well, he'd find it out from Harry tomorrow, he thought sluggishly, practically falling through the now exposed
hole in the wall.
"This way," Harry yawned, with a tired wave at Hermione. "'night Hermione."
"'night you guys."
It was all Sirius could do to lift a hand and wave it in her general direction. He followed his godson up the
stairs to the semi-familiar dormitory, the place where he had lived all those years ago, the happiest years of
his life. But the only thing Sirius registered at that moment was that there were BEDS. Lovely, soft,
comfortable beds. He hadn't slept in a proper bed for years. He collapsed into the only spare one, kicking
off his shoes. As he crawled into the pajamas that were folded under his pillow, he wondered vaguely about
where they came from. Then he fell asleep.
***
Sirius woke early the next morning, just before dawn as he always did. For a moment he puzzled about why
he was in a big, soft bed, before his brain caught up. He glanced over at the bed next to him. Through a
gap in the drapes he could see Harry was still asleep. He could have almost been James, with his eyes shut
like that. Sirius smiled sadly. If Harry was going to grow up to be like his father, he was going to be a great
wizard indeed. His parents would have been proud.
After a few futile minutes of trying to get back to sleep, Sirius decided to get up. If he remembered correctly,
the other students wouldn't be awake for hours yet.
He dressed quickly, pulling on the clean robes that had been left at the end of his bed sometime during the
night. He tied his shoes hurriedly, and sneaked out of the dormitory, careful not to wake anyone.
He swung the yawning portait of the Fat Lady open, and stepped into the candlelit corridor, thinking vaguely
about making his way down to the lake to watch the sunrise. He took a few shortcuts that Filch was certain
only he knew about, and within a few minutes, was standing outside, looking out over the half-lit grounds.
Even though it was summer, the wind had a cold bite to it, and it was only when Sirius was contemplating
going back up to the dormitory for a cloak that he realised he didn't know the password.
"Bugger." he said to the empty grounds, scuffing his foot on the grass. He pulled his robes tighter around
himself, hoping that when the sun came up, it would get warmer. Anyway, it wasn't as if he wasn't used to
cold.
He wasn't far from the lake now. The water shone golden in the pre-dawn light, and the sun was only just
peeping out from over the horizon. He sat down under the long, dangling branches of a weeping willow by
the waters edge, and watched through a gap in its branches as the sun banished the night completely. It
was truly, a beautiful sight.
His internal reverie was interrupted by the soft sound of feet on grass. Every instinct he had, honed from
almost three years hiding from any human, ordered him to transform, and run. He fought it down; he
reminded himself he didn't have to live like that anymore. As quietly as he could, he pushed apart the
branches that concealed him a fraction, just enough to see the edge of the lake. A figure, silhouetted for a
moment against the rising sun, was pacing there. He squinted at her, he was sure it was a girl, but as soon
as she moved out from in front of the sun, he knew her.
"Hermione?" He stood up, parted the willow's branches and stepped over to her.
"Sirius?!" she whirled around, obviously not expecting anyone to be around that early in the morning.
"What are you doing here?"
He shrugged. "I always used to get up this early. I guess I still have to break the habit." He looked at her
closer, noticing two tears on her flushed face. His grin was replaced by a look of concern. "Hermione, are
you ok?"
She hurriedly turned her back on him, wiping her face furiously. "I'm fine." she replied in a would-be calm
sort of voice. "Perfectly fine."
Sirius rolled his eyes. A two year old would have noticed she was stressed about something, and considering
term had only just started, it couldn't be work. And she was sixteen, he reminded himself, and at that age,
anxiety could usually be blamed on the opposite sex. "So, who's the guy?" he asked.
"What makes you think it's a guy I'm upset over?" she replied primly. "If I am upset. Which I'm not."
"Hermione." Sirius said exasperatedly. "You can tell me. I might be able to help."
"You won't tell anyone?" she asked suspiciously, still not facing him.
"If I tell a living soul, you may go to Fudge himself and tell him where I am. Sit down." He flopped down
on the grass, motioning for her to sit down next to him.
She sighed, staring out over the lake. "It's Ron."
"Ah." Sirius nodded. That made sense. "What's he done?"
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Hermione picked up a dead leaf and began tearing it apart. "He doesn't even
notice me." Sirius stayed silent. It was probably better if she got it all off her chest before he offered any
advice. "The only time he's noticed me, you know, *noticed* me, was when Vicktor and I went to the Yule
Ball together." Ah, so he's the jealous type... Sirius thought with a grin. "Otherwise it's always him and
Harry. In Potions, I always have to work with Neville, not that he's not a sweet guy, he's just..." she waved
a hand around, trying to think of a good word. "Incompetant at potion-brewing." she finished.
"Ok..." Sirius bit his lip, thinking hard. He gave up, unable to get his brain to work that early in the morning.
He stood up. "Let me think about it. My amazing brain isn't at its best just after dawn." he offered his hand
to her, pulling her easily to her feet. "I'll think of something. Matchmaking is one of the things I do best."
He winked impishly. Hermione's already pink face went scarlet.
"If you do so much as to mention this conversation to anyone, I will personally kill you." she threatened,
managing to look intimidating even though he stood head-and-shoulders taller than her.
"Hey, I gave you my word. My lips are sealed."
______________________________________________________________________________________
What will Sirius do about the Hermione/Ron situation? Will he embarass all parties involved? Find out next
time on: "Sirius goes back to Hogwarts"!
Heh heh heh... sorry about that one. I've been watching too much Digimon...
Disclaimer: The HP characters aren't mine, blah blah blah.
To read is human, to review, divine.
So please... for me?? Review??
Sorry, I had to post this one again. I reread it and found some mistakes... oops.