A/N: Geeze, I have been neglecting this story since what, June? How sad. Anyway, this will be a long authors note. Sorry. Anyway, kudos to the person who got my 1776 allusion. I meant to add that in my a/n last time, but forgot. Apparently, I committed plagiarism twice in my last story, without realizing it, and I beg forgiveness. The first one is my title. A Sirius Affair was also a Carole and Penny story. I hadn't even HEARD about them until a whole bunch of people told me. Their stories are really good. Go read them. Also, a friend told the "bony-self" line to me, and I used it, not realizing that the line was actually taken from a story by Giesbrecht. Another good story that I had to check up on. The line is in the story Some Things Are Better Left Unknown. Many people may say that this is just a pitiful excuse, I'm going to be blacklisted, I'm lying, and all that other rot. Well, I'm not lying, if I'm blacklisted, whoops, and I'm deeply sorry to both amazing authors. Right now I'm wondering if I could grovel...and if groveling would be enough for them to forgive me...**bursts into tears** PLEASE FORGIVE ME!!! I DIDN'T MEAN TO! I DIDN'T KNOW!!! I'M SOOOOO SORRY!!!!!! **Looks up hopefully** is that enough?? Or do I have to do more?? I will, but it does get hard on the knees after a while. ANYWAY...wow. Long authors note. I didn't mean it to be this long...whoops. Well, to the story...


"What in the world was that?" James stared at the sky, where the enormous black flag had just passed them. Lily snorted.

"Is that what you say after something so definitely evil passes? 'What in the world was that?' Honestly. I can just picture this, Voldemort coming to your house, trying to murder you, and as you're dying, you say, 'what in the world was that?' Really, quite touching last words, actually..."

"Oh shut up," James said, looking very annoyed. Then he smiled. "Ok, Miss, 'that's-so-evil,-let-me-tell-you,-that-thing-is-not-raidiating-good-vibes,' what in the world was that, if you're so smart?"

"I don't know," said Lily primly, trying to look down her nose at James's 6'1 and failing miserably. "You're Mr. I'm-so-great-I'm-Mr.-Hot-Pure-blood-Quiddtich-player, you tell me."

"Well, at least I'm not Miss..."

"Shut up, both of you," said Remus. "I think I do know what it is, and I think, Lily, if you have any muggle musical background, you would too."

"See, I told you!" cried James gleefully. "I...TOLD...YOU...oooooo...I went there..."

"James would you kindly act like the sixteen year old that you are and not...oh wait, all sixteen year old guys act like they're two, so there is no help in this world for any of us...Remus, what were you saying?"

"Lil, think a very famous French author, who wrote a book, and then it got turned into an operetta."

"Les Miserables? But what does that have to do with anything...oh."

"Yes, exactly. Oh. Did you know that that book and script was written by wizards? Victor Hugo was one. And everything in it had a particular meaning with a spell. So, therefore, every song in there talks about something from wizardry. And there is a nice song about flags. Black and red flags, in fact."

"Would someone kindly tell me what the heck is going on?" asked Sirius, trying to get into the thick of things, as always.

"Ok, listen, and listen good," said Lily as dangerously as she could. Sirius was briefly reminded of a saber-tooth tiger, and would have said so, except that Lily was glaring at them all so hard, that he snapped back to attention at what Lily was saying, before he could help himself. "There is a muggle play called Les Miserables. It was written for and by wizards, but it was a huge flop in the wizarding world, even though it's a great success in the muggle world. In everything that they sing in that play, it means a warning against some sort of dark arts. There is a song about flags, red and black flags. In the story, the men talking about going to war. The black flag means the "dark of ages is past," or in layman's terms the dark arts are going to rise. The red means "The blood of angry men," or, more simply put the dark arts are up and blood is going to be spilt. In Les Miserables, when a guy waves a red flag, the war was just about to end, and after that, everybody dies, except for the main characters. The black flag is bad, the red flag is worse. If anyone sees the red flag, which means that the dark arts are about to win, unless something very powerful can stop them. Have you got all that?" she asked, still glaring.

"Yes," they all muttered, looking at the floor.

"Good," she said, and her glare softened. "Because I'm not going through it again."

"We wouldn't want you to, believe me," said Sirius in a very fake, very strained voice.

"Shut up, Padfoot."

"Can it, Prongs."

"If I could can you, the world would be a much better place, you know what they say about all that environmental stuff, recycle garbage..."

"SHUT UP!" yelled Remus. "Listen, this is a very, very bad thing that happened, but we don't know completely what it means. If we let this thing happen, James just might get to use his 'what in the world is that?' line as he dies. Therefore, what do we need to do?"

"Go to Dumbledore!" Said Peter in a high, frightened voice. Sirius jumped. He had forgotten Peter was there. (A/N: So did I. I had to make the evil rat say SOMETHING!)

"No," said Remus, "even if a Dumbledore is very believing and all that, we need more information. Besides, we always work better when we're on our own."

"I get it," said Lily. "It's time to hit the library." Sirius was shocked.
"WHAT???!?!?" he yelled, looking at them all. "We're in sixth year. The only time we ever went to the library at all was to figure out how to become animagus, and to figure out where the kitchens were. We can't go to the library and actually RESEARCH?!?!?"

"Yeah," said James. "We can't get caught in the library. It'll ruin our image. You should have seen what Snape did to us last time he caught us in the library." Sirius snorted.

"You should have seen what we did to him after what he did to us after he caught us in the library."

"Um, did that make sense to anyone else?" Asked Lily.

"Yes," said James, "We, sadly, all speak Sirius-speak fluently."

"How sad," Said Lily.

"Yes, well, it's a price we must all pay to living with my wonderful good looks, and talent." Said Sirius, primping before an invisible mirror.

"What did I say about a working mirror, Sirius?" Lily asked.

"Shut up, both of you," said Remus. "We have to go to the library. Now."

"Fine." Sirius, looking like Hogwarts had been overthrown by aliens from outer space.

They were just beginning to descend the stairs, as Filch climbed up to the astronomy tower and glared at them all. "Going so soon?" he asked with an ugly smile on his face.