Life went on, no matter how slowly, without the two teachers. Harry was at an impasse. If he told where James and Snape were, he'd be falling into Voldemort's hands. If he didn't James would be killed. So he remained silent, forever pondering this predicament. But aside from the immediate problem were Ron and Hermione.
They had been found in the Hospital wing, out cold. Madame Pomfrey had been interrogated as to what potion she had given them. And ever since they had been revived they seemed- distant. Hermione never rose her hand in class and Ron stopped playing chess.
But Harry was so busy dealing with his own problems that he figured that they were upset over the teachers. So, as mentioned earlier, life went on and soon it was the Friday before the Easter Holidays.
Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting down to breakfast when Hedwig landed on Harry's head. She dropped the letter into his eggs and nibbled his ear and left.
"Haven't gotten a letter in a while." Harry commented quietly as he opened it.
"Who's it from Harry?" Lavender asked from across the table.
Harry shrugged.
Dear Harry,
I haven't gotten a chance to talk to you much lately. I'm sorry about that. Now, I'll get to the point. I know most students don't travel for Easter, but I figured that you might want to get away from the school for a while. No, this is not a trick set up by Voldemort, just telling you that right now. We'll get to talk, but it'll be partly business. You teachers have been contacted and they have made the choice not to give you homework. You will be gone 4 days, 5 nights and the climate will be chilly. Pack only Muggle clothing. We will not be with wizards.
Meet me tonight at the lamppost outside of Zonko's at 7:00. Don't be late and take McGonagall down there to make sure you are off safely.
Yours,
Sirius
Harry folded up the letter and pulled out his chair. He was skeptical. He went to Dumbledore and asked him what was directly on his mind.
"Sir, did Sirius contact you about my leaving?" Harry asked. "I just got a letter from him."
"Yes, he did Harry." Dumbledore said. "Last week in fact."
"That's all I needed." Harry said. "Thank you professor."
"Good bye."
~* ~* ~* ~*
Harry had gotten out of class early to pack. And so he sat on the cold floor of his room rounding up his clothing.
"Socks, underwear…" He said looking at the neat piles to the left of him. "Shirts and jeans."
"You're actually going to WEAR that?" Came a voice from the doorway.
"Yes." Harry said. Dean walked in the room and tutted at Harry's choices of outfits. "It's all I've got, okay?"
"Do you want to borrow some of my stuff?" He asked genially. "Because that crap you have there is rigoddamndiculous."
"Rigoddamndiculous?" Harry said.
"Yes, I got that from a movie." Dean said. "Now, wait a tic while I get you some decent clothing."
"Okay."
Dean tossed him a "Flameboy" tee, a collared long sleeve shirt, a black long sleeve cotton shirt that had a snake wrapping up one arm, a blue soccer jersey and a red soccer jersey. Then he produced 3 pairs of jeans and a bright yellow hooded sweatshirt that said "BONG" in big grey/silver letters.
"Thanks Dean, I owe you." Harry said.
"Yes you do." Dean said lightly. "But we'll call it even if I get to ride your Firebolt around during this break."
"Deal." Harry said. He began packing his other necessities. Shampoo, a razor (A/n: NOT FOR KILLING HIMSELF, YOU FOOLS) deodorant, and some cologne. "Where is my lighter?"
"Your what?" Dean said, looking up from his book.
"My lighter."
"What do you need a lighter for?"
"You never know when you're going to need a lighter." Harry said. "I bought this one special though. It lights EVERYTHING. Like wet wood and metal or anything 'non' flammable."
"Why did I give you the Flameboy shirt?" Dean said mildly and shook his head.
Harry suddenly went very pale.
"The-"
"What?"
"The rat!" Harry said. "The rat took my lighter."
"That annoying rat? Is that what you're talking about?"
"Yes." Harry could kick himself. The lighter. His lighter, in the hands of Pettigrew, had set the Forbidden Forest on fire.
(A.N: There's a shocker)
~* ~* ~* ~*
Sirius was late. McGonagall and Harry sat, leaning against the lamppost for a half an hour before he showed up. They didn't say much at all. She asked Harry about Quidditch. Harry told her it was fine. The conversation ended.
But Harry was talkative, as one always is when excited. He couldn't bear the silence. "Hey Professor?"
"Yes."
"I wanted to ask you something."
"Go ahead."
"Well." Harry took a long shot. "You see I have this friend and he knows something really important."
"Keep going."
"But he can't decide whether or not to tell because of the consequences."
"What are the consequences?"
"Seriousinjuryordeath." Harry said quickly.
"Come again?"
"Somebody gets hurt either way." Harry said. "And I-my friend- he is lost."
"I see." She said. She looked at him piercingly. "How important is this thing your friend knows?"
"Well- it's not all that important to him. But it's important to a lot of other people."
"How many is a lot."
"A whole bunch of people."
Suddenly there was a large pop and Sirius appeared.
"Thanks for seeing him down here Minerva." He said. "Sorry I'm late."
"That's all right." She said. "You'd best be going now."
"Yes." Sirius said. "Come on Harry."
"Okay." Harry said. He was looking at McGonagall.
"We need to hurry! Come on!" Sirius said. "We're pushing it by being this late." He began leading Harry away.
"Oh!" McGonagall said. "I suggest, that Harry, whatever you know, you should tell."
Harry blushed and let himself be led away from his teacher.
~* ~* ~* ~*
"Sirius, you didn't tell me where we were going in your letter." Harry said.
"Yes, I know." Sirius said. They went into a store that was still open, called "Owls Roost." "I figured that'd sound like more of a surprise vacation than a surprise business trip."
"Business trip?" Harry said. "Why are you talking me on a business trip?"
"Because Harry, the Muggles need to be warned."
"What?"
"Let me finish!" Sirius said. "The Muggles need to be warned about Voldemort. And you are the only person who knows what he looks like."
"Not true. There are like 40 death eaters that know what he look like."
"And I'm sure they'd willingly give us a description of him too…"
"Oh that's what you want." Harry said.
"You're right." Sirius said. "And also I really need to talk to you."
"About?"
"Now is neither the time nor place."
"Whatever."
"No, it's not whatever."
"Whatever."
"Harry Potter…"
"Sorry."
"Whatever."
"HA! SEE!?"
"You brought Muggle clothes, right?"
"Right."
"Change into them now."
"In the middle of the Owl Shop?"
"Yes." Sirius said. "You aren't naked under there are you?"
"No."
"Change then."
Harry just thought of something.
"WAIT!" He said. "Why aren't you in your dog form?"
"I know the owner of this place." Sirius said. "She knows I'm innocent. Now stop stalling and change."
"Fine." Harry said. "Turn around."
Sirius grinned. "Of course." He turned round.
Harry changed into jeans and a soccer jersey.
"Didn't I mention it will be chilly?"
"Did I mention I don't care about temperature?" Harry said. "I dove into the lake in October. I can withstand chilly weather."
"You're a strange boy."
"Whatever."
"Okay." Sirius said. "Moving on. Now, we're traveling by Floo Powder."
"Oh no."
"So take a pinch and say "Midway" and walk into the fire for me."
"Um- okay." Harry said. He walked forward and threw the powder into the fire. "MIDWAY" He coughed and was gone in a whirl of green flames.
He ended up in an alien place. (NOT THAT KIND OF ALIEN, YOU FREAKS) There were bright lights and- Muggles. Everywhere. It seemed they were in some kind of coffee store. The Muggles didn't notice Harry walk out of the fire. They didn't notice Sirius either.
"Where are we?" Harry asked, dusting himself off.
"Midway Airport, Chicago."
"Chicago?" Harry said. "We're in the United States?"
"You got it." Sirius said. "Now, we need to leave this place."
"Why?"
"The smell of coffee makes me want to vomit, that's why." Sirius said. "Do you have your bag? Come on then, let's go."
Sirius grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him down grungy corridors of the old ugly airport. They walked by countless "Newsstand" stores. Harry wanted to stop and buy a newspaper for Mr. Weasley but Sirius wouldn't hear of it.
"Now, you need to remember that, while you're with me, you need to pretend that I'm your father."
"That should be interesting." Harry said. "Seeing as how we look nothing alike."
"You have black hair. So do I." Sirius said. "And who cares."
"Why do I need to be your son?"
"For convienence."
"That means I'm Harry Black?"
"Yes."
"That sounds like shit."
"You smell like shit."
"Your Mom!"
Sirius laughed. "If you really don't like it, change your name to something that you DO like."
Harry grinned. "Okay. How about…" HE stopped to think. Sirius grunted and pulled him forward. "How about…." He said the first name that came into his mind. "Colin."
"Colin?"
"Sure why not?"
"Colin Black."
"You heard me."
"That's dumb."
"You're dumb."
"Your momma. Angie daddy." Sirius said.
"Okay, that was funny when I said it, but not you."
"Okay." Sirius said. "Moving on."
"Where are we staying tonight?"
"Some friends of mine." Sirius said. "It's about a half an hour away from here. We're going to need to rent a car."
"Can you drive?"
"No." Sirius said. "I was hoping you could."
"I got my license and the Dursleys, but I didn't think about packing it…"
"Just summon it, why don't you."
"Because we're in the middle of a crowded muggle airport. In Chicago."
"I suppose." Sirius said. "Let's go get the car."
They waited in a long line for "Avis" car rentals and got a little tiny white compact stick shift car. It was all they had left in the "cheap as dogs" price limit. They walked out of the Airport and found the car. Harry summoned his license (which took it a half an hour to fly to Chicago from Scotland) and they were off, a little shaky at first.
"I've never driven stick shift." Harry said as he ground the clutch into the floor. Sirius and Harry both had serious headaches by the time they figured out how to drive the thing.
"Take a left…NO RIGHT!"
"A left?"
"Right."
"A right?"
"No a left."
"Okay, re phrase that."
"Turn at the Krispy Kreme store."
"Thank you."
"Now turn again by the light store and HARRY! Go through the alley there."
"Gotcha."
"It's the last house on the left there." Sirius said. "The one with the black roof and the grey- blue paint job."
Harry pulled up the drive of the slightly run down Victorian house and got out of the car.
"Whose house is this?"
"My old school chum." Sirius said. "He's pretty smart too, for a Hufflepuff. But then, everybody thought he should have been in Ravenclaw. His whole family was in Hufflepuff though…"
"You're babbling, Sirius."
"Yes, sorry."
"So what's your friend's name?"
"Nott. Quentin Nott."
~* ~* ~* ~*
