Unplottable Island

Chapter Four: A Friend

The door closed behind Timothy. Laura didn't notice. Her eyes had fastened on the dog. "Professor, is that—that dog—is it…"

"Yes," said Dumbledore. "Sirius, if you please..?"

Sirius Black appeared on the floor with a faint whoosh of air. He was tall, pale, and very thin, with shaggy black hair and dark eyes. Sirius had been part of James' clique when they were in school, and they'd remained fast friends afterwards. Laura and Sirius had been going together for awhile, but all that had ended when James and Lily died and Laura vanished.

"Er—hullo, Laura," Sirius said rather uncomfortably. "Nice to see you."

Laura just gaped. Dumbledore cleared his throat and said "Shall I leave you two alone to—shall I say—catch up on things?"

Sirius nodded, then looked at Laura, who was still staring at him like he was dead. "Laura?"

"Yes," Laura whispered. "Go ahead."

Dumbledore bowed, then walked out, leaving behind him a very uncomfortable silence. Laura fiddled with a loose thread on her robe. Sirius ran a restless hand through his hair. The silence was as thick as a down quilt.

"Er…how are you?" Sirius asked. "Last I heard, you were dead."

"Last I heard you were a convicted murderer."

Sirius winced. "Whatever you heard wasn't true."

"What's true, then?" Laura had waited fifteen years to hear this, and by cures or curses she was going to now. "Tell me."

"Where do I start?" Sirius asked, looking at the ground. Laura was doing her best to bore holes in his head with her blue eyes.

"At the beginning. Tell me everything."

"Er—okay." He started, staring at the ground and at Laura by turns. She remained silent through Peter's betrayal of her brother and sister-in-law, but when Sirius got to the part when Peter had run, she snorted.

"Just like him, eh? Bold when he's got some kick ass at his back, take it away…continue."

They were in there for two hours. Tim spent that whole time wandering aimlessly around the huge building, wishing that someone would tell him what on earth was going on. But he had to admit: Hogwarts was fascinating. Some rooms had vaulted cathedral-like ceilings, others were low and drippy, but one thing about Hogwarts was the same everywhere: it was very, very empty. Even most of the portraits were empty.

Tim turned another corner, then another, and found himself face to face with a tall ethereal figure of a female ghost.

"Pardon me!" she said as he accidentally stepped through her. "I didn't realize anyone would be down the corridor today."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Tim blurted at the same time. He shivered a little as he stepped out of the ghost. It was like getting sprayed by a breaker in midwinter.

"Who're you?" the ghost asked curiously. She was young, maybe twenty or so, with very long hair and prominent cheekbones. A wind he couldn't feel blew her hair around her face, stirring the ragged clothes she wore. "I've never seen you before."

"I've never been here before," Tim answered honestly. "My name is Timothy Potter."

"My name is Gwenivive Gray, but mostly they"—she flicked a pale hand around to indicate other people—"call me the Gray Lady. I'm the ghost of Ravenclaw tower."

Tim was rather at a loss. What do you say to a ghost? "Er…I'm pleased to meet you."

The Gray Lady smiled a little, her transparent face meant to be reassuring. "Are you lost?"

"I guess. I'm not really in a hurry though." He scowled a little. Laura sure had forgotten him fast enough. She was probably discussing his parents—without him. They were his parents and he had a right to know.

She though for a minute. "I'd love to give you a tour, but I can't leave this hallway. It's my haunt," she explained when he looked bemused. "I'm bound here for fifty more years, then I can wander the halls. Maybe there's someone else along. Shoo now. I shouldn't keep you. Hogwarts is very large, and there is much to know about this place." The Gray Lady walked away, an invisible wind ruffling her loose hair as she vanished into a wall.

Tim rolled his eyes. How nice and vague could you get? He turned and walked back out of the hallway, down another passage—well lit. A blank stone wall was on his left, but on his right there was another ghost. Tim didn't try to talk to this one. It was gaunt and stained with blood, and stared at him with black eyes stretching black into infinity. Tim lowered his gaze to the ground and hurried by.

He decided to go upwards instead of down and took the next flight of stairs he could find straight up. This hallway was much more cheerful than the stone passageway. Rich red carpeting lay over white marble floors, and the walls held a massive collection of gold-framed portraits. One in particular was quite stunning—little bits of rubies and golden flake decorated the frame, which was large and grand, as though it were a portrait of something very special. It was also quite empty.

Someone cleared their throat just behind him, making him jump about a foot.

"If you've forgotten the password, it won't do any good. The Fat Lady's gone to the East wing for a holiday."

Tim turned. "Oh—I'm sorry, I didn't think anyone else was here. Truly—the castle's practically empty."

The other boy wrinkled his nose a little, then pushed his round-framed glasses up a little higher. "I know—it's dreadfully boring. I came here with my godfather—why are you here? I don't think I've seen you before."

"You haven't," Tim replied. "I don't go here—well, at least I don't yet. I might, but I'm not sure. My aunt's talking it over with Dumbledore right now."

The boy looked flabbergasted. "She left you on your own at Hogwarts? That's not a very good thing to do…after all, this place is full of trick staircase's and such. Not to mention Peeves." He grabbed Tim by the arm and pointed a white shadow bouncing a tennis ball against a wall. "That's Peeves the Poltergeist. Avoid him at all costs. He's been bored, and he's getting so annoying that Dumbledore banished his to the lower levels."

"Thanks," said Tim. "My name's Tim. What's yours?"

The boy looked at him with clear green eyes behind his spectacles. "Oh, it's Harry. Now, come and see this staircase. It's got a trick step."

A/N: Heh heh heh...well, the next part I might let them know that they're related...but I might not. You're just going to have to sit there and wait for my sweet little fingers to churn out another chapter. Review, por favor. Gracias.