Like a Pet?
Chapter 2: What the hell?
This morning I woke up on time, for the first time since I got out of Hogwarts, but felt crushed. I opened my eyes and saw Padfoot right in my face.
"I'm up, I'm up." He jumped off my bed and started barking. "What? Why are you barking? Do you have to go outside?" He put his paws on the table. I walked over there, still half asleep, and saw what was making him carry on. A phoenix feather was sitting in the middle of it. I picked it up, and it turned into a letter.
You
have been selected to join the elite group, Order of the Phoenix. The 'Phoenix'
is an Anti-Dark side group that is highly confidential. If you ever tempt the
Dark Side while part of the Phoenix, you well be sentenced to life in Azkaban.
You will get a letter stating the next meeting date. If you have any Questions
please owl Albus Dumbledore, creator and Leader of the Order of the Phoenix, as
soon as possible.
As soon as I finished reading, the letter turned back into the feather. I've heard of the Phoenix in my seventh year. It was started in the 70's when You-Know-Who was at high power. The Potters were the first members after Dumbledore, and then it was Black, Remus, Pettigrew, Fletcher, and Arabella Figg. There were other members, I'm pretty sure the Weasley's were members, but they weren't as well known as them.
"Well, I have a new quill now." I set the feather down and started to get ready for work.
"Miss Thomas?" Fudge looked at the clock, "You're here early."
"I'll leave and come back late if you want me to sir." I could use another hour of sleep.
"No, no. That's fine." He saw the feather in my hand. "What's that?"
"A feather."
"That's a phoenix feather."
"Yeah…"
"You're part of the Phoenix?"
"I guess so." He started to get red, with anger.
"Come with me." He walked out of my office and into his. I followed him, and stood in front of his desk as he searched through one of the drawers. He unearthed an acid green quill, a quick-notes quill to be exact.
"You will use this quill at everyone of those meetings." He started to turn redder.
"But sir, those meetings are…" He cut me off, the vein in his forehead throbbing now. What the hell is his problem?
"You will use this quill!" He thundered. I grabbed the quill, shoving it harshly into my pocket. I turned to leave, while he mumbled, loud enough for me to hear. "You-know-who can't be back. It's not possible." I don't think I was suppose to hear that, so I left without acknowledging him. I slammed the door of his office, and ran into Percy, literary.
"Oh, hello Percy."
"Hello Michelle, what's that sticking out of your pocket?"
"A quick notes quill. Fudge is making me use it."
"Why?"
"He wants to spy on the Phoenix meetings."
"Oh. You've been asked to be part of the Phoenix. That's quite an honor."
"Yes it is, and I'm not letting the ass in pin striped robes ruin it for me." I took the quill out and crumpled it up. I threw it over my shoulder, and just to add to my perfect day, I heard.
"Thomas!" I turned around, semi-horrified. Fudge's vein was throbbing even more. "You're going to use the Quick-Notes, or you will be fired."
"Mr. Fudge, she…" Percy tried to defend me but Fudge threw a glare at him.
"She is my secretary, and if you want to go along with her, you'll be fired too." Percy turned white. "Now, both of you get back to work." Fudge went back to his office, slamming the door so hard; the plaque fell off of the door.
"Thank you Percy, for back there, but I wouldn't want you to lose your job for something I do." I kissed him on the cheek. He turned red.
"Uh…it…no problem…must…work…" He stuttered turning around and walking back to his office, tripping over the hem of his robes. Maybe he wasn't so bad, and he was pretty cute when he stuttered like that. I went back to my office, flipping the one picture on my wall, which hid a picture of Fudge with a target on it.
~*~*~
"Padfoot, do you want to come to the Weasley's party with me?" Don't question my sanity I still have some left. I've noticed that he's a pretty smart dog. The party was today, and Hermione asked me to bring him. After seeing him nod, I went upstairs to change into my purple dress robes.
Lately, I've been having very weird dreams about Padfoot being Sirius Black. I don't know why. Maybe getting the Phoenix letter did it, or I've been working on his case too much. Oh well, I heard scratching at the door, and let Padfoot in.
"Ready to go?" He nodded his head and barked. I threw a pinch of Floo-Powder into the fire, and grabbed his collar. "The Burrow!"
"Michelle you made it," Percy exclaimed, but then noticed my furry companion. "You brought your dog?"
"Yeah, Hermione and her friends asked me to." Percy led me to the backyard where the party was. The first person I saw was Professor Lupin.
"Hello Professor." He turned around, and looked at Padfoot with a face mixed with alarm and worry.
"Hello Michelle, and I'm not your Professor anymore, call me Remus."
"Alright. How are you?"
"Pretty good. When did you get a dog?"
"Oh, a couple of weeks ago. I found him in my yard with a broken leg.
"Oh." He patted Padfoot on the head. "What's his name?"
"Padfoot." Now he looked confused.
"Oh. What an interesting name."
"Yeah. I heard the Weasley twins say it once."
"Professor!" Percy came up to me and Remus. " Would you mind looking after Michelle's dog for a moment while I talk to her? Thank you." Without waiting for a reply, Percy dragged me away. He started talking about something or another, most likely work. I didn't pay attention; I was busy looking at Remus. Hermione, Ron, and Harry came up to him, then the four of them, plus Padfoot went into the forest behind the Weasley's house.
"Excuse me for a moment Percy. I have to talk to Professor Dumbledore."
"Oh alright." I walked over to Dumbledore.
"Headmaster?"
"Oh hello Miss Thomas. How are you this lovely afternoon?"
"I'm great sir, just one problem."
"What would that be?" I pulled the acid green quill out.
"Fudge told me to use this during every Phoenix meeting. I know for one, that all of the information said there is highly confidential."
"Do you like your job?" Oh come on, that's as easy as 2+2.
"No. But I can't afford to lose it."
"Well then we'll figure something out." He had that gleam in his eyes that just makes you smile like an idiot.
~*~*~
"Coast is clear. You can change back." Sirius changed out of his Animagus form.
"What happened? Dumbledore told you to go to Lupin's? I was getting really worried."
"Harry calm down, I'm alright. I just got lost, and then got onto the bad side of a wolf. Buckbeak flew away, and then Michelle found me." Sirius turned to Hermione. "She seems to know you, and you too Moony."
"She was a student of mine, Head Girl too."
"And she's my aunt's sister-in-law."
"Oh. She how's your guy's summer been?"
"Not to bad, except that I had to stay at the Dursley's for a month before I could come here."
"What's this party for anyway?"
"Ministry members, Hogwarts staff. Dad is giving Dumbledore the chance to talk to the Phoenix members. Several of the owls were intercepted." Ron informed him. "You-know-who is gaining supporters by the day."
"Dammit, it's happening all over again. History repeats itself too many damn times."
"Does Michelle know that Padfoot is really Sirius Black?"
"Nope, she just thinks I'm a normal dog."
"Like a pet?"
"Yes exactly." Sirius looked up and saw Remus grinning. "Shut up Moony."
"We better go before she notices that we're gone."
"Yeah, and we don't want to miss the show. Fred and George slipped canary custards and other pranks into most of the food behind Mum's back." Sirius changed back into a dog and walked out with the others.
"You know Padfoot, you're really lucky to have stumbled into Michelle's life." Padfoot gave Remus a questioning look. "Harry might've done something stupid if he thought you were dead. Michelle can help you with your case too." He added as an after thought.
~*~*~*
"Oh there you are." I went over to Remus. "I was wondering where you guys went off to." I pulled my wand out and conjured a leash. "I don't want you bugging the other guests." Padfoot whined as I approached him. "Fine as long as you stick by my side."
"Hello dear."
"Hi Mrs. Weasley. How are you?"
"I'm just fine." She looked down and saw Padfoot.
"Where did you get this dog?"
"I found him." Maybe I should just announce it to the whole world. I'm getting quite sick of saying the same thing over and over.
"Would you like a piece of cake?"
"No thank you."
"How about you?" She asked Padfoot.
"I don't think…"
"Dear it won't hurt him."
"But he's…"
"Not an ordinary dog." She put a slice of cake on a plate and set it infront of Padfoot. "Percy's been talking about you a lot lately." I blushed, his mother is confronting me, and what am I suppose to say, 'Oh, I don't like him, he's too much of a workaholic for me,' "He seems to…"
"Mother! What are you doing, bugging poor Michelle about Percy?" Fred and George came over, linking arms with me. "Would you like a custard?"
"No, I've turned into a bird 3 times already."
"Hi Michelle." Hermione came up to me, Harry and Ron following her.
"Aren't you the popular one today?" George asked.
"Can we talk?" She asked.
"Yeah sure."
"Come on guys, let's start a Quidditch game, while they talk about 'girl' things." Fred and George walked off with Harry and Ron.
"So what do you want to talk about?"
"How have you been?"
"I've been pretty good, but I've been having the weirdest dreams."
"Oh? Like what?"
"That Padfoot was Sirius Black. Isn't that ridiculous?" Hermione looked horrified. "What's wrong?"
"Oh, I think I saw a mouse."
"Oh. Padfoot's been catching a lot lately, but he lets them go. It's like he's looking for one in particular."
"Really? I was wondering if I could come stay with you until term starts."
"I'd like that. But I have to go to work tomorrow, so either you can come with me and just explore around there, or you can stay at my house with Padfoot."
"Okay. I'll stay at your house. Just let me go tell Mrs. Weasley."
"Okay, we can leave then, Padfoot is getting restless."
~*~*~
Thanks to Serna, Demiguise, Hunnerbunner, Carmen, marie
potter, Cynthia, Frangelicah, Jaded_Gurl, Hermione Malfoy, Anna, Liz,
Orpheus, H.L.B., Orion Black, Sarah Black, Alita,
Molly_Hail, AuthorByNight, ShayzonBlack, Erin,
Child of Two Worlds, whoever '1' is, ratgirl, Seraphsong, and R St.Peter.
Please Read Gothic Valley Girl's 'Generation Chaos'
~*~*~