Title Needed (Desperately!)
Chapter 12: A Moment's Peace
A/N: I think I have some sort of idea where I'm going with this... It might change though. Please forgive me for however long it may take to get this written. I should really be studying for my really big History test in three weeks that could get me college credits, but instead, I'm writing! Yay for me! Oh well... Onward!
A/N 2: Shameless plug!!! Well, it's not really shameless... oh well.. If you want something funny to read (bordering on psychotic... lol...) go read my other Harry Potter story! It's called "Harry Potter and the Pi Day Project"!! I only got one bad review from someone that asked if I was on crack... lol... anyway....
Disclaimer: *singing to the tune of 'If you're Happy and you know it...'* If you own Harry Potter, clap your hands! *clap clap*!!!! *grins evilly and skips away singing*!!!
***
Sunlight spilled over the edge of the clouds, falling in streams of bright, golden light. The sky was a pale blue color, dotted with fluffy white clouds. Four people walked down the small cobblestone street, their laughter coming out in white puffs that drifted up to join the cotton ball clouds in the sky. If someone had been watching, they would see their happy faces, the ease they had around each other. No one was watching though. People were too absorbed with themselves as they walked about on the sunny winter afternoon, trying to get in some last minute shopping before the holidays. The group of four, deciding it was too cold out to stay outside, entered a small pub.
"Four Butterbeers, please," Ron asked the bartender, going to join the others at a table near the back.
"... So then, he turns the cake blue! Jenny was furious," Harry said, laughing. Hermione and Ginny were laughing too. Ron sat down and smiled at them.
'Just like old times,' he thought to himself, just as the waitress came over with their drinks. Everyone thanked her, and started to drink.
"Wow, I'd forgotten how good Butterbeer was," Harry said, taking another gulp of his drink.
"What, they don't have any in America? A scandal!" Ron said teasingly. Harry laughed.
"Oh they do, but not REAL Butterbeer. Some cheap imitation. This stuff is so much better, believe me," Harry replied. Everyone laughed some more. "It's funny how you don't realize how important something is until it's gone," Harry said, in a more serious tone. The other three just nodded slightly.
"Hey, why don't we take a quick walk up to the Shrieking Shack?" Hermione said, standing up from her seat. Harry started laughing again. "What's so funny?" Hermione asked. Harry laughed a little bit more, then calmed down.
"I just had a flashback to third year. Ron and I were up there, I had on my Invisibility Cloak, and Malfoy came up," Harry said, unable to finish because he had started to laugh again. Ron had started to laugh as well.
"I remember that! And you threw mud at him! And Crabbe and Goyle thought there were ghosts! That was great!" Ron said between his laughs. After a few minutes of everyone laughing, they calmed down enough to pay for their drinks and they started to walk up the hill. Once there, they stood looking at it without saying a word. The silence was broken by the laughter of some students coming up the hill as well.
"Uncle Ron! Aunt Ginny! Aunt Hermione!" a boy with red hair ran over and hugged his relatives. His two friends stood awkwardly back.
"Mark! What are you doing up here? Better not be getting into trouble," Ginny said sternly, but Harry could tell she wasn't serious.
"Fred's son," Ron whispered to Harry. Harry nodded in understanding. He knew Mark was a Weasley, and a prankster, but he didn't know which Weasley he belonged to (A/N: That sounds so horrible... oh well, you get my point, don't you? Lol...).
"No, Aunt Ginny. Steve, Eric, and I were just taking a walk. Dad said this place was haunted, and we wanted to see if we could get in, really," Mark said. Harry laughed at this.
"Professor Turner? Don't you think this place is haunted too?" Steve said, the three boys had just seemed to notice Harry standing there as well.
"No, I don't believe this place is haunted. Maybe once, a long time ago. Believe what you may though. I'm sure if your father believed it was, it might just be," Harry said, laughter still dancing in his eyes. Hermione rolled her eyes, and Ron laughed. Ginny looked torn between the two, so she settled for a smile.
"Don't believe a word your father says. This place is not, and never was haunted. I've told you boys that numerous times," Ginny said, once again sounding like a teacher. Mark and the other two rolled their eyes.
"Is there any way in though? Maybe if we could get in and look around, we could prove if it was haunted or not," Eric stated.
"There's only one way in, and it's probably closed off by now," Harry said. The three boys perked up with interest.
"Honestly, you shouldn't be telling those three about that. They're worse than we were. Although we really weren't that bad..." Hermione said, laughing a little at the end.
"Please Professor! We won't tell anyone, honest!" Steve begged. Harry laughed again.
"I'm sorry boys. It's not my information to give out. You'd have to ask Moony or Padfoot about that one," Harry said. Hermione and Ron started laughing now too.
"Dad told us about them once! But what about the other two? Wormtail and Prongs? Can't we ask one of them?" Mark asked. Everyone's demeanor changed instantly at that. The three boys didn't understand why everyone stopped laughing.
"Prongs is dead. Wormtail is..." Harry started, but didn't finish. He honestly didn't know what had happened to the vile man his father had once been friends with.
"Wormtail is dead too," Ron finished. Harry gave him a slight questioning glance. "You three had better start getting back to the castle. It's almost time for the feast," Ron said. The three boys obliged.
"Is he really? Dead, I mean?" Harry asked, half expectantly, half hoping.
"Sort of. After you killed Voldemort, all the Death Eaters were captured, him included. That's how Sirius' name was cleared. There was a trial, and he got the Kiss," Hermione said quietly. Harry nodded slightly in understanding. They stood there for a few moments longer in silence, then headed towards the castle for dinner.
They were greeted by a room full of chattering teenagers, covered in a light dusting of enchanted snow. Twelve gigantic evergreen trees were placed throughout the Great Hall, each decorated with a different theme. Paper snowflakes were hovering above the students heads, and all the candles were tinted green and red. Wreaths decorated the windows, and ribbons adorned all the chairs. The teachers' table was decorated to look like a giant present. Smiling, the four went up and took their seats, just as Dumbledore stood to speak.
"Welcome students and teachers. As many of you are leaving us for the holidays, we are having a feast tonight so we can all share in the merriment. Although I am sure all of you are anxiously awaiting the feast, please mind your manners. We have with us tonight a special guest. Please welcome Minister of Magic Sirius Black!" Dumbledore said. A cheer rose out through the students and everyone stood, clapping, as a man wearing dark green robes entered the Great Hall from a door off to the side.
Harry stood with everyone else, gulping, but put a smile on his face. Sirius walked over and took a seat between himself and Dumbledore. After the applause died down, Dumbledore began the feast. Harry sat there fidgeting in his seat nervously for ten minutes until Sirius started to speak to him.
"You don't have to be nervous, you know. I don't bite... hard," Sirius said, an impish smile on his face. Harry laughed slightly. It didn't help that Ron and Hermione kept shooting nervous glances in their direction. "You must be the new Defense teacher. Ron and Hermione have told me a lot about you," Sirius said. He extended his hand for a shake, and Harry obliged. "Do you like it here in England? Ron said you were from America."
"Oh yes, very much so. I lived here when I was younger, but was forced to move to America before I could attend Hogwarts, much to my regret. It is a wonderful place though, and I'm honored to be teaching here," Harry said, gliding right back into the lies he had been telling before the others had discovered the truth.
"I see. Dumbledore speaks very highly of you, and from the rumors I've heard from some students, you're extremely popular. You seem to know your subject very well," Sirius said. Harry beamed at the compliment.
"Thank you. I never even thought about teaching, but my wife convinced me to. She said someone with as much knowledge as me shouldn't be sitting around doing nothing with it all," Harry said, still smiling.
"So your wife is a witch then?" Sirius asked casually. Harry tensed slightly, but continued to smile.
"No. She's a Muggle, but her brother is a wizard, so she knew all about our world before we met," Harry said. Sirius nodded slightly. Suddenly, there was a quiet popping noise and baskets with wizards' crackers appeared all along the tables. Ron leaned over.
"Be careful, mates. Fred and George donated some of these out of the 'kindness of their hearts'. You never know what will happen," Ron said. Harry and Sirius both smiled. Just as they did, one of the students had opened a cracker to find a candy inside. She had popped it into her mouth, and an instant later, was turned into a canary.
"See? They're still using all their old classics. Canary Creams, Ton Tongue Toffee. Beware," Ron said, jokingly ominous. Harry and Sirius laughed, while Hermione rolled her eyes.
Throwing caution to the wind, Harry reached out and took a cracker. He offered the other end to Sirius, and they pulled it at the same time. A bang echoed through the Great Hall, and when the puff of purple smoke cleared, there lay a shiny top hat and a pair of black rimmed glasses. When Ron saw what had come out, he nearly choked on his pumpkin juice. Harry and Sirius just sat there in shock. Finally Hermione cleared her throat.
"Well, are you two just going to sit there goggling at them, or are you going to put them on?" Hermione said, falsely cheerful. Sirius grinned weakly and Harry gulped for what felt like the millionth time that night. Before Harry had a chance to choose which thing he wanted, Sirius had the top hat on his head, which left the glasses for him. He gulped once again, and slowly put them on his face.
Sirius' face went pale as he looked at Harry. Harry turned away, pretending to be showing Ron and Hermione, whose eyes just grew wide. He heard Sirius clear his throat, so he turned around again.
"Has anyone ever told you that you have an uncanny resemblance to Harry Potter? The only difference is the eyes and the scar," Sirius said, trying to sound cheerful. Harry smiled weakly. Sirius cleared his throat again. "I'm sorry, Professor, Ron, Hermione, I have some business to tend to. If you'll excuse me," Sirius said, putting his napkin down on his plate and standing up to leave. Harry quickly took off the glasses and rested his hand in his face.
"Why does it always have to happen like this?" Harry mumbled as Hermione put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Harry sighed, then got up and headed towards where the guest chambers were.
Sirius quickly made his way to the room Dumbledore had said he could stay in. Once inside, he went over to his trunk and opened it up. He rummaged through the contents until he came upon an old piece of parchment. Taking a deep breath, he pulled out his wand. He held it above the parchment, not moving. His hand shook slightly, but he took another deep breath.
"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," he whispered, tapping the parchment with his wand. Lines started appearing all over the page, forming corridors and rooms. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to once again regain his composure. When he opened his eyes, they darted towards the Great Hall, where there was a mass of little black dots with names written above them. He looked at the teachers' table, and he let out a sigh. The one person he was looking for was gone. His eyes scanned the paper again. Then his breath caught.
There was someone standing right outside his door. Sirius closed his eyes, then opened them again. The name was still there, in tiny little cursive letters. He let the parchment fall from his hands. He fought to regain his breath. The name was still burned into his mind, as clearly as it had been written on the map that never lied. The map that couldn't be fooled in any way. 'Harry Potter'.
***
A/N: Okay, I was originally just going to have the last three paragraphs be the beginning of the next chapter, but I couldn't resist the cliff hanger!!!!!! Sorry!!! Okay, I'll go continue writing the next chapter... hehe.... Please read and review.
SiriusBPadfoot- Happy now??????????????????????? I know, it really does need a title... eventually, I will find the perfect one... I've had random ones floating through my mind, but none of them seem to fit just right.... oh well... I'm sure you're all worked up about that lovely little cliffie I just left you with, right? :-) I'm evil, aren't I???
Bookworm12357- Thank you so much!!! It makes me so happy to see some fresh faces amongst the reviews!!!
Christina- You'd BETTER finish it, cuz I know where you live!!!!! Lol... Can't promise a happy ending... you know me, lol!!! Frank just fit in so perfectly though. Hehe, I make a funny comment about him later (which, if you're reading this, it was actually earlier, hehe...). And you know what? This story is 'sott som helvete'!!! Or 'dulce tan infierno'... or 'bonbon comme enfer'. Yes, I DID look it up in French, hehehehe..... Oh well, I should really be going now... you know where THAT'S going, lol... Thank you for reading this for me, even if it's just to get me to shut up, lol!!!!!
Thanks to everyone else for reading this, including my sister, and I'm sorry if you've reviewed after I posted this, your name will go up in the next chapter, I promise!!! Thanks again for reading, and PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!
A/N 2: Wow, two chapters in two days! This is making up for the long wait between 10 and 11, and probably the long wait between 12 and 13, and I might be going away for the weekend, so I wanted to get this up for you! Okay, I'll go post now, hehe....
Chapter 12: A Moment's Peace
A/N: I think I have some sort of idea where I'm going with this... It might change though. Please forgive me for however long it may take to get this written. I should really be studying for my really big History test in three weeks that could get me college credits, but instead, I'm writing! Yay for me! Oh well... Onward!
A/N 2: Shameless plug!!! Well, it's not really shameless... oh well.. If you want something funny to read (bordering on psychotic... lol...) go read my other Harry Potter story! It's called "Harry Potter and the Pi Day Project"!! I only got one bad review from someone that asked if I was on crack... lol... anyway....
Disclaimer: *singing to the tune of 'If you're Happy and you know it...'* If you own Harry Potter, clap your hands! *clap clap*!!!! *grins evilly and skips away singing*!!!
***
Sunlight spilled over the edge of the clouds, falling in streams of bright, golden light. The sky was a pale blue color, dotted with fluffy white clouds. Four people walked down the small cobblestone street, their laughter coming out in white puffs that drifted up to join the cotton ball clouds in the sky. If someone had been watching, they would see their happy faces, the ease they had around each other. No one was watching though. People were too absorbed with themselves as they walked about on the sunny winter afternoon, trying to get in some last minute shopping before the holidays. The group of four, deciding it was too cold out to stay outside, entered a small pub.
"Four Butterbeers, please," Ron asked the bartender, going to join the others at a table near the back.
"... So then, he turns the cake blue! Jenny was furious," Harry said, laughing. Hermione and Ginny were laughing too. Ron sat down and smiled at them.
'Just like old times,' he thought to himself, just as the waitress came over with their drinks. Everyone thanked her, and started to drink.
"Wow, I'd forgotten how good Butterbeer was," Harry said, taking another gulp of his drink.
"What, they don't have any in America? A scandal!" Ron said teasingly. Harry laughed.
"Oh they do, but not REAL Butterbeer. Some cheap imitation. This stuff is so much better, believe me," Harry replied. Everyone laughed some more. "It's funny how you don't realize how important something is until it's gone," Harry said, in a more serious tone. The other three just nodded slightly.
"Hey, why don't we take a quick walk up to the Shrieking Shack?" Hermione said, standing up from her seat. Harry started laughing again. "What's so funny?" Hermione asked. Harry laughed a little bit more, then calmed down.
"I just had a flashback to third year. Ron and I were up there, I had on my Invisibility Cloak, and Malfoy came up," Harry said, unable to finish because he had started to laugh again. Ron had started to laugh as well.
"I remember that! And you threw mud at him! And Crabbe and Goyle thought there were ghosts! That was great!" Ron said between his laughs. After a few minutes of everyone laughing, they calmed down enough to pay for their drinks and they started to walk up the hill. Once there, they stood looking at it without saying a word. The silence was broken by the laughter of some students coming up the hill as well.
"Uncle Ron! Aunt Ginny! Aunt Hermione!" a boy with red hair ran over and hugged his relatives. His two friends stood awkwardly back.
"Mark! What are you doing up here? Better not be getting into trouble," Ginny said sternly, but Harry could tell she wasn't serious.
"Fred's son," Ron whispered to Harry. Harry nodded in understanding. He knew Mark was a Weasley, and a prankster, but he didn't know which Weasley he belonged to (A/N: That sounds so horrible... oh well, you get my point, don't you? Lol...).
"No, Aunt Ginny. Steve, Eric, and I were just taking a walk. Dad said this place was haunted, and we wanted to see if we could get in, really," Mark said. Harry laughed at this.
"Professor Turner? Don't you think this place is haunted too?" Steve said, the three boys had just seemed to notice Harry standing there as well.
"No, I don't believe this place is haunted. Maybe once, a long time ago. Believe what you may though. I'm sure if your father believed it was, it might just be," Harry said, laughter still dancing in his eyes. Hermione rolled her eyes, and Ron laughed. Ginny looked torn between the two, so she settled for a smile.
"Don't believe a word your father says. This place is not, and never was haunted. I've told you boys that numerous times," Ginny said, once again sounding like a teacher. Mark and the other two rolled their eyes.
"Is there any way in though? Maybe if we could get in and look around, we could prove if it was haunted or not," Eric stated.
"There's only one way in, and it's probably closed off by now," Harry said. The three boys perked up with interest.
"Honestly, you shouldn't be telling those three about that. They're worse than we were. Although we really weren't that bad..." Hermione said, laughing a little at the end.
"Please Professor! We won't tell anyone, honest!" Steve begged. Harry laughed again.
"I'm sorry boys. It's not my information to give out. You'd have to ask Moony or Padfoot about that one," Harry said. Hermione and Ron started laughing now too.
"Dad told us about them once! But what about the other two? Wormtail and Prongs? Can't we ask one of them?" Mark asked. Everyone's demeanor changed instantly at that. The three boys didn't understand why everyone stopped laughing.
"Prongs is dead. Wormtail is..." Harry started, but didn't finish. He honestly didn't know what had happened to the vile man his father had once been friends with.
"Wormtail is dead too," Ron finished. Harry gave him a slight questioning glance. "You three had better start getting back to the castle. It's almost time for the feast," Ron said. The three boys obliged.
"Is he really? Dead, I mean?" Harry asked, half expectantly, half hoping.
"Sort of. After you killed Voldemort, all the Death Eaters were captured, him included. That's how Sirius' name was cleared. There was a trial, and he got the Kiss," Hermione said quietly. Harry nodded slightly in understanding. They stood there for a few moments longer in silence, then headed towards the castle for dinner.
They were greeted by a room full of chattering teenagers, covered in a light dusting of enchanted snow. Twelve gigantic evergreen trees were placed throughout the Great Hall, each decorated with a different theme. Paper snowflakes were hovering above the students heads, and all the candles were tinted green and red. Wreaths decorated the windows, and ribbons adorned all the chairs. The teachers' table was decorated to look like a giant present. Smiling, the four went up and took their seats, just as Dumbledore stood to speak.
"Welcome students and teachers. As many of you are leaving us for the holidays, we are having a feast tonight so we can all share in the merriment. Although I am sure all of you are anxiously awaiting the feast, please mind your manners. We have with us tonight a special guest. Please welcome Minister of Magic Sirius Black!" Dumbledore said. A cheer rose out through the students and everyone stood, clapping, as a man wearing dark green robes entered the Great Hall from a door off to the side.
Harry stood with everyone else, gulping, but put a smile on his face. Sirius walked over and took a seat between himself and Dumbledore. After the applause died down, Dumbledore began the feast. Harry sat there fidgeting in his seat nervously for ten minutes until Sirius started to speak to him.
"You don't have to be nervous, you know. I don't bite... hard," Sirius said, an impish smile on his face. Harry laughed slightly. It didn't help that Ron and Hermione kept shooting nervous glances in their direction. "You must be the new Defense teacher. Ron and Hermione have told me a lot about you," Sirius said. He extended his hand for a shake, and Harry obliged. "Do you like it here in England? Ron said you were from America."
"Oh yes, very much so. I lived here when I was younger, but was forced to move to America before I could attend Hogwarts, much to my regret. It is a wonderful place though, and I'm honored to be teaching here," Harry said, gliding right back into the lies he had been telling before the others had discovered the truth.
"I see. Dumbledore speaks very highly of you, and from the rumors I've heard from some students, you're extremely popular. You seem to know your subject very well," Sirius said. Harry beamed at the compliment.
"Thank you. I never even thought about teaching, but my wife convinced me to. She said someone with as much knowledge as me shouldn't be sitting around doing nothing with it all," Harry said, still smiling.
"So your wife is a witch then?" Sirius asked casually. Harry tensed slightly, but continued to smile.
"No. She's a Muggle, but her brother is a wizard, so she knew all about our world before we met," Harry said. Sirius nodded slightly. Suddenly, there was a quiet popping noise and baskets with wizards' crackers appeared all along the tables. Ron leaned over.
"Be careful, mates. Fred and George donated some of these out of the 'kindness of their hearts'. You never know what will happen," Ron said. Harry and Sirius both smiled. Just as they did, one of the students had opened a cracker to find a candy inside. She had popped it into her mouth, and an instant later, was turned into a canary.
"See? They're still using all their old classics. Canary Creams, Ton Tongue Toffee. Beware," Ron said, jokingly ominous. Harry and Sirius laughed, while Hermione rolled her eyes.
Throwing caution to the wind, Harry reached out and took a cracker. He offered the other end to Sirius, and they pulled it at the same time. A bang echoed through the Great Hall, and when the puff of purple smoke cleared, there lay a shiny top hat and a pair of black rimmed glasses. When Ron saw what had come out, he nearly choked on his pumpkin juice. Harry and Sirius just sat there in shock. Finally Hermione cleared her throat.
"Well, are you two just going to sit there goggling at them, or are you going to put them on?" Hermione said, falsely cheerful. Sirius grinned weakly and Harry gulped for what felt like the millionth time that night. Before Harry had a chance to choose which thing he wanted, Sirius had the top hat on his head, which left the glasses for him. He gulped once again, and slowly put them on his face.
Sirius' face went pale as he looked at Harry. Harry turned away, pretending to be showing Ron and Hermione, whose eyes just grew wide. He heard Sirius clear his throat, so he turned around again.
"Has anyone ever told you that you have an uncanny resemblance to Harry Potter? The only difference is the eyes and the scar," Sirius said, trying to sound cheerful. Harry smiled weakly. Sirius cleared his throat again. "I'm sorry, Professor, Ron, Hermione, I have some business to tend to. If you'll excuse me," Sirius said, putting his napkin down on his plate and standing up to leave. Harry quickly took off the glasses and rested his hand in his face.
"Why does it always have to happen like this?" Harry mumbled as Hermione put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Harry sighed, then got up and headed towards where the guest chambers were.
Sirius quickly made his way to the room Dumbledore had said he could stay in. Once inside, he went over to his trunk and opened it up. He rummaged through the contents until he came upon an old piece of parchment. Taking a deep breath, he pulled out his wand. He held it above the parchment, not moving. His hand shook slightly, but he took another deep breath.
"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," he whispered, tapping the parchment with his wand. Lines started appearing all over the page, forming corridors and rooms. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to once again regain his composure. When he opened his eyes, they darted towards the Great Hall, where there was a mass of little black dots with names written above them. He looked at the teachers' table, and he let out a sigh. The one person he was looking for was gone. His eyes scanned the paper again. Then his breath caught.
There was someone standing right outside his door. Sirius closed his eyes, then opened them again. The name was still there, in tiny little cursive letters. He let the parchment fall from his hands. He fought to regain his breath. The name was still burned into his mind, as clearly as it had been written on the map that never lied. The map that couldn't be fooled in any way. 'Harry Potter'.
***
A/N: Okay, I was originally just going to have the last three paragraphs be the beginning of the next chapter, but I couldn't resist the cliff hanger!!!!!! Sorry!!! Okay, I'll go continue writing the next chapter... hehe.... Please read and review.
SiriusBPadfoot- Happy now??????????????????????? I know, it really does need a title... eventually, I will find the perfect one... I've had random ones floating through my mind, but none of them seem to fit just right.... oh well... I'm sure you're all worked up about that lovely little cliffie I just left you with, right? :-) I'm evil, aren't I???
Bookworm12357- Thank you so much!!! It makes me so happy to see some fresh faces amongst the reviews!!!
Christina- You'd BETTER finish it, cuz I know where you live!!!!! Lol... Can't promise a happy ending... you know me, lol!!! Frank just fit in so perfectly though. Hehe, I make a funny comment about him later (which, if you're reading this, it was actually earlier, hehe...). And you know what? This story is 'sott som helvete'!!! Or 'dulce tan infierno'... or 'bonbon comme enfer'. Yes, I DID look it up in French, hehehehe..... Oh well, I should really be going now... you know where THAT'S going, lol... Thank you for reading this for me, even if it's just to get me to shut up, lol!!!!!
Thanks to everyone else for reading this, including my sister, and I'm sorry if you've reviewed after I posted this, your name will go up in the next chapter, I promise!!! Thanks again for reading, and PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!
A/N 2: Wow, two chapters in two days! This is making up for the long wait between 10 and 11, and probably the long wait between 12 and 13, and I might be going away for the weekend, so I wanted to get this up for you! Okay, I'll go post now, hehe....