Moony and Padfoot
"You saw Lupin? How is he?" Harry had just returned from his meeting with McGonagall and was now standing in the Entrance Hall with Ron and Hermione.
"He seemed fine, except he looked really tired. But Harry-" Hermione grabbed Harry by the arm as he started to walk into the Great Hall to get something to eat. "Snuffles is with him." She muttered quickly.
Harry stared at her. "Are you sure?" He asked quietly. Hermione let go of his arm and nodded. "Who do you think gave her the flower?" Put in Ron.
Harry suddenly forgot about his hunger and started off up the marble staircase without another word, Ron and Hermione right behind him. They made it to Lupin's office in record time, and when they got there, they could hear Lupin having a heated argument.
"Where is it you idiot? I swear that if you've taken it you will pay! Don't look at me like that you dumb mutt! Where is it, where- what are you doing now?" They heard scratching at the office door, footsteps, and suddenly it was flung open. Lupin was standing in the doorway, and seeing them his tired face broke into a smile.
"Harry! How are y- OW!" Lupin was slammed against the open office door as the massive black dog bounded past him and, tail wagging furiously, trotted up to Harry.
Harry went to stroke the dog, but Lupin grabbed it by the collar and pulled him into the office. "Come on in!" He said over his shoulder, struggling to hold onto Snuffles.
Harry, Ron and Hermione walked into the office, and Lupin shut the door behind them. Snuffles was already curled up on a large green armchair by the fire. Lupin saw him and was about to say something, but then looked like he just couldn't be bothered.
"How are you both?" Asked Harry eagerly, leaning against a trunk in the corner.
Lupin rolled his eyes, looking incredibly tired. "Well," he said, "in all vital respects we're fine, obviously we're very worried though. And he is driving. Me. Crazy." Lupin pointed at Snuffles, who yawned and closed his eyes innocently.
"Why?" Laughed Ron.
"Where do I start? He sheds hair like a Christmas tree sheds Pine needles. He's sitting on my favourite chair now on purpose because he knows this fact very well. He hides everything I need just because he's bored." Snuffles stood up on the chair, shook himself, and then settled back down again. Lupin clenched his fists. "It's not my fault you have to stay a dog, so don't take it out on me." He said in a deadly whisper.
Snuffles looked up at him, and, with a faint popping sound, turned into a man. There in the big green armchair sat Sirius Black, Harry's Godfather.
"Who says I have to stay as a dog?" He said, flicking some dust off the mantle-piece.
"Sirius, what are you doing? If someone sees you-" Began Lupin in exasperation.
"Relax Moony. Ron's blocking the door. No-one will see me." Said Sirius calmly. He stood up and reached into the pocket of his robes. He pulled out a little brass key and shrugged. "Is this what you were looking for?" He tossed the key to Lupin, who caught it, looking murderous.
"So how are you Harry? How was your summer?" Asked Sirius, while Lupin turned to open a small wooden trunk on a side table with the key.
"Oh, it was fine. I spent the entire summer with the Dursleys, and apart from a little grass snake getting into the kitchen somehow, it was completely boring." Replied Harry.
"A snake got into your kitchen?" Asked Hermione.
"Yeah. It left pretty quickly, but not before calling a Dudley a fair few names. He was standing on a chair, screaming his head off. It was actually really funny."
"Um, Sirius, why are you here? Isn't it kind of dangerous?" Said Ron, who had been standing quietly by the door. Sirius looked up at Ron and sighed. He suddenly looked very tired.
"Yes, it is dangerous, but Dumbledore needs me and Remus here to help. After what has happened…" Sirius paused, glancing at Harry. Harry swallowed. He knew what Sirius was talking about- Voldemort's return. "Is something happening here? Here at Hogwart's?" Harry prompted.
Lupin sat down on a coffee table by the door. "We want to be close to Dumbledore so that if there are any new developments…" Lupin sighed like Sirius. "We want to help protect the school and the students."
"Yeah, and as I can't exactly walk around normally, I'm pretending to be his pet. I'm a stray that he rescued during the summer and nursed back to health. I'm cute, loveable, and very friendly."
"So that explains this." Hermione laughed, holding up the flower he had given her. Sirius grinned and shrugged. "I wanted to make a good first impression. Sorry if I embarrassed you."
"Oh, you didn't." Hermione replied, carefully tucking the tulip into her bag. A bell rang somewhere. "It's time for Herbology already?" Cried Harry. "I haven't even eaten!"
"You can have a big dinner. We'd better hurry up or we'll be late." Hermione started to push Harry towards the office door as Sirius turned back into Snuffles. Ron opened the door for them, and with a cheery wave to Lupin and his dog, followed his friends out into the corridor.
Later that evening, Harry, Hermione and Ron sat in the Gryffindor common room, doing their herbology homework. They were revising Mandrakes again, and Ron was explaining to Hermione what had happened the day she was attacked in the second year.
"So we got up to Hospital Wing and you was lying there like a statue. It was horrible." He finished, looking up something in the index of 1001 Magical Herbs and Fungi.
"It was worse being petrified, I can tell you." Replied Hermione, who had already finished her homework and was just relaxing.
"It's not like you could feel anything, so it couldn't have been that bad." Said Harry.
Hermione shrugged. "I wasn't completely unconscious you know."
Ron looked up at her. "Could you, like, hear people and stuff then?" He asked.
Hermione shrugged. "It was weird. I mean, most of the time I wasn't conscious at all, but there was this one time, when I think I might have kind of woken up. I couldn't see anything, or feel anything, I could just, well, I think I could hear someone. I remembered it when I woke up, but I just thought it was my imagination."
"What did you hear?" Asked Harry.
Hermione frowned, trying to remember. "Well, there were two different voices. The first one said something like: 'Do you think she saw the attacker', and the other one said: 'she's holding something'. There was more, but I can't remember it."
Harry looked surprised. "That was us. Yeah, we wanted to go and see Moaning Myrtle but McGonagall caught us so we told her we were sneaking off to see you."
"Oh yeah! And we found that thing about Basilisks, didn't we?" Chimed in Ron. "Mind you it took ages to get it out of your hand 'Mione, thought it was gonna tear, we really did."
But Hermione wasn't listening. She was looking across the common room, to where Daphne and Lori were sitting with some of their first year friends. Daphne was showing them all something, which Lori for one seemed very interested in. Hermione suddenly saw what it was; Daphne's discman. Hermione jumped up and sprinted across the common room. She tore it out Daphne's hands just as she was about to turn it on.
Daphne looked shocked. "Er, Hermione…" She began,
"Sorry Daph, but you can't turn it on." Said Hermione, slowly putting the player back on the table. "Why not?" Asked Daphne with a frown.
"Too much magical interference. All electrical things go haywire at Hogwart's. It'll just break." It was Ron; he and Harry had followed Hermione across the room out of morbid curiousity. Hermione looked at Ron in surprise. "Wow! Something I told you actually sunk in! Someone find Rita Skeeter, I'm sure she'd love this scoop!" She said sarcastically. Ron rolled his eyes.
Daphne was looking very downcast. "You mean I can't play any music? Oh great, just great." She said miserably.
"Sorry Daphne." Said Hermione sympathetically. She patted Daphne's shoulder. Harry and Ron looked bewildered. "It's not the end of the world Daph, cheer up." Said Harry with an encouraging smile. Daphne nodded glumly. Hermione looked up at him. "Daphne listens to her CD's all the time, it's like cutting off her hand." She said.
Ron looked thoughtful. "Well…" He said slowly. "Daphne, can I just take your, er, well whatever it's called for a couple of days? I promise I won't break it at all." He asked.
Daphne looked up and hesitated. Why?" She asked. "Oh wait, just take it, it's not like I can use it anyway." She pushed the discman towards him. Ron picked it up and walked back to the table on which their homework things lay. Harry and Hermione followed him.
"Ron, what are you doing?" Asked Hermione with a frown. He was scribbling a note on a spare bit of parchment. He took another bit and wrapped the discman in it, securing it with spellotape.
"I'll send it to my dad." He said simply. Hermione and Harry looked dumbfounded for a minute, and then suddenly realisation dawned on them. Arthur Weasley was always tinkling about with muggle objects, and would be able to make magical additions to the discman so it would be run by magic, not by electricity. Then it would work at Hogwart's.
"Good idea Ron." Said Harry. "Tell you what, use Hedwig; she hasn't gone anywhere in ages."
"Alright. But I'll wait until the morning to send it." Said Ron, sitting down and picking up his homework again.
"Um, Ron?" Said Hermione quietly. "Isn't that illegal, bewitching a muggle object?"
Ron looked up and grinned. "It's never stopped him before."
"You saw Lupin? How is he?" Harry had just returned from his meeting with McGonagall and was now standing in the Entrance Hall with Ron and Hermione.
"He seemed fine, except he looked really tired. But Harry-" Hermione grabbed Harry by the arm as he started to walk into the Great Hall to get something to eat. "Snuffles is with him." She muttered quickly.
Harry stared at her. "Are you sure?" He asked quietly. Hermione let go of his arm and nodded. "Who do you think gave her the flower?" Put in Ron.
Harry suddenly forgot about his hunger and started off up the marble staircase without another word, Ron and Hermione right behind him. They made it to Lupin's office in record time, and when they got there, they could hear Lupin having a heated argument.
"Where is it you idiot? I swear that if you've taken it you will pay! Don't look at me like that you dumb mutt! Where is it, where- what are you doing now?" They heard scratching at the office door, footsteps, and suddenly it was flung open. Lupin was standing in the doorway, and seeing them his tired face broke into a smile.
"Harry! How are y- OW!" Lupin was slammed against the open office door as the massive black dog bounded past him and, tail wagging furiously, trotted up to Harry.
Harry went to stroke the dog, but Lupin grabbed it by the collar and pulled him into the office. "Come on in!" He said over his shoulder, struggling to hold onto Snuffles.
Harry, Ron and Hermione walked into the office, and Lupin shut the door behind them. Snuffles was already curled up on a large green armchair by the fire. Lupin saw him and was about to say something, but then looked like he just couldn't be bothered.
"How are you both?" Asked Harry eagerly, leaning against a trunk in the corner.
Lupin rolled his eyes, looking incredibly tired. "Well," he said, "in all vital respects we're fine, obviously we're very worried though. And he is driving. Me. Crazy." Lupin pointed at Snuffles, who yawned and closed his eyes innocently.
"Why?" Laughed Ron.
"Where do I start? He sheds hair like a Christmas tree sheds Pine needles. He's sitting on my favourite chair now on purpose because he knows this fact very well. He hides everything I need just because he's bored." Snuffles stood up on the chair, shook himself, and then settled back down again. Lupin clenched his fists. "It's not my fault you have to stay a dog, so don't take it out on me." He said in a deadly whisper.
Snuffles looked up at him, and, with a faint popping sound, turned into a man. There in the big green armchair sat Sirius Black, Harry's Godfather.
"Who says I have to stay as a dog?" He said, flicking some dust off the mantle-piece.
"Sirius, what are you doing? If someone sees you-" Began Lupin in exasperation.
"Relax Moony. Ron's blocking the door. No-one will see me." Said Sirius calmly. He stood up and reached into the pocket of his robes. He pulled out a little brass key and shrugged. "Is this what you were looking for?" He tossed the key to Lupin, who caught it, looking murderous.
"So how are you Harry? How was your summer?" Asked Sirius, while Lupin turned to open a small wooden trunk on a side table with the key.
"Oh, it was fine. I spent the entire summer with the Dursleys, and apart from a little grass snake getting into the kitchen somehow, it was completely boring." Replied Harry.
"A snake got into your kitchen?" Asked Hermione.
"Yeah. It left pretty quickly, but not before calling a Dudley a fair few names. He was standing on a chair, screaming his head off. It was actually really funny."
"Um, Sirius, why are you here? Isn't it kind of dangerous?" Said Ron, who had been standing quietly by the door. Sirius looked up at Ron and sighed. He suddenly looked very tired.
"Yes, it is dangerous, but Dumbledore needs me and Remus here to help. After what has happened…" Sirius paused, glancing at Harry. Harry swallowed. He knew what Sirius was talking about- Voldemort's return. "Is something happening here? Here at Hogwart's?" Harry prompted.
Lupin sat down on a coffee table by the door. "We want to be close to Dumbledore so that if there are any new developments…" Lupin sighed like Sirius. "We want to help protect the school and the students."
"Yeah, and as I can't exactly walk around normally, I'm pretending to be his pet. I'm a stray that he rescued during the summer and nursed back to health. I'm cute, loveable, and very friendly."
"So that explains this." Hermione laughed, holding up the flower he had given her. Sirius grinned and shrugged. "I wanted to make a good first impression. Sorry if I embarrassed you."
"Oh, you didn't." Hermione replied, carefully tucking the tulip into her bag. A bell rang somewhere. "It's time for Herbology already?" Cried Harry. "I haven't even eaten!"
"You can have a big dinner. We'd better hurry up or we'll be late." Hermione started to push Harry towards the office door as Sirius turned back into Snuffles. Ron opened the door for them, and with a cheery wave to Lupin and his dog, followed his friends out into the corridor.
Later that evening, Harry, Hermione and Ron sat in the Gryffindor common room, doing their herbology homework. They were revising Mandrakes again, and Ron was explaining to Hermione what had happened the day she was attacked in the second year.
"So we got up to Hospital Wing and you was lying there like a statue. It was horrible." He finished, looking up something in the index of 1001 Magical Herbs and Fungi.
"It was worse being petrified, I can tell you." Replied Hermione, who had already finished her homework and was just relaxing.
"It's not like you could feel anything, so it couldn't have been that bad." Said Harry.
Hermione shrugged. "I wasn't completely unconscious you know."
Ron looked up at her. "Could you, like, hear people and stuff then?" He asked.
Hermione shrugged. "It was weird. I mean, most of the time I wasn't conscious at all, but there was this one time, when I think I might have kind of woken up. I couldn't see anything, or feel anything, I could just, well, I think I could hear someone. I remembered it when I woke up, but I just thought it was my imagination."
"What did you hear?" Asked Harry.
Hermione frowned, trying to remember. "Well, there were two different voices. The first one said something like: 'Do you think she saw the attacker', and the other one said: 'she's holding something'. There was more, but I can't remember it."
Harry looked surprised. "That was us. Yeah, we wanted to go and see Moaning Myrtle but McGonagall caught us so we told her we were sneaking off to see you."
"Oh yeah! And we found that thing about Basilisks, didn't we?" Chimed in Ron. "Mind you it took ages to get it out of your hand 'Mione, thought it was gonna tear, we really did."
But Hermione wasn't listening. She was looking across the common room, to where Daphne and Lori were sitting with some of their first year friends. Daphne was showing them all something, which Lori for one seemed very interested in. Hermione suddenly saw what it was; Daphne's discman. Hermione jumped up and sprinted across the common room. She tore it out Daphne's hands just as she was about to turn it on.
Daphne looked shocked. "Er, Hermione…" She began,
"Sorry Daph, but you can't turn it on." Said Hermione, slowly putting the player back on the table. "Why not?" Asked Daphne with a frown.
"Too much magical interference. All electrical things go haywire at Hogwart's. It'll just break." It was Ron; he and Harry had followed Hermione across the room out of morbid curiousity. Hermione looked at Ron in surprise. "Wow! Something I told you actually sunk in! Someone find Rita Skeeter, I'm sure she'd love this scoop!" She said sarcastically. Ron rolled his eyes.
Daphne was looking very downcast. "You mean I can't play any music? Oh great, just great." She said miserably.
"Sorry Daphne." Said Hermione sympathetically. She patted Daphne's shoulder. Harry and Ron looked bewildered. "It's not the end of the world Daph, cheer up." Said Harry with an encouraging smile. Daphne nodded glumly. Hermione looked up at him. "Daphne listens to her CD's all the time, it's like cutting off her hand." She said.
Ron looked thoughtful. "Well…" He said slowly. "Daphne, can I just take your, er, well whatever it's called for a couple of days? I promise I won't break it at all." He asked.
Daphne looked up and hesitated. Why?" She asked. "Oh wait, just take it, it's not like I can use it anyway." She pushed the discman towards him. Ron picked it up and walked back to the table on which their homework things lay. Harry and Hermione followed him.
"Ron, what are you doing?" Asked Hermione with a frown. He was scribbling a note on a spare bit of parchment. He took another bit and wrapped the discman in it, securing it with spellotape.
"I'll send it to my dad." He said simply. Hermione and Harry looked dumbfounded for a minute, and then suddenly realisation dawned on them. Arthur Weasley was always tinkling about with muggle objects, and would be able to make magical additions to the discman so it would be run by magic, not by electricity. Then it would work at Hogwart's.
"Good idea Ron." Said Harry. "Tell you what, use Hedwig; she hasn't gone anywhere in ages."
"Alright. But I'll wait until the morning to send it." Said Ron, sitting down and picking up his homework again.
"Um, Ron?" Said Hermione quietly. "Isn't that illegal, bewitching a muggle object?"
Ron looked up and grinned. "It's never stopped him before."