The bus came to a screeching halt in front of an unfamiliar place.
"Where are we?" Remus asked.
"The end of the line, buddy." The bus driver remarked, and then laughed to himself as though he said something insanely clever.
Andromeda, Severus, Remus, Sirius and the more pleasant unconscious Gloria got off the bus, and it skidded away on the icy roads.
"Where are we?" Sirius said. "I don't see any line!"
Andromeda let that one slide, and looked around her surroundings. "I've seen this place on TV." She pointed to a large ice skating rink. "That's Rock's Cellar Splinter."
"What?" Everyone asked in unison.
"I think she means Rockefeller Center." Severus said, reading a sign on a postcard with the picture of the skating rink.
"That's what I said." Andromeda said, brushing the matter aside. "And there's our hotel!"
"Andromeda, that's the Rockefeller Christmas Tree." Sirius pointed out.
"I knew that." She said, turning around and gazing at her surroundings once more. "Than where are we?"
"THAT'S our hotel." Severus said, pointing to the large building behind them. "And you call yourself a professor."
Andromeda gave him a snide look. "I never said I was good with directions."
The group began crossing the street, dodging cars as they passed. But suddenly, an unpleasant noised graced their ears.
"Andromeda! Wait up!"
Andromeda turned and saw, to her dismay, Gilderoy. He was a bit of a distance away, but he approached faster and faster, until he broke into a run.
"RUN!" Andromeda screamed, pushing Sirius forward.
The group began running towards the hotel; Remus dropped Gloria along the way.
"Oops!" Remus exclaimed, turning back to pick up Gloria.
"Leave her!" Sirius replied grabbing Remus' arm and continuing to run. Finally they were all moments away from the hotel door. They stormed into the lobby, knocking over a few New Yorkers, and sprinted into the elevator.
"Hold the doors!" Gilderoy yelled to Sirius, who immediately pushed the 'close doors' button, and left Gilderoy down in the lobby to inflict himself upon innocent New Yorkers.
"That was too close." Sirius remarked falling back unto the floor.
Remus got off at the next floor; Severus a few floors later. Andromeda and Sirius continued up.
"So." Sirius said, trying to bring up something he knew Remus wouldn't like. "Andromeda- if that IS your real name- what made you decide to work at Hogwarts?"
"Dumbledore asked me." Andromeda replied.
"A likely story!" Sirius replied with a little laugh. "And what do you teach, Defense Against the Dark Arts?"
"Um- Yes." Andromeda said, trying to figure out what was going on.
"Oh." Sirius said, running out of incriminating questions. "That's not even your real hair!"
Sirius made a mad leap for Andromeda's long blonde hair, and tugged really hard at her bangs.
"GAAAH!" Andromeda screamed, shaking Sirius off her. "What do you think you're doing?" She asked when she finally yanked Sirius off her, but not without loosing a few locks of her hair.
"You're not Andromeda Stone!" Sirius yelled. "I know it!"
"Oh, right." Andromeda said. "This from the guy who accused Dumbledore of being the Pillsbury Doughboy!"
"AGH!" Sirius yelled. "HE GIGGLES! POKE HIM IN HIS STOMACH, DAMN IT!"
Andromeda stared at him for a second. "You're a scary little man."
Sirius pulled at his hair. "You know it, and I know it!" He said. "You are NOT Andromeda Stone! You may be able to trick Severus and Remus, and maybe everyone else, but not Sirius Black! My middles name is Sherlock!"
"No it's not," Andromeda said, "It's Ashley."
"It's a figure of speech!" Sirius yelled. Then he remembered something.
"Wait-..." he said, taking a step towards her. "I just met you- you wouldn't know my middle name is Ashley!"
Andromeda was silent. She realized that she had screwed up.
"ANNIE!!!" Sirius exclaimed, and hurled himself at Andromeda. "I knew you were alive I knew it!!!!!"
"Is this your Oscar clip, or something?" Andromeda said, once again trying to shake Sirius off her. "Get off me, you Pansy!"
Sirius pulled himself away. "What's with the hair?"
"It's a charm." Andromeda replied. "It wears off after a while, and turns back to black. And I use colored contact lenses."
"Cool!" Sirius said, making to poke Andromeda in the eye.
"Don't do that!' Andromeda said, shielding herself. "Now you have to promise me something."
Sirius nodded like a good little dog.
"You cannot tell Remus or Severus or ANYONE!"
Another nod from Sirius.
"Promise?' Andromeda asked.
"Promised." Sirius replied.
The elevator came to a halt on the top floor. Andromeda and Sirius got off, leaving a very confused bunch of elevator passengers, and began walking down the hall, until Andromeda room came up.
"The SSS is meeting downstairs in fifteen minutes, don't forget!" Andromeda told Sirius.
"Ok." Sirius said, setting his new digital watch that he stole from Gloria. "Andromeda- just tell me one thing- why did you fake your death? It seemed a bit pointless."
"I did it because if Voldemort ever knew I was there, he would be trying twice as hard to get to Harry." Andromeda replied. "It's the only way I can look after him. I promised James and Lily. You understand."
Sirius, for the first time in a while, nodded in complete seriousness.
"I've got to get ready." Andromeda said. "It's going to take a lot to keep Severus from killing anyone."
"It's nice to see you again, Annie." Sirius said. "We missed you."
"So did I." Andromeda said with a smile.
She closed the door behind her, and sat on her bed for a moment. She and Dumbledore knew this day would come; that someone would recognize her. Charms and Contact lenses wouldn't save her forever. Changing her last name wouldn't help much. She knew that to someone out there, to Sirius, she would always, and only be, Andromeda Potter.
~*~
Sorry it took so long... I FOUND MY NOTEBOOK! (And the townspeople rejoice!) By the by- this little sub-plot dealy was supposed to be in the first one, but I needed Sirius to explain it, and Sirius wasn't IN the first one, etc.)
Happy Holidays! -Jerri
*////-
(That's a bad Christmas tree, by the way.)
"Where are we?" Remus asked.
"The end of the line, buddy." The bus driver remarked, and then laughed to himself as though he said something insanely clever.
Andromeda, Severus, Remus, Sirius and the more pleasant unconscious Gloria got off the bus, and it skidded away on the icy roads.
"Where are we?" Sirius said. "I don't see any line!"
Andromeda let that one slide, and looked around her surroundings. "I've seen this place on TV." She pointed to a large ice skating rink. "That's Rock's Cellar Splinter."
"What?" Everyone asked in unison.
"I think she means Rockefeller Center." Severus said, reading a sign on a postcard with the picture of the skating rink.
"That's what I said." Andromeda said, brushing the matter aside. "And there's our hotel!"
"Andromeda, that's the Rockefeller Christmas Tree." Sirius pointed out.
"I knew that." She said, turning around and gazing at her surroundings once more. "Than where are we?"
"THAT'S our hotel." Severus said, pointing to the large building behind them. "And you call yourself a professor."
Andromeda gave him a snide look. "I never said I was good with directions."
The group began crossing the street, dodging cars as they passed. But suddenly, an unpleasant noised graced their ears.
"Andromeda! Wait up!"
Andromeda turned and saw, to her dismay, Gilderoy. He was a bit of a distance away, but he approached faster and faster, until he broke into a run.
"RUN!" Andromeda screamed, pushing Sirius forward.
The group began running towards the hotel; Remus dropped Gloria along the way.
"Oops!" Remus exclaimed, turning back to pick up Gloria.
"Leave her!" Sirius replied grabbing Remus' arm and continuing to run. Finally they were all moments away from the hotel door. They stormed into the lobby, knocking over a few New Yorkers, and sprinted into the elevator.
"Hold the doors!" Gilderoy yelled to Sirius, who immediately pushed the 'close doors' button, and left Gilderoy down in the lobby to inflict himself upon innocent New Yorkers.
"That was too close." Sirius remarked falling back unto the floor.
Remus got off at the next floor; Severus a few floors later. Andromeda and Sirius continued up.
"So." Sirius said, trying to bring up something he knew Remus wouldn't like. "Andromeda- if that IS your real name- what made you decide to work at Hogwarts?"
"Dumbledore asked me." Andromeda replied.
"A likely story!" Sirius replied with a little laugh. "And what do you teach, Defense Against the Dark Arts?"
"Um- Yes." Andromeda said, trying to figure out what was going on.
"Oh." Sirius said, running out of incriminating questions. "That's not even your real hair!"
Sirius made a mad leap for Andromeda's long blonde hair, and tugged really hard at her bangs.
"GAAAH!" Andromeda screamed, shaking Sirius off her. "What do you think you're doing?" She asked when she finally yanked Sirius off her, but not without loosing a few locks of her hair.
"You're not Andromeda Stone!" Sirius yelled. "I know it!"
"Oh, right." Andromeda said. "This from the guy who accused Dumbledore of being the Pillsbury Doughboy!"
"AGH!" Sirius yelled. "HE GIGGLES! POKE HIM IN HIS STOMACH, DAMN IT!"
Andromeda stared at him for a second. "You're a scary little man."
Sirius pulled at his hair. "You know it, and I know it!" He said. "You are NOT Andromeda Stone! You may be able to trick Severus and Remus, and maybe everyone else, but not Sirius Black! My middles name is Sherlock!"
"No it's not," Andromeda said, "It's Ashley."
"It's a figure of speech!" Sirius yelled. Then he remembered something.
"Wait-..." he said, taking a step towards her. "I just met you- you wouldn't know my middle name is Ashley!"
Andromeda was silent. She realized that she had screwed up.
"ANNIE!!!" Sirius exclaimed, and hurled himself at Andromeda. "I knew you were alive I knew it!!!!!"
"Is this your Oscar clip, or something?" Andromeda said, once again trying to shake Sirius off her. "Get off me, you Pansy!"
Sirius pulled himself away. "What's with the hair?"
"It's a charm." Andromeda replied. "It wears off after a while, and turns back to black. And I use colored contact lenses."
"Cool!" Sirius said, making to poke Andromeda in the eye.
"Don't do that!' Andromeda said, shielding herself. "Now you have to promise me something."
Sirius nodded like a good little dog.
"You cannot tell Remus or Severus or ANYONE!"
Another nod from Sirius.
"Promise?' Andromeda asked.
"Promised." Sirius replied.
The elevator came to a halt on the top floor. Andromeda and Sirius got off, leaving a very confused bunch of elevator passengers, and began walking down the hall, until Andromeda room came up.
"The SSS is meeting downstairs in fifteen minutes, don't forget!" Andromeda told Sirius.
"Ok." Sirius said, setting his new digital watch that he stole from Gloria. "Andromeda- just tell me one thing- why did you fake your death? It seemed a bit pointless."
"I did it because if Voldemort ever knew I was there, he would be trying twice as hard to get to Harry." Andromeda replied. "It's the only way I can look after him. I promised James and Lily. You understand."
Sirius, for the first time in a while, nodded in complete seriousness.
"I've got to get ready." Andromeda said. "It's going to take a lot to keep Severus from killing anyone."
"It's nice to see you again, Annie." Sirius said. "We missed you."
"So did I." Andromeda said with a smile.
She closed the door behind her, and sat on her bed for a moment. She and Dumbledore knew this day would come; that someone would recognize her. Charms and Contact lenses wouldn't save her forever. Changing her last name wouldn't help much. She knew that to someone out there, to Sirius, she would always, and only be, Andromeda Potter.
~*~
Sorry it took so long... I FOUND MY NOTEBOOK! (And the townspeople rejoice!) By the by- this little sub-plot dealy was supposed to be in the first one, but I needed Sirius to explain it, and Sirius wasn't IN the first one, etc.)
Happy Holidays! -Jerri
*////-
(That's a bad Christmas tree, by the way.)