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Murphy's Law
Three ~*~ Tangled Webs
Nothing is as easy as it looks.
Every solution breeds new problems
--From Murphy's Laws
~*~
The Burrow was a cozy place to wake up to in the morning. There would be about a minute of total calm, in which the sun rested peacefully at the edge of the horizon in soft pastel shades, tinting the entire world soft golden hues.
Followed by utter chaos.
The rooster(s) called out consecutively, heralding the coming day. In two separate rooms the adults swore to kill the thing and eat it, then slid drowsily out of bed. They moved slowly and tiredly, moaning for coffee or tea and padding towards the nearest water source to wake themselves up.
The children were a completely different story. Fred and George, who shared a room, were in the stage where anything bouncy was considered necessary to jump upon. Thus, the first thing they did upon opening their eyes was scramble upright and trampoline on their bed. The rusty springs made a horrid creak, which woke the family ghoul. And the pipe-dropping began.
Charlie and Bill (who also shared a room) decided that the first thing they wanted to do that morning was ride their broomsticks. Each grabbed his corresponding broom and, instead of taking the stairs, jumped out the window in their pajamas. Percy, being himself, ran into their room just in time to see Bill's red mop vanish out of sight, and began to lecture them loudly on the hazards of flying at seven in the morning.
And, of course, Ginny woke up to the noise and started bawling her lungs out. The guests at the Burrow wondered at how small an object could produce such a /large/ noise. It was sufficient to send Snape into a /very/ bad mood that morning, until Harry sat up in his crib and gave his guardians a sleepy smile. That snapped Severus automatically into take-care-of-Harry mode, much to Lupin's relief.
Down in the kitchen, Mrs. Weasley reached for her wand, muttering, "where are those children? When I-"
"Which kids?" Mr. Weasley asked mildly. He took a chance glance out of the window, and a red-and-blue blur whizzed by. "Dear, we seem to have children flying around everywhere."
Mrs. Weasley put some eggs on the stove too cook and went back upstairs to tend to Ginny and Ron, still muttering. On the way, she met Remus coming down, his hair a messy tousle. "Oh, Remus," she told him, "could you go outside and get Bill and Charlie for me?"
"Um, sure-wait, did you say they were /outside/?" Remus frowned.
"Yes," Mrs. Weasley said distractedly, picking up a toy that had been discarded by one of her many offspring the previous night and clucking her tongue. "Just look up. And get the newspaper too, would you, dear?"
"Uh-yeah…" Lupin couldn't help but noticed how familiar Mrs. Weasley was with the utter calamity that seemed to be a daily occurrence at her house. /Merlin, am I glad we only have ONE to take care of!/ He stifled a yawn and padded outside in his slippers.
Severus lead Harry into the kitchen, avoiding the human cannonballs that were Fred and George and almost stepping on a rat, which Snape Banished across the room and was about to incinerate before he realized that it may have belonged to someone in the family. A radio buzzed, "and from the weekly rumors from the Ministry, Corenelius Fudge was recently turned into a large bullfrog and blasted out of his windows by his former secretary, sustaining leg and back injuries-" as they passed it by. They seated themselves next to a tired-looking Ron. Severus then absentmindedly placed a vial of his latest batch of Wolfsbane Potion on the table where he supposed Remus would sit.
The door slammed, and everyone turned to see Remus Lupin stalking towards them in a manner that would have done Snape proud.
Clutched in his white-knuckled grasp was the latest issue of the Daily Prophet. The werewolf's face was set in a flat, unreadable line, but his eyes burned in tightly reined anger. Without a word, he set the paper down and slid it across to Severus. The potions master picked it up slowly, his gaze darkening, flicking from the paper to Harry.
Finally, Mr. Weasley broke the silence. "What is it?" he asked in quiet tone.
Snape turned the paper around and tapped the largest headline, printed in screaming bold ink.
SIRIUS BLACK, FAMOUS DARK WIZARD, ESCAPED FROM AZKABAN!
~*~
Nobody at the table noticed Scabbers the rat.
And who would? He was a pathetic creature, seen in a sluggish, dormant state most of the time. With a ugly, naked tail, patchy gray fur, and drooping, bent whiskers, he was the embodiment of laziness, unless he was being fed. But beneath those beady eyes and the well-worn appearance, Scabbers was turning current events swiftly over in his brain.
Remus Lupin was here. Moony. The man hadn't noticed him yet, although he had come close to stepping on his tail just yesterday. Scabbers felt inclined to risk it, as it was unlikely that Lupin would recognize him-since he was supposedly dead.
The presence of Snape and Harry surprised him. Snape was a Death Eater, one of his master's elite, one of the inner circle. What was he doing with the Dark Lord's greatest enemy? And /taking care/ of him? If what he thought was true… maybe he would be rewarded after all for his labors.
And the escape of Sirius Black…
This was the biggest danger to Scabbers' life. In his ratty brain, he valued his own life above anything else in the world, even above the rewards that he felt he deserved. And the largest threat to his precious life was the gaunt, haunted-looking man in the blurred prison photo on the Daily Prophet's front page.
Sirius Black knew everything. Sirius Black was the key, and he could tip the scales in such a way that would guarantee Scabbers' death. Sirius Black could set off the chain of events that was just begging to happen. He was a rat, and Black was one of the most powerful wizards he knew. There was no way he could kill Black or even lead the man to be caught. For, even without a wand, Sirius had a myriad of tricks up his seemingly endless sleeves. So the worst had happened; the other shoe had finally dropped. Unless-
Under his furry skull, Scabbers' brain worked madly. Yes, there was one way that his life might be saved. It was a very risky way and promised no insurance for his safety… but if he succeeded… the large rat's eyes glittered madly at the thought-oh, if he succeeded!
Since there was nothing else left for him, he might as well try.
~*~
"What the hell do those idiots at the Ministry think they're doing-"
"Lupin, language!"
"-Letting him out? Of all people, he was supposed to be in /maximum/ security! The bloody morons-"
"/Lupin/! Watch your mouth!"
"-Figures, though, that the incompetent bastard we have as a minister would think that everything was safe with the Dementors, that everything would be /fine/ if we trusted in them-"
"Lupin, you're /holding Harry/! Kindly /refrain/ from swearing!" Snape bellowed in his face.
The werewolf stopped in his ranting and blinked, then handed the child over. "Uh, sorry about that, Severus. I guess I must have lost it for a moment there…"
Snape smiled wryly. "You just uttered more profanity than I've heard you use during your entire time at Hogwarts."
Remus looked a little ashamed. "Sorry, Harry," he told the child, who was still fast asleep, in his own calm world. He stepped over a protruding rock and muttered, "why can't they set up an Apparation point /closer/ to the school?"
Hogwarts stood brilliantly in the distance, a cluster of lights against the dark velvet night sky. It was absolutely frigid outside, the crisp fall air stinging their cheeks and freezing their breaths along the way to the castle. Leaves crunched underfoot as the season's first snow drifted silently down from the sky, like flecks of chalk against a blackboard.
It was Mrs. Weasley who had made the recommendation that they go see Dumbledore ("if he's not already on the way to see /you/, man never misses anything!") in light of recent events. Nobody considered Sirius Black to be any large threat to Harry's safety, since the man had to be emaciated since his escape and, especially, wandless. But the mention of "Hogwarts" sent a feeling of comfort and the idea of a shelter from just about anything. If Harry needed to go somewhere secure, Hogwarts was that place.
Hagrid greeted them outside of the thick doors. The enormous gamekeeper's eyes twinkled as he stared down at the two near-frozen travelers and said fondly, "is that 'arry now? Bless me, if he hasn't grown!"
"Of course he's grown," Remus replied cheekily. "From the way Severus keeps stuffing him full like that."
Snape bristled, and was about to respond with a particularly acidic reply when Hagrid opened the doors and lead them inside. The dining hall was already set for dinner, and the students were probably bound to arrive any minute. Overhead, the enchanted ceiling projected an illusion of roiling clouds and snow that fell halfway to the floor and vanished into nothingness. The gamekeeper lead them to Dumbledore's office, delivered a zany password, and left to see to his own duties.
~*~
Dumbledore looked the same from when Remus had last seen him. The man seemed to be ageless, the eternal constant in everyone's lives. He was always there, had always /been/ there, to offer comfort and advice to all of his fellow wizards. Even Fudge, who needed it most. His silvery beard contrasted sharply with his robes of deep blue, and behind those half-moon spectacles, a highly intelligent gaze appraised the two visitors.
"Remus, Severus, Harry-" Dumbledore inclined his head towards the child's direction-"Good to see you all here unscathed. Come and warm yourselves-you look as if you could use it."
The two men, frozen almost at the point where their teeth were chattering, proceeded gratefully to Dumbledore's roaring fire. The Headmaster regarded them with his penetrating, light blue gaze, the two men and especially their small charge. Harry was staring around the office, his emerald eyes taking in every detail, from the odd contraptions to the portraits of snoring previous headmasters.
Finally, Dumbledore seated himself at his desk and faced his two guests. He folded his hands in front of himself in a benign manner and stared over the tops of his strange glasses.
"You're here seeking advice on what to do concerning Sirius Black." It wasn't a question.
Remus blinked in response and Snape scowled, trying to stop Harry from crawling out of his lap. "That's the gist of it, yes," the werewolf agreed.
Dumbledore let out a long sigh. For a moment, they were allowed to see just how old he was; the ageless mask fell away and he was an ancient man, with tired folds under his eyes and numerous worry lines on his forehead. The sparkle went out of his gaze, the shine out of his silvery beard-for a moment, he looked quite dull and worn.
In a flash, all that vanished and he smiled his knowing smile. "I will not lie to you: Hogwarts is the safest place for Harry. Now-" the old wizard reached out and opened a drawer in his desk, taking out two thick sheaves of parchment. "Due to some rather… regrettable circumstances" (Snape snorted) "our Potions teacher has been incapacitated for the time being."
"It's that fool-Notts-that you have working for you?" Severus inquired.
"Correct," Dumbledore smiled again. "But I would rather you not refer to him as a 'fool', since I hired him when our previous Potions Master had just left us. There were no other applicants." Snape looked a bit guilty there, but he could not help but add,
"I hate that man."
Lupin stared back. "Fact it, Severus, you hate a /lot/ of people."
"A burden, it is," Snape agreed.
"I'm offering you this: Teach as Potions Master and Assistant, and I will grant the three of you free board at our school," Dumbledore finished, pushing the two large stacks towards the duo.
Remus eyed it carefully. "That's an awful lot of papers."
"The usual rules and regulations that are always ignored by applying teachers. I am required to give them to you so you know what is expected of you here at this school," Dumbledore replied sternly, but his eyes twinkled.
"What happened to Professor Notts anyway?" Remus inquired delicately.
The headmaster replied, "he was partially melted by a Reducing Draft."
"Idiot," Snape sneered, allowing himself a small smile of wry humor. Then he turned back to Dumbledore. "Who will take care of Harry when we're teaching?"
"There's two of you gentlemen," Dumbledore pointed out. "I'm sure you could take shifts. However…" his face darkened ominously for a moment. "I'm not entirely sure if Sirius Black is the one who should be feared midst all of this…" Remus glanced at him questioningly, but the flicker of thought had already passed and the cheerful manner had clicked back into place. Lupin chose to ignore the Headmaster's previous comment and turned back to Snape.
"What do you say, Severus?" the werewolf questioned his companion. "It's not bad."
"No," Snape responded, looking at Harry. "It's not bad at all."
~*~
AN: Well, this got a bit darker, but I suppose it was necessary in order to develop the plot further… This chapter is also rather sketchy because I wrote it in a hurry. I don't think the one update-a-day quota will be maintained any further after Thanksgiving Break. Curse school!
Again, if anyone sees a mistake concerning HP material, drop me a note.
Thanks for reading and please review!
Murphy's Law
Three ~*~ Tangled Webs
Nothing is as easy as it looks.
Every solution breeds new problems
--From Murphy's Laws
~*~
The Burrow was a cozy place to wake up to in the morning. There would be about a minute of total calm, in which the sun rested peacefully at the edge of the horizon in soft pastel shades, tinting the entire world soft golden hues.
Followed by utter chaos.
The rooster(s) called out consecutively, heralding the coming day. In two separate rooms the adults swore to kill the thing and eat it, then slid drowsily out of bed. They moved slowly and tiredly, moaning for coffee or tea and padding towards the nearest water source to wake themselves up.
The children were a completely different story. Fred and George, who shared a room, were in the stage where anything bouncy was considered necessary to jump upon. Thus, the first thing they did upon opening their eyes was scramble upright and trampoline on their bed. The rusty springs made a horrid creak, which woke the family ghoul. And the pipe-dropping began.
Charlie and Bill (who also shared a room) decided that the first thing they wanted to do that morning was ride their broomsticks. Each grabbed his corresponding broom and, instead of taking the stairs, jumped out the window in their pajamas. Percy, being himself, ran into their room just in time to see Bill's red mop vanish out of sight, and began to lecture them loudly on the hazards of flying at seven in the morning.
And, of course, Ginny woke up to the noise and started bawling her lungs out. The guests at the Burrow wondered at how small an object could produce such a /large/ noise. It was sufficient to send Snape into a /very/ bad mood that morning, until Harry sat up in his crib and gave his guardians a sleepy smile. That snapped Severus automatically into take-care-of-Harry mode, much to Lupin's relief.
Down in the kitchen, Mrs. Weasley reached for her wand, muttering, "where are those children? When I-"
"Which kids?" Mr. Weasley asked mildly. He took a chance glance out of the window, and a red-and-blue blur whizzed by. "Dear, we seem to have children flying around everywhere."
Mrs. Weasley put some eggs on the stove too cook and went back upstairs to tend to Ginny and Ron, still muttering. On the way, she met Remus coming down, his hair a messy tousle. "Oh, Remus," she told him, "could you go outside and get Bill and Charlie for me?"
"Um, sure-wait, did you say they were /outside/?" Remus frowned.
"Yes," Mrs. Weasley said distractedly, picking up a toy that had been discarded by one of her many offspring the previous night and clucking her tongue. "Just look up. And get the newspaper too, would you, dear?"
"Uh-yeah…" Lupin couldn't help but noticed how familiar Mrs. Weasley was with the utter calamity that seemed to be a daily occurrence at her house. /Merlin, am I glad we only have ONE to take care of!/ He stifled a yawn and padded outside in his slippers.
Severus lead Harry into the kitchen, avoiding the human cannonballs that were Fred and George and almost stepping on a rat, which Snape Banished across the room and was about to incinerate before he realized that it may have belonged to someone in the family. A radio buzzed, "and from the weekly rumors from the Ministry, Corenelius Fudge was recently turned into a large bullfrog and blasted out of his windows by his former secretary, sustaining leg and back injuries-" as they passed it by. They seated themselves next to a tired-looking Ron. Severus then absentmindedly placed a vial of his latest batch of Wolfsbane Potion on the table where he supposed Remus would sit.
The door slammed, and everyone turned to see Remus Lupin stalking towards them in a manner that would have done Snape proud.
Clutched in his white-knuckled grasp was the latest issue of the Daily Prophet. The werewolf's face was set in a flat, unreadable line, but his eyes burned in tightly reined anger. Without a word, he set the paper down and slid it across to Severus. The potions master picked it up slowly, his gaze darkening, flicking from the paper to Harry.
Finally, Mr. Weasley broke the silence. "What is it?" he asked in quiet tone.
Snape turned the paper around and tapped the largest headline, printed in screaming bold ink.
SIRIUS BLACK, FAMOUS DARK WIZARD, ESCAPED FROM AZKABAN!
~*~
Nobody at the table noticed Scabbers the rat.
And who would? He was a pathetic creature, seen in a sluggish, dormant state most of the time. With a ugly, naked tail, patchy gray fur, and drooping, bent whiskers, he was the embodiment of laziness, unless he was being fed. But beneath those beady eyes and the well-worn appearance, Scabbers was turning current events swiftly over in his brain.
Remus Lupin was here. Moony. The man hadn't noticed him yet, although he had come close to stepping on his tail just yesterday. Scabbers felt inclined to risk it, as it was unlikely that Lupin would recognize him-since he was supposedly dead.
The presence of Snape and Harry surprised him. Snape was a Death Eater, one of his master's elite, one of the inner circle. What was he doing with the Dark Lord's greatest enemy? And /taking care/ of him? If what he thought was true… maybe he would be rewarded after all for his labors.
And the escape of Sirius Black…
This was the biggest danger to Scabbers' life. In his ratty brain, he valued his own life above anything else in the world, even above the rewards that he felt he deserved. And the largest threat to his precious life was the gaunt, haunted-looking man in the blurred prison photo on the Daily Prophet's front page.
Sirius Black knew everything. Sirius Black was the key, and he could tip the scales in such a way that would guarantee Scabbers' death. Sirius Black could set off the chain of events that was just begging to happen. He was a rat, and Black was one of the most powerful wizards he knew. There was no way he could kill Black or even lead the man to be caught. For, even without a wand, Sirius had a myriad of tricks up his seemingly endless sleeves. So the worst had happened; the other shoe had finally dropped. Unless-
Under his furry skull, Scabbers' brain worked madly. Yes, there was one way that his life might be saved. It was a very risky way and promised no insurance for his safety… but if he succeeded… the large rat's eyes glittered madly at the thought-oh, if he succeeded!
Since there was nothing else left for him, he might as well try.
~*~
"What the hell do those idiots at the Ministry think they're doing-"
"Lupin, language!"
"-Letting him out? Of all people, he was supposed to be in /maximum/ security! The bloody morons-"
"/Lupin/! Watch your mouth!"
"-Figures, though, that the incompetent bastard we have as a minister would think that everything was safe with the Dementors, that everything would be /fine/ if we trusted in them-"
"Lupin, you're /holding Harry/! Kindly /refrain/ from swearing!" Snape bellowed in his face.
The werewolf stopped in his ranting and blinked, then handed the child over. "Uh, sorry about that, Severus. I guess I must have lost it for a moment there…"
Snape smiled wryly. "You just uttered more profanity than I've heard you use during your entire time at Hogwarts."
Remus looked a little ashamed. "Sorry, Harry," he told the child, who was still fast asleep, in his own calm world. He stepped over a protruding rock and muttered, "why can't they set up an Apparation point /closer/ to the school?"
Hogwarts stood brilliantly in the distance, a cluster of lights against the dark velvet night sky. It was absolutely frigid outside, the crisp fall air stinging their cheeks and freezing their breaths along the way to the castle. Leaves crunched underfoot as the season's first snow drifted silently down from the sky, like flecks of chalk against a blackboard.
It was Mrs. Weasley who had made the recommendation that they go see Dumbledore ("if he's not already on the way to see /you/, man never misses anything!") in light of recent events. Nobody considered Sirius Black to be any large threat to Harry's safety, since the man had to be emaciated since his escape and, especially, wandless. But the mention of "Hogwarts" sent a feeling of comfort and the idea of a shelter from just about anything. If Harry needed to go somewhere secure, Hogwarts was that place.
Hagrid greeted them outside of the thick doors. The enormous gamekeeper's eyes twinkled as he stared down at the two near-frozen travelers and said fondly, "is that 'arry now? Bless me, if he hasn't grown!"
"Of course he's grown," Remus replied cheekily. "From the way Severus keeps stuffing him full like that."
Snape bristled, and was about to respond with a particularly acidic reply when Hagrid opened the doors and lead them inside. The dining hall was already set for dinner, and the students were probably bound to arrive any minute. Overhead, the enchanted ceiling projected an illusion of roiling clouds and snow that fell halfway to the floor and vanished into nothingness. The gamekeeper lead them to Dumbledore's office, delivered a zany password, and left to see to his own duties.
~*~
Dumbledore looked the same from when Remus had last seen him. The man seemed to be ageless, the eternal constant in everyone's lives. He was always there, had always /been/ there, to offer comfort and advice to all of his fellow wizards. Even Fudge, who needed it most. His silvery beard contrasted sharply with his robes of deep blue, and behind those half-moon spectacles, a highly intelligent gaze appraised the two visitors.
"Remus, Severus, Harry-" Dumbledore inclined his head towards the child's direction-"Good to see you all here unscathed. Come and warm yourselves-you look as if you could use it."
The two men, frozen almost at the point where their teeth were chattering, proceeded gratefully to Dumbledore's roaring fire. The Headmaster regarded them with his penetrating, light blue gaze, the two men and especially their small charge. Harry was staring around the office, his emerald eyes taking in every detail, from the odd contraptions to the portraits of snoring previous headmasters.
Finally, Dumbledore seated himself at his desk and faced his two guests. He folded his hands in front of himself in a benign manner and stared over the tops of his strange glasses.
"You're here seeking advice on what to do concerning Sirius Black." It wasn't a question.
Remus blinked in response and Snape scowled, trying to stop Harry from crawling out of his lap. "That's the gist of it, yes," the werewolf agreed.
Dumbledore let out a long sigh. For a moment, they were allowed to see just how old he was; the ageless mask fell away and he was an ancient man, with tired folds under his eyes and numerous worry lines on his forehead. The sparkle went out of his gaze, the shine out of his silvery beard-for a moment, he looked quite dull and worn.
In a flash, all that vanished and he smiled his knowing smile. "I will not lie to you: Hogwarts is the safest place for Harry. Now-" the old wizard reached out and opened a drawer in his desk, taking out two thick sheaves of parchment. "Due to some rather… regrettable circumstances" (Snape snorted) "our Potions teacher has been incapacitated for the time being."
"It's that fool-Notts-that you have working for you?" Severus inquired.
"Correct," Dumbledore smiled again. "But I would rather you not refer to him as a 'fool', since I hired him when our previous Potions Master had just left us. There were no other applicants." Snape looked a bit guilty there, but he could not help but add,
"I hate that man."
Lupin stared back. "Fact it, Severus, you hate a /lot/ of people."
"A burden, it is," Snape agreed.
"I'm offering you this: Teach as Potions Master and Assistant, and I will grant the three of you free board at our school," Dumbledore finished, pushing the two large stacks towards the duo.
Remus eyed it carefully. "That's an awful lot of papers."
"The usual rules and regulations that are always ignored by applying teachers. I am required to give them to you so you know what is expected of you here at this school," Dumbledore replied sternly, but his eyes twinkled.
"What happened to Professor Notts anyway?" Remus inquired delicately.
The headmaster replied, "he was partially melted by a Reducing Draft."
"Idiot," Snape sneered, allowing himself a small smile of wry humor. Then he turned back to Dumbledore. "Who will take care of Harry when we're teaching?"
"There's two of you gentlemen," Dumbledore pointed out. "I'm sure you could take shifts. However…" his face darkened ominously for a moment. "I'm not entirely sure if Sirius Black is the one who should be feared midst all of this…" Remus glanced at him questioningly, but the flicker of thought had already passed and the cheerful manner had clicked back into place. Lupin chose to ignore the Headmaster's previous comment and turned back to Snape.
"What do you say, Severus?" the werewolf questioned his companion. "It's not bad."
"No," Snape responded, looking at Harry. "It's not bad at all."
~*~
AN: Well, this got a bit darker, but I suppose it was necessary in order to develop the plot further… This chapter is also rather sketchy because I wrote it in a hurry. I don't think the one update-a-day quota will be maintained any further after Thanksgiving Break. Curse school!
Again, if anyone sees a mistake concerning HP material, drop me a note.
Thanks for reading and please review!