The return of Sirius.
For some reason which Harry could never explain he kept the paper on his doorstep secret from both Ron and Hermoine. He threw it in the bin as soon as he got in, and decided not to mention it to anyone.
At work the next morning Percy asked how things were going up at Hogwarts? "I am rather looking forward to the reunion myself. It will be nice to see where certain people are in life now..." He trailed off, Harry detecting a hint of red in his cheeks.
He couldn't resist. "Do you mean Penelope, Percy?" He asked. Penelope Clearwater, a fellow prefect with Percy also happened to have been Percy's girlfriend throughout school.
Percy now was blushing in earnest. "Well she would be one, yes." He muttered. "The last I heard was that she was working for the ministry over in America."
Harry decided to let him off the hook. "Well I'm looking forward to the reunion too-and of course Ginny's wedding. I got my owl today for it."
"Yes, yes, should be a good time." Percy said. "Justin seems to be a smart individual, working for Azkaban in an advisory capacity."
"Azkaban have advisors?" Harry asked surprised. "I can't imagine the dementors being advised by anyone, let alone listening." He'd had an unpleasant experience of his own with the dementors in his third year.
"Yes well, from what I hear since the place came under the auspices of the Ministry of Magic there have been a lot of changes. Oh, I'm not saying it's a nice place to go, but its certainly a lot better than it was before!" Percy explained.
"Well I guess I better get to work." Harry said. "Are we still working on those growing sweets?" He knew his boss was a stickler for working, and had ambitions of becoming the Minister of Magic one day. Percy often complained about the current Minister of Magic, Amos Diggory, and said he was incompetent. Harry recalled a lively conversation between the Weasley's the year before. Bill, who worked for Gringotts, and Charlie, who worked with dragons in Romania, were there, and it got quite heated! The only Weasleys who didn't care were Fred and George!
"No, we've got something else to be concerned about. How do you feel about a trip to Scotland?" Percy asked.
**********
"Harry!" Ron called him on his way into work a few days later. "I had an owl from Hermoine. So far she hasn't come up with a plan for getting Malfoy to confess and it's only a week until the reunion!"
"I know." Harry said, sighing. "I've been thinking myself, and I just can't think of anything! Malfoy's not stupid-as he has already proven to us!-so we've got to come up with something cunning."
"Have you thought about asking Sirius?" Ron asked casually.
"It's funny you should ask that, I've been debating sending him an owl." Harry admitted. "But I was wondering whether you two might not like that because it would mean telling someone else about it all. As long as he doesn't know my scar is hurting of course."
Ron looked concerned. "Hurting? Is it still hurting then?" He asked.
Harry could have kicked himself. He hesitated, but seeing Ron's face he knew it was no point lying because Ron wouldn't believe him! "Yes, it does sometimes." He said, as they got out of the elevator at level three hundred and three. If muggles looked at the Ministry of Magic building they saw only a small, dirty café, with an empty apartment over the top of it. However, as all witches and wizards knew, the building was huge!
"I wish we could still confide in Dumbledore." Ron said, sighing. "I heard he's on vacation in the Bahamas at the moment. I guess being an advisor to pretty much every department in the place is a little taxing. Can you see him lying on a beach with bright colored bathers on, and his long beard?"
Harry laughed. "I could actually! I better get in and get the paperwork done from my trip. Would you believe some smart wizard thought it was funny to enchant muggle's cars? I bet you'll have some paperwork to do on it too. One of the older witches from your department was up there also!"
"Great!" Ron sighed, and they went their separate ways.
**********
"Dear Sirius. Hermoine, Ron and I decided that it would be best if we wrote to you to ask for your advice. I don't know whether you've heard or not but strange things are happening. For starters at Hogwarts Professor Binns has disappeared, and the Dark Mark was found on a wall and on a piece of paper in a bathroom. We asked Moaning Myrtle, and she claims that Draco Malfoy was there with a stack of the papers, and another hooded man. What do you make of the whole thing? Harry. "
**********
Harry was sitting by the fire three nights later, when the doorbell rang. He got up and went to the door. "Quick Harry, let me in."
"Sirius!" Harry exclaimed recognizing the voice, and opening the door and letting him in. "I wasn't expecting you to come here!"
"I wasn't planning on coming here. I got your owl the other day, and I was going to write back, until this morning. Harry-have you got anything to drink?" Sirius asked.
"Sure." Harry replied, a little flustered.
A few minutes later they were sitting in front of the fire both nursing drinks. Whilst Sirius' name had been cleared by Harry while he was still at Hogwarts it wasn't safe for him to wander around too much as he had named a few names in the aftermath of Voldemort's collapse, and a few wizarding families were not too happy about being exposed as dark wizards.
"So what made you change your mind and come here Sirius? I thought you were meant to stay out of London!" Harry asked.
"This morning, as I was writing to you something caught my attention. I saw a hooded man outside my house, and when I went out there he was gone, but he had left me something Harry-" And here Sirius produced a piece of paper with the Dark Mark on it.
Harry gasped. "It's like the one they found at Hogwarts, and the one I found..." He said.
"You have one of these also?" Sirius asked, and Harry groaned inwardly. That was the second time he'd given away something he hadn't meant to give away!
"I found it on my doorstep." Harry admitted.
Sirius frowned. "This is all very strange. What can it all mean? Let's see- we've got the business at Hogwarts, and then you and I both have one of these papers, and somehow the Malfoy's are involved. Is there anything else?"
Harry hesitated. "I did get a strange phone call the other week. In fact it was the morning I got Hermoine's owl about going up to Hogwarts. They told me not to meddle in things which didn't concern me! At the time I thought the voice was familiar, but I can't place it!"
"When is the reunion at Hogwarts?" Sirius asked.
"Next week." Harry replied.
"Well I have a feeling that something interesting is going to happen there. I think maybe I better go also. I'll get hold of Lupin to come as well I think." Sirius decided.
Harry suddenly felt a lot better. Knowing that there were more people in on the whole thing was a relief.
For some reason which Harry could never explain he kept the paper on his doorstep secret from both Ron and Hermoine. He threw it in the bin as soon as he got in, and decided not to mention it to anyone.
At work the next morning Percy asked how things were going up at Hogwarts? "I am rather looking forward to the reunion myself. It will be nice to see where certain people are in life now..." He trailed off, Harry detecting a hint of red in his cheeks.
He couldn't resist. "Do you mean Penelope, Percy?" He asked. Penelope Clearwater, a fellow prefect with Percy also happened to have been Percy's girlfriend throughout school.
Percy now was blushing in earnest. "Well she would be one, yes." He muttered. "The last I heard was that she was working for the ministry over in America."
Harry decided to let him off the hook. "Well I'm looking forward to the reunion too-and of course Ginny's wedding. I got my owl today for it."
"Yes, yes, should be a good time." Percy said. "Justin seems to be a smart individual, working for Azkaban in an advisory capacity."
"Azkaban have advisors?" Harry asked surprised. "I can't imagine the dementors being advised by anyone, let alone listening." He'd had an unpleasant experience of his own with the dementors in his third year.
"Yes well, from what I hear since the place came under the auspices of the Ministry of Magic there have been a lot of changes. Oh, I'm not saying it's a nice place to go, but its certainly a lot better than it was before!" Percy explained.
"Well I guess I better get to work." Harry said. "Are we still working on those growing sweets?" He knew his boss was a stickler for working, and had ambitions of becoming the Minister of Magic one day. Percy often complained about the current Minister of Magic, Amos Diggory, and said he was incompetent. Harry recalled a lively conversation between the Weasley's the year before. Bill, who worked for Gringotts, and Charlie, who worked with dragons in Romania, were there, and it got quite heated! The only Weasleys who didn't care were Fred and George!
"No, we've got something else to be concerned about. How do you feel about a trip to Scotland?" Percy asked.
**********
"Harry!" Ron called him on his way into work a few days later. "I had an owl from Hermoine. So far she hasn't come up with a plan for getting Malfoy to confess and it's only a week until the reunion!"
"I know." Harry said, sighing. "I've been thinking myself, and I just can't think of anything! Malfoy's not stupid-as he has already proven to us!-so we've got to come up with something cunning."
"Have you thought about asking Sirius?" Ron asked casually.
"It's funny you should ask that, I've been debating sending him an owl." Harry admitted. "But I was wondering whether you two might not like that because it would mean telling someone else about it all. As long as he doesn't know my scar is hurting of course."
Ron looked concerned. "Hurting? Is it still hurting then?" He asked.
Harry could have kicked himself. He hesitated, but seeing Ron's face he knew it was no point lying because Ron wouldn't believe him! "Yes, it does sometimes." He said, as they got out of the elevator at level three hundred and three. If muggles looked at the Ministry of Magic building they saw only a small, dirty café, with an empty apartment over the top of it. However, as all witches and wizards knew, the building was huge!
"I wish we could still confide in Dumbledore." Ron said, sighing. "I heard he's on vacation in the Bahamas at the moment. I guess being an advisor to pretty much every department in the place is a little taxing. Can you see him lying on a beach with bright colored bathers on, and his long beard?"
Harry laughed. "I could actually! I better get in and get the paperwork done from my trip. Would you believe some smart wizard thought it was funny to enchant muggle's cars? I bet you'll have some paperwork to do on it too. One of the older witches from your department was up there also!"
"Great!" Ron sighed, and they went their separate ways.
**********
"Dear Sirius. Hermoine, Ron and I decided that it would be best if we wrote to you to ask for your advice. I don't know whether you've heard or not but strange things are happening. For starters at Hogwarts Professor Binns has disappeared, and the Dark Mark was found on a wall and on a piece of paper in a bathroom. We asked Moaning Myrtle, and she claims that Draco Malfoy was there with a stack of the papers, and another hooded man. What do you make of the whole thing? Harry. "
**********
Harry was sitting by the fire three nights later, when the doorbell rang. He got up and went to the door. "Quick Harry, let me in."
"Sirius!" Harry exclaimed recognizing the voice, and opening the door and letting him in. "I wasn't expecting you to come here!"
"I wasn't planning on coming here. I got your owl the other day, and I was going to write back, until this morning. Harry-have you got anything to drink?" Sirius asked.
"Sure." Harry replied, a little flustered.
A few minutes later they were sitting in front of the fire both nursing drinks. Whilst Sirius' name had been cleared by Harry while he was still at Hogwarts it wasn't safe for him to wander around too much as he had named a few names in the aftermath of Voldemort's collapse, and a few wizarding families were not too happy about being exposed as dark wizards.
"So what made you change your mind and come here Sirius? I thought you were meant to stay out of London!" Harry asked.
"This morning, as I was writing to you something caught my attention. I saw a hooded man outside my house, and when I went out there he was gone, but he had left me something Harry-" And here Sirius produced a piece of paper with the Dark Mark on it.
Harry gasped. "It's like the one they found at Hogwarts, and the one I found..." He said.
"You have one of these also?" Sirius asked, and Harry groaned inwardly. That was the second time he'd given away something he hadn't meant to give away!
"I found it on my doorstep." Harry admitted.
Sirius frowned. "This is all very strange. What can it all mean? Let's see- we've got the business at Hogwarts, and then you and I both have one of these papers, and somehow the Malfoy's are involved. Is there anything else?"
Harry hesitated. "I did get a strange phone call the other week. In fact it was the morning I got Hermoine's owl about going up to Hogwarts. They told me not to meddle in things which didn't concern me! At the time I thought the voice was familiar, but I can't place it!"
"When is the reunion at Hogwarts?" Sirius asked.
"Next week." Harry replied.
"Well I have a feeling that something interesting is going to happen there. I think maybe I better go also. I'll get hold of Lupin to come as well I think." Sirius decided.
Harry suddenly felt a lot better. Knowing that there were more people in on the whole thing was a relief.
