Chapter Five:
Meeting Snuffles
Ron felt so stupid. He should've known that humans weren't roaming the roads at night. Still, this one didn't seem too bad. Maybe she could offer him some place to sleep.
"I'm lost," he said in a pleading. "Can you help me?"
"I would," she said sadly, shaking her beautiful head. "But few humans know the truth about the only truthful human I know. He's a good man, but he was framed for murder."
"Why that almost sounds like Sirius..." Ron muttered.
"You know the truth, then?" She said, her face lighting up like a child on Christmas day. Ron jumped back in surprise.
"Sirius is your friend?" he asked in disbelief.
"Wait a moment..." said the girl slowly. "To know you'd have to be Harry Potter or Ronald Weasley, because you're not a girl or an old man."
"I'm Ron," Ron explained. "It is Sirius, then? Well, he'd help me, I know Wormtail committed those murders."
"Let me make sure," she said cautiously. She let out a whistle so shrill and high-pitched that Ron couldn't hear it after a moment.
A large black dog came hurdling through the woods, toward the whistle. It stopped when it reached the girl.
"Snuffles!" Ron yelled, grinning. Then a man appeared where the where the dog had been standing.
"Ron!" Sirius exclaimed, grinning back. He shook Ron's hand as if they were father and son.
"What are you doing here!?" they both exclaimed at the same time.
"I've been hiding here for two years," Sirius replied. "They're not anything like the stories," he added, pointing to the girl. "They're just like us, basically. Besides, you should here the stories they have about us."
"I'm lost," Ron said, "I got in a fight and stormed out like an idiot."
"Well," Sirius said to the girl, "Shall we take him back to the castle, then?"
"Hogwarts?" Ron interrupted hopefully.
"No," said the girl, "My home."
"You live in a castle?" Ron replied in awe.
"She's their princess." Said Sirius chuckling.
"I'm being silly," the girl said, "I haven't introduced myself. Princess Harmony of Marigold, only child of King Shernia." She curtsied deeply upon saying this. Then she popped back up and became informal once more. "But just call me Harmony, leave out all the other crap." She lipped her hand into his. " C'mon let's go!"
As the trio made their way back through the forest, Ron and Harmony got to know each other. Ron and Sirius told her the thrilling story of that fateful night four years ago, when Harry, Ron, and Hermione discovered Sirius. (Harmony had heard it from Sirius, but it was more interesting from both points of view.) She was a very good audience, shrieking, gasping and giggling in all the right places.
Harmony's laugh sounded to Ron as if it were straight out of heaven. It made her already extraordinary eyes sparkle and dance. Ron thought she must have been named after her musical giggle.
As they rounded another corner Ron's jaw dropped, and he forgot for a moment about Harmony and her wonderful laugh. A large combination of Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade lay out before him. He never knew they lived the same way humans did. At the far end of this strange town was a duplicate of Hogwarts. For someone to live in...it was amazing.
"Welcome to Marigold."
Hermione continued to cry for nearly twenty minutes before her tears finally subsided. She looked up at Harry, with a pleading look in her cinnamon eyes. Her eyes begged for comfort, security, and Ron. If Harry, Hermione and Ron had not been the best of friends Harry might have been jealous.
"It'll be okay. Ron's okay." Said Harry, trying to convince himself as well as Hermione. She nodded and fell back in her seat. The two of them talked. They talked about homework, weather, Muggle music-anything to keep their minds off of Ron.
Later that afternoon Ginny came into the compartment. She looked dead. Her motions were robotic and lacking her usual love of life.
"There'll be a service for Ron if...if..." A single tear slipped down Ginny's face, the only sign that she had any human emotion left.
Harry and Hermione spent the rest of the ride reading The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Seven.
They didn't even react when Malfoy, Harry's archenemy, showed up to torment them. He quickly got bored and left.
When Hogsmeade came into view Hermione began sobbing again.
"It's not right!" she cried. "How does Ron being gone help anybody!?" Harry gave her a hug and did something that surprised him more than her.
Harry kissed Hermione.
1
Meeting Snuffles
Ron felt so stupid. He should've known that humans weren't roaming the roads at night. Still, this one didn't seem too bad. Maybe she could offer him some place to sleep.
"I'm lost," he said in a pleading. "Can you help me?"
"I would," she said sadly, shaking her beautiful head. "But few humans know the truth about the only truthful human I know. He's a good man, but he was framed for murder."
"Why that almost sounds like Sirius..." Ron muttered.
"You know the truth, then?" She said, her face lighting up like a child on Christmas day. Ron jumped back in surprise.
"Sirius is your friend?" he asked in disbelief.
"Wait a moment..." said the girl slowly. "To know you'd have to be Harry Potter or Ronald Weasley, because you're not a girl or an old man."
"I'm Ron," Ron explained. "It is Sirius, then? Well, he'd help me, I know Wormtail committed those murders."
"Let me make sure," she said cautiously. She let out a whistle so shrill and high-pitched that Ron couldn't hear it after a moment.
A large black dog came hurdling through the woods, toward the whistle. It stopped when it reached the girl.
"Snuffles!" Ron yelled, grinning. Then a man appeared where the where the dog had been standing.
"Ron!" Sirius exclaimed, grinning back. He shook Ron's hand as if they were father and son.
"What are you doing here!?" they both exclaimed at the same time.
"I've been hiding here for two years," Sirius replied. "They're not anything like the stories," he added, pointing to the girl. "They're just like us, basically. Besides, you should here the stories they have about us."
"I'm lost," Ron said, "I got in a fight and stormed out like an idiot."
"Well," Sirius said to the girl, "Shall we take him back to the castle, then?"
"Hogwarts?" Ron interrupted hopefully.
"No," said the girl, "My home."
"You live in a castle?" Ron replied in awe.
"She's their princess." Said Sirius chuckling.
"I'm being silly," the girl said, "I haven't introduced myself. Princess Harmony of Marigold, only child of King Shernia." She curtsied deeply upon saying this. Then she popped back up and became informal once more. "But just call me Harmony, leave out all the other crap." She lipped her hand into his. " C'mon let's go!"
As the trio made their way back through the forest, Ron and Harmony got to know each other. Ron and Sirius told her the thrilling story of that fateful night four years ago, when Harry, Ron, and Hermione discovered Sirius. (Harmony had heard it from Sirius, but it was more interesting from both points of view.) She was a very good audience, shrieking, gasping and giggling in all the right places.
Harmony's laugh sounded to Ron as if it were straight out of heaven. It made her already extraordinary eyes sparkle and dance. Ron thought she must have been named after her musical giggle.
As they rounded another corner Ron's jaw dropped, and he forgot for a moment about Harmony and her wonderful laugh. A large combination of Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade lay out before him. He never knew they lived the same way humans did. At the far end of this strange town was a duplicate of Hogwarts. For someone to live in...it was amazing.
"Welcome to Marigold."
Hermione continued to cry for nearly twenty minutes before her tears finally subsided. She looked up at Harry, with a pleading look in her cinnamon eyes. Her eyes begged for comfort, security, and Ron. If Harry, Hermione and Ron had not been the best of friends Harry might have been jealous.
"It'll be okay. Ron's okay." Said Harry, trying to convince himself as well as Hermione. She nodded and fell back in her seat. The two of them talked. They talked about homework, weather, Muggle music-anything to keep their minds off of Ron.
Later that afternoon Ginny came into the compartment. She looked dead. Her motions were robotic and lacking her usual love of life.
"There'll be a service for Ron if...if..." A single tear slipped down Ginny's face, the only sign that she had any human emotion left.
Harry and Hermione spent the rest of the ride reading The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Seven.
They didn't even react when Malfoy, Harry's archenemy, showed up to torment them. He quickly got bored and left.
When Hogsmeade came into view Hermione began sobbing again.
"It's not right!" she cried. "How does Ron being gone help anybody!?" Harry gave her a hug and did something that surprised him more than her.
Harry kissed Hermione.
1