Chapter 3
And So The Plot Thickens
Disclaimer- For those of you who think I can steal HP and co, keep dreaming. I still own nothing from the original Harry Potter books. Any characters not belonging to J. K. Rowling are mine, not matter how much the deny it. Any plot you find is mine too. No, not pot.*Looks innocent* I have lots of plot! It's even in the title! 'Right'
Dedication-I dedicate this chapter to my dear friend Joe (that's really his name!) and my wonderful readers (crickets chirp in background). Wherever you are. Anywho, Joe is a just about the only person who will listen to me rant on and on about anime (I do that a lot) and listen to the music I put in front of him. Here's to Joe, a normal (err...scratch that, almost normal) Freshmen who is NOT gay. I've had a few arguments with him about that, so I want to make it perfectly clear. Joe is straight, he has a girlfriend (she's nice). I just like to make him mad. And on with the show!
Saphire-Really? You like it? You LOVE it? Oh my... be still my heart. You are my new best friend!
Chris closed the door with a frantic look clear on his dark face.
"What should we do?" He mouthed. Kate shrugged and Amy seized the opportunity.
"Everyone do something!" She whispered. Chris snatched and opened to a random page. Lauren glared at him and made 'move' gestures. Chris pulled back into a corner. Amy started towards the door and Lauren settled into a glare.
Kate blinked and stared at Lauren. She hadn't realized how much nicer Lauren seemed without a frown or glare. Dean looked at Kate from his place across from her, barely three feet away. Apparently they were both completely clueless.
'Look natural... like you in the common room at school.' Dean was reminded of Ron, whose fierce loyalty was only matched by his skill at wizard's chess. But chess left Dean with a headache, so 'Checkers!' Dean pointed between himself and Kate and a small checkerboard appeared, sans checkers. Kate raised her eyebrow and Dean blushed before adding the pieces unevenly. Kate's eyebrows reached her hairline.
'What is that?' She wondered. Privately she was glad she had no idea what was in front of her. At least it wasn't chess. She really couldn't play chess. Kate shot Dean a grateful look before turning again to the board. While Kate frowned in thought, Amy opened the door.
It was a large black dog.
"Snuffles!" Kate shouted and jumped out of her chair, knocking checkers and board everywhere, but mostly in Dean's face. Amy and Lauren snickered when Dean jumped out of his chair, sputtering. Kate paid them all no heed as she reached her dog. On her knees, she tried to look her dog in his hazel eyes. Hazel? Ah well...
"Where have you been, you little tramp?" Kate's conceding tone reminded Snuffles of Dumbledore. He looked insulted and Amy laughed. Snuffles started to growl, which ended abruptly when Kate drew him into a hug. Snuffles was too startled t do more than shift his weight (very difficult on four feet) until Kate ended the rather one-sided hug and stood up again.
Patting him on the head, the girl explained;
"I've been worried about you." Then she turned to Amy.
"Can he stay? Snuffles'll listen for our parents and everything!" Kate begged the twin. Snuffles himself looked unconvinced and Amy rolled her eyes.
"Oh who cares? It's a mutt you found looking through the trash! What's it going to do? Spy on us?" Amy complained. Aforementioned dog looked insulted, but weather it was the reference to his less-than-savory trash-picking experiences or his dismissal as someone important remains unknown. Lauren snorted.
"I don't care." Lauren explained. Kate obviously wanted everyone's opinion.
Interestingly enough, she really did. Kate wanted everyone to except Snuffles into the playroom. After all, they were a family. She turned to Chris and Dean. Chris nodded from above hid upside-down book and Dean shrugged. He was preoccupied with retrieving the checkers from the far corners of the playroom.
"Cool. Okay Snuffles, stay right here and listen for anybody coming up the steps." Snuffles remained standing. His expression was clear.
'What's in it for me?' Kate smiled. The dog couldn't resist a good bribe.
"You bark when Mom or Dad are about to come in and they," Kate pointed towards the twins, currently reunited and pushing all the chairs back into the center of the room. "Will steal a real chicken for you." Snuffles' furry behind connected with the ground in record time. Kate smiled again.
"Good." she said. With a little spring behind her step, Kate returned to the 'family circle' and sat down between Lauren and Amy. To keep them from killing Dean, of course. Not that she was glad to have the girl's support, or she was worried about Dean. The same Dean that had finally remembered *where* he was and wished away the checkers that had caused so much trouble. What a silly thought. To prove just how silly she was being (Dean was fine!), Kate asked her brother,
"What where those things?" Dean blushed. Hindsight would point out that probably wasn't any way to figure out if someone was crazy or not, but anybody can be a backseat driver.
"They're called checkers. It's a muggle game." He explained, fascinated by the ground.
"Really? Hopefully I'll learn about them next year. I'm trying to get into a muggle studies class." Kate responded, honestly interested in anything Dean might have to say. No matter where Kate went after her Hogwarts education, basic muggle know-how would come in handy. Chris looked absolutely shell-shocked. He obviously though she was insane to apply for a new subject the year of the N.E.W.T.S. Kate just smiled at him. Chris opened his mouth to speak, but Dean, who couldn't see his younger brother, cut him off.
"I know all of us have had a rough morning...ah...afternoon...but I think we need to formulate a course of action." Dean said haltingly. The dark boy looked torn between relief the twins didn't cut him off with a snide remark and nervous about everyone's reaction.
"Like what?" Chris asked. Kate sighed a sigh of relief. Chris had conveniently forgotten all about his lengthy discussion about the Charm of Origin, and all danger of him remembering was past. Amy rolled her eyes Dean and the boy shrugged.
"I was hoping you could tell me." He explained. Lauren snorted.
"A course of action? How very Gryffindor." Amy spat. Chris glared at her.
"What happened to family, Amy?" He questioned somberly. No trace of malice clouded his perfectly flat voice, but his eyes were another story altogether.
Amy blinked. Just about then the full implication of Chris's words hit her. She had been the one who had stressed 'family' and here she was hurting her siblings. In a gesture of supreme embarrassment totally unlike her, Amy bent her head and covered her eyes with her hands. While Lauren patted her sister's back, the Gryffindors and Ravenclaw alike stared in confusion. What was going on here, anyway?
Amy was building herself up to something. Taking a deep, reassuring breath, Amy removed her hand. Looking Dean in his outraged eyes, Amy spoke.
"Sorry Dean. You didn't deserve that." She said solemnly. After taking another breath, the twin continued in relative silence.
"what I meant to say is your idea isn't really necessary. We don't have to do anything. Let's face it, what can we do? Go after Sirius Black? Tell the Ministry? Tell our parents? No." She shook her head. Lauren continued.
"In order, if fully trained hit wizards couldn't get Black, our skills don't stand a chance. If, and I stress if, the Ministry even believes us, we've blown the Op-Center's cover and gotten Dad in big trouble. And our parents would kill us for any and all of the above. Amy's right, what is this, a story? Action to further the plot? Dean! We have so much to teach you!" Lauren finished with a smile, indicating the last part wasn't serious. Her smile made everyone feel more relaxed, even with the importance of what she was saying. Amy nodded and Dean looked downwards, but his face eventually returned, smile present. He could take a joke. Kate laughed.
"You do realize doing nothing would work fine in a story? I mean, if this is a story, Voldemort and all his Death Eaters are probably huddled around a magical recording spell right now?" Kate explained. Amy sighed, defeated from every quarter.
"I must be losing my touch. Outsmarted by Kate?" Amy said in mock astonishment. Lauren rolled her eyes. And after that they talked about normal things.
Dean thoroughly explained Muggle checkers in an attempt to avoid the inevitable. All his efforts were fore naught when Chris left to bring in some large books. He hoped to go into more detail about he Charm of Origins, only to find the playroom vacant.
He rushed downstairs to the kitchen (the Bell parents had left for parts unknown) to find Amy teasing Kate about her Quidditch skills and Dean trying to teach Lauren about some Muggle cooking machine. In the end Lauren shrugged and summoned lunch (the Bell family didn't own a house elf, and the Fries, Fey's family, although old and established, flat out refused to use them). Chris sighed, but nonetheless put his books aside. After opening the door so Snuffles could get out, the Ravenclaw rushed to stuff his face with scrambled eggs and toast. He obviously wasn't the only person feeling the lack of breakfast. He supposed he could save the Charm of Origin for later...
After plopping down into his less than comfortable chair (anything was better than standing), he closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Why did he work for the Ministry of Magic?
If Alastor Moody hadn't believed having all the facts was a large part of being well prepared, the Aurors wouldn't even know about You-Know-Who's return. Thank Merlin for Moody, the old paranoid. Why was he working for the Ministry again?
"Da-aad!" Came a voice from down the hall. 'Oh yeah. That's why' For his daughters, Sara and Lynde. The former, a sturdy brunette Auror in training, bounced into Mundungus's Fletcher's study. Her younger sister followed at a more sedate pace.
"Guess what I found?" Sara asked. Mundungus tried not to groan. Now he understood his wife's anger.
"I don't know. What, Sara?" Sara made a face.
"Fletch. Call me Fletch dad." Sara complained. Her father sighed.
"What Fletch?" He asked.
Lynde glared at the ground. Why did Sara always get what she wanted.
"That listening spell you placed on the Bell house came in handy. I was listening-" Lynde cut her sister off.
"I was listening." She said softly. Sara pushed off her comment like a particularity offensive rat.
"Lynde was helping and I heard the kids talking!" Mundungus flinched. He was still sore about his daughter being assigned to listen to Liam's family. He forced a smile for Fletch's sake. She was doing what she had been told to.
"Go on." He urged. Lynde sighed and quietly left the room. Why didn't anyone ever listen to her?
"They were talking about Sirius Black and You-Know-Who!" She finished dramatically.
"What?" Mundungus leaned back into his chair, stunned. He knew Liam had been friends with Black, but could he really be associating with the other Death Eaters? Sara rolled her eyes.
"You heard me. Do you want me to take what I heard to AHQ?" Sara asked, impatient. Her father simply nodded.
'Liam?'
several days later
"Again. Why should I believe you?" Remus Lupin gripped his teacup a little tighter and gritted his teeth. 'Remember. Arabella's difficult to win over. Once she's on your side she's untouchable.' Remus reminded himself. Unfortunately for Remus, difficult was fast approaching impossible.
"Arabella. Be sensible. Voldemort *has* returned." Arabella shook her head, sending strands of gray hair every which way.
"I've seen no such thing." She countered.
"You must have noticed the increased Death Eater activity." Remus said in desperation. Why did Arabella always ignore the truth?
"There have always been anti-muggle enthusiasts willing to use the title Death Eater to spread fear. I expected a more reasonable explanation from you of all people, Remus. I was wrong in thinking you had a level head on your shoulders."
"What about the Dark Mark at the Quidditch Championship?" Remus grasped for something, anything to make the old witch listen to reason. Arabella raised her eyebrow.
"The Dark Mark? I thought that was just Rita Skeeter being a media official. I didn't see anything in Rhonda Rhode's column." Arabella looked slightly shocked. Remus smiled. If she was allowing her emotions to show, she must really be shocked. The werewolf took advantage of Arabella's opening without remorse. The man sighed.
"Rhonda got married and lives in muggle Canada now." He explained. So the reporter had only married a week or two ago and this story had no relevance in the Dark Mark sighting last summer, but *he* wasn't about to tell the old coot that now. Arabella shuddered.
"That's an awful way for a woman to go." She shook her head and continued before her male comrade could squawk in indignation, I mean voice his opinion.
"Really Remus. I wasn't born yesterday. If that's the best you can do..." Arabella trailed off, sipping her tea. Remus boiled.
"What can I do to convince you? Take you to Azkaban, show you the Dementor's excitment? Or should I sent you to Harry Potter and you can ask him about the nightmares he has about Voldemort? Do I have to show you Lucius Malfoy's forearm? Would you like to see the Tri-Wizard Cup gone Portkey and see where it takes you? What about all the fresh snakeskin in old Death Eater hideouts?" Remus sat back in his chair and deliberately set down his teacup, immensely proud his hand hardly shook at all. Arabella was smiling. Her smile slowly broadened until she was all-out laughing. Remus wondered how and when she went insane. Why hadn't anyone noticed?
Arabella's laugh wasn't the nicest laugh you'll ever hear. It sounded unused and much too hard. 'What have the years done to you, old woman?'
Brushing tears of mirth from her eyes, the head of Op-Center spies placed her teacup down as well.
"It's good to see you so well informed. Is that all you know?" She questioned, sounding honestly curious, but still faintly amused. Remus stared at the old witch in shock an awe.
"You were pumping me for information?" Remus voice was small and stunned sounding even to himself.
'I feel so used.'
Remus was remained of several hundred identical situations, when they had worked together in the Op-Center. It had become a game for the two of them. Who would lose their cool and start spouting secrets first. It was a game Remus always lost. He was a good loser for a long time, and even memorized Arabella's 'game plans'. How could he forget?
"Of course. I knew the Dark Lord was back, but I had to find out how much you knew. It was all true, of course?" The business tone responded. Before Remus could comment, Arabella nodded to herself.
"Surely. You try never to tell a lie, even in the heat of your anger. You're too humane Remus." The werewolf felt an overpowering need to hide in a corner. She was right and even his wolf instincts knew when they were beat.
"You could have just asked." He sounded only faintly insulted.
"Yes, but would you have told me everything if I had just asked?" She questioned, all business. Remus conceded defeat. He hadn't had a real argument to begin with, around Arabella.
"Can I help it that everyone made an effort to watch there tongue around you?" He sounded amused, remembering Sirius's encounters with the informant.
"You call yourself a diplomat?" Arabella's tone was conceding. She was telling him off for losing his temper so easily. Remus resisted the urge to smile and simply shrugged. He remembered this trick.
"Diluted truth serum in the tea?" He asked back. Arabella shrugged back. Remus made a note never to except food or drink from Arabella again.
"Why did you come, Remus Lupin?" Now that Arabella had settled down with all the facts, she got right to the heart of the matter. She was mad at him for remembering and knew the game would get harder next time.
"It's about the Op-Center. Albus is gathering us against Voldemort again. We might be it, with Fudge refusing to accept the Dark Lord's return." Arabella nodded.
"Amanda's dead. Why do you use her name?" Arabella questioned. Remus winced. He didn't know how he'd forgotten how blunt Arabella was.
"Respect for the dead. Will you come?" Remus pushed. It was getting late and Merlin only knew what would happen to the werewolf if he stayed for dinner. Arabella looked down her nose at Remus. He wondered not for the first time how she could look down her nose at him when he towered over her.
"You're all too old. Get young blood." She argued.
"You were never young." Remus reminded her and winced. How would she respond to being called old? His own mother had been furious when Sirius had called her a grandmother. Arabella shrugged.
Remus heaved a (soft) sigh of relief. Arabella wasn't your average woman. She wouldn't be upset about being old.
"I grow more intelligent with age. You seem to be getting more foolish." Remus sighed again. Perhaps she wasn't that different from other women at all.
"We all have to do what we can. I was hoping you could recruit some fresh blood for us." The wizard admitted. If they could face down Arabella they could handle Death Eaters. Arabella watched his face closely and Remus instinctively stopped that train of thought. It was uncanny how much like his mother the witch looked right now.
"Oh Merlin. I swear, you will put me in an early grave." She said. Remus looked overjoyed and jumped up to hug the witch, but her expression stopped him faster than Pertificis Totalis. He sat back down in his seat with a thump.
'This is going to be a long summer.'
Normally Madame Rosemera was a cheerful person to the point it scared some of the less social frequents (aka Professor Snape, among others), but today was an exception in the extreme. The only thing missing was a darkened storm cloud hanging over her head as Madame Rosemera of Three Broomsticks whipped around tables. And it all seemed to originate from a scruffy black dog sitting outside. The barmaid absolutely refused to travel all the way to the front of the bar, and glared in his general direction at regular intervals. Needless to say, the tables in the dog's vicinity were vacant beyond a shadow of doubt.
Why?
Madame Rosemera hated dogs.
It went back to her fifth year at Hogwarts. She had been visiting a male friend (ahem) late one night and a giant black dog, not so different from the one at the shop front had jumped out of nowhere and chased her all the way back to the school. She had been so scared she started hallucinating. How else could she explain the stag rolling on the ground, shaking? She had only caught a glimpse in the dark, but the figure of a stag had been unmistakable. Such a magnificent creature with a proud air, looking like it was laughing so hard it was on the point of tears.
It had been a very disturbing night, and the following morning (Saturday) her boyfriend had dumped her.
Rosemera glared at the dog again. 'Why did the Ministry create all those animal protection laws?' She wondered hopelessly. So great was her fury she failed to notice all her customers shuffling towards the door till they had left. The barmaid sighed. 'I need a drink.'
Meanwhile, outside, the guilty dog was barking raggedly, as close as he could come to laugher. He'd forgotten how much fun infuriating people *was*.
His hyper-awareness made it possible for Sirius to know exactly when everyone had left the bar or hid in the fireplace without turning around. He got the impression he was receiving more than his fair share of dirty looks. He turned around just in time to see Rosemera headed to the back of the bar. The dog's 'giggles' intensified.
'I really need a life.' He thought to himself. A rat scuttled by and Sirius was reminded of life he had. Not a good one, for the time being, not on any level. In a wave of depression the dog decided he'd bugged enough people for one day and turned towards home.
'Home? Am I that fond of someone else's house?' Sirius pondered, entering the Hogsmeade residential area. There was an obvious shift in the atmosphere. While the commercial Hogsmeade was charged with an energy and welcome that never ceased to draw school children, the homes of Hogsmeade radiated a genuine warmth that only happy wizarding families could. 'Well, it's better than Buckbeak's cave.' Having discovered the Hippogriff identity via his godson, Sirius thought it prudent to keep Buckbeak tied up away from Hagrid's hut (smell) and muggles it was sure to terrorize. Besides, this close to Hogwarts, the escaped magical creature was to risk of being recognized and that could lead some rather awkward questions from the keeper of the keys and grounds at Hogwarts.
Sirius barked to be let in at the Bell house, still completely lost in thought. But all thought crystallized in his head when Sirius saw who answered the door.
It was Liam Bell himself.
Stiffly, Sirius walked inside the doorframe, around his one-time friend. He made his way to Kate's room in a cloud of depression. Passing the Thomas bedroom cheered him slightly.
The fight between good and evil was still being re-enacted in the boy's room. Judging by the clothes hanging on the door, good was winning again today. Christopher must have given up early this week.
Looking out the window into the backyard helped get rid of Sirius's depression even more. The Bell children were playing a rousing game of Quidditch.
That is to say, Kate would viciously pelt around the backyard, throwing the Quaffle around and catching it for about five and a half seconds (2 laps and a few tosses) before pausing. Even in such a short period of time, she could find one of her siblings doing something odd. The she would laugh loudly at her sibling's antics before practicing again. The twins were hurling make-shift bludgers at everything that moved and some stuff that didn't. Dean was dive-bombing his younger brother Chris, who was trying to read and stay comfortable on a broom.
Sirius was content until he entered Kate's bedroom (he had no desire to dodge bludgers and crazy children on brooms). There was an orderly stack of parchment entitled 'Potions Essay'.
'I believe a transfer of ownership is required. Doing homework already.' Sirius shook his doggy head as parchment swirled down the toilet.
'Some children.'
Everything was normal on Privet Drive. The grass was green, the birds were chirping and not a single ill-mannered dog was barking. The oppressive heat had hardly dimmed at all for the coming of night. In fact, it was most likely to remain like this until morning. It was still sweltering outside, the heavy heat that keeps everyone inside in their air-conditioned parlors and children in the basement (heat makes adults ornery).
Unsurprisingly, heat was no buffer for one young man, around the age of 13 or 14. If ever a thin spot in the blanket of normality encompassing Privet Drive could be found, Harry Potter of Number 4 was it.
Being the only human outside for a good distance he was the only person to see the moving van pull up at number 7 down the street. Following behind was a brand new car ( on the wrong side of the road).Glancing quietly inside number 4. Harry was relieved to see no eyes staring back. He had had several nasty experiences with eyes. Dobby the house elf, Mrs. Norris the evil cat from hell, Voldemort...
(Oh. Wait. You knew Harry Potter was a wizard, right? Good.)
Turning back to the new-comer, Harry noticed the car had pulled up and the diver was exiting. A short, brown-haired and tanned woman, she had a bouncy air about her. 'Wonder who she is?' The teenager glanced back a the window before walking towards the new person.
As he neared the house, he saw the woman was directing movers to leave everything in the front hall. Up close she was even more bouncy, dressed in tight jeans and a floral print shirt. When she noticed him she blinked before holding out her hand.
"Taylor Rowe-Love. I'm moving in here." She said.
"Hi." Harry replied. He wasn't really sure what to say to the forward woman. Was she a witch? Should he mention his name?
Was she a muggle, like his aunt and uncle? Should he even bother?
Was she working for Voldemort? Should he try to find out? Harry immediately brushed that idea aside. 'Dumbledore says I'm safe here.' He sternly reminded himself. Taylor frowned.
"Talkative, aren't you? Is it because I'm American?" She asked. Harry's brows furrowed.
"I knew there was something different about you." Harry blinked before realizing how impolite what he had said was. He gulped. 'Great way to talk to a person, Potter!' he thought to himself. Surprisingly, Taylor wasn't mortally wounded. In fact, she threw her head back and laughed. Harry blinked. Were all Americans crazy?
When she had finished laughing, Taylor wiped a tear from her eye.
"I'm terribly sorry. It's just...never mind." Taylor appeared to be trying to explain something, but she was just making Harry more confused.
"What?" He asked. Taylor smiled.
"Nothing." And that was the end of that.
"What has you so serious?" Taylor asked. Harry shrugged.
"I'd rather not talk about it." He said. Taylor shook her head. For once she listened to the teachings of her dear mother and didn't say anything more.
"Well young man, it was nice to meet you. I knew young people are always looking for money, so would you want to move some furniture for me?
I'll pay you of course. I need to have everything situated before work starts. This was a sudden move, so I didn't have time to make any arrangements."
Harry nodded. It sounded reasonable enough.
"Sure. I'll speak to my aunt and uncle about it." Taylor smiled again, and this time Harry smiled back.
"My name is Harry Potter." He said, breathless. He'd hate to ruin a new friendship with his celebrity status.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Potter."
TBC
A/n- Amazing. You are all some awesome for reading this far!!!! I love you. I just ask you to review. Please? For me? Okay, if you don't I'll be alright, but.... Anywho, about Fletch (senior). We're going to say Remus doesn't like him, so he hasn't spoken to him yet about the Op-Center. Yes, I understand the time listings (ex= several days later or ) are inconsistent, try to bear with me. If it doesn't had a time period listed inside the 's a short period of time has passed or it doesn't matter (most of the time it doesn't anyway, but oh well). And yes, the possessed dog and stag were Sirius and James. Snuffles had a crush on the barmaid. I mentioned a 'transfer of ownership.' aka Sirius flushes Kate's homework. It's an allusion to Redemption Of Athalus. It's a good book, the one I took my name from (Dweia).
I'm sooooooo sorry it took me this long to finish a chapter. I've been really busy with school and swim team and being sick (and catching up) to get this done. I know, I'm awful. Please try to find it in your hearts to forgive me. (dodges rotten vegetables). Really, I'm sorry! I love you all....
~Dweia'sDouble
And So The Plot Thickens
Disclaimer- For those of you who think I can steal HP and co, keep dreaming. I still own nothing from the original Harry Potter books. Any characters not belonging to J. K. Rowling are mine, not matter how much the deny it. Any plot you find is mine too. No, not pot.*Looks innocent* I have lots of plot! It's even in the title! 'Right'
Dedication-I dedicate this chapter to my dear friend Joe (that's really his name!) and my wonderful readers (crickets chirp in background). Wherever you are. Anywho, Joe is a just about the only person who will listen to me rant on and on about anime (I do that a lot) and listen to the music I put in front of him. Here's to Joe, a normal (err...scratch that, almost normal) Freshmen who is NOT gay. I've had a few arguments with him about that, so I want to make it perfectly clear. Joe is straight, he has a girlfriend (she's nice). I just like to make him mad. And on with the show!
Saphire-Really? You like it? You LOVE it? Oh my... be still my heart. You are my new best friend!
Chris closed the door with a frantic look clear on his dark face.
"What should we do?" He mouthed. Kate shrugged and Amy seized the opportunity.
"Everyone do something!" She whispered. Chris snatched and opened to a random page. Lauren glared at him and made 'move' gestures. Chris pulled back into a corner. Amy started towards the door and Lauren settled into a glare.
Kate blinked and stared at Lauren. She hadn't realized how much nicer Lauren seemed without a frown or glare. Dean looked at Kate from his place across from her, barely three feet away. Apparently they were both completely clueless.
'Look natural... like you in the common room at school.' Dean was reminded of Ron, whose fierce loyalty was only matched by his skill at wizard's chess. But chess left Dean with a headache, so 'Checkers!' Dean pointed between himself and Kate and a small checkerboard appeared, sans checkers. Kate raised her eyebrow and Dean blushed before adding the pieces unevenly. Kate's eyebrows reached her hairline.
'What is that?' She wondered. Privately she was glad she had no idea what was in front of her. At least it wasn't chess. She really couldn't play chess. Kate shot Dean a grateful look before turning again to the board. While Kate frowned in thought, Amy opened the door.
It was a large black dog.
"Snuffles!" Kate shouted and jumped out of her chair, knocking checkers and board everywhere, but mostly in Dean's face. Amy and Lauren snickered when Dean jumped out of his chair, sputtering. Kate paid them all no heed as she reached her dog. On her knees, she tried to look her dog in his hazel eyes. Hazel? Ah well...
"Where have you been, you little tramp?" Kate's conceding tone reminded Snuffles of Dumbledore. He looked insulted and Amy laughed. Snuffles started to growl, which ended abruptly when Kate drew him into a hug. Snuffles was too startled t do more than shift his weight (very difficult on four feet) until Kate ended the rather one-sided hug and stood up again.
Patting him on the head, the girl explained;
"I've been worried about you." Then she turned to Amy.
"Can he stay? Snuffles'll listen for our parents and everything!" Kate begged the twin. Snuffles himself looked unconvinced and Amy rolled her eyes.
"Oh who cares? It's a mutt you found looking through the trash! What's it going to do? Spy on us?" Amy complained. Aforementioned dog looked insulted, but weather it was the reference to his less-than-savory trash-picking experiences or his dismissal as someone important remains unknown. Lauren snorted.
"I don't care." Lauren explained. Kate obviously wanted everyone's opinion.
Interestingly enough, she really did. Kate wanted everyone to except Snuffles into the playroom. After all, they were a family. She turned to Chris and Dean. Chris nodded from above hid upside-down book and Dean shrugged. He was preoccupied with retrieving the checkers from the far corners of the playroom.
"Cool. Okay Snuffles, stay right here and listen for anybody coming up the steps." Snuffles remained standing. His expression was clear.
'What's in it for me?' Kate smiled. The dog couldn't resist a good bribe.
"You bark when Mom or Dad are about to come in and they," Kate pointed towards the twins, currently reunited and pushing all the chairs back into the center of the room. "Will steal a real chicken for you." Snuffles' furry behind connected with the ground in record time. Kate smiled again.
"Good." she said. With a little spring behind her step, Kate returned to the 'family circle' and sat down between Lauren and Amy. To keep them from killing Dean, of course. Not that she was glad to have the girl's support, or she was worried about Dean. The same Dean that had finally remembered *where* he was and wished away the checkers that had caused so much trouble. What a silly thought. To prove just how silly she was being (Dean was fine!), Kate asked her brother,
"What where those things?" Dean blushed. Hindsight would point out that probably wasn't any way to figure out if someone was crazy or not, but anybody can be a backseat driver.
"They're called checkers. It's a muggle game." He explained, fascinated by the ground.
"Really? Hopefully I'll learn about them next year. I'm trying to get into a muggle studies class." Kate responded, honestly interested in anything Dean might have to say. No matter where Kate went after her Hogwarts education, basic muggle know-how would come in handy. Chris looked absolutely shell-shocked. He obviously though she was insane to apply for a new subject the year of the N.E.W.T.S. Kate just smiled at him. Chris opened his mouth to speak, but Dean, who couldn't see his younger brother, cut him off.
"I know all of us have had a rough morning...ah...afternoon...but I think we need to formulate a course of action." Dean said haltingly. The dark boy looked torn between relief the twins didn't cut him off with a snide remark and nervous about everyone's reaction.
"Like what?" Chris asked. Kate sighed a sigh of relief. Chris had conveniently forgotten all about his lengthy discussion about the Charm of Origin, and all danger of him remembering was past. Amy rolled her eyes Dean and the boy shrugged.
"I was hoping you could tell me." He explained. Lauren snorted.
"A course of action? How very Gryffindor." Amy spat. Chris glared at her.
"What happened to family, Amy?" He questioned somberly. No trace of malice clouded his perfectly flat voice, but his eyes were another story altogether.
Amy blinked. Just about then the full implication of Chris's words hit her. She had been the one who had stressed 'family' and here she was hurting her siblings. In a gesture of supreme embarrassment totally unlike her, Amy bent her head and covered her eyes with her hands. While Lauren patted her sister's back, the Gryffindors and Ravenclaw alike stared in confusion. What was going on here, anyway?
Amy was building herself up to something. Taking a deep, reassuring breath, Amy removed her hand. Looking Dean in his outraged eyes, Amy spoke.
"Sorry Dean. You didn't deserve that." She said solemnly. After taking another breath, the twin continued in relative silence.
"what I meant to say is your idea isn't really necessary. We don't have to do anything. Let's face it, what can we do? Go after Sirius Black? Tell the Ministry? Tell our parents? No." She shook her head. Lauren continued.
"In order, if fully trained hit wizards couldn't get Black, our skills don't stand a chance. If, and I stress if, the Ministry even believes us, we've blown the Op-Center's cover and gotten Dad in big trouble. And our parents would kill us for any and all of the above. Amy's right, what is this, a story? Action to further the plot? Dean! We have so much to teach you!" Lauren finished with a smile, indicating the last part wasn't serious. Her smile made everyone feel more relaxed, even with the importance of what she was saying. Amy nodded and Dean looked downwards, but his face eventually returned, smile present. He could take a joke. Kate laughed.
"You do realize doing nothing would work fine in a story? I mean, if this is a story, Voldemort and all his Death Eaters are probably huddled around a magical recording spell right now?" Kate explained. Amy sighed, defeated from every quarter.
"I must be losing my touch. Outsmarted by Kate?" Amy said in mock astonishment. Lauren rolled her eyes. And after that they talked about normal things.
Dean thoroughly explained Muggle checkers in an attempt to avoid the inevitable. All his efforts were fore naught when Chris left to bring in some large books. He hoped to go into more detail about he Charm of Origins, only to find the playroom vacant.
He rushed downstairs to the kitchen (the Bell parents had left for parts unknown) to find Amy teasing Kate about her Quidditch skills and Dean trying to teach Lauren about some Muggle cooking machine. In the end Lauren shrugged and summoned lunch (the Bell family didn't own a house elf, and the Fries, Fey's family, although old and established, flat out refused to use them). Chris sighed, but nonetheless put his books aside. After opening the door so Snuffles could get out, the Ravenclaw rushed to stuff his face with scrambled eggs and toast. He obviously wasn't the only person feeling the lack of breakfast. He supposed he could save the Charm of Origin for later...
After plopping down into his less than comfortable chair (anything was better than standing), he closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Why did he work for the Ministry of Magic?
If Alastor Moody hadn't believed having all the facts was a large part of being well prepared, the Aurors wouldn't even know about You-Know-Who's return. Thank Merlin for Moody, the old paranoid. Why was he working for the Ministry again?
"Da-aad!" Came a voice from down the hall. 'Oh yeah. That's why' For his daughters, Sara and Lynde. The former, a sturdy brunette Auror in training, bounced into Mundungus's Fletcher's study. Her younger sister followed at a more sedate pace.
"Guess what I found?" Sara asked. Mundungus tried not to groan. Now he understood his wife's anger.
"I don't know. What, Sara?" Sara made a face.
"Fletch. Call me Fletch dad." Sara complained. Her father sighed.
"What Fletch?" He asked.
Lynde glared at the ground. Why did Sara always get what she wanted.
"That listening spell you placed on the Bell house came in handy. I was listening-" Lynde cut her sister off.
"I was listening." She said softly. Sara pushed off her comment like a particularity offensive rat.
"Lynde was helping and I heard the kids talking!" Mundungus flinched. He was still sore about his daughter being assigned to listen to Liam's family. He forced a smile for Fletch's sake. She was doing what she had been told to.
"Go on." He urged. Lynde sighed and quietly left the room. Why didn't anyone ever listen to her?
"They were talking about Sirius Black and You-Know-Who!" She finished dramatically.
"What?" Mundungus leaned back into his chair, stunned. He knew Liam had been friends with Black, but could he really be associating with the other Death Eaters? Sara rolled her eyes.
"You heard me. Do you want me to take what I heard to AHQ?" Sara asked, impatient. Her father simply nodded.
'Liam?'
several days later
"Again. Why should I believe you?" Remus Lupin gripped his teacup a little tighter and gritted his teeth. 'Remember. Arabella's difficult to win over. Once she's on your side she's untouchable.' Remus reminded himself. Unfortunately for Remus, difficult was fast approaching impossible.
"Arabella. Be sensible. Voldemort *has* returned." Arabella shook her head, sending strands of gray hair every which way.
"I've seen no such thing." She countered.
"You must have noticed the increased Death Eater activity." Remus said in desperation. Why did Arabella always ignore the truth?
"There have always been anti-muggle enthusiasts willing to use the title Death Eater to spread fear. I expected a more reasonable explanation from you of all people, Remus. I was wrong in thinking you had a level head on your shoulders."
"What about the Dark Mark at the Quidditch Championship?" Remus grasped for something, anything to make the old witch listen to reason. Arabella raised her eyebrow.
"The Dark Mark? I thought that was just Rita Skeeter being a media official. I didn't see anything in Rhonda Rhode's column." Arabella looked slightly shocked. Remus smiled. If she was allowing her emotions to show, she must really be shocked. The werewolf took advantage of Arabella's opening without remorse. The man sighed.
"Rhonda got married and lives in muggle Canada now." He explained. So the reporter had only married a week or two ago and this story had no relevance in the Dark Mark sighting last summer, but *he* wasn't about to tell the old coot that now. Arabella shuddered.
"That's an awful way for a woman to go." She shook her head and continued before her male comrade could squawk in indignation, I mean voice his opinion.
"Really Remus. I wasn't born yesterday. If that's the best you can do..." Arabella trailed off, sipping her tea. Remus boiled.
"What can I do to convince you? Take you to Azkaban, show you the Dementor's excitment? Or should I sent you to Harry Potter and you can ask him about the nightmares he has about Voldemort? Do I have to show you Lucius Malfoy's forearm? Would you like to see the Tri-Wizard Cup gone Portkey and see where it takes you? What about all the fresh snakeskin in old Death Eater hideouts?" Remus sat back in his chair and deliberately set down his teacup, immensely proud his hand hardly shook at all. Arabella was smiling. Her smile slowly broadened until she was all-out laughing. Remus wondered how and when she went insane. Why hadn't anyone noticed?
Arabella's laugh wasn't the nicest laugh you'll ever hear. It sounded unused and much too hard. 'What have the years done to you, old woman?'
Brushing tears of mirth from her eyes, the head of Op-Center spies placed her teacup down as well.
"It's good to see you so well informed. Is that all you know?" She questioned, sounding honestly curious, but still faintly amused. Remus stared at the old witch in shock an awe.
"You were pumping me for information?" Remus voice was small and stunned sounding even to himself.
'I feel so used.'
Remus was remained of several hundred identical situations, when they had worked together in the Op-Center. It had become a game for the two of them. Who would lose their cool and start spouting secrets first. It was a game Remus always lost. He was a good loser for a long time, and even memorized Arabella's 'game plans'. How could he forget?
"Of course. I knew the Dark Lord was back, but I had to find out how much you knew. It was all true, of course?" The business tone responded. Before Remus could comment, Arabella nodded to herself.
"Surely. You try never to tell a lie, even in the heat of your anger. You're too humane Remus." The werewolf felt an overpowering need to hide in a corner. She was right and even his wolf instincts knew when they were beat.
"You could have just asked." He sounded only faintly insulted.
"Yes, but would you have told me everything if I had just asked?" She questioned, all business. Remus conceded defeat. He hadn't had a real argument to begin with, around Arabella.
"Can I help it that everyone made an effort to watch there tongue around you?" He sounded amused, remembering Sirius's encounters with the informant.
"You call yourself a diplomat?" Arabella's tone was conceding. She was telling him off for losing his temper so easily. Remus resisted the urge to smile and simply shrugged. He remembered this trick.
"Diluted truth serum in the tea?" He asked back. Arabella shrugged back. Remus made a note never to except food or drink from Arabella again.
"Why did you come, Remus Lupin?" Now that Arabella had settled down with all the facts, she got right to the heart of the matter. She was mad at him for remembering and knew the game would get harder next time.
"It's about the Op-Center. Albus is gathering us against Voldemort again. We might be it, with Fudge refusing to accept the Dark Lord's return." Arabella nodded.
"Amanda's dead. Why do you use her name?" Arabella questioned. Remus winced. He didn't know how he'd forgotten how blunt Arabella was.
"Respect for the dead. Will you come?" Remus pushed. It was getting late and Merlin only knew what would happen to the werewolf if he stayed for dinner. Arabella looked down her nose at Remus. He wondered not for the first time how she could look down her nose at him when he towered over her.
"You're all too old. Get young blood." She argued.
"You were never young." Remus reminded her and winced. How would she respond to being called old? His own mother had been furious when Sirius had called her a grandmother. Arabella shrugged.
Remus heaved a (soft) sigh of relief. Arabella wasn't your average woman. She wouldn't be upset about being old.
"I grow more intelligent with age. You seem to be getting more foolish." Remus sighed again. Perhaps she wasn't that different from other women at all.
"We all have to do what we can. I was hoping you could recruit some fresh blood for us." The wizard admitted. If they could face down Arabella they could handle Death Eaters. Arabella watched his face closely and Remus instinctively stopped that train of thought. It was uncanny how much like his mother the witch looked right now.
"Oh Merlin. I swear, you will put me in an early grave." She said. Remus looked overjoyed and jumped up to hug the witch, but her expression stopped him faster than Pertificis Totalis. He sat back down in his seat with a thump.
'This is going to be a long summer.'
Normally Madame Rosemera was a cheerful person to the point it scared some of the less social frequents (aka Professor Snape, among others), but today was an exception in the extreme. The only thing missing was a darkened storm cloud hanging over her head as Madame Rosemera of Three Broomsticks whipped around tables. And it all seemed to originate from a scruffy black dog sitting outside. The barmaid absolutely refused to travel all the way to the front of the bar, and glared in his general direction at regular intervals. Needless to say, the tables in the dog's vicinity were vacant beyond a shadow of doubt.
Why?
Madame Rosemera hated dogs.
It went back to her fifth year at Hogwarts. She had been visiting a male friend (ahem) late one night and a giant black dog, not so different from the one at the shop front had jumped out of nowhere and chased her all the way back to the school. She had been so scared she started hallucinating. How else could she explain the stag rolling on the ground, shaking? She had only caught a glimpse in the dark, but the figure of a stag had been unmistakable. Such a magnificent creature with a proud air, looking like it was laughing so hard it was on the point of tears.
It had been a very disturbing night, and the following morning (Saturday) her boyfriend had dumped her.
Rosemera glared at the dog again. 'Why did the Ministry create all those animal protection laws?' She wondered hopelessly. So great was her fury she failed to notice all her customers shuffling towards the door till they had left. The barmaid sighed. 'I need a drink.'
Meanwhile, outside, the guilty dog was barking raggedly, as close as he could come to laugher. He'd forgotten how much fun infuriating people *was*.
His hyper-awareness made it possible for Sirius to know exactly when everyone had left the bar or hid in the fireplace without turning around. He got the impression he was receiving more than his fair share of dirty looks. He turned around just in time to see Rosemera headed to the back of the bar. The dog's 'giggles' intensified.
'I really need a life.' He thought to himself. A rat scuttled by and Sirius was reminded of life he had. Not a good one, for the time being, not on any level. In a wave of depression the dog decided he'd bugged enough people for one day and turned towards home.
'Home? Am I that fond of someone else's house?' Sirius pondered, entering the Hogsmeade residential area. There was an obvious shift in the atmosphere. While the commercial Hogsmeade was charged with an energy and welcome that never ceased to draw school children, the homes of Hogsmeade radiated a genuine warmth that only happy wizarding families could. 'Well, it's better than Buckbeak's cave.' Having discovered the Hippogriff identity via his godson, Sirius thought it prudent to keep Buckbeak tied up away from Hagrid's hut (smell) and muggles it was sure to terrorize. Besides, this close to Hogwarts, the escaped magical creature was to risk of being recognized and that could lead some rather awkward questions from the keeper of the keys and grounds at Hogwarts.
Sirius barked to be let in at the Bell house, still completely lost in thought. But all thought crystallized in his head when Sirius saw who answered the door.
It was Liam Bell himself.
Stiffly, Sirius walked inside the doorframe, around his one-time friend. He made his way to Kate's room in a cloud of depression. Passing the Thomas bedroom cheered him slightly.
The fight between good and evil was still being re-enacted in the boy's room. Judging by the clothes hanging on the door, good was winning again today. Christopher must have given up early this week.
Looking out the window into the backyard helped get rid of Sirius's depression even more. The Bell children were playing a rousing game of Quidditch.
That is to say, Kate would viciously pelt around the backyard, throwing the Quaffle around and catching it for about five and a half seconds (2 laps and a few tosses) before pausing. Even in such a short period of time, she could find one of her siblings doing something odd. The she would laugh loudly at her sibling's antics before practicing again. The twins were hurling make-shift bludgers at everything that moved and some stuff that didn't. Dean was dive-bombing his younger brother Chris, who was trying to read and stay comfortable on a broom.
Sirius was content until he entered Kate's bedroom (he had no desire to dodge bludgers and crazy children on brooms). There was an orderly stack of parchment entitled 'Potions Essay'.
'I believe a transfer of ownership is required. Doing homework already.' Sirius shook his doggy head as parchment swirled down the toilet.
'Some children.'
Everything was normal on Privet Drive. The grass was green, the birds were chirping and not a single ill-mannered dog was barking. The oppressive heat had hardly dimmed at all for the coming of night. In fact, it was most likely to remain like this until morning. It was still sweltering outside, the heavy heat that keeps everyone inside in their air-conditioned parlors and children in the basement (heat makes adults ornery).
Unsurprisingly, heat was no buffer for one young man, around the age of 13 or 14. If ever a thin spot in the blanket of normality encompassing Privet Drive could be found, Harry Potter of Number 4 was it.
Being the only human outside for a good distance he was the only person to see the moving van pull up at number 7 down the street. Following behind was a brand new car ( on the wrong side of the road).Glancing quietly inside number 4. Harry was relieved to see no eyes staring back. He had had several nasty experiences with eyes. Dobby the house elf, Mrs. Norris the evil cat from hell, Voldemort...
(Oh. Wait. You knew Harry Potter was a wizard, right? Good.)
Turning back to the new-comer, Harry noticed the car had pulled up and the diver was exiting. A short, brown-haired and tanned woman, she had a bouncy air about her. 'Wonder who she is?' The teenager glanced back a the window before walking towards the new person.
As he neared the house, he saw the woman was directing movers to leave everything in the front hall. Up close she was even more bouncy, dressed in tight jeans and a floral print shirt. When she noticed him she blinked before holding out her hand.
"Taylor Rowe-Love. I'm moving in here." She said.
"Hi." Harry replied. He wasn't really sure what to say to the forward woman. Was she a witch? Should he mention his name?
Was she a muggle, like his aunt and uncle? Should he even bother?
Was she working for Voldemort? Should he try to find out? Harry immediately brushed that idea aside. 'Dumbledore says I'm safe here.' He sternly reminded himself. Taylor frowned.
"Talkative, aren't you? Is it because I'm American?" She asked. Harry's brows furrowed.
"I knew there was something different about you." Harry blinked before realizing how impolite what he had said was. He gulped. 'Great way to talk to a person, Potter!' he thought to himself. Surprisingly, Taylor wasn't mortally wounded. In fact, she threw her head back and laughed. Harry blinked. Were all Americans crazy?
When she had finished laughing, Taylor wiped a tear from her eye.
"I'm terribly sorry. It's just...never mind." Taylor appeared to be trying to explain something, but she was just making Harry more confused.
"What?" He asked. Taylor smiled.
"Nothing." And that was the end of that.
"What has you so serious?" Taylor asked. Harry shrugged.
"I'd rather not talk about it." He said. Taylor shook her head. For once she listened to the teachings of her dear mother and didn't say anything more.
"Well young man, it was nice to meet you. I knew young people are always looking for money, so would you want to move some furniture for me?
I'll pay you of course. I need to have everything situated before work starts. This was a sudden move, so I didn't have time to make any arrangements."
Harry nodded. It sounded reasonable enough.
"Sure. I'll speak to my aunt and uncle about it." Taylor smiled again, and this time Harry smiled back.
"My name is Harry Potter." He said, breathless. He'd hate to ruin a new friendship with his celebrity status.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Potter."
TBC
A/n- Amazing. You are all some awesome for reading this far!!!! I love you. I just ask you to review. Please? For me? Okay, if you don't I'll be alright, but.... Anywho, about Fletch (senior). We're going to say Remus doesn't like him, so he hasn't spoken to him yet about the Op-Center. Yes, I understand the time listings (ex= several days later or ) are inconsistent, try to bear with me. If it doesn't had a time period listed inside the 's a short period of time has passed or it doesn't matter (most of the time it doesn't anyway, but oh well). And yes, the possessed dog and stag were Sirius and James. Snuffles had a crush on the barmaid. I mentioned a 'transfer of ownership.' aka Sirius flushes Kate's homework. It's an allusion to Redemption Of Athalus. It's a good book, the one I took my name from (Dweia).
I'm sooooooo sorry it took me this long to finish a chapter. I've been really busy with school and swim team and being sick (and catching up) to get this done. I know, I'm awful. Please try to find it in your hearts to forgive me. (dodges rotten vegetables). Really, I'm sorry! I love you all....
~Dweia'sDouble