Disclaimer: Am. Jen- I still don't understand why this is necessary… I mean everyone in the world, even the people who have never really read HP before knows who all of the stuff belongs to… so what's the point of wasting my time typing it? I'm wasting my time writing this explanation of why I don't think disclaimers are really needed. I'm sick of it! It annoys the heck out of me! You know what else annoys me… when you give the guy at the register a ten and they give you back change for a five! I also hate it when you do your stinkin' homework and then you can't find it when you really need it even though you're sure that you put it in your blue folder, but then you realize that you put in your other blue folder which you left at home…
Chapter 7: Of Mice and Dogs
The rain began to fall from the sky more steadily, pounding on their heads and soaking their cloaks. "Hey, Herm… now you can say you've been in your first wet T-shirt contest!" teased Ron.
"Oh, shut up!" scolded Hermione, hitting him so hard on the arm that the bruise appeared almost instantly. They arrived at the Tree Broomsticks to see Harry sitting at a corner table, sipping a large mug of butterbeer. Spotting them, he got up leaving a few sickles behind on the table.
"Where were you Herm?" he asked. He was trying hard not to think about last night's kiss, which was still on his mind.
"Oh, just getting a book," she said smiling at Ron who smiled back at her. "Ron came and got me." Harry caught the smile and began to worry.
What was that for? Do they like each other? Does Hermione like Ron? What did they do at that bookshop that made them smile at each other like that?
Harry began to feel worse about last night's kiss and was starting to think that there wasn't even the tiniest hint of passion in it. "Come on guys, we have to go see Snuffles," said Hermione, looking around to see if anyone heard, even though she used the code name.
"Right, let's go." Outside the rain was falling ten times as hard as before, hitting them like ice even though it was relatively warm out. Thunder rumbled off in the distance and the large clouds ("Cumulonimbus," stated Hermione boasting some of her pre-Hogwarts knowledge) became darker and more ominous in appearance, nearly resembling the night sky. Somewhere, though it seemed like everywhere, lightning flashed covering the sky as if someone had taken a picture with an enormous camera.
Climbing along the hillside was a bit of a challenge. The rain made the rocks and boulders slippery and hard to grip. Hermione winced every time they heard a large crack of thunder in the air and Ron complained about being wet and how the lightning would strike them dead any second.
Ten or twenty minutes passed before they reached the cave. Sirius stood in front of the tiny entrance, a smile on his face as Harry, Ron, and Hermione staggered towards his with dampened clothes and spirits.
"Hello, Sirius," said Harry, trying to regulate his breathing from the exhausting journey up the rocky slope.
"Hello, Harry. Ron. Hermione. Its great to see you all again." Before anyone could say anything else, a muffled moan echoed from within the cave.
"What was that?" asked Hermione, trying to see through the small entrance hole with no luck.
"That is what I have asked you all here for," replied Sirius, a serious look drawing across his face. A sudden thought of horror struck Harry's mind.
"It's not Buckbeak, is it? He's not sick or hurt is he?" Harry stood waiting for the answer, expecting the worst. Sirius looked at Harry for a few seconds before a large grin cracked across his face and he began laughing, confusing Harry all the more.
"No no no. It's nothing like that. Buckbeak is as healthy as a horse… or an eagle if you want it that way. Follow me, I'll show you." Sirius transfigured into his dog disguise and entered the cave. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had more trouble trying to squeeze through the diminutive introgression.
Once inside they found Sirius as a man again and they began to wander around through the cave, stopping when they saw Buckbeak. The large hippogriff stood over a lump of something wrapped in ropes, shaking and moaning. Confusion engulfed Harry Ron and Hermione's minds.
"Come on, turn over you pathetic, miserable form of a man." Slowly, the lump rolled over revealing a practically hairless head and a pointed nose. Hermione gasped.
"P…P…Peter?" stuttered Ron.
"How'd you get him Sirius?" asked Harry in surprise.
"Our pal, here made the mistake of wandering around these hillsides for the past few weeks. He was trying to figure out a way for Voldemort to get close to you, Harry. I observed him for a while and after I had managed to get some rope I grabbed him as he passed by this cave. Unfortunately, Voldemort might have gotten some information out of the git so I'd watch out for yourself, Harry."
"So, that means that you can turn him in right?" asked Ron. "And you'll be a free man?"
"Yeah, I need a little help from a few people though. Like you guys." Harry pulled Sirius closer to him and spoke in a low voice.
"Why hasn't Wormtail escaped. I mean, couldn't he just transfigure into a rat and get out of here?"
Sirius burst out laughing. "That's a funny story actually, isn't it, Wormtail? He tried that once. But he found out quickly that Buckbeak here likes to play with mice, and quite roughly. Nearly lost another finger, didn't you Wormtail?" The small man shook his head.
Harry's head was spinning. Sirius was going to be a free man once Peter was turned in to the ministry. He wouldn't have to hide anymore. He'd probably buy himself a house after getting a job. And… Harry's heart began to beat faster at his newest thought: Harry would finally be able to leave the Dursley's and live with his godfather. "When are you going to go to the ministry?"
"Today, actually. You three are going to come with me. We just need to wait for one more person before we leave." Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other quizzically.
"Who else needs to be here?" asked Hermione.
"I do," said a familiar voice from the entrance of the cave.
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We are SOOOOO sorry that this chapter was so short. The next chapter will be much longer though (eyes British Jen who has the job of writing the next chapter). The following chapters will also have much more romance and the dreams will become more frequent. Thanks for reading please review!
And don't forget to check out our other solo stories:
American Jen- Pen name = FlyingSheepAirlines
British Jen- Pen name = DreamWeaver (the one with the email: TaurusDragon1788@aol.com)
And now for the thank yous:
Lyssa: hey, we luv ya… thanks 4 reviewing… don't worry about Ron, we'll set him up w/ someone later… t2ul8r
danfan: No, Ron doesn't have a thing for Hermione… he was just being a good friend… thanks for reviewing
jandl: thanks for reviewing we're glad you like it so much
LiZz: Never fear… more H/Hr moments will be here soon… what kind of people would we be if we didn't have any in the story? And of course they'll find out eventually…
Leah: a book? Wow… maybe… hmmm… thanks for reviewing… and B-Jen isn't here right now but if she was she'd definitely thank you for commenting on her acing of the exam.
blue-strawberry52: yeah that eye thing really bugs us… bugs? I hate bugs… they drive me crazy… crazy? I was crazy once. They put me in a circular room and told me to sit in the corner. That bugs me… bugs? I hate bugs… they drive me crazy… crazy? I was crazy once… (Sorry to Emily for stealing your thing) thanks for reviewing!
Lily Rose Evans: thank you so much… keep reviewing!
Lime: more moments to come… thanks for reviewing we love you!
Muirnin: we're glad to see him being sensitive too… thanks
JediMasterWhit: thank you … happy to know that you like it
Sherry: well more is here… thanks for reviewing
Teenagedreamer: interesting and satisfying… thank you!
ears91: thanks… I guess we are… and about Ron… we're gonna hook him up w/ someone so he won't be jealous… thanks for reviewing!
hpdancer92: oh so that's why… it still bothers me though… and B-Jen… it's the principle of the thing… and chocolate… yummy… don't mind if we do… thanks for reviewing!
Drawwilhoit: thank you… no errors?… not one? That's funny cuz some people think we need to work on grammar and stuff…… oh well… thank u anyway!
tomzgurl77: plot bunnies always hang around….. they visit us a night while we sleep but they leave a mess on the floor… thanks for reviewing!
If anyone is missing from our list then we are terribly sorry (A-Jen looks around to see if anyone is listening… its all B-Jen's fault if there are missing peoples…)
