The next morning was an absolute blur for Harry. Someone had woken him up
before the sun had even risen. They had laid some robes out on Ron's bed
for him to wear. He pulled them on quickly and went down to the kitchen.
Remus poured him a cup of coffee and muttered in a half hearted tone,
"Morning, Harry."
"Yeah." Harry replied. Yeah, it was morning. They were going to Sirius's funeral today. He and Remus sipped their coffee while Dobby prodded them to eat breakfast. Eventually they gave in to his demands and prodded the food around their plates.
At 8 o'clock on the dot the door bell rang. Dobby answered it and Tonks came down into the kitchen. She was wearing raven black robes, and hair to match. Harry noticed that her eyes were blood shot. "Mad Eye has gone up to fetch Phineas.", she croaked. She took the cup of coffee that Dobby offered her, but declined his offer of breakfast.
When Mad Eye entered the kitchen a few moments later he was levitating the portrait of Phineas Nigellus.. Moody was dressed in pitch black dress robes. His usually unkempt hair was pulled back into a neat pony tail. His magical eye was shooting around dangerously. Harry thought it might pop out at any moment.
Snape and his mother Kristina followed Moody into the kitchen. Kristina was wearing a green terrycloth bathrobe, and was blowing her nose and crying freely. Snape was wearing his usual black, but his robes appeared to be of a much finer quality.
"I wish I could join you all." Kristina said sadly hugging Harry. "If I wore a disguise-"
"No!" Moody, Snape, and Phineas cried all at once causing everyone else to jump.
Phineas looked kindly at Kristina from his portrait. "Thank you for wishing, but it is unsafe for a dead woman to appear at someone else's funeral."
Kristina nodded sadly.
"All right, let get a move on." Moody said levitating Phineas's portrait up the stairs. They all filed after him. Harry felt completely numb.
In the hall the curtains to Sirius's Mothers portrait opened. She watched them as they approached. "I demand to be taken with you! He was my son!"
Moody snorted, "You disowned him or don't you remember?"
Mrs. Black scowled, "He is going! He is going and he has always called Sirius a disappointment!", she said pointing to Phineas.
"You've put an unstickable charm on your portrait." Remus pointed out, "Even if we did want to bring you, we couldn't."
She began screeching hysterically. "I can go in another portrait, if I must!" They ignored her and walked out of the front door.
Once they had reached the main street Snape raised his wand hand hailing the Knight bus. They all piled in. The bus was uncommonly empty. Arnie didn't even receive instructions as to there destination. Everyone sat quietly.
Harry looked out of the window. Normally, doing this on the Knight bus made him sick, but today he was not seeing the buildings jumping out of the way or the mail boxes picking themselves up off of the road as they trampled them. He saw Sirius. Sirius, sitting in the stands watching Harry play Quidditch, Sirius chasing his tail in order to make Harry laugh, Sirius singing Christmas carols that only he knew the words to, Sirius laughing, Sirius brooding, Sirius dueling, Sirius falling behind the curtain.
"Harry?" Tonks said from beside him.
Harry turned to look at her to find that she was all blurry. He sniffed and wiped the tears away with his sleeves. "I'm sorry.", he whispered.
"Don't be sorry." Tonks said, "Never be sorry for loving. I will miss him too." She blew her nose noisily.
Moody turned around in his chair to face them. "We are going to the Ministry Potter. I didn't want it to shock you. We are going to the Arch. That is where he fell. That is where we will be having the funeral. After the funeral Stump Bloodtree, the Black family lawyer, will be reading Sirius's will."
Harry nodded and took a deep breath. "Can't we just open the curtain and let him out?", he asked with out looking up.
"There is no coming back from the Arch. I'm sorry, Potter. Sirius was a good man, and to damned young to die." Moody said sadly.
Harry nodded again and stared out of the window. Tonks broke him out of his reverie and led him down the stairs of the Knight bus. They were standing outside of the Ministry of Magic. Harry recognized the broken down phone booth almost immediately.
"You two first." Moody said pointing at Snape and Harry. His magical eye was taking in the street and buildings surrounding them. He, Tonks and Remus all had their wands out.
Snape and Harry entered the phone booth. Snape picked up the phone and dialed, M-A-G-I-C. A high pitched nasal voice that sounded thoroughly bored filled the phone booth. "Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business."
"Special Agent Severus Snape, Department of Mysteries and Harry Potter. We are here for the reading of the will and funeral for Sirius Black."
Snape caught Harry's attention with this statement. Special Agent for the Department of Mysteries? What did Snape do for the Depart of Mysteries? Snape pinned something to Harry's shirt and the floor began to lower.
A Security Wizard was waiting for them at the entrance. Harry waited patiently for him to weigh his wand. By the time he had finished Tonks, Moody and Remus had appeared. Remus pulled a necklace off of his neck and handed it to the Security Wizard. The Security Wizard, Hank, reached for the necklace and then halted in mid gesture.
"Uh, just set it on there.", he pointed to the scale that had weighed Harry's wand.
Remus nodded and did as he was told. Hank pulled the small slip of paper from the scale with the tips of his fingers. He dropped it quickly into a book.
Snape scowled and Hank winced.
"Absolute rubbish!" Moody said eyeing the young man behind the desk. Hank winced again. "Yes sir. I don't make the law though sir."
It was now Moody's' turn to scowl. "I meant you! You damn fool! You can't catch lycanthropy by touching him or anything he touches! He needs to bite you while he is a werewolf!" Moody snorted, "Maybe, you need a visual aid? Why don't I take him for a walk over to yer' place during the full moon? What do you say?"
"N-n-no sir!" Hank said picking up Remus' dog tags from the scale and handed them to him.
Tonks led them to the lift. "Ignorant anorak! Department of mysteries!", she shouted at the lift after they had all entered.
"Don't worry about it." Remus said shrugging. "I am used to it."
"You shouldn't be." Harry said angrily causing Remus and Tonks to jump.
"Naffing idiots like that really burn my knickers!" Tonks added. "Why can't you just be a man? You are only a werewolf once a month. Hell, I am quite a bitch once a month too."
Moody chuckled. "Only once a month?"
Tonks smacked his arm and with a frustrated look transfigured her face to look just like Moody. She stuck her tongue out at him, and turned to look at her backside. "Oh, you are the fool that blasted off your buttocks with your wand!"
Remus, Harry and Snape all began laughing. "Department of Mysteries." The lift announced. They all piled out. This time Harry led them. He knew exactly where the Arch was.
When they entered the room with the Arch they found that it was quite full of witches and wizards already. Mixed in the crowd Harry saw them. He nudged Remus and pointed to Draco and his mum.
"Dumbledore thought she might show up." Moody said. "Nothing to worry about Potter."
Draco turned and looked right into Harry's eyes. He smiled, and pointed to the Arch, then to Harry and then drew a line across his neck. He started laughing. Harry clenched his fists and started forward. Remus stopped him. "Don't Harry. We are here for Sirius."
"What are they doing here?" Harry asked.
"They are here to cause trouble." Snape said simply.
"So, don't let them get a rise out of you." Moody said directing them all toward a tall man wearing Plum robes. "That'll be Stump. He has some news that will get a rise out of them. Don't you worry Potter."
"Yeah." Harry replied. Yeah, it was morning. They were going to Sirius's funeral today. He and Remus sipped their coffee while Dobby prodded them to eat breakfast. Eventually they gave in to his demands and prodded the food around their plates.
At 8 o'clock on the dot the door bell rang. Dobby answered it and Tonks came down into the kitchen. She was wearing raven black robes, and hair to match. Harry noticed that her eyes were blood shot. "Mad Eye has gone up to fetch Phineas.", she croaked. She took the cup of coffee that Dobby offered her, but declined his offer of breakfast.
When Mad Eye entered the kitchen a few moments later he was levitating the portrait of Phineas Nigellus.. Moody was dressed in pitch black dress robes. His usually unkempt hair was pulled back into a neat pony tail. His magical eye was shooting around dangerously. Harry thought it might pop out at any moment.
Snape and his mother Kristina followed Moody into the kitchen. Kristina was wearing a green terrycloth bathrobe, and was blowing her nose and crying freely. Snape was wearing his usual black, but his robes appeared to be of a much finer quality.
"I wish I could join you all." Kristina said sadly hugging Harry. "If I wore a disguise-"
"No!" Moody, Snape, and Phineas cried all at once causing everyone else to jump.
Phineas looked kindly at Kristina from his portrait. "Thank you for wishing, but it is unsafe for a dead woman to appear at someone else's funeral."
Kristina nodded sadly.
"All right, let get a move on." Moody said levitating Phineas's portrait up the stairs. They all filed after him. Harry felt completely numb.
In the hall the curtains to Sirius's Mothers portrait opened. She watched them as they approached. "I demand to be taken with you! He was my son!"
Moody snorted, "You disowned him or don't you remember?"
Mrs. Black scowled, "He is going! He is going and he has always called Sirius a disappointment!", she said pointing to Phineas.
"You've put an unstickable charm on your portrait." Remus pointed out, "Even if we did want to bring you, we couldn't."
She began screeching hysterically. "I can go in another portrait, if I must!" They ignored her and walked out of the front door.
Once they had reached the main street Snape raised his wand hand hailing the Knight bus. They all piled in. The bus was uncommonly empty. Arnie didn't even receive instructions as to there destination. Everyone sat quietly.
Harry looked out of the window. Normally, doing this on the Knight bus made him sick, but today he was not seeing the buildings jumping out of the way or the mail boxes picking themselves up off of the road as they trampled them. He saw Sirius. Sirius, sitting in the stands watching Harry play Quidditch, Sirius chasing his tail in order to make Harry laugh, Sirius singing Christmas carols that only he knew the words to, Sirius laughing, Sirius brooding, Sirius dueling, Sirius falling behind the curtain.
"Harry?" Tonks said from beside him.
Harry turned to look at her to find that she was all blurry. He sniffed and wiped the tears away with his sleeves. "I'm sorry.", he whispered.
"Don't be sorry." Tonks said, "Never be sorry for loving. I will miss him too." She blew her nose noisily.
Moody turned around in his chair to face them. "We are going to the Ministry Potter. I didn't want it to shock you. We are going to the Arch. That is where he fell. That is where we will be having the funeral. After the funeral Stump Bloodtree, the Black family lawyer, will be reading Sirius's will."
Harry nodded and took a deep breath. "Can't we just open the curtain and let him out?", he asked with out looking up.
"There is no coming back from the Arch. I'm sorry, Potter. Sirius was a good man, and to damned young to die." Moody said sadly.
Harry nodded again and stared out of the window. Tonks broke him out of his reverie and led him down the stairs of the Knight bus. They were standing outside of the Ministry of Magic. Harry recognized the broken down phone booth almost immediately.
"You two first." Moody said pointing at Snape and Harry. His magical eye was taking in the street and buildings surrounding them. He, Tonks and Remus all had their wands out.
Snape and Harry entered the phone booth. Snape picked up the phone and dialed, M-A-G-I-C. A high pitched nasal voice that sounded thoroughly bored filled the phone booth. "Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business."
"Special Agent Severus Snape, Department of Mysteries and Harry Potter. We are here for the reading of the will and funeral for Sirius Black."
Snape caught Harry's attention with this statement. Special Agent for the Department of Mysteries? What did Snape do for the Depart of Mysteries? Snape pinned something to Harry's shirt and the floor began to lower.
A Security Wizard was waiting for them at the entrance. Harry waited patiently for him to weigh his wand. By the time he had finished Tonks, Moody and Remus had appeared. Remus pulled a necklace off of his neck and handed it to the Security Wizard. The Security Wizard, Hank, reached for the necklace and then halted in mid gesture.
"Uh, just set it on there.", he pointed to the scale that had weighed Harry's wand.
Remus nodded and did as he was told. Hank pulled the small slip of paper from the scale with the tips of his fingers. He dropped it quickly into a book.
Snape scowled and Hank winced.
"Absolute rubbish!" Moody said eyeing the young man behind the desk. Hank winced again. "Yes sir. I don't make the law though sir."
It was now Moody's' turn to scowl. "I meant you! You damn fool! You can't catch lycanthropy by touching him or anything he touches! He needs to bite you while he is a werewolf!" Moody snorted, "Maybe, you need a visual aid? Why don't I take him for a walk over to yer' place during the full moon? What do you say?"
"N-n-no sir!" Hank said picking up Remus' dog tags from the scale and handed them to him.
Tonks led them to the lift. "Ignorant anorak! Department of mysteries!", she shouted at the lift after they had all entered.
"Don't worry about it." Remus said shrugging. "I am used to it."
"You shouldn't be." Harry said angrily causing Remus and Tonks to jump.
"Naffing idiots like that really burn my knickers!" Tonks added. "Why can't you just be a man? You are only a werewolf once a month. Hell, I am quite a bitch once a month too."
Moody chuckled. "Only once a month?"
Tonks smacked his arm and with a frustrated look transfigured her face to look just like Moody. She stuck her tongue out at him, and turned to look at her backside. "Oh, you are the fool that blasted off your buttocks with your wand!"
Remus, Harry and Snape all began laughing. "Department of Mysteries." The lift announced. They all piled out. This time Harry led them. He knew exactly where the Arch was.
When they entered the room with the Arch they found that it was quite full of witches and wizards already. Mixed in the crowd Harry saw them. He nudged Remus and pointed to Draco and his mum.
"Dumbledore thought she might show up." Moody said. "Nothing to worry about Potter."
Draco turned and looked right into Harry's eyes. He smiled, and pointed to the Arch, then to Harry and then drew a line across his neck. He started laughing. Harry clenched his fists and started forward. Remus stopped him. "Don't Harry. We are here for Sirius."
"What are they doing here?" Harry asked.
"They are here to cause trouble." Snape said simply.
"So, don't let them get a rise out of you." Moody said directing them all toward a tall man wearing Plum robes. "That'll be Stump. He has some news that will get a rise out of them. Don't you worry Potter."
