Sirius Trouble
By: Bethany and Fleur
Rated: PG
Chapter 4 - Realizations and Memories
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A swirling mist covered the grounds of the Burrow the morning of August 9th. The clock beside Ron's bed read six eighteen a.m. when Harry jolted awake, sitting straight up in bed, breathing hard. Eyes wide, it took a moment for him to realize where he was. Upon remembering, he buried his face in his hands, rubbing his palms across his face vigorously, stopping to trace the lightening bolt shaped scar on his forehead that was burning slightly. His burning scar was bad enough, but he also had the remainders of a nightmare lingering in his sleep-congested brain. Groaning, he reached for his glasses, placing them on his face so that the room could come into clearer focus. Just beyond the horizon the sky was turning a pale pink, making a lovely picture as the sun slowly made its way up. While Harry was quite used to dreams, especially ones of Voldemort, it still caused a cold sweat to break out on his face. Even worse, this dream had been different than the many preceding it; yet the same one he had the night before. In it, Voldemort had lured Sirius into a trap, putting his godfather at terrible risk. As much as Harry wanted to believe that Sirius was in no present danger, the lack of information from Remus was unsettling. Hermione insisted that surely Remus was busy, and that was why he hadn't responded to Harry's letter. But to Harry it was just another piece of a larger puzzle that all pointed to his godfather being in trouble. Harry quietly pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill, careful not to wake Ron up as he scribbled what he could remember of his dream. There had been a cemetery, and a house near by with a Dark Mark hovering above it. The scene had quickly changed to that of a duel between Sirius and three men in black hooded robes: Death Eaters. One of them was a short man with a metal hand where a real one should have been, a wizard by the name of Peter Pettigrew. Harry still felt a boiling hate erupt in his chest at the thought. They had captured Sirius. And then the scene changed a final time, and Harry found himself alone at the end of a corridor. His heart pounding madly, he brought his wand out and whispered, "Lumos!" At the end of the tunnel was a room, and while Harry had yet to get to it before waking up, the fear he felt in his body and mind was enough to make him shiver. Harry glanced down at the parchment in his hand, scanning the writing to see if anything else would come to him. It didn't. Instead he started trying to piece together a time line that might help him to find Sirius. July 30th: Sirius showed up at the Dursley's to rescue him and then left to join back up with Remus. July 31st: Remus says that Sirius came back to his house safely, then sends the letter containing the box his mother had made. August 1st: Letter to Sirius is sent but returned seven days later... August 8th: The newspaper clipping placing Sirius in Godric's Hollow the night before arrives. Harry leaned back, staring at the stretched time line. It made no sense; up until August 8th, everything seemed almost…normal. It was then that the nightmares began, it was then that Hedwig had returned with his letter, it was then he had sent a letter to Remus to which he still had no reply. Frustrated, Harry let go of the parchment and it sprang back into a light roll. Throwing it in his trunk with his quill, he got to his feet and looked out the window. The sky was a variety of pastel colors now, none of which looked right to Harry. Shouldn't it be dark and foreboding? Shouldn't the weather mirror how he felt? It would feel more appropriate for it to be pouring rain with the occasional crack of thunder rolling across the land. Ron gave a loud snore, turned over, and buried his face deeper in his covers. For a moment Harry felt a pang of envy; obviously Ron had no nightmares of Voldemort to keep him awake at night. Climbing over the cot that he slept on, Harry quietly opened the door and went into the hall beyond, leaving Ron to sleep. He crept down the stairs, pushing his fingers through his hair distractedly as he descended the many steps. As he walked pictures smiled or waved at him, though many only snored lightly. He ignored them all, thinking only of his nightmare. Perhaps he was thinking a little too hard, for it wasn't long before he felt a body collide with his own. "Ow!" a small voice said from under him. Harry backed up, rubbing his chest and adjusting his glasses. He had knocked head long into Ginny, who was giving him a strange look. "Harry," she said finally, "what's wrong?" Harry stared at her a minute before he suddenly realized that it must have been her chin, or forehead, that hit his chest. "Sorry for- um, running into you," he said dumbly, not sure if he wanted to answer her question. He had to give it to her, she looked a lot like her mother in that next second with her hands on her hips and her brown eyes boring into his green ones. "What's wrong?" she repeated, this time more firmly. Harry slowly brought his hand down from his chest, unable to break away the eye contact he had with the youngest Weasley. He opened his mouth but nothing came out, making him look a lot like a fish out of water. Giving up, he closed it. Ginny sighed, finally breaking the stare. "Never mind, you don't have to say. I know there's tons I don't know about, I can just add this to the list, hmm?" Harry bit his bottom lip, still unable to find words that didn't sound extremely stupid. And then suddenly, as if a dam had broken in his mind, he grabbed her arm and lead her down the rest of the stairs and into the kitchen. They sat at the table, Harry sitting across from Ginny, the latter looking quite startled at the abrupt change in her companion's attitude. She gave him a puzzled look, but said nothing. Finally Harry managed to find his voice…the problem was, only when he started, he found he couldn't quite stop. He began with; "In third year.." And told her everything, from Professor Lupin being a werewolf, to his father being an animagus, to Sirius breaking out of Azkaban to get to the not- quite-dead Peter. He went on to explain about the tasks, Barty Crouch Jr., his guilt about Cedric Diggory, and then the dreams he had been having about Sirius. Finally he ended, nearly a half hour later, by banging his head on the scrubbed wooden table. A ringing silence followed his story, in which time Harry found he couldn't quite catch his breath properly. A voice in the back of his mind was asking him if hadn't just done something incredibly daft, and Harry couldn't help but agree. He waited for Ginny to say something - anything - but all was silent. Finally he gathered his courage and looked up. What he saw startled him. Ginny was crying. A few tears had slipped down her cheek that she wiped at when he glanced up at her. Biting her bottom lip, she reached out and gripped Harry's arm firmly. "Oh Merlin, Harry...I-I didn't even think..." "That was the idea," Harry said lamely, shaking his head. "Not many people know what happened from then on. And--" Harry stopped, eyebrows knitted in confusion. "I can't believe I just told you everything and it didn't seem to bother me at all." When Ginny gave him a look of pure puzzlement, he continued. "I could barely get that all out when I told Dumbledore." Ginny flushed slightly, but held his gaze. And oddly, a sense of comfort blanketed Harry. It was much like the feeling that he had on his birthday. He was struck by a sudden thought. "Ginny, did you--on my birthday, that is, did you see...?" Ginny nodded, chewing on her bottom lip once more. "I'm sorry Harry. I didn't mean to, but I heard someone talking and peeked in--" She gripped his arm a bit tighter. "That was your Mum?" "Yeah," Harry replied, thinking back to the small wooden box in his truck. "That was her." He shook his head, as if trying to clear away the thought by doing so, and once more found his gaze penetrating Ginny's. "Thank you." There was a rumble from above then that sounded suspiciously like a heard of elephants-or Weasleys- descending the stairs. Ginny's eyes flickered up and she stood, leaning her head towards Harry's. "Anytime," she whispered before planting her soft lips on his forehead. Harry closed his eyes briefly as she lingered there, then pulled away. When he opened his eyes, she was gone. * * After breakfast Harry, Ron and Hermione once again took up their post at the garden wall overlooking the Burrow. Harry told them an abbreviated story of what happened, skipping over the part of bumping into Ginny, telling Ginny everything, and the kiss that Ginny gave him. He didn't quite think Ron would be the right person to tell that to, especially the fact that he liked it. Instead he waited with baited breath for their reactions. They were very similar to what he had pictured in his mind. Ron looked downright scared about his scar hurting, and Hermione had whispered "Oh no, Sirius! But your dreams Harry..." and clasped her hands over her mouth. "Come true? Are real?" Harry supplied helpfully. Ron nearly toppled off the wall. "We have to do something!" Ron said after he had regained his balance. He'd put on brave face that was lined with determination. "Did you hear back from Remus yet?" "No," Harry mumbled, shoulders sagging. "Don't be dense, Ron," Hermione said, as if she hadn't heard his last question. "We can't do anything. We've been lucky so far, I don't think we should test it again. We have to tell--" "Who?" Ron said testily, looking rather irritable that Hermione hadn't stood up and yelled 'CHARGE!' as if she was leading them into battle. "We tell my Mum and she won't let us out of her sight until we're legal. If we tell Dad we'll get a lecture on letting grown up wizards and witches take care of it. And no, Hermione," Ron said suddenly, giving her an intense glare. "We aren't going straight to Dumbledore." "What we need," Harry interjected, more to stop the oncoming battle than anything else, "is more information. I wrote out a time line, trying to figure out what's going on. But without a reply from Remus, it's--" "Hopeless," Ron completed. Hermione looked thoughtful. Harry hoped she was coming up with a good plan, he couldn't take much more of not knowing. "Look, if we don't hear back from Remus in the next couple of days, we'll--" Both Ron and Harry were looking at Hermione, expecting something great. She sagged her shoulders. "I don't know, I just don't. But we can't go running off to Remus' to ask him." But as they lapsed into silence, Harry couldn't help thinking that should be exactly what they do. * * Remus awoke rather early and lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. The room at Arabella's, in which he was now taking refuge, was small, but rather cozy. It was decorated in light, cheerful colors, with a lightly stained wardrobe on the wall opposite of the bed. The hand knitted blanket laying over him was a variety of colors, but he remembered fondly that Arabella always liked odd things. In fact, remembering things about Arabella had been about all he could do when he wasn't in her presence. He was flooded with things that he had repressed, flashes of memories that were best forgotten. *** "Shhhhhh!" Arabella giggled as she made the noise, trying to glare at her boyfriend for being entirely too loud. "We're going to get caught, you prat!" "Might be worth it," Remus said mildly, grabbing her by the waist and bringing her to him. He tried to put his lips on hers, but she moved out of his reach and scrambled up the remaining steps that lead to Gryffindor tower. Remus, smiling to himself, followed closely at her heels. By the time he had reached the landing, she already had the portrait open and Remus tried not to look too guilty as the Fat Lady eyed him. Arabella was waiting on the other side, her curls bouncing slightly as she looked around at the empty room quickly. Remus grabbed her yet again, and this time she didn't protest. Instead she latched her arms around his neck securely as he brought his lips to hers. And they could have stayed that way for a while, except for the giggling that was coming from near the fire place. Both ignored it, until it got slightly louder and was soon followed by "James, quit it!" in the unmistakable voice of Lily Evans. A smile on his lips, Remus broke their kiss and glanced over his frowning girlfriend's shoulder to see a flash of red hair. "Oooh, ignore them," Arabella said sulkily, trying to get his attention again. But it was too late, he was heading further into the room. She tugged on his arm, and he turned, giving her a lopsided smile and bringing his wand out. "Just a second, love," he said and tiptoed up behind the unsuspecting couple. "Potter! Evans! What do you think you're doing?!" Remus bellowed in a voice that sounded so much like McGonagall that even Arabella was looking around in astonishment. James leapt off the sofa, followed quickly by Lily, who was compulsively straightening her hair. James was red-faced and either mad or embarrassed, Remus couldn't tell which. But when he realized it was not their Head of House, but his friend, he brought his own wand out and hexed Remus. "I always thought he was the level-headed one," muttered Lily. *** These memories, of himself and Arabella when they were young, and very much in love, also came at a price. They were intertwined with memories of Lily and James as well, of their years at Hogwarts when the battle looming outside the walls was drowned out. He remember the feeling that because they were the cleverest students Hogwarts had seen in many years the war that effected everyone couldn't possibly touch them. How wrong they were. How foolish to believe so much in their own abilities. It wasn't until seventh year, when James' parents had been brutally murdered that the threat became real. Was Peter passing information then? Remus thought to himself, digested for not having seen his one time friend for what he was. Is that how James' parents were found? These thoughts weren't ones he wanted to get tangled up in, and certainly not this early in the morning. So instead of staying in bed, he got up and quietly stole to the bathroom to shower. Once he was dressed, he headed for the kitchen, all thoughts on a steaming hot mug of coffee. Instead he was greeted with Arabella, and a very different one at that. He hadn't seen her this way in many years. She was tousled haired and pale from just getting out of bed. To his amusement, she still wore those muggle pajama pants and t-shirts she was always so fond of, including a pair of house shoes that looked suspiciously like cats. She yawned loudly as he walked in, making a slight whiny noise in her throat that caused him to smile despite himself. "Good morning," he said as he entered the kitchen, going to the counter in search of a mug. She started slightly, nearly dropping her mug, before giving him a reproachful glare. "What's good about it?" she grumbled, her face half hidden by the rather large mug of coffee she had to her lips. Remus said nothing, past experiences reminding him that it was best not to talk to her until she had downed her third cup. She had never been a morning person, and time hadn't stomped that out of her one bit. Trying his best to hide his smile of amusement at her intense glare, he poured his own coffee and made his way to the table. Arabella joined him a moment later, still drinking deeply from her mug. She sat cross-legged in the chair, looking at nothing particular. "Accio!" she suddenly mumbled, giving her wand a small flick. The coffee pot came flying over to the table where she caught it, and poured herself and Remus more. "Have you written to Harry yet?" she asked suddenly. "No," Remus responded. Arabella frowned, setting her cup down and leaning forward. "Remus, you have to." "I know." An uneasy silence pierced the room. "Have you heard from Sirius?" "No." She sighed, giving Remus a stern look that he ignored. "You have to tell that poor boy something. He must be going crazy with worry for you and Sirius by now." "Me?" Remus looked honestly surprised. Arabella rolled her eyes disdainfully. "Yes, you. From what you've told me he formed quite an attachment to you when you taught at Hogwarts. Harry has no family, Remus, you know that. Finally, you and Sirius were thrown into his life, and it's like he finally has a small part of his parents back." Remus stared at the table during this speech, wondering what James and Lily would say if they could see him now. Scared to talk to their son, even though he knew how much Harry worried about his godfather. Scared to talk to Arabella, knowing how much he still loved her. He realized that fear was consuming him, but all he could do was shut it away and hope it didn't hinder his goals. If he closed his eyes, he could practically see Lily scolding him like she used to do the Marauders many years ago. Arabella stood up, snapping Remus out of his thoughts. As he watched her wash up the few dishes in the sink by hand, he felt a burning sensation in the back of his throat. Would it be possible to undo so many of the wrongs that had been done? Hesitantly he got to his feet and walked up behind her. Trying to calm the thumping of his rapidly beating heart, he slid his arms around her waist, making her gasp. "I'm sorry Bella," he mumbled, sitting his chin atop her head so that the smell of her hair flooded his senses. "I'm sorry for everything I have ever done to hurt you." He felt her tense up slightly, her hands gripping the counter edge. "Don't Remus..." she said in a slightly pleading voice. "The past is said and done." "But it still hurts. At least it hurts me," he whispered back. Arabella caught herself between wanting to run and wanting to turn around to face him. Her chest ached physically and she felt the familiar sting of tears in her eyes. "It took so long to get over you; please don't make me do it again." Remus breathed in deeply, running his hands down her arms and unclenching them from the counter so he could turn her around. Placing his finger under her chin, he tilted her head up to look at him. There were tears shining in her beautiful blue eyes, and he knew instinctively that he didn't want them there any longer. The years between them seemed to vanish in a split second. It was like they were back in Hogwarts, and had had nothing more than a disagreement. Remus quickly closed the gap between their lips. It felt like the first time he kissed her-and the last. When he finally pulled away, for more of a lack of oxygen than actually wanting to, Arabella was crying hard. She stared him in the eyes for a long time and then laid her head on his chest as her arms snaked around his body. "I thought I'd never feel your arms around me again," she mumbled after a long moment. Remus gently placed his lips in her hair. "You won't ever have to wonder again, if you don't want to. I'm done running from my past, I have to face up to it and move on." "Does that mean you're going to write to Harry?" Remus chuckled lightly. He would almost agree to anything right now. "Alright. But if I do, will you give me another chance?" "I would have given you one anyway, you prat." --End Chapter 4. I know this chapter is extremely weird, not too much happening and is shorter than the other chapters. But it's where we stopped, sorry about that ;) I've stared at the end of this chapter for what seems like hours, and I just can't write anything that works for me. So with the fresh outlook of a whole new chapter, we'll get going again. And the next chapter is bound to be a little more action-filled. Standard disclaimer here: we don't own Harry Potter. Thanks to our reviewers! *huggles* Read? Review! Please!! <3 Bethany & Fleur 06.01.03
