I know, this chapter took AGES. But I was cursed with writers block on this
story. I'll try to update quicker next time, I swear!
shdurrani ~ Thank you!
**MP** ~ You pressed the button, I am happy. Thanks!
amy ~ We hear about Remy and Harry now. Sorry it took so long!
ChristinaLupin01442 ~ I think the hiding away and brooding thing runs in the family!
takari4ever7 ~ SO sorry for the wait! I'll never do it again!
Molly Weasley85 ~ I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry! *takes deep breath* I really truly am! *looks hopeful* Are you still going to email me the Moony is Harry's father fics?
Cricket ~ Thanks!
Lady Maria ~ glad you like it, sorry for the wait!
Sabrina451 ~ Thank you!
SlytherinAtHeart ~ Thank you!!
Naomi SilverWolf ~ *Sigh* It's okay; I can ignore the happy dance. Really, I can. And I can put up with it. See? *is putting up with happy dance*
Xirleb70 ~ Thank you so much, and I am so sorry that it took so long!
Gabriela1 ~ Thank you. This chapter is longer!
LoonyLoopyLisa ~ Maybe people buy the rotten veggies at the show if it's bad? *shrugs* Thanks, and sorry!
Moony Lover ~ Don't worry, I'll email! Remy might get a girlfriend later, and I'm sure that there'll be a few conversations about Sam in the future - or even flashbacks with her in them. Amber might get important, and I don't THINK she's Sam.... I guess I wont know until later. But I'm pretty sure that Sam is dead.
Hermione HP ~ I am so sorry about the wait! I'm glad you like it, and I hope you keep reading!
Ivy Crane ~ Well, no....hey, I did say no! hah! Um, Moony is in this chapter, and reacting.
Fate's Child ~ Argh! *Ducks those mysterious flying objects* Gah.....damn things. Anyway, yes the Ton-Tongue Toffee happened, but a little different. Harry got grounded next summer, Dudley got in a bit of trouble for straying off his diet, and Petunia, Dudley and Vernon never eat anything that Harry brings home at summer.
Fox690 ~ Harry'll find out soon. Glad you like my Percy, I've always thought that he has a sense of humour hiding around somewhere. I've now been proved wrong, but I still like my Percy. I don't mind the Snape as Harry's father fics, but I've never read one with Remus - so I wrote one. Ramble all you want, if you want. Thank you for reviewing, and I hope you like the chapter!
person within the beast ~ All right, I will!
Smudged ~ Well, I'm glad you read and reviewed! I am so sorry that it took so long! And yes, the review was definitely long enough.
PixiFire ~ I'm sorry. Breath! Glad you like!
tnr ~ Okay!
Sky ~ Thank you! Er, please put the knife down. I'm scared of sharp pointy objects that I don't have control of! *grin*
Naomi SilverWolf ~ Oh, you want me to update? *laughs* Okay, I get the idea!
Lanfear ~ Thank you!
Lenai Riddle ~ *laughs* So, how many people did you trip on the car?
pixyfairy120 ~ I am SOOOOO sorry that it took so long!!!
A Bit of Old Parchment ~ Wow, thank you! And, interesting pen name!
MarsMoonStar ~ Thanks!
Dragon-Phoenix2 ~ Thank you! Remus and Harry'll talk next chapter, most likely.
THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED!!!
And again, sorry about the wait!
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
The Unknown and The Diaries
By: The Aussie Slytherin
Chapter Ten
Marc, Jess, Charly, Andre and Sonea were still sitting in the Void. Well, except for Andre who was actually lying on the floor.
"Right," Marc said suddenly. "I'm not taking this any more. I have a Plan."
"Oh god, save us all," Jess said, grinning.
"What's this brilliant idea then?" Andre asked.
"We kidnap Harry, drag him here, and make him talk. We then try to help Sirius find someone to get Remus out of his library, get him to talk with someone, and then lock him in here with Harry."
The others stared at him.
"You know," Sonea said eventually. "That actually sounds doable."
"So, writing to Sirius, then?" Charly asked. Jess handed Sonea a piece of paper and a pen. Luckily, the owl that had delivered Sirius's letter hadn't left.
They got to work on the letter, to confirm their plan with him.
******************************************************
Sirius fell out of the fireplace, and received a very odd look from the tabby cat sitting on the desk.
He sighed and stood up. "Hello Minerva."
The Transfiguration teacher transformed into her usual self. "And what are you doing here, Sirius?"
"I need your help, Minerva." The worried expression on his face was enough to convince her that this had nothing to do with a prank.
"What with?"
"Remus has locked himself in the library, and I need to get in there. But I don't know all the spells he used. I was hoping that you'd help."
"Why on earth would he do that?" she asked him in shock.
He sighed again. "He's just found out a few really startling things."
"Such as?"
"That he's Harry's father."
"WHAT???"
"Minerva, calm down!" Sirius yelped. "I only just found out too - "
"Does Harry know?" she asked sharply.
Sirius nodded. "He was the one who told me. Sam used a delayed delivery to send Harry Lily's diaries, and he found out. He told me, I fainted, and then I acted as messenger and gave them to Remus to read."
"I see. You and I should get back to Moon Manor. I don't want him to blow something ELSE up."
******************************************************
Harry was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Brian's aunt had arrived for an unexpected visit, so his dad had rung and he'd left. Laurie was lying on the floor reading his Potions book.
Amazingly, she thought it was fascinating, and he'd gotten help from her for homework assignments more than once.
Both of them were preoccupied, and so they didn't notice the owl fly in the window until it hooted loudly, drawing his attention.
"Hermes!" he exclaimed. Laurie glanced up, but went back to the book.
Harry took the letter that Percy's owl was carrying and sat on his bed to read it.
Once he was done, he grabbed a quill and parchment to write his reply. Glancing down on his way to the desk, he saw that Laurie was reading about Polyjuice Potions. "Having fun?" he asked.
She looked up and grinned at him. "Defiantly. I can just imagine you turning into Goyle now, what with these illustrations."
He shook his head and sat down to reply to Ron.
'Dear Ron,
It's okay; I've been a bit busy since my birthday anyway. I wouldn't have had time to reply.
Yes, Sirius told me that he's free. He and Remus came to visit for my birthday. They were joking around, and Sirius was about to hex Remus when Remus ran out of the room. Sirius's spell hit Uncle Vernon. I'll never get that picture out of my head, my green-faced uncle. If only it had been Dudley.
I don't know if I'll be living with them, neither mentioned it. I'm not worried.
So, you and Mione having fun without me? I daresay Percy's keeping you on your toes - er, pretend I didn't mention that.
If you're planning on consulting one of LOCKHART'S books, you MUST be desperate! My god, boy, but that's sad!
Anyway, I'd better go now. See you soon,
Harry'
He folded the letter up and tied it to Hermes's leg. The owl flew out the window, and Harry flopped back onto his bed.
"What did Ron have to say?" Laurie asked.
"The usual. His mum's making him de-gnome the garden."
"Sounds scintillating."
"Don't use big words, Laurie, they're scary."
******************************************************
Sirius and Minerva had just arrived back at Moon Manor when Sirius's owl Fuzzy swooped in and landed on his shoulder.
He took the letter the owl had and unfolded it, Fuzzy taking off to find food and water.
'Dear Sirius,
Marc's come up with a plan. We'll need your help, of course, but I actually think it might work.
We're going to drag Harry to the Void and make him talk. At the same time, you get someone to help you get into the library and talk to Remus.
All going well with those stages, you bring Remus down here and we lock him and Harry in the Void together for an hour or so.
There is another thing, though, that we haven't told Harry yet, nor you. Lily and Sam came up with a potion to stop a second-generation werewolf changing at the full moon. But it wears off about six months after their seventeenth birthday.
To put it plainly, your godson is going to become a werewolf in late January.
If you object to the plan, reply. Other than that, don't write to us until you're ready to bring Remus here. We'll reply and tell you whether Harry's talked.
Also, we've talked to our parents, and they've agreed to let us keep Amber in the Void. So don't worry, she'll be fine with us!
Take care,
Sonea
(Helped by Marc, Charly, Jess and Andre)'
Sirius stared at the letter in horror. Harry being a werewolf was one thing that he hadn't considered - and Remus probably knew. He had the diaries, after all.
Putting it out of his mind for a moment, he considered the plan. And deemed it worthy of the Marauders themselves.
"Sirius? What's wrong?"
He looked up. Obviously his distress had shown on his face. Wordlessly, he handed her the letter.
"Oh my. This makes it even more important to talk some sense into your friend. I don't think he'd want Harry to go though the transformation on his own."
"Of course not. And so you and I need to do a little curse breaking."
******************************************************
Remus had been sitting in his chair, staring silently at the wall when Hedwig flew into his library and landed on his desk.
"Looking for Siri?" he asked her, removing the letter from her leg.
To his surprise, it was written on paper rather than parchment, and was addressed to him.
After reading Petunia's letter, Remus decided that he couldn't just sit in the library and mope. Not if it was affecting Harry that way.
Though he wasn't really sure what he'd say, he knew he had to talk to Harry. His son.
That was going to take a lot of getting used to. Harry wasn't James's son, but his. And Lily hadn't left him because she loved James. She'd still loved him.
Remus turned to the door, determined to leave soon.
He pulled out his wand, ready to start undoing charms, but didn't need to. Minerva and Sirius finished removing them at that point, and came into the room. He sat back in his chair and pocketed his wand.
"Moony, you and I need to talk."
Remus looked up, saw the resolute expression on both Sirius and Minerva's faces, and gulped. He had the feeling that talking to Harry was going to have to wait.
******************************************************
Ron stumbled inside and slumped into a chair at the kitchen table. Fred and George followed suit.
The three of them had spent half the day de-gnoming the garden, and they were exhausted.
Hermione and Ginny came and sat down with them.
"Does anyone else think that Percy's been acting odd lately?" Ginny asked.
Ron frowned. "Now that you mention it, yeah. He's nowhere near as, well, snobbish as he used to be."
Fred nodded. "You know, George and I were working on one of our pranks yesterday, and Percy came over to see what we were doing."
"He didn't tell us off," George continued. "He gave us a few suggestions on improving it though."
"The weird thing is, it actually works better now," Fred finished.
The others stared.
"He...helped?" Hermione said slowly. "And it WORKED?"
The twins nodded.
"My god," Ginny muttered.
"Too weird," Ron commented.
"I think he's up to something," Hermione announced. "And once Harry gets here we're going to figure out what."
"Why wait for Harry?" Fred asked.
"Because, he's really good at finding out stuff like this," Ron told them.
Ginny nodded. "Last year he even found out first when Dean began dating Lavender. And they were really secretive."
"With any luck he can pry the truth out of Percy, then," George said. The others agreed.
Everyone jumped when Hermes flew in the window and landed on Ron's shoulder. Ron grinned and took Harry's reply. Hermes disappeared off to Percy's room.
Ron read Harry's letter silently, then looked up at the other four. "It seems that Harry already knows something we don't - listen to this: 'I daresay Percy's keeping you on your toes - er, pretend I didn't mention that.'"
"Sounds a little suspicious to me," Fred remarked. "Reckon he knows what's going on?"
"If you ask me," Ginny said. "Harry's in on whatever's got Percy so....well, nicer."
"I don't know," Hermione protested. "It's not like Harry to keep something from Ron and I. I don't even know if he has any secrets."
"Of course he does," Ron countered. "But he'd tell us if it had to do with Percy, surely."
******************************************************
Harry sighed in relief. He finally had some time to himself. He had no doubt that his friends were probably plotting, and talking about him, but if that was what it took to get some peace....
He didn't want them to find out what he'd been doing, so it was a good thing that they were gone now. Laurie had taken his potions book, and left half an hour ago.
There was a tapping at the window. He opened it to let the black own in.
"Hello Mercury. What have you got for me?"
The owl hooted and held out his leg. Harry untied the letter.
'Dear Harry,
Well, it's official! I'm now assistant to Madam Hooch at Hogwarts!
Percy has to go for another interview with Dumbledore, but Hooch tells me that Percy's the most likely candidate for the position. It's a spot of luck that Binns decided to give up teaching; else we'd have a bit of trouble with the plans.
Anyway, I'd better go. See you soon,
Oliver'
Harry grinned. As long as Percy got the History of Magic position, they'd be all set. Hopefully Sirius and Remus would agree to the plan when he wrote to them.
Of course, that was only possible if Remus still wanted anything to do with him.
He picked up a piece of paper and a quill, deciding to reply to Oliver.
'Dear Oliver,
Congrats! I knew you'd make it! I just hope Perce does too.
You would not BELIEVE what has been going on here. Well, you probably would, but I'd have to tell you first. I'll wait until I see you in person.
So, are you still single? Or have the girls decided to obsess over Keepers this season?
See you soon,
Harry'
He gave Mercury the letter and watched the owl fly out the window.
******************************************************
Minerva walked forward and used her wand to tie Remus to his chair. "Sirius tells me that you've been hiding in here since Harry's birthday. What do you have to say for yourself?" she demanded.
"Er, I'd like to be untied from this chair?" he tried.
Sirius rolled his eyes, stepped out of the library and closed the door behind him. As far as he was concerned, Minerva was much better at this sort of thing than he was.
"Try again, Remus."
He sighed. "What do you want me to say, Minnie?"
"How about why you haven't so much as tried to talk to Harry? He's your son, Remus. You can't just ignore him."
"I just....I don't know. I'm scared. What if he wants nothing to do with me?"
"If he wanted nothing to do with you, he'd have kept the information to himself, not told Sirius, or let you know, and pretend that it had never happened. He's probably as scared as you are, Remus." She smiled. "Just talk to him."
He laughed. "Would you believe that I was just about to leave and do that when you two came in?"
"Really?"
"Yep. So, d'you think I should go?"
"Tomorrow, Remus. Get some sleep."
"All right. Goodnight, Minnie. And thanks."
"You're always welcome, dear. Goodnight."
Minerva left.
Remus stood up, turned the lights off and exited the library. "Padfoot?" he called. "Where'd you get to?"
"I'm here!" Sirius yelled back. He skidded around the corner, covered from head to toe in honey and slipping on the floor.
"What on earth have you been doing?" Remus asked exasperatedly.
"Nothing much," his friend said innocently.
Remus snorted. "As if Padfoot. Own up. If my Manor is destroyed, I'd like to know how you did it."
"Oh, it wasn't much," Sirius dismissed. "I just doused Snape in honey when he came to deliver the Wolfsbane potion."
Remus gave him a pained look. "Please tell me that you did it AFTER he gave you the potion."
Sirius looked shocked. "Of course! What do you take me for, Moony?"
"I'm not answering that question. Anyway, if you doused Snape, how did you get covered in honey?"
Sirius blushed. "Well, Snape pulled his wand on me and transferred the honey from him to me." He went pale. "Oh god. That means I'm covered in Snape contaminated honey!"
Remus was laughing too hard to be sympathetic.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Done!
Next chapter up soon!
Please review!
~TAS
shdurrani ~ Thank you!
**MP** ~ You pressed the button, I am happy. Thanks!
amy ~ We hear about Remy and Harry now. Sorry it took so long!
ChristinaLupin01442 ~ I think the hiding away and brooding thing runs in the family!
takari4ever7 ~ SO sorry for the wait! I'll never do it again!
Molly Weasley85 ~ I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry! *takes deep breath* I really truly am! *looks hopeful* Are you still going to email me the Moony is Harry's father fics?
Cricket ~ Thanks!
Lady Maria ~ glad you like it, sorry for the wait!
Sabrina451 ~ Thank you!
SlytherinAtHeart ~ Thank you!!
Naomi SilverWolf ~ *Sigh* It's okay; I can ignore the happy dance. Really, I can. And I can put up with it. See? *is putting up with happy dance*
Xirleb70 ~ Thank you so much, and I am so sorry that it took so long!
Gabriela1 ~ Thank you. This chapter is longer!
LoonyLoopyLisa ~ Maybe people buy the rotten veggies at the show if it's bad? *shrugs* Thanks, and sorry!
Moony Lover ~ Don't worry, I'll email! Remy might get a girlfriend later, and I'm sure that there'll be a few conversations about Sam in the future - or even flashbacks with her in them. Amber might get important, and I don't THINK she's Sam.... I guess I wont know until later. But I'm pretty sure that Sam is dead.
Hermione HP ~ I am so sorry about the wait! I'm glad you like it, and I hope you keep reading!
Ivy Crane ~ Well, no....hey, I did say no! hah! Um, Moony is in this chapter, and reacting.
Fate's Child ~ Argh! *Ducks those mysterious flying objects* Gah.....damn things. Anyway, yes the Ton-Tongue Toffee happened, but a little different. Harry got grounded next summer, Dudley got in a bit of trouble for straying off his diet, and Petunia, Dudley and Vernon never eat anything that Harry brings home at summer.
Fox690 ~ Harry'll find out soon. Glad you like my Percy, I've always thought that he has a sense of humour hiding around somewhere. I've now been proved wrong, but I still like my Percy. I don't mind the Snape as Harry's father fics, but I've never read one with Remus - so I wrote one. Ramble all you want, if you want. Thank you for reviewing, and I hope you like the chapter!
person within the beast ~ All right, I will!
Smudged ~ Well, I'm glad you read and reviewed! I am so sorry that it took so long! And yes, the review was definitely long enough.
PixiFire ~ I'm sorry. Breath! Glad you like!
tnr ~ Okay!
Sky ~ Thank you! Er, please put the knife down. I'm scared of sharp pointy objects that I don't have control of! *grin*
Naomi SilverWolf ~ Oh, you want me to update? *laughs* Okay, I get the idea!
Lanfear ~ Thank you!
Lenai Riddle ~ *laughs* So, how many people did you trip on the car?
pixyfairy120 ~ I am SOOOOO sorry that it took so long!!!
A Bit of Old Parchment ~ Wow, thank you! And, interesting pen name!
MarsMoonStar ~ Thanks!
Dragon-Phoenix2 ~ Thank you! Remus and Harry'll talk next chapter, most likely.
THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED!!!
And again, sorry about the wait!
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
The Unknown and The Diaries
By: The Aussie Slytherin
Chapter Ten
Marc, Jess, Charly, Andre and Sonea were still sitting in the Void. Well, except for Andre who was actually lying on the floor.
"Right," Marc said suddenly. "I'm not taking this any more. I have a Plan."
"Oh god, save us all," Jess said, grinning.
"What's this brilliant idea then?" Andre asked.
"We kidnap Harry, drag him here, and make him talk. We then try to help Sirius find someone to get Remus out of his library, get him to talk with someone, and then lock him in here with Harry."
The others stared at him.
"You know," Sonea said eventually. "That actually sounds doable."
"So, writing to Sirius, then?" Charly asked. Jess handed Sonea a piece of paper and a pen. Luckily, the owl that had delivered Sirius's letter hadn't left.
They got to work on the letter, to confirm their plan with him.
******************************************************
Sirius fell out of the fireplace, and received a very odd look from the tabby cat sitting on the desk.
He sighed and stood up. "Hello Minerva."
The Transfiguration teacher transformed into her usual self. "And what are you doing here, Sirius?"
"I need your help, Minerva." The worried expression on his face was enough to convince her that this had nothing to do with a prank.
"What with?"
"Remus has locked himself in the library, and I need to get in there. But I don't know all the spells he used. I was hoping that you'd help."
"Why on earth would he do that?" she asked him in shock.
He sighed again. "He's just found out a few really startling things."
"Such as?"
"That he's Harry's father."
"WHAT???"
"Minerva, calm down!" Sirius yelped. "I only just found out too - "
"Does Harry know?" she asked sharply.
Sirius nodded. "He was the one who told me. Sam used a delayed delivery to send Harry Lily's diaries, and he found out. He told me, I fainted, and then I acted as messenger and gave them to Remus to read."
"I see. You and I should get back to Moon Manor. I don't want him to blow something ELSE up."
******************************************************
Harry was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Brian's aunt had arrived for an unexpected visit, so his dad had rung and he'd left. Laurie was lying on the floor reading his Potions book.
Amazingly, she thought it was fascinating, and he'd gotten help from her for homework assignments more than once.
Both of them were preoccupied, and so they didn't notice the owl fly in the window until it hooted loudly, drawing his attention.
"Hermes!" he exclaimed. Laurie glanced up, but went back to the book.
Harry took the letter that Percy's owl was carrying and sat on his bed to read it.
Once he was done, he grabbed a quill and parchment to write his reply. Glancing down on his way to the desk, he saw that Laurie was reading about Polyjuice Potions. "Having fun?" he asked.
She looked up and grinned at him. "Defiantly. I can just imagine you turning into Goyle now, what with these illustrations."
He shook his head and sat down to reply to Ron.
'Dear Ron,
It's okay; I've been a bit busy since my birthday anyway. I wouldn't have had time to reply.
Yes, Sirius told me that he's free. He and Remus came to visit for my birthday. They were joking around, and Sirius was about to hex Remus when Remus ran out of the room. Sirius's spell hit Uncle Vernon. I'll never get that picture out of my head, my green-faced uncle. If only it had been Dudley.
I don't know if I'll be living with them, neither mentioned it. I'm not worried.
So, you and Mione having fun without me? I daresay Percy's keeping you on your toes - er, pretend I didn't mention that.
If you're planning on consulting one of LOCKHART'S books, you MUST be desperate! My god, boy, but that's sad!
Anyway, I'd better go now. See you soon,
Harry'
He folded the letter up and tied it to Hermes's leg. The owl flew out the window, and Harry flopped back onto his bed.
"What did Ron have to say?" Laurie asked.
"The usual. His mum's making him de-gnome the garden."
"Sounds scintillating."
"Don't use big words, Laurie, they're scary."
******************************************************
Sirius and Minerva had just arrived back at Moon Manor when Sirius's owl Fuzzy swooped in and landed on his shoulder.
He took the letter the owl had and unfolded it, Fuzzy taking off to find food and water.
'Dear Sirius,
Marc's come up with a plan. We'll need your help, of course, but I actually think it might work.
We're going to drag Harry to the Void and make him talk. At the same time, you get someone to help you get into the library and talk to Remus.
All going well with those stages, you bring Remus down here and we lock him and Harry in the Void together for an hour or so.
There is another thing, though, that we haven't told Harry yet, nor you. Lily and Sam came up with a potion to stop a second-generation werewolf changing at the full moon. But it wears off about six months after their seventeenth birthday.
To put it plainly, your godson is going to become a werewolf in late January.
If you object to the plan, reply. Other than that, don't write to us until you're ready to bring Remus here. We'll reply and tell you whether Harry's talked.
Also, we've talked to our parents, and they've agreed to let us keep Amber in the Void. So don't worry, she'll be fine with us!
Take care,
Sonea
(Helped by Marc, Charly, Jess and Andre)'
Sirius stared at the letter in horror. Harry being a werewolf was one thing that he hadn't considered - and Remus probably knew. He had the diaries, after all.
Putting it out of his mind for a moment, he considered the plan. And deemed it worthy of the Marauders themselves.
"Sirius? What's wrong?"
He looked up. Obviously his distress had shown on his face. Wordlessly, he handed her the letter.
"Oh my. This makes it even more important to talk some sense into your friend. I don't think he'd want Harry to go though the transformation on his own."
"Of course not. And so you and I need to do a little curse breaking."
******************************************************
Remus had been sitting in his chair, staring silently at the wall when Hedwig flew into his library and landed on his desk.
"Looking for Siri?" he asked her, removing the letter from her leg.
To his surprise, it was written on paper rather than parchment, and was addressed to him.
After reading Petunia's letter, Remus decided that he couldn't just sit in the library and mope. Not if it was affecting Harry that way.
Though he wasn't really sure what he'd say, he knew he had to talk to Harry. His son.
That was going to take a lot of getting used to. Harry wasn't James's son, but his. And Lily hadn't left him because she loved James. She'd still loved him.
Remus turned to the door, determined to leave soon.
He pulled out his wand, ready to start undoing charms, but didn't need to. Minerva and Sirius finished removing them at that point, and came into the room. He sat back in his chair and pocketed his wand.
"Moony, you and I need to talk."
Remus looked up, saw the resolute expression on both Sirius and Minerva's faces, and gulped. He had the feeling that talking to Harry was going to have to wait.
******************************************************
Ron stumbled inside and slumped into a chair at the kitchen table. Fred and George followed suit.
The three of them had spent half the day de-gnoming the garden, and they were exhausted.
Hermione and Ginny came and sat down with them.
"Does anyone else think that Percy's been acting odd lately?" Ginny asked.
Ron frowned. "Now that you mention it, yeah. He's nowhere near as, well, snobbish as he used to be."
Fred nodded. "You know, George and I were working on one of our pranks yesterday, and Percy came over to see what we were doing."
"He didn't tell us off," George continued. "He gave us a few suggestions on improving it though."
"The weird thing is, it actually works better now," Fred finished.
The others stared.
"He...helped?" Hermione said slowly. "And it WORKED?"
The twins nodded.
"My god," Ginny muttered.
"Too weird," Ron commented.
"I think he's up to something," Hermione announced. "And once Harry gets here we're going to figure out what."
"Why wait for Harry?" Fred asked.
"Because, he's really good at finding out stuff like this," Ron told them.
Ginny nodded. "Last year he even found out first when Dean began dating Lavender. And they were really secretive."
"With any luck he can pry the truth out of Percy, then," George said. The others agreed.
Everyone jumped when Hermes flew in the window and landed on Ron's shoulder. Ron grinned and took Harry's reply. Hermes disappeared off to Percy's room.
Ron read Harry's letter silently, then looked up at the other four. "It seems that Harry already knows something we don't - listen to this: 'I daresay Percy's keeping you on your toes - er, pretend I didn't mention that.'"
"Sounds a little suspicious to me," Fred remarked. "Reckon he knows what's going on?"
"If you ask me," Ginny said. "Harry's in on whatever's got Percy so....well, nicer."
"I don't know," Hermione protested. "It's not like Harry to keep something from Ron and I. I don't even know if he has any secrets."
"Of course he does," Ron countered. "But he'd tell us if it had to do with Percy, surely."
******************************************************
Harry sighed in relief. He finally had some time to himself. He had no doubt that his friends were probably plotting, and talking about him, but if that was what it took to get some peace....
He didn't want them to find out what he'd been doing, so it was a good thing that they were gone now. Laurie had taken his potions book, and left half an hour ago.
There was a tapping at the window. He opened it to let the black own in.
"Hello Mercury. What have you got for me?"
The owl hooted and held out his leg. Harry untied the letter.
'Dear Harry,
Well, it's official! I'm now assistant to Madam Hooch at Hogwarts!
Percy has to go for another interview with Dumbledore, but Hooch tells me that Percy's the most likely candidate for the position. It's a spot of luck that Binns decided to give up teaching; else we'd have a bit of trouble with the plans.
Anyway, I'd better go. See you soon,
Oliver'
Harry grinned. As long as Percy got the History of Magic position, they'd be all set. Hopefully Sirius and Remus would agree to the plan when he wrote to them.
Of course, that was only possible if Remus still wanted anything to do with him.
He picked up a piece of paper and a quill, deciding to reply to Oliver.
'Dear Oliver,
Congrats! I knew you'd make it! I just hope Perce does too.
You would not BELIEVE what has been going on here. Well, you probably would, but I'd have to tell you first. I'll wait until I see you in person.
So, are you still single? Or have the girls decided to obsess over Keepers this season?
See you soon,
Harry'
He gave Mercury the letter and watched the owl fly out the window.
******************************************************
Minerva walked forward and used her wand to tie Remus to his chair. "Sirius tells me that you've been hiding in here since Harry's birthday. What do you have to say for yourself?" she demanded.
"Er, I'd like to be untied from this chair?" he tried.
Sirius rolled his eyes, stepped out of the library and closed the door behind him. As far as he was concerned, Minerva was much better at this sort of thing than he was.
"Try again, Remus."
He sighed. "What do you want me to say, Minnie?"
"How about why you haven't so much as tried to talk to Harry? He's your son, Remus. You can't just ignore him."
"I just....I don't know. I'm scared. What if he wants nothing to do with me?"
"If he wanted nothing to do with you, he'd have kept the information to himself, not told Sirius, or let you know, and pretend that it had never happened. He's probably as scared as you are, Remus." She smiled. "Just talk to him."
He laughed. "Would you believe that I was just about to leave and do that when you two came in?"
"Really?"
"Yep. So, d'you think I should go?"
"Tomorrow, Remus. Get some sleep."
"All right. Goodnight, Minnie. And thanks."
"You're always welcome, dear. Goodnight."
Minerva left.
Remus stood up, turned the lights off and exited the library. "Padfoot?" he called. "Where'd you get to?"
"I'm here!" Sirius yelled back. He skidded around the corner, covered from head to toe in honey and slipping on the floor.
"What on earth have you been doing?" Remus asked exasperatedly.
"Nothing much," his friend said innocently.
Remus snorted. "As if Padfoot. Own up. If my Manor is destroyed, I'd like to know how you did it."
"Oh, it wasn't much," Sirius dismissed. "I just doused Snape in honey when he came to deliver the Wolfsbane potion."
Remus gave him a pained look. "Please tell me that you did it AFTER he gave you the potion."
Sirius looked shocked. "Of course! What do you take me for, Moony?"
"I'm not answering that question. Anyway, if you doused Snape, how did you get covered in honey?"
Sirius blushed. "Well, Snape pulled his wand on me and transferred the honey from him to me." He went pale. "Oh god. That means I'm covered in Snape contaminated honey!"
Remus was laughing too hard to be sympathetic.
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Done!
Next chapter up soon!
Please review!
~TAS