Disclaimer: (Places sorting hat on the chair and steps back)
I own nothing, save this plot.
I know it's sad, but true.
Anything you recognize
Belongs to You Know Who.
(
~Chapter 17~
Christmas morning Harry awoke to the sound of a dozen mini explosions followed by a few startled screams and laughter. He pulled his glasses off the small table near his bed and looked across the room. Dean was sitting on his bed giggling as a shower of confetti fell around him. Seconds later, the mess was gone. "Sorry. I was opening presents. Fred and George sent everyone firecracker creampuffs."
"It says, 'An explosion with every bite,'" Seamus laughed. "At least I'm not the only one blowing things up for a change."
Seconds later, wrapping paper went flying in every direction. Ron had opened Harry's present and was pawing excitedly through the pages of "World's Greatest Quidditch Moments." He paused on page fifty-three to watch the players in the picture reinact the Wronski Defensive Feint that was used at the first ever Quidditch World Cup. "This is so awesome! Thanks, Harry!"
Harry smiled as he continued opening his own presents. He had gotten his usual package from Mrs. Weasley (his sweater had a tiny golden snitch on the left pocket area), a book of Quidditch tactical moves from Hermione, a huge box of sweets, butterbeer, and joke gadgets from Ron, a mismatched pair of socks from Dobby (homemade), a small, hand-carved wooden flute from Hagrid (the note said it might come in handy next year), and a big ball of pocket lint from the Dursleys (just when Harry thought last year's present had topped the list of tactless gifts).
He was attempting to play a few notes on his new flute when Ron pointed at the floor. "Look, Harry, you missed a present."
On the floor was a small black box that he had not noticed before. He picked it up and opened it to reveal a small, black drawstring bag and a letter. Harry's eyes lit up when he saw the handwriting. "Hey, Ron, let's go down to the common room and wait on Hermione," he said as he threw on a sweater and some pants.
They raced down the stairs and saw Hermione already waiting near the window. Harry waited until some of the people went down to breakfast and then opened the letter and read it quietly enough so that only Ron and Hermione could hear.
Dear Harry,
Merry Christmas! Remus has been keeping me informed of all your letters. I'm sorry that I can't be there, but hopefully I'll be finished with this assignment soon.
Remus told me about the problem in Hogsmeade. He is conducting some research of his own, but I don't think you should be in the dark about it. I am assuming that Ron and Hermione are there with you. If not, tell them as well. They can help you be on the lookout. The Death Eaters are gathering more followers since Voldemort's return. They are preparing for a ceremony of some sort, but I am not certain of anything beyond that. I do know that they are looking for something inside the school, so BE CAREFUL. Do not go off by yourself, and do not talk to ANY of the professors about this. I have cause to doubt some of their loyalties.
Let me know IMMEDIATELY if anything else unusual happens, or if you hear anything that might shed some light on the situation.
~Sirius
P.S. The bag enclosed could prove useful. It is a magicarryall. Ask Hermione how it works, as I am confident she has read about them.
Harry folded the letter and the three sat in contemplative silence for several minutes. Ron broke the silence. "Well, at least nothing he said came as a big surprise."
Harry and Hermione rolled their eyes at Ron. "Well, there's no sense in letting on that anything's wrong," Harry said while examining his bag. "So, what does it do, Hermione?"
"Why does everyone always assume that I know everything?"
"Because you do," Ron teased.
Hermione punched Ron in a teasing manner. Harry noticed that they both seemed to be in a pleasant mood. After fumbling with the bag for a couple of seconds, Hermione's eyes lit up. "Harry, this is an awesome present. You can hide anything in this bag and still have room for more."
"I don't understand."
'Watch." Hermione put her wand in the bag. Although it was much longer than the bag, it fit without difficulty.
"Oh, I get it. It's sort of like a bottomless pit."
"Something like that," she said, pulling her wand out of the bag. "Wizards who used to pretend to be muggle magicians have used these for centuries. You've heard of pulling a rabbit out of your hat, right, Harry?" Harry nodded. "Well, a wizard would place one of these at the bottom of the hat. Muggles say that it's an optical illusion. Houdini was one of the wizards that made the magicarryall so famous. He used it in all kinds of acts."
Hermione handed the bag back to Harry and he attached it firmly to his robes. "Well, it will certainly save me from having to carry so much in my pockets."
"By the way, where did you disappear to last night?" Ron asked.
"I went to help a friend write a letter," Harry said with a mysterious smile.
Ron and Hermione exchanged curious glances.
"How did things go last night at the ball?" Harry added as an afterthought.
"Would you believe that Paravati and her date, Levski from Durmstrang, were crowned king and queen?" Hermione sat back in the chair and crossed her arms.
"They won a whole load of stuff from a bunch of different shops in London," Ron added.
"And.how did things go between you two? You didn't fight for the rest of the night, did you?"
Ron and Hermione smiled. "Oh, no. We came to an.agreement," Ron said rather coolly.
Harry looked at them both. He knew there was more to it than what they were saying, but he didn't press. "C'mon. Let's go eat breakfast."
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Angeline awoke and heard knocking at her door. She fumbled with the golden pocket watch on her table and mumbled "eight o'clock," as she absent- mindedly reached for her robes. The knocking came again as she yawned out, "Just a minute."
She ran her hand through her hair and opened the door. "I didn't wake you, did I?" Lyle asked the question sarcastically.
"No. I always go to breakfast like this." Angeline moved out of the doorway and Lyle came in and shut the door. "Do you want some coffee?"
Lyle made a disdainful face and said, "No thanks," as he sat down on a small cushioned chair. "I never did understand how anyone could drink that stuff."
"Well, if you want me to be coherent for the rest of the day, you'll have to suffer through smelling it brew," she said while placing a kettle of water in the fireplace. Minutes later she curled up on the sofa with the steaming cup in her hands.
"Merry Christmas," Lyle said, handing her a wrapped box.
"Now what's this?" She unwrapped the package enthusiastically. Inside was a small, brown leather book with blank pages. "Oh, thank you, Lyle."
"I'm sorry you couldn't find your old one, but I know how much you hate not being able to write in it every day, so I figured you could use this one in the mean time."
"I just don't know what happened to my diary. I've always been careful about locking it up."
"Well, don't worry. Even if one of the students find it, they can't get it open without the key, right?"
"Yeah. I put an unbreakable charm on the lock. It's just disturbing, you know? I mean, I've been writing in that thing since I was seven." She walked over to her bed and placed the book on the stand.
"So, it looks like you had a late night," Lyle said innocently.
"Yes," Angeline sat back down and sipped her coffee. "I talked to Severus until around two this morning."
"Did you find out anything?"
"No, Lyle. I'm telling you that it's a waste of time~"
"You only think that because you don't want to find anything out."
"No. I'm saying that because there is nothing to find out." She took another sip of her coffee and sighed. "I suppose you were out researching all night?"
"Yes. One of us has to do our job," Lyle said in a teasing manner. "All I found were a couple of old wizarding artifacts and a humongous three-headed dog."
"Three-headed dog?"
"Yes. It nearly bit my arm off. It was in an extremely remote part of the school."
"I wouldn't be surprised if it was Hagrid's pet," Angeline chuckled. A scratching at the window drew their attention and ended Angeline's vision of Hagrid breeding three-headed puppies.
A large, jet-black owl was perched on the window peeking in at them. Angeline opened the window and the bird swooped in and landed on the back of the chair where she had just been sitting. "What a magnificent animal," she muttered as the owl's bright amber eyes watched her closely. In its beak, there was a string attached to a tiny, velvet covered box. She held out her hand and the owl dropped the package in her hand. She then reached over and pulled a handful of birdseed out of a feeder. The owl accepted the food and then swept out the window.
"I don't believe I've ever seen an owl quite like that before," Lyle mused while looking curiously at the package in his sister's hand. "Well, are you going to open it?"
When Angeline pulled the string off and opened the box, she was surprised to find a tiny crystal ball on a golden chain. "Why, it's beautiful." She pulled it out and placed it on her neck. The crystal ball filled with a scarlet red mist and a tiny emerald-colored diamond appeared in the center. She walked over to look at it in the mirror. "See what the card says," she called to Lyle from the other room.
"Great.It's from the greasy git."
"Lyle!" she scolded as she re-entered the room. "This must have cost a fortune. I've never seen anything like it. Watch," she held the necklace up to reveal it changing colors. The mist turned blue as the diamond turned clear. "Isn't it wonderful?"
"Well, just because he has taste doesn't mean that he has any class~"
"And you have no manners. Behave yourself. It's Christmas after all."
Lyle rolled his eyes. "I'm going to breakfast. Are you?"
"Yes. Wait here while I change." Angeline disappeared into her bedroom and closed the door. Ten minutes later she came out with her casual clothes on and her necklace showing swirls of green mist.
Lyle detected a faint scent of sweet perfume. "You're not wearing that Perfume Magic, are you?" he asked as they descended the stairs.
"Maybe."
"So tell me, what did the greasy - I mean - what did Snape say it smelled like?"
Angeline smiled devilishly at her brother. "Spiced apples. I let Hermione use some last night as well. It seems that Ron Weasley's favorite scent is homemade chocolate chip cookies."
Lyle laughed, "Well, it could have been worse. Remember Andrew and Cheyna?" Angeline nodded. "Cheyna wore that stuff and spent the evening smelling like a greased car engine."
"Well," she said laughing, "very few men have good taste.It's hard for a woman to try and second guess such spastic minded creatures."
They continued teasing back and forth until breakfast had ended.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
A/N: I have never claimed to be an owl expert, so there may be a great abundance of big, black, amber-eyed owls flying around out there somewhere.If so, just pretend for my sake that they are a rare find. ( I promise to give extra cookies to those who humor me.
Also.I have tried my best to show that Lyle does have a heart in this chapter. Yes, he is quite the trouble-maker, but he is, after all, the older, overbearing big brother. Don't worry.he won't be getting a soft spot for our favorite Potion's Master anytime soon. He's just being nice since it's Christmas. (
Next Chapter: The Fleur Rendezvous
~Chapter 17~
Christmas morning Harry awoke to the sound of a dozen mini explosions followed by a few startled screams and laughter. He pulled his glasses off the small table near his bed and looked across the room. Dean was sitting on his bed giggling as a shower of confetti fell around him. Seconds later, the mess was gone. "Sorry. I was opening presents. Fred and George sent everyone firecracker creampuffs."
"It says, 'An explosion with every bite,'" Seamus laughed. "At least I'm not the only one blowing things up for a change."
Seconds later, wrapping paper went flying in every direction. Ron had opened Harry's present and was pawing excitedly through the pages of "World's Greatest Quidditch Moments." He paused on page fifty-three to watch the players in the picture reinact the Wronski Defensive Feint that was used at the first ever Quidditch World Cup. "This is so awesome! Thanks, Harry!"
Harry smiled as he continued opening his own presents. He had gotten his usual package from Mrs. Weasley (his sweater had a tiny golden snitch on the left pocket area), a book of Quidditch tactical moves from Hermione, a huge box of sweets, butterbeer, and joke gadgets from Ron, a mismatched pair of socks from Dobby (homemade), a small, hand-carved wooden flute from Hagrid (the note said it might come in handy next year), and a big ball of pocket lint from the Dursleys (just when Harry thought last year's present had topped the list of tactless gifts).
He was attempting to play a few notes on his new flute when Ron pointed at the floor. "Look, Harry, you missed a present."
On the floor was a small black box that he had not noticed before. He picked it up and opened it to reveal a small, black drawstring bag and a letter. Harry's eyes lit up when he saw the handwriting. "Hey, Ron, let's go down to the common room and wait on Hermione," he said as he threw on a sweater and some pants.
They raced down the stairs and saw Hermione already waiting near the window. Harry waited until some of the people went down to breakfast and then opened the letter and read it quietly enough so that only Ron and Hermione could hear.
Dear Harry,
Merry Christmas! Remus has been keeping me informed of all your letters. I'm sorry that I can't be there, but hopefully I'll be finished with this assignment soon.
Remus told me about the problem in Hogsmeade. He is conducting some research of his own, but I don't think you should be in the dark about it. I am assuming that Ron and Hermione are there with you. If not, tell them as well. They can help you be on the lookout. The Death Eaters are gathering more followers since Voldemort's return. They are preparing for a ceremony of some sort, but I am not certain of anything beyond that. I do know that they are looking for something inside the school, so BE CAREFUL. Do not go off by yourself, and do not talk to ANY of the professors about this. I have cause to doubt some of their loyalties.
Let me know IMMEDIATELY if anything else unusual happens, or if you hear anything that might shed some light on the situation.
~Sirius
P.S. The bag enclosed could prove useful. It is a magicarryall. Ask Hermione how it works, as I am confident she has read about them.
Harry folded the letter and the three sat in contemplative silence for several minutes. Ron broke the silence. "Well, at least nothing he said came as a big surprise."
Harry and Hermione rolled their eyes at Ron. "Well, there's no sense in letting on that anything's wrong," Harry said while examining his bag. "So, what does it do, Hermione?"
"Why does everyone always assume that I know everything?"
"Because you do," Ron teased.
Hermione punched Ron in a teasing manner. Harry noticed that they both seemed to be in a pleasant mood. After fumbling with the bag for a couple of seconds, Hermione's eyes lit up. "Harry, this is an awesome present. You can hide anything in this bag and still have room for more."
"I don't understand."
'Watch." Hermione put her wand in the bag. Although it was much longer than the bag, it fit without difficulty.
"Oh, I get it. It's sort of like a bottomless pit."
"Something like that," she said, pulling her wand out of the bag. "Wizards who used to pretend to be muggle magicians have used these for centuries. You've heard of pulling a rabbit out of your hat, right, Harry?" Harry nodded. "Well, a wizard would place one of these at the bottom of the hat. Muggles say that it's an optical illusion. Houdini was one of the wizards that made the magicarryall so famous. He used it in all kinds of acts."
Hermione handed the bag back to Harry and he attached it firmly to his robes. "Well, it will certainly save me from having to carry so much in my pockets."
"By the way, where did you disappear to last night?" Ron asked.
"I went to help a friend write a letter," Harry said with a mysterious smile.
Ron and Hermione exchanged curious glances.
"How did things go last night at the ball?" Harry added as an afterthought.
"Would you believe that Paravati and her date, Levski from Durmstrang, were crowned king and queen?" Hermione sat back in the chair and crossed her arms.
"They won a whole load of stuff from a bunch of different shops in London," Ron added.
"And.how did things go between you two? You didn't fight for the rest of the night, did you?"
Ron and Hermione smiled. "Oh, no. We came to an.agreement," Ron said rather coolly.
Harry looked at them both. He knew there was more to it than what they were saying, but he didn't press. "C'mon. Let's go eat breakfast."
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Angeline awoke and heard knocking at her door. She fumbled with the golden pocket watch on her table and mumbled "eight o'clock," as she absent- mindedly reached for her robes. The knocking came again as she yawned out, "Just a minute."
She ran her hand through her hair and opened the door. "I didn't wake you, did I?" Lyle asked the question sarcastically.
"No. I always go to breakfast like this." Angeline moved out of the doorway and Lyle came in and shut the door. "Do you want some coffee?"
Lyle made a disdainful face and said, "No thanks," as he sat down on a small cushioned chair. "I never did understand how anyone could drink that stuff."
"Well, if you want me to be coherent for the rest of the day, you'll have to suffer through smelling it brew," she said while placing a kettle of water in the fireplace. Minutes later she curled up on the sofa with the steaming cup in her hands.
"Merry Christmas," Lyle said, handing her a wrapped box.
"Now what's this?" She unwrapped the package enthusiastically. Inside was a small, brown leather book with blank pages. "Oh, thank you, Lyle."
"I'm sorry you couldn't find your old one, but I know how much you hate not being able to write in it every day, so I figured you could use this one in the mean time."
"I just don't know what happened to my diary. I've always been careful about locking it up."
"Well, don't worry. Even if one of the students find it, they can't get it open without the key, right?"
"Yeah. I put an unbreakable charm on the lock. It's just disturbing, you know? I mean, I've been writing in that thing since I was seven." She walked over to her bed and placed the book on the stand.
"So, it looks like you had a late night," Lyle said innocently.
"Yes," Angeline sat back down and sipped her coffee. "I talked to Severus until around two this morning."
"Did you find out anything?"
"No, Lyle. I'm telling you that it's a waste of time~"
"You only think that because you don't want to find anything out."
"No. I'm saying that because there is nothing to find out." She took another sip of her coffee and sighed. "I suppose you were out researching all night?"
"Yes. One of us has to do our job," Lyle said in a teasing manner. "All I found were a couple of old wizarding artifacts and a humongous three-headed dog."
"Three-headed dog?"
"Yes. It nearly bit my arm off. It was in an extremely remote part of the school."
"I wouldn't be surprised if it was Hagrid's pet," Angeline chuckled. A scratching at the window drew their attention and ended Angeline's vision of Hagrid breeding three-headed puppies.
A large, jet-black owl was perched on the window peeking in at them. Angeline opened the window and the bird swooped in and landed on the back of the chair where she had just been sitting. "What a magnificent animal," she muttered as the owl's bright amber eyes watched her closely. In its beak, there was a string attached to a tiny, velvet covered box. She held out her hand and the owl dropped the package in her hand. She then reached over and pulled a handful of birdseed out of a feeder. The owl accepted the food and then swept out the window.
"I don't believe I've ever seen an owl quite like that before," Lyle mused while looking curiously at the package in his sister's hand. "Well, are you going to open it?"
When Angeline pulled the string off and opened the box, she was surprised to find a tiny crystal ball on a golden chain. "Why, it's beautiful." She pulled it out and placed it on her neck. The crystal ball filled with a scarlet red mist and a tiny emerald-colored diamond appeared in the center. She walked over to look at it in the mirror. "See what the card says," she called to Lyle from the other room.
"Great.It's from the greasy git."
"Lyle!" she scolded as she re-entered the room. "This must have cost a fortune. I've never seen anything like it. Watch," she held the necklace up to reveal it changing colors. The mist turned blue as the diamond turned clear. "Isn't it wonderful?"
"Well, just because he has taste doesn't mean that he has any class~"
"And you have no manners. Behave yourself. It's Christmas after all."
Lyle rolled his eyes. "I'm going to breakfast. Are you?"
"Yes. Wait here while I change." Angeline disappeared into her bedroom and closed the door. Ten minutes later she came out with her casual clothes on and her necklace showing swirls of green mist.
Lyle detected a faint scent of sweet perfume. "You're not wearing that Perfume Magic, are you?" he asked as they descended the stairs.
"Maybe."
"So tell me, what did the greasy - I mean - what did Snape say it smelled like?"
Angeline smiled devilishly at her brother. "Spiced apples. I let Hermione use some last night as well. It seems that Ron Weasley's favorite scent is homemade chocolate chip cookies."
Lyle laughed, "Well, it could have been worse. Remember Andrew and Cheyna?" Angeline nodded. "Cheyna wore that stuff and spent the evening smelling like a greased car engine."
"Well," she said laughing, "very few men have good taste.It's hard for a woman to try and second guess such spastic minded creatures."
They continued teasing back and forth until breakfast had ended.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
A/N: I have never claimed to be an owl expert, so there may be a great abundance of big, black, amber-eyed owls flying around out there somewhere.If so, just pretend for my sake that they are a rare find. ( I promise to give extra cookies to those who humor me.
Also.I have tried my best to show that Lyle does have a heart in this chapter. Yes, he is quite the trouble-maker, but he is, after all, the older, overbearing big brother. Don't worry.he won't be getting a soft spot for our favorite Potion's Master anytime soon. He's just being nice since it's Christmas. (
Next Chapter: The Fleur Rendezvous