Chapter 16*~~
Past and Pain and Lies*~~
Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinet were headed towards them. "What's up?" asked Alicia.
"The ceiling," Sirius said. Remus hit him over the head.
"You are an impertinent prat," Moony said matter-of-factly. Alicia and Angelina exchanged a look but shook it off.
"Right then, want to come shopping with us?" asked Angelina to the twins.
"Sure," said Fred.
"We'll go," said George. (hehe) They turned to their Mum who nodded.
"Thanks!" they said in unison. They grabbed "their" girl and walked away. Molly shook her head at her sons retreating backs.
"Now then, on to the food," Sirius said. They walked outside and walked past many shops.
"Here," Sirius and Remus said in unison. Harry gave them a questioning look. "This is where Lily and James used to go to eat whenever we were here." Harry nodded. They walked in. The man behind the counter looked positively delighted to see Remus.
"Remus!" he said delightedly (I wonder why.). Remus grinned and gave him a quick hug.
"Mund, it's a pleasure to see you again," Remus said. He turned to introduce him. "Guys this is Mundungas (sp?) Fletcher. He was a Gryffindor the year under us." Harry grinned.
"Am I loosing my marble or is that James?" Mund asked, looking at Harry.
"You lost your marbles long ago and that's Harry," Remus said. Harry bit his lips and thought about what Remus had said. The year under them. He grabbed Mund's arm and pulled him down slightly so he could speak softly into his ear.
"Mr. Fletcher, can you take us somewhere private?" he asked quickly. Mund looked at him oddly but nodded. He led them behind the counter and through a door. A few moments later they were in an office.
"You can call me Mund. Harry, what is it you wanted to say?"
Harry pushed Aaron (Sirius) over. "You know Sirius Black? Well, to make a VERY long story (4 chappies, thank you VERY much!!) short Peter Pettigrew framed Sirius and now we are going to prove Sirius innocent."
"I never truly believed Sirius would betray Lily and James. Hell, he was the reason they ever really got together," Mund said.
"Wow, his language is not affected by the presence of Molly Weasley," Sirius said. "By the way Mund, I'm Sirius in disguise."
"Right then, I'll get you some lunch," Mund said. He led them to a large table in the corner where they were all seated. Once he took their orders Mund walked away to leave them to talk.
"So?" Harry said.
"So what?" asked Sirius.
"What's the story with Mund?" said Ron exasperatedly.
"Yeah, some of us aren't psychic," Dudley said.
"Well, he was a Gryffindor the year under us," Remus said.
"Duh, you said that," Hermione said.
"Anyway, when he was a first year we planted firecrackers under his seat in the Common Room. Most people freaked when we did that but he laughed," Sirius said.
"Every once in a while we'd let him help us with a prank. Of course he was always too scared to help us with one on Lily, Ara, and May," Remus said.
"That's because they used to hex you really bad," Mund said, bringing their food over. "Unlike the rest of you Marauders I wasn't psycho."
"Thank you, thank you very much," Sirius and Remus said in unison.
"Speaking of Ara," said Remus. Sirius looked up.
"How is everyone? When I heard about Ara..." he said quietly.
"What do you mean?"
"Th-that she d-died," Sirius stuttered, looking away.
"And who said that?" said Remus with rage shaking in his voice. Sirius looked up.
" Fudge. He came and told me one year after, well, you know."
"That idiotic, coldhearted, lying, bastard!" Remus yelled. A great deal of people turned to look but Remus glared at them and they whirled around.
"What are you on about and who on earth is May?" asked Ginny.
"Arabella Figg was Harry's Mum's best friend. Her and May Gates. The three were inseparable. Sirius and Ara started dating in the fourth year and were together ever since. They had gotten engaged at Lily and James's wedding. Then Sirius went to Azkaban and you know. But Ara never filed for divorce or anything since they didn't have the chance to get married. I don't think she would have either," Remus said.
"She died too soon to come and throw her ring to me. That was what Fudge said," Sirius repeated.
"Like I said, Fudge is a lying bastard," Remus spat. "Ara is alive and well. May goes to see her a lot. I've seen Ara a few times. Sirius, she still has the ring on her finger." Sirius's eyes lit up, making much of the darkness from Azkaban disappear.
"I say we go on an Ara hunt," Hermione said.
"Why wasn't I informed about the fact my godfather was engaged to my baby-sitter?" Harry asked.
"What?"
"You heard me. Arabella Figg is my baby-sitter. She thought you were after me. But when she told me everything... there was this... thing in her voice that said she didn't believe her own words. And she was twisting a golden band with a ruby in the center around on her finger," Harry said.
"Yeah, I was there too and I have to agree with Harry," Hermione said.
"I don't understand it. I thought she'd hate me and never speak to me again. And then I thought she was dead..." Sirius trailed off. He shook his head and grabbed some food.
"Nothing could ever distract you from food," Remus said, rolling his eyes as he took food as well. The rest laughed and grabbed some.
As the rest Flooed back later that evening, Harry and Ginny were last. "Ginny?" he asked softly. She turned to him with a smile.
"Yes?"
"Would... would you consider meeting me at the lake tomorrow? When no one else is there?" he asked softly. Ginny smiled as she locked her lips over Harry's.
"Sure." They Flooed back together and kissed until they saw the Weasley's grate. Ginny smiled and walked off to her room as Harry, Ron, and Dudley discussed ways for them to get Ara and Sirius back together. If they were ever apart...
Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinet were headed towards them. "What's up?" asked Alicia.
"The ceiling," Sirius said. Remus hit him over the head.
"You are an impertinent prat," Moony said matter-of-factly. Alicia and Angelina exchanged a look but shook it off.
"Right then, want to come shopping with us?" asked Angelina to the twins.
"Sure," said Fred.
"We'll go," said George. (hehe) They turned to their Mum who nodded.
"Thanks!" they said in unison. They grabbed "their" girl and walked away. Molly shook her head at her sons retreating backs.
"Now then, on to the food," Sirius said. They walked outside and walked past many shops.
"Here," Sirius and Remus said in unison. Harry gave them a questioning look. "This is where Lily and James used to go to eat whenever we were here." Harry nodded. They walked in. The man behind the counter looked positively delighted to see Remus.
"Remus!" he said delightedly (I wonder why.). Remus grinned and gave him a quick hug.
"Mund, it's a pleasure to see you again," Remus said. He turned to introduce him. "Guys this is Mundungas (sp?) Fletcher. He was a Gryffindor the year under us." Harry grinned.
"Am I loosing my marble or is that James?" Mund asked, looking at Harry.
"You lost your marbles long ago and that's Harry," Remus said. Harry bit his lips and thought about what Remus had said. The year under them. He grabbed Mund's arm and pulled him down slightly so he could speak softly into his ear.
"Mr. Fletcher, can you take us somewhere private?" he asked quickly. Mund looked at him oddly but nodded. He led them behind the counter and through a door. A few moments later they were in an office.
"You can call me Mund. Harry, what is it you wanted to say?"
Harry pushed Aaron (Sirius) over. "You know Sirius Black? Well, to make a VERY long story (4 chappies, thank you VERY much!!) short Peter Pettigrew framed Sirius and now we are going to prove Sirius innocent."
"I never truly believed Sirius would betray Lily and James. Hell, he was the reason they ever really got together," Mund said.
"Wow, his language is not affected by the presence of Molly Weasley," Sirius said. "By the way Mund, I'm Sirius in disguise."
"Right then, I'll get you some lunch," Mund said. He led them to a large table in the corner where they were all seated. Once he took their orders Mund walked away to leave them to talk.
"So?" Harry said.
"So what?" asked Sirius.
"What's the story with Mund?" said Ron exasperatedly.
"Yeah, some of us aren't psychic," Dudley said.
"Well, he was a Gryffindor the year under us," Remus said.
"Duh, you said that," Hermione said.
"Anyway, when he was a first year we planted firecrackers under his seat in the Common Room. Most people freaked when we did that but he laughed," Sirius said.
"Every once in a while we'd let him help us with a prank. Of course he was always too scared to help us with one on Lily, Ara, and May," Remus said.
"That's because they used to hex you really bad," Mund said, bringing their food over. "Unlike the rest of you Marauders I wasn't psycho."
"Thank you, thank you very much," Sirius and Remus said in unison.
"Speaking of Ara," said Remus. Sirius looked up.
"How is everyone? When I heard about Ara..." he said quietly.
"What do you mean?"
"Th-that she d-died," Sirius stuttered, looking away.
"And who said that?" said Remus with rage shaking in his voice. Sirius looked up.
" Fudge. He came and told me one year after, well, you know."
"That idiotic, coldhearted, lying, bastard!" Remus yelled. A great deal of people turned to look but Remus glared at them and they whirled around.
"What are you on about and who on earth is May?" asked Ginny.
"Arabella Figg was Harry's Mum's best friend. Her and May Gates. The three were inseparable. Sirius and Ara started dating in the fourth year and were together ever since. They had gotten engaged at Lily and James's wedding. Then Sirius went to Azkaban and you know. But Ara never filed for divorce or anything since they didn't have the chance to get married. I don't think she would have either," Remus said.
"She died too soon to come and throw her ring to me. That was what Fudge said," Sirius repeated.
"Like I said, Fudge is a lying bastard," Remus spat. "Ara is alive and well. May goes to see her a lot. I've seen Ara a few times. Sirius, she still has the ring on her finger." Sirius's eyes lit up, making much of the darkness from Azkaban disappear.
"I say we go on an Ara hunt," Hermione said.
"Why wasn't I informed about the fact my godfather was engaged to my baby-sitter?" Harry asked.
"What?"
"You heard me. Arabella Figg is my baby-sitter. She thought you were after me. But when she told me everything... there was this... thing in her voice that said she didn't believe her own words. And she was twisting a golden band with a ruby in the center around on her finger," Harry said.
"Yeah, I was there too and I have to agree with Harry," Hermione said.
"I don't understand it. I thought she'd hate me and never speak to me again. And then I thought she was dead..." Sirius trailed off. He shook his head and grabbed some food.
"Nothing could ever distract you from food," Remus said, rolling his eyes as he took food as well. The rest laughed and grabbed some.
As the rest Flooed back later that evening, Harry and Ginny were last. "Ginny?" he asked softly. She turned to him with a smile.
"Yes?"
"Would... would you consider meeting me at the lake tomorrow? When no one else is there?" he asked softly. Ginny smiled as she locked her lips over Harry's.
"Sure." They Flooed back together and kissed until they saw the Weasley's grate. Ginny smiled and walked off to her room as Harry, Ron, and Dudley discussed ways for them to get Ara and Sirius back together. If they were ever apart...