I'm baaaaaaaack. After this, only three more chapters, the exiting conclusion of…wait, sorry. Not yet. Anyway.

Chapter 12- Double Motives

"Ron, Hermione! I've just got a letter from Sirius!"

"Harry, be quiet!" Hermione glanced around the common room to see who heard.

"No, it's okay. Look, Sirius put this in." She took the proffered clipping. Sirius had underlined the important bits of the article entitled "Sirius Black: An Innocent Man Condemned".

*…and he has recently been cleared of all charges. New evidence that it was not Black, but in fact Peter Pettigrew who was the secret keeper for Lily and James Potter at the time of their death, discounts the circumstances of the murders of which Black was convicted. In fact, reliable sources tell us that Pettigrew is an Animagus, and lived for twelve years as a pet rat to one of the young Weasleys. A search for Pettigrew…*

"That's great!" Hermione exclaimed. "He won't have to hide out anymore."

"I'm going to write to him. I'll ask him to meet us in Hogsmeade next time we go."

"When is that, anyway?" Hermione asked as she added the finishing touches to her Potions essay.

Ron got up to check the board. "March 13th. Next Saturday."

"Hey Ron, there probably won't be another trip until the middle of April, at least."

"You're right, Harry. We'll have to visit Zonko's Joke Shop." Their tones were sickeningly formal. Rolling her eyes, Hermione repacked her bag. She wished they would give up on April Fool's Day. Nothing they had tried so far had worked, but they just did not learn.

No less than three hours later, Harry received his reply from Sirius. "He must be nearby," Harry commented. "He says he'll meet us in the Three Broomsticks at one." Hermione began to plan out in her mind the questions she would ask Harry's godfather.

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Hermione finally located Harry and Ron in the Quidditch supply store. She only managed to drag them out when they saw Sirius walk by the window.

They caught up with him as he entered the Three Broomsticks. His face instantly broke into a smile when he saw them. "How are you three?" Sirius asked as he held the door open for them.

"We're fine," Harry replied with a smile. They sat down and ordered four butterbeers. "So how does it feel?" They all knew he meant not to be a wanted man.

Instead of smiling and assuring them how good he felt, as Hermione knew Harry had expected, he stared into his mug, shifting uncomfortably. "It's sort of complicated," Sirius began. "I'm completely free now, and I'm glad for it. The thing is…a lot of people look at me as though they don't believe the reports. It's like they think I tricked the Ministry into believing my innocence, and I should really not be allowed to walk among 'decent folk'. I've heard people say that. As though I could have gone anywhere near the Ministry before Dumbledore told them about the switch. When they realized I was listening, they got out of there fast. A lot of people still suspect me, but they can't do anything about it because I've been cleared."

None of them said anything. Hermione had had a feeling something like this would happen. Sirius spoke again. "But of course, some people do believe I'm innocent. It's not all bad. Enough about me. How are you getting on a school?" The question seemed directed more at Harry than Ron or Hermione.

Harry shrugged. "Okay. I could be doing better in Potions, but that's nothing new."

"Speaking of school," Hermione broke in. "Sirius, do you know anyone by the name of Julius Nova?" Sirius showed no sign of recognition. Now was time to test her theory. "What about Vilo Junuas?"

"What's this about, Hermione?" Ron asked.

"I'll explain in a moment." She waved the question aside. "Sirius?"

"Yeah, I knew him. He was in school a year ahead of me. After he left Hogwarts, he made a fortune in black market trade. He was caught smuggling Amazonian fairy dust. He paid off the Ministry officials, but they took all he had. I hear he started over, changing his appearance and name…What does this have to do with someone names Julius Nova?"

"Professor Nova is our DADA teacher this year," Hermione explained. She briefly described their suspicions. "I looked up old school records after I inadvertently discovered what year Nova graduated from Hogwarts. I couldn't find a Julius Nova anywhere, but there was a picture that looked remarkably like him. Then I realized that 'Julius Nova' must be an anagram for Vilo Junuas. Um, so, what was he like?"

"A little goody two-shoes. Never got in trouble for anything, always had perfect grades. We all thought he would be Head Boy, but he wasn't. I guess Dumbledore knew something we didn't."

"Bet he didn't trust the git. Good reason, too," Ron muttered.

"Ron!"

"Sorry."

"Why would Dumbledore hire him, then?" Sirius wondered.

"He must not have recognized him," Ron shrugged.

"Maybe," Harry said doubtfully. He stared pensively at a crack in the table. "Or maybe… maybe he hired him because he *did* recognize him."

"That doesn't make sense," Ron said.

"Well, think about it." Harry leaned forward as he unfolded his just-formed theory. "Dumbledore knows everything anyway, right? Sirius, do you know when he was caught?"

"A few years ago, at least. I've only heard mostly rumors."

Harry continued. "Dumbledore must have sat this guy's trial, so he knew his deal. He would be one of a few he couldn't bribe, but they go by majority, so it wouldn't matter. But you all know Dumbledore has spies all over the place. One of them followed this guy, to find out what he would do. Dumbledore has known about this guy for a long time."

"Harry, his name is Vilo Junuas." Hermione sighed amusedly.

"Right. So Dumbledore couldn't find a DADA teacher, and we can't not have Defense Against the Dark Arts. Junuas was good in school, Dumbledore figured he would be a competent teacher. He must have offered him the job, and now he's got the whole illegal activities thing hanging over his head, so Dumbledore had his teacher. I mean, I know, it's not complete yet. I haven't figured out the rest."

Hermione tapped her chin. "Dumbledore probably could have found another teacher. There must be some particular reason why he wanted Nova."

"Connections," Ron suggested.

"Plausible," Hermione consented. "But why would Dumbledore need the connections of a smuggler?"

"Not for people," Harry said slowly. "Dumbledore can talk to anyone. It must be for some*thing*."

"But did he hire Nova because he's helping him, or did he want to keep an eye on hi. Say, to see if he's receiving a certain- thing?"

"We can't come to any definite conclusions." Harry shook his head. "We don't have enough of the facts."

Sirius was pondering his mug again. "I've talked to him, more than once. From what I know of Junuas, he would have taken the job because it's a job. He takes a lot of short term jobs, quitting after a year or so. So this is actually the perfect position for him," he said wryly. "Are you sure Dumbledore went to him first?"

Harry and Ron exchanged worried glances. Neither of them had considered that before. "Yes," Hermione said firmly. "These two don't pay attention. Dumbledore specifically said, at his start-of-term speech, that he had approached Nova."

"Okay. So it's something Dumbledore needed."

"Wait. What if- Nova could have had a double motive, right? There was some reason for him to go to Hogwarts, and the job was the perfect cover."

Hermione was often surprised at Harry's moments of intelligence. More often than Ron's, though his were much more surprising. "So we don't know whether Dumbledore or Nova had another motive." Harry stopped himself from hitting his mug with his fist just in time.

"Or both." Harry nodded in acknowledgement of Hermione's suggestion.

"We've only figured out- not much."

Sirius grinned in Ron's direction. "He's too confused to think anymore."

Hermione patter Ron's hand affectionately, smiling. "We all are." Despite what she said to comfort Ron, her brain was working overtime. When Nova had grabbed his arm and disappeared from the class, Hermione had subconsciously assumed that it was the Dark Mark. Now she conceded, it could have been any number of injuries, caused by any number of things. There was nothing that said he was on Voldemort's side. But nothing said he was on theirs. And Dumbledore had moved the unicorns right after the attack…

"Sirius," she said suddenly, "how much do you think a unicorn would be worth on the black market?"

The three other occupants of the table looked at her in astonishment. "I don't know…It would be a lot, though, they're hard to come by. Wait, unicorn- how did you know about that!!" he hissed.

"SDADM," Hermione said simply and calmly.

"Damn it! He didn't tell me you'd have any involvement with the unicorn! Yes, I know about SDADM. I'm Harry's godfather, remember? I'm the one who gave permission for him. I've got to tell him to get you out of it."

"Relax, Sirius," Harry said, holding up a hand. "It's over."

"You mean they're gone?" Harry nodded. Sirius looked relieved but still angry.

"I didn't see that picture of Inori until the day after Christmas. Inori's the Pegasus. I think it was moved there around that time. That must mean the unicorns weren't in there until the middle of the year. So Nova couldn't have known about them when he took the job."

"Unless they were moved there," said Ron.

"I guess. Dumbldore might suspect Nova now, or he might have had doubts when he hired him. Who knows. But after the attack on Inori, Dumbledore moved them- maybe again. He knew someone knew about them who shouldn't. Dumbledore told us Voldemort wants they young unicorn. I don't doubt that. So he had to protect them both from Dark wizards, and smugglers. I still don't know how Nova knew about them to begin with." Hermione's brain was reeling. She was almost surprised that all this had come from her.

"Smugglers can sometimes hear the most secret of secrets," Sirius said cryptically.

Hermione opened her mouth again, but Harry spoke first. "Hang on. Dumbledore's been planning this SDADM thing for a long time. How did you find out about the unicorns at the same time as SDADM if he didn't have them there?"

Sirius surveyed his godson for a moment, then his face cracked into a wide grin. "I must admit I find it entertaining to see how much you three can figure out for yourselves. Yes, I found out about both at the same time. Around your birthday, Harry."

Hermione nodded. "But there's still Dumbledore hiring Nova in the first place. There's something in this that doesn't fit. I know I don't trust Nova. It seems unlikely Dumbledore would have."

There was a silence as they all pondered the question: why would the Headmaster hire someone he did not trust?

"Maybe he just missed something," Ron shrugged.

A longer silence fell. Hermione doubted Ron's idea. Dumbledore would not miss something that important. It was impossible…

Wasn't it?

End Chapter 12

Now you know about the strange workings of a DADA teacher. No house points as of yet have been awarded. I guess no one's reading, or cares about house points…either way, no one's got any.

Teaser to end all teasers:

"I don't think we should see each other any more."

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