Chapter Seven; The Beast of Bodmin Moor.

'Mum, I'm going out!  I'll be back later, 'kay?'  Sirius shouted down the stairs to the lab.  When a faint reply sounded, Sirius hurried out of the house, across the road and rang the doorbell of his neighbour, Mrs. Fennel.

Mrs. Fennel was a young mother of twins.  When she opened the door, Sirius could hear the six-year-old girls running around upstairs, shouting what sounded like commentary for a two-player Quidditch match.  Mrs. Fennel's dirty blond hair was terribly windswept and her clothes slightly rumpled, but she smiled when she saw who was standing on her doorstep.

'Sirius!' she cried delightedly, beaming at him.  'I was wondering when you were going to come over.  How've you been?'

'Fine, thank you.  I came over to ask if I could use your fireplace?'

'Of course you can, though you'd best be quick before the girls find out you're here.'

She led Sirius through to the living room.  It was cluttered with the girls' toys and books.  A feather duster was working its way over the mantle piece while a large box was shuffling slowly across the carpet, scooping up the toys. 

'Excuse the mess; I can't keep up with those two very well.  Could do with a house-elf, really.'

From overhead came a heavy thud and the smash of something breaking, followed by two shrill voices arguing over whose fault it was.

'Discovered Quidditch have they?' asked Sirius, grinning, as he heard the girls resumed their commentary and ran across the landing, their footsteps pounding through the ceiling.

Mrs. Fennel groaned and closed her eyes.  'I never should have taken them into Quality Quidditch Supplies; now it's all they can think about.  I wouldn't mind so much if they didn't keep throwing that silly Quaffle around.'

'But just think; they could be great players for their House Quidditch team when they go to Hogwarts.'

'Don't get them started on Hogwarts!  I like to keep a hold on my sanity, thank you,' she said sternly, handing Sirius a jar of Floo Powder.  'So where are you off to, anyway?'

'A friend's.' Sirius smiled enigmatically.   Mrs. Fennel's blue eyes lit up with curiosity.  She loved hearing all about the pranks and jokes Sirius and his friends played at every opportunity.

'Ooh, got something planned?' she asked eagerly.

'Maybe.'

'So, you're not going to tell me?'  Her face fell in mild disappointment.

'What you don't know, you can't tell Mum.'

Mrs. Fennel laughed, waving him towards the fireplace.

'Go on, get out of here!'

Sirius took a pinch of Floo Powder from the jar and sprinkled it into the fire.  The flames roared and turned a bright, emerald green.  Sirius stepped into the fire and shouted, 'Halfpenny Cottage!'

The fire whipped Sirius into the turbulent Floo System.  Spinning very fast, Sirius shut his eyes tight as the warm air swirled around him.  The moment he felt himself slowing down, he braced himself.  The Floo System suddenly spat him out of a large stone fireplace and onto a soft brown rug.  Only just managing to keep his footing, Sirius straightened up and quickly sidestepped just as the fire expelled Peter, who skidded across the floor on the rug.

Remus and James were seated at the small, wooden table, waiting for them.  In the middle of the table lay a large map, a copy of the Daily Prophet, a slim book and a silvery cloak.

James looked up as they made their belated entrance.

'About time.  Did you bring it?'

'Got about five tins of the stuff,' said Sirius, dumping his backpack onto the table, the contents clunking dully.

'Sure your mum doesn't mind you raiding her store cupboard?' asked Remus uncertainly.

'She doesn't know.  She said something about getting close to a breakthrough this last night so I didn't want to bother her.  I'm sure she doesn't need them.'

'Just as well,' said James.  'We're going to need as much as we can get.'

The Marauders gathered round the table.  James held up the Daily Prophet and turned to page four.  There was a short piece entitled:

Moonlit Howling Terrifies Locals

The normally peaceful air in the village of Bodmin, Cornwall, was shattered two nights ago when animalistic cries and howls sounded from across Bodmin Moor. 

The local villagers were understandably concerned as to the cause of such sounds.  As the majority of the population consists of Muggles, many believe the noises to have been made simply by a stray dog, perhaps injured and in need of help. 

A few misguided Muggles point the finger at a fanciful local legend of a giant wild beast that they believe haunts the Moor at night, despite a sore lack of evidence.   Surprisingly, while they have no proof, they may not be far from the truth.

The small wizarding community in the area has another suspicion, given that the howls were heard on the night of the last full moon and nothing has been heard since.

Upholding their fearful inquires, the Ministry's Beast Division will conduct a thorough investigation at the next full moon.  The Werewolf Capture Unit will be on standby as an added precaution.

'My parents haven't seen that yet,' said Remus quietly.  He looked very tired; the dark circles under his eyes stood out against his paper-white skin.  'They had hoped I wouldn't meet anyone out in the middle of a moor, but I guess the Silencing Charms failed again.'

'Weren't they going to try that Containment Charm?' asked Sirius.

'Oh, yes, that worked fine, I couldn't break through it.  But Mum and Dad stayed up all night reinforcing it just to make sure.  They've been asleep longer than I have.  I was hoping to hide this from them but they're bound to find out when Ministry officials turn up on the moor; they'll want to move again.'

'Hey, don't worry, Moony.  Didn't I say I had a plan?'  James reread the article.  'The whole reason the local wizards are kicking up a fuss is because they heard noises during the full moon, right?'

'Right, so they're going to point the finger at werewolves,' said Sirius.  'Not a lot we can do about that.'

'Ah, but … what if they heard something out on the moor after the full moon?  I don't believe werewolves are capable of transforming at any other time.  Says right here;  'nothing has been heard since,' and the Ministry's only looking into it because of that.'

'But the locals think it's only a dog,' said Peter.

'Or this legend,' said James.  'Moony looked it up and I've got an idea.'

Remus picked up the book.  It title was 'Haunted Sites of Britain'.  It looked like it had come from a Muggle library.

'The Beast of Bodmin Moor is said to be a phantom creature of some kind, roaming the moor at night,' he said, flipping through the pages.  'Muggle witnesses claim that it has glowing red eyes, huge sharp teeth, is as black as the shadows and can vanish in an instant.  Mysterious animal prints have been found and photographed but no-one's sure what made them.'

He held out the book.  A fuzzy black and white photograph showed a faint mark in the mud.  There was no indication of size nor was there a clear outline.

'Looks like it could be from anything,' said Peter, squinting at it.  'You can hardly see it.'

'That's why some Muggles think the whole idea of a ghostly beast was a hoax.  But there have been a couple of supposed eye witness accounts.'

Remus turned the page.  There was an artist's impression of what the beast looked like. 

The charcoal sketch wasn't very neat but it was clear enough to make out a large set of gleaming teeth and large pale eyes on a monstrous, four-legged black creature.  It was slunk low to the ground with its shoulders hunched, as though it were about to leap off the page.  The fur all over its body was long, ruffled and shaggy; the tail long and plumed.  The four paws were enormous with long, sharp claws.

'Accounts vary but this is the most common description,' said Remus.

'That's what the Muggles think is out there?' said Sirius, taking the book for a closer look.  'It looks like Cosmic when you poke him awake.'

'There is a rumour that it's only a cat, but as there's no evidence to prove or disprove either theory, no one knows what the truth is,' said Remus.

'Let me guess,' said Sirius, starting to grin.  'There's going to be a few new sightings reported soon?'

James grinned back evilly and held up his Invisibility Cloak.

'We have until nightfall to get ready, so let's get going!'

*

Bodmin Moor was practically on Remus' doorstep.  Just beyond the fence lay the huge open space, stretching for miles in all directions.

The grey sky above was overcast and a light drizzle of rain was falling.  The sun peeked through the clouds occasionally but its rays were weak and quickly chased away.

'Typical British summer,' said Sirius, watching the sky as they headed off down the road that ran over the moor, disappearing into the distance.

James surveyed the dreary landscape with satisfaction.

'It's perfect.  There should be some fog tonight, that'll make it easier.'

Peter looked around nervously.

'It is … er … rather big, isn't it?  Shouldn't we stick to the road?'

'Wormtail, we have to be out on the moor for this to work,' said James patiently.  'Besides, we won't be far from the road anyway.  We need to be seen.'

Peter didn't look convinced.

'But, what if there really is something out there, like in the legend -'

'The only beasts out there are going to be us,' said Sirius firmly.  'There's nothing to worry about!'

'I doubt there's a ghost running around out here,' Remus agreed.  'Sceptics say it's more likely to be a panther, if anything.'

The other Marauders froze.  As one, they slowly turned round to stare at him.

'A panther?' said James, incredulously.  'What would a panther be doing wandering around in the British countryside?  I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but don't they live in the jungle or somewhere where it's hot?'

'True.  But it's believed that someone round here owned a black panther some years ago.  He was a wealthy man and he kept lots of exotic pets as a status symbol.'

'Crazy Muggle,' Sirius muttered in disbelief.  Remus nodded his agreement.

'Well, the story goes that the panther escaped one night, but because it was illegally imported, he never told anyone about it.  Another version says that he set it free when he couldn't care for it any longer; he most likely just wanted to get rid of it without the hassle of disposing of a body.'

Peter went white.

'So - so there could be something out here-'

'I wouldn't panic, Wormtail.  If there had been a panther it's probably dead by now.'

'Was a body ever found?' asked Sirius.

'No. But look at the size of this place.  You could search for years and never find one, even if there was one to be found.'

'It's still a possibility, though?'

'A highly unlikely one, but yes, I suppose.  It is a fairly plausible explanation for the legend and the sightings, but some Muggles believe it is a ghost, whether it's of the panther or some other creature, no one knows.'

The Marauders stepped off the road and headed out over the moor.

'But if no one's seen this beast for years, do you still think we can pull this off, Prongs?' squeaked Peter, stumbling over the uneven ground.

'Course we will.'  James dug a hand into Sirius' backpack, pulled out a chunky tin and tossed it to Peter, who caught it clumsily. The label read: Luminol.  'People believe what they see.'

*

As James had predicted, by late afternoon a light fog had rolled in over Bodmin Moor.  Light was fading fast and the rain continued to fall gently.

Walking quickly down the empty road were two hikers; heavy packs on their backs and wrapped up in warm, bulky coats.

'Greg, are you sure this is the right way?' asked one of them.

'Of course,' said Greg firmly, pulling his hat low over his eyes, shielding them from the rain.  'The village can't be much further.'

'But I think we're lost.'

'We aren't lost, Lucy.  We've stuck to the road, all we have to do is follow it.'

'Shouldn't we check the map?  Just in case?'  Lucy whined pathetically.  They'd been walking all day and her feet were killing her.  Never again was she going to listen to Greg's ramblings about how great camping was.  Next year, they were going abroad for sure.   'I still think we should have turned right at the crossroads.'

Rolling his eyes, Greg reluctantly took the map out of his pocket, if only to stop Lucy's whining.  He shook it open with a flourish.

'Look, right here.  This is where we camped, this is the road we started on, there's the crossroads and this is where we are now.  See?  We're not lost at all.  It's just a littler further.'

Lucy peered over his shoulder at the rain-spotted map.  Typical, they still had about three miles to go.  And in the dark and rain.

A huge raindrop splattered onto the tiny print of 'Bodmin' when a strange sound rumbled out of the darkness.

Greg and Lucy looked up from the map.

'What was that?'  Lucy whispered, gripping his arm tightly.

Greg shrugged nonchalantly.

'Probably a dog.'

'Didn't sound like a dog.'

'Then what did it sound like?' said Greg, folding the map away and starting off again.

'How should I know?' moaned Lucy.  'I've never heard anything like that before!'

Off to their left came a distant bark.

'There, see?  What did I tell yah?  Just a dog.'

'That weren't no dog I heard,' repeated Lucy stubbornly.  'I never wanted to go camping in the first place.'

'It's an adventure!  An experience!'

'Oh, yes, wonderful.  I've experienced biting insects, sleeping on cold, lumpy ground and now weird noises in the dark.  Remind me to send a postcard to Emily - Having a wonderful time, wish you were here.'

'There's no need to be sarcastic.'

Lucy slowed to a halt, staring through the fog.

'Greg,' she whispered.  'Can you see that?'

'See what?'

Lucy pointed.

Up ahead, something was moving in the fog.  Greg stopped and squinted at it.

'Dunno … looks like some kinda -'

Two glowing red eyes suddenly appeared out of the darkness; narrowed and low to the ground.

Greg froze.  Lucy gave a small gasp behind him.

Neither of them moved.

The eyes moved slowly towards them.  A long muzzle came into sight, ghost-like on the edge of the fog.  Two large pointed ears stuck up from the beast's head, a huge furry body shrouded in shadow.  A low growl sounded.  A set of long, sharp white teeth glinted.  But what frightened Greg and Lucy the most was the eerie, misty quality of the animal.  It seemed to be composed only of light and shadow, drifting in and out of sight.

'Greg!'  Lucy hissed.  She sounded terrified.

The beast's eyes flashed in her direction.  Throwing its head back, a spine-chilling howl erupted from its jaws, echoing through the darkness.

Lucy screamed and ran as fast as she could back up the road, Greg only a few paces behind her.

The howling stopped.  The thundering of heavy paws came after them, running along the edge of the road.  Greg ran faster, grabbing Lucy's hand, shouting, 'Faster!'

A dark shape dove across the road in front of them.  Lucy stumbled and fell with a shriek, throwing her arms up over her head.  Greg moved to stand between her and the feral creature, brandishing a large stick he'd snatched up from the roadside.

'Get back!' he shouted.  'I'm warning you!'  He swung the stick in a wide arc, hoping to drive it off.

The creature's glowing eyes blinked slowly at him, standing perfectly still some ten feet away.  A thick swirl of fog drifted across the road between them.  Greg blinked - the beast had vanished.

Startled, Greg stumbled backwards towards Lucy, still holding the stick up in front of him, eyes darting left and right.  Where had it gone?

Shaking, Lucy slowly lowered her hands.

'Is - is it gone?' she whimpered.

'Yeah, yeah it has,' said Greg in an awed tone of voice.  'Into thin air.  Like a ghost or something.'

'A ghost?  But it looked alive!'

Greg nodded.  He was as white as a sheet.

'Let's keep moving,' he said in a firm voice.  In case it comes back, he added silently.

Taking Lucy's hand, Greg pulled her to her feet and they hurried off down the road towards Bodmin, eyes peeled for any sign of the ghost, the mysterious moaning from far across the moor speeding them on their way.

*

About a mile back up the road, a group of teenage wizards heard the moaning and stopped to listen.  Flying over the moor on their brooms, the eighteen and nineteen year-olds had been practising Quidditch, out of sight of the Muggles.  A scarlet Quaffle was tossed from hand to hand as they sped through the night.

'What was that?' called a skinny brunette by the name of Cassandra.  'Listen, is that a werewolf?'

'Idiot.  There ain't no full moon,' sneered Jack, spinning the Quaffle on his finger before hurling it at her.  'Werewolves don't live round here anyway.'

Cassandra chucked the Quaffle down to Claude, who swooped low to the ground, caught it and flew off into the fog, barely visible.

'I think we ought to be getting back,' shouted Belinda, a bespectacled blond.  'I can hardly see a thing.'

'Oh, come on!  Ten more minutes and we'll call it quits, all right?' said Jack, flying low over her head teasingly.  'Hey Claude!  Where'd you go?'

David, the youngest of the group with a huge nose and short bristly hair, flew after Claude, shouting for him to throw the Quaffle back.  Then, out of the darkness, a huge shape suddenly leapt up from beneath him with a thunderous growl.

With a startled shout, David tumbled off his broom and fell several feet to land in the mud with a wet thud.

Cassandra and Belinda started screaming hysterically as a monstrous, ghost-like dog lunged at them, snarling furiously, its dark red eyes glowing brightly.

Jack yanked his broom up and shot out of reach.  But then Claude appeared abruptly above him; they collided and fell back to earth, splattering David with more mud.  A loud crack sounded; Jack's broom had snapped in two.

He swore loudly, but his words changed to a horrified bellow as something huge and hairy bowled him over.

Mingled with the screams came a long, low moan that seemed to come from all directions beyond their sight.

Howling triumphantly, the strange canine phantom took flight, running away into the night, vanishing into the fog.

Two beams of light lanced down through the fog.  Quickly, the dog changed direction, heading towards the eerie moans.  Running lightly over the slippery, uneven ground, he quickly lost the wand-lights from above.  The two girls had quit squealing long enough to consider searching for him.

A dark shape loomed out of the darkness.  The huge red-brown stag lowered his regal antlered head, opened his mouth and let out another bellow, the sound blaring out like a hunting horn, echoing strangely over the moor.

Barking gruffly in acknowledgement, the dog carried on past the stag, ears pricked, listening intently for another sound.

A shrill series of squeaks caught his attention; sounding in rapid bursts, three squeals at a time.  The sound led the dog to a shallow depression in the ground.  A plump grey rat was sat up on its hind legs, squeaking for all it was worth.

There came a rustle of fabric from behind the rat and a brown-haired head appeared, floating in mid-air.

'Padfoot, under here!'

The Invisibility Cloak was hoisted up and the dog dived underneath.  The Cloak fell over them both and they disappeared.

The glowing hound lay down, panting hard.  In an instant, Sirius appeared, hooting with glee.  His normally pale eyes were glowing blood red.  His clothes, skin and hair were glowing misty-white making him appear almost transparent.

'That was great!'  Sirius laughed, breathlessly.  'You should have seen their faces!  It was Jack Rockson and his mates, remember them?'

'Yeah, bunch of idiots.  They left Hogwarts last year, didn't they?' said Remus, prising open the lid of a tin of Luminol.  'So much for never seeing them again; I didn't realise they lived round here.  Keep still.'

Shaking the tin hard, a stream of yellow-white powder poured out all over Sirius' head.  The powder settled thickly in his long, shaggy hair and it started to glow, weakly at first then growing in intensity.  A milky shine swam over his eyes; the blue that had started to show through was washed away once more by a wave of deep scarlet.

In the blink of an eye, Sirius vanished, transforming into the huge, shaggy black dog, his Animagus form taking on the ethereal quality of a ghost.

There was a scurrying in the dark to their left and Wormtail appeared under the Cloak.  There was a faint popping sound and Peter appeared.  He was massaging his throat, grimacing.

'Prongs says there's another couple heading out of Bodmin along the east-side track, if you're quick you can catch them at the crossroads,' he croaked hoarsely.

Sirius nodded with the canine equivalent of a smile.  Remus poured some more of the powder over his back, rubbing it into his thick fur.

'We've still got four tins of this stuff,' he said, grinning mischievously.  'We could be out here for quite a while!'

Shaking the loose dust out of his coat, Sirius was left with a glowing mist floating in the air around him, swirling as he moved.

With a joyous leap, the phantom canine burst out from under the Cloak, camouflaged in the fog, melting into the shadows.  He ran swiftly across the moor, the ground flying beneath his paws, his head held high as a wild howl echoed out into the night.

*

It was almost two in the morning when the Marauders finally decided to call it a night, mainly due to the lack of victims; the moor was deserted and despite their willingness to continue 'haunting' Bodmin Moor, they had used up the last of the Luminol Powder.

Returning to Halfpenny Cottage, Peter quickly took the Floo back to Norfolk.  James followed suit, hoping his parents weren't waiting up for him.  Sirius stayed with Remus for a while, spending nearly an hour in the shower trying to wash the powder out of his hair.  He still looked unnaturally pale when he eventually bade Remus goodbye and took the Floo back to Mrs. Fennel's living room, and sneaked out of the house as quietly as he could.

The street was dark and silent.  Walking as quickly and as quietly as possible, Sirius crossed the road and up to his house.  At the edge of the path, he paused.

The house, like all the others in the street, was dark, the curtains drawn.  Yet from behind the living room curtains, a flare of light shone.  Sirius stayed where he was.  The light was not particularly bright; a narrow beam sweeping round the room.  Abruptly it vanished.  The room was dark once more.

Sirius watched the house for a moment, wondering.  What was that?  A glance at the windows showed no sign of a break in. 

Slowly, Sirius walked up the path to the front door.  He reached for the handle.  Just as his hand touched it, the door was suddenly pulled open.  Startled, Sirius jerked back.

Richard was standing there in the doorway.  He didn't look particularly happy to see Sirius.  Sirius felt his stomach clench.  What was Richard doing up this late?  Somehow Sirius didn't think it was to see that he'd come home safely.

'Where have you been?' Richard growled.  'Do you have any idea what time it is?'

Sirius frowned.  After such a fun day he really didn't want it ruined at the last minute by some pompous git trying to act like his father.  Keeping his head held high, Sirius stepped back up onto the doorstep.

'What business is it of yours?' he said, attempting to side step around Richard and through the door.  As he brushed past, a large hand roughly seized his upper arm and squeezed it tight.  Caught by surprise, Sirius gasped in pain.

'Ow!  What are you -'

'Let's get one thing clear, shall we?'  Richard shoved his face right up to Sirius'.  Sirius winced, trying to pull out of Richard's grasp but the older man was far too strong.  'I don't like disobedient brats who have no respect for their elders.'

'Respect is earned,' Sirius snarled through gritted teeth,  'not freely given.'

He tried again to pull away but Richard grabbed his wrist.  Sirius yelped as Richard sharply twisted his arm behind his back, shoving him up against the wall.  Twisting his head, Sirius only just managed to avoid slamming his nose into the wall but his head hit it with a hollow thud.  A blinding pain pulsed through his head and the dark hallway tilted alarmingly.  He stumbled on the stairs as Richard forced him up them, and into his unlit bedroom.

Letting go of his arm, Richard spun Sirius round, raising his hand.

Sirius' vision was still swimming slightly. He staggered, trying to keep his balance and to move out of reach.  Richard's darkened features contorted into a cold smile.

'I don't believe your mother would be very impressed with you coming and going at all hours.  I'm sure she won't object to my teaching you a little discipline.' His eyes glinted maliciously.  Sirius wanted to move back but his body seemed to have frozen.  'Although I doubt you'll enjoy the lesson.  Do you understand?'

Sirius' heart was working at double-speed.  When he didn't answer immediately Richard smacked him across the face, the sound loud and sharp.  Sirius jerked back, stumbling against the bed.

'I said, do you understand?'  Richard demanded fiercely.

Sirius nodded numbly, which earned him another slap.

'Speak when you're spoken to, boy!' he hissed.  'One more time; do - you - understand?'

'Yes,' said Sirius quietly, reaching behind him and clutching the bed for support.

A twisted smile contorted Richard's cruel face.  He lowered his hand.

'Good.  End of the lesson.'  He turned and walked out of the room.  Just as he made to close the door, however, he stopped, adding, 'I look forward to the next lesson.  However, if you already understand the value of silence, I may consider cancelling it.   Sleep well.'  And he shut the door.

Shaking, Sirius sank onto the bed.  For a moment he couldn't feel anything; like what had just happened couldn't have been real.  

Closing his eyes, he rested his head in his hands; he winced as his left arm throbbed in protest.  Wincing in pain, Sirius flicked the bedside lamp on.  Holding his arm up to the light, he could see several angry red marks where Richard had grabbed him round the wrist and up near his shoulder.

The realisation sunk in slowly.  The stunned daze seemed to lift and Sirius considered going straight to his mother, waking her up and showing her what her wonderful man had just done. But a nasty thought pushed the notion aside.

What if she didn't believe him?  He didn't really have any proof that Richard had done this.  The rational part of his brain told him that the marks could theoretically have come from anywhere - he often came home with bumps and bruises from Quidditch or horsing around with his friends.  Richard need only deny it.    Then his threat echoed horribly in Sirius' mind - the value of silence.

Sirius slowly changed into his pyjamas and climbed into bed, careful not to lie on his arm.  He lay staring up at the ceiling for a long time.  He was exhausted, but sleep wouldn't come.  A confused mass of thoughts raced through his mind as he tried to make his half-awake brain comprehend what had just happened.

Yet all he could recall was the way he'd frozen and an emotion that had overpowered him, more so than Richard's brute force. 

Sirius shivered.  He knew what it was he'd felt … and he didn't like it.

Fear.

*

To Be Continued.

*

Please review.  All comments and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated.

*

Author's Notes.

NightSpear – I'm quite fond of Cosmic too.  I haven't come across any fics regarding Sirius being a cat-hater; it strikes me as a bit odd.  In PoA he seemed rather fond of Crookshanks, so I took it from there that he liked cats and decided to develop it.  Another reason why I gave Sirius a pet cat was that I didn't to be stuck with the preconceived idea that only boys had owls and only girls had cats.

I'm afraid that Andromeda is prepared to turn a blind eye to any faults Richard has, simply because she graves the attention of a loving partner. I think that a lot of people do fall into that trap; and I confess I do have to include myself in that category, although the relationship did not last very long (thankfully!)  I opened my eyes and got out of it. 

Well, this chapter explained the letter, I guess.   Sirius hasn't been completely banned from contacting his friends; just from having owls coming to the house, so they are now being diverted to Mrs. Fennel's house across the road.

Christy – LOL!  Yep, I have noticed.  I can just image the other Marauders making every joke possible to wind him up.  ^_^   Although, for some reason, I like the idea of giving Sirius two middle names.  I know a few people who have them.  I quite like the sound of Sirius Orion Polaris Black.  Gets rid of the embarrassing initials, but is a bit of a mouthful.  Might depend on the pronunciation of 'Polaris'.  I've been told two ways – 'Polar-is' and 'Pol-lar-ris'.   Personally, I like the second one; it rolls of the tongue better when you say the whole name.  ^_^  Anyway, that's my version of Sirius' name.  I'll use it in another fic at some point.

WallyTheWhale – Brilliant!  I can feel the hate!  Hopefully now you've read this chapter you'll have a whole new reason to hate him.  Hee hee, I couldn't resist putting in 'stray dogs', it just struck me as funny that he has no idea about Sirius' ability.  ^_^  Why does he think he can lecture Sirius?  Because he's something of a control freak.  As far as he's concerned, he's 'the man of the house' and thus entitled to some control over what goes on.   And he's not keen on animals (as you may have noticed) so having a wild bird fluttering around one of the bedrooms falls short of the 'intriguing' category and straight onto the 'I don't like this, I won't allow it' list. 

Hey, hold up.  Andromeda has not banned Sirius completely.  She just doesn't want owls flying around when Richard might see them.  All his letters are to be dropped off at their neighbour, Mrs Fennel.  Since Richard has shown himself to be adverse to birds, Andromeda is growing more reluctant to tell him that she's a witch, so she's continuing her efforts to hide any evidence of it.  She's scared of losing him, you see.

The letter was an invite to come over to Remus' house to cause a bit of mayhem.  Thought it might cheer him up.  ^_^  Of course I ended it there!   Aren't cliff-hangers annoying? *evil cackle*  I can do worse!

Zucchin; yes I think that picture is indeed baby marrows.  Right, that's that figured out!   

Wally the Whale and Patty the Penguin.  Cute.  I've got a polar bear named Rob.  No story behind it.  I bought a stuffed wolf last summer.  Guess what I named him?  Remus!  No prizes for guessing where I got that from.  ^_^

TiniTinuviel – Wow, thanks for reviewing several chapters!  I'm glad you're enjoying it.  Yes, I did write down the sort of conversation I have with my siblings.  My sister and I have something of a breakfast ritual whereby she deliberately cuts the crust off her toast and leaves it, which really annoys me for some bizarre reason, and so we tease each other about it.  Oh, and that bit when Sirius acts far too perky in the morning towards Ursa?  I did that to my sister one morning; she is not a morning person in the slightest.  I think my manic grin was a bit too much for her – she looked ever so scared!  ^_^  

Hey, I'm already working on my next fic.  It's going to be so long it probably won't be seen for months.  But I'm hoping it'll be as good as this one, or better. 

MorganD – Andromeda is a bit desperate, yes.  Sad, but true.  Ah, the possible problem with the fires?  She has one in her lab, and since she's in there a lot, any work calls have to come through there.   And she doesn't often get owls, and they'll be sent to her neighbour anyway.  They're good friends, so Mrs Fennel doesn't mind doing her a favour and picking up the post.

Orion-San – Yeah, I find that really irritating, too.  I don't mind so much if people ask if they can shorten my name, but when they just assume it's okay, it really gets on my nerves.  I have on occasion ignored people until they use my full name.  It's worked a number of times. 

I'd probably freak out a bit too, if an owl flew in my window.  I'd also think it was really cool, but it would be so strange if it really happened.

Prongs4 – LOL.  Thank you!  Enjoy the chapter.

Squintz1 – I think Aristophanes is a mouthful!  ^_^  Aww, Toffee is sweet.  I bet the name Fudge has fallen out of favour with Harry Potter fans.  (I've got into the habit of saying 'Fudge it!' when I do something stupid.  ^_^  ) Anyway, your kitten sounds really cute.  I love tabby cats.  A friend of mine had a silver and black tabby named Zebra; she was adorable.