A/N: Ooooo that cliffy was so evil of me!
Harry: Yes it was. Now get on with the fic.
Me: Quiet you. I'll delay as long as I want. ::Sits back, stretches, farts, pops fingers, and gets ready to type::
Harry: ::Rolls eyes::
Me: ::Throws a stapler at Harry::
Harry: Ow!
Me: Heh.
Harry: ::Glares::
Me: ::Smiles innocently::
Harry: Get on with the fic!
Me: Oh, look, I have some dirt under my nail.
Harry: No one cares.
Me: ::Starts to dig dirt out from under nails::
Harry: ::Sighs::
Me: I'll write the fic when I'm good and dern well ready. You should learn some patience.
Harry: I can't be patient when I'm wondering if it's really Cho or just my eyes playing tricks on me and telling me it looks like Cho.
Me: I already know. So that's not my problem.
Harry: ::Sighs again::
Me: ::Smiles knowingly::
Harry: Just get on with it.
Me: Oh, fine.
Disclaimer: ::Throws staplers at lawyers::
"Cho?" said Harry disbelievingly, even though he wanted to believe it so badly, his mind kept screaming at him that there was no way it was really her.
"Harry, dear," started Arabella.
"You know him?" said Lucy, snapping out of her is-this-guy-mental stage.
Arabella and Mundungus nodded and Harry peered closely at Arabella. "Mrs. Figg? You look . . . different."
Arabella smiled slightly, "Yes, it is me, Harry. You didn't think you'd ever see me in the Leaky Cauldron, did you?"
Harry shook his head. "I thought you were a Muggle."
Arabella smiled wider. "Then I did my job well. Come, Harry, I'll explain a few things to you," said Arabella, grabbing his arm and steering him away from Lucy and Mundungus.
Lucy turned to Mundungus. "What is going on? How do you and Bella know that boy and who-" Lucy stopped suddenly, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the moving picture. "Is that him?" she whispered, looking down at the picture then at the back of the boy's head. "Gus," said Lucy. He turned to her. "Is that him?"
~*~
"Mrs. Figg, I don't understand," said Harry as he was dragged to the other side of the Leaky Cauldron.
"No one expected you to, Harry," said Arabella. "And please, call me Arabella, I really can not stand 'Mrs. Figg'."
"Why have you been staying in Little Whinging all this time if you're a witch, and how come you look so much younger?" said Harry.
Arabella leaned closer to him and said in a low voice so that no one else but him could hear her, "I was placed in Little Whinging soon after you were left at Number 4 Privet Drive. It was my job to make sure that you were okay. And also, if the protective wards were to have been breached Dumbledore would need someone who can contact him immediately, someone who would know if the wards went down. As for why I look younger, well to make things a little more convincing and to make myself less recognizable, I took an Aging potion. When I heard Voldemort had returned I went to Madam Pomfrey to get the reverse potion because I am an Auror and I want to work the field while I can.
"A lot of people thought Cho died in that battle with Voldemort but he used a Memory charm on her, she has no idea who she is, what Hogwarts is, any of it, she doesn't even remember you. I'm sorry, Harry," Arabella added that last part as Harry's face fell. She wrapped her arms around him in a motherly embrace with a kiss in his hair to boot. "We're going to fix this, Harry, we're trying to get her memory back, but we're afraid that if we show her too much at one time that she'll get scared. We have to do this gradually and we weren't going to let the two of you meet until she had fully recovered but seeing as how that didn't work out . . . I really hate to say this, Harry, but you must not talk to her again until we're sure she remembers. Do you understand?"
Harry nodded. "I understand, Mrs. F- Arabella."
"Good. Well, I have to go now, Harry. Go find your friends and spend some time in Diagon Alley, maybe take your mind off her for a while," said Arabella, letting go of him and stepping back. Harry nodded again then Arabella turned and disappeared into the crowd.
~*~
"Gus!" said Lucy when Mundungus didn't respond. "What do you two know that you're not telling me?" she demanded, tapping her foot.
"Lucy, be patient, all will be revealed in time," said Mundungus.
"And how much time do you think we have? Maybe you didn't notice but a huge explosion just occurred right in front of us," said Lucy.
"They over loaded the fireplace, too much at one time. Don't worry, it's okay. But where they came from, it's not," said Arabella, walking up to them.
"What happened?" said Mundungus. "Bella, why are all the Hogwarts students here during the school year? Actually," he looked at his watch, "During class time."
Arabella glanced at Lucy, who opened her mouth to ask what a Hogwarts was. "Gus, this is not the place or the time to discuss this," said Arabella through gritted teeth, sending another glance at Lucy.
Mundungus sighed. "Lucy, wait here."
Lucy sighed as Arabella and Mundungus walked off. "She's seen too much, she's probably ready to throw us in a loony bin!" said Arabella, leaning against a wall and closing her eyes. "This was not how it was supposed to go . . ."
"I know, but we can't help it. What's going on at Hogwarts?" asked Mundungus.
"I don't know, Harry didn't say anything about it. It must have been attacked if all the students were sent here," said Arabella. "Maybe we should have listened to Sirius . . ." said Arabella.
"That traitor?!" said Mundungus. "Maybe we SHOULD throw you in a loony bin, Arabella!"
"But he said he was at Remus' when he was owling us. And how else would he get such clean parchment? I'm not so sure he was lying anymore," said Arabella.
"I can see that, by the way you're saying his name so easily. Black deserves the Dementor's Kiss," said Mundungus. "But you, you are blinded by your affection for him. I know you used to be engaged to him."
"Well, that was a long time ago, Mundungus, I married Edwin Figg, you know that. Affection did not blind me when I threw Sirius' letter into the fire, and it does not now. I'm just saying that maybe we were mistaken in him. Maybe he didn't do those awful things."
"That's not possible, there's evidence against him all over the place," said Mundungus.
"But what if it is possible? I still find it hard to believe that Sirius Black, the one man I truly love no matter what, did those things. No, I think there is a way he's innocent, there must be, if only I knew . . ." Arabella sighed. "He told us to join him and Remus to get ready to face Voldemort but we stubbornly believed Voldemort was gone, and yet now that we know Voldemort is back we still refuse to believe that Sirius could be innocent. I did not see him on the battlefield when Cho lost her memory. If Sirius is a Death Eater wouldn't he have been there?"
"He could have been off doing something else for Voldemort. And besides, we could barely see under the masks of any of the Death Eaters," said Mundungus. "But this is not the time to discuss Black and his impossible innocence, we need to get Cho to a safe place then get to Hogwarts."
Arabella nodded. "You take care of Cho, I'll try to calm down the students here, then we'll go to Hogwarts."
"Right," said Mundungus and walked back over to the confused sixteen- year-old girl.
Arabella waited until Mundungus and Cho were out of sight then shot several golden sparks out of her wand which emitted a loud bang. The chaos died down. "All right, everyone. You can't all stay here, it's way too crowded. You will be returning to Hogwarts soon though so do not go far. I suggest you go into Diagon Alley and try to calm down a bit until the situation is under control."
She looked around at the many scared faces. "This will be taken care of shortly, and you will be returned to the castle, do not worry."
Many of the students nodded and walked off towards the back into Diagon Alley while others paid Tom for a room to stay in until they could return to Hogwarts.
Arabella sighed, glad that her little speech had comforted the students even if it hadn't comforted her. Mundungus walked back and grabbed a handful of Floo Powder. "Let's do it," he said, tossing the powder into the flames. "Hogwarts Great Hall!" he said and disappeared.
Arabella looked around at the near ruined pub. She fixed a few minor things with a flick of her wand and a few muttered words then she, too, grabbed a handful of Floo Powder, tossed it into the fire, said, "Hogwarts Great Hall!" and was gone.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: I feel so evil. ::Grins evilly::
Shadun: You finally figured it out, girl. Good for you. ::Grins::
shdurrani: Hope you liked this chapter.
I ThInK I FeLL: Get up, Cookie Fan, you don't want to kiss my shoes. Really. You don't know where they've been. ::hands you bunches of cookies:: Thank you so much, I'm really glad you like my story. ^_^
John Black: Lol, yeah I like what Dumbledore said, too. ^_^ Thanks for your reply.
Alec6427: Thanks.
d u s t y . w i n g s: Thanks for the applause, I'm flattered.
hyper_shark: Lol, you're welcome. ^_^ I hope this is fast enough for you, even though it wasn't that fast lol.
*Luna*: I'm sorry, but I really do not know when I'll update it. I've got so much going on it'll probably be a while.
A/N: ::Gives all reviewers a cookie:: Thanks a bunch!
Harry: Yes it was. Now get on with the fic.
Me: Quiet you. I'll delay as long as I want. ::Sits back, stretches, farts, pops fingers, and gets ready to type::
Harry: ::Rolls eyes::
Me: ::Throws a stapler at Harry::
Harry: Ow!
Me: Heh.
Harry: ::Glares::
Me: ::Smiles innocently::
Harry: Get on with the fic!
Me: Oh, look, I have some dirt under my nail.
Harry: No one cares.
Me: ::Starts to dig dirt out from under nails::
Harry: ::Sighs::
Me: I'll write the fic when I'm good and dern well ready. You should learn some patience.
Harry: I can't be patient when I'm wondering if it's really Cho or just my eyes playing tricks on me and telling me it looks like Cho.
Me: I already know. So that's not my problem.
Harry: ::Sighs again::
Me: ::Smiles knowingly::
Harry: Just get on with it.
Me: Oh, fine.
Disclaimer: ::Throws staplers at lawyers::
"Cho?" said Harry disbelievingly, even though he wanted to believe it so badly, his mind kept screaming at him that there was no way it was really her.
"Harry, dear," started Arabella.
"You know him?" said Lucy, snapping out of her is-this-guy-mental stage.
Arabella and Mundungus nodded and Harry peered closely at Arabella. "Mrs. Figg? You look . . . different."
Arabella smiled slightly, "Yes, it is me, Harry. You didn't think you'd ever see me in the Leaky Cauldron, did you?"
Harry shook his head. "I thought you were a Muggle."
Arabella smiled wider. "Then I did my job well. Come, Harry, I'll explain a few things to you," said Arabella, grabbing his arm and steering him away from Lucy and Mundungus.
Lucy turned to Mundungus. "What is going on? How do you and Bella know that boy and who-" Lucy stopped suddenly, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the moving picture. "Is that him?" she whispered, looking down at the picture then at the back of the boy's head. "Gus," said Lucy. He turned to her. "Is that him?"
~*~
"Mrs. Figg, I don't understand," said Harry as he was dragged to the other side of the Leaky Cauldron.
"No one expected you to, Harry," said Arabella. "And please, call me Arabella, I really can not stand 'Mrs. Figg'."
"Why have you been staying in Little Whinging all this time if you're a witch, and how come you look so much younger?" said Harry.
Arabella leaned closer to him and said in a low voice so that no one else but him could hear her, "I was placed in Little Whinging soon after you were left at Number 4 Privet Drive. It was my job to make sure that you were okay. And also, if the protective wards were to have been breached Dumbledore would need someone who can contact him immediately, someone who would know if the wards went down. As for why I look younger, well to make things a little more convincing and to make myself less recognizable, I took an Aging potion. When I heard Voldemort had returned I went to Madam Pomfrey to get the reverse potion because I am an Auror and I want to work the field while I can.
"A lot of people thought Cho died in that battle with Voldemort but he used a Memory charm on her, she has no idea who she is, what Hogwarts is, any of it, she doesn't even remember you. I'm sorry, Harry," Arabella added that last part as Harry's face fell. She wrapped her arms around him in a motherly embrace with a kiss in his hair to boot. "We're going to fix this, Harry, we're trying to get her memory back, but we're afraid that if we show her too much at one time that she'll get scared. We have to do this gradually and we weren't going to let the two of you meet until she had fully recovered but seeing as how that didn't work out . . . I really hate to say this, Harry, but you must not talk to her again until we're sure she remembers. Do you understand?"
Harry nodded. "I understand, Mrs. F- Arabella."
"Good. Well, I have to go now, Harry. Go find your friends and spend some time in Diagon Alley, maybe take your mind off her for a while," said Arabella, letting go of him and stepping back. Harry nodded again then Arabella turned and disappeared into the crowd.
~*~
"Gus!" said Lucy when Mundungus didn't respond. "What do you two know that you're not telling me?" she demanded, tapping her foot.
"Lucy, be patient, all will be revealed in time," said Mundungus.
"And how much time do you think we have? Maybe you didn't notice but a huge explosion just occurred right in front of us," said Lucy.
"They over loaded the fireplace, too much at one time. Don't worry, it's okay. But where they came from, it's not," said Arabella, walking up to them.
"What happened?" said Mundungus. "Bella, why are all the Hogwarts students here during the school year? Actually," he looked at his watch, "During class time."
Arabella glanced at Lucy, who opened her mouth to ask what a Hogwarts was. "Gus, this is not the place or the time to discuss this," said Arabella through gritted teeth, sending another glance at Lucy.
Mundungus sighed. "Lucy, wait here."
Lucy sighed as Arabella and Mundungus walked off. "She's seen too much, she's probably ready to throw us in a loony bin!" said Arabella, leaning against a wall and closing her eyes. "This was not how it was supposed to go . . ."
"I know, but we can't help it. What's going on at Hogwarts?" asked Mundungus.
"I don't know, Harry didn't say anything about it. It must have been attacked if all the students were sent here," said Arabella. "Maybe we should have listened to Sirius . . ." said Arabella.
"That traitor?!" said Mundungus. "Maybe we SHOULD throw you in a loony bin, Arabella!"
"But he said he was at Remus' when he was owling us. And how else would he get such clean parchment? I'm not so sure he was lying anymore," said Arabella.
"I can see that, by the way you're saying his name so easily. Black deserves the Dementor's Kiss," said Mundungus. "But you, you are blinded by your affection for him. I know you used to be engaged to him."
"Well, that was a long time ago, Mundungus, I married Edwin Figg, you know that. Affection did not blind me when I threw Sirius' letter into the fire, and it does not now. I'm just saying that maybe we were mistaken in him. Maybe he didn't do those awful things."
"That's not possible, there's evidence against him all over the place," said Mundungus.
"But what if it is possible? I still find it hard to believe that Sirius Black, the one man I truly love no matter what, did those things. No, I think there is a way he's innocent, there must be, if only I knew . . ." Arabella sighed. "He told us to join him and Remus to get ready to face Voldemort but we stubbornly believed Voldemort was gone, and yet now that we know Voldemort is back we still refuse to believe that Sirius could be innocent. I did not see him on the battlefield when Cho lost her memory. If Sirius is a Death Eater wouldn't he have been there?"
"He could have been off doing something else for Voldemort. And besides, we could barely see under the masks of any of the Death Eaters," said Mundungus. "But this is not the time to discuss Black and his impossible innocence, we need to get Cho to a safe place then get to Hogwarts."
Arabella nodded. "You take care of Cho, I'll try to calm down the students here, then we'll go to Hogwarts."
"Right," said Mundungus and walked back over to the confused sixteen- year-old girl.
Arabella waited until Mundungus and Cho were out of sight then shot several golden sparks out of her wand which emitted a loud bang. The chaos died down. "All right, everyone. You can't all stay here, it's way too crowded. You will be returning to Hogwarts soon though so do not go far. I suggest you go into Diagon Alley and try to calm down a bit until the situation is under control."
She looked around at the many scared faces. "This will be taken care of shortly, and you will be returned to the castle, do not worry."
Many of the students nodded and walked off towards the back into Diagon Alley while others paid Tom for a room to stay in until they could return to Hogwarts.
Arabella sighed, glad that her little speech had comforted the students even if it hadn't comforted her. Mundungus walked back and grabbed a handful of Floo Powder. "Let's do it," he said, tossing the powder into the flames. "Hogwarts Great Hall!" he said and disappeared.
Arabella looked around at the near ruined pub. She fixed a few minor things with a flick of her wand and a few muttered words then she, too, grabbed a handful of Floo Powder, tossed it into the fire, said, "Hogwarts Great Hall!" and was gone.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: I feel so evil. ::Grins evilly::
Shadun: You finally figured it out, girl. Good for you. ::Grins::
shdurrani: Hope you liked this chapter.
I ThInK I FeLL: Get up, Cookie Fan, you don't want to kiss my shoes. Really. You don't know where they've been. ::hands you bunches of cookies:: Thank you so much, I'm really glad you like my story. ^_^
John Black: Lol, yeah I like what Dumbledore said, too. ^_^ Thanks for your reply.
Alec6427: Thanks.
d u s t y . w i n g s: Thanks for the applause, I'm flattered.
hyper_shark: Lol, you're welcome. ^_^ I hope this is fast enough for you, even though it wasn't that fast lol.
*Luna*: I'm sorry, but I really do not know when I'll update it. I've got so much going on it'll probably be a while.
A/N: ::Gives all reviewers a cookie:: Thanks a bunch!