Chapter 30: Elucidation

"What's that you're reading, Oliver?" Fred asked Oliver while they were at the Franklin's Book tent.

"A Flying book. I think I should tell McGonagal to add it to the book list," Oliver said. "You better tell Ron and Ginny to get their copies before they sell out."

"Alright," George said. "Wait, why do they need a flying book?"

"Yeah," Fred continued. "They're fourth year and fifth year."

"The Ministry changed the curriculum. They want more physical activities for students. Besides, did you know that almost all of the world's broom fliers are Quidditch Players! That's a lot of people who don't know how to fly!" Oliver said, sounding like a statistic chart.

"Because Quidditch is the only thing you need flying for nowadays!" George said. "Besides, we can't fly with Muggles seeing and all that."

"That's why there's going to be day and night classes. (That's another reason Hooch retired.) Practice is needed for night flying," Oliver said.

"But, who flies these days anyhow?" Fred said. "We've got Apparating and those new Transportal things…"

"Yes, but not everyone can and likes Apparating. Annnndd… The Transportal is still quite new and the dangers of it to the Muggle world is still unknown," Oliver said, sounding like an activist.

"The Floo network-"

"Is finding more and more problems with mix-ups, crashes, and motion sickness."

"Wow, Oliver, you really researched this," Fred said.

"I intend to make my Flying Classes the best Hogwarts can get and educate the students with the latest news on Transportation in the world."

"But what about the whole Statute of Secrecy! It's hard to keep away from Muggle eyes and-"

"Take a copy, George, and educate yourself," Oliver said, thrusting the one he was reading into his arms. George read the title: A Squib's Guide to Flying or Flying for Squibs.

"Gee, he's really serious about his job," Fred said.

***

"There's the woman!" Ron said, pointing at the woman in striped robes. She looked back and saw an angry Professor Lupin, who had tore off his glasses and let go of Snuffles's leash, running after her. Quick as a flash, she transformed into a zebra and leapt away through the room, out an open window, and into the trees of the Animal Kingdom.

"It's too late, Professor," Hermione said softly. "She's gone."

"Did that woman change into a-a-a…" Dudley said. Neville nodded and Dudley fainted with a thud to the floor. Ginny was very confused and looked at Ron for an explanation. He was sitting Indian Style on the floor, leaning against the wall, hiding his face, and hanging his head.

"Ron, what happened?" Ginny asked.

"I d-d-don't want to t-t-talk about…" Ron stuttered. Ginny saw that tears were falling into his lap. Ron was crying. He had let his best friend down and sent him into danger.

"Ron…please…" Ginny said. "It's all right."

"No! It's not!" Ron shouted through his tears. "It's all my fault that Harry's dead!"

"No it's not! We don't know for sure yet!" Hermione said. She sat next to Ron, and offered comfort. "It could've just been some crazy witch who had a Harry Potter Book collection." She laughed a little. "You're just over-reacting. I know it."

"But, Professor Lupin said…Tomás had accomplices and that Zebra woman…"

"Forget, what I said, Ron," Lupin said. "I just…I was just so scared for Harry's sake. I lost my head and temper on you. I'm sorry." He too crouched next to Ron. "But we can't act weakly. We still have to find Harry. What if he's just in the next room and he comes to find you crying?"

"I'm n-n-not crying!" Ron said, sniffing. Hermione handed him a handkerchief.

"Blow your nose or you'll only fill your lungs with mucus," she said.

"Thanks," Ron said. "It's…this dusty room…yeah…" He got up and blew his nose. Dudley was still fainted and they tried to wake him up.

"Ennervate," Lupin said, trying the counter curse for stunning. Dudley awoke and stood up. He looked quite embarrassed, but didn't say anything. "Snuffles…come on, boy…Snuffles…Snuffles?"

***

The great black dog was running, sprinting, and catching up with the frightened Zebra. The zebra leapt over great rocks and fallen trees as she made her way to the Harambe Reserve. The great black dog picked up speed, sprinting faster and faster. He finally was in jumping distance, and pounced on the poor zebra, causing her to wallop and wail. Sirius Black transformed back into human and struggled with the zebra.

"Change! I know you can!" he shouted, wrestling the kicking African horse. She did as she was told and a young Hispanic woman in black and white striped robes replaced the zebra.

"What do you want with me?!" she snapped up at Sirius, who still had her pinned to the ground.

"Who are you and what have you done with Harry Potter?" he snarled, refusing to get up.

"I won't tell you until you get off me," she said.

"No. You might run off," Sirius said bitterly. "Tell me know or I turn back into a dog and rip your throat out!"

"Go ahead! Then you'll never know!" she said. Sirius pondered for a moment and his hands turned into clawed paws, his face became black with fur. "Alright! I'll tell you!"

"That's better," Sirius said, back as a full human.

"My name is Zira, an unregistered Animagus, and all I did was give Harry Potter a book," Zira, the unregistered Animagus, said.

"You wouldn't have run if that book was threatening! What does it do!?!"

"It opens and you read it! It's a book!" She started struggling. "Now let me go!"

"I know there's more to it! Tell me!"

"Never! You don't scare me! A man who can turn into a dog! I've seen worse!"

"Really? Do you happen to know that I am also Sirius Black!" Zira froze and looked at him. "Ahh, so you do read that silly newspaper."

"You're wanted by the Muggles too! You've killed 13 people in public!"

"I can make it 14 if you don't tell me what I want to know!" Zira looked at him in horror. (Now we all know that Sirius has never killed anybody, so he could really make it 1.) True, she had to honor Tomás' wishes, but really, she valued her life more.

"The book transported him to my leader," Zira said quietly.

"And where, may I ask, is that?" Sirius asked.

"I don't know! I was just supposed to get him!"

"Tell me!"

"I told you I don't know!"

"Then you leave me no choice!" Sirius barked. His hands once more became paws. His face became furry and black as his snout emerged and his long, sharp, pointy teeth were bared. Zira screamed like a banshee.

"Sirius, no!" Remus Lupin yelled, pulling the dog off the poor witch. Snuffles, no longer a cute and cuddly blind man's eyes, barked and growled, snarling at Zira, who was trembling and backing away. "You're not going anywhere either!" Zira was terrified. "Who are you? What have you done with Harry Potter!?"

"I already told him! All I did was give Harry Potter a book…" Sirius turned up again.

"There's more, Remus," Sirius said. "The book transported him to Tomás!" Lupin looked at Zira with deep disgust and looked ready to kill her. But he didn't. He whipped out his wand and tied up Zira with magical cords.

"You're coming with us and telling us everything you know!" Lupin said, marching Zira back to the Conservation Station.

***

Lupin, Zira, and Sirius returned to the building where Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Ginny were waiting. Dudley had run off, lost and confused with the Wizard World. He didn't want to get involved with problems with his cousin, so he ran away from it, leaving everyone else behind. [A/N: Heh, poor excuse to get rid of Dudley…for now.] They crowded into a room that was usually for screening movies of some sort and Lupin magically locked the door.

"Miss Zira here is going to tell us, why she gave the book to Harry," Lupin said. Ron looked at her with anger as the tears still rolled down his cheeks. All of them looked angry and wanted an explanation from the enemy. Ginny had found the book in another room and was holding it close to her. She knew Harry was connected to it somehow. Neville looked at Sirius and fainted just as Dudley had before. It may have been better that way since Hermione didn't have to go into another long explanation she had told once at MGM, once to her mother, and twice to Ginny.

"Tell us again, Zira, why you gave Harry Potter that book," Sirius said.

"On orders from my leader, Tomás…" Zira replied.

"And why does he want Harry Potter?"

"He wants him dead…"

"We surmised that much already," Sirius said. "But why?"

"Don't you know? Tomás has wanted Harry Potter dead ever since he (Tomás) was born!"

"What do you mean?"

"I am his follower! One of his many faithful Death Eaters!" Everyone looked at her in complete surprise and horror. A death eater? Here in America? To Tomás? "I see, you don't know much about him do you?"

"Tomás can't be…he couldn't be…" Ron said, staring wide-eyed at Zira.

"He-who-must-not-be-named had preserved his past self in a diary and-"

"No!" Hermione said out loud, panicking. "No! Harry got rid of Riddle years ago!"

"Yes! To Lucius Malfoy!" Zira said. "The idiot gave back the diary, and Malfoy got it fixed!"

"But it was practically destroyed!"

"How little you know about the dark wizards," Zira said in a horrific manner. "Tom Riddle was reborn! Reborn from the memory He-who-must-not-be-named had left behind! Reborn with the blood of my father!" (Dun-dun-dun!)

"What do you mean?"

"My family were all unregistered Animagus. We lived in Africa after we fled from Europe to help my mother's career. My mother was an animal zoologist. She was also a witch. In order to better study her precious animals, she learned to be an Animagi, an elephant, and brought us through her quest. My brother Zeke and I learned to be zebras, and my father was a fully-grown Thompson's Gazelle! Yes…like my father, Tomás could change into a gazelle!"

"We knew that already," Ron said, bitterly. "But how could You-know-who be-"

"It's impossible! You're lying to save your own skin!" Sirius said.

"Lucius Malfoy brought the book to my father! My father had helped to make it the first time and helped to let the spirit live again! We were in Africa, minding our own business, when Lucius Malfoy made my father bring it back! My father killed himself to bring him back!" She was crying now and despite the fact that she sent Harry to Tomás, they all felt quite sorry for her.

"Then, Tomás convinced my brother and I and our friend Geoffrey to come here and kill Harry Potter! We were lucky they had a zoo here…"

"It's Not a Zoo!" Hermione screamed for no good reason. They all looked at her funny and turned back to Zira.

"But now I've delivered Harry Potter to Tomás for me! Not for him!"

"What do you mean?" Lupin asked.

"I've only went along with everything because I wanted to see Tomás kill himself again in his pursuit to kill the boy who lived. I want Harry Potter to do what he has done once before and kill the man who killed my father! I'm a Death Eater to kill Lord Voldemort!" Her voice had risen as she spoke and she crumbled onto the floor and cried a pool of tears.

"So you'll help us?" Sirius asked.

"My aide to you will only make matters worse for me," Zira said. "All I'll tell you is this. He's not going to kill Potter now. He's waiting for all of you to come for him. He's waiting for all of you to be his prisoner so he could get his real prize: Albus Dumbledore!"

"What?!?" the others all said, looking oddly at her.

"Yes, his main goal is the death of Harry Potter, but he plans to get rid of anyone who will try and stop him! He's mad and awful! And if he knew I had just told you all this, he'd have my life as well. This is where I leave you," Zira said. She disapparated with a crack. Lupin, Sirius, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny sat there in shock and utter befuddlement. None of them knew what to say. Hermione finally spoke up.

"What are we going to do?" she asked softly. "If we go after Harry, it will only cost us our lives and Dumbledore's."

"This is not good. Not good at all…"

"I hate him!" Ron said finally, bursting with anger. "Look what's he's done to us! To everyone!"

"Ron, calm down. If you lose your temper, you'll only end up doing something stupid," Hermione said. "That's what You-Know-Who is aiming at. We know he causes devastation to everything. Just calm down…"

"So what are we going to do?" Ginny asked, still clutching the book.

"It's either we find Harry and try to fight off Tomás," Sirius started. "Or we leave him to die in the hands of an impatient Dark Lord."

So? Is it stupid? Confusing? Too sudden? Review and tell me what you think. I've been doing some thinking and thought it is impossible to end this thing with 30 chapters, otherwise this chapter would be 10 times longer. I'm glad that Sailor Sol and Crookykanks are still with me. Thank you very much to both of you for responding and reacting to my story! I hope the others speak up and voice their opinions. I wonder where all my faithful readers went? Please don't remain quiet and tell me what you think! All comments, good or bad are greatly appreciated.

Also, I'm taking this time to further advertise my other stories, who Sailor Sol has graciously found time to read. THANK YOU! Death Days and The Ugly Duckling are newbies that I really desire responses too. The Ugly Duckling has plans for continuation and the sequel to this story is still on, most likely now for an Autumn release. As always, I thank you all for your time and patience and reviews and I hope you all have a wonderful day! Oops, I mean a magical day! ºoº