"Number twelve, Grimmauld Place!" Harry said loudly and clearly.
Harry's stomach gave a funny little wobble as his head went spinning
through fireplaces all over the country. It was a very strange sensation to
one who was use to their body going with them.
When Harry's head settled, he was looking out of the kitchen fireplace at the long, wooden table, where a man sat peering over a piece of parchment. "Sirius?" Harry asked, and the man jumped. It wasn't Sirius, but Lupin.
"Harry!" he said, looking thoroughly shocked. "What are you- what's happened, is everything all right?"
"Yeah," said Harry. "I just fancied a-a chat with Sirius."
"I'll call him," said Lupin, getting to his feet. "He went upstairs to look for Kreacher, he seems to be hididg in the attic again..."
When Sirius got there, he got on his knees, looking worried. "What is it? Are you all right? Do you need help?" he asked.
"No," said Harry, "it's nothing like that....I just wanted to talk...about my dad...."
They exchanged a look of great furprise, but Harry did not have time to feel awkward or embarrassed; his knees were becoming sorer by the second, and he guessed that five minutes had already passed from the start of the diversion-George had only guaranteed him twenty. He therefore plunged immediately in the story of what he had seen in the pensieve. When he got to dinner, he paused for a breath.
"I wouldn't like you to judge your father on what you saw there, Harry. He was only fifteen," Lupin said placatingly in Harry's pause.
"I'm fifteen, and I would NEVER do anything like that!" Harry said heatedly.
"Look, Harry, we hated each other from the moment we set eyes on each other. It was just one of those things. I mean, we were popular, and we were good at almost everything. And Snape was just this little oddball who was up to his eyes in the Dark Arts. And no matter what we may have seemed to you, we always hated the Dark Arts," Sirius answered.
"So," Harry replied, "Just because he was interested in the Dark Arts he deserved to be raped?" Sirius paled and looked down. "Yes, I know about that, too. Although I couldn't watch it."
"They did get carried away sometimes, Harry. I mean, they were the height of cool. And I never could controll them," Remus said.
"How could you make excuses for them?! Did you know?" Harry demanded.
"Well...yes. I tried to talk them out of it, but they insisted on going," Remus answered.
"SO?! You could have gone to Dumbledore! Or McGonnagle! You just let them!" Harry yelled. He glared at them both.
"It was irrisponsible, but-" Sirius began.
"IRRISPONSIBLE?!? IT WAS CRUEL! AND YOU ALL ARE JUST ARROGANT JERKS!" Harry shouted.
"You're right, Harry. We were. We shouldn't have done it," Sirius said placatingly. "But it was so funny the way he'd leave the room when we entered after that. But we shouldn't have done it," he hastily added seeing Harry's look of discust.
"How'd he react when he found out you'd seen all of this?" Remus asked.
"I can't tell you how much better it would have been if he'd just yelled at me," Harry answered, and Sirius and Remus looked at each other, starting to chuckle. Harry just pulled his head out of the fireplace in discust. If he looked at those two any more, he would be sick. He left Porfessor Umbrige's office.
"I'll never talk to those two jerks again," Harry told Ron and Hermiony later as one of the rampaging fireworks flew past them.
"Why?" Ron asked.
"Because they're total jerks. Everything Snape ever said about them is true. And I swear, I'll never talk to them again," Harry answered.
"Yes, but WHY?" Hermiony asked.
"I promised I wouldn't tell. But I'm sure they'd LOVE to boast to you about it," Harry said discustedly. He scowled at the wall. Ron and Hermiony changed the subject after that.
The next evening, after the Weasley twins had left school in a spectacular display of mayhem, Harry went back down to Snape's dungeons. He took a deep breath, and knocked before he lost the nerv. When Snape told Harry to come in, Harry went in, then hesitated.
"Um, I-guess I wanted to apalagise again for the pensiev," he said, his face red and his stomach in knots. Snape just stared at him for a moment.
"I can't say it's all right, because it's not. I just hope you've learned your lesson," Snape answered him quietly.
"I asked Sirius about it yesterday. I could tell he wasn't sorry at all. Both him and Lupin thought it was FUNNY. It was DISCUSTING. Everything you ever said about them is true." Harry paused a moment. "Look, I understand that you probably don't want to teach me anymore, and I don't ask you to. I just wanted to tell you that I understand that I was being the same sort of jerk they were being and I'm sorry." He turned to leave.
"Harry, wait," Snape said, and Harry turned around. "If you promis to work harder and respect my privacy, I'll continue to teach you if you want."
When Harry's head settled, he was looking out of the kitchen fireplace at the long, wooden table, where a man sat peering over a piece of parchment. "Sirius?" Harry asked, and the man jumped. It wasn't Sirius, but Lupin.
"Harry!" he said, looking thoroughly shocked. "What are you- what's happened, is everything all right?"
"Yeah," said Harry. "I just fancied a-a chat with Sirius."
"I'll call him," said Lupin, getting to his feet. "He went upstairs to look for Kreacher, he seems to be hididg in the attic again..."
When Sirius got there, he got on his knees, looking worried. "What is it? Are you all right? Do you need help?" he asked.
"No," said Harry, "it's nothing like that....I just wanted to talk...about my dad...."
They exchanged a look of great furprise, but Harry did not have time to feel awkward or embarrassed; his knees were becoming sorer by the second, and he guessed that five minutes had already passed from the start of the diversion-George had only guaranteed him twenty. He therefore plunged immediately in the story of what he had seen in the pensieve. When he got to dinner, he paused for a breath.
"I wouldn't like you to judge your father on what you saw there, Harry. He was only fifteen," Lupin said placatingly in Harry's pause.
"I'm fifteen, and I would NEVER do anything like that!" Harry said heatedly.
"Look, Harry, we hated each other from the moment we set eyes on each other. It was just one of those things. I mean, we were popular, and we were good at almost everything. And Snape was just this little oddball who was up to his eyes in the Dark Arts. And no matter what we may have seemed to you, we always hated the Dark Arts," Sirius answered.
"So," Harry replied, "Just because he was interested in the Dark Arts he deserved to be raped?" Sirius paled and looked down. "Yes, I know about that, too. Although I couldn't watch it."
"They did get carried away sometimes, Harry. I mean, they were the height of cool. And I never could controll them," Remus said.
"How could you make excuses for them?! Did you know?" Harry demanded.
"Well...yes. I tried to talk them out of it, but they insisted on going," Remus answered.
"SO?! You could have gone to Dumbledore! Or McGonnagle! You just let them!" Harry yelled. He glared at them both.
"It was irrisponsible, but-" Sirius began.
"IRRISPONSIBLE?!? IT WAS CRUEL! AND YOU ALL ARE JUST ARROGANT JERKS!" Harry shouted.
"You're right, Harry. We were. We shouldn't have done it," Sirius said placatingly. "But it was so funny the way he'd leave the room when we entered after that. But we shouldn't have done it," he hastily added seeing Harry's look of discust.
"How'd he react when he found out you'd seen all of this?" Remus asked.
"I can't tell you how much better it would have been if he'd just yelled at me," Harry answered, and Sirius and Remus looked at each other, starting to chuckle. Harry just pulled his head out of the fireplace in discust. If he looked at those two any more, he would be sick. He left Porfessor Umbrige's office.
"I'll never talk to those two jerks again," Harry told Ron and Hermiony later as one of the rampaging fireworks flew past them.
"Why?" Ron asked.
"Because they're total jerks. Everything Snape ever said about them is true. And I swear, I'll never talk to them again," Harry answered.
"Yes, but WHY?" Hermiony asked.
"I promised I wouldn't tell. But I'm sure they'd LOVE to boast to you about it," Harry said discustedly. He scowled at the wall. Ron and Hermiony changed the subject after that.
The next evening, after the Weasley twins had left school in a spectacular display of mayhem, Harry went back down to Snape's dungeons. He took a deep breath, and knocked before he lost the nerv. When Snape told Harry to come in, Harry went in, then hesitated.
"Um, I-guess I wanted to apalagise again for the pensiev," he said, his face red and his stomach in knots. Snape just stared at him for a moment.
"I can't say it's all right, because it's not. I just hope you've learned your lesson," Snape answered him quietly.
"I asked Sirius about it yesterday. I could tell he wasn't sorry at all. Both him and Lupin thought it was FUNNY. It was DISCUSTING. Everything you ever said about them is true." Harry paused a moment. "Look, I understand that you probably don't want to teach me anymore, and I don't ask you to. I just wanted to tell you that I understand that I was being the same sort of jerk they were being and I'm sorry." He turned to leave.
"Harry, wait," Snape said, and Harry turned around. "If you promis to work harder and respect my privacy, I'll continue to teach you if you want."