Silence feel on the room, while the two girls sat there taking in what
Albus had said. Leanne had figured Albus would not have allowed her a job
at Hogwarts, and yet here she was, the new School Counsellor, while
Samantha was going to be a new student there. She certainly hoped that they
wouldn't become like the other authors who inserted themselves in the
fandom in hopes of snogging the characters.
"Well, at least we have a place to stay until we can find a way home." Leanne thought out loud.
"But do we want to go home, Leanne?" Samantha sighed.
"I mean here I'm just Sam, the girl who loves to read, write, and imagine. I don't have to impress anyone, or act a certain way. If we get back, I'm going to be nobody again. I'll be the one who suffers from extreme depression and anxiety. I'll be the person who gets frowned upon because of who I am and what I do..." she trailed off, drumming her fingers on the worn couch.
Turning her attention to the window, sighing, she tried to keep her thoughts on the topic at hand. There they were, two normal girls, nothing special about them, sitting in the Harry Potter Verse, Sam going to Hogwarts, while she got the job she's always wanted.
"I don't know. I mean, here we might get chance to be normal people. I've got the job I've always wanted, and you get to go to school with Harry Potter and learn Potions with Snape!"
"What if we were meant to be here? What if we were meant to save him?"
There was no question of whom Sam was talking about. Sirius died a terrible death, and although it led to Dumbledore and Harry's discussion of the prophecy, Harry was still a fragile fifteen-year-old boy.
"We're not here to change the fact that he dies. Harry needs to know the truth, I can't keep it from him, you can't, and its high time Dumbledore spills his guts about it." Leanne knew that Sam would know exactly what it was.
Sighing, she turned to look at the door, "how about we go join the others? Shouldn't they be cleaning or dealing with the boggart or something? I really need to read the book again!"
"Yeah I guess," Sam replied, following Lady Slyth out of the room.
While on the way to wherever the ickle trio was, Samantha had time to contemplate all that had happen. She was in the Harry Potter universe, talking to Dumbledore while her friend snipped with Snape. She hoped Voldemort wouldn't be able to see them through Harry's eyes since he hadn't started his Occulemncy yet. If Voldemort found out that they were here, who knows what would happen? Faye winced at the thought of being subjected to the Cruciatus curse, and even worse Imperio.
Leanne stopped outside of a door, causing the teen to stumble. Luckily she was caught before she hit the floor. However on her way down, she knocked a house-elf head off the shelf, causing Mrs. Black to scream obscenities.
"Good grief woman SHUT UP!" Leanne screamed at the painting, as Sirius came around the corner cursing at the painting as much as she was.
"We have guests in this house, if you could show some common courtesy towards them, it'd be a miracle!" Sirius shouted.
Leanne started laughing, and looked away from Sirius. It was hard to look at him and know that there was going to be no more of him in the later books. She stifled a sob, and pushed open the door to the other room.
Sirius turned his eyes from the hiccupping Leanne to Samantha. Her breath caught in her throat when their eyes locked. She was falling, falling in a river of a blue ocean. Without even noticing, a single tear made it's way down her cheek.
She closed her eyes briefly, as she felt a thumb brush her tear away.
"Why are you crying?" he asked curiously, for the first time sounding serious.
"I'm s-sorry, Mr. Black," Sam stuttered. God did she sound like a freak!
"It's Sirius-," the ebony haired wizard responded, a soft smile settling on his face.
Sirius looked really nice when he smiled, she mused.
"Come on, the kids are spraying some doxies!"
Blinking back tears, the girls followed Sirius inside the room. Harry, Ron and Hermione were already there with the others waiting. They had stopped and looked back at the girls, as if thinking they were crazy.
"How can we help you deal with the doxies?" Leanne questioned Molly Weasley, still holding back the tears she held.
Her heart went out to Harry when she looked at him; she had no idea what it felt like to lose a family member, other than aunts and uncles, but she had learned of the loss very close friend would feel. She would have only a few opportunities to help him, her hope was that with counselling, he would open up and they would find a way to heal.
"Mr. Potter, may I speak with you a moment after we are finished here?" Leanne questioned.
Harry looked at her like she had grown a second head, "Why?"
"The Headmaster of Hogwarts has hired me to work with the students. With the war coming, and The Dark Lord growing in strength again, I have been brought in to work with everyone. You may not want my help, but that can be expected."
"It is good to know that he has hired someone to help the children during this time of darkness." Molly said with a motherly smile on her face.
"I can only hope I will help them." Leanne turned to Sam; "Samantha will be joining the students this year as well."
"Yes, I'll be joining your year since I'm the most familiar with fifth year spells." Sam said, smiling at the dumbstruck trio.
"B-But you're muggles! You even said so this morning." Hermione stated matter-of-factly.
Both girls could see the wheels turning in the young witch's head.
"Are you not, yourself, a muggle born witch?" Leanne questioned with a wry grin on her face.
"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"
"Everything Miss Granger. If you, yourself, do not deny that you are a muggle born, and a witch, then who says we are not. We told you we were from the Muggle World, not that we didn't have any magic."
"How very Slytherin of you, Lady Lee!" Snape commented, arching a black eyebrow.
"That's right. Had I of been a student at Hogwarts, I probably would have been a Slytherin. But all this bloody talk of Purebloods is rubbish. Honestly!" Leanne grumbled.
"So, Samantha is it?" Harry asked, running a hand through his messy black hair. "What house do you think you'll be in?"
"Well I'm pretty brave so I might have a chance at Gryffindor. However, I'm also loyal enough to be a Hufflepuff. I have ambitions, so maybe Slytherin. But I love to read, so it could be Ravenclaw!" She listed, ticking her qualities off on each finger.
"Why do you ask?" Faye questioned.
"Just curious." Harry replied.
Leanne turned her attention to Harry and then to the others.
"So, aside from the pitiful attempt to insult me," she glared at Snape, "are we going to get rid of these doxies?"
Just if on cue, Tonks walked into the room. Today, her hair was spiked green, silver at the tips. A surgeon-like mask hid her mouth, only showing the aurors green colored eyes. In her right hand was the doxy spray called Uncle Dock's Doxy Repellent. The clumsy Auror was wearing a purple shirt with the logo of the group 'The Weird Sisters' followed by her ragged jeans.
"Wotcher, everyone!"
"Er..." Leanne looked confused for a moment, "now that I have just suddenly been struck by a momentary blond moment...someone want to tell me how it is the lot of you wizards listen to this band 'The Weird Sisters' when there isn't a radio or CD player in sight?"
Take about a total retarded moment, she thought to herself, that or I've just confused everyone except Harry, Hermione and Tonks. She giggled to herself, and looked around the room waiting for an answer.
"A what?" Ron asked his blue eyes furrowed in confusion. "Merlin, you're just like Hermione, with all that felly tone nonsense!"
"That was predictable. And it's a TELEPHONE!" Leanne sighed, and took a can of the doxy spray.
She was becoming overly frustrated with these wizards knowing nothing about the muggle world. In fact, it was down right annoying. They called themselves wizards who liked muggles, but knew nothing of the other. She would make it clear to every young witch or wizard that walked into her office what the muggle world was like, even if it killed her.
"Oh dear, I don't have enough masks for everyone!" Mrs. Weasley cried, although it sounded muffled through her mask. "Samantha, and Miss Leanne, you'll have to be careful not to inhale this. It can cause severe side effects!"
Faye rolled her eyes.
Mrs. Weasley didn't even know her for a day, and she was already being a mother hen.
"Don't worry Mrs. Weasley, I've sprayed stuff before!" Faye replied, quickly putting her brown hair into a high pony.
It wouldn't do any good if the doxies got into her hair. She shuddered as she remembered the pixie incident in Harry's second year.
Leanne looked at Molly with a perplexed look, "we use aerosol cans at home all the time for air fresheners and such. Most of it just causes harm to the ozone layer, but most muggles don't seem to care. Besides, it this stuff can't be any worse than cigarette smoke which causes cancer among a number of other problems."
Blinking, Leanne turned a slight shade of pink. She really was sounding like Hermione; it was as if the information just spewed from her mouth against her will.
Pulling her hair back and out of her face, Leanne turned to look at Samantha and then to the others in the room. She really hated cleaning, but she was going to have to make the best of the situation if she was going to survive the time before the school term started.
A couple of hours later, with two dirty ladies, the doxies were gone. Samantha looked down at her grimy appearance, wrinkling her nose at the smell of doxy spray. Looking up, she met the eyes of everyone in the room.
"I think I'm going to go shower." Sam stated, watching as Mrs. Weasley opened her mouth. "Don't worry, I'll find my way!" she continued, silencing the redheaded mother of seven.
With that, Fayetonic left the room.
"Is there more than one washroom in this place? I really should shower also. The smell is repulsive, and, I'd rather not continue looking like Snape." Leanne smiled wryly over at Snape, who scowled at her.
"Yes there is, follow me." Harry called, walking out of the room.
Meanwhile, Samantha had found an empty bathroom. It was huge, with a roomy shower and a large bathtub. The sink counter was a white marble, as the tiles on the floor were a soft green. One thing was for sure; the crazy Mrs. Black did have good taste.
Stripping off her clothes, Samantha stepped into the stall, as her eyes furrowed in confusion. There were no knobs! How was she supposed to get the water? The answer dawned on her; of course this was a wizard home so they would use magic for baths. That was pathetic, they couldn't even do one thing the muggle way. Talk about spoiled. Maybe if she wished the water to come it would.
Narrowing her eyes, Faye concentrated with all her might for hot water. Time seemed to go by, but finally the water came spurting out. Smiling in triumph, Samantha let out a contented sigh as the water washed away all the dirt, leaving her skin red. Showers were the best!
--- Leanne followed Harry out of the room and down the hallway, to the back of the house. She was thankful to have some company in showing her where the washroom was, and this gave her the perfect opportunity to talk to Harry in private; but how was she supposed to begin to talk to him? Everything she had been taught seemed to evade her memory.
Blinking in confusion, she began to slow her thoughts down a little. Her heart was racing, and soon, she felt rather dizzy. Stopping just outside the washroom, she leaned up against the wall, as Harry opened the door.
"You all right?" he questioned.
"Just a dizzy spell." She replied calmly, but she was lying, it wasn't just a dizzy spell. It was an anxiety attack, and she knew it. "May we speak in private after I've showered?"
"Yes, I'll be downstairs." Harry responded and left Leanne standing in the hallway.
"Bloody hell!" she cursed, and walked into the large washroom.
Wide eyed and shocked, Leanne spun around on the cold marble floor. Dark green marble covered the floor, walls, and counter top. A deep bath, sat across from the white porcelain sink. A golden faucet was attached to the bath, and a green towel was draped over the bath's side.
Turning on the water, Leanne removed her clothing, and slid into the hot water. She released a contented sigh, closed her eyes, and calmed her breathing down. She did utterly hate having anxiety attacks, but normally, she had never had one like that before.
Samantha never wanted to leave this shower.
The water was still hot, and felt like it would never run cold. Sighing, she knew she would have to. Standing up, the teen rinsed her hair of the cream rinse, concentrating for the water to turn off.
It did.
Pushing the green curtains back, Samantha shivered as the cold air hit her body. Grabbing the white towel that was hanging off the rack, she quickly wrapped it around herself.
Her ears caught the sound of the door opening. A male voice cleared his throat.
Samantha's head snapped up, and she screamed accidentally dropping the towel.
It was Sirius Black.
Sirius stood in the doorway, stunned that the young sixteen year old had just dropped her towel. Turning around, he waited for her to be decent.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Samantha yelled, picking up the towel from the tiled floor.
She wrapped it once again around her.
"You're in my bathroom!" He stated still shocked. He was still facing the other way.
"Well, excuse me! It was the only bathroom I could find!" Samantha snapped, her brown eyes burning with anger.
Leanne heard shouting, and quickly pulled herself out of the water. Dressing just as quickly, the young adult dashed through the house until she found the commotion.
"Oh dear," she stated trying to refrain from laughing. "Too bad it wasn't Sirius just getting out of the shower. That I would have paid to see."
She looked at Sirius, grabbed him by the hand and pulled him out of the washroom. "Change, and we'll met you downstairs." Leanne said to Samantha. Man, I'd have paid to see Severus stepping out of the shower too, she thought to herself, blushing at the thought.
"I don't have any clothes, Leanne!" Samantha snapped, clearly still embarrassed from earlier.
"I'm not going to wear these dirty pyjamas either!" she sighed. "Screw this, I'll just go downstairs in my towel. It doesn't matter, one person has already seen me naked!"
Leanne blinked again, she certainly was doing a lot of that today, "Borrow some of Sirius's clothes. I'm sure he'd be nice enough to shrink them to a proper size for you."
She noted that she too, was standing in her dirty clothing, "Eww, this is disgusting. We definitely need to do some shopping. On second thought, I'll raid Sirius's closet...wonder what lovely little goodies we can find in there." she smiled.
"Come on!" Samantha shouted, grabbing Leanne's hand.
They ran to the connecting door to the bathroom. Samantha wondered why she hadn't seen it before.
They opened the door.
Stopping dead in her tracks, Leanne looked at the room. It was just as nice as the washroom she had been in before, though, this time there was a giant hippogriff seated in the far corner. Silently praying to herself that the beast was sleeping, she crept across the room to the wardrobe.
"Think Snape would let me go through his wardrobe? Man just one of his robes would be enough for me. The smell of potions ingredients, hmmm..." she thought out loud, and caught herself verbally discussing her object of obsession. "Oops"
Samantha snickered.
"Right, and I guarantee he'll allow you to keep one for remembrance!" She whispered sarcastically, creeping beside the older female.
Cautiously she opened the top drawer of the oak dresser. It was filled to the top with boxers and socks. Digging slightly through the drawer, Samantha felt her fingers wrap around cool metal. Pulling whatever it was out from the pile of clothes, she stared at the object in disbelief.
It was...
"Handcuffs?" she whispered in disbelief.
So there were many layers to Sirius Black.
"I don't even want to know..." Leanne giggled, as she pulled out what looked like an old school uniform. "Hey, this should fit you."
She tossed the pants, white shirt, and Gryffindor coloured tie towards Samantha. She soon found a robe that looked about the right size to fit the younger girl.
"Now...why doesn't this man have ANYTHING with the bloody Slytherin colours? His whole family was in Slytherin, and there is NOTHING I would wear in here." Sighing, Leanne looked around the room. "Where do you suppose Regulus slept?"
Samantha shrugged. "Don't know, maybe Mr. and Mrs. Weasleys room?"
Switching the school outfit to her left shoulder, Samantha grabbed a pair of red boxers.
She looked over at the sleeping form of Buckbeak the Hippogriff
"Lets go, I don't want to be here when he wakes up!"
Leanne nodded in agreement and walked over to the door leading back to the bathroom. Sirius was standing there, looking pale and confused as the two girls exited his room. Leanne had a curt smile on her face, as she dangled the handcuffs from her fingers, taunting Sirius Black would be fun; she would get him back for the mistreatment of Severus.
"Now, I am going to ask you only once Mr. Black, and you are going to answer me honestly, or the whole world will find out why you have handcuffs hidden in your boxer drawer; why do you hate Severus Snape?"
"Because he's a slimy git!" Sirius snarled, eyeing the handcuffs.
In his opinion, Severus Snape needed to wash his hair.
Samantha chuckled as the two battled. Figuring that Sirius would be occupied with arguing with Leanne, she dropped the towel. Hurriedly, the brunette quickly slipped on the clothes. Although the pants were a little baggy, they were comfortable. The shirt however, was a little tight around the bust.
She shrugged. At least it covered her.
Leanne looked at Sirius through narrowed eyes, "JKR was right, you and James were prats!" she growled, pocketed the handcuffs, pushed past Sirius and walked out into the hallway.
"How you two were Gryffindors is beyond me. You're as sickening as Malfoy!" she muttered and began searching rooms trying to locate Regulus's room so that she might find a Slytherin Uniform.
"Are you alright, Sirius?" Samantha asked, watching as he closed his eyes, sort of in a pained way.
Maybe Sirius did feel remorse. Ten years in Azkaban will teach you a lot. Especially, when you're innocent.
"I know how you feel."
"No you don't!" Sirius snapped, his blue eyes blazing.
"Yes, I do."
Leanne had heard Sirius snap at Samantha and walked back into the washroom. She was furious with him, just as furious as she had been when she had read the end of the fifth book. Her face was flushed, and her pulse was racing, if she had any idea how to do magic she would.
"Don't you dare think we don't know anything about pain, and suffering! Azkaban is not the only place that can suck away every happy thought!" she screamed at him, her hands clasped in tight fists. "You have no right to say Samantha doesn't know how you feel! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HER! You don't know what she's lived through; you don't know what it's like to live in our world. So just keep your damn mouth shut!"
She could feel the blood pulsing in her veins, the anger boiling to a breaking point. If she didn't cool her temper (which she knew she had a very bad temper), she was liable to hurt someone.
Samantha watched as Leanne went off on Sirius. She didn't even notice her tears running down her face.
She gave a short sob.
"You've been keeping all that pain, all that anger inside. I know how it is, Sirius." She looked down, not wanting to see their reaction. "To think that nobody knows how you're feeling. I understand what it's like to bottle up all of your pain. When it's let loose, it's like the whole world explodes-," Sam continued, wiping her tears.
"Tissues are under the sink." Sirius replied hoarsely.
She looked up to see him suppressing tears.
A creature popped out as soon as she opened the cabinet doors. It missed her face by inches.
Leanne looked at the creature, having no idea what it was, snarled once more, turned and stormed out of the washroom. She hated confrontation, she hated anger, she hated emotion period, but most of all, she hated when she lost control over her own emotions. She wasn't going to embarrass herself further, so instead, she opted to leave to room.
The hallway seemed longer than she had remembered, but as she walked through the house, she found herself seated in an empty room, on a chair, staring out the window. Her heart was pounding in her head, her blood screaming to release the anger she felt. Sure she could work with people who had emotional problems, but she would never admit to herself, or others for that matter, that she had her own.
Samantha watched as Leanne stormed out of the bathroom. Turning back to the creature, she saw it shift. Her mind was screaming. There was only one answer for a shape-shifting creature. It was a Boggart.
The creature became Samantha's worst fear.
"Hey Jake." the boggart greeted. Sam looked up to meet the brown eyes of her dead grandfather.
"It can't be! You're dead, pop!" She cried in shock, backing herself up against Sirius's chest.
Her mind was whirling. It wasn't her grandfather, she knew. But, why was he her worst fear? It was no time to think of this, she needed to banish it. From her memory there was the incantation, Ridikulous. There was something else too, that Professor Lupin mentioned. What was it? Terror? No it was laughter!
Ignoring her boggart-grandfathers ramblings. She thought of the good times she had with him. The first time he gave her coffee, and how he would buy her honey buns from 7-11.
Without warning, she started to laugh.
The boggart slowly disappeared with a pop.
"Lunchtime!" Mrs Weasley called from downstairs.
Leanne heard her call, grumbled, still seething with anger and left the room. If she could avoid Sirius she would be fine. She had made it downstairs and to the dining room with no sight of Sirius, maybe she had managed to get him to stay away from her. She took a seat at the table, though she wasn't hungry, she wasn't about to insult Molly.
She watched as Sirius and Samantha came into the room, her eyes narrowed into a glare as Sirius took a seat in front of her, Samantha to his left.
"On second thought, I'm not hungry." Leanne snarled and stood up, making her way to the door.
"What's gotten into the lot of you?" Molly questioned taking in the scowl on Sirius's face and the anger still evident in Leanne's eyes.
"I'd rather not be associated with Mr. Black at the moment. I'd rather starve than be found seated at his dinner table!" Leanne growled and saw Severus smirk. "I'd wipe that smirk off your face Snape..."
"Alright, enough of this!" Samantha cried, worn out.
She turned to Snape.
"I'm sorry about what the bloody Marauders did to you. But they're not all to blame. Need I remind you that you called muggle-borns like me, Mudbloods when you were young? The past is the freaking past. So get the hell over it. You all are going to be in for a long year!" She yelled.
Samantha was worn out already.
She sighed tiredly, ignoring the throbbing in her head. "Leanne, please sit down. We'll deal with this after lunch."
Leanne sat down despite the fact that she wanted nothing to do with Sirius Black.
"It was her fault." Sirius said childishly.
"You're the prat that enjoyed torturing people!" Leanne retorted, "No wonder people believed you were a traitor, you didn't give them much reason to think else wise. Did you not think that picking on people would get you a bad name or do all Gryffindor seem to think they're above everyone else? Personally I thought that was a trait of Slytherins."
She was trying to act calm, to find reason behind her madness, but she was bitter and angry. She hated people like Sirius Black and James Potter. They were the type of people who had made her life in school a living hell, maybe, just maybe that was the reason she felt some connection to Severus.
"I hate people like you, people who had fun making someone else's life a living hell. It was people like you that had me hating school." She sighed, and gave into emotion.
If she didn't shut up soon, she'd be in tears.
"Hey! Don't speak to my godfather that way!" Harry butted in angrily.
Samantha didn't even notice him in there before.
"We were just kids. Boys will be boys, and all!" Sirius defended himself, drumming his fingers on the dining room table in frustration.
"Still Sirius, You have to understand that you've hurt a lot of people. You left so many emotional scars on one person, that he has a hard time opening up." Samantha explained, her eyes falling to the table.
She knew how it was to be a victim of taunts. If her hair wasn't the same way, or her clothes an expensive brand then she was an outcast. Harassed by other stupid students for being hers elf.
"ENOUGH! I want everyone to talk civilly and eat quietly. After lunch, Leanne and Samantha will go upstairs for a nap. It's been a tiring day for the poor dears." Mrs. Weasley snapped, already planning the rest of the day's events.
"I personally want out of this house, not to sleep thanks." Leanne muttered, pushing the food around on her plate.
"I do not think that is a wise idea." Severus said looking at the two girls.
"Oh right, can't have Voldemort finding us, and tearing our minds a part to find out what happens to the lot of you. No no, of course we shouldn't be leaving this hellhole. I suddenly feel right at home!" she stated and dropped her fork with a little too much force chipping the plate; but she hardly gave any notice to what she had done.
"Leanne, breathe! It's going to be okay." Samantha promised, hoping to find some solution to this mess.
She knew if Leanne felt as locked up as Sirius felt, then she might be killed like Sirius did.
Sighing, Samantha reached over for a sandwich. It would do no good not to eat.
Leanne looked at Samantha; she knew what the girl was thinking. She knew how much it would mean to Sam if she could change what was written in the book, but what would happen if it was changed? What would come of them? Leanne wasn't entirely sure why they were there yet, but obviously there was a reason, but what, she didn't know.
"I need some parchment and ink, I am not going to be stuck in the 'Noble House of Black' and not write. Besides, it's better than screaming at the daftness you lot seem to possess." Leanne said, "or a book, a nice long, thick book. Something dark and dreary, maybe about Vampires, or Werewolves."
At the mention of werewolves, Remus looked over to Leanne. He paled. What if Leanne and that Samantha girl didn't know what he became once a month? Would they be frightened?
Sensing his discomfort, Samantha replied. "Don't worry, Moony. As long as you don't paw with us, we'll be fine."
The teen cracked up at her own joke.
"Get it? Paw around! Hahahaha!"
Leanne looked at Samantha with a perplexed look on her face. This was certainly the strangest day of her life.
"Actually, vampires and werewolves fascinate me. If I had my novel with me, I'd show you. It's a really interesting novel. It's about a werewolf helping a young witch fight to get rights and laws against the witch-hunt. You see, in my novel, vampires, demons and werewolves all have laws and can live free, while witches live in sewers and forgotten mine shafts with the protection of the vampires." Leanne explained to Remus, maybe he could help her write it.
"She actually has a fic written about you, Moony!" Samantha continued, smirking at Leanne's expression.
"Usagi, and Remus sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes little Lupin in the bab-y carriage!"
Remus blushed red.
"HEY! If he wasn't being a prat in the story, he'd be a normal wizard and not a werewolf!"
Leanne looked down at her full plate of food, why did she suddenly feel embarrassed? Her cheeks felt hot, and she was sure they were beat red too. Why was it she could yell and scream at Sirius, but mention one of her fics and she was embarrassed? Or was it more or less the fact that she loved Remus as much as she loved Severus?
Samantha saw Leanne look down, embaressed. A pang of guilt settled in her stomach. Directing the attention from Leanne, she opted to tell everyone about her secret likings.
"Well, that's nothing. I like to read Harry/Tonks pairings, and Draco/Ginny, oh and who can beat Remus/Hermione?" Sam told, listing her favorite pairings.
"MALFOY AND GINNY?" Ron bellowed.
"Remus and Hermione?" Sirius questioned, arching a black eyebrow.
Across the table were a lot of shocked faces. Harry, Hermione, and Remus were all blushing.
"Hey, I prefer reading about Severus and Lily, so that's not much better." Leanne smiled.
"Lily with Snivellus?" Sirius chocked.
"Well yea, but I love Remus and Lily too. They'd be so cute together."
"That's my mother you're talking about!" Harry snapped.
"Well, yes, that's true. But if I had my way, Snape here would be your father, not James Pratish Potter!"
"HEY!"
"Oh, well it's better than Severus being your boyfriend," There was a round of disgusted looks on people's faces, "there's also Remus/Sirius, Draco/Harry, Harry/Sirius, Harry/Remus, I think there's a few were Peter's involved but they make me sick..."
"Hey, I happen to like Draco/Harry!" Samantha admitted.
Everyone turned towards her direction.
"Me and Malfoy? I hate Malfoy!" Harry declared, daring anyone to object.
"Yeah, but many think your relationship is just hiding your true feelings" She pointed out, rubbing the top of her nose.
"So, who would you say is your favourite character?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Well I have two. Sirius and Ginny. Sirius because he has depths, and Ginny because she's not as innocent as first year."
"My favourite character is..." she debated for a moment whether or not to tell them.
"Well?" Sirius stated sharply.
Leanne glared back at him, "Snape actually, if you really must know."
There was a simultaneous cough, and then a bunch of strange looks at her.
"Did I say something wrong?"
"Snape isn't really liked in the books, remember Leanne?" Samantha commented, watching as Snape resorted back to the cold mask.
However, his eyes were darkened with sadness, it seemed.
Sirius looked at Leanne as if she had grown a second head.
"Why? Why do you...like him?" he questioned.
"Actually, if you really must know, it's his disposition towards Harry. He's the only one in the books who doesn't believe Harry to be famous because of something he had no control over. Beside the fact that Lily gave up her life to save Harry, thus causing a bond of love so that Voldemort really couldn't touch him, Harry had absolutely no control over what had happened when the killing curse was used on him. Snape, though he has a vendetta against James, truly treats Harry like he's just another wizard."
Leanne looked over at Harry, "personally, I figured that's how you wanted to be treated. After all, everyone else just gawks at that scar of yours and knows everything about you. Even Ron and Hermione did. Snape might treat you like crap sometimes, but he gets the best work out of you. My worst teacher was a jerk, worse than Snape to be exact, and he was the one that helped me more than I'd ever admit. You're worst teacher, is always your best. It sounds weird but it is true.
"So you see, as much as you all dislike Severus, he's actually helping Harry become a better wizard, without getting a swollen head like some Gryffindors."
"Look, I'm sorry-," Sirius sighed, pushing his black hair from his face. "Snape and I aren't friends. We'll never ever be friends. However, I can ignore him, if he ignores me."
Sirius turned to Snape.
"It's that alright Sni..Snape?"
Severus however, didn't seem to be paying any attention whatsoever to the topic at hand. Though, Leanne was sure he was just digesting everything that was said.
"Severus?" she questioned softly.
"I suppose." He replied sharply.
"Oh my god! I think we're making progress!" Leanne laughed, and looked at Samantha.
Maybe, just maybe they would change the future of the Harry Potter characters.
Just then, Kingsley Shacklebolt burst in still dressed in his Auror Robes. He had a grim look on his face.
"What is it?" Molly questioned, wiping her hands on her apron.
"Azkaban." he whispered. "You-Know-Who broke into Azkaban!"
"Well, at least we have a place to stay until we can find a way home." Leanne thought out loud.
"But do we want to go home, Leanne?" Samantha sighed.
"I mean here I'm just Sam, the girl who loves to read, write, and imagine. I don't have to impress anyone, or act a certain way. If we get back, I'm going to be nobody again. I'll be the one who suffers from extreme depression and anxiety. I'll be the person who gets frowned upon because of who I am and what I do..." she trailed off, drumming her fingers on the worn couch.
Turning her attention to the window, sighing, she tried to keep her thoughts on the topic at hand. There they were, two normal girls, nothing special about them, sitting in the Harry Potter Verse, Sam going to Hogwarts, while she got the job she's always wanted.
"I don't know. I mean, here we might get chance to be normal people. I've got the job I've always wanted, and you get to go to school with Harry Potter and learn Potions with Snape!"
"What if we were meant to be here? What if we were meant to save him?"
There was no question of whom Sam was talking about. Sirius died a terrible death, and although it led to Dumbledore and Harry's discussion of the prophecy, Harry was still a fragile fifteen-year-old boy.
"We're not here to change the fact that he dies. Harry needs to know the truth, I can't keep it from him, you can't, and its high time Dumbledore spills his guts about it." Leanne knew that Sam would know exactly what it was.
Sighing, she turned to look at the door, "how about we go join the others? Shouldn't they be cleaning or dealing with the boggart or something? I really need to read the book again!"
"Yeah I guess," Sam replied, following Lady Slyth out of the room.
While on the way to wherever the ickle trio was, Samantha had time to contemplate all that had happen. She was in the Harry Potter universe, talking to Dumbledore while her friend snipped with Snape. She hoped Voldemort wouldn't be able to see them through Harry's eyes since he hadn't started his Occulemncy yet. If Voldemort found out that they were here, who knows what would happen? Faye winced at the thought of being subjected to the Cruciatus curse, and even worse Imperio.
Leanne stopped outside of a door, causing the teen to stumble. Luckily she was caught before she hit the floor. However on her way down, she knocked a house-elf head off the shelf, causing Mrs. Black to scream obscenities.
"Good grief woman SHUT UP!" Leanne screamed at the painting, as Sirius came around the corner cursing at the painting as much as she was.
"We have guests in this house, if you could show some common courtesy towards them, it'd be a miracle!" Sirius shouted.
Leanne started laughing, and looked away from Sirius. It was hard to look at him and know that there was going to be no more of him in the later books. She stifled a sob, and pushed open the door to the other room.
Sirius turned his eyes from the hiccupping Leanne to Samantha. Her breath caught in her throat when their eyes locked. She was falling, falling in a river of a blue ocean. Without even noticing, a single tear made it's way down her cheek.
She closed her eyes briefly, as she felt a thumb brush her tear away.
"Why are you crying?" he asked curiously, for the first time sounding serious.
"I'm s-sorry, Mr. Black," Sam stuttered. God did she sound like a freak!
"It's Sirius-," the ebony haired wizard responded, a soft smile settling on his face.
Sirius looked really nice when he smiled, she mused.
"Come on, the kids are spraying some doxies!"
Blinking back tears, the girls followed Sirius inside the room. Harry, Ron and Hermione were already there with the others waiting. They had stopped and looked back at the girls, as if thinking they were crazy.
"How can we help you deal with the doxies?" Leanne questioned Molly Weasley, still holding back the tears she held.
Her heart went out to Harry when she looked at him; she had no idea what it felt like to lose a family member, other than aunts and uncles, but she had learned of the loss very close friend would feel. She would have only a few opportunities to help him, her hope was that with counselling, he would open up and they would find a way to heal.
"Mr. Potter, may I speak with you a moment after we are finished here?" Leanne questioned.
Harry looked at her like she had grown a second head, "Why?"
"The Headmaster of Hogwarts has hired me to work with the students. With the war coming, and The Dark Lord growing in strength again, I have been brought in to work with everyone. You may not want my help, but that can be expected."
"It is good to know that he has hired someone to help the children during this time of darkness." Molly said with a motherly smile on her face.
"I can only hope I will help them." Leanne turned to Sam; "Samantha will be joining the students this year as well."
"Yes, I'll be joining your year since I'm the most familiar with fifth year spells." Sam said, smiling at the dumbstruck trio.
"B-But you're muggles! You even said so this morning." Hermione stated matter-of-factly.
Both girls could see the wheels turning in the young witch's head.
"Are you not, yourself, a muggle born witch?" Leanne questioned with a wry grin on her face.
"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"
"Everything Miss Granger. If you, yourself, do not deny that you are a muggle born, and a witch, then who says we are not. We told you we were from the Muggle World, not that we didn't have any magic."
"How very Slytherin of you, Lady Lee!" Snape commented, arching a black eyebrow.
"That's right. Had I of been a student at Hogwarts, I probably would have been a Slytherin. But all this bloody talk of Purebloods is rubbish. Honestly!" Leanne grumbled.
"So, Samantha is it?" Harry asked, running a hand through his messy black hair. "What house do you think you'll be in?"
"Well I'm pretty brave so I might have a chance at Gryffindor. However, I'm also loyal enough to be a Hufflepuff. I have ambitions, so maybe Slytherin. But I love to read, so it could be Ravenclaw!" She listed, ticking her qualities off on each finger.
"Why do you ask?" Faye questioned.
"Just curious." Harry replied.
Leanne turned her attention to Harry and then to the others.
"So, aside from the pitiful attempt to insult me," she glared at Snape, "are we going to get rid of these doxies?"
Just if on cue, Tonks walked into the room. Today, her hair was spiked green, silver at the tips. A surgeon-like mask hid her mouth, only showing the aurors green colored eyes. In her right hand was the doxy spray called Uncle Dock's Doxy Repellent. The clumsy Auror was wearing a purple shirt with the logo of the group 'The Weird Sisters' followed by her ragged jeans.
"Wotcher, everyone!"
"Er..." Leanne looked confused for a moment, "now that I have just suddenly been struck by a momentary blond moment...someone want to tell me how it is the lot of you wizards listen to this band 'The Weird Sisters' when there isn't a radio or CD player in sight?"
Take about a total retarded moment, she thought to herself, that or I've just confused everyone except Harry, Hermione and Tonks. She giggled to herself, and looked around the room waiting for an answer.
"A what?" Ron asked his blue eyes furrowed in confusion. "Merlin, you're just like Hermione, with all that felly tone nonsense!"
"That was predictable. And it's a TELEPHONE!" Leanne sighed, and took a can of the doxy spray.
She was becoming overly frustrated with these wizards knowing nothing about the muggle world. In fact, it was down right annoying. They called themselves wizards who liked muggles, but knew nothing of the other. She would make it clear to every young witch or wizard that walked into her office what the muggle world was like, even if it killed her.
"Oh dear, I don't have enough masks for everyone!" Mrs. Weasley cried, although it sounded muffled through her mask. "Samantha, and Miss Leanne, you'll have to be careful not to inhale this. It can cause severe side effects!"
Faye rolled her eyes.
Mrs. Weasley didn't even know her for a day, and she was already being a mother hen.
"Don't worry Mrs. Weasley, I've sprayed stuff before!" Faye replied, quickly putting her brown hair into a high pony.
It wouldn't do any good if the doxies got into her hair. She shuddered as she remembered the pixie incident in Harry's second year.
Leanne looked at Molly with a perplexed look, "we use aerosol cans at home all the time for air fresheners and such. Most of it just causes harm to the ozone layer, but most muggles don't seem to care. Besides, it this stuff can't be any worse than cigarette smoke which causes cancer among a number of other problems."
Blinking, Leanne turned a slight shade of pink. She really was sounding like Hermione; it was as if the information just spewed from her mouth against her will.
Pulling her hair back and out of her face, Leanne turned to look at Samantha and then to the others in the room. She really hated cleaning, but she was going to have to make the best of the situation if she was going to survive the time before the school term started.
A couple of hours later, with two dirty ladies, the doxies were gone. Samantha looked down at her grimy appearance, wrinkling her nose at the smell of doxy spray. Looking up, she met the eyes of everyone in the room.
"I think I'm going to go shower." Sam stated, watching as Mrs. Weasley opened her mouth. "Don't worry, I'll find my way!" she continued, silencing the redheaded mother of seven.
With that, Fayetonic left the room.
"Is there more than one washroom in this place? I really should shower also. The smell is repulsive, and, I'd rather not continue looking like Snape." Leanne smiled wryly over at Snape, who scowled at her.
"Yes there is, follow me." Harry called, walking out of the room.
Meanwhile, Samantha had found an empty bathroom. It was huge, with a roomy shower and a large bathtub. The sink counter was a white marble, as the tiles on the floor were a soft green. One thing was for sure; the crazy Mrs. Black did have good taste.
Stripping off her clothes, Samantha stepped into the stall, as her eyes furrowed in confusion. There were no knobs! How was she supposed to get the water? The answer dawned on her; of course this was a wizard home so they would use magic for baths. That was pathetic, they couldn't even do one thing the muggle way. Talk about spoiled. Maybe if she wished the water to come it would.
Narrowing her eyes, Faye concentrated with all her might for hot water. Time seemed to go by, but finally the water came spurting out. Smiling in triumph, Samantha let out a contented sigh as the water washed away all the dirt, leaving her skin red. Showers were the best!
--- Leanne followed Harry out of the room and down the hallway, to the back of the house. She was thankful to have some company in showing her where the washroom was, and this gave her the perfect opportunity to talk to Harry in private; but how was she supposed to begin to talk to him? Everything she had been taught seemed to evade her memory.
Blinking in confusion, she began to slow her thoughts down a little. Her heart was racing, and soon, she felt rather dizzy. Stopping just outside the washroom, she leaned up against the wall, as Harry opened the door.
"You all right?" he questioned.
"Just a dizzy spell." She replied calmly, but she was lying, it wasn't just a dizzy spell. It was an anxiety attack, and she knew it. "May we speak in private after I've showered?"
"Yes, I'll be downstairs." Harry responded and left Leanne standing in the hallway.
"Bloody hell!" she cursed, and walked into the large washroom.
Wide eyed and shocked, Leanne spun around on the cold marble floor. Dark green marble covered the floor, walls, and counter top. A deep bath, sat across from the white porcelain sink. A golden faucet was attached to the bath, and a green towel was draped over the bath's side.
Turning on the water, Leanne removed her clothing, and slid into the hot water. She released a contented sigh, closed her eyes, and calmed her breathing down. She did utterly hate having anxiety attacks, but normally, she had never had one like that before.
Samantha never wanted to leave this shower.
The water was still hot, and felt like it would never run cold. Sighing, she knew she would have to. Standing up, the teen rinsed her hair of the cream rinse, concentrating for the water to turn off.
It did.
Pushing the green curtains back, Samantha shivered as the cold air hit her body. Grabbing the white towel that was hanging off the rack, she quickly wrapped it around herself.
Her ears caught the sound of the door opening. A male voice cleared his throat.
Samantha's head snapped up, and she screamed accidentally dropping the towel.
It was Sirius Black.
Sirius stood in the doorway, stunned that the young sixteen year old had just dropped her towel. Turning around, he waited for her to be decent.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Samantha yelled, picking up the towel from the tiled floor.
She wrapped it once again around her.
"You're in my bathroom!" He stated still shocked. He was still facing the other way.
"Well, excuse me! It was the only bathroom I could find!" Samantha snapped, her brown eyes burning with anger.
Leanne heard shouting, and quickly pulled herself out of the water. Dressing just as quickly, the young adult dashed through the house until she found the commotion.
"Oh dear," she stated trying to refrain from laughing. "Too bad it wasn't Sirius just getting out of the shower. That I would have paid to see."
She looked at Sirius, grabbed him by the hand and pulled him out of the washroom. "Change, and we'll met you downstairs." Leanne said to Samantha. Man, I'd have paid to see Severus stepping out of the shower too, she thought to herself, blushing at the thought.
"I don't have any clothes, Leanne!" Samantha snapped, clearly still embarrassed from earlier.
"I'm not going to wear these dirty pyjamas either!" she sighed. "Screw this, I'll just go downstairs in my towel. It doesn't matter, one person has already seen me naked!"
Leanne blinked again, she certainly was doing a lot of that today, "Borrow some of Sirius's clothes. I'm sure he'd be nice enough to shrink them to a proper size for you."
She noted that she too, was standing in her dirty clothing, "Eww, this is disgusting. We definitely need to do some shopping. On second thought, I'll raid Sirius's closet...wonder what lovely little goodies we can find in there." she smiled.
"Come on!" Samantha shouted, grabbing Leanne's hand.
They ran to the connecting door to the bathroom. Samantha wondered why she hadn't seen it before.
They opened the door.
Stopping dead in her tracks, Leanne looked at the room. It was just as nice as the washroom she had been in before, though, this time there was a giant hippogriff seated in the far corner. Silently praying to herself that the beast was sleeping, she crept across the room to the wardrobe.
"Think Snape would let me go through his wardrobe? Man just one of his robes would be enough for me. The smell of potions ingredients, hmmm..." she thought out loud, and caught herself verbally discussing her object of obsession. "Oops"
Samantha snickered.
"Right, and I guarantee he'll allow you to keep one for remembrance!" She whispered sarcastically, creeping beside the older female.
Cautiously she opened the top drawer of the oak dresser. It was filled to the top with boxers and socks. Digging slightly through the drawer, Samantha felt her fingers wrap around cool metal. Pulling whatever it was out from the pile of clothes, she stared at the object in disbelief.
It was...
"Handcuffs?" she whispered in disbelief.
So there were many layers to Sirius Black.
"I don't even want to know..." Leanne giggled, as she pulled out what looked like an old school uniform. "Hey, this should fit you."
She tossed the pants, white shirt, and Gryffindor coloured tie towards Samantha. She soon found a robe that looked about the right size to fit the younger girl.
"Now...why doesn't this man have ANYTHING with the bloody Slytherin colours? His whole family was in Slytherin, and there is NOTHING I would wear in here." Sighing, Leanne looked around the room. "Where do you suppose Regulus slept?"
Samantha shrugged. "Don't know, maybe Mr. and Mrs. Weasleys room?"
Switching the school outfit to her left shoulder, Samantha grabbed a pair of red boxers.
She looked over at the sleeping form of Buckbeak the Hippogriff
"Lets go, I don't want to be here when he wakes up!"
Leanne nodded in agreement and walked over to the door leading back to the bathroom. Sirius was standing there, looking pale and confused as the two girls exited his room. Leanne had a curt smile on her face, as she dangled the handcuffs from her fingers, taunting Sirius Black would be fun; she would get him back for the mistreatment of Severus.
"Now, I am going to ask you only once Mr. Black, and you are going to answer me honestly, or the whole world will find out why you have handcuffs hidden in your boxer drawer; why do you hate Severus Snape?"
"Because he's a slimy git!" Sirius snarled, eyeing the handcuffs.
In his opinion, Severus Snape needed to wash his hair.
Samantha chuckled as the two battled. Figuring that Sirius would be occupied with arguing with Leanne, she dropped the towel. Hurriedly, the brunette quickly slipped on the clothes. Although the pants were a little baggy, they were comfortable. The shirt however, was a little tight around the bust.
She shrugged. At least it covered her.
Leanne looked at Sirius through narrowed eyes, "JKR was right, you and James were prats!" she growled, pocketed the handcuffs, pushed past Sirius and walked out into the hallway.
"How you two were Gryffindors is beyond me. You're as sickening as Malfoy!" she muttered and began searching rooms trying to locate Regulus's room so that she might find a Slytherin Uniform.
"Are you alright, Sirius?" Samantha asked, watching as he closed his eyes, sort of in a pained way.
Maybe Sirius did feel remorse. Ten years in Azkaban will teach you a lot. Especially, when you're innocent.
"I know how you feel."
"No you don't!" Sirius snapped, his blue eyes blazing.
"Yes, I do."
Leanne had heard Sirius snap at Samantha and walked back into the washroom. She was furious with him, just as furious as she had been when she had read the end of the fifth book. Her face was flushed, and her pulse was racing, if she had any idea how to do magic she would.
"Don't you dare think we don't know anything about pain, and suffering! Azkaban is not the only place that can suck away every happy thought!" she screamed at him, her hands clasped in tight fists. "You have no right to say Samantha doesn't know how you feel! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HER! You don't know what she's lived through; you don't know what it's like to live in our world. So just keep your damn mouth shut!"
She could feel the blood pulsing in her veins, the anger boiling to a breaking point. If she didn't cool her temper (which she knew she had a very bad temper), she was liable to hurt someone.
Samantha watched as Leanne went off on Sirius. She didn't even notice her tears running down her face.
She gave a short sob.
"You've been keeping all that pain, all that anger inside. I know how it is, Sirius." She looked down, not wanting to see their reaction. "To think that nobody knows how you're feeling. I understand what it's like to bottle up all of your pain. When it's let loose, it's like the whole world explodes-," Sam continued, wiping her tears.
"Tissues are under the sink." Sirius replied hoarsely.
She looked up to see him suppressing tears.
A creature popped out as soon as she opened the cabinet doors. It missed her face by inches.
Leanne looked at the creature, having no idea what it was, snarled once more, turned and stormed out of the washroom. She hated confrontation, she hated anger, she hated emotion period, but most of all, she hated when she lost control over her own emotions. She wasn't going to embarrass herself further, so instead, she opted to leave to room.
The hallway seemed longer than she had remembered, but as she walked through the house, she found herself seated in an empty room, on a chair, staring out the window. Her heart was pounding in her head, her blood screaming to release the anger she felt. Sure she could work with people who had emotional problems, but she would never admit to herself, or others for that matter, that she had her own.
Samantha watched as Leanne stormed out of the bathroom. Turning back to the creature, she saw it shift. Her mind was screaming. There was only one answer for a shape-shifting creature. It was a Boggart.
The creature became Samantha's worst fear.
"Hey Jake." the boggart greeted. Sam looked up to meet the brown eyes of her dead grandfather.
"It can't be! You're dead, pop!" She cried in shock, backing herself up against Sirius's chest.
Her mind was whirling. It wasn't her grandfather, she knew. But, why was he her worst fear? It was no time to think of this, she needed to banish it. From her memory there was the incantation, Ridikulous. There was something else too, that Professor Lupin mentioned. What was it? Terror? No it was laughter!
Ignoring her boggart-grandfathers ramblings. She thought of the good times she had with him. The first time he gave her coffee, and how he would buy her honey buns from 7-11.
Without warning, she started to laugh.
The boggart slowly disappeared with a pop.
"Lunchtime!" Mrs Weasley called from downstairs.
Leanne heard her call, grumbled, still seething with anger and left the room. If she could avoid Sirius she would be fine. She had made it downstairs and to the dining room with no sight of Sirius, maybe she had managed to get him to stay away from her. She took a seat at the table, though she wasn't hungry, she wasn't about to insult Molly.
She watched as Sirius and Samantha came into the room, her eyes narrowed into a glare as Sirius took a seat in front of her, Samantha to his left.
"On second thought, I'm not hungry." Leanne snarled and stood up, making her way to the door.
"What's gotten into the lot of you?" Molly questioned taking in the scowl on Sirius's face and the anger still evident in Leanne's eyes.
"I'd rather not be associated with Mr. Black at the moment. I'd rather starve than be found seated at his dinner table!" Leanne growled and saw Severus smirk. "I'd wipe that smirk off your face Snape..."
"Alright, enough of this!" Samantha cried, worn out.
She turned to Snape.
"I'm sorry about what the bloody Marauders did to you. But they're not all to blame. Need I remind you that you called muggle-borns like me, Mudbloods when you were young? The past is the freaking past. So get the hell over it. You all are going to be in for a long year!" She yelled.
Samantha was worn out already.
She sighed tiredly, ignoring the throbbing in her head. "Leanne, please sit down. We'll deal with this after lunch."
Leanne sat down despite the fact that she wanted nothing to do with Sirius Black.
"It was her fault." Sirius said childishly.
"You're the prat that enjoyed torturing people!" Leanne retorted, "No wonder people believed you were a traitor, you didn't give them much reason to think else wise. Did you not think that picking on people would get you a bad name or do all Gryffindor seem to think they're above everyone else? Personally I thought that was a trait of Slytherins."
She was trying to act calm, to find reason behind her madness, but she was bitter and angry. She hated people like Sirius Black and James Potter. They were the type of people who had made her life in school a living hell, maybe, just maybe that was the reason she felt some connection to Severus.
"I hate people like you, people who had fun making someone else's life a living hell. It was people like you that had me hating school." She sighed, and gave into emotion.
If she didn't shut up soon, she'd be in tears.
"Hey! Don't speak to my godfather that way!" Harry butted in angrily.
Samantha didn't even notice him in there before.
"We were just kids. Boys will be boys, and all!" Sirius defended himself, drumming his fingers on the dining room table in frustration.
"Still Sirius, You have to understand that you've hurt a lot of people. You left so many emotional scars on one person, that he has a hard time opening up." Samantha explained, her eyes falling to the table.
She knew how it was to be a victim of taunts. If her hair wasn't the same way, or her clothes an expensive brand then she was an outcast. Harassed by other stupid students for being hers elf.
"ENOUGH! I want everyone to talk civilly and eat quietly. After lunch, Leanne and Samantha will go upstairs for a nap. It's been a tiring day for the poor dears." Mrs. Weasley snapped, already planning the rest of the day's events.
"I personally want out of this house, not to sleep thanks." Leanne muttered, pushing the food around on her plate.
"I do not think that is a wise idea." Severus said looking at the two girls.
"Oh right, can't have Voldemort finding us, and tearing our minds a part to find out what happens to the lot of you. No no, of course we shouldn't be leaving this hellhole. I suddenly feel right at home!" she stated and dropped her fork with a little too much force chipping the plate; but she hardly gave any notice to what she had done.
"Leanne, breathe! It's going to be okay." Samantha promised, hoping to find some solution to this mess.
She knew if Leanne felt as locked up as Sirius felt, then she might be killed like Sirius did.
Sighing, Samantha reached over for a sandwich. It would do no good not to eat.
Leanne looked at Samantha; she knew what the girl was thinking. She knew how much it would mean to Sam if she could change what was written in the book, but what would happen if it was changed? What would come of them? Leanne wasn't entirely sure why they were there yet, but obviously there was a reason, but what, she didn't know.
"I need some parchment and ink, I am not going to be stuck in the 'Noble House of Black' and not write. Besides, it's better than screaming at the daftness you lot seem to possess." Leanne said, "or a book, a nice long, thick book. Something dark and dreary, maybe about Vampires, or Werewolves."
At the mention of werewolves, Remus looked over to Leanne. He paled. What if Leanne and that Samantha girl didn't know what he became once a month? Would they be frightened?
Sensing his discomfort, Samantha replied. "Don't worry, Moony. As long as you don't paw with us, we'll be fine."
The teen cracked up at her own joke.
"Get it? Paw around! Hahahaha!"
Leanne looked at Samantha with a perplexed look on her face. This was certainly the strangest day of her life.
"Actually, vampires and werewolves fascinate me. If I had my novel with me, I'd show you. It's a really interesting novel. It's about a werewolf helping a young witch fight to get rights and laws against the witch-hunt. You see, in my novel, vampires, demons and werewolves all have laws and can live free, while witches live in sewers and forgotten mine shafts with the protection of the vampires." Leanne explained to Remus, maybe he could help her write it.
"She actually has a fic written about you, Moony!" Samantha continued, smirking at Leanne's expression.
"Usagi, and Remus sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes little Lupin in the bab-y carriage!"
Remus blushed red.
"HEY! If he wasn't being a prat in the story, he'd be a normal wizard and not a werewolf!"
Leanne looked down at her full plate of food, why did she suddenly feel embarrassed? Her cheeks felt hot, and she was sure they were beat red too. Why was it she could yell and scream at Sirius, but mention one of her fics and she was embarrassed? Or was it more or less the fact that she loved Remus as much as she loved Severus?
Samantha saw Leanne look down, embaressed. A pang of guilt settled in her stomach. Directing the attention from Leanne, she opted to tell everyone about her secret likings.
"Well, that's nothing. I like to read Harry/Tonks pairings, and Draco/Ginny, oh and who can beat Remus/Hermione?" Sam told, listing her favorite pairings.
"MALFOY AND GINNY?" Ron bellowed.
"Remus and Hermione?" Sirius questioned, arching a black eyebrow.
Across the table were a lot of shocked faces. Harry, Hermione, and Remus were all blushing.
"Hey, I prefer reading about Severus and Lily, so that's not much better." Leanne smiled.
"Lily with Snivellus?" Sirius chocked.
"Well yea, but I love Remus and Lily too. They'd be so cute together."
"That's my mother you're talking about!" Harry snapped.
"Well, yes, that's true. But if I had my way, Snape here would be your father, not James Pratish Potter!"
"HEY!"
"Oh, well it's better than Severus being your boyfriend," There was a round of disgusted looks on people's faces, "there's also Remus/Sirius, Draco/Harry, Harry/Sirius, Harry/Remus, I think there's a few were Peter's involved but they make me sick..."
"Hey, I happen to like Draco/Harry!" Samantha admitted.
Everyone turned towards her direction.
"Me and Malfoy? I hate Malfoy!" Harry declared, daring anyone to object.
"Yeah, but many think your relationship is just hiding your true feelings" She pointed out, rubbing the top of her nose.
"So, who would you say is your favourite character?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Well I have two. Sirius and Ginny. Sirius because he has depths, and Ginny because she's not as innocent as first year."
"My favourite character is..." she debated for a moment whether or not to tell them.
"Well?" Sirius stated sharply.
Leanne glared back at him, "Snape actually, if you really must know."
There was a simultaneous cough, and then a bunch of strange looks at her.
"Did I say something wrong?"
"Snape isn't really liked in the books, remember Leanne?" Samantha commented, watching as Snape resorted back to the cold mask.
However, his eyes were darkened with sadness, it seemed.
Sirius looked at Leanne as if she had grown a second head.
"Why? Why do you...like him?" he questioned.
"Actually, if you really must know, it's his disposition towards Harry. He's the only one in the books who doesn't believe Harry to be famous because of something he had no control over. Beside the fact that Lily gave up her life to save Harry, thus causing a bond of love so that Voldemort really couldn't touch him, Harry had absolutely no control over what had happened when the killing curse was used on him. Snape, though he has a vendetta against James, truly treats Harry like he's just another wizard."
Leanne looked over at Harry, "personally, I figured that's how you wanted to be treated. After all, everyone else just gawks at that scar of yours and knows everything about you. Even Ron and Hermione did. Snape might treat you like crap sometimes, but he gets the best work out of you. My worst teacher was a jerk, worse than Snape to be exact, and he was the one that helped me more than I'd ever admit. You're worst teacher, is always your best. It sounds weird but it is true.
"So you see, as much as you all dislike Severus, he's actually helping Harry become a better wizard, without getting a swollen head like some Gryffindors."
"Look, I'm sorry-," Sirius sighed, pushing his black hair from his face. "Snape and I aren't friends. We'll never ever be friends. However, I can ignore him, if he ignores me."
Sirius turned to Snape.
"It's that alright Sni..Snape?"
Severus however, didn't seem to be paying any attention whatsoever to the topic at hand. Though, Leanne was sure he was just digesting everything that was said.
"Severus?" she questioned softly.
"I suppose." He replied sharply.
"Oh my god! I think we're making progress!" Leanne laughed, and looked at Samantha.
Maybe, just maybe they would change the future of the Harry Potter characters.
Just then, Kingsley Shacklebolt burst in still dressed in his Auror Robes. He had a grim look on his face.
"What is it?" Molly questioned, wiping her hands on her apron.
"Azkaban." he whispered. "You-Know-Who broke into Azkaban!"