CHAPTER ELEVEN A Forming Conspiracy
Their first exams passed with relative ease and they found themselves once more at a cross-roads of sorts. Remus, Peter, Talia, Lily, Sirius, James and Ophelia stood in their familiar circle, finalizing their plans to visit one another.
Lily would arrive a week before classes began.
Sirius would be spending a week at Grimmauld Place before he left for James' house in Manchester. Together, along with Peter, they would come to the Manor in August.
As they had done before,Talia secluded herself in her bedroom while Remus and Ophelia moped about the house together until the next month would bring the return of their friends.
However James and Sirius had put their time to better use. By now, they both agreed that their friend was definitely a werewolf, but they also knew they couldn't go on pretending Remus was an ordinary wizard.
James gently rubbed his temples. "Yes Sirius, I understand where you're coming from, but we can't very well go up to him and say 'Gee Remus, how's being a werewolf treating you?'"
"That's not what I'm suggesting. Of course we have to be tactful about it but-"
James grinned wickedly. "Sirius Black knows what tact is? I almost died of shock just now."
"We Blacks may be corrupt , but we still have our common manners." he replied dryly.
"That's news to me." James muttered, stuffing his mouth with Every Flavor Beans. "Maybe he'll tell us on his own."
"What makes you say that? I think if he was going to tell us he would have done so already." said Sirius, shaking his head. "No. We'll have to confront him."
"Confront him?" repeated James. "Is that really our only choice?"
"It's the only one I can see." An idea suddenly came to him. "Unless... if you had such an incredible secret, wouldn't you tell the person you trusted most in the world? The one person you knew could never betray you?"
"Of course! Phe knows!"
"She most likely does. But she's as protective of him as he is of her. If she had even the slightest doubt that we might abandon him, she'd freeze up and we wouldn't get anything out of her." said Sirius.
James frowned, slightly pained. "Why would we.. run away once we found out?"
"Well we haven't really talked about what we're going to do when they tell us. If they tell us." Sirius added, after a moments consideration. "Do we want to know just for the sake of knowing?"
"I guess." shrugged James. "My main goal is just to get everything out in the open."
"Then maybe we shouldn't risk ruining our holiday and talk to her after school begins."