Chapter 6 ~ Reacquainted
Harry was permitted to stay with Sirius only for the weekend. Muriel brought his homework to him, and Harry did every bit of it at the little table beside Sirius' bed, spending as much time with him as possible. Sirius got to hear about everything, his boring summer with the Dursleys, and the Quidditch practices that were already underway. It wasn't until Sunday night that Sirius asked him about his new teacher.
"Defense Against The Dark Arts," Harry responded, through a mouthful of the excellent sandwiches Mrs. Weasley had just brought up, "and she's really good too," he added, swallowing.
Sirius chuckled. "I'll bet Snivellous wasn't pleased."
"You know," said Harry thoughtfully, "he hasn't been nearly as bad so far this term. Neville even managed to make his potion right in the very first class." Any amusement that Sirius may have felt drained from his face quickly. Without thinking, he asked the first thing that came into his head.
"Does Snape spend a lot of time with Mu - with your new professor?" He finished the question rather lamely and Harry gave him a puzzled expression before answering with more care than Sirius had hoped.
"Er, no, we hardly ever see them together. They talk a lot at mealtimes, though."
"Harry!" Mrs. Weasley was calling up the stairs, "Moody and Tonks have arrived, it's time to go!" Harry looked back at Sirius. "Well, I guess that's it 'till Christmas. I CAN come back for Christmas, right?" He asked it quickly as if he'd been planning to all along and just remembered.
"Of course," Sirius was beaming again, "but I think you'll see me before then. Perhaps," he paused, looking thoughtful, "perhaps I'll come up to the school to visit." It was going to take some getting used to, this new idea that he could come and go as he pleased.
"That'd be great! See you then," Harry said, and waved before heading downstairs to answer Mrs. Weasley, who'd begun shouting for him again.
Taking advantage of everyone's distraction, Sirius lifted himself out of bed and headed for Buckbeak's room. By the time he emerged and went into the kitchen, Molly was frantic looking for him. She was a good deal calmer an hour later when Moody and Tonks returned with Arthur Weasley and Mundungus. They all had a late dinner and talked well into the night, when Remus turned up looking pale and hungry, but happy. Then Moody, Tonks and Mundungus took leave of them, and Mrs. Weasley left to take over a shift for the Order. Mr. Weasley declared that it was time for bed, and tromped upstairs, yawning loudly.
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you arranged that, Moony," Sirius said, grinning at his friend.
"And maybe I did. Why'd you do it, Sirius?"
"Do what?" Sirius asked, suddenly irritable.
"Bait Snape with her watching, you know better." His tone was sharp. He sighed. "They've been friends a long time."
"Yes, and they can continue being FRIENDS." His emphasis on that last word made Remus cross as well. He stood up. "I never thought I'd see the day when Sirius Black was jealous of Severus Snape," he said bemusedly, turning to leave. He went to the front hall, nodding to someone in the shadows on his way up the stairs.
"I never thought I'd see that day either." Muriel entered the kitchen to find Sirius with his head in his hands.
"Go away," he groaned, not looking up.
"Certainly not! We are too old for this now, Sirius, and times are a little too perilous." Sirius, surprised by her emphatic tone of voice, looked up. To him, she sounded just like Molly, however it was only an instant before he regretted ever thinking such a thing, as a very annoyed look had appeared on her face.
"Sorry," he said, immediately. Then there was silence. Finally, not knowing what else he could say, he found her eyes and said, "Thank you for finding me." At this unexpected kindness, she started to cry. Maybe he was afraid she'd leave and seek comfort elsewhere, because he jumped up immediately to comfort her, which only made her cry the harder. He led her into the next room and sat her down in a big, fluffy armchair, perching himself on the arm of the chair. "Do you remember," he said, when she was quiet again, "that first day we really talked? After all the unpleasantness, I mean," he added hurriedly. She looked up at him.
"Which unpleasantness? What James did to Severus, or what I did to James?"
"Both. Do you realize I'd never actually dueled with a girl before? Aside from our usual antics, I mean. You knew all those hexes I'd never learned."
Muriel laughed a bit. "You were particularly surprised with that last one, I think. You did figure out how to get rid of those extra toes, didn't you?" Now they both laughed.
"I didn't even notice them until late that night. I thought your last curse had been a dud! It took James and me three weeks to figure out how to remove them without asking his parents." They talked until almost dawn, going over all the ridiculous hexes and pranks they'd played on one another. Sirius did his best, when the subject glanced on Snape, to keep his tongue in check. She'd sacrificed everything for Snape all those years ago, and it had hurt him more than he cared to admit.
"I made them up, you know," she said, hesitatingly. "Those curses, they were all ones that I'd made up."
"So THAT's why you wouldn't tell me where you learned them all," he chuckled. But she had fallen silent. There was obviously something else she wanted to discuss, but they never got the chance. A whirlwind of people descended on the house as the sun rose. Someone must have called an emergency meeting, and Sirius remembered with a pang that he'd left his mirror upstairs.
Harry was permitted to stay with Sirius only for the weekend. Muriel brought his homework to him, and Harry did every bit of it at the little table beside Sirius' bed, spending as much time with him as possible. Sirius got to hear about everything, his boring summer with the Dursleys, and the Quidditch practices that were already underway. It wasn't until Sunday night that Sirius asked him about his new teacher.
"Defense Against The Dark Arts," Harry responded, through a mouthful of the excellent sandwiches Mrs. Weasley had just brought up, "and she's really good too," he added, swallowing.
Sirius chuckled. "I'll bet Snivellous wasn't pleased."
"You know," said Harry thoughtfully, "he hasn't been nearly as bad so far this term. Neville even managed to make his potion right in the very first class." Any amusement that Sirius may have felt drained from his face quickly. Without thinking, he asked the first thing that came into his head.
"Does Snape spend a lot of time with Mu - with your new professor?" He finished the question rather lamely and Harry gave him a puzzled expression before answering with more care than Sirius had hoped.
"Er, no, we hardly ever see them together. They talk a lot at mealtimes, though."
"Harry!" Mrs. Weasley was calling up the stairs, "Moody and Tonks have arrived, it's time to go!" Harry looked back at Sirius. "Well, I guess that's it 'till Christmas. I CAN come back for Christmas, right?" He asked it quickly as if he'd been planning to all along and just remembered.
"Of course," Sirius was beaming again, "but I think you'll see me before then. Perhaps," he paused, looking thoughtful, "perhaps I'll come up to the school to visit." It was going to take some getting used to, this new idea that he could come and go as he pleased.
"That'd be great! See you then," Harry said, and waved before heading downstairs to answer Mrs. Weasley, who'd begun shouting for him again.
Taking advantage of everyone's distraction, Sirius lifted himself out of bed and headed for Buckbeak's room. By the time he emerged and went into the kitchen, Molly was frantic looking for him. She was a good deal calmer an hour later when Moody and Tonks returned with Arthur Weasley and Mundungus. They all had a late dinner and talked well into the night, when Remus turned up looking pale and hungry, but happy. Then Moody, Tonks and Mundungus took leave of them, and Mrs. Weasley left to take over a shift for the Order. Mr. Weasley declared that it was time for bed, and tromped upstairs, yawning loudly.
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you arranged that, Moony," Sirius said, grinning at his friend.
"And maybe I did. Why'd you do it, Sirius?"
"Do what?" Sirius asked, suddenly irritable.
"Bait Snape with her watching, you know better." His tone was sharp. He sighed. "They've been friends a long time."
"Yes, and they can continue being FRIENDS." His emphasis on that last word made Remus cross as well. He stood up. "I never thought I'd see the day when Sirius Black was jealous of Severus Snape," he said bemusedly, turning to leave. He went to the front hall, nodding to someone in the shadows on his way up the stairs.
"I never thought I'd see that day either." Muriel entered the kitchen to find Sirius with his head in his hands.
"Go away," he groaned, not looking up.
"Certainly not! We are too old for this now, Sirius, and times are a little too perilous." Sirius, surprised by her emphatic tone of voice, looked up. To him, she sounded just like Molly, however it was only an instant before he regretted ever thinking such a thing, as a very annoyed look had appeared on her face.
"Sorry," he said, immediately. Then there was silence. Finally, not knowing what else he could say, he found her eyes and said, "Thank you for finding me." At this unexpected kindness, she started to cry. Maybe he was afraid she'd leave and seek comfort elsewhere, because he jumped up immediately to comfort her, which only made her cry the harder. He led her into the next room and sat her down in a big, fluffy armchair, perching himself on the arm of the chair. "Do you remember," he said, when she was quiet again, "that first day we really talked? After all the unpleasantness, I mean," he added hurriedly. She looked up at him.
"Which unpleasantness? What James did to Severus, or what I did to James?"
"Both. Do you realize I'd never actually dueled with a girl before? Aside from our usual antics, I mean. You knew all those hexes I'd never learned."
Muriel laughed a bit. "You were particularly surprised with that last one, I think. You did figure out how to get rid of those extra toes, didn't you?" Now they both laughed.
"I didn't even notice them until late that night. I thought your last curse had been a dud! It took James and me three weeks to figure out how to remove them without asking his parents." They talked until almost dawn, going over all the ridiculous hexes and pranks they'd played on one another. Sirius did his best, when the subject glanced on Snape, to keep his tongue in check. She'd sacrificed everything for Snape all those years ago, and it had hurt him more than he cared to admit.
"I made them up, you know," she said, hesitatingly. "Those curses, they were all ones that I'd made up."
"So THAT's why you wouldn't tell me where you learned them all," he chuckled. But she had fallen silent. There was obviously something else she wanted to discuss, but they never got the chance. A whirlwind of people descended on the house as the sun rose. Someone must have called an emergency meeting, and Sirius remembered with a pang that he'd left his mirror upstairs.