No Reason or Rhyme
Chapter 2
Okay, even I admit it, what I did next was rather sucky of me.
I laughed.
Hey, give a girl a break, if you'd been me you'd have done the same thing.
Or possibly gotten them the heck out of your house.
Well, the men in the room (and boy) did not take my laughing as a good sign.
"I'm sorry, I just had this hilarious thought! Am I on 'Candid Camera' or something? Cause if so, you guys did a really good job of hiding the cameras! Or is this something that you were dared to do? Did Vanessa put you up to this? Because none of you broke character once." I smiled in amusement. They on the other hand, were not. Smiling, that is.
"I see," 'Albus' said. He heaved a sigh, "Well I guess that you figured us out." he smiled and began to stand. I noticed that 'Remus's' eyebrows had shot up, and 'Harry' was looking confused at 'Albus'.
Now I wasn't smiling. If what 'Albus' had just said was the truth, why did the looks on 'Harry' and 'Remus's' face seem genuinely caught off guard by his reversal?
"Albus," he paused and slowly sat back down when I spoke. "What's this really about? I mean, you aren't serious, are you? About the whole, 'Nineteen Ninety-Three' thing, are you?" I frowned skeptically, "Because, it's just that, I don't enjoy being played around with." I took a breath before continuing, "Let's suspend reality for a second, and pretend what you say is true. How did you end up coming all the way from Britain, supposing you're really the Albus Dumbledore, and wind up in the middle of nowhere in the U.S.?"
"Well..." he hesitated a bit, "We're not quite sure. Although, I can tell you what last happened before whatever brought us here, occurred." I waved a hand, encouraging him to continue. "I was on my way to visit Professor Lupin to see how he was fairing- - he's been sick lately." If he were Professor Lupin, that would have been an understatement. Not that I quite believed them yet. That's me, cynical girl.
"Well, I didn't wish to intrude, as I heard Professor Snape and Professor Lupin speaking, I was about to go amuse myself for a little while to give them some time when I felt a strange power growing... At first I was unsure where it was coming from, but I realized it was building up, within the very room they were in. I came in, worried perhaps that maybe wild magic was to blame- but before I could say another word, there was this blinding light and then I was falling. Whereupon I landed on your lawn, with my fellow professors, and student." He then waited for my reaction.
I wasn't laughing anymore, he seemed to really believe what he was saying. It also coincided with the fact that I myself had felt something strange not twenty minutes ago, that had left me on the kitchen floor.
"Professor Lupin, at the time of this, were you holding the cup Professor Snape gave you?"
Professor Lupin's look of surprise turned into dismay. His quick mind calculating quickly that his lycanthropy probably had been mentioned in the Potter books. "I... yes." he looked stunned, "I was holding the goblet."
"Well, where is it? If this isn't a hoax maybe you brought it with you... I doubt actors would have prepared THAT well for a simple prank." I pointed out.
"I don't have it on me- - I lost hold of it... I'm not sure where it might have gone." Remus sighed.
"Well, show me where you landed in the yard then," I stood up and put my glass down and together we walked outside.
It wasn't hard to figure out where they possibly could have fallen. In the middle of the grass, that was a healthy dark green, a circle of withered grass was off to the side. As I stepped onto it the grass crunched feebly beneath my feet and I felt the hair on my body go on end.
Harry and the others were searching for the fallen goblet.
I highly doubted that actors would go about killing someone's grass for a performance.
I almost wished it was the case.
"I found it!" Harry said, coming out of the flower bushes with a silver goblet clenched in his right hand.
I went over with the others, inside the cup was a minuscule amount of a bubbling liquid.
"Oh dear." I murmured. "Professor, did you HAVE to take that potion?"
"Y-yes, but that was when- - I mean--" he trailed off.
"Okay, I..." I swallowed, hard. If this was a prank, my pride would take months... if not a year or two, to recover. Briefly I imagined myself in a psychiatrists office explaining why I no longer trusted anyone with the ability to speak (Should this actually turn out to be a prank). "I believe you guys... Why were you sent here then?" I blurted out. They wouldn't know, but I asked anyway, don't you hate it when you do that? I mean really, it makes people think you're a right idiot when you ask the really dumb questions.
Lupin shook his head, Snape scowled, Harry looked hopeless, Albus said for them, "We don't know."
"Okay... well- - what about the magic... I mean, isn't there any... residue left or something, cause I mean, I'm not magical in the least and that patch of dead grass gave me the physical jeebies." I grimaced in remembrance.
"If a Muggle can sense the magic- - something very powerful did this then."
"Obviously, Lupin." snapped Snape.
Hm, a snappy Snape. Oo, a Snappley Snape... No wait, The Snapple Snape. Two bucks a pop- -
It was then I noticed that they were staring at me. I really hoped I hadn't said that out loud.
I would have escaped in complete ignorance of the truth if it hadn't been for the fact that Harry was openly gaping at me in undisguised shock (and maybe a bit of horror).
Crap. I had said it out loud.
Oops?
I smiled sheepishly and cleared my throat, "We should get back inside."
I found out that going back inside didn't help the situation out in any way. We sat there, sipping our now cold tea, (in my case, warm soda) still as lost and confused as we were at the beginning of this. Remus placed his goblet off to the side before settling down next to Harry on the red sofa.
"Dammit!" I finally snapped, causing them to look up at me in shock. Snape, of course, wore his patented look of disapproval. That was it, I was going to label each one of his facial expressions if it killed me. That was going to be #1. Disapproval. Which I was receiving a lot of. I topped Potter in the annoyance category, someone give me an award. What was probably irking Snape even more was that he couldn't do diddley about it. No detentions or point takings. "I just wish I knew why!"
"You are not the only one irritated by this situation," Snape groused.
"But you got sent for a reason! I'm sure of it!" I insisted.
"Oh, and what reason would that be?" Snappley Snape Sneered. (Look #2). "To carry on with an utterly boring, and might I add, useless conversation, with a Muggle child?"
"Have you EVER gotten laid at all?" I snapped out before I could stop myself. Oops. That's not what I had been trying to say! Snape's mouth had dropped open in disbelief. I'd shocked Snape! ME! Then again I'd gotten the other three with that remark too. To quickly cover up my faux paux (and before Snape could really lay into me for my rudeness) I quickly continued with what had really been upsetting, "I don't appreciate having anyone demean my existence and I don't recall giving you permission to do so, so you either play nice or not at all."
Harry was wide eyed. It occurred to me that Harry didn't gain as big a mouth as mine until his fifth year. I hoped it wasn't going to turn out to be all my fault that he grew a backbone because of my questionable influence.
"I do not 'play nice'." Snape replied coolly, deciding to ignore the first part of what I'd said.
"Or well with others either, but guess what, my house, my rules. I'm trying to help you out here and I'd appreciate it if you treat me with respect and in return I shall treat you with respect. You may find this hard to believe, but not everyone is out to fight with you. I am not Sirius Black, I refuse to carry on a pointless and childish argument with you!" I returned his icy stare and shrugged off the emotion within a blink of an eye. There were more important things to do then argue with Snape. Remus looked perturbed when I mentioned Black, Harry as ever, curious. "I say you were probably sent here because someone was trying to change something in your world, or doubtfully, mine, for the better. Or maybe Voldie-" Harry's eyes widened, and Snape pursed his lips at my lovely nickname for their Dark Lord. Maybe I shouldn't be mocking a figure of honest to God fear, from their world, "-that is, the Voldie..er...mort, in your world found a way to get you out of the way because of that proph--" I cut that word off sharply, Albus was staring at me again. "I mean- - well, it couldn't be Voldemort cause he's not got a body back y- - er, he's not - - I mean- - Oh bugger." I tossed back the rest of my soda, wishing it were something stronger, but alcohol usually tasted like piss. God, I could really stick my foot in it when I tried.
Harry's eyes showed worry at what he wasn't hearing from me.
"I see, and what do you believe it is that might need to be changed?" asked Albus curiously, leaning forward in the chair.
"Erm...." I wracked my knowledge of their world for any clue. God, there was so much. What I needed was an Ezboard or online club or something that I could post this problem to. I was sure with a zillion authors out there someone would come up with something more plausible then me.
"Well-- it couldn't be for making Professor Lupin better- -" I bit my lip and frowned. Damn. What could it be? I wondered how badly it might screw up their world if I tossed each of them a book and ordered them to read and help me figure it out.
"No... I doubt it." Remus said stiffly. I'm pretty sure Harry was dying of curiosity to know what Remus was sick with. I'd wonder too if I was in his place.
"What if it was to save you from a - -" I stopped. 'Full Moon' were the words that I was about to say. But that would be a bad thing to say out loud. Besides, if life was trying to keep Remus away from a full moon it wouldn't have taken all those people, and if that were the reason, it would be tossing him from dimension to dimension trying to avoid three days out of the month for the rest of his life... Speaking of which... I stood up and went over to a calendar. "July second... July second...." The calendar was a month behind on June. I flipped the page, searched and drew in a painfully sharp breath.
Harry had jumped, "What? What is it?"
"Uh- - nothing... I just realized, I um- - my mum's birthday, its coming up." I laughed (practically had to choke the laugh out), I then sat down in silence and acted as if what I was saying was completely unimportant, "but wow, if you stay over you'll be seeing a lovely full moon tonight."
Remus looked like I'd just told him arsenic had been put into his tea. (Which he might have preferred hearing to what I'd really said. Probably none too thrilled I knew what he was, either.)
And you can bet Albus and Snape were distinctly unhappy in varying degrees for different reasons.
Harry was staring at me like I was a nut.
Ah! The love in the room was absolutely stifling. Oh wait... I meant tension.
My mistake.
"We need to figure out why you're here," I said with a renewed determination. Hell no, was I going to risk being anywhere near a wild werewolf. Not on the night when the wolf would be strongest. Especially when Remus' body hadn't had its preparatory doses for keeping him 'docile' so to speak.
And the moon would be up in six hours.
I grabbed the fifth book and opened it, "Snape- - grab that first book- - Albus- - you grab the second- - Remus- - you get the third-" Harry was reaching over for the fourth book, "And YOU are not touching these books." I ordered sharply. "There are things you're far better off, not knowing." I said sincerely, my words softened only by the apologetic and understanding look in my eyes. He really wanted to object, I could tell, but it seemed his mind had supplied a scenario horrible enough in his head that he'd rather not know whether or not it was true, and sat back reluctantly.
To Be Continued...
( Dramatic Music: DUN DUN DUNNNN!!!)
Authors Notes: I lied. There are four chapters. Not three. But chapter four is horrendously short. Not like quarter of a page short but page and a half short.... So here are my thanks to my LOVELY reviewers...
Nexus - Why thank you, I hope that my chapters get better.
Vanessa - Sore wa himitsu desu. Oh, and its 'Mary Sue' not 'Mary Jane'. Snort of laughter
ESP - ROMANCE? Hell no. NOT in this fic. Romance and me mix as well as Ron and Draco.
BellaRose - GAHHH!!! I'll try and update Child of Mine! REALLY! Sniffles I feel so horrible for neglecting it.
Yellow Sparks - You think my remark about the president is funny? Wanna hear... read something worse? Because the French won't help us kick terrorist booty Bush said that the fries in the white house are now to be called 'Freedom Fries' instead of 'French Fries'. How assanine can one old man get?
Kar'Nia - BBGun? Try to hit a moving targe sticks tongue out and darts away in a serpentine fashion
Charlie Quill - I'm amazed that there are people who like this kind of story! I hope I don't let ya down!
Mal - Thanks and don't worry the whole story is finished... I'm just releasing it a chapter every few weeks to torment. I'm a sadist in a way.
JoFarries - Yes there is more to this... Honest!
Tabitha78 - It's finished! REALLY! I was able to finish this within a year... actually... it took me a year to write it.... I started in July of 03 and finished in July of 04.... And I'm still gonna continue my other stories...
Ankha - Why thank you very much, I hope to become a better writer then when I started out... and believe you me I have gotten better... which is rather scary... Oooo Snape substituting a class... I'd die in bliss. Simply because I'd hear his voice and be a Puddle-O-Lina.
Mitchell - Thanks... I'm glad that most people AREN'T thinking so badly of me like I thought they would. And Hear With My Eyes.... groan THATS gonna be a horror to fix up and repost....
SandyPantz - Love the name. And yes, I gave them books... but thats not always an intelligent thing to do.
BY THE WAY!!! Go Look At Potter Puppet Pals! They're at www . potterpuppetpals . com
I put the spaces in but actually there are no spaces... if I hadn't spaced them ffnet wouldn't have let the addy go through.