Title: In Loving Memory
Author: Sarah Jo
Disclaimer: Heh, like I could write something as complex as Harry Potter. Meaning I didn't write it.
Author's Notes: ::cringes:: I just finished reading my first three chapters. I can't believe I wrote them. Either my writing style or my taste has changed a lot in the past year - I'm not sure which. I personally would not read this story, so I'm not sure why anyone else would. Anyway, I just realized it's been an entire year since I last updated. x.x To make it up to everyone I've updated this story and posted a new one for all you Sirius fans. ::grin::
Chapter Four
Of Baking Cookies And Loss Of Priorities
It was five in the morning and Harry could once again be found in the kitchen wearing the flower-patterned apron.
His relatives - like most normal people - were sound asleep, which could be easily discerned from the thunderous snores emanating from Dudley's room.
At the moment, the young wizard was sprawled out on the floor, reading one of the potions books Ginny had lent him while he waited for his latest attempt at cookies to finish in the oven.
The prickling feeling on the back of his neck alerted him to the fact that he was being watched. Glancing up from his reading he found himself looking into a pair of big brown eyes.
"Waaahhhh"
Momentarily disoriented, he reeled backwards, causing his head to collide with the corner of the counter above. He waited silently, hoping that his yell hadn't woken his relatives - he wanted as much Dursley-free time as he could get.
He breathed a sigh of relief when the snoring resumed after a few seconds and rubbing the sore spot where he had hit his head, glared down at the puppy.
"Padfoot how'd you get down here?" He was sure he had shut the door securely when he had left his room.
Of course the puppy didn't answer, he just opened his mouth in a canine grin. Harry got the distinct impression he was being laughed at.
"You're against me just like everyone else in this house," he said with mock hurt, fondly scratching Padfoot's ears.
In the few days since his birthday he had come to immensely enjoy the young Newfie's company. Harry often wondered how he had gotten along without him.
He'd also gotten in the habit of talking to the dog. At first it had seemed weird, but the strangeness soon passed because he had the feeling that Padfoot understood everything he said. Or maybe he was just desperate for any companion that didn't flinch at the sight of him.
Since the puppy's arrival, Hedwig had taken to ignoring him. She went for long flights and could seldom be found around the house. Needless to say, she was jealous.
He felt a bit guilty that he hadn't yet sent thank-you letters for his birthday presents, but it couldn't be helped. He hadn't seen Hedwig for two days.
The sound of the timer brought him out of his reverie. The cookies were done. Grabbing an oven mitt, he grinned evilly Padfoot.
"Would you like some chocolate chip cookies?"
The puppy, ignorant of his less-than-mediocre cooking skills, barked eagerly. Harry's grin widened.
He'd found a willing sacrifice.
Ginny once again found herself staring out the window, unintentionally letting a sigh escape her lips.
"Waiting for a letter from your boyfriend?"
"Yes," she answered before the question even registered in her mind.
"Ha! I knew it. He is your boyfriend."
"If you must know, Ronald, I was waiting for a letter from Harry," she corrected him, trying to fight down the blush she knew was spreading across her face. "Remember him? The one with green eyes and glasses. Your best friend. I haven't heard from him since before his birthday and I was getting worried."
"Oh..." was his intelligent reply.
He looked like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar - guilty. Ginny sighed again, knowing her assumption had been correct. With Hermione's arrival, the pair had fall back into their normal routine of driving each other mad. Her brother probably hadn't spared his best friend a thought since that day. Realizing that the bushy-haired girl wasn't around, she wondered idly what their current tiff was about .
"Do you think something's wrong?"
Ginny was happy to see genuine concern on his face. She would forgive his momentary lapse of concentration.
"I don't know Ron, I really don't know."
Author's Notes: Short, ne? Don't worry about it, I just wanted to ease my way back into the story. If I had any notes they were lost when my old computer died. The previous three chapters are all I have to work off of, so I'm basically just winging it. I know some people have been waiting a long time for me to update, so hopefully this chapter didn't disappoint anyone too much. It certainly had me frustrated since I had to retype it three times (my old computer keeps crashing on me and my laptop is currently without a working keyboard).