I'M BACK!!!! believe it or not

my computer has had so many problems recently-- first i got a virus that i couldnt get rid of so i had to get a new harddrive, then someone was hacking into my computer and i had to erase everything mutiple times.

so all my fics are on the old harddrive and my dad said it'll be a while before we try and retrieve the files XP

so here's a continuation from where i left off, assuming anyone is still reading this fic anymore.

Chapter 4- continued

"I think that's all you really need to know. About me, anyway," Karena said blankly. "See you around then," and she left the common room throwing the letter into the fire.

"But I wanted to know what she was fighting about with Sirius.." Ron said glumly.

"Oh, who cares?" said Hermione exasperatedly. " You two have too much homework to even be thinking about things like that!"

Harry and Ron spent the morning trying to make a dent in their ever growing pile of homework while Hermione made more socks and scarves for the house-elves. After finishing their essays on Self-Fertilizing Shrubs for Professor Sprout, Ron asked Harry, "Do you think you could come out to the quidditch pitch early with me to practice?"

"Sure."

After the real quidditch practice, which didn't go well for neither Ron who was not used to torments by Slytherin during quidditch, nor Harry who was preoccupied with the letter from Amy Hart, Harry and Ron tried to make some more headway on their homework in the Gryffindor common room. At a little after 11:30 at night, Percy's owl Hermes had delivered a letter from Percy, adding more on Harry's mind. Before he went to sleep, Harry decided that he would send a letter to his godfather.

The next morning, Harry got up nearly at dawn and went down to the common room with a peice of parchment, quill, and ink. Harry thought how he could ask the questions on his mind without being straighfoward, so if anyone read his letter, they would not be able to determine to whom he was writing or what he was writing about. After what seemed like forever to Harry, he reread his letter and tried to see if anyone would understand.

Dear Snuffles,

Hope you're okay, the first week back here has been terrible, I'm really glad it's the weekend.

We've got a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Umbridge. She's nearly as nice as your mum. I'm writing to you because that thing I wrote to you about last summer happened again two nights ago when I was doing a detention with Umbridge.

Also, I am worried about a new, quiet friend of ours. She had a big row with her dad over the summer, and I was wondering what I can do maybe to help her.

We are all missing our biggest, we hope he'll be back soon.

Please write back quickly.

Best,

Harry

Harry, pleased with how the letter turned out, made his way up to the Owlery. After finding Hedwig, sending his letter, talking with Cho Chang, and getting accused of placing a massive order of dungbombs by Filch, he made his way down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Harry and Ron spent most of the day on their homework. They were not finished by the time everyone else had gone to bed, when Hermione finally came and decided to help them. While Hermione was going through their essays crossing out mistakes, Harry got up and got closer to the fire.

"What is it Harry?" Ron asked him.

"I thought I just saw Sirius's head in the fire," answered Harry.

"Sirius's head?" Hermione repeated. "Like during the Tri-wizard tournament? But he wouldn't do that now, it's too -- Sirius!"

Sirius's head had appeared in the middle of the fire, grinning. " I thought you guys would leave before everyone else left. I've been checking every hour," he said.

"What if you had been seen?" said Hermione anxiously.

"I don't think I was. Anyway, this was the only way I could come up with of answering Harry's letter without resorting to a code - and codes are breakable."

"You didn't say you had written to Sirius!" Hermione said accusingly.

"I forgot," Harry said, which was perfectly true. "There was no way anyone would have gotten secret information out of it, was there Sirius?"

"No, it was very good," Sirius said, smiling. "Anyway, we'd better be quick, just in case we're disturbed -- your scar. Well, I know it can't be fun when it hurts, but we don't think it's anything to really worry about. It kept aching all last year, didn't it?"

"So you don't think it had anything to do with Umbridge touching me when I was in detention with her?" Harry asked.

"I doubt it," said Sirius. "So, what is she teaching you in class? How to kill dangerous half-breeds?"

"No," Harry said, "she's not letting us use magic at all!"

"Well that figures," Sirius said, "Our information from inside tells us that Fudge doesn't wanted you trained in combat."

"Trained in combat?!" Harry said incredulously. "What does he think we're doing here, forming some kind of wizarding army?"

"That's exactly what he thinks you're doing," said Sirius, "or rather, that's exactly what he's afraid Dumbledore's doing -- forming his own private army, with which he will be able to take on the Ministry of Magic."

"So we're being prevented from learning Defense Against the Dark Arts because Fudge is scared we'll use spells against the Ministry?" said Hermione, looking furious.

"Yep," Sirius said. "Fudge thinks Dumbledore will stop at nothing to seize power. He's getting more paranoid about Dumbledore by the day. It's a matter of time before he has Dumbledore arrested on some trumped-up charge."

"D'you know if there's going to there's going to be anything about Dumbledore in the Daily Prophet tomorrow?"

"I don't know," Sirius said, "I haven't seen anyone from the Order all weekend, they're all busy. It's just been Kreacher and me here..." There was a definite note of bitterness in Sirius's voice.

"So you haven't had any news about Hagrid then?"

"Well, he was supposed to be back by now, no one's sure what's happened to him." Then, after seeing their stricken faces, quickly added, "But Dumbledore's not worried, so don't you three get yourselves in a state; I'm sure Hagrid's fine."

Unconvinced, Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged looks.

"Listen, don't go asking too many questions about Hagrid," Sirius said hastily, "it'll just draw more attentionto the fact that he's not back, and I know Dumbledore doesn't want that."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione nodded glumly. Ron heard something moving behind him. He turned around to see what it was.

"Is someone there?" Sirius whispered.

"No, it's just a cat." Ron answered.

"Anyway, about Karena. I don't think she'd like me telling you three about.. about what happened this past summer. If you really want to know, she should be the one you should be asking not me."

"Alright.. Just one other thing," Harry said, "was my dad her godfather as well?"

Sirius smiled faintly, "Yes... yes he was. Likewise, Amy is your godmother as Lily was Karena's. Yes, well I better be going now, I can I hear Kreacher coming down the stairs. I'll write to you a time I can make it back into the fire, then, shall I? If you can stand to risk it?"

There was a tiny pop, and the place where Sirius's head had been was flickering flame once more.

i know i know, so much from the book...

and again, i dont take any credit from j.k. rowling's work

please review

now that my computer's working again, i can update much sooner

please, please review/flame O:)