DISCLAIMER: If I owned Harry Potter, I would be working my butt off to get
the sixth book out as soon as possible...
A/N (4-22): What to say today... there's absolutely nothing to say. But reviewers get trophies. I've only had two people review... thanks Erica and Megan! *giggles* Ignore any typos... Having a really hard time typing today.
CHAPTER 6: Déjà vu
(Anna)
They'd gone to bed after that, Hermione fuming, Fred and George sniggering softly, Ron dropping right off, and Harry very hungry because in all he'd missed two meals. He resolved to eat a large breakfast and make sure he had lunch and dinner tomorrow.
When they woke up the next day, James, Sirius, and Pettigrew were already there. "We wanted to talk to you before class today," they said. Hermione seemed about to say something, but James shushed her. "No, no, not about the future," he said.
Hermione snorted as if she doubted it very much.
"No, seriously!" said Sirius, "We're waiting until you leave..."
"...And then we'll tell them absolutely everything," Fred finished.
James grinned. "Exactly, mate!"
Hermione scowled. "Kidding, kidding!" George said quickly.
Harry was jealous. The twins seemed to be forming a friendship with his father and godfather. It wasn't fair. He hadn't seen his father since he was one- or at least seen his father alive.
And then there was the inescapable fact that his father and Sirius had so much more in common with Fred and George. They were the Troublemakers-in-Chief in both times, they were a duo of inseparable comrades they were... they were... alike.
It's not fair, Harry thought again. Then he had an idea. If he was just as much of a troublemaker... They might see him as a friend as well...
I know just what to do, he thought, I'll sneak into Dumbledore's office... Take something, or mess it up... or... I dunno... something a mischief maker would do.
"I've got something to do," said Harry, interrupting a conversation he'd been ignoring accidentally.
"Okay..." said Hermione, "Hurry back."
Harry left, realizing too late he'd forgotten breakfast again. Oh well, he thought, I'll get some later.
He ran up the corridors, turning corners and tripping down staircases until he reached the stone gargoyle in front of Dumbledore's office. "Cockroach cluster!" It didn't' open. "Sherbet Lemon... no, Lemon Drop, no, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans! No, Chocolate Frogs! Drooble's Best Blowing Gum! Pumpkin Pasties! Cauldron Cakes! Fizzing Whizbee!" The door opened. "Fizzing Whizbees, gotta remember that..."
He climbed the steps quietly, tiptoe, tiptoe, until he reached Professor Dumbledore's office. IT looked much the same... whirring silver instruments... pictures of old Heads... the Pensieve, though it was much less full than he had seen it... but no Fawkes.... Well, he can't have always had Fawkes, reasoned Harry.
Now... what was he going to do... This is wrong, said the part of his brain that spoke with Hermione's voice. It is wrong, what am I doing? Harry thought, I want to get closer to my dad, so I just go after Dumbledore? No.
Just then he heard something from downstairs. Footsteps were moving up toward him. Harry looked around frantically for a place to hide. There! He closed himself into the cabinet under the Pensieve's desk, which, mercifully, had no window.
Dumbledore walked in, a bit of red in his beard and hair, and interlaced his fingers, watching a plump girl who sat down opposite him. "Now, Bertha," said Dumbledore, "What as it you wanted to tell me?"
"It was that Slytherin Chaser, Kyp Duron. He put a hex on me, Professor Dumbledore, and I was only teasing him, sir, I only said I'd seen him kissing Florence behind the green houses last Thursday..."
"Bertha," said Dumbledore softly, and Harry realized that this was Bertha Jorkins, as he had seen her in the Pensieve a year ago... or was it several years in the future? In fact, this was the very scene he had witnessed with the Pensieve. "Bertha, I'm sure you meant no harm, but can you see how this might have hurt Mr. Duron's feelings...?" (Elizabeth... dang it, she gets Will. *pouts*)
"Yes, Professor, but he..."
"Bertha, Bertha, Bertha, calm down. Go get my Pensieve. I need to put some thoughts away until later."
Oh my God, thought Harry, Now what? How could he get out now?
"What? Professor, why is James Potter in your cabinet?" Bertha asked.
"James?"
"Yes, he's right there next to the Pensieve, but his eyes are different... James, did you do something? Maybe a charm?"
"Um..." What was he going to do? (Whitney)
He timidly came out of the cabinet, not daring to look at Dumbledore. (Anna)
"James, may I ask why you were in my cabinet?"
Harry didn't say anything, just staring at his shoes.
"James, please look at me,"
Harry looked up, but surprisingly, Professor Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling in amusement. Maybe he could get out of this! "I-I was just- coming to see-"Wait, Fawkes isn't here yet! "Uh... that is... Phineas Nigellus... I mean-he's related to Sirius, isn't he-"
"Yes, he is, isn't he?" said Dumbledore with a small smile. "Surprising that Mr. Black did not come himself."
"Er... yeah... He was going to-going to..."
Dumbledore winked. "Go on to class, now, James. It will start in ten minutes."
"Yeah... I think I will..." Harry said, edging toward the door. He was so relieved that he was not in trouble, he hardly noticed how strange it was that he wasn't in trouble.
Bertha Jorkins gave him once last, suspicious glance as he slipped through the door. Harry went quickly down the stairs, sprinting once he was in the hall beyond. He didn't stop running until he reached the Room of Requirement. He dashed in, slamming the door behind him.
James, Sirius, and Pettigrew had gone. Fred, George, Hermione, and Ron sat eating a breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon. When he burst in, all four jumped up. "Harry! What's wrong?!" asked Hermione anxiously.
"I'm okay," he panted, "I just-sort of- Dumbledore-"
"Oh, now!" Hermione cried.
"It's all right! He thought I was my dad-"
"Well, he could have as easily known it wasn't you! We all have to be more careful!" Hermione said earnestly.
Harry plopped down and helped himself to bacon. (Necessary Beth)
"Hey, Harry. Sirius wants us to meet him down by the lake at lunch. What do you think? Should we go?" Ron asked.
"Yeah, I reckon we should. I'm not sure if they trust us yet," replied Harry.
"Um, I don't think we should go to the feast tomorrow, because, um, Harry, Dumbledore would recognize you..." Hermione said quietly. She figured that they would want to go. (Whitney)
"You're right. But I still want to go. We'll just keep out of sight..." Harry wanted to go to the feast, as usual. The Halloween feast was always splendid. The five talked for nearly two hours, discussing what they were going to do. It wasn't until George exclaimed, "Blimey! It's almost lunch!" That they stopped and left the Room of Requirement.
They found Sirius sitting against a tree, throwing a piece of bread into the lake. It was quickly pulled underneath the water by a long tentacle.
"There you are! I was wondering if you were even going to show up!" Sirius said jokingly as the menagerie made their way toward him.
"So, where's James and Pettigrew and Lupin?" Fred asked, plopping down next to Sirius. (Anna)
"Wormtail's gone to Remedial Transfiguration and James- Dumbledore wanted to see him for something."
"Oh," said Harry," Er-ah... that was my fault."
He then proceeded with telling Sirius the entire tale, guiltily looking at the grass beneath his feet the whole time, finishing with "I was being stupid. Dumbledore thought it was James, but Bertha Jorkins- she noticed my eyes were different-"
"Well, she would be the only one to noticed that, wouldn't she, prying little sneak that she is," said Sirius.
"But I thought Bertha Jorkins had a really bad memory... isn't that what Bagman said?" asked Fred.
"Bagman?! Ludo Bagman?! The Hufflepuff Beater? He wouldn't know, he only pays attention to Quidditch anyway! What'd you listen to him for?"
"Whoa, totally forgot! Bagman went to Hogwarts, too!" said George.
"So he told you this in the future?"
"Yeah," said Fred.
"Fred!" Hermione cut him off.
"Hey, I just said-"
"You've just told him Bagman exists in the future!"
"Oh, like that's-"
"Weren't you listening this morning? We've got to be careful! You never know what might modify the future!" Hermione said.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever!" said Fred.
"Only-"said Ron, "I've been thinking- We can't really do any harm, can we? I mean-this is the past! Everything in it has already happened... Hasn't it?"
"We can't take any chances, Ron," said Hermione.
"True- this could have already happened- but getting careless is just what won't make it all right."
"Who says we're being careless?" asked Sirius, "Anyway, can't we talk about something other than the dangers of traveling to the past, we've been over this subject so many times I'm starting to fall asleep every time the word 'past' is mentioned."
"Like what?" asked Hermione suspiciously, "After all those times, you still want to know about the future?"
"Why not?" asked James flippantly, flopping down beside Sirius on the grass.
"Hey, Prongs! So, what's the deal with Dumbledore?" Sirius asked, though Harry felt he already knew.
"Asking if there's anything interesting in his cupboards? As if I know..."
"Now why would he ask that, I wonder?" asked Sirius, looking pointedly at Harry.
James burst out laughing, "I thought so! So, Harry, what is in Dumbledore's cupboards?"
"Well-you see I- I really didn't look- I was hiding-"
"Doesn't matter, you figured out how to get in his office! What's the password?" asked James excitedly.
"Uh... Er... Fizzing Whizbee, but-"
"Cool!" said James, "Much more interesting and useful news than Bobby O. gave me, anyway."
"So, what did Robert want?" asked Sirius.
"Robert T. Orange, the invisible guy?" asked George.
"That's the one!" confirmed James, "Apparently he's starting a chess club, as if anyone would ever join it-"
"Chess!" Ron yelped, "A Hogwarts chess club?!" Ron was very good at chess. It was his favorite game. "When- where?! I'll join up, sure I will!"
"After school in the extra room down Sirra the Strange's corridor...," said James surprisedly, "Hey, you're not really joining up, are you?"
"Sure I am! Chess is great!" said Ron enthusiastically. (Quartermaster Oblivious... Whitney)
James raised his eyebrows. "Ok..." He looked at Ron, almost as though he feared for his sanity. (Anna) (Beth)
"But I don't have a boat. Oh, you mean you're going to give me a boat! Why, thank you very much! I've always wanted a boat." Ron said excitedly.
"Ron! That was an expression!" said Hermione exasperatedly.
"I knew that... um... so, when do I get my boat?" (And Back to Whitney!)
Hermione rolled her eyes.
"So, are you guys gonna come with me? It'll be fun!" Ron asked enthusiastically. There was silence for a second, then Harry said, "I'll go, mate."
"I'll go, too. Maybe I can get some more people for S.P.E.W." Hermione added.
"Not 'spew' again..." Ron muttered.
"So, what about you guys?" Harry asked, looking at Fred, George, Sirius, and James. (Anna... again. I need to write longer bits, eh?)
"Sure," said Fred.
"What?!" Said James.
"Yeah, if lil' bro's gonna tear some chess champs to shreds-"said George.
"-As his big brothers we gotta be there, for support," finished Fred.
"Besides, it's amusing to watch the looks on their faces-"continued George.
"-'Cause Ron can't loose at chess, unlike Quidditch," Fred teased.
"Hey! What about that last game?!" protested Ron.
"Oh, all right," said Sirius resignedly, "I'll go, so long as James comes."
"Maybe we'll find out what they liked about that crazy game?" said James.
The bell rang. "Well, its back to class, Prongs," said Sirius.
"See you in the gallows," James responded.
"Oh, really," said Hermione exasperatedly as James and Sirius sauntered off back towards the castle. "You'd think it was really horrible, that we were forcing them-"
They went back to the Room of Requirement. Class had started, so the halls were mercifully empty.
Hermione, tired of Ron looking at the clock regularly every fifteen seconds, left for the library.
Harry, desperately searching for something to interest Ron and the others, came up a blank. He could think of nothing Ron would show more interest in than chess... nothing more interesting that chess... Aha! "Ron? Care to play, y'know... A practice game? Only I'm a bit rusty, no one to play chess with on Privet Drive..."
"Okay!" Harry had known he would lose, but he wished he hadn't lost so badly in this game... Ron's "checkmate!" came sooner than he'd hoped...
Then Ron played Fred, using his castles to great effect. ("Checkmate!")
Then Ron beat George, his queen waltzing around the board. ("Checkmate!")
They played Chess again and again, and when Hermione came back he beat her too... In the end, it was decided that this many wins in a row was a record for Ron, though they hadn't been counting.
All five of them jumped when the last bell of the day rang, then tried to stop Ron from sprinting to the room opposite the bust of Sirra the Strange, a skinny, point-faced old witch, who, if one believes the bust to be accurate, had worn a large stalk of broccoli on a string around her neck. "Nice of you to wait for us!" was the greet they got from the disheveled trio of Sirius, James, and Peter Pettigrew.
"Oh, man," said James as they walked in, "I can't believe you dragged me into this, chess is the most-"they went through the door, revealing several long tables with chess sets already set up, and the room's only occupant, Lily Evans. "Wonderful game! I love Chess! Where do we sign up?"
"Over here," said a voice from thin air.
"Bobby O.! Great to see you, man! I mean- hear you."
"Welcome to chess club! I'm glad to hear we have such a fan."
"Oh, yes, Chess is the best game ever invented," said James loudly. "I can't wait to start playing!"
"Really?" asked Lily, James's intended audience.
She was looking at him differently, "Maybe we could start now."
"Great! Wonderful!"
"Then who'll I play?" asked Ron disappointedly.
"You can have Bobby O., mate," said James cheerfully.
"Good, then two of us'll be having fun," said Sirius darkly.
"You can watch!" said James enthusiastically, his good mood not broken.
"We can all watch the game, and study each other's strategies," suggested Robert T. Orange, as if it was obvious.
"O-kay," said Sirius, reluctantly sitting down by James, who had chosen a board with Quidditch themed pieces.
When everyone had taken their seats, James said gallantly to Lily, "You can have the first turn!"
"Thank you," she said, looking at him strangely again. After a moment, she moved one of her chasers (a pawn) two spaces forward.
James looked hard at his pieces for a long time. "It's... your move..." Lily prompted quietly.
"Yeah... yeah, I'm just..." He looked frantic, and then finally moved the chaser opposite hers up two spaces, then, uneasy and unsure, asked, "Can I... I mean, Bob is that a good move?"
"So early in the game, it's hard to tell," said Robert, "Really the only thing that would be 'good' is checkmating the king."
"Uh... yeah, I knew that." Said James, though Harry thought he was lying.
At first James mirrored Lily's moves, but one turn, he appeared to be thinking hard, and then his eyes lit up. He moved his seeker (king) ahead two spaces.
"Hey, that's cheating!" Lily protested.
"Oops, didn't see that," said James unconvincingly. He appeared to be contemplating a painful choice, then moved his seeker back a space.
"Good, now I'll move," said Lily. James sighed with relief.
James's seeker slowly advanced across the board, avoiding by luck rather than skill, Lily's bludgers (castle/rook), until he moved it to a space adjacent to her Snitch. "Can I catch the Snitch now?" he asked. Lily burst out laughing.
"I... thought... so!" she choked out between fits of hilarity. "You... don't know... how!" she was positively howling with laughter now.
"Hey, I've never played Chess," James said defensively, "No need to laugh, just make your next move."
She took his king with her Snitch (Queen). "Checkmate!" she got out before the echoing peals of laughter overtook her again.
"Now, now, Lily," Robert's voice said from behind Hermione, making hr jump, "Don't make fun, or the chess club will lose one of its few members."
Harry noticed that they were still the only ones in the room.
"What kind of game is that, anyway? The Snitch catches the Seeker, the Keeper goes after the Beaters, and the Seeker's the slowest!?"
"Perhaps you will learn Chess on an ordinary Chess set, and the game will not be so confusing," said Robert kindly.
"Not until I've played someone!" Ron yelped excitedly.
"I belive I was to be your opponent?" Robert asked politely.
"Sure! How about this set?! It's so cool! Look! The castles are on elephant back and... oh, now, they're so detailed..." he said, barely containing his enthusiasum enough to stop from boucing off the walls.
"Very well," said Robert, "Let us begin! May I have the first move?"
"Sure, sure!" said Ron. It didn't matter who went first. Ron would tromp him. Robert moved a pawn two spaces. Ron released a castle by doing the same. Robert then made a surprising move. He blocked the pawn with his Queen. Ron groaned. Harry did too, inwardly. He had hoped for an exciting competition between a chess champion and the president of the chess club. But it appeared that Robert T. Orange hadn't the slightest clue was he was doing.
Ron brought out a knight, Robert responded by bringing a bishop to the middle of the board. Ron's knight positioned itself for a devastating tandem attack of Ron's that Harry recognized- Ron had perfected it playing against him. Then Robert captured one of Ron's pawns.
"Checkmate," Robert said quietly. It was checkmate. Robert had achieved a checkmate, against Ron, in four moves. (Whitney)
"What?!" Ron said in disbelief. He checked every single move. Nothing worked. "Wow... well, good game..." he said, still sounding surprised.
Robert chuckled quietly. "Not a bad game yourself. You're quiet good."
"Bob knows every single move there is. He's the best." Sirius whispered to Harry.
The group stayed for a while, playing many games. Fred and George decided to watch rather than play. Harry beat Hermione, though it was a very close game, Sirius, who turned out to be quite good at chess, beat Pettigrew easily, and by the time the group left, James almost understood chess, though he was still confused by the Quidditch set.
"I still don't understand why the Seeker is the slowest," he commented as they left the room.
"So, are you going to come to the next meeting? It's next week..." Ron said. Even though he had lost to Robert, he still could go and play other people.
Sirius frowned. "Oh, I dunno. Chess is so boring..." he yawned, almost as if to prove his point.
"Chess isn't boring! And you're not too bad, Sirius. Maybe I could play against you next week," Ron said excitedly.
Sirius grinned at the flattery. "Yeah, I guess so... So when's the next meeting?"
"One week. Same time, same place," Ron said promptly.
Harry suddenly realized something. "Wait a minute... how long are we going to stay here?"
Hermione looked at Fred and George. "What? It's not our decision. I guess we'll go back whenever you want us to."
"Then we should go back now. We might have already caused problems in the future," Hermione said sternly. Secretly, Harry agreed with her, but Harry didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay... to become better friends with his dad.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Now... time to answer some reviews! I had more than one! YES!
Erica- I'll make sure to write longer bits of the story! And thank you, once again, for your support! You can have 4 cookies. I'm running out, as it were. *giggles*
Orli'sWife-Boyfriend, husband, whatever! Anyways, thanks for reviewing! You can have 4 cookies as well!
A/N (4-22): What to say today... there's absolutely nothing to say. But reviewers get trophies. I've only had two people review... thanks Erica and Megan! *giggles* Ignore any typos... Having a really hard time typing today.
CHAPTER 6: Déjà vu
(Anna)
They'd gone to bed after that, Hermione fuming, Fred and George sniggering softly, Ron dropping right off, and Harry very hungry because in all he'd missed two meals. He resolved to eat a large breakfast and make sure he had lunch and dinner tomorrow.
When they woke up the next day, James, Sirius, and Pettigrew were already there. "We wanted to talk to you before class today," they said. Hermione seemed about to say something, but James shushed her. "No, no, not about the future," he said.
Hermione snorted as if she doubted it very much.
"No, seriously!" said Sirius, "We're waiting until you leave..."
"...And then we'll tell them absolutely everything," Fred finished.
James grinned. "Exactly, mate!"
Hermione scowled. "Kidding, kidding!" George said quickly.
Harry was jealous. The twins seemed to be forming a friendship with his father and godfather. It wasn't fair. He hadn't seen his father since he was one- or at least seen his father alive.
And then there was the inescapable fact that his father and Sirius had so much more in common with Fred and George. They were the Troublemakers-in-Chief in both times, they were a duo of inseparable comrades they were... they were... alike.
It's not fair, Harry thought again. Then he had an idea. If he was just as much of a troublemaker... They might see him as a friend as well...
I know just what to do, he thought, I'll sneak into Dumbledore's office... Take something, or mess it up... or... I dunno... something a mischief maker would do.
"I've got something to do," said Harry, interrupting a conversation he'd been ignoring accidentally.
"Okay..." said Hermione, "Hurry back."
Harry left, realizing too late he'd forgotten breakfast again. Oh well, he thought, I'll get some later.
He ran up the corridors, turning corners and tripping down staircases until he reached the stone gargoyle in front of Dumbledore's office. "Cockroach cluster!" It didn't' open. "Sherbet Lemon... no, Lemon Drop, no, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans! No, Chocolate Frogs! Drooble's Best Blowing Gum! Pumpkin Pasties! Cauldron Cakes! Fizzing Whizbee!" The door opened. "Fizzing Whizbees, gotta remember that..."
He climbed the steps quietly, tiptoe, tiptoe, until he reached Professor Dumbledore's office. IT looked much the same... whirring silver instruments... pictures of old Heads... the Pensieve, though it was much less full than he had seen it... but no Fawkes.... Well, he can't have always had Fawkes, reasoned Harry.
Now... what was he going to do... This is wrong, said the part of his brain that spoke with Hermione's voice. It is wrong, what am I doing? Harry thought, I want to get closer to my dad, so I just go after Dumbledore? No.
Just then he heard something from downstairs. Footsteps were moving up toward him. Harry looked around frantically for a place to hide. There! He closed himself into the cabinet under the Pensieve's desk, which, mercifully, had no window.
Dumbledore walked in, a bit of red in his beard and hair, and interlaced his fingers, watching a plump girl who sat down opposite him. "Now, Bertha," said Dumbledore, "What as it you wanted to tell me?"
"It was that Slytherin Chaser, Kyp Duron. He put a hex on me, Professor Dumbledore, and I was only teasing him, sir, I only said I'd seen him kissing Florence behind the green houses last Thursday..."
"Bertha," said Dumbledore softly, and Harry realized that this was Bertha Jorkins, as he had seen her in the Pensieve a year ago... or was it several years in the future? In fact, this was the very scene he had witnessed with the Pensieve. "Bertha, I'm sure you meant no harm, but can you see how this might have hurt Mr. Duron's feelings...?" (Elizabeth... dang it, she gets Will. *pouts*)
"Yes, Professor, but he..."
"Bertha, Bertha, Bertha, calm down. Go get my Pensieve. I need to put some thoughts away until later."
Oh my God, thought Harry, Now what? How could he get out now?
"What? Professor, why is James Potter in your cabinet?" Bertha asked.
"James?"
"Yes, he's right there next to the Pensieve, but his eyes are different... James, did you do something? Maybe a charm?"
"Um..." What was he going to do? (Whitney)
He timidly came out of the cabinet, not daring to look at Dumbledore. (Anna)
"James, may I ask why you were in my cabinet?"
Harry didn't say anything, just staring at his shoes.
"James, please look at me,"
Harry looked up, but surprisingly, Professor Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling in amusement. Maybe he could get out of this! "I-I was just- coming to see-"Wait, Fawkes isn't here yet! "Uh... that is... Phineas Nigellus... I mean-he's related to Sirius, isn't he-"
"Yes, he is, isn't he?" said Dumbledore with a small smile. "Surprising that Mr. Black did not come himself."
"Er... yeah... He was going to-going to..."
Dumbledore winked. "Go on to class, now, James. It will start in ten minutes."
"Yeah... I think I will..." Harry said, edging toward the door. He was so relieved that he was not in trouble, he hardly noticed how strange it was that he wasn't in trouble.
Bertha Jorkins gave him once last, suspicious glance as he slipped through the door. Harry went quickly down the stairs, sprinting once he was in the hall beyond. He didn't stop running until he reached the Room of Requirement. He dashed in, slamming the door behind him.
James, Sirius, and Pettigrew had gone. Fred, George, Hermione, and Ron sat eating a breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon. When he burst in, all four jumped up. "Harry! What's wrong?!" asked Hermione anxiously.
"I'm okay," he panted, "I just-sort of- Dumbledore-"
"Oh, now!" Hermione cried.
"It's all right! He thought I was my dad-"
"Well, he could have as easily known it wasn't you! We all have to be more careful!" Hermione said earnestly.
Harry plopped down and helped himself to bacon. (Necessary Beth)
"Hey, Harry. Sirius wants us to meet him down by the lake at lunch. What do you think? Should we go?" Ron asked.
"Yeah, I reckon we should. I'm not sure if they trust us yet," replied Harry.
"Um, I don't think we should go to the feast tomorrow, because, um, Harry, Dumbledore would recognize you..." Hermione said quietly. She figured that they would want to go. (Whitney)
"You're right. But I still want to go. We'll just keep out of sight..." Harry wanted to go to the feast, as usual. The Halloween feast was always splendid. The five talked for nearly two hours, discussing what they were going to do. It wasn't until George exclaimed, "Blimey! It's almost lunch!" That they stopped and left the Room of Requirement.
They found Sirius sitting against a tree, throwing a piece of bread into the lake. It was quickly pulled underneath the water by a long tentacle.
"There you are! I was wondering if you were even going to show up!" Sirius said jokingly as the menagerie made their way toward him.
"So, where's James and Pettigrew and Lupin?" Fred asked, plopping down next to Sirius. (Anna)
"Wormtail's gone to Remedial Transfiguration and James- Dumbledore wanted to see him for something."
"Oh," said Harry," Er-ah... that was my fault."
He then proceeded with telling Sirius the entire tale, guiltily looking at the grass beneath his feet the whole time, finishing with "I was being stupid. Dumbledore thought it was James, but Bertha Jorkins- she noticed my eyes were different-"
"Well, she would be the only one to noticed that, wouldn't she, prying little sneak that she is," said Sirius.
"But I thought Bertha Jorkins had a really bad memory... isn't that what Bagman said?" asked Fred.
"Bagman?! Ludo Bagman?! The Hufflepuff Beater? He wouldn't know, he only pays attention to Quidditch anyway! What'd you listen to him for?"
"Whoa, totally forgot! Bagman went to Hogwarts, too!" said George.
"So he told you this in the future?"
"Yeah," said Fred.
"Fred!" Hermione cut him off.
"Hey, I just said-"
"You've just told him Bagman exists in the future!"
"Oh, like that's-"
"Weren't you listening this morning? We've got to be careful! You never know what might modify the future!" Hermione said.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever!" said Fred.
"Only-"said Ron, "I've been thinking- We can't really do any harm, can we? I mean-this is the past! Everything in it has already happened... Hasn't it?"
"We can't take any chances, Ron," said Hermione.
"True- this could have already happened- but getting careless is just what won't make it all right."
"Who says we're being careless?" asked Sirius, "Anyway, can't we talk about something other than the dangers of traveling to the past, we've been over this subject so many times I'm starting to fall asleep every time the word 'past' is mentioned."
"Like what?" asked Hermione suspiciously, "After all those times, you still want to know about the future?"
"Why not?" asked James flippantly, flopping down beside Sirius on the grass.
"Hey, Prongs! So, what's the deal with Dumbledore?" Sirius asked, though Harry felt he already knew.
"Asking if there's anything interesting in his cupboards? As if I know..."
"Now why would he ask that, I wonder?" asked Sirius, looking pointedly at Harry.
James burst out laughing, "I thought so! So, Harry, what is in Dumbledore's cupboards?"
"Well-you see I- I really didn't look- I was hiding-"
"Doesn't matter, you figured out how to get in his office! What's the password?" asked James excitedly.
"Uh... Er... Fizzing Whizbee, but-"
"Cool!" said James, "Much more interesting and useful news than Bobby O. gave me, anyway."
"So, what did Robert want?" asked Sirius.
"Robert T. Orange, the invisible guy?" asked George.
"That's the one!" confirmed James, "Apparently he's starting a chess club, as if anyone would ever join it-"
"Chess!" Ron yelped, "A Hogwarts chess club?!" Ron was very good at chess. It was his favorite game. "When- where?! I'll join up, sure I will!"
"After school in the extra room down Sirra the Strange's corridor...," said James surprisedly, "Hey, you're not really joining up, are you?"
"Sure I am! Chess is great!" said Ron enthusiastically. (Quartermaster Oblivious... Whitney)
James raised his eyebrows. "Ok..." He looked at Ron, almost as though he feared for his sanity. (Anna) (Beth)
"But I don't have a boat. Oh, you mean you're going to give me a boat! Why, thank you very much! I've always wanted a boat." Ron said excitedly.
"Ron! That was an expression!" said Hermione exasperatedly.
"I knew that... um... so, when do I get my boat?" (And Back to Whitney!)
Hermione rolled her eyes.
"So, are you guys gonna come with me? It'll be fun!" Ron asked enthusiastically. There was silence for a second, then Harry said, "I'll go, mate."
"I'll go, too. Maybe I can get some more people for S.P.E.W." Hermione added.
"Not 'spew' again..." Ron muttered.
"So, what about you guys?" Harry asked, looking at Fred, George, Sirius, and James. (Anna... again. I need to write longer bits, eh?)
"Sure," said Fred.
"What?!" Said James.
"Yeah, if lil' bro's gonna tear some chess champs to shreds-"said George.
"-As his big brothers we gotta be there, for support," finished Fred.
"Besides, it's amusing to watch the looks on their faces-"continued George.
"-'Cause Ron can't loose at chess, unlike Quidditch," Fred teased.
"Hey! What about that last game?!" protested Ron.
"Oh, all right," said Sirius resignedly, "I'll go, so long as James comes."
"Maybe we'll find out what they liked about that crazy game?" said James.
The bell rang. "Well, its back to class, Prongs," said Sirius.
"See you in the gallows," James responded.
"Oh, really," said Hermione exasperatedly as James and Sirius sauntered off back towards the castle. "You'd think it was really horrible, that we were forcing them-"
They went back to the Room of Requirement. Class had started, so the halls were mercifully empty.
Hermione, tired of Ron looking at the clock regularly every fifteen seconds, left for the library.
Harry, desperately searching for something to interest Ron and the others, came up a blank. He could think of nothing Ron would show more interest in than chess... nothing more interesting that chess... Aha! "Ron? Care to play, y'know... A practice game? Only I'm a bit rusty, no one to play chess with on Privet Drive..."
"Okay!" Harry had known he would lose, but he wished he hadn't lost so badly in this game... Ron's "checkmate!" came sooner than he'd hoped...
Then Ron played Fred, using his castles to great effect. ("Checkmate!")
Then Ron beat George, his queen waltzing around the board. ("Checkmate!")
They played Chess again and again, and when Hermione came back he beat her too... In the end, it was decided that this many wins in a row was a record for Ron, though they hadn't been counting.
All five of them jumped when the last bell of the day rang, then tried to stop Ron from sprinting to the room opposite the bust of Sirra the Strange, a skinny, point-faced old witch, who, if one believes the bust to be accurate, had worn a large stalk of broccoli on a string around her neck. "Nice of you to wait for us!" was the greet they got from the disheveled trio of Sirius, James, and Peter Pettigrew.
"Oh, man," said James as they walked in, "I can't believe you dragged me into this, chess is the most-"they went through the door, revealing several long tables with chess sets already set up, and the room's only occupant, Lily Evans. "Wonderful game! I love Chess! Where do we sign up?"
"Over here," said a voice from thin air.
"Bobby O.! Great to see you, man! I mean- hear you."
"Welcome to chess club! I'm glad to hear we have such a fan."
"Oh, yes, Chess is the best game ever invented," said James loudly. "I can't wait to start playing!"
"Really?" asked Lily, James's intended audience.
She was looking at him differently, "Maybe we could start now."
"Great! Wonderful!"
"Then who'll I play?" asked Ron disappointedly.
"You can have Bobby O., mate," said James cheerfully.
"Good, then two of us'll be having fun," said Sirius darkly.
"You can watch!" said James enthusiastically, his good mood not broken.
"We can all watch the game, and study each other's strategies," suggested Robert T. Orange, as if it was obvious.
"O-kay," said Sirius, reluctantly sitting down by James, who had chosen a board with Quidditch themed pieces.
When everyone had taken their seats, James said gallantly to Lily, "You can have the first turn!"
"Thank you," she said, looking at him strangely again. After a moment, she moved one of her chasers (a pawn) two spaces forward.
James looked hard at his pieces for a long time. "It's... your move..." Lily prompted quietly.
"Yeah... yeah, I'm just..." He looked frantic, and then finally moved the chaser opposite hers up two spaces, then, uneasy and unsure, asked, "Can I... I mean, Bob is that a good move?"
"So early in the game, it's hard to tell," said Robert, "Really the only thing that would be 'good' is checkmating the king."
"Uh... yeah, I knew that." Said James, though Harry thought he was lying.
At first James mirrored Lily's moves, but one turn, he appeared to be thinking hard, and then his eyes lit up. He moved his seeker (king) ahead two spaces.
"Hey, that's cheating!" Lily protested.
"Oops, didn't see that," said James unconvincingly. He appeared to be contemplating a painful choice, then moved his seeker back a space.
"Good, now I'll move," said Lily. James sighed with relief.
James's seeker slowly advanced across the board, avoiding by luck rather than skill, Lily's bludgers (castle/rook), until he moved it to a space adjacent to her Snitch. "Can I catch the Snitch now?" he asked. Lily burst out laughing.
"I... thought... so!" she choked out between fits of hilarity. "You... don't know... how!" she was positively howling with laughter now.
"Hey, I've never played Chess," James said defensively, "No need to laugh, just make your next move."
She took his king with her Snitch (Queen). "Checkmate!" she got out before the echoing peals of laughter overtook her again.
"Now, now, Lily," Robert's voice said from behind Hermione, making hr jump, "Don't make fun, or the chess club will lose one of its few members."
Harry noticed that they were still the only ones in the room.
"What kind of game is that, anyway? The Snitch catches the Seeker, the Keeper goes after the Beaters, and the Seeker's the slowest!?"
"Perhaps you will learn Chess on an ordinary Chess set, and the game will not be so confusing," said Robert kindly.
"Not until I've played someone!" Ron yelped excitedly.
"I belive I was to be your opponent?" Robert asked politely.
"Sure! How about this set?! It's so cool! Look! The castles are on elephant back and... oh, now, they're so detailed..." he said, barely containing his enthusiasum enough to stop from boucing off the walls.
"Very well," said Robert, "Let us begin! May I have the first move?"
"Sure, sure!" said Ron. It didn't matter who went first. Ron would tromp him. Robert moved a pawn two spaces. Ron released a castle by doing the same. Robert then made a surprising move. He blocked the pawn with his Queen. Ron groaned. Harry did too, inwardly. He had hoped for an exciting competition between a chess champion and the president of the chess club. But it appeared that Robert T. Orange hadn't the slightest clue was he was doing.
Ron brought out a knight, Robert responded by bringing a bishop to the middle of the board. Ron's knight positioned itself for a devastating tandem attack of Ron's that Harry recognized- Ron had perfected it playing against him. Then Robert captured one of Ron's pawns.
"Checkmate," Robert said quietly. It was checkmate. Robert had achieved a checkmate, against Ron, in four moves. (Whitney)
"What?!" Ron said in disbelief. He checked every single move. Nothing worked. "Wow... well, good game..." he said, still sounding surprised.
Robert chuckled quietly. "Not a bad game yourself. You're quiet good."
"Bob knows every single move there is. He's the best." Sirius whispered to Harry.
The group stayed for a while, playing many games. Fred and George decided to watch rather than play. Harry beat Hermione, though it was a very close game, Sirius, who turned out to be quite good at chess, beat Pettigrew easily, and by the time the group left, James almost understood chess, though he was still confused by the Quidditch set.
"I still don't understand why the Seeker is the slowest," he commented as they left the room.
"So, are you going to come to the next meeting? It's next week..." Ron said. Even though he had lost to Robert, he still could go and play other people.
Sirius frowned. "Oh, I dunno. Chess is so boring..." he yawned, almost as if to prove his point.
"Chess isn't boring! And you're not too bad, Sirius. Maybe I could play against you next week," Ron said excitedly.
Sirius grinned at the flattery. "Yeah, I guess so... So when's the next meeting?"
"One week. Same time, same place," Ron said promptly.
Harry suddenly realized something. "Wait a minute... how long are we going to stay here?"
Hermione looked at Fred and George. "What? It's not our decision. I guess we'll go back whenever you want us to."
"Then we should go back now. We might have already caused problems in the future," Hermione said sternly. Secretly, Harry agreed with her, but Harry didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay... to become better friends with his dad.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Now... time to answer some reviews! I had more than one! YES!
Erica- I'll make sure to write longer bits of the story! And thank you, once again, for your support! You can have 4 cookies. I'm running out, as it were. *giggles*
Orli'sWife-Boyfriend, husband, whatever! Anyways, thanks for reviewing! You can have 4 cookies as well!