Sirius' Choice
Chapter Five:
Whimsical Firefly
Author's Note: This is the revised and betaed version of chapter five, delivered to you at James Milamber's insistence.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all related and identifiable characters belong to J.K. Rowlings.
Remus walked slowly out through the iron-wrought gates of Hogwarts and into Hogsmeade. "Smell that fresh air, my friend!" enthused James. "We're free!"
Remus turned slightly towards his grinning friend and smiled tolerantly. "Yeah, I can tell you need a break desperately. We've been back for what? A week?"
James laughed, and attempted to look serious. "Well, you know how it is. All that study and homework and classes…"
"You know, I might feel sorry for you had I actually seen you open a book this past week," laughed Remus.
James rolled his eyes and muttered something about spoilsports, but Remus ignored him. His gaze had been held by a large black dog slinking towards the castle.
"Hey, isn't that…?" Remus was cut off by a large bang behind him, followed by several panicked screams. Fearing the worst, Remus swivelled around quickly, wand at the ready. However, instead of the hoard of Death Eaters he had been expecting, all Remus saw was smoke, followed by the sound of an indignant female voice.
"Sirius Black! I'm going to wish you were dead, you ignoble git!"
Grinning, Remus watched as his tall, dark-haired friend emerged from the mist. Followed by several irate Ravenclaw girls, ranging in age from about 3rd year to 7th.
James let out a low whistle under his breath. "I gotta hand it to Padfoot. He certainly has a way with the ladies."
Remus laughed with his friends, but he couldn't help himself turning around and looking back at where he had seen the dog. He could have sworn that it was Padfoot. Shrugging, Remus dismissed it absently as a figment of his imagination and went to help Sirius, who was currently buried under a bevy of females.
Part of him wished that Sirius would cool it with all the pranks that he'd pulled so far this term, another part of him knew that this was Sirius' way of distracting himself from Edana's death.
"Moony!" gasped Sirius, flinging a desperate arm up from the bottom of the pile. "James…Help!"
Grinning, Remus and James started to unload their friend.
Opening his weary blue eyes, Albus Dumbledore surveyed the ceiling of his office. It was high and lofty, yet it still imprisoned him.
With a sigh, he pushed himself up and walked towards the window. Clear blue eyes surveyed the grounds with none of their usual twinkle. There was darkness everywhere he looked now. In the forest, in the village, in those around him.
He had to maintain his hope somehow, but at times it seemed impossible. He was everyone else's listening post, and he was capable of giving them hope and vision. With a smile he heard his mentor's reedy voice. Those are powerful gifts m'boy. Aye, powerful.
However, it meant that any doubts that he had could not be voiced. He winced in recollection over his meeting with Lily Evans and James. He shouldn't have let those two know what he feared. He had betrayed his weakness…and, a part of him also felt, their trust. It was what people had always held onto: Dumbledore can save us.
With a soft exhalation of breath, Dumbledore returned to his seat. A parchment appeared out of nowhere and closing his eyes, Dumbledore separated from himself and joined the map.
Ghost Dumbledore joined the streets of London. Invisible to passers-by, he sent out tendrils of thought to each and every one of the buildings in a five-mile radius. Each and every ghost thread sought for a sniff of Voldemort, or a residue of his passing.
After five minutes his tendrils returned to him, and ghost Dumbledore sighed. Nothing. His search had proved fruitless again.
He turned quickly and took himself back to his waiting body. Opening his eyes, Dumbledore groaned softly as his muscles and limbs protested his absence. Nothing. Dumbledore reached out and put a tiny 'x' on the map.
His eyes roamed the map. So many places still to be searched, so many 'x's, so few question marks.
With a muttered oath Dumbledore stood up and walked to the staircase. Saying the passwords, the griffin started the slow passage downwards. Upon reaching the ground floor, Dumbledore began to walk in the direction of the kitchens.
House elves. Handy little things, really. Before he would begin his next search he needed food. Preferably chocolate, but he would take anything at the moment.
It was when he was halfway to the kitchens that he heard the noise. It was a peculiar noise and most would have missed it. Turning on his heel, Dumbledore turned into an empty classroom from which he thought he had heard the noise come from.
The room wasn't empty. In it was an enormous black hound. Dread filled him. Voldemort always used black animals… always. This was a spy.
The dog seemed to sense his intrusion and turned around. The dog looked up and met Dumbledore's eyes. Dumbledore smiled slightly as the dog wagged its tail and began to walk closer, his trepidation fading.
Kneeling down, he held out a hand to the animal and let him sniff it. "Are you a spy then, old boy? I'm reasonably certain none of the students own you."
The dog looked at him with intelligent green eyes and then with a flash of light, where the dog had stood, sat a man.
Dumbledore's eyes traced over him quickly. He seemed tall, and unfed. Bony. His face bore a lingering remanence of what was probably a very handsome young man, and long black hair with streaks of grey fell over one eye. Something tried to shift and Dumbledore willed that whatever it was stood still.
A woman with black hair and porcelain skin figured vividly in his mind before the man rasped, "I'm not a spy."
Dumbledore gazed piercingly into the man's blue eyes. "What are you then?" asked Dumbledore finally, perceiving he could be trusted.
A manic laugh tore from the other man's lips but Dumbledore's gaze never faltered. In the end the man spoke. "It doesn't matter what I am or am not. Only that I am a friend. And that I want what's best for those around me."
Dumbledore nodded, understanding that some secrets were better kept secret. "I see. Any words of advice?" he enquired casually.
The other man grinned wolfishly. "Keep an eye on the marauders. All of them. And keep them safe."
With that, he transformed back into the enormous black dog and jumped over Dumbledore. All that Dumbledore saw as he turned around was a wagging black tail as it disappeared around the corner.
Standing up the old man wondered what he had left the office for. Images of maps and searching filled his mind and he remembered.
Chocolate. With one last look around the empty classroom, Dumbledore set off once more.
James laughed at a particularly raucous joke Sirius had just told, but his eyes were fixed on Lily. Her hair was curling just at the ends, and a few crimson strands fell into her eyes as she laughed. It was just as well they were going out now really. Otherwise he'd probably get hit over the head for harassment.
"Mate," said Sirius with a slight slur. "Have you asked her yet?"
James turned and saw his friend looking slightly the worse for wear. Blushing, James shook his head.
Remus raised an enquiring eyebrow and leaned forward, his face propped on his fists. "Asked her what Prongs?"
James paused to glare at Sirius who in turn grinned at him with a saint-like expression. "He asked you, not me, Prongs," laughed Sirius before pushing himself up off the stool. "I'm going to go talk to Edana."
The three boys nodded in acknowledgement, and James muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, "And may she kick you where it hurts."
Sirius, not hearing nor caring, stumbled over to where Edana, Lily, Tess and the other girls sat chatting.
He turned back to see Remus and now Peter eyeing him with interest. "So… what were you going to ask, my friend," grinned Remus.
Peter giggled in a way that James thought was most annoying and immature.
"Nothing worth mentioning," he declared before getting up. "I just remembered I haven't finished that Potions essay. I should, you know, probably go and do that."
Remus and Peter nodded in unison, wearing identical expressions that told him he would be hearing more of this later.
Once he had left The Three Broomsticks, and was walking in the chill air towards Hogwarts, James wondered if he was ever going to ask Lily. He didn't want to rush her. He wanted for her to be his and his alone. In his mind he could see Sirius nodding wisely and saying, "You mean, you want to make it illegal for other men to have sex with her. I see, I see…"
Telling the Sirius in his mind to shut the fuck up, James walked through the gates and into Hogwarts.
Now what?
James sighed and ran a hand through his already messy hair. He had said that he needed to do his potions essay, but in reality he had finished it the night before. Shaking his head at his own immaturity, James began to aimlessly roam the halls of Hogwarts.
He was about half-way back to Gryffindor tower when he heard a harsh laugh, followed by the soft voice of Dumbledore.
His attention captured, James began to walk towards where he had heard the sound. The voices became louder and louder as got closer to the source.
"…see. Any words of advice?" That was Dumbledore's voice.
James edged as close as he dared, and he heard a strangers voice.
"Keep an eye on the marauders. All of them. And keep them safe."
James' mouth gaped. Screwing the consequences, James went to the door of the classroom, and then leapt back as a giant black dog barrelled past him.
His brow furrowed as he looked after the dog. Padfoot
James would have stayed there, except something in his mind told him that he had better leave before Dumbledore caught him eavesdropping.
On the whole, Sirius thought he'd handled it rather well. He hadn't given too much away, and yet he'd given him a warning. Dumbledore was a cautious man, he'd heed a warning surely.
However, thought Sirius as he trotted through Hogsmeade in the form of Padfoot, it hadn't gone quite the way he'd planned. Or rather, imagined.
Sirius hadn't actually had a plan. He'd just realised if he'd be able to see anyone, it would be Dumbledore.
So caught up was he in his thoughts that he didn't hear them until it was almost too late.
"'Daaaaaanah. I luuuuuv myyy Daaaaaaanah."
Padfoot quickly slipped into the darkness where he blended into the pitch black shade.
His younger self was leading the group, singing at the top of his lungs.
Sirius cringed as his younger versions off-key voice assaulted his ears. Doing his best to block out the noise he continued to watch. An amused Edana strolled up behind the singing young man and slipped her arms around his waist.
"Hey there, tiger. How about we put the serenade on hold for a bit?"
The younger Sirius was obviously fairly well-gone, and he turned around in shock. "Dana!" he slurred, holding his arms open.
Edana grinned and lead him off out of Padfoot's sight.
Not far behind him came Lily, Tess and Remus, the female members of the trio convulsed with giggles. A pale Remus was watching them with a perplexed expression on his face. "Just what's so funny about Sirius getting pissed?" he was heard to ask.
Finally Tess managed to gasp out an answer in her softly Irish accented voice. "The song is meant to be… 'I love my dinner.' "
Hearing the answer, Remus cracked a grin as well. Looking around Remus then shyly took hold off Tess' hand. Sirius saw the violet-eyed girl look up at Remus with a confused expression.
Sirius grinned mentally as Remus blushed and dropped Tess' hand, only to have Tess smile reassuringly and take his.
Sirius stayed in the darkness until they were far out of his sight and then slipped back into the light of day. With a wag in his tail Padfoot continued onward towards the cave that he had hid in during Harry's fourth year.
His mind re-lived the snippet he had seen of Tess and Remus' relationship. That was how love should be. No words were needed, they had both just understood and relaxed into each other's presence.
He amended the thought – it wasn't how love should be, it was how love was.
Sunday dawned bright and clear in Hogwarts as Sirius opened bleary eyes and tried to remember what he'd done the day before.
Someone dragged the curtains back and overly bright sunlight met his bloodshot eyes.
"Sirius!" came James' cheerful voice.
"You sodding bastard," growled Sirius. "What happened yesterday?"
James laughed and the noise grated on Sirius' overly sensitive ears. "Let me guess – you've put your keen and penetrating mind to the problem and can't remember a thing?"
Sirius gave him a darkling look and James relented. "You got pissed. What more do I need to say?"
Sirius groaned and sat up in bed and reached blearily for his wand. "Soberatus." He intoned, pointing the wand at himself.
Thanking Merlin for sobering charms, Sirius then dragged his weary bones out of bed and threw his robes on haphazardly.
James walked with him to the common room where Edana was waiting with raised eyebrows. "Feeling a bit delicate were we?" she asked archly.
Sirius gave her a pathetic look with big grey eyes. "Not you too?"
Edana gave him the look she had perfected when she was a prefect. "Considering that you were serenading me in the streets of Hogsmeade..." she said, letting the sentence trail off.
Sirius looked pleadingly at James. "Come on… I didn't, right?"
James simply raised his eyebrows and smiled at his friend.
With a sigh, Sirius ran his fingers through his long mane and motioned for them to all go to the Great Hall.
All was silent as they entered through the doors, and their playful bantering broke off as though in response to the rest of the wide-spread silence.
Quickly making their way to the Gryffindor table they slid into their seats.
Wordlessly, a pale-faced Remus passed the Daily Prophet to Sirius and James. Plastered over the front page was image after image of Muggles and wizards alike being tortured and murdered by a group of hooded beings. Death Eaters.
The most graphic image was of a destroyed building, people scattered in the area around it, bleeding and lying in unnatural postures.
Edana saw Remus' sickened face and grabbed the paper off him when he didn't say anything. Sirius then met Edana's direct blue eyes when she looked up from the paper. "How many?" she asked in an unnaturally controlled voice.
Sirius tried to hedge around the question. "Well… it's difficult to say…"
Edana's voice took on a harsh edge. "Cut the crap Siri. How many died?"
"About two hundred. Wizards and Muggles." Sirius's voice was soft with an indescribable grief.
Edana's face turned sheet white and she drew in a sharp breath. "Merlin."
Then she buried her face in her hands and started to sob. Sirius gathered her up in his arms and he could have sworn that he heard her voice say brokenly "Why?"
Sirius wasn't sure if she was asking him or not, and he didn't answer. Even if she had been asking him, he didn't know and probably never would.
AN:Thankyou time! And apology time on my part. I'm incredibly sorry for my delay – I just had a few million assignments dumped on me and I couldn't write. School's like that I guess – no consideration for what you might be doing in your spare time.
Lunatic Pandora: Um… yeah. The way I did it was that he first had to a) work out where he was and then check up on his friends. And then Dumbledore. But thanks for the reminder ;-)
Ashton Rushing:The italics are what happened when the Sirius who was bought back to life was that age. And Sirius is the same age as he was in canon and Harry's godfather.
Sweet 16 Movie Buff:You know it's kinda sad on my part. When I last posted an entry, you hadn't started in memory of Sirius Black II, I finally post the next chapter and you've finished.
Moon Burst:Yep – the older Sirius is still in there. As demonstrated (hopefully) by this chapter
PdlegirlW00t! my story rates a wow! Sorry, just had to celebrate a bit there. I'm glad you liked the style of the fourth chapter – I'm thinking of making it that every time something changes (like in the last timeline Edana died, this time she lived) to do a chapter like that to show how it changed and how many people it effects. I'm not sure – it's a thought.