Sirius Choice

Chapter Seven: Planning Something

Whimsical Firefly

Author's Note: A lot of people were asking me about the 'sort-of' cliffie in the reviews, and what Tess is hiding (if anything). This chapter should hopefully answer that question, and then raise a few million more in return. Enjoy!

Thanks goes to James Milamber for editing.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all recognizable characters are property of J.K. Rowling.

"He's up to something," announced Sirius as he paced the common room.

James looked up from where he and Lily were sitting and ran a hand through unruly hair. "Sirius, sit down."

"I swear to Merlin, he's planning something! It's been months-"

"Six and a half weeks," interrupted Lily without looking up from her textbook.

"Fine!" said Sirius, throwing his hands up in the air and mimicking her perfectly. "'Six and a half weeks if you want to be exact.' Oh, hang on. Is that to the hour? To the minute? Ooh! Let's be really precise and make it to the second, eh?"

James gave his friend a quelling look, and Sirius subsided.

"My point is, for awhile there we couldn't go a day without getting news of another attack. He's up to something big, and we need to be aware of it. Maybe he's planning a mass-attack on muggle-borns and-"

Lily slammed her textbook shut with a decisive snap and stood up, emerald eyes burning. "We're all aware of what he's capable of, Sirius. But while we're stuck here we can't do anything. Don't you think the majority of the students have enough to worry about with O.W.L's and N.E.W.T's without you adding your own bit of neurotica to the mix?" As she spoke, her voice rose in pitch, and her pale cheeks flushed with anger and frustration.

"Lils, calm down…" started James soothingly, attempting to put his arms around her.

She turned around quickly to avoid him and stomped her foot, yelling, "I don't want to calm down!" She shoved her textbook into James' arms and stormed up the girl's stairs.

James stood holding the textbook and staring up after her, before turning back towards Sirius and putting the book carefully on the table.

"Nice work, Padfoot," said James dryly.

Sirius looked up in astonishment. "How was that my fault?"

James raised his eyebrows. "Lily's just a tad sensitive on the subject of attacks on muggle-borns and their families. Can't imagine why, can you?" he queried dryly. "Besides, she was right. The students have enough problems without you stirring them up further."

Sirius stretched out onto the sofa and propped his feet up on the armrest. "Whatever you reckon mate. He is planning something though. Mark my words."

"Consider them marked."

Sirius hesitated, and then asked, "Are you sure you want to marry her?"

James groaned and buried his face in his hands.

"No, really. She tends to fly off the handle a bit. Quite frequently, actually," Sirius continued.

"Sirius?" came James' muffled voice from behind his hands.

"Yeah?"

James looked up and his hazel eyes met stark gray ones. "Kindly keep your nose out of that aspect of my life."

Edana lay perfectly still in her opulent four-poster bed as she listened to Tess and Lily gossip across from her. Considering that the topic of gossip was currently her boyfriend, should she be proven to be awake, then would then naturally want her opinion on the matter. Better to stay still and wait for them to change topic.

Finally, after what seemed like an age, Lily's voice took on a different tone. "So… that night. What were you doing in the forbidden forest?"

Edana's eye's widened slightly. When was Lily talking about exactly?

She heard Tess's softly lilting voice say, "I was following…"

There was nothing for it, Edana decided desperately. She sneezed loudly.

"Edana?" came Lily's enquiring voice. A moment later, her crimson head poked through the curtains.

"Mm…?" murmured Edana, doing her best to look pathetic and ill. "I dink I hab a cold," she whispered quite convincingly.

Naturally, this appealed to Lily's mothering instinct. "Oh, 'Dana!" cried Lily. "Why didn't you say something, instead of lying there feeling ill. Stay here with Tess, I'll go to Madame Pomfrey and get you some Pepper-up potion. Or would you prefer a sleeping draught?"

Edana pretended to consider. "I'll need both ebentully," she said looking up at Lily with wide blue eyes.

Lily nodded, and soothingly pulled the covers up to Edana's chin. "Wait here then," said Lily before leaving the room.

Tess then moved from where she had been sitting cross-legged on the edge of the bed, to next to Edana. "Lily's right, you know," she stated.

"When ibn't she?" muttered Edana into her pillow, but she was relieved to see Tess laugh.

"True spoken," the Irish girl agreed, pushing back a strand of Edana's hair that had fallen over her face. "She is however, one of the nicest people you'll ever meet."

Edana nodded, suddenly overcome with guilt for deceiving her friends the way she had been. She thought back to what Lily had asked.

"So…that night. What were you doing in the forbidden forest." Only one way to find out, thought Edana.

"I'm sorry to habe interrubted your talk wib Lily dough," said Edana, crossing her fingers. "Who dwere you following?"

Tess looked up with direct violet eyes. "You."

Edana felt all warmth suddenly leave her system. Tess knew. There was no getting around it. "Oh…"

Seconds passed, and each one felt like an hour to Edana as she looked into Tess' unyielding eyes. "Could you not tell anyone?"

Tess didn't respond, but merely watched Edana as her brow furrowed in thought.

The banging of the door as it opened spared Edana.

"Got them!" announced Lily brightly, and Tess stood up silently and went back to her bed.

"Dank-you," whispered Edana to Lily. She then downed the potion without protest, ignoring the burn it caused as she swallowed.

Compared to the pain she felt inside from losing a treasured friend, the burn of the potion didn't even exist.

Remus watched the enemy as they circled, wands at the ready.

"Dolur Aciudus!" he cried suddenly, flicking his wand in a star pattern.

His opponent was ready for his offensive move. "Tego Texi Inexpugnabilis." The spell rebounded harmlessly off the shield. With a wave of his wand the other wizard dismissed the shield. "Perces Acerbus!" The room became pitch black.

Remus laughed. "Do you really think that will make a difference? I can see excellently in the dark."

"As can I!" came the retort, followed by a yell of "Fervidus Ictus!"

Remus heard the spell come from behind him. He swung quickly in that direction and yelled "Aboleo!" The spell disintegrated.

Now where was his enemy hiding…? He had to be here somewhere. Remus closed his eyes and listened for the breathing of his enemy followed by the soft padding of feet on the cold stone floor. There… and there, and there, and there, and …

Remus cursed under his breath. He must of used 'Geminio' a few times. How to tell which was which? He didn't understand how that spell worked fully. Making a mental note to look it up, Remus suddenly spun around the room.

"Commoveo!" His five opponents spun through the air and landed in a crumpled heap on the floor. They seemed to have knocked each other out.

"Resero Ingenium." He muttered at the first one whilst it re-orientated itself. It vanished.

"Resero Ingenium." He turned to another that was spinning dizzily in circles. It vanished as well.

So far so good. "Resero Ingenium!" He yelled pointing at the opponent who was nursing a wrist and wincing.

A golden halo surrounded him. Remus knew now that he was good, and that he was real. Now the fun began.

"Gelo!" he cried, brandishing his wand at the two remaining copies. They immediately froze in their movements, and with a grim chuckle, Remus turned towards his opponent once more. This battle was as good as his. He felt confident and strong.

His opponent did a quick swivel and flicked his wand. "Alacer Casus!"

Remus attempted to dodge the spell, but wasn't quick enough. He felt his legs give out and went slamming towards the floor at an unusual angle. A sharp searing around his neck told him that he'd damaged his collarbone.

His opponent paused. "Do you submit?"

Remus glared at him balefully, then pointed his wand towards himself. "Medico!". He gasped as the bone realigned itself, but got to his feet quickly.

His opponent was not about to let him off that easily. "Commoveo!"

Remus was ready for this spell. "Speculum!" The spell rebounded off the mirror-shield that Remus had conjured, straight back to the one who had cast it.

He gasped as he was picked up and thrown violently against the wall by an invisible force.

Remus winced in sympathy as he heard bones crack on contact. However, now was not the time for pity. "Your turn. Do you submit?"

His opponent swore at him, then attempted to get back on his feet. I'll take that as a 'no', thought Remus.

His mind racing, Remus knew that anything he cast at this stage would be effective. At least two bones would have been broken in that fall, and the rest of his body would have been badly bruised and scraped. Remus pondered briefly why his adversary didn't just cast Medico. Instant healing so long as the wounds weren't fatal.

Shrugging, Remus leveled his wand at his challenge, and spoke the one spell he knew would be hell with those injuries. "Fervidus Ictus."

His opponent screamed loudly, and Remus could only imagine what the hex would feel like. "Do you submit?" he asked, praying to whoever was listening that his challenger said yes, so he wouldn't have to listen to the screams.

"I sub…mit…" gasped his opponent. And with a sigh of relief, Remus yelled "Medico" at his friend and walked over.

"One hell of a duel, James," said Remus softly.

James nodded with a faint grin, still breathing heavily. "You could say that again."

Remus raised an eyebrow, but didn't take the bait. "Do you need a hand up? A trip to an infirmary?"

"A coffin?" James asked looking up at Remus wistfully.

Remus smiled and shook his head at his friend, ignoring the twinge of guilt that said this was all his fault.

Laughing, James extended a hand up which Remus took and used to help him up. "Seriously though Moony, those were some pretty sweet moves that you pulled. You earned that one."

"Mmm…" said Remus in a non-committal tone. "The first time I've won a duel between us in awhile, is it not?"

"The last time you won a duel was a week ago against Sirius, there's no need to rub it in."

Remus laughed as they walked towards the common room. He knew what a pair they must look. Both of them had visible scrapes and bruises. James had torn his robe and his hair was messy, but that was usual. It was less usual however, for Remus' pale locks to be sticking up and dripping with sweat.

"What was that spell you used?" queried James.

"Which one?"

"When you injured yourself, I was sure I'd won, but then…Then you muttered a spell, and you were fine. What was it?"

Remus furrowed his brow in thought and then grinned. "That was 'Medico'. It's a handy little spell."

James rolled his eyes and muttered something that sounded like "understatement of the century" as they entered the Gryffindor common room.

Before they turned and walked up the stairs, James reached out and grabbed Remus' forearm. "Teach me the spell tomorrow, okay?"

Remus looked into earnest hazel eyes, and nodded.

The self-styled Lord Voldemort sat alone in a dark antechamber. It wasn't like him to be waiting for a lesser being, but when it came to this one, he had no choice.

A firm knock announced his arrival. Voldemort turned and watched as the door swung open, and a tall young man strode confidently into the room. He had light brown hair tied back into a ponytail, and wore robes similar to those of a Death Eater. A silver embossed sword hilt leading into a black scabbard rode at his hip.

Voldemort locked eyes with the man and motioned for him to sit down. Twinkling blue eyes conveyed the essence of a smirk, as the man sat down and propped black boots onto the desktop that Voldemort was sitting at. In an indication of extreme enchantment, the sword scabbard seemed to slide straight through the chair as he sat.

Clasping his hands indolently across his stomach, the man leaned back and smiled charmingly.

Voldemort mouth twisted bitterly as he looked at the smug young man, and without a word flicked a rolled up parchment in his general direction.

The man caught it but didn't open it. "Aww, Tommy," he said, the laughter in his voice only barely suppressed. "I'd rather hoped we were past all this."

Voldemort didn't answer, instead choosing to fix the man with his most threatening glare. Where most of his Death Eaters would have backed off, the man instead leaned closer, taking his feet off the desktop.

"Was it something I said?" he inquired with mock-innocence.

Voldemort stood and gazed down at this annoyance imposingly. This was all well and good until the man stood and stretched lazily. Cursing, Voldemort realized that he was shorter than the man standing opposite him.

The man's pale blue eyes still contained some inner amusement as he looked down at He Who Must Not Be Named. "I guess that's my hint to leave?"

Voldemort nodded testily, and the man turned to leave the room. About five paces from the door however, he turned to face Voldemort once more. "I'll talk to you later, Tommy old boy. It's been fun."

The Dark Lord's patience at the other man's insubordination snapped. Ignoring the consequences, Voldemort drew out his wand and muttered "Crucio!"

With reflexes quicker than the eye could see, the young man turned around to meet the curse. His eyes glowed with an intense blue light, and his hand deflected it. His expression hardened as he met Voldemort's gaze. "I'm not one of your minions. A word of advice would be not to treat me as one.' The man flicked his hand.

Voldemort felt himself being lifted from his chair and slamming against the wall. He looked up to see the man still standing there. "I hope that made my message clear," he said coldly. "My Lord," he added on as an after thought, executing a mocking bow. "Until we have the misfortune to meet again."

Author's Note: Another chapter over. I'm on holidays for the next two weeks, so hopefully I'll get a few chapters written and ready. Brownie points to whoever can guess who the young man who was with Voldemort is (Mr. Milamber, you don't count. You already know)

Also, give credit where it's due. In the duel between James and Remus, all spells used were taken from www . terion . net (which is Saerry Snape's homepage). There were also two lines that came from Pirates of the Caribbean. Does anyone want to guess which ones?

Sweet 16 Movie Buff: Well, that should answer your question. (Or did it? ::evil laughter:: )

Lunatic Pandora1: I don't quite get what you meant by "I wonder if the old Sirius is going to come out soon…" O.o Can you explain? If I like it, I might be able to work it in somehow (and if it's something I already plan on doing, I'll give you credit for it anyway).

James Milamber: Set flossums on my reviewers? Are you mad?? I wouldn't have any reviewers left!

Soleil Luna: Yes! You got it! ::does victory dance:: However, do you still get it after this chapter…?

PhiloNysh: ::blushes:: Don't think you have any reason to be jealous though. I love your story. It's such a different take on Lily, James and everyone else, and yet it still fits so well. It's great!

The Follower: 16 as of the 13th of September. It's so exciting! Edana isn't a wuss, per se. She has her reasons for acting the way she does. As for Padfoot being in the memory… I'm not saying ;)