CHAPTER 3:

"That was good," Severus said, licking his fingers as he got up from the table. Rath shook his head, grinning.

"You're pathetic," Leon told him. "I swear, I can't remember a time when you didn't say that after a meal."

"It's still true," Severus replied with a half-shrug.

"Now mates," Lucius said, putting his arm around Severus. "We've got ourselves an entire hour to ourselves. What shall we do?"

"I was rather hoping that I could go talk to Sir- Thatz," Rath said quietly as they walked away from the great hall.

"Well, then I guess we three have an hour to fill," Leon said.

"You don't want to come?" Rath said, startled. Leon looked at him sideways while Severus snorted. Lucius whacked Severus gently on the arm and shook his head slightly.

"I just thought that you'd want to talk to him alone," Leon explained finally. "That's all. I mean you thought he's been dead for three months."

"Yeah, but," Rath wasn't quite sure how to word this. "I want him to know that I trust you three. And, well, I had hoped that maybe if you heard what he had to say you could help me figure some stuff out. I'm not that good at understanding things by myself really."

"Sure," Severus said right after hearing his newest friend out. "But before we head off, I have a question. Who's Professor Turner really? I bet we know him, don't we." A thought struck him. "He's Sirius, isn't he?"

"Yeah," Rath answered, not shocked that Severus had figured it out so quickly. It was kind of obvious if you thought about it. "So are we going or not?"

"Where exactly is he?" Leon questioned.

"Good question," Rath replied. "But I have an idea of where he might be. Follow me."

"Maybe we should all walk together, and really look like it," Lucius suggested. "I mean, if it looks like you're leading us it will seem suspicious. After all, you just got here yesterday so how would you know where anything is?"

"Fine," Rath grumbled. "But we're going outside."

"Kay," the three Slytherins chirped.

"There," Padfoot hissed. "There they go!"

"Chill," Prongs said with a leisurely air. "We can't seem like we're following them."

"Why not?" Padfoot demanded.

"Idiot," Moony mumbled. "Because, if they see us we won't be able to follow them, sneak up on them, and then prank them. Duh." Padfoot stuck his tongue out.

"I knew that," he said in and injured tone.

"No, I don't think you did," Wormtail said in a mock thoughtful tone.

"Rat."

"Mutt."

"Shorty."

"Idiot."

"Beady-eyed little weasel."

"Girly-girl."

"Servant of the dark lord."

"You're so Slytherin."

"Hey," Padfoot protested. "I already used that insult!" They all laughed at that.

"Come on," Moony hissed. "We'll lose track of them. Prongs, do ya have it?"

"Course," Prongs said, smirking. "Never leave the room without it." The four rushed out of the great hall and made sure no one was looking. Then Prongs pulled out his invisibility cloak from within his robe pocket. They hurriedly pulled it over themselves and rushed quietly after the four Slytherins.

"What do you think they're doing?" Padfoot hissed at they neared the door.

"Going outside perhaps?" Wormtail suggested dryly.

"It's gotta be more than that," Padfoot argued quietly. "They're Slytherins!"

"Yes, and everything they do has a hidden, secret, evil meaning," Moony said, rolling his eyes. "So, when they go to the bathroom or eat, what do you get out of that, Padfoot? Perhaps when they take a piss its possibly that they're planning to blow up the school. And when they drink their pumpkin juice they're telepathically communicating to plan the death of Dumbledore."

"And so by that logic when they go outside," Prongs continued. "They must be going to contact You-Know-Who and receive orders to poison your pumpkin juice at dinner, Padfoot."

"You know you might be right," Moony said sarcastically. "That's exactly it!"

"Laugh all you want," Padfoot said sourly. "But you'll see. They'll end up evil, mark my words. Can't be trusted, especially the new boy. I mean, when has Hogwarts ever gotten a transfer student that looks like he could be James's twin who has supposedly lived in America most of his life but just happens to have no accent?"

"Well, if you really want to limit yourself to that exact description," Moony said. "Then this Rath guy is definitely the first. But Hogwarts has had other transfer students you know. A couple of years ago we got a fifth year girl who sorted into Ravenclaw."

"There!" Prongs suddenly hissed. "They've stopped."

"Isn't that the new DADA teacher?" Wormtail said puzzled. "Professor Thatz, right?"

"Yeah," Moony said, nodding slightly.

"We have to hear what they're saying!" Padfoot said urgently. "Come on!" But they were certainty shocked when they did.

"Har- Rath!" Thatz said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Just wanted to chat," Rath said amiably.

"With, um," he seemed clearly uncomfortable with the three Slytherins presence.

"Thatz," Rath said sternly. "They're my friends. You wouldn't complain if it was Ron and Hermione."

"Point taken," Thatz said with a sigh. Then he smiled. "So, you just wanted to chat? Or wanted to find out what I've been doing in this time before the term started."

"Both," Rath said, sitting down next to Thatz. The other three remained standing. He glared at them. "Sit!" Meekly, they complied.

"You're kind of scary sometimes, you know that," Severus complained.

"It's one of my charms," Rath said dryly.

"Then I'd hate to find out what your faults are," Severus muttered. Rath chuckled while Thatz nearly had a heart attack.

"Is, is he actually joking around? God, hell has frozen over, hasn't it?" Sirius said, looking up into the sky.

"Obviously, since Harry Potter, son of Lily and James Potter is in fact not son of James Potter at all," Rath said, sighing. "Quite possibly, in fact, son of Lily and Remus Lupin. Everyone is going to have die of shock when we get back and they find out. Actually, that wouldn't be too bad, 'specially if Fudge and Umbridge are the first two to be done in."

"Here, here!" Thatz said cheerfully. Then he looked puzzled. "But Remus, are you sure?"

"Well, they are dating now, and Sev said that they've been going out since third year. That's three years, my God! I haven't even had a girlfriend for a week, much less that long!" Rath said, half trying to make his point and half-whining.

"Well, if it makes you feel better I'm never going to have a girlfriend," Severus said brightly. Rath hit him, scowling.

"Not for the same reason, I've been quite assured," Rath said darkly. Thatz made a noise of victory.

"I knew it!" he exclaimed. "Hah! I can't wait to get back now!"

"Why?" Rath asked.

"Because Remus owes me twenty galleons," Thatz said proudly.

"What were you betting on, pray tell?" Rath asked innocently.

"Whether Snape and Malfoy were really together or not," Thatz answered simply. Rath rolled his eyes.

"You really did have too much time locked up in that house, didn't you?" he said to his godfather exasperatedly. "A question to whether they're still together, however. Actually more like a statement. What about Draco?" Thatz hesitated before getting a look of defeat.

"Damn," he said. "On second thought, let's never go back. Rem will never let me forget that he won."

"Who's Draco?" Severus asked interestedly.

"Lucius and Narcissa's son," Rath and Thatz answered together. Severus looked horrified while Lucius merely looked confused.

"Who's Narcissa?" he asked.

Thanks for the reviews (though currently I have received none for the previous chapter, ah well). Anyway, the conversation shall be continued, never fear. But what someone in the story should be fearing next chapter is Einah. Oh yes, he should be terrified evil laughter . Anyhow, what'd you think? Still kinda funny in a twisted, not that funny sorta way? PLEASE REVIEW!

Note: There are two possible things that I could do with this story and so now you wonderful people get to vote.

Do you want me to:

A: Not let Wormtail become a traitor, James not dead, and someone else who no one expects really be the traitor, using a very, very good glamour to look like Wormtail and both he and James hidden away somewhere in magical comas?

Or

B: Go with J.K. Rowling's sad and destructive path with Wormtail being the betrayer and both the Potters dead?