Chapter Five - Sirius
That weekend Harry, Hermione and Ron met on Saturday morning to go to Hogsmeade. Sirius had sent Harry notice that he would be there also and that they would meet at the Three Broomsticks. Harry had eagerly agreed.
Somehow, after Voldemort's demise, all the tension of the last times left him and he was reluctant to occupy himself with anything that might be qualified as serious.
They were on their way as usual, talking about nothing much serious, when they were run over by a big black dog. Harry eagerly greeted him, while Ron and Hermione looked on and grinned. When they had also received their due of licks in the face and paws on their shoulders, they set of, Sirius once more in human form.
They talked quidditch – of course – when Harry remembered their new defense teacher.
"Say, Sirius, you should come and visit us sometime, you know, he eagerly said. I'm sure that Dumbledore would allow it. And it's fun, you know. He gives us challenges. We had one last week. You know – I wrote you about that one. Took us some time to figure it out. I didn't know mirrors could be used in such a way!"
Sirius' brow had darkened a little bit. Harry caught the look and asked himself a bit mystified what it might mean. Oh well, probably Sirius was a bit miffed that he hadn't gotten the position himself. Harry knew he had hoped for it – he had caught a scrap of conversation with professor Lupin one late night at Grimmauld Place. He had never told Sirius so – not having a clue how to start about it. He stopped talking, a bit uncertain as how to continue.
Luckily the period of slight awkwardness was soon over. Sirius seemed to shake himself and told Harry, in a slightly loud voice, that he would be very happy to come visit him some day. If Dumbledore would allow it, of course.
"Yes, do so, Sirius," Harry eagerly answered. "I bet you'll like Caldus. He's cool, you know. And seems to know his stuff."
"Hm, Caldus. Never heard of him. Didn't go to Hogwarts, I suppose. Where was he during the war, I wonder? Hm, well, as you say, I would like to meet him."
They entered the Three Broomsticks talking eagerly. Sirius seemed to have regained himself and laughed with them at their recital of the twins' newest pranks.
He bought butterbeers for them all and they settled at one of the tables. They were again deeply engaged in their conversation, so that Hermione was the only one to notice more people entering the pub. She exclaimed softly. "Look at that. Professors Caldus and Snape of all people. I didn't know Snape ever got in here! What do you think that means?"
Their discussion rudely interrupted, Ron, Harry and Sirius one moment gaped at her like fish before they turned as one to observe said professors. It was true. In all their Hogwarts years, they had never known Snape to enjoy the company at the Three Broomsticks, but wonders never ceased, apparently. Not only that – they seemed to be enjoying a conversation of sorts.
Snape walked in the direction of one of the empty tables next to Harry and Sirius. Professor Caldus, apparently never having been inside the pub before, took time to look around him and to nod friendly in the direction of Harry and his friends. He looked at Sirius too, and smiled friendly. Sirius nodded back, openly interested and a little bit curious.
Harry saw the exchange and immediately waved at the professor. Caldus saw it and walked to Harry. "Mr. Potter," he said friendly, with a hint of laughter in his voice. "I take it that you are enjoying your time?"
"Oh yes, professor. May I introduce my godfather to you? Sirius Black. Sirius, this is our new professor against the dark arts, Professor Caldus."
"I'm honoured to meet you," said Professor Caldus, shaking hands with Sirius. "I've heard a lot about you."
"Likewise," said Sirius, who examined the new professor interestedly. "I hope you have a pleasant stay at Hogwarts. And that your teaching career there may be smooth. Or rather – be long and prosperous."
The new professor grinned knowingly. "I know. I heard that I do have a lot of predecessors. Well, there's only so many dead skeletons that can be hidden in a dark cupboard, can there. And a few nasty ones have already been found and buried properly. So I hope that my career may indeed prosper."
They all laughed. "Well, Professor, the only you thing have to take care of then will be Devil's Snare, Hermione laughed. Very dangerous, you know."
With an amused glitter in his eyes the Professor answered, "Why, so I've been told. I'll do the best I can to prevent any accidents."
A silken voice behind them said "At least turbans are out of fashion. You don't happen to have one, do you, Caldus?"
"Alas, Professor, you've found me out," Caldus said mournfully. "Not only a turban, but also brightly coloured shirts and slippers with points that curl up at the front. I was to be a sultan, once, you know? At a party. But I slipped and fell down the stairs to the basement. And then everybody found out that I had nicked half the sweets. Especially the strawberry flavoured ones. My reputation was nevermore what it used to be."
The students laughed themselves to tears. Sirius grinned approvingly at Caldus. Even Snape showed a reluctant smile.
"You must have been the Headmaster's most favourite candidate in years," he sourly said. "Next he starts to share his sweets with you. Take care. I've never seen anybody survive them."
"Good practice for Fred and George," Ron boldly said. "You'll never know what hit you, sir."
Caldus grinned a bit but looked at Snape contritely. "I'm sorry, professor. I was in your company, but it seems I've been distracted. I hope you don't mind? Let's sit down as we were about to."
Snape nodded, but Sirius immediately said, "Come sit with us! I heard a lot about you." He looked around his own group while he said it.
Harry, Ron and Hermione immediately nodded and moved over to make room for him.
Caldus looked at Professor Snape as if to ask for his opinion. Snape just shrugged. Caldus, interpreting this as yes, sat down next to them. Snape said nothing. He just sat down next to him and crossed his arms.
"Butterbeer, everyone?" Sirius offered, and they all accepted eagerly. Snape said again nothing and Sirius just pushed his beer in front of him.
The silence was awkward for a moment, nobody ever having been with Snape at a table in the Three Broomsticks before. Snape himself didn't make it any easier, as he was sitting with his arms crossed and looked darkly in front of him.
Professor Caldus, however, seemed unaware of his dark mood and cheerfully started to talk to Sirius about being an animagus.
"I thought that transfiguration could have been a far more powerful weapon against the dark lord than it has been," he said. "I have always wondered at that. Even someone as paranoid as the dark lord couldn't have questioned every single object in his presence, could he? Something as innocent as a stone in the wall? Or a thread in a carpet? Would he ever have found out? And stones and threats can't be eaten by snakes, can they?"
Harry involuntarily shivered. He had been too close to this particular snake for his taste. But he could see the point of the argument.
"That's just cool, Professor," he said. "I never heard anybody say anything about that. Why would that be?"
"Perhaps because one charm of the dark lord's would have ended the transfiguration?" Snape sarcastically asked.
Harry turned to him. "Yes, of course it would, professor, if Voldemort knew. As long as he didn't, it would have been safe."
"Unpredictable and foolhardy," Snape coldly said.
But Harry could see that he wasn't entirely uninterested. There was some deep, fascinated light in his eye.
He didn't find out what his professor really thought, though. Ron and Hermione, emboldened by Harry's words, took courage and argumented in favour of the idea. Snape just rose his eyebrows and remained seemingly disinterested.
"I think it would be way more practical to change into some small animal," Hermione declared with flushed cheeks. She was thrilled to have a decent conversation with somebody so intellectually stimulating as the new professor.
"A sparrow for example. It would be entirely inconspicuous and you could fly away at a moment's notice."
"Assuming that you weren't poisoned in the dark lord's presence before you could do just that," Snape snidely said.
Harry and Ron snickered, not being reminded at all of a few too many potions lessons.
"Well, it is more practical to fly away as a sparrow, still in transfigured form, than to suddenly have a hole in the wall, literally."
Caldus looked at her and grinned a bit. "Really, Miss Granger. Excellent proposal. But try and add a bit more spice to it. Dare to be slightly mad from time to time. What about transfiguring yourself into a piece of dusk on the dark lord's wand? Or, if you really want a point, transfigure yourself into a louse in his hair. Or a leech, you know. The possibilities really are amazing. You might transfigure yourself into the mould on his feet. Or give him the creeps at night. Now, wouldn't that be the dark lord's ultimate fantasy?"
The student nearly fell off their chair laughing and they eagerly added their own ideas.
"You might be his toothbrush, and poison him a bit everyday."
"Yes, but then you would be in his mouth. Yuck."
"Rather his mouth than his feet. Although…"
"You might be a leech in Lucius Malfoy's hair," Ron grinned. "Perhaps he uses shampoo occasionally." Having said he realized how it must have sounded and half glared, half looked at Professor Snape apologetically.
Snape glared at him but just said, "Well, I'd rather dye my hair and pretend to be a Weasley than suck Lucius Malfoy, if it's all the same to you, Weasley, even if I do acknowledge that there's something about you that is truly inimitable."
"Glad to hear you like us so much, Professor," Ron grinned, unabashed.
Snape just glared at him.
"You would still need somebody to transfigure you every day," Hermione sighed. "Or can you choose you animagus form and change it? And can you change yourself into a lifeless abject?" She looked at Sirius enquiringly.
"No," Sirius immediately said. "The form chooses the wizard, not the other way round. And there is no way in you can transfigure yourself into an inanimate object. So yes, you do need somebody else. I think that wouldn't be a problem, though, at Hogwarts."
"Well, I don't know," Caldus said thoughtfully. I knew somebody once who could transfigure himself into an Occasional Table, if need arose. Fascinating possibilities."
Sirius stared at him. Indeed. Who was that?"
"Alas," Caldus sighed. "I don't remember. Not for the life of me. But it was certainly an interesting person, all the same."
Hermione looked him, slightly disbelieving. She had never heard of anybody who could change himself like that. It couldn't be true, could it? She caught Snape's strange half-glare half-grimace towards Caldus. Well, Professor Snape must disbelieve it as well, then, she thought.
The laughing had a cathartic effect and they all felt better afterwards. Even Snape was caught grinning from time to time.
They were all feeling the glow of an afternoon spent among friends and Caldus and Snape joined them on their way back to Hogwarts. Sirius and Caldus walked side by side, talking animatedly, from time to time laughing and joking. Harry walked next to them, feeling slightly more complete than he had in a long time.
Hermione and Ron walked after them. They didn't say much, there wasn't much left to say, somehow, and they were both content.
Snape walked behind them, at some distance. Hermione glimpsed at his face from time to time. It was strange, really, how the afternoon had turned out. Snape had come to the Three Broomsticks together with Caldus. It must have been the first time in years for him to have been in there. But now Caldus seemed on the best of terms with Harry and Sirius. She glanced at Snape's face again. He couldn't be happy about this turn of events, now could he? But Snape's face was a very careful blank.
They walked their way back to Hogwarts in silence.
Odd, thought Hermione, but then the thought left her mind. But not before she had glimpsed the last of Snape's face before he turned on his way down to the dungeons. And had seen the strange, half-contented, half-happy, half-bitter smile on his face.