DISCLAIMER: Owning nothing here. I am just borrowing these characters and
settings and I promise I will give them back again. Oh, yeah, and I don't
own the PotC, yet again, though I wish I did.
AN: Sorry it took me so long to update, but I've been really busy with finals and such. I will try to write more soon.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"When are we going to start learning the spells, professor?" Hermione asked Professor Flitwick during charms one day.
"Not for another week, Miss Granger."
"Oh," she replied, slightly downcast. Ron snickered, not quite managing to muffle it before Hermione turned around and glared at him.
She ignored him, then, but addressed Harry, "I don't know about you, Harry, but I want to know how to do _some_ magic before we go to that dementor infested prison!"
Ron's hand dropped from his mouth, realization danced across his face, and he became quite pale, "D-dementors?" he said, terror written all over him.
"Dementors?" Harry also wondered, completely nonplused, "What is a-"
"Mister Potter, please refrain from speaking in my class. I am trying to explain the complications of..." but Harry didn't hear what he said next, he was too interested in what Hermione was writing.
'Remus said,' she wrote, 'that dementors are foul creatures that guard Azkaban. They make everything feel cold and if they can they'll suck out your soul!'
'How?' Harry wrote on the parchment, still slightly confused.
'I'm not sure, but Remus said that you could live without your soul, you can exist but not feel or respond to anything. He said it is worse than being killed,' Hermione wrote quickly.
Harry just sat, stunned, staring at Professor Flitwick for the rest of the class, but not really seeing him at all.
Someone could have their soul sucked out and still live?! And they made people live in the same place as those dementors? This was such an awful thought, that Harry started looking forward to the visit to the prison. That man might not have been the reason his parents had died, and even if he had, no one deserved to be locked in some place like that!
Harry found, during the course of that class, that no matter how hard he tried, something was preventing him from believing it _was_ this Sirius Black person who betrayed his parents to their death.
((AN: I kinda think that Harry is a bit more willing to forgive in his first year, in case ya'll were wondering why he seemed so out of character. Also, I don't want Harry to hate Padfoot before he's had a chance to meet him. Sorry 'bout that.))
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
'Aha,' Remus thought. He had just woken up from a very vivid dream of what had taken place in Azkaban almost a month ago.
Standing up from the armchair he'd positioned next to the fireplace in his temporary room, the werewolf rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
Since it was still early evening, Remus had no problem with leaving his room to roam the castle, so he did.
Snatching his wand from the table, Remus Lupin hurried out of the door and quickly followed his well-worn path to the headmaster's office.
When he reached the stone gargoyle, Remus gasped out the password and hurried up the winding stairs.
Before he could knock on the door, a calm voice floated out onto the landing, "Do you need something, Remus?"
"Can I come in?"
The door opened and Professor Dumbledore welcomed his previous student inside his office.
"I was just wondering," Remus said without hesitation, sitting down in a chair, "Whether Sirius Black got a trial before they sent him to Azkaban."
Dumbledore looked thoughtful for a minute before answering, "No, I don't believe he did. Fudge agreed with Barty Crouch, that it was best to get the Death Eaters captured and locked up, and the faster the better, so he didn't argue."
"No trial..." Remus Lupin repeated, dazedly, "Then there really was no reason for him to be sent there..."
"I shudder to think what Sirius will be like if he is indeed innocent and freed in a week-and-a-half."
"Well, when I went there before, Sirius was acting so normal it was unnerving. He didn't even really try to persuade me to get him out of there, just to protect Harry and look for Wormtail. He also asked for a newspaper. Said he missed doing the crosswords," Remus said.
"Yes," Dumbledore, quietly, again thoughtful. After a time, he added, "You should get some sleep, Remus, tomorrow is a big night for you."
Startled, Remus nodded and left the office.
The rest of that night, Remus had more pleasant dreams than he'd had for a while. Dreams of the marauders from when they were at Hogwarts together; innocent and care-free.
**
It was the last day of the first month of their first year, and Remus had just proven that he was Marauder-worthy, but hadn't thought so at the time.
"You know, for having such a bleak outlook on marauding rule-breakers, you're well on your way to becoming one," James Potter said haughtily to Remus after cornering him in the common room after transfiguration.
"Yeah," interjected Sirius, "Sprung us all from detention..."
"I only-" Remus started but James interrupted him.
"Didn't take any notes in Binns..."
"That's because-"
"Overturned Snivellus' cauldron..." Sirius grinned.
"No, I," Remus started, but caught himself in time, "Well, yes, I did do that, but-" James interrupted him again.
"*AND*, you're completely obsessed with chocolate," he pointed out.
"That's not true!" Remus protested, angrily, "I am NOT obsessed with chocolate!"
Sirius grinned, "Turn out your pockets!" he ordered, "Now!"
Remus had managed to keep most of the candy from his friends until they rediscovered the use of their wands.
"I know, I know!" James sang, happily, taking out his wand, "_Accio_, Accio, _Accio_"
((AN: James, coming from a pureblood family had seen/had experience with that particular spell. *cough* his mother and father used it on him *cough*))
By the time they had gotten all of it (and eaten part of it) Remus had felt very foolish indeed.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"What's he saying?" James demanded.
"I don't know! I can't lip-read!" Sirius said, "Wait! Moony said my name! I've seen him say that so many times before, I know it was about me!"
Sirius and James had been watching Remus sleeping when all of a sudden, their favorite werewolf had jumped off of his chair and fairly flew to Dumbledore's office. Now they were watching them talk, and so far the only words they had distinguished were 'Sirius Black.'
"Well, keep watching!" James said.
"Only if you do!" Sirius replied, without missing a beat.
They watched intently until Sirius managed to make out another word.
By the time Remus left the room, the two marauders had gathered the words: Sirius Black, Death Eaters, Wormtail, newspaper, and last they were able to pick out 'Remus, tomorrow is a big day,' the last said by Dumbledore.
Sirius had scratched the words into the ground with his fingernails and was pondering them, while James kept an eye on Remus.
"Big day... Oh, tomorrow is the full moon!"
"Really?" James' voice said, vaguely.
"Yeah! I'm sure of it!" Sirius said.
"And we can't be there!" James moaned.
"Yeah, this has happened to me every single month since you died. I've been ready to do many crazy things countless times, just for Moony who has to be all alone once a month."
"Poor Remus. He thinks he's the only one left, doesn't he?" James said despairingly.
"Yeah, you're dead, Peter was murdered by me, and I'm insane and evil. Doesn't sound too encouraging."
Sirius looked back at the words he'd written in the earth.
"I've no idea what he's talking about with the Death Eaters," Sirius said, "He mentioned Wormtail, which I hope means Remus was talking about the conversation he'd had with me last month."
"Er, Sirius? Did Remus ever tell anyone about us becoming animagi?" James' voice asked.
"No, don't think so. He did say that no one had found a cure for being a werewolf yet, though."
"But if he didn't tell anyone, why was he talking to Dumbledore about Peter with his animagus name?" James persisted.
A light bulb appeared over Sirius' head, "Oh, I get it! You're suggesting that he's gone and told Dumbledore! So there's still a chance that Peter will be caught and I can get out of here!"
Sirius stood up and began to dance around his cell, happily.
"I hope it's true! Dumbledore's smart, he'll figure out the truth!" Sirius said.
"Now cut that out, Padfoot," James' voice said, cleanly and quickly, "you're scaring me," the voice added playfully.
"Sorry," Sirius said, slightly guiltily, sitting down on the hard-packed earth.
A soft, yet audible, sigh echoed around the tiny cell, as James realized again Sirius' predicament.
"What are we gonna do, mate?" the dead Marauder asked, gravely.
"I don't know," Sirius Black, convicted murderer of James and Lily Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and countless muggles, replied grimly, "I honestly don't know."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Aww, come on, Hermione, I only need another couple minutes and I've got Harry for sure!" Ron said, otherwise ignoring Hermione Granger, class know- it-all.
Harry scowled at Ron.
"Ronald!" Ron jumped at being addressed in such a way, "Mr. Lupin will need our support tonight, and now is as good a time as any to ask if he needs any help!" Hermione said, pointedly.
Harry stood up from the chess game he and Ron were playing to stand next to the girl, "I'm afraid I am forced to agree with miss Granger on this matter," he said impassively, trying to imitate Professor McGonagall.
"You're only saying that 'cause you're losing," Ron grumbled, also standing up, and the three students made their way to the portrait hole.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Remus was sitting at his desk, wondering whether he'd have to take another vile-tasting potion tonight before moon-rise, when there came a knock on the door.
"Yes?" he said, his voice cracking. The door opened a tiny bit and a head with a lot of bushy brown hair poked in. "Come in, then," Remus said, waving her inside.
Harry and Ron followed.
Harry smiled at Remus but Hermione started the conversation, "We were just wondering if you would like us to help you with anything, mister Lupin."
Remus was mildly startled to hear this, but Harry and Ron were nodding enthusiastically in agreement.
"Erm, no. I've handled the same thing every single month before this, I can handle it now," Remus sighed, "But thank you," he added hastily, seeing Hermione's downcast face.
"Nothing?" she asked hopefully.
Bring James back, he'd help me, thought Remus. "No. Nothing."
"Oh."
The werewolf stared at the ground, unseeing.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Dumbledore? Why?" James asked.
"I'm just curious what he's doing now, is all," Sirius replied to the puddle.
"Alright. Dumbledore it is, then."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Come in," came Dumbledore's voice from inside his office.
Severus Snape entered.
"Professor Dumbledore," Snape started, "I'm afraid I must express my concern about a certain Defense teacher."
The headmaster nodded, inviting him to continue.
"He has been acting in a way that disturbs me greatly. When I enter into his presence, I find that he avoids eye contact, his nostrils dilate and he mutters incoherently. Due to my experience in the matter, I would have to say he is hiding something and is afraid I may figure it out. Do try to asses him quite carefully, headmaster."
"Indeed I will, Severus. Indeed I will."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Snape?! Why is he there?!" James' voice said, disgusted.
"And he's wearing Hogwarts teacher's robes!" Sirius replied, outraged, "Just like the ones McGonagall use to wear. Dumbledore's letting him bully around poor unsuspecting students?! What is he thinking?!"
"Gone off his rocker in his old age!" James stated.
"Completely mad!" Sirius agreed, "Barking!"
"But then again, Sirius, you're barking too," James' voice said.
"That's old, Jamsie. A bit outdated are we? Doesn't being dead give you anymore time to think up new comebacks?"
"Well, yes, I suppose so, but I never thought to use the time given to me, now did I?"
"You always were a procrastinator." Sirius granted, grinning.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Next chapter: the full moon!
Reviews are appreciated, but obviously not needed.
Thanks to all my lovely reviewers for, well, reviewing.
And, by the way, James isn't alive again, but what he is seeing is being visually transmitted into Sirius' cell and for some odd reason Sirius is able to communicate with him. And, no, Padfoot has not, I repeat NOT, lost it.
Lol ^__^
c-ya lata Jeanne2
AN: Sorry it took me so long to update, but I've been really busy with finals and such. I will try to write more soon.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"When are we going to start learning the spells, professor?" Hermione asked Professor Flitwick during charms one day.
"Not for another week, Miss Granger."
"Oh," she replied, slightly downcast. Ron snickered, not quite managing to muffle it before Hermione turned around and glared at him.
She ignored him, then, but addressed Harry, "I don't know about you, Harry, but I want to know how to do _some_ magic before we go to that dementor infested prison!"
Ron's hand dropped from his mouth, realization danced across his face, and he became quite pale, "D-dementors?" he said, terror written all over him.
"Dementors?" Harry also wondered, completely nonplused, "What is a-"
"Mister Potter, please refrain from speaking in my class. I am trying to explain the complications of..." but Harry didn't hear what he said next, he was too interested in what Hermione was writing.
'Remus said,' she wrote, 'that dementors are foul creatures that guard Azkaban. They make everything feel cold and if they can they'll suck out your soul!'
'How?' Harry wrote on the parchment, still slightly confused.
'I'm not sure, but Remus said that you could live without your soul, you can exist but not feel or respond to anything. He said it is worse than being killed,' Hermione wrote quickly.
Harry just sat, stunned, staring at Professor Flitwick for the rest of the class, but not really seeing him at all.
Someone could have their soul sucked out and still live?! And they made people live in the same place as those dementors? This was such an awful thought, that Harry started looking forward to the visit to the prison. That man might not have been the reason his parents had died, and even if he had, no one deserved to be locked in some place like that!
Harry found, during the course of that class, that no matter how hard he tried, something was preventing him from believing it _was_ this Sirius Black person who betrayed his parents to their death.
((AN: I kinda think that Harry is a bit more willing to forgive in his first year, in case ya'll were wondering why he seemed so out of character. Also, I don't want Harry to hate Padfoot before he's had a chance to meet him. Sorry 'bout that.))
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
'Aha,' Remus thought. He had just woken up from a very vivid dream of what had taken place in Azkaban almost a month ago.
Standing up from the armchair he'd positioned next to the fireplace in his temporary room, the werewolf rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
Since it was still early evening, Remus had no problem with leaving his room to roam the castle, so he did.
Snatching his wand from the table, Remus Lupin hurried out of the door and quickly followed his well-worn path to the headmaster's office.
When he reached the stone gargoyle, Remus gasped out the password and hurried up the winding stairs.
Before he could knock on the door, a calm voice floated out onto the landing, "Do you need something, Remus?"
"Can I come in?"
The door opened and Professor Dumbledore welcomed his previous student inside his office.
"I was just wondering," Remus said without hesitation, sitting down in a chair, "Whether Sirius Black got a trial before they sent him to Azkaban."
Dumbledore looked thoughtful for a minute before answering, "No, I don't believe he did. Fudge agreed with Barty Crouch, that it was best to get the Death Eaters captured and locked up, and the faster the better, so he didn't argue."
"No trial..." Remus Lupin repeated, dazedly, "Then there really was no reason for him to be sent there..."
"I shudder to think what Sirius will be like if he is indeed innocent and freed in a week-and-a-half."
"Well, when I went there before, Sirius was acting so normal it was unnerving. He didn't even really try to persuade me to get him out of there, just to protect Harry and look for Wormtail. He also asked for a newspaper. Said he missed doing the crosswords," Remus said.
"Yes," Dumbledore, quietly, again thoughtful. After a time, he added, "You should get some sleep, Remus, tomorrow is a big night for you."
Startled, Remus nodded and left the office.
The rest of that night, Remus had more pleasant dreams than he'd had for a while. Dreams of the marauders from when they were at Hogwarts together; innocent and care-free.
**
It was the last day of the first month of their first year, and Remus had just proven that he was Marauder-worthy, but hadn't thought so at the time.
"You know, for having such a bleak outlook on marauding rule-breakers, you're well on your way to becoming one," James Potter said haughtily to Remus after cornering him in the common room after transfiguration.
"Yeah," interjected Sirius, "Sprung us all from detention..."
"I only-" Remus started but James interrupted him.
"Didn't take any notes in Binns..."
"That's because-"
"Overturned Snivellus' cauldron..." Sirius grinned.
"No, I," Remus started, but caught himself in time, "Well, yes, I did do that, but-" James interrupted him again.
"*AND*, you're completely obsessed with chocolate," he pointed out.
"That's not true!" Remus protested, angrily, "I am NOT obsessed with chocolate!"
Sirius grinned, "Turn out your pockets!" he ordered, "Now!"
Remus had managed to keep most of the candy from his friends until they rediscovered the use of their wands.
"I know, I know!" James sang, happily, taking out his wand, "_Accio_, Accio, _Accio_"
((AN: James, coming from a pureblood family had seen/had experience with that particular spell. *cough* his mother and father used it on him *cough*))
By the time they had gotten all of it (and eaten part of it) Remus had felt very foolish indeed.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"What's he saying?" James demanded.
"I don't know! I can't lip-read!" Sirius said, "Wait! Moony said my name! I've seen him say that so many times before, I know it was about me!"
Sirius and James had been watching Remus sleeping when all of a sudden, their favorite werewolf had jumped off of his chair and fairly flew to Dumbledore's office. Now they were watching them talk, and so far the only words they had distinguished were 'Sirius Black.'
"Well, keep watching!" James said.
"Only if you do!" Sirius replied, without missing a beat.
They watched intently until Sirius managed to make out another word.
By the time Remus left the room, the two marauders had gathered the words: Sirius Black, Death Eaters, Wormtail, newspaper, and last they were able to pick out 'Remus, tomorrow is a big day,' the last said by Dumbledore.
Sirius had scratched the words into the ground with his fingernails and was pondering them, while James kept an eye on Remus.
"Big day... Oh, tomorrow is the full moon!"
"Really?" James' voice said, vaguely.
"Yeah! I'm sure of it!" Sirius said.
"And we can't be there!" James moaned.
"Yeah, this has happened to me every single month since you died. I've been ready to do many crazy things countless times, just for Moony who has to be all alone once a month."
"Poor Remus. He thinks he's the only one left, doesn't he?" James said despairingly.
"Yeah, you're dead, Peter was murdered by me, and I'm insane and evil. Doesn't sound too encouraging."
Sirius looked back at the words he'd written in the earth.
"I've no idea what he's talking about with the Death Eaters," Sirius said, "He mentioned Wormtail, which I hope means Remus was talking about the conversation he'd had with me last month."
"Er, Sirius? Did Remus ever tell anyone about us becoming animagi?" James' voice asked.
"No, don't think so. He did say that no one had found a cure for being a werewolf yet, though."
"But if he didn't tell anyone, why was he talking to Dumbledore about Peter with his animagus name?" James persisted.
A light bulb appeared over Sirius' head, "Oh, I get it! You're suggesting that he's gone and told Dumbledore! So there's still a chance that Peter will be caught and I can get out of here!"
Sirius stood up and began to dance around his cell, happily.
"I hope it's true! Dumbledore's smart, he'll figure out the truth!" Sirius said.
"Now cut that out, Padfoot," James' voice said, cleanly and quickly, "you're scaring me," the voice added playfully.
"Sorry," Sirius said, slightly guiltily, sitting down on the hard-packed earth.
A soft, yet audible, sigh echoed around the tiny cell, as James realized again Sirius' predicament.
"What are we gonna do, mate?" the dead Marauder asked, gravely.
"I don't know," Sirius Black, convicted murderer of James and Lily Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and countless muggles, replied grimly, "I honestly don't know."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Aww, come on, Hermione, I only need another couple minutes and I've got Harry for sure!" Ron said, otherwise ignoring Hermione Granger, class know- it-all.
Harry scowled at Ron.
"Ronald!" Ron jumped at being addressed in such a way, "Mr. Lupin will need our support tonight, and now is as good a time as any to ask if he needs any help!" Hermione said, pointedly.
Harry stood up from the chess game he and Ron were playing to stand next to the girl, "I'm afraid I am forced to agree with miss Granger on this matter," he said impassively, trying to imitate Professor McGonagall.
"You're only saying that 'cause you're losing," Ron grumbled, also standing up, and the three students made their way to the portrait hole.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Remus was sitting at his desk, wondering whether he'd have to take another vile-tasting potion tonight before moon-rise, when there came a knock on the door.
"Yes?" he said, his voice cracking. The door opened a tiny bit and a head with a lot of bushy brown hair poked in. "Come in, then," Remus said, waving her inside.
Harry and Ron followed.
Harry smiled at Remus but Hermione started the conversation, "We were just wondering if you would like us to help you with anything, mister Lupin."
Remus was mildly startled to hear this, but Harry and Ron were nodding enthusiastically in agreement.
"Erm, no. I've handled the same thing every single month before this, I can handle it now," Remus sighed, "But thank you," he added hastily, seeing Hermione's downcast face.
"Nothing?" she asked hopefully.
Bring James back, he'd help me, thought Remus. "No. Nothing."
"Oh."
The werewolf stared at the ground, unseeing.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Dumbledore? Why?" James asked.
"I'm just curious what he's doing now, is all," Sirius replied to the puddle.
"Alright. Dumbledore it is, then."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Come in," came Dumbledore's voice from inside his office.
Severus Snape entered.
"Professor Dumbledore," Snape started, "I'm afraid I must express my concern about a certain Defense teacher."
The headmaster nodded, inviting him to continue.
"He has been acting in a way that disturbs me greatly. When I enter into his presence, I find that he avoids eye contact, his nostrils dilate and he mutters incoherently. Due to my experience in the matter, I would have to say he is hiding something and is afraid I may figure it out. Do try to asses him quite carefully, headmaster."
"Indeed I will, Severus. Indeed I will."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Snape?! Why is he there?!" James' voice said, disgusted.
"And he's wearing Hogwarts teacher's robes!" Sirius replied, outraged, "Just like the ones McGonagall use to wear. Dumbledore's letting him bully around poor unsuspecting students?! What is he thinking?!"
"Gone off his rocker in his old age!" James stated.
"Completely mad!" Sirius agreed, "Barking!"
"But then again, Sirius, you're barking too," James' voice said.
"That's old, Jamsie. A bit outdated are we? Doesn't being dead give you anymore time to think up new comebacks?"
"Well, yes, I suppose so, but I never thought to use the time given to me, now did I?"
"You always were a procrastinator." Sirius granted, grinning.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Next chapter: the full moon!
Reviews are appreciated, but obviously not needed.
Thanks to all my lovely reviewers for, well, reviewing.
And, by the way, James isn't alive again, but what he is seeing is being visually transmitted into Sirius' cell and for some odd reason Sirius is able to communicate with him. And, no, Padfoot has not, I repeat NOT, lost it.
Lol ^__^
c-ya lata Jeanne2