Early next morning, Lucy stumbled out of her dormitory still clad in her pajamas and collapsed on one of the couches. Her mind was so foggy that she hardly noticed that her dormitory was completely deserted, and for the first minute or so in the common room, she didn't register the absolute disaster that had overtaken the tables.
The scattered piles upon piles of parchment on the coffee table were a laughable amount compared to the other pieces of paper crumpled up, strewn across the floor. She also noted a large amount of chocolate frog wrappers at the feet of the boy responsible. In the midst of this disaster, Anthony was kneeling on the floor, his face pressed against the coffee table as he let out a quiet snore.
Wow. Anthony wasn't joking when he said he'd come up with a plan.
Lucy had the decency to fetch a mug of coffee from the kitchens before she broke the boy from his slumber. She moved forward to grab his shoulder, but the smell of the coffee was enough to send Anthony shooting upward, his eyes wide.
"CAFFEINE!" he shrieked, seizing the mug from her. A few droplets spilled on his hands and onto the coffee table, but he didn't care. He drained the coffee in less than five seconds.
With wide eyes, Lucy handed him the second mug of coffee. She'd gotten one for herself, but he clearly needed it more.
He drank the next cup a little more slowly, but not much, and then hoisted himself onto the couch as well. He rubbed at his eyes with a grimace before asking, "How'd things go with Harry?"
Her lips turned downward. Things weren't bad. By all means, she did as best as she could have done, but it'd be a long while before Harry's anger would ever alleviate. After she led him away from Ron and Hermione, she took him to the kitchens where he explained everything to her. At least, everything from how he understood it. He'd snuck to Honeydukes using a map— the Marauder's Map— and he heard straight from the Minister of Magic himself that Sirius betrayed Harry's parents.
She sat in silence as he ranted, wordlessly cutting a piece of treacle tart out of the tin. There wasn't anything she could say to make him feel better. What was she supposed to do, tell him he was wrong? Tell him that she was helping the person who everyone else in the wizarding world assumed was guilty? She hated withholding even more information from her friend, but she knew him better than anyone and she knew that if he ever saw Sirius Black, his instincts would override his reasoning.
He ranted late into the early morning hours, at which point he grew tired and Lucy ordered him to go to sleep. We'll talk more tomorrow, she promised him, and he wearily agreed.
She hadn't slept at all last night. She stopped pretending to try after a few minutes of tossing and turning, and instead she sat at her desk, deep in thought. She wasn't angry at Sirius anymore, not really. She went inside his mind— she felt his desperation, his need for justice for his two best friends, and if Lucy was put in a similar situation, she couldn't say she wouldn't do the same. She wasn't angry, but she was, however, embarrassed.
She told Grimm things she would not have told anyone because she was under the impression that he was a dog, and he wouldn't think badly of her. She told Sirius Black, someone who lost his best friends to Lord Voldemort, that she missed Tom Riddle with everything she had. And then after all of that, she completely lost her cool on him. It was bad enough she broke down in front of Tom on multiple occasions, but at least then she'd known him.
It was all just rotten. She thought she was doing better, that maybe everything didn't matter so much any more, but it seemed as though any time she started to feel better, she was reminded once again of Tom. Sirius saw her partially lose her mind yesterday because she could not trust her own senses.
She missed him.
But there was nothing to be done about that.
This time, she had a chance to do some real good.
She had to help Sirius. She had to focus and give her best friend his godfather back, give Professor Lupin his friend back. Sirius didn't mean to trick her. Not like Tom had. If anything, Sirius had been helping her this entire time— he tackled that Dark Wizard, accompanied her through Knockturn Alley, and he slowed her fall. She realized with a cold feeling in her chest that if it wasn't for Sirius, she would have died that night.
So yes, she would help Sirius Black. With everything she had.
Lucy took the time to relay her conversation with Harry to Anthony, but she left out the more evil of Harry's threats against Black. The older boy frowned. "I'm sorry you had to lie to him," he sighed.
"I didn't lie," she corrected him. Technically she didn't. "I told him I'd help him avenge his parents. And that's what we're working on. Pettigrew is going to pay." She wished that Harry never overheard the Minister because perhaps then she could bring him on the plan, too. But the odds were too stacked against Sirius at the moment.
"Damn right he is," Anthony growled. "How worthless does a person have to be to kill their best friend?"
"It was worse than that, Anthony," Lucy said, and a dark look overtook her face. She'd been inside Sirius's mind, and while it had been a scrambled attempt at finding any information, she felt the same things he'd felt. She knew just how deep his bond with his friends had run. Sirius would have died for Peter a thousand times over. "Pettigrew was like their brother. You should have seen his face when he framed Sirius. He was— he was hateful! It was like he really did convince himself that Sirius killed them!"
She usually tried to understand the other person's perspective, but loyalty was something Lucy lived by. She'd do anything for her friends. She understood that the man feared for his life, but was there really no other option for him? Could he have not approached Dumbledore? Could he not have gone into hiding as well? Fear could only excuse so much, but Pettigrew had funneled information to Lord Voldemort well before he handed his best friends over to him on a silver platter.
Pettigrew was weak not because he was afraid, but because he decided to lay down and take the easy way out. If he was worth it, if he was worth the friendship she felt Sirius extend to him, he would have tried harder.
"He'll get what he deserves in the end," Anthony assured her. He nodded down at the sheets of parchment. "I think I've got the basis of a plan here, Luce, but before we start on anything, I want to sneak Sirius into the castle. It's freezing out there, and I dunno, I figure the poor bloke could use a shower or something."
"One problem with that," Lucy winced. It was a miracle Sirius hadn't gotten caught beforehand, and it was even more of a miracle that she knew of the Marauders Map before it was too late. "Harry's got a map now. It's called the Marauder's Map, and it shows the entire castle, all the secret passages, and shows where everyone is all the time."
His eyes widened. Lucy herself had been perturbed when Harry brought it up, but Anthony was impressed. "That sounds awesome! How'd Harry get it?"
"He got it from Fred and George yesterday, I guess."
He was less impressed now, scowling as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You're telling me that for years these Weasels have been relying on a map to get away with everything? And they still have the nerve to believe they are the better troublemakers?"
Lucy blinked. "I was more thinking about how it's going to be tricky to sneak Sirius in the castle, but yeah, it's definitely a good time to rag on the Weasleys."
"It's always a good time to rag on Weasleys, but I will relent."
He stood to his feet and walked to the back of the couch. Reaching down, he presented Lucy with a pile of clothes. She took them into her arms with a bemused expression. "These are for Sirius, yeah? Where'd you get them?" she asked.
"Transfiguration, my dear," Anthony replied in a posh tone. "Wish Cedric was here, he's better at it than I am, but I reckon Sirius will appreciate them." He started to gather all the parchment on the coffee table, "I'd recommend getting dressed. Once we give Sirius his new clothes, we'll be talking for a while."
Yeah, there was no way Lucy was changing out of her comfortable pajamas for any reason. Her yellow plaid pants were stuffed into a pair of thick, woolen socks, and she was fairly certain she had never felt more comfortable in her life. Who cared if a professor saw her? Surely she'd done worse.
She did, however, leave to fetch her coat and boots. By the time she was back in the common room. Anthony cleaned up his mess.
"Good thing everyone else is gone," he said, shrugging on his coat. Lucy realized that they were the only two who stayed behind. People really were terrified of Sirius Black. He picked the pile of clothes up and headed toward the exit. "Less witnesses that way."
Now that Sirius could transform in front of them, she figured he'd appreciate eating food as a human rather than a dog. She and Anthony stopped at the kitchens, and she filled a basket with all sorts of food: steaks, fresh hot biscuits, and most amusingly to Anthony, a few cheeseburgers. The house elves had also been a bit confused at Lucy's request, but she recalled many of Sirius's memories containing cheeseburgers.
As they walked through the corridors, they were fortunate enough to run into Headmaster Dumbledore. Ever since Halloween, Lucy saw him patrolling the corridors with the rest of the teachers, so it wasn't surprising to her. She felt far less guilty about sneaking around now that she knew she was in the right, and so she greeted him with a pleasant smile.
"Good morning, Professor," she smiled.
"Good morning, Lucy," he replied just as pleasantly. The man spotted the basket in Anthony's hand and allowed himself a chuckle. "How nice it is to meet you outside of my office, Mr. Rickett. Are you picnicking in this weather?"
"I take my picnicking days very seriously," Anthony replied in a solemn tone. "It's a sport, really, sir. We call it Extreme Picnicking back in Texas." Lucy only managed to keep a straight face from years of practice, and even then she was struggling. Anthony was not from, nor had he ever been to Texas, but Dumbledore didn't question him in the slightest. "Rain, hail, or fog, a man never runs away from an outing," he continued. "NEVER!"
"D'you think we should invite one of the Dementors to join us?" Lucy asked Dumbledore innocently.
"I think they are less interested in your food, Lucy, and more in your soul, but ultimately that is up to you," Dumbledore replied, very amused.
"But maybe the reason why Dementors are after our souls is because nobody's ever offered them a cheeseburger," she countered.
"That is very true," Anthony nodded. "But we've got to be careful. At least five of them have a personal vendetta against me, and that's not counting all of their Dementor buddies."
"What did you do to them?" The Headmaster asked, more curious than anything.
"That's between me and the Dementors."
"Do Dementors have buddies?" Lucy wondered. She should probably be more concerned about what the hell Anthony did with the Dementors, but she taunted them enough that she didn't have much of a moral high ground. "Do they talk to each other? Gossip?"
Anthony was deep in thought for a few moments before concluding, "There's only one way to find out, cub, and that is to ask."
Dumbledore's amusement was slowly fading as he realized that the more these two students discussed Dementors, the more likely they were to actually attempt to find out. He recognized the mischievous gleam in Anthony's eye all too well. "I'm afraid I'll have to forbid any conversations with Dementors," he informed them. "But there are no restrictions on picnics in any type of weather. Perhaps one of these days I might join you."
"Headmaster, I would love to take you Extreme Picnicking!" Anthony gasped.
Lucy would have to agree that having an Extreme Picnic with Dumbledore sounded absolutely rad. She was fully and utterly committed to this fake sport that Anthony made up on a whim.
They bid the Headmaster goodbye and left the castle. Anthony was whistling to himself as they walked and he nudged her in the side. "Ready to visit our favorite convict?" he said cheerfully.
"I think so!" she beamed.
"Never thought I'd be spending Christmas with a criminal, but here we are!"
Wait a second— wasn't Anthony supposed to have left for Christmas Break? She squinted at him and asked, "I thought you didn't sign up to stay at Hogwarts."
"I didn't. But due to, uh, Sirius developments," he winked, and she laughed. "I wrote to my parents and said I wanted to stay after all. And now that the common room is empty, the two of us can scheme for all of the break!"
"Nice!"
Sirius stayed in Hagrid's hut now, and Lucy was keen on getting him out of the castle grounds before Harry glanced at the map again. He hadn't brought the map with to the kitchens, Hermione insisted on inspecting it, but she had to get Sirius out of Hagrid's hut before Harry decided to look at it again. Sirius was lucky he decided to lead her so far into the Forbidden Forest at the same time Fred and George gave Harry the map— she had to see the map for herself, so she could work around the boundaries.
This in mind, she led Anthony over to Hagrid's and pushed open the door.
She froze at the sight of Hagrid sobbing at his table, holding a huge tankard of alcohol in his hand. This was never a good sign. She spotted a wrinkled letter on the table in front of him. "Er... I'm guessing the meeting didn't go well?" she muttered.
Anthony furrowed his brow and set the basket of food on the table, reaching for the letter. He didn't visit Hagrid as often, but he like many other students was friendly with the giant man
"What are the idiots at the Ministry on about now, Hagrid?" He picked the letter up and read it aloud. "Dear Mr. Hagrid, further to our inquiry into the attack by a Hippogriff on a student in your class, we have accepted the assurances of Professor Dumbledore that you bear no responsibility for the regrettable incident... However, we must register our concern about the Hippogriff in question. We have decided to uphold the official complaint of Lucius Malfoy— ugh, gross— and this matter will therefore be taken to the Committee for the Disposal of Magical Creatures. The hearing will take place on April 20th, and we ask you to present yourself and your Hippogriff at the Committee's offices in London on that date. In the meantime, the Hippogriff should be kept tethered and isolated..."
Lucy's gaze was fixated on a huge mass in the corner. The hippogriff was certainly not tethered and isolated, because he was chomping on something bloody right next to Hagrid's arm chair. Grimm— Sirius was sitting in the arm chair, looking completely at ease with the huge beast beside him.
"Oh, dear.." Anthony pursed his lips as he placed the letter down. "I'll make some tea."
"And it's too early to be drinking, Hagrid," Lucy said, a touch sternly as she took the tankard and poured its contents down the sink. "At least, without me involved."
She went to offer him some words of comfort, but there was suddenly a sharp knock at the door. Hagrid went over, still sniffling, and wrenched it open, revealing Ron, Harry, and Hermione. Harry had a steely look in his eyes that soon vanished when he saw the state of Hagrid.
"You've heard?" he said loudly, and he brought Harry into a huge, crushing hug.
Her friend almost collapsed underneath Hagrid's weight, and Lucy and Hermione worked together to bring him back into the cabin. Lucy then hugged the man herself. "It's going to be alright, Hagrid!" she assured him.
Hermione picked up the letter and also read it aloud, more quietly this time. When she finished, she had a perturbed look on her face.
"Well... Buckbeak isn't a bad Hippogriff, Hagrid. I bet he'll get off!" Ron said hopefully.
"Yeh don' know them gargoyles at the Committee fer the Disposal o' Dangerous Creatures!" Hagrid released Lucy, much to her relief because she was losing air and quickly. Anthony placed a huge mug of tea in front of him. Hagrid took a long drink before continuing, "They've got it in fer interestin' creatures!"
Mallory had told Lucy as much a while ago. Since Macnair, the executioner, couldn't get his kicks on offing muggles anymore, he moved over to the next best thing: killing beautiful creatures.
"You'll have to put up a good strong defense, Hagrid," Hermione said firmly. She sat beside him and placed a hand on his forearm. "I'm sure you can prove Buckbeak is safe."
"Won' make no difference!" Hagrid sobbed again. "Them Disposal devils, they're all in Lucius Malfoy's pocket! Scared o' him. And if I lose the case, Buckbeak—" he drew his finger across his throat and let out another loud sob, burying his face in his arms.
"That's not going to happen," Lucy said, with so much confidence in her voice that everyone turned to look at her in surprise. She clasped her hands behind her back, a determined gleam in her eye. Hagrid was somewhat skeptical, but she pressed on. "I mean it, Hagrid. There's got to be some cases where the magical creature has gotten off, and Buckbeak's case is as clear cut as it gets. Malfoy was warned about the creatures, he ignored the warning, he paid the consequences. It's like signing up for a cooking class and touching the hot stove despite being warned. You wouldn't get rid of the stove, would you?"
"No, you wouldn't," Harry said quickly, seeing Hagrid's hopes slowly rising.
"Exactly. I'll help you with your defense, Hagrid."
"We all will," Hermione assured him. "I'm sure I've read a case about Hippogriff-baiting where the Hippogriff got off. I'll look it up for you, Hagrid, and see exactly what happened."
"But the Disposal—" Hagrid began.
"Plays dirty," Lucy nodded. She let a devious smile curl at her lips. "But so do I. If it comes down to it, Hagrid, I'll send Mr. Malfoy a nice letter."
She, unlike most people, was not afraid of Lucius Malfoy in the slightest. She knew him to be nothing but a slimy git, one who only acted through underhanded tricks. The point being, he would never be overly bold in his actions toward her. Lucy was not quite a Slytherin. She wasn't afraid to show her hand of cards. If she found herself without ammunition, she was not afraid to lower the proverbial gun and punch him with whatever she had left.
"You think he'll listen to you?" Anthony said curiously.
"If he has to," she said. He admitted to her that he slipped her Voldemort's diary on Voldemort's orders. Memories did not lie, and she would remind him of this fact. "Which he does."
She let out a loud laugh at the befuddled looks on everyone's faces.
"Right, well now I have faith Buckbeak's getting off," Ron said after a short silence. "Lucy has that scary look in her eye."
"Anything's possible with a few well-placed threats," Lucy said brightly.
"You're absolutely correct!" Anthony beamed. He finished the entire batch of tea and handed out cups to everyone. He lay a comforting hand on Hagrid's shoulder. "Come on, big guy, we're all backing you up! You've got Hermione Granger, the cleverest witch in her year— Sorry, Luce—"
Lucy shrugged. She was willing to hand Hermione the title if she could at least claim the title of being the most chaotic witch in her year.
"Harry Potter, slayer of Basilisks—" Harry sighed at this, but Anthony continued, "Ronald Weasley, the best Weasley I know—" Ron's face flushed happily at this. "Lucy Rochester, who's basically a Slytherin—" Lucy shrugged again. He wasn't wrong. "And me, the smartest, most handsome, cutest, amazing, sexy, not to mention handsome, intimidating wizard in the world. And did I mention handsome? I think I should mention handsome."
After Anthony's speech, Hagrid couldn't help but let out a watery chuckle. "Yer right, I can' afford to go ter pieces. Gotta pull myself together..." Fang walked forward and lay his head on Hagrid's knee. "I've not bin meself lately. Worried abou' Buckbeak, and no one likin' me classes—"
"What are you talking about?!" Lucy demanded, absolutely outraged. She had loads of fun in Hagrid's classes! Aside from Professor Lupin, he was the only one who let her move around as she pleased!
"I love your class!" Anthony said, just as furiously. Maybe it was a Hufflepuff thing, but Lucy and Anthony thought the best part about any class was having their friends in it.
"And so does Wayne and Justin and Susan! And Luna can't wait for it!" Lucy added.
It was clear that the three Gryffindors did not feel the same way, but Ron tried to plaster a genuine expression on his face regardless. "How are the flobberworms, Hagrid?"
"Dead," Hagrid sighed. "Too much lettuce."
Lucy turned and glared mutinously at Ronald Weasley.
Remembering the occasion where she had scolded him for overfeeding the flobberworms, Ron quickly busied himself with taking a long drink of his tea.
"An' them Dementors make me feel ruddy terrible an' all," Hagrid went on. He gave a heavy shudder. "Gotta walk past 'em ev'ry time I want a drink in the Three Broomsticks. 'S like bein' back in Azkaban."
"Is it awful there, Hagrid?" Hermione asked in a small voice. She wasn't there for Hagrid's arrest, but the other three were, and they remembered the dread on Hagrid's face when the minister informed him of where he was going.
"Yeh've got no idea... Never bin anywhere like it. Thought I was goin' mad. Kep' goin' over horrible stuff in me mind... the day I got expelled from Hogwarts—" Hagrid stopped talking abruptly and glanced over at Lucy. Visibly, she didn't give a sign that she was bothered, but internally her stomach dropped. She'd seen that memory, too, and she'd believed Tom over Hagrid. "An'... an' the day me dad died... Day I had ter let Norbert go..." Hagrid's eyes filled with tears.
Anthony filled his mug with more tea and lay a comforting hand on the man's shoulders. "You're not there anymore, big man, and you'll never have to return," he said firmly. "We're all going to take care of Buckbeak, and we'll all help you with your case. There's no use in revisiting unpleasant memories. It's okay to feel sad about them from time to time, but that's in the past— and look where you are now! You've got your dream job—" Hagrid cracked a smile at that. "— and four lovely third years who care about you—" Anthony gestured to Lucy, Hermione, Ron, and Harry, "— and you've got the biggest heart I've ever seen."
Hagrid couldn't take it anymore. He let out another sob, but this time it was out of affection, and he turned and brought Anthony into a huge hug.
"Finally, someone who hugs as well as I do!" Anthony exclaimed.
"Thank you, Anthony..." Hagrid released him and wiped the tears from his eyes. He sniffled and clamped a hand on his shoulder. "Yer right... I've got to get a hold of myself." He fumbled around for his coat and shrugged it on his shoulders. "I think I'll get ter the library an'.. An' start readin' about cases."
"We'll come with, Hagrid," Hermione said quickly. She shot a glance at Ron and Harry, daring them to protest. Ron was a little wary, yet determined, but Harry didn't need any convincing. She then glanced at Lucy.
"I'll catch up with you guys later," she promised. "We'll take Fang and Grimm for a walk, but we'll be back soon."
"Mind feeding 'em too?" Hagrid asked.
Lucy caught Sirius's eye and winked, pointing at the basket. "No problem, Hagrid."
After they'd locked up Hagrid's house, Lucy led Anthony and the two dogs toward the Forbidden Forest quickly. She wasn't sure when Harry would look at the map again, and she wanted to get out of the perimeter before he noticed. With their quick pace, they arrived at the clearing again, and it was only then that Sirius risked changing from his dog form.
"I don't know how the hell Pettigrew stayed as a rat for twelve years," Sirius grumbled, cracking his neck. "My limbs feel all weird."
"Maybe he sneaks away once in a while," Lucy suggested.
"I find that even more disturbing," Anthony frowned. "A grown man posing as a child's pet for so long... Oh, wait." He threw an accusing glare at Sirius, but it was less scornful and more reprimanding.
Sirius understood, but he still winced anyway. "In my defense, I was at least decent enough to not be a creepy bastard— remember how I slept in the common room?"
"That is true," Anthony acknowledged. "Unlike a certain spectre friend." And since Tom wasn't around to glare at, he looked at the heavens and crossed his arms over his chest.
Lucy sighed and reluctantly agreed with him. While she didn't think Tom was trying to be creepy, there'd been many occasions she'd woken up to find him already outside the diary and looking at her. She was tempted to be sad at the reminder, but Anthony's words to Hagrid rang true with her; there were so many other people to focus on than unpleasant memories, and so at least for today, she could turn her attention elsewhere.
"Anyway, we brought gifts!" Anthony said, and with a bright smile he held the bundle of clothes up.
"And we're having a picnic," Lucy continued, holding the basket up.
"An extreme picnic—"
"With a convict—"
"Which would really make this—"
"A Convictnic!" Anthony finished.
She and Anthony shared a high-five.
Sirius looked between them, very amused. "It's so nice to find myself with people who appreciate a good pun," he sighed happily. He took the clothes first, then held a finger up to them. "One moment," he said, and he went further into the woods.
Lucy took the hint and set about making a little area for them. They were far enough away that she wasn't worried about any professors stumbling across them, but it was still rather cold outside. She took off her scarf and pointed her wand at it, muttering a few spells. Slowly but surely, it turned into a blanket large enough for them to sit on. She also placed a water repelling spell to make sure it wouldn't get wet from the snow, and then finally, she placed a warming charm on it. The only difficult part had been the transfiguration, but Anthony stared with a proud smile throughout the entire process.
"You're putting my third year self to shame," he marveled.
"Hermione taught me the warming charm," she shrugged, and they both had known the repelling charm for a while.
"You both put me to shame," he smiled.
Anthony used a few spells of his own, too. Following her lead, he sacrificed his own scarf to turn it into a tent to shield them from the wind. He began laying out all the food while Lucy sorted through the parchment.
Sirius returned a few minutes later dressed in the new clothing. Anthony wasn't flawless at transfiguration, but the clothes were clean and warm, and that was all that mattered. The man's eyes lit up with excitement at the sight of the tent. "You made a fort?" he said incredulously, and he scrambled inside.
"Hell yeah we did!" Lucy grinned.
"Language," Anthony gasped.
"Fuck yeah we did!"
"I give up!"
It was still surreal to her, Lucy thought as Sirius reached for a cheeseburger, that only yesterday she had been under the impression that Sirius Black was a dangerous criminal, and now she was sitting here eating breakfast with the man. And looking at him now, she found it impossible that anyone thought he was a murderer. Even with his sunken cheeks and dark circles under his eyes, he had a mischievous, almost childlike glint in his eyes.
They let the man eat for a few minutes as Anthony went through his stack of parchment, placing them all out in front of him. Lucy could hardly understand half of his notes. They were written much like the Daily Prophet; the words went sideways, diagonal, with loads of arrows and circles and scribbles, and yet Anthony was able to read them easily.
"So I did a bit of scheming yesterday..." Anthony began.
Lucy snorted. "A bit?"
"A lot..." he amended, "And I think we should take advantage of this break to do a little poking around. But before I get into that, what d'you want to do, Sirius? I mean, what are your priorities? And don't say kill Pettigrew, because that's our end goal. I'm talking about... y'know, making your living situation easier."
"I'm doing alright with what I have," Sirius said immediately. "And the clothes were nice, but I can make do without—"
"But you don't have to, so why suffer?" Lucy said. "It's not hard to give you clothes and food and stuff. But..." and she grimaced, remembering their most pressing obstacle at the moment. "I don't think you can stay at Hagrid's anymore... See, Harry's got this map now. The Marauder's Map."
"He found it?" Sirius burst out happily. "I didn't think he was a prankster, too! How'd he get it out of Filch's office?"
Lucy gave him an amused look. "He didn't— Fred and George Weasley gave it to him. They're the pranksters."
"Using a map is still cheating, if you ask me," Anthony muttered resentfully. "How do you know about it, Sirius? Did you find it, too?"
"Find it?" Sirius let out a loud barking laugh. "I made it! Well, me, Remus, and James did— we're the Marauders." He looked at Lucy excitedly. "What'd you think of it?"
"I didn't see it," she said, disappointed. "What's it do, exactly? Harry said it shows where everyone is?"
"Yes, and much more!" he said proudly. "We started the map in our second year. Prongs— James, that is— had the idea first, but Moony— er, Remus— was the one with the skill to draw it out. We went and found all the secret passages we could and we got just about everything, except the unplottable rooms. James and I worked on the spells for it and found all the passages. Pettigrew found a few of the passages, I loathe to admit it, but we did most of the work... The map shows where everyone is regardless of Invisibility cloaks and disguises."
"Any disguise? Even Polyjuice?" Anthony said, looking very impressed now.
"And Animagus forms," Sirius added.
"But what if someone goes by a different name?" Lucy said carefully.
"Doesn't matter," Sirius grinned.
Lucy felt faint hope stir within her, but she fought to keep it from blossoming into anything more. She was happy with her self-chosen identity... But sometimes she wondered. "So..." she began, somewhat awkwardly. "D'you think, well, I never knew my real surname— do you think it might be on the map?"
Sirius's smile faded. He gave Lucy a look laced with sympathy. "I'm sorry, Lucy, but I don't think so... We used the Homunculus Charm. It's accurate, but not all knowing. Whichever name shows up is who you know yourself to be; it was invented, in the first place, to combat Polyjuice Potions and other disguises. So if you never knew your name..." he trailed off.
Lucy shrugged, glad she hadn't gotten her hopes up too much. "I guess some things just have to remain mysteries," she said in an attempt to stay positive. It added to her reputation anyway. Rochester was a brilliant last name, she'd hate to ruin her life by finding out her last name was something awful like Warthog. "The map sounds brilliant, but we'll have to be a bit sneakier from now on."
"This area seems far enough away," Anthony said, gesturing to the tent. "I say we fix the tent up a bit more and place a disillusionment charm on it."
"But what if Aurors make their rounds and find it?" Lucy said. As Mallory told her many times, she should have a backup plan for everything, even her backup plans. "They know Sirius has been in the castle now... Er, sorry about that, mate."
"They would have found out any way. I reckon you gave me a head start," Sirius snorted. "Tell the Fat Lady I'm sorry, will you?"
"You can tell her yourself when we prove your innocence," Lucy grinned.
"EXTREME PICNICKING!" Anthony shouted all of a sudden. Lucy flinched, while Sirius jumped and dropped his cheeseburger. He ignored their incredulous looks and continued on, "That will be our excuse! It's the perfect alibi. We'll put up a sign that says 'Extreme Picnicking Spot'. If any Aurors find it, they'll bring it up with Dumbledore, and Dumbledore will know that it's us who've done it. And if Dumbledore tries to get us in trouble, I'll tell some sob story about how I was simply cheering up my traumatized little cub."
"Brilliant!" Lucy gave him a high five.
"That plan is so stupid it has to work," Sirius agreed with an impressed smile.
"That's what I told Harry when I broke into Dumbledore's office, but did he believe me? Noooo, he thought I was insane!" Lucy huffed.
"To be fair, cub, you did sort of use dark magic on the entire Great Hall..." Anthony trailed off.
"And it was awesome."
"Sorry, what?" Sirius blinked.
Lucy flashed him a smile. "I am dangerous and proud, my friend."
She really needed to straighten out her priorities, because while she felt guilty for a lot that happened last year, she maintained that robbing the headmaster's office had been one of her proudest moments. The sheer happiness she'd felt afterward, knowing her scheme had succeeded, she didn't think she'd felt that happy since she found out she was a witch. A proud smile played on her lips just thinking about it.
"I'm not disapproving, I'm intrigued!" the man defended. He ran a hand through his hair. "Now I might've been a Gryffindor, but I was unfortunately raised a Black. I know dark magic has its uses... As long as it's not abused, that is."
Lucy fully agreed. That was something Professor Quirrell preached to her, too. Magic was first and foremost a tool, and only when she had full control should she deign to use it as a toy. Unfortunately for the wizarding world, most dark wizards had gotten to the point where they liked using it as a toy.
"Ah— there is one thing I'd like," Sirius said all of a sudden. He straightened up and folded his hands. "I'd like to get a hold of my wand."
"Wouldn't they have snapped it?" Lucy asked.
He had a bitter look on his face. "Yeah, they did, and right in front of me for that matter, but my brother and I had practically the same wand. We used to swap on accident and wouldn't notice for weeks. When he died, his wand was put in the family vault." He sighed, "It's a hopeless idea."
Lucy stared at him, puzzled. "Why is it hopeless?"
"We'd have to get it from the vault," Sirius said, like it was obvious.
Her expression didn't change. "...And?"
He squinted at her and glanced at Anthony, expecting some sort of rebuttal from the younger boy, but Anthony was deep in thought "And I'm sort of the most wanted man in the country," he continued.
Lucy let a wicked grin spread across her face. "...And?"
"And it'd be awfully hard not to get caught," Sirius finished, but she could see his resolve fading. He had an incredulous smile. "You're not really suggesting we can get it?"
"I think you'll find that I can do anything," she said smugly.
"I think you'll find she's absolutely right," Anthony laughed. He reached over to Lucy's coat and stole one of her muggle pens, ignoring her protests. Then he grabbed a piece of parchment and started scribbling on it. It was a bit awkward because he was writing on his knee, but fortunately Lucy had the perfect spell for that.
"Scribilis," she said, pointing at the parchment. It straightened itself flat in the air. Anthony stared at her as though she had just performed a miracle. "Isn't Voldemort smart?" she said in a sweet voice.
"And handsome," Anthony winked.
"You both pain me," Sirius said.
Lucy and Anthony only snickered to themselves as Anthony continued to scrawl on the paper.
"If I remember anything from History of Magic, which isn't a lot, goblins have hated working with wizards for ages," Anthony said, making a few scribbles. "They have their own set of laws and even though they interact with us a lot, they don't have to follow our laws. They don't really care who's murdered thirteen muggles and who's murdered a hundred muggles, and considering what wizards have done to them, I don't blame them. So really, all we've got to do is get you into Gringotts without being seen, and the goblins will have business as usual."
"Let's do it, let's do it, let's do it!" Lucy was bouncing up and down with excitement, bringing amused looks from the other two. "We'll get Sirius a wand, cause some chaos, we can do Christmas shopping, let's do it!"
"We're doing it!" Anthony beamed.
Lucy was beginning to realize that the three of them were possibly the most disastrous combination of people to be working together, but this thought only made her more excited for the future. They had Sirius Black, a man who spent twelve years in Azkaban and who was the best friend of notorious prankster James Potter. Then they had Anthony Rickett, a brilliant madman who traced Tom Riddle to Salazar Slytherin. And then they had Lucy Rochester, who accidentally befriended Lord Voldemort two times and lived to tell the tale.
She noticed Sirius was a little hesitant on letting them help, and she could understand that sentiment. She always felt guilty when her friends went out of their way to help her, let alone two random kids helping him escape law enforcement. It was probably very difficult for Sirius to reveal himself in the first place. Lucy couldn't help but feel a little honored that he trusted her out of all people not to kill him on the spot, even though she had been very close to doing just that.
She forced herself to stop bouncing and she gave Sirius a smile. "We'll be careful, of course, but I think this is a good plan. All wizards need a wand, and while we're in Diagon Alley we might be able to find something else that could help us."
"Or someone," Anthony said, waggling his eyebrows.
Lucy threw a small handful of snow at him. He gave her a very displeased look.
Sirius laughed. "Why do I have the feeling that by the end of all this, we'll all be arrested for more crimes than I really committed?"
Lucy smiled innocently and folded her hands in her lap. "Because, Sirius Black, that's just the Hufflepuff way."
After their picnic had finished, they managed to stop goofing around in order to work more on the campsite. Aside from wanting to give the man a better place to spend his nights, Lucy enjoyed the chance to apply her magic in a more meaningful way. At Hogwarts, all she could really use magic for was her classes and playing pranks, one of which only got her into trouble.
Anthony cast a few disillusionment charms on the tent and around the clearing, and after he finished, he handed Sirius his wand so the older man could properly transfigure everything. Despite twelve years in Azkaban, Sirius transfigured the shabby tent into a bigger one with a lazy wave of his wand. After that, Lucy began the arduous task of placing an extension charm on the inside.
The extension charm was not an easy spell to cast, but Lucy had used it several times over the past year. She applied it to her friends' book bags and trunks, and over time it became easier to use. However, the tent was bigger than anything she'd tried before, and so she was taking her time. Anthony left to get more materials, leaving Sirius and Lucy alone in the clearing.
She had an easier time extending the tent because she could see the changes happening before her eyes, but it was slow work nonetheless, and she could only extend in one direction at a time. She sat criss-crossed inside the tent watching the inside of the tent slowly extend away from her. Sirius was also watching, interested.
"About yesterday..." Sirius said after a few minutes of silence. Lucy spared him a glance. He grimaced and went on, "I'm sorry. I should have been more delicate in my approach."
The corner of her lip turned downward as she remembered how she lost it. She was never a subdued person, but she was always embarrassed whenever her temper got the better of her. If it wasn't for that one last string that kept her from snapping, she didn't know what she might have done. All she could feel was pulsing, red hot rage in her mind. She was very glad she hadn't cursed Sirius. Who knows what spell she might have used?
"Well, you are a Gryffindor," she said, and she spared him a grin before returning to her work. "Don't worry about it. But what made you change your mind?"
"The Dementors," Sirius said. His gaze darkened. "I'm Harry's Godfather. I was meant to protect him when Lily and James couldn't. I shouldn't have gone to Azkaban, Lucy, I should've raised him, I should've been there to keep him safe from— from—" he struggled to find the correct word.
"Possessed professors?" she suggested.
"Yes! And ghost Voldemorts, and traitorous rats. He could've died from those Dementors without any family to comfort him. I knew I had to do something after the Dementors, and out of everything I thought would believe me..." He shot Lucy a genuine grin. "I figured it'd be one of the only people who cares about Harry as much as I do."
She couldn't look away from her charmwork, but she still beamed. By the time this year was over, Harry would finally be able to live with someone who cared about him. She met his aunt only once and she saw through the woman's sickly sweet demeanor in an instant. The house was clean and expensive, yet Harry's glasses had been taped over again, and he had clothes way too big for him. She had to get to know Sirius better but from only a day, she could see how far he was willing to go for Harry.
"Are they handing out awesome Godfathers in Azkaban?" she joked. "'Cause I think I'd like one."
He fought a grin, keeping his expression serious. "Well, I had a variety of neighbors. Who are you looking for? I'd advise against either of the Lestrange brothers, they're bloody annoying."
"So am I, so that might work out!"
"Old Rabastan was a nice enough neighbor, y'know, if you could look past his disgusting crimes, but whenever we tried to swap lunches, Bellatrix lost her bloody mind. We played Rock, Paper, Scissors a few times though."
Lucy laughed so hard she almost completely lost control of her spell. "Did— did you really?"
"Marauder's honor!" he said, holding a hand up. "'Course, he couldn't tell a rock apart from a man, let alone a blood traitor from a Death Eater, so he might not have known who he was talking with. Rodolphus was the same."
She pretended to weigh her options. "Can either of them turn into a dog?"
"I'm afraid not..."
"Then they are worthless!" she said dramatically. "I guess I can't have a cool criminal Godfather after all."
"At least you'll have a cool criminal accomplice!"
"I already had one of those! His name was Quirrell!" she said with a bright smile. He was a rather good accomplice, all things considered. He only knocked her out once, so that ranked him above Tom in terms of being a responsible pal.
Sirius, however, was outraged that someone ranked above him. "The possessed professor?" he demanded.
"Well, I can't fault him for being possessed anymore, seeing as I followed in his footsteps," she said. Any of her other friends would have winced, but Sirius only burst out laughing. For once, she felt like laughing, too.
She snickered, "Thankfully not too closely, because then Harry would have burnt my face off." She pointed a finger at Sirius, "But don't mention that to him. He'll feel bad."
"Noted," Sirius said. "You know him well, then?"
"We're best mates," Lucy said proudly. That statement was one of the only things she knew to be one hundred percent, without a doubt true. Ron and Hermione were their best friends, too, but she and Harry were friends first. "We've been friends since we met at Diagon Alley. We do everything together!" She paused. "Well, except this. But everything else!"
"James and I were the same," Sirius said, just as proudly. "We met on the Hogwarts Express, spent the entire train ride together with just the two of us. We met Remus on the boat, he was surprisingly calm when we tipped it over."
Lucy listened intently as Sirius told her all about his friendship with Remus and James. She was surprised that her calm, mild-mannered professor had ever been that much of a troublemaker. He was the one who dared Harry's dad to stick McGonagall's shoes to the floor in the first place, and it was him who suggested making the Marauder's Map to help them get away with their pranks. She found his stories all quite thrilling; it made her want to run and perform some pranks with Harry that instant.
Sirius didn't mention Pettigrew at all, but she suspected he was involved in all the schemes he was telling her about. She couldn't imagine what sort of anger he must feel for Peter Pettigrew. She couldn't imagine Ron, Harry, or Hermione ever betraying one another in that sort of way. She'd trust each and every one of them to be her Secret Keeper. That was what James Potter must have felt when he agreed to switch to Peter Pettigrew.
However, the shadow of Pettigrew's betrayal could not overwhelm the jovial stories Sirius Black had to share. By the time Anthony returned with more supplies, Lucy and Sirius had tears of laughter in their eyes.
"— and we had to scrub old Slughorn's floors for ages after that, but it still didn't take away any of the glitter," Sirius finished, laughing through his sentence.
Anthony looked between the two with a teasing smile on his face. "Glad to see the two of you are hard at work."
"I am working," Lucy said, and she turned back to her extension charm— only to see that she made the tent ten feet longer than she intended. She pursed her lips. "I meant to do that." She changed directions and began extending the width of the tent instead. "I read about that prank, Sirius, but I didn't know they couldn't fix it!'
"You read about it?" Sirius said.
"I gave those records to Harry," she informed him. "You have your own cabinet."
Sirius had a smug look on his face.
"But so do I," Lucy added. "I'm slipping up, though. I should get more, but Remus never gives me detention," she sighed. The one time he did, he revoked it later that same day. "It's hard being his favorite," she sighed once again.
"Such is the life for the beautiful," Anthony nodded.
They spent the rest of the morning chatting, and to everyone's surprise, they continued into the evening. Whenever they managed to finish a certain task on the tent, one of them would make a joke and they'd get sidetracked with another half hour of stories and jokes before they continued on. It was slow work, but Lucy couldn't remember the last time she'd laughed so hard, and she was willing to wager that Sirius felt the same.
The tent was finished at last. Sirius was beside himself with excitement. He used Anthony's wand to transform most of the interior. The walls were a scarlet red with the same gold pattern she saw inside the Gryffindor common room. The ground beneath them was soft, thanks to Lucy's cushioning charm, and Anthony had stolen blankets and pillows from not the Hufflepuff common room, but the Ravenclaw one. She wasn't surprised that he managed to enter since Anthony was one of the smartest people she knew.
Sirius made the finishing touches, transfiguring them a small coffee table from a nearby tree that Lucy had been overjoyed to cut down, and by the time they finished, they truly had headquarters worthy enough for their cause.
"It's so beautiful," Anthony sniffed, wiping a tear from his eye.
"It's like our child," Lucy whispered.
"Our blood," Sirius added, just as entranced.
They stared at the tent for at least five minutes, utterly silent.
Then Lucy sneezed and ruined the moment.
"Ah, I guess we'd better head back," Anthony said, eyeing Lucy's red nose. He smiled at Sirius and said, "Today was nice, Sirius. I'm glad to see you really are a good bloke, after all!"
"Thank you! I knew the pair of you were smart, but I didn't know you knew that much magic." Sirius was genuinely impressed as he once again looked over the campsite.
Anthony had to pull a reluctant Lucy to the castle. She'd been unsure at first, but Sirius was awesome. He was cool and funny, and he had loads of stories to tell— from an entire day of talking she'd only heard barely half of his first year at Hogwarts. They shared the same wicked sense of humor, and when she made a joke about Lord Voldemort or any Death Eaters, he didn't stare or scold her like most people did, he laughed right along with her.
She was glad Anthony made her leave though, because when Anthony checked his watch, they only had an hour until curfew. Halfway through their path through the Forbidden Forest, she convinced Anthony to give her a piggyback ride. But only because she promised to give him one tomorrow.
They only made it through a few corridors before they ran into the first professor they'd seen all day. Thankfully, it was Professor Lupin, and he only cast them an amused glance when he saw Lucy on Anthony's back.
"Hey, Remus!" she said brightly.
"Evening, Professor," Anthony said casually. They both had bits of leaves in their hair and their cheeks were flushed from all the time they spent outside.
Remus studied their appearances and held back a smile. "Hello, Lucy, Anthony," he greeted. "I see you've had an adventure today. I think Professor Dumbledore called it an 'extreme picnic?'"
"Very extreme," Anthony nodded his head.
"The most extreme," Lucy continued.
"I can see that," Remus chuckled. "Your friends were looking for you earlier, they seemed a bit worried."
Oops. Lucy and Anthony shared a glance. They'd been gone for a little longer than intended.
"I suppose I'd better soothe their worried souls," Lucy said, and she made a dramatic leap off Anthony's back. "I'm going to their common room. Want to come, Mother?"
Remus had absolutely no idea who she was referring to with that statement, but Anthony only groaned and shook his head. "You have fun with that one, cub, I'm going to sleep."
She nodded, feeling just as tired as him. She shot him a salute as he left, and Remus was kind enough to overlook that she was entering another House's common room.
Sir Cadogan replaced the Fat Lady for the time being as the Gryffindor's portrait defender. She supposed Sirius must have been awfully frightening if Sir Cadogan was their last resort. The moment she stepped in front of the portrait, Sir Cadogan brandished his sword at her.
"Agh! My worst enemy, my most fiendish foe!" His armor clanked as he made a series of complex swings, none of which were cool.
Unfortunately for her, Sir Cadogan was as stubborn as the Fat Lady, and she had no idea what the Gryffindor password was. "Sir Cadogan, I regretfully must inform you that I surrender entirely," she said gravely.
Sir Cadogan paused mid-swing. "Surrender, you say?"
"You're just... too terrifying! I want to give you my entire kingdom and all my horses... But first, I'll need to retrieve my Epic Hufflepuff Sword from that common room." She pointed at the portrait. She really didn't expect it to work, but to her surprise, the common room door swung open. She was very excited before she registered Hermione standing in the doorway with a funny expression on her face.
"I heard Sir Cadogan yelling," Hermione explained, shuddering. "Never a good sign."
"Ah. Well, in that case," Lucy looked at Sir Cadogan and bit her thumb at him. The knight let out a huge, drawn out gasp. "My scheme worked! I shall defeat you yet, scurvy knight!"
"BACK, YOU BRAGGART!"
Lucy cheerfully ignored him and stepped into the Gryffindor common room. Sure enough, she heard his muffled shouts after the portrait swung closed behind her.
Inside the common room, which was remarkably similar to the tent, the three Gryffindors occupied the couches. She was most surprised to see Ron reading for once, and more surprised that he was reading out of a huge stack of books at the floor beneath them. He glanced up from his book at Lucy and threw it aside instantly.
"Luce! Where have you been?" He said, more confused than outraged. "I thought you were going to meet us in the library!"
"Anthony and I got a bit... sidetracked," she admitted. All three of them stared at her. "As in, we got lost in the Forbidden Forest."
"What!" Hermione gaped at her.
"Without me?" Harry demanded.
For once, Lucy did not feel ashamed for deceiving them, because she knew it was for a good cause. She shot them all a wide grin and then sank into the couch between Harry and Ron. "So what have you researched so far?"
She listened intently as they recounted all the cases they looked at. Most of them would not help Hagrid's case, but there were a few that had some merit. She was overall impressed that Ron and Harry decided to dedicate an entire day to researching. She was more impressed by Ron than anything, and she made sure to tell him so. Ron only shot her a smile and they shared a high-five.
Now that she arrived, nobody felt like researching anymore. Hermione didn't need much convincing for them to orchestrate a sleepover in the Gryffindor common room. Lucy pushed all the couches together, and they sat huddled inside it in front of the fire. At Hermione's insistence, theywere sort of skimming some of the books, but nobody was taking it very seriously.
"We should pull a prank," Lucy said suddenly, thinking of all the stories she heard today.
"A prank?" Harry raised his eyebrows.
"I think you've been spending too much time around Anthony Rickett," Ron snorted.
"You can never spend too much time around Anthony Rickett, but that is beside the point, dear Ron. I mean it. We should pull a prank! We did brilliant with the last scheme, remember?" She gave Hermione a pointed glance, remembering how the bookworm had been entirely on board with breaking into Dumbledore's office. "Let's do another one. But more innocent this time!" she added at Hermione's reproachful stare. "Something nice. Like, a blizzard in the Great Hall! Wouldn't that be cool?"
"I've never pulled a proper prank before. How would we do that?" Ron asked doubtfully.
"An advanced Snowfall Spell would do the trick," Hermione said automatically. She kicked herself as Lucy shot her a wicked smile. "But it doesn't mean we should perform it! There's enough trouble going on this year, don't you think?"
"A little snow isn't going to hurt anyone," Lucy argued. "It'd be fun! Think of all the first years who are too scared to go outside because of the Dementors." For a split second, Hermione looked tempted, while Harry and Ron were unconvinced. "And think of Snape's expression when his breakfast is full of snow."
"Right, I'm in," Harry said firmly.
"Harry!" Hermione groaned.
"Well, if Harry's in, then I'm in," Ron added. His eyes glazed over wistfully like they always did when he imagined Snape suffering. "I've been meaning to get him back for making me scrub bedpans..."
"The majority have spoken!" Lucy leaned closer to Hermione, a smirk on her face. "Come on, Hermione. I'll take the fall if anything goes wrong. And I'm not doing the prank without you... Matilda."
"You didn't," Hermione gasped. "That's not fair, Lucy!"
"Lucy?" she quirked an eyebrow.
Hermione glowered at her, but she couldn't help the pleased smile spreading across her face. "Well... if you promise I won't get in trouble, Jane."
Lucy beamed at her.
Ron and Harry were both very confused.
Now that Hermione was on board, they delved further into their new prank. Lucy was surprised she convinced them at all. Her friends broke the rules loads of times, but it was always for some sort of cause, never for a bit of harmless fun like now. She found herself growing excited as Hermione scrawled notes on a piece of parchment.
"What if we make it so the snow doesn't melt?" Harry suggested. He and Ron were hitting each other with pillows while Lucy and Hermione sat with the parchment.
"Yeah, I'd like to lob a snowball at Malfoy's head," Ron grinned.
"Make.. snow... sticky and unmelting..." Hermione muttered, jotting it down.
"And what if they have random effects?" Lucy added. "Nothing bad," she said hastily, "But what if some of them make you levitate, say, two inches or so, and another turns your hair blue?"
Hermione didn't outwardly agree with her, but she wrote it down anyway.
Lucy opened her mouth to make another suggestion, but something moving under the blankets caught her attention. She narrowed her eyes as Scabbers the rat poked his head out from under the blanket. Absently, Ron reached into his pocket and tossed half of a rat treat toward him. Pettigrew took the treat into his paws, his paws that were missing one thumb, and devoured it instantly.
Out of curiosity, she reached toward Scabbers and held the rat in her hands. She stared at him, thinking. How easy it would be to squeeze Pettigrew right now until his neck snapped. How she could stomp the light out of his eyes. Unconsciously, her grip tightened around him, and Pettigrew's beady little eyes flickered over to her. She caught his gaze.
She couldn't help but use a little Legilimency. Not a lot, of course, but enough sense what this scum is thinking about.
She sensed fear.
Lucy let a smile pull at her lips, and she loosened her grip, petting the rat more gently. She felt his nerves ebb away.
Good.
She wanted him to trust her, like Harry's parents trusted him.
"You like Scabbers, then?" Ron asked, pleased that someone did.
"Yeah," Lucy said, still smiling. "He's growing on me."