Welcome to the Madness

The Rolls Royces rolled down the street, in the direction of the airport, for a good fifteen minutes or so. Phipps' limousine trailed behind Fobbs', where Mr. Hammond rode shotgun, too busy to notice much of what was going on in the back.

Tim and Lex huddled underneath Harry's left and right arms respectively, while Sirius had taken the seat across from them. But that only slightly took away from Harry's feeling that this was the coziest ride of the whole trip.

The real center of attention during the moment was Hedwig in her cage, resting upon Harry's lap. He spent the whole journey explaining the Wizarding World's use of owls, while the others stroked Hedwig all the way from her head to her talons.

But one of them pulled back with beak marks on his fingers, having set Hedwig off when he plucked her tail feathers.

"Wow, she's beautiful," Lex whispered as Hedwig gently nibbled her fingertips.

"Thanks," Harry replied. "She likes you too."

"Pity I can't say the same," Sirius griped, squeezing his index finger. "Especially since my family's owls all bite."

"You can pet her all you'd like," Harry teased him. "Hedwig was my birthday present two years ago."

"Is that so?" queried Sirius, raising an eyebrow.

"Hagrid bought her for me," Harry continued, shrugging. "He didn't have to, but he did."

"That's sweet," Lex noted, offering Harry a look of sympathy.

"While we're on that subject," Sirius interrupted. "Need I recall that you've got another birthday coming at the end of the month, eh?"

He ruffled Harry's hair, who bashfully shook it out after sliding over a bit. Harry bumped into Tim, who grinned back looking like he'd gotten a few ideas.

"We should do something special for your birthday, Harry," Lex suggested.

"No thank you," Harry nervously insisted. "All this was more than enough for a present."

"What?!" Tim scoffed. "Running around, getting nearly torn apart by… Hey!"

"Try not to peep too early, huh Timmy?" Lex teased, whacking his knee with her baseball cap.

She slipped herself back under Harry's arm, locking dewy eyes with his.

"I'm gonna talk to Grandpa about it," Lex promised. "It'll be better than anything that happened this weekend!"

Despite the look in her eyes, Harry couldn't understand why she was smiling at the same time. He'd never recalled it from Hermione, Mrs. Weasley, or even Professor McGonagall. This was perhaps the first time he'd ever experienced tears of joy from anyone.

"It most certainly will," Sirius agreed, teasingly and self-importantly. "So long as I'm around."

"We'll show you guys the whole city this summer!" Tim exclaimed. "We'll do it all! The Museum of Natural History, the Bronx Zoo…"

"Coney Island and Shea Stadium…" Lex finished, swatting her brother's knee again.

Harry couldn't help but notice how Lex proudly placed her cap back on her head at the mention of Shea Stadium. He wondered who played there and which sport, but this was a side of Lex he was beginning to find interesting.

After another minute or two, the limousine had stopped, and their door opened.

Stretching his neck out, Harry noticed they'd arrived back at the airport, before he was tackled to his seat by a head of bushy brown curls.

"Don't forget to write?" Hermione requested.

"I'll do much better this time, I'll call," Harry laughed. "Do you reckon Mr. Weasley keeps a telephone in that junky shed of his?"

"Honestly, how would he plan on teaching Ron to use it?" Hermione attested, pulling him back up.

"He'd have probably tried calling me before," Harry suggested. "Except yelling into the end… That would've sent Uncle Vernon spinning."

"Or my parents," Hermione giggled. "But I wouldn't have told them what he was asking about, most likely homework…"

She was cut off by someone leaning above her right shoulder, poking their head over. Yet even Hermione didn't need three guesses as to who it was.

"It's time to go check in, darling," Jane interrupted.

"I expect my daughter's told you where we live, Harry," Paul added. "So, if you ever need us again, just give us a ring."

"Thank you, sir," Harry exhaled.

Paul reached into his pocket and tossed Harry a small card. He patted him on the back while Jane bent down and kissed him on the forehead. Harry resisted the urge to place his hand there as Hermione flung her arms around his neck.

"I'll be waiting on the first of September," she reminded him. "And this time, I expect to see you and Ron on the Hogwarts Express… promptly."

"We will be," Harry promised.

Hermione planted a quick kiss on Harry's other cheek before letting him go and climbing out of the limousine.

"See you, Harry," she finished.

He gave her a quick wave in return, which she reciprocated and gave to Sirius before joining her parents at the check-in desk.

Harry never forgot how Hermione gave him his first hug the year before. It surely wouldn't be the last either, but this was the first instance he could recall ever being kissed. Somehow, it felt slightly different from his first hug, but Harry quickly shrugged it off.

After all, neither of those were anything like waking up with Lex's head on his shoulder.

Harry watched Hermione entered the airport terminal with her parents, giving goodbyes to Phipps, Fobbs, and Mr. Hammond. He offered her one last friendly grin before stuffing Mr. Granger's card into his own pocket.

When the doors closed, Hammond presented the group with a hesitant grin from the front seat.

"It's not much longer to our terminal," He promised.

"I'm in no hurry to go anywhere," Sirius dismissed cheekily. "Are you, Harry? What about your new girlfriend? She gets all your attention, does she?"

Harry stiffened a little at the use of the word girlfriend.

It was certainly a step forward from what came out of Sirius yesterday. But Lex had the sort of face wives usually have when their husbands have been away for a while.

"She's not coming with us?" Lex queried with a hint of urgency.

"Apparently not," Harry denied. "If I know Hermione, she'll probably say she's busy all summer."

"Okay," Lex shrugged.

She paused, but kept her head up, clearly pondering what to say next. Harry had seen Hermione bite her lower lip in situations like these. But it impressed him that Lex seemed much cooler in the moment.

Harry decided to help her try and find an icebreaker, so he darted his eyes around several times. He landed on the floor, where he noticed another small envelope laying upon the dark green carpeting.

Harry picked the letter up, fingering it tenderly, since it was sealed with another Hogwarts crest in maroon wax.

Sirius leaned in for a closer look as Harry flipped the envelope over. Written upon the other side was a strangely more specific address than what usually came on his letters;

Mr. Harry Potter

Room 7

Hotel Doña Inés

Calle 11

San José

"What do you reckon that could be for?" requested Sirius.

"I thought you'd have known," Harry suggested. "Dumbledore brought you here."

"There are tricks up that old geezer's sleeve even I end up missing," Sirius insisted, shaking his head. "Too many, in fact, one could go mad from it all…"

"Well, it's far too early for Hogwarts letters," Harry noted. "Unless it's some notice for underage magic…"

Harry flipped the envelope a few more times before remembering he had the answer right in front of him. But as he begun to peel the seal, he received a tug at both of his sleeves and curious glances on either side of him.

"Underage magic?" Lex requested.

"It's the law," Harry explained. "I'm not supposed to use magic outside school…"

"Not until seventeen," Sirius grumbled.

"That's a dumb rule," Tim scoffed.

"It's the only real gripe I had when I was a student…" Sirius grumbled. "Besides first years not being allowed their own broomsticks… have you performed any magic at all this weekend?"

"I don't think so," Harry confirmed. "I can't imagine what else could be wrong…"

Harry was about to open the letter again, when he noticed the scenery changing outside the window.

For as far as he'd seen, they had passed a series of long terminal buildings, with palm trees lining the four-lane roadway they drove in. Also towering above them were overpass roadways and signs that pointed out the terminals for each airline.

Once the drive began to slow, they pulled up to a smaller-looking building with a revolving door entrance and many more palm trees surrounding the area.

"This is it," Hammond's voice alerted the group.

"It's smaller than I expected," Harry noted.

"It's a private terminal," Hammond explained. "You didn't assume a private jet would leave from a public airport, did you?"

"I guess not," Harry shrugged, stuffing the envelope into his own pocket.

His door propped open on Phipps, who stood on the pavement carrying Harry's duffel and the Murphy children's rucksacks, bearing a small, but playful grin.

"Mr. Potter, I'd catch this if I were you," Phipps suggested.

Harry thanked Merlin for his seekers' reflexes as Phipps tossed him each bag, expertly catching them between his fingers. As he handed Lex and Tim their respective bags, they and Sirius stared back at him like his friends had done after their first flying lesson.

"Great catch, Harry," Tim complimented.

"Thanks," Harry replied.

"Do you play anything at your school?" Lex asked. "I mean… do they have sports teams there?"

"I'm glad you asked," Harry answered. "As a matter of fact, we do. There's only one I know about, but I play it…"

As they slung their bags over their shoulders, Sirius grabbed Harry's arm, pulling him onto the street, and leaning into his ear.

"Not talking about what I think you're talking about, are you Harry?" suggested Sirius.

"I don't know…" Harry puzzled. "Would it have something to do with… Q-U-I-D-D-I-T-C-H?"

"Just like your dad," Sirius chuckled, ruffling his hair. "We could read each other like books, him and I."

"Should we tell them about it?" Harry suggested, gesturing back to a still expectant Lex and Tim.

"Perhaps it's best if we wait until we get to where we're going," Sirius suggested. "I've got quite a few stories from my days at Hogwarts, and I reckon you've got as well, Harry?"

"Maybe a few," Harry shrugged, rolling his eyes rightward.

"Let's see if they've got anything on ours, eh?" Sirius betted.

"Trust me, we will see about that," Harry softly assured him.

He seized Hedwig's cage from the Rolls Royce as Sirius pressed a finger against his spine, gently poking him onto the pavement. Yet Harry couldn't help but fidget at being poked someplace he wasn't used to.

"Hey, what's that for?" Harry whined.

"Save the whining for later, Prongslet, you're making us lag," Sirius chuckled, clicking his tongue.

"I'm not whining…" Harry grumbled.

He wasn't sure why Sirius called him 'Prongslet', but he was trying his hardest not to pout.

Behind them, Mr. Hammond pulled his grandchildren out of the Rolls Royce, carrying a black case under his arm.

Harry suspected it was just more of Hammond's baggage. He and the others passed through the revolving door, into the terminal building, which was just as minuscule on the inside.

There appeared to be no security checkpoints or scanners anywhere. In fact, there was only one check in desk waiting before them.

"Customs check, everyone!" Hammond called out, waving three small, blue bound passports in the air.

He ushered the group towards the desk, where two female clerks were waiting with stampers at the ready. Hammond laid the three blue passports down, opening each one to reveal a photograph of himself, then Lex, and lastly Tim.

Harry remembered the tiny amount of dread he felt going through customs before. But after laying his passport down, with its crude photograph out, the feeling disappeared.

He saw Sirius pull a matching maroon British passport, complete with a recent-looking photograph of himself against a pure white background.

Before Harry could ask about where and how Sirius got it, Hammond waved at the clerks, whispering something he didn't hear. Hammond pulled another brick mobile phone from the case, and it was evident who he was about to call.

"There's a lounge area just past this desk," Hammond informed the group. "Go on, have a seat while I call the jet in…"

"Don't mind if we do," Sirius accepted, cheekily clicking his tongue. "But what was Tim going on about before… oh yes."

He reached into his pocket again and unzipped Harry's duffel, dropping in the tiny motorcycle and sidecar.

"I trust you'll guard that bad boy with your life, eh Harry?" Sirius finished.

"Too right I will," Harry replied as Lex's hand clasped around his.

He led her and Tim into the lounge area, which contained two sofas and three chairs, complete with a bar all finished in rattan bamboo. Light poured through a viewing window and a set of the double doors out to the tarmac.

Harry comfortably seated himself, Lex, and Tim on the sofa, setting Hedwig's cage down as the midday sun shined upon their faces. He thought maybe he'd ask Sirius about his passport now, but Sirius remained standing. He leaned forward, shielding his eyes, and twisting around like he was looking for something.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked.

"If I'm not mistaken," Sirius muttered, "Then, Dumbledore's little dispatch should be arriving in three… two… one…"

The tarmac doors opened as a long, white sign levitated before the group, reading PRONGSLET & PADFOOT.

To Harry, the names were odd enough, but the mere sight of a floating sign brought out a couple of whimpers from Harry's left. Lex and Tim pulled themselves closer to him, eyeing him with fright, like he'd suddenly turned into the T-Rex.

"You both look like you've seen a ghost," he teased.

"Well, it wasn't a ghost driving our tour car, was it?" Tim retorted.

"Is that really a ghost or can you just turn invisible?" Lex queried.

"Maybe one, maybe the other," Harry implied. "I'm just as surprised as you are right now..."

He turned back to Sirius for an answer, but his godfather was waving frantically at the sign, jumping up and down like an excited child, not quite school-age yet.

"Over here, Moony!" Sirius cried.

Even stranger was that the sign flipped over, this time reading, Right on the money, Padfoot!

A light pop filled the room, not loud enough to create an echo, as the sign all but vanished and in its place stood two new figures, which Harry hadn't seen yet;

Remus Lupin on the left, with his swept back, Wolverine-like brown hair, and Nymphadora Tonks on the right, with her spiky, bubblegum pink bob.

Harry was accustomed to finding people in top hats and capes in the most inopportune locations. Yet these two were dressed only a touch less bizarrely than anyone else he'd seen in the Wizarding World.

As they came over, Lex and Tim were also staring up and down at these two newcomers, waiting for an explanation.

Unfortunately for them, Harry could only manage as few words as possible.

"Friend of yours… Padfoot?" Harry queried.

"Correction… friend of your father's too," Sirius reiterated.

Harry felt an eagerness rise in him, since he finally felt he had full permission to ask about his parents. He wasn't sure where to begin, but Sirius must have sensed this, since he placed his hand into Lupin's.

"Remus Lupin, known to his mates as Moony," he introduced, looking quite thrilled to see Harry. "I'll also be your Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher this year."

Harry accepted the firm but gentle handshake as some of the oddness fell away, but maintained eye contact, still fixated on the nickname.

"A pleasure, Moony…" Harry murmured. "Whatever that's about."

"I should have known you wouldn't remember," Lupin sighed, letting his head fall. "We haven't seen each other or gone by those names since you were a baby."

"It was a little thing between the two of us and your father…" Sirius added.

Before he could explain any further, the third member of their party cleared her throat, and stuck in her hand, cutely waving her long fingers.

"Aren't you forgetting somebody else?" Tonks requested.

"My cousin, Nymphadora Tonks," Sirius answered. "Watch what you call her, it seems she'd rather go by any other name..."

"Wotcher Harry," Tonks greeted with a wink. "Don't forget what Sirius told just you… you might find it'll save your scrawny little arse one day."

Harry took her hand as well, but he focused much closer on her eyes, which seemed to be a dark violet at first, but now appeared to be the same green as his when she winked.

Tonks hissed back at her elder cousin like an angered alley cat, stopping as Lupin placed a hand upon her shoulder.

"I reckon it's going to be quite a while before our plane shows up," He speculated. "So why don't we all have a seat and get to know each other?"

"That sounds about right," Harry agreed, before nodding back at Lex and Tim. "We've got plenty of time, haven't we guys?"

"Sure," Tim mumbled, still looking more slack-jawed than Harry.

"Lots of time," Lex gasped with the same expression as her brother.

Harry placed his hands below Lex and Tim's chins to stop their nodding. Sirius, Lupin, and Tonks each pulled up a chair, bearing enthusiastic grin, though Lupin's seemed a tad more reserved.

"Ask and you shall receive, Harry," Lupin beckoned.

"First, how did you know my father, Mr. Lupin?" Harry asked. "Second, what Tonks have to do with any of this? And third, why did Dumbledore send both of you?"

"First, we were all mates in the same year," Lupin explained.

"Us and the rat Pettigrew," Sirius gritted, double taking, and leaning into Harry's ear. "We all had a little going together, until the rat betrayed us, and everything happened that I told you about last night."

"What kind of going?" Harry whispered, his curiosity piquing from his godfather's secrecy.

"We found that's best kept secret for most people," Sirius snickered, pulling away. "But we'll tell you more about that later, that was always our plan, wasn't it Moony?"

He tried elbowing Lupin in the side but received a jab to the ulnar from his friend instead. Tonks, meanwhile, seized Lupin's arms, looking like she too was missing something.

She cocked her head towards, Harry, who noticed her hair seemed to lighten in the sun from bubblegum pink to a flaming Weasley red.

Harry wasn't sure whether he was seeing things or not, but Lex and Tim poked their heads over, narrowing their eyes towards him.

"What did he say, Harry?" Lex queried.

"Later, Lex," Harry muttered, "And whatever she did, add that to the questions list…"

"Well, that just so brings us to your second question, doesn't it?" Tonks interrupted, clicking her tongue. "You're wondering how I manage to go from that to this…"

Harry froze for a bit, disbelieving yet also impressed that Tonks could have heard what he'd just said. Somehow, she knew since her nose and mouth were changing before their eyes into that of a cow's muzzle, naturally letting out a moo.

He was no longer stiff, since he felt his neck grasped tight enough to put Mrs. Weasley to shame. He expected the Murphy children to be in a much worse state, but to his surprise, Lex had thrown one arm around Harry, the other around Tim.

Instead of whimpering, they were on the edge of their seats, sputtering with laughter, which even Harry couldn't resist joining in on.

"I'm a Metamorphagus…" Tonks conceded, switching her face back. "I can change my appearance at will… and no, you can't learn it, you've got to be born with it… it's not a common gift and I've been asked that question too many times."

"Sorry," Harry exhaled, finally releasing himself.

He was still shocked and amazed at what Tonks could do, but even more so at how expected him to ask those questions.

"I get that all the time… for too many reasons," Harry gently assured her. "But what did Dumbledore need a… metamorphagus for?"

"The same reason he needed your godfather," Sirius interjected, puckering his lips. "And Moony too… you've got your godfather, your godfather's got his only surviving best friend, and his dear baby cousin all grown up and taking care of herself… A real family affair, isn't it?"

"I suppose," Harry mused, although that was besides his point.

"But honestly, you never know what a metamorphagus can do for you on a secret mission like this," Tonks clarified, switching her hair to a mousy brown shag.

"Now that's something I should know about," Harry agreed. "Believe me, I have a best friend who showed me that for the last two years…"

"Oh?" Tonks whistled, raising a thickening eyebrow. "And is she a metamorphagus too?"

"Well… no, not really," Harry blushed. "She's a muggleborn, but you know what I mean!"

"I suspect all of this will answer your third question as well," Lupin interrupted.

He placed an arm around Tonks' shoulder, who curled underneath it with a dopey grin. Harry also noticed she switched her dark violet eyes to a crystal blue, flashing them in the direction of Lupin's focus.

"Dumbledore sent us both to watch over you for the rest of the summer," Lupin exhaled, trying to look away. "You'll be without the protective wards from your relatives' home… I assume he's told you of them already?"

"Yeah…" Harry nodded.

"He might have had you home with your friends, the Weasleys, this summer," Lupin continued. "But it seemed to make sense to have you far enough away before the next school term. Hogwarts is, after all…"

"The safest wizarding place in Britain, I know," Harry replied, releasing the air from his upper half.

"Does that answer all of your questions, Harry?" Sirius queried with a hopeful grin.

"Almost…" Harry murmured. "Exactly how do you plan on telling Mr. Hammond about all of this?"

"I don't think they're who you need to ask, Harry," interrupted Lex.

At the sound of her voice, Harry mentally berated himself for nearly forgetting about her and Tim. Just in time, Tim grabbed his arm and motioned two his sister who was thumbing over the sofa arm.

Behind them, Dr. Grant, Dr. Sattler, Dr. Malcolm, and Mr. Hammond had all caught up to the whole scene. Grant tipped his hat to them, Sattler covered up a laugh, and Malcolm smiled and shook his head.

"I'm sorry," Harry choked. "I reckon you heard all that…"

"Yeah," Grant confirmed, just like the other night in the Ford Explorer.

"No need to explain," Hammond sighed without even a hint of a smile. "I'd discussed this whole arrangement with Dumbledore last night during your treatment. But I assume that's not all there is to this?"

"No," Harry shook his head, motioning towards a still-toothy Sirius. "But if you haven't heard, someone here says we should wait for the rest."

"You'll have to excuse him," Hammond suggested, cautiously nodding. "Because, by the way, everyone, our flight aboard InGen Gulfstream IV will be boarding any minute now..."

He pointed out the tarmac window, where a red pushback tug was wheeling in the plane in question. On its tail was the familiar InGen logo Harry had seen on Hammond's letters and the Sikorsky helicopters.

As it came to a complete stop, the stair door to the plane propped open, lowering itself to the tarmac.

"Well then, let's not keep standing around," Sirius suggested. "As an older friend of ours says, 'Let's get aboard and make with the cozy catchup!'"

At the sound of his voice, Lupin and Tonks appeared to be in a slight flush. Harry wasn't laughing either since none of the others behind him were. In fact, all six of them were staring him down.

"Who's he talking about now?" Lex requested, seizing Harry's shoulder.

"Whoever he's aping, it's not someone I've never met," Harry dismissed. "You'll find out as soon as I do."

Hammond held open the tarmac doors as the group filed out. Lex wrapped her right arm around Harry's left, lugging Tim over to his other side, Hedwig's cage dangling in his hand. Tonks snaked her arm around a nervous Lupin's, looking more comfortable with him than Harry was in the moment.

"Do you want to have one of them, Padfoot?" Harry teased, leaning into Sirius's ear.

He laughed as Sirius grasped his hands around his throat, heaving dryly. But the sight of Tonks slightly tripping on the top stair to the plane was much funnier.

"Try stepping on the plane with your right foot?" Lupin chuckled, pulling her back up.

Tonks gave him a playful wink, but neither he nor Harry would be spared of the embarrassment.

Stepping aboard, the inside of the plane was much smaller than the passenger jumbos, though somehow more spacious. It was only slightly larger than the Hogwarts Express, with singular, cream-coloured seats lining the cabin.

As Harry scanned the cabin further, he spotted Hammond seated at a mahogany table to the left, where Malcolm stretched back in the opposite chair, asleep quite contentedly.

"Have a seat, will you kids?" he encouraged. "Go on, sit anywhere."

"Don't mind if I do…" Harry thanked.

"Woo-hoo, look at this!" cried the voice of Tim.

Harry spotted Tim spinning around in one of the single seats, throwing his hands in the air, and crying out with glee.

"You should try one of these, Harry!" Tim called as the spinning stopped. "It'll be just like one of those Mad Hatter Teacups in the sky, just ask Lexie about it!"

Harry wasn't sure what a Mad Hatter teacup was, but he knew immediately where he wanted to sit. He dropped Hedwig's cage as his ankle stumbled over something as he landed into the tight, but soft corner of another swiveling chair.

Harry couldn't help but wonder how Mr. Weasley would react if he found the chairs could rotate. He spun himself the other way, ignoring the sound of an irritated screech as he knocked Hedwig's cage over.

A drop of nervous heat of replaced his curiosity when something wedged him against a cream-coloured leather arm.

When Lex squeezed next to him, Harry realized she was the one who tripped him. He should have known Lex was still going to surprise him, but he was thankful that Malcolm was asleep. Lex had gotten quite close to him as they slept last night and no one else needed to see it.

"Are you comfortable?" she asked without any hint of a teasing tone.

"Yeah," Harry breathed out, showing a few teeth of his own.

"That's good to know," interrupted a gentle, but playful voice.

On the seat ahead of them was Dr. Sattler resting upon Dr. Grant's lap, looking back at the children as through her heart was dripping.

"It looks like the two of you discovered a new breed of loveseat," Grant teased, poking Sattler in the hip. "It seems to be intriguing for us too, doesn't it Ellie?"

"Hypothetically, Dr. Grant…" Sattler pondered, rolling her eyes.

She gently slapped Grant's forearm before grabbing the blushing children by the ears, gently pulling them close.

"You know, he's lucky I love him," she whispered. "It frustrates me so much when he teases me like that."

Dr. Sattler released the children before planting a full kiss on Dr. Grant's mouth. Grant winked at the children before turning the chair around with his feet, which convinced Harry to do the same.

"I need to strangle you right now, you old fossil!" She mumbled between kisses.

"Ugh!" Tim groaned, scrunching up his face.

Harry might have been inclined to agree, had the heat not poured into his chest and stomach.

When his seat faced the other direction, Harry pulled his legs up to his chest, letting out a sigh of relief. At the sound of a soft, high-pitched cry, he dropped them again, to find Lex covering her mouth, her face completely red.

She gestured ahead to a sofa that Sirius Black was stretching upon, picking Hedwig's cage up and grinning devilishly.

"Having fun, are we Harry?" Sirius humoured. "Shall I put in an invitation for Moony and dear little Nymphie Wymphie to join you?"

He waited for a reply as a long finger with a hot pink nail stretched over his shoulder, jabbing it twice. Sirius jumped, letting out a girlish yelp as he found Tonks curled up at the edge of the sofa, Lupin's hip squishing into hers.

"Never call me that either, cous," she grumbled with a piercing stare. "You can be worse than my mother, you know."

"You've met her, Sirius, I think you'd be inclined to agree," Lupin added, shaking his head.

But Sirius kicked his heels over the sofa arm as his cousin leaned against his friend, who proudly tucked his hands behind his head.

"Exactly what do we all see in one another here?" Sirius demanded.

"We can talk about that another time as well," Lupin insisted. "Right now, some of us are trying to get comfortable. If I were you, I'd see how I could have fun flying sideways?"

Harry laughed at all his godfather's reactions but stopped at Lupin's mention of flying sideways. He thought about asking Mr. Hammond to find him a place to practice it for the summer on his Nimbus. But he needn't now, since he realized there were still two people missing from the plane.

"Ladies and gentlemen," interrupted the voice of Phipps over the intercom. "Welcome aboard InGen Gulfstream IV. We'll be arriving in our first destination in approximately six hours and fifteen minutes…"