Chapter 38: Shenanigans

January 8, 1994

"That was definitely interesting," James remarked drily.

"Tell me about it," sighed Lily.

They had just returned from the Weasley household for 'tea', though, knowing Molly, it had turned into a lavish, full-fledged lunch with all sorts of food on little tables left, right, and center. After stuffing themselves audaciously, the Potters had finally returned to Potter Manor. Harry was taking a shower, and Liana was… well, whatever preteen kids do in their rooms.

"Is Liana okay?" James asked.

"Yeah, she's fine," Lily replied. "It's normal for her to lock herself up in her room. She did it all the time before the last few weeks. I think the prank war honestly helped her tone down a bit. But, like, she's been like this for years. So yeah, she's…"

"No, that's not what I'm saying," James cut across impatiently. "I'm talking about Draco Malfoy."

"Oh. What about him?" Lily asked.

"Well, he's a Slytherin, and…"

"So is Liana," Lily interjected.

"You know what I mean. His father's a Death Eater, and he's been bullying Harry for years now. Don't you think it's a little strange that Liana likes him so much that she wants to invite him over? When it's causing so much strain between our families? Did you see Narcissa's face when I shot back at her like that? Or what dumb conversation she brought up?"

"They're friends, James," Lily replied calmly. "They like each other. Maybe they've learned to look past all of the differences between our families and…"

"But Lily, there's so much difference between our families!" James replied, pounding his fist on the table. "We're good guys, they're not. That seals the matter. There's nothing more on the subject!"

"James, you can't make decisions for your daughter," Lily said gently. "She's her own person, and she deserves to make her own decisions."

"But we need to protect her from the Malfoys, Lily! Besides, you can't look past the point that Draco has been bullying Harry for years."

"Well…"

"Well?" challenged James.

"Well, maybe Harry's overexaggerating it," Lily sighed. "Harry's like you, he can't stand Slytherins. He's overembellishing his dislike for Draco Malfoy because Draco's a Slytherin."

"How twisted is that?" demanded James. "Lily, it's obvious! They can't be friends, Lily! I can't believe you allowed them to come over!"

"I couldn't just turn it down, could I?" Lily asked wearily. "I approve of their relationship. Let them be friends, James. It's not like they're getting married or something. There's no harm in them being friends. Besides, I don't know about his parents, but he seemed like a really sweet boy."

James snorted. "What's gotten into you, Lily? I'm not letting them meet if I can help it."

"You can't," Lily pointed out. "You're not the one at Hogwarts."

"Well, then, that's going to change," James said stoutly.

There were not many people that stayed at Hogwarts during the holidays. Remus remembered always going home for the holidays when he was at Hogwarts, because with his family was where he felt safest, even though he had very accepting friends. There was only a handful of students that were staying, and just a few teachers. It gave Remus a lot of time to himself, to interact with the other teachers. Interestingly enough, most of the teachers didn't treat him any differently, despite knowing he was a werewolf, save Snape, of course.

There was a gentle knock on the door.

"Come in," Remus called.

The door opened and Remus saw Sia Channing, the first-year who was friends with Tonks, walk into his office. Her normally tough demeanor had been replaced with a look of unbridled fear, something that he was not accustomed to seeing on her face. The scar on her forehead shone more brightly than usual, and he couldn't help but compare it to the many scars of his own.

"Hi, Sia," he greeted cordially, smiling at her. "How are you?"

"Professor, I just need to talk to you," she said in a small voice.

"Go ahead."

"It's nothing in particular," she said quietly. "I just… well, I guess I need comfort right now."

There was a moment of silence.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Professor," she said. "I'll go."

"Who says you're bothering me?" he asked. "Sia, I'm here to help you. Don't worry. I'll do the best I can to help you out."

"It's not something I can tell you," Sia admitted. "I'm going through a hard time right now."

"That's okay," Remus replied kindly. "We all do. Do you want to describe what it's like, without telling me what it actually is?"

"Well, what would you do if someone figured out a secret that you can't tell anyone? Like, a deep, dark secret that nobody's allowed to know?"

Remus could understand exactly what she was going through, having lycanthropy himself. It had been terrorizing when James and Sirius had figured out, when they were twelve, but thankfully, they had stayed by him, as had Peter. "Well, it depends. Who's the person who found out about the secret? Like, a friend, or…"

"Yeah, a friend." Sia bit her lip.

"What was said friend's reaction? If you're comfortable with sharing," he added.

"I mean, she took it really well. She accepted it. But… it's just that… Professor, I c-can't tell you."

"That's okay," Remus replied. "So, are you worried if she's going to turn back on you?"

"No, no, that's not it," Sia replied nervously. "It's… Nobody's ever figured out about it before, Professor. And it feels weird that someone knows now. I trust her, but… she isn't supposed to know. And I'll be in trouble with… well, other people." Her eyes shone with fear.

"It's your secret, though?"

"Yeah, but… like I said, n-nobody can know. Not even… Not even the person who found out."

"You should probably tell her- the person you told it to, I mean- how important this secret is to you," Remus offered. "Tell her that it's important to you, and important with your relationships with other people, and tell her that under no circumstances can she tell anybody."

"Yeah, I know," Sia responded. "I don't think she'd tell anybody, but… it's just stressful, you know?"

"Believe me, Sia, I know," he replied. "It's always stressful. But the thing I've learned is it'll be okay. No matter what's happening, Sia, no matter what it is, it'll pass. As long as you have people to support you, you'll be okay. And you have me. You have Tonks. You have all of your friends. You have the entire Hogwarts staff. Everyone is here to help you, Sia. It'll be okay, I promise. I've been through it, believe me, and I promise, it'll be okay."

"Right," she whispered, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "Thanks, Professor."

"Is there anything I can get you, Sia?" he offered, sensing that she was still unhappy. "Do you want something to drink, maybe?"

Sia cracked a smile. "Hot chocolate? Tonks told me you always have that around."

He laughed. "Yeah, I'll get you some. Give me a minute."

He scrambled around for some hot chocolate and passed a mug to the first-year, who accepted it gingerly. "Thank you." She took an apprehensive sip. "Professor, don't tell anyone about this, please. I don't want anyone to start investigating my personal life."

"I won't, Sia," he assured her. "I won't tell anyone."

"Thank you, Professor Lupin." She took another sip. "You're a really good teacher, you know. It'll be fun to do seven years with you."

He gave a sad smile. "I would honestly love to. But I don't think that'll happen. No Defense teacher seems to last longer than a year. It's been going on for years, now."

Her eyebrows raised. "Seriously? That sucks. So what are you going to do next year?"

He was glad that her straightforwardness and bluntness was back, even if he wasn't very comfortable with her question. "Er, I'm not really sure." He hadn't thought about it before. "I'll have to think about that."

She nodded. "Yeah. That's cool. Anyway, thank you, Professor. I'll see you later." She stood up and smiled. "Thanks."

"Anytime, Sia."

"Mum."

Molly, who was currently cooking, turned to the son that had just called her name. Oh, it was Percy. "Yes, Percy?"

"Mum, I have to tell you something," Percy said with a great, heaving sigh.

"Okay." She turned to face him, still holding her wand in one hand and a spatula in another.

"Mum, there's this girl…"

"Yay, Percy!" she squealed. "Who is she? What's she like? When do I get to meet her? Are you two getting married? Percy, I need answers!"

"I'm not finished," Percy grumbled. "Will you please shut up and listen?"

Molly crossed her arms over her chest. "Go ahead, then."

"Her name's Penelope. I'm going to her house over break. Just letting you know."

"Oh, come on, Percy." She raised an eyebrow. "And you two are just friends?"

"I never said that."

"Don't be disagreeable, dear," Molly chided. "So you like this Penelope girl?"

"Well, yes."

"I knew it!" A wide smile appeared on Molly's face. "So now when do I get to meet her? Does she know you like her? Oooh, does she like you back?"

"Shut up, Mum!" Percy snapped.

"Oh, come now, Percy. I need to know."

"This is precisely why I didn't tell you before!"

Her mouth dropped open. "Before? But… But that means that you already know her! Are you… Is she… Percy, is she your girlfriend?"

Percy rolled his eyes. "I don't know."

"Don't be evasive, Percy."

"Stop bugging me."

"I'll stop bugging me if you tell me what's going on." Molly hid her wicked grin.

"Mum!"

She leaned against the counter, keeping an eye on the stove. "I'm waiting, Percy."

"Keep waiting, then." He made to leave.

"Well, then, I won't let you go to her place."

Percy turned around. "Really? Mum, you wouldn't."

"Oh, yes I would. I cannot stand not knowing," Molly replied.

"What do you want to know?" Percy asked frustratedly.

"You know very well what. Come, now. I'm waiting."

Just then, Ginny burst into the kitchen. "Mum, Ron stole my toothbrush again! Oh. Hi, Percy. Whatcha doing?"

"Nothing," Percy snapped.

"Percy was about to tell me about his girlfriend," Molly said with a disapproving stare at her third-eldest son.

"Ooh, Penelope Clearwater?" Ginny asked, interestedly. Percy hid his face behind his hands.

"Oh, yes, yes, Ginny!" Molly said excitedly. "What do you know about her?"

"Well, she's dating Percy, obviously. They kiss all the time."

"GO AWAY, GINNY!" Percy shouted, mortified.

Molly cackled. "Aha! I knew there was something!"

"I hate you guys," Percy growled, storming out of the kitchen as Ginny and Molly collapsed into fits of laughter.

Severus walked down the hallway, taking in the peace and quiet with a sigh of relief. It was always a nightmare when there were so many students swarming the hallways, and teachers getting up to random things, what with Dumbledore's sudden newfound craze for 'amusing' things. Worse yet, it was torture on him to see Lily Evans in the hallways, her red hair flowing and bouncing, her smile like a…

No, he had promised to stop.

Severus shook himself mentally and continued down the hallway, not even remembering where it was he had been going. It didn't really matter. Whatever it had been, it clearly hadn't been urgent.

"You will die this instant!" came a shrill voice from behind him.

He whipped around to see Sybill Trelawney pointing a quivering finger at him. "You will die!"

"What is this rubbish?" he asked, unamused.

"You will die this instant!" Trelawney repeated, waving her arms as though she was doing some voodoo magic. "The planets have aligned, and the clouds are in their formation! It is time for you to renounce this earth!"

"How fascinating," he replied dryly. "Are you through?"

She looked disappointed. "But you have to die!"

"Sybill, I need to get to my office," Severus snapped. "Forgive me if I do not die." He swept past her, going in the opposite direction from where he was originally heading, briskly walking down the hallway, which was, thankfully, otherwise deserted.

"No!' she cried, and he noticed that she had followed him down the hall. "You must die! You must die!"

"Are you trying to kill me, Sybill?" he asked irritably.

"You will die, Severus! You will die this instant!"

"You've said it twice before on previous occasions," he snapped. "I have not yet died. So will you shut up and leave me alone?"

"He must be a ghost," Trelawney whispered to herself, turning around and heading away. "He cannot be alive."

Liana had just finished writing a letter to Candice when Harry rushed into her room.

"What?" she snapped irritably.

"Dinner," he informed her.

She rolled her eyes. "Coming."

Harry left.

With a sigh, Liana heaved herself up off of her bed, tied her hair into a floppy bun, and ambled down the stairs to the dining table, where there seemed to be a multitude of sandwiches. Harry was already seated at the table, eating one.

"Yeah, go ahead and take some, Liana," Lily called as she walked into the room. "Whichever ones, as many as you like."

"Thanks," mumbled Liana, grabbing two off the top of the neat platter they had been arranged in and starting to eat.

In a few minutes, James joined them. "Ah, Lily, looks fabulous."

Lily smirked, and Harry and Liana rolled their eyes. "Thank you, James."

They ate in silence for a bit until James broke it. "So, Lily, heard from Remus recently?"

"No, I haven't," she replied, frowning. "Not since the party, actually."

"I think he's too busy," James said with an all-too-knowing smirk.

"Oh," Lily replied, her eyes gleaming too. "I know what you mean."

"Huh?" Harry asked, looking back and forth at his parents. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," Lily said with a sideways smile.

"Dad, what's going on?" Liana asked her father. She had learned early on that her father was always worse at keeping secrets. He just got too excited about them.

"Well," James began.

"James, he told you not to tell anyone!" reprimanded Lily.

"Yeah, but… Harry and Liana are our kids! I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I just…"

"No," said Lily firmly. "We need to respect his privacy."

'Is he going on some sort of mission?' Harry mouthed to her.

Liana giggled. Harry could be so thick sometimes.

They continued eating as James and Lily started complaining about this guy named Tucker at the Auror Office. Finally, when dinner had finished, Liana ushered Harry off to the side.

"We eavesdrop," she whispered. "And then we can figure out what's going on with Lupin."

"Okay," Harry whispered back.

Liana and Harry scouted the kitchen, where their parents did dishes. They would always do the dishes the Muggle way, which gave them their own time, while Harry and Liana would do… whatever. It didn't really matter.

Liana laid back on the couch while Harry crouched down next to a sofa like he was a spy. After several minutes, in which their parents talked about several boring things (including this strange Tucker bloke), they finally approached a different, more interesting conversation.

"... not going to be working with Tonks anymore," James was saying.

"That's that Auror woman," Harry informed her in a low voice.

"Yeah, I remember," Liana replied.

"Yeah, but hopefully she'll get accepted, and then she'll be back in August," Lily was telling her husband, putting away a plate.

"Oh, this is still boring stuff," Liana muttered to her brother. "They're talking about the Auror Office."

"Well, she'll have plenty of time to herself, at least," James said.

"I have a feeling she's going to be spending that time with a lot more than just herself," Lily remarked snidely.

"I love the way you think, Lily," came James's voice, as Harry and Liana shot each other puzzled looks. "She and Moony can't get their hands off each other, honestly."

"What?!" Harry and Liana gasped in unison.

"Wait, wait, wait. Professor Lupin's dating Tonks?" Harry asked incredulously.

"No way," whispered Liana. "That's not possible."

"You're just upset because you have a crush on Professor Lupin," Harry teased.

"That's not true!" she protested. "I know who you like, so unless you'd like me to start telling everyone, I'd shut up."

Harry opened his mouth and closed it.

It was a complete fib; Liana had had no idea that her brother even liked someone, but it seemed to have worked. Ha.

"They're so cute together," James sighed happily.

"Yeah," Lily agreed. "Hey, did you notice, Anita got married?"

"I know, right? That's a huge surprise. I didn't know anyone would be capable of marrying her."

"James!"

Dumbledore sighed.

He had gotten a report from Trelawney that Severus had died, and he needed to go check in on his Potions Master to see if he was still alive. Oh, dear. He didn't want to think of Severus being dead. That would mean that Severus would miss out on the surprise he had planned!

What if he took everyone on a vacation?

Only the students who had participated in the prank war, of course. They deserved a real treat for causing so much fun to the school. And he thought that it was only fair that the teachers got rewarded too, because they had suffered the pranks. Even though they were quite funny.

Hmm. Maybe he should take everyone to the beach for a few days? Oh, that would be so much fun! He could just imagine, doing a TikTok dance on the beach, with the warm sand below his toes, and the calm breeze blowing through his hair, and the hot sun glaring on his skin…

Paradise.

"Psst."

Fred and George whipped around. Arthur saw them visibly relax when they saw it was just him.

"Hi, Dad," Fred whispered. "What do you want?"

"I just… well..." Arthur took a second to glance around to make sure that Molly wasn't overhearing them. "I'm proud of you two. I heard about the prank war from Percy."

The twins wore identical grins. "Thanks, Dad," said George.

"It's a very genius idea, in all honesty," Arthur said approvingly. "I'm proud of all of the havoc you caused. It's a very nice idea. Will you do it again next year?"

"You bet," Fred and George said, grinning.

A/N: I didn't know what else to name this chapter haha. Shenanigans is all it is. And keep on the lookout for more details about this 'vacation' that Dumbledore's planning! It's going to be a lot of fun!

And we promise, the Sirius plot unfolds right after that. So vacation first, and then Sirius! Yippee!