Sixth chapter, posted on 5th May, 2013, New Delhi time. This is awesome. A little long maybe, but I love this chapter. This one is dedicated to TylerMaria, second reviewer. Sorry I couldn't do this for the fifth chapter, but it was already done by the time you reviewed. And you'll find that there's a reason why I picked this chapter specifically to dedicate to you.
Apparently the rumours previously spoken about have not died down, so I would wish to deny them once again, and say that I own nothing more than June Leto and the plotline.
Unlikely Alliance
June Leto was sitting on the rocky railings of the west tower again, her legs hanging precariously on the edge, facing the huge fall down.
She felt the breeze blow on her, and her blonde hair rippled, caught in the wind. She sighed audibly and a voice from behind her said:
"Nice to see you here. It's a pleasant place, isn't it?"
June turned to see Sirius Black grinning brightly at her, as if nothing was wrong.
"Wh-what are y-you doi-doing he-here?" she asked him.
"There, there, Leto, I won't kill you or anything. I might get detention for life if I do that."
June looked at him, waiting for an explanation.
"I didn't come all the way here to give you chores, you know," he said, and sat down beside her, his own legs hanging down the ledge.
June said nothing, feeling invaded. This was her terrace.
"So, Leto. How's it going?" he asked.
She shrugged. "O-okay."
"You always wear long sleeves. Even in summers. Why?" Sirius asked. June said nothing.
"You never do talk, do you?"
June felt a strange. Almost just as strangely, she felt like smiling.
"I do-don't ha-have any-anyone to ta-talk to."
"You must have had a friend at some point in time, Leto." Sirius pointed out.
"Ju-just the on-one." she said.
"Who's that?" asked Sirius.
"Ma-Maria Tyl-Tyler."
"And what was this bird like?" asked Sirius.
June frowned at him for calling her a bird. And it dawned on June, that while Lily Evans had asked her if she had had any friends, she had simply shrugged.
She surprised herself (again) by answering his question slowly, "Sh-she was m-my fri-friend in elemen-elementary sch-school."
"What's that?" asked Sirius, confused.
The corners of her mouth lifted just a little as usual, and she said, "Mug-muggle sch-school."
"Oh yeah! We read of that in Muggle Studies. That's the school where muggle kids learn how to read and write."
June nodded.
"So what was she like?"
June gave it a little thought, ignoring the part in her brain that was saying in a persistent voice, that she was actually opening up a little and that was not good for her.
"Sh-she was li-like Mar-Marlene Mck-McKinnon."
"And how would you know what Marlene McKinnon is like?" asked Sirius.
June shrugged.
"Mar-Maria was st-strong wi-willed. Sh-she didn't ca-care for any-anyone else. Sh-she was fun-funny. Sh-she wa-was a bi-bit cra-crazy."
"Blimey, have you been stalking McKinnon?" asked Sirius, bemused.
"In-notice." she muttered, looking away.
She got up abruptly and left, leaving Sirius on the windy way.
Sirius was feeling a bit frustrated. Ever since the little incident in the library, four days ago, he had been curious about June Leto, and had watched her much like Lily in class and out.
There was something very off in the whole scheme of things. The question was not who she was, as Lily was trying to locate, but 'why on earth was she so afraid'? With her skill, and her knowledge she ought to have been ruling the school, but she was too afraid to do that.
Any explanation is as good as the last.
Mary McDonald had always been an easy target for Slytherin bullies until Lily and Marlene had entered the picture. Presently she was walking down the halls with a pile of books in hand, almost blocking out her vision completely. She turned a sharp corner and bumped heavily against someone, toppling the balance of her books.
"Ouch!" she squeaked.
"I'm so sorry!" squeaked back an equally squeaky voice. "I'll help."
Peter Pettigrew dived down and began picking up all the books quickly piling them haphazardly.
"There." Mary said, satisfied, as they piled the books.
"There." repeated Pettigrew, and glanced about.
"I should be going," he said, "I need to finish this essay because we'll be busy for sometime."
"Marauder's planning something?" asked Mary pleasantly.
"Oh shoot!" Peter said, slapping his hand to his forehead, "I wasn't supposed to say that."
"Don't worry. I can keep a secret." Mary said with a laugh.
She left after that, making some pleasant conversation with Peter along the way. Only after Peter had gone did she fall into thoughtfullness.
She banged the books on the library table, so that Marlene looked up from her essay.
"What is it?" asked Marlene.
"I think Lily may be planning something with the marauders." Mary said.
"Why do you say that?" asked Marlene curiously.
"For one thing - I saw James Potter pass her a note today."
Lily Evans had waited for two days for a note to come through.
Nothing had happened, really, so she had decided to corner James after Ancient Runes and demand an explanation. James had been of no help at all, explaining it rather slowly to her, that everyone was still unsure of what to say, and he was trying to convince them. Lily was wondering exactly whom 'them' meant anyway. She had assumed that it was James' mates, but when you thought about it, no names had been exchanged.
It was all very mysterious.
Lily had never thought that in a school of magic everything would be normal. Everyone in the castle was immune to the usual bout of 'strangeness' that entered the castle every now and then. In fact, it was very rare that students of Hogwarts ever found anything 'mysterious'.
She had searched the library, and to her ultimate failure, had found nothing.
The library was huge. Massive. But there was absolutely nothing in it about 'The teacher's archives'.
She stared at a spot on the desk, and very suddenly, a hand passed by the desk, almost as if it was brushing the desk gently, and normally. Only, there was a bit of white parchment where the hand had left.
She nonchalantly picked the paper up and fiddled with it unnecessarily as if nothing was wrong, and looked up to see James give her a meaningful look.
She didn't say anything, only unrolled the parchment between her fingers.
Tonight, on the fourth floor, under the burnt Gregorian tapestry, is a hidden painting of a man on a donkey. Tap the donkey on its backside twice.
11 o'clock.
It was all almost funny that she had to tap the donkey on its backside.
"Leto." Sirius said loudly.
June Leto was sitting cross legged on her terrace, completing an essay. She looked up from her work, and Sirius once again noticed her pretty golden eyes, so prominent that it had seemed so silly that he hadn't noticed them before. He almost began to devote time to remember what her face was like.
He was worried, you see, that she might begin to stop allowing him to see her face like she did to everyone else, and he might forget everything about her face like everyone else.
"Hmm?" she asked.
"I'll be out tonight. Do you mind keeping these books for me?"
"Th-that's n-not an ord-order." June pointed out.
"So?" asked Sirius.
"Yo-you alw-always ord-order me," she said, with her almost smile.
"Well, consider me your ally, Leto." Sirius said with a winning smile.
June gave it a moment's thought.
"Alright." she said, and with that one unstuttering word, Sirius knew that an alliance had been struck between himself and June Leto. It was a very unlikely alliance.
A very, very unlikely alliance.
Lily Evans stumbled through the door behind the painting behind the burnt Gregorian tapestry.
"Evening Evans." Sirius Black said with a grin.
Sirius Black, James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew were all sitting on some unused desks and chairs. James grinned at her and messed up his hair self consciously. Lily gave him a rare smile.
"Evening Black. Care to explain why I have been called here in the middle of the night?"
"All in good time, Evans. You don't think you have anything to worry about, do you?" Sirius said.
"I'm in an unknown hideout with three uncouth boys. Don't you think I ought to be worried?" asked Lily acidly.
"Hey!" protested James.
"We're four." Peter pointed out.
"Remus isn't counted." Lily said.
"What?" asked James loudly, greatly hurt.
"Thanks Lily," Remus said gratefully.
"No problem, Remus." Lily said with a nod. "You four have some explaining in any case. What on earth are the teacher's archives?"
"The question is why do you want to get there." Remus said softly behind her.
Lily took a deep breath.
"It's because of June Leto."
Sirius' interest perked up. He jumped off his desk and asked, "What about her?"
"I want her records." Lily said.
"What for?" asked Sirius.
"I want to know who she is." Lily said.
A single pause.
"Fair enough." Sirius said.
A single pause.
"Wait, what?" Remus said, confused.
"'Fair enough'?" Peter said loudly, "You can't just -"
"The teacher's archives for heaven's sake-"
"Come on!"
"Don't be silly, Sirius."
"No!"
"Stop!" James' voice rung. "It's all okay to say 'fair enough'" he said, addressing Sirius. "But how on earth are we supposed to get to the teacher's archives?"
"Evans wants to get there. She can get us in." Sirius said.
Everyone turned to look at Lily.
"First tell me what the teacher's archives are." She said tersely.
"Records." Remus said, in a most neutral tone. "Records of the whole school."
"Why are they secret?" asked Lily.
"They contain everything the school has ever done. Imagine that, Evans." James said.
"So what's the big deal?" Lily asked.
"Don't you get it, Evans?" James said, "We have't always walked on the straight and narrow you know. All the secrets of the school. Everything. In one room."
"Where are they?" asked Lily.
"No one knows." Peter said.
"What?" asked Lily, confused.
"That's the thing, Evans-" Sirius began slowly, "Location changes. Sometimes in the same year, sometimes in the same month, sometimes after a decade. But I think it has changed many times since the last student entered there. That was in the eighteenth century."
"Maximum security." Peter said.
"Unknown entry." James said.
"Impossible to break." Remus finished.
"How do you know of this?" asked Lily.
"It's the ultimate break in, Evans." James said with a dreamy voice. "All pranksters want to get there, but no one has managed it since Malcolm the explorer, 1859."
"And you would do anything if I managed to get you in?" Lily asked sceptically.
"Evans, if you get us in the teacher's archives," Sirius said, "I promise you to not let Prongs annoy you."
Lily was taken aback. "Even you, Remus?" she asked.
It was the moment of truth for Remus, as he took a deep shuddering breath, and said, "Its the teacher's archives Lily."
"Get me all the existing information on this," Lily said wryly. "Let's see what I can do."
"Evans, I wish you luck. You're going to need it." Sirius said seriously.
"Thanks." she said darkly.
"Shake hands." James said, and pulled his hand out, "It's an alliance."
Lily shook his hand, filled with misgivings.
And Sirius had thought his alliance with June Leto was unlikely.
Duh, duh, duh, duh! There's the cliff hanger! Yay, my first cliff hanger! (I know it's not that good, but give a girl some credit.)
I loved that bit about the teacher's archives. I'm going to be posting the next chapter on next Sunday Sorry, but the next chapter is a bit complicated and I really want the corresponding chapters to be done as well, because this is going to be some of the most difficult writing I have ever done.
Next chapter is going to be titled 'No One Wants to Grow Up' to be posted on next Sunday.