Chapter 8: Discovery

A dash of drama.

"I'm telling you, it's safe enough at Grimmauld Place." A groan answered.

"I'm telling you, we've tried a thousand times. That's what this is about? I thought you had an actual request to make of the Headmaster, Sirius, not this again."

The dark-haired man grinned irrepressibly as they stopped before the impassive Gargoyle statue. "Well he can't keep saying no, can he? Let's ask. One more time! Just in case?"

"You're going to make me say 'I told you so' for the hundredth time?"

"You'll be wrong this time," Sirius said.

"Cockroach Clusters," Remus replied.

The gargoyle took a grudging step aside. The two men argued all the way up the spiral steps to the Headmaster's door. Finally, they found themselves seated before one Albus Dumbledore.

"Lemon Drop?" Dumbledore asked in lieu of greeting.

"Yes, please," Sirius said, taking two. Remus took one, giving his flatmate a weary expression, and sat as Sirius stated his grievance.

"We want to see Harry."

"It's good to see you, too, Sirius," Dumbledore agreed as Remus buried his head in his hands, embarrassed for them both, seeing as Sirius lacked enough sense to be embarrassed himself. "As always, I'm afraid that is against Harry's best interests at this time in his life."

A wrinkled hand stalled the protest on Sirius's lips. The older wizard regarded his younger fellows with some remorse.

"Please believe that you are not the only one who is pained by this decision. As a close friend to James and Lily, I am often tempted with the curiosity of seeking young Harry out."

"A field trip!" Sirius cried happily, "A day visit. We'll all go! You've no idea how happy it would make—"

"You!" Remus cut in sharply, startling the other man, "It would make YOU happy, Sirius! Can't you see? You're being completely unreasonable."

"Now, gentlemen," Dumbledore said genially, "I know your intentions come from your hearts. It is with great regret that I cannot allow us to visit young Harry Potter."

Remus leveled Sirius with a gaze that clearly said 'I-told-you-so.'

Sirius barely refrained from pouting. Barely.

"While your concern warms my heart I must remind you that we do want to avoid drawing unnecessary attention to young Harry," Dumbledore continued. "He will return to the wizarding world on his eleventh birthday when he comes to Hogwarts. There will be ample opportunities for him to reminisce with you then…"

"It would be so easy," Sirius whispered quickly, "to spirit him away for a day! Less than a day, a couple hours! Listen, if we do it right after the Muggles leave him alone—"

Remus elbowed him sharply. "And we would have no idea when that could be, wouldn't we, Sirius Black!"

The Headmaster smiled kindly at them over the table. "While your concern does you credit, Sirius, I'm afraid that's just the way it is. Until such a time that Harry can safely go about our world with the proper protection, it is in his best interest to remain with his relatives."

"You don't understand!" Sirius roared. He had jumped to his feet. "He's miserable there! Think, Remus! When have you seen him smile? Once? Twice?! He deserves better! He needs better! Harry can't spend his whole life locked up in that awful lonesome house. He, what, hey, why are you making that face at… me…"

Sirius's demands dwindled as he realized what he'd said. The two men turned slowly to look at the Headmaster.

Dumbledore's twinkle was in full force.

"No, no! Don't mind me. Do go on! You were saying, Sirius?"

The younger wizard groaned and flopped back into his plush armchair. Black's big mouth had outed them.

"We're never seen," Remus began. "Despite Sirius's… enthusiasm, we've been very cautious. We are always under Notice-Me-Not charms and we observe when the Muggles are least likely to notice anyway…"

"We've never been caught," Sirius bragged, "Not by them, Harry, or old McGonagall."

"My, my," Dumbledore said with his smile bright, "Even avoided our keen-eyed Deputy Headmistress? That IS impressive. Tell me, my dear Alumnus, how did you manage to evade her?" Remus felt a powerful urge to hit his flatmate with a stinging hex. "Actually, I do seem to recall an incident when the Professor mentioned seeing a large black dog in Surrey fighting with a garden snake. She was convinced that you were involved until Severus assured us the snake was highly venomous, and would have likely killed a dog with a single bite."

"It was a huge snake, at least two meters long," Sirius protested right away, "Nasty bugger. Nearly didn't survive! Just goes to show I'm tougher than I look, see? YEOUCH!"

Sirius nearly flew out of his chair, rubbing his stinging bum with both hands.

"Gentlemen," Dumbledore said with a hint of reproach, still twinkling.

Remus pocketed his wand. He shot his flatmate a sullen, mutinous look. Sirius shot a similar look in return.

The meeting ended with both men giving an oath not to reveal Harry Potter's location or to bring others to it. Dumbledore forbade them from visiting again with a less twinkling smile, adding that there would be unfortunate consequences for all involved. Sirius grumbled and muttered but swore with Remus not to take any more risks. They left in a subdued mood.

Sulking was perfectly reasonable behavior for Sirius, but Remus was so unusually glum that Sirius guiltily herded them to the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer.

Four tankards later, Remus wasn't sulking, but Sirius was, and loudly.

"It's his own fault, Moony! Dumbly-old-doot, the, *hic* the old frog! He's a, a, an old goat! An' he's mean."

"Hush, now, none of that," Remus scolded, though he didn't seem too concerned with defending Dumbledore's good name. "He's made his decision and we've agreed."

"He's lazy," Sirius continued, gesturing with his mug. Foam splattered across the table. Remus sighed and dutifully vanished the mess with a wave of his wand as Sirius grumpily quaffed the remaining bubbles. "Lazy. *hic* Lazy, and, and he's old, Moony. So old. He's too old! He doesn't knooooooow what it's like to be a kid anymore."

"Well you're certainly the picture of maturity at the moment."

Sirius managed to make a rude gesture with the tankard. Remus fought the urge to fling another stinging hex.

"He's only doing what's best for Harry," Remus said diplomatically. "And he's right. We've been careful, but we don't want to draw attention to that house unnecessarily. We've got to maintain a low profile."

"And we have been! No one's known! No one would've known… if I hadn't screwed up so royally…" He moaned the last and sunk down to bang his head on the bar.

"Yes, well." The werewolf patted his friend's shoulder, well aware of Sirius's personal misery at his slip-up. "Come on, Sirius. It's no good sulking about like this. Let's have another pint before we head out."

"You know you, *hic* you said that two pints ago," Sirius said suspiciously, but didn't protest as Lupin rose his hand to call over the barmaid. He felt his eyes cross slightly as the glasses arrived.

"Woah. Maybe I should lay off, mate. I think I'm seeing double. That's three or two mugs?"

"Three," Remus confirmed. "Severus mentioned he would be free this afternoon."

The other wizard moaned and slumped across the table.

"You invited the bat," he groaned, miserable anew.

"He's not a bat," Remus said rolling his eyes, "And you've had one less pint than it takes to be pleasant around him. Drink up."

"That's why we've not left yet," Sirius accused, though he took the offered tankard. "You're saucing me up so I won't insult your boyfriend."

"Astute of you," Remus agreed. "Drink up."

"None of this kid's bubble-brew, then," Sirius argued, pushing the tankard back. "Rosemerta! A shot of Bilshen's Best!"

"Shouting at women, Black? No wonder you haven't had a date in seven years."

Sirius grumbled in a manner most unfit for the scion of a Most Noble and Ancient House as Remus made room for the Potions Master. "Severus. I'm glad you were able to join us." He indicated the warm mug still bubbling with hot foam. "Butterbeer?"

The man sneered in response and instead intercepted the Firewhisky Rosemerta had brought for Sirius. "Something more refined, I think," he drawled.

He missed the way Remus wilted slightly. Sirius did not.

"His drink's on him," Sirius informed Rosemerta flatly, "And I'd like two shots of Ogden's Oldest please."

The Potions Master regarded Black with bald incredulity as Rosemerta summoned a bottle from the topmost shelf. He ignored Remus beside him as the werewolf tried to strike a conversation, instead watching the barmaid prepare a sparkling crystal glass for the whiskey. Sirius flipped her a Galleon in payment and a silver Sickle as a tip. He ran his fingers across the cup's rim. The liquid inside resembled flickering flame in the dim candlelit bar. Sirius gave a small laugh, only to himself, and threw back his drink.

The ensuing coughing fit which included a small plume of bright orange fire was inevitable.

Rosemerta was pouring a glass of water, muttering darkly to herself about renewing the anti-charring charms on the ceilings and lamps, as Remus helped Sirius recover. Snape was chuckling darkly. "Everyone knows Ogden's is to be sipped, not shot, Black. Or rather, anyone with a sense of refinement."

Through his coughing, Sirius managed a rude retort.

Snape returned the sentiment.

"Severus, please," Remus entreated, and looked into the other man's eyes. Snape made a face and sighed but held his tongue until Black was back in his seat. He couldn't restrain a scoff as Sirius then reached for the second shot of Ogden's.

"WHAT, Sniv—What, Snape?" Sirius snapped.

"Oh, no, please," Snape leered. "Make another spectacle of yourself. I shan't stop you."

"Can't I ever invite the two of you drinking without a fight breaking out? Just once?" Remus pleaded.

"Considering our history?" Snape's teeth were firmly clenched. "How he almost got me mauled, and you expelled, or worse—"

"Oh, not this again—"

The Most Noble and Ancient Head of House Black banged a fist on the counter. "A wager! Rosemerta, Firewhisky. Snape! If I can outdrink you, you'll never bring up that ancient Manticore dung from our past again."

"Accepted," Snape said tartly, raising his own glass, "If I win, you'll grant me a personal boon from House Black to House Prince, plus a public apology in the place of my choosing for needlessly endangering my life at Hogwarts during our Fifth Year."

Remus started to protest but Sirius spoke over him.

"No to the first part but yes to the second; not that it matters, since you're about to lose! Drink up, Potion-Sniffer!"

The contest began despite Remus's protests. More than one bar patron had overheard the exchange and word got round rather quickly that a drinking contest with a wager had begun. Several of the bar's other patrons were cheering and providing a tally. A betting pool had started somewhere with an upturned pointed hat going around taking Sickles and handfuls of Knuts. The contestants took shots at intervals and exchanged sharp insults in-between, to the cheers of the crowd growing around them, growing slowly as more witches and wizards trickled in from outside.

Snape slammed his third glass on the bar top and leered at his opponent.

"Give up, Black. You'll never keep up this pace. Your nostrils will be smoking tomorrow."

Sirius belched a decent-sized fireball and slammed his own glass on the bar top to cheers from the crowd.

"Another!"

Rosemerta set out two more shots of Ogden's. Both men reached out and knocked them back in sync. The crowd applauded and roared in approval. Plumes of fire puffed out of both men and singed the overhead lamps. A witch with curling blonde hair had the lamps clean and re-lit before the next shot had been poured.

Remus tried again to avert the contest, appealing to both contestants separately. Snape dismissed his concerns and sipped away the remainder of his sixth shot with steady hands despite the rising color in his pale cheeks. The werewolf turned to his best friend and desperately tried to make him see reason.

"This is highly immature behavior, Sirius! The exact kind of behavior Dumbledore warned us not to get into! Think of Harry!"

"Shhhh, don't you worry," Sirius said confidently, patting Remus on the back. "I am."

He threw back his sixth shot to match Snape, then called for another round.

The crowd cheered and more Firewhisky was poured. Remus sighed in defeat and nursed his Butterbeer. He should have known better than to try and invite his best friend and his partner to the same bar. The day had gone from bad to worse. First they had blown cover trying to get a legitimate visit with Harry. Now this! The sandy haired man growled into his pint before excusing himself from the bar. His departure was marked by the roar of the crowd; Snape and Sirius had just finished another round.

Sirius waited until the werewolf was out of reach to grin wildly.

"Poor, poor Moony. Abandoned by his date to prove he can hold his liquor! Wonder how that makes him feel about you, Snape."

"He's not the one who boasted his imbibing skills, Black. Are you ready to forfeit?"

"I'll bet you ignore him more than he deserves," Sirius muttered, dropping his voice below the bellowing of the crowd. Snape's grip on his glass turned his knuckles white.

"Are you accusing me of—"

"Brushing him off? Ignoring his efforts?" Sirius sipped his shot and licked his lips. "He confides in me, you know."

Snape sneered. "He is left wanting nothing from me, Black; of THAT I am well aware."

"Oh? And you accused ME of bragging. Exaggerating, more like!"

"Another round," Rosemerta was calling out, setting down two new glasses of Ogden's. Both men snatched them and drained them at once, though Sirius had an observable sway, and Snape had to set his glass down twice somehow. The betting pool was growing and the bar had become completely packed. Despite the crowd, Sirius managed to lower his voice conspiratorially to hiss an added challenge to the Potions Master.

"I'll hand you that boon you wanted, Snivillus, if you can really beat me—"

"I'm about to," Snape hissed as he reached for his shot glass. His composure slipped a bit as he missed the cup. Sirius snickered and snatched his own shot glass with a mad light in his eyes.

"But I wasn't finished! Listen. Here's the stakes: I've got my eye on this bird in the corner. Brown hair? Blue robes? Reeeeally big rack?" Snape snorted but managed to nod. Sirius broke out into a grin above his shot glass. "Right, right, *hic*, here's the thing: I'll bet I can make her sing." The statement was accompanied by several winks and nudges for which Snape glared scornfully.

"Is there any point to your inane chatter, Black, or do you declare forfeit?"

"It's a singing contest," Sirius cackled, "See, I'll make my bird sing more times than you can make your puppy howl—"

The older man had abandoned the bar and was shoving patrons out of the way to find Remus. Sirius full out bellowed his laughter and the crowd roared its approval as Severus Snape bodily hauled Remus Lupin from his empty Butterbeer mug and rented a room from Rosemerta on the spot. Hearty cheering and cat calls followed a confused and mildly suspicious Remus up the stairs.

Such a ruckus was raised as the patrons tried to figure out who'd won or if Snape had forfeited that very few noticed Sirius Black absconding into the early night.

BANG BANG BANG BANG.

A wild knocking woke Remus from his contented sleep. He tore into consciousness with a sense of urgency, hand groping for his wand. The door was being hammered ferociously, muffled shouts from the other side rousing both men to clarity. They had been part of the previous war and some habits died hard. Snape had his wand trained at the door as it was spelled open from the other side. A figure threw open the door and bellowed.

"He's gone, Remus! Remus! He's—"

Sirius choked abruptly in the doorway.

"—SWEET MERLIN, MY EYES!"

Snape dropped his wand out of position to fire and instead quietly calculated which Dark Hex he could land Black with without also upsetting his partner.

"AAAAH"

Sirius was rolling on the ground covering the upper half of his face, kicking and flailing as though he'd been burned.

"BLOODY HELL, MY EYES, MOONY! OH, SCOURGIFY THEM, I BEG OF YOU—"

Remus dropped down with a heavy sigh of relief. "Sirius, please. It's early. I thought… Merlin! You gave me a scare."

"SOMEONE OBLIVIATE ME!"

"Why didn't you wait until we answered the door?" Snape snapped testily.

"CLOTHES! CLOTHES, PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF DITTANY! PUT SOME CLOTHES ON! MY EYES!"

"Wait, Sirius," Remus asked as he drew on a discarded robe, ignoring Sirius's gagging, "What did you say, when you first came in?"

"Do you have clothes on?" Sirius muttered rebelliously, not daring to peek from where he'd buried his face.

Snape rose his wand only to have Remus interrupt his Hex. The two wrestled briefly before Snape made a strangled noise of acquiescence. Remus sighed heavily, bemoaning to himself and himself alone the difficulties of being the only actual adult present, and repeated himself. "Yes; Sirius, we have our robes back on. What did you say when you came barging in?"

Sirius Black sat up and looked as serious as either man had ever seen him.

"Harry's gone."

End Chapter