AN: I am so, so, SO sorry! I owe you guys an explanation. First, my computer caught a virus. Then, my hours at work started increasing. Next, I realized that about four or five months ago, I took on way too many responsibilities. Finally, a lot of my friends and family have been having some real issues lately, and I had to stop writing so I could help them out. I would like to say that I truly appreciate all of the continued support for this fic. The number of favorites and followers has just blown me away. Thank you, thank you, thank you! And of course, so much thanks goes out to the reviewers: lilmisadiva, lovemya2000, Guest, heart chan, red neo ranger, Annabeth Granger, Guest, Books are air, ILoveGeorgeEads, KTN, Venquine1990, ultima-owner, Fibinaci, Majerus, Zaion Indulias, Jmw, To the TARDIS, Ari989, becuzitswrong, MariusDarkwolf, Tellur, magitech, Lady Sabine of Macayhill, and serialkeller. I should actually be able to respond to most of them now!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.
That night, Harry was so overwhelmed with his thoughts that he wasn't the least bit jealous of his friends when they got back from Hogsmeade. As they recounted all of their adventures that day, Harry kept replaying his conversation with Professor Lupin. Who cared about all the different kinds of sweets at Honeydukes when Harry's father had managed to trick Peeves into taking the blame for his pranks? What was the point in speculating on what species the patrons of the Three Broomsticks were when Harry's mother had bested Professor Snape in Potions class? All of Hogsmeade seemed a bit trivial now, when faced with the extraordinary things his parents had done.
"So, what did you do while we were gone?" Dean asked finally, looking slightly guilty.
"Oh, I talked with Professor Lupin," Harry replied nonchalantly.
Parvati frowned in thought. "All day?"
"Well, yeah. He's pretty interesting," Harry told them. There would be no harm in telling his friends what the two had actually discussed, but Harry felt like keeping it to himself. At least for now.
"Did anything fun happen?" Seamus questioned as they trooped down to the Great Hall.
"Or anything weird?" Lavender added, eyeing him curiously.
"Um, I don't think so. Why?" Harry studied her.
"I want to figure out why he's so afraid of crystal balls. I think they're really fascinating!" She exclaimed. "Why would a crystal ball be his boggart?"
Hermione opened her mouth before shutting it firmly closed.
"Maybe he doesn't believe in Divination," Neville suggested timidly.
Lavender sniffed and tossed her hair over her shoulder. "His loss, then. Professor Trelawney is obviously a true seer. How else would she know about Binky?"
Hermione made a small noise and began coughing loudly.
Eager to stop an argument from occurring, Harry thought harder. "Er…during our talk, Professor Snape came in."
Ron's head swiveled around. "Snape came into Professor Lupin's office?"
"Yeah. He gave Professor Lupin this goblet full of something. When I asked, he just said that he hadn't been feeling too well, and that Snape was doing him a favor."
"No way," Seamus denied immediately. "That would imply that Snape's being nice, and we all know that could never happen."
Ron's eyes lit up. "Maybe Snape's poisoning Professor Lupin!"
Parvati gasped. "He wouldn't, would he?"
Hermione shook her head. "I really don't think he did, but if he was trying to, then why would he do it in front of Harry?"
Dean nodded in agreement. "Criminals—smart criminals—never leave behind any evidence. And even if none of us like Snape, we have to admit that he's not stupid."
Harry thought back to Snape's intrusion. Maybe he should've done something to help Lupin. What if it really had been poison? What if Lupin died, and it was all Harry's fault? But on the other hand, if Harry had knocked it out of Lupin's hand and it really had been some sort of healing potion, then Lupin most likely wouldn't have been very happy. Harry suddenly felt very ill.
The Great Hall was beautifully decorated for Halloween. A gorgeous orange glow settled over the tables, accompanied by flaming orange streamers. Magic really helped to make the whole thing more authentic, Harry mused as a bat soared over his head. The food, of course, was delicious, although Harry couldn't help glancing over at the staff table to make sure that Lupin was okay. Snape seemed to be doing the same thing, though most likely for different reasons.
Nearly Headless Nick seemed impossibly jovial as he flew through their table. "Hello, my dear Gryffindors!" He called. "Wonderful to see you all tonight. I'm afraid I'll have to be leaving soon, as I have to join the Headless Hunt later."
This declaration was met by raucous applause from the Gryffindor table. If ghosts could blush, then Nick's beaming face would've been bright red.
The kids slowly filtered out of the Hall and ambled towards the tower. Along the way, Romilda Vane squeezed in next to them.
"Hello," She greeted, not unkind, but not quite friendly.
"Er, hi," Harry responded, looking for an escape route. Unfortunately, the corridor in front of the portrait hole was filled with people who weren't moving.
"Won't you introduce me to your friends?" She gestured to the rest of the third years, though her eyes were fixed firmly on Neville.
"Um…" Harry trailed off. It would be rude not to, but he felt like bringing Romilda and Neville together could only lead to disaster. Luckily, Ron, with his usual lack of tact, interrupted.
"Why isn't anyone going into the portrait hole?" He wondered, peering over the heads in front of him.
"Excuse me!" Percy struggled to be heard over the noise. "Pardon me. Oh, sorry—excuse me—terribly sorry, but I've got to get to the front, I'm Head Boy! Honestly, how is it that all of you forgot the password?"
The students waited with baited breath.
Percy froze. "Someone go get Professor McGonagall. Now!"
The students pressed together tightly, trying to see what was going on.
Professor McGonagall arrived promptly, with Burbage, Lupin, and Snape following close behind. She left a path behind her, and Dean, Hermione, and Lavender surged forward.
"Oh my!" Hermione exclaimed.
"The Fat Lady's gone!" Dean announced, eyes wide.
"Oh, dear," Burbage said faintly. A small first year rushed over to her and tugged on her robes.
"Professor Burbage, is she going to be okay?"
"We have to find her first," McGonagall whispered grimly. "Severus, check the dungeons. Remus, please alert Mr. Filch. Charity, stay here with the students. We need to assess the damage and see if it's salvageable."
"Good luck!" Peeves cackled above them.
"And what do you mean by that, Peeves?" McGonagall asked sternly. Peeves must've sensed that now was not the time to taunt her, for he stopped grinning instantly.
"She doesn't want to be seen at the moment. Too ashamed, I'd s'pose. Looks like an absolute mess. Last saw her in a portrait up on the fourth floor. Just follow the sobs." Peeves finished with a gleeful look in his eyes.
"Who would do something like that to her?" Burbage asked, turning back to look at the portrait.
"Someone with a very nasty temper," Peeves said casually. "He got awfully angry when she wouldn't let him in. They really should catch that wretched Sirius Black."
The whole school was ushered back into the Great Hall, with Percy and Penny standing watch. The Gryffindors huddled in one large part of the Hall, with the first years trembling in fear and the older children attempting to reassure them.
"Could he still be in the castle?" Ginny asked Fred and George quietly.
The two shrugged. "Maybe."
"I hope not," Alicia shuddered.
"Luna! Over here!" Demelza shouted.
"Stay quiet," Percy admonished her.
"We'll be quiet," Luna assured him as she dragged her sleeping bag over.
"Pretty lucky he picked tonight," Oliver mumbled. "Halloween, when no one would be in the tower."
"Must've lost track of time when he was on the run," Ron guessed. "He probably didn't know it was Halloween."
"But how did he get in?" Leann whispered, tugging her sleeping bag up to her chin.
"He couldn't have apparated," Hermione said thoughtfully. "The castle has anti-apparition wards. And pretty much every other way, he would've been discovered by the dementors."
"Yeah, Professor McGonagall said that disguises can't fool them," Seamus remembered.
"What if he flew in?" Dean wondered.
"Nah, the dementors would've seen him." Cormac shot it down.
"Secret passages?" Lee suggested.
"Filch knows them all, they're guarded by dementors," Oliver told him.
The twins exchanged shifty looks.
"You really do need to be quiet now," Percy repeated firmly. "Lights are going out in a few moments."
The kids stayed awake for hours. No one could sleep soundly with the thought of Sirius Black in the castle. Whispers continued, but no one did anything to stop them. Teachers checked in every hour, but they never brought any news. Finally, at close to three in the morning, Professor McGonagall entered and headed straight for Penny and Percy.
"Have you found him?" Penny asked breathlessly.
"I'm afraid not. Has everything gone well here?"
"Of course," Percy answered proudly.
"Good. Keep them here for now. Weasley, I've found a temporary guardian for the Gryffindor portrait hole. Make sure the students become acquainted with him. Everyone should move back tomorrow."
"What about…" Percy swallowed, "what about the Fat Lady?"
"She's currently hiding out on the second floor. Black attacked her after she wouldn't let him in without the password. As you can understand, she's very shaken up. However, she will eventually be restored, and should return to normal."
"Minerva?" Snape said lowly. "The entire castle has been searched. There has been no sign of Black."
There was no sound, but the kids assumed she had nodded.
"Minerva, do you have any thoughts on how he may have gotten in?"
"Yes, but none are very likely. We'll have to tighten security, but I don't know what else we can do."
"You remember the conversation I had with you earlier, before the start of the term?" Snape's voice had grown increasingly oily as he continued.
Again, McGonagall must have nodded.
"It would seem that Black could not have entered the school unless…unless he had inside help. I recall that I expressed my concerns that—"
"Severus, stop," McGonagall intervened sharply. "He has been nothing but polite to you this term, correct?"
"Yes—"
"And you do not have any reasonable evidence that he has been in contact with Black, correct?"
"Well, yes—"
"So the only reason you suspect something of him is because of his past, am I correct?"
Snape stayed silent.
"You know Severus, there are many people who could do the same thing to you, but he is not one of them. I understand you're having a hard time with this, but you need to realize something. He isn't to blame. He wasn't then, and he isn't now. If you'll excuse me, I agreed to inform the dementors that our search was complete, and that we have not found Black."
The sound of McGonagall's shoes clicking on the floor echoed throughout the hall. Percy and Penny tried not to stare at Snape, but it was difficult considering the conversation they had just heard. Finally, the potions master swept out of the Great Hall, and Head Boy and Girl went to sleep.
The next day, the group assembled in an empty classroom. It was difficult to find a good place to talk. The common room was too public, the library was too quiet, the courtyard was much too close to the dementors…even now, Katie was stationed near the door as a look-out.
"Okay, so we're obviously here to discuss what happened with Black." Oliver stood at the front of the room, pacing back and forth, with Percy and Penny watching him.
"Did everyone hear what Snape and McGonagall were talking about last night?" Penny asked.
Everyone nodded except for Neville, who sunk down in his chair and blushed bright red.
Parvati glanced at him sympathetically. "Snape was saying that he doesn't trust someone on the staff, and McGonagall said that she trusted whoever it was, and Snape should let his grudge go."
"What grudge?" Seamus asked.
"That's the thing. We don't know," Katie pointed out.
"It sounded like he was talking about someone who had just been hired. And the only two people he could be talking about are Hagrid and Lupin," Percy thought aloud.
"It can't be Hagrid," Angelina spoke up. "He's already been working here for years. He must have been saying those things about Lupin."
"And the grudge is that Lupin got the job Snape wanted!" Ron realized excitedly.
Cormac shook his head. "Then what did she mean by the whole, "no judging someone by their past" thing?"
"Maybe Snape and Lupin used to know each other," Alicia suggested.
Harry's eyes lit up with comprehension. "They must have! Lupin said that my mum beat Snape in Potions class, and Lupin went to school with my mum, which means they must've known each other."
"He did?" Lavender raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"Yeah." Harry flushed as he realized his mistake. "I didn't tell you guys earlier, but Lupin was telling me some stuff about my parents. Mostly about my dad, because they were friends. Them, Pettigrew, and Black." Harry spat out the last name as though it left a bad taste in his mouth.
"That's what Snape was talking about!" Penny's eyes grew wide. "He doesn't trust Lupin because he knows Lupin and Black used to be friends."
"The question is, are they still friends?" Dean countered.
"No way!" Harry declared instantly. "Lupin acted like he hated Black. He wouldn't help him into the castle. He wouldn't stop warning me to stay away from Black yesterday."
"We don't know for sure then, but it's almost certain that we can rule out Lupin as a suspect," Parvati said.
"But how did Black get in, if Lupin wasn't helping him?" Angelina wondered. "And could he get in again?"
"That's the mystery." Percy scanned the room with a serious look on his face. "The dementors and the wards should be preventing anything he could do. No portkeys, no apparition, no disguises, no secret passages…it doesn't make any sense!"
"Um, actually…" Fred spoke up.
"Filch doesn't know about all of the passageways," George finished.
The room was completely silent.
"What?" Oliver asked them tightly.
The twins cringed. "There's three that he doesn't know about."
"And you didn't think to tell people about this because?" Percy's face was slowly turning red. He pulled his glasses off of his face and set them carefully on a desk.
"It's just that, we didn't think Black knew about them either!" Fred claimed defensively.
"Honest, if we thought he could get through that way, we would've said something!" George swore.
Everyone was expecting an outburst, but no one was prepared for the ear-splitting screams it was delivered in.
"Do you know what could've happened?" Penelope shrieked. "You've endangered Harry, Gryffindor House, and the whole school! People could have died!"
The twins paled. "We didn't think—"
"UGH!" She shouted. "I cannot believe you two. Do you think your pranks are more important than people's lives? Is that how you feel? What is the point of all this safety if you aren't going to take it seriously and just act like the whole thing is some huge joke?"
"Come on, Penny—"
"No! Don't even—just—I need to go right now. I expect you two to go to Professor McGonagall immediately and tell her about the secret passageways, and any other things you can think of, alright?" She glared at them.
The pair nodded quickly.
"And after that, you can apologize to Harry, and to everyone else here, that you're sorry for what you've done. Don't try it with anyone else. No need to cause widespread panic—oh, wait, you probably already have!" She stormed out of the room with Percy hot on her heels.
Oliver moved from his leaning position against the wall and stopped in front of the twins. "If I had a good set of reserve beaters, you two would be off the team."
Fred and George glanced down at the floor.
"Unfortunately, you're all I have. Practice is in three hours." He gave a nod to the others and left.
The third and fourth years quickly came up with reasons to get out of the tense environment, leaving Lee, Angelina, and Alicia behind. The silence echoed around the abandoned classroom, occasionally broken by the sound of Alicia sniffling. The first to move was Lee, who simply stood, shook his head, and left. Alicia followed soon after, scrubbing furiously at her cheeks and refusing to meet Fred's eyes.
Angelina cleared her throat. "Can I ask you a question?"
The twins nodded, full of trepidation.
"Is there anything more important to you than your secrets and your pranks?"
George opened his mouth, but couldn't form any words.
She smiled sadly. "I'm going to go write my mum. See you at practice."
And then the infamous Weasley twins were left alone with each other and their cold, lonely thoughts.
Remus glanced up from his papers as he heard a knock on the door. He shoved the fifth years' essays to the side and leaned back in his chair. "Come in!"
Andromeda Tonks peeked in, posture wary. "Is now a bad time?"
Remus ran a hand over his face. The full moon was creeping closer and closer, and his appearance reflected it. People had stopped him all day, asking if he was feeling alright. He blamed it on the "incident," as the staff was calling it. Truth be told, that was a large part of it. Sick of the questioning glances, he'd taken refuge in his office. "No, of course not. Please, sit."
Andromeda perched herself on a chair across from him and wrung her hands in her lap.
"Tea?" He offered politely. She looked even more jittery than he did.
"No, thank you. Remus, I—you know that Sirius and I were—are—were cousins, right?" At his nod, she continued. "I've tried to keep it from the students, because I know how children can be, but most of the staff knows. Some of them are a little suspicious of our familial connection. Not that I let it bother me," She added hastily.
While Remus seriously doubted that, he nodded again.
"Sometimes, fear causes small minds to gossip and cast aspersions on others' character. It's something that happens very often, even with little reason. Such things can be hurtful, but it's very difficult to stop." She paused, gauging his reaction.
When Andromeda was trying not to hurt someone's feelings, she came across as condescending and pitying. Pity was something Remus deeply despised, but he tried not to let his irritation show. It was difficult, but he kept a tight lid on his emotions.
She began to fidget, glancing around his office. "In dark times, no one goes without suspicion. It is best to have a thick skin. I don't want you to feel too hurt by this, but…some members of the staff have been questioning your past friendship with Sirius. They feel that it might not be the best idea to have you working here, and I'm afraid their suspicions have only increased since last night." She stopped again, peering at him closely.
He nodded. "Don't worry, Andromeda, I've gone through it once and I'll go through it again. It's not something to get so worked up about." He smiled gently to put her at ease.
She relaxed slightly. "It's not as though you're completely without support, you know. Charity, Hagrid, Minerva, and I have been sticking up for you. I don't know how much good it's done—people will think what they like. I just wanted you to know about what's going on. You don't usually communicate with the staff outside of what's necessary."
Something about that statement made Remus bristle. "I talk with Charity quite often."
She smiled, confusing him. "Oh, I know. I just want you to realize that we're not all going to judge you about things that happened years ago. I hope you know that."
He could only nod again. It felt as though he often didn't know what to say around Andromeda. She had the odd ability of shocking him into silence while simultaneously making him incredibly uncomfortable.
She rose gracefully. "Thank you for your time. We should chat again soon."
He stood as well. "Er, yes, of course. Have a nice day!"
As soon as the door shut behind her, he slumped back down in his chair. She had claimed they wouldn't judge him for his past, but what about his present? He was still keeping things from them, even now. Sirius entering the castle had almost petrified him with fear. He had to tell them something. He could keep hold of the pact and still reveal some secrets, couldn't he? He frowned. What was something he could give away that wouldn't end up being a total betrayal of James and Peter? Maybe just something he could play off as a new development. McGonagall knew that he was a werewolf, and that he'd used the passage under the Whomping Willow, but she might not realize that Sirius knew about it.
And there was the passage through the one eyed witch, and the one behind the mirror on the fourth floor. He was pretty sure they covered all of the others. But how would he explain knowing where they were? Remus wasn't very good at coming up with excuses. He left that to the other Marauders. Maybe he could say that he'd gone exploring, but that sounded like a stupid thing to do. Then again, in his Hogwarts years, he and the Marauders had gotten up to a number of stupid things, all in the name of mischief. She'd probably buy it, knowing all of the strange stuff he'd done before.
His mind was made up. Sirius must've gotten through using one of the secret passages that didn't have dementors blocking the entrance. He would tell McGonagall, and then no one would be able to get in the school that way anymore. Sirius would stay out, and the rest of the school would be safe. He stood abruptly and took off towards McGonagall's office.
Standing right outside of the gargoyles were the Weasley twins. He wasn't all that surprised to see them—they landed in her office almost as many times as the Marauders had—but he was slightly impatient.
"Excuse me boys, I really need to talk to Professor McGonagall," He told them, trying to squeeze past.
"So do we!" They protested.
Remus sighed. "It's incredibly important that I speak to her as soon as possible."
"Well, we have something urgent—"
"—to tell her as well!"
"I don't think there's a whole lot that's much more urgent than this," He said firmly.
"Really?" Fred challenged. "What about—"
"—knowing how Sirius Black got into the castle?"
Remus froze. "What do you mean?"
Fred and George spoke as one. "There are some secret passages Filch doesn't know about, and we thought we should tell McGonagall so that dementors could guard them."
Remus frowned. "That is more urgent than…what I was going to talk to her about. Mutatio," He recited to the gargoyles. "Good luck!" He called after the twins before turning away, struggling to ignore the guilt settling in his chest.
A quick note to all readers:
Several of you questioned why I was so hard on Diggory last chapter. I would like to point you back to chapters 18 and 26, where Diggory is featured pretty prominently. Oliver's only against him because of the Quidditch rivalry, but for the twins, Alicia, and Angelina, it goes deeper than that. Also, speaking of the twins, I'd rather not get a dozen flames from their biggest fans. I promise, all will be revealed shortly.