A/N: Well, time for a little breather, folks. I hope you enjoy it. This chapter, and the one that follows, were written entirely for fun. There are no serious fights, altercations, or general rowdiness. No Deatheater battles, no battles to the end, no fussing, screaming, or other unpleasantness, and absolutely no one dies. These two chapters were included strictly for your enjoyment and reading pleasure.
Also, never let it be said I don't give fair warning. My surgery has been scheduled. It is on August 25th. What does this mean to you? Well, darn little at the moment. However, it may cause slightly late postings as that I have no idea just how much use of my hand I will have immediately after or even several days after the surgery. My hand is very bad off, I have been told by my doctor, and he isn't guaranteeing anything. My right hand is already suffering numbness and my left is getting to the same point. So as soon as one hand is done and healed, we are doing the other.
What is one of my biggest restricted activities going to be?
(Think about it, folks.)
That's right!
Typing! It's a big no-no.
So, please stay tuned to my bio page and I will give regular updates there as to how postings will proceed.
And as always,
Enjoy.
Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Relations as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.
CHAPTER SEVEN: HARRY, RON, AND BO
Over the next several days Harry tried his best to be an invisible house guest. Which wasn't terribly hard since Orion wasn't home most of the time. Harry felt this sort of defeated the purpose of his supposedly being with Orion because he needed to be protected, but the Unspeakable assured him that as long as he stayed in the house, or at the very least, within the grounds, he was perfectly well protected, whether Orion was home or not.
But being your own company quickly began to wear thin with Harry, and more and more he was finding himself at a loss for anything to do. And so later that week, finding facing another 24 hours of semi-solitary confinement more than he could bear the thought of, Harry approached his guardian with what seemed to him the perfect solution.
Orion, however, failed to see it that way.
"What do you mean 'no'?" Harry ask in exasperation.
Orion held his ground. "It's a fairly simple statement, Harry." he answered, not even looking up from the paper work he was currently engaged in laying over the kitchen table. "What part of the word do you seem to be having trouble with? The 'N' or the 'O'?"
"The 'Y'." Harry replied flatly.
"There is no 'Y'." Orion answered, this time looking up with an extremely patronizing smile.
"I'm all alone here. All I'm asking is for Ron or Hermione to be allowed to come for one day. Not the whole week."
"And I'm having enough trouble watching after just you. I do not need two more teenagers in this house."
"You won't have to watch us. We're not two year olds." Harry defended.
Orion settled back in his chair, crossing his arms in front of him as he frowned at the boy in front of him. "I find that statement open to a wide variety of interpretation at the moment."
"All right. How about if I go over to Ron's for the day then?"
"Out of the question."
"Why?"
"Because the Weasley household, while I am sure is very charming in and of itself, is not protected like this house is. And I can't leave the house right now. So I couldn't be there to watch after you."
"Ron and Hermione and I can take care of ourselves."
"No."
"Then let them come here."
"No."
"Didn't you say that this house and the grounds were well protected?"
"And they are."
"Well, you sure don't seem to think so." Harry pointed out quickly. "I'm kept virtually a prisoner here."
Orion frowned again. "You're not a prisoner, Harry. You can go anywhere in the house you like and on the grounds."
"But I can't leave the grounds. I can't go anywhere and I can't have any of my friends come here. And I'm not being given a single reason for any of this. At this pint, you might as well send me to Hogwarts now. At least there I would have someone to talk to."
"You have people to talk to here."
"Who? You're never here."
"What about Tets?"
"The best conversation I've had with Tets in the past three days was more like an interrogation session."
Orion sighed to himself as he pinched the bridge of his nose. What was it with teenagers? Why couldn't they simply accept 'no' and that be the end of it? He was, after all, the parental figure. He was suppose to be the one in control.
He had presented the same argument to Katlin after a drawn out battle with one of his own teenagers. The usually calm and supportive mother had almost instantly dissolved into giggles and called him delusional.
Hence, he had learned the concept of 'compromise'.
"All right, Harry," Orion offered. "We'll negotiate."
"Negotiate?" Harry ask wearily.
"Yes. Negotiate. A simple matter by which we each give a little to get something we want. In my case, peace and quiet."
"And what do I get?"
"You," Orion stated, "get to have one, count them, one of your friends come. They can arrive in the morning, but they have to leave by early afternoon. That will hopefully placate this sudden need to have company you seem to have. And my preference is the Weasley boy. Give me a chance to talk over a few matters with his father."
Harry considered the offer for a few seconds, then quickly agreed, feeling any further pressing would get the offer withdrawn and no further ones ever placed on the table for the duration of his stay.
Early the following morning, the doorbell rang through the house.
Orion opened the front door by the third ring. He gave a pleasant smile to the two red-haired people standing on his doorstep.
"Ah, Arthur," Orion stated, shaking Mr. Weasley's hand. "Good of you to come."
Mr. Weasley stood almost formally in the doorway, shaking the man's hand. "Mr. Black. Good to meet you finally. And this," he added, pushing Ron forward a little, "is my son, Ron."
Ron turned indignantly to his father. "Dad, Sirius knows who I am."
Mr. Weasley looked down at his son. "Hmmm? What?" He asked in a confused tone.
But just then Harry came barreling down the stairs, having heard the doorbell.
"Ron!" He cried excitedly. "You made it!"
The two grabbed each other in a hug like it had been years instead of months since they had last seen each other. The foyer exploded into an echo of eager chatter as the two teenagers immediately began catching up about their respective summer holidays.
"It was very good of you to come as well, Arthur." Orion commented over the two teenagers excited voices. "I have some muggle devices I'd like you to have a look at for me. Blasted things keep breaking down and everyone at the Department says you're something of an expert with them."
"Oh!" Mr. Weasley asked, trying to keep the pride as well as the excitement out of his own voice. "Muggle devices, you say? Well, I'll be happy to take a look at them for you."
"Harry!" Orion called as Harry and Ron were headed up the stairs. "Remember the things we talked about the other night, yes? And keep a watch on the time please. Ron is only suppose to be here for a few hours. And try to stay out of trouble."
"Yes, Sir." Harry replied in a slightly dismal tone as he and Ron continued up the stairs. He felt his brain had practically fogged over as he sat the night before listening to Orion go over the list of rules he had to follow for Ron's visit. Most of them dealing with what he was and wasn't allowed to talk about. By morning Harry even remembered a few of them.
Halfway up the stairs, Ron stopped and leaned over the banner rail, watching his father and the other man disappear through a door under them.
"I thought you were staying with Orion, Harry?" He asked as he pulled back and headed after Harry up the stairs.
"I am." Harry answered in a slightly confused tone.
"So what's Sirius doing here?"
"Sirius?" Harry asked, puzzled.
"You're godfather?"
"I know who he is, Ron. But Sirius isn't here. He's at the cottage with Arabella."
Ron looked skeptical. "Then who was that at the door?"
Harry suddenly understood the confusion and snorted at his friend. "That, Ron," he explained, "was Orion."
Ron stopped short at the top landing of the stairs. "What?" He quickly leaned over the rail again. "No Way! Harry! Why didn't you say something? At least introduce me to him."
Harry pulled Ron back from over the railing. "I thought you had already."
"Well, I did. But I thought it was Sirius. Blimmy, they look alike, don't they?"
"Like Fred and George." Harry agreed. "It's really weird sometimes. I look at him, and sometimes it's like seeing Sirius standing there. Even though I know it's not."
"So, how is Sirius? And Arabella?"
"I wish I knew." Harry admitted bleakly. "I haven't seen either of them so much as once since I've been here. And Orion won't say a word about either one of them."
"What about what's going on?" Ron asked quickly. "You didn't say much in your letter."
"I couldn't. Orion said to keep it short. And he had to approve it for content before I could even send it to you."
"How come?"
"Don't know. Orion said there were just some things he didn't want me to say anything about. I guess maybe some things I might say could put Sirius or Arabella in danger. You know, if one of Vol...You-Know-Who's spies got a hold of the letter or something."
"So what is going on?" Ron asked eagerly.
The two continued on to Harry's room. "I can't really say much, Ron. Orion said I wasn't to talk about some stuff that's happened."
"But what about the adoption? What happened? The last time you owled me about it, everything was set to go. Sirius and Arabella just needed to sign some papers and stuff."
When they stepped into Harry's room, Ron momentarily lost the thread of the conversation as he took in the size of the room.
"Blimmy, Harry!" He exclaimed, looking around him. "You could get lost in this room."
"That's sort of how I feel half the time." Harry replied in a quieter tone, looking about the room himself. "It's big enough to get lost in. Back at the cottage, my room wasn't big. But at least it was home."
Ron gave him a sympathetic look. "So what is going on there?" He asked.
Harry shrugged. "Like I said. I can't really say much about what's happened. Orion says it could 'jeopardize security'. Not that he ever says what security it would be jeopardizing. All I can say is that just as Arabella and Sirius were getting ready to sign the adoption papers, Orion showed up and took custody of me away from Sirius. And until whatever is going on is settled, I have to live with him."
"Blimmy. That's weird, Harry." Ron stated. "But you haven't got any ideas what really is going on?"
Harry shrugged again. "I wish I knew something. I mean, it's O.K. here with Orion. But I miss Sirius and Arabella. And more than anything I just wish I could go home."
"Well, have you tried calling Sirius?" Ron inquired. "You know, like by fire? Maybe that would work?"
Harry quickly shook his head. "Oh no! Last time I tried doing something like that I got everybody into trouble. Especially Sirius."
"Well, surely Orion's told you something?"
Harry shook his head again. "Not a thing really. And if I asked him about what's going on, why I can't go home, he just says the time isn't right yet. Then he closes up and won't say another word about it."
"Hey! You don't think it has to do with his job, do you, Harry?" Ron asked suddenly in a hushed tone, but his face lighting up with excitement. "You know, with his being an Unspeakable?"
Harry only shook his head again. "No. I think this has something only to do with Sirius."
"Just Sirius?"
"Yeah. Orion will talk about just about anyone else. Dumbledore, Lupin, Snape, even Fudge. If I ask anything about Arabella, he gets a lot less talkative. But if I ask about Sirius, he just gives me the standard answers and then stops talking altogether. Whatever's going on, Ron, it has something to do with Sirius. I'm sure of that."
"Harry, you don't think Orion is working with Fudge and the ministry to capture Sirius, do you?"
Harry shook his head. "Orion's been protecting Sirius from the ministry, Ron. He told me he's seen Sirius a couple of times since Sirius escaped from Azkaban, and he's never contacted the ministry or even told them that he's seen Sirius."
"Well, if it's not that, then what else could it be, Harry?"
"I wish I knew. If Sirius is in some sort of trouble..."
"Does Orion have a study?" Ron suddenly blurted out, cutting Harry off in mis-sentence.
"A what?"
"A study. You know, like a den or something. One room in the house where he keeps all his papers and stuff."
Harry looked at his friend suspiciously. "Why?"
"Well, maybe he's got something in there that could tell you more about what's going on. I mean, Sirius is working for the ministry, right?"
"Yeah, but it's not common knowledge. Just certain ministry members know that."
"Is Orion one of them?"
Harry paused for a moment as he thought. "I don't really know for sure."
"But he could be?"
"I suppose, yeah."
"So maybe he has something in the study that could help us figure out what's going on."
"I don't know, Ron. I've never seen a study or den in this place. And even if he does have one, I'm willing to bet he doesn't want us in it."
Ron paused, then sat back on the bed looking resigned about the situation. "I suppose you're right, Harry." He agreed. "And you wouldn't want an Unspeakable mad at you, would you?"
"That's for sure." Harry replied.
"Well, maybe we can do something else." Ron suggested.
"Well, things might get a bit limiting." Harry explained. "I'm not allowed to leave the house."
"What? At all?"
Harry shook his head. "Not unless Orion goes with me."
Ron looked dejected. But suddenly his expression brightened. "Hey, if you can't go outside, then surely he doesn't mind us exploring."
"Exploring?"
"Yeah. This old house has gotta have a hundreds of different rooms and stuff. Could be interesting to look around."
"I don't know, Ron." Harry replied, looking doubtful. "The rooms move a lot."
Ron looked impressed rather than skeptical.
"They move?" He asked. "That is so cool, Harry! We've gotta go exploring now. Who knows what kind of rooms an Unspeakable could have around a place this big?"
"That's another point, Ron." Harry stated. "What if we get lost or something?"
"Well," Ron pointed out, "if the rooms move, there isn't much need to go very far, is there? I mean, we could stay at one door all afternoon and still explore a dozen different rooms." He hopped off the bed, grabbing Harry's arm. "Come on. It'll be fun. And maybe we'll find the study while we're at it." He added quickly.
Rolling his eyes and very reluctantly, but with no other ideas of what to do, Harry followed Ron out of the room and down the stairs.
Starting in the foyer, Ron jumped at the first door they came to. But it proved disappointingly to be nothing more than a coat closet. Ron opened and closed the door several times. But the room remained the same.
Giving Harry a slightly skeptical look, they continued on around the foyer. But by the time they had gotten half way around the entrance room, not one of the doors they had opened showed itself to be hiding anything more than boxes or dust mops, no matter how many time Ron opened and closed the door.
"You sure about the rooms changing?" Ron asked as he tried the door in front of him for the fourth time, still getting a broom closet.
"Positive." Harry replied, looking over Ron's shoulder for the fourth time. "But maybe it's just certain rooms. And maybe it doesn't work for any of these. I mean, they appear to be just coat or broom closets or such."
Ron looked around the foyer. Set off to the side, a good distance from any other door, stood a large, worn looking, wooden door.
"Let's try that one." Ron stated. "Then we'll move on."
Harry agreed, following Ron over to the door.
Ron gave the door a tug to get it open, feeling it stick in the doorframe slightly.
Harry quickly leaned around Ron's shoulder for a better look.
Expecting to see more brooms or coats, he was surprised to see a set of stairs leading down into the room. But past the first few steps, the room dissolved into complete blackness.
"So, when you see?" Harry asked.
"All whole lot of dark. " Ron replied.
"What you think is down there?"
"More dark."
Ron started forward, placing his foot on the first stair. "Well, come on." He said.
But Harry quickly grabbed his arm. "Ron, we can't go down there. "
"Why not?"
"We don't know what could be down there. "
Ron gave him a look as though that was the whole point. "Hence, the reason to 'go down there'. " He confirmed.
"We should ask Orion first. It is his house."
"Forgiveness or permission, Harry. Which is easier to get? Besides, what if the study is down there?"
"In the cellar?" Harry asked.
"Could be." Ron replied, taking another step towards the engulfing darkness.
Harry reached out for Ron's arm, trying to stop him. "Ron, come on. Let's..."
But Ron pulled his arm out of his friend's reach, and, suddenly losing his balance, ended up tumbling down into the black pit.
"Ron!" Harry shouted down the stairs.
A soft moan answered him from the darkness. Sighing, Harry shook his head and hurried down the stairs.
"Ron, you O.K.?" Harry asked as he felt his way down the stairs.
As another soft moan filled the darkness, Harry pulled his wand out and quickly lit it.
With the light to guide him, Harry was able to transverse the stairs much quicker. When he reached the bottom, he found Ron just getting up off a dirt floor.
"You O.K.?" Harry asked in a concerned voice as he helped Ron to his feet.
"For someone who just fell down a flight of stairs, I suppose I'm good." Ron replied, rubbing the back of his head. But he quickly forgot about his very recently acquired bruises as he looked about the room they were now in as it began illuminated by the light of Harry's wand. Ron quickly pulled out his own wand and lit it, adding to the illumination.
The room was impossibly large. It looked more like a dungeon carved out of rock than a cellar beneath an old mansion. The walls showed a rough exterior while even the air around them felt slightly damp and cold. The light from their wands showed no roof above them at all.
"Oh, this is so cool." Ron breathed in a sigh of admiration. "Fred and George will never believe the stuff about this place. Hey, Harry!" He suddenly exclaimed. "What do you suppose is down here? I mean, it already looks like he's got it enchanted or something. Nothing this big could be under the house. So whatever's down here he must want to keep protected. Blimmy." Ron looked about the room again. "With him being an Unspeakable, there's no telling what he could have down here."
"Probably where he keeps the bodies." Harry stated forlornly.
"Bodies?"
"I'm kidding, Ron." Harry sighed quietly. "And listen, I don't think Orion being an Unspeakable is any different really from just being an Auror. They seem pretty much like the same thing."
"Oh, no way, Harry." Ron shook his head emphatically. Fred and George said that Aurors and Unspeakables don't even speak to each other."
"Well, Unspeakables hardly speak to anyone, do they?"
"Look, even Percy said it's like there's some big rift between the two departments. Neither one speaks to the other. I mean, granted, Unspeakables do hardly talk to anyone, and they're not the friendliest lot according to Percy."
"Well, Orion doesn't seem that way." Harry replied, continuing to shine the light from his wand around the room. "He's actually pretty nice for the most part."
But Ron didn't seem to be listening anymore. He was already heading off through the darkness, following the lit tip of his wand.
"Ron!" Harry stated, heading after him.
Ron stopped a few feet ahead of Harry. "What?"
"Where are you going?"
"Well, we're down here. We might as well have a look round."
"Orion isn't going to like us mucking about down here."
"Harry, we're here. What's the harm in just looking? Who knows what we might find down here."
"Like a way out?" Harry asked, staring into the darkness surrounding them.
Ron shook his head and turned back to his friend.
"I'm telling you, Harry. You're missing out on a great opportunity here."
"And what about all those rooms upstairs that we could be looking through in the meantime?" Harry reminded him.
Ron's attention suddenly focused back on his original plan.
"Oh! Right!" He replied. "I guess we should be heading back upstairs."
Harry just shook his head and headed back for the stairs.
After walking for what seemed the right distance, Harry abruptly stopped and looked about.
"What is it?" Ron asked.
"The stairs." Harry stated.
Ron shown his light past Harry. "I don't see any stairs." He stated.
"That's what I mean." Harry whispered back. "We didn't walk that far from them. They should be right here."
Ron shown his wand tip around them in a circle, then turned back to Harry.
"You must have gotten turned around in the dark, Harry. They're probably in the other direction."
"I'm not turned around." Harry whispered. "We didn't walk that far, Ron. The stairs should be right here somewhere."
"My point being that they're not." Ron replied. "Come on." He added, heading off in the opposite direction. "We'll look over here."
Looking around him at the darkness that now seemed to be following them, Harry hurried after Ron. But after walking a good distance, Ron stopped abruptly in front of Harry, causing him to run into him.
"What?" Harry hissed in a whisper.
"They should be here by now." Ron whispered back. "We've walked more than far enough."
Harry looked about the area they stood in.
"Maybe they're over there." He pointed with his wand tip in another direction.
Ron followed Harry about the room until they covered several more directions before finally pulling to a stop.
"He must have this place really enchanted good." Ron whispered. "The stairs must disappear when you come down them. And you need to know the right spell to make them reappear."
"Then how do we get out?" Harry whispered back.
Ron thought for a moment. "Well, we could just wait. I mean, we lit our wands, right? That's using magic outside of school." Ron gave Harry a strangely satisfied smile. "Ministry should be showing up any time now."
Harry stared back at Ron with a sour look.
"We lit our wands ages ago, Ron. They surely should have been here by now. And besides, Orion said the whole house is enchanted to keep anyone from getting in. I'll bet that shields magic used inside as well."
Ron seemed to digest the information for a moment, then looked about them again.
"Well, then I guess we can either wait for Orion to come find us or try to find a way out ourselves."
Harry headed off into the darkness. "I'm voting for the latter of those choices." He responded. "Because I sure don't want Orion finding us down here."
Silently agreeing, Ron hurried after his friend.
After walking about for what seemed a very long distance, Harry sighed in relief as they finally encountered a wall.
"All right." He stated, turning back to Ron. "We'll just follow the wall until we find a way out."
"Why should a wall specifically prove to be a way out?" Ron asked.
"At least it's something to follow." Harry replied. "Wandering about in the dark without being about to see anything around you was starting to get to me."
Ron silently agreed again as he started after Harry.
A few more minutes of walking suddenly rewarded them with a door.
"Finally!" Ron stated.
Yanking the door open, Ron headed through it before Harry could stop him.
"Ron!" Harry exclaimed.
Ron came to a screeching halt.
"What?"
"Will you slow down? We had no idea what might have been behind that door."
For the first time Ron looked about at his surroundings and found he was standing in a long corridor.
"Looks like a lot of hallway to me." He replied.
Harry followed his friend through the door. Indeed, beyond it seemed to be little more than a lot of hallway. The passage was at least lit. Hanging every few yards were old fashion lamps suspended from the ceiling, stretching down the corridor as far as Harry could see. The floor was covered in a short brown and red mixed carpet that looked as old as the lamps hanging above it, while the walls themselves were a medium wood panel. All in all, except for its obvious length, Harry thought the whole corridor looked like it came right out of an old hotel setting.
"I think we should go back and keep looking for the stairs, Ron." Harry stated, looking down the seemingly endless corridor.
"Harry, come on. It's more than likely the stairs were set to disappear once someone came down them. Without the right spell, we'll never find them again. This is likely our best chance at finding a way out."
"But, Ron...,"
"And look, what if there's something in one of these rooms that could explain what's going on. Why you can't see Sirius or Arabella. I mean, you want to figure that out, right?"
Harry sighed quietly. "Yeah. But we only go as far as we can still see the door we came through, all right?"
"Right!" Ron agreed quickly, already heading off down the corridor. "Come on then!"
Ron quickly dragged Harry after him down the corridor. They went right past several doors, with Ron not even giving them a second glance.
"Ron," Harry asked finally as he followed behind the other boy, "why not pick a door?"
Ron sighed loudly and shook his head. "Honestly, Harry. Think about it. No Unspeakable is going to hide anything worth finding in the first few rooms. That would be way too easy. He's gonna make you work to find it. So he's likely gonna put it in a room somewhere near the end of the corridor."
Harry was sure there was room for argument in Ron's logic somewhere, but he just couldn't think of it at the moment.
As they continued down the corridor, Harry's mind wandered back to Ron's statement about the cellar being enchanted. He had no doubt as they continued to walk that the cellar was larger than it should have been. At first he had thought it was possibly just expanded a bit past the walls of the house above and simply seemed larger than it was as they stumbled about it in the dark. But he certainly saw no unquestionable proof that the room was enchanted. But as the corridor continued to stretch on and on, Harry went back to Ron's theory and found it having a bit more credibility added to it. The corridor seemed to go on forever. When he turned around he was sure he could still just barely make out the door they had come through. But when he tried to squint through the pale light to see it better, he abruptly bumped into Ron, who had stopped short in front of him.
Readjusting his glasses back in place, Harry turned an irritated stare to his friend.
"Why'd you stop?" He stated.
"Because we ran out of corridor." Ron replied.
Harry looked past Ron. Sure enough, he found himself looking at what seemed to be a wall, signaling the end of the corridor. Turning back around, Harry glanced back up the corridor. Still a good distance down the corridor, but clearly there now, was the door they had come through.
"That door wasn't so close before." Harry whispered almost to himself.
"What?" Ron asked.
"That door we came though." Harry repeated. It looks closer now than it did before."
Ron turned to look at the door.
"It's just a trick of the lights, Harry. Things look further away in the dark. Don't worry about it. Besides, we got something else to think about now."
Wondering what, Harry turned about to find Ron staring at an old wooden door next to them.
"Well," Ron breathed with a sigh of relief, although his voice held nothing but excitement, "this one is as far back as we can go. No telling what we'll find in here as far back as this must be."
Harry followed Ron into the room, thinking it somewhat strange that none of the doors they had encountered so far had been locked.
Directly inside the room Ron stood shining the beam from his wand about the area.
"Empty?" He seemed to asked no one imparticular with a deep tone of disappointment in his voice. "How can it be empty?"
Harry followed him a bit further into the room. "By not having anything in it." He answered, shining the beam of his own wand around them.
The room was massive. Larger even, Harry noted, then his bedroom. The walls were the same wood panel coloring, with a wooden ceiling some fifteen to eighteen feet above them, criss-crossed with large wooden beams. The floor was covered in the same, dark carpeting as the hallway had been. But despite its size, the room was indeed, completely empty.
"Come on, Ron." Harry suggested. "There's nothing in here, so let's go."
Ron gave no arguments as he turned to follow Harry back to the door. But he pulled up short as Harry stopped abruptly in front of him.
"What's up?" Ron asked quickly, looking over his shoulder. "Did you find something?"
"Yeah." Harry replied slowly. "A wall."
"Harry, we've seen plenty of walls. Let's go."
"Ron," Harry stated, still looking over the wall before him, "this wall wasn't here before. This is where the door was."
Ron gave a soft laugh as he patted his friend on the shoulder.
"You just got turned around in the dark again, Harry." He stated. "That's all."
"Ron, I did not get 'turned around in the dark again'." Harry protested quickly. "We didn't walk three feet into this room."
But Ron had already turned around and headed in the opposite direction.
"Ron!" Harry whispered after him.
"Harry, look." Ron stated confidently. "There's the door over there, right?"
Harry followed the beam of Ron's wand. Sure enough, the outline of the door showed clearly in the dim light.
Harry considered the distance across the room.
"But there's no way we walked that far, Ron." He stated, following after his friend.
"The dark does things to your perceptions, Harry." Ron replied, reaching for the door handle. "And besides, we came in a door, and this is the only door in the room. So it's not only likely the door we came in, but the only way out."
Harry looked about the room again and realized Ron was right about that much. And whereas they could always stay in the room, that wouldn't get them anywhere. If they wanted to find a way out, there was only one way to go.
"All right." Harry agreed. "But we're checking doors as we go this time. One could be a way out."
"All right." Ron replied as he reached for the door handle. "But if we open a door and there's something like Hagrid's dog, Fluffy, behind it, it's your fault."
Ron opened the door and almost stepped straight into a mouth full of large, white teeth. A feral growl echoed through the room as the massive jaws snapped shut, just missing Ron. Harry grabbed his friend by the back of his shirt and pulled him back into the room, slamming the door shut as the teeth banged against the door, snapping wildly.
"Well," Harry said in a shaking voice as he turned to where Ron lay on the floor behind him, "at least it wasn't Fluffy behind the door, hey?"
Ron quickly got to his feet again. "Fluffy?" He stated. "That thing was Fluffy's mother! Did you see the size of it, Harry? It's nose wouldn't have fit in the doorway!"
"So what are we going to do now?" Harry asked. "That's the only way out and we can't get out because of that...thing...out there."
"Hold on." Ron replied as he turned around and looked over the room again. "Harry. Look."
Harry turned around to where Ron was directing his wand's beam. Across the room from where they had come was a door.
"There you are!" Ron exclaimed proudly. "It wasn't that we were on the wrong side of the room before, Harry. We just weren't far enough down the wall. That's why we couldn't find the door." Ron gave him a good-natured clap on the shoulder as he walked past him, trying to dispel some of his own nervousness with the gesture. "Looks like you were right all along."
Harry gave the door behind them a nervous glance as he followed Ron across the room again. Perhaps nothing un-nerved him as much as the fact it had gotten very quiet behind the door now. Nor did he miss the fact that despite his good humor, Ron still opened the door very slowly and cautiously peered around it as he did so.
But finally, with a now relieved smile, Ron opened the door wide to reveal the familiar red and brown carpeted hallway.
"There you are!" Ron exclaimed happily. "Just where we came in."
Harry followed his friend out into the corridor with the same caution Ron had opened the door. He looked one way and then the other. To the right was the same wall that signaled the end of the corridor, while to the left was the empty hallway.
Or nearly empty.
Harry squinted slightly to make out the shape that sitting in the middle f the hallway several yards away.
"Is that...?" Harry began slowly.
Ron nodded slightly. "Yup." he replied in barely a whisper. "It's a potted plant."
Harry shook his head. "Ron, that wasn't there before."
Ron nodded. "Right."
"Think it's dangerous?"
Ron seemed to be trying to gather up some sort of force to make his voice sound more confident. But it came out sounding just slightly above a nervous squeak. "Of course not." he replied. "It's just a potted plant, Harry."
"That suddenly appeared in the corridor?"
Ron nodded again. "Right. Then we'll be careful. All we have to do is get by it. Shouldn't be hard. Not like it can chase us."
"And not that I really care to bring this up." Harry mentioned off-handedly as they cautiously approached the plant. "But if it can't chase us, how did it get into the middle of the corridor?"
"Someone likely left it there." Ron stated, suddenly squaring his shoulders. "Someone who is likely having a great laugh at us right now."
And with that Ron walked right up to the small plant. Staring down at it, he waited to see if anything else would happen. But the small plant sat innocently on the floor. Harry quickly joined his friend.
"There, you see, Harry," Ron turned to him, giving the pot a tap with his shoe. "Nothing. It's just a plain old potted..."
Ron stopped abruptly as the little plant suddenly gave a rustle of its leaves. Then very slowly the plant seemed to turn itself about in the pot and tilt itself upward. Two large green eyes opened and looked directly up at Ron.
"...plant." Ron finished in a whisper.
Two tendrils suddenly shot up and reached for the two boys. But
Harry managed to just grab Ron by the neck and shove him down as they ducked under the vines and sprinted off down the corridor. Running past closed doors, one suddenly shot open in front of them and a large, fur-covered creature darted out from behind the door, landing facing them in the middle of the corridor.
With a scream of surprise and panic, Ron grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him to the side as he yanked open the opposing door and shoved Harry in in front of him.
For several seconds the two stood leaning all their weight against the door as they fought to catch their breath.
"Blimey!" Ron exclaimed. "What sort of cellar is this?"
"A dangerous one." Harry quickly concluded. "And we still have to find a way out of it."
"If we survive that long."
"Orion's got to notice we're missing sooner or later..."
But Ron was shaking his head as he continued to pant for breath. "He and my Dad are looking at Orion's muggle stuff. They could be at it for hours knowing Dad."
"Then we'll just have to get ourselves out." Harry stated resolutely. "There has to be a way out."
"There is." Ron agreed. "But currently we're about a hundred miles down a corridor from it. And how are we suppose to get out of this corridor to start with? We have no idea which one of those doors has something behind it waiting to jump out at us. Or what it'll be next time. And what was that thing anyway?" he ask, remembering the last creature they faced.
"The biggest stinking werewolf I've ever seen, that's what." Harry supplied.
"Didn't look like any werewolf to me. Looked more like a huge bear."
"All I know is it had teeth."
Ron nodded in agreement as he paled at the memory. "Lots of teeth."
Harry stepped away from the door and carefully began to pull it open. But Ron quickly pushed it shut again.
"Harry! What are you doing?"
"Seeing if the coast is clear."
"Why?"
"We have to get out of here, Ron."
"Why?" the boy ask again. "I mean, this isn't such a bad room, Harry. It's actually sort of nice. Dark and quiet. And nothing's tried to eat me yet. I'm actually starting to really like this room."
Harry sighed to himself as he shook his head, then peaked out into the corridor.
"What do you see?" Ron's nervous voice ask.
"Nothing." Harry replied. Everything's..."
A sudden scream of panic behind him and Harry found himself shoved out into the corridor.
Rolling quickly over onto his back, Harry glared up at his friend. "What did you do that for?"
"Something grabbed me!" Ron stammered, leaning against the outside of the door now. "Something cold and wet."
Harry sighed loudly as he pulled himself to his feet. "Well give some warning next time. You might have knocked me into whatever that thing was that chased us into the room to begin with."
Ron quickly looked about. "Where is it anyway?"
"Not here. That's all I care about."
"But where did it go?"
"Probably back behind one of these doors." Harry ventured a guess. "So we'll have to be careful how we go. We'll take it nice and slow and try not to make any noise. Maybe then we can sneak past it."
Ron was just about to agree when a soft squeaking sound caught both their attentions.
Both heads snapped towards the sound.
The unmistakable sound of a door opening.
Harry and Ron took several steps back as they watched the door a few yards away from them slowly open until the door stood out into the hallway as far as it would go.
Four pairs of wide eyes watched in absolute silence to see what new thing the corridor would produce this time to attack them.
The silence seemed to stretch to the breaking point.
"S...so...what do you think...?"
Harry quickly slapped a hand over Ron's mouth. "Shhhhh." he whispered softly. "Listen."
Ron did. And shortly he heard the unmistakable sound...of someone humming."
Both boys took a tentative step forward as the humming grew slightly louder. Then, almost abruptly, a small, grizzly bearded old man emerged from behind the door. He was softly humming the tune the two had heard while leaning on a cane as he walked. Slowly he turned back to the door behind him and carefully shut it before turning in Ron and Harry's direction.
The old man didn't seem at all startled to see them as he smiled at them and gave a small wave.
Ron and Harry simply stared at the old figure in amazement.
The old man seemed frustrated by something as he dropped his hand and waved it about a few times. But then he stopped abruptly and turned back to Ron and Harry. He gave a gesture with his hand to wave them to come closer.
Both boys shook their heads in unison.
The old man seemed to find some amusement in this and waved at them again to come closer.
Ron and Harry took a step back.
"Probably a ghoul in disguise." Ron whispered.
"Or a vampire." Harry speculate as well.
The old man seemed to be getting frustrated at their refusals and finally turned towards them and started down the corridor towards them, limping on his cane.
"Now what?" Ron ask.
"Maybe it wouldn't hurt to see what he wants." Harry suggested. "I mean, he hardly looks like he could chase a snail let alone us."
"And that could be just an act." Ron replied.
But as the old man approached them, Harry noticed that his steps began to slow even more, until each one seemed physically painful to him.
"Maybe we should help him." Ron suggested. "He looks like he may be hurt."
"He didn't look hurt a few minutes ago." Harry noted skeptically.
They watched the old man slow more with each step until eventually he came to a complete stop. Abruptly his body began to shake. His legs and arms began to lengthen and his face twisted and stretched until the once wrinkled skin was stretched taunt and replaced by a long, angular muzzle full of teeth. Fur began to sprout out over various areas of his body and his feet and hands became long, sharp claws.
Ron and Harry both gave a slight nod.
"Werewolf." They agreed in unison.
Without a second look back, both boys took off down the corridor, figuring nothing they ran into at this point could be half as bad as what was behind them.
They were wrong.
As Harry and Ron bolted down the hallway, running for all they were worth, Harry suddenly made out the shape of a tall, thin man with long, dark hair coming down the hallway towards them. He wasn't running, but his stride was definitely with purpose. As Harry drew closer to him, he clearly made out the hard stare of his uncle, as well as the wand in his hand, which was pointed directly at them.
Harry wasn't sure what to do. The one thing he was sure of was that unless Orion let loose a spell, he wasn't going to stop. He quickly shut his eyes and barreled past his uncle, ducking under his arm to get past. Apparently Ron had taken a cue from his lead and shot past Orion as well on the other side.
"That's enough!"
The sudden bellow of his uncle's voice caused both Harry and Ron to pull to an immediate stop.
Fully expecting to turn and find his uncle's wand pointed again at them, Harry was surprised to find Orion hadn't changed his direction at all. He now, in fact, stood facing the large creature that had been pursuing them. What made the scene even odder was that the werewolf had apparently come to a dead stop just inches from Orion's wand and was making a rapid series of gestures with its clawed hands. Most of which seemed to involve Harry and Ron, as that the creature kept pointing at them.
Harry began to get a bit nervous as Orion lowered his wand, crossing his arms over his chest as he seemed to take a genuinely interest in whatever the werewolf was trying to communicate.
"Just how many times are you going to play that 'I didn't know' card?" Orion stated emphatically at the creature. "Because I'd really like to know."
The creature paused as the Auror spoke to it, then immediately began gesturing again.
"I know all of that." Orion finally replied firmly as he leaned against the wall, but in an overall less threatening tone that echoed his more relaxed stance. "But you have to be more careful. They are guests. Not intruders."
The creature suddenly got a wide-eyed stared and abruptly began bouncing on the balls of its feet in front of Orion. An obviously happy reaction to the news as it began to make several gestures again. But Orion stopped it abruptly.
"No." He stated just as firmly. "You already scared the knickers off both of them. I think you've had your fun for the day."
The creature looked more than a little crestfallen, but finally turned and headed off back down the hallway.
"Don't sulk." Orin called after it as the creature meandered down the hallway. "If you're good, and you don't cause any ruckesses, perhaps Mrs. Black will come down and play with you later. All right? You can show her that nice new werewolf you have been working so hard on."
The creature responded immediately as his head came up and he again began bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"All right then," Orion stated, waving his hand down the hallway, "off you go. Next month we'll turn the spells off around the house and maybe someone will try prowling onto the grounds. You know how much you just love that."
The creature was all but jumping up and down now as it quickly disappeared behind the nearest door.
Harry and Ron both stood stock still as Orion headed back down the corridor towards them. For the life of him Harry wasn't sure which he would rather be facing right now. His uncle, or the creature.
"Well," the Auror stated firmly as he looked down at the two errant teenagers. "we've managed to have quite a day of it, haven't we?"
"Yes, Sir." Both answered in unison, looking as apologetic as possible.
"All right." Orion instructed them, pointing his wand down the corridor. "Off you go."
Harry and Ron turned about and stumbled briefly in surprise. Right before them now stood the door they had originally come through that brought them into the corridor to begin with.
Harry turned abruptly back to his uncle. "But, how..."
"I can leave you down here to figure in out if you'd like, Harry." Orion quickly cut him off.
Harry quickly seized the door handle and hurried through the doorway, followed closely behind by Ron.
Both boys cautiously followed Orion through the cellar and to the stairs. They silently made their way up the stairs and finally met the bright light of the foyer as they stepped through the cellar doorway.
As they stepped out into the foyer, Orion paused long enough to shut and the door behind them before he turned back to the two teenagers.
"I hope you'll understand," he stated in a voice that positively rang with a false calm in Harry's opinion, "that I have to insist you not go back down into the cellar, Harry. Ron."
Both nodded quickly.
"Bo's not really dangerous. But to him, you're little more than a new toy on two legs. And it's really not advisable to tempt him. He gets so carried away."
"Bo?" Harry beat Ron to the question.
"My family's pet boggart." Orion replied, pointing back at the cellar door. "He just loves to play. Especially with new people. So do us both a favor and go find something else to do, all right?"
The two boys quickly turned and hurried off up the stairs. Orion waited in the foyer until he heard the door slam shut upstairs, then finally turned and headed off to see if Mr. Weasley had managed to fix the coffee maker.
Q&A
Family Relations
MKH:
I am enjoying this story very much. I LOVED family relations. Small question though. What about the motorcycle that Sirius got for Harry's b-day? Is it possible that he will run away on it?
Dear, I am so proud of you for asking about the motorcycle I could just hug you! No one yet has thought to ask what became of Harry's birthday present, which seemed to have simply disappeared from the story last time. The fact of the matter is, I kept the motorcycle in the back of my mind until I could think of a good place to mention it again.
And indeed, the motorcycle plays a part in this story. Oddly enough, in the very next chapter. I hope you enjoy it.
MasterLupin:
"Orion is, in fact, a very good father. Even his own five would (begrudgingly) admit that." Is this story a contiunuing series from some perviusly posted story. I am going to go check on that. I don't completly understand what you mean there. Although If there was a prequil to this story then I am hoping that would explain that.( I will look tonight for a prequil) I stand corected on my previus post anyhow. It dose seem that Orion dose know how to deal with Harry to an extent, we (by that I mean I myself) will see were this goes. It actualy now appears that Harry will in some way stand to benifit Orion on an emotional leavle. Help him to deal with something... But I again do not see all the information, and know all ends, so until next time.
Of course Family Relations is a continuation of another story, Dear. It's the sequel to Family Life.
OK. Just having a little fun with you. I know what you mean.
No, you're not missing out on anything. Orion's family has yet to be introduced. That comes in a story called In The Family Way, which is another story based on Orion and Katlin a good while after Voldemort's fall. And yes, it is a prequel to Family Life and all subsequent Family stories.
Don't get ahead of yourself, Dear. Orion is not there to act as a second father-figure to Harry, nor does he want to. He is there to do a job. Protect Harry. Nothing more. Nothing less. Sorry if that sounds a little cold, but Orion has his reasons fr handling the situation the way he is. He is, in fact, a lot further ahead of everyone else than most people think. There isn't a move that anyone makes that the man isn't shaping to his own ends. He has a goal in mind, and no one and nothing is going to stop him from reaching it.
Silverfox:
Well, doing marginally better in this chapter, Orion, but I'll stick with my claim that a father of five should know when they are not allowed to learn to aparate yet. Especially if he is a good father and cares for laws as an Auror is supposed to. (and I always got the impression Orion did care a lot about the law) ... And we finally got to see the parents, even if not in person! Yay!
'Marginally better', Dear? Geez, you're a tough audience this time.
True, Orion should have likely known at what age someone could apparate. But whose to say that he could peg Harry's age? He has had little to no contact with the boy until now. True, Harry is famous and most people in the wizarding community can probably tell you the boy's age with only a momentary pause. But Orion had a lot more on his mind right then than remembering how many candles were on Harry's last birthday cake. I never touted the man as perfect.
Well, I think he's a good father, but I'm also horribly bias.
As for caring about the laws, good heavens! The man is married to an Elite Deatheater! Instead of arresting her, he's sleeping with her. How law abiding is that! Basically, he follows the laws when he can and bends them when he needs to.
Actually, you do get to meet Orion's parents one day. That's a cute little story titled (Oddly enough) Meeting The Parents.
Pannybaby:
I'm very glad you're enjoying the story, Dear. No higher praise for an author.
I know the postings are a bit confusing. I hope to work something out with Fanfiction to fuse the chapters all under one heading. We'll see.
A Dog's Day
Cassie:
Thank you, Dear.
And remember;
During hurricane power outages, crickets can increase their volume to overcome the sound of the 14 generators running in your neighborhood.