Angel on Campus Keeperoliver Chapter 20
The Daily Prophet was in an uproar. The news of the return of Sirius Black had been announced in a muggle publication. True the London Times was more than just a muggle publication, but, it had nothing to do with the magical world.
It had to get a story about his return, and how it came about. It was the story of the year, and they had to be the ones to announce it. They knew that the one person that had to be left off the story was Rita Skeeter. Her history with the Golden Trio was not a good one. In fact, it was a hate felt by both sides. The Prophet had used Skeeter in the days of the war as a cornerstone because of her ability to get the facts that others were not able to get. However because of this, once the war was over, She had been denied entry into many areas. She lost her popularity. She had not had any good stories since her series of articles about Albus Dumbledore's eye opening Biography.
So, they decided to go to their new hot reporter, Lavender Brown, to get the story. What they didn't know for a fact was that after their graduation from Hogwarts, Hermione, Ginny and Lavender had formed a friendship. The Prophet thought she still formed a grudge against Hermione, and would write a sizzling story filled with lust about how Hermione had longed for Sirius.
Lavender accepted the story, simply because she wanted to protect her friends. Another reporter might give the Prophet the story they wanted. Lavender went to the Ministry, and contacted Hermione and Ginny. They met in the lunch room of the Ministry, and shared a lunch, while Lavender explained what she wanted to present to the public, verses what the Prophet wanted to present.
"Lavender, you know we can't tell you how we got Sirius back. It is against policy rules to talk outside Unspeakable walls. We can't stop you from talking with Sirius, if he wants to talk to you, but, he will not go against our secret pact. I will contact Sirius and see if he wishes to talk. Come back tomorrow, and we will let you know." Hermione finished.
"Thank you Hermione. This is why I took the assignment. I knew if anyone else took it, they would pry into these secrets you set forth. I will protect your oath to the Unspeakables. Also, would it be possible to talk to Harry about what he has been doing these four years since he left the wizarding world?"
Ginny answered this one, "Lavender, Harry does not want anything to do with the magical world. This may be the way he can express his feelings and have it put forth without having to worry about having his words twisted. I will ask him."
"Thank you both Hermione, Ginny. I really don't want you put in the limelight, and that surely would have happened, if someone else had been put on this story."
They said their goodbyes, and went their different ways, with the girls going back to work. Lavender went to the lifts, making her way to the Atrium. When she made it to the main level, She was surprised to find herself, face to face with Harry Potter, Sirius Black, and two kids she didn't know. "Harry!" she yelled.
Harry and the rest turned around, to see Lavender coming toward them. Harry had a smile on his face, as he watched her approach. Harry and Lavender had never been Friends, but, were always civil with one and other. "Hi Lavender. How's it going?"
"Fine Harry, And this must be Sirius Black, but, who are the young ones you have with you?"
"Ah Lavender, always the inquisitive one. Let me present, James and Lillian Evans, my cousins. James, Lillian, this is Lavender Brown, a friend of mine from school."
James took Lavender's hand, and gave it a gentle shake, and Lillian did the same.
"So, Harry, what are you doing here, and you too Sirius?"
"The Minister asked to come by, so that we could talk. Luna would have been here, but, she had to work.. What has you here, Lavender?"
"You two actually. I came here to see if Hermione and Ginny could get Sirius to conduct an interview with me, and to see if you would also talk with me."
"An interview, are you a reporter Lav. More importantly, do you work for the Prophet?"
"Yes to both Harry, but, before you blow me off, let me say something first, OK?"
"Fine Lav. I think I know you enough to believe what you have to say, even if it is about the Prophet."
"Thank you for that. Let's just say, that the Prophet knew how you all felt about Skeeter, and would not let her within fifty feet of either of you. However, that doesn't stop them from wanting a nice juicy story. I'm afraid I am their new gossip columnist. They asked me to write the story of Sirius Black's return to us, because they felt I could come up with some sultry reason for it. I decided to take the story, because if I didn't, they would find some other sleaze reporter to do it. I did it, to report the truth, and to protect your privacy. I know what you went through, Harry, and don't want you to go through it again."
"Miss Brown, if I might be so bold, would you have any other reason for your wanting to land the story of the year? This would put quite a feather in your cap, if you were to land it." Sirius stated.
"Yes it would Mr. Black, but, like you said, it was second on my mind. I won't lie to you and say it hadn't crossed my mind. The wizard community needs to know what brought you back to us, but, they don't need to know the specifics. If any one else was put on this story, they would have you in the middle of a lusty affair of lost love, and would hurt the person they targeted for this affair. Most likely Hermione, or Ginny. I didn't want to see that happen."
'Thank you for your honesty, Miss Brown. Why don't you accompany us to the Minster's office, and we can discuss this further with him to see how much we can disclose. Then if he agrees, perhaps we could talk over dinner, purely on a professional basis."
"Thank you Mr. Black, and if the Minister agrees with the story, then I accept your offer for dinner, on your professional basis."
They made it to Kingsley's office, and he was surprised when Lavender came in with them. Sirius explained what she was there for, and Kingsley simply said, "Sirius, what Miss Brown said is true. You would be scrutinized with a magnifying glass, and a fine toothed comb. And most probably paired with either Hermione or Ginny, liked she said. If you wish to tell your story, then she would be your best bet. However, the procedure used to bring you back, has to be kept a secret. We don't want undesirable people walking about now do we?"
"Well, Lavender, if I can call you that, it looks like we have a dinner date." Sirius smiled at the brunette.
Lavender smiled back, "Indeed it does Sirius. Since it is a date, I think we should be on a first name basis, Don't you?"
Kingsley and Harry laughed at the play of words between the ex Marauder, and the ex Gryffindor gossip queen. Harry saw something there he thought might blossom. He knew Sirius needed something in his life, after being so lonesome for do long. He also knew that Lavender need a love interest, after her and Dean's breakup in His sixth year. Harry didn't know if she had a boyfriend or not. He decided to ask, "Lav, are you seeing someone tight now? We don't want you to become the target of the Prophet, if you are found dining with Sirius."
"No Harry, I'm not in any commitment at the moment. Besides, no one would dare to attack me, as I hold something over almost every body. Skeeter is the only one I don't hold influence over."
Harry saw his chance, "Lavender, you said you wanted to do an interview with me also, right? How about you coming to dinner tomorrow nigh. Just meet up with Sirius, and he can accompany you."
"Thank you Harry, I would love that." She said as she drew Harry into a hug.
James and Lillian laughed when she did this, and looked down at them, "What's so funny munchkins?"
James and Lillian laughed some more, "I don't know what it is about Harry and the rest, but, Lillian and I haven't seen so much hugging Kissing, and Things I don't ever want to see again, in our lives. Not that it is a bad thing. What Hermione and George did was quite disturbing."
Harry shut him up before he could go any further. "Let's not go there James. Some things need to be kept to our selves.."
James and Lillian laughed once more, and Sirius joined them. Harry hid his face, and Kingsley and Lavender just sat and watched, both in confusion.
When they were all under control, Kingsley talked about what went on in the investigation. Lavender listened with interest, this being the first time it had been spoken about it with the magical aspect of the accident. She was sworn to secrecy about it by the Minister, and she agreed. What she heard, shocked her. She never knew that the Princess' death was due to Voldemort. She had three front page stories, but was allowed to only use two. Knowing the truth behind the conspiracy placated her though.
When they were finished, and left the Minister's office, they walked back to the floo network, and Sirius made plans to meet Lavender in the restaurant he had chosen. This shocked Lavender, as she knew this place as being the most posh in England. She agreed on the the time and place, and said she looked forward to it. They then separated.
AoC-}
Harry and Ginny decided to go out themselves, along with the kids. He took them to the same place, but far enough away to let Sirius and Lavender have their interview with out interruption.
Lillian watched the two across the room, and saw something in Lavender's eyes grow as the evening wore on. Something Harry and James missed. Admiration, with a hint of longing. Sirius was capturing this young lady's heart. Sirius himself had a look in his eyes, but, it was different than Lavender's. Lillian couldn't quite understand this look.
Harry saw Lillian watching the two sitting across the room, and caught her attention, "Lily, why are you staring at Uncle Sirius and Lavender. Do you see something we don't see?"
"I don't know Harry? I see Lavender falling under Uncle Sirius' charm, but I see Uncle in a different type of feeling. I can't quite explain it."
"Well. let's let them eat in peace. I'm sure what Uncle Sirius is feeling, is you staring at them, and he is feeling uncomfortable."
"OK Harry. That's not it, but, I will leave them alone."
Across the room, Lavender was asking Sirius, "So, you were pulled back by an ancient spell that cannot be repeated. Did you meet anyone while you were in the veil?"
"No. I was completely isolated. There were others there, as I could hear them. I just never saw them."
"Did you ever wonder why you went through? I mean the Unspeakables work around it all the time, and they never lost a one."
"Yes. I did. I thought maybe it was the intent of Bella that sent me through. I mean it was just a stunner she threw at me. But, perhaps she knew another spell that opened up the portal, and sent me through. That's the best I could come up with. The Unspeakables found a spell that could return people who didn't die when they came through. I was lucky that they knew I wasn't dead when I went through."
"Who was it that found the spell, and was it him or her that pulled you back?"
"They wouldn't say who found the spell, or who it was that performed the spell. When I came through, I was met by Harry, Kingsley and the kids. Kingsley was there to announce that my name had been cleared of all the charges against me, except for my escape. Seeing as how I had already served twelve years, they considered it my sentence for that. They did however, reimburse me for all the years of my incarceration, as an Auror., being that I was innocent. Now, haven't we talked enough about me, tell me about yourself. Why is it, that a beautiful woman such as yourself has no boyfriend?"
"Ya right, beautiful. If I was so beautiful, why didn't Ron stay with me, rather than go after Hermione. Don't get me wrong, I know she didn't go after Ron. She was just the woman he was always after. I just happened to catch him in an awkward moment, and unprepared. He said he liked me very much, but he loved Hermione. Then he does that stupid thing after the battle, and blew his chance with her. He really is a simple minded git, but, quite lovable. As for why I'm still single. I tried dating, but, never found anyone that appealed to me. All they were after was one thing."
"First of all, you are quite beautiful, and don't let anyone tell you different. If a guy only looks at you for sex, then he is missing something very special. Ron was lost to Hermione before I even came into the picture. Probably first year. He was just to stupid to see it. Why else would Hermione put up with his attitude and lazy habits. Ron has a very low self esteem, and a jealous streak a mile long. He was jealous of Harry's fame and fortune. He felt overshadowed by his brother's accomplishments. He was embarrassed by his having to wear hand me down school supplies, and second hand clothing, but, was to proud to accept offerings from Harry and I. Just like his mother. Molly would never accept handouts, as she felt if she hadn't earned them, then they couldn't accept them. She cared for Harry for six years, but, she did not look at it as being something that needed to be repaid."
Lavender watched Sirius as he went on about the Weasleys. His eyes lit up when ever he mentioned Harry. He was proud of his godson, and was not ashamed to admit it. He talked of Hermione and Ginny with admiration. He talked of his friends son, whom she didn't know, until he mentioned Professor Lupin's name. "You were friends with Professor Lupin? I didn't know that. So what was he like? I know he was the best teacher we had. Who did he marry?"
"My cousin Nymphadora." As soon as he said it, he felt like he had been hit in the back of his head. He looked around to see if any one was there, but saw no one.
Lavender saw this, "What's the matter Srius. You look like you have seen a ghost?"
"Maybe not seen, but, I think I felt one. It felt like when I said Nyphdora's name..." He felt it again.
"What happened when you said Nyphadora's name?" Then Lavender felt it. "Never mind, You felt somebody hitting you in the back of the head right?"
"Ya, twice. Nym...didn't like to be called by her first name. She liked to be called Tonks. Anyway, some how she wormed her way into Remus' heart, And if you don't stop hitting me Nymphadora, I will make sure you name appears in the front page of the Prophet as you coming back as a Poltergeist. I will make sure you have to stay at Hogwarts, and mate with Peeves."
Sirius was left alone after that. Lavender was laughing at this, but, she would have thought of Sirius as crazy, if she hadn't been hit in the back of the head as well. Lavender for the first time in years, was enjoying an evening with a man. Laughing, joking, and just plain having a good time. Her story long forgotten. She looked up, and saw that Harry and Ginny were gone, and wondered how long her and Sirius have been here. Not that she cared, as she was enjoying herself.
Sirius looked at the young lady sitting across from him, and loved the way she smiled. It was a beautiful smile. A warm smile. A kissable smile. Yes, a kissable smile that he wanted to try. He leaned over the table and offered Lavender his lips. Lavender saw this, and gave in to temptation, and joined him in the middle of the table. The kiss was short, and sweet. Not passionate. But it didn't take away from the affect it had on Lavender. When Sirius pulled away, Lavender stayed where she was. Sirius saw this, and went ahead and kissed her once again. This time longer, and with more passion. Lavender fell back into her seat when they broke it off. Sirius could not believe the affect the kiss had on him. True it was the first real kiss he had from a woman in over a decade, but, that did not take away from the soft feel of her lips against his. The warmth of her breath, the sweet scent of her hair, or perfume. The look in her eyes as they parted . The way she was breathing when she sat back in her chair. The same way he was. Sirius didn't know what was happening, but he knew one thing, he wanted more.
"Lavender, I know this was not an official date, so I was wondering, if maybe you would accept my offer for going out on our first real date?"
"Sirius, you would not know how hard I was hoping you would ask that. What started out as work, has turned out to be the best night I had in years. I don't want it to end. Please don't take this the wrong way. I did not mean it to mean it for what it sounded ;like, I just meant that I had a great time."
"I understand Lavender. I do not want to blemish this evening by asking for something you are not ready to give. But know this Miss Brown, I still have something to look forward to in the future. How far in the future, is up to you."
Lavender looked starry eyed. Sirius was the man she had always dreamed of. He was gentle, Sweet and kind, but, he knew what he wanted. Lavender had never felt wanted. 22 Years old, and for the first time in her life, she felt wanted. She did not feel this way with Ron, or Dean. "Mr. Black, many more evenings like this, and it could be sooner than you think."
AoC-}
Sirius and Lavender continued their dating for quite a while. After their initial date, Ginny and Hermione had drilled him as to what transpired. He told them of how he asked her out for a real date, and what he told her to expect, which brought the girls into a fit of giggles. They were still in their fit, when an Owl appeared at their window, with the Prophet. Sirius looked at the front page, and was pleased at what he read.
The Return Of Sirius Black
By Lavender Brown
This reporter had the pleasure of interviewing the charismatic Sirius Black last evening, and the surroundings of a very posh restaurant. He was kind enough to grace with the facts he was allowed to give by order of the Minister of Magic. Sirius was a complete gentleman for the entire evening. This is the story he told.
It was his thoughts that he went through the veil; because of his cousin Bellatrix Le Strange. He was hit by a stunner, but, he thinks Bella had opened the portal up prior to this, and sent him through. He described the area beyond the veil as dark, and lonely. He felt he heard others there, but, never once saw one. He had no sense of time while he was there, thus he did not know how long he was there for. He also did not age while he was there, thus he was his 31 year old self upon his return. His return was one he could not go into detail on. He described it as a fortunate accident. One of the Unspeakables found an ancient spell that brought back that were alive, when they entered the Veil. He could not say the name of the spell, and he was never told who it was that found it. Needless to say, we are very fortunate to be given the chance to see this delightful gentleman, once again walk the streets of London, this time a free man.
I must tell all my fans that this is not the story this paper wanted to print, but, I had to enlighten them to the fact that Lord Sirius Orion Black would bring the full force of the law down upon their shoulders if this story was tainted in any way, other than what I write.
It is my wish that Lord Black enjoys his stay with us for many years to come. It is also my wish that Lord Harry James Potter, Dame Ginevra Molly Weasley, Dame Hermione Jean Granger , and Dame Luna Serena Lovegood grant me the honor of interviewing them about their appointment by Her Majesty. It is another little chat I am looking forward to.
This is Lavender Brown, from my column Talk About Town, wishing everyone a good day. And if you happen to see Lord Black out and about, stop and say hello. You will be surprised at how happy he will make you feel.
Pictures on page 25 and 26. My column on page 40.
Sirius was very pleased with the article, and more than pleased with Lavender Brown. She printed exactly what he told her. She warned the public that the Prophet was going back to their old tricks, and wanted everyone to greet Him back with a warm welcome.
Harry and Luna walked in after work, and Sirius grabbed Luna, and danced around the kitchen with her. She wouldn't let him stop, once he got her started. But he was too happy to care. He danced with her for a half an hour, before he had to finally break it off. Luna pouted, then Grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her up to dance. Her and Hermione danced for another half hour, then they both sat down winded. It's amazing how long you can dance for with no music.
Sirius handed the article to Harry and Luna, and they were pleased with the outcome. The four remaining recipients of the Queen's awards would lok forward to the interview with Lavender.
Once again, Rolf was late coming home from class, but this time he was excited. He approached Luna, and pulled her into a hug. "Luna my love, you will never guess what was asked of me today?"
"Well, I'm not sure, but, if it made you this happy, i will be happy with it also. You better put me down, though, the twins are not to Happy with the spinning around."
"OH sorry little ones." He said as he patted her tummy. "Richard, and Dean Stanton came to me this afternoon with an offer to become the school representative and the U.K. Ambassador to the World Alliance for the Protection of Magical and Mythical Creatures. It is centered in Munich Switzerland. We will be moving there in June of next year. Isn't that great?"
"NO, it is not great, Rolf. I'm sorry, but all my friends are here, and I don't wish to leave them. That, and I have the perfect job, with the perfect boss. You want me to give that up? No Rolf, I think you need to turn it down. The twins will only be about three months old. Are you really wanting to leave our friends. Don't you like your job? Why you?"
"Luna, this is a chance of a lifetime. Yes I love my job, but to pass on this appointment may mean it will never be offered again. Please reconsider your thoughts for this appointment. It would mean a lot to me."
"What about my feelings, Rolf. Do you not care about how I feel. Is this job so important, that your family comes second to it. I will not play second fiddle to a job. I am already feeling this way, because you are never ho,me. At least here I have my friends to keep me company and happy. There, I will be all alone. No, I will not change my mind. If you take this job, It will be by yourself."
"It's the same thing for me, Luna. You're placing your friends ahead of our future. You're asking me to turn down this appointment, because you don't want to leave your friends. If you feel you are playing second fiddle to my job, why haven't you said something."
"Because you were happy Rolf. You liked what you were doing. You looked forward to going to class ever day. While I'm sure you would look forward to this appointment with the same appeal, I couldn't, because I would be all alone. If this really what you want, I won't try and stop you, but I will not be accompanying you."
"I see. Well they need an answer tomorrow, and I can't think right now. I will rent a room at the motor lodge for the evening. I will talk with you tomorrow. Good night everyone."