EDITED BY: dreamsofinnocence
Thanks to trinkytonks, Adelaide Merrefield, Sophia Montgomery and Saint Mungo on those suggestions on Thestral legends. I used some of your ideas and mixed it with some of my own.
Nercia Genisis, I haven't used Operation Musicality yet but, the Singing Quills were inspired by it .
SeriousSiriusFan-The Puffskein's coming
A/N So sorry for taking this long... exams and other stuff ... Well I'm still alive and continuing this... Finally written a 10,000 word chapter!
Chapter 15 - Reflections on the Past
Remus Lupin slammed the door and sealed it shut. He gave a sigh of relief and smiled at the knowledge that he had finally gotten rid of those quills. He wondered if his fellow professors got similar gifts from S.P.A.W.N. It's not as if he couldn't try and find out.
As he headed for the direction of the teacher's lounge, he started to wonder how Snape took the 'Little Cloud' prank and if the Potions Professor has figured out a way around the spell-twisting ward that was placed. Remus smiled, for it had been a long time since he pulled something like that. He hated to admit it, but it felt great. At times time such as this, he truly missed his old friend.
As he reached the bridge way, he found a familiar dark haired figure sitting on his usual spot. "Is it a family trait to sit alone and brood? Your brother used to do the exact same thing on the astronomy tower on evenings."
"Morning Professor Lupin."
"Had breakfast, Sirius?"
The boy pointed to the couple of apples by his feet. "I picked some from that tree on the way here. Want some?"
The History Professor sat down on the stone floor and picked up one of the apples and tossed the other toward the boy. "Don't mind if I do."
"Professor Lupin?"
"Yes, Sirius?"
"Why does Professor Binns take over your class every once in a while?"
Remus smiled. "You don't find having a ghost for a teacher interesting?"
Sirius rolled his eyes. "He's boring."
Remus laughed. "I used to find it hard to pay attention to his class too."
Sirius frowned. "Then why does he have to teach your class?"
"I was initially hired as a Professor Quirrel's substitute for Defense Against Dark Arts during his one-year leave..."
"Quirrel's boring too."
Remus raised an eyebrow. "I would have thought you enjoyed all your classes."
"Just because I'm having fun at my classes does not mean that they're not boring."
Remus Lupin sighed, for he knew all too well on what the boy meant by 'fun'. "Anyway, the Deputy Headmistress noted the dismal O.W.L. and N.E.W.T performances especially in History of Magic, so she asked that I assist in the weekend review classes. I was eventually hired to take over the History classes. Professor Binns did not like the idea of retiring; thus this compromise."
Remus smiled at the boy. "You know Sirius, it wouldn't hurt for you to tone down on your 'fun' and do a bit of school work once in a while."
Sirius made a face. "You mean homework? Why does everyone keep telling me that?"
Remus laughed, for the boy truly reminded him of James. "Maybe because you haven't submitted any since you got here?"
"I did!"
Remus cocked his head to a side and thought about it again. Maybe Sirius was not entirely like James, for James would never have considered 'Flirting with Minerva' as a fun activity. His old friend, of course, concentrated those types of effort toward a certain redhead that he truly fancied. "Alright, except for the poetic essay you gave Professor McGonagall; which she does not consider as a real homework."
"Is this your way of hinting that I do the homework you assigned?"
Remus laughed. "The faculty actually has a wish list wherein we listed down specific feats that we'd want specific students to achieve. We call it the 50 points list."
Sirius laughed. "Let me guess, one of the items on the list is that I not earn a single detention in a month."
Remus smiled, for James still held the current record for the most number of detentions in a single term. Although, it seemed that Sirius would break that particular record soon. "Another item on the list is that you submit all the homework assigned to you."
Sirius snorted. "Why don't you include Crabbe and Goyle to actually earn an 'A'."
Remus gave him a solemn look. "That's actually number 2 on the list."
The boy looked at the History Professor, dumbfounded. "You mean there truly is a list?"
"Yes. So you actually have the potential to earn 100 points for your house."
Eyes widened in panic. "Whatever you do Professor, don't tell my housemates."
The History Professor shook with laughter. "Don't worry, this list is for the faculty's eyes only. We felt that it can easily be interpreted as discrimination against certain students."
Sirius sighed with relief.
"So Sirius, why aren't you with your friends this morning?"
The boy shrugged. "I figured that they'd need some space."
Remus Lupin raised an eyebrow and waited for the boy to elaborate further.
"Harry found an article that said it was Regulus who delivered Peter Pettigrew and eventually his parents to Voldemort, so I thought he ought to sort it out on his own. I was on my way to the Main Hall when I heard the howler Ron, Fred, and George got from their mum. I've decided to pay Seidon a visit, but he's playing god."
The History Professor had always been fascinated with dark creatures, for he'd found that books were often wrong about them. He enjoyed spending time and teaching Seidon the basics of human language and culture. The kelpie was highly intelligent… well most of the time. He wondered what the creature was up to now. "Playing God?"
"That's what the 'kelpie status board' says. I don't think I want to know what he meant by that."
Remus smiled, for he had given the kelpie his old status board as a house warming present. The board used to be posted outside his classroom to allow people to know whether he was inside or not or whether or not he was busy. Of course, the kelpie did not understand the concept of house warming, nor did he know how to use the board. But it seemed that the creature learned pretty fast.
He turned his attention toward the boy beside him. Although Sirius seemed like such a carefree child, Remus knew better. He saw how Lucius easily threatened to punish the boy, and the boy's nonchalant response. He figured that Sirius must have been punished on a regular basis for the littlest thing. Now that Remus thought of it, punishment must be the most common type of attention that the boy knew. The boy obviously sought attention. Maybe the child just could not distinguish the wrong type of attention to the right one. He ought to discuss this with Minerva. That is, after he figured out what's currently bothering the boy.
"The article by Rita Skeeter?"
Sirius shrugged. "I'm used to it. People can believe whatever they want. I'm just simply bored."
Remus laughed at the simplicity of it all. "How would you like to see the teacher's lounge?"
The boy was obviously intrigued. "You want to show me the list?"
Remus shook his head as his eyes twinkled in laughter. "No. Better."
Sirius hopped off the ledge eagerly. "My school file?"
"I'm sure that would be a fun read, but I was talking about Operation Cumulus Snivellus"
Surprise was evident on Sirius' face as he gleefully asked. "You didn't...?"
"Shh…. It'll be our little secret."
"Master! We're back! Thy chosen ones!" Remus groaned as those irritating quills not only escaped the room, but they also found him.
"We will follow you to the ends of the earth, oh great one!"
Sirius laughed at his professor's predicament. "Quite devoted aren't they?"
Remus gave the boy a mock glare. "Obsessed is more like it."
The quills started to blow down in front of the History Professor chanting "Uoohhh... Uuuhhhmmm... Uooohhh... Uuuuhhhmmm..."
Remus sighed. "Sirius, do you happen to have a list or catalogue of all the Weasley's counter solutions?"
"Yes and all their prank products too ... why?"
"Get me all of it. One of them must be able to get rid of these quills."
Sirius smirked, for he knew that the 'Weasley Golden Sledge Solution' did not have a counter potion. One either squashes the infected object with a sledgehammer or waits 100 hours for the potion to lose its potency. Fred and George would be very pleased to hear about the amount of potential sale that they could garner from the faculty.
-0-
Hermione and Neville took a step back. Gryffindors were known for their bravery, but both of them were not feeling that way right now. As the shadow crossed the threshold, Hermione nervously pulled out her wand. "Take another step, and I'll hex you!"
Neville bit his lower lip pressed himself farther into the wall. "Hermione, throwing threats won't help. Zombies can't understand anything..."
The figure by the door snorted. "Zombie? And here I thought you'd be smarter than that."
Hermione found the courage to speak up. "What are you then?"
He was obviously once a striking young man, but the graying skin, the nasty red scar slashed across his face, and the tattered robes made him a frightening figure. "I'm a ghost."
Neville nervously peered from behind Hermione. "But, you're solid."
The self-proclaimed ghost threw back his head haughtily. "Ghosts come in different forms, human. Stronger ones can appear to be solid."
Hermione frowned. She had never read anything in 'Hogwarts, a History' about solid ghosts wandering on the school grounds. "Who are you? And what do you want from us?"
"Diones D. Pilkee. I came to help you, for you summoned me."
Hermione shook her head. "I did not."
"Did too!"
"Not!"
"I'm the ghost here! So I know better."
At this, Hermione decided to keep her silence, for only strong ghosts were said to be able to appear in a solid form and she did not wish to anger this one. "Ok, and why did I summon you?"
"Information." The 'ghost' pulled out a parchment and offered it to Hermione.
Hermione slowly took the parchment and unrolled it. "How did you come across this?"
The being rolled its eyes. "Are humans incapable of thinking? I took it from his desk of course."
Hermione looked up from the parchment to glare at the arrogant prat in front of her, but all she saw was a retreating shadow at the door.
"Hermione? What did he give you?"
Hermione handed the parchment to Neville. "It's a letter."
"Letter?"
"From Draco's father. It asked for Draco to keep an eye on Sirius. Seems Rita Skeeter was not the only one who interpreted Sirius major mistake on that dancing charm, as a show of power."
Neville frowned. "You know, I don't think that guy's a real ghost."
Hermione gave the boy a puzzled look. "Why do you say that?"
The chubby boy shrugged. "I'm not exactly sure. He's scary enough, I give him that, but he doesn't seem angry. From what I know, only angry ghosts can appear solid, and he doesn't give me that prickly ghostly feeling."
"Prickly ghostly feeling?"
Neville sighed. "You know, the one that have the hairs by the back of your neck stand up. I usually have that sensation whenever a ghost is near, but not this time."
Hermione frowned. "There's only one way to find out if he's really who he says he is."
Neville watched in confusion as his companion strode forward towards the door and gestured for him to follow. "Where are we going?"
"To the library; we're going to find all that we can on Diones D. Pilkee."
Neville absently placed the letter inside his pocket and followed Hermione to the door.
-0-
"This old man, he played one
He doesn't mind when SPAWN has fun
Snape blew up, Flitwick's a hairy king kong
This old man just whistled a song"
Albus Dumbledore chuckled as he headed for the teacher's lounge to check on his staff. The amusingly witty quills trailed behind him as they continued to sing ...
"This old man, he played two
He only smiled when we turn him blue
Lupin's got hiccups, Snivellus wearing a tutu
This old man played on his kazoo"
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore always expected the unexpected. But even he did not dream to see the scene before him. Papers littered the floor, and the furniture were in a state of disarray as three of his House Heads each attempted to hex the quills that flew about and sang their inane songs. Furthermore, Professor Snape wore a pink bathrobe, held a rubber ducky wand and a small storm cloud above his head. Albus Dumbledore chuckled and greeted his staff. "Wonderful sunny morning we have today, don't you think?"
"This old man, he played three
We gave him a purple goatee
Quirrel's so scared and he tried to stake Snape
This old man went to bake a cake"
Severus Snape growled for he has had enough of the complacent old fool. "Headmaster! I don't care what you say. It's about time we put a stop to these delinquents."
Minerva McGonagall voiced her ascent. "I agree with Severus on this one..."
The door to the faculty lounge suddenly swung open.
"Wow! And I though our room was bad."
On the doorway stood Sirius Black with Remus Lupin behind him.
"Minerva a woman of great power
Beauty beyond that of a mere flower
To you, gifts, men will shower..."
Sirius grinned, for the quills had just given him the perfect opening. "Minerva, will you my lover!"
The Deputy Headmistress glared at the boy. Remus Lupin sighed and pulled the boy aside.
"Sirius, do you remember the thing we talked about earlier; about the proper time to be funny as well as the proper time to shut up?"
"Yes, Professor Lupin."
"Well, you just missed an opportunity to shut up."
"Oh."
Snape glared at the boy. He figured if Harry Potter was not responsible, then it had to be Sirius Black since Sirius was amazingly adept in the ways of magic.
"Alright Black! I know you're responsible for this! Reverse this 'Spell Twisting Ward' of yours right now!"
Sirius gaped at the Potions Professor, and hid behind Remus. "I didn't do it."
Minerva McGonagall and Filius Flitwick glared at the boy as well.
"He's charming and cute,
but he can't reach his desk,
A man of good repute,
but he can't reach your chest."
Filius Flitwick once again tried to hex those irritating quills but, unfortunately, the quills were too quick. They evaded his hex and continued to sing.
"Knowledge he loves to share
A man, the size of a hare
He's a small guy after all!"
Minerva McGonagall glared directly at the boy who hid behind her colleague. "You, Mr. Black, are the number one suspect. The lines being thrown by these quills points directly at you, for no other students has the audacity for this."
Remus stepped forward. "I think we all ought to calm down, and not accuse Sirius when you have no proof, except for a few circumstantial evidences... Oh, and Severus, the cloud prank was my doing."
"Of course Sirius did..." Severus Snape stopped in mid sentence as his colleague and rival's words sunk in. Remus Lupin had just confessed that he pulled the cloud prank. "What! Lupin, you bloody &$&!"
By this time, Sirius felt slightly bored and started to sing along with the quills...
"He's a small guy after all...
He's a small guy after all...
He's a small guy after all,
He's a small, small guy!"
The History Professor sighed. "Sirius?"
"Yes, Professor Lupin?"
"Please shut up."
"Okay."
The quills that followed Remus further added to the confusion. "Our Master is sooo Great! That's why we worship only him! Oooohhhmmmm Uuuuhmmmm!" The five quills continued to bow towards Remus.
Sirius looked up towards his History Professor, awe was evident on his face. "Professor Lupin?"
"Yes Sirius?"
"About doing the homework you assigned to me. I'll do it, if you teach me how to create that wicked Spell Twisting Ward."
Albus Dumbledore chuckled, but the rest of the faculty were not amused.
"Remus, I'm appalled that YOU, a member of the faculty would..."
"Lupin! I'll have you fired for this!..."
"Remus, this is hardly an example to set for the students..."
Albus decided that now was a time for him to intervene. He calmly raised his hand. "Everyone, I request a moment of silence."
All turned towards the Headmaster. Even the singing quills seemed to comply due to the silent aura of power that the Headmaster held. The only sound came from Snape, who yelped in surprise due to a little bolt of lightning that the cloud sent.
"Now Remus, what's the meaning of this?"
The History Professor gave the occupants a sheepish grin. "I had a blast of nostalgia about James' birthday tradition. I figured, since it's the weekend, this little prank would be harmless. I didn't expect S.P.A.W.N. to pull a prank today as well."
Minerva McGonagall sighed, Filius Flitwick shook his head, Severus Snape continued to glare at the History Professor and Albus Dumbledore laughed.
"Well Remus, I think you've had your fun. You ought to undo your spell." The Headmaster gestured towards Snape as Remus sighed and pulled out his wand.
"Wait! I don't trust him!" Snape eyed his rival suspiciously.
Remus Lupin held back an exasperated groan. "Severus, I apologize. This was a childish prank on my part, I was not thinking straight. Now let me undo this..."
"No! Flitwick will be the one to help me take care of this!"
The Charms Professor tried to reason with his colleague "Severus, I'll gladly help you figure out a way to get past that ward, but having Remus get rid of it would be the faster and more practical alternative."
Snape growled. "Just try and fix this, Filius!"
The Charms Professor sighed and once again tried to get rid to the cloud.
Remus Lupin tried to hide a smile, as the wards twisted Flitwick's spell. Snape now wore a yellow flowery sundress and the cloud greeted him with another miniature bolt of lightning.
"Snivellus gets zapped and rained,
zapped and rained, zapped and rained,
Snivellus gets zapped and rained,
He makes such a fair lady!"
Sirius took this opportunity to butt in. "Headmaster? Since I'm being accused without proof, can I get legal counsel and, moreover, can I sue the school?"
Remus sighed. "Sirius..."
"Yes, Professor Lupin?
"Now is another time for you to shut up."
"Oh... Professor Lupin, I'm curious, can Professors give their fellow Professor detention?"
Remus Lupin bit his lower lip as he held back his laughter and shook his head. "Sirius, what part of shut up do you not understand?"
-0-
Harry found Ron Weasley and asked about Sirius, but his friend had not seen the dark-haired boy all morning.
"Maybe he's with Seidon. Fred and George went off to check the lake a while ago..." Ron did not wish to see the over-bearing horse so he did not follow his brothers in the search at that area.
George approached the two with Fred behind him. "Sirius wasn't there and neither was Seidon. Seidon left a note stating that he's 'Playing God'; I don't know what that meant, but maybe Sirius is with him."
Harry shook his head. "No, whatever Seidon was up to, Sirius wasn't with him. I saw him leave the tower on my way here. He galloped away before I could call him, but that kelpie was alone."
Ron grinned as he came up with a solution. "The map!"
Fred shook his head. "We already tried that. We looked at every red dots wandering along, but Sirius is obviously not walking alone."
Harry frowned as he thought about the possibility of Sirius hanging around Draco Malfoy. "What about the other dots?"
George shook his head. "There are too many people moving about right now. It'll be hard to discern Sirius from the other mass of red dots, especially if they overlap one another."
Harry saw Hermione and Neville heading their way, the high pile of books that they carried indicated that both had been in the library. "Hermione, Neville, did you two see Sirius on your way here?"
Hermione shook her head. "No, but I'll bet wherever chaos is, Sirius is bound to be nearby."
Fred turned to his twin brother and grinned. "Of course! Why didn't we think of that?"
George smirked. "He ought to be at the teacher's lounge!"
Neville felt utterly confused by the twins' assessment. Beside him, he saw that Hermione Granger was equally confused as well. He scratched his head and asked "Don't you mean detention?"
Rom grinned. "No, they mean teacher's lounge. Bloody brilliant of you Granger! Come on guys, let's go find that git of ours."
Hermione blinked and wondered what that was all about. She handed her pile of books to Neville.
"Hermione!"
"Neville, I'll meet you at the common room. I'll go check what those idiots are up to."
"Hermione, whatever it is, you don't want to get involved."
"I know, but someone has to watch those morons, and make sure that they stay out of trouble. We don't want to lose anymore house points."
Neville sighed as Hermione ran after Harry's group. He struggled to balance the high pile of books, and headed towards the Gryffindor common room.
-0-
"This old man he played seven,
Snape got attacked by all those raven
Quirells' a soggy mess, Flitwick's a bunny that hops
This old man offered us a lemon drop"
On the surface, Albus Dumbledore continued to smile, but beneath this carefree façade, he was very troubled. The Headmaster was able to dis-enchant the 'evasion charm' off the quills. However, much to the staff's dismay, their hexes had very little effect on the persistent quills. A hex or two was enough to knock a quill down and silence it for a few seconds, but the quills would just hop back up and continue their songs. The quills, however, were not what troubled Albus Dumbledore's mind.
The Headmaster was all to familiar with the evasion charm used for this particular prank...
Flashback
Albus Dumbledore pushed open the trap door and entered the familiar dingy room. Trust Remus to set up this secret meeting inside the Shrieking Shack. He greeted the man who stood under the shadows. "Hello Regulus. I received word from Remus, what is this matter of great importance that you need to tell me directly?"
"It is confirmed, my whole clan had just pledged their support to the dark lord."
The Headmaster gave his former student a sad smile. "Ahhh... so do you now wish to withdraw your allegiance to the Order, and do not have the heart to tell this to Remus directly?"
The young man shook his head. "I will not fight my family; however, the Order's fight is with Voldemort. I will remain as I am."
"Ahh... so this meeting is a reassurance of your loyalty. I do not doubt your heart Regulus. In setting up this meeting, you put yourself in risk."
Regulus Black gave the old man a wry smile. "That is not the purpose of my wanting to meet with you." The young man walked towards the broken wooden stool by the wall and waved his wand. "Caveo Semper!" He then pointed his wand point back towards the chair. "Reducto!"
Albus Dumbledore was glad that the villagers believed the shack to be haunted and ignored all noise that emanated from it. Although the blast was not an especially strong one, it created a cloud of dust and debris as it shattered the chair and wooden floor. The Headmaster had to blink as he realized that the chair managed to remain intact.
The dark haired man explained. "One of my father's favourite tricks. This powerful evasion charm could not be affected by a mere dis-enchantment spell. The group of Aurors that massacred the Roscoe House; My father placed a spell on those muggle weapons to attack these men and women and then he further layered this 'evasion charm' onto it. Those weapons became unstoppable due to this charm."
The older man frowned. "I have never heard of this charm before."
"You wouldn't. It's one of those spells passed only to the direct line of the family. Knowledge passed from one generation to another by oral tradition; it has never been shared outside our circle before."
"And how could we stop it an object charm by the Caveo Semper charm?"
Regulus gave his former Headmaster a sad smile. "Normally, I wouldn't share such a secret for this feels like I'm betraying my family but, plenty of lives may be lost .. so..." He waved his wand toward the direction of the chair. "Repmes Oevac!" He then waved his wand and sent the chair crashing onto a nearby wall to prove that the 'evasion charm' had been removed.
"Why tell me this? It would have been easier to tell Remus."
The young man's gray eyes darkened as he mumbled. "It would seem more believable to my father if Albus Dumbledore was the one who figured out the counter spell."
End of Flashback
The old Headmaster closed his eyes and whispered. "Sirius, where did you learn that spell?" His thoughts were interrupted as all the quills began to chant:
"You have gotten past the first layer.
To get past the second requires a sound knock,
A knowledge that needs to be hammered;
Else you can always wait for 8 turns of the clock."
Severus Snape yelped as he was struck but another mini bolt of lightning. "What the bloody hell does that mean?"
Minerva McGonagall sighed. "It's a riddle..."
Filius Flitwick couldn't help but smile. Although S.P.A.W.N. was a major irritation, the Charms Professor had to admire the amount of planning that these pranksters went through, as well as their undeniable skills in charms. "Clever...extremely clever."
Remus Lupin contemplated on the riddle. "Eight turns of the clock could mean 4 days..."
"What!" Severus Snape glared at the sandy-haired man. "Lupin, you're supposed to be the master prankster! Get rid of these quills!"
An extremely bored Sirius quipped. "Professor Lupin, I don't understand. Does Professor Snape expect you to prank the quills to get rid of them? Sounds incredibly stupid if you ask me. Then again, I don't really ..."
Remus sighed. "Sirius please shut up."
"Lupin, I don't know why you brought that brat here, but he leaves NOW!"
Remus sighed. "Sirius was supposed to show me a catalogue of Weasley Twin's counter-solutions. I figured since S.P.A.W.N. either modifies Zonko's products or makes use of the Weasley Twin's creations, a counter for the quills might be in these products."
-0-
Sirius closed the door and pouted. Snivellus the grouch threw him out and now he was bored once again. He started to wonder on the reason behind the Potion Professor's grouchy disposition.
"Sirius!"
Sirius turned around and was surprised to see his friends headed his way.
"You dolt! We've been looking all over for you."
"Hey Ron, nice to see you too." Sirius drawled and leaned on the nearby wall.
Fred gave the dark haired boy a hurt look and thumped a fist on his heart. "You went to spy on the professors and didn't invite us?"
George, who looked equally hurt, grabbed Sirius by the shoulders and started to shake the younger boy violently. "How could you be so thoughtless? Didn't it occur to you that we'd like to watch as well?"
Both twins gave a melodramatic wail. "You are not our friend anymore!"
Behind the twins, Ron rolled his eyes and Harry chuckled; Ron was probably sick of his brothers' constant clowning around. Harry, on the other hand, always found the Twin's and Sirius' antics to be a never ending source of amusement.
Sirius raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Would money buy back your friendship?"
George cocked his head to the left and pretended to deeply consider the proposal. "A couple of galleons would be nice."
Fred shook his head vehemently. "You can't bribe us with your money. Although I'd accept your Zonko's Professional Set."
Harry laughed. "A new broomstick for me!"
Ron sighed. "How about an undisturbed moment of sleep?"
Sirius gave his friends a smug grin. "George, you will get your couple of galleons. Fred, I'm sorry but that Zonko's Set is mine although this would be a means to get yourself one. Harry, same goes with you. Ron, I suggest a sleeping drought. You can use the money to buy one, but I suggest you get some from Madam Pomfrey for free."
All four boys stared at their friend in confusion.
Sirius slowly pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and grinned. "I've got several orders for each type of your Weasley counter solutions..."
Fred plucked the piece of paper away from Sirius and read its contents. George peered over his brother's shoulder.
"Wicked!"
"We're just got our first major order."
As the Weasley Twins celebrate their newfound business, Harry decided to ask the question that was in all their minds when they saw Sirius leave the faculty lounge. "Sirius, what went on in there? Did we get them good?"
Sirius answered with a wicked grin. "Oh, we got them. It worked better than expected. But the best part was when Professor Lupin pulled a prank on Snivellus..."
Behind a potted plant, Hermione listened as Sirius described the various reactions of the professors to their singing quills and Remus Lupin's own prank on Snape. She shook her head. Just when she thought that it would be impossible for those boys to be bigger idiots than she believed them to be, they surprised her. They had the audacity to pull pranks on the teachers. Hermione certainly hoped that they'd never be caught. She shuddered as she imagined the repercussions it would have on their house. Hermione frowned as everything fit... Harry, Ron, Sirius, Fred and George were the members of the elusive Secret Prankster Association for Wizarding Nonsense, better known as S.P.A.W.N. Her brow furrowed as she vowed to stop those nitwits from causing more trouble and endangering Gryffindor's house standing.
"Guys, have you ever wondered why Snivellus is such a grouch?"
"Probably because he has no life and he's so unloved."
"So you're saying that all he needs is a bit of love, and he'll be nicer?"
"Let's put that idea to the test."
"I have an idea..."
"Me too!"
"I think Snape needs a girl since no woman deserves to suffer that fate. We could..."
"Ewww! A girl? Why would anyone want that?"
"I agree with Sirius on this."
"Ron ... Sirius ... such innocent little kids they are..."
"Dear brother, they are still too young. Someday they will understand .. "
-0-
Ron reached out for another cauldron cake when Hermione approached their group. "I know what you guys are up to. I came to ask that you guys not pull anything incredibly stupid."
Sirius sighed and placed his glass of pumpkin juice on the table. "We've done it before. I don't see why we shouldn't try again. You can join us if you want, our room after lunch."
Hermione stared at the idiot incredulously. She could not believe the audacity of the boy; he invited her to help them pull a prank. Did he really think that Hermione Jane Granger would go along with his stupid pranks? Her eyes narrowed into slits as she glared down upon Sirius Black, the object of her ire appeared oblivious as he picked his glass up of pumpkin juice. Her nostrils flared at being ignored. "And what makes you think I'd want to join you in your bout of stupidity?"
Ron looked somewhat confused as he scratched the back part of his neck. "Well, yesterday you were griping about missing the opportunity to meet Nathaniel. So I told Sirius you might want to come along this time around..."
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Forget about it Ron, girls are finicky. She merely changed her mind about wanting to come along."
Fred nodded his ascent. "Who knows if she'll change her mind about wanting to come along in a minute or two?"
"Shut it you insensitive gits! My poor brother had just been turned down by a girl for the first time in his life and this is how you morons comfort him." George gave both Fred and Sirius a look of mock anger.
Fred's jaw dropped and he threw himself unto Ron and gave the other boy a bone-crushing hug. "I'm sooooo sorry Ronnikins! How could I've been so insensitive?"
The Weasley twins stood side-by-side and thumped their chests. "Ronald, you need not worry. Your brothers are here to help you with your girl problems!" They swore in unison.
Both Harry and Sirius had fell off their chairs laughing. Hermione felt the heat rise to her face and saw the Ron was equally red-faced.
"You bloody gits! I'm not asking Hermione out!"
Fred gave his brother a sympathetic smile. "It's alright Ron, everyone gets rejected once in a while. It does, not in any way, mean that she doesn't like you."
George nodded, "Some girls likes to play hard-to-get." He nudged Hermione with his elbow in a not-so-subtle manner. "Ain't that right Hermione?"
"I've had enough of you morons!" Ron jumped up from his seat as Fred and George made a run for it, and chanted 'Mione and Ron sitting on a tree... K-I-S-S-I-N-G!' all the way out the Dining Hall as Ron chased after them. Harry and Sirius looked at one another and chuckled as they too stood up and followed the Weasleys' trail.
-0-
Sirius blinked and looked around. The place felt familiar but, for some unknown reason, he felt a cold dread enveloped him.
Ron bit his lower lip and held back a shiver as the row of creepy house elves heads stared straight at him. "Where are we?"
"Grimmauld Place." Sirius's right hand felt the familiar stone walls. This version of Grimmauld did not have the neglected and abandoned feel as the Grimmauld Place of the present but, somehow, this one felt darker as if the inhabitant imbued his own darkness into the place.
Fred excitedly drank in his surroundings. "The Black ancestral home? I've heard so much about this place. It's a lot creepier than they say it is."
George nodded. "Wait till we tell Lee that we were actually in the place."
Hermione frowned. "But, we can't Apparate out of Hogwarts, so how did we get here?"
Sirius frowned. "This isn't the Grimmauld Place of the present, nor is it the same Grimmauld Place that I grew up in…"
Harry drank in his surrounding and shivered. "So you're saying that we're in a different version of Grimmauld Place somewhere in the book."
"I think so."
Ron moaned. "You're not even sure. I knew this was a bad idea."
Sirius tried to sound a lot more confident than he felt as he reassured his friend. "Relax Ron, I know this house like the back of my hand."
Unfortunately for him, Hermione saw right through his bluff. "If this house is not of our plane then how sure are you that it's the same house? Moreover, what lies outside this house?"
Fred grinned. "Then we'll find out."
Ron rolled his eyes. "Brilliant plan, Fred."
Sirius cupped his hands in front of him and shouted. "Hello! Anyone there!"
Hermione sighed. "Great. Announce our presence. Why didn't I think of that?"
George smirked. "Simple, its because you don't possess our natural brilliance."
Harry ignored his friends' banter. He did not like the general feel of the place. They were obviously not anywhere near Nathaniel's portion of the book. The Renaissance artist had a preference of a light, airy, and informal atmosphere. This place, in contrast, was stuffy and had a menacing air about it. Sirius obviously messed up. Harry remembered Nathaniel's warnings on the danger of entering the book; he only hoped that they were not in any danger.
"Sirius?"
"Dad!"
Harry had heard plenty about Orion Black. He swallowed hard and looked nervously to his right and saw that Ron, Hermione, Fred and George had equally grim expressions on their faces. Sirius, on the other hand, seemed glad to see the man and launched himself towards him.
The man looked disapprovingly at his son. "Young man. This is not the proper way by which a Black should carry himself!"
Sirius remained undeterred. "Come on, Dad. I haven't seen you for 5 years and, for you, it's been much longer."
The man frowned. "Obviously, Gryffindor teaches its students nothing on self restraint." He then smiled with a malicious gleam in his eyes. It made Harry and the others take a step back away from the man.
Sirius remained oblivious. "Dad, I want you to meet my …"
"You are indeed a true Black, you brought to me not one but five Gryffindors. And who's this? Those features are unmistakable, Harry Potter the one who brought down the dark lord…"
Sirius stared at his father, utterly confused. "Dad?"
Orion raised his wand…
"Dad, No!"
A strong wind flew in and pushed Orion straight towards the back wall. A dark horse ran in front of Harry, Ron, Hermione and the twins and changed to a man in dark velvet.
"Nathaniel?"
Orion Black's eyes narrowed, his anger evident in his voice. "You! You're not supposed to be here. It's not possible for anyone, aside from Aris, to move about the different sections."
The former renaissance artist grabbed Sirius by the arm. "You forget Orion, if anyone should know this book just as well as Aris does, it would be me. For I am the one who re-made this book."
Nathaniel pushed Sirius behind him towards the rest of his friends, and then they were enveloped by a white blinding light.
Harry blinked as they were, once again, in Nathaniel's studio. The Black ancestor laid himself down on a Roman-style couch and closed his eyes. He appeared pale and drawn and was breathing heavily.
"Nathaniel?"
Grey eyes that were so much like Sirius' narrowed as he sat up and glared angrily at their group. "Had I not warned you of the dangers? The least you could do is to double check your Arithmancy before you went about this!"
Harry blinked in confusion. "Arithmancy?"
Hermione recited her facts, as usual. "Arithmancy is a branch of magic that is concerned with the magical properties of numbers. It involves the use and understanding of complicated number charts."
Harry scratched the backside of his head. "But Sirius never used any number charts to get us here."
It was now Nathaniel's turn to be surprised. "What!"
Sirius raised both hands up in a defensive manner. "Arithmancy is boring and, moreover, we don't have Arithmancy classes yet. Did I not figure out the correct trajectory the last time we got here? I didn't even have to use a foggy old number chart."
Nathaniel's jaw dropped and wondered if the boy was serious and, if he was, he could not make up his mind on whether the boy was a natural genius or the biggest idiot their bloodline had ever produced. Nathaniel mused, that to have calculated the trajectory of a transporting spell correctly without the chart, made Sirius a genius. Although he missed his mark this time around, Sirius only missed it by a couple of degrees. But to attempt to perform that spell without a chart was...
Hermione could not believe it. A transporting spell such as the one Sirius used required accuracy, and the moron actually tried to do it without a number chart ... "Sirius Black! You are indeed an idiot in the purest sense!"
Nathaniel couldn't have agreed more.
Fred and George looked at one another and grinned "Toujours Pur, dear Hermione... Toujours Pur." Both twins drawled in unison.
"Argh! You three morons remind me of the 'Three Stooges'!"
Fred and George looked blankly at one another.
"Three Whatsis?"
"I have no idea either."
Harry laughed. "They're popular muggle characters."
Sirius grinned. "I know what they are!" He raised his wand and shouted. "All for one, and one for all!"
Fred and George grinned and raised their wands to tap Sirius' raised one and shouted in unison. "All for one, one for all!"
Ron frowned. "Hey! Don't Harry and I get to be stooges as well?"
Harry rolled over in laughter as Hermione rolled her eyes in exasperation.
-0-
Narcissa Malfoy closed an old book and smiled. Lucius would be very pleased with her findings. She stood up and checked her reflection. She moved a stray hair in place and walked out of the room in search for her husband.
Lucius always complained on how she had made him take Sirius in, and how troublesome her cousin was. Narcissa Black Malfoy was pleased, for not only had her decision to take Sirius in brought to them the Black Family fortune, but it seemed that Sirius had access to exclusive knowledge and spells that was once only reserved for the Black direct family line. Narcissa had believed that all that knowledge was lost with the death of Uncle Orion and Regulus, but if Sirius had access to that knowledge...
"Lucius, I may have found something."
Lucius Malfoy turned around and smiled at his wife. "So what sort of magic did that brat use to take control of those creatures?"
"I do not know that, but I found some information on 'the book' that was left to Sirius."
Lucius Malfoy frowned as he struggled to remember all the ancient Black family artifacts that Sirius was allowed to keep inside his room. "The blank book?"
Narcissa smiled serenely and nodded. "The very one. It seems that only the bearer of the family ring can read it and the book contains all the memories and knowledge of our ancestors. Sirius probably learned some spells from that book."
Lucius' brows furrowed as he started to make plans on taking the book away from Sirius.
"So all we need to do is get the ring and book away from that brat and…"
Narcissa raised an aristocratic eyebrow at her husband. "Unfortunately, only Black family heirs can wear that ring. It is protected by an ancient magical force, which would kill all those who are not designated to wear it."
Lucius frowned. "You're a Black..."
"Black heirs have always been male."
Lucius Malfoy contemplated on the issue. "Draco has your blood in him..."
Narcissa glared at her husband. "I will not risk my son's life for this. That ring could very well reject and kill him."
Lucius threw his hands up in exasperation. "So why do you bother telling me this? Sirius has an access to a power that we cannot touch. What do you suggest then!"
Narcissa gave her husband a sly smile. "I think it's about time you try to be nicer to my cousin..."
-0-
Hermione Granger was having the time of her life. Nathaniel showed her a thing or two on creating magical paintings. She was amazed at the beautiful painting on the ceiling at Hogwart's Great Hall, but the ceiling was nothing compared to the quality of some of the works shown to them.
"You mean water nymphs are nothing more than a herd of kelpies in disguise?"
The artist nodded. "They were once minor magical creatures, afraid of humans who could easily overpower them."
Ron snorted. "That doesn't sound like Seidon. He's one arrogant prat who believes himself to be overly powerful and…"
Nathaniel smiled. "Yes, Aris' involvement changed the human perception of kelpies. That which were once perceived as beautiful, shy, and peaceful water nymphs became malicious water demons."
He showed them another painting where Aris sat on a rock surrounded by water nymphs and horses; some of the nymphs morphed into horses and vice versa as they appeared to listen to Aris Black. "Aris showed the kelpies that their strength lies from drawing power from a water source. For as long as they share a water source, the power by which they can draw upon becomes limited or scarce."
Hermione's eyes widened. "So the herd broke up and each kelpie became solitary creatures. Because they rely on the river and lakes for their power, they become over-protective of it."
Harry nodded as he thought about the time he met Seidon. "A creature that wanders alone can easily fall prey, thus a kelpie is highly vulnerable when it loses its river. Thus, they protect their water..."
Nathaniel bowed his head solemnly. "They sometimes over-do it. I think you all know how kelpies developed a penchant to drown human beings. Whence before they feared humans and hid from them, with the endowment of greater strength, kelpie now view humans as threats and drowns all in sight."
Sirius frowned. "But Seidon never attempted to drown us."
"That's because you and Harry saved his life and later he made a deal with the Headmaster." Fred answered.
Harry defended their friend. "But he didn't drown anyone even when he thought Professor Dumbledore broke his word."
Nathaniel smiled. "Kelpies are just like us, some more noble than others."
Ron grumbled. "Don't let Seidon hear that, his head is big enough as it is."
Fred and George laughed as Harry and Sirius looked at one another and grinned. They both knew that Ron found the creature to be extremely infuriating .
Hermione wished she brought a quill and parchment with her, so as to jot down all these facts. Although she doubted that she could physically bring anything from this world back to theirs.
-0-
Dark storm clouds blocked the rays of the afternoon sun. It would be raining soon. Albus Dumbledore stood by the entrance of a small muggle cemetery. This cemetery was only a short distance away from Grimmauld Place. The Headmaster walked inside and approached a single unmarked grave. A short distance away were two other similar graves. It could have been his imagination, but it seemed that those two graves carried a dark aura about them, whereas the one in front of him carried one of melancholic despair.
He closed his eyes and quoted a line by a famous muggle writer. "The evil that man do lives after them. The good is off interred in their bones..."
This was the grave of Regulus Black. The two other unmarked graves were that of Orion and Nadine Black. Albus had to pull quite a few strings to have made this possible, but he believed that he at least owed this much to Regulus. A single bouquet made from poisonous flowers like azaleas, baneberries, irises, nightshades and periwinkles laid on top of Nadine Black's grave. It would seem that the old house elf was still alive and loyal.
Albus Dumbledore placed the small Slytherin prefect badge and the seal of the Order of the Phoenix on top of the grave before him. "Hello Regulus, it's been long since I came by. One of these days, I should bring your brother here. Yes, he's now here at this time. A child with a good heart but is strongly misunderstood. He reminds me of you... although he does have a penchant to break rules instead of abiding by it… no ... he's not really like you... very much to the dismay of my staff." The Headmaster chuckled lightly at the thought of all the headaches Sirius had given all his professors.
"It's strange that Sirius knew some of those spells that you've shown me. Spells that cannot be found in any books. Spells that should have been lost at your demise... I wonder how he came about that knowledge."
The winds blew softly, seeming to softly whisper undiscernibly. Albus Dumbledore sighed, for he knew he could not get any answers here. His visit was purely for sentimental reason. "I wish you were still around to give light to this puzzle, you did always had this great interest on history and mysteries especially those that involved your family; this love for history had always been one of the reasons as to why you and Remus got along so well..."
The Headmaster thought on this. Regulus was quite a loner, but he got along well enough with Remus Lupin and Severus Snape. It was a long shot, but the Headmaster thought that it was possible for Regulus to have said something to either men... a little piece of knowledge that could help enlighten him on this mystery. Albus Dumbledore would speak to both men when he got back to Hogwarts.
-0-
Fred stared at the painting in awe. "It's so hard to believe that a dark unicorn is no different from those silvery-white variety."
Hermione nodded knowingly. "That totally makes sense, the color and the horn shape is just a matter of a recessive gene coming out."
Ron gave the girl a blank expression. "Recess-what?"
All present gave the girl an equally blank expression. Thus, Hermione sighed and explained. "It has to do with a branch of muggle science called genetics. Recessive genes lay dormant and will not come out unless given a rare combination; thus it's rare for it to come out like this for dark unicorns, but its very likely that the silvery variety carry the genes to create one."
Nathaniel listened to the girl attentively and commented. "Muggle science is indeed interesting..."
Sirius decided to interrupt, before Nathaniel and Hermione could go on about it again. "Uh... Nathaniel? Before you and Hermione go about your lengthy discussion about magical paintings or muggle science, can you tell us why dark unicorns are perceived to be evil if they are just ordinary unicorns?
Nathaniel walked over to a painting that revealed Aris shooting an arrow that killed a hunter. The hunter was targeting a dark unicorn. "People foolishly believed that dark unicorns were dark reflections of the unicorn. Aris saved Regin, he made Regin realize that he was in greater danger from human beings than those of his siblings and cousins. Since the dark pigmentation made him a target, he should adapt to survive."
Fred frowned. Given Aris' track record, he had a bad feeling about this outcome. "Adapt?"
The next painting revealed a man walking inside a forest, a bow slung casually behind him. A dark unicorn suddenly appeared out of the shadows and the man fell; he lay on the forest floor sweating and shivering. "Stealth and attack. To harm as well as heal ... Aris' lessons taught. Regin took it upon himself not only to protect his own life, but those of his complacent relatives as well..."
-0-
Draco kicked a stool angrily. The article he sent failed to cause trouble between Potty and that idiot, Sirius. He paused and smirked. Although he failed to cause trouble between Sirius and Potty... the Weasels were another matter entirely. Draco believed that it was time he ought to send Mama Weasel another letter. He chuckled evilly as he picked up a quill and parchment.
-0-
Nathaniel opened a door and gestured for them to enter the next room. Hermione gasped for the air felt hot and arid. She now stood in the middle of a desert, and all she saw upon the distance were miles of sandy dunes; the high temperature blurred her vision and made her unable to see much in the distance. "Where are we?"
Nathaniel waved his wand and a walled city appeared. "Welcome to the ancient wizarding settlement of Wulbari. This magical city was once ruled by brothers named Guruhi and Gunab. Gunab took pride on his small herd of domesticated winged horses, he loved these horses and took them wherever he went." The artist pointed to the majestic winged horses that flew in and out of the city. "During a hunt, a small accident with a stray spell spooked the flying horse that carried Gunab, the king fell off and was killed on impact. Guruhi in his anger cursed the herd..."
Fred and George grinned. "Turned them ugly and to have a penchant for blood?"
"As well as invisible?"
Hermione glared at the twins. "Shush it you two. I want to hear Nathaniel's tale."
"Ooohhhh! Hermione likes Nathaniel!"
"Poor, poor Ronnie ..."
Hermione had had enough of those pests. She raised her wand, "Silencio!"
Fred and George opened their mouths, but no sound came out.
Ron grinned. "Way to go Granger! About time someone shut those two up."
Nathaniel raised an eyebrow, an irritated frown upon his face. He was obviously displeasured by the fact that his audience was not paying attention. Sirius grinned and reassured his ancestor. "No offense Nathaniel, they're always like this. So tell us about these Thestrals."
The artist looked up as the sun started to set. "I think you children ought to go back."
"Just finish your tale about the Thestrals and we'll leave." Sirius pleaded.
Grey eyes stared straight at the boy. "I will finish my tale about the Thestrals and then you, as well your friends, will leave and not return until you've mastered Arithmancy."
Sirius pouted. "That's boring..."
"Well then," the artist drawled, "Then you can leave and I won't have to..."
the artist drawled,Sirius moaned pitifully, for he saw that he had no other option. "Okay then, it's a deal."
Nathaniel nodded and led them inside the walled city. Hermione was once again amazed at the realism of the paintings. Inside, they saw a small herd of skeletal black horses with glowing white eyes, bat-like wings and a dragon-like face. "This is the fate of Gunab's horses, Guruhi cursed them to lose their beauty and be attracted to the smell of blood. It was a dark curse wielded with great anger."
The creature attempted to drink some water from a bucket when a woman screamed; a man came out with his wand and drove the creature away. "Gunab's horses became known as Thestrals."
Nathaniel opened another secret door and gestured for them to enter. They once again found themselves inside a gallery. The artist pointed them to a painting where Aris seemed to be deep in conversation with a dark haired woman. "Orunmila was Guruhi's daughter. She pitied the Thestrals, she felt the presence of a wizard of whose power is greater than that of her brother; she then sought and found Aris."
The next painting showed Orunmila feeding the Thestrals some sort of potion as well as Aris waving his wand. Then the Thestrals disappeared from sight. "Unfortunately, a dark curse brought about by such a deep anger, cannot be reversed."
"Saddened by their failure and knowing that thestrals are domesticated horses that cannot live in the wild; Aris and Orunmila took the thestrals with them, and sought for a place to settle down and care for these horses. He brought them back to his native Greece, There Aris realized that his attempts only resulted in making the thestrals invisible to most humans, and only those who witnessed death can see the creatures. There they became known as Hades' horses, an omen of death. Years later, Aris started the construction of Black Isle, not only for the thestrals, but also for the other horses that he met during his travels."
Aris and Orunmila took the thestrals with them, and sought for a place to settle down and care for these horses. Years later, Aris started the construction of Black Isle, not only for the thestrals, but also for the other horses that he met during his travels."Harry thought on this and asked. "The Thestrals should have all settled on the Isle, but Hagrid said that we have a herd in Hogwarts."
Nathaniel smiled. "I forgot to mention that Salazar Slytherin was descended from our line. He brought the Thestrals there."
-0-
Loud crashes could be heard inside the room. Remus Lupin closed the door and winced at the thought of the disaster area that he left behind.
First they tried all the Weasley counter solutions, but with no avail. So they tried their luck on the riddle. While Flitwick was quick to figure that the riddle meant a hammer of some kind, the task of trying out each and every hammer known to muggle and wizarding kind had been extremely time consuming. Presently, the rest of the Faculty were still chasing their quills with a sledge hammer at hand. Remus chuckled at the thought and counted himself lucky; the quills were busy bowing so they were easier to be rid of... unlike those that tailed the others. Of course, they were too busy slamming those hammers to have noticed that Remus Lupin took a few pictures.
"Remus."
"Hello Albus, I assume you'd like some copies. I see you've gotten rid of those quills as well."
The Headmaster smiled, "Copies?" He then noticed Remus' camera. "Ah yes, I would love to have copies. As for my quills, I have them locked safely in a box at my office. Amazing how they modified a simple Zonko's product. It would be a shame to destroy such a quill."
Remus shook his head; he had long given up on trying to understand the Headmaster. "Something on your mind Albus?"
The Headmaster nodded. "It's best we discuss this in my office."
-0-
Harry frowned. "I don't know Sirius, I don't think Professor Snape would want a Puffskein as a pet."
Ron defended their idea. "But it's the easiest pet to care for and it's very affectionate."
Sirius nodded. "Unless you'd rather join Fred and George on their stupid idea..."
Harry closed his eyes and stifled a sigh, as he liked Fred and George's idea less. "Why are we doing this again?"
Ron and Sirius grinned and explained in a perfect imitation of Fred and George.
"Because Snivellus is such a grouch, and we believe that he only needs someone to shower him with affection."
Harry sighed. "And thus the Puffskein?"
Sirius and Ron nodded enthusiastically.
"And how do you make sure that Snape doesn't scare it off?"
Sirius grinned. "Remember that charm we used on those bats for them to follow Snivellus around?"
Harry finally relented. "Alright then, but I wonder about you Sirius. Why do you want to do something nice to Snape? I thought you'd rather torture the guy."
Sirius pretended to be hurt by Harry's insinuation. "You actually think that bullying Snivelly is all I care to do? Is it so hard to believe that I do care for that greasy-hair git's welfare?"
Harry and Ron fell off the bed laughing.
-0-
Remus shook his head. "No, Regulus never told me anything ancient spells of the Blacks, but if what you say about the spell is true, then Sirius may have learned that particular spell from the ancient book, which he usually carries"
Albus Dumbledore shook his head. "Regulus told me that spells, such as the one mentioned, were never written down."
Remus wondered if he should tell the Headmaster everything that Sirius told him about 'The Black Chronicles'.
-End of Chapter 15-
Facts:
1. Quill Songs: Dumbledore's - "This Old Man"; Flitwick's - "Small World"; Snape's "London Bridge"
2. Regin is a Norse name that means 'the god's power'
3. Wulbari is the supreme god of the Krachi of West Africa and not an actual city
4 . Gunab & Guruhi - are African gods of evil
5. Orunmila - African god of compassion
6. The line Dumbledore used "The evil that man do..." is from Shalespeare's 'Julius Caesar' (Speaking of Shakespeare do check out my Shakespearean Parodies - Shakespeare style; also posted on this site )
Author's Replies:
necromann666 - "Caveo Semper" has a special purpose for the storyline and is explained in this chapter. And the fact that he used to hand around the Auror's headquarters enabled him to pick up a couple of spells.
Virginia Riddle-Malfoy - (L) I can truly imagine Fliywick as one (lol) Sorry took long ... finals and stuff then, I decided to give the 10,000 word challenge another try.
LittleMissPadfoot - (lol) funny songs .. the second sounds a bit too mature for a silly 11-year-old but ... (evil grin) there are always older students ...
Kyra2 - Wouldn't have the Malfoys any other way :)
SeriousSiriusFan - Fudge is in charge but 'The Rat' is in a high position of power as well... Yep 'the rat' appeared albeit in just a short scene in chapter 9 with Remus in a bar. Snuffles? (lol) maybe not yet ... Sirius is not yet an Animagus at this age. The Malfoys are up to no good ... then again so is Sirius. :) Yep am still alive (L)
Night-Owl123 - Poor Sirius? What about Hogwart's staff? especially Snivellus? An unhappy Sirius is a troublesome one ... then again Sirius is also troublesome when he's happy ...
dreams of innocence - Whoops ... guess I couldn't finish this too soon ...
Joou Himeko Dah - Pesky little bug ought to be squashed (lol)
rhea8 - It's a great name. More historical backtracks here (grin) and ... No Rita or Fudge!
Fasor - Thanks
Lady FoxFire - Vote noted. :)
Fire'N'Ice - Draco is still at it ... semms the guy doesn't know when to give up. Next chapter is finally here and you can keep Seidon (lol), Ron would be happy to be rid of him.
PammaPoo - Thanks for reading. Glad to hear that you like this. Not having Ron around would stray too much from the canon :)
C.F.Evangel - Thanks. There's more song parodies here, hope you'll enjoy them just as much. I'll try to watch out for that and been editing the previous chapters ... I think I've fixed everything up to Chapter 6...
Bella Snape - I'll see about that on the next chapter ... this one is long enough as it is... And Draco is still plotting .. that guy is persistent. :)
Zork the Unbearable - Thanks Zork, SOrry took so long ... wanted to try my hand again on an extra long chapter.
kitza- Chapter 5 and 6 has been fixed. Binns is still around ... at least during the full moon.
Debbie- Garden gnomes... (evil smile) ... ohh.. the prank potential in those (lol)
