Chapter 10: Not Quite.
AN: How's that for effort an dedication? Two updates in three days! Not bad eh? How's about some nice reviews as a reward for my diligence?
(Ps. I loved the responses I got regarding Sirius!)
And now, on with the tale.
'S-sirius?' Harry tried again, feeling elated, scared and suspicious all at once.
Hermione made a funny sound, somewhere between a yelp and a gasp of surprise, whilst her parents simply hung back and watched.
After all, it wasn't everyday that you found yourself in the presence of a dead man.
'Hey pup! You miss your dear ol' godfather?' came the chiper reply.
Well, Harry thought, he certainly sounds like Sirius...
The young Gryffindor decided to once again ask the obvious question, something he was developing somewhat of a penchant for.
'You're not... You know...d-dead?'
Looking bemused his tousled godfather replied,
'Eh? Well no... I never died did I? I was stuck beyond that bloody veil, some place I think is full of dead people. I'm not sure but given the nature of my rescue... I might just be right.'
Stunned to say the least, Harry flopped down into one of the few chairs scattered about the office.
'Your rescue?'
'Yes well, you didn't think that I crawled outa there all on my lonesome did you?' Sirius grinned maniacally as he pointed over to the window,
'It was him that did it!'
His gaze flying to where his godfather was pointing Harry finally noticed the rooms only other occupant.
'FAWKES?'
The elusive phoenix had been missing ever since its final song for the fallen Dumbledore during his funeral, thus explaining the little groups' surprise at seeing the large mystical bird preening its feathers calmly upon the window sill.
'Yup! Apparently my esteemed rescuer, went looking for Dumbledore. It seems Phoenixes really can go anywhere even the afterlife. '
'its actually phoenici...' Hermione whispered but was generally ignored apart from a quick smile from Harry.
By now everyone but Sirius was staring at Fawkes, more than slightly slack-jawed.
'Sooo,' Sirius continued,
'Fawkes here finds me and ever so kindly agrees to bring me back, seeing as I wasn't really dead and all... And yeah here I am homeless, penniless, presumed dead, but happy to be back none the less.'
He grinned cheekily at Harry and the boy couldn't help but start to smile back... Before he was enveloped in a fierce bear-hug by his godfather, which lifted him clear off the floor.
Laughing almost hysterically when he was at last set down, Harry winced as his godfather's face grew suddenly serious (no pun intended).
'One more thing pup, Fawkes says Dumbledore isn't dead.'
#
Sitting in her room Ginny Weasly had a plan, and what a plan it was!
Love Potions, even Amortentia, simply would not do. It be way too obvious.
No, what she needed to do was not to distract Harry from the tramp, what she needed was a way for the awful bookworm to be totally removed from the equation. Permanently.
Oh, she wasn't going to kill her, not directly at least.(She'd heard that the AVADA KEDAVERA did absolutely horrid things to one's nails.)
As a girl though, Ginny knew that there were worse things than death.
Like humiliation.
Yes. That was the way.
Embarrass the mudblood whore to death.
Grinning the grin of one who is several miles over the madness horizon and accelerating (whilst thoroughly enjoying the trip) the red headed Weasly began rummaging in her trunk.
#
Ron was practicing out in the yard.
In his own badly constructed fantasies he saw himself calling Potter out in an all out, no holes barred duel.
He was so certain that, hereto undiscovered powers would manifest during the duel, forever proving his superiority, that instead of spellwork, Ron was practicing his victory speech, which he'd decided to give in the great hall.
'...thank you, thank you. I would just like to say, you shouldn't think any less of poor Harry, after al even You-Know-Who wouldn't dare go up against a wizard of my caliber. Why just before his death I defeated our old headmaster in a private duel, after which he intrusted the safety of our beloved school to me personally...
A weird cackling sound issued from the second story of the Burrow, causing the 'perfect Gryffindor Hero' to look around fearfully.
'must be Ginny,' he muttered to himself before mentally adding.
'crazy witch.'
AN: WELL THERE YOU HAVE IT. THE NEXT CHAPTER SEES A LITTLE ACTION AND MAYBE AN APEARANCE BY EVERYONES FAVORITE GREASEBALL. I USED A QUOTE FROM ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS IN THIS CHAPTER, CAN ANYONE SPOT IT?