ME: Hello dear readers! I was thinking the other day (it hurt a lot) if I should bring in some of the characters from the book/books into the real world for a short while and interview/speak to them for a bit! Brilliant I know! You don't have to read them if you don't want, but I'm sure our favourite characters will be upset! Sooooo, first up we have MR SIRIUS BLACK!
SIRIUS: What? Where am I?
ME: Hi Sirius! You're in the real world!
SIRIUS: The real world? What do you mean the real world?
ME: You do realise that you're not real right? Even though I really wish you were?
SIRIUS: I'M NOT REAL? *Sirius starts crying and I start comforting him*
ME: NO! I mean yes you are real! To every Harry Potter fan in the world!
SIRIUS: YAY! Wait- Harry Potter?
Me: You'll find out soon. Alright, in a couple of years. Okay in about 10.
SIRIUS: 10 YEARS! I can't wait that long!
ME: Sure you can. Please. Just for me?
SIRIUS: Alright. Just for you. What's your name?
ME: It's Chloe.
SIRIUS: Just for you then Chloe.
ME: Cheers Sirius. Now you have to go back. I'll see you soon yeah?
SIRIUS: Sure.
ME: Alright before you go say something cool yeah for the readers?
SIRIUS: CHEESE AND PINAPPLES! BYE! *Sirius disappears and I sigh*
ME: *Sigh* I'll miss him. ANYWAY, ON WITH THE STORY!
5
To James's delight, as well as Peter and Sirius's, Remus entered the great hall at breakfast a week later. They greeted him excitedly as he sat next to Sirius.
'Welcome back mate.' Sirius clapped him on the back.
Remus smiled at them, tiredly but happily.
'Thanks.' He whispered.
'So what was it? Why were you in there for a week? I didn't think it was that bad?' James asked.
Remus shifted uncomfortably under their stares.
'Madam Pomfrey wouldn't tell us or let us visit you.' Peter mumbled.
'Oh. She said I wouldn't be allowed. I merely had a bad stomach bug. She likes to keep you there longer than necessary.' Remus explained softly.
'Welcome back Remus!' they looked to see Gracie standing behind them.
'Thanks Gracie.' Remus smiled.
'No prob-'
'What book are you reading?' he suddenly asked.
'Oh this?' she asked holding up the book clutched in her hand. 'Hogwarts: A History,' she said, flickering through the pages. 'Quite interesting. The only book I've ever really read to be honest.'
'The only book you've ever read!' Remus shouted shocked.
'Yeah. Reason I came over her really. Want to know what that means.' She shoved the book under Remus's noise and pointed to a word James couldn't see.
'Gracie that says television.' Remus said slowly.
'Telvion?' Gracie asked, looking at Remus as if he was crazy and needed serious help.
'No. Television. It's a Muggle thing,' He explained 'See?' he pointed out a sentence and Gracie proceeded to read it out.
'Hogwarts has no connection for Muggle devices such as televisions, radios or phones. The magic surrounding (wards etc.) Hogwarts are too strong for Muggle devices. When, Joseph Ivan, a Muggle-Born Hufflepuff in 1962, in his 7th year tried to bring in a Muggle device, it blew up in his face when he tried to turn it on.
'Awesome!' James said, laughing.
'Why you reading it anyway?' Sirius asked. 'It's like a thousand pages.'
'Yes. It is. It might take a while, but it'll be worth it.' Gracie said shyly.
'Worth it?' James said, leaning closer to Gracie.
'Yes James. Worth it. Very worth it. You see James, Sirius, Remus, Peter,' she leaned forwards, and looked around for ears droppers, when she saw no one, she turned back to them smirking with a twinkle in her eye.
'There are plenty of interesting things in this book. Written by someone so innocently ago. Oh, how they would roll around in their graves if they knew what I was using it for.'
Peter and Remus eyes grew wide when she said they would roll in their graves. James and Sirius on the other hand were bursting with excitement.
'Rolling in their grave? Tell me more!' Sirius whispered to Gracie.
'Have you ever heard of secrets?' she asked.
They stared at her. Long and hard. For minutes, until they realised she wasn't joking.
'Secrets? Everyone knows what secrets are. They're secrets.' Peter said, frowning.
Gracie face palmed. 'Remus,' she waved a hand in his direction. 'Give us a proper definition.'
Remus cleared his throat importantly. 'A secret is where a piece of information or the like is kept between one person and a group of people. Normally, a secret is something someone doesn't want someone or someone's to know.'
'Yes. Now back to the book. This has everything in here. Most things anyway. But there are things that aren't. But there are clues. Secret passageways, secret rooms, secret stairs, secret door, secret everything's. But there are blanks. Missing information, things like that. Secrets that haven't been discovered or found. There's no record that anyone has found any though. But then they could keep it a secret so no one really knows. But I reckon no one found all of the secrets of Hogwarts. I think my brothers have found some and might know people who have found one or two along with the kitchens or something. But wouldn't it be great to the person or persons,' she said quietly, glancing around the four of them.
'To be the one or ones to find them all. And what better place to start than this book. It would take a while of course. Years even. If you played it right. Searched in the right places, asked the right people, ears dropped, sneaked about, went to the library to read books on it or just searched for clues at night. Anyone who put their mind to it and focused could really do it. Of course, you would keep it a secret. Pass to your family or just tell your friends, the people you could trust. Wouldn't want everyone bothering you or anything. Even if it was a secret, and only you knew, it would still amazing. You never know, someone could have actually done it before. But like I said before, probably not as I reckon I'm the only one that has really thought about it and me, being nice and all, and consider you friends, am telling you. And it would probably be impossible to do it on your own. Think about it. Eh? Wouldn't it be great to find them all?'
With that, she picked up her book. Winked at them and turned on her heal, walking down the table and taking a sit next to Lily.
'What do you reckon then?' Sirius said as they sat on Remus's bed as it was the tidiest in the dorm the next day.
'About the Secrets of Hogwarts thing?' James asked.
'Yeah. Good idea don't you think? I reckon we do it.' Sirius stated firmly and looked around them all with a 'serious' expression.
'It could be really dangerous though!' Peter squeaked.
'So?' Sirius asked. 'Live a little Peter! You only get to go to Hogwarts for 7 years in your life if you don't become a teacher and even if you become one it just wouldn't be the same! None of us are going to become teachers anyway.' Sirius huffed.
'I reckon Remus might.' James smirked as Remus lifted his head out of the book he was reading. He only just realised that it was Hogwarts: A History.
'Hey!' Remus shouted.
'So, Remus are you in then? You are reading the book.' James pointed out.
Remus closed the book with a sigh and looked around the room.
'I must admit that it does interest me a bit.'
'HA! So you do want to look for some then!' Sirius said excitedly.
'I'll join in as well then. I don't want to be alone.' Peter mumbled dejectedly.
Sirius started clapping and whopping, doing a dance on the bed. He was doing a move when he fell backwards onto the floor, groaning. James, Peter and Remus started laughing as he got up, rubbing his back. Sirius sat down again grumbling.
'Where do we start looking then?' Remus asked sitting up straighter.
'First we ask around a bit. First Grace, she might've found something.' James said to nods of agreement.
'What about her brothers? She could've got the idea from them.' Peter suggested rather helpfully. Sirius clapped him on the back.
'Well done Peter.' He said.
'Do any of you have any relatives in the school that you could ask?' Remus said.
'No. only child.'
'Same.'
'I have some older cousins. They're in Slytherin though and won't help me or us if their lives depended on it. Well maybe except for Andy. Bellatrix and Narcissa would rather die than be seen with me. They aren't very happy about my house placement you see.' Sirius said proudly.
Sirius seemed happy he was different from his family, James thought. He himself was a Pure-Blood but considered a Blood-Traitor but he didn't think his family would hate him if he was sorted into another house.
'Are they really that horrible?' Peter said quietly.
Sirius looked at him with an irritated look on his face.
'Yes, Peter.'
'I can't really say how you feel Sirius.' James muttered Remus and Peter exchanging looks and nodding.
'It's a bit like James's family.' Sirius said carelessly.
'What?' All three of them said in surprise.
'Most of your family have been in Gryffindor. Right James?' Sirius looked at James for confirmation, no expression on his face.
James nodded.
'Well, what about if you came to Hogwarts and all of your family expected you to be placed in Gryffindor. But you weren't. You were placed in another house, the rival house of the one you were supposed to be in.'
'Sirius I-'
'It doesn't matter. I don't care. I don't care if they're disappointed in me. I don't care what they think. I don't care what they say. I don't care if they hate me for being Gryffindor. I don't care because I'm proud I'm different. Proud I'm in Gryffindor and not Slytherin. I'm proud I'm not like them. I don't want to be like them.'
Stunned silence was heard at the end of Sirius's speech.
'We'll talk to Grace and her brothers tomorrow then, hey? Better to get started quickly?' he said.
James, Peter and Remus nodded hesitantly.
Sirius stood up and walked over to his own bed and drawn the curtains around him.
James and Peter stood also, and quietly made their way to their beds as well.
James closed his own curtains around him and lay down, staring at the ceiling.
He must've been staring there for a while as he soon heard Sirius's snoring fill the room. He turned around onto his left, now facing the curtains and he couldn't help replaying the conversations they had in his head.
'Where do we start looking then?'
'What about her brothers? She could've got the idea from them.'
James smiled softly.
'Are they really that horrible?'
'Yes, Peter.'
'It's a bit like James's family.'
James sighed as quotes from the conversation flowed through his head.
'It doesn't matter. I don't care. I don't care if they're disappointed in me. I don't care what they think. I don't care what they say. I don't care if they hate me for being Gryffindor. I don't care because I'm proud I'm different.'
James couldn't help think that Sirius had been lying. That he really did care what his family thought.