Chapter 8: News.

"What's this news then?"

Ali sat down at the table before Kat spoke.

"Ali, how do you feel about being Maid of Honour?"

Ali looked at Kat like she had gone mental.

"What? Maid of Honour? But you're not ... OH MY GOD! Are you fucking serious?!"

Sirius laughed and put his arm around Kat's shoulder.

"Maybe"

Kat blushed furiously while Ali got up and leant her head against Remus' chest while blocking her ears with her hands.

"I really didn't need to know that!"

The other three laughed and Sirius gave Kat a loving kiss before all four sat down for breakfast and after the final plates had been cleared away, there was a loud screech coming from the open window. A large, snowy owl landed on the table and dropped a letter into Sirius' hands.

"Hedwig!"

Sirius opened the letter and smiled when he saw it was from Harry but after reading the letter, his smile had faded into a worried frown. Kat gently placed a hand on his arm.

"Darling, what's wrong?"

Sirius handed the letter over to her, his head leaning against his fist and shock registered in his eyes. Kat read the letter and placed it on the table with such precision anyone would have thought it was going to explode. She crossed over to Sirius and sat on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly.

"Sirius, I think you should talk to him. Face to face. This is bad and you need to find out more"

Ali cleared her throat and looked at Kat, one eyebrow raised.

"What's bad? What's happened?"

Kat looked at Ali and Remus with sad eyes before slowly saying,

"Harry's been entered into the Tri-Wizard Tournament. No one knows how though. He didn't put his name in and he didn't get one of the older students to do it"

"Wait, an older student? Why would Harry need an older student to do it?"

"Barty Crouch had placed a rule that only students aged 17 and above were allowed to submit their names because of what happened at the World Cup. There's also, another bit of news. Harry's been having some weird dreams. His latest one has been of You-Know-Who telling Wormtail and another person to get him. You-Know-Who needed Harry for something and it sounded like he wasn't going to stop at anything to get him. Sirius thought that... the attack at the World Cup may have been targeted at Harry"

Ali let out a small gasp and Remus ran his hands through his hair. It was coming up to the full moon and he was getting more restless and tired than usual. Sirius gave Kat a gentle kiss and leant his head against hers. Kat gave Sirius a reassuring hug. Sirius took Kat's hand and looked into her eyes, his eyes full of sadness. Kat gave him a small kiss and lead him to the fireplace were a gentle fire was flickering calmly. Kat took some Floo Powder from a pot on the mantelpiece and threw it into the fire while clearly saying,

"The Gryffindor Common Room"

The fire roared and turned a brilliant shade of green. Both Kat and Sirius put their faces into the fire and in a matter of seconds, the blurry mess of red and gold formed into the Gryffindor Common Room. Harry sat on a chair, his back to the fire and he was reading the Daily Prophet. He turned at the hiss of the fire and exclaimed when he saw Kat and Sirius' faces emerge from the flames.

"Sirius ... and Kat. What are you doing here?"

Sirius gave a cough which sent soot from the coals into the air.

"Replying to your letter of course. Harry, we haven't got much time so I must ask. Do you know how your name got into the Goblet of Fire?"

Harry shook his head.

"No? Ok. I had to ask because whoever did is no friend to you. People die in this Tournament!"

Harry swallowed hard.

"I'm not ready for this Sirius"

Sirius shook his head sadly.

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice. I'm sorry Harry. Now, about this dream. You mentioned seeing Voldemort and Wormtail but who was the third person in the room? Did you hear a name or recognise him at all?"

Harry shook his head again. He was beginning to panic until Kat interrupted.

"Harry, you'll be fine. I know you will. You just have to think hard and plan. I know it sounds like what everyone else had probably been saying but it's true. These games are meant to test you on levels beyond magical skill so you need a plan. If you ever need advice, don't be afraid to ask anyone, you can even write us a letter, ok? We have some good news though. Don't know how you might take it but you ought to know. Me and Sirius are getting married"

Harry's eyes widened and his mouth dropped.

"What!"

Sirius laughed gently at his godson's expression.

"I asked Kat to marry me this morning and she said yes"

Harry then broke into a huge smile. His godfather was getting married! He was getting to live a life he had always wanted!

"Oh that's brilliant guys. Fantastic, you must be so pleased. I would hug you but it might hurt"

They all laughed before Ali yelled out from behind Kat,

"S'up Harry!"

Kat told Ali to be quiet and her and Sirius said goodbye. They pulled their heads out of the fireplace and Sirius smiled at Kat.

"Thank you, for persuading me to do that. I never would have thought of using Floo Powder, probably would have done something stupid like go to Hogwarts and scare the living daylights out of everyone"

Kat smiled as she stood up and gave Sirius a hug. She brushed his hair out of the way of his eyes and nodded.

"Probably, but now you know he's safe and that's all that matters. Hermione and Ron can help him not to mention Dumbledore and McGonagall. Harry's a smart kid, he can take care of himself and I don't think you..."

Kat was cut off by the crash of Sirius' lips against hers. Kat froze for a second before wrapping her arms around Sirius' neck and kissing him back with the same passion. Ali smiled then looked at Remus.

"Aw I can't remember the last time you shut me up by doing that, it's been so long and yet they just get to..."

Remus smiled at Ali before pinning her against the kitchen wall and imitating Sirius' reaction, effectively causing Ali to be quiet. Ali and Remus were the first to break apart and Ali saw how tired Remus looked. She planted another small kiss on his cheek and said goodbye to Kat and Sirius who were locked in a tight hug. She and Remus went back to their house and Remus immediately fell asleep on the sofa. Ali looked at him in sympathy and took off his coat and shoes and somehow got him into a more comfortable position. She was just taking off his jumper when she noticed how hot his forehead had become. Ali's eyes widened in fear – fever.

This often happened near the full moon or so Remus had told her but Ali hadn't the faintest idea how to cure him. She wasn't sure she should use magic just in case there was a side effect and she had no idea how to cure him the muggle way. Ali dampened a flannel and laid it over his forehead. She spent the next hour wiping Remus' forehead and checking his temperature. When she was sure his temperature had stopped going up, she dashed over next door, running because even though it would take her 2 minutes she didn't want to leave Remus alone for 2 seconds in case he got worse.

"Kat, thank god, Remus has a fever and I don't know what to do, I think his temperature has stopped going up but the last time I measured it it was 39 degrees"

"Oh my god. Sirius, Remus is ill, I'm going to help Ali"

The two girls rushed over to next door and Kat immediately got to work. She refreshed the flannel and gently awoke Remus. She managed to coax some fever medicine into him and then ran back next door. A few minutes later she came back with a vial full of sleeping potion. She helped Remus drink it and he instantly fell asleep. Kat sat back on her heels and sighed while Ali held Remus' hand and gently stroked his cheek. Kat took Remus' temperature again and to both of the girls' relief it had gone back down to 37 degrees.

"Thanks Kat"

"You're welcome. I just don't understand how he got fever so quickly. I know it sometimes can happen as a symptom of the full moon but even so, fever symptoms take a while to show. First it's sweating of the body which didn't happen, then headache, muscle aches and general weakness which I suppose could have been dismissed as symptoms of the full moon and then dehydration and loss of appetite which never occurred"

Ali shrugged her shoulders and went back to stroking Remus' cheek.

"Well I'm going to go back home now, when he wakes up, give him another dose of fever medicine and let him rest and in the mean time refresh the flannel every half an hour"

Kat left and went back home. Sirius was sitting at the table and when Kat walked in he sat up properly and opened his arms for a hug. Kat sat in his lap and rested her head on his shoulder. Sirius placed his forehead against her temple.

"How is he?"

"Better, his temperature is back to normal but another hour or so and it could have been a different story"

Kat sighed as she watched the sunlight glint off her ring. Sirius gave her another kiss and then began to clear up the kitchen.