Chapter Nineteen: News via Letters
Is it honestly still necessary for me to say this isn't mine? Well, it isn't. Okay, here we go!
"Dear Prongs, Redtail, Padfoot and Blacktip,
First off, Padfoot: you are an idiot."
I paused and grinned at the letter before I looked up at Sirius who had his mouth hanging open and looked insulted.
"Is that all I get for thinking on my feet like that? That I'm an idiot?" he demanded. Lily rolled her eyes and gestured for me to keep reading.
"Second off, how is everyone? I'm sure that you're all curious as to the happenings at Hogwarts after young Mr. Malfoy spotted Harry's head floating in mid-air. You'll be pleased, Prongs and Padfoot at least, that he escaped a detention with Snape due to him mentioning a previous "head injury" that Mr. Malfoy apparently suffered."
"Wait," James said, holding up a hand. "What head injury? Why would Moony make fun of something like that?"
"Ask Blacktip for the details if you wish." I read in reply before looking back up at him.
"Oh, well finish the letter then we can go back to that," he decided. This time I rolled my eyes.
"You'll also be pleased to note, Redtail, that I confiscated a certain map from Harry after his use of it."
"WHAT?" James and Sirius shouted at the same time. "Why would he confiscate it? After all the hard work we put into it?" Sirius continued.
"What map?" Lily asked innocently, looking confused.
"The Marauder's Map," I replied, placing the letter on the table for the moment. "It's a map of the castle complete with secret passages, rooms and moving dots, one for every person inside the castle or on the grounds."
"It mirrors their exact movements?" she asked.
"Yeah," I answered, nodding.
"No wonder you five nearly never got caught!"
"We didn't finish it until around the end of fifth or sixth year," James shrugged. "By then we already knew everything,"
"Then Wormtail lost it at the end of seventh year," Sirius muttered bitterly.
"Huh," Lily shrugged and I began to read once more.
"And who exactly added the feature that insults people on command? And, more importantly, why wasn't I let in on it? I feel left out." I stopped again. "How could he not know about that? You said it was his suggestion," I aimed at Sirius.
"I never said he was in on it," he answered with a shrug. I frowned, but continued.
"Oh well, also I have enclosed a letter that Harry wished for me to pass along to Blacktip saying she had asked for the information as soon as possible. Care to enlighten me there as well?"
"Should we open that now?" Lily asked.
"No, let's finish Moony's letter first," James suggested.
"Now, onto more important news. Blacktip, your/her father and I have been successful in getting Dumbledore to agree not to send out any dementors. However, we cannot at the moment promise you safety while being present on the grounds so, I know it is hard Padfoot,"
"Hey!"
"—but you'll all have to wait a little longer before coming out in the open again. I'll write to you all again when the situation changes, though I expect a response from you all!
Best wishes,
Moony"
"Well, that was informative," James decided. "Sounds like Kailey's dad isn't as upset as we all thought he would be."
"Maybe, but he once told me that blood was thicker than…something, I don't think it was your usual analogy, but I don't quite remember what he said. Point is, I think Kailey could commit murder and he'd fight on her side so long as she was justified," I shrugged.
"And you believed him?" Sirius asked.
"Yeah," I answered as though it were obvious.
"What was that about a Malfoy and a head injury?" Lily asked, bringing us back on topic.
"Oh, well Hagrid is now Care of Magical Creatures Professor and our first class he introduced us to Hippogriffs," I began.
"We were wondering why he was keeping those out here," James said. "He let them loose a couple of times last fall,"
"I don't know why but that really doesn't surprise me. In any case, Malfoy decided he'd be an idiot and he insulted Buckbeak. It was too late for me to stop him from saying anything so I crashed into him instead and he hit his head on a rock," I finished cutting out most of the details. "His dad filed a case against Buckbeak but Kailey defended the Hippogriff and the judges in the Wizengamot dropped the charges. That's all, really,"
"I'll bet old Lucius didn't like that one bit, the old git," Sirius laughed.
"It's always nice to bother him when he can't do anything about it," I agreed.
"That's great and everything, but can we read Harry's letter now?" Lily asked, gesturing to the unopened envelope that sat on the table next to Remus' letter.
We all grew quiet as I opened the second letter.
"Dear Kailey,
Well, first of all, Hermione wants to say how irresponsible it was of you to run off with Black like that. I guess she wanted a hint of some sort. I won't lie; it would have been nice,"
"Who is this Hermione girl?" Lily asked.
"Hermione Granger, she's a muggle-born and the smartest student in our year. She's also one of Harry's and my best friends," I explained. "Er, Kailey's best friends,"
"I think I like the sound of her so far," she concluded, giving Sirius a look.
"Why is it always me?" he asked defensively. I rolled my eyes and continued.
"You're dad has been taking points like mad from every house except Gryffindor and Slytherin. So I guess I feel bad for the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, honestly, what do they ever do? He also takes points every time the words 'black' and 'serious' are said, no matter what context. I take it he didn't like Black very well when they were in school together?"
"Nice going, Padfoot," James laughed, punching Sirius in the shoulder.
"Who knew I'd leave that sort of mark on old Snivvy?" Sirius shrugged.
"You know, I really shouldn't let you call him that anymore," I said, shaking my head.
"I suppose you'll try to get me to call Professor McGonagall something other than Mickey as well, then?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in challenge.
"I said I shouldn't, not that I would," I replied before returning to Harry's letter.
"In any case, the Veritaserum. You're dad gave me the strangest look when I asked and then he somehow knew I had talked to you. Then I remembered you saying he could read minds so I guess that must be what he did,"
"HE DID WHAT TO MY SON?" James shouted, standing up.
"James, calm down," Lily said soothingly, getting him to sit back down.
"Calm? How can I be calm when that slimy greasy git can have a go at my son's memories when I can't even see him?" James asked, seething.
"I didn't mind it so much, though, only because it made my explanation easier." I read from Harry's letter. "See? No harm done, he's just as lazy as you," I said. James visibly relaxed and nodded for me to continue after a moment.
"He said that he has a store that he keeps in his lab at all times. He also said that if anyone were to try anything it might be better for him to know beforehand so that he can have it on him already. So, that being said, when do you plan on being around?"
I stopped there for the moment and looked around the table at everyone else. They were all staring at me. "What?"
"Well, do you know the exact date at which we can safely get into Hogwarts?" Lily asked as if it were obvious.
"Not really, no," I answered, shaking my head. "Well, actually," I paused for a moment. But can that work…? It's quite the stretch…Hell, why not…? "There might be a good day, but I'll have to think about it for a moment," I said, trying to remember the specifics. June something…exam week…June what though…? Screw it, I'll ask him in our reply letter…
"Hello, Earth to Keena," James said, waving a hand in front of my face.
"Sorry, just trying to remember…but it doesn't matter, I can always ask." I answered in a shrug before finishing off the letter.
"Well, write back if you can and let us know if there is anything else that we need to do to prepare. I really hope you know what you're doing.
Best of luck,
Harry,"
"He really doesn't trust me at all, does he?" Sirius asked, sounding a little put out.
"Would you trust you after that little display in the common room?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. He thought for a moment then shook his head. "Good, now that we've got that all settled, shall we reply to Harry or Remus first?"
"The letters are going to be sent together so it hardly matters," Lily said. "Let's do Harry's first, though," she added after only a seconds hesitation.
"All right," I answered, summoning some parchment, ink and a quill to me. The ink went flying past me, however, and James leapt to catch it just before it smashed into the ground. "Sorry," I laughed as he gave me a look before carefully placing the ink bottle on the table. "Okay, so here we go," I said, unscrewing the cap and dipping the quill into the ink.
"Dear Harry,
Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. Sorry about the lack of hints before that little escapade, but I wasn't exactly planning on it happening at all,"
"Hey, mention to him how I'm sorry too!" Sirius said.
"Tell him yourself," I said, handing him the quill.
"Hey, Harry, I'm sorry about that too, this is Sirius Black by the way. I hope you don't mind that I've borrowed your friend but I think she's the only one who has enough connections to help out at this point."
I stole the quill back from him and continued writing, "He wanted to apologize for himself. Anyway, about my dad, just count yourselves lucky that you're in Gryffindor then, I suppose."
"And you're right; Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws really never do anything."
"Sorry, he stole the quill again. Now, the Veritaserum, could you tell Snape to just keep it on him constantly for now? Also, when is the Divination final exam? Well, as soon as you know, let me know the date. Maybe you can pay Hagrid a visit after your tests are done for that day? I'm sure he wouldn't mind."
"Stay away from any of his food though! Don't mistake it for a threat, rather a warning. I'm lucky I still have all my teeth after his rock cake."
"Write back soon if you can. You can go through Remus again if you'd like. Here's hoping I know what I'm doing,"
"You can say that again,"
"That makes no sense, I wrote it."
"Then you can write that again."
"It's a waste of ink!"
"Whatever,"
"From,
Kailey and Sirius"
I reread the letter and looked up at Lily and James to see that they had left the room. I sighed and looked at Sirius who just shook his head.
"Does your plan include getting them to at least come clean to him?" he muttered.
"No, but it should," I answered, rubbing my nose before closing up the letter and laying it neatly on the table. "Guys! Come back so we can write to Moony!" I called, pulling the next piece of parchment towards myself.
"Dear Moony,
I'd like to note that I take offense to be called an idiot! It's not my fault and I consider thinking on my feet to be very smart!
Because we all know he can't think any other way.
Prongs, that was just mean.
True though. You do need to learn when to listen to instructions.
I agree with Redtail.
Traitor.
Blacktip and Padfoot are now arguing over the definition of traitor. Everything is going as well as it could be here. And thank you for confiscating that map. Merlin knows does he really need to be just like his father in detention records too?
Hey, I'm proud of those records!
We know, you're always bragging about getting caught.
Now those two are arguing! Anyway, Moony, the whole insulting an intruder thing was your idea! Don't you remember?
You never told him, how could he?
I suppose you're right.
Always am! Anyway, Moony the information which Harry enclosed in his previous letter involved knowing whether or not we have access to a truth potion. Which we do. So, I would like to ask you to give our reply letter back to him ASAP.
And tell Snivvy to keep himself out of my son's head!
And say a sentence using the words 'serious' and 'black'. Document his reaction and write back! I want to know what he does.
You're so immature, Padfoot.
That was a waste of ink. You could have just said it to my face.
Moony will be glad to know that there's at least one of us here that acts like an adult.
Hey!
You're a teenager at heart, Blacktip, sorry.
Anyway, write back as soon as you can, Moony! We miss you!
Prongs, Redtail, Blacktip, and Padfoot."
After re-reading both letters twice more, I folded up the letter and put Harry's inside before heading over to the window to see if there were any owls nearby as the other three headed into the living room. The forest outside was quiet and for some strange reason it made me nervous. I gave a little shiver as I noticed a barn owl swooping towards the house. It landed on a branch just next to the window and stuck its leg out to me. I tied the letters to the wild bird's leg and it took off.
I looked up when I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was James.
"You alright?" I asked when I noticed he was just staring off into the forest.
"Just thinking about how things have changed," he answered with a shrug. "How things are going to keep changing until we get this made right," he gave my shoulder a little squeeze.
"You know, there is nothing wrong with you and Lily coming to Hogwarts when we get this thing into action," I said quietly. "You could take Harry back and move somewhere,"
He snorted. "Like where? Godric's Hollow?"
"No, that's way too well known, I was thinking Potter Mansion," I said. I looked up at him to see his reaction to find he was shaking his head.
"The wards around that place have fallen way beyond repair," he answered sadly.
"Put up new ones, make the base shields stronger. We aren't exactly in the middle of wartime at the moment," I suggested. "Besides, what would your father and mother think if they knew you just let the house fall without a backward glance?"
"They were your parents too," he pointed out I opened my mouth to argue when he said, "You know I don't mean by blood,"
"Don't change the subject," I said instead.
He gave a heavy sigh. "Would he even want us at this point?"
"James, he's going to need you, both of you, in less than a year," I replied quietly. "And there really is nothing I can do at this moment to stop it,"
"I'll talk to Lily and then we'll decide," he said after a few moments of consideration.
"For the last time, Lily, I don't want to study third year magic!" I groaned as Lily put down a stack of books on the living room table. We hadn't heard back from Remus yet, and as a result of that we hadn't heard back from Harry either. Lily had decided that as long as I was under her watch she was going to make sure I kept up with my studies. I could not seem to get it drilled into her head that I had already gone through school once and only lightly reviewed the notes I rarely ever took in class the night before the test in any case. I don't think she understood where I was coming from at all.
"Keena, you know as well as I do how important it is to keep yourself refreshed in the theories of magic! Do you even know what you're going to become when you grow up?" she lectured, separating the books into piles.
"I will be a magician."
She stopped fooling around with the books and looked up at me with a shocked expression as Sirius and James burst out laughing. She shook herself out of it after a moment and continued moving the books around. She had a pile for every subject except divination.
"C'mon, Lily, I don't wanna!" I whined before pausing in thought for a moment. "And neither does Kailey!"
"Keena, you change right now and do some studying!" Lily scolded, leveling me with a glare.
I snorted, "Yeah, cause you're my mum and can really do anything to me,"
That's when she took out her wand.
"Lily? Lily, put that away,"
"Do some studying,"
"No! Now put your wand away," I said, cringing a little when she moved her arm. "Put it away please?" There was a bright blue flash that came from her wand and next thing I knew I was frozen but not frozen. I didn't feel as though I could move, but I knew I was shifting and it was extremely uncomfortable, though it only lasted seconds. When I could move on my own again, I slumped backward into the couch, panting slightly.
"Now, do your studying," Lily said, both hands on her hips.
"Fine," I grumbled at the sound of my American accent. "At least tell me you knew I wasn't going to be hurt," I mumbled as I pulled one of the books on Transfiguration towards myself.
"Of course I wouldn't hurt you," she said, her tone softening slightly. "But you need to study,"
"But that'll hurt my brain," I argued.
"Kailey," she said in a warning tone.
"Mrs. Potter," I replied in kind.
She looked stumped. I grinned.
"What's wrong, Lily? Don't you like your name?" James teased.
"I think what she doesn't like is that Kailey there has just found a way to call your wife old. How does that make you feel, Mr. Potter?" Sirius asked, grinning as well.
"Pretty damn good knowing that you're older than me, Mr. Black," James shot back. Sirius frowned.
"Touché,"
"But I do have some good news, Mr. Black,"
"Oh? And that would be what, Mr. Potter?"
"Mrs. Potter isn't bothering us to study,"
"Though she's looking at you both as angrily as Mickey does when she wants to give a detention when the bell's already rung and you're on your way to a vacation," I sniggered as Lily glared daggers at the two men.
"Why, my dear old wife, whatever is the matter?"
Needless to say, Sirius had some company on the couch that night.
Alright, I know it's far shorter than what I've been writing but that seemed like a good place to stop. I hope you enjoyed and will review! Oh, and the question about the couples! My answer is thus: you're gonna have to wait and see ;) Kay, until chapter 20!
:-D