Chapter Thirty-Nine
The Burrow, Ottery St. Catchpole, England, 28 December, 1991
Ron waited impatiently by the fireplace, pacing the creaking wooden floors anxiously. Henry, Adrian, Draco, Neville, and Blaise were all coming over this afternoon.
He'd invited Daphne and Hermione as well, but they'd already made plans for a "girl's day".
Ron shuddered at what such an event may entail.
Adrian and Draco had warned Ron that their dog may come as well, since it had yet to leave Adrian's side. Ron snorted at that, a dog, five of his friends, and seven Weasley's was a laughable matter indeed.
Unconsciously, he patted the object beneath his sweater, checking again to make sure it was there.
If what he'd found was real, it would help them greatly in their quest. If not, it was interesting, at very least.
Blaise arrived first, looking as dignified as anyone covered in soot could. They'd talked for a few minutes and sat back on the couches to wait.
Henry came next, falling flat on his face. Scowling at their laughter, he hit them both soundly over their heads and sat down across the room from them, fuming and trying to recover his lost dignity.
Neville came after Henry in much the same manner, except he took the pile of wood on the hearth with him. Blushing, he picked himself up clumsily and smiled at them. They laughed and re-stacked the wood, slapping him on the back warmly.
Right after they'd returned to their seats, Draco stepped coolly out of the fireplace, brushing himself off calmly.
"Where's your brother?" Blaise asked, peering around Draco.
Draco merely smirked and stood aside.
They soon had their answer.
Adrian came through the Floo, yelling obscenities and hexes and a large black dog that had its jaws firmly clamped on the seat of his pants.
"Um, Adrian? I think there's a hairy tumor on your arse," Ron snickered.
Adrian scowled darkly at them and continued to try and shake the dog off of him.
"Gerroff, you bloody nuisance! Leave me alone!" he yelled.
"The dog's name is Loki," Draco told them. "Though Ade calls him Padfoot sometimes."
The dog woofed cheerfully at them, as if greeting them, keeping his teeth clamped onto Adrian's pants.
"How'd it get here? Animals aren't able to travel by Floo," Neville asked, smiling uncertainly at the dog.
"He latched onto Ade's arse just before we Flooed and wouldn't let go," Draco shrugged. "Loki is an odd dog."
The dog tugged hard and came away with the seat of his disgruntled master's pants.
"Nice boxers, Ade," Henry jeered.
Adrian screamed at Loki and lunged.
The other boys howled, cheering Loki on.
"What is going on in here?!"
The boys –including the dog- froze. Molly Weasley stood in the doorway, wand in hand.
And she looked pissed.
"Oh, Mum, these are my friends," Ron said, jumping up. "Blaise Zabini."
Blaise stood and bowed.
"Henry Potter."
Henry smiled and waved.
"Neville Longbottom."
Neville stood too quickly and fell into the overcrowded bookshelf beside him.
"And Adrian and Draco Malfoy."
Molly visibly stiffened at the name Malfoy.
Draco stood, arms extended palms-up in a show of being unarmed and bowed low, in a traditional fashion, as a sign of vulnerability and peace.
Adrian shouted a hello as he wrestled Loki for his pants.
"Oh, and Ade and Drake's dog Loki," Ron laughed, watching his friend fight a dog at least double his weight.
Loki released the fabric- sending Adrian crashing into the wall- and dipped his head, woofing at her.
Adrian, rubbing his head ruefully, smiled winningly at her. "It's very nice to meet you, Mrs. Weasley. Thank you for having us over."
Molly softened, smiling at the small boy with wild blond hair. "I could mend those, you know." She gestured between his ripped pants and the fabric he clutched in his hand. "You could wear an old pair of Ron's."
He smiled gratefully and followed her up the stairs.
"So, why did you invite us all here?" Blaise drawled, propping his feet up on the table.
"I think I found something," Ron said, glancing around to make sure that none of his siblings were around. He reached into his sweater and pulled out a piece of parchment and a paperback book.
They laid the parchment flat and looked at it closely, but it was completely blank.
"How is this 'something'?" Draco asked hotly. "It's blank, idiot!"
Ron smirked at his friend. "Watch."
He put his wand against the parchment and monotoned, "Reveal your secrets."
The parchment changed. Ink rapidly appeared through the paper, forming an outline of Hogwarts Castle.
And then the ink began to form words.
"Prongs would like to congratulate you on the finding of the Marauder's Map."
"Padfoot wishes he could see your faces."
"Moony concurs with Padfoot, and wonders why you have this map in the first place."
"Wormtail wishes HE had the map."
"I Solemnly Swear, I Am Up To No Good."
"A magical map of Hogwarts?" Neville asked, "What does it do?"
Ron shrugged helplessly. "I dunno, mate. It does the same thing every time I try it."
Henry was smiling in the corner. Actually, he was smirking.
"What's got you so happy, mate?" Ron asked.
"Ron, you didn't follow the instructions. Look," Henry said, laying the tip of his wand on the map. "I solemnly swear, I am up to no good."
The ink immediately flourished across the parchment, forming corridors and labeled rooms and tunnels. There were also tiny dots scattered across the map, each with a name scrawled over it.
"Minerva McGonagall, Headmaster's Office," Draco breathed.
"Fillius Filch," Neville said in wonder, "third floor corridor!"
"This is bloody brilliant!" Blaise crowed, pounding Ron on the back.
"Henry, how'd you know to do that?" Ron asked.
Henry merely smiled and pointed to where Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs had introduced themselves.
Now, rather than congratulations and questions, though, were new comments.
"Prongs would like to congratulate himself on his son being the one to get the Map. That means I win! Pay up, Padfoot!"
"Padfoot would also like to congratulate you, though you are now on his list for costing him fifteen galleons."
"Moony wishes to tell Padfoot and Prongs to shut it, and congratulates Mini Prongs on discovering the Map."
"Wormtail wishes to say that he is glad that Prongs won the bet, as Padfoot would have been a bloody nuisance."
"So, your dad is Prongs?" Neville asked.
Henry nodded proudly.
"Who is Padfoot?" Draco asked suddenly, eyeing the dog at Neville's feet.
"Uh, I dunno, actually. Dad's never told me," Henry shrugged.
Draco narrowed his eyes at the dog, and Loki glared right back.
"What'd I miss?" Adrian asked, sitting next to Ron. He was wearing faded gray slacks that were several inches too long for him.
"Oh, we opened a map," Henry shrugged.
"Fun," Adrian yawned. "Anything else?"
"We were about to look at this book," Ron said, handing it to his friend.
"The Alchemist?" Adrian asked.
"It wasn't a large book, maybe a few hundred pages at most, and the front cover looked like a mosaic.
"This is a Muggle book, Ron," Adrian snorted. "How will this help?"
"It mentions the Elixir of Life," Ron smirked, "and what creates the elixir."
"What is it?" Draco asked excitedly, wrenching the book from Ron's hands.
"The Philosopher's Stone."
Alright, boys, girls, and other sentient beings of Earth!
Here they are! Two important chapters in one day!
WooHoo!
Enjoy, read, REVIEW!
