A Snake in the Nest, Chapter Five
A.N. Votes are as follows:
Fred/ George: 2
Scabbers (NOT Peter): 1
Luna Lovegood: 2
Sirius Black: 3*
Remus Lupin: 2*
James Potter: 1*
Peter Pettigrew: 1*
Peeves: 1
* This person voted The Marauders. So they managed to get four votes.
It was nearly three in the afternoon before the boys could be persuaded to come inside. Nana made sandwiches, and they sat in the kitchen this time; the smell had vanished while they played.
Husky was still scowling as they walked in; he'd been suckered into playing when Senri wandered into the woods to look for something, and the others had wanted even numbers. At least he'd been with Cooro, who was a natural in the air in any way, so he didn't need to do much except occasionally catch the football they were tossing around in lieu of the Quaffle.
The scowl was more from the seven times he'd been hit in the head while trying to keep his balance; honestly, it was like they were trying to knock him off!
Hmm… His thoughts were interrupted as a plate was placed in front of him, a now smiling Nana looking rather pleased with herself. She waited, and Husky raised an eyebrow.
"Yes…?" She rolled her eyes, passing another plate to Ron without looking.
"What do you think?" Oh. Tentatively, he took a bite, reminding himself to not show disgust should it be bad.
It wasn't.
"It's good." He didn't say anything more, as he wanted to eat more, and she rolled her eyes again before turning to give the others their food. Remus handed around iced tea and water.
Harry was talking animatedly to Ron about Quidditch moves they'd practiced, both at home, on the team, or outside, when the sound of laughter that wasn't theirs drifted into the room. They looked at each other, then at Remus, who shrugged. Cooro, who had been sitting closest to the counter, glanced back.
"It's the photo!" He held it up triumphantly. Inside, James and Lily were still asleep, and Peter was still playing his silent card game.
As he set it down on the table, the laughter got louder, until the sources walked into view, in the forms of Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, both laden with food and still chortling at an unknown joke.
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Sirius was still laughing as they walked back. Apparently, there was no-one else inside the castle, so the kitchens were empty. However, they soon found that not only was there food, but it would be immediately replaced once it was removed from the shelf it was on. They'd begun to move everything around, simply to watch this, before grabbing more food for James and Lily and leaving.
Remus was about to say something else when he looks up at the 'window,' which happens to be right over the fireplace. Faces are peering down at them, and one of them is…
"Hey, Remy! Look! It's you! Hi, Remy!" Sirius dumps the food unceremoniously on a chair, waving happily at the very confused face of my real-self. I look at them, noting their names.
"And Harry! Hi Harry! He looks like this loaf, doesn't he?" Sirius pokes James as he speaks, dodging the punch thrown his way as James grumbles a bit under his breath and stays asleep.
"Yes, he does. Sirius, don't you think telling them what's going on would be a good idea? Preferably before I try to kill you."
Well, not me, but he is me… Gods, this is confusing.
The real me must share both mentalities, as he has pulled the photo away from the children and is looking down on us. He is scowling, though I believe it is more at Sirius than me.
"Hey, don't glare! I didn't do anything!" Sirius dives behind a couch.
"Remy, tell him, before he glares me to death!" Remus had to laugh at that; it was a threat he'd used often in school. Turning to the window, he meets the eyes of the real Remus, who looks like he is holding down laughter as well.
"They switched at the last minute." It is all he has to say. The photo is dropped, only to be picked up by Harry, who stares in at them.
"What?"
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Harry stared at the photo, where the Remus inside had sat down and was trying to coax Sirius out from behind it, saying something that he couldn't hear.
Remus (the real one) is the one who answers them.
"They switched Secret Keepers… To Peter." There's silence for a long moment, before Sirius mutters something, annoyed. The Remus in the picture pokes him, and he says it again, louder.
"I didn't even manage to kill him. He's been hiding out in rat form somewhere." Photo Remus gestures to where Peter plays cards alone.
"He's hiding with his real self as well. Nobody's seen him in ten years, at least. Hard to keep track in here." Remus is staring at the photo. Cooro decides it isn't surprising; he'd just been told that the person he'd thought was responsible for thirteen+ deaths was innocent. Then he blinks, and the look is gone, replaced by a considering look.
"So, Pads, why haven't you escaped from Azkaban yet?" Sirius perks up, evidentially pleased with this response, and the kids stare at him. Ron speaks first.
"That's… it's impossible to break out of Azkaban!" Remus raises an eyebrow at the photo, ignoring Ron's statement.
"It's not like I have anywhere to go…" Sirius is pouting a bit, and Harry wonders if the photo-version is immature because of when it was taken, or if the real Sirius Black acts like this as well.
"You do now. However, I have one thing to ask first." Now both photo-Remus and Sirius raise their own eyebrows.
"When are Prongs and Lily going to talk? Or are they going to sit and stare for the entire conversation?" Eight sets of eyes go to the chairs, where both the occupants are indeed staring. Specifically, at Harry. The two canines both jump up.
"Well, I believe a conversation is in order, and we are not needed. Shall we clear out?" Sirius holds out his arm mockingly to Remus, who takes it with a flourish.
"Yes, we shall." He looks up at the window. "The other photo has sound as well; if you'd like to continue this lovely conversation, we could go there. And give the Potters some privacy."
The real Remus had already grabbed the other photo at this point, and was currently dragging the other children out of the room so Harry could talk to his parents.
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Harry wonders if he should feel as awkward as he does, staring at the photo of his parents in worry. Both are watching him with avid expressions, and finally, he coughs awkwardly. It breaks them of their trance.
"Harry! Look how old he's getting, Lils! Soon he'll be all grown up and pulling pranks on Slytherins just like his dad!" James pretends to wipe a tear from his eye. "I'm so proud…" Lily rolled her eyes, but a fond smile wormed it's way onto her face as she gazed up at her son. Which wasn't awkward at all…
"Hello Harry. Do ignore your father, he's been wanting to say that for nearly twelve years." She tuned out the protests of said person, instead asking questions of school, his friends, lessons, anything to learn more of the boy they'd never gotten the chance to really meet.
Harry, in turn, asked about their school days, their friends, silly things he would never think to ask but wanted to know. Like their favorite desserts, or what kind of music they'd listened to.
The subject strayed to the incident of first year. Lily lectured him soundly on going with no help (from teachers, mind. Students really didn't count in first year, and they'd been left behind anyway). James congratulated him on proper use of the Cloak, and Harry felt himself begin to cry, just a bit.
It was noticed immediately, of course.
"Harry! What's wrong? Are you okay?" Lily stared as he continued to cry, soft, silent tears that dripped just below the photo. James looked confused; they hadn't been too hard on him, had they?
"I just… I wish… I…" Harry struggled to find the words for exactly why he was crying. How do you explain that you were thankful that they were angry, that they worried, to your parents? Lily seemed to understand, to an extent, though, and wrung her hands. She wished, more than anything, that she could be real, alive, just for a moment. Just long enough to hug her son.
James felt awkward, and wondered if it would be less or more so if they were actually present, instead of talking through a photo.
"It's okay, Harry. We understand." It was the first time someone had tried to comfort him as well, but it made him feel better. Slowly, they began to talk once again, and Harry committed it all to memory, building up the images of his parents in his mind.
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The others were, meanwhile, sitting in the living room, talking to the photo as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Sirius, it seemed, was fairly ridiculous, and came up with bizarre plans for escape that barely made sense, if at all.
"Sirius. You do realize we want stealth, right? Because I think an invasion of Blast-Ended Skrewts would attract attention. Dementors are blind, not deaf." Husky noted absently that that was one of the less insane ideas. Finally, photo-Remus spoke up, from where he'd been sitting on one of the beds in the back of the photo.
"We have two of these things, right? Why not give one to the real Sirius, and see what will work from there?" There was silence, before Sirius cheered loudly, joined by Cooro.
"Brilliant, Moony!" Sirius began to tell exactly how brilliant Remus had been in school, explaining how many pranks he'd participated in and helped research, until Remus held up his hands with a laugh.
"Padfoot, quit it! You're making me blush!" Nana smiled at that; apparently Sirius brought out the younger Remus, and it was nice to see him happy.
Harry walked into the room, and it seemed that there was going to be another round of storytelling via photos when the photo-Remus abruptly raised his head, ears almost twitching.
"I believe we are being called elsewhere, unfortunately. I bid you all goodnight." He dragged Sirius behind him as he literally left the picture, followed by James and Lily, both looking bemused. Remus glanced at the clock, and gasped dramatically. Nana giggled and Ron snorted.
"Why, I do believe it's time to eat dinner. Nana, how about you and I go whip something up? Bys, there's a chess board in the cupboard; you can play if you want. They're not magic, but they'll work." Ron practically flew across the room in his eagerness to play, and the other three boys trailed after. Senri looked longingly at the kitchen.
"Oh! Senri, mind helping out?" Nana poked her head out into the room, looking at him. He nodded, smiling slightly, and turned to follow her.
A chess tournament was taking place in the living room, and though the pieces weren't magic, it was rather violent anyway. Twelve year old boys and all. Ron and Cooro were in the process of obliterating every piece the other player had on the board when Nana called them in once again to say there was food. It was rather late at that point, and soon after they ate everyone was in bed, and fast asleep.
Next morning, Remus took the photo of himself and Sirius, which was still missing its occupants, and tucked it into his cloak. He went downstairs, where the children had already restarted the tournament. They looked up expectantly, probably hoping for breakfast, but those looks faded to confusion when they saw his cloak.
"I have some business to attend to this morning. Will you all be alright by yourselves, or do I have to call a sitter?" Cooro raised an eyebrow, which made him look rather like Husky.
"Whoever would you get?"
"Moody." Nana and Husky shivered a bit, though both Senri and Cooro grinned. Harry and Ron looked confused. Husky reassured him that they'd be fine, as Cooro explained who Moody was, glazing over how he knew him.
"Right then. I want you to stay inside- don't give me that look, it's for your own safety. There's plenty to do in here; if the door is unlocked, feel free to look around. Try not to make a mess. I should be back fairly soon." He left. There were fifteen seconds of utter silence. Then…
"Let's go exploring!"
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Remus was scowling when he got off the boat to Azkaban. The Ministry official that was with him was a rather talkative man, and wouldn't stop asking questions about why he wanted to come here, of all places, and it was driving Remus up the wall.
Luckily, he managed to convince him to stay on the boat. The man, whose name he'd forgotten, wasn't very keen on going inside, and it had taken only a little persuasion to get him to stay on the shore.
It got steadily colder as he walked up the stairs, and the hall were filled with the screams and mumblings of the inhabitants as he walked towards the door. The guard, a dementor of course, glided away as he approached, and the door swung open.
Remus guessed they didn't need to worry about Sirius trying to run, not with a visitor there. Besides, he'd be caught before leaving the island; the thought of freedom would attract the dementors like moths to a flame.
He slipped inside, looking around in the dark for Sirius. When he located him, he winced.
Sirius was rake-thin, with a rather long beard and hair, both extremely greasy and ill-kempt. His face was sunken and haunted. He was lying on a cot in the corner, and his arm was chained to the wall.
Well, that explains why they let the door open. They don't think he won't try to escape, they know he can't. Remus stepped forward hesitantly. The photo Sirius (and Remus) had said there was nothing to worry about, but he wasn't sure. In retrospect, this was a very bad idea. Why was he trusting a photo, of all things?
Sirius rolled over a bit, making the chain clink. He shot up, mouth opening in a silent scream, and Remus shot forward, forcing him to lie down again.
Sirius stared at Remus, his eyes over-bright, then groaned, closing them.
"Great. I'm hallucinating. I'm as crazy as my cousin." He forced himself to sit up, and Remus took a step back, looking confused. Wasn't Azkaban supposed to drive people mad, or something?
"Well, as long as you're here, tell me about life, Mr. Hallu- Moony?" He looked at him now, really looked at him. Remus nodded, smiling just the tiniest bit.
"Yeah, it's me. Sirius, I need to ask you something. One question, that's all- who was the Secret Keeper?" Sirius stared, then shook his head, letting his gaze fall to the floor.
"Pettigrew. It was Wormtail. I convinced James to-" Remus put his hand on Sirius' shoulder, forcing him to stop and look up.
"That's all I needed. I'm sorry I doubted you, Pads. Now, before someone realizes that I'm not trying to kill you…" He handed over a package, which was much thicker than the photo was. Sirius stared at it.
"Remus…?" Remus took a step forward and gave Sirius a 'brotherly embrace.'
"Just trust me on this. I know I don't deserve it, but please." Sirius nodded. He felt like his world had tipped on it's ear; Remus believed him?
Remus exited the cell, closing the door carefully. It was amazing how lax the security was here; apparently the Ministry felt that the dementors were enough to keep everything under control.
What would happen if, say, they left? Remus wondered. He reached the boat, and the official-man asked him again why he'd come.
"I had some questions that needed to be answered, and the only one who could do that was in there." The man nodded, and the trip back was spent in silence.