Chapter 41, everybody! Gotta get working on the buffer again….
In other news, apparently the familiars ended up recreating the Rescue Aid Society. Also I love the irony that is torn denim is in vogue because Dad was way ahead of his time with all the patched-up jeans he wore before he met Mom. XD
Also today I learned that "coleslaw" is one word, not two. Very strange.
Missy96, thanks for the review! Me too, I hate having those long gaps. Gonna keep trying for weekly updates all summer, here's hoping we get through fourth year before fall! :D
Harry Potter © 1997 J.K. Rowling
Most of the rest of the summer passed by in a happy blur after the homework was done, Harry helping with some of the household potions and occasionally trying out a new one. Mr. Weasley succeeded in getting them tickets to the Quidditch World Cup, so there was that to look forward to, and they were able to walk down to the Lovegoods several times and chat about the Quibbler. There had been a deluxe-sized edition released at the beginning of summer related to Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew, and it had been entertaining for all that went into it, including a list of suspected unregistered Animagi (a reporter by the name of Rita Skeeter was being accused of being a mosquito and the undersecretary to the minister was accused of being a toad) and a tell-all of the escapades of magical familiars, including a postulation of a secret society of familiars (and a secondary city network) in the pipes and walls of Hogwarts that the house elves were in on.
Now, with the trials finally over they had one last issue they were going to use to cover it, and then they were moving on to new topics—hence Luna and Fitzherbert in the Weasley backyard that day attempting to interview the gnomes, who seemed charmed enough by the notion.
"You know she lives down the road, right?" Ron asked. "You can go be in her yard."
"I understand Muggles make little gnome houses to put in their yards," Luna said. "Perhaps they secretly have special powers, or good luck."
Harry was trying to figure out a nice way of explaining to Luna that Muggle concepts of gnomes were wildly different than the magical reality, was interrupted by a big black dog clearing the garden wall and bounding for him, barking happily and sending the gnomes scattering.
"Snuffles?" Harry squawked, right before he got bowled over. "No wait—Sirius!"
The dog bounced back, barking a few times—
Was Sirius Black sitting there a few seconds later. "Hey, Harry! And Ron, and Luna—having a nice summer?"
"Yeah," Harry said, looking him over—Sirius had been ragged-looking and in prison clothes the last time he saw him, even with spending the months prior eating his weight in table scraps, but now he was nicely cleaned up and in new clothes, denim tastefully torn in the new fashion. "You look better."
"I admit I really had nowhere to go but up," Sirius said—which was when Remus Lupin reached the garden wall, out of breath and pointing at Sirius.
"You…you…bad dog," he managed finally.
"I might have made him run from where we apparated."
"Why didn't you apparate closer?" Harry asked.
"It's a courtesy thing, gives people enough time to pretend they're not home."
Harry looked blankly at Ron. "Some wizards have little items that tell them when someone's coming up the lawn," Ron explained—which was when Mrs. Weasley stuck her head out.
"Ah," she noised. "I was wondering when you'd turn up. Come in, come in, lunch is ready—honestly you're as skinny as Harry."
"I'm told the term is svelte," Sirius said, standing.
And then the gnomes came storming back out, armed with rocks and sticks, seemed confused by the lack of a big black dog anywhere.
"So what's all this then?" Sirius asked, prompting a gnome to yammer at Fitzherbert, who scribbled something down to show to Luna.
"It seems the gnomes have declared me their leader," Luna announced.
"Good—go home with her," Ron told them.
Lunch was spent with Sirius and Professor Lupin—who told them they could call him Remus—explaining the trial and everything that followed.
"Caused a major stir, reporters everywhere, but he-who-must-not-be-named is sitting in an Animagus-proof cell in Azkaban as we speak," Sirius finished. "And then someone insisted that I spend the first couple of weeks as a free man in St. Mungo's—that's the wizarding hospital," he explained when he saw Harry's confused expression.
"Someone would most likely have complications from being in Azkaban for thirteen years," Remus said tetchily. "And I know no one gave the dog chocolate."
"Which brings up the whole question of can an Animagus eat food in animal form that would be harmful for the animal," Sirius agreed. "Which, last we asked Professor McGonagall, got this face." Here he posed with a finger up in the air, looking like he was getting ready to answer a question before a look of utter consternation crossed his face.
"Anyway, I also had to get registered," he continued. "And then all the other legal fun stuff—I've been informed I have to reapply for my Apparition license. And then Gringotts to see about the financial stuff—and getting all the nasty stuff out of Grimmauld Place, I can't believe I ended up with that I honestly thought Mom would have written me out of the will—"
"Grimmauld Place?" Ron echoed around a mouthful of potato salad, earning him a thwack on the arm from his mother.
"Black family home—hate the place, ran away from it when I was about your age, selling now that I can. Mostly because Dumbledore insists that there be financial compensation."
"You're selling your house to Dumbledore?" Harry asked.
"Dumbledore thinks he can use it," Sirius said, absently stirring his coleslaw. "I won't deny it's got some useful enchantments—once all the hexes are stripped from it—but I'm more than happy to never have to think about it again. That'll be finalized once the curse breakers get back to me on that. Oh and then after all that financial stuff I got lectured again about being a responsible adult…and now here we are, we've gotten all the boring stuff out of the way, we can focus on the fun stuff."
"So did we," Harry said. "Only it was homework instead."
"Excellent. Did you have any plans today? We can go to Diagon Alley and I can get caught up on all those birthdays and Christmases I missed."
"Revisiting the boring lecture on not spoiling Harry silly," Remus sighed, rubbing both his temples. Snips chattered and pointed at him.
"I've done the math, I'm allowed twenty-five more gifts before we can start flirting with spoiling."
"Twenty-six," Ginny said, who had gotten over her trepidation of Sirius a lot faster than her trepidation of Harry. Possibly because of being around him in dog form, although in Harry's opinion that didn't make the weirdness any less weird.
"Actually I didn't miss last Christmas—the Firebolt was from me, I'm sure you can understand why I didn't sign my name," Sirius told Harry.
"So Hermione was right," Harry said.
"Don't tell her," Ron said. "Boy I hope she's less nutty this year."
"She'll have a manageable number of classes this year without any need of a Time-Turner," Remus said. "I heard her and Professor McGonagall talking after term."
Which then necessitated telling them what a Time-Turner was, which ended with Ron being more than a little indignant at the end.
"She could have at least told us!" he said finally. "She drove me batty with that schedule of hers—time-travel would have made more sense!"
"But we did figure it was magic," Harry pointed out.
"I'm sure she's a nice girl when she isn't so stressed," Sirius said. "So are you free today, or should I schedule for later? I only really have one major commitment in the coming months, outside of certain monthly events."
"Wait until tomorrow so you have the whole day," Mrs. Weasley advised, filling his and Remus's plates again before moving to Harry's. "Do you have any sleeping arrangements? I'm sure I can transfigure a few of the living room pieces into beds."
"Actually as a part-time dog, I've been eyeing that rug in front of the fireplace there."
"At least let me transfigure it into a dog bed."
"What about you, professor?" Harry asked Remus, not quite able to shake that title just yet. "Will you be coming too?"
"I will," he confirmed, as the other two adults had a semi-serious discussion about sleeping arrangements until Sirius turned back into a dog and flopped down on the rug. "Mostly because, as I said, I'll be needing to make sure Sirius behaves himself. Which is fair enough, I'll be needing a full-time job since I lost my old one. Incidentally, none of you are required to complete the homework I set now."
Which caused an uproar from all present students, startling Sirius back up.
"Why!?" Ron demanded. "You're a great teacher, we learned loads from you—"
"Somehow, news of me being a werewolf leaked to the presses," Remus said, muttering bloody Skeeter under his breath (although Harry was unsure what mosquitos had to do with anything). "It was either resign or get sacked, I'm not sure Dumbledore's office would be able to handle the number of howlers I'm sure he'd get."
"But that isn't fair," Harry said. "It's not your fault you have a…a problem—"
"The furry little problem," Sirius said, sitting back at the table.
"Currently my furry little problem is you," Remus told him.
"No, I'm your Sirius problem."
"I went thirteen years without hearing a single pun, I'll have you know."
"I see I have to make that up as well."
"No you don't."
"Yes I do."
"Anyway," Remus said, waving Sirius off. "I'm not going to be totally penniless—Dumbledore commissioned me to recreate the Marauder's Map so they can include it with the letters. It won't have all the frills, like showing where everyone is or wiping itself clean—and after much discussion it won't have the paths out of Hogwarts either—but it should cut down on the issue of students getting lost so much."
"Pity you couldn't include those," Sirius said.
"Well Dumbledore made a good argument for the students needing some aspect of mystery to their exploration. But I was able to add a few things I thought would be useful and…are Fred and George all right?"
"Please keep talking," Fred said, head resting on laced fingers.
"Don't suspend your discussion on our account," George said, waving.
"They're basking," Luna explained.
"We do have multiple reasons to, yes."
"Considering everything you got up to, yes," Remus agreed.
"I can't believe you gave them detention," Sirius told him.
"It was hard, I had to admit—mostly I judged it by would we have done this and if the answer was yes then I had to pass judgment. Unofficially, it was impressive work."
Which led to Fred and George exchanging high-fives and Mrs. Weasley having to scold them yet again.