A.N. Howdy! I'm glad that you were happy that I updated and since it is
summer I'm going to try and do it more often. I honestly don't know what's
up with my formatting, but I'm working on it!!!
Also, for one scene, I don't know if my depiction of what would happen is accurate, and I'm very sorry if it isn't.
For the reviewer who questioned my knowledge of mosquitoes by saying that mosquitoes do not live in Alaska because it is too far up north, I would like to say this little tidbit: I live in Alaska. The mosquitoes are hell here, in fact, they are nicknamed "the Alaskan State Bird" (yes, we are aware that they aren't actual birds).
Anyhoo, enjoy this new chapter!
Mal P.S. I will be on vacation for the next three weeks, so don't expect an update soon!
............................................................................................................
Peter knew that Sirius wouldn't be asleep yet. The little brat was still up and about with that pig. Besides, Sirius always did stay up late back at Hogwarts. Sirius and James would always be running around in the middle of the night, or just sitting in the dormitory talking and keeping the rest of them up. Peter adjusted the Invisibility cloak he had borrowed under the ruse of spying on some questionable Ministry of Magic employees.
Peter ran into some woods and sat down on a log to think about what his next action would be. He turned his wand over and over in his hand, plotting what to do. He couldn't just waltz into the house; Sirius would have warded the place. That counted out a simple murder. Peter rubbed his eyes and thought hard. He had to kill them. If he didn't, and the Dark Lord found out that Potter wasn't really dead... well... it wouldn't be good. He had been following them with great difficulty for the past few months, trying to find the opportune time to strike. Was tonight it?
Peter sighed and ran a hand through his thinning hair and waited.
............................................................................................................
Remus ran a hand through his graying hair and waited. He was one of the first who arrived at the meeting for the Order of the Phoenix that day, except for Albus Dumbledore of course, who was sitting at the head of the table, twiddling his thumbs and humming merrily.
How can he seem so cheerful? Remus thought. We're in a war... Remus didn't dwell on this for too long, for other members of the Order started to arrive. Arthur and Molly Weasley came into the Room of Requirement, talking about something that their twins had done. Remus smiled ruefully, remembering the twins' antics at school. Remus was one of the teachers that they didn't give too much grief.
All of a sudden the Room of Requirement shifted, and all of the occupants found themselves sitting on a beach, dressed in Hawaiian shirts and holding drinks with colorful umbrellas sticking out of them. Sturgis Podmore was standing in the doorway, dressed in a bathing suit and wearing ridiculously large sunglasses.
"Sorry," he said gruffly. "I was just thinking that I needed a vacation when I was coming in."
"That's quite alright," Dumbledore said jovially. "I think it would be quite nice to hold the meeting with this environment." He took a sip of his drink.
The door opened again and Severus Snape strode into the room. His dark robes were instantly changed into garish Bermuda shorts and an equally awful shirt.
"Evening Severus," Albus said. "Pull up a chair. Or towel."
"Headmaster," Snape growled. "If you insist on running the meeting like this, I'm afraid that I won't be attending."
"Oh come now Severus, sit down and have a drink. They're quite good."
Muttering something under his breath, Snape sat down on one of the lawn chairs, transfigured his clothes back into his robes, and glared around the room at the people who were enjoying the change of scenery.
After a few more minutes of people arriving Dumbledore announced that the meeting was going to start.
"What about Peter?" Remus asked. "Is he going to be attending this meeting?"
"As far as I know," Dumbledore replied. "Why don't you contact him and ask."
............................................................................................................
Damn, Peter thought as he felt the familiar tickle of the Order's messaging service. He had been one who helped plan it, modeling it after the Marauder's Map that they had worked on. He pulled a small slip of paper out of his pocket and looked down at the words that were written there.
PETER, ARE YOU COMING TO THE MEETING? Peter cursed again. He had forgotten about the meeting. He had to act now, or else not act at all. Peter emerged from the forest, still wearing the cloak, and approached the house. He could see that the lights were off on the inside. Without hesitating, he whispered a spell, and a jet of blue fire shot from his wand, landing in some of the dried grass that sat around the house. It instantly ignited, and quickly spread.
Next he took a marble out of his pocket and whispered Portus. He was gone.
............................................................................................................
Sirius woke to Wilbur's squealing. "That damn pig," Sirius grumbled, "Can't even get through the night without causing trouble." And then Sirius smelled the smoke.
"HARRY!" Sirius bellowed, jumping out of bed and grabbing his wand off of the nightstand. He ran down the hall, only to find a wall of fire blocking him. A large douse of water from his wand put it out, and Siruis sprinted up the stairs and into a cloud of smoke. Coughing, Sirius tried to find his way down the hall, using the wall for guidance.
"HARRY!" Sirius shouted again, finishing with a round of coughing. He stumbled into Harry's room, only to be met with more smoke. Sirius got on his hands and knees, and crawled over to where Harry's bed was. Harry's arm was flopped over the side of the bed, and Sirius pulled him out of it. Sirius grabbed Harry's wand off of the nightstand and started back towards the exit. Harry was motionless.
As Sirius stumbled downstairs, feeling dizzier and dizzier, he could hear sirens in the background. And then he passed out.
............................................................................................................
"Sir? Sir are you awake?" Sirius opened one eye a crack. He had something over his nose and mouth, apparently helping him to breathe. A muggle woman was staring down at him. He was in some sort of vehicle.
"Oh good, you're awake," she said, making a note of something on a pad of paper. Sirius reached up with a trembling hand and pulled the mask up.
"Where's Harry?" He whispered.
"The boy? He's in another ambulance, on his way to the hospital, to get some more intensive care. He inhaled a lot of smoke."
"I need to go see him," Sirius started to sit up, pulling the mask off all the way. "No, you need to rest. We're going to transport you to the hospital shortly, but we need to ask you some questions."
Not listening, Sirius shakily stood up and asked, "Where are the wands?"
"The... the what?"
"The wands! I need them."
"Sir, you're delirious. We found you with some sticks in your hands, but-"
"Yes, those, I need them."
"Sir, you need to lie back down."
"Can I just see the wa-the sticks, please?" She handed him the wands, and he pocketed them.
"Can you, by any chance, tell me what happened to the pig that also was there?"
"He was left at a neighbor's house. We have their number written down- "
"Thank you," Sirius said shortly. Then he disappeared.
...........................................................................................................
Two days later Sirius stood outside of Sandy and Cameron's house in Florida. Harry was back at the motel where they were staying. He had still been barely conscious when Sirius had kidnapped him from the hospital. One thing was for sure, they were never returning to Alaska, especially since he had Disapparated in front of Muggles.
Sirius pounded furiously on the door. Where the hell are they? Their car is in the driveway!
"Uh, son?" Sirius whipped around, looking for who had spoken. There was an elderly man watering the lawn of the neighboring house.
"Yes?"
"Are you looking for Sandy and Cam?"
"Yes, yes I am. Where are they?"
"Why they left on vacation just three days ago! Won't be back for another two weeks."
Sirius cursed under his breath, thanked the man, and walked off down the street to find a place to Disapparate.
...........................................................................................................
"Sirius, when am I going to learn how to Apparate?"
"Harry, I think that we should worry more about getting you new clothes, getting you new books and school supplies, and on top of all that, finding a new house that's safe enough."
"...How about next week?"
"No." Harry sighed from his spot on one of the twin beds in the room. He had been told to stay in bed all day. Wilbur had been quite pleased with this notion and slept at Harry's feet, but Harry was quite bored.
"Are there any Cheerios here?"
"I'll see if I can go get some," Sirius said. He hesitated before asking the next question. "... Harry? What do you think about going to stay with your relatives for a little while?"
"What relatives?"
"Lily's- your mum's sister and her husband. I think they have a son too. They live in England." Harry looked up at his godfather with tired eyes, and then turned and stared out the window.
"Harry, it would only be for a little while. A little longer than your stay with Carrison."
"Can't I go stay with Carrison?"
"Carrison's getting old and doesn't need a young boy like you to take care of. Harry, it would only be until I find us a new, safe house and transfer some more money out of Gringotts."
Harry sighed and rubbed his forehead. "If that's what you want." Sirius ruffled Harry's hair. "Afterwards I'll teach you how to Apparate."
Harry gave a small grin. "Promise? "I promise." .......................................................................................................
Three days after the conversation in the motel, Harry, Sirius and Wilbur found themselves standing in front of a perfectly normal house in the suburbs in England.
"Well, here we are," Sirius said, looking down at his little slip of paper. "Number four, Privet Drive."
Harry sighed and gave Wilbur's leash a tug as they started up the walk. Sirius rang the doorbell, and a female voice was heard inside, calling, "I'll get it!" An instant later a girl that was no older than Harry opened the door.
"Hello, can I help you?" She said.
"Er... yes. Do the Dursleys live here?" Sirius asked, looking at his paper again.
"Oh, I'm sorry. They moved a week ago. We're the new owners."
"Oh." Sirius said dully. "Great. Well, did they leave a forwarding address or anything?"
"Um... no, I don't think so."
"Oh, well, thanks. By the way, what's your surname, in case we need to contact you?"
"Granger. I'm Hermione Granger."
Also, for one scene, I don't know if my depiction of what would happen is accurate, and I'm very sorry if it isn't.
For the reviewer who questioned my knowledge of mosquitoes by saying that mosquitoes do not live in Alaska because it is too far up north, I would like to say this little tidbit: I live in Alaska. The mosquitoes are hell here, in fact, they are nicknamed "the Alaskan State Bird" (yes, we are aware that they aren't actual birds).
Anyhoo, enjoy this new chapter!
Mal P.S. I will be on vacation for the next three weeks, so don't expect an update soon!
............................................................................................................
Peter knew that Sirius wouldn't be asleep yet. The little brat was still up and about with that pig. Besides, Sirius always did stay up late back at Hogwarts. Sirius and James would always be running around in the middle of the night, or just sitting in the dormitory talking and keeping the rest of them up. Peter adjusted the Invisibility cloak he had borrowed under the ruse of spying on some questionable Ministry of Magic employees.
Peter ran into some woods and sat down on a log to think about what his next action would be. He turned his wand over and over in his hand, plotting what to do. He couldn't just waltz into the house; Sirius would have warded the place. That counted out a simple murder. Peter rubbed his eyes and thought hard. He had to kill them. If he didn't, and the Dark Lord found out that Potter wasn't really dead... well... it wouldn't be good. He had been following them with great difficulty for the past few months, trying to find the opportune time to strike. Was tonight it?
Peter sighed and ran a hand through his thinning hair and waited.
............................................................................................................
Remus ran a hand through his graying hair and waited. He was one of the first who arrived at the meeting for the Order of the Phoenix that day, except for Albus Dumbledore of course, who was sitting at the head of the table, twiddling his thumbs and humming merrily.
How can he seem so cheerful? Remus thought. We're in a war... Remus didn't dwell on this for too long, for other members of the Order started to arrive. Arthur and Molly Weasley came into the Room of Requirement, talking about something that their twins had done. Remus smiled ruefully, remembering the twins' antics at school. Remus was one of the teachers that they didn't give too much grief.
All of a sudden the Room of Requirement shifted, and all of the occupants found themselves sitting on a beach, dressed in Hawaiian shirts and holding drinks with colorful umbrellas sticking out of them. Sturgis Podmore was standing in the doorway, dressed in a bathing suit and wearing ridiculously large sunglasses.
"Sorry," he said gruffly. "I was just thinking that I needed a vacation when I was coming in."
"That's quite alright," Dumbledore said jovially. "I think it would be quite nice to hold the meeting with this environment." He took a sip of his drink.
The door opened again and Severus Snape strode into the room. His dark robes were instantly changed into garish Bermuda shorts and an equally awful shirt.
"Evening Severus," Albus said. "Pull up a chair. Or towel."
"Headmaster," Snape growled. "If you insist on running the meeting like this, I'm afraid that I won't be attending."
"Oh come now Severus, sit down and have a drink. They're quite good."
Muttering something under his breath, Snape sat down on one of the lawn chairs, transfigured his clothes back into his robes, and glared around the room at the people who were enjoying the change of scenery.
After a few more minutes of people arriving Dumbledore announced that the meeting was going to start.
"What about Peter?" Remus asked. "Is he going to be attending this meeting?"
"As far as I know," Dumbledore replied. "Why don't you contact him and ask."
............................................................................................................
Damn, Peter thought as he felt the familiar tickle of the Order's messaging service. He had been one who helped plan it, modeling it after the Marauder's Map that they had worked on. He pulled a small slip of paper out of his pocket and looked down at the words that were written there.
PETER, ARE YOU COMING TO THE MEETING? Peter cursed again. He had forgotten about the meeting. He had to act now, or else not act at all. Peter emerged from the forest, still wearing the cloak, and approached the house. He could see that the lights were off on the inside. Without hesitating, he whispered a spell, and a jet of blue fire shot from his wand, landing in some of the dried grass that sat around the house. It instantly ignited, and quickly spread.
Next he took a marble out of his pocket and whispered Portus. He was gone.
............................................................................................................
Sirius woke to Wilbur's squealing. "That damn pig," Sirius grumbled, "Can't even get through the night without causing trouble." And then Sirius smelled the smoke.
"HARRY!" Sirius bellowed, jumping out of bed and grabbing his wand off of the nightstand. He ran down the hall, only to find a wall of fire blocking him. A large douse of water from his wand put it out, and Siruis sprinted up the stairs and into a cloud of smoke. Coughing, Sirius tried to find his way down the hall, using the wall for guidance.
"HARRY!" Sirius shouted again, finishing with a round of coughing. He stumbled into Harry's room, only to be met with more smoke. Sirius got on his hands and knees, and crawled over to where Harry's bed was. Harry's arm was flopped over the side of the bed, and Sirius pulled him out of it. Sirius grabbed Harry's wand off of the nightstand and started back towards the exit. Harry was motionless.
As Sirius stumbled downstairs, feeling dizzier and dizzier, he could hear sirens in the background. And then he passed out.
............................................................................................................
"Sir? Sir are you awake?" Sirius opened one eye a crack. He had something over his nose and mouth, apparently helping him to breathe. A muggle woman was staring down at him. He was in some sort of vehicle.
"Oh good, you're awake," she said, making a note of something on a pad of paper. Sirius reached up with a trembling hand and pulled the mask up.
"Where's Harry?" He whispered.
"The boy? He's in another ambulance, on his way to the hospital, to get some more intensive care. He inhaled a lot of smoke."
"I need to go see him," Sirius started to sit up, pulling the mask off all the way. "No, you need to rest. We're going to transport you to the hospital shortly, but we need to ask you some questions."
Not listening, Sirius shakily stood up and asked, "Where are the wands?"
"The... the what?"
"The wands! I need them."
"Sir, you're delirious. We found you with some sticks in your hands, but-"
"Yes, those, I need them."
"Sir, you need to lie back down."
"Can I just see the wa-the sticks, please?" She handed him the wands, and he pocketed them.
"Can you, by any chance, tell me what happened to the pig that also was there?"
"He was left at a neighbor's house. We have their number written down- "
"Thank you," Sirius said shortly. Then he disappeared.
...........................................................................................................
Two days later Sirius stood outside of Sandy and Cameron's house in Florida. Harry was back at the motel where they were staying. He had still been barely conscious when Sirius had kidnapped him from the hospital. One thing was for sure, they were never returning to Alaska, especially since he had Disapparated in front of Muggles.
Sirius pounded furiously on the door. Where the hell are they? Their car is in the driveway!
"Uh, son?" Sirius whipped around, looking for who had spoken. There was an elderly man watering the lawn of the neighboring house.
"Yes?"
"Are you looking for Sandy and Cam?"
"Yes, yes I am. Where are they?"
"Why they left on vacation just three days ago! Won't be back for another two weeks."
Sirius cursed under his breath, thanked the man, and walked off down the street to find a place to Disapparate.
...........................................................................................................
"Sirius, when am I going to learn how to Apparate?"
"Harry, I think that we should worry more about getting you new clothes, getting you new books and school supplies, and on top of all that, finding a new house that's safe enough."
"...How about next week?"
"No." Harry sighed from his spot on one of the twin beds in the room. He had been told to stay in bed all day. Wilbur had been quite pleased with this notion and slept at Harry's feet, but Harry was quite bored.
"Are there any Cheerios here?"
"I'll see if I can go get some," Sirius said. He hesitated before asking the next question. "... Harry? What do you think about going to stay with your relatives for a little while?"
"What relatives?"
"Lily's- your mum's sister and her husband. I think they have a son too. They live in England." Harry looked up at his godfather with tired eyes, and then turned and stared out the window.
"Harry, it would only be for a little while. A little longer than your stay with Carrison."
"Can't I go stay with Carrison?"
"Carrison's getting old and doesn't need a young boy like you to take care of. Harry, it would only be until I find us a new, safe house and transfer some more money out of Gringotts."
Harry sighed and rubbed his forehead. "If that's what you want." Sirius ruffled Harry's hair. "Afterwards I'll teach you how to Apparate."
Harry gave a small grin. "Promise? "I promise." .......................................................................................................
Three days after the conversation in the motel, Harry, Sirius and Wilbur found themselves standing in front of a perfectly normal house in the suburbs in England.
"Well, here we are," Sirius said, looking down at his little slip of paper. "Number four, Privet Drive."
Harry sighed and gave Wilbur's leash a tug as they started up the walk. Sirius rang the doorbell, and a female voice was heard inside, calling, "I'll get it!" An instant later a girl that was no older than Harry opened the door.
"Hello, can I help you?" She said.
"Er... yes. Do the Dursleys live here?" Sirius asked, looking at his paper again.
"Oh, I'm sorry. They moved a week ago. We're the new owners."
"Oh." Sirius said dully. "Great. Well, did they leave a forwarding address or anything?"
"Um... no, I don't think so."
"Oh, well, thanks. By the way, what's your surname, in case we need to contact you?"
"Granger. I'm Hermione Granger."