Story Title: Time, Interrupted
Chapter Title: Fear
Author: Madm_05
Rating: Strong PG-13/T
Warnings: Beware of Boggarts
Chapter Word Count: 5,398
Date: 21 December 2006
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everyone else from Potterverse belong to JKR.
Chapter Twenty Two: Fear
The two weeks at the Dursley residence passed surprisingly quickly for the two children. It had been something of a trial for them, as they were still terribly tempted to avenge their slandered parents. Hermione, who remembered everything that both her Harry and the Dark Harry had told her about the Dursleys, and Vernon in particular, had wanted nothing more than to shove the walrus - like man in the cupboard he had dared to lock her Harry in for all those years. Besides, he was wasn't related by blood, so he wasn't helping Harry in any way, really. And, she knew, with her wandless magic, she could do it. Her sweet Harry, however, always seemed to know when the urge came over her, and he would set his hand on her shoulder and calm her down.
The head auror had, as promised, reported to the Dursleys to the proper wizarding authorities. It was only because of Professor Dumbledore's intervention that Harry and Hermione remained there. The Ministry, determined to be seen doing something, sent an undercover auror to Privet Drive daily to check on the two. Every three days, said auror would leave his spying and find a way to speak to them to be sure they were being treated well.
The Dursleys, for their part, determinedly ignored them. Harry, who had finally become accustomed to people paying attention to him as well as loving him, had a difficult time adjusting to being nonexistent once again. Luckily Hermione kept him company and gave him plenty of attention. Hermione, on the other hand, usually enjoyed being in the spotlight so long as it was to show her intelligence. During her stay with the Dursleys, however, she discovered she had never been happier to be a nonentity.
They were given food when they were hungry, and they were given a choice of milk or water to drink, along with a place to sleep, but they were ignored for the most part. No one spoke to them, and more often than not, Harry and Hermione would make themselves a sandwich rather than eat meals with the Dursleys. It was as though they were nothing more than ghosts in the house.
With Marge gone, Harry and Hermione spent most of their time in the park, watching the other kids play. No one had wanted to play with them as no one wanted to incur the wrath of Dudley Dursley, but Harry and Hermione didn't really mind. They spent most of their time talking about going home, playing games and daydreaming about riding their horses.
But then there was Petunia. She was strange in so many ways, and no matter how hard Hermione tried, she just couldn't understand the older woman. Petunia would watch them on occasion, but would look away when she knew she'd been seen. It was disturbing, in a way, that she would watch them so closely.
When at last their adopted fathers arrived, neither felt they could have been happier. True to his word, Sirius took them to Diagon Alley, where they met Tonks and Harmony, and ate large ice cream sundaes while ignoring the stares of others frequenting Diagon Alley. Typically, Hermione tried to give people the benefit of the doubt, but the Dursleys were such horrible people that it drove her to distraction. She had never been so happy to leave the muggle world in all of her life, not even when she left for her first year and Hogwarts and felt she was finally escaping Miranda Johnson, one of her classmates from the first timeline who had made it her personal mission to make Hermione's life as miserable as possible.
Now, however, it was summer, and without the Dursleys looming over them, it was a bright summer ahead of them indeed. School would not be starting for a long while yet, and Sirius and Remus were keeping Troublesome Twosome, as she and Harry were sometimes called, busy. Busy meant learning better control over their powers. Without anyone there to see them, the pair continued on with their training, making up for the lost time at Privet Drive.
They had only been home for a few days when their new schedule had been given to them. They would train to better control their magic on the odd days, and clean on the even days. Neither had really minded. Harry was good at cleaning, courtesy of his time with the Dursleys, and Hermione had cleaned the house in the first timeline In the summer before fifth year. The only thing that really bothered her was that she no longer had the chance to do research on the various Bonds within the wizarding world, not that there were very many books on it in the library.
And so they trained and cleaned. Remus, Sirius and Tonks, when she was there, were always sure to keep the pair away from anything that would harm them. For the most part they were dusting or polishing things. The adults would sort through everything that the house - elves had stored away to determine what would be kept around and what would be thrown away, and Harry and Hermione would clean whatever was kept.
"Hermione? Are you hungry?" Harry asked, looking up from the candlestick he was trying to clean.
"A little," Hermione replied. "But I'm more interested in getting this work done so that I can do some reading. We could have lunch when we finish this if you want," she offered.
"Yes, that would be good." Harry sighed in frustration and scowled at the candlestick he was holding. He looked up at Hermione. "The spot won't leave," he grumbled. "How is this good for us again? Especially since my birthday is coming up soon."
"So we don't become lazy, even if your birthday is in a week," Hermione replied as she set the wizarding gadget she had been cleaning aside, having finished her task. "Besides, working hard builds character."
"I'd rather be playing my piano," Harry replied with a pout, but went back to work on the candlestick. "That builds character, and it's fun."
"I'd rather be playing my violin as well," she answered knowingly. "Or riding. I'm sure Archimedes and Gloria are feeling terribly neglected. We were at your aunt and uncle's house for so long, and then when we finally come back home, we'reput to work cleaning and working on our powers."
"Yeah, I miss Gloria. She's so fast," he looked wistfully out the window. "And flying. I haven't been able to go flying in so long."
"Well, Uncle Sirius didn't give us that much work to do. Once we finish these few things here, we can go play. You can fly if you want. I'll watch you."
Harry gave her a knowing look. "You mean you'll sit under the tree and read while I fly." He grinned. "That sounds great. Ha!" He held up the spot - free candlestick with pride before setting it aside and picking up the next item, as small metal box, to clean. "I'd rather be flying right now."
"Or riding," Hermione added absently.
"Or drawing," Harry grinned, knowing full well that Hermione hated drawing.
Hermione wrinkled her nose in response. "Or reading."
Harry, mimicking his friend, wrinkled his nose. "Or sleeping."
Hermione laughed. "How can sleeping be fun?" She reached for another candle stick. "I'd rather be doing something constructive, myself."
Harry sighed loudly in mock - exasperation. "Well of course you'd like to be doing something constructive! You're Hermione Granger-Lupin!" He said with a cheeky grin. Hermione threw her rag at him. Harry easily caught it and tossed it back. Hermione, in a shining display of her athletic abilities, missed. Harry began to chuckle.
"Oh, ha ha. Just because you're going to be a Seeker," she muttered as she bent to pick up the rag and went back to polishing.
"What else, Hermione? Can't you tell me anything about what's going to happen in the future? Please?" Harry pleaded, a look of excitement in his emerald eyes. "You told me I'm going to be a Seeker, but can you tell me anything else?"
Hermione pondered a moment when a thought struck her. "I can tell you who your best friend is going to be."
Harry gave her a bland look. "That's not very hard, Hermione, I already know who my best friend is."
"Oh?" She asked, a little surprised. Harry and Ron barely tolerated each other. She was hoping that she would be able to use this opportunity to get Harry to consider being nicer to Ron and building the friendship she remembered from the first timeline. Perhaps, she thought, fate is working for me and has already brought them together as friends.
He gave her strange look. "You, of course," Harry replied as though it was terribly obvious.
Hermione smiled at him in return. He really was so very sweet. I guess fate isn't going to lend me a hand. "Silly me, I meant our best friend. Another friend."
"Really?" He perked up, interested as he set the box down and picked up a glass figurine to clean. "Who is it? Neville? He's really nice. He could be our friend."
Here I go. "Ron Weasley," she said, holding her breath and waiting for his reaction.
"What?" Harry shook his head as though he was sure he had misheard her and looked back at her. "What was that?"
"Ron Weasley," she said again, more firmly this time.
"That's what I thought you said." He said and went back to the figurine, frowning. Hermione shifted uncomfortably in the silence that followed. She desperately needed Harry and Ron to become friends. It simply wouldn't feel right if they weren't a trio. "But Hermione," Harry said after several long moments. "He's so mean! I heard him calling you a nightmare! And then he asked you for help on his work! I don't want to be his friend if he treats you like that."
Hermione sighed. She had been afraid of this. "He's not that bad, Harry." Harry gave her a look that clearly said he didn't believe her. She quickly decided it was time to try another tactic. "What do you know about Ron, Harry?"
"He's mean to you," Harry said bluntly. "And he's always trying to copy your work in class, but it never works, because you're always doing harder work than we are. Then, when he can't copy you, grumbles about how you're a know - it - all, and that if Papa Sirius and Uncle Remus hadn't betrothed us, you would never be able to get married. And now he's ahead of a lot of the other kids because you helped him anyways, and he never even thanked you for it!" Harry shook his head. "He's mean. I don't like him."
Hermione winced at Harry's words. She had helped Ron with his work as often as she could, but she hadn't been able to spend much time with him outside of classes. As best she could figure, he was afraid that if he spent time with a girl, he would turn into one. He always seemed anxious to get away from her, along with the other girls. It was the only reason she could think of for why he wouldn't go near any of the girls, his sister included. But such a fear, if it did exist, did not justify his treatment of her.
"Did you know he has older brothers?" Hermione asked, getting back on track.
"Yes," Harry nodded. "Percy, Fred and George, and two others, I think, but they go to Hogwarts. I think Percy is going to Hogwarts this year. Oh, and he has a little sister too. What's her name? Jenny?"
"Ginny," Hermione replied. "And how do his brothers treat him?" She pressed.
Harry frowned and squirmed in his seat before looking back down at the glass figurine. "Percy ignores him," Harry said softly. "And tells him to grow up. Fred and George pick on him a lot."
Now I'm getting somewhere. "Do you think Ron likes being ignored and being picked on by his brothers?" She asked.
"No," Harry said softly, his eyes shining.
"Ron doesn't have any friends, does he? Why do you think that is?" Come on, Harry.
Harry sighed. "Because the others are afraid Fred or George or both of them will pull a prank on them."
She hated herself for bringing up such horrible memories for him, but she really wanted- needed, if she were honest with herself- Ron to complete the triangle, so that he, Harry and herself could be a trio again. "So it's kind of like how Dudley made everyone afraid of him so that no one would be your friend, right?"
The young wizard looked ashamed of himself. "I didn't think of it like that. I bet he would be a really good friend, wouldn't he?"
Hermione smiled. "Yes, I rather think he would be a wonderful friend to have." She looked at Harry. "What do you say we become his friend when school starts up again? It must be lonely, not having a friend." And I've got you, she thought, feeling a tad guilty for playing on his memories of his less than pleasant childhood.
"You're right," Harry said, going to back to his polishing. Hermione nodded in satisfaction and picked up the last glass figurine to be cleaned. They continued to work in silence, both lost in their thoughts. In the back of her mind, Hermione couldn't help but think to herself, take that, Trelawny! She may not have gone into a trance or looked into a crystal ball, but she had made what Harry believed to be a true prediction, not realizing that she had manipulated the situation. At least I can make it seem like I actually know what I'm talking about. Inner eye, indeed.
Suddenly the door banged open. "Hewmnee! Hawwy! Wanna pay!" Harmony giggled merrily as she toddled into the room.
"Harmony! How on earth did you get up here?" Hermione asked, setting the small glass fairy down and picking up her sister. "You really should be in your room, you naughty girl. How did you get out this time?"
Harmony gave her sweet smile and giggled again. "Hi-seek, Hewmnee, hi-seek!" She laughed, excitedly throwing her hands in the air.
Hermione laughed at little. "No, Harmony, we can't play hide - and -seek right now. Harry and I have to finish our chores and then we're going outside to play." Harmony began to pout. Hermione sighed as Harry chuckled. "Oh alright, but just one round, okay? Harry and I really want to go outside to play."
Harmony shrieked with delight and toddled off. Sharing a look with Harry, the two older children covered their eyes. "One! Two! Three! Four! Fi-" Their chant was cut off when Harmony began to scream and cry. As one, the pair leapt to their feet and took of in the direction of the scream.
They were shocked, then, to find Harmony standing in front of an open wardrobe, screaming at crying as she stared at a pile of her favourite toys, but they all looked to be broken. Confused, Harry stepped forward, strategically putting himself between Harmony and her broken toys. "It's okay, Harmony," he soothed as Hermione looked on, smiling a little at his gentle manner. "Everything is going to be okay-"
"No it won't," Hermione's chilled voice said. "Nothing is going to be alright, not with you around Harry. You're a bad boy, and your dumb on top of it. I don't know why I ever thought it would be a good idea to be your friend. Dudley was right. Who would want to be friends with a freak like you?"
Harry swallowed thickly and turned around. The pile of Harmony's toys was gone, and in it's place was Hermione, standing calmly, a look of disgust on her face as she stared at him. He bowed his head. This was it, the moment he had been waiting for, the moment Hermione realized what he was like. He looked up at Hermione, as she was speaking again.
"I mean, it's quite obvious, isn't it? You're just not very smart. I've spent all this time helping you and it was a waste, a great big waste. You aren't worth my time Harry. I don't know why I bothered in the first place, really. I guess I felt bad for you because you were just so dumb and such a freak." Harry felt like he couldn't breath. "Face it, Harry, you're just a horrible person altogether."
Hermione watched, shocked as a mirror image of herself say those horrible things to Harry. Wait! The broken toys, me saying those things, the open wardrobe door… A boggart! Throwing caution to the wind, Hermione rushed forward and unceremoniously shoved Harry and Harmony out of the boggart's line of sight. She was sure that she could handle McGonagall telling that she was an abysmal student far better than Harry could handle what the impostor Hermione was saying to him.
Sure Harry and Harmony were safe and sound and groaning as they pushed themselves up, Hermione turned, prepared to face failure. It was a shock, then, when the figure looking back at her was not Professor Minerva McGonagall. Far from it, in fact.
His black hair seemed even darker against his pale skin, his obsidian eyes glittered down at her, and his lightening bolt scar clearly visible on his forehead. Seeing him in a dream was frightening enough, but standing before him in all of his Dark glory was something else altogether. He was as terrifying as he was awe - inspiring, as horrible as he was magnificent.
"My, my," he murmured as he knelt down so that he was eyelevel with her. "Such pretty little lies, such subtle deceit." The Dark Harry smirked at her. "Why, you're just like me, aren't you?"
Hermione's heart skipped a beat as her blood ran cold. The world stopped spinning as she stared at him. She opened her mouth to deny his words, but she could only draw in quick, shallow breaths. Unable to speak, she shook her head, saying with actions what she couldn't say with words.
"Oh yes you are," he seemed amused. The Dark man leaned down and whispered in her ear so that neither Harry nor Harmony could hear. "I know how much you lie to those you call family- you could match me. And, my little Hermione, you've become as creative as I have. A Seer? Not a title that you chose for yourself, true, but I can't help but notice how you used it to your advantage. Oh yes, you are a great deal like me, my dear.
"Your oh - so - subtle manipulations, the way you've twisted even the worst of situations to your advantage? Truly a Slytherin tactic. But then, you've always had a little bit of Slytherin in you, haven't you? Stealing from Snape's potions stores, not to mention setting his cloak on fire, lying to teachers, blackmailing Rita Skeeter, leading Umbridge into the Forbidden Forest… Truly a stroke of genius." He grabbed her fiercely by the chin, looking into her eyes. "Just like me," he murmured with a smirk.
Hermione chocked back a sob, trying to deny his words with all of her being. No, please no, not this, anything but this. Thoughts plagued her. Was she becoming like the Dark Harry? Would she become the Dark Hermione? Breath came in short gasps. So many lies, so much deceit… perhaps she was becoming like the man she tried so desperately to keep her Harry from turning into. She tried to back away, tried to escape, but she was trapped, frozen in place by his hypnotic eyes.
"Let her go!" Just as suddenly as he appeared, the Dark Harry was knocked away from her by none other than the young Harry. "You leave her alone!" Harry snarled, as he unknowingly tackled the image of his counterpart. Harmony, terribly confused, began to cry again.
The boggart quickly shifted again to once again reflect Harry's greatest fear. "I thought I made it clear that I didn't want you anywhere near me," the boggart - Hermione hissed. Harry looked mortified at what he believed he had done to his friend and threw himself back in a confused daze. "Honestly! I thought you were at least smart enough to understand that much, but I guess I was wrong. Let me spell it out. Stay… Away… From… Me!" Harry was shaking from his place on the floor.
"It's not me!" Hermione yelled, finally finding her voice. "It's not really me, Harry, I'm here!" Harry turned slowly, almost as though he were afraid of what he would see. Tension left his body when he saw her standing where she had been before, relatively unharmed. Of course, seeing two Hermione's left him terribly confused.
The doors on the far side of the room banged open as Sirius and Remus rushed in, wands drawn, nearly tripping over themselves in the process. "What's going-" Remus was cut off when the boggart, now free of Harry, turned and faced the older man.
"Werewolf!" The boggart - Hermione shouted fearfully, pointing at Remus and taking a step back. Remus froze, mid - step, the blood draining from his already pale face. He began to shake terrible and drew back, visibly hurt by the boggart's words. Then the boggart turned and saw Sirius and shifted once more.
"You!" The boggart - Harry snapped accusingly. "You're the reason my parents are dead! Some godfather you are! I wish you were still rotting in Azkaban," he spat. "Just stay away from me." Sirius became as pale as Remus has, and began to shake just as badly.
Understanding dawned on the werewolf, who raised his wand. "Riddikulus!" He shouted.
Suddenly the boggart shifted into an overgrown poodle with bright pink fur, a jacket, top hat, and cane. In a striking display of flexibility, the boggart began to tap - dance. "Hello my baby, hello my honey, hello my ragtime gal," the dog began to sing, still dancing.
Despite the seriousness of what each of them had seen, even Hermione, still shaking from her encounter with the boggart, they all laughed. Harmony, in all of her naiveté, clapped and giggled over the display. Harry, who had made his way over to Hermione at some point and had tentatively taken her hand, chuckled at the display. Hermione, understanding the power of laughter, laughed a little louder than she normally would have.
Sirius, having recovered enough from his fright, raised his wand and with a sharp flick of his wrist, drove the boggart back into the wardrobe it had escaped from. The group was silent for several long moments as they tried to calm themselves from the incident. Harmony, who had enjoyed seeing the dancing, singing dog, was the only one who pouted over the loss of her entertainment- the others were relieved.
"What was that… that thing?" Harry asked weakly, glancing shyly at Hermione. She gripped his hand tighter in a comforting gesture.
"That, Harry, was a boggart," Sirius explained, striding towards them. Remus was a step ahead of him and had already scooped Harmony up into his arms.
"Nasty creatures, boggarts," Remus said, sitting on the ground beside Hermione, Harmony wriggling in his arms. "They are your worst fears made real." He pulled Hermione close to him as Sirius did the same to Harry on the other side.
"But they're not really real," Sirius said. "I mean, your fears, it's not really there, it's just what you're afraid of. It's like, if I were really afraid of, oh I don't know, let's say spiders, than the boggart would turn into a spider. If I were afraid of mummies, it would turn into a mummy." He winced. "I'm not very good at this."
"So," Harry began slowly. "You're afraid that I'll hate you because my mum and dad are dead?" Sirius froze and didn't reply. "I don't," Harry said softly, looking up at his adopted father. "I don't hate you at all."
"That's nice to know, Little Prongs," Sirius said, just as softly, his eyes glistening a little. "Bloody dust," he muttered, rubbing his eyes and sniffing.
"Language, Sirius," Remus chided.
"And it certainly doesn't matter to me that you're a werewolf, Papa Remus," she smiled weakly. "I've met people who are far more monstrous than you have ever been," she said, firmly pushing thoughts of steel grey eyes and platinum blonde hair out of her mind.
Remus chuckled lightly and kissed the top of her head. "I appreciate that."
Harmony began to squirm and looked up at her adopted father. "Papa Moo! I potty, Papa Moo."
The older man laughed, obviously glad for a way to release some of the tension that had been building. "Well, we had better get that taken care of, shouldn't we, my clever girl? Come on then." He turned to Harry, Hermione, and Sirius. "Will you be alright here?"
"We'll be fine, Papa Moo," Sirius quipped. "You go on. I'll take care of these two, you take care of the little one." Remus gave Sirius a dark look before he squared his shoulders, adjusted his grip on Harmony, and set off, grumbling about annoying friends.
After Remus left, shutting the door behind him, Sirius peered down at his young charges. "So," he said quietly. "What did you see?"
Silence. Neither Harry nor Hermione wanted to speak their fears, neither wanted to acknowledge them. "Harmony saw her broken toys," Harry muttered.
"While that is a valiant effort to avoid talking about it, that's not the answer I was looking for. What did you see?" Sirius asked, hugging the young boy around his shoulders. "I know it involved Hermione, Harry, but I can't help you face your fear if you don't tell me what it is." Harry muttered something they couldn't hear. "What was that?" Sirius asked.
Harry sighed. "I said I saw Hermione telling me I was dumb and that she didn't want to be my friend anymore. She was saying that Dudley was right all along." He shuddered slightly and fell quiet.
"Oh Harry," she said softly. "You know I would never say that to you." She squeezed his hand again. "We'll always be friends, no matter what, I promise."
"There, you see?" Sirius soothed. "That mean old boggart wasn't telling you the truth." He looked at her. "What did you see, Hermione?"
Words stuck in he throat. What can I say? I saw your godson as a grown man who had turned into a Dark Lord, and oh, by the way, I'm afraid I'm going to turn out as evil as he is? I think not! "I…" She shrugged, not knowing what to say.
"Come on, Hermione. Who was that man?" Harry asked innocently, his curiosity plain. "I know he bothered you, Hermione, I can feel it. Why does he bother you so much?"
"What man?" Sirius asked, now looking at Harry rather than at Hermione. The young witch stared at her hands, unwilling to look up, wishing it was over.
"He was a tall man, with a scar just like mine," Harry said, looking at his godfather. Hermione cringed at his words and looked away. "But he had these really scary black eyes, and he didn't have glasses. And his hair was black like mine, but it was just like Draco Malfoy's hair, the way it was stuck to his head." Hermione winced at the mention of the younger Malfoy and began to stare resolutely at her hands once more.
"I see," Sirius said, his voice quiet. "Listen Harry," he began, his tone carrying a forced lightness. "Why don't you go downstairs for some lunch, okay? I think you're done working up here for a while- your birthday is coming up soon after all! So you go on down with your Uncle Moony, while I speak with Hermione for a minute, okay?"
Harry glanced at Hermione, unsure of whether or not he should leave her. Hermione nodded, almost imperceptibly, saying that he should do as asked. He nodded reluctantly before releasing her hand, standing, and leaving just as Remus had.
"Was it him?" Sirius asked, his voice hoarse. "Was it Harry?"
She hesitated a moment before nodding sharply once. She felt faint. The Dark Harry's words still rang clearly in her ears, haunting her. My, my. Such pretty little lies, such subtle deceit. Why, you're just like me, aren't you? Her stomach turned at the thought of another lie.
"I take it, then, that he becomes a Dark wizard," his voice was choked. "Black eyes and no glasses- sounds like a Dark ritual to me, and no decent wizard would do something like that." They were quiet for several long moment, neither knowing what to say to the other. Finally Sirius broke the strained silence. "Can it be changed?" His voice was soft, almost afraid of the answer. "Can he be saved."
"Yes," Hermione said just as softly, daring to speak for the first time. "Yes, he can be saved," she whispered, more to reassure herself than her best friend's godfather. They fell silent again, but the silence was not as daunting as before. Sirius suddenly reached over and pulled her against his side, hugging her and kissing her lightly on top of her head much as Remus had.
"Thank you," he whispered against her hair. "Thank you." He released her suddenly before standing up and reaching down for her. "Well, we'd better get downstairs before they think the boggart escaped again for another round."
Hermione hesitated slightly. "Uncle Sirius," she began. "Don't tell Pap Remus. I don't want anyone else to know." She knew it was silly of her, but she was sure that if Remus knew, he would act differently around Harry and herself. She wanted everything to go back to being as normal as they could be, and forget about the day's events.
Sirius looked at her for a long moment before slowly nodding. "I think he should know, but I won't tell him, Hermione. This isn't the sort of thing people talk about during dinner, that's for sure. I don't like it," he paused and set a hand on her shoulder. "But I understand. I won't tell Remus, you have my word. Now, let's go downstairs," he started walking to the door. "I don't know about you, but I'm hungry."
Hermione laughed lightly, strongly reminded of Ron. "Alright," she smiled, following him to the door. "I'm a bit hungry," she said, though any appetite she might have had earlier had fled when the boggart had shifted into the Dark Harry. Sirius opened the door for her and walked with her down the dark hallways, down a flight of stairs, then down several more hallways.
"Is everything alright?" Remus asked as they entered the kitchen. He was sitting at the table, reading a copy of the Daily Prophet as Harry bit into a sandwich. Harmony was in her booster seat, whatever she was eating smeared around her mouth. "Harry said there was trouble."
"No trouble, Moony. Your little Owlet and I were just having a bit of a chat, that's all. Nothing to worry your furry little head over," Sirius quipped, taking a seat next to his friend.
"If you're sure," Remus said, looking between them.
"Relax, Moony, everything's fine, really. We just had a chat, did a little bonding, that sort of thing." Sirius smiled easily at his friend and looked at Harry. "What do we have to eat? Anything good?"
"I made a sandwich," Harry said. "Dobby tried to make me something, but I didn't want him to, I wanted to do it myself and let him keep doing his own work."
"Which was very responsible of him," Remus chimed in, taking a sip of tea before handing the newspaper he was reading to his friend. "I'm finished. You can go ahead and look for the Quidditch scores."
"Excellent!" Sirius grinned, snatching the paper away. Remus rolled his eyes and took another sip of tea. Smiling, Harry took another bite of his sandwich. Hermione took her seat, content to watch her family and enjoy one of the rare quiet moments.
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A/N: Sorry, I would have updated sooner, but I've been on the hunt for a train for my nephew. It seems to be the one thing every store is out of.
Thanks to everyone who read, and special thanks to those who reviewed. Oh, and in case I can't update again any time soon, Happy Holidays!
Cheers,
Madm_05