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Author: Sorting Hat Story: Between a Rock and a Hard Place Rating: Young Teens Setting: Pre-OotP Status: Completed Reviews: 1 Words: 30,061
Mrs. Weasley was right. Sirius, Arthur, and the professor didn't return until just before midnight. By the time they did, everyone but Harry was asleep. Once home, Arthur held a grim smile, Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling, and Sirius looked as though he didn't know what was happening. "They've got him Harry," said Mr. Weasley, before turning, and heading away. "Mr. Pettigrew is now in the hands of Alastor Moody. I very much doubt we will hear anything tonight, and suggest everyone get some sleep. I myself will be returning to Hogwarts. Mr. Weasley is aware of Sirius's innocence and has agreed to allow Sirius to sleep here tonight. However, since we are not sure whether anyone will come for Arthur tonight, I suggest he sleep in Ron's room, with the two of you," said Dumbledore, before he turned and walked away. Sirius didn't say anything for a long while. Just stared down at his hands. Eventually, Harry broke the silence. "All right Sirius?" Harry asked. "What? Oh, yes, Harry. Just thinking." He yawned loudly, "Let's go to sleep shall we? I'm knackered," said Sirius. "Sure. You can have my bed if you want, we don't have a spare and I--" began Harry. "Are you mad Harry?" Sirius laughed loudly, his face briefly animated at this gesture of kindness from his godson. "Just bring that rug there up to the room would you?" he said, pointing to one. Harry nodded, and then blushed as he remembered what his godfather was able to do. Sirius winked. A while later, Harry lay in bed, listening to Ron snore beside him and Snuffles breathe; for Harry, sleep would not yet come. He was thinking about Ginny. So. You think she's just a friend do you? Why did you get so angry when Pettigrew attacked her then? Oh shut up. It wouldn't have been the same if Hermione were the one he hit and you bloody well know it! And you got her that gift earlier this summer. With that, Harry shut out his mind and went to sleep. The next morning, Harry was surprised to see Ron and Hermione already awake and cooking breakfast. Since it was only seven in the morning, Harry couldn't help but wonder how long they had been awake. "Hiya, Harry" said Ron, passing him a plate of sausage and an omelet. Hermione glanced at Harry, and pulled him aside for a moment. "You've not forgotten about that necklace, have you?" she asked, and slipped away before he had a chance to reply. Harry flushed. Had Ginny told her about what had gone on? Worse, did Ron know? What would Ron think? Ginny was his baby sister after all. Then, deciding he would think about that later, he devoured his breakfast, and began sipping at a glass of pumpkin juice. "That was good Ron," said Harry. "Thanks. Glad you liked it," Ron replied. "You know, you should tell Ginny how you feel." said Hermione. "Tell me what?" came Ginny's voice, as she padded down the stairs. In the next second, the table was covered with pumpkin juice and Ron was laughing so hard he was on the floor. Harry decided then and there that Hermione would be getting a permanent homework banishing enchantment placed on all her quills, and Ron would also be given a gift-- an all expenses paid trip to see Aragog in the Forbidden Forest. In the mean time, Harry would settle for a means of escape. Unfortunately for Harry, he ran out of time as Ginny walked lazily into the kitchen for breakfast. "Erm, nothing Gin. D'you think I could talk to you for a moment after you finish breakfast?" Harry said, quickly. "Sure Harry," she said brightly. "Ok. I'll be back in a while," said Harry as he left the kitchen to go get Ginny's necklace. Arriving at Ron's room, Harry opened the door and accidentally kicked Snuffles on the way to his camp bed, earning a yelp and a very surprised and annoyed looking Sirius in the process. "Er, Sorry," said Harry, sheepishly. "S'alright. Just watch where you're going ‘k?" said Sirius, as he yawned and stretched. Harry smiled and then turned to his trunk, to find the necklace, while asking Sirius, "D'you think you could help me find a way to get Ron to visit Aragog?" "Aragog? Why?" asked his godfather. So, Harry explained the events of the morning, and ended with a very annoyed look as Sirius quaked with laughter. "Hate to say this to you Harry, but that's funny!" and then, having given up, Sirius allowed his laugher to rush forth. "Well, you're no bloody help at all!" groaned Harry, as he grabbed the necklace and stormed from the room.
A few minutes later, Harry was standing in the kitchen waiting for Ginny to finish eating her breakfast. Hermione was serving Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and Ron cleared off, once he saw Harry's evil glare. "Alright Harry. What do you want to talk to me about?" Ginny asked, once she had finished her breakfast and gone outside with him. "Um…. well, you know I spent the first part of the summer with the Granger's, right? I got something for you. It just, caught my eye you know? I hope you like it," he said, as he handed her the box containing the necklace. She gasped. "Thank you, Harry. Could you--?" She turned around and lifted her hair, so Harry could put the necklace around her neck. Afterward, she turned around and hugged him. "Gin, did Hermione tell you anything?" he asked. "About what Harry?" she replied. "Nothing. I was wondering…well, d'you think we could go to Diagon Alley, or Hogsmede sometime?" "Of course Harry. We always go to Diagon Alley for supplies, and anyone who is a third year or above goes to Hogsmede," she said, smiling. "Oh lord, she's going to make me say it," he thought. "Well, I know Ginny. What…what I mean is, d'you want to go to Diagon Alley or Hogsmede with me sometime. You know, together," Harry mumbled. "Are you asking me out on a date Mr. Potter?" she asked, with a mischievous grin. His smile grew just as mischievous. "Why, yes, Miss Weasley. I believe I am." "I'd love to Harry," she said. "Great," he said. Ginny was stopped from replying when Mrs. Weasley appeared at the door and yelled for Harry. "HARRY, COME HERE! QUICKLY!" she yelled, and in no time at all, Harry and Ginny had returned to the Burrow. "-After an interrogation of one of you-know-who's Death Eaters, Minister Fudge, current Minister of Magic, has granted a full pardon to Mr. Sirius Black, citing new evidence to the man's innocence." Whatever else the wireless announcer may have said, Harry didn't hear it. He turned to Sirius with a wide grin on his face. "Well, Sirius. Guess that means you won't need to run around anymore," said Harry. "Too right you are, Harry," said Sirius, beaming. "Seems Dumbledore was right about you, Sirius. What do you want to do for your first act as a free man in almost twenty years?" asked Mrs. Weasley. "You know, Molly, I think the first thing I want to do is go to Ollivanders. It would be nice to have my own wand, again. Would you like to come with me, Harry?" he asked. Harry nodded. An hour later the two were passing through the gates in Diagon Alley. Needless to say, the trip to Diagon Alley was a strange experience. Evidently, many witches and wizards had not yet heard the Minister's announcement. People took one look at Sirius Black and scattered, and one little girl actually screamed and ran away sobbing in fear. Others were wary, but the sight of Sirius Black standing beside The Boy who Lived gave them pause enough for Harry and his godfather to pass. Aside from the frightened little girl, nothing major happened to the two, until they actually stepped into Ollivanders. After waiting for a few moments, Harry saw Mr. Ollivander approach the display. "Ah Mr. Potter. I wondered if I'd be seeing you here again. Seems only yesterday…. SIRIUS BLACK! HARRY! DUCK!" Mr. Ollivander raised his wand to utter the full body bind, only to stop and look at Harry with an amazed expression when Harry pointed his wand at the shopkeeper and said "Expelliarmus!" and caught Mr. Ollivander's wand neatly in his hand. "Black, I don't know what dark arts you may have employed on Mr. Potter, but one spell from you and--" the old man began. "It's alright Mr. Ollivander. He hasn't done anything to me. If you'll turn on your wireless, you'll find that Minister Fudge has pardoned him," retorted Harry, with a slight smugness. "We're here to buy him a wand." Mr. Ollivander did indeed turn on his wireless, after Harry gave him back his wand. Sure enough, the announcer reminded the public of Sirius's new status a few moments later. "My apologies, Mr. Black. One can never be too careful you know. Especially concerning Mr. Potter here. I remember your first wand. Eleven inches long, maple, with a unicorn tail hair core wasn't it? It was quite a good wand for Transfiguration, if memory serves." "That's right. As it turns out, that wand was excellent for transfiguration," Sirius said cryptically. "Too right. Try this one if you please," said Ollivander, handing Sirius a wand. Sirius gave the wand a wave, and a fish tank at the back of the shop exploded. "No, no, I suppose not. Here, perhaps this," the shopkeeper said, handing over another wand. Again, Sirius gave this wand an experimental wave, and this time a small rainbow shot forth and framed Mr. Ollivander momentarily. "Yes, I think that's the one," said Sirius. "Excellent. That will be thirty galleons then," said Mr. Ollivander. Sirius gaped for a moment, then turned to Harry. "Prices have gone up a bit, Harry. Think I could borrow ten galleons?" asked an embarrassed Sirius. "No," said Harry, handing Mr. Ollivander thirty galleons from his money pouch. "You don't have to do that, Harry," said Sirius. "I know I don't have to, but I want to," said Harry, in a tone that brooked no argument. "Ok Harry," said Sirius, "where do you want to go next?" "Well, I haven't eaten since breakfast. Fancy a trip to the Leaky Cauldron?" Harry replied, as his stomach rumbled. "Alright, Harry. Lets go," said Sirius, grinning. This of course, caused more of the predictable reaction. Several people glared at Sirius, and a few went so far as to draw their wands as he passed. When this happened, Harry would turn to look at the witch or wizard, and flash his scar at them. Normally, Harry hated the fame his scar had given him, but in certain cases, it had proven useful. In any event, the pair made it to the pub without a scratch, until they walked into the establishment itself. "Hello, Harry!" said Tom. "Hi, Tom, just a butterbeer thanks," said Harry, turning to Sirius. But before Sirius could say anything, Tom gave a yell, at the same time as most of the patrons. No one would ever quite remember exactly what happened in the next moment. There was a flash of magic from almost every wand in the pub, a crash as Sirius ducked into a roll, a click as Harry turned on the pub's wireless, a muffled "damn," and then horrified silence. In the moments that followed, no one spoke. In the background you could hear the wireless replaying Fudge's pardoning address concerning Sirius, and then a few more moments of silence, as Sirius rose to his feet. Then the silence was broken by a gurgling sound and a soft thud on the floor. It didn't take long for everyone in the pub to realize what had happened. Suddenly, Tom whirled on one of his customers. "Crockford, you blasted idiot! You've jinxed Harry Potter!" he yelled. For a while after that, the pub was silent again, except for Sirius's heavy breathing, the sound of slugs hitting the floor, and Doris Crockford's mortified sobs. *** Once Harry's jinx had run its course, and Doris had been calmed down, Harry and Sirius sat down to lunch…thankfully ignored by the rest of the patrons as no one wanted to risk angering Harry, especially after seeing him hit with the slug belching curse. "I'll just have that butterbeer in it's bottle please, and three extras, thanks. Also, I'd like an ice cream sundae. Sirius?" said Harry. "Bangers and Mash for me, and a butterbeer as well, thanks," replied Sirius. Their food arrived quickly, along with the extra butterbeer, which Harry pocketed to give to his friends, later. The two ate in silence for a few moments afterward, before Sirius decided to broach his question. "Say Harry, do you remember that time during your third year, with Snape and Lupin?" "In Hogsmeade? Yes. Why?" Harry asked, puzzled. "Well, I won't be able to get anything this summer, seeing as how it's so soon and I'd prefer to wait till I can walk around without you needing to flash your scar to keep people from killing me, but, I was wondering if you'd like to live with me next summer, instead of the Dursleys. I know I promised you that you could move in the very day I was declared free, but under the circumstances…" asked Sirius, and then he winced. "Yes. Without a doubt-is something the matter?" asked Harry. "No, I'm quite alright. Just thinking about the Dursleys, and how hard it might be to transfigure them into something unpleasant." After that, the two finished their meals in silence, and then Sirius asked, "Would you mind terribly if we got a room for the afternoon? I have some things I'd like to tell you...some stories about your father, among other things." "Ok," said Harry, his heart pounding in his chest. A while later, Sirius and Harry were sitting inside a day room in the upper level of the pub, Sirius had already told several stories, and was working on his next one. "--And so Remus and I charmed his hair potion. I didn't figure it was going to work, but Remus was sure it would. Can you imagine the look on your father's face when he learned he was going to play the final Quidditch match of the year with bright pink hair?" asked Sirius. Harry said nothing. It was hard enough to stay on his chair and laugh at the same time. "Or, there was the time we ‘accidentally' set Snape's hair on fire." Sirius's eyes twinkled at the memory, and then he went on. "His hair was always greasy, even back then. We were in charms class, and we were trying to practice heating charms. I think your father got it right on his second try. I, of course, got it right on my first. Remus wasn't there that day, as the full moon had been the night before, and Madam Pomfrey wanted to keep an eye on him. So, that left Peter. He never was any good at charms, and charms like this always made him nervous. So anyway, when Flitwick came up behind him and asked if he needed help, Peter jumped nearly a meter, and said "Flamarous!" which was the charm we had been working on the week before." Here, Sirius closed his eyes and relived the memory, then continued. "Peter cast the spell, and at the same time Severus walked up to ask the professor a question." Sirius paused, and smiled, and then continued. "I don't think I've ever seen anything that funny since! Severus Snape, running around the charms classroom, screaming his head off, and still managing somehow, to yell for Peter's expulsion. It took nearly a quarter of an hour for the professor to get him to stop moving long enough to dose the flames. Not only that, but it took nearly four months for his hair to grow back. Can you imagine Snape, bald?" Sirius asked, then sat back as he finished. Harry had long since given up and was now rolling on the floor, unable to contain his mirth. "Right, I thought it was funny too. Well, we should head back to the Burrow now, Harry. Shall we?" said Sirius. The two of them rose, and, careful not to startle the fresh wave of customers, left the pub.
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