Do all Things Happen for a Reason?

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Chapter Seven: Another Shock for the Marauders...

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"Where is he?" Sirius hissed venomously upon entering the empty room.

"I... don't know," replied Remus, who looked clearly bewildered. And then realization seemed to dawn on him, "Oh damn it, Sirius!" Both Sirius' turned to look at him.

"What?" they said at the same time.

Remus ignored the younger one and continued, "We forgot he was an Animagus! And we left no one with him! He escaped again! For the third time!"

"Damn it," Sirius growled, pounding his fist on the desk and sending a piece of parchment fluttering to the floor.

"What's this?" Lily asked, walking over and picking up the parchment and reading it out loud:

" 'I thought I would let you know, Remus, that the Dark Lord is trying to recruit new Death Eaters and that Katrina is one of the young witches on his list. If I were you, I'd keep an eye on her.

-Peter' "

"Oh no," Remus whispered, lowering himself into a chair.

"Why would he care any way?" Kat said angrily, kicking the floor.

"I don't know, but just to make sure, Kat, you stay with either Harry, Ron, or Hermione in your free time. And no wondering the school after hours, got it?" Sirius said, looking at Harry and Kat intently. Harry nodded, but Kat wouldn't give up without a fight.

"But that's not fair," she said incredulously. "After all the things you guys did in school! You -,"

"Kat just listen to us, please?" Remus asked her softly. She immediately closed her mouth and nodded looking at the floor.

Just then a face appeared in the fireplace. It was a woman's face. She had dirty blonde hair and sapphire colored eyes. 'Only one person I know has eyes like that,' thought James.

"Hi Sandy Mandy!" Sirius said, knowing it would annoy her to no end.

"Don't call me that!" Sandy snapped. Then she turned serious, "Dumbledore just owled me. I thought that Kat got in trouble already so I ripped open the letter and instead it said that they found Pettigrew. Is it true? Where is he?"

Sirius and Remus looked at each other darkly before Remus replied, "Why don't you floo over here and we'll explain everything to you."

"Okay, but I'll have to bring Andrew along too," she said, and Remus nodded as her head disappeared from sight.

"Who's Andrew?" Moony whispered to Kat, as he sat down next to her on the coach where she was already fast asleep.

"Yeah, who is he? I want to know," said Padfoot. Lily and James nodded in agreement.

"I don't think she's going to wake up," Moony said after a couple of minutes.

"I know how to wake her up," Harry said abruptly. He walked over and sat down next to her. "Hey Kat, there goes Dudley in his underwear."

Immediately she sat up and started to look around frantically, "Where? Where is he? Are they white with fluffy pink bunnies on it, like we always thought?" The Marauders and Harry burst out laughing.

"It w-was a-a joke, Kat," Moony managed to gasp out in between his fits of laughter.

Kat grumbled, "Then what did you want to wake me up for?"

"We wanted to know who Andrew is," Harry replied.

"And I want to know who this Dudley person you guys keep talking about is, too," Lily said. At this both Kat and Harry burst out laughing. "What?"

"Dudley is a spoiled brat who thinks he's better then everyone else," Kat started. "He's also a bully who likes to pick on me an Harry. He broke my arm once!"

"I remember that!" exclaimed Harry. "You shouldn't have jumped in front of me."

"And let you get beaten to a bloody pulp? I think not," She replied.

"Alright! Stop arguing and tell us who these people are," James demanded. Both Harry and Kat mumbled a 'sorry'.

"Okay, so Dudley is a big fat, ugly, blonde, bully," said Kat. "And - and - well, I don't know! Harry, he's your cousin. You tell them." Harry rolled his eyes.

"Cousin?" Lily repeated in disgust. "You mean Petunia was allowed to have children? I'm the aunt of this creature?"

"Afraid so," said Harry in equal dislike.

"Okay, so who's Andrew?" Moony asked once again.

"Andrew is - " but just as Kat was about to tell them the flames in the fireplace turned emerald green and out stepped the face in the fireplace, but this time Sandy had her body (and also the body of a little boy who was clinging to her leg) with her. The Marauders didn't fail to notice the huge bulge in Sandy's stomach either, making her look at least seven months pregnant.

"You look different since the last time I saw you, Sandy, but I just can't put my finger on it," said Sirius, feigning a look of concentration. "Oh, I know! You got a new haircut, didn't you?"

"Shut it, Dog Breath," Sandy snapped. Sirius put his hands up defensively and muttered something about 'pregnant women' and 'hormones'. The little boy, who managed to untangle himself from his mother, ran to Remus and jumped in his arms.

"Hi little guy," Remus said scooping the boy up in a huge hug.

"Oh sure give your Dad a hug. Don't even think about Padfoot. Nope," Sirius said, feigning a put out look. The little boy climbed down from Remus' arms, walked over to Sirius (who had his nose stuck in the air and his lip trembling) and tugged on his robes. When Sirius looked down the little boy held up his arms and Sirius bent down and gave him a big bear hug, "That's better." When Sirius let him go the boy looked around the room and, spotting Kat, ran towards her and almost flew into her arms.

"Hello Andrew," Kat said, after regaining her balance.

"Kat, why don't you and Harry go take Andrew for a look around the castle while we explain this mess to Sandy?" Remus asked.

"Okay," she said. "Come on, Harry. Let's see how well you can handle a two year old."

"Better then you, I bet," he said, smirking at her.

"Oh yeah? Well, we'll see about that," she replied, and with that her, Harry, and the Marauders walked out the door.

"So that's Harry?" Sandy asked when the door had shut.

"Yup," Sirius said.

"Ohhh, he is definitely James' son," she replied.

"That's what we said," Remus and Sirius said smirking at her.