The Shrieking Shack

Plan B

"How did the meeting go?" asked Martha.

"You would have known had you shown up," Thomas retorted. She brought him a glass of firewhiskey as he sat in his favorite chair. "Anyway, it didn't go well. Barnaby claimed it was some Ministry secret. But I still say it's a bloody werewolf."

She eyed him curiously and sat down opposite him. "A secret? What sort of secret?"

"Something top secret. Barnaby wouldn't say. I'm guessing it's because he hasn't made up a plausible lie yet. Any idiot can tell it's a werewolf." He sipped his drink. "And if that weren't enough, I came across some boys from the school hanging around the Shack, and they mocked it and had a good laugh at my expense."

Martha smiled sweetly. "Well, you know how boys are."

"Yes, but it doesn't seem like anyone's on my side."

"I am," she replied, patting his hand, but he noticed her frown slightly. "So what now?"

Thomas sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "No bloody idea, Martha. No bloody idea."

* * *

"Asked Lily to the dance yet?" Sirius teased James, who was sitting on his bed, studying..

James blanched and drew himself up. "Yes."

"And?" Sirius asked. The other boy was silent; he looked back down at his Charms textbook, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Well?"

James sighed. "Well, she was in a mood, I suppose. So I'll, um, try again."

"Shot down, eh?"

"Shut up." James grimaced.

Sirius frowned. "Sorry. I know how much you like her. And you'll win her over sooner or later. It's all about persistence. When you see something you want, you just have to keep trying," he said.

James was slightly taken aback at Sirius's well-meaning remarks, but he shrugged. "Maybe." Then he looked up at Sirius. "And you? Have a date yet?"

"Nope." Then he grinned mischievously. "I have an idea, James. If you can convince Lily to go with you, I'll take Remus."

Remus looked up from the long History of Magic essay he was writing, one eyebrow raised. "Pardon?"

Sirius laughed. "What do you say, James?"

"Excuse me," Remus remarked. "Don't I get a say in this?"

"No." Sirius waved him off. "We all know James wants Lily. Well, maybe with an added incentive, he'll finally sort out the magic words that will convince her to go with him." He smirked. "I suggest Imperius."

"Very funny, Black," James retorted.

Remus frowned. "But why do I have to be dragged into this bet?" He didn't mind the idea of a date with Sirius, but he wasn't sure he wanted it to happen this way. And he certainly didn't want it to just be done as a joke.

"Don't you like me, Remus?" Sirius teased. "Anyway, don't worry about it. Lily will never say yes."

"You're on," James said. "I'll win her over this time for sure."

* * *

"I know what to do," Thomas said. "I've got to speak to Albus Dumbledore. He'll know."

Martha sighed. "Maybe you should just let this go," she suggested. "Maybe Barnaby was right. Maybe it really is just a Ministry experiment that's completely harmless. I mean, it began about the same time that You Know Who started to gain power. I'm sure they're working on a new secret weapon in there."

"A weapon that sounds like a werewolf? And only on nights of the full moon?"

"Perhaps it's a trick," she said. "To keep people from going in."

Tom was hunting in the hall closet for his hat. "Well, it sounds pretty haunted all the time. Why add in a werewolf effect as well? They're keeping people away just fine without adding the howls."

She walked up behind him, his hat in her hand. "Looking for this?"

He turned around and smiled. "Ah. Yes."

"So you're going now?"

"Yes."

"And he won't mind your just showing up at the front door of Hogwarts and ringing the bell without an appointment?"

He shrugged. "I'm sure he won't," he replied. "I'll be back in a couple hours, probably. Certainly in time for dinner. I wouldn't miss your Yorkshire puddings for the world, my dear." He kissed her forehead and headed out the door.

* * *

"Lily, your eyes are like sparkly emeralds in a pool of...of..." James floundered.

Lily rolled her eyes. "I have things to do, James. Is this compliment going to take much longer?"

"Go to the dance with me! Please! I know deep down in your heart, you really like me."

"When have I ever given you such an indication?" she asked.

He frowned. "Well, I don't know. But...come on! One dance! Just give me a chance. You'll make me the happiest boy in Hogwarts, you really will. Just go with me. Have one dance with me. If you don't like it, you can go dance with someone else. But at least give me an opportunity to--"

"You've had lots of opportunities to impress me, James, and you've failed each time. I think you have a track record here. And I'd much rather go with someone who I know has a track record of being nice and selfless and caring and--"

He turned red. "Who? Davey? He bites his nails!"

"You're hopeless, James Potter," Lily said, and flounced off after her friends.

"Bollocks," he muttered to himself. "If only she knew how much was riding on her just saying yes."

Sirius appeared behind him just then and threw an arm around his shoulders. "No luck again, eh?" he said, grinning. "Well, it looks like I'll be free and available to date any of Hogwarts's lovely ladies, won't I? Perhaps I should just go ahead and ask one of them now."

"Not yet you don't," James warned.

* * *

The walk from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts didn't used to take this long, Thomas mused, sighing.

After several more minutes, he finally reached the castle. Some children, presumably first years, ran past as he approached the door. He walked in and looked around. The corridor looked the same, it smelled the same, and all his old childhood memories came flooding back: afternoons spent riding moving staircases, mornings spent teasing the giant squid in the lake...

"May I help you?" came a woman's voice.

He turned around and found himself face-to-face with Minerva McGonagall, head of Gryffindor house. She was laden down with books and papers and looked exhausted.

"Yes. I'm here to see the headmaster," he replied.

She frowned. "Do you have an appointment?"

Thomas cleared his throat. "Well, no, but...You look familiar. Were you in Gryffindor?" he asked.

"Yes. I'm head of house now," she said. "Minerva McGonagall. I'd offer to shake hands, but, well..." She trailed off, juggling some of her belongings awkwardly.

His face brightened a little. "You were Head Girl, weren't you?"

"Yes." She eyed him curiously. "Do I know you?"

He smiled. "Thomas MacInnie," he said.

She thought for a second. "Oh yes, I think I remember you. You weren't in Gryffindor, though, were you?"

"No, ma'am. Hufflepuff," he replied proudly, and then he remembered why he was there. "Anyway, I don't have an appointment, but I'd really like to speak with him."

She blinked. "Well, he's indisposed most of this afternoon, I'm afraid. But he should be back at about 4, I believe."

"It's 4:20 now," he pointed out.

Minerva looked visibly flustered. She glanced around, looking for a clock, but there were none in sight. "Oh. Um. Well, follow me then," she said, leading him up the nearest staircase. "I've been pretty busy today dealing with...well, we have some troublemaking students who always keep me on my toes."

* * *

Sirius caught Lily between classes that afternoon. "Lily, I need to speak to you!"

"Can't it wait? I have to meet my friends."

"It'll only take a minute," Sirius replied, casting a wary eye around him. "Believe me, I'm on the run at the moment, and I can't waste too much time."

She eyed him warily. "On the run? What did you do?"

"Doesn't matter. But if McGonagall sees me--no wait, forget that. I need to ask a favor of you."

Lily crossed her arms. "What?"

"Go to the dance with James."

Lily laughed. "You're joking."

Sirius huffed. "I'm most certainly not joking. Just...say yes. Please? For me?"

"Why? What do you get out of this?" she asked, smirking.

"Um...well, we made a bet..." Sirius hung his head, hoping she didn't ask for details.

"You made a bet over me? I'm afraid to ask what the winner gets."

Sirius turned pink. "Well, see...we...it doesn't matter. But I want James to win."

"You made a bet, and you want to lose?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, yes. It's complicated, you see..."

Lily chuckled. "Leave me out of your silly games," she replied, walking off.

* * *

"Acid pop," McGonagall said at the entrance to the staircase up to Dumbledore's office. She turned to Thomas. "May I ask what you want to speak with him about?"

"Yes," he replied. "It's about what's happening in Hogsmeade."

She looked him over, curious. "And what, may I ask, is happening in Hogsmeade?"

"Something fishy, that's what."

McGonagall sighed. "Wait here. Let me see if he's busy," she said. She turned and walked up the stairs.

A few minutes later, she walked back down. "He'll speak with you now," she said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go." She nodded at him and headed off down the corridor.

Thomas watched her go and then cautiously headed up the staircase. It had been so long since he'd last been in Dumbledore's office, and the last time had not been for a good reason.

* * *

"Lily, can we talk?"

Lily turned around, annoyed. Why did everyone feel the need to hold her up today? "What now?"

Remus flinched. "Is it a bad time?"

"Sorry, Remus. I just need to be somewhere, and everyone wants to talk to me today."

He frowned. "It's OK. It can wait."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Of course I'm sure. I'll talk to you later." He watched with curiosity as McGonagall hurried past, muttering something under her breath about "silly villagers."

Lily sighed loudly, bringing his attention back to the subject at hand. "Is it going to take long?"

"No, not at all. Just a minute, I promise," he said.

"Is it about James asking me to the dance?"

Remus stared. "How did you know?"

"It's a popular topic. Let me guess, you want me to say yes, too, right? You want Sirius to lose the bet, too?" She chuckled to herself. "Am I right?"

Remus was too stunned to speak for a moment. "You know about the bet?" he finally asked.

"Yes. Sirius came and asked me to say yes to James so he could lose the bet. Honestly, I'm desperate to know what this bet was. It must be pretty good to get this kind of reaction."

Remus stared at her. "Sirius wanted to lose? He said that?"

She nodded. "Are you going to tell me what this bet was about?"

"Um."

"Look, I don't care. But please, don't involve me in this. Please? James is a prat; you know that. Why should I sacrifice my evening of fun just so you can lose a bet?" she asked. "I'm going to the dance with Davey, and that's final."

"Sirius...wanted to lose?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "You asked that already. Can I go now?"

Remus nodded mutely.

* * *

"So, you wanted to speak to me, Mr MacInnie? About Hogsmeade?" Dumbledore asked, shaking the man's hand. "Please, take a seat. I'm not sure how much help I can be, but it doesn't hurt to try."

Thomas sat down tensely, looking around at the weird magical objects in the headmaster's office. He spotted the Sorting Hat and recalled the day it had been placed on his head. He could still hear it speaking to him when he closed his eyes. He shook his head, remembering why he was there. "Yes, it's about the Shrieking Shack."

Dumbledore's eyes widened for a second. "The Shack? What about it?"

"Well, you know about it, right? It's noisy, it's haunted?"

Dumbledore nodded, amused. "Yes, I'm familiar with it."

"Well, I firmly believe there's a werewolf in there, Headmaster Dumbledore. But our town councillor tells me the Ministry is using the Shack for some secret purpose and that we shouldn't worry."

"And you don't believe him?" asked Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling.

Thomas shook his head. "No. It just doesn't make sense. So I thought I'd come speak with you. You know a lot about...a lot. And you have close ties with the Ministry. I thought you might know something," he said. "My wife and I live near the Shack, and we're getting tired of being afraid."

"Oh, I don't think you need to worry, Mr MacInnie. The Shack's quite safe. It's covered in magical charms and protection spells. I'm sure the noises can be very annoying at night, but I can assure you, there's no real danger."

"So you know what's in there? You know what's happening?" Thomas asked.

The old man smiled. "I know plenty, sir. I know you don't need to worry."

Thomas took a deep breath. "Well, with all due respect, I still do worry. And I always will until I find out what's going on."

* * *

"Remus!" a voice hissed. Remus turned and found Sirius hiding behind a statue in the corridor. "Remus, come here!"

Remus walked over cautiously. "What are you doing back there?" he asked.

"Hiding," Sirius replied, grinning. "Come keep me company."

"What did you do now? No, scratch that. I don't want to know. I'd just be considered an accessory." Remus joined him in the cramped and dusty space.

"McGonagall's got me all wrong, you know. Any time something strange happens, she assumes it's me. Tell me, is that fair?"

Remus smiled and poked him in the arm. "Well, it usually is you."

Sirius pondered this. "You may have a point."

"Anyway, you can't hide from her forever."

"No, but if I avoid her for a while, she might have calmed down by the time she finds me. She's been in a bad mood. And the last time I did something wrong, she threatened to send me into the Forbidden Forest in only my underpants. I think she was kidding, but--"

Remus chuckled quietly and tried to get comfortable behind the statue. "Sirius, did you speak to Lily this afternoon?"

Sirius paused. "Um, yes, I suppose so."

"And you asked her to say yes to James? To go on a date with him?"

Sirius's cheeks turned red, and he shifted position. "Did I? I don't recall."

"Don't play dumb with me. You told her you wanted to lose the bet."

"She must have gotten it wrong," he muttered. "Why would I want to lose?"

"I don't think she heard wrong, Sirius. She found it very odd that we had a bet with James and both wanted him to win it." Remus's blood ran cold. He couldn't believe he'd just said that.

Sirius stared at him. "Excuse me? We both wanted him to win?"

Remus coughed. "Forget I said anything," he said hastily.

* * *

Thomas left Dumbledore's office that afternoon and started back on the long walk to Hogsmeade. He was feeling very tired and a little befuddled, which he put down to the time of day. I just need some dinner in me, he mused. What he couldn't quite figure out is why he'd been at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the first place. Yes, I definitely need some dinner and a stiff drink.

* * *

The last place Remus had imagined sharing his first kiss with Sirius was behind a dusty old statue in a dark corridor. Curiously, Sirius had imagined it happening that way.

"You're a git, Sirius. You should have told me," Remus muttered, clumsily extracting himself from the hiding place and dusting himself off.

"Look who's talking," Sirius said.

The Haunting

"Remus? Remus Lupin?" came a voice.

Remus turned to find Aberforth Dumbledore, who had just emerged from a back room. He smiled and moved over to the bar.

"How are things? I heard you came back to see about the Shack?"

"Yes." Remus thought for a moment. "Have you heard anything about it?"

Aberforth grinned. "Well, I know as well as you do about the Shack, Mr Lupin. Perhaps even a little more."

"And the howling sounds? They're still going on?" Remus asked.

"They started again, yes. About three years ago."

Remus sighed. "But...I don't understand." He wasn't sure whether Aberforth knew about his condition, so he wasn't sure how much to say.

As if he were reading his mind, Aberforth said, "The noise stopped after you left school, of course. But it started up again. It's the darnedest thing. I know a lot about a lot of things, but that I don't understand."

"Me neither."

Aberforth picked up a glass and gave it a quick and unsuccessful wipe. Then he gestured with it to the man who had been sitting near Remus and Madam Sprout. "That man? That's Thomas MacInnie. He started some trouble some years back over the Shack. He called for a town meeting, and he went to Albus. He was convinced that there was a werewolf in there, and he was determined to stop it."

Remus glanced at the man's empty chair and then back at Aberforth. "I thought I recognised him."

Aberforth raised an eyebrow, confused, but shrugged it off. "Well, the situation was taken care of, anyway. He hasn't caused us any trouble since."

"Taken care of? How?"

Aberforth winked. "Wizards have their ways."

Remus thought about this for a minute and smiled. He ran his finger around the rim of his glass a few times and then looked up. "Perhaps there's a new student at the school who needs the Shack?" he postulated.

"Albus tells me there isn't. He said he's kept an eye on the place, and no one's been in there at all, except one time when he went to check it out and see where the sounds were coming from." He shrugged. "He didn't find a thing."

"Three years ago, you say?" Remus felt a small chill run down his spine.

Aberforth put down the glass and picked up another. "Yep. The noises started again...let me think...right around the time that Voldemort got into the Ministry of Magic. Remember that? There was that big fight? One of the Order members was killed. That Black fellow."

Remus stared at him. "Yes, I remember," he said quietly.

* * *

The Shrieking Shack had been thought to have been haunted for 30 years. And now, it appeared, it really was.