The Figure Clothed in Black

Chapter 13: Prank

Harry was in the library of his and Sirius's, and now Greg's, house looking for old rare potion books. He had been delighted when he had found several and was now looking for more. He searched for a few more minutes before deciding to quit and skim through chapters of the ones he found before looking for anymore.

"What are you reading?" Sirius asked as he walked into the room.

Harry shrugged his shoulders. All of the books he had found didn't have any titles written on them. "A book about potions. I'm looking for one specific potion, but I don't know the name of it so I'm just looking through old potion books."

"What type of potion? Maybe I can help," Sirius said coming and sitting beside him at the table, which was in the back of the library.

Harry the remembered he hadn't told anyone what the letter from his mother had said. Harry sighed. He didn't think it would be good if he told Sirius, or anyone else. What if Voldemort found out that a potion could kill him? He would try to capture anyone he knew anything about it. It was better if no one else knew. But if you don't tell anyone how are you ever going to find it? Snape would probably know something about it, or have a book that had the name of it and the ingredients in it.

"I don't really know what type of potion it is," Harry lied.

"Really? You're looking for potion that you don't know the name of and you don't know what type it is? You can't describe what it does?" Sirius said voice suspicious. Harry didn't look up from the book, knowing that if Sirius saw his eyes it would only confirm that he had lied.

"Harry, you don't like be lied to, and I don't either. Now we both know what you said is a lie, so why don't you tell me the truth? And don't give some excuse about it being better that I don't know because if I did Voldemort might come after me, or something silly like that. He's already after me. I'm in the Order and he knows how close I am to you, and that by capturing me, would lure you to him," Sirius said sternly.

Harry sighed. "You know those letters Remus gave me for my birthday?" Harry continued after Sirius's affirmative nod. "Well, in the one from my mother she said there was potion that combined with the killing curse might kill Voldemort once and for all. In the letter she said he would have to swallow it and after five minutes he wouldn't be immortal, or whatever it is from keeping him being killed by the killing curse alone, and I could use the killing curse on him and he might die completely." Sirius let a low whistle.

"But even if I find the potion and get all the ingredients how am I supposed to get him to swallow it? That sounds more impossible than finding and making the potion," Harry replied glumly.

"We'll worry about that once we find the potion, all right?" Sirius said. Harry nodded though he still looked glum. He had been doing better emotionally and physically, but there were still moments when everything felt like too much. Sirius, seeing this was one of those times, pulled Harry into a hug. Harry hugged him back and leaned into the embrace.

"Sirius?" he asked after a minute. "Is it normal to miss someone and want them alive even though you have no memory them?"

Sirius tightened his arms around Harry. "Yes, it's normal, Harry." Sirius felt Harry nod and rubbed his back soothingly. After a few minutes Sirius could feel Harry's tears on his chest soaking through his shirt. Sirius again tightened his arms around Harry and continued rubbing his back. Even if Harry hadn't tried to kill himself Sirius thought that there would still be moments like this when it seemed like Voldemort would never be gone, and the killing, and pain would never end.

*~*

A girl with long straight back hair looked around the Great Hall of Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardy. She then turned her gaze on the girl named Kayla; her mission. She had to become friends with the girl and get her to trust her completely and then betray her. I hate my life. I hate my father. She looked around once more with her dark brooding eyes before heading back to the Gryffindor common room to get her things for her first class, Potions.

*~*

Sirius cleared his throat, grinning looking at the couple sitting on the couch.

"Sirius! I-I didn't hear you come in," Kirsten stuttered face bright red, highly embarrassed. Harry and Greg, who were standing behind Sirius snorted with laughter. "Oh, Harry, Greg, didn't see you there." They both waved, not trusting themselves to speak. Sirius was still grinning. When he had walked into the living he hadn't been expecting to find a kissing couple on his couch.

"Kirsten, aren't you going to introduce us to your friend?" Sirius said now smiling innocently.

"Oh, right umm guys this is Zack, my boyfriend," she said still red in the face. Zack gave them a wave, also bright red.

"I was just going to show Harry and Greg something in the kitchen," Sirius said which was only half true. He had been going to the kitchen to get something to eat and Harry and Greg had started following him. He had asked them what they wanted, but they had replied," Nothing," and just grinned. They had been silent up until walking in on Kirsten and Zack and fell silent once again as they followed Sirius into the kitchen.

Sirius went to the refrigerator and started getting out the things he needed to make a sandwich. When he turned around he almost bumped into Harry and Greg who had stayed behind him the whole time. "Is there something you want?" he asked again. They both shook their heads and said in unison,

"No, we don't want anything."

Sirius eyed them suspiciously and proceeded to fix his sandwich. Harry and Greg were still standing behind silently and it was starting to get on his nerves. "Why don't you go flying? It's not that cold out, and you are allowed to fly, Harry. Your wrists are fine. That reminds me, the bandages need to be changed."

Sirius got the bandages down from one of the cabinets and changed them. Neither Harry nor Greg said a word. Sirius then finished making his sandwich and sat down at the table not sure if it was wise to go back into the living room. Harry and Greg sat down across from him. Sirius started to eat, but only ate a couple of bites before stopping. Harry and Greg were staring at him and it was starting to creep him out.

"Are you sure there isn't anything you want, or need?" he asked hoping they would say something.

They both shook their heads.

"Do you want something to eat? A sandwich? The stuff is still out to make one, or I can make one for you..." he trailed off hoping to get a response from them besides a shake of the head. His wish wasn't granted. Sirius finished his sandwich quickly and put everything back in the refrigerator.

He walked upstairs to his room and was about to close the door, but Harry and Greg were standing there staring at him.

"Could you please move, talk, or do something so that I know you're not zombies, or being possessed, or something?" Sirius said. If Sirius had been wise he would have remembered the phrase "Be careful for what you wish for." But, alas, he wasn't.

Harry and Greg looked at each, identical evil grins spread over their faces. They both lunged forward onto Sirius tackling him. They both poured powder over him before jumping up and running off laughing now.

Sirius sat up and blinked staring out in the now empty hallway. He spat out some of the powder that had been poured into his mouth.

He stood up and went over to the mirror and looked at himself. His eyes widened and he yelled, "HARRY AND GREG POTTER!!!!!!!!!!! I'LL GET YOU BACK FOR THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Down in the living room, Harry and Greg burst out laughing and ran out of the living room into a secret passageway that they had found earlier in the day.

An indignant Sirius was standing on the stairs looking around for the two boys. Kirsten, Zack, and Dustin, who had just come over, burst out laughing at the sight of him. This just made him angrier, but when he talked this time pink bubbles came out of his mouth. Sirius glared at the bubbles, but quickly tore his eyes back to Kirsten, and a flash went off.

Kirsten had captured a picture of a Sirius with a rainbow-stripped body with pink bubbles coming out of his mouth. He suddenly changed from rainbow to hot pink, then purple, then black, purple, next he was in woman's clothes and when he finally stopped changing he looked exactly like Snape.

Sirius groaned loudly as Albus Dumbledore came through the fireplace and he changed back to being rainbow-stripped.

Dumbledore chuckled and then said, "I was just coming by to see how Harry and Greg were doing. I'm assuming this is their work?" he said amusement evident in his voice

"Yes, this is their work," Sirius replied and started laughing along with the others shaking his head.

Harry and Greg, having heard Sirius laughing, came out of the secret passageway, grinning broadly.

"When will this wear off?" Sirius asked still laughing as he started to change again.

"In two days," Harry said and then burst into hysterical laughter as Sirius changed into Snape.

*~*