A Change of Plans

Chapter Eight

It took Patsy about five minutes to race over to her own house, bypass her parents, grab what she needed, and get back. A surprisingly short amount of time, knowing her parents.

She slipped in through the way she and Annie often used--the window to the computer room. It was fairly high up the ground, but there was a strategically placed rock right underneath, allowing them to scramble up through. Once she was in, she was bombarded by questions.

"What are we going to do?" Annie wanted to know.

"What did you mean, 'muggle style'?" Fred asked.

"What's in the bag?" said Ron, pointing to it.

"Don't you mean 'What's in the box'?" Patsy said, putting the bag down, and when they all looked at her oddly, she rolled her eyes. "Page two hundred and twenty four of the American hardcover edition of Goblet of Fire, first line."

Annie's eye lit up, and she grinned.

"'"What's in the box?" he asked, pointing at it,'" she quoted.

"'"Funny you should ask," said Hermione, with a nasty look at Ron.' S.P.E.W badges, exactly." said Patsy, also grinning.

"Er...what are S.P.E.W. badges, and are you talking about Hermione Granger?" asked Ron incredulously.

"You mean Hermione's real?!?!?" asked Annie excitedly. "Oh my gosh, that's awesome!!!"

"S.P.E.W. stands for The Society for the Protection of Elfish Welfare," explained Patsy. "It's a society Hermione comes up with in book four of the book series about Harry. And of course we're talking about Hermione Granger, who else has a name like that? Well, unless you thought I was talking about the daughter of the king of Sparta and Helen of Troy, although she didn't become the queen of Troy until later--"

"Patsy," said Annie. "Shut up."

Patsy stuck her tongue out at Annie, but then went back to the bag she had brought with her from home, and pulling out two walkie talkies and a roll of duct tape.

"What are those for?" asked Annie.

"For spying on the Order, of course."

"How?" This was Fred. "And what are those things?" he added, pointing at them.

Patsy's eyes widened.

"You mean to say that you two--prankers extraordinary--have failed to so far successfully spy on the order?"

Fred and George nodded, and Patsy and Annie exchanged glances.

"This might be harder than we thought," said Annie, but Patsy shook her head.

"We're using muggle stuff," she pointed out. "I don't think they'll expect that."

Annie nodded.

"Okay," she said. "Let's get going."

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The doorbell rang. Patsy, Annie, Fred, George, and Ron all jumped up as one and immediately put their backs to the dining room table. Patsy hid a roll of duct tape behind her back.

"Should we open it?" asked Annie, looking at Patsy. "Or should we let Sirius get it?"

"We can answer it," said Fred. "But we'll have to check through the window to make sure it's an Order member. If it's not..."

"You mean it could be a Death Eater?" Patsy grinned. "Awesome! Annie, it's a dream come true!"

All three Weasley's were looking at Patsy as if she were insane (which was pretty close to the truth); Annie, however, let out a whoop.

"Cool!"

"Er--you guys know you don't know how to use magic, right?" said Ron uncertainly.

Patsy rolled her eyes.

"Who needs magic?" she said skeptically. "We'd confuse them to death. Quote Harry Potter left and right. It'd scare them senseless."

"Quote the entire scene at the Department of Mysteries in Order of the Phoenix!" agreed Annie excitedly. "Make sure to throw in a few extra comments about Tom Riddle's heritage and younger years. And if Lucius Malfoy's part of the group, we could tease him senseless about his little trip to Azkaban!"

"If Bellatrix is there, though, I'd have a hard time being pleasant," Patsy added, an ugly look on her face. "I'll never forgive her for what she did to Neville! I hope he gets to kill her in book six or seven. I would laugh so hard!"

"Me too," Annie said.

The Weasley boys were looking terrified. Annie had to wonder whether they were afraid of the idea of Death Eaters coming to visit, or afraid of Patsy and her. Or perhaps both.

"Anyway," said Patsy, grinning. "Let's greet our guest."

She jumped forward and pulled the door open.

It wasn't a Death Eater. It was Remus Lupin.

Patsy and Annie knew who he was right away. They stood there, speechless. Finally Annie was able to manage an "Oh my God."

Lupin smiled pleasantly at them. He looked very tired, and there was gray in his hair and his face was lined, but he gave the appearance of being a very kind person who had been hardened slightly by pain and life.

"Hello," he said.

"Er..." said Patsy, gaping. "Um...yeah...hi."

Suddenly Annie jumped forward and gave him a hug.

"Oh my God, it's really you!" she shrieked, squeezing him and then jumping back. "It's you! Oh my God...Remus Lupin, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...you are like so popular in the fandom...oh my God, imagine the jealous glares I'd be getting if those fan girls could see me now!"

Patsy burst out laughing.

"Annie, we wouldn't just be getting glares from Remus's fan girls," she laughed. "We'd be getting glares from Sirius's, James's, Ron's, Fred and George's, and Harry's fan girls as well!" She started laughing so hard that she couldn't say another word, and Annie joined her.

"WE'RE MAKING ALL THE FAN GIRLS TURN GREEN AND WE'RE TRIUMPHANT!" she screamed in between peals of laughter.

Remus had no idea what they were talking about, but he smiled anyway.

"Nice to meet you," he said, laughing a little.

"You have no idea," said Annie after she had recovered a little. She shook his head, and so did Patsy, careful to keep the duct tape hidden behind her back.

"Hello Fred, George, Ron," Lupin turned to them, and shook each of their hands as well. "Now, do any of you know where Sirius is?"

"He's upstairs," said Annie, sounding as if she didn't care much at all. She was too busy examining Remus to make sure he was real. "You are really Remus John Lupin, aren't you?"

"Last time I checked." He smiled. "Very nice to meet you two." And he headed toward the stairs.

As soon as he was gone, Patsy turned to Annie.

"Remus John Lupin?" she said. "Where'd you get that?"

"A web chat with Joanne Kathleen," explained Annie. "She gave quite a few middle names. I think that it said Hermione's is Jane."

"Cool," said Patsy, and then she turned to the twins and Ron. "We all set?"

"Yep," confirmed George. "I'm not sure how this is going to work, but we taped down the button labeled TALK like you said, and the walking-talking is taped securely under the table."

"Walkie-talkie," corrected Annie subconsciously. "Is it turned on?"

"The little red light's on."

"Good," affirmed Patsy. "Those are cheap things; let's hope the meeting starts soon, so the batteries don't run out too soon."

"They shouldn't," This was Annie. "I put new batteries in them."

"Okay, good," Patsy said, "Now all we need to do is--"

The phone rang.

For a second they all stared at it. Then Annie said, "I don't think the Order uses phones. I'm betting half of them don't even know how to use them. It's probably someone else."

"Mom," Patsy said. "It's probably my mom. She's getting worried about me; I've been spending a lot of time over here."

Annie went over and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

For a moment everyone was quiet. All eyes were on Annie. She, also, was quiet. At first she just looked confused, listening to the voice on the other side of the phone, but then she started looking seriously concerned. Then she turned pale. When she hung up, Patsy was the first to speak.

"What's up? You look awful."

It was a moment before Annie spoke. When she finally did, there was a sob behind each word.

"That...that was my mom. She called to tell me...that Grandpa's dead. He's gone. She's coming home."