Living with Danger

Chapter 48: Unexpected

March, as predicted, went out like a lion, and April dawned wet and stormy. Fred and George Weasley, wanting to celebrate their 13^th birthday, sent Ron a letter which exploded and showered red ink all over him and his room. Molly Weasley responded in her trademark style - via Howler.

" - FRIGHTENED ME OUT OF MY WITS, I THOUGHT HE'D BEEN MURDERED, DRIPPING WITH RED THAT WAY, AND IT TOOK ME THREE HOURS TO GET IT ALL OFF THE WALLS - "

The twins immediately wrote Ron a very handsome apology note.

"The twins never apologize," Ron said in confusion, handing Harry the note. "Ever. Can I borrow Hedwig?" The owl had finally been named by Remus after the cubs had fought over names for a month.

"What for?"

"To ask them if they've gone out of their minds."

"I'll save you some time," Hermione said. "They don't have minds."

"They have to have minds," Draco objected. "They couldn't come up with as good of pranks as they do if they didn't have minds."

"Fine, they have minds," Harry said. "They're just not sane. Can we all agree on that?"

Nods all around. The twins were officially insane.

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5 April, 1991

Dear Fred and George,

Why'd you apologize?

Ron

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6 April, 1991

Dear Ronniekins,

Because we felt like it.

Gred and Forge

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7 April, 1991

Dear annoying brothers,

Why did you feel like it?

Ron

P.S. If you call me Ronniekins again, I'll hurt you.

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8 April, 1991

Dear darling little brother,

We never explain ourselves - you should know that by now.

The Annoying Ones

P.S. You, hurt us? Feel free to try.

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9 April, 1991

Dear idiots,

You told me once never to apologize for anything. And you also once discussed throwing fireworks around in Snape's class. Should I tell Mum about that, or not?

Ron

P.S. I'm trying.

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10 April, 1991

Dear Ron,

We're touched. You're growing up. How can we tell? You're blackmailing us.

The Idiots

P.S. Mum threatened to stop our pocket money if we didn't apologize.

----------

On 30 April, Arthur Weasley Flooed home instead of Apparating.

"Is something wrong?" Molly asked him, taking his cloak. "You look troubled..."

"Not exactly," Arthur said in a shaky voice. "Molly, I've just spoken with Amelia Bones. Apparently she didn't want to get my hopes up until everything was finalized. But it seems the Ministry wants to show its appreciation for people who help to catch criminals - and Ron and Ginny's role in catching Pettigrew makes our family qualified for a reward."

"Reward?" Molly repeated in surprise.

"A monetary reward," Arthur elaborated.

"Well, we can certainly use it," Molly said frankly. "How much?"

"You should sit down first..."

"Don't give me that, Arthur, if I can deal with learning our neighbor is Sirius Black I can deal with anything. How much?"

Arthur swallowed. "Ten thousand Galleons."

Molly sat down.

----------

30 April, by coincidence, was also the date of the official Ministry apology to Sirius Black for his unjust imprisonment. There had been rumors of monetary compensation to be paid to him, but these never materialized. The rumors ranged from the possible to the absurd, but one of the most prevalent hinted at a thousand Galleons for every year of his life touched by the scandal.

Sirius consented to be reinterviewed in the wake of the apology, and when the inevitable questions about money came up, he told the absolute truth - "I told the Ministry I didn't want their money. I have plenty of my own, and if I don't I'd rather work for it than get handouts for something that I wish had never happened in the first place."

"But I notice you're not above making them pay out to someone else," Remus said later at the Den.

"The Weasleys need it, we don't. And they'll never know. Now they can afford to get Ron his own wand, Harry was telling me they were going to give him Charlie's, now that Charlie's been accepted as intern at that Romanian dragon colony and has a salary of his own..."

----------

Aletha took the cubs to Diagon Alley in mid-May to buy some supplies she needed at the Apothecary. "Don't touch anything," she instructed them. "Look only. Understand?"

"Yes ma'am," four voices chorused respectfully.

Hermione stared wistfully at the shelves of advanced manuals on potion-brewing, while Meghan made a beeline for the potted herbs and Draco took a closer look at some of the sample potions on display in the window. Harry, left to his own devices, became aware of a faint noise. It almost sounded like someone crying...

He wandered through the store, concentrating on not concentrating on it (if that made any sense, he thought), just letting his feet take him where they wanted him to go...

They took him to a large bin in the back of the store. It was labeled "CAUTION: Live Animals", and the crying seemed to be coming from inside it.

Harry squatted down beside it and listened carefully.

"Too crowded in here..."

"I'm hungry..."

"I miss you, my heart's egg..."

Harry gasped. The last voice had been one he knew. "Siss? Is that you?"

"Harry?" The snake sounded aghast. "Harry, how did you find me?"

"It was just chance, I didn't know you were here - was that you I heard crying?"

"Yes, it may have been... I was so sad when you had to go away, and you were away so long... and now we are here and we do not know why, and I was very lonely and frightened..."

"I'm here now," Harry said, prying at the lid to the bin. "Just hold on another minute..."

The lid popped off. The snakes within were in such constant motion that the bin looked as if it were filled with boiling green water, but now every unblinking eye was fixed on Harry, and every hissing word was about him.

"A human who speaks our language..."

"My mother told me of such things, but I never thought to see one..."

"My cousin served one who could speak to snakes, and brought him many tales of what other humans did in their living places, and got many good meals as a reward..."

"Harry!" Siss' head emerged at the far edge of the bin. Harry picked her quickly up.

"When did you eat last?" he asked, feeling how limp she was in his hands and noticing the unnatural dullness of her scales.

"I do not remember. It was too long ago. Oh, my human eggling, I thought I would never see you again..." Siss coiled around his hand, her voice breaking again in her joy.

Harry bent down to pick up the lid of the bin. "I'm going to take you home," he said. "You can stay with me as long as you want to."

"What about us?" another snake protested.

"Sorry," Harry said regretfully, "but I can't take you all, and I'd get in trouble if I let you go. I might be able to get you fed, though. I'll try."

"All right. Thank you."

Harry snapped the lid back on the bin and went up to the counter.

"I thought I told you not to touch anything," Aletha began.

"I'll pay for her myself," Harry said quickly. "And I'll take care of her and she won't ever go anywhere she shouldn't."

"She." Aletha looked musingly at the snake. "A friend of yours?"

"From when we lived in London," Harry said.

"The one you arranged the prank with?"

Harry nodded.

"It comes out of your pocket money," Aletha warned.

"Fine."

"How much is the snake?" she asked the wizard behind the counter.

"You only want one? We usually sell them by weight, for potion supplies... shall we say one Sickle?"

"That seems fair. Harry?"

Harry fumbled in his pocket and found a silver coin. "Thank you," he said, passing it over.

"Harry?" the wizard asked, looking at him again. "Not Harry Potter?"

"Yes, sir." Inwardly, Harry sighed. The dialogue had been repeated almost everywhere he went for the last four months.

Well, before then too, but before then I was saying no...

"Well, I'm pleased to meet you," the wizard was saying. "Happy to have been of service, Mr. Potter, just delighted."

"Thank you, sir." Harry beat a hasty retreat before the man could get any more effusive.

Maybe coming out of hiding wasn't so great after all.

Then he remembered.

"... seeing who you are, I might be able to knock a few Sickles off the price for you..." The wizard and Aletha both looked up as Harry returned.

"Sir, the snakes are hungry," he said. "The ones in the bin. I know they're only for potions supplies, but they'd be healthier if they got something to eat."

The wizard nodded thoughtfully. "I did have a complainer in here the other day," he said. "Hogwarts Potions Master, he was, and annoyed because a couple in his batch were dead when he got them home, and the other ones had started eating them, and then of course he didn't have enough for his potion... but how do you know they're hungry?"

Aletha gave Harry a warning look. Harry shot her back the "I'm-not-stupid" one.

"I like snakes, sir," he said. "I can tell if they're happy or not, and sometimes why, and the ones in the bin look hungry. This one - see how her scales are all dull? That means she hasn't eaten in too long."

"Well, I'll certainly look into that - can't have dissatisfied customers, can I now?" The wizard chuckled. "Thank you, Mr. Potter, always a pleasure."

"Go get her a mouse or something at the Magical Menagerie," Aletha said, handing Harry three Sickles. "Take the others with you and wait for me there."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Where is your nest now?" Siss asked once they were away from the counter.

"In the country - and I have a new friend, his name is Ron, I think you'll like him..."

"I can smell your nest-mates," the snake said, winding up his arm. "They are nearby."

Harry grinned. "Do me a favor?"

"Anything, heart's eggling. You know that."

Draco yelped very satisfyingly when Siss slithered onto his neck. His glare warned Harry to beware of something cold and squishy in his bed that night.

----------

"You're a Parselmouth?" Ron said in stunned tones. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Harry shrugged. "It never came up."

"So does that mean you have to be a Slytherin?"

"It had better not. I don't want to be a Slytherin. I'd be miserable there. Did you know their dorms are under the lake?"

Ron shivered. "Must be cold at night."

"So Hedwig has to be my owl, or Hermione's," Draco said. "Because of the one-pet rule."

"Will they even let you bring a snake?" Hermione worried. "It's not on the list."

"Neither is a rat, and Percy had one for four years," Ron pointed out. "As long as it doesn't bite anyone, it should be all right."

"She's not going to bite anything except her dinner," Harry said fondly. "Are you, Siss?"

"Am I what?"

"Going to bite people."

"Why would I do that? It would get you in trouble, and it wouldn't help me any. People are too big to eat."

"Just so you know, that's incredibly creepy," Ron said frankly.

"Do you want to hold her?"

"Who? The snake? Er... all right." Ron held out his hand, and Siss slithered from Harry's to his.

"She's not slimy," Ron said, stroking her gently with a finger. "She's kind of soft."

"I think he likes you," Harry said.

"I like him," Siss answered. "He is very warm and smells nice. He will make a good nest-mate for you."

"I'm glad you approve."

----------

Vernon Dursley whistled cheerfully as he pulled up in front of his house. Things couldn't be better. He and Petunia had both found decent paying jobs and been able to keep their flat for the six months the Social Services people demanded, and in February, their family had been reunited. Dudley had been a little skittish around them at first, since his memories of Petunia were vague and he didn't recall Vernon at all, but when he discovered they'd let him do just about anything he wanted, he warmed right up to them.

And why shouldn't we spoil our son a little, now that we've got him back?

Vernon had been promoted quickly, and his promotion bonuses had enabled the Dursleys to buy a house - in the same town in Surrey where they had once lived, on the same street in fact. It had been sold to them by a family with a son Dudley's age, who was also going away to Smeltings in the fall, and the boys had hit it off right away.

Be good for Dudley to have a friend at school. We'll have to go to London soon to get him kitted up... but enough time to think about that later. Tomorrow's the big day - my son's going to be eleven...

With these pleasant thoughts in his mind, Vernon Dursley kissed his wife hello and clapped a hand on his son's shoulder on greeting, getting a grunt in return as Dudley stared at the television. A cartoon was playing, showing a man waving his hands and things floating about.

"Ruddy nonsense," Vernon grumbled, but without any real rancor. It didn't matter if Dudley watched such things, after all... he was in no danger of turning out like that freak of a nephew of Petunia's...

He wondered idly whatever had happened to the boy, and if he'd turned out as unnatural as his good-for-nothing parents...

----------

Dudley went to get the mail the next day. He came bouncing back into the kitchen, grinning. "Look, I've got a letter!"

"That's wonderful, Dudders," Petunia said, accepting the rest of the mail from her son. "Who's it from?"

"Don't know, there's no return address. And it's written in green, and the paper's all funny..."

Vernon and Petunia looked at each other, transfixed with horror, unable to move, unable to stop Dudley from ripping the envelope open and pulling out the letter.

"You have been accepted..." he read aloud. "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry..." He looked at them. "Doesn't that mean magic?"

"It's not true," Vernon said quickly. "It's not true, Dudley, it's just a joke. Ha ha ha." He gave three jerky little laughs.

"That's right, dear, only a joke," Petunia backed him up. "Someone's trying to have you on, maybe it's those nasty boys from number four, they look like the sort..."

"If it was a joke, you wouldn't be scared," Dudley said, eyeing his parents.

"Scared? Us?" Vernon laughed jerkily again. "We're not scared, boy, we're just surprised. Surprised you'd think such a stupid thing was real - magic, ha ha ha..."

"We only want what's best for you, dear," Petunia said, trying to smooth things over.

The doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Petunia said quickly, hurrying down the hall.

A brown-haired woman stood on the doorstep, wearing a long dress at least ten years out of date. "Mrs. Dursley?" she asked.

"Yes, that's me." Petunia felt an urge to slam the door in the woman's face, but it was broad daylight and something like that would be noticed.

"My name is Nell Perks - may I come in, please?"

"Of... of course."

"I believe your son, Dudley, has just been accepted to Hogwarts?" the woman said in a carrying tone as soon as the door was shut behind her.

"H-Hogwarts?" Petunia faltered, making frantic shushing motions with her hands. "Please, keep your voice down - I'm afraid I don't know what you're - "

"Is it real?" Dudley shouted, barreling down the hallway. "Is the magic real?"

"Of course it's real," the woman said soothingly. "My goodness, you're a fine-looking young man. I'm with the Ministry of Magic, Muggle Relations Bureau - I'm an Official Muggle-born Witch and Wizard Welcomer - so welcome, Dudley, to a brand new world." She shook his hand.

Petunia fainted.

----------

A little more than halfway through July, Andromeda wrote the Pack to tell them that Tonks' N.E.W.T. scores had come back satisfactorily, and that she'd passed her aptitude tests and been accepted as an Auror-trainee.

"Apparently she's over the moon," Danger said, reading the letter. "She was afraid she'd failed the stealth test when she tripped over the examiner."

"Why didn't she?" Aletha asked.

"The examiner was asleep at the time, so they gave her an automatic pass."

Everyone chuckled.

"Speaking of sleep, have you noticed that certain people are not sleeping well lately?" Remus asked, shooting a significant look toward the stairs.

"You can't blame him, Moony, his birthday's in two days." Sirius paused, thinking. "Or seven, depending on which one you're talking about."

"I meant all three, but any of them will do. I've never seen them this on edge."

"Well, it'll all be over in two days," Danger said with relief. "I'm grateful Professor Dumbledore was willing to do that for us."

----------

On the morning of 26 July, the cubs woke up a bit later than usual.

"I didn't think I was going to be able to sleep at all last night," Draco said in surprise. "And it's 9:30 already..."

Harry ran his tongue around his teeth. "Does anyone else's mouth taste like orange?" he asked.

Three nods answered him.

"Sleeping Potions," said Meghan, pouting. "They made us sleep."

"It's better than lying awake all night," Hermione said practically. "Come on, let's get dressed."

It was only seven minutes before the cubs clattered down the stairs.

"Happy birthday, Draco," Remus said, standing near the bottom of the stairs with his hands behind his back. "I have something for you."

"Did it come?" Draco blurted, bouncing up and down on his feet on his excitement. "Is it here?"

"You mean this?" Remus said quizzically, withdrawing his left hand from behind his back. It held a parchment envelope, addressed in green ink.

"Yes, that!" Draco glared at his Pack-father. "You know what I mean, Moony. Gimme - please," he added quickly.

"Oh, but it's not for you," Remus said, looking leisurely at the superscription.

"What?" Draco looked astonished.

"No, this is addressed to a Miss H. Granger-Lupin."

Hermione squealed happily. Remus tossed the letter to her. "And I have one here for a Mr. H. Potter," he said, bringing his other hand out from behind his back. "Catch, Harry."

Harry had to press his lips hard together so as not to laugh as he caught his long-awaited letter and looked at Draco. His brother seemed like he was about to cry.

"You are a horrible mean man, Remus Lupin," Danger said from behind the cubs. "Here, Draco, I have it. They all came together."

"I love you, Danger," Draco said, grinning all over his face as he accepted the precious letter, with its "Mr. D. Black" written in emerald-green ink. "And I don't love you, Moony," he added with a scowl over his shoulder.

"You have to learn to take it if you're going to dish it out, little fox," Remus pointed out.

Draco growled lightly. "Do not."

"Do too."

"Do not."

"Do too."

"Do not."

"As scintillating as this conversation is, it's not getting that letter opened," Danger pointed out ever so politely.

----------

"A silver potion, used for scrying," Severus Snape repeated, interested in spite of himself. "And you wish to know..."

"If exposure to it could cause a person to become in some manner clairvoyant," Aletha Freeman-Black said. "And if so, what type of exposure would do so."

Severus reached for one of his reference books, not even bothering to look. Freeman-Black looked fascinated. "Does this look familiar?" he said after a moment, handing the book to her, open at a certain page.

"Yes, I think that's the one. I know Anita used bay leaves, and this includes them, and I remember it having that blue tinge when she brewed it."

"The Sibyl's Mirror," Severus said, accepting the book back from her. "Rather intricate, and time consuming if made properly, but it gives a far clearer picture than many other scrying media, and has even been known to facilitate the extremely difficult business of scrying through time. But as to your question..." He studied the page, frowning in thought. "The active ingredients break down when exposed to acid such as the human stomach contains, so drinking it would be pointless. And the non-toxic rating means that casual contact with skin, such as would be caused by a spill, would not have an effect."

Freeman-Black rubbed her left elbow, thinking. "What if it somehow got into a cut, or passed the skin in some other way?"

"That... might well do it," Severus said, struck by the notion. "Yes. The usual bodily defenses are down, so the potion would take effect on the water-based human blood - I do believe that might be an answer. If the potion was in some manner inserted directly into the bloodstream."

"Like a shot," Freeman-Black said. When Severus looked blank, she elaborated. "Muggle doctors use hollow needles to place medicines directly into a patient's blood. It's very effective. Thank you, Professor, you've done me a great favor."

"You are welcome," Severus said almost automatically, still a bit horrified by the image Freeman-Black had presented. Needles. In medicine. I am so glad I am not a Muggle.

Freeman-Black was just at the door when someone knocked on it.

"Enter," Severus called out, and the door opened to reveal -

"Sirius!" Freeman-Black embraced her husband. "What are you doing here?"

"Business," the man said, dropping a kiss on her cheek. "See you at home?"

"Of course." Freeman-Black shut the door behind her.

"I have no business with you, Black," Severus said, letting his tone enter the wide and endlessly fascinating realm of sneer.

"Maybe you don't. But I have business with you. May I sit down?"

"No, you may not." Severus felt a surge of glee at making Black stand in front of his desk like a naughty schoolboy. To add to the image, he folded his hands and put on his most professorial look.

"All right, I'll stand." Black looked nervous, Severus noted, enjoying himself more and more. "I wished to speak with you about our school days, and some of the things that passed between us then."

He's reverting to pure-blood formality - how interesting. He must be very nervous indeed. "What sort of things?"

"The things James and I did to you." Black was looking around the room, anywhere but at Severus.

"The things you and James Potter did to me," Severus repeated, allowing himself a small smirk at Black's obvious discomfiture. "Oh, perhaps you mean your constant crusade to humiliate me in public and make me lose points for my house and garner detentions for myself. Rest assured, Black, I haven't forgotten." And your precious children are coming to Hogwarts... easy prey, and quite legal, if they are anything like their parents...

"I'm sure you haven't." Black tore his gaze away from one of the specimens on the shelves lining the room and met Severus' eyes for the first time since he'd entered the room. "We were very much in the wrong when we did that. And I'm sorry."

The words fell into a dead silence.

----------

He may never move again.

Sirius held himself very firmly in check. I am not going to laugh. It would ruin everything I came here to do.

I came here to close the book on my past, or at least to try. I finished with Wormtail, now I'm doing my best to finish with Snape.

Of course, Wormtail was in the wrong, so it was up to me to forgive him. I'm in the wrong here, so there's only so much I can do...

Snape began, harshly, to laugh. It echoed in the stone-walled room. "You. Sorry," he said between bouts of horrible, constricted laughter. "You must teach me sometime how you do that, how you look so sincere. You almost had me convinced, Black. For one moment, I believed you." He continued laughing, sounding as if he hadn't done so for years.

If ever.

That's it. There's nothing more I can do here.

"I wish you would," Sirius said with a trace of regret. "I do mean it." He headed for the door, Snape's jarring laugh following him.

"You mean it," the other man was repeating. "You mean it!"

The door cut off the noise from within the office. Sirius leaned against it and sighed.

I tried. I had no idea what was going to happen, but I tried.

Good luck, cubs. You're going to need it.

----------

Severus sank back into his chair, weak with laughter.

I almost believed him. For one second, I almost believed he might actually be sorry.

But that is impossible. He began calming himself, breathing deeply, restoring his usual serenity. Sirius Black, admit a fault, much less apologize for it? The sun would sooner rise in the west. So what gain can he expect from apologizing to me?

Of course - his children enter Hogwarts this fall - I thought of them myself, earlier. He hopes to placate me and make their road easier. But I refuse to play his game. I will not be bought off with his false apologies. I will have blood for blood, humiliation for humiliation, and I will enjoy it.

With a loud crack, a house-elf materialized in his office. "What do you want?" he snapped at it.

"Professor Dumbledore is sending you the list of students for the new year, Professor Snape, since it is being the beginning of August and the teachers is needing to prepare for their new students."

"Yes, yes, give it here and get out," Snape said, taking the scroll impatiently from the creature.

He unrolled it and began to read. Abbott, Black - no surprise, I knew about him - Bones, Boot, Brown, Bulstrode...

He almost choked when he got to the G's. Granger-Lupin? Oh, glorious. A Black and a Lupin, in the same class. And with Harry Potter, no less. He snarled silently. The Marauders live again.

Another familiar, and highly unwelcome, name caught his eye. And another Weasley. I've seen the mother, built for babies, so it's no real surprise...

His mind chose this moment to present him with a scene from Black's parody of a trial. Minerva McGonagall walking out onto the floor, being trailed by three children, two of them red-haired, the infamous Weasley red...

The younger brother of some of the most outrageous troublemakers I have ever known - and the children of the others - friends, allies in rule-breaking...

Getting drunk tonight was sounding more appetizing by the minute.

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Chapter 49: September 1, 1991, London

On 3 August, the fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron got quite a lot of use, as five Weasleys (Molly, Percy, Fred, George, and Ron) and eight Marauders Flooed into it one after another.

Hermione was almost jumping out of her skin with impatience to get to the bookstore, while Draco wanted to see himself in Hogwarts robes at long last. Ron was interested in Quality Quidditch Supplies and the latest broomstick models, even if he couldn't have his own broom at school until next year, and the twins, of course, were afire with enthusiasm to visit Gambol and Japes now that they had what Fred called "some real pocket money".

Harry was looking forward to something a bit different.

"Your mother and father knew this day might come," Padfoot had told him the night before. "One of the last things they did before they went into hiding was leave you a letter in their Gringotts vault." He smiled a bit wryly. "It was James' idea to bury it under some of the money. I think he was hoping you'd never have to dig deep enough to find it."

Now, waiting for whichever adult was at the front of the group to open the archway to Diagon Alley, Harry pulled his Pack-pendant chain from his shirt and looked again at the four small medallions.

The first one had a carving of a stag on one side and a tiger on the other - Harry traced the stag's outline reverently with his finger. The second one showed a male lion and a wolf side by side, and a large dog and a winged horse on the reverse. The third, on one side, had a dragon and a cat, and on the other, a bird surrounded by things Moony said were flames, which made it a phoenix, and another bird no one could identify, though Harry thought it looked a bit like a crow. The last one had three pictures on one side - a cat, a fox, and a doe - and nothing on the other.

Everyone's pendants were a little different - the first pendant was very different for everyone except Hermione and Danger, who both had a book and a rose -

Ron waved his hand in front of Harry's eyes. "Hello, anyone home? Come on, they're leaving without us!"

----------

"Hagrid!" Harry called as they entered Gringotts. He sped off to greet the Hogwarts gamekeeper, who had just emerged from the door leading to the vaults, looking rather green.

"Hullo, Harry," Hagrid said a bit weakly. "Blimey, I hate them carts. All righ', Sirius?"

"All right, thanks. What brings you to Gringotts today?"

"Oh, I can't tell yeh that. Very secret. Hogwarts business." Hagrid patted his pocket confidently. "Dumbledore's trusted me with it."

"No one better," Sirius said with a smile. "Come on, Harry, we've got business of our own. Tom's not too busy now if you need a pick-me-up, Hagrid," he added quietly.

----------

Nearly an hour later, Sirius held a tearful Harry in one of the private parlors in the Leaky Cauldron, to which Tom had kindly escorted them upon seeing the look on Harry's face after he'd read the letter the first time.

"Better now?" Sirius asked quietly.

Harry sniffled. "Some," he said into Sirius' robes. "Tell me again?"

"They loved you more than anything," Sirius recited. "More than your dad loved flying, more than your mum loved reading, more than either of them loved life itself they loved you."

Harry emitted a deep, shaky sigh and wiped his eyes with Sirius' handkerchief. Siss poked her head out of his shirt and (Sirius assumed) said something to him, since Harry answered in a sibilant hiss, paused a moment, then gave a small smile. "I think I'm ready now," he said, standing up. "Thanks, Padfoot."

"Anytime, Greeneyes." Sirius scent-touched his godson, and received one in return.

Because I love you just that much.

And that's the highest compliment possible to James and Lily.

----------

" - looked a little like a rabbit," Draco was saying as Harry and Sirius rejoined the main group, who were standing outside Flourish and Blotts. "And he would not leave me alone - he kept asking me questions about what House I wanted to be in, and did I play Quidditch, and on and on, and finally he got offended because I was ignoring him, and he said, 'Honestly, were you raised by wolves?' And I said, 'Yes,' and by the time he recovered I was already gone."

"Don't go in there," Aletha said over the laughter, holding out her hand to bar Sirius and Harry from entering the bookshop. "Gilderoy Lockhart's holding a book signing, and the last thing either of you needs is to have your picture taken with him."

"We've got all his books on our lists this year," Fred Weasley said. "The new teacher must be a fan - bet it's a witch."

"Mum fancies him," George added, grinning. "Thinks he's so handsome and special and all."

"That's probably what's taking her so long," Ron said in tones of disgust. "Getting all of ours signed."

Molly Weasley emerged from the bookstore, Percy beside her, both of them carrying teetering piles of books. "Here, Fred, George, these are yours," she said, shoving the books into the twins' arms. "Ron, Percy has yours."

Remus was right behind her, also with a stack of books, which he handed to Draco. Danger gave Harry his, and Hermione was carrying her own and beaming. "He thinks I'm pretty," she said in a voice which reminded Harry a bit of Luna.

"Who?" Harry asked, rearranging his books so they didn't squash Siss.

"Gilderoy Lockhart," Hermione said, her eyes half-closed and a rather silly smile on her face. "He called me a pretty young lady and asked if I wanted my books signed 'With Love'."

Draco caught Harry's eye and twirled his finger next to his temple. Ron made a "someone-get-me-a-basin" face.

"Last stop of the day, Ollivander's," Remus said quickly before Hermione could notice the boys.

"No, wait, Harry doesn't have his robes yet - " Sirius started.

"I'll take his books," Danger said, reclaiming the stack. "You take him to Madam Malkin's, Sirius, and catch us up at Ollivander's."

"No, even better," Molly Weasley said. "I can take all these home for you, so you don't have to be carrying them about, and you can take Ron with you to get his wand."

"If it wouldn't be a problem - " Aletha said.

"Not at all," Molly assured them. "I need to get these two home before they destroy something anyway," she added in a low tone with a glance at Fred and George. "And if they're carrying books, they won't have free hands to do it with."

"I'm not giving these to them," Hermione said in a disdainful tone, glaring at the twins.

"I'll take yours, Hermione dear," Molly said quickly, holding out her arms for them. Danger handed Harry's to Fred, and Draco dumped his pile in George's arms.

"Robes, then a wand?" Sirius asked Harry.

Harry grinned. "Sounds like a plan."

They set off for Madam Malkin's together.

----------

3 August

Dear Amelia,

The object we were discussing arrived safely at Hogwarts today. Thank you for providing the extra security around Gringotts for the past month. It may have made the difference.

Albus Dumbledore

----------

4 August

Dumbledore -

You're welcome, and thank you, on behalf of my department as well as myself. Now my staff can finally get some sleep (I've had reports of people falling asleep on the job from the overload). After all, if it's not safe at Hogwarts, where is it safe?

A. Bones

P.S. Any truth to the rumors you're hiring an adjunct Defense professor this year?

----------

The boys lay in the sun outside the Weasleys' orchard, each ruminating silently on the beauties of the gorgeous things belonging to them - Harry's eleven inches, holly and phoenix feather, Ron's fourteen inches, willow and unicorn tail hair, and Draco's twelve and a half inches, hazel and dragon heartstring.

They could hear, from around the corner of the trees, Hermione's voice, reading something aloud to the other girls from her favorite perch in the fork of an elm. Harry was sure that her eleven and three quarter inches of vine wood, containing one dragon heartstring, was safely tucked into her pocket, ready for anything.

"Do either of you know any spells?" Ron asked lazily.

"We've heard them, but we don't really know them," Draco answered, stroking his wand as Padfoot sometimes did. "Things like Alohomora and Scourgify that everyone uses day-to-day. How about you?"

"George taught me one - at least he says it's one, but I think he's lying. It goes like this:

"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow,

"Turn my sister's hair bright yellow.

"But I tried it on Ginny and nothing happened."

"Speaking of Ginny, where's she been lately?" Harry asked. "I never see her anymore."

Ron sighed. "I don't know what's wrong with her. She keeps watching you, but every time you start coming anywhere near her, she runs away and hides. And if she has to be around you, she never says anything, just blushes and gets away as soon as she can."

"Did I offend her somehow?" Harry asked perplexedly.

Draco sighed. "No, Harry, you didn't offend her. You didn't do anything - except exist."

"What?"

"She likes you," Draco elaborated. "She's got a crush on you. You're The Boy Who Lived - get used to it. Girls are going to be all over you."

Harry shuddered. "Remind me again why we wanted to stop hiding."

"I've got a better idea," Ron said. "Let's talk about something else."

"Fine with me," Harry said heartily. "Let's talk about... spells. I bet we could make up a better one than that one."

"Flames and blankets on my bed," Draco said, sitting up,

"Turn my sister's hair bright red."

The other boys laughed. "But you have to have your wand out or it doesn't work," Harry said, pulling out his own.

"And besides, that one wouldn't do anything to Ginny," Ron pointed out.

"I've got one," Harry said, still laughing.

"Ocean water, sky so true,

"Turn my sister's hair bright blue."

A jet of light shot from the end of his wand and into the trees. There were several gasps and a little scream.

"Uh-oh," Draco said, staring at Harry's wand.

"WHO DID THIS?" Hermione's voice screamed.

"What do we do now?" Harry said in a panicked whisper.

Ron gulped. "Run?" he suggested weakly.

They needed every bit of the head start they got to make it to the Den before the absolutely furious and bright-blue-haired Hermione could catch them (Meghan, Ginny, and Luna had been slowed down by laughing). Once there, they were able to hide behind Moony and Danger until Harry managed to get Hermione to understand that it had been an accident, he really hadn't meant to turn her hair blue, and he was really, really sorry, and he was going to turn it back right away.

"No more experimenting," Moony said sternly, holding out his hand for the boys' wands. "Hermione, you too. You don't need these until you leave for school."

Draco and Hermione wouldn't speak to Harry for a day and a half. Ron was sympathetic. "I told on Fred and George once for hexing Ginny's dolls, and all three of them stopped speaking to me," he said as the two practiced close formation flying. "I guess Ginny thought she could take care of it herself."

----------

By the end of August, everything was made up between the cubs, though Draco was still spending a lot of time with Luna and Hermione with Ginny. "Don't push them," Letha told Harry. "Remember, they're leaving the girls behind when they go to Hogwarts. Ron's going with you."

Harry nodded. "They're going to wear Hedwig out with all the letters I hear them promising to write," he said. "She's going to be stretched so thin you'll be able to see through her."

Padfoot started snickering. "Owl stretching time," he said mysteriously.

Letha threw a wad of parchment at his head. "Why is it you can remember things like that, but not to pick your towel up off the bathroom floor?"

----------

Draco and Luna sat in the music room of the Den. It was 4:50 on 31 August. Draco's trunk was packed and ready for the next day's departure. Neither of them knew quite what to say, and Luna was expected home at five.

Luna's hands began to move across the keys, playing an introduction. Then she sang, simply and naturally as Aletha had taught her.

Think of me, think of me fondly

When we've said goodbye,

Remember me every so often,

Promise me you'll try;

On that day, that not so distant day,

When you are far away and free,

If you ever find a moment,

Spare a thought for me.

Luna modulated the chords into a finish, although Draco knew that was only a small portion of the song.

I guess that's all she needs to say...

"I'll owl you every week," he said. "I promise."

Luna smiled at him. "I'd like that. Goodbye, Draco."

"Goodbye, Luna."

It was enough.

----------

Later that night, the Pack gathered in their Den, for the last time for what suddenly seemed like a very long while.

"Something you'll need to remember," Aletha said. "Wherever you go, whatever you do." She hummed a note, then began to sing.

When you walk through a storm,

Hold your head up high,

And don't be afraid of the dark

Sirius joined her, adding a harmony line.

At the end of the storm

Is a golden calm

And the sweet silver song of the lark.

Remus and Danger joined in, making it full four-part harmony.

Walk on through the wind,

Walk on through the rain

Though your dreams be tossed and blown,

Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart,

And you'll never walk alone,

The music swelled for the big finish.

You'll ne-ver walk a-lone.

"That's what Pack means," Remus said softly into the silence after the song. "None of us are alone. Never forget it."

After that, it could be something resembling a normal den-night, with stories, jokes, cuddling, and eventually sleep.

----------

Danger awoke halfway through the night, got up, scribbled something down, put it in the pocket of her jeans, and went back to sleep.

----------

I am eight years old and a Black, and I knew this was coming. I am NOT going to cry.

Dadfoot surreptitiously handed her a handkerchief.

All right. Yes, I am.

Meghan howled unabashedly as she watched Harry and Draco bang their trunks down the stairs. "Pearl, we're only going to school," Harry said, looking uncomfortable. "We're not dying."

"And we'll owl you every week," Draco added. "Promise."

"You'd better," Meghan said, blowing her nose. "Or I'll steal Mama Letha's wand and hex your flute so it makes you sneeze every time you play it."

"How'll you do that if you're here and I'm there, silly Pearl?" Draco teased.

"I'll Floo there and sneak into your dorm and do it."

"And she will, too," Hermione said from the top of the stairs. "Don't worry, Meghan, I'll make sure they remember."

A horn honked out front. "Oh, there's Remus back with the car," Danger said, hurrying to the front door. "Come on, everyone, let's get loaded up - "

Mrs. Weasley didn't drive, and Mr. Weasley had to work, so Moony would be driving both families to King's Cross. The Weasleys' old turquoise Ford Anglia didn't look large enough to hold six Weasleys (Ginny had insisted on coming) and eight Marauders, let alone seven Hogwarts trunks and two owls (Hedwig and Percy Weasley's Hermes), but Mr. Weasley had been working on the car for a few years and had magically expanded both the trunk and the seats. It was a tad crowded, but everyone fit.

Meghan sat next to Mama Letha all the way there, trying hard not to think of how unfair it was that she didn't get to go to Hogwarts. She was smart enough. She could keep up. Hermione got to go early. Why not her?

Her frown lasted all the way through the ride and into the station, where Moony greeted an older woman with delight. "Sue!"

"Remus," she said in reply, shaking his hand. "Just said goodbye to Terry - the security on your platform won't let me through, Dorothy's getting him aboard. Are all these yours?"

"No, just the ones without red hair - "

Introductions were made all around, and a little of Meghan's bad mood was gone by the time the woman left. The group was just approaching the barrier between platforms nine and ten when Danger gasped, grabbed Harry, and pulled him behind a column.

"What - " Dadfoot asked.

"Tell you in a second," Moony said, looking towards the barrier.

A man, woman, and boy stood there, staring at it. The boy had a trolley with what looked like a Hogwarts trunk on it. "Have a good term," the man said brusquely and strode away.

The boy, who was blond and rather heavyset, watched him go. "Mum, why does Dad hate me?" he asked, a trifle plaintively.

"Your father doesn't hate you, Dudley, he's just a little surprised by all this. I am too - it all happened so fast - " The woman kissed the top of the boy's head. "Have a good time at school, dear, and don't forget to write." She turned and walked quickly away, her face wooden.

The boy stared at the barrier as the Weasleys, who had not hung back with the Pack, approached it. Then he stared at Percy as that young man marched towards the barrier - and vanished through it.

"Excuse me," he said shyly to Mrs. Weasley.

"Hello, dear," Meghan heard her say. "First time at Hogwarts?"

"Yes - the thing is, I don't know how - "

"How to get onto the platform? Not to worry, all you have to do is walk straight at the barrier - don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important - go on, go now before Ron."

The boy visibly marshaled his courage and walked slowly, and probably with his eyes shut, towards the barrier - and went right through.

"Dudley," Mama Letha said slowly. "Not - "

"Yes." Danger emerged from behind the pillar. "Be careful of that boy, you three," she said to the other cubs, and Meghan's annoyance was back full-force.

They have to be careful and not me. Because I'm not going.

Not even passing the magical barrier, holding tightly to Mama Letha's hand, could lift her spirits. She sat down on a discarded crate and pouted.

A thought struck her. What if I sneaked on board? They wouldn't stop the whole train just for me -

She sighed at her own stupidity. No, they'd just send me home by Floo as soon as I got there. And I'd be in trouble.

A sound drew her attention. It sounded like a croak. She looked around for the source, and finally realized it sounded as if it was beneath her...

A toad sat under her crate, blinking stupidly up at her. "I suppose you belong to someone," she said. "I should find out who." She got up, moved the crate, and picked the creature up. Dadfoot was attracting some attention from the other adults on the platform - Meghan skirted that group and walked along, her eyes searching for someone who looked as if they might own a toad. She asked a few people, but the answer was always, "No," usually with the slightly disdainful tone of an older child to a younger.

Suddenly she saw him. It must be him. Why else would someone be on his hands and knees, peering under discarded trolleys?

"Excuse me," she said, coming up behind him. The boy yelped and banged his head, trying to get up. Meghan winced. "Sorry. Is this your toad?"

The boy turned a round, sweating face in her direction. "Trevor!" he cried happily, holding out his hands. "Thank you so much - Gran, here he is!" he called to an older witch with a stuffed vulture on her hat. He put the toad carefully in his shirt pocket and held out his hand to Meghan. "I'm Neville. Neville Longbottom."

Meghan squealed in recognition. "You have to meet my family!" She grasped his hand, still outstretched, and dragged him down the platform to where Dadfoot was just getting rid of the last of the people who wanted to talk to him. "Dadfoot, look who I met," she said breathlessly. "It's - "

"You're the Longbottom boy, aren't you?" Dadfoot said before Meghan could finish. "Moony, what was Frank and Alice's boy's name again?"

"Neville, I think - and that's you, isn't it?" Moony asked, holding out his hand to Neville, who was goggling at them.

"You knew my parents?" he blurted.

"Not only that, we've met before," Dadfoot said, shaking Neville's hand in his turn. "But I doubt you'd remember, since you were one day old at the time."

Neville was staring even harder now. "You're Sirius Black," he said in almost a whisper.

"That I am, and this is my wife Aletha, and you've already met Remus Lupin. We all knew your parents during the war."

"So you did," said another voice from behind Meghan and Neville. "Agnes Longbottom, Mr. Black, pleased to meet you. Frank always spoke highly of you and Mr. Lupin, and Miss Freeman, as you were then," she said to Mama Letha. "This must be your daughter."

"Yes, this is our Meghan, and Remus' wife Gertrude, though everyone calls her Danger - and the other children are on the train already, let me call them - HARRY!"

Neville's eyes didn't look like they could get any bigger without falling out of his head. Meghan wanted to laugh, but that was rude. Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Draco spilled off the train and came running over, and were introduced to Mrs. Longbottom and Neville.

"Do you want to sit with us?" Harry asked when they all knew each other's names. "There's still some room in our compartment."

Neville nodded, seemingly unable to speak.

"Let's get your trunk aboard, then," said Moony. "Where is it?"

"You're Sirius Black's daughter," Neville said weakly to Meghan while Dadfoot and Moony hauled his trunk aboard the train. "And Harry Potter's little sister."

"So?"

"And you gave me my toad back."

"Wouldn't anyone?"

"I don't know," Neville said. "I don't know a lot of other kids." He smiled shyly at her. "I guess that's going to change."

"Do you have anyone to write letters to?" Meghan asked, struck by an impulse.

"Not really. Just Gran, and she won't want me to write too often - she'll think I'm slacking off work if I write her letters all the time."

"Would you write to me?"

"You want me to write to you?"

Meghan nodded. "It's Meghan with an H," she said. "Meghan Black. Or you could ask Harry or Draco or Hermione how to spell it. They all know. And I'll write to you - how do you spell your name?"

Neville spelled it out for her. "I never had a pen-pal before," he said, smiling a little bigger now. "Do you like plants?"

"Oh, I love them. I love watching things grow and be beautiful. Do you?"

"I have my own garden at home," Neville said, sounding almost excited. "I grow all kinds of things."

The train whistled. "You'd better get on," Meghan said quickly. "Go on, get on. You can write me about it, and I'll write you about mine. Goodbye!"

"Goodbye!" Neville got quickly aboard the train with one hand, the other clutching Trevor in his shirt pocket. Dadfoot and Moony jumped off at another door. Meghan hurried down the platform until she was near them, Mama Letha, and Mrs. Weasley. Ginny and Danger seemed to have disappeared somewhere...

----------

Ginny was sniffling hard when Danger pulled her aside. "Some advice, Miss Weasley," she said quietly. "Alpha females don't cry in public unless they can't help it."

Ginny froze in mid-gulp. Danger was well aware that the red-haired girl knew Pack speech, knew that an alpha female was almost always the mate of the alpha male. And that she knew very well indeed who the alpha male of the cubs' pack was.

"Just a reminder," Danger said casually, and strolled back towards Remus.

Yes, I'm making trouble. As I've said before, it's what I do best.

Her hand caressed her pocket, and the lines within.

O warrior woman, tell the maid

Of fiery hair that if she wade

In tears so deep for all to see,

An alpha she will never be.

His warty friend returned by Black,

The might-have-been completes the Pack,

And future dangers they will dare

Perhaps without their Danger there...

Danger looked up suddenly to see Harry hanging out the window. "Get back inside that train this instant, Harry James Potter!" she shouted.

----------

"Fine!" Harry yelled, sliding back in and sitting down.

Draco snickered. "Don't even start," Harry warned him.

With a jerk, the train began to move. Everyone waved furiously at the Pack and Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Longbottom and laughed a bit at Ginny and Meghan, who were chasing the train together. Aletha had traces of tears on her face, Padfoot's smile was a little shaky, Moony looked incredibly proud, Danger was laughing a bit herself, as they waved goodbye...

They all disappeared as the train rounded the corner. Harry felt a great leap of excitement, but there was a little tinge of sadness to it.

He knew what he was going to - but it couldn't be better than what he was leaving behind.

----------

THE END

(for now)