Secrets of the Animagi

Chapter 4 - Artful Dodgers

Looking back upon his holiday with Hermione, Harry concluded that most of it was a blur. After breakfast on his first full day at the Granger's, Hermione presented him with a timetable for summer studies. Considering that he's seen what Hermione was like in a bad mood, Harry agreed to the schedule with one condition; he wanted an actual holiday. Hermione pointed out that freedom from the classroom and Professor Snape was a holiday, but Harry was adamant. Before Hermione could argue with him, Harry excused himself and went out to the garden to start his chores. Harry repeated the sequence with Hermione until she refused to say anything to him at all. After two days of seeing Hermione sulking at the dinner table, Mr. Granger put an end to the conflict by announcing that they would all spend the last week of August at the seashore. Hermione looked suspiciously at her father and Harry, but remained silent. By the morning, however, she was back to being the Hermione that Harry remembered.

Three weeks passed quickly. Harry finished his gardening and then clean-up shifts and moved to kitchen duty. Mrs. Granger left detailed menus and recipes for each day, even for meals she wouldn't be attending. When she was present, she was much better company that his aunt had been. She seemed to be just as knowledgeable as Hermione on many subjects, but preferred to amuse and entertain rather than lecture. Harry and Hermione studied together each afternoon. True to her word, Hermione taught Harry the charm necessary to complete his model galaxy. Unlike most of the charms he had learned at Hogwarts, it didn't require a wand, only contact with the model.

"Descriptus Orion!" Harry took his hand off the model and watched while it changed to include new labels. He had now finished most of the Southern constellations. Hermione had wanted him to go star by star through the galaxy, but Harry found it much faster to use constellation names with the charm. Rufus was prowling about the study, presumably on pest control duties. Harry hadn't seen so much as a solitary horklump during his stay at the Grangers. He wondered if Mrs. Granger wasn't just being overly dramatic in assigning duties to the household pets.

"Rrowr!" Rufus had stopped stalking imaginary vermin and leapt onto the windowsill. Harry looked up to see two large owls approaching the open window.

Unlike the Dursleys, who had insisted on keeping windows closed and locked at all times, the Grangers felt that it was more practical to leave the windows open. It saved time when there were post owls flying about. The owls swooped into the room and landed on the large desk. Harry untied the Hogwarts letters attached to their legs while Hermione fed each owl a treat from the supply she kept inside a drawer. The owls ruffled their feathers and took off through the window. Harry gave Hermione her letter and settled back into his chair to read his.

"I can't believe this!" shouted Hermione suddenly. To Harry's surprise she tore her letter to shreds. "Incendio!" The fragments burst into flames on the desk top.

"Nice piece of wandless magic, Hermione. But was it really necessary?" asked Harry, intrigued. He hadn't read anything so provoking in his letter.

"Harry, I've worked day and night, night and day. The best scores in our year. And for that, Neville and Parvati become Gryffindor prefects?" Hermione was still fuming.

"Prefects are dreadful bores. Have you forgotten Percy? Professor McGonagall is doing you a favour. Besides, when's the last time Parvati or Neville argued with a professor?" Harry didn't relish one of his friends turning into one of them.

"Must I remind you that Neville himself admits to being as close to a squib as anyone can get? He can't even get through Potions without help."

"Hermione, stop. I've never seen you so jealous, and you've done enough sulking this summer. By the way, did your letter come with a book list?" Harry thought it best to change the subject.

"No, now that you mention it." Hemione looked puzzled. "Is yours blank too?" She flipped the materials list over several times as if the list of required texts would magically appear.

"Uh huh"

"I really don't like this. First the prefects, and now they've botched our lists. What now, Rufus?" Hermione's tirade was interrupted when she noticed Rufus staring at her from the windowsill.

It dawned on Harry that Rufus hadn't moved since he announced the arrival of the owls. He arose from his chair and looked out into the yard. "Hermione, how did Snuffles know where you live?"

"Snuffles? I thought you said he'd become your cousin's pet."

"Yes, Snuffles. And by the way, we'd better stop him before he tunnels under the house." The great black dog was furiously digging in the garden, oblivious to the two young wizards and cat standing at the window. "Snuffles! Bad dog!" Harry bellowed.

Startled, the dog yelped and stopped digging. Seeing Harry and Hermione frowning at him, he quickly changed to his human form. "Bugger," he said as he approached the window, "another moment or two and I would have had that rat."

"Wormtail?" Hermione gasped.

"No," said Sirius with a smile, "just dinner. Startled you, did I?"

"A little," said Hermione tartly, "don't you go anywhere without leaving disasters in your wake?"

"It's just a little hole. I'll have it filled before you can say Apparate." He pulled a wand out of his robes and muttered a charm that restored the garden to it's original state.

"Hungry, Sirius?" asked Harry. "I'm sure we can find something better for you than rat. Meet us at the kitchen door." Harry hurried to the kitchen and flung the door open. Sirius stepped in and gave him a bone-crushing hug. "Sir- ack! Mmpf!"

"Sorry, Harry. It's good to see you again. I'll let you breathe again, shall I?"

It took Harry a minute or two to catch his breath. "I think I like your dog greetings better," he said, brushing loose soil off his clothes. Sirius was rather dishevelled and dirty.

"Sirius, go wash while I make tea," instructed Hermione. "Then, you can tell us how you got here and whose wand you're using." Hermione attempted to look stern, but failed utterly. "I'm glad to see you again," she said with a smile.

Harry directed Sirius to the lavatory while Hermione busied herself in the kitchen. A few minutes later, Sirius returned looking presentable and ravenous. He attacked the food Hermione had set on the kitchen table with gusto. Having seen Sirius after previous canine stints, the teens thought it better to wait until he had eaten before plying him with questions. Watching a grown wizard talk with his mouth full wasn't a pretty sight.

"Alright, I'm ready for the inquisition now," said Sirius at last.

"First, Sirius," began Hermione. "How did you get here?"

"Well, this gave me a bit to go on-"

Sirius held out a copy of a month-old Daily Prophet. There, in bold letters, was "Cheap Essex Tart Devours Krum" followed by a two page pictorial of Hermione and Viktor Krum at a beach. Harry whistled, expecting Hermione to slap him any moment. Instead she just sat there, looking stunned. Harry continued to stare at the paper. Hermione didn't look too bad in swimwear, at least according to those pictures. It was strange to see pictures of Krum looking happy, though. Harry noticed that the newspaper was careful never to mention her name, sticking to the legend "unidentified underage witch". It was wise decision. Hermione could to be very creative when it came to revenge.

"Oh great," said Hermione with a sigh. "I'm glad Viktor's parents don't subscribe to the Prophet."

"Krum has parents?" asked Harry, looking up from the paper.

"Of course he has parents, you ninny. My mum and dad were there, too. Can't you see the backs of their heads in the pictures?"

"I thought those were turtles."

"Turtles? Remind me not to let you read my tea leaves. Just what does that bat Trelawney teach you in that smelly attic?"

"Children," interrupted Sirius.

"Humph," said Hermione, as she confiscated the paper. "Now, back to the matter at hand. Sirius?"

"As I was about to say, the er-, article gave me a general idea. Your parents are listed in the Muggle telephone directory, you know."

"Fair enough, I should have known at least one pure-blooded wizard would figure it out. At least is was you rather than Rita Skeeter or one of her ilk. How did you escape the Dursleys?"

"I didn't escape, I just left when they were conveniently busy hunting," said Sirius. He nodded at Harry. "Your Aunt Petunia was making so much of a fuss about dirt, that I'm sure they've forgotten all about the incident by now."

Hermione appeared shocked, "You didn't Obliviate them?"

"Me? No, but one big black mutt looks pretty much like another. Did you know that switching collars is an incredibly effective disguise? It took me nearly all night to remove the collars from every dog in the hunting party. I put my collar on the dog from two camps over, and off I went."

"Scoundrel! And that wand?"

"Don't be so suspicious. I was able to select a new one the last time I was in Paris. I know of a shop that isn't quite so particular about the clientele. Oak and centaur hair. Mr. Ollivander won't be pleased to hear, but I think this one is even better than my old one."

Harry decided it was his turn to ask questions. "Sirius, if you're not hunting Wormtail and you're not technically running from the Dursleys, why are you here?"

"I have a message from Mrs. Figg. I just happened to meet her very recently."

"Couldn't she just send an owl?"

"I suppose she could have, but you know how she is about her Muggle disguise. In any case, I volunteered. It's on the way to my next assignment.""

"And?"

"I'm getting there." Sirius took a long drink of tea and devoured a sweet biscuit. "Ah, yes. She said to tell you to bring Rufus with you when you go to King's Cross next month. She'll meet you there."

"That's it?"

"No. I also have this for you." Sirius pulled a small card out of his robes and gave it Harry. "It's the password you need. I saw that you received one of our cages for your birthday. Remus said he hadn't heard from you yet, so-"

"Thanks, Sirius."

"And now, I must be going."

"So soon?" asked Hermione. "If you've seen Professor Dumbledore, we have more questions for you.Something odd's going on at Hogwarts. Harry, show him your letter."

"Sorry, Hermione. I'm sure all your questions will be answered soon enough." Before Hermione and Harry could protest, Sirius transformed back into the black dog. He allowed them to scratch him between the ears for a minute and then, with a quick slurp for each of their noses, he bounded to the door and opened it with his large paw. He was gone just as quickly as he had appeared. All Harry and Hermione could do was stare at each other.

"Harry?"

"Yes, Hermione?"

"We have about 10 minutes before Mum and Dad return. Help me clean up?"

They cleaned the kitchen in silence while they waited for Hermione's parents to arrive. Harry didn't see where Hermione hid the old newspaper, but he supposed it was now at the bottom of the dustbin. Too bad, Ron would have liked to see those pictures of Hermione, he thought.

Harry wasn't surprised that Hermione tried, unsuccessfully, to convince her parents to cancel the seaside holiday. He thought she would have had a better chance if she had shown them the Daily Prophet. Mr. and Mrs. Granger were quite firm, reminding Hermione that a cottage near Pett was already rented and that a tour of London libraries wasn't an acceptable substitute. The next day was a flurry of packing and repacking clothing and necessities for the weeklong trip. Mrs. Granger insisted that the Hogwarts trunks also had to be packed, as Harry and Hermione would not be returning to Basildon. Instead they would spend their last day shopping in Diagon Alley before boarding the Hogwarts Express on September 1st. Harry spent every spare moment practising wandless shrinking and expanding charms with Hermione until they were reasonably sure two trunks, four suitcases, two cat carriers, an owl and four people could fit comfortably in the Grangers' sedan. As Hermione had explained to him, successful wandless magic depended on the ability to concentrate. It also had the advantage of being virtually undetectable to the Ministry of Magic. Harry was convinced that Hermione was going to be just as much of a Marauder as his father, Sirius, Lupin and (unfortunately) Pettigrew had been. That is, if she didn't suddenly rediscover her love of rules and regulations.

The week at Pett passed without incident. There were no signs of any reporters or photographers. In fact, there was no sign of anyone at all, other than the inhabitants of the cosy cottage. If Harry didn't know better, he would have sworn that Hermione had discovered a new spell. She didn't seem nearly as paranoid as he would have thought she would be after having pictures of her scantily clad body in a popular newspaper. However, he was enjoying the break from studies and chores too much to worry about it. All too soon, it was time to pack up the sedan and begin their journey to Hogwarts..