I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good

[alt_sally_anne]

So apparently this afternoon, Mum asked Sirius Black if she and I could spend the night at 12 Grimmauld Place, because she wanted us to get to spend a bit more time together and I really need to be working on Potions not Runes. And he said it would be fine and there were guest rooms on the third floor and we could have supper with all of them.

I had a lovely evening with Mum. I told her about apprenticing with Madam Pomfrey, and about Dolores Umbridge, and I was thinking I'd tell her about the potions but she got a little upset about some of the things I told her about Umbridge and I don't want to worry her so I ended up not really mentioning it.

Supper was a little awkward, though. Mrs Ponds -- wait, actually, I'm going to call her Mrs Lupin -- came through the floo with Bea, and we all ate together. And things were weirdly tense. I'm not quite sure how to describe it. Everyone just seemed nervous.

Then Ellie came, she's a muggleborn Witch who they got assigned to their teashop by saying she was going to be their servant, only she has a wand now and I think she's also in the Order. Ellie came through the floo and said someone in the beer garden wanted Mr Ponds, and Mr Lupin sort of glanced at me -- I can't believe he still thought I hadn't worked out who he was! his wife and baby were right there! and he popped back through the floo, which I guess they do a lot.

And then once he was GONE it was like Sirius Black and Mrs Lupin just kind of relaxed a little, which made me start to wonder -- but then Mr Snape came up from the Potions lab and Bea started SCREAMING. Like she thought he was the bogeyman. Which made Mr Snape really cross.

So then Sirius Black kind of laughed and grabbed Bea and went out (I could still hear her when she was an entire floor away) and Mr Snape said very stiffly to Mrs Lupin that she could let the child know he would be heading back to Hogwarts for his supper, not dining on little girls.

Anyway. It made me wonder if Mr and Mrs Lupin aren't married really. I mean they're married OFFICIALLY but maybe it's a pretense and Mrs Lupin is actually married to Sirius Black? Or living as if she is, you know? I mean maybe Bea is even his child (it's not as if you can tell who she looks like! she changes her face every time you look at her, twice if she's getting a reaction!) And she certainly couldn't have married a wanted fugitive!

Only hold on, Sirius Black was in FRANCE. Or was he? I can't remember when he came here. Justin, do you know?

It's not as if any of this even matters, but it's more fun thinking about this than worrying about exams. Or the fact that I lied to Mum and she'll be really cross if she finds out. (She asked me what risks I was running and I told her I wasn't taking any risks, that was when I decided not to tell her about the healing potions, obviously.)

Comments

[alt_hermione]

Mrs Ponds is Sirius Black's cousin, once removed. And she likes to be called Tonks, after her dad.

And Mr Lupin is too really Bea's father. It's just that Sirius helps take care of her, too.

I didn't realise she didn't like Mr Snape, though. That's too bad.

I've never met Bea in person. I guess I don't know very many toddlers.

[alt_pansy]

Ewan screams like that with random people sometimes. At least he did over summer hols.

[alt_sally_anne]

Yes, it's really common. Mars and Val both went through that phase. In fact I may have been one of the people Val hated, I can't remember.

Do you think it would make Mr Snape feel any better if I mentioned that? I don't get the feeling he's been around a lot of toddlers.

[alt_pansy]

Maybe we could bring up Ewan and Mars and Val and tell random stories about them screaming when he'll be sure to overhear?

[alt_sally_anne]

You've never met Bea? Well that's not right. We should ask Mr Lupin to bring her tomorrow, at least for a little while. I mean if you like toddlers, anyway.

[alt_justin]

Hullo, Sally-Anne,

I say, I didn't know staying overnight was an option, what! Perhaps I should ask if we could all stay the night, at least those of us with no particular reason to leave.

I think your mother has to know you're taking a fair few risks, though. You're here, for one thing. And you're associating with muggleborns and halfbloods and all manner of seedy characters (to wit: Sirius Black). So telling her about potions ought not to be too bad, what, especially as you're doing it to help other people. You'd feel better if you told her, even if she worries about it.

What has she been doing, after all, if not running risks?

-Justin

[alt_sally_anne]

I don't know that it's precisely an option, though there are a lot of guest rooms on this floor. It was my Mum who asked and it was because she wanted a chance to spend more time with me.

[alt_sally_anne]

And about risks, I think she thinks it's different for her because she's an adult.

[alt_susan]

Hmm...there is something a bit odd about Mr and Mrs Lupin, and Sirius Black, but I'm not sure it's that. I mean, Mrs Lupin and Sirius are first cousins!

Though I guess that happens sometimes, especially in really old pureblood families, which the Blacks definitely are, as that damned portrait never forgets to remind us.

Pansy, I'm so sorry you had to live with her when she was more than just paint on canvas.

[alt_pansy]

It was just for a few weeks.

A spectacularly awful few weeks, mind, and possibly the worst Christmas ever, but seeing as that's one of the things that made me end up with you lot, it's not all bad.