Chapter 32- Handling Hermione

“Please Professor you have to talk to her,” Ron begged and Neville and Harry folded their hands and made their best puppy eyes. Remus looked at the pleading teenagers and bit back a smile:

“What seems to be the problem?” he asked.

“She’s gone mental!” Harry cried. “She wants to start a revolution or something to free all the House-elves in the world and worst of all, she wants us to wear this,” he finished waving a badge that said SPEW on it.

“And she wants us to get more people to wear them,” Neville explained.

“And when Ron reminded her that Neville and I have House-elves at home she just went nuts. I even tried explaining that we tried to free them but they wouldn’t have it, but she just said we didn’t talk to them right. She wants to talk to Kreacher herself. Can you imagine that? Kreacher is going to have another fit!” Harry cried.

“Please Professor Lupin, you have to help us!” Ron begged again.

“Fine, I’ll talk to Ms. Granger. I think I may have a better way to focus her good intentions,” Remus answered his eyes shining with mirth.

“Thank you!” the three boys sighed relieved.

XXXXXXX

“So, you understand how this works?” Sirius asked Hermione. He and Remus had called the girl to Sirius’ office for a chat. She nodded.

“This organization works with volunteers and you are asking me to be one,” she said.

“Yes,” Remus answered. “You are a very smart witch and very diligent and organized. We have two lawyers volunteering. But since, they are volunteers they can’t dedicate all their time towards this. Usually the Tonks’ have interns in their law office that do their research for them, but since they can’t force the interns to volunteer they need someone to do the research for them. And you can do that from Hogwarts. They will send you the books that you wouldn’t find in the library here.”

“I am good at research,” Hermione said, her eyes shining.

“We know,” Sirius beamed. “That is why we called you. The PWA is starting small. The organization’s first objective is to administer a new potion that has just been developed to the werewolf community. This potion is now on the Ministry approval phase. But that’s not the only reason for the Association. We estimate that in about two and a half years we will have reached all the werewolves in Britain and therefore we could expand our efforts into gaining new rights for them.”

“You see, we expect that once the general Wizarding community gets used to the fact that werewolves are tamed during the full moon, we would have more support in trying to change peoples minds about them. But this has to be done slowly because this is a prejudice very much ingrained in many minds and lives. If we start too aggressively, we will get nowhere because people will get defensive. We have to do this smoothly. Do you understand what I am getting to?” Remus asked her.

“Yes,” she said, “People don’t like changes and if they don’t realize things are changing we have a better chance than if we try to force an abrupt change.”

“Exactly!” Sirius smiled at her.

“Now, would you like to join our cause and help Andromeda and Ted in whatever they need? You may learn a lot about our laws while you do the research for them.”

She nodded eagerly, already thinking about what she could learn and apply to SPEW. The Professors were right; the way she was going about this was all wrong and that was why she was already facing so much resistance. She needed to be subtle, oh Merlin, she needed to be Slytherin.

A very gleeful grin appeared on her face and Sirius and Remus smirked approvingly. Oh, to teach them so young! They thought.

Xxxxxxx

“So how did they take it?” Neville asked curously when Harry entered the Common Room.

Harry sat next to Ron, who was finishing making up his Divination homework and looked up eagerly.

“Yes, students are still talking about Professor Black’s reaction to Moody showing us the curses. Word is his yells could be heard all the way in the dungeons. They should have closed the door, you know?”

Harry looked guilty, bit his lip and said, “I think Uncle Moony and Dad took it quite calmly.”

“What did you do?” Hermione asked suspiciously from behind a huge stack of very heavy looking books.

Harry fidgeted a little and bit his lip, “Well I had to tell them. They would hear from someone else and then I’d just be in trouble. And I knew they’d over react soIdopedthemwithacalmingdraughtbeforeIsaidanything,” he finished very quickly.

“Didn’t catch that,” Hermione said raising her eyebrow.

Harry sighed and said slowly, “I doped them with a calming draught before I said anything about Moody putting us under the Imperius curse,” and as an afterthought he added, “and left before the draught’s effects wore off. Hermione! They should know better than accept tea I prepare!” he finished defensively at Hermione’s disapproving look. Inwardly Harry winced. Sirius and Remus hadn’t been alone. Harry had gone to meet then for their extra lesson, which consisted of his first Animagus training, finally! Up until now he had been brushing up in dueling. Severus was there too and he would not take kindly to being doped. But in all honestly Harry thought he deserved it; “Be the stag,” what kind of teaching was that and why had his dad snickered every time Severus said that?

XXXXXXXXX

“I don’t know if I’ll hex Moody first or ground Harry. What kind of son drugs his own father?”

“Your son,” Severus offered helpfully. Sirius stopped his pacing and glared at the Potions Master who was very calmly seated in an armchair. Too calmly, in his opinion. And he wasn’t the only one.

“Are you two still under the effects of the calming draught?” he hissed.

“No,” Remus answered calmly.

Severus rolled his eyes and answered curtly, “There is nothing we can do about Moody. He has free reign and we can’t stop him. As much as I hate that he put children under the Imperius Curse, at least we learned something important and useful.”

“Yeah,” Sirius laughed bitterly, “And what would that be?”

“Harry can throw it off,” Remus answered. “He managed to throw it off entirely by the end of the class and that is an advantage that I very much like to know he has.”

Sirius stopped pacing and looked at them pensively. He huffed a little for show but sat down and said reluctantly, “Fine, you’re right.”

XXXXXXXX

After the last student left, Sirius closed the door to his classroom and cast a privacy spell. He walked back to his desk taking one of the students’ chairs and motioned Harry to sit. He put his chair in front of him and started seriously:

“I asked you to stay behind, Harry, because I want to talk to you about the schools that are coming next Friday.”

Harry nodded. He was finally going to know why they were so worried about the Tournament.

“Durmstrang’s Headmaster, Igor Karkaroff, was a convicted Death Eater,” Sirius said bluntly.

“One of the ones that pleaded Imperius?”

“No, he named people and was able to make a deal to get out. One of the people he named was Severus.”

“Is that why Uncle Sev is in such a bad mood? I was thinking it was because he lost the chance to poison us with the schools’ arrivals cutting his class short.”

Sirius chuckled and swatted Harry’s knee playfully, “I’m serious here. And don’t even think about it!” he warned as Harry opened his mouth. “I don’t trust Karkaroff, he may not be liked in the Death Eater’s circle for naming them, and the others think he would be scared of Voldemort, but I think scared people can be dangerous. Especially if they have no loyalty to anyone, as Karkaroff proved. I want you to be very careful around him.”

Harry nodded.

“This also means Severus will have to be extra careful because Karkaroff will probably be keeping an eye on him. So from now on we will meet for our extra lessons in the Room of Requirement. Severus won’t be able to come to the Marauder’s Quarters so frequently. You are going to use your cloak to get there and the Map. If you ever see Karkaroff or Moody near the Room when you have to get in, go back to the dorm and let me know through the two way mirror. ”

“Why Moody?”

“Moody doesn’t know about us and Severus. He has never trusted Severus and probably never will. I trust Moody, but if he thinks Severus may be getting to you… there is no telling what kind of action he may decide to take. The only times Severus has been to the Marauder’s Quarters since Moody arrived was for your lessons. We have met in Albus’ office all the other times.”

“But dad, if I am wearing my cloak-“

“Moody’s eye can see through your cloak, Harry. It can see through walls too, normally, except Hogwarts’ walls are protected and it doesn’t work here. So if you are already in the Room that’s okay but outside he will know you’re there and all he has to do is wait to see who comes out after you. Now in hindsight we think we should have met in the Room of Requirement from the start, but we only thought of it now because after you left us last time, doped I might add, when Severus exited he ran into Moody and we had to come up with an excuse about him coming to complain about your behavior.”

Harry nodded and kept a very innocent face. Sirius didn’t look like he was going to punish him for the whole calming draught episode and he didn’t want to give him an excuse to do so.

 “Next class will be on Monday instead of Tuesday because Tuesday is the full moon and Severus and I will be at the Association with the Ministry’s examiners for the first round of tests.”

“They are already testing?” Harry asked eagerly.

“Yes, you wouldn’t believe the amount of paperwork necessary. Two months! Two months to start the testing! Unbelievable! And they are demanding three full moons. So it’s October, November and December before they give their approval and Andy estimates at least another month before the final paperwork is ready. Honestly. We had hoped to start the year with the first batch but it looks like we won’t open until February.”

“Uncle Sev is going as Sean Evans right?” Harry asked worried.

“Of course. Don’t worry about that. Moony already got three volunteers for the test and Albus, Dora, Minerva and Ted will be there to help. The contractors worked faster than I thought and they already have eight safe rooms, just like our basement, ready for the werewolves. The house will be ready before the approval. Minerva and I will be there as the only Animagi since Sev can’t reveal he is one. But everything should work fine. We will have cages inside the safe room for the testing so the examiners can approach.”

“And will the volunteers get to wear Moony fashion?” Harry asked innocently and Sirius laughed. They had been making fun of Remus since the second full moon because of his whole T-shirt and shorts style, saying he should start his own designer line. He had just ignored them.

“Yes, they will,” Sirius said more seriously, “It gives them back a little dignity.”

“I know. But what kind of Marauders would we be if we didn’t make fun of Uncle Moony?”

“Preposterous!”

“He won’t be there right?”

“No, I know the Ministry examiners are oath bound to keep a secret but I don’t want to take the chance of anyone outing Moony. I know the volunteers are taking a great risk and I admire them for that.”

“Uncle Moony also took a great risk testing the potion first,” Harry defended.

“I am not saying different Harry. But it’s no use him being there since he already has taken the potion without their presence. Better not risk it for nothing.”

XXXXXXXXX

That Tuesday night, Harry tiptoed through the corridors under his Invisibility Cloak and with the aid of the Marauder’s Map that his father had handed him before term started. If he was honest with himself he was a tad nervous. Okay, very nervous, but it was understandable considering the last time he had been face to face with the creature he was looking for. Very carefully he reached his destination and started dismantling the wards on the portrait door. It was a good thing he always paid attention to how the wards were put up and down. As he entered carefully he saw the werewolf laying on a rug in the middle of the living room. He couldn’t help but smile; Moony was so cute dressed in a green T-shirt and khaki shorts. As soon as he entered, the werewolf’s head snapped up.

Harry took off his now useless cloak and closed the portrait door behind him. He walked calmly towards the wolf, “I didn’t know you could give someone The Look as Moony,” he tried joking but Moony was not faltering in his stern gaze.

Harry sat next to him and sighed, “I knew you’d be safe Uncle Moony,” he patted Moony’s head. “And I wanted you to know that. I wanted to show you, that you are safe and you won’t hurt me, and I know that. But most importantly I never want you to think I am scared of you.”

Moony gave a little whine and rested his head on Harry’s lap. When Albus came to check if Remus needed something in the middle of the night, he found Harry sleeping on the floor using a snoring werewolf as pillow and couldn’t help but smile and let them be.

XXXXXXX

“Severus, you seem to be avoiding me,” the man said as he approached the Potions Master in the hall.

Severus narrowed his eyes and sneered, “Why ever would I, Igor? Oh, wait. Can it possibly be because you named me among a few others of our colleagues just to save your skin?”

“Yes, and if memory doesn’t fail me Dumbledore vouched for you as a spy for their side,” Karkaroff said in a low tone.

Severus smirked, “Dumbledore is a very trusting man Igor. He believes in second chances.”

“So you haven’t?” Karkaroff asked interested.

“What I have or haven’t done Igor,” Severus said in almost a whisper coming very close to Karkaroff, “is not something I discuss in such an open space and most certainly not in present company.”

Karkaroff glared, and by the rapid intake of breath and the reddening of his skin, Severus knew he had interpreted it as a jibe to his loyalty and it had struck a nerve. At that exact moment, another figure approached them from behind Karkaroff and startled him by asking:

“Having a nice reunion?”

Karkaroff turned abruptly and glared at Sirius but his eyes darted dubiously to Severus before he said, “I got lost and was asking Professor Snape for directions.”

“Oh, if you want I would be delighted to escort you to your ship,” Sirius drawled icily.

“No need. I think I can find my way now,” Karkaroff said tightly, “Severus,” he gave a small nod and left.

“Snape,” Sirius bit out as he too stalked away their eyes meeting briefly.

XXXXXX

“Do you think Karkaroff suspects Severus?” Remus asked once Sirius arrived at the Marauders’ Quarters.

“He’d be an idiot if he didn’t. But I think Sev managed to keep him intrigued,” Sirius answered slumping in the couch, “I’m knackered.”

Remus smiled at his friends, “It was quite a night. I wonder who’ll put their name in the Goblet.”

“Diggory for sure, I’ve heard the students talking. I know the twins will try and I can’t wait to see how Albus’ protection works,” Sirius smirked, his eyes sparkling.

“I am just glad Harry won’t be participating. We have enough worries without having him facing dangerous tasks,” Remus sighed.

“Here, here.”

In Gryffindor Tower Harry was thinking the same thing as his dormmates discussed ways of getting around Dumbledore’s age line.

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A/N- My usual thanks to all my readers and reviewers and to my beta.