𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐅𝐋𝐀𝐌𝐄, hjp

II. Back To School.

"Wonder what he teaches?" said Ron, frowning at Professor Lupin's pallid profile.

"That's obvious," whispered Hermione. "There's only one vacancy, isn't there? Defense Against the Dark Arts."

The four had already had two Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers, both of whom had lasted only one year. There were rumors that the job was jinxed.

"Well, I hope he's up to it," said Ron doubtfully. "He looks like one good hex would finish him off, doesn't he? Anyway..." he turned to Harry, "what were you going to tell us?"

"He was?" Aurora turned to Harry.

"Yeah," Harry explained all about Mr. and Mrs. Wesley's argument and the warning Mr. Weasley had just told him about Sirius Black being after both him and Aurora. When he'd finished, Ron looked thunderstruck, Aurora was frowning and Hermione had her hands over her mouth.

Hermione finally lowered them to say, "Sirius Black escaped to come after you? Oh, Harry...Rora..you'll have to be really, really careful. Don't go looking for trouble, Harry..."

"I don't go looking for trouble," said Harry, nettled. "Trouble usually finds me."

"How thick would they have to be, to go looking for a nutter who wants to kill them?" said Ron shakily.

They were taking the news worse than Harry had expected. Both Ron and Hermione seemed to be much more frightened of Black than he was, and Aurora? She looked emotionless as she ran her finger through Ziggy's fur, glancing out the window.

Truthfully, she was not emotionless. In fact, she was scared. Scared of her father. She didn't understand why the man wanted to kill her, nor did she understand why he would break out of Azkaban just to do it. The mere thought of it made her stomach churn and her head ache.

"No one knows how he got out of Azkaban," said Ron uncomfortably. "No one's ever done it before. And he was a top-security prisoner too."

"But they'll catch him, won't they?" said Hermione earnestly. "I mean, they've got all the Muggles looking out for him too...."

"What's that noise?" Aurora asked suddenly.

A faint, tinny sort of whistle was coming from somewhere. They looked all around the compartment.

"It's coming from your trunk, Harry," said Ron, standing up and reaching into the luggage rack. A moment later he had pulled the Pocket Sneakoscope out from between Harry's robes. It was spinning very fast in the palm of Ron's hand and glowing brilliantly.

"Is that a Sneakoscope?" Asked Hermione, standing up for a better look.

"Yeah...mind you, it's a very cheap one," Ron said. "It went haywire just as I was tying it to Errol's leg to send it to Harry."

"Were you doing anything untrustworthy at the time?" Hermione asked, shrewdly.

"No! Well...I wasn't supposed to be using Errol. You know he's not really up to long journeys...but how else was I supposed to get Harry's present to him?"

"Stick it back in the trunk," Harry advised as the Sneakoscope whistled piercingly, "or it'll wake him up."

He nodded toward Professor Lupin. Ron stuffed the Sneakoscope into a particularly horrible pair of his Uncle Vernon's old socks, which deadened the sound, then closed the lid of the trunk on it.