The Marauders - Order of the Phoenix - Part Two

An Absolute Idiot

Sirius was banging on the door of the Potter house. "PRONGGGGGGS! HULLO!! ANSWER YOUR DOOR FOR YOUR DARLING FAVORITE HAREM MASTER!" Sirius laughed manically as he beat on the wood with his fist. "COME ON WE KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE! GET OFF LILITH JEZEBEL AND GET DOWN HERE AND OPEN THIS DOOR!"

"Why didn't we just go by floo?" Remus asked. "I swear, you're acting very odd. Sirius, what is going on? And don't say nothing - that just makes things more suspicious."

Sirius turned to answer Remus when the door was wrenched open.

"SIRIUS YOU ABSOLUTE TOERAG, STOP BANGING ON MY DOOR OR I WILL BATBOGEY HEX YOU LIKE IT'S SECOND YEAR!" Lily stood in the doorway looking positively peeved, her eyes narrowed at him, "And stop SHOUTING that stuff, for Godric's sake, it's the middle of the afternoon! We aren't nymphomaniacs!"

Sirius grinned. "Hullo my darling Lilith. Where's Prongs?" he stepped 'round her into the house and Remus limped in after him, staring at Sirius's back with narrowed eyes of suspicion.

"He's out back messing about with all that quidditch equipment," Lily said.

"Excellent." Sirius trooped through the house, right past Dora who he didn't even seem to see, and out the backdoor through the kitchen. 

Remus stared after him.

Lily looked at Remus, "What's the matter with him?"

"I have no idea," Remus answered. "Apparently we're going camping."

"Camping?" Lily sounded surprised. "James didn't mention --"

"No? Well, Sirius had it all planned, apparently, I don't know. He's acting extremely odd... Excuse me, I've got to get to the bottom of all this..." Remus hurried as much as his pre-moon knees would carry him through the kitchen. 

Lily turned to Dora, who was sitting at the dining room table, holding her teacup, right where Lily had left her to go and answer the door. On the table in front of her sat a couple of books - Bewitching Pregnancies: What to Expect when You're Expecting Someone Magical and Love Before Life: Prenatum Magique Amour.

"I don't like how worked up Sirius felt just now," Lily murmured. "I knew he was stressed, I've felt it all day, but I thought it was something work related, you know, but now --" she glanced at the window over the sink, though which she could see Sirius already across the lawn, talking to James by the quidditch hoops, Remus limping toward them but still a good distance off. She wished so much she could feel James at that moment, just to know how he was taking what Sirius was saying...

Suddenly there was more frantic knocking on the door and Dora said, "Busy place today."

"Yeah," Lily agreed, and she went back to the door and opened it to find Peter.

"Where's James?!" Peter gasped, breathlessly.

"James is out back," Lily answered, then before Peter could go running off, she stopped him. "Wait, hang on - what's going on?"

"I dunno! I need to talk to James right away - very urgent - gotta find Sirius and Remus."

"They're here, they're out back with James."

"Thank heavens." Peter started for the kitchen.

Lily glanced at Dora, then rushed after Peter. "What do you mean 'thank Heavens'?" she demanded, trotting along behind him. "What's going on?"

"I told you, I don't know yet!"

"Then why are you all upset?"

Peter handed Lily Chase Volsung's business card.