The Marauders - Order of the Phoenix Part Three

The Portrait and the Prophet

Remus was face-down in his pillows, exhausted, when Sirius leaped onto the bed, making the mattress bounce, flipping Remus like a pancake. "Wake up, Moony. Wake up."

"Uhgggmhhhh," Remus groaned, grabbing the pillow and pulling it over his face. "Too tired. Sleep."

"No, but like you have to wake up and come see this before I believe that I'm completely gone mad."

"You are completely gone mad," Remus grunted into the down, voice muffled.

"Mooooooooonyyyyyyyyyy," Sirius moaned, "Come on please, please, please, wake up - wake up - wake - up - wake - up - wake - up - wake ---"

"Oh confound you!" Remus threw the pillow from his face, "WHAT?"

"Come out here. Hurry." Sirius leaped over Remus to the floor on the opposite side of the bed and grabbed hold of his arms, tugging him to his feet and dragging him hurriedly out of the bedroom and into the living room. Remus stumbled no less than three times on the way.

"What's on?" yawned Peter, poking his head out of his bedroom, eyes red and blearily. His hair tufted up at an odd angle on one side.

"Dunno, this nutter's mental," Remus groaned.

"COME SEE WORMTAIL!" Sirius answered, continuing at pulling Remus down the hall enthusiastically.

Peter shrugged and shuffled after the pair of them.

There they stood, three Marauders, in the living room of the flat in East London - Remus in full pyjamas, Sirius in his undershorts and Queen t-shirt, and Peter in just his shorts. Peter looked about confused as Sirius had them standing in a row before the hearth. "Sorry, what're we looking at?" he asked.

"Hell if I know," yawned Remus.

"LOOK AT THE PORTRAIT YOU DREW OF REGULUS!"

Remus looked. Stared at it several seconds. Then, suddenly more awake, "What the --- H - How? How?"

Peter looked, then looked back at Remus, "What?"

"He's asleep!"

Peter looked up at the portrait. His eyes widened.

Sirius exclaimed. "Look - look at his chest. He's breathing. HE'S BREATHING. Did you know portraits breathe?! HE'S MOVING. He SNEEZED. He said THANKS when I said bless you."

Remus took a step forward and he picked up the frame. 

When he did the portrait stirred and the eyes blinked opened slowly, looking up at him. They were watery and full of emotion, something between confusion and and interest. He didn't say anything, he just seemed to shrink back a bit.

"Remarkable," Remus murmured.

Peter leaned closer to look. "Were you trying to make a living portrait?" he asked, glancing from the portrait up to Remus's face. 

Remus shook his head. "I assumed there was some... convoluted magic to it..."

Sirius hung back, staring at the portrait from several steps away, still wild-eyed.

Remus said, "Usually living portraits are commissioned works, but I don't know much else beyond that... I know with Professor Veigler's it took a long time for it to become sentient, more than a year... and he still hasn't entirely taken on Ned's personality. He only just spoke the first time at Christmas when we were all at Fallengunder, if you recall. This would be similar, I'd imagine?"

Sirius asked, "But - but why? What does it mean? 

Peter piped up, "Does it mean he isn't at rest, like how ghosts are? How they're un-un rested souls?"