The Forgotten Olympian |BOOK 1| PJO X HP | Alexandra Marine

Chapter 136 - Percy - A Talk With Fire

It was now past midnight and the common room was deserted but for the six of us and Crookshanks. The only sound was that of Hermione's quill scratching out sentences here and there on Harry's and Ron's Astronomy essays, along with our pens writing down other important points for homework.

"Harry," Jason said, "to put it very delicately, your Transfiguration essay is nonsense."

"Thanks, mate," Harry sighed. 

"I've written down some important points for you," Jason said. "We'll finish it in half an hour, max."

Harry took out his quill and began writing down his essay all over again.

"Ron, you've forgotten that Wolfsbane and Aconite are the same thing," I said, looking at his potions essay. "So one paragraph is just totally wrong in this-" I scratched it out, "and instead we'll write about it's uses in wolfsbane potion."

"Harry, your potions one is actually not bad," Alex said, "Snape might just give it an Acceptable."

But Harry wasn't replying.  He had slid off his chair on to his knees and was now crouching on the singed and threadbare hearthrug, gazing into the flames.

"Harry?" said Jason uncertainly. "Why are you down there?"

"Because I've just seen Sirius's head in the fire," said Harry. He spoke quite calmly. I wanted to scream. This place was just getting weirder with every second.

"Sirius's head?" Hermione repeated. "You mean like when he wanted to talk to you during the Triwizard Tournament? But he wouldn't do that now, it would be too--Sirius!"

She gasped, gazing at the fire; Ron dropped his quill. There in the middle of the dancing flames sat Sirius's head, long dark hair failing around his grinning face.

"Holy-" Jason started.

"What in the name of the gods?" I half-yelled.

"I was starting to think you'd go to bed before everyone else had disappeared," Sirius said. "I've been checking every hour."

"You've been popping into the fire every hour?" Harry said, half-laughing.

"Just for a few seconds to check if the coast was clear."

"My dear god," Alex gasped, "you scared the daylights out of us all, Sirius."

"But what if you'd been seen?" said Hermione anxiously.

"Well, I think a girl--first-year, by the look of her--might've get a glimpse of me earlier, but don't worry," Sirius said hastily, as Hermione clapped a hand to her mouth, "I was gone the moment she looked back at me and I'll bet she just thought I was an oddly-shaped log or something. Oh, and I'm proud of all of you for not getting into Slytherin."

"But, Sirius, this is taking an awful risk--" Hermione began.

"You sound like Molly," said Sirius. "This was the only way I could come up with of answering Harry's letter without resorting to a code--and codes are breakable."

At the mention of Harry's letter, we turned to stare at him.

"You didn't say you'd written to Sirius!" said Hermione accusingly.

"I forgot," said Harry, "Don't look at me like that, Hermione, there was no way anyone would have got secret information out of it, was there, Sirius?"

"No, it was very good," said Sirius, smiling. "Anyway, we'd better be quick, just in case we're disturbed--your scar."

"What about--?" Ron began, but Hermione interrupted him.

"We'll tell you afterwards. Go on, Sirius."

"Well, I know it can't be fun when it hurts, but we don't think its anything to really worry about. It kept aching all last year, didn't it?"