Trying not to do like his daddy did -- December 1993

I followed Ron into Zonko's, welcoming the heat.  It was rather crowded.  "You call what I do handling it?" I inquired, my eyebrows raised.  "Most everyone says I avoid it at all costs."

He had a point.  "Yeah, I supposed that's true," I said.  We browsed around teh store, neither one of us really browsing to buy anything.  "I do have another random question," I added suddenly.

I smiled slightly, not at all surprised.  "What is it?" I asked, moving out of the way of a group of students trying to avoid me like the plague.

I pulled Scabbers out of my pocket.  "How do you think Scabbers looks?  He's been getting thin... I think it's Hermione's cat.  But really it started at the beginning of summer in Egypt," I explained.

I took the rat who started to tremble as soon as he was put in my hands.  I peered at him and could not help but think the worst.  "Erm Ron... I don't know.  I think he's pretty sick," I said.  I had to hold tight because he did not want to stay in my grip.  "You know he's missing a toe, right?" I never noticed before.

I took my squirming rat from him.  "Yeah, though Ginny teases and says it's a missing finger since it's a front paw," I said while I stowed my rat in my pocket.  I shook my head.  "Little sisters think of random... what is it?" I asked, seeing an odd look on Dean's face.

I could not believe what I just heard and realized.  I stared at Ron.  "I've got to head back up to the school... I've just remembered something... I'll see you later," I said suddenly and quickly.  I clapped Ron's shoulder lightly and ran through the falling snow back up to the castle.  I needed to find Uncle Remus.

I could not figure out what just happened, but I watched Dean leave.  I readied myself to go back outside and headed to the Three Broomsticks to meet up with Harry and Hermione.

I made it up to the castle quickly, but I was out of breath.  I slowed to a walk once I entered; I needed to find Uncle Remus.  I removed my cloak as I headed toward the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.  I hoped he would be in his office.  He did use these trips to go home and visit Aunt Chloe.  The classroom was unlcoked and I saw wet footprints leading up to his office.  I continued up the stairs at the far end of the room and was grateful that the door was ajar.  I knocked lighlty.  "Professor?" I said casually.  I head voices and wanted to be appropriate.

I had left Hogsmeade when Chloe got a message that she needed to get back to St. Mungo's.  It was a good thing, too, because I apparently was of Ministry interest.  They were asking me about Sirius - again.  They were just speaking to me via Floo network.  His head floating in my fireplace.  I Head hte knock and I was grateful Dawlish could not see it was Dean.  I feared he would drill Dean for answers, too.  I looked at him.  "Dawlish, can we please continue this later?  I have a student who needs my help.  You know where to find me," I said.  I watched him disappear and looked over at Dean, motion for him to enter.  "What's up, Dean?" I asked simply.  I knew he soemtimes just popped in to visit, but it appeared like he had something on his mind.

I continued forward, happy that I was not brought into the conversation he had been having wiht the Auror named Dawlish.  "Well...I have a few questions about Peter... you know, Wormtail," I said bluntly.  I was not entirely sure how my unle would handle me just bringing it up after he avoided Dawlish.

I had turned around to hang up my cloak and turned abruptly when Dean brought up Peter.  I looked into his eyes -- so much like his father's -- and saw how passionate he appeared.  "Okay... what about Peter?" I asked, only slight hesitance in my voice.

I pulled my cloak off, hanging it up next to his and sat down in the chair across his desk.  "When Dad killed him and blew up that street -- allegedly," I added hastily, not wanting an argument of my dad's innocence.  Though, come to think of it, Uncle Remus never argued with me about that part of the story.  he always let me have my own opinion.  I continued onward wiht my thoughts, "What was it they found of him - of Wormtail?"

The subject of Sirius's innocence was a sore one at that.  I always let Dean have his own opinion.  There was no point in me arguing about anything.  "They only found his finger," I explained.  "Why this sudden curiosity?"

I nodded, thinking.  "So... if Peter is sitll alive he'd be missing a finger - or toe - right?" I wanted to make sure that I had the right line of thinking.