Take Time (a Harry Potter fan fiction)

4: Inklings

Chapter Four

Al: Inklings

“He’s got me!”                                                                                                                                  

Al looked away and tried to tune out the present conversation; that is, if you could call it a conversation: it slowly ascended to being a full-blown argument. He had no desire to watch another of the apparently calm, collected and mature people in his life burst out once more, which happened to be the very same thing that Molly Weasley was about to do. His harmless want to be filled in with the basic facts of the current year (after all, he hadn’t been around for much before that) had been answered to by this discussion, and he had to admit, it was not helping the least bit, and neither did listening to long rants on how his father was not a child.

He had gotten somewhat used to arguments like these, though this was just his first night: there had been one with Mundungus Fletcher, George and Fred, and now Sirius. It was now a well-known fact that Alexander Prentice (who had been quickly accepted by the few Order members who were constantly at headquarters, inclusive of the older Weasleys, Sirius, and Remus Lupin and Tonks, who had dropped by) loathed being in a room with too much noise inside it, and disappointingly enough, nearly all rooms in Grimmauld Place were filled with noise pollution.

“Yes,” said Al’s grandmother in an intolerant tone, as if she were dealing with an impertinent teenage boy (more commonly known as James). “The thing is, it’s been rather difficult for you to look after him, while you’ve been locked up in Azkaban, hasn’t it?”

And it clicked into place in Al’s head.

Sirius Black. Azkaban.

Sirius Black was a prisoner in Azkaban who escaped. He was later caught and almost subjected to the dementor’s kiss (Al shuddered) but he did yet another runner. He was later discovered to be innocent, but that was only after-

“Molly, you’re not the only person at this table who cares about Harry,” Remus said swiftly when Sirius made to get on his feet, effectively breaking Al’s train of thought. “Sirius, sit down.”

Al was now paying rapt attention. His grandmother’s lower lip was quivering; Sirius sagged down his chair once more, face ashen.

Seeing this, Remus persisted, “I think Harry ought to be allowed a say in this. He’s old enough to decide for himself.”

Very true, Al agreed mentally.

“I want to know what’s been going on,” said Harry instantaneously.

There was a brief silence in which Al finally had time to absorb the scene: the now unusually quiet ginger Weasley children, among which were the still grinning twins- Fred and George, who looked strange with both ears- Bill, who was locked in his tensed sitting position, his face miraculously clean of scars, a far less solemn Ron, who was absorbed in watching the present set of circumstances, and lastly- it was as if a chunk of lead had slipped down Al’s intestinal track when he saw her- a much younger, unscathed, innocent Ginny, who resembled a wide-eyed Lily Luna Potter, was viewing the scene with a look of attentiveness etched on her face, and the technically-Weasley Hermione, who was sitting, practically radiating attentiveness.

“Very well,” his grandmother said, voice breaking, “Ginny- Ron- Hermione- Al- Fred- George- I want you out of this kitchen, now.”

Without delay, there was pandemonium.