We've Got A Big Mess On Our Hands

[Remus Lupin]

Remus grabbed Peter and ran for the stairs, carrying the invisibility cloak in his other hand. As soon as everyone was out of the passageway, Remus closed the trap door quickly and threw the invisibility cloak over them, so that if anyone came to check out the noise, they would not see anyone. "Get down, guys!" he whispered as footsteps sounded from overhead.

[James Potter]

James allowed Remus and Peter to rush up the stairs after the loud crashing noise. Naturally, James hadn't intended for a loud noise to follow, but you always have to be prepared for anything and apparently Remus had the right idea. James let Sirius scurry up the stairs before he did. He quickly covered the door back and dove under the cloak.

Waiting to see who's footsteps they belonged to, James glanced to the door and noticed that it was only one of the workers in the shop coming to get a crate. After the man left, James let out a sigh of relief. "Alright gentlemen, let's go, but go slowly and remember no sneezing, no coughing, and no breathing hard," he said in a whisper.

[Remus Lupin]

"Maybe we should go one at a time," Remus suggested quietly. "James, why don't you go first and make sure everything is OK? Since you've done this before, you know what to do better than Peter and I do."

As he glanced over at Peter, Remus silently wondered why he had come along. James and Sirius had invited him, which was strange enough, but why had he even wanted to come? What stake did he have in all this? Remus had no problem with him being there, he just thought it was a little odd.

[James Potter]

"Alright," replied James. "Remus, you hold onto the cloak. Once I go out, count to six and someone else come out and so on until we'll all out. I'll meet all of you out side." He flashed a grin and slid out from under the cloak.

James easily slipped out of the back room without being noticed. He acted like he was looking at a few of the items in the store on his way out. The man behind the counter glanced at James and he gave a friendly wave, which James returned as he made it out the door.

[Sirius Black]

Sirius, still squatting under the cloak, watched until James was out of sight. Then he looked over at Peter. "Peter, you should go next. Then Remus will go. I'll go last, so if either of you have any trouble, I'll find you. I'll bring the cloak with me."

[Peter Pettigrew]

1....2...3...4.. Peter was counting to himself but was interrupted by Sirius. He just nodded in agreement and slowly slipped out from underneath the cloak. Being able to sneak around was something Peter was usually good out, however sneaking out of the school was not what Peter was used to. He took a silent deep breath and started walking out, slipping by the man behind the counter unnoticed.

[Remus Lupin]

Remus watched Peter go, counting quietly to himself. He didn't hear any sounds to indicate that Peter was having any trouble, so, when he reached 6, he turned to Sirius. "OK, see you up there!"

Quickly he slipped out from under the cloak and walked in a calm, but deliberate manner out of the back room. He paused to pretend he was looking at a display of bubblegum for a minute, then stepped aside, nodding at James and Peter.

[Sirius Black]

Sirius counted to 6, straining his eyes to make sure the coast was clear. He didn't hear anything, so he quickly got up and gathered up the invisibility cloak. He rolled it up as small as he could, then stuffed it in the backpack he had slung over his shoulder. Then he quickly hurried out of the room.

Once outside, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and pretended to be casually looking around. He took a quick look at the shopkeeper, who was paying no attention to them at all, then walked over to join the others. "Anyone want any chocolate for the road?" he cracked.

[James Potter]

James gave a laugh. "I think I'm alright for right now. My stomach hasn't growled yet," he said. "If you want some, go ahead and grab it. I'll meet you outside." James headed outside and waited patiently for the boys to come out. He had to think of a way that they could get in without just barging in and saying that they were there for Kris. How silly would that look? Four Hogwarts school boys busting into a room demanding something. They would have to use defensive magic, just in case, and they would have to sneak in. All four of them couldn't just run in.

[Remus Lupin]

"No thanks," Remus said. "I'm not hungry. And besides, once we get on the Knight Bus, we're not gonna want to eat anything for the rest of the day. It's better to have an empty stomach." He followed behind James, not wanting to say another word. He was completely focused on finding his sister, and nothing else mattered to him at that moment.

[Sirius Black]

"Well, I'll get some," Sirius said. "I've got a cast-iron stomach. And besides, I could save some for Kris. Who knows if this nutcase is feeding her? Too bad they don't have any fruit or anything here, I know how much she likes to have fruit for breakfast." He picked out a few chocolate bars and turned to Peter. "Want anything, Pete?"

[Peter Pettigrew]

Peter still felt a little odd around Remus and James, but he didn't let it show. His thoughts scattered whenever Sirius spoke to him. "Oh, no," he said. "I'm good for right now. I'm not sure if I have an iron stomach." Peter gave a grin and turned to look out at Remus and James. Both of them appeared to be thinking, and he didn't really want to bother them so he decided to wait for Sirius before he headed out.

[Sirius Black]

Sirius quickly paid for the chocolate bars and rushed back out of the store to where the others were waiting. "All right," he said. "Let's head to the Shrieking Shack." It made sense to go somewhere a little out of the way, so that they wouldn't be seen. The Knight Bus usually was very noticeable, and seeing four Hogwarts students summoning it would definitely raise some suspicions.

[Remus Lupin]

Remus followed behind the others quietly. He didn't want them to know that the mere mention of the Shrieking Shack disturbed him. Most people thought the old shack was haunted, and that the shrieks were the sounds of ghosts in agony. But of course, he knew the truth. There was no ghost. There was only him, suffering through the pain of transformation alone in a derelict, abandoned house. Sometimes, he wished he could say something, to tell his friends. He wanted them to understand. But would they?

[Sirius Black]

Sirius led the way to the Shrieking Shack. It seemed like everyone was unnaturally quiet, but he understood why. With each step, they were getting closer to their destination, and they had no idea what they were going to do when they got there. How were they to find where in Knockturn Alley she was being kept?

Sirius, being a Black, had gone down Knockturn Alley before, with his family. His father thought nothing of bringing them down there, as a kind of twisted family outing. He knew it to be very narrow, dark and damp, but surprisingly bigger than it seemed. It might not be easy figuring out where Kris was being kept.

As they reached the Shrieking Shack, Sirius looked at the others. "OK, you guys ready?" he said. When he was sure everyone was ready, he took out his wand and held his wand hand out.

After a moment, a loud sound filled the air, and with a screech, the Knight Bus came to a stop in front of them. Sirius gulped and looked at the others again. Now was their last chance to back out...

[James Potter]

James watched as the Knight Bus came into view. Sighing he turned to the boys. Were they really crazy because they were going to try and rescue Kris from an insane lady? James pushed the thoughts out of his head. There was no way that he could back out. "Alright boys. Let's go." He gave them a grin and stepped on to the bus.

[Sirius Black]

Sirius walked onto the bus just behind James. Looking at the conductor, he said, "We'd like to go to Diagon Alley." He took out some galleons and paid for the four of them, while Remus and Peter climbed onto the bus.

Once everyone was settled, Sirius turned to them. "If you guys haven't rode the Knight Bus before, let me just warn you now... Don't get comfortable where you're sitting. You'll be flying around the bus pretty soon."

[Remus Lupin]

"Yeah, I know," Remus said, frowning. "I hate it, actually, but we just don't have any other way to get there." He looked around the bus, and there were only a few other passengers. "Well, assuming there aren't a lot of passengers on the upper levels, it shouldn't really take us too long to get there, anyway," he commented. "I don't know why anyone would want to ride on the upper levels, actually. It's scary enough down here."

As he said that, the bus took off, lurching forward violently. Remus felt himself being thrown back against his seat with a terrible force. But at least he was able to stay in his seat... that is, until the bus came to an abrupt stop. Then he was tossed forward, and he flew across the bus, landing sprawled out on the middle of the floor. Picking himself up slowly, he groaned. "Yeah, I hope we don't have to make a lot of stops..."

[Sirius Black]

Sirius was also thrown forward when the bus stopped. He got up and dusted himself off before going back to his seat. "Yeah, I hope so, too. The more stops we make, the longer it will take to get to Kris. She probably thinks no one misses her or is looking for her. I hate to think of her alone with that crazy woman. What do you suppose she wants from your dad?"

[Remus Lupin]

The bus started up again, as an elderly witch took a seat nearby. They were thrown against their seats again, and Remus waited until the force eased up slightly to answer Sirius. "I don't really know," Remus replied. "But if she's as crazy as it seems like she is, it could really be just about anything. And I don't know if I even trust my dad to be willing to give her whatever she wants to get Kris back. I'd rather rescue her myself."