DISCLAIMER:
See
A/N: I’ve heard some
people
describe this as sort of a sad and sentimental chapter, which, truth be
told, I
never intended it to be. Either way,
should you be likely to cry over something, be armed with a box or pack
of
tissues while reading this, just in case.
Also, I
suppose I should add this as an official
DISCLAIMER: I don’t own the game
“Battleship” (ain’t that obvious?).
CHAPTER 44: REBORN
LIKE A
Cruciatur cor mi. My heart is in agony. –Plautus, Trinummus (1169)
From that point where
Bill scared
the reporters off, a rather warm reunion of Weasleys
took place. After that, Bill and Charlie
said they had to leave, as they had to catch up on the work they missed
for the
few months they had been incapacitated.
Once they had left, however, Ginny suddenly felt a strange gloom fall
over
here. She new she was still upset and
worried over Harry, and for some reason, she just didn’t want to be
near her
family right now, regardless of whether or not Percy was currently with
them.
Making up her mind,
she wandered
over to the Slytherin table; she was
halfway across
the hall when Ron noticed this
"Ginny!" he called out, running up to her. "Don't tell me you're
sitting with them! I mean, not because they’re Slytherins,
but come on, Bill and Charlie are cured; even if they’re not here, we
still
have something to be happy about!"
”I’m sorry, Ron, it’s hard to explain, but I’d rather not get into that
right
now,” she called back over her shoulder.
”Whatever it is, maybe I can help,” Ron said, putting his hand on her
shoulder
in an attempt to calm her and reassure her.
Big mistake.
"Hands off!" she yelled, suddenly loosing her patience, as she
whipped around while pulling out her wand. Everyone turned around to
see the
commotion, and they were treated to an interesting event.
With a huge flash of light, Ron was gone. In his place was a small fox,
about
one half the size of a normal fox. (1)
"Yip yip yip!"
it
squeaked. As some people laughed, it cowardly ran back to the
Gryffindor table.
"Yip yip yip yip yip yip
yip..."
"Good one, Gin," Draco-as-Roy commented as
she sat down next to him. "Was that supposed to be a small fox or a red
Chihuahua?"
She frowned and said, "I don't know, and I don't care."
That was one of the things that Draco
admired in
Ginny; her lovable wiles. Well, not so lovable if you were on the
receiving end
of them. Unfortunately, his amusement faded when she realized that she
cursed
her brother out of reflex and not out of revenge or the like.
It took five minutes, but eventually, McGonagall was able to turn Ron
back. He
and the rest of the Gryffindors ate
quietly as the
reporters left, quietly accepting Ginny's depression.
~*~*~*~
Ginny stayed rather aloof from most of her friends for the rest of the
week.
They didn't dare go near her. She still did her prefect duties and
worked for
her O.W.L.s (now less than a month away),
but should
one of her classmates try to approach her, she would point her wand and
glare
warningly, which immediately stopped any problems.
After Bill's “talk” had been published, some people from all over the
country
had sent her letters, sympathizing with her, which cheered her up a
little in a
strange sort of way.
However, she was also stressed about Harry's health and well being. Snape promised that he would notify her as soon
as possible
when he regained consciousness.
Speaking of which, Snape was oddly quiet.
He had
resumed teaching Potions, but he was lacking the barb he usually used
on his
students. He didn't even add or deduct points anymore; he just pointed
out
mistakes and told them not to do certain things, and all the time in a
flat
monotone voice. Sometimes, when he was doing work at his desk, he would
stare
into space for a few minutes, then get back to work. While this was
much more
helpful than his previous teaching tactics, it was still rather
depressing.
The Gryffindors in particular were
grateful for the
changes. However, when Ron made a crack about Snape,
saying that he should have more near-death experiences, a few Slytherins hit him with some painless yet
annoying hexes,
then running and hiding somewhere.
On Friday evening, Aurigo flew into
Gryffindor Tower
with a message for Ginny. It was from Snape.
Miss Weasley,
Harry is starting to come out of his coma. I have been using my breaks
at go to
my manor to check up on him. He should be fully recovered within half
an hour
or so. Come to my office immediately.
-Professor Snape
Ginny immediately thanked the owl and left the common room.
From their corner, Ron and Hermione watched her. They desperately
wanted to
talk to her, cheer her up, or something, except she wasn't really
letting
anyone near her. They decided to leave Ginny to fume and work off her
anger by
herself, for the sake of everyone's well being.
~*~*~*~
Ginny walked to Snape's office, mixed
emotions going
through her head. What would Harry be like? Would he remember her?
Would he
even be the same ever again?
The door opened as she got to it, revealing Snape.
He
had shadows under his eyes, and his skin was rather pale (or at least
more so
than usual). Wordlessly, he held out a Portkey,
and a
few seconds later, they vanished.
A few moments later, they landed in a moor at dusk. Back turned to the
rather
inspiring sunset, Ginny followed Snape to
wherever
they were going.
Soon enough, Snape Manor appeared in front
of them.
Whilst following her Potions Professor, Ginny's eyes wandered over the
structure, taking it the strange sort of beauty she saw in it.
Silently, Snape lead her up to the guest
rooms, and
stopped in front of one of the guest rooms. Before opening the door, he
turned
to her.
"I don't know if he even remembers how to talk. Don't touch anything
meant
to help him. If anything happens, don't try to handle it yourself, come
to me
immediately."
Ginny nodded silently. As Snape opened the
door and
walked off somewhere, Ginny walked inside, saw Harry, and gasped.
~*~*~*~
For a week, Harry lay in the guestroom he used a couple of months
earlier.
Since he wasn't moving, the restraints had been removed. Dormiel
had taken great care of keeping Harry clean and in the process of
healing. So
for a week, Harry lay in bed, not even twitching in the slightest,
staying as
still as a corpse, albeit one clad in clean white pajamas and a gray
blindfold
over his eyes.
For a week, Ardeavis and Nemorphus
would stay in a corner, waiting for their human companion to get up.
The only
times they left were when they went outside, to hunt for food (in Nemorphus' case) or do some leisurely flying (in
Ardeavis' case).
Recently, the two magical creatures had taken to playing Muggle
board games, provided by Mark Evans, in order to pass the time. And so
here
they were, playing yet another round of Battleship.
“Dammit, you sunk my battleship!” Momus exclaimed, as Nemesis removed the
destroyed carrier.
“You don't have to say that every
time you lose a ship, you know,” Ardeavis
thought-spoke, starting to sound a little annoyed. (2)
All activity stopped as Ginny entered, saw Harry, and gasped.
She saw Harry lying on the bed, looking so small and weak, the complete
opposite of how she often saw him. He lay there, a frown on his face
and a
blindfold over his eyes. From the view on the side, it made Ginny think
of a
body on a bier...
'Don't think that!' she mentally
reprimanded herself.
She sat down on the bed next to him, and moving the blanket aside, she
saw how
he'd lost a lot of weight and muscles. Even through the thin white
pajamas, she
could see his ribs slightly showing.
"Harry," she said quietly, "What did they do to you?"
With a swish of feathers, Ardeavis flew
over and
gently landed on her shoulder. Nuzzling, he trilled a few notes with
the
purpose of trying to soothe her.
She gratefully stroked the phoenix's feathers, leaning closer to Harry.
"Harry," she whispered, "I don't know if you can hear me, but
you're here right now, and you're safe. I love you so much, and if
something
were to happen to you, I don't know what I'd do..."
She sobbed a little and wiped the tears away. With her other hand, she
fingered
his jet-black hair, and eventually, her hands landed on the scar.
Her fingers traced the jagged pattern. To Ginny, it seemed as smooth as
the
rest of his skin, but she could almost feel a sort of power embedded in
it,
unless she was imagining it.
"Please, Harry," she moaned, letting a few tears fall. She took his
right hand and squeezed it gently, shuddering at the lifelessness and
coldness
she felt in it. "Please, wake up..."
~*~*~*~
Darkness.
That was all he felt as his consciousness returned with the speed of a
glacier.
Awful memories flooded his mind, mainly the pain he remembered from all
different parts of his life. A bleak, horrible existence for more than
a decade
was all summed up so briefly.
Then the memories of the dementors
rebounded, making
him feel all that pain all over again.
Suddenly, he felt something else. Something warm, countering the pain
of the dementors. The cold and screams of
his dying parents slid
away, replaced by something warm tracing his scar, soothing the pain.
That warmth disappeared for a moment, but now something was embracing
his hand.
Someone was holding onto him. Someone was making sure that he wouldn't
be going
anywhere.
Grief and sorrow welled in his heart. No one had ever done that for him.
And somehow, he could tell by the grip of this person that they
wouldn't leave
any time soon.
"Harry?" a girl's voice asked.
Harry? Oh yeah, his name. This he remembered as more memories
came back
to him.
"Ginny?" he asked hoarsely, his voice sounding as if it hadn't been
used in years.
There was a muffled sob and exclamation as he was being hugged
fiercely. He
gave into it, because to be honest, he could really use it right now.
"Omigosh, Harry, you're all right, I can't
believe it!" she sobbed, but with some joy in her voice. She paused and
loosened her grip and asked, "Are you
alright?"
"I can tell that most of my wounds are gone, and some are still
healing...
why can't I see?"
"You have a blindfold on. Snape says that
he
applied some potion which should restore your sight in a few days."
"Okay..."
"Oh God, I was so worried..."
"Sh, I'm here," he whispered in her ear.
Ginny cupped his face and tilted it up. She kissed him passionately,
and Harry
could almost feel some life and power surging back into him.
He could almost feel alive enough at that moment to get out of bed.
However, he
was still very weak. So he had to lie back down.
Ginny then lay down
next to him,
kissing him some more. Harry had to
admit, that between the comfort of the bed, the kissing, and the
positions they
were in, all of this was becoming rather intoxicating…
Just then, the door
could be heard
moving on its hinges, and Ginny was off of the bed and back on her feet
in a
flash.
"Miss Weasley," Snape's
voice said (he didn’t seem to be aware of what had just happened),
"They've noticed your absence at Hogwarts. We need to return."
"Okay," Ginny said to him. Turning back to Harry, she said, "Get
well soon, Harry."
"I will, Ginny," he said. As the door closed, Snape
spoke again.
"I see you've recovered, Harry."
"Yeah," Harry mumbled. The memories of his horrifying experiences
were coming back to him.
"I see you're bothered."
"What's happened to me..."
"It will all heal within a few days."
"No," Harry corrected to him. "The dementors..."
Snape sighed lightly. "Unfortunately,
there's
nothing even I can do about that. I can only ask that you stay strong."
Harry slumped, disappointed. "I doubt even Sirius went through what I
did.
He never had the sort of things to go through in life which I did."
"I can tell that just by looking at you. I've seen my share of people
suffering. Those days, hopefully, are finished for me."
Harry's head jerked up at that. "What do you mean, Severus?"
"A few days ago, I was forced to stop as a spy after a poisoned Voldemort in front of all his Death Eaters."
Harry's jaw dropped. "What happened?"
"Apart from several poisons made to weaken him, I also repealed the
Dark
magic he used with your blood at his rebirth nearly two years ago."
"How'd you do that?"
"At Umbridge's trial, when she shot you, I
saved
some of your blood to experiment on ways to counteract the Dark magic
which
helps the Dark Lord maintain his body."
"So what now? Is he some wandering spirit again?"
"I wouldn't know, since I had to leave in such a rush."
"Hm."
"Anyway," Snape went on, changing the
subject, "The only people who know you're alive are myself, my son,
Mister
Longbottom, Miss Weasley,
Miss Lovegood, Mister Malfoy,
Mister Zabini, Mister Davis, Miss
Parkinson, Miss
Moon, Miss Greengrass, Miss Chang, and
Miss Bones. We
were the ones who determined how Judy Arnold faked her own death. I wisely decided to leave Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger out of it, since they
were under
enough stress as it was, namely with their prefect duties and their
worry for
you."
"I suspected that with Arnold. So what happened to her?"
"She was arrested, along with Michael Corner and Zacharias
Smith for conspiracy."
"Whoa."
"Indeed. Furthermore, no one else knows whether you are alive or dead,
not
even the Headmaster himself."
"What do I do from here?"
"You will need to recover. I have your wand and other possessions, but
no
magic of any kind for a week, in order to build up your strength. Since
you
still need the blindfold on for your eyes to heal, I had Dormiel
make special arrangements."
"Like what?"
"House elves' magic are mainly based on domestic life, which includes
maintaining a home and serving the master. Special cleaning charms have
been
put on you, which will only need to be renewed each day. If you need to
use the
bathroom, Dormiel or your phoenix or Runespoor can guide you."
At this point, Ardeavis and Nemorphus
gave their salutations, which made Harry smile for the first time in
weeks. He
nodded as thanks, but then he remembered something that made his heart
plummet.
"Where's Hedwig? No one did anything to her, did they?"
"That probably would have happened if she had remained at Hogwarts.
Fortunately, your owl has been here this whole time. She's out hunting
at the
moment, and I'm sure she'll be delighted to see you in the morning."
Harry sighed with relief. "Thank you, Severus.
I
don't know how to thank you..."
"The Dark Lord's death would be good for starters."
"That was a given."
"You need your rest. Good night."
"Good night, Professor."
As soon as his head hit the pillows, he was asleep.
~*~*~*~
Voldemort was weak. He was sick and
nauseated. His
Death Eaters all wisely stayed out of his way, due to their own health
and
their lives. He was constantly drinking potions to avoid having his
body
collapse and leave him as a weak spirit again.
Just as Voldemort tried to straighten
himself out, Bellatrix Lestrange came up to
him. "Master, I know how to help you regain a body."
He glared at her a little. "And how would that be, Bellatrix?"
"The ritual you used to regain your body, Master. Bone of the father,
flesh of the servant... and blood of the enemy. Snape
is now an enemy, and I just HAPPENED to draw some of his blood."
An evil smile curled on Voldemort's ugly
face.
"Thank you, Bella. You are perhaps my most revered Death Eater."
And with that, an evil laugh rang out from Riddle Manor.
~*~*~*~
In his bed back at St. Mungo's, Percy
stared out the
window as he drank some water from his bedside table.
Why had he ever come to this? How had he suddenly changed to this? What
happened to the aspiring student that so many teachers praised?
He was easily able to answer that for himself. He let his ambitions
take hold
of him. He became so convinced of himself that he abandoned the morals
and
virtues that made him such a wonderful person as a student.
He never felt worse in his life. He was physically wracked by the
injury and
emotionally miserable from the guilt.
And now here he was, probably confined to his bed for another couple of
weeks
or so. He would medication for years to keep himself stable, maybe
months, if
he got lucky.
Just then, his mother came in. She had obviously been crying a lot,
although
she couldn't tell if it was more for Percy or for Harry.
For the first time in ages, Percy could care less about that.
"Mum?" he asked. He stopped using "Mother," since it was
unnecessary.
She hugged him tightly, and he gave in.
"I just wanted to give you a second chance and I wanted to protect
everyone!"
she sobbed. Percy hugged her tightly, feeling sad himself.
"I know, and you were trying to do the right thing," Percy reassured
her. "And I convinced myself that I was doing the same."
Mrs. Weasley only cried even more.
"How are Bill and Charlie?" Percy asked.
"They need some space to get their lives back together," his mother
said. "Not that anyone can blame them."
"Hm," Percy commented. "They have
every right to do so." Sighing, he looked out the window again.
"Maybe things would have been better if I hadn't been born."
"Don't say that!" his mother admonished him, starting to cry again.
"You always were one of the hardest workers in the family, and your
father
and I always appreciated that!"
There was a strange sort of hurt look in Percy's eyes now. "No offense,
but I'm starting to wonder if you were always saying that to make me
feel
better."
His mother shook her head. "I couldn't have been more honest, Percy.
Your
hard work, even before you went to Hogwarts, helped us greatly."
"How?" he asked, wanting to know more.
"Remember when you were seven and you helped out with all that
housework
all by yourself because the house needed to be cleaned before winter
came?" Percy nodded, remembering that all too well. "You actually
saved your father and I a lot of work to do. In fact, you remember all
those
odd jobs we were doing for other people at the time? With the housework
out of
the way, we were able to do more of those odd jobs, which made more
money, and
was enough for our grandfather clock."
Percy's eyes threatened to pop out of their sockets. "I unwittingly
contributed to that? Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want to make your siblings jealous," Mrs. Weasley confessed.
Percy thought about this and could only nod. "Good point."
"It's also ironic because..." Mrs. Weasley
suddenly took a deep breath, collected herself, and continued. "Because
I
first got news about what happened to your father the Christmas before
last
because of that clock. In a strange sort of way, you did help, and I
was also
so upset that you didn't even realize it."
As she started to cry again, he hugged her and said, "I'm so sorry."
Upon further thought, he then added, "Actually, there was another
reason I
wasn't sure whether you were praising me to make me feel better."
Mrs. Weasley looked her son in the eye.
"What
would that be?"
"When I put the Hat on at my Sorting Ceremony... it wanted to put me in
Slytherin, because I was so ambitious. I
was afraid that
you'd do something if I wasn't put in Gryffindor... Even as years
passed in
Gryffindor, I felt so out of place ever now and then..." Percy trailed
off
and his eyes darted elsewhere.
Mrs. Weasley put a hand to her mouth,
completely
shocked. Finally lowering her hand, she said, "Well, it may have been
an
unpleasant surprise if that happened, but I wouldn't have disowned you
or
anything. I know it's easy to say that now, although I'm glad I didn't
know
back then."
Looking Percy straight in the eye, she said, "As long as you follow
your
heart and do the right thing, I'll always be proud of you. No matter
what."
As she hugged him some more, Percy felt something like relief wash over
him.
As they separated sometime later, a young and inexperienced Ministry
official
came up to them. "Mr. Percy Weasley?" he
asked.
"That's me," Percy said.
"You have been awarded the Order of Merlin, Second Class," the worker
said with a small grin. "Finally."
Percy and his mother both looked thunderstruck. "For what?" he asked.
"For one thing, it was you who found Harry Potter," the worker said.
"For another thing, you also revealed one of You-Know-Who's locations
to
us. After going through the wreckage, we found lots of authentic
information,
plus whole storage areas of the most illegal Dark artifacts in the
world. For
the past week, we've been using what we've found to arrest more than a
hundred
Death Eaters and conspirators all over the world and using the
information to
lay siege to his other bases. Even half a century's worth of spying
wouldn't
have given us so much information!"
Percy merely gaped at the man and reluctantly accepted the letter. Mrs.
Weasley looked about ready to faint.
"Let us know when you get out of the hospital, we'll set up a ceremony
for
you. Get well soon." And with that, he left.
A few moments later, Percy laughed at the irony. This brought a sad
smile to
his mother's face; he hadn't laughed so happily like this since before
he
started at Hogwarts.
As Percy calmed down, his mother hugged him again. "I'm so proud of
you..."
As he gave into his mother's grasp, Percy said, "You know, I never
would
have guessed that after years of hard work, I would just get lucky like
this." Reminiscing, he continued, "I read this fable once about two
brothers. They worked on this vineyard with their father, and as he lay
dying,
he told his sons that all his fortune was left out in the grape fields.
As soon
he was dead, the sons got to work, thinking that he meant to tell them
there
was buried treasure. They dug every last bit of field, but couldn't
find any
treasure. They were disappointed, but the next season, they found out
that the
grapes were so much better than before, as well as they wines they
became. All
that digging and tilling helped the soil the grapes grew in." Finishing
and looking at his mother, he said, "I guess just like in the fable,
'sometimes industry pays unexpected dividends.'" (3)
His mother laughed and said, "You always did have a good memory for
that
kind of thing!"
Percy smiled so happily that it seemed to make him a few years younger,
back to
before the started at the Ministry of Magic.
~*~*~*~
Ginny frowned as she
returned to
the common room, which was for the most part deserted.
However, he saw Ron and Hermione at a table
near the fireplace, looking upset and somber.
In the relative silence, Ginny could hear her brother say
something
quietly. It almost sounded like a
prayer.
“Harry,” he whispered,
“You have
to come back alive, for everyone’s
sake. Please, I’ll do anything, I’ll
even name my firstborn son after you, just please come back…”
For once, Ginny was at
a loss for
words. She knew she’d be crushed if
something terrible happened to Harry, such as death or otherwise, but
for once
she truly saw how much Ron cared for Harry.
Her brother and boyfriend were more than just friends; if one of
them
died, the other would be shattered.
Ginny sat down next to
them and
said, “I’m sorry I’ve been by myself this whole time; I just needed to
deal
with it my own way. I’m sure Harry’s
fine, wherever he is; if he could escape from Riddle at the end of the Triwizard Tournament, I’m sure he can escape
again.”
This seemed to calm
both Ron and
Hermione. Hermione was about to say
something else before Ron hugged her, still sobbing a little; realizing
that
she had to be the pillar of strength for once, she dutifully hugged him
back.
~*~*~*~
The next few days passed in a haze of eating, drinking, trips to the
bathroom,
and sleeping (with help from Dreamless Sleep Potion). Harry spent the
time
listening to classical music that Dormiel
supplied.
However, not even the brightest of melodies could cheer him up.
He nearly died. He was alive long enough to endure all kinds of
horrible pain. Voldemort, Cornwall, Malfoy, and Umbridge
were mainly those who tortured him. He'd make sure
he'd kill every last one of them, slowly and painfully. He doubted that
even if
he used the Cruciatus Curse on them a
hundred times
each, the Ministry wouldn't do anything about it.
Speaking of which, he wondered how his less faithful classmates were
doing.
Part of him wanted to charge over to Hogwarts right now and humiliate
them in
front of everyone, regardless of how he was at the moment. The only
thing
keeping him cool and collected was the fact that they were panicked and
misinformed. That sort of thing had happened to him before, where he
suspected
someone who was innocent based in incorrect and/or insufficient
evidence. Come
to think of it, that sort of thing happened almost every year at
Hogwarts.
In his first year, he suspected Snape for
going after
the Sorcerer's Stone, instead of Quirrel.
Then there
was Draco Malfoy
being the
Heir of Slytherin, and not Tom Riddle and
his diary.
After that, there was the misunderstanding of Sirius Black being his
parents'
Secret-Keeper, and not Peter Pettigrew. The year after that, he
remained wary
of Karkaroff instead of Barty
Crouch Jr., who was imposing as Moody.
Each year, Harry had wrongly accused Snape,
Draco, Sirius and Karkaroff.
He
wondered how they must have felt when everyone thought ill of them.
Well, maybe
not Karkaroff; he still disliked that man,
wherever
he was.
Harry wondered if he could even forgive his friends right now.
On the third morning of his conscious stay at Snape
Manor, he slowly woke up, still groggy. Dormiel's
voice quickly sped up the waking process.
"Mister Potter, you're awake!" he squeaked happily. "You don't
need those bandages anymore, your glasses are on the bedside table, you
can see
it again!" And with that, Dormiel
disappeared
with a pop.
Harry was feeling slightly better at that. Reaching behind his head, he
pulled
off the blindfold, which Dormiel took. His
eyes still
closed from his remaining sleepiness, he felt for his glasses, found
them, and
put them on.
After more than a week of blindness, he opened them so he could see
again.
Something was wrong.
He could make out colors, shapes, and light... but it was all blurry,
as though
he wasn't wearing them.
Confused, he curiously took them off, and suddenly, his vision was
perfect.
His mind exploded with exclamations and questions as he put his glasses
on and
took them off a few more times, very perplexed. (4)
"How's your sight?" came a voice from the doorway. It was Snape, looking concerned, which was a rarely
seen facial
expression that Harry was still getting used to.
"It's fixed," Harry said,
still confused. "But how? I'm guessing that you gave me a potion, but
I've
never read of any which can fix someone's vision like this..."
"Because none exist," Snape said simply,
smirking a little. "Not officially, anyway. If you had looked through
the
manuscripts in your family vault before you gave them to me, you would
have
seen some things about potions meant to fix a person's vision. I was
been
working on that lately, and you are officially the first test subject.
There
should be no side effects, and it should be permanent."
Harry was dumbstruck. "Thanks," he said at last.
"Actually," Snape said, quietly accepting
the gratitude. "You deserved the help after you unwittingly helped
me."
"What? How?"
"Your book on Animagi from last summer..."
Snape's voice trailed off, and Harry could
tell he was deep
in thought. "Ever since I was a boy, I wanted to become a raven Animagus. My father squashed my dreams. As a
student, when
I started mixing with the wrong people, I forgot about those dreams,
because
being a raven Animagus seemed
insignificant to the
power I was promised."
Harry noted something bitter here. "Something's wrong, I can tell."
"I fought with Bellatrix that night when I
poisoned the Dark Lord. She sneakily left prank ideas floating around
for your
father and his friends to use against me. That way, she could
manipulate me and
pretend to play the hero for me."
Harry's jaw descended an inch. He closed it when he said, "Somehow, I'm
not surprised that she would do something like that."
Snape couldn't think of anything to say to
that, so
he resumed his explanation. "Anyway, I became a raven Animagus
over the past several months. See for yourself."
With a quiet pop, Snape
become a raven. He flew around the room and cawed before landing on
Harry's bedside
table. It had particularly sleek black feathers with an almost greasy
quality
to them. Even then, there was no mistaking those dark black eyes.
As he flew back and became the professor again, he went on, "I was able
to
get away from Bellatrix. I was also able
to rescue
you when the Dark Lord threw you off a cliff."
Harry was stunned, overwhelmed by the news. "Thanks again."
Snape nodded. He then took out Harry's
trunk and
placed it beside his bed. "Your belongings are safe and undamaged,
since Draco Malfoy
was able to take
them for safekeeping before the Ministry could seize them. I'll pass
your
regards onto your friends who know of your existence."
Harry nodded. As Snape left, Dormiel
returned with breakfast. Harry pushed his thoughts aside as he eagerly
ate and
got himself changed. Hedwig even flew in with a loud screech, excited
to see
him again after so long. Even after Harry told his owl that he couldn't
send or
receive any mail since he was pretending to be dead, Hedwig was still
delighted
to be reunited with Harry just the same.
However, when Harry saw himself in the mirror, he couldn't believe what
he saw.
For one thing, he'd lost a lot of weight and muscles, making most of
his
clothes a size or two too big for him. His face was pale and slightly
gaunt,
and even his eyes had a dead look to them. The lack of his glasses made
his
face look even more foreign.
From that moment on, Harry knew he wasn't the same person any more. Not
in
body, mind, or soul. Practically nothing could fix any of that. (5)
~*~*~*~
Harry may not have been able to use his magic, but that didn't stop him
from
reading for the rest of the day. He tried to remember as much as he
could,
allowing himself to be lost in the hypnotic black-and- white terrain of
his
textbooks. He really had not much else to do, since he was still very
weak.
He was still trying to stop remembering the horrors he experienced from
his
jail cell. Sirius had gone through the horrors of Azkaban before, and
for a
whole year before he died, he hated sitting in his family's house doing
nothing
to help. Even Sirius had never experienced both kinds of misery at the
same
time.
Actually, the more Harry thought about Sirius, the more he came to a
bizarre
conclusion. In a way, it was a good thing that Sirius was dead;
otherwise, he
may have been among the hordes of people that would not have believed
him once
he had been arrested. Harry didn't think that he could have handled it
if
Sirius became a hypocrite and didn't believe him.
Speaking of which, what were the reactions the other adults he looked
up to?
What about Dumbledore, McGonagall, Lupin, Hagrid, Tonks,
Moody, and the
other people he'd put his trust in? Did they swallow the bait, or did
they
quietly support him?
As the day passed in a state of reading, eating, taking remedial
potions and
using the bathroom, Harry felt his gloom deepen.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Come in," he said, putting
his book aside.
It was Ginny, holding a large yellow envelope. She saw Harry, and she
gasped
again. Harry looked away, knowing that he couldn't blame her.
For a moment, Ginny was reminded of when Sirius Black escaped, and his
scary
picture was all over the newspapers. She felt ready to cry at the sight
of him.
His gorgeous eyes were now dead and without that sparkle in them. His
skin was
pale, and his messy hair helped reinforce the thought that he had gone
through
hell. Strangely, he didn't have his glasses on him. She could hardly
recognize
him at first glance.
"Harry?" she asked sadly. "What happened to you?"
"Azkaban and Voldemort," he said grimly,
almost shuddering at the name of the infamous prison.
"Why aren't you wearing your glasses?" she asked him. She gasped
again and covered her mouth. "Are you blind?"
"No; Snape fixed my eyesight, as a matter
of
fact. I don't need the glasses anymore, except for those functions on
them."
Dropping the envelope she was carrying, Ginny ran up to Harry and
hugged him
fiercely, not letting go. He couldn't object to her sobbing into his
shoulder.
Harry held her tight, rubbing her back and trying to soothe her, even
as a few
of his own tears were shed.
"Harry, are you okay, are you still injured? What happened?" she
sobbed.
"I lost a lot of weight and strength," Harry said dully. "I
can't get the memories out of my head. I don't just mean seeing my
parents or
Cedric or Sirius die. I witnessed Voldemort
and his
Death Eaters attack people. No, I didn't see it through his eyes; I saw
everything from the side. I saw brutal murders and other atrocities. I
probably
won't ever be able to forget what happened. So many people were lost,
especially witches and wizards, who were demoralized when they thought
I
betrayed them."
Ginny backed up, unable to take this all in. Looking into Harry's eyes,
she
could see how they became so dead and sorrowful. If eyes were the
windows to a
person's soul, then she could only see suffering and despair.
"I'm just glad that Ron and Hermione are safe; they must have been devastated after what happened."
Ginny couldn’t even bring herself to think
about that subject.
Harry put his hand on her cheek, feeling her warmth. Ginny leaned
forward and
kissed him; he was still a good kisser, but the effect was lost because
of his
sadness and passiveness.
Suddenly, Ginny fell on top of him, and they landed back on the bed
with a
flump. As Ginny's eyes met Harry's, both of them blushed at the
awkwardness of
the situation.
Finally, Ginny caved in to her desires. She wrapped her arms around him
and
continued to kiss him, trying to help him feel alive again. Harry just
lay
there, staring up at the ceiling, barely acknowledging her love for him.
It nearly ripped her heart in half, seeing Harry like this. Ginny knew
he'd
been through a lot in such a relatively short space of time. She just
wanted
him to heal as soon as he could.
Eventually, Harry embraced her and kissed her in return, although it
was meant
more to soothe her and make her feel better.
Checking her watch, Ginny could see that it had been almost a half-hour
since
she'd arrived. "I'm sorry," she said, "But I have to get going
now."
He nodded. "Okay, 'bye, Ginny," he said quietly.
"'Bye, Harry," she said as she departed.
~*~*~*~
Harry almost immediately fell asleep after that.
Not long after falling asleep, he saw someone else yet again: Godric Gryffindor.
"Well, Harry, you've certainly been through a lot," he said.
"And you have my undying sympathy. Then again, I'm not surprised, given
how strong you are."
"Er, thanks," Harry said. "So, with
all due respect, what are you here to tell me now?"
"You need to return to the Department of Mysteries," Gryffindor said
gravely.
"Why?"
"To the room whose door cannot be opened, since it is left locked at
all
times. The same room that contains the awesome power of love. You need
that
power, or more specifically, you need it renewed."
"But I can't get in."
"Who said that the door was the only way in?" Gryffindor asked with a
small smile. "Go to the Department of Mysteries, now, while it's still
dark. You can get there with your phoenix. You'll know what to do once
you get
there, trust me."
Harry nodded, and his dream dissolved.
As he awoke with a start, Harry went over the dream in his head. He had
to act
fast, not wanting to miss his chance.
After getting dressed, retrieving his invisibility cloak, and leaving a
note
for Snape, he went over to Ardeavis,
gently awoke the sleeping bird, and explained the situation.
"I understand perfectly,
Harry," he said calmly.
Using his Legilimency, Harry could see
that Ardeavis was hiding something.
However, he couldn't make
out exactly what, maybe because it was harder with a phoenix for
whatever
reason there could be.
"I'll explain about that
later," Ardeavis said, catching
onto
what Harry was wondering about.
With that, both boy and phoenix were gone in a swish of feathers and a
flash of
fire.
~*~*~*~
Harry was back in the hallway to the Department of Mysteries. He went
past the
courtrooms into the research areas where so many horrible events took
place
nearly a year before.
He then stopped at the door which led to the small, circular room which
rotated
to confuse any strangers. Turning to Ardeavis,
who
was perched on his shoulder, Harry asked, "You know where to go?"
"Yes, I can tell which door is
the Love Room," Ardeavis answered.
Taking his phoenix's word for it, Harry stepped inside. He shut his
eyes after
he closed the door behind him, in order to avoid getting dizzy or sick.
The
floor spun for a few moments, and after it stopped completely, he
opened his
eyes.
Turning around, Harry could see Ardeavis
standing in
front of a door. Somehow, Harry could recognize it.
"Thanks, Ardeavis," he said, to which the
immortal bird responded with a chirp.
'So how do I get in?' Harry wondered.
As if to answer his question, Ardeavis
fluttered onto
Harry's shoulders, and turned around, facing the door. Wings wide, with
a claw
on each shoulder, and with his head facing the door, Ardeavis
looked like some sort of headdress. The phoenix then let out a very
unusual
song, unfamiliar to Harry, or at least in his experience with phoenix
song. The
song made Harry think of a sort of prayer or plea for the door to open.
After a minute or so, the door started to shimmer and ripple as though
it was
made out of water. Uncertain, Harry stepped forward and touched it. It
rippled
more, and Harry withdrew his hand; none of it got on him. With an
encouraging
note from Ardeavis, Harry walked through
it.
A white light grew, and suddenly, it blinded him, but only for a
moment. The
light faded, and Harry saw where he was.
He was in an endless expanse of white. However, he still had a shadow,
so there
was obviously a source of light. It was white all around him, no matter
where
he looked.
Suddenly, he noticed that Ardeavis was no
longer with
him. He was starting to worry that something had gone wrong, but then
he heard
footsteps.
He turned around and saw a man with matted black hair and piercing blue
eyes.
It couldn't be...
"Sirius?" Harry asked hesitantly.
Sirius smiled. "Hello again, Harry."
Without any more hesitation, Harry ran up and hugged him. Sirius felt
so real.
"I missed you, Sirius," he said.
Sirius laughed. "I know you did."
"Is this real?"
"Yes it is," Sirius said reassuringly. "This place is what's
inside the 'Love Room,' as cheesy as that sounds."
Harry laughed, even though his voice still cracked a little.
"Anyway," Sirius continued, "Anyone who enters this room sees
those who love him or her, and vice versa. It goes through how many
people a
person loves or is loved by, starting with acquaintances and ending
with
immediate family members. It's made to remind people that there are
other
people who care about them." Sirius stepped back, and with his smile,
he
faded out of sight.
The area seemed to vibrate as people walked past, looking at Harry with
various
expressions, but mainly smiles. There were mainly students of Hogwarts,
as well
as adults from the Ministry who he'd been on okay terms with, like
Madam Bones.
Even to his immense surprise, Cedric Diggory
was
standing there with his parents, looking reunited again. Basically,
each person
appeared will walking near him, passed him whilst looking at him, and
faded as
they walked away. No more than a dozen or so people did this at a time.
As the last of them faded, the area vibrated yet again. This time,
people who
ranked as higher friends to him went about. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Nevilla, Luna, Cho,
Susan, Blaise, even Draco
appeared.
Almost all of the Weasleys (minus Percy)
went past.
Some of the professors appeared as well, including Dumbledore,
McGonagall, Lupin and Hagrid.
Snape was the last of them; he didn't
smile, although he
had an arrogant, rather assuring kind of look to him. Even Tonks,
Kinglsey and Moody appeared.
As they all faded off, there were two people left for Harry to see. His
heart
swelled with emotion when he recognized him. One of them was a man with
glasses, messy black hair, and hazel eyes which danced with mischief.
The woman
next to him had a beautiful face that wouldn't have looked out of place
in a
classical painting. Her auburn hair trailed behind her, and she had
dazzling
green eyes that seemed to penetrate barriers.
"Mum?" he said. "Dad?"
Both of them smiled. His mother walked forward in a crushing hug that
Harry
gave into. He was starting to cry himself from this whole experience.
"Sh, Harry, it's all right," Lily Potter
said. Her voice seemed to have some loving quality that made to soothe
him.
"We're not with you physically, but that doesn't mean we're gone
forever.
Love transcends death, and we're always here for you. Our only regret
is not
always being with you in the living world."
"On the other hand," James Potter said, walking over and ruffling his
son's hair, "You have shown and done more than any of us could have
ever
asked for. We couldn't ask for a better son. It was our obligation to
die if it
meant protecting you, which we were proud to do. Never forget our
sacrifice and
desire for you to live."
"I won't," Harry said, his voice a little muffled and tears streaming
down his face. This reminded him of the dream he'd had a few months
before,
where Voldemort never attacked them and he
had a
sister.
As they let go, they faded from sight, the last of which being their
sad yet
smiling faces. Suddenly, Sirius reappeared.
"I just want to let you know, Harry, that while it is distressing with
what happened to me, it was almost beneficial in a way; I've been able
to watch
you, and even lend you emotional strength without you even realizing
it. I've
even been able to argue with fate-shaping forces beyond the veil to fix
some things
in your life."
"Then why'd I end up in Azkaban?"
Sirius' smile faded as he shrugged. "I don't know. That was just
something
I had no control over whatsoever, sorry to say. Oh, and speaking of Voldie, Umbitch, Cornywall and Malfoy-"
he
growled here, but said with an evil yet mischievous smile "-knock 'em dead, kid. Literally."
Harry nodded and tried to smile, and as he vanished again, the room
went bright
again before fading.
Now Harry was back in the Department of Mysteries, blinking as he tried
to
adjust to the darkness again.
"Take your time, Harry,''
Ardeavis said.
After a few moments, Harry was able to adjust to the near- darkness
again.
"Why didn't you go with me into there?" he asked.
"I was needed to hold it open so
you wouldn't be trapped in there," Ardeavis
explained. "Phoenixes are
creatures of love and nobility; only we can open such portals."
Harry nodded. "I don't know what time it is, so we'd better get
going." Unconsciously, he transformed into a phoenix.
Then he remembered; Snape said he couldn't
do any
magic for a week. So how was he capable of doing this?
Deciding to test the waters even more, he became a lion again, just
like
before.
Transforming back, he then realized how he physically felt like he'd
never gone
to Azkaban, and his weight and muscles were restored. His clothes fit
him just
fine, and he felt strong again.
Using one final test, he conjured a flickering red fireball in his hand.
"I don't understand," Harry said, "Snape
said I couldn't do any magic for a week."
"You somehow regained your magic
and powers by going in there," Ardeavis
said, sounding a little surprised himself. “Even
if you can become a phoenix again, you should still let me take you
home, so
that way, something won't go wrong."
Harry complied, and they left the Department of Mysteries.
~*~*~*~
When Harry got back, he immediately went back to sleep, even if he was
in
normal day clothes.
Harry was brooding again over breakfast, and when asked by Snape
what the problem was (he had given Dumbledore an excuse, saying he
needed to
temporarily return to his manor for some reason), he reluctantly
explained,
since he wanted his wand back.
Snape was rather surprised, but he could
detect
Harry's honesty, so he accepted the explanation, no questions asked.
After
breakfast, Snape returned Harry's wand
before leaving
for Hogwarts.
Immediately after breakfast, Harry tried out every spell he knew, and
it all
seemed to come back to him like it was second nature.
However, there was one thing that could never be fixed, and that was
how he
felt. He still carried so many burdens in his mind, and he only hoped
that time
could heal them somewhat, let alone at all.
He spent the rest of the morning finishing "Return of the King," (and
he was trying the best he could not to burn or rip up the book out of
rage,
although his hands still shook with anger). It was when he was putting
the four
books (the trilogy plus "The Hobbit") back in its box when he then
remembered something.
Harry remembered the code on the slip of paper. "4637427- 465569
Then he realized. Being a Muggle-born
witch, his
mother probably used a telephone as a code cipher. He'd heard of this
code
before, and he knew how the letters on a telephone were arranged.
Taking a
piece of parchment, a quill, and ink, he quickly got to work. G... O...
D...
R...
The numbers became "GODRICS HOLLOW." It hit Harry: the place was Godric's Hollow. The place where
he and his
parents were hiding from Voldemort! And he
remembered
from the letter in the family vault how their mansion was on the
opposite side
of town.
The word "
So where did he go from here?
There was only one way to find out.
He had to go to Godric's
Hollow.
Harry wrote and left thank-you notes for Snape
and Dormiel (in his opinion, he house elf
deserved such
gratitude). In the note to his guardian, he elaborated, saying where he
would
go, and he didn't know when he would be back.
He couldn't fly to Godric's Hollow as a
phoenix, as
that would alert people of his existence. Instead, he decided to go on
his
motorbike, which he hadn't used in a while. After packing his things,
he went
outside, and flew off under the invisibility function.
~*~*~*~
Later that day at lunch, only one teacher was absent: Dumbledore. All
of the
students and professors (except for Snape,
who looked
unconcerned), wondered what could keep their Headmaster so busy.
Percy had come that
morning to try
to apologize to Ron, Ginny, and even Hermione before his behavior, but
before
he could get started, the noise of someone entering the Great Hall cut
him off.
Dumbledore walked in, his face a mix of shock, concern, and sadness,
and the
tiniest trace of fear. Everyone quieted down (save more rumors and
murmurs), as
the Headmaster made his way to the High Table to make an announcement.
"I have received breaking news from the Ministry," Dumbledore said,
looking as old as he was. As everyone strained their ears to here more,
Dumbledore went on. "Harry Potter was not killed by Voldemort
more than a week ago after the siege on that castle."
Silence sunk in, only to be replaced by excited and worried mutterings.
Snape's eyes widened ever so slightly.
Dumbledore
continued, "New evidence shows that someone was on the underside of the
cliff, waiting for him to be dropped. From what we can make out, our
unknown
person caught Mr. Potter, undid the Exploding Charm that Voldemort
put in place, used a Portkey to get away,
and put an
Exploding Charm on something else to maintain a convincing act.
However, we
still don't know where Mr. Potter currently is, and cannot say whether
this
unknown was working for us to fool Voldemort,
or was
working for Voldemort to fool us."
The excitement completely disintegrated into worry by now, even
full-blown
panic. The Gryffindors looked most
distraught of all.
Eventually, Percy Weasley's voice could be
heard all
across the hall: "What do you mean, that Harry was kidnapped by someone
else now?"
Everyone turned to look at him, and the Slytherins
were about to say rather nasty comments when a completely unfamiliar
sound
resonated throughout the hall.
At the staff table, Severus Snape
burst out laughing. It wasn't an evil, maniacal, or sinister laugh, but
an
honest laugh of someone enjoying some hilarious event. He even had one
arm on
the table, holding the edge for support, and the other hand over his
eyes,
holding his face. Snape just couldn't take
it
anymore; this was too much.
Every last student and teacher stared at him, bewildered, shocked,
scared, and
confused in general. This teacher, who had lost his barb and had been
so quiet
ever since the siege on Voldemort's
expendable
castle, was now acting more human than almost anyone could remember. A
common
thought echoed throughout the students' heads: 'Somehow, I always
imagined
Dumbledore losing his mind first.' The Slytherins feared for their Head’s sanity, while
a few of
the Gryffindors actually looked rather
hopeful.
Eventually, Percy's surprisingly indignant voice cut in. "What are you
laughing
so hard about? You hated Harry for the most part! I bet you find this
funny,
don't you?"
Snape's laughter faded, and he sniffed
through his
nose while releasing whatever his hands were holding. "You make him
sound
like your friend... oh, that's rich..."
he said, some mirth still echoing in his voice.
Percy reddened dangerously. "Will you stop laughing and tell us
already?"
Dumbledore sternly addressed him. "Mr. Weasley,
stop disrespecting your Potions professor, or I will have to take away
House points."
Turning to Snape, he said, "Please
explain, Severus, you're not helping us
here."
Snape calmed down now, and looked
Dumbledore straight
in the eye. "It's not just the hypocrisy that amuses me, but the
irony...
some Gryffindors keep waffling about their
bravery,
nobility, courage, etc., and yet I'm able to do what they can't... I
knew full
well that your stand off at the cliff would hardly intimidate him, so
it was
left to me to fix everyone's collective mistakes..."
Comprehension dawned in Dumbledore's eyes. "You mean...?"
"That's right, Headmaster, I rescued
him." People gasped and muttered as this sunk in, and the Gryffindors looked thunderstruck.
"How?" Dumbledore asked, still not fully understanding.
"Animagus Testing potion," Snape said simply. Okay, it wasn't entirely
true, but that
would do. "I was able to fly down onto the side of the cliff as a raven
behind Voldemort, so it was relatively
easy to rescue
him from there."
"So what happened next?" Dumbledore inquired, as the students and
teachers
leaned closer, anxious to hear more.
Snape now wore an angry scowl on his face.
"I
saw the full extent of his injuries." His voice got angrier with each
named injury that he mentioned. "Blindness caused by snake venom,
cracked
ribs, torn muscles and ligaments, fluid in one lung, excessive
bleeding,
trouble breathing, bruises and cuts all over his body, several
lacerations and
abrasions, frayed tissue throughout his body, a few broken bones,
singed hair,
an overdose of Veritaserum, and prolonged
exposure to
the Cruciatus Curse." As people gasped,
horrified, Snape added for effect, "And that was only the tip of the iceberg. Oh
no, he's physically fine now, in case you're wondering, but what's
worse are
his memories from his hellish experiences from Azkaban and the Dark
Lord's
castle. In addition to suffering from dementors
and
reliving his awful memories of people close to him dying or suffering,
he also
saw the attacks that happened through prescience."
As a suffocating silence now sunk in, Snape
finished,
"To put it plainly, it would have been enough to make Madam Pomfrey faint, and I seriously mean that."
"And why would you not tell any of us?" Dumbledore asked weakly,
sitting down before he collapsed.
"Oh, I told some students I could trust, who shall remain nameless for
their own safety and protection," Snape
said.
"And you know the other reasons, Dumbledore, which I think would
interest
several students. He's a distant relative of mine, and I was made his
guardian."
Half of the Gryffindors now looked about
ready to
faint as more speculations and rumors circulated. In Snape's
opinion, that made it worth revealing those secrets.
"Now that he's alive and well, why not have him return to Hogwarts?"
Dumbledore asked, with the undertone of an order.
Snape made a simple response that still
managed to
shock everyone nonetheless. "No."
Dumbledore was shocked at being refused like that, but he didn't show
it.
"Why not?" he asked politely as the rest of the staff gasped.
"I don't know. He was betrayed... he knows about your reactions to his
unjust incarceration by now... he undoubtedly hates you all now..."
"We get the point," Dumbledore said patiently. "Now please bring
him back." By now, everyone's heads were going back and forth as though
watching a tennis match.
Snape's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "And
what
would happen if I did?"
"We only want the chance to fix whatever mistakes were made, Severus."
Snape thought this over. "I'll ask him and
see
what he thinks, and then I'll go from there. I'm not making any
promises."
With that, he got up and walked towards the doors. He stopped when he
was
halfway across the threshold before remembering something. Turning to
the
Gryffindor table, he then added to Percy, “I would have assigned points
to Gryffindor
for making my day, Weasley, except you’re
a
Gryffindor alumnus, not a student. But
it’s the thought that counts, right?”
Percy reddened more from anger and embarrassment as Snape
vanished beyond the doors. That was a little harsh, but not undeserved.
People muttered even more and talked to each other before Snape
returned about ten minutes later, looking rather confused himself.
"I take it something unexpected happened, Severus?"
Dumbledore asked.
Snape only need to say two words to express
his own
surprise. "He's gone."
(End of
Chapter 44.)
A/N: Technically, this
DOESN’T
count as a cliffhanger, because you (the readers) know where Harry’s
going. (It’s true, right?)
(1) This came from
someone’s request for a repeat performance of fox-Ron, so here you go!
(2) Hee hee hee,
funny…
(3) This is an actual
fable by Aesop, which I got from a book on him that I own.
(4) To imagine this
scene better, think of the scene from the first “Spider-Man” movie,
where Peter
Parker discovers that he doesn’t need his glasses anymore.
(5) This scene was
inspired from something at the end of the novel “Night,” by Elie
Wiesel, where the protagonist sees himself
in the
mirror at the hospital.