A/N: My second fic! Yah! Anyways, this is gonna be a chapter fic. I've
completely revised the entiree thing, so if you started to read it, you may
wish to read it again. Also, I received complaints on chapter length, so I
tied two (and in some cases three) chapters together, mixing some things
around a bit. So, the story is basically the same with some of the chapters
combined. I didn't remove anything, just combined it, ok? Ok. ON WITH THE
STORY!!!
Gathering the Darkness
Chapter 1
To say he was having a horrible summer was an understatement. In fact, the Boy-Who-Lived was completely miserable. His aunt and uncle were having him complete senseless chores over and over again. For instance, when was the last time they had actually lit a fire in the fireplace? Well, Harry had cleaned out the chimney six times since school got out and it wasn't even his birthday yet.
When he finished the day's chores, he stumbled into his room like a drunk. Opening the bureau door, he stared at his reflection in the mirror. A boy of fourteen, almost fifteen glared back. He had a thin, muscular body and a pale face marred by a lightning bolt shape scar on his forehead. His brilliant green eyes were hidden behind coke-bottle glasses and his jet- black hair was as unruly as ever. He had grown a little since school had gotten out and was now nearly five foot ten. Sighing, he stripped down to his boxers and slipped into bed, hoping that maybe he would get a good night's sleep. How wrong he was.
He hadn't dozed for more than five minutes when BANG BANG!! an urgent pounding at the front door awaked him. Harry lay still, listening to his uncle's footsteps as he clomped down the stairs. He held his breath and waited for the telltale scream that it was Voldemort, but was surprised when it didn't come. He could he people speaking down stairs and, after a moment's thought, decided to investigate. He opened his door and slipped silently into the stairwell.
".injured badly. We need a place to stay for the night so that she can recuperate a little. I promise we'll be no trouble Mr. Dursley."
"Absolutely not! I will not tolerate the presence of.freaks like you in my house! NOW GET OUT!!!" roared Vernon Dursley.
Harry had heard enough to recognize at least one of the guests. It was Sirius. But what was he talking about? Who was hurt? He crept down the stairs a bit more and poked his head out of the hallway. Sirius was standing in the doorway wearing a black cloak. He was holding someone tightly in his arms, but Harry couldn't make out who it was.
"Please. I'm begging you."pleaded Sirius.
Harry had never seen Sirius so upset. He nearly screamed when his uncle reached toward the phone and hissed, "Get out now or I'll call the police on you. And don't think I won't. I don't have to tolerate people like you in MY house hold threatening MY family!"
Harry knew by instinct that it was time to intervene. "Sirius?" he asked innocently. "What are you doing here?"
Vernon paled, "T-t-this is S-s-sirius? As in, your G-godf-father?"
"Yessir," replied Harry.
"F-f-fine. You may stay. I-I-I'm going back to b-bed," Vernon stuttered before tearing off up stairs like a rabbit with a dog on it's tail (no pun intended).
"Help me out," muttered Sirius. Harry grabbed two blankets from the downstairs linen closet and can back to find his godfather putting Minerva McGonagall on the couch.
Harry gawked at poor Professor McGonagall. She had gashes and bruises all over her body and there was blood everywhere. Her right arm was twisted at a grotesquely odd angle and her lips were tingled blue. He thought she was dead until he saw her chest rise slightly and then fall again. She was alive, but only just.
Sirius had found some towels in the bathroom and had gotten a bowl of water. He saw the shocked look on Harry's face and muttered, "Yeah, I know. She looks horrible. Could you go and get your wand?"
Harry nodded and bolted up stairs as fast as his legs could carry him, taking care not to wake his relatives. He found his wand under the floorboards of his room and practically fell down the stairs in his rush to get to the living room. When he got there, Sirius was cleaning some of the congeled blood off of her face.
"What happened?" Harry asked breathlessly, looking very concerned. Sirius had finished cleaning off the blood at this point and was now setting her broken right arm. Harry handed him the wand.
"It's a very long story," he mumbled. He preformed a spell with Harry's wand before continuing. "Good. This arm is the only thing broken. She's pretty lucky about that. She lost quite a bit of blood, but I think she'll be alright in a day or two. Anyway, I was staying at Remus' house, but tonight is the full moon, so I decided to do some exploring. I heard some screaming, followed it, and found a group of Death Eaters torturing her. It seems she was visiting a relative and they kidnapped her on her way home. I had to wait until they finished so I wouldn't be exposed and when they did, I grabbed her and apparated here, because Remus' house wasn't safe. The last thing she would need after being tortured by a group of slimeball Deatheaters is to be mauled by a full grown werewolf."
"Hmm," was all Harry could say in reply. McGonagall looked about three hundred times better now than when she had first gotten there. Her broken arm was tightly bandaged and lay in a sling across her chest. There was no more blood on her face and body, but her robes were soaked with it. "Maybe we should find her a new set of robes. Those are just gross."
Sirius leaned back against the coffee table and was about to speak, when suddenly, McGonagall woke up.
Gathering the Darkness
Chapter 1
To say he was having a horrible summer was an understatement. In fact, the Boy-Who-Lived was completely miserable. His aunt and uncle were having him complete senseless chores over and over again. For instance, when was the last time they had actually lit a fire in the fireplace? Well, Harry had cleaned out the chimney six times since school got out and it wasn't even his birthday yet.
When he finished the day's chores, he stumbled into his room like a drunk. Opening the bureau door, he stared at his reflection in the mirror. A boy of fourteen, almost fifteen glared back. He had a thin, muscular body and a pale face marred by a lightning bolt shape scar on his forehead. His brilliant green eyes were hidden behind coke-bottle glasses and his jet- black hair was as unruly as ever. He had grown a little since school had gotten out and was now nearly five foot ten. Sighing, he stripped down to his boxers and slipped into bed, hoping that maybe he would get a good night's sleep. How wrong he was.
He hadn't dozed for more than five minutes when BANG BANG!! an urgent pounding at the front door awaked him. Harry lay still, listening to his uncle's footsteps as he clomped down the stairs. He held his breath and waited for the telltale scream that it was Voldemort, but was surprised when it didn't come. He could he people speaking down stairs and, after a moment's thought, decided to investigate. He opened his door and slipped silently into the stairwell.
".injured badly. We need a place to stay for the night so that she can recuperate a little. I promise we'll be no trouble Mr. Dursley."
"Absolutely not! I will not tolerate the presence of.freaks like you in my house! NOW GET OUT!!!" roared Vernon Dursley.
Harry had heard enough to recognize at least one of the guests. It was Sirius. But what was he talking about? Who was hurt? He crept down the stairs a bit more and poked his head out of the hallway. Sirius was standing in the doorway wearing a black cloak. He was holding someone tightly in his arms, but Harry couldn't make out who it was.
"Please. I'm begging you."pleaded Sirius.
Harry had never seen Sirius so upset. He nearly screamed when his uncle reached toward the phone and hissed, "Get out now or I'll call the police on you. And don't think I won't. I don't have to tolerate people like you in MY house hold threatening MY family!"
Harry knew by instinct that it was time to intervene. "Sirius?" he asked innocently. "What are you doing here?"
Vernon paled, "T-t-this is S-s-sirius? As in, your G-godf-father?"
"Yessir," replied Harry.
"F-f-fine. You may stay. I-I-I'm going back to b-bed," Vernon stuttered before tearing off up stairs like a rabbit with a dog on it's tail (no pun intended).
"Help me out," muttered Sirius. Harry grabbed two blankets from the downstairs linen closet and can back to find his godfather putting Minerva McGonagall on the couch.
Harry gawked at poor Professor McGonagall. She had gashes and bruises all over her body and there was blood everywhere. Her right arm was twisted at a grotesquely odd angle and her lips were tingled blue. He thought she was dead until he saw her chest rise slightly and then fall again. She was alive, but only just.
Sirius had found some towels in the bathroom and had gotten a bowl of water. He saw the shocked look on Harry's face and muttered, "Yeah, I know. She looks horrible. Could you go and get your wand?"
Harry nodded and bolted up stairs as fast as his legs could carry him, taking care not to wake his relatives. He found his wand under the floorboards of his room and practically fell down the stairs in his rush to get to the living room. When he got there, Sirius was cleaning some of the congeled blood off of her face.
"What happened?" Harry asked breathlessly, looking very concerned. Sirius had finished cleaning off the blood at this point and was now setting her broken right arm. Harry handed him the wand.
"It's a very long story," he mumbled. He preformed a spell with Harry's wand before continuing. "Good. This arm is the only thing broken. She's pretty lucky about that. She lost quite a bit of blood, but I think she'll be alright in a day or two. Anyway, I was staying at Remus' house, but tonight is the full moon, so I decided to do some exploring. I heard some screaming, followed it, and found a group of Death Eaters torturing her. It seems she was visiting a relative and they kidnapped her on her way home. I had to wait until they finished so I wouldn't be exposed and when they did, I grabbed her and apparated here, because Remus' house wasn't safe. The last thing she would need after being tortured by a group of slimeball Deatheaters is to be mauled by a full grown werewolf."
"Hmm," was all Harry could say in reply. McGonagall looked about three hundred times better now than when she had first gotten there. Her broken arm was tightly bandaged and lay in a sling across her chest. There was no more blood on her face and body, but her robes were soaked with it. "Maybe we should find her a new set of robes. Those are just gross."
Sirius leaned back against the coffee table and was about to speak, when suddenly, McGonagall woke up.