Truth
Hey guys! I'm (sorta) back! Just here to publish another story part of my Severus Snape Series! This one will play a role, but I won't reveal how. Hope you all enjoy it.
This is my 9th installment to the series, "Truth"!
Chapter One:
Fourteen Years
The day of summer drew to bittersweet close as the signs of fall appeared in the forms of orange leaves on the trees and the rising cold winds from the north. A time that recognized not just the coming winter, but the coming new school year as well. And a day that many parents felt excitement and dread for.
A woman of red hair and green eyes stood at the entrance of platform nine and three quarters with a boy of eleven years and a man almost resembling him, except for their age and eye color. She took a deep breath and touched the boy's right shoulder, catching his attention. She smiled at him as she recognized his nervous but excited expression.
Smiling back, the boy grabbed ahold of his cart and rushed right at the wall of the platform, only to disappear on the other side.
Feeling tears build behind her eyes, she barely noticed a warm touch on her left hand, looking down to see another hand intertwined with hers. She smiled as she looked up at its owner, wiping the tears with her other hand, blushing.
"Come on," the man said, taking a step back.
The woman followed his lead and the two began to run towards the wall as well, disappearing from the crowded King's Cross Station, with no one noticing. They remerged on the other side, nearly bumping into another couple on the other side.
"That never gets old," the man smiled, pushing back his black hair.
The woman slapped his arm, "Don't you ever get tired of doing that?"
"Do you really have to ask? It's my best feature."
"I say that it's you're most distracting feature."
The man raised an eyebrow, "For you? Or for me?"
"Wouldn't you like to know," the woman walked way in search for the boy, finding him right behind a large crowd as he stared in awe at the Hogwarts Express. She approached him and smiled at his innocent face, reminding her of her first time seeing the train from a long time ago.
But her smile disappeared as another memory clouded her mind. A memory of her family. And a boy…
She shook her head, refusing to allow herself to drift off into even remembering or thinking of that boy.
"You excited?" she asked.
The boy looked at her and nodded with eager, unable to speak.
The woman laughed and patted his head, noticing the man approach on the other side of the boy, laughing.
"You know, your mother and I boarded this same train together for our first year."
The boy's eyes widened, "Really?! What was it like when you two first met?! Was Uncle Sirius there?!"
The man nodded, "Yes, he was. But as for how your mother and I met… let's say that your mother wasn't used to me back then."
He stopped when he saw the woman's expression, lost in thought of something else, as if she was in another place. In a different time.
The boy frowned, "Really? But I thought you two got together at Hogwarts."
"We did, but it… took longer for us to start something."
"Why?"
The man's face fell as he started to remember his youthful years, a mix of anger and sadness on full display as he looked back at the woman with worry.
"Another story for another time, kiddo. Now, say goodbye to your mother and please write us whenever you can. We want to hear about your experiences and the friends you'll be making. And if you happen to notice any girls you may like, all you must do is ask for advice. After all, I was the lady's man during my time."
"But nowhere near as good as I was," came another voice from behind them. "And still am."
"UNCLE SIRIUS!" the boy cried out as he let go of his cart and jumped into the arms of the new comer.
Both the man and woman turned around, smiling as the dark thoughts slowly faded from their minds.
"Hey there, Harry!" Sirius Black exclaimed as he hugged and set him back down. "You ready for your first year!"
"YES!" the boy jumped up and down with high spirits.
"Good, because you're going to need it with how adventurous and exciting that school is! But like your old man said, just write us if you need any advice. Or more specifically, me."
"Okay, that's enough!" the woman stepped forward, taking her son by the shoulders. "The last thing my son needs is for you to go and corrupt him before his first day at Hogwarts. There will be more time for that in his later years."
Sirius waved her off, "Sure, sure. I guess I can wait a couple of years before he reached those crazy times. But seriously, keep me in the loop, kid. I live for this kind of stuff."
The boy nodded, devilishly smiling.
"I swear, this boy has gotten everything from you, James. Except for the- "
"Eyes! Yes, like I haven't told enough," James Potter cried out. "Now, please, stop reminding me."
"What's wrong, my dear?" the woman mocked, smiling. "Do you feel jealous that my eyes took the one thing you couldn't give him?"
"At least we know who was dominate," he threw back a her, instantly recognizing his mistake.
The woman raised an eyebrow, "Back then, at least."
"Ew!" Harry Potter exclaimed, making a face of disgust. "Please, stop!"
The woman and the two men laughed.
"Sorry sweetie," Lily Potter leaned forward and kissed his head. "You'll understand once your older. But for right now, have a good time, study, make good grades, make good friends, stay out of trouble, write to us, and please don't do something that your idiot father and godfather would do."
"Yeah, don't do anything that I would do," James winked at his son, who winked back.
Lily noticing the exchange and laughed, "He's definitely your son. Looks aside."
"Was there any doubt?"
The train's horn sounded, catching their attention.
Lily embraced her son and held him against her shoulder as she knelt to the ground, struggling to hold back the tears. James and Sirius followed, forming a group hug in a crowd of wizards and witches.
"I love you, Harry," Lily sniffled. "Be carefully at Hogwarts. And I'm seriously, no trouble."
"Hey, I'm Sirius!" Black laughed as Lily smacked on the shoulder once letting go of her son.
"Just remember to enjoy these years, Harry," said James as he touched Harry's shoulder. "If I could, I would give anything to relive what your about to experience. Don't take these coming days for granted."
The boy nodded as he took his trunk and wand out of the cart, "I will. I'll miss you all!"
"Goodbye, Harry!" Lily cried out as she, James and Sirius watched him run for the train, boarding alongside many other children. They waved once the train started to move, managing to catch a sight of Harry from one of the windows, who waved back. They noticed he was in the company of two boys and one girl, hoping that they were the start of a line of friends Harry would make during his time at the school.
They watched as the train got further away, losing sight of it as continued its journey, carrying the next generation of wizards and witches to the great school of Hogwarts
After the train was long gone and the crowd started to clear out, the three friends decided to make a visit to Diagon Alley, visiting a wizard café for some drinks and a bite to eat.
"I swear, that kid is somehow a perfect version of the both of ya!" said Sirius as he downed another butterbeer. "He has Jamie's good looks and a bit of his over-sized ego-"
"HEY!"
"-And he has Lil's eyes and kind personality. But one question remains."
"And what is that?" Lily smiled as she drank her tea.
"Whose temper did he inherit?"
"Well, definitely not me," said James. "My temper is almost non-existent."
"Yeah, sure," Sirius rolled his eyes. "If you say so."
"It's true!"
Lily began to chuckle.
"What?!" James frowned.
"Oh, nothing."
"No, seriously, what?"
Sirius opened his mouth before James covered it with his hand, "Don't say it!"
"James, you have a temper. Just… not one that's much intimidating."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"She means that while you may have a temper, you've always had it on display," Sirius explained once he removed his friend's hand from his mouth.
"And?"
Lily rolled her eyes, "James, you've never had a noticeable temper because you were always about pranking and bullying. You're always venting it, so it never builds up to the point where it can be… explosive."
James leaned back, processing her words, "Oh."
"So, does that mean that he's inherited it from you?" Sirius turned to Lily.
Lily shrugged, "Maybe. I just hope he doesn't run into any anger problems. Anyway, why are we talking about this? We should be enjoying ourselves. Harry's on his way to Hogwarts, we've never had this kind of freedom in a long time, and my novel has finally been finished."
Both Sirius and James stared at her with wide eyes, dead silent.
"Wait, you mean…" Lily nodded at her husband.
"Yeah, I finally finished it last night."
James leaned forward, touching her hand with his, "Was it because of today?"
She nodded, "It just… renewed my interest."
"You going to publish it?" Sirius asked.
"I… don't know," she looked down at her drink, lost in thought. "I'm not sure if it will do any good or just do nothing. All I know is that it can't do anymore harm, except for reminding people of… him."
"Lily, it's been fourteen years."
"Yeah," said Sirius as he drank James's butterbeer. "Bastard's never coming back. Didn't he say so himself?"
James snatched back his drink, glaring at his friend.
"That's not the point. Ever since that night… we've finally gotten our chance to experience a peace that we only got to dream about. There's no way this can ruin that. I'm just… conflicted with reminding people of him and what he did. I feel like I'm keeping his ghost alive."
James sighed, "People will always remember what he did, Lils. Nothing will ever change that. And nothing should. He deserves to be remembered for the monster he was."
"You say that like he's dead," said Sirius.
"He has to be. No one has found him. And the whole world has been looking. They even went as far as searching South America, Australia, and both Poles as well. Not to mention the bounty that keeps climbing every year."
"But you just answered your own question, Prongs. If he was dead, wouldn't the person who got him let the world know? There's glory and money in it for any bounty hunter, auror or some random person to do it."
The three remained silent for a while, with only the noise of the café reaching their ears.
"Dead or alive, I'm not sure if I'll publish it. I need time to think about it."
James nodded, sadly.
"Hey, why the sad faces?" came a voice.
Everyone turned to find Alice Longbottom and Mary McDonald standing next to their table.
"Alice, Mary!" Lily jumped to her feet and embraced her friends. "What are you guys doing here?"
"Needed to drown my misery of sending my son off to Hogwarts by doing some good old shopping with Mary here."
"She's been looking at expensive dresses and point out hot guys to me."
"Hey, someone has to make sure you don't die alone."
"Ah, too bad we missed you there. I could have joined you."
"And left us alone?" said Sirius, smiling at Mary. "Speaking of hot guys, here's one that's willing to give us another try."
Mary laughed and rolled her eyes, "Not in a million years, Black. I may have forgiven you for that Ravenclaw girl I caught you with, but I will never date you again."
Alice leaned forward, "Take the hint, you messed up big time. Just accept the consequences and move on. There are plenty of other girls who are willing."
Sirius turned away, mumbling something under his breath.
"Don't mind him, he's just mourning for his wounded pride," said Lily, ignoring the glare from Sirius. "Why don't you two join us? I know I can use the company."
The two women smiled as they took their seats, ordering their drinks from the waitress once she came by.
In a household in London, a wizard couple sit in the living room, enjoying their day while listening to the radio.
Suddenly, a mysterious light appeared in the middle of their room, making the woman scream as the husband reached for his wand. Once the light receded, a cloaked figure stood at the center, holding a glowing orb in its hand.
Wasting no time, the figure rushed towards the wall and moved its hands forward, making movements in a strange pattern. Then the wall collapsed, creating a pathway to the outside. Once the figure was gone, the wall was back in its place, with the couple staring in awe and wonder of what had just happened.
As the half-full moon rose above the castle Hogwarts, the night slowly passed on with every student and staff asleep in their beds; with the exception of a few, like Albus Dumbledore.
The old wizard walked through the hallways of the castle, having no destination in mind as he wandered aimlessly. His mind was lost in thought, a habit he found himself becoming more comfortable to during the last fourteen years. It soon dawned him that he was outside of the castle and wondering close to the lake.
Deciding to enjoy the cold air in his old jacket, he allowed himself to shamelessly feel like a young man again. Ignoring his responsibilities and wasting no time on worries for the new school year. Romancing a time when he was someone else entirely from the old wizard he has become since then.
Even after all these years he couldn't fathom how peaceful the wizarding world had become since that night. While others rejoiced and took the events at face value, there was something in Dumbledore that refused to let it go. He didn't just believe there was more to the story, he knew it. But the questions he had stretched further back than what happened fourteen years ago. An event that started a chain reaction that would lead to that night almost a year later.
But no matter how much he tried to investigate, even with the help of Alastor Moody by his side, he found nothing that could answer his questions.
Now, here he was, guiding the next generation of his kind in a new year, like he always has. But what should have felt like a dream come true, only felt like a dream that refused to let him wake up. And it frustrated him for not knowing why.
But he found comfort in knowing what he did know for sure. The Death Eater threat was no longer a concern like it once was. The pure-blood campaign was close to non-existent. The Ministry and the wizarding public was pro-muggle-born now. And the prejudice at Hogwarts between Houses were at a record low.
If anything, it seemed that the only one who refused to move on was him.
Sighing to himself, Dumbledore began his walk back to the castle, only to stop at the feeling of the presence of someone close by. Reaching for his wand beneath his jacket and robes, he slowly turned and saw a cloaked figure just a couple of feet from him, standing beside the lake.
The figure faced toward him, but it's face was concealed.
Dumbledore took his stance and prepared himself, "How did you get past the wards?"
The figure laughed, "There are ways to get close to the castle without sounding the alarms, old man." The voice was disorientated, hiding its gender and age from him, but firm. "You can put away that dump stick that you call a weapon. I'm only here to speak with you."
"What about?" Dumbledore demanded.
"About the lie your dumbass society has laid as its foundation for peace," the figure declared. "You've disgraced my friend's name and I won't allow you to continue doing so. Even if it means going against his wishes. But hey, I never promised I wouldn't undo what he did."
"Stupefy!" a voice cried out from afar.
The figure quickly turned towards the coming spell and a wall of dirt immediately flew up as a barrier against it.
Dumbledore's mouth dropped at what he had just witnessed.
"You're a sneaky one, despite that leg of yours," the figure said as the wall of dirt fell onto the ground. "Almost got me there, really wish I could have more like you on my squad."
Alastor Moody stood a good distance from the figure, his wand aiming directly at it. Whether he was surprised by the defense that Dumbledore saw was up for debate.
"That was the point!" Mad-Eye growled. "You dare attack the Headmaster on these grounds?! I'd take you for a Death Eater!"
The figure began to laugh, its voice still masked by the disoriented effect that clouded it, "Well, now that my plan has been completely crushed, I'll be taking my leave before you're friends show up. Talk to ya later… Dumb-dork."
A series of popping noises could be heard in the distance, just outside the barriers of Hogwarts.
Using this moment, Mad-Eye sent a series of spells at the figure, only for it to sink into the ground as they flew over its head and into the lake. Both he and Dumbledore watched in shock as the ground swallowed up the figure, leaving a pile of dirt in its place. They could feel the shifting of the Earth beneath them, making them realize that the figure was moving underground.
As the Aurors rushed to towards them, Moody was already on the hunt, yelling out orders.
"Begin searching the area! And get some people inside the school, the intruder might go there!"
"No!" Dumbledore declared. "The wards will keep the intruder out, even if its means of getting through the outer barriers was through underground."
Though skeptical, Moody nodded and approached him, "You heard the man! Get searching!"
"I'm surprised to see you, Moody," Dumbledore greeted him.
"Wasn't meaning to come at such a late hour, especially tonight of all nights, but I needed to speak with you."
The two began searching the area with the Aurors, who were scattering everywhere.
"What's seems to be of importance?"
"Nearly ten hours ago, I've received word of a break-in at a house in London. At first, I thought it was just a routine wizard incident, someone just looking to steal something fancy. So, I sent an Auror to investigate, only for the damn imbecile to tell me about nine hours later of what happened."
"Please, do continue," Dumbledore's eyes searched around the lake.
"The owner of the house swore that a figure just appeared out of nowhere, that it wasn't a break-in. And that it was holding a glowing orb."
Dumbledore stopped and turned towards the old Auror, "An orb?"
Moody nodded, "It didn't have the same color, but it's description caught my attention. Came here as soon as I could, only to find that intruder here. Sent word immediately to my men."
"What about the break-in? Where did the person with the orb go?"
"Nada clue. All I know is that the very same orb that disappeared fifteen years ago did the exact same thing as the one reported, just in reverse. But I can't help but wonder if the person responsible for the break-in is actually him."
Dumbledore remained silent, thinking hard, "I do not know, but it's the only clue we've had in fourteen years since that night. And the orb is part of it."
"Speaking of intruders, who the bloody hell was that?!"
"I have no idea, Moody. But he or she wanted to speak with me."
"About what?" Moody raised an eyebrow.
Dumbledore stared out towards the forest, "It said that we've used its friend's name as a disgrace and wished to stop it. Said that our peace was based on a lie."
"A lie? About what?"
"I'm not sure. But I think your intrusion disrupted what it wanted to tell me."
"Oh, so it's my fault, eh?! How about 'thank you for saving my hide tonight'? And you're calling the intruder 'it'?"
"It was either that or they."
"Okay, fine!" Moody growled. "Intruders breaking onto the grounds of Hogwarts and people appearing out of nowhere with orbs… feels like old times."
Dumbledore nodded, "Only questions are who are they and are they a threat?"
Moody smiled, "You know me, Dumbledore. Everyone's a threat until proven not."
Been meaning to publish this one for a while but I was saving to get Microsft Word so I can edit my chapters better. I'm planning on doing a rewrite of 'Redemption' before I can get back to it. Not in a reboot to a new story kind of rewrite, but rather just editing the old chapters and making changes before replacing the old ones, so I can correct continuity errors and other mistakes. I plan on doing the same to 'The Mysterious Traveler' as well.
I deeply apologize for the long wait in the return to writing. I will explain why in the next chapter for 'Redemption' that I am working on. Please be patient.
Hope you enjoyed the new story and first chapter. And I'll see you all in Chapter 2! ;)