Author: Elora Dark
Title: The Trials to Come
Rating: R for language
Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling (because if I were I would not have killed Sirius in the first place), nor do I make any money from this story. All characters, except Roan Draven, belong to Ms. Rowling.
Author's Note: I have made some adjustments to Roan and her magical abilities due to the fact that I had a few reviewers say she was over the top. Thank you for your helpful criticism because I originally thought that as well.
Chapter 1: Through the looking GlassIt was a warm summer evening at Number 4, Privet Drive, Little Whinging. A lanky, thin young man was thoroughly engaged in reading a large and ancient looking book in the rapidly dimming light. "BOY GET IN HERE!" the yell broke the natural silence like a pebble being thrown into a pond. The young man begrudgingly closed his book and looked towards the open back door from which the demand had emanated.
"Yes, Vernon?" Harry asked, scowling at the fat, purple faced man.
Harry had ceased using the terms Aunt and Uncle when addressing Petunia and Vernon when he returned for the summer holiday. He regarded Number 4 as nothing more then a safe haven a few weeks out of the year where the magical protection his mother had died to give him could be recharged. He had made a special effort to keep as much distance between himself and the Dursley's this summer, going so far as to only eating when they had gone to bed and going to the park all day only retreating when he heard 'Big-D' and his cronies returning from a day of delinquency.
"How many timed do I have to tell you to keep your…abnormality confined to your room?" Vernon's purple, mustached face met Harry at the door.
One of his sausage like fingers jabbed violently at the bulky book Harry clutched. "Mysteries of Death: What truly lies in the Beyond and How to Retrieve it" was the title visible above Harry's arm.
"And how many times do I have to tell you to stop spying on me?" Harry's voice was a deadly whisper and his brilliant emerald eyes shined dangerously.
Vernon nervously licked his lips, not knowing what to expect from Harry. No one, including his closest friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, knew what to expect from Harry anymore. He had become quiet a different person after the death of his godfather, Sirius Black, the last person Harry considered a part of his family. The night he returned to Privet Drive, Harry had sent Hedwig to Knockturn Alley with a list of books that could only be purchased from one of those dark and foreboding shops. The books had all been about death and the beyond; Harry was determined to find a way to bring Sirius back or at the very least a way to contact him.
Harry, who had grown several more inches within the past month, was now taller than all the Dursley's. He walked around Vernon's bulky frame and left the kitchen to retreat to his room. He slammed to door and threw the ancient book into a dark corner.
"One would think that Knockturn Alley, a haven for the dark arts, would have some useful literature." He muttered angrily to the empty room, Hedwig had been gone several days.
She was delivering letters to Ron and Hermione as well as his new pen pals, Remus Lupin, Tonks, and Mad-Eye Moody. Their letter were always the same, "Harry how are you? How are the muggle's treating you? I'm here if you ever want to talk about anything. Hope to see you soon." He knew they were truly worried about him, but he didn't care. His fate was sealed, in one way or another murder was in his impending future.
Harry rubbed his scar absentmindedly, it throbbed everyday. Sometimes when Voldemort was exceptionally angry, as had been the case a few weeks ago when Bellatrix had been punished, Harry got violently sick. But afterwards a sick feeling of glee had overcome him, knowing that Bellatrix had been tortured to the brink of death.
His revere was broken by a loud knock at the front door. The knock echoed loudly in Harry's room, which immediately caught his attention. A normal knock would have been a dull thud when the reverb reached his room. He flung open the door and came running down the stairs. Petunia gave a shrill cry of surprise as Harry nearly collided with Vernon, who had reached the door first. Harry's heart thudded painfully in his chest, he was sure it would crack a rib with the next beat.
Could this be it? The Order needed him, the battle had begun, the Weasley's were coming to take him to the Burrow, anything….but there was no one at the door. "Bloody neighbor kids, always causing trouble. They could learn a thing from our young gentleman, Dudley." Vernon growled. As whenever Dudley was mentioned, Petunia uttered a small sniff and shook her head. "Yes, our little Dudlykins…"
Harry turned disbelieving from the door and Vernon, disgust and anger rising in him like a tidal wave. "And what do you think your doing galloping down the stairs, eh? I severely doubt one of those people would know how to properly knock on a door." Vernon spat towards the back of Harry's head.
Harry clenched his fists and took a deep shuddering breath. His temper was becoming easier to flare and harder to control everyday. A second and louder knock reverberated throughout the house causing the windows to shake. "Now that's quite enough!" Vernon roared throwing the door open again. Harry instead ran into the kitchen and wrenched open the backdoor. For a split second, Harry believed the cloaked figure to be a dementor, before it shook the hood back to reveal fire red hair.
"Harry Potter, I presume." The young woman said in a distinct Irish accent, holding out her hand and staring Harry in the eyes. This was something Harry was quiet unused to, whenever a witch or wizard met him their eyes automatically flicked to his forehead to see the lightening shape scar that made him famous. He took the young woman's cold hand tentatively, at once images flooded into Harry's head.
"Your still not practicing your Occlumency, Severus will be most displeased… and Those books aren't doing a thing to lighten your mood either." The young woman said stepping into the unnaturally clean kitchen as Harry stood dumbstruck.
"And who the BLOODY HELL are you?" Vernon screamed as he charged into the kitchen.
"A friend of the family." She replied coolly. Vernon looked horrified, he stared from Harry's amused to face to the shorter cloaked young woman.
"Your no friend of mine, you….you freak!" Vernon said, his voice shaking from either fear or anger, Harry believed it to be from the latter.
"Quite correct, Muggle" she hissed, "I am no friend of yours, nor would I ever want to be. Harry has a rather…ah, extended family, albeit not one of blood, in our world." An electric energy seemed to be radiating from the young woman. Vernon sensing this energy, took a few steps back and pushed Petunia behind him.
"You can't d-do anything, I know the rules!" Vernon said his voice truly shaking now.
"Oh, but I can, muggle. I'm 22 and an adult by all standards, wizarding and otherwise." Petunia gave a small cry as the woman mentioned wizards. The girl turned suddenly back to Harry, "Do you have somewhere, erm, more private where we could speak. This is quite important and I'm already on borrowed time."
"Um yeah, follow me." Harry said, staring at the girl a moment longer than necessary. Her eyes were completely black, a complete contrast to her porcelain white skin. She smiled expectantly, "Oh, um, yeah" he muttered. Harry led her out of the kitchen and swore he heard her utter a low growl as they passed Vernon and Petunia.
Harry opened his bedroom door and was suddenly struck at how untidy his room was, this was after all the first time a young woman had stepped foot in his sanctuary. He immediately started throwing everything within reach into a far corner. "Don't bother, you should see my place…and I'm allowed to use magic whenever I feel the need." She smiled closing the door behind her. She unclasped the emerald green traveling cloak and stepped out of it. It fluttered in the air lazily, "Over there" the girl pointed to Harry's wardrobe where the cloak fluttered gracefully to a stop.
"Well, I suppose I should explain to you why I'm here." She said sheepishly, color flooding into her pale cheeks. She flicked her wand and all Harry's things flew into their correct places, she flicked it again and two chairs appeared. Harry looked surprised, he expected an owl from the Ministry of Magic to come rapping at the window with another expulsion warning. "Loophole in the law, I'm of legal age, the muggles know you're a wizard and your curtains are closed" she said sitting down.
"You said you're a friend of my parents," Harry started.
"No, I said I'm a friend of your family. I never knew your parents. I'm a friend of Remus and Sirius. My name is Roan Draven, I'm a member of the Order of the Phoenix." she said.
"How come I never met you at Grimmauld place?" Harry asked.
"I've been on away missions, I spent a lot of time with Sirius when everyone else was gone." She smiled slightly.
Harry looked at his feet when she mentioned Sirius. Roan suddenly reached out and grabbed Harry's hand. He was surprised at first how cold her hand felt, but then at warmth that seemed to spread from her palm to him. Harry looked at her hand and noticed a large pentagram tattoo on her hand as well as a small snake, barely visible under a large bracelet. Harry turned her wrist over and ripped the bracelet off. An angry red tattoo of a skull with a snake coming out of its mouth marred the otherwise pale skin.
She snatched her hand back, "I'll explain that later that isn't why I'm here…" Harry temper was again flaring.
"Who the hell are you?" Harry whispered, anger blazing behind his beautiful eyes.
"Damn it Harry! I'm here to tell you about Sirius." she yelled at him.
"Sirius is dead." Harry said slouching back in the chair.
"No, he was knocked into the veil, yes, but he chose not to pass on. His love for life, his love for you, Harry kept him in… in a limbo between life and death." Roan said, once again grasping Harry's hand.
"How do you know this?" Harry asked, his heart began to pound but he would not allow himself to believe the possibility.
"I'm an empath, do…do you know what that is?" Roan asked her eyes searching his face.
Harry did remember something Professor Trelawney said during a lesson, it hadn't been much because the Professor did not believe it possible to foresee anything relying on human emotions or memories. She said to the class, "Even muggles can have traces of so called 'empathic powers'. No one in the wizarding community gives empaths an ounce of respect, its not real magic…Emotion fogs the eye, the only true way of foretelling is to rely on tangible evidence."
"Once, once I make a connection with someone it lasts forever…until that person is dead. I was away in Transylvania on the night of the battle. I felt Remus and Sirius, I felt them, I saw them through their own eyes fighting with every thing they had to save you. I felt Sirius's shock and anger as he fell into the veil. And Remus, his anger, and heartache…I felt it. But the connection with Sirius did not end, I still felt him. He was lost in the darkness and angry with himself at not being quick enough." She paused, swallowing hard. Harry stared at her, his face set as if in stone. "They told me he was dead, that what I was feeling was residual from our connections,"
Harry interrupted, "Your connections…were you shagging Sirius?" He sounded incredulous, as if she had come all this way to reveal Sirius's sex life to him.
She smiled grimily, "No, a connection is much more intimate than sex, Harry. You have to completely release yourself to… well to me. I can take or give memories as well as emotions. I see what they see, I feel what they feel…You've no idea what Sirius went through. First being locked up in Azkaban for 13 years, then when he starts to breathe free air…to be locked up in that house with Kreacher and that woman." She spat the names as if they had a repulsive taste. "That woman" being the enchanted painting of Sirius's mother that screamed insults and Kreacher the treacherous house elf.
"I did what I could to ease his frustrations, to make it more bearable for him to be confined…" Roan stopped again, angry for getting off topic again. She checked the watch she wore on her other wrist, it now flashed "HURRY UP!!!".
"Right, anyways, as I was saying…Look Harry, Sirius was not dead, nor is he dead now.
"What are you saying, are you saying Sirius is alive?" Harry said, now grabbing Roan's hand. She winced slightly,
"Yes, I'm here to tell you so you don't think we hid him from you. Sirius wants to see you so badly, but…but it's not safe yet. You have to wait for the guard to escort you. He was stuck 6 weeks between worlds. I used ancient magic, forbidden magic to retrieve him…I had to, I knew he wasn't dead, he would remain stuck between life and death forever." She paused wringing her hands anxiously. "After all that we nearly got caught on the way out. "she smiled remembering. "I've since been put on probation at the Order. Dumbledore wasn't angry per say, more afraid of what might have come through the veil had I not been able to call Sirius back. I'm technically not allowed to leave the house. I'm helping Sirius recover… and well they don't want me to get in any more trouble."
"I want to see him, now! I have to…" Harry jumped up and ran to his closet, he grabbed his broom and was half way out of the window when Roan gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Not yet, Harry. Not in person, anyways. Where's the mirror he gave you?" Roan asked gently. Harry's heart sank like lead, he had shattered it when Sirius had not answered.
"It's gone, I broke it…he didn't answer." Harry said lamely.
"Well, where are the shards?" Roan asked as if this was the most obvious thing in the world.
Harry flung open his school chest and started pulling out everything. Roan muttered "Repairo" and the shards flew together and the mirror hung suspended in front of Harry. With shaking hands he grasped the mirror, "Si..Sirius" Harry's voice cracked, his hands shook so badly he was afraid he'd drop the mirror and brake it again. The mirror remained empty for several seconds and then suddenly, Sirius's gaunt face appeared.
"Nice to see you, Harry!" Sirius smiled, a true smile that partially covered the tired grinding in his voice. Harry stared in shock, a lump had formed in his throat that no amount of swallowing could move. "Sirius…I…Hi" he finally mumbled, all the things Harry had dreamed of saying to Sirius were they ever reunited had disappeared.
"You look tired, Harry, not sleeping much?" Sirius asked, his magical reflection looking worried.
"No, been reading a lot." Harry glanced at the stack of book from Knockturn Alley. All had the words death somewhere in the title.
"Roan still there?" Harry was hurt and suddenly angry that Sirius had nothing else to say to him.
"Yeah, Si, I'm about to head out. How much time do I have?" she asked.
"Not much , kid. You know it's a full moon, right? Snape and Remus will have your ass if you're not back before they are!" Sirius let out a bark like laugh and then was seized by a fit of coughing.
"Aye, aye sir. Back to bed and drink the rest of that poison, um I mean potion I made for you. It'll make you look less dead." Roan said smiling to Sirius's reflection, she handed the mirror back to Harry and turned to leave the room.
"Harry, call on me later I really need to rest…and make a diversion if Roan is late," Sirius said.
"Uh, yeah, talk to you later Sirius." Harry placed the mirror reverently on his bed. He stood, slouching slightly and staring at nothing in particular.
"Well, it was truly lovely meeting you. You were just how They described you, except taller with messier hair." She added smiling. "See you soon." Roan opened the door and left the room, her cloak floating onto her shoulders and clasping itself
"I'll..I'lll walk you out" Harry called following her outside.
Harry walked Roan out into the dark back yard, where they stood awkwardly for a moment. "Well, goodbye then" Roan said, she closed her eyes, preparing to disapparate. Suddenly Harry stepped forward and awkwardly hugged Roan.
"Thank you." He whispered into the Roan's firey hair.
She stepped back and looked up into Harry's brilliant green eyes, "I didn't do it to get thanks. I did it because I had to." She smiled and with a loud pop she was gone.
Harry stood alone in the darkness for a long time, thinking over everything that had just happened. For the first time in weeks Harry felt as if his heart was finally beating again. He been so obsessed with death he'd forgotten to live, hell he'd forgotten his own 16th birthday. But now, after 6 weeks of mourning, Sirius, his godfather, his father's best friend, and the closest thing Harry had ever had to a real father was alive. He had someone to talk to, who would understand. He wasn't alone anymore, not that he ever was alone what the Ron and his family plus Hermione and not to mention the Order. But still, Sirius's apparent death had hit Harry hard and now…. And now he could feel his heart beat again.