Disclaimer:
Not mine
A/N: I'm worried that this might be a little
confusing. I tried to interweave three different settings into the
same story, but I think I failed horribly. Anyways, this is a sequel
to Sunshine, which you should probably read before reading
this.
Headmaster Dumbledore stares down at me kindly.
I'm wrapped in a heavy, brown woolen blanket, and I am holding a
cup of steaming hot tea.
Every few seconds I blink. This
action I am reluctant to do because every time I do, I hear screams.
I don't cry though. All my tears have been used
already.
Dumbledore doesn't talk. He knows that, while he is
a kind and great wizard, nothing he can say will make anything
better.
When they first came, Gran acted like a helpless old
woman.
I hid when I heard them. Gran told me exactly what to
do if we were ever attacked. Gran, looking at me with hard, grey eyes
saying firmly, "If what you told me about this year's year-end
feast is true, then we must be prepared!"
Later, when they
saw past her helpless old woman act, she fought back.
For a
few minutes, the only sounds I heard was Gran screaming curses and
the Death Eaters screaming in agony. But, in the end, there were just
too many of them. They subdued her, but didn't finish her off. That
task was saved for the Dark Lord himself.
Gran was an auror,
like my parents. And she was one of the best ever.
While she
chatted with You-Know-Who, I was in a completely hidden solid-steel
room. She was supposed to be in here with me!
"If I'm
going down," she said to me once, "then I'm going to take as
many of those evil bastards down with me!"
The Dark Lord
cackled and said evilly, "If it isn't Eudora Longbottom. Fancy
seeing you here."
Gran regarded the tall man without a trace
of fear and nodded, "Tommy Riddle," she said scathingly, "it's
been awhile."
The man's eyes harden and he hisses, "My
name is not Tommy, nor is it Riddle! I am Lord Voldemort, and you
will treat me with respect!"
Gran leads me to her bedroom,
which I'm normally not allowed in. She walks to her huge mirror,
which is taller than her, and says to me, "If we're ever in
danger, this is your only salvation." I wonder silently how a
mirror will be my salvation, but I don't say anything for fear of
sounding stupid. Soon, she continues, "This mirror is not only a
mirror. It is also a portal to the safe-room of this house. All you
need to do is say the password, and step through."
Gran
smirked at You-Know-Who, "Whatever you say, Tommy."
'Tommy'
let out a furious shriek and pulled his wand and pointed it at Gran.
"Eudora Longbottom! If you refer to me as Tommy once more, I will
put you through so much pain you'll beg for death!"
Gran
closed her eyes and shook her head. When she spoke next her voice was
sad, "You and I both know that no matter what I do, that will
happen to me. The only way I will get out of the torture and death is
if I pledge to join your side...which I will never do."
"What's
the password?" I ask Gran curiously. She looks at me with humor in
her eyes and says:
"The password is 'Tommy's Coming'"
She says the password again, clearer and louder this time, and
motions for me to enter. Hesitantly I step through the portal.
The
room is cold and sterile. All the walls besides the entrance are
solid steel-cold and grey. The floor and ceiling are also made of
steel. The three walls are completely barren. The only furniture in
the room is two wooden chairs. "There is a charm on this room that
enables whoever is here to hear whatever is said in the rest of the
house. This way maybe we will overhear some secret Death Eater
plans." Gran says when she enters behind me. "This room is
impossible to penetrate. The only way to enter is to step through the
mirror, and only three people in this world know the password to get
through. If Voldemort attacks this house, then we'll come in here
and be completely safe."
I cringe when she says
You-Know-Who's name, but I try not to show it. "Who's the other
person who knows the password?" I ask, trying to cover up my
cringe.
"Dumbledore," she replies simply.
Gran
regarded 'Tommy' in disgust. "You're pathetic. You spend
half your life corrupting your soul with darkness, but you're
constantly upstaged and defeated by a child. You may have come back
to power, but I'm as confident that you'll be defeated as I was
the first time. You may have killed my son and his wife, and you may
kill me, but I promise you that a Longbottom will play a hand in your
defeat. And he'll live to dance on your grave. I promise you
that...Tommy."
After that, Gran started screaming in
pain.
Alone in the safe room I cover my ears and scream,
trying to block out the screams of agony that seemingly come from the
very walls, but somehow they still get through. After awhile, I don't
know how long, I start to sob in fear and anger and misery. After
Gran's screams stop, I hear the Death Eaters tear the house apart
looking, presumably, for me. They leave eventually, but even when
they're gone I'm afraid to leave.
Sometime during the
ordeal, I had curled into a fetal position in the middle of the room,
and I stay in that position until Headmaster Dumbledore retrieves me
a day later. I don't utter a single word as he magicks a stretcher
to put me on, and takes me away from the heap of rubble that used to
be the home I grew up in. After that I sort of faded in and out of
consciousness. I ended up at Hogwarts, but I'm not sure
how.
Dumbledore stares down at me warmly and kindly. He has
wrapped a think, woolen blanket around me and brewed me a cup of tea.
Every few seconds I blink. Suddenly I look up at him and speak for
the first time since he found me. I ask, "Where will I stay?"
The
Headmaster clears his throat and says, "Your grandmother did not
appoint a guardian; so it is up to you. She left you her entire
fortune, so, realistically, you could live by yourself."
I
nod silently and lower my eyes again. Right now I don't feel like
talking, and Dumbledore understands this. However, he continues
talking. "However, I must insist that you stay at Hogwarts for the
remainder of the summer. It is much safer here." Dumbledore sighs
and pauses. "Before I let you retire to your room, I must ask you
something. Have you ever heard of the Order of the Phoenix?" I nod.
It was a group during the last war with the Dark Lord that was
committed to his downfall. Gran was a member.
"I want you to
be a member."
My head snaps up and I stare at the headmaster
in shock. If I could I would exclaim, "WHAT?!", but I am too
shocked to do anything but stare stupidly. Seeing my shocked
expression, Dumbledore laughs warmly and says, "I'll give you
some time to think about it, of course. Meanwhile, you need some
rest. Your room will be the fifth year boy's dormitory in the
Gryffindor Tower, which I'm sure you'll be able to locate by
yourself."
I nod again and stand up. For a second I don't
know what to do, but finally I offer him my hand. He shakes it and
says, "All your belongings that survived the attack will be waiting
for you."
"Thank you, sir." I say in reply, "Thank you
for everything."
"You are very welcome, Mr. Longbottom."
Dumbledore replies, "Now, get some rest."
I not and leave,
even though I know I won't get a wink of sleep tonight. When I get
to my room I see all my things stacked at the end of a bed, which I
take e to be mine. On top of everything, there's a small cage
containing a large toad.
"Trevor!" I cry in happiness I
wasn't sure I was capable of anymore. I rush over to the stack,
extract Trevor from his cage, and hug him close to my chest. I cry
tears even though I was sure I had none left. I had been certain that
he had been lost...like Gran.
The tears of happiness at
finding Trevor alive and well soon turn to wracking sobs of grief. I
think of all the times I said I hated her, all the times I called her
a bitch...and all she ever did was try to get me to do my best! She
had cared for me since infancy, and I showed her nothing but
ungratefulness. I never even got to tell her I loved her!
And
my punishment for that is that I have to remember every second of her
death; every cry, every scream, every wail, everything! Every time I
close my eyes, I hear her screams. I remember every second of her
death, and I will remember for the rest of my life.
I forget
so many things...why can't I forget this?
