Chapter 7
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Harry Potter franchise (as much as I wish I did). I am merely letting my imagination run wild in a forest of ideas planted by J. K. Rowling.
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Chapter 7
"Whose eyes?" I asked, confused. "What is he talking about?"
"She doesn't know?" Black said, obviously shocked. "Why doesn't she-"
"Dumbledore's orders, Sirius, not mine. I've wanted to tell her, but Dumbledore seemed insistent that I didn't."
"That's just wrong. A girl not allowed to know about her family...What was he thinking? Gone mad, the old coot has!" Black was obviously angry. I was mad, too. Everyone was arguing about this thing I didn't know about as if I wasn't standing right there!
"Well, Dumbledore's not here now, so I'm telling her," Sirius decided, a determined look in his eyes.
"No, Sirius. Dumbledore-"
"Dumbledore can go suck an egg for all I care!" Black was shouting now, the fury etched in his features. "She was a right to know!"
"Then let me tell her," Remus said quietly. "Emily, when Sirius said that you have her eyes, he was referring to your mother, Lily Potter."
"Lily-"
"Yes, dear. Your parents were James and Lily Potter. Harry is your brother."
A thousand emotions immediately swam into my head. Shock, sadness, disbelief, but most of all anger. Why hadn't he told me? I could feel my fury rising, about to burst. So, I did the most logical thing. I let it all out.
"WHAT?" I screamed at Remus, draining all of my anger at him. "HARRY IS MY BROTHER... AND YOU NEVER TOLD ME? WE COULD HAVE LIVED TOGETHER, OR AT LEAST KNOWN EACH OTHER? I COULD HAVE SEEN PHOTOS OF MY PARENTS... YOU WERE MY DAD'S BEST FRIEND! YOU COULD HAVE TOLD ME ABOUT THEM! ALL THOSE TIMES.. YOU LIED STRAIGHT TO MY FACE! ALL ON ACCOUNT OF DUMBLEDORE? WHO CARES A LICK ABOUT DUMBLEDORE! I HATE THE OLD MAN... AND I HATE YOU!"
Remus just stood back and took it all, word by word, sorrow in his eyes. "I'm so sorry," was all he could say without bursting into tears. I glanced over at Sirius and was amused when he flinched. Good, I thought. He should be afraid.
Then I looked at Harry. My brother, Harry. That seemed like such a foreign thought. I rushed into his arms, hugging him, crying on his shoulder. He held me, rubbing small circles on my back to calm me down.
"I can't believe it," I whispered.
"I know. I can't either, but you should listen to what they have to say."
"Why?" I said suddenly, feeling angry once more, "So they can come up with some crazy story as to why they didn't tell me about my family, why I should forgive Black for killing our parents, and why Remus is in league with him? NO!" I looked around at the others in the room: Remus, ashamedly looking at the floor, Black staring at the two of us, his expression unreadable, Ron, lying on the bed, obviously in pain, Harry, his eyes full of concern for his new found sister, and Hermione, also looking at us as if we were an exceptionally hard homework problem that she was trying to figure out.
"I have to get out of here," I whispered, still gazing around the room. I walked over to the broken window and let the cool, night wind run through my hair. Then, before I could change my own mind, I jumped.
The most important thing about being an Animagus is, well, not forgetting you're an Animagus. It took me a whole 3 seconds longer than usual to transform. (I almost hit the ground! Thank goodness we were up on a hill!) I guess I had an excuse. I did just hear the life changing news that I had a brother and that my dead parents were not the dead parents I thought they were, but a different set of dead parents. It was a lot to take in! I stretched my wings out and soared away from the Shrieking Shack, away from the problems that lie there, waiting for me to come and sort them out. I flew away from Hogsmeade and the many busy, bustling people. I flew away from Hogwarts, with its crazy Professors, annoying Slytherins, and piles of homework. I flew over the Forbidden Forrest, the black tops of trees creating a leafy carpet below me. I let the wind rustle my feathers and blow away my problems for just a little while. I glided over the clear Black Lake, looking down at my graceful reflection below.
I then rounded back toward Hogwarts, its warm, lighted windows and friends inside, toward Hogsmeade, with thoughts of Butterbeer and Honeyduke's chocolate making my beak water, and finally toward the Shrieking Shack, were my friends, my family sat, waiting for me to return, waiting to clear the murky situation and start fresh. I was ready to start fresh. I lost all of my anger during my flight. I didn't like the predicament, certainly not, but it was what it was. Not much could be done about it. I had two options. I could continue to run, forget my problems, but forever leave them unresolved, always waiting in the back of my mind. Or I could face them head on. It wouldn't be easy at first, but I knew I couldn't stay afraid, angry, and hurt forever.
I was still a long ways off when I heard the most terrifying sound. The call of a wolf. But not just any wolf, a werewolf.
My heart started beating faster and faster. How could I have forgotten about tonight? I had to get back and help Remus. If he transformed... Another howl split through my cluttered, panicky thoughts. He's already transformed I thought to myself. What about Harry and Ron and Hermione? Sirius could fend for himself, he's an Animagus, but the others? I flew as fast as I could back to the Shrieking Shack.
I could see the house in the distance when suddenly I felt cold, unnaturally cold. As if someone had dumped a bucket of ice down my back. I had felt this cold once before, on the Hogwarts Express. Dementors.
Fear quickly took up residence in my mind and body. How was I to defend myself? I didn't have my wand, so I couldn't possibly cast a Patronus charm. I couldn't... Heck, I wasn't even human at the moment. I was a bird. Owl versus Dementor, who do you think will win? The Dementor! I tried to think of every possible way to protect myself, to get away from them, but nothing was realistic. I could try to fly away, but Dementors are fast. I could only fly so long until my wings simply gave out. Then, I'd be back to square one. I tried to send a message to Harry through my empathus, but it didn't seem to work, probably because I wasn't focused enough. I could try to produce my Patronus without my wand, but wandless magic is insanely advanced. Few grown wizards every achieve it, much less a scared little second year. So I simply came to the conclusion that this would be my end. My final battle.
By now, the Dementors were starting to mess with my mind. I heard a window smash and several women scream. I could hear the flickering flames of a fire; feel the intense heat. Feeling the hot wind created by people rushing pass my small body to save themselves. Smoke slowly filling my lungs. It was the oddest sensation. I was experiencing probably my earliest memory, one of horror and destruction, one of pain. I couldn't remember this ever occurring, but yet I knew it had happened, a long time ago. I must have been a very small child. I landed on the ground, shaking with fear, feeling the heat in my body rise due to the Dementor's power, the horrid power of making me relive this terrifying memory. It was like being trapped in a horror movie, but this time it wasn't a story. It was really happening. I changed back into human form. I decided that if I was to die now, I wanted to be human. I knew I couldn't run; Dementors surrounded me.
I looked across the forest, trying to get once last glimpse of Earth before they kissed me, when I saw a figure across the way. I wanted to cry out, scream for help, but I couldn't. I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. I was drained of all energy; I was unable to fight back. A flash of white light flooded the darkness of the forest, exposing the Dementor's horrendous faces. I vaguely remember the light resembling a deer? No, a stag, before blackness surrounded me and my mind went blank.
