Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, themes, etc. from Harry Potter...
Author's Note: Woo, updated a lot faster than last time, right? Well, anywho here's the next chapter...There will be bickering and some heart-to-heart junk that I won't really spend much time on ^_^ Though, I warn you, Harry's pretty much an observer throughout this chapter, but hopefully it'll still be enjoyable…hopefully…
Juliette Fox: -laughs- Wow, I loved your review! (seriously, I was having the worst moment when yours popped up and it just made me giggle...a lot) Anyways, don't worry, when I was writing his mental breakdown moment...I was laughing hysterically. Then I felt kinda bad 'cause my character was suffering...but I couldn't help it, it was just so darn funny! ^_^ Thank you so much for brightening my day! -gives a cookie-
TLDriver66: -laughs- I know...I probably do in this chapter too...but for some odd reason my computer doesn't recognize it and I don't seem to be smart enough too either -pats computer and say 'it's alright'-
JWOHPfan: I know! At least I've got one character who's actually...'in character'...well, in that chapter anyways _
RRW: Yes, yes, those darn questions ^_^ But, you're right, she probably would figure it out soon anyways...but she does have other things to be worrying about -hint, hint- Well...you'll figure that out in this chapter...
Sabaku no Sable: ....-pause-.......-bursts out laughing-
BrittneysBojangles: -weeps tears of joy- My word, you're too nice! Here, have a dozen cookies -hands over a pile of cookies- Gosh, you make me feel so happy! -keeps on weeping...- THAAAANK YOOOOU! -hugs-
Doro . neko: ....hmm....-begins saying 'Prongslet over and over again-....by Goerge, you're right! .... -begins to turn it into a song...- P.S. I will very much consider that title...though it doesn't quite fit for this chapter...^_^
ASDFers: Oh, don't worry, there will be battles...not exactly anytime soon, but in a few chapters...I think..._
Nefra: O.O Oh my word...you're practically inside my head!!! -hugs- I'm so glad you like it and gave such a wonderful review! -hugs again- When I read it, I got so excited and just kept thinking 'yes, YES! They understand my characters! YEEESSS!' -sigh- you don't know how happy your review made me feel, honestly....-hugs one more time- Okay, okay, I'll stop.....
And to all my other reviewers, THANK YOU! You're reviews keep me alive and writing and brighten my days sooo much (seriously, most days, reading these reviews are the highlights of them...) So, on that note, here's the next chapter and I hope you enjoy it!
Eschew Obfuscation
"We experience moments absolutely free from worry. These brief respites are called panic."
- Cullen Hightower quotes
Chapter 10: We're Missing Something, Aren't We?
Ugh…where am I? And why do I have a headache? And why does this feel like déjà vu…oh no, not again!
I shot up in the bed and looked around frantically.
Okay, I'm in the Hogwarts Infirmary. I'm still an eleven-year-old…not sure if that should relive me or not. Now…wait, why am I in the Infirmary? Am I sick? Did I get hurt? No, no, I don't remember any of that…hm…what happened before…oh yeah, I was thinking about…Oh Merlin…
"Ha-….Charles!" I turned to look at Sirius's approaching form, followed by Remus, Snape, and…Hermione? "Hey, you're awake! What happened, kiddo?"
"I don't know…"
"I believe he had a mental breakdown," came Snape's sneering voice.
"Shut it, Snivellus! You're not helping matters!"
"Only speaking the truth."
Mental Breakdown, huh? Well, that could make sense I guess…I mean, if you saw a run-through of my life…well, I was bound to have one at some point. I mean, first my parents are killed, protecting me, when I was one. Then I went to live with people who hated me and left in a cupboard, starved me, and treated me like a house-elf for about ten years. Of course, we can't forget Hagrid's rescue and how I soon discovered that I was the Boy-Who-Lived and known to every wizard in England. Then you toss in my first, second, third, and of course fourth year, plus the fact that I was reincarnated…you know, I'm surprised I've lasted this long.
"I guess I did," I murmured.
Sirius stared at me for a moment before asking, "What were you thinking about?"
Oh, how everyone I've come to know and love are going to die and all because of this so-called 'Chosen One' here. "Nothing much."
"Bollocks," Snape muttered with a smirk. He turned to the lady behind him. "Hermione, dear, would you mind leaving? We need to talk with Charles for a bit."
"Oh no, Sirius, you're not getting off that easy. Something's going on here and I'm not leaving until I know just what that something is," she snapped.
Oh great, the hands on her hips, that scowl…she's not going anywhere any time soon.
I sighed and laid my head back down on the nice, lumpy pillow that had become far too familiar to me in the past. "I think I'm gonna go back to sleep now…"
Oh, but Sirius was having none of that. "No, you're not. You're going to explain to us what just happened." He turned back to Hermione and gave her a nice, charming smile. Oh, this would be good. "Listen, Hermione, dear, you've had a rough night. Wouldn't you like some well earned sleep? I'm sure your husband would be angry with us if his gorgeously, stunning wife were to get sick with exhaustion…"
"Sirius Black, you can not smooth talk me out of this room. And besides, it's morning. I'm quite well rested already, but thank you oh so much for your concern." She graced him with a smirk.
I couldn't help but snicker at that one, but I stopped when Sirius sent a glare my way. There was no way I was going to escape explaining my little panic attack back there.
"Mutt, she's not going anywhere. You should know how stubborn little know-it-all's can get."
She sent Snape a defiant stare. "'Oh no, you're doing it all wrong! You should be stirring that half a second slower! If you continue to stir like that, you'll get a potion that's only five-sixths as potent!' Yeah, I'm the know-it-all, mister high-strung Potion's Master."
Snape's death glare back towards the girl, who returned it gladly, made Sirius and I burst into laughter. Apparently, now that she was no longer threatened by grades, Hermione took crap from no one. And her Snape impersonations weren't half bad either.
"Well, Ms. Granger, what makes you feel so deserving of knowing what is going on in Mr. Evan's head when, until yesterday, you had no idea of his existence."
Hermione's eyes narrowed. "It's Weasley now, Professor Snape."
"I'm sorry."
She blinked. "Really?" Apologies from Snape happened about as much as people escaped from Azkaban.
"Yes, anyone would pity the woman that married that imbecile."
Hermione let out a huff. "Did you forget that Ron managed to place third in our class rankings?"
"Ah yes, after you and, oh who was it? Draco, I believe?"
"So what? You probably tutored him to death."
"Oh? And you didn't do the same to the Weasley spawn?"
"No, not to death…"
"Enough already!" Remus shouted with much exasperation. "I swear, I've never heard two adults bicker more than you two. Not even you and Sirius!"
Snape sneered. "That's because the mutt doesn't have enough of a brain to actually hold a decent banter with."
"I beg your pardon?"
"ENOUGH!" Silence. "Thank you. Now, Hermione, Severus is right, this is Charles's personal business."
"Then what business is it of yours?" she retorted.
Remus sighed. "As his teachers, it is our duty to understand what is wrong and help him," he lied smoothly.
She opened her mouth to protest, but finding nowhere to argue, scowled and stomped out of the room. The four of us let out a sigh of relief.
"Rem, you're amazing, you know that?" Sirius said, shaking his head.
Remus gave a grunt. "Yes, well, smooth talking and bantering were obviously not going to work with her. Logic is the only thing that had any chance of working...I thought that would have been obvious." The other two men looked down at the floor as they realized their stupidity.
"Now then, Harry," Remus asked gently, "what happened back there?"
"Oh…I don't really remember." I lied.
"Yes you do," Snape chided.
"Look, I was just worrying about everyone and if they'd be in danger or…"
"Told you," Snape said with a smirk. Sirius glared at him before turning to me.
"Harry, you should know that none of this is your fault. You shouldn't blame yourself for what someone else does. Especially if that certain someone is Voldemort himself."
I smiled. "Yeah, I know," my smile slipped, "but I can't help it. I mean, what if…"
"Stop with the 'what if's." Remus interrupted. "First of all, Sirius is right. None of this is your fault, especially things that, might I add, haven't even happened yet."
"But they might! And I can't let them…"
"Then let us help," Sirius begged. "We already know what's going on, Harry. Let us take some of the burden. We're already…as you might say, 'good as dead' anyways, right? What harm could it do?"
I couldn't argue that. Well, I could, but it was more that I just didn't really want to. Plus, I don't think they would have backed down anyways. "Fine," I said.
Sirius grinned and gave me his big, godfather hug. "It's nice to have you here, Prongslet."
"Prongslet?" Snape twitched.
Sirius growled. "Yes, Prongslet. That's his nickname."
"Doesn't the boy have enough to deal with?"
"Shut up, Snivellus."
---
"Hey, mate! How're ya feeling?"
I looked over at Lance and Gunnar approaching, followed by Alvis and, surprising, Erol.
"Fine. Sorry about all that. Just a little…stressed I guess." I gave them a small, embarrassed smile.
"Ah, don't worry about it!" Gunnar gave him a pat on the back. "We're just glad it's nothing serious."
"What were you panicking about?" Alvis asked.
"Yeah, you really freaked us out," Erol said as he glanced over at the three men standing in the corner of the room. Guess they figured that I would want some alone time with my friends. However, now would have been a nice time to interrupt.
"Nothing much…just thinking about…um…Betsy and how she's doing…um, in her last letter she said she was sick and I was…you know, worried."
"Don't worry, mate!" Lance beamed. "She'll get better, I'm sure! She sounds like a tough lady."
I grinned. "Yeah, she is. But I think she's lonely nonetheless."
Yeah, more like bored out of her mind. We can only send letters back and forth every couple of weeks so as not to draw attention to the orphanage. Owls flying in and out of windows is kind of…well, odd. Speaking of Betsy, I should probably send her a letter soon…it'll be a long one…
"I think I'll go write to her right now." I jumped out of the bed and scurried towards the door. Hopefully, I'd be able to escape before they realized I was making a run for it.
"Hey, Charles! Wait!" Crud. Alvis is way too smart for his own good. Literally.
"Seeya!" I gave a half wave before bursting into the hall and running down to the Slytherin common room. I made it halfway before almost running into a pair of grown-ups conversing with one another silently in the corner of the hall. As I tiptoed closer, I realized it was none other than McGonagall and Hermione. Their faces seemed grim and worried. I sneaked as close as possible and strained to listen.
"…and we have no idea how it happened," Hermione said. She shook her head. "They're all gone. All three of them."
"But…how? The goblins have never had a successful break-in. Not since…"
"When You-Know-Who was searching for the Philosopher's Stone," Hermione spoke softly, her eyes widening. "Does that mean…"
"Of course not." Though McGonagall had the sternness in her voice, it still wavered. Neither were sure what to believe.
"But what could he possibly do with that ring? And Ravenclaw's diadem? Or even Slytherin's locket? I mean, there's nothing particularly powerful about them. They're just…artifacts, aren't they?"
The older witch shook her head. "I do not know. If they were, then why did Albus want them guarded? And why would someone steal them? None of this makes sense. Have you told Dumbledore already?"
Hermione nodded. "As soon as I got here. It only happened the night before yesterday."
"What was his reaction?"
The girl frowned. "It was…peculiar. He was not happy, that's for sure. But he would not say why. I believe he is confused as well, but not nearly as confused as the rest of us."
"Well, he has been acting odd lately. He's not nearly as…"
"Cheerful? Loopy?" The older woman nodded. "Yes, I've noticed." Hermione let out a long sigh. "I thought things would be easier after…that year. I thought that that was the sacrifice. When he left us forever…I thought that was the price for peace."
McGonagall patted her on the back softy. "That's what we all thought. Selfishly, we hoped that the boy had ended it for us. But we were wrong."
Hermione's eyes glistened with unshed tears as she nodded in agreement. "I wish he were still here, though. I would have rather…"
"You can not change what has already passed," McGonagall said, though her voice was drenched with unsaid regret. "We must deal with the present." The woman took a deep breath before continuing with their conversation. "Who is investigating the situation?"
Hermione rubbed her eyes and composed herself. "Ron and Bill," she answered. "We didn't want anyone else knowing more than necessary."
McGonagall nodded. "Yes, that would be unwise. What have they found?"
Hermione sighed. "Nothing. Ron sent me an owl this morning and said that he and his brother had spent all day examining the vault and have found nothing. No spells, no potions, absolutely no sign of force whatsoever."
McGonagall frowned. "What do the goblins have to say about this?"
Hermione shook her head. "They won't say a word. They don't even seem angry about the robbery."
The older woman's frown deepened. "We must be missing something."
Hermione sighed. "That's what I'm thinking, but it's no use. I'm even starting to think that the lack of evidence is evidence itself."
"You may be right," the professor murmured. "Well, I need to converse with Albus for a bit. How long will you be here?"
"Oh, just a week. Then I'll probably return and help Ron with the investigation if he and Bill haven't found anything yet. Bill has to return to Egypt in a few days, so he'll need some help."
The two women waved to each other before walking their separate ways. Hermione's way just happened to be right in my direction. Swell. I turned to run.
"Charles?"
I've got to get better at this running thing. "Oh, hi Mrs. Weasley."
She giggled. "Oh, just Hermione, please." She frowned. "Should you really be out of the Infirmary yet?" I shuffled my feet. She smirked. "I take that as a no. Your professors will be worried."
"They know I left." I think.
"But should you have?"
"I feel fine," I protested.
"I'm sure you do." Geez, she's sounding more like Poppy with every sentence. I bet she's a good mediwitch though…strict one at any rate.
Distracting her, I asked, "What were you and Professor McGonagall talking about?"
She grimaced slightly before giving me a sham of a smile. "Oh, nothing dear, don't worry."
"You guys didn't look too happy," I pointed out.
She gave me a sad smile. "We were just having a little problem. It's nothing you need to fret over.
Yeah, a break-in at Gringotts isn't something that should concern the great Chosen One. I wish. Okay, I can't say I honestly expected a detailed answer, or even an answer at all, but it was worth a shot. Well, time to go step on some nails.
I gave Hermione a quick grin, causing her to edge back in alarm. "If you'll excuse me, I've got to…um…finish some homework." I didn't wait to hear a response. I scurried down the hallway and made my way to the all too memorable statue.
---
"What's going on, headmaster?" I demanded.
The man's eyes sparkled. "What do you mean, my boy?"
I growled. I was not his boy. "I mean, what have you been hiding? First Ms. Figg's death and now a break-in at Gringotts! Why would anyone want those artifacts? I know you know why. You would have no reason to guard them otherwise."
The old man sighed. "Harry," he began in a sickeningly sweet voice, "that's not something you should concern yourself with…"
I blew a fuse. "I shouldn't 'concern myself with'? Something stolen when we suspect Voldemort's return and I shouldn't 'concern myself'? Ms. Figg just got killed and I shouldn't 'concern myself'? So, what, if a hoard of deatheaters come bursting into the castle demanding my head on a silver platter, which, by the way, thank you so much for having, should I not 'concern myself' with that?"
"Harry, you must understand…"
"No, I will not listen to your 'understand' speech when, I for one, have no idea what I'm supposed to be understanding! You won't tell me anything!" I snarled.
"You're too young…"
Oh, that was the last straw. "Too young? Too young? I'm in my mid twenties! People have battled and died in wars before ever even touching my age! Sure, I'm in an eleven-year-old's body, but I've got the mind of someone who's seen much more then some older than fifty."
Dumbledore let out an exasperated breath. "That may be true, but you are still not ready."
"Try me," I challenged, arms crossed and glare blazing.
Dumbledore stood. I followed suit. The man towered over my small body as his voice boomed. "This has nothing to do with you or Voldemort and his supposed return." His voice became softer. "He's dead, Harry. Live your life for once…"
"Oh, yeah, people are dying and you tell me to live my life. That sounds a bit ironic, don't you think?"
The sparkle in the man's eyes had long since dimmed, but now they diminished completely. "Ms. Figg's death, as unfortunate as it was, was one of many that deatheaters, angered by their master's death, have caused. It is nothing out of the ordinary."
I scolwed. "But me living is!" I protested. "I should be dead, but I'm not. You said Voldemort should be dead, but…"
"He is."
Okay, this is getting really old. "I highly doubt that," I sneered as I stomped towards the exit. "I'd be willing to bet all the galleons left in my vaults that you'll be regretting those words." And with that, I slammed the door.
---
Dumbles got bitch slapped!
...
Heh heh heh....sorry, couldn't resist the outburst...^_^
Chapter 11: Unhelpfulness and Owls: In which puns are made, more death occurs, and a certain a little friend makes an appearence.
Hope you enjoyed it! Please, as always, please review! Tell me what I'm doing right, what I'm doing wrong...or just what I am doing ('cause sometimes even I wonder...)
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