Disclaimer: we don't own Harry Potter or the Harry Potter universe. Those
belong to J. K. Rowling and her wonderful muses.
Author's Note: erm, sorry if we insulted anyone in our last chapter *Rose69 snatches the keyboard away from Amber* No we're not! *Amber takes it back* Yes we are! *Rose takes it back and types with one hand while she tickles Amber with the other* No we're not! We don't want to be rude, but honestly, please read the summary and prologue before continuing with the fic if you still have questions concerning AUHarry's whereabouts and if you're shocked that Sirius, James and Lily are in Azkaban. I'm normally very nice *ignores Amber's snort* but come on *Amber takes the keyboard back yet again and posts the chapter before Rose can get the keyboard back* We ARE sorry! And Happy Belated Turkey Day everyone!
Chapter Ten: Leaving Only Scars
Poppy watched Mr. Potter twist and turn on the magical stretcher he had been placed on, his forehead still bleeding. He had just been hurried into the Hospital Wing by Severus, who looked furious and strangely worried. He was rarely ever anything but cold and irritable, worried didn't suit him but after a second look at Mr. Potter she could understand why. After all, a student had collapsed and had started bleeding in his classroom! There was a bloodied bandage over Mr. Potter's forehead where the blood was still dripping down the sides of his face and caking his eyelids. When Poppy attempted to remove the cloth to check his wound and his temperature, Severus snapped at her.
"Don't touch it!" He practically hissed, moving her hand away from the boy's face. Poppy stumbled back a little, surprised by his vicious tone.
"B-But . . . ." She hardened her expression and bared her teeth threateningly as her motherly instinct to help and heal her patients took over. "Severus, he is MY patient! Let me see what the matter with him is!"
"I said don't TOUCH it!" His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Heal him in every way you can, but don't remove this bandage or try to see what's on his forehead. I expressly forbid it." No matter how Poppy threatened or even pleaded, she couldn't get any leverage to argue his firm command. After nearly an hour of this, Poppy grudgingly promised not to touch that infernal bandage and to heal everything else that might be wrong with HER patient. Honestly! Who did he think he was to tell HER what HER patients needed?
Mr. Potter was extremely pale and he twitched every time her hand came near his head. She gently prodded his skin, making sure he hadn't lost feeling (that had happened a few times before during Severus' classes) and she checked his pulse. To her surprise, his heart rate was perfectly normal, if just a bit accelerated. There was a minor burn on his upper arm (from what she wasn't entirely sure of) so she healed that and several other bruises and burns. 'How did Mr. Potter come to HAVE these?' When she gently prodded his left ankle, he gave a tiny whimper of pain.
As she watched, various injuries began to appear on his body. Not exactly appear, more as if the wounds had been there but slowly showed themselves. She tried to reason that bruises took a while to form even if the pain was always there. But something still nagged at her. She didn't think she had ever seen a student that had been so badly beaten up after a POTIONS class! True, she had seen enough curses and potion side effects to last her ten lifetimes but this . . . this was something she had only seen after a Death Eater tortured someone. The only difference, of course, was that Mr. Potter was still ALIVE.
At long last she just sat back and watched as more and more of his body slowly developed burns. She quickly healed them but the areas where none had been present before slowly began to develop even more burns and bruises. His upper lip split at one point and he cried out in pain, arching off the bed a bit. Poppy quickly went to heal it, staring wide-eyed at his face. The blood continued to drip from his forehead but, strangely enough, when the blood dribbled off his body and towards the bed, it suddenly vanished. Were his injuries an illusion? It didn't seem to be but then . . . where did all of his blood GO?
After scrambling to heal all of his injuries, Mr. Potter finally started to relax. Poppy sighed in relief and looked around the room, surprised that Severus had actually stayed. Usually the brooding Potion's Master would stay only long enough to make sure that Poppy secured her patients into their beds before he left to kill anyone who had dared touch anything in his dungeons while he had been absent. However, this time, something seemed different. True, Poppy hadn't seen these kinds of wounds in a long time but for Severus to remain, he must have been very worried. And no matter how much he denied it, Severus DID care about his students.
"Is he alright?" Severus mumbled, his lips barely moving.
"Yes, he should be fine now. That is, unless he gets a more severe burn. What happened exactly? And why are these wounds suddenly . . . appearing on his body? The potions I know that make this happen are in the restricted section!" Severus sat back, resisting the urge to rub his temples. He had a splintering headache from the long wait, but he HAD to make sure that Poppy wouldn't touch the bandage. If she saw the scar . . . the BLEEDING scar, she would ask even more uncomfortable questions.
"I honestly have no idea. He didn't drink either the potion he brewed in class nor the remedy to it. He became violent for a moment, threatened to curse me I believe, and then fainted. He banged his head on the edge of the table, thus the cut on his forehead. I took care of it and placed a spell on the cloth so that the blood would return to his body after it leaked out of the wound. It is because of this that I did not want you to remove it then or now." Poppy nodded. That explained where the blood had disappeared to though she was still a bit miffed that he hadn't thought she could handle it.
'No Poppy, if he hadn't done that Mr. Potter might have bled to death before he could get to you.' A sensible voice in her mind told her. She worked to push back the brunt of her jealous protection and thought logically about the results of leaving only her to help Mr. Potter. He would have died and she would have felt worse. So there was no reason to be angry with Severus.
"Do you know of any reason that this might have happened to him? Was he acting strangely before your class?" Severus shifted again, looking thoughtful.
"I overheard him mentioning to Ms. Granger that he had a terrible headache just before dinner. Though I have no idea how that might help you. Make sure not to remove the bandage, even when he stops bleeding. Now if you will excuse me, I have to make sure my dungeons are still intact." With a curt nod, Severus walked quietly out of the Hospital Wing, looking like a lost shadow. Poppy shook her head and carefully propped up Mr. Potter's head on his pillow, healing the minor burn marks that had appeared while she had been speaking to Severus. She only wished she knew what had happened to him.
Severus walked into his classroom to find all of the cauldrons cleaned out and all of the equipment used during the potion-making placed out into their respectful places. Nodding in satisfaction, Severus continued on to his office and closed the door, immediately starting towards his desk. Someone, however, was sitting in one of his chairs, drinking some tea.
"Draco, I forgot." Severus said in way of apology as he rubbed his temples and sat behind his desk. He allowed himself to express how tired he was by leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes. He could hear Draco chuckling softly.
"I knew you would. I heard about the Potter incident. What happened to him anyway?" He continued sipping his tea calmly, looking a bit amused. That smug, superior look was gone. Draco knew, of course, that if Severus saw that look pointed at HIM, Draco would find himself scrutinized even more than he already was. No one looked at Severus Snape like that; even the Dark Lord looked at him respectfully. He was, after all, a prized Death Eater.
"I'm not quite sure. He's been acting very peculiar as of late." Severus said thoughtfully, taking the offered cup of tea from Draco.
"Yes, he HAS been. I have to watch my back more with him then with Weasley and Granger put together! He's become too calm; he isn't frightened of ANYTHING I don't think. And I've been watching him. He's doing MUCH better in his classes but he hides it, pretends to take a long time in doing it."
"Interesting." Severus said mysteriously, sipping his tea.
"Argh! You KNOW something! Tell me!" Draco began to whine, looking at him hopefully. Severus chuckled and placed his tea cup down.
"Draco, you do realize that whining does not befit a Malfoy?" Severus said amusedly. Draco instantly sat up straighter, setting his face into a scowl.
"I was NOT whining. I was ASKING." He said. Severus smirked and sat back in his chair, waiting for Draco's frown to deepen before he began to speak.
"He has some kind of scar on his forehead, nearly identical to that of Longbottom. And he threatened to curse me for "speaking about Sirius like that". How does he even know about Black? The mutt has been in Azkaban for fifteen years!" Draco sat back, looking thoughtful.
"Mother told me about him. Did he really kill all those Muggles and that wizard?" Severus snorted at Draco's question.
"Of course he didn't, that rat Pettigrew framed him. But he was placed into Azkaban for it right beside the Potters, Pettigrew's doing again." Severus said as he sipped his tea again. Draco wrinkled his nose.
"The Potters didn't really do all of that stuff, did they? Killing those two Muggles and abusing their kid. . ." Draco trailed off inquiringly. Severus laughed.
"As I said, Pettigrew's doing again. He framed them just as he did Black but he didn't expect his own mother to take in the Potter boy. If Pettigrew's "death" hadn't taken place at the same time as the Potter boy being left alone in the world like that, it's not likely she would have demanded to raise him." Severus said. Draco was interested to know how Severus came about this knowledge, but then he knew perhaps he would rather not know. Severus seemed angry about something as he stared into his tea cup.
"So . . . why hasn't Dumbledore realized that there's something weird about Potter?" Draco asked, trying to change the subject before Severus could close himself off and forget that Draco was there. The potion's master had done that on several occasions when he had spoken about something that led him into darker thoughts that needed his immediate attention.
"For one, I've been covering up most of the mistakes he's made. For example, I've attributed his sudden threat and headache to a stray charm and a badly made potion by Longbottom. And as for his sudden aptitude for his work, I have passed around the other staff members and mentioned that Granger has been tutoring him more often then usual." Severus said, snapping out of his thoughts. Draco was a bit astonished that his Head of House would go to such lengths just to cover up for a GRYFFINDOR like Potter.
"Why are you doing this?" He asked curiously, putting down his tea cup. Severus glanced at him for a long time before shaking his head.
"I'll see you tomorrow Draco." Severus said, ignoring the pleading look Draco attempted to use to get an answer. Sighing, Draco trudged out of the room as Severus closed the door after him.
~I do this . . . because his eyes are so much like Lily's now, ~ Severus thought to himself.
**************************************************************************** *********************
Bellatrix screamed in agony, writhing as she clawed at the floor, leaving nail marks all along it. The Dark Lord stood over her, his eyes narrowed to fine slits and his wand pointed at her back as he administered the Cruciatus. Pettigrew looked absolutely horror-stricken, hiding behind Crabbe and Goyle (who were too stupid to realize that they would be hit by a spell that might be directed towards Pettigrew later on).
"Bellatrix, I am disappointed in you: losing the ashes and then setting fire to my store room table. I had some very valuable potion ingredients on that table." The Dark Lord said with false cheerfulness. Bellatrix moaned in pain and twitched slightly.
"M-Master . . . I-I had no hand in this. I did not k-know that Foxfire would have that effect on t-the ashes mixed with the other potions. But I DO know that t-the remains were human." The Dark Lord tilted his head slightly. At least she had recorded her findings and saved them before the table had exploded, but he HAD to punish her for making such a clumsy mistake. Bellatrix was not usually so inept.
"I could have told you that." Severus said coldly, sneering at her. "Master, perhaps I should have been in charge of analyzing the ashes since Bellatrix doesn't seem to have been capable of such a simple feat." Bellatrix glared mildly up at him, still trying to get enough of the pain off her lower body to stand.
"Wormtail." The Dark Lord hissed softly.
"Y-Yes master?" Pettigrew poked his head out from behind Crabbe and Goyle and slowly came up to stand in front of his master. He looked down at Bellatrix nervously. When the Dark Lord punished Bellatrix he was always in a bad mood. Which meant more punishment for everyone else.
"You are safe for now . . . but unless we find out who the owner of those ashes was within the year, you WILL be severely punished." The Dark Lord said, a deranged smirk finding its way onto his face. Pettigrew shivered at the implications of this statement.
Author's Note (thank yous):
LIME heh, yes we get it. I hope this chapter answered some of your questions and we love your opinion. Thank you for your review!
ASHLEE thank you for telling us about that, we went back and fixed it. Yes, it was a type-o. We're sorry about that. *laughs* well, we hope we explained what happened to Bellatrix. And you'll see what happened to the ashes later on. Thanks for your review!
JASEN thank you for telling us about the spelling mistake, we went back and fixed it. Also, the thing about Harry nearly cursing Severus was a result of the Sirius comment and the fact that he had such a bad headache. Under normal circumstances he probably wouldn't have tried to attack him, but the circumstances aren't normal. ^^ And thank you for your input, we'll take it into consideration for future chapters.
LATEROSE well thank you for thinking our fic is the best! ^_^ yes, Sirius and Harry's parents are still in Azkaban and, hopefully, you won't get TOO mixed up with our fic and others. We hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.
ERIKALYA ARVANESSE well, since we portray the Alternate Universe Harry as being a bit Neville-like, everyone around him ignores him. They probably wouldn't even notice the scar because they have better things to do then look at that Potter kid that's always being protected by Weasley and Granger.
JESSI MALFOY *Amber and Rose fight over the cookie until one of Amber's muses steals it away* ^^; thanks for the cookie! We're glad you enjoyed the chapter.
CYNICAL SYTHERIN ^_^ thanks for the review! Glad you enjoyed it and don't worry, there will be a lot more curses and such to satisfy EVERYONE'S blood and violence lust.
VICIOUS LILY awww, we're sorry for making you feel like that! And we're glad that you're sticking around to see what happens next. Please don't feel afraid to tell us if you're confused and, unless it will reveal too much information, we'll try to answer your questions thoroughly.
TATALINA *laughs* we update every Friday (unless there's a LOT of homework or unless Amber has writer's block, which isn't likely to happen). ^_^ and we're glad you enjoy how we depict the characters. We think the excerpts are good for the same reason.
KATA MALFOY we're glad you're enjoying the fic so much and as for Harry's parents and Sirius being in Azkaban, you'll find out about that soon, we promise. We didn't just throw that out to confuse all of you. ^_~
LOCKER1198 wow, you know, you helped us a lot there. We really didn't notice that so we're going to try to incorporate your comment into our story. Thank you for your input!
LADY SHANG we're glad you're enjoying the story so far.
ANKALAGON it is going to be revealed in another chapter. We're sorry if we insulted you, we just thought that you didn't remember they were in Azkaban. ^_~ some reviewers forgot.
LADY PHOENIX SLYTHERIN we're glad you like it so much. ^^ and we hope you liked the update.
SNUGGS thank you for your enthusiasm and we hope you like the update.
ALLYANNA we're glad you like the story so far. And that's a great question, about what Sirius, Lily and James did. ^^ you guys will have to wait and see, we WILL address that issue though so stick around!
SZELIJ and we ADORE you for loving it! Thank you!
MARZ1 there is a reason we are emphasizing Ron and Hermione's 'not-so-nice' qualities. Erm. . . because she knocked the wrong ingredient into it. Thanks for the review!
SMILEZ he does detect something wrong with Harry but ignores it. . . after reading this chapter you know why. . . and you guessed right. . . he wasn't particularly important in that universe. Everything will be explained eventually. And you'll find out what happens to Harry at the end of . . . well . . . at the end. Thank you for the review!
Author's Note: erm, sorry if we insulted anyone in our last chapter *Rose69 snatches the keyboard away from Amber* No we're not! *Amber takes it back* Yes we are! *Rose takes it back and types with one hand while she tickles Amber with the other* No we're not! We don't want to be rude, but honestly, please read the summary and prologue before continuing with the fic if you still have questions concerning AUHarry's whereabouts and if you're shocked that Sirius, James and Lily are in Azkaban. I'm normally very nice *ignores Amber's snort* but come on *Amber takes the keyboard back yet again and posts the chapter before Rose can get the keyboard back* We ARE sorry! And Happy Belated Turkey Day everyone!
Chapter Ten: Leaving Only Scars
Poppy watched Mr. Potter twist and turn on the magical stretcher he had been placed on, his forehead still bleeding. He had just been hurried into the Hospital Wing by Severus, who looked furious and strangely worried. He was rarely ever anything but cold and irritable, worried didn't suit him but after a second look at Mr. Potter she could understand why. After all, a student had collapsed and had started bleeding in his classroom! There was a bloodied bandage over Mr. Potter's forehead where the blood was still dripping down the sides of his face and caking his eyelids. When Poppy attempted to remove the cloth to check his wound and his temperature, Severus snapped at her.
"Don't touch it!" He practically hissed, moving her hand away from the boy's face. Poppy stumbled back a little, surprised by his vicious tone.
"B-But . . . ." She hardened her expression and bared her teeth threateningly as her motherly instinct to help and heal her patients took over. "Severus, he is MY patient! Let me see what the matter with him is!"
"I said don't TOUCH it!" His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Heal him in every way you can, but don't remove this bandage or try to see what's on his forehead. I expressly forbid it." No matter how Poppy threatened or even pleaded, she couldn't get any leverage to argue his firm command. After nearly an hour of this, Poppy grudgingly promised not to touch that infernal bandage and to heal everything else that might be wrong with HER patient. Honestly! Who did he think he was to tell HER what HER patients needed?
Mr. Potter was extremely pale and he twitched every time her hand came near his head. She gently prodded his skin, making sure he hadn't lost feeling (that had happened a few times before during Severus' classes) and she checked his pulse. To her surprise, his heart rate was perfectly normal, if just a bit accelerated. There was a minor burn on his upper arm (from what she wasn't entirely sure of) so she healed that and several other bruises and burns. 'How did Mr. Potter come to HAVE these?' When she gently prodded his left ankle, he gave a tiny whimper of pain.
As she watched, various injuries began to appear on his body. Not exactly appear, more as if the wounds had been there but slowly showed themselves. She tried to reason that bruises took a while to form even if the pain was always there. But something still nagged at her. She didn't think she had ever seen a student that had been so badly beaten up after a POTIONS class! True, she had seen enough curses and potion side effects to last her ten lifetimes but this . . . this was something she had only seen after a Death Eater tortured someone. The only difference, of course, was that Mr. Potter was still ALIVE.
At long last she just sat back and watched as more and more of his body slowly developed burns. She quickly healed them but the areas where none had been present before slowly began to develop even more burns and bruises. His upper lip split at one point and he cried out in pain, arching off the bed a bit. Poppy quickly went to heal it, staring wide-eyed at his face. The blood continued to drip from his forehead but, strangely enough, when the blood dribbled off his body and towards the bed, it suddenly vanished. Were his injuries an illusion? It didn't seem to be but then . . . where did all of his blood GO?
After scrambling to heal all of his injuries, Mr. Potter finally started to relax. Poppy sighed in relief and looked around the room, surprised that Severus had actually stayed. Usually the brooding Potion's Master would stay only long enough to make sure that Poppy secured her patients into their beds before he left to kill anyone who had dared touch anything in his dungeons while he had been absent. However, this time, something seemed different. True, Poppy hadn't seen these kinds of wounds in a long time but for Severus to remain, he must have been very worried. And no matter how much he denied it, Severus DID care about his students.
"Is he alright?" Severus mumbled, his lips barely moving.
"Yes, he should be fine now. That is, unless he gets a more severe burn. What happened exactly? And why are these wounds suddenly . . . appearing on his body? The potions I know that make this happen are in the restricted section!" Severus sat back, resisting the urge to rub his temples. He had a splintering headache from the long wait, but he HAD to make sure that Poppy wouldn't touch the bandage. If she saw the scar . . . the BLEEDING scar, she would ask even more uncomfortable questions.
"I honestly have no idea. He didn't drink either the potion he brewed in class nor the remedy to it. He became violent for a moment, threatened to curse me I believe, and then fainted. He banged his head on the edge of the table, thus the cut on his forehead. I took care of it and placed a spell on the cloth so that the blood would return to his body after it leaked out of the wound. It is because of this that I did not want you to remove it then or now." Poppy nodded. That explained where the blood had disappeared to though she was still a bit miffed that he hadn't thought she could handle it.
'No Poppy, if he hadn't done that Mr. Potter might have bled to death before he could get to you.' A sensible voice in her mind told her. She worked to push back the brunt of her jealous protection and thought logically about the results of leaving only her to help Mr. Potter. He would have died and she would have felt worse. So there was no reason to be angry with Severus.
"Do you know of any reason that this might have happened to him? Was he acting strangely before your class?" Severus shifted again, looking thoughtful.
"I overheard him mentioning to Ms. Granger that he had a terrible headache just before dinner. Though I have no idea how that might help you. Make sure not to remove the bandage, even when he stops bleeding. Now if you will excuse me, I have to make sure my dungeons are still intact." With a curt nod, Severus walked quietly out of the Hospital Wing, looking like a lost shadow. Poppy shook her head and carefully propped up Mr. Potter's head on his pillow, healing the minor burn marks that had appeared while she had been speaking to Severus. She only wished she knew what had happened to him.
Severus walked into his classroom to find all of the cauldrons cleaned out and all of the equipment used during the potion-making placed out into their respectful places. Nodding in satisfaction, Severus continued on to his office and closed the door, immediately starting towards his desk. Someone, however, was sitting in one of his chairs, drinking some tea.
"Draco, I forgot." Severus said in way of apology as he rubbed his temples and sat behind his desk. He allowed himself to express how tired he was by leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes. He could hear Draco chuckling softly.
"I knew you would. I heard about the Potter incident. What happened to him anyway?" He continued sipping his tea calmly, looking a bit amused. That smug, superior look was gone. Draco knew, of course, that if Severus saw that look pointed at HIM, Draco would find himself scrutinized even more than he already was. No one looked at Severus Snape like that; even the Dark Lord looked at him respectfully. He was, after all, a prized Death Eater.
"I'm not quite sure. He's been acting very peculiar as of late." Severus said thoughtfully, taking the offered cup of tea from Draco.
"Yes, he HAS been. I have to watch my back more with him then with Weasley and Granger put together! He's become too calm; he isn't frightened of ANYTHING I don't think. And I've been watching him. He's doing MUCH better in his classes but he hides it, pretends to take a long time in doing it."
"Interesting." Severus said mysteriously, sipping his tea.
"Argh! You KNOW something! Tell me!" Draco began to whine, looking at him hopefully. Severus chuckled and placed his tea cup down.
"Draco, you do realize that whining does not befit a Malfoy?" Severus said amusedly. Draco instantly sat up straighter, setting his face into a scowl.
"I was NOT whining. I was ASKING." He said. Severus smirked and sat back in his chair, waiting for Draco's frown to deepen before he began to speak.
"He has some kind of scar on his forehead, nearly identical to that of Longbottom. And he threatened to curse me for "speaking about Sirius like that". How does he even know about Black? The mutt has been in Azkaban for fifteen years!" Draco sat back, looking thoughtful.
"Mother told me about him. Did he really kill all those Muggles and that wizard?" Severus snorted at Draco's question.
"Of course he didn't, that rat Pettigrew framed him. But he was placed into Azkaban for it right beside the Potters, Pettigrew's doing again." Severus said as he sipped his tea again. Draco wrinkled his nose.
"The Potters didn't really do all of that stuff, did they? Killing those two Muggles and abusing their kid. . ." Draco trailed off inquiringly. Severus laughed.
"As I said, Pettigrew's doing again. He framed them just as he did Black but he didn't expect his own mother to take in the Potter boy. If Pettigrew's "death" hadn't taken place at the same time as the Potter boy being left alone in the world like that, it's not likely she would have demanded to raise him." Severus said. Draco was interested to know how Severus came about this knowledge, but then he knew perhaps he would rather not know. Severus seemed angry about something as he stared into his tea cup.
"So . . . why hasn't Dumbledore realized that there's something weird about Potter?" Draco asked, trying to change the subject before Severus could close himself off and forget that Draco was there. The potion's master had done that on several occasions when he had spoken about something that led him into darker thoughts that needed his immediate attention.
"For one, I've been covering up most of the mistakes he's made. For example, I've attributed his sudden threat and headache to a stray charm and a badly made potion by Longbottom. And as for his sudden aptitude for his work, I have passed around the other staff members and mentioned that Granger has been tutoring him more often then usual." Severus said, snapping out of his thoughts. Draco was a bit astonished that his Head of House would go to such lengths just to cover up for a GRYFFINDOR like Potter.
"Why are you doing this?" He asked curiously, putting down his tea cup. Severus glanced at him for a long time before shaking his head.
"I'll see you tomorrow Draco." Severus said, ignoring the pleading look Draco attempted to use to get an answer. Sighing, Draco trudged out of the room as Severus closed the door after him.
~I do this . . . because his eyes are so much like Lily's now, ~ Severus thought to himself.
**************************************************************************** *********************
Bellatrix screamed in agony, writhing as she clawed at the floor, leaving nail marks all along it. The Dark Lord stood over her, his eyes narrowed to fine slits and his wand pointed at her back as he administered the Cruciatus. Pettigrew looked absolutely horror-stricken, hiding behind Crabbe and Goyle (who were too stupid to realize that they would be hit by a spell that might be directed towards Pettigrew later on).
"Bellatrix, I am disappointed in you: losing the ashes and then setting fire to my store room table. I had some very valuable potion ingredients on that table." The Dark Lord said with false cheerfulness. Bellatrix moaned in pain and twitched slightly.
"M-Master . . . I-I had no hand in this. I did not k-know that Foxfire would have that effect on t-the ashes mixed with the other potions. But I DO know that t-the remains were human." The Dark Lord tilted his head slightly. At least she had recorded her findings and saved them before the table had exploded, but he HAD to punish her for making such a clumsy mistake. Bellatrix was not usually so inept.
"I could have told you that." Severus said coldly, sneering at her. "Master, perhaps I should have been in charge of analyzing the ashes since Bellatrix doesn't seem to have been capable of such a simple feat." Bellatrix glared mildly up at him, still trying to get enough of the pain off her lower body to stand.
"Wormtail." The Dark Lord hissed softly.
"Y-Yes master?" Pettigrew poked his head out from behind Crabbe and Goyle and slowly came up to stand in front of his master. He looked down at Bellatrix nervously. When the Dark Lord punished Bellatrix he was always in a bad mood. Which meant more punishment for everyone else.
"You are safe for now . . . but unless we find out who the owner of those ashes was within the year, you WILL be severely punished." The Dark Lord said, a deranged smirk finding its way onto his face. Pettigrew shivered at the implications of this statement.
Author's Note (thank yous):
LIME heh, yes we get it. I hope this chapter answered some of your questions and we love your opinion. Thank you for your review!
ASHLEE thank you for telling us about that, we went back and fixed it. Yes, it was a type-o. We're sorry about that. *laughs* well, we hope we explained what happened to Bellatrix. And you'll see what happened to the ashes later on. Thanks for your review!
JASEN thank you for telling us about the spelling mistake, we went back and fixed it. Also, the thing about Harry nearly cursing Severus was a result of the Sirius comment and the fact that he had such a bad headache. Under normal circumstances he probably wouldn't have tried to attack him, but the circumstances aren't normal. ^^ And thank you for your input, we'll take it into consideration for future chapters.
LATEROSE well thank you for thinking our fic is the best! ^_^ yes, Sirius and Harry's parents are still in Azkaban and, hopefully, you won't get TOO mixed up with our fic and others. We hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.
ERIKALYA ARVANESSE well, since we portray the Alternate Universe Harry as being a bit Neville-like, everyone around him ignores him. They probably wouldn't even notice the scar because they have better things to do then look at that Potter kid that's always being protected by Weasley and Granger.
JESSI MALFOY *Amber and Rose fight over the cookie until one of Amber's muses steals it away* ^^; thanks for the cookie! We're glad you enjoyed the chapter.
CYNICAL SYTHERIN ^_^ thanks for the review! Glad you enjoyed it and don't worry, there will be a lot more curses and such to satisfy EVERYONE'S blood and violence lust.
VICIOUS LILY awww, we're sorry for making you feel like that! And we're glad that you're sticking around to see what happens next. Please don't feel afraid to tell us if you're confused and, unless it will reveal too much information, we'll try to answer your questions thoroughly.
TATALINA *laughs* we update every Friday (unless there's a LOT of homework or unless Amber has writer's block, which isn't likely to happen). ^_^ and we're glad you enjoy how we depict the characters. We think the excerpts are good for the same reason.
KATA MALFOY we're glad you're enjoying the fic so much and as for Harry's parents and Sirius being in Azkaban, you'll find out about that soon, we promise. We didn't just throw that out to confuse all of you. ^_~
LOCKER1198 wow, you know, you helped us a lot there. We really didn't notice that so we're going to try to incorporate your comment into our story. Thank you for your input!
LADY SHANG we're glad you're enjoying the story so far.
ANKALAGON it is going to be revealed in another chapter. We're sorry if we insulted you, we just thought that you didn't remember they were in Azkaban. ^_~ some reviewers forgot.
LADY PHOENIX SLYTHERIN we're glad you like it so much. ^^ and we hope you liked the update.
SNUGGS thank you for your enthusiasm and we hope you like the update.
ALLYANNA we're glad you like the story so far. And that's a great question, about what Sirius, Lily and James did. ^^ you guys will have to wait and see, we WILL address that issue though so stick around!
SZELIJ and we ADORE you for loving it! Thank you!
MARZ1 there is a reason we are emphasizing Ron and Hermione's 'not-so-nice' qualities. Erm. . . because she knocked the wrong ingredient into it. Thanks for the review!
SMILEZ he does detect something wrong with Harry but ignores it. . . after reading this chapter you know why. . . and you guessed right. . . he wasn't particularly important in that universe. Everything will be explained eventually. And you'll find out what happens to Harry at the end of . . . well . . . at the end. Thank you for the review!