Jackpot
A/N: Okay, maybe there are some things we need to clear up here. For one, unlike other BWL stories, Harry isn't angsty, emo or even dark. He and the gang are typical teenagers who are fun and lovable people. They know how to laugh and joke around in their missions because they're just too confident. Because of what he was taught, he's supposed to be nice to the people of Hogwarts. I've gotten some comments on how Harry should hate them with a passion or just plain curse them. Sorry, he is not like that here in my story.
--
"I can't take it anymore! I don't deserve to live…!
Screams of his sister filled Harry's dreams. His mind was expecting the very worst, that Ashley would fail the tests the Land of Realms were bringing to her. Even though it's been years since they have been reunited, he couldn't deny he had some…god forbid…brotherly feelings towards her
"Harry, wake up!" Green whispered to his crumbled up form
"Wh…what?" He groggily responded
"You've been tossing and turning all night long, you know" Bran stood beside Green and they observed him
"Yeah, we've been sensing disturbances, since our rooms are very near to yours" Green explained
Harry sat up, deciding he might as well tell them because they might be able to help him. He hugged his knees over the blanket and stared blankly into space
"I've been having the strangest dreams…" Harry croaked, not being able to speak properly
"Its because of Ashley, right?" Brian asked
"How'd you know?" Harry amazedly asked them both
"Harry, we may not all be blood brothers and sisters but we're the next closest thing. We know you" Green whispered softly
Brian sat next to Harry on the bed, their breathing becoming deep"She's going to be fine, mate" Brian told him, patting Harry on the back
"How do you know? All my life at the manor I've had dreams about her and what's happened to her at Hogwarts. Seeing her now has made me believe those dreams were true, I mean, it would be too much of a coincidence to not be true." Harry hoarsely said
"Yes, but I can tell this wont be true. The dream you had was happening in the Realm of Awakenings, am I right?" Green asked
"Yeah, so?"
"So, the other dreams you had with Ashley were currently happening to her, it was like you had a portal to what was happening to her in the present. And for her to be in the Realm of Awakening right now is completely impossible. Judging by what we've learned, she might be making her entrance to the Realm of Faith right now, assuming she decided to live" Green explained
"But that doesn't mean…." Harry started
"We don't know what everything means right now, Harry" Brian said
--
"Name please" Said the cool robotic voice that came from a middle aged woman who appeared suddenly beside them
"Wells. Tyron Wells" Tyron told the lady.
Ashley realized this was the first time she heard Tyron say his family name. She was shaken out of her thoughts when the woman turned her ghostly pale face towards her
"Uh, yeah…Ashley Potter." Ashley told her. The woman gave a curt nod, wrote some things down in a board and stalked away from them
"She gives me the creeps" Tyron confessed
"Really? Most of the teachers at Hogwarts are like her so she's not new" Ashley joked, lightening the awkward silence that had settled between them
"Come" Their guide turned to them and beckoned them to a floating tram with lots of other passengers.
They settled themselves in the last row and looked at their surroundings. Without noticing it, the tram lurched forward and different sceneries flashed through them. It was sort of like traveling in the Hogwarts Train, you could look outside except all you could see are clouds and a few birds
"So do muggles get taken here too?" Ashley asked
"Muggles? Oh, right, you're the magic folk." The guide seemed confused at first and then a look of realization came to his face
"Yeah." Tyron said
"Everyone who is unconscious because of mental and physical reasons come her, whether magic or not." The man explained
"The woman there in the main building, how did she get hired to work there, how do you get to work here?" Ashley asked, oblivious to the whizzing birds
"The people who work here, including us guides, have decided life on earth isn't for us but we are not really ready to cross over to the other side and we have also proven worthy for the job by proving ourselves. Only a few get chosen" The man told them
"I could work here if we don't get back" Tyron joked
"Yeah, then I could replace that robotic woman" Ashley jeered, feeling much at ease
"Everyday, people get transported by this tram to the realm of faith. Fifty percent of its daily trip passengers do not even make it past the realm of faith before they give up and head straight to the realm of judgment" The man sighed
"What do you say, do you thin we'll be part of those who make it?' Tyron asked
"I will make it. I just know it. I don't want to cross over yet. Realm of Faith, bring it on!" Ashley confidently said
"You're so confident, so sure of yourself. I wish I were more like that, then I wouldn't have to be here," Tyron muttered, looking down at his feet
"Well, its good we're here. We can learn something, together" Ashley took Tyron's hand in her own and squeezed it gently before letting go of it.
"Yeah, I mean, how lucky are we that fate gave us the same guide" Tyron chuckled
"Its not a coincidence children, there is a particular reason why you are together right now"
"Maybe it's because we have the same lesson to be learned, right?" Ashley guessed, looking at the man
"Maybe yes, maybe no. It's not my position to tell you. You will know in due time" The man simply said
"Hey, the tram's slowing down" Tyron observed.
Indeed, the tram was stopping in front of what looked like a castle made of clouds. Ashley looked down and saw that they were floating upon clouds
"Come, let us step out" The man beckoned. Ashley looked down on the soft, fluffy clouds below her and showed a look of reluctance and hesitation. Tyron's face, however, showed excitement
"Oh no, I'm not stepping on some soft and fluffy clouds" Ashley concluded, her face frowning
"Oh, that's the leader's fault actually. The clouds aren't real. These aren't the actual clouds you see when you look up. We just formed it look this to make it look, well, quite ironic"
Tyron stepped out and smirked at Ashley. His smile then got mischievous. Before Ashley knew it, Tyron was jumping up and down. Ashley gave a loud squeal and then frowned at Tyron
"See Ash, it's hard as rock. C'mon, if you can face Voldemort what's a little cloud?" Tyron jeered
Ashley sighed and with her left foot out first, she stepped into the clouds. When she got down completely, she realized that it was soft but she felt that there was this hard surface beneath it
"I guess its fine" Ashley pouted as she tapped her foot.
"Children, welcome to the realm of faith"
--
The next day, Harry, Brian and Green visited Ashley. The rest of the group didn't want to because they had some training to do. Brian and Green, however, insisted on coming
Harry's breathing hitched when they hovered over Ashley's cold, rigid form. He stroked her forearm and focused his vision on her pale lips
"Please make it through" Harry thought as he looked at her once red cheeks which had now turned a palest pink
Just then, walking out from Pomfrey's office, Lily Potter walked slowly towards her daughter's helpless form. Her eyes, once bright green had suddenly became murky. It was like the spirit of life had been sucked out of her. She had used to walk with her nose up, confident and headstrong. Now, she had resorted into a person no one knew, with her head to her feet, muttering senseless words under her breath
Ignoring the three, she hovered over her daughter and stroked her hair, her thoughts filled with only Ashley
"Will she awaken?" She bluntly asked them
"She will. Your daughter is strong, Miss Lily" Green softly said
"I'm not losing another child." She said, her eyes to her daughter
"You wont lose anyone. There is a way we can help her get back" Harry said, compassion suddenly full for his mother
"I've already lost my son. I'm not letting Ashley go. The pain would be doubled. Even though it seemed I never paid much attention to my son, a mother's pain over a lost child is…immense" Lily mumbled to them
Brian looked at Harry, silently asking him what to say. Harry gave him a look that said, "be quiet"
"I want to thank you, young man, for saving my daughter from death." Lily silently said
"All in a day's work" Harry softly muttered
"No, it is a big deal you saved her. I want you three to come to our house for dinner the night after tomorrow." Lily told them, looking Harry straight at the eye
"It isn't really necessary…" Brian started but Lily raised a hand to silence him
"No, it's my pleasure. There's something about you that makes me…. do and say all these things" Lily looked at Harry one last time and green eyes stared into identical green ones. Then, she hitched up her cloak and stalked out of the room
--
"Well, that was really…something" Brian said as they walked out of the hospital wing.
They weren't able to reply to Lily's invitation properly because of utter surprise. They became oblivious to the Hogwarts students milling around them, obviously trying to get their attention, because they were so preoccupied.
Suddenly, they heard voices calling over their names. It was the rest of the group, still clad in their training clothes.
"Hey guys, where were you?' Neil curiously asked
"Yeah, we missed you at training today…Especially you Argon, you're usually the one who barks at us to go to training" Helena said, her face frowning
"We went to see Ashley" Brian quietly muttered
"Oh, for God's sake, we thought it was something serious" Lachine fanned her face with her hand
"Actually, its not just that…." Green scratched her hair, unsure of what to say
"What? Whatever it is, we'll always love you" Neil jokingly said
"Lily Potter thanked us for saving Ashley. She said a mother's pain over a lost child is great, it was like she'll go crazy if Ashley dies" Brian recounted to them
"That's all?" Lachine incredulously asked,
"No. She invited us to dinner the night after the next" Harry murmured to them
"WHAT?"
--
"This is the room of redemption," The tour guide said. They were touring over the cloud castle of the realm of faith. The guide pointed to a black door marked with red crosses
They shuffled on quietly room after room until they came onto a big oak door leading to probably a vast room
"This is the most important room of all. The hall of decision. If people go through that door you see on your left, they've been rejected and cannot move on. The ones who do get to move on go through a different door" The guide said as they looked at a woman exiting the door, her face disrupted by tears
Indeed the two teenagers were very mystified over the hall. They looked at each other and their faces told of fear and anxiety, though Ashley showed more of it that Tyron
"Do guys act really confident when they're quivering inside?"
Ashley's hair had been raised when they passed through the chamber of guilt. When she passed there, she felt something creepy about it, from the name of the room itself, she felt shivers. To divert her attention, She kept staring at the fascinating architecture of the castle. The inside wasn't made of cloud, but of elegant marble and elegant chandeliers. The walls were adorned with portraits of outstanding members, past leaders and statues of the different gods and goddesses of mythology all from around the world
"You okay?" Tyron asked, observing her slowly paling face
"Just wondering, what my body is like on earth right now" Ashley said, thinking up the most perfect lie
"Well, I'd like to know too. But judging from all the stories, maybe we're pale and stiff back there" Tyron sluggishly said
They walked behind their guide, amidst other people who were talking about the tour and the most recent rooms
"Well, I'd still like to see for myself" Ashley said
"This next room is the room of vision. Only a few select people can enter here, this room is where we see all of what's happening on earth" The guide said.
Everyone "oohed" and "ahhed", wondering if they'd every see the inside of it. Tyron and Ashley looked at each other. Tyron seemed to be sensing what Ashley's look meant and he seemed to be up for it, even though they knew it was against the rules but rules were meant to be broken right
They gazed at each other, ther lips curving into naughty smirks. The looks said one thing and one thing only
"JACKPOT"
--
A/N
Hey, sorry I took so long. School started here in my country and guess what? I'm a high school junior! Ah, the life! I made part of this up in our free periods, something we took for granted in sophomore year, but now it's used for studying.
Please know I have absolutely NO intention of stopping this story. Just expect for the updates to take longer than usual. Bear with me, please; my subjects are harder this year.
Please review, it motivates me to stay up late and make stories, even thought I know I'll get eye bags, so the updates'll be quicker.
I ask you to understand that I'm juggling fan fiction with other concerns, like my filmmaking project and other things
REVIEW!