Monday upload flood: chapters 17-21
1977 (3) B
Magic operates on another plane of existence, Dumbledore had said back then. And oh, how right he had been. A force strong enough to direct the multiverse could not come from within it. Frank and Alice Longbottom had taught the Doctor to look at the signs, but they ignored the sightings.
His discovery had thrown him into an actual depression, but worse yet, he was alone again.
"You forgot your glasses in the common room."
He had been resting against a tree near the lake when Severus decided to make an entrance. "Intentionally so," he replied in obvious lethargy, "Hello Severus." In spite of the greeting, he never actually looked up at his friend. Instead he kept his gaze focused on Sirius Black who was, at least to his eyes, being followed by a dog-shaped shadow wherever he went.
"Pessimism doesn't suit you at all, Bartemius," his friend commented helpfully as he sat down as well, "I'm listening."
Finally, the Doctor sent him a weary glance. They had been closer once, the two of them, but he rarely ever met him now. He did not feel like being rejected by limited wizards again, and yet… he might grow insane if he didn't voice it at all. "I've been living in this world for four years already," he finally replied miserably, "and I only just found out that it's wrong in its very roots."
Severus arched an eyebrow, "You finally found an answer to the workings of magic?"
The Doctor drooped. "The answer is just another question," he muttered, frustrated how it was always him to make decisions like that, "and the only solution could come up with is…the destruction of the world as such."
They sat in silence after that, both lost in their own musings until Severus replied at last. "I need more details than that, you know," he demanded, hesitating for a moment. "And you should be more careful with your words," he added quietly, "otherwise people might mistake you for a Death Eater." For just the briefest moment, the Doctor's gaze snapped to a dark shadow on the other boy's forearm. Thankfully, this was residual energy rather than a gap in reality, but in any case, it could only mean one thing.
However, he decided not to comment on it…not yet. Severus had probably had a good reason to join the Death Eaters, but the Doctor was not willing to hear it yet. Such a discussion would end in a nasty fight, for there simply was no argument that would justify supporting murderers.
Notes: Oukay, that's it for today. I'd actually like to upload more stuff at once, but if I tried staying up to date with something, I'd rather not get slapped by 4k words every day. (Though then again, I'd gladly comply if you told me to put up more at once)
In any case, once more thanks for reading so far, and please remember to leave a review :)