Chapter 26: Eternal
Sorry about the lack of updates. I hope I have not lost any of my readers. I have been writing my novel and I have finished early so I am trying to update all of my fanfics. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter. I do not own Harry Potter or characters. Please keep reading and reviewing. I will try to keep writing and I won't be distracted by a novel for a while :P
Celia waited and waited. The whole castle began to get emptier and emptier as each day passed. She could only imagine that Voldemort was paying for his crimes. She wasn't sure where he was, maybe in Azkaban or maybe in further hiding. He could even have lost one of his lives for all she knew. All she knew now was that she was finally able to breathe for a little while.
The first thing she tested was her ability to leave the grounds. She was not able to leave the grounds, but she was able to go further than she had been able to before without her body turning itself in the opposite direction. "His commanding power is getting weaker," Celia thought to herself. If she could just hold out longer she could finally be free and figure out a way to break this horrible curse. At this point she would take death as an option, though it wasn't the first. She wondered what she would do when she got out. She could see Minnie and Hagrid, assuming both were alive and well. Then something horrible struck her. "They won't even remember me." She thought to herself. "I've been missing for almost forty years."
She sighed and walked back up to the castle. She hoped someone would let her know what was going on soon, she hated being cooped up alone like this.
Meanwhile just hours after Voldemort's death, Minerva McGonagall found herself in a familiar predicament. She was in charge of another offspring, of an offspring, of an offspring of Celia. "Damnit I'm getting old," Minerva thought to herself as she sat on the wall of Privet drive transfigured into a cat. She hadn't technically hadn't been put in charge of doing it this time, she hadn't talked to Dumbledore before coming out to Privet Drive. She had only heard rumors of the death of the Potter's, but she knew this would be the only home their son Harry could come to without thinking of adoption, which if the stories were true he would be the most wanted child in Britian.
She watched an overly large man leave the home she was watching. "I can't believe Harry will be staying with this family," Minerva thought to herself. "Celia would have hated these people taking care of her great grandchild. They are certainly no Edward and Elizabeth."
The man gave her a very dirty look and then got into his vehicle to leave. Minerva rolled her eyes. If she had really been a cat she may have just gone into that garden and delivered him a little present. "Keep your anger down Minerva," she thought to herself. She surveyed the neighborhood. Seemed safe enough. Dumbledore had wanted to the child to be safe no matter what, she thought that maybe he wasn't sure if Voldemort was completely gone yet. It was true he did have many, many followers, but would they really stand a chance without their leader?
She decided she wasn't going to see much more here. The woman inside was taking care of her own screaming brat. Minerva had never seen a child that big before. "She seems competent enough to take care of another child," Minerva thought to herself. "But just barely." She sighed, who was she kidding this woman couldn't even take care of one screaming brat how could she possibly give Harry the care he needed.
She waited for Mr. Dursley to come home. He tried to shoo her off of his garden wall and she just felt like laughing. She didn't want to blow her cover, however, so she just gave him a look. His eyes sort of bugged out as he walked into the house. Minerva suppressed a giggle.
She heard the television set go on and listened to the report. Reports of owls flying in the daytime, people in strange clothes walking the streets, and shouting stars all over the countryside. Minerva couldn't believe what she was hearing. The day was hardly worth celebrating, in her opinion. A young boy had just lost his parents and now was going to have to endure living in a place like this. Maybe she had a bias because of her friendship with Celia, but this would have made Celia roll in her grave. Minerva stopped that thought short, "Who knows if she even had a proper grave."
The Dursley's went upstairs to go to sleep. She stood on the wall for a while longer not able to sleep, but not wanting to move. She was in deep thought. She finally saw a figure apparate quietly into the neighborhood. It spooked her a bit to see Albus Dumbledore there, but tried to keep her cool. He hadn't even known she was out of the castle let alone spying on this family. He turned towards her with a grin on his face. He chuckled and said, "I should have known,"
He pulled the Put-Outer out of his pocket and soon the streetlights were out. She knew she had better transfigure back into herself, she was already feeling ridiculous enough being a cat, let alone a talking cat.
"How did you know it was me?" Minerva asked. Someone Dumbledore always seemed to know everything and sometimes it drove her completely crazy trying to figure out just how he did.
"No cat I've ever seen can sit that still," Dumbledore said.
They talked for a while about the Potter's. Minerva's head hung when she heard that it was true that they were dead. Somewhere inside of herself she had this vague hope that maybe this was all just a rumor.
Dumbledore had asked her why she hadn't been celebrating, but he knew why. She had too much of a connection to this. He went on to explain that the child would be safest here and that adoption would not be an option for such a strange baby as Harry. Minerva eventually agreed and nodded.
Hagrid showed up on his motorcycle. She had been hoping to excuse herself before seeing him. She had hoped that Dumbledore hadn't asked him to take on this job; she hadn't actually been close to him in years. She tried to distance herself from him and the pain. She tried to make up excuses to argue with Dumbledore about the safety of the child, but she knew deep down that Hagrid was the best person for the job because he would make sure that Celia's great grandson made it here safe. Hagrid handed the baby to Dubledore and nodded at Minerva. Minerva nodded back.
Hagrid said a tearful goodbye to the baby. Minerva stared at the fresh lightning bolt-shaped wound in his skin. She had almost wanted to touch it, but decided against it.
After kissing the baby Harry goodbye Hagrid went to take the motorcycle back to Sirius. Minerva could only imagine the pain that Sirius must be going through as well. She wasn't as connected to Harry as she had been to Mark when she had been responsible for helping him transfer to a new home, but Sirius, it would be a fresh wound unlike the old but newly opened wound that Minerva was suffering pain from. Minerva almost couldn't believe how many people's pain had streamed from one pregnant woman and a foolish mistake. She couldn't be angry with Celia, she had been young and reckless she was trying to escape from the world that had caused her so much unexplained pain.
Minerva got ready to go not wanting to spend much more time here watching. She blew her nose into her handkerchief and apparated away. Dumbledore left Harry on the doorstep of the Dursely's home with the letter clucked in his tiny hands. "Good Luck Harry," he whispered as he let the lights come back into the street of Privet Drive. Then he too disappeared into the night.
Many months passed after the Dursleys had undesirably taken in Harry. Minerva went back to her life as usual having no idea that her own colleague was taking off to see the great grandmother of the boy who lived. Severus Snape was going to the castle for this Christmas vacation.
Severus arrived to see Celia curled up in a ball. He wasn't sure if she was sleeping or not, he gently nudged her and her focus seemed to come back.
"Celia?" He questioned. He knew he shouldn't have left her alone for so long. She looked awful. Her hair was knotted, her face was more pale than usual, he weight never fluctuated because of the curse, but if it had he knew she would be dangerously thin. She looked so small.
"Oh Sev," she said throwing her arms around his neck. Her face instantly lit up when she saw him. "What has happened?" she asked.
"Lily and James Potter are dead," he said not wanting to remember. Lily was his best friend, and he had loved her, more than he should have probably, but he did. Now she was gone, and all that was left of her was her child. He had no idea, however, that this child had also been the great grandchild of the woman sitting across from him.
Celia nodded sadly. She had known something like that had happened. "And their child?" she asked not really wanting to hear how Voldemort had chosen to kill the child.
"That's probably the only good part of the story," Severus said telling her everything.
Celia's shocked face looked back at him when he had finished. "You've got to be shitting me," she thought. "He's gone?" she said with some hope in her voice.
"Yes, he's gone Celia," he said happily nuzzling her. She almost found herself enjoying the moment until she remembered that he wasn't really gone. She wouldn't dare let Severus know this little tidbit, but she knew and it would haunt her. She wasn't sure when he would rise again, but he was going to rise again that was for sure.
Severus wasn't stupid. He knew the dark lord could and would return. He had been approached before about the topic. As Voldemort's most trusted death eater, though it was never officially said, he would take protect Voldemort's possessions should he disappear for any amount of time. Severus knew this meant Celia. He didn't have a very acceptable home to take her to, but he did have a place he had been given by Voldemort not really as a gift, more like a place to hide out. It would look suspicious, Voldemort reasoned, if Severus came to a place like this castle to live. Severus was obviously not an extremely rich man, and could easily fall under suspicion of the Order of the Phoenix and is followed right to this very spot. Severus was going to take Celia to Spinner's end. She would have to be hidden for sure, but it would be much more comfortable than this castle.
He took her hand and led her to the fireplace. "Your not yet free Celia, but this is your first taste of freedom," Severus said.
He threw the floo powder into the fireplace as he grabbed Celia's hand tightly and shouted, "Spinner's end!"
Celia felt herself being sucked through the fireplace and almost drifting in complete chaos until she fell through a fireplace on the other side. She brushed the soot off her dress and saw Severs smiling at her from across the room. He had obviously had more experience with the floo system then she had.
"I'll go back and grab some of your things," he said.
Celia examined the house while Severus was away. After thirty minutes all of her things were in his small living room.
"It's not much, but I hope you like it," Severus said.
Celia nodded her eyes wide in amazement. She loved everything about the house. She loved its staircase, its small nature, and the warmth she could feel entering her body at the thought of truly being free. Something the back of her mind questioned how this was possible.
"I'm under a curse Severus, how could you have possibly been able to bring me here?" She asked.
"I'm responsible for your safety from this point on," Severus said. "Until you are reclaimed," he said hanging his head.
Celia understood. She would have to enjoy this while she had it. She gave Severus a smile. "I love it here, thank you." She said.
Severus showed Celia to a guest bedroom. It wasn't very big, the home was only a two bedroom with one bathroom but it was cozy. He had been using the extra room for storage, but he had set Celia up a bed when he had come home before going to get her.
"You can stay here," he said.
Celia nodded she didn't have many things with her. She had clothing, her violin, and a few other small things. She set her jewelry box on the shelf and her violin under the bed. She left her clothes packed for now.
She walked down the stairs. She saw Severus's sad attempt at cooking.
"How long have you been living like that?" Celia asked.
Severus looked up surprised to see her behind him. He saw that the color had returned to her cheeks and she was smiling. He held her face. Everything was going to be ok. She was going to be his and she was going to be ok.
Celia cooked dinner that night and they enjoyed a lovely evening together. She didn't use her bed that night and she had he had fallen asleep on his couch by the small fireplace. As the fire died down their eyes closed and they enjoyed their Christmas together holding each other close and hoping that this moment would last forever.