Harry in Sadieland

When Harry woke the next morning, he was still so very tired from the party. It was dark outside and the wind howled. It was the witching hour. He yawned hugely and seriously debated rolling over and drifting off again. Alas, such a decision was not to be left up to him, because Theo knocked on his door a few seconds later.

"Harry? Rise and shine!"

"It's too early," said Harry.

"No it isn't," said Theo. "It's not too early for our nutty friend to have got herself in trouble doing something crazy."

Harry jumped up at once. "Do you mean Sadie's in trouble?" He demanded.

"Come and see for yourself," said Theo.

Harry followed Theo to the library. It was dark. The star lamps near the ceiling barely glimmered. They ran past the towering oaken bookshelves. Some of the books whispered at them as they passed.

Theo opened the door to the arboretum. Sadie was lying there, surrounded by a ring of toadstools. She was asleep, or so it seemed. Her eyes were closed and her green mask of a face was still. Her long purple hair lay loose about her. Her hands were clasped on her chest. She was glowing with a ghostly aura…

Chip, the ugly purple homunculus, staggered into view. He was wearing a paper mask with a smiley face on it. "Hello, Theo. Hello, Harry," he said in a piping voice. "I've heard so much about you. Mummy's asleep. I think she can't wake up."

"Sadie!" said Harry, starting forward.

Theo held out an arm, barring his way. "Hang on…"

There was an open book beside Sadie. Theo peered at the words on the vellum and frowned. "She's been trying a transcendence spell. Obviously too advanced for a second year. Not surprising she can't do it."

"But you know how to do it, Theo?" squeaked Chip. "Mummy says your clever. Or does Harry know? Mummy says he's wonderful and could do anything."

Harry blushed. "I don't think I can do anything. We have to get Mr Nott."

"We may not have time," said Theo, studying the text. "She won't wake unless someone goes into her dream and pulls her out. And if we wait, it might be too late."

Harry felt a chill to his stomach. "Then what do I do?"

"Lie down beside her," said Theo.

Harry lay down beside Sadie in the ring of toadstools.

"Linking you to her dream is the easy part," said Theo. "The hard part is you finding her and waking her up."

Theo looked at the vellum page and muttered some words. He touched his wand to Harry's forehead and then to Sadie's. Harry felt his head spinning, then felt himself hurtling up, up and up… out of the arboretum and into a maelstrom of swirling shapes and bright lights…

Then he alighted in a field of bright pastel colours. The grass was vivid green and there was a sun overhead, looking nearer than the sun does in the real world, as though it were a great yellow lamp. Harry was standing on a yellow brick path. There were mushrooms surrounding him, all over the field. He felt strangely light. So he was now in Sadie's dream?

At that moment, there was a tinkling sound. He gave a start as a tiny fairy popped into view in front of him. She looked like Sadie had before her disfigurement, with a cute little heart shaped face and a freckled nose and cheeks. She was dressed in shining white robes and seemed to glow with light. "Harry!" she hugged his face. "Thank you for coming. I love you so much!"

"Who are you? Are you Sadie?" demanded Harry.

The fairy-girl chuckled. "I'm her light side!"

"You're light Sadie?"

"That's right, hon. I wanna bring joy to the world. I want to so much, I could sing about it!"

She started singing in a shrill little voice, wavering and off-key like Sadie's singing voice.

"I bring joy joy joy joy…!

"Don't," said Harry, "Listen, we've got to wake Sadie up…"

At that moment, there was a puff of glittering, purple smoke on the path nearby. It coalesced to form another tiny Sadie, this one with Sadie's green mask and purple robes.

"I'm Dark Sadie," she squeaked. She hugged Harry's leg. "Love ya! You've come cos you wanna help me do charitable work. I'd love to volunteer in a Muggle clinic. Or even a soup kitchen."

"No!" said Harry. "We've got to wake Sadie up. The erm… real Sadie."

"Oh!" Dark Sadie gazed up at him with wide blue eyes. "You mean her? The one who calls the shots around here?"

"Definitely!" said Light Sadie. "She lives over there…" The little fairy girl pointed into the distance, where Harry could make out a huge block of flats. Was it his imagination, or where they roughly mushroom shaped?

"How're we going to get all the way there?" he demanded.

Light Sadie giggled. "Oh Harry, you are funny! You're the best flier there is. Just concentrate hard and you'll get the broomstick your heart desires."

Harry thought hard about a broomstick. "Wishing makes it true," said Light Sadie in her tinkling voice.

A broom shimmered into view in front of him. It resembled his Nimbus, except the numbers on it were hard to make out. Harry straddled the broom. Light Sadie alighted on his right shoulder and Dark Sadie crawled onto his left.

"I hate it when you fly," said Dark Sadie, her little high voice trembling. "I hate when you play Quidditch and have those idiots whacking iron balls at you. I get worried sick."

"Come, be light-hearted and fun," chimed Light Sadie. "We should support Harry in his passions, even if they're dreadful sports."

"You're a ditz," said Dark Sadie, sniffling.

Harry kicked off and found himself soaring into the air. But it wasn't light real flying. The wind didn't rush in his face. It was a dream flight…

He found himself drawn to a window high up the block and slipped through. He found himself in a darkened room. The Sadie he knew was here, dressed in a white gown. Her green mask was stuck on her face. Her purple hair was spread out around her. Her eyes were tight shut.

"Sadie?" called Harry. He shook her gently.

"She won't wake that easily," said Light Sadie sadly.

"There is a way. By showing her memories," said Dark Sadie. "Make her remember who she is. There are screenings down below."

It transpired that Harry had to fly out of the window, clutching Sadie, with Light Sadie and Dark Sadie perching on his shoulders! As they flew, the sun set, and a ghostly glowing orb arose – the Moon of Sadie's dream world. A ghostly galleon, tossed on a cloudy sea. It's ethereal light shone on another crystal dome in which there were images playing.

Harry and the Sadies alighted. They found rows upon rows of carved stone seats, with a crowd of Sadie replicas sitting in them. Some had green masks, others her pretty face of old. Harry squeezed into a large seat and let Sadie lean against him. Another Sadie leapt in front of them. "Hey Harry! Hey Harry!" she jumped around in front of them, faster than Daphne on a coffee high.

"The Energetic Sadie," said Light Sadie. "Every one of us is a different side to her character."

Energetic Sadie ran off.

Another Sadie tiptoed in front of them. This one had a green mask and was wrapped in a purple hooded cloak. She bowed to them. "I'm the Sadie who just wants to entertain." She held up a bunch of flowers. These morphed into hissing serpents and Harry shrank back instinctively, yelling: "Stop!" The word came out in Parseltongue.

The snakes went limp like wilting flowers. "Aren't they cute?" giggled Entertainer Sadie.

"Stop messing about, the show's going to begin," said Dark Sadie.

The great crystal orb in front of them shimmered, and images began to play.

"Watch this," said Dark Sadie.

The image showed Sadie and Harry in the Hospital Wing. Dumbledore and Quirrell were there too.

"I thank you for saving me, my darling child," Quirrell was saying to Sadie. "I have my soul again. Magic is but little loss."

So this was a memory of the previous summer, after Sadie saved Quirrell by exorcising Voldemort.

"Sadie. You have to watch this," said Harry. But Sadie leaned against him, still asleep.

Another memory flashed in front of their eyes. It was of Harry's first Quidditch match, where his broom was malfunctioning because of Quirrell's hex, jerking and bucking and trying to throw him off.

The crowd of Sadies gave a groan. "I hate this one so much," said Dark Sadie. "It makes me sick."

"I agree," said Light Sadie glumly.

An old memory flashed in front of their eyes. It appeared to be Tracy and Sadie when they were little. Maybe about three. Sadie had strawberry blond hair. "Ugh! A mouse!" Toddler Tracy was saying, pointing at a pink mouse standing on the rug, its little whiskers twitching.

"He's my li'l friend," said Tiny Sadie. "He's so sweet. Here Pinkie." She held out a piece of cake to the mouse which ran up her arm and onto her shoulder. She giggled.

"Do you like it better 'n me?" demanded Toddler Tracy.

"No. I love you," said Sadie, kissing her on the cheek.

"These next ones are real classics," said Light Sadie. "I hope they replay them forever."

The next image was of the time they were racing Quirrell to the Philosopher's Stone. The others had helped them get pass the obstacles in the way, but never knew Quirrell was working with Voldemort. Even now, only Harry and Sadie knew that Voldemort orchestrated everything. As far as the others knew, Quirrell had been placed under the Imperius Curse by an evil foreign wizard.

Sadie had a very vivid memory of hugging and kissing Tracy goodbye outside the flame door, when they had solved Snape's riddle.

"I think the next memory is even better…" said Dark Sadie. "Maybe the one to keep in that locket she gave you?"

Harry recognised the next scene as the one at Malfoy Manor, the previous Christmas. His old nightmare of Voldemort was troubling him, so he had crawled into Sadie's bed. She had her arms around him as he slept peacefully. "I wouldn't let anything happen to you," said Sadie in his ear. "I love you so much."

Harry became aware of a shadow looming over them. He jumped, and saw a huge, bright green reptilian monster looming over them. A mighty dragon! But it was sitting still and gazing at them with big blue eyes. Sadie's eyes.

"Weird. What an image," chirped Light Sadie. "Who on Earth would suppose love is like a reptilian monster suddenly materialising inside you?"

"She wants you to kiss her," murmured Dark Sadie. "Then she'll wake."

"Right." Harry cupped Sadie's face in his hands and kissed the lips of her mask. Immediately, the dream world spun around him, a mixture of swirling shapes and colours…

00O00

He awoke in the arboretum and sat bolt upright. Beside him, Sadie was stirring. She sat up and smiled as she gazed around at them all. "Hey guys. Sorry, I'm feeling a bit woozy. What happened?"

Harry glared at her. "You gave us a fright, doing something stupid. You were in an enchanted sleep."

"Aw, hon," Sadie put her arms around him. "So sorry I scared you. I was stupid."

"You're back, Mummy," squeaked Chip, tottering up to her.

She scooped him up in her arms and kissed his smiley mask. "Of course, Chip. We're always here for each other now. We lost you once. Never again."

"What were you thinking, trying to transcend?" said Theo, shaking his head. "You're a second year, and you're not even top of the year. Not even second or third in our year. To think, you've lectured me about recklessness."

"I'm silly, aren't I?" said Sadie.

00O00

Harry looked forward to the Solstice Ceremony with some trepidation. He was only going in case Sadie did something else stupid. It was held at Malfoy Manor. This time seemed to be a different ceremony to last time. They went outside the Manor, to a field behind the Manor.

"As our guest, Miss McIntyre can play the role of Dark Priestess on this, the Longest Night," said Lucius Malfoy.

Sadie had wrapped herself in her purple hooded robe. She was carrying Chip in a baby carrier. There was a stone altar in the field. The Malfoys stood near it, and Harry uneasily hovered nearby.

"Now the Priestess ushers in an era of Darkness," said Lucius. "We are the observers."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Just got to have the spotlight, haven't you Sadie? Even though you can't play Quidditch."

Sadie smiled at him. "No spotlight. Just Darkness." She turned to Harry. "Don't worry, love. It's only acting. Like our play in November when we acted the Tale of the Three Brothers."

"Wish I could have seen that. It would have been a laugh," said Draco cheekily.

Sadie set Chip on the stone altar. Her high voice rose in a chant as she shouted a garble of weird syllables to the night and then began to speak in English, using a stiff, stilted voice, quite unlike her own:

"Child, you were taken from this world by a cruel affliction. You fell into the Earth's entrails. Now I declare that nature relinquishes her claim on you. You are the first to be reborn through Darkness. The light ends. The dead shall rise."

She raised her hands in the air. "RISE!"

She glared at the Malfoys. "Do you accept the rules of nature."

"No," said Lucius. "We live by magic."

"And magic knows no natural law and knows no logic," said Sadie, in that stiff voice. "So henceforth, let all magic be known as Dark. Darkness!"

"Darkness!" repeated the Malfoys.

This was a little too weird for Harry. He was glad when it was over.

They ate fruit, cheese and coffee as a snack afterwards.

"It is a shame that you cannot attend our official Christmas Celebration, Mr Potter," said Lucius. "Everyone of note will be there. Even the Minister for Magic."

Sadie was gazing at Harry through the eyeholes in her mask. Her blue eyes were anxious. "Thank you for the offer, Mr Malfoy, Sir," said Harry, "but Christmas Day is strictly a time for family."

Sadie smiled. Had she supposed he would choose the Minister over his mother, or something? He would do anything to keep his mother happy, even if it meant getting roped into the McIntyres' charitable work.

00O00

Before Harry knew it, Christmas was here. He awoke in Hill House to the sight of Sadie's green masked face close to his, their noses almost touching.

"Happy Christmas," said Sadie, grinning at him. She thrust a tray of French toast, jam and tea at him. Sadie was considerate like that. Didn't want to let breakfast slip his mind.

She leaned over Cora next. The hag was asleep in the bed beside Harry, and didn't mind waking up to the sight of Sadie's disfigured face against hers. "How are you feeling, dear?" asked Sadie, smoothing the hag's red hair.

Cora's eyelids fluttered. "I've got a craving for marmalade and beetles, precious pumpkins." She sat up. Her pregnancy was progressing. There was a definite bulge around her midriff now.

"I'll get them," squeaked Chip, who had stumbled into the room.

"Aw, Chip, you're so helpful. I'm so proud of you," said Sadie. She sat herself beside Cora. "Pregnancy really suits you," she gushed, practically twitching with excitement. "You're so radiant."

Harry felt weird and uncomfortable with anyone gushing over his mother like that, even a girl. To Harry, Cora was his mother, not pretty or ugly or anything like that.

Cora touched her green cheek and smiled. Her face did look shiny. Sadie had mentioned something about pregnancy hormones. The hag put an arm around Sadie's shoulder. "Thank you, darling. You're so kind. Professor Lockhart will be so pleased when our baby comes. We've got to pick out a name."

Great. Lockhart and his mother together. That was more than weird and uncomfortable as far as Harry was concerned. It was downright impossible.

00O00

The Christmas tree was the focus of the living room. Standing some ten feet high, the angel on top cast out a bright golden light, bathing the room in the glow. Lights and balls and garlands decorated the tree branches. The whole room smelled richly of pine.

Harry's gifts were as varied as those who gave them. Theo's was a book on 'Easy Defensive Magic.' Harry had got Theo the same thing. Mr. Nott's gift to Harry was a miniature model of the solar system, contained within a glass dome. It was a beautiful thing; each of the moons glimmered in place around the planets and the fiery sun, all of them hanging in thin air beneath the glass. He had seen similar objects in Diagon Alley but had been put off by the cost. He got a handmade quilt from Tracy - it seemed she had quite the knack for crafts. A book on Quidditch teams from Millie, a snitch shaped clock which flew from Daphne, a series of Wizarding Middle Grade books from Cora, and a Magical Record Player from Draco. Wizards are always behind with copying Muggle things. They consider an old vinyl record player to be cutting edge.

It had been simple to get a gift for Sadie. Since she had a fascination with Necromancy, he had sent off for a newly published tome entitled "The Dead Shall Rise" which included anecdotes about the work of Muggle-Born Wizards disaffected by the Magical World. Unable to find a place in the nest of nepotism, bribery and corruption that is the British Wizarding World, they had returned to the Muggle World and combined science and magic to find out ways of reanimating corpses and whether there is a way to rekindle the life spark in the dead. One such Muggle Born was Victor Frankenstein.

Sadie was delighted and hugged Harry, gushing about how kind he was to think of her.

Inside a little purple parcel was Harry's present from Sadie, a fine snow globe. Inside was Hogwarts castle, with small golems of Harry, Sadie, and their friends playing in the snow.

"We've gotta appreciate our friends," said Sadie. "Even if we can't always tell them the truth."

An odd mix of sentiments.

She tapped the snow globe. "The scene will change with the seasons. It's winter now. Let's hope it's not forever."

Jamie had got Sadie a special gift. A little ginger kitten. Sadie's toad was still afflicted with the firebreathing curse, as of the previous December. Sadie squealed with delight as she took the kitten into her arms. "I'll call him Dennis," she decided.

"Sounds Muggly," said Jamie.

"Colin's brothers name," said Sadie with a sigh. Colin Creevey had been petrified by the mysterious Heir of Slytherin.

That afternoon, the time came round for the voluntary work Sadie and Jamie did at this time of year. Sadie was in her lab, engrossed in a weird experiment with a dead spider. She put a droplet of a purple potion onto it with a pipette. There was a puff of purple smoke, and the spider began to twitch.

"OK, that's a start," said Sadie.

Harry didn't even want to know about it.

"Charity time!" said Jamie. "We get to help some poor Muggles and bring them some happiness. Never mind the Ministry and their micro-managing."

"Oh, Darkness, yes!" said Sadie, jumping up and clapping her little hands together.

Harry smiled to see her so enthusiastic, even though the charity work wasn't exactly his idea of fun.

Sadie picked up Dennis the kitten. "Aw, Dennis, you've been leaving hairs about the place," she cooed. "I do too. The purple ones are mine." She picked up a long purple hair from her pillow.

Chip came tottering in. "Do we get to help the Muggles, Mummy?"

"Yes," said Sadie. "If only we could do more.

In the Phoenix Clinic, there were rows of beds with sick Muggles. Jamie and Sadie entered, with Cora and Harry following. Jamie was dressed in green robes and held a glowing silver orb conjured by magic. Sadie held a small purple orb and was wrapped in her purple hooded cloak.

Harry had nothing to do but sit about as his mother read to one of the Muggle kids. Jamie and Sadie tended to the patients.

Sadie hugged a Muggle girl with an ashy pale face. "Now you have a heart condition? You poor thing. I know how dangerous that is."

Chip squatted on the end of the bed.

"Take off your mask," said the girl, narrowing her eyes.

"Sorry. Can't do that," said Sadie. "I can heal you."

"What're your qualifications?" demanded the girl.

Sadie showed her silver snake amulet. "The symbol of Asclepius. He could bring back the dead."

"S' right," squeaked Chip.

"Here." Sadie held up a little phial of her purple potion. "You can live forever. Your Mum and Dad won't have to live in fear of a sudden shock taking you away from them."

The girl swallowed the potion which made her throat glow for an instant. "I do feel better now, actually," she admitted.

"Live forever," murmured Sadie. "We can do without fear. We can do without death."

00O00

A few shorts days later it was time for the New Year celebration at Tracy's. The evening found Harry in borrowed dress robes, a white number that made him wonder how he was supposed to have any fun if his robes showed the slightest bit of dirt. He'd taken his complaint to Jamie, but had been brushed off.

"The new year is symbolic," she explained. "A new day dawning, and all that. Hence, we wear light colours."

"Harry ought to wear what we wants," demurred Sadie.

"You don't set the dress code," said Jamie firmly. "And you can't wear that purple cloak, or bring Chip to this one."

"Just as well Cora will look after him," sniffed Sadie.

Harry was largely expecting the New Year's Eve party to be much the same as the Christmas party: mostly boring with scattered moments of fun. It was a pleasant surprise, therefore, to be greeted with raucously loud music upon exiting the Floo. They cast off their protective charms (the very thought of all that soot on the white robes was horrifying) and were drawn into the crowd of people dancing to the band.

Whirling around, being bounced left and right, not having a clue what he was doing, Harry was having a blast. He had never felt so carefree. There was nothing that existed past the party - those things would be dealt with in the new year. Now there was only fun, celebration, and merriment. Harry laughed aloud with sheer relief.

Sadie was hovering uneasily near the crowd. She twirled a strand of her purple hair in her fingers. "These bright colours, all this symbolism… it's … a lot," she said.

Harry caught her by the hands. She gave a little squeak of surprise as he pulled her into an improvised dance. She laughed and danced along.

Time passed as quick as an eye blink, and the music stopped as the countdown began. All eyes were fixed on the clock. Thirty seconds.

Tracy squeezed Harry's hand in her right hand and Sadie's in her left. "Having fun?"

"Loads of fun!" Sadie assured her. "Thank you for inviting us."

"Your family a great party," said Harry.

"Glad you could both make it."

Twenty seconds.

Daphne handed Harry a glass of pumpkin juice, and he drank deeply. The frosty beverage had never tasted more refreshing.

Ten seconds.

"Bye-bye, nineteen ninety-two!"

Five seconds.

Four, three, two, one.

"Happy New Year!" the crowd roared in unison.

Tracy leaned up and pulled Harry and Sadie into a group hug, kissing Sadie on the mouth and Harry on the cheek. "Happy New Year, Lovelies."

"Happy New Year, my loves," murmured Sadie.

Harry's cheek burned where Tracy had kissed him. "Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year, Harry!" Daphne exclaimed. To Harry's intense shock, she hugged him hard and bounced up to kiss his other cheek.

"H-happy New Year, Daphne," he stammered. He felt slightly confused. Was Daphne on a caffeine high?

"Happy New Year!" the girls said to each other as they hugged.

Harry spent five minutes or so doing nothing but saying 'Happy New Year' to everyone in sight. All his friends, and their parents and relatives. He felt like his tongue would fall out if he had to say it one more time.

"Blah, blah, blah," Draco said as he rolled his eyes in Harry's direction.

"And so on, and so on, and so on," Theo contributed.