An unnatural quietness spread all around the room as the group sat there in shock. To know that Harry was not James and Lily's son was an unexpected surprise to everyone, especially the concerned person. Ever since he could remember, Harry always wanted a family. To have a group of people who care for you, love you, support you and give a shoulder for you to cry on was, in his opinion, his true heaven.
With each passing year, the hope and desire for the wish coming true died a little until Hagrid told him he was a wizard. Younger Harry, naive and foolish as he was, thought that maybe, just maybe, he could get to meet his parents.
Then the drama with Voldemort happened and even though saving his life was more important than wondering where his parents were, the wish was still there in the back of his head, hidden due to the recent events.
But now, now Harry did not even know how he felt. Everything in his life, everything he heard, believed was true. The same people who inspired him, his dead ' parents', it was all a fake.
" Be courageous and kind like your parents, Harry," Dumbledore had once told him," Inherit not only their looks and their blood but also inherit their positive aspects."
"Yeah," Harry added inside his head, sneering mentally," and also apparently lead a fake life and not trust you according to those liars. Sometimes I wonder if I am living just to meet the needs of the people and not myself. "
He was both sad and enraged at hearing the news, especially from the last people he expected this from. To know that somewhere out there, there were people who genuinely loved him and did not expect anything from him, was overwhelming. All of his fantasies could come true, his desires regarding a family. If only someone had told him earlier, right now, he could be lounging in his room with a sibling, instead of making sense of the jumbled mess that were his thoughts and feelings. He could have played endless games with his brothers or sisters, laughed with his true family members, snuggled with his parents in bed at night as they patted his hair and told him they loved...so much, he could do some much. If only someone considered to tell him...if only.
The urge to cry was getting stronger and Harry didn't know if he could contain the steady stream of tears forming behind his eyes any longer. Even though his mind was screaming at him to stand up, to go away from the situation without making a fool of himself, his body thought differently. No matter how much he tried to move his legs or train his blank gaze away from the wall, it didn't work. His body felt like it was made of lead and was finally faltering under the immense pressure he had to bear everyday.
Vaguely through the haze he had descended into, he heard the tell tale noise of the door opening before the high pitched squeaking sound of a goblin pierced his eardrums.
" King Ragarnok has summoned both of you for an urgent matter which his majesty wishes to discuss immediately."
It was Bloodfang's "Yes, tell his majesty we will be there shortly." that drew him out of the hazy fog and into the distressing reality.
Everyone, including the goblins, were looking at him sympathetically. He wanted to shout at them to stop gazing him like that, not liking their pity at his situation. However he was stopped from doing so as Gristlespear rose up, Bloodfang trailing after him. When he reached Harry's chair, he nodded at him, an obvious sign that he liked Harry and approved of him to an extent.
" It was an honour to meet you," Gristlespearsaid, extending his hand out to him. With an almost robotic shake, the group parted.
Harry, Sirius and Remus walked out of Gringotts, head held high and masks on. The effect of the polyjuice potion taken by them before they came to Gringotts had initially faded so Sirius and Remus retook it while Harry hid underneath his invisibility cloak. Trailing after them, the group walked almost blindly towards the darkened alley which they had chosen to apparate to Grimmauld Place, each of them so deep in thought that they did not see the black shadow that was following them.
Remus looked around the living room as soon as they had apparated. His wolf instincts were screaming at him that something was wrong, very very wrong but he had no idea what it was. Harry had already taken off his invisibility cloak and had joined Sirius on the sofa, who looked a little worried. Grey orbs met his own, a silent way of communication which both had mastered years ago. The statement was there, as clear as daylight.
" There is something or someone which definitely shouldn't be here." Both took a cursory glance around, casting a subtle revelio spell and relaxed once they found nothing was wrong. It was probably due to the stress of the recent events that they were being so paranoid.
The word events triggered the urge to look at Harry as if it was almost a reflex action. Harry was sitting there on the black leather sofa, leaning against the armrests with his hands crossed across his chest. His face was marred with sadness, anger and a resigned conclusion to experiencing agony, making it look older than it was. Pale eyelids stretched over his eyes, concealing not only his brilliant green eyes but also the steady flow of tears which was slowly building up, if the small drops of tears which clung to his eyelashes was any indicator. Suddenly, as if he had reached his breaking point, Harry jerked into action. Opening his eyelids to reveal the glassy orbs and a stream of tears, Harry rushed past them, undoubtedly going to his room.
Sirius and Remus let him go, feeling a deep ache in their hearts." Hadn't Harry been through enough?" Both of them thought, remembering Harry.
The newborn baby who bought joy in their life, who stood as their symbol, their motivation to fight. The same baby who went through such horrors things that no baby whatsoever should go through, things which honed him to be the boy which he was now. And yet, regardless of how many sacrifices he made, he ended up hurting every time. The world was a savage beast, no matter how many attempts you make to free it from the chains of terror and countless fears which grips it, it will always end up hurting its rescuer.
Both of them shared a look, conveying the sadness, anger, sympathy but mostly gratitude for the fact that they had each other and a fierce determination to be with Harry all the way, before they headed to their rooms, eager to take a well deserved break.
Ubestnown to the men, a black shadow smiled at them from behind the thick velvet red curtains covering the windows.
Harry went up to his bedroom, not bothering to change into his pyjamas before he jumped onto the bed, snuggling under the thick, fluffy white sheets. His eyes involuntarily found the window, gazing at the black night sky, adorned with thousands of glittering stars.
He felt emotionally and mentally drained, his mind in a painful turmoil. The day had been unnaturally sober, a sharp contrast from all the days he had spent with both of the Marauders.
After his, admittedly embarrassed crying scene in both his bedroom and the living room, Harry had fallen asleep on the bed almost immediately.
Waking up, he had a late lunch slash snack with Remus and Sirius, grateful that both of them had not pushed the matters further and respected his privacy.
He then went back to his room for a very unproductive day which involved eating his dinner and then going back to bed as his only activities. It was currently eleven at night and after another thirty minutes of staring at the darkened sky, Harry's eyes finally fluttered shut.
Midnight had descended in London with its usual splendor, not that anyone was there to appreciate it except from some bats and owls. The whole humanity was snoring away on their beds and this could be the entire reason why the whole incident occurred in the first place.
Concealed by the night sky and grand furniture, something moved in the flickering black shadows. As swiftly as light itself, the shadows moved, travelling slowly but steadily towards the second floor of the manor. Passing through the gruesome wall which was ' decorated' by elf heads, the shadow found itself in front of a half opened door.
The door was opened very silently, the person making sure that it would not unexpectedly creak, so as to not wake up the sleeping person inside. Bolting into the room with a lightning speed, the shadow camouflaged with the blackness of the room, holding its breath. It stayed in the position for several seconds, before deciding to move when it became clear that the owner had no plans to wake up soon.
With each passing second, each step was taken and it was not long before the shadow found itself very near the bed of Harry Potter. The boy was certainly attractive, the shadow decided, but with a tiredness which was obviously reflected by unnatural pale complexion and dark shadows beneath his eyes. However, upon seeing the boy, the shadow began to feel the long buried feelings springing to life. It quickly controlled itself, not wanting to mess up with the mission. A pale hand sprung out to reach the cheek of the boy from the shadows, exploring the soft skin as a musical voice whispered.
" Harry" to itself. Almost as if it couldn't help itself, the shadow came out of its hiding spot, fully aware of what the risk was and yet taking it. Sitting on the edge of the bed, the shadow gently caressed the face of the boy like a desperately thirsty man. After the face was firmly committed to memory, the shadow took a deep breath, controlling itself.
It mumbled something under its breath even as a golden hue started forming beneath its palms, before placing the now brightly gold palm on Harry's head. For just a fraction of second, even the very air came to a stop in the room before life continued as it was.
Bolting out of the room with a speed that would shame lightning, the shadow only paused to look once at the boy before it resumed its journey.
" Whoever wrote gods are merciful was probably the dumbest person on Earth!" Harry thought to himself, clutching his head as another scream shout out of his mouth.
This day was the worst day in his life. Not only had he got to know that his 'parents' were just fake liars who had only adopted him as a substitute for their dead son and he was not to trust the old goat with an insanely long beard but also he was, potentially, a fake identity. Then his long buried fears came back to life just to haunt him as nightmares and when he was finally, finally getting some well deserved sleep, this had started. It had started out pretty small, like those annoying headaches which can be gone away by some light massage, before turning into those just-make-me-dead headaches.
Now, here he was. At about 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning, clutching his throbbing head as he screamed himself hoarse. Sirius and Remus had also come down to his room on hearing the loud noises, afraid that something had happened. He had been used as a dummy by Remus, who was trying to quell his headache by a horrible potion but to no avail. "
Quick Sirius," Remus shouted,"disguise yourself as becoming Padfoot is too risky. I'll take Harry." Remus rushed to his room, hastily putting on an acceptable shirt over his pajamas as Sirius disguised himself into an early twenties man. It was not more than five minutes before the group reached St Mungos, incredibly grateful for the early hour as they did not encounter any fans or the paparazzi.
" Quick," Sirius snapped at the bewildered healer in front of him, " my son needs help." The woman tried to regain her composure but all she was doing was staring like a blinking idiot. After all, it's not everyday you see the Saviour of the Wizarding World scream like the world's gonna end. Fortunately before the idiot could be assassinated by either Sirius or Remus, another one appeared, this one more composed and professional.
" What ails him?" the woman questioned sharply.
" A gruesome headache." Remus replied back.
"When had it started?"
" Almost at midnight."
"Has anything been tried to stop it?"
" Yes. A headache reliever, the strongest one I had."
" It did not work?"
"No."
" That's weird." The woman mumbled to herself.
"Please, isn't there any cure for it?" Remus finally pleaded, unable to see Harry in any more pain than he already was.
" Yes. Please follow me." The woman turned sharply to her right, walking briskly down a narrow hallway to reach the stairs. She followed them up the stairs before taking a sharp left turn again and leading them to a room.
Opening the handle of the door, the woman guestered her patients to come inside the room before leaving.
" Please make yourself comfortable. I will go and fetch the doctor."
The next ten minutes were probably the worst Remus and Sirius had spent in their life. Hearing Harry scream so loud as tears streamed down his face, watching him beg for his death was excruciatingly painful. They could do nothing but hold his hand, hoping that some god would have mercy on them and remove them from the painful state all of them had descended into.
A/N: Hello Everyone! Ok, I know that I am prolonging the inevitable by not telling the name of Harry's real parents and maybe making the story boring to read but I promise, I will reveal them in the next chapter. Pinky promise.Thank you to everyone who has like, favorited, followed and reviewed.Oh and please read and review!