Chapter 6: The Curse
"Hello, Harry." Selene said.
Harry couldn't think straight. He absentmindedly pinched his left leg, just to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Selene stepped towards him and Harry stepped back. He wanted desperately to believe that this was true, that she was alive. "I thought you were…were…"
"Dead?" Selene asked. "I get that a lot."
Harry turned to Dumbledore, "You told me she was dead."
"I thought she was." he replied.
"So you really are her?" Harry asked Selene, "You're my aunt?"
She smiled, "I really am."
Aunt and nephew stood staring at each other, both not daring to blink. They each were trying to figure out if the other one real.
"Let's go up to my office." Dumbledore said. "We can be assured privacy there."
The walk to Dumbledore's office seemed unending. Harry had dozens of things that he wanted to ask Selene, but before he could get one question out, another popped into his head. Finally the three of them entered Dumbledore's office. Fawkes, sitting on his perch, cooed quietly as Dumbledore patted his beak and let him nibble on his finger.
Harry watched Selene walk over to the fireplace. Set against the fire, her costume made Selene almost invisible. She reached behind her head and unclasped the mask. Finally free, her hair fell loosely down her back and Harry got his first look at her face. Ron was right. She was a beautiful woman. Her green eyes met his and she smiled, but her eyes did not. There seemed to be a sadness residing in them. Harry had seen that sadness before, in Sirius' eyes.
Dumbledore sat behind his desk, "Selene, I must know. Where have you been all these years?"
Harry wanted to know too. Why now? Why had she waited until now to come?
Although Dumbledore asked the question, she responded to Harry's unasked ones, "I'm sorry I was unable to see you before."
"Why didn't you?" Harry asked.
"Harry, I loved your parents very much, when they died, something inside me died. All I wanted was revenge, which is why I went with Sirius to kill Peter.
Harry looked over at Dumbledore who said, "I've informed her of our earlier conversation."
Harry said, "Why didn't you come back for me?"
"Is that what you think--" she said.
"Why did you leave me alone?" Harry asked, his voice beginning to crack with emotion.
"I had to leave you with the Dursleys Harry. There was no other way." she said.
"You could've tried."
"I did try, Harry. I thought of everything, but when it came down to it….You know what I am Harry, the Ministry would have taken you away from me. We decided it was best for you to be removed from our world until it was safe. It broke my heart to send you away."
Harry tried hard to fight against the flood of emotions that was fighting to escape from him. He was thankful for Dumbledore's interruption:
"The Ministry knew?" Dumbledore asked.
"Yes. Peter told them." Selene replied. "Voldemort knew that I would never join the Death Eaters, especially after killing James and Lily, so he instructed Peter to tell the Ministry that I was a magmanos. That way I would be….eliminated as a threat."
"But you got away." Harry said, finally getting a grip on his emotions.
Selene walked up to his chair and knelt beside it. "No I didn't Harry. The night that we went looking for Peter, I had made up my mind that after we killed Peter, I would come and take you away from the Dursleys. I just couldn't bare to think of you with Petunia and of the lies she would tell you about your mother." She paused and reached up to brush a strand of hair out of Harry's eyes. "However, we underestimated Peter and his ties to Crouch. Crouch and his lemmings were there even before we were."
"You mean they could've stopped the massacre from happening." Dumbledore said.
"Yes. But they needed "evidence" to convict Sirius and me. Right after the explosion they cornered us in an alley, dragged Sirius away, and left me with Crouch. All of Crouch's lemmings thought he had me killed that night, but he didn't. Crouch was extremely curious and extremely afraid of magmani. He decided on another punishment for me…one which he would be able observe me for years…." her voice trailed off.
"Totale Rhumital?" Dumbledore asked.
"Yes." Selene said.
"Totale Rhumital?" Harry asked.
"Totale Rhumital is a freezing curse, Harry." Dumbledore said.
Harry turned his eyes back to Selene, "How long?" he asked.
"Thirteen years." Selene said almost mechanically, her voice had lost all emotion.
"I thought…shouldn't that of killed you?" Harry asked.
"Yes, but Harry, revenge is a powerful emotion. Revenge kept my mind sane and gave me the will to fight against the cold." Selene said.
"You must have been in a great deal of pain." Dumbledore said.
"Pain doesn't even begin to describe what I felt."
"How did you get free?" Harry asked.
"Well, I didn't know at first. One day I felt the ice crack and I fought against it and managed to get free. It wasn't until later that I learned of Crouch's death." she said.
Harry looked confused and Dumbledore picked up on it, "You see Harry," he said, "Most curses only last for as long as the lives of the casters. Although like Avada Kedavra, Totale Rhumital isn't one of these. However, Crouch's death must have weakened the curse enough for Selene to break it."
Selene nodded. "I was very disoriented and weak for a couple of months. A muggle man took me in until I regained my strength---"
There was a knock on the door. Madame Hooch stepped in. "I'm sorry to interrupt, headmaster, but we've had a situation break out in the Great Hall. It seems that the Weasley boy and Draco Malfoy are at it again." she said.
"Oh dear." Dumbledore said, "I better make an appearance." he turned to Selene, "You may stay as long as you wish."
Selene nodded politely and soon Selene and Harry were alone. Fawkes started cooing. Selene smiled, "Hello old friend, I was wondering when you were going to say hello." she left Harry's side and went to stroke the bird's feathers. Harry left his chair and walked over to Fawkes and also started to pet him.
Watching her stroke the phoenix, Harry remembered a question that he had wanted to ask her, "Selene?" Harry asked.
"Hmm?"
"How does it work? Your magic I mean." Harry asked.
She smiled, "Sit down, I'll show you."
Harry and Selene both sat down across from each other on the floor. Selene smiled and held out her hand, palm up. Harry then watched in amazement when a few glowing dots began to appear on her wrists. The dots began to move up towards her hand. They started to increase in number and brightness, the few dots turned into hundreds and they centered themselves at the center of her palm. Suddenly they erupted into a flame, which she held quite comfortably in her palm.
Harry looked up and smiled at her, she smiled back and closed her hand, extinguishing the flame. "Let me show you another." she said and moved closer to him. "Let me see your hand." she said. Harry extended his left hand, which she took and pressed it against her right. Selene closed her eyes, and suddenly her hand became very warm. The warmth spread into Harry's finger tips and then to began to creep up his arm. It was the most amazing feeling he had ever experienced. He felt like he was wrapped around in a big cozy blanket. The warmth spread into his shoulders and then down his back. Selene withdrew her hand and the warmth went away.
"Wow." Harry said.
Selene smiled, "I haven't done that in years. Not since….not since the night Sirius was killed."
Killed? Harry thought. Sirius isn't dead. Then a thought struck him….she doesn't know that Sirius is alive. "Selene, Sirius isn't dead." Harry said.
"What?" Selene said.
"He's alive."
"But I saw- I thought…"
"He wasn't killed that night." Harry said, "He was taken to Azkaban."
"Azkaban? Oh no."
"Its ok. He escaped."
Selene raised her hands to her mouth (Harry noticed that they had started shaking), "Do you know where he is?" she whispered through her fingers.
"Of course. I can take you there, it isn't far." Harry said.
"Take me." Selene replied.
"Hello, Harry." Selene said.
Harry couldn't think straight. He absentmindedly pinched his left leg, just to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Selene stepped towards him and Harry stepped back. He wanted desperately to believe that this was true, that she was alive. "I thought you were…were…"
"Dead?" Selene asked. "I get that a lot."
Harry turned to Dumbledore, "You told me she was dead."
"I thought she was." he replied.
"So you really are her?" Harry asked Selene, "You're my aunt?"
She smiled, "I really am."
Aunt and nephew stood staring at each other, both not daring to blink. They each were trying to figure out if the other one real.
"Let's go up to my office." Dumbledore said. "We can be assured privacy there."
The walk to Dumbledore's office seemed unending. Harry had dozens of things that he wanted to ask Selene, but before he could get one question out, another popped into his head. Finally the three of them entered Dumbledore's office. Fawkes, sitting on his perch, cooed quietly as Dumbledore patted his beak and let him nibble on his finger.
Harry watched Selene walk over to the fireplace. Set against the fire, her costume made Selene almost invisible. She reached behind her head and unclasped the mask. Finally free, her hair fell loosely down her back and Harry got his first look at her face. Ron was right. She was a beautiful woman. Her green eyes met his and she smiled, but her eyes did not. There seemed to be a sadness residing in them. Harry had seen that sadness before, in Sirius' eyes.
Dumbledore sat behind his desk, "Selene, I must know. Where have you been all these years?"
Harry wanted to know too. Why now? Why had she waited until now to come?
Although Dumbledore asked the question, she responded to Harry's unasked ones, "I'm sorry I was unable to see you before."
"Why didn't you?" Harry asked.
"Harry, I loved your parents very much, when they died, something inside me died. All I wanted was revenge, which is why I went with Sirius to kill Peter.
Harry looked over at Dumbledore who said, "I've informed her of our earlier conversation."
Harry said, "Why didn't you come back for me?"
"Is that what you think--" she said.
"Why did you leave me alone?" Harry asked, his voice beginning to crack with emotion.
"I had to leave you with the Dursleys Harry. There was no other way." she said.
"You could've tried."
"I did try, Harry. I thought of everything, but when it came down to it….You know what I am Harry, the Ministry would have taken you away from me. We decided it was best for you to be removed from our world until it was safe. It broke my heart to send you away."
Harry tried hard to fight against the flood of emotions that was fighting to escape from him. He was thankful for Dumbledore's interruption:
"The Ministry knew?" Dumbledore asked.
"Yes. Peter told them." Selene replied. "Voldemort knew that I would never join the Death Eaters, especially after killing James and Lily, so he instructed Peter to tell the Ministry that I was a magmanos. That way I would be….eliminated as a threat."
"But you got away." Harry said, finally getting a grip on his emotions.
Selene walked up to his chair and knelt beside it. "No I didn't Harry. The night that we went looking for Peter, I had made up my mind that after we killed Peter, I would come and take you away from the Dursleys. I just couldn't bare to think of you with Petunia and of the lies she would tell you about your mother." She paused and reached up to brush a strand of hair out of Harry's eyes. "However, we underestimated Peter and his ties to Crouch. Crouch and his lemmings were there even before we were."
"You mean they could've stopped the massacre from happening." Dumbledore said.
"Yes. But they needed "evidence" to convict Sirius and me. Right after the explosion they cornered us in an alley, dragged Sirius away, and left me with Crouch. All of Crouch's lemmings thought he had me killed that night, but he didn't. Crouch was extremely curious and extremely afraid of magmani. He decided on another punishment for me…one which he would be able observe me for years…." her voice trailed off.
"Totale Rhumital?" Dumbledore asked.
"Yes." Selene said.
"Totale Rhumital?" Harry asked.
"Totale Rhumital is a freezing curse, Harry." Dumbledore said.
Harry turned his eyes back to Selene, "How long?" he asked.
"Thirteen years." Selene said almost mechanically, her voice had lost all emotion.
"I thought…shouldn't that of killed you?" Harry asked.
"Yes, but Harry, revenge is a powerful emotion. Revenge kept my mind sane and gave me the will to fight against the cold." Selene said.
"You must have been in a great deal of pain." Dumbledore said.
"Pain doesn't even begin to describe what I felt."
"How did you get free?" Harry asked.
"Well, I didn't know at first. One day I felt the ice crack and I fought against it and managed to get free. It wasn't until later that I learned of Crouch's death." she said.
Harry looked confused and Dumbledore picked up on it, "You see Harry," he said, "Most curses only last for as long as the lives of the casters. Although like Avada Kedavra, Totale Rhumital isn't one of these. However, Crouch's death must have weakened the curse enough for Selene to break it."
Selene nodded. "I was very disoriented and weak for a couple of months. A muggle man took me in until I regained my strength---"
There was a knock on the door. Madame Hooch stepped in. "I'm sorry to interrupt, headmaster, but we've had a situation break out in the Great Hall. It seems that the Weasley boy and Draco Malfoy are at it again." she said.
"Oh dear." Dumbledore said, "I better make an appearance." he turned to Selene, "You may stay as long as you wish."
Selene nodded politely and soon Selene and Harry were alone. Fawkes started cooing. Selene smiled, "Hello old friend, I was wondering when you were going to say hello." she left Harry's side and went to stroke the bird's feathers. Harry left his chair and walked over to Fawkes and also started to pet him.
Watching her stroke the phoenix, Harry remembered a question that he had wanted to ask her, "Selene?" Harry asked.
"Hmm?"
"How does it work? Your magic I mean." Harry asked.
She smiled, "Sit down, I'll show you."
Harry and Selene both sat down across from each other on the floor. Selene smiled and held out her hand, palm up. Harry then watched in amazement when a few glowing dots began to appear on her wrists. The dots began to move up towards her hand. They started to increase in number and brightness, the few dots turned into hundreds and they centered themselves at the center of her palm. Suddenly they erupted into a flame, which she held quite comfortably in her palm.
Harry looked up and smiled at her, she smiled back and closed her hand, extinguishing the flame. "Let me show you another." she said and moved closer to him. "Let me see your hand." she said. Harry extended his left hand, which she took and pressed it against her right. Selene closed her eyes, and suddenly her hand became very warm. The warmth spread into Harry's finger tips and then to began to creep up his arm. It was the most amazing feeling he had ever experienced. He felt like he was wrapped around in a big cozy blanket. The warmth spread into his shoulders and then down his back. Selene withdrew her hand and the warmth went away.
"Wow." Harry said.
Selene smiled, "I haven't done that in years. Not since….not since the night Sirius was killed."
Killed? Harry thought. Sirius isn't dead. Then a thought struck him….she doesn't know that Sirius is alive. "Selene, Sirius isn't dead." Harry said.
"What?" Selene said.
"He's alive."
"But I saw- I thought…"
"He wasn't killed that night." Harry said, "He was taken to Azkaban."
"Azkaban? Oh no."
"Its ok. He escaped."
Selene raised her hands to her mouth (Harry noticed that they had started shaking), "Do you know where he is?" she whispered through her fingers.
"Of course. I can take you there, it isn't far." Harry said.
"Take me." Selene replied.