(dedicated to the riddles… coz u guys rock! Thankyou so
much for your support!)
Sirius woke with a start but was pleasantly surprised to
see that it was simply a crackle from the roaring fire that had disturbed
him. After days of travelling in his dog
form through the unseasonal cold, it was heaven to allow the heat of the cosy
living room to slowly thaw his bones. With a smile Sirius buried himself deeper into the blankets that Moony
had covered him with.
Turning his head Sirius noticed that Remus was watching him
from a chair across the room with a mixture of disbelief and frightened
happiness on his face. It was as if he
was scared to believe what he was seeing.
"Moony, are you alright?" Asked Sirius his voice muffled slightly by a blanket.
"Me! What about
you?!" Said Remus in a strange voice.
"I suppose I should explain what happened." Said Sirius frowning.
"Can you?"
Sirius scrunched his eyes shut. This was going to be difficult. He had been worrying about how to tell Remus about Harry ever since he'd
escaped.
With Sirius unable to form words there was a silence. Remus broke it.
"Perhaps you would find it easier to tell Dumbledore. We should go to Hogwarts. Then Madame Pomfrey can get a wand to you."
Sirius nodded numbly.
Remus was slightly surprised knowing the animosity between
Padfoot and the bossy matron, but he realised that Sirius had probably been
through hell and would need the help of the woman.
Without any more delay the two of them went through the
fireplace, which glowed green from Floo-powder.
~~~
"Okay so, what was with the hat?" Asked McGonagall glancing sternly at the headmaster.
"Just a minute Minerva." Said Dumbledore drawing the latest smokey thought from his temple, and
adding it to the many others he'd begun placing in the pensieve once Harry had
been calmed back to sleep.
"Okay. Now I think
we need to get everyone together so that I can explain. I'll contact Remus. You can go and fetch Severus. Meet back here in my office and hopefully
well be able to sort out what has been going on, once and for all." Said Dumbledore finally, stirring the
thoughts in his pensieve almost absentmindedly with his wand.
"Alright then." Said McGonagall sounding slightly miffed and striding quickly away.
Fawkes the phoenix fluttered to Dumbledore's shoulder.
"Will you fetch Remus Lupin for me Fawkes. I'm feeling ever so tired." Said Dumbledore stroking the wonderful
bird's ample plumage fondly.
With a steeling note of song the bird swept into the air
and disappeared out of the window.
Dumbledore scratched his beard and took one last look
through the thoughts he'd collected. "I
wish I'd seen it earlier." He mumbled
to himself quietly.
~~~
Harry had pretended to fall asleep in order to get some
time alone. He was still pondering what
Dumbledore was playing at with the hat when he received a surprise visit from
Fawkes the phoenix.
The fiery bird arrived through the broken window and flew
over.
"Fawkes!" He
breathed quietly.
The bird rested on the bed opposite and seemed to stare
through him from its perch. Harry
shuddered.
"I suppose you hate me now. You can sense the bad things, the evil that's in me." Whispered Harry seeing the distance that the
phoenix had put between them.
He was greatly surprised when Fawkes swooped over and
landed right on his shoulder.
The soft trill of phoenix song sent waves of warmth and
relief through Harry.
Smiling properly for the first time in a long time Harry
stroked Fawkes softly hardly daring to breathe.
When Fawkes returned to the air Harry whispered
"Thankyou."
He watched peacefully as the amazing bird flew back out
through the window.
~~~
Dumbledore frowned. He couldn't understand why Fawkes hadn't returned with Remus yet. Shaking his head he turned back to where Minerva
McGonagall and Severus Snape were waiting impatiently to be received into his
confidence.
"I guess I should tell you both now. We can explain to Remus later."
Said Dumbledore with one last glance at the window.
Gesturing to the pensieve he said. "I think you'll understand what my
suspicions are if you view these thoughts."
Without another word he tapped the pensieve and the
professors all watched intently as the memories in the bowl swirled into focus…
**
"Professor, I have something I need to tell you…"
Draco Malfoy's conflicted emotions had in reality been
almost perfectly masked… but this was Albus Dumbledore's perception, and the
torment shone through in the boys face.
"My Father is a Death Eater."
**
McGonagall and Snape looked at Dumbledore questioningly but
he simply gestured back to the pensieve.
**
"Father specialises in the imperious curse. He's really very good at it… I should know…"
Draco's frown had deepened and anger was clearly evident,
but what Dumbledore had seen was the sadness, and the fear.
**
Snape raised an eyebrow at this point but Dumbledore didn't
see it as his eyes remained fixed on the pensieve, on seeing this the potions
master did likewise.
There were several scenes that followed.
**
Harry looked very small sitting across from
Dumbledore. It was obviously difficult
for him to relive the events of the Third Task. But he did so, telling Dumbledore everything, the part shown in
the pensieve focused mainly on his direct verbal exchanges with Voldemort.
**
**
The last event was not given a visual representation. The swirling silver thoughts emitted instead
the sound of Harry's incessant screams, his conversation with no one.
**
McGonagall and Snape strained to find the connection that
linked all of these events, but neither could discover the significance.
Seeing the blank looks on their faces, Dumbledore went on
to describe what the Sorting Hat had unearthed.
"It told me what I had suspected was true. Harry's mind is a jumble. But not just from
the terrible guilt and anguish he's been feeling. There were signs that someone has been trying to 'suggest' things
to Harry, to manipulate him from inside his own head. In the form of a voice."
McGonagall's face was hard as stone, anger blazed behind
her typically composed visage.
Snape, on the other hand did little to conceal his anger.
"Lucius Malfoy." He
hissed glaring his own forearm.
Dumbledore nodded.
"Yes, that is what I believe."
It was at this point that the three wizards were disturbed
by the floo-arrival.
~~~
As Lupin stumbled out of the fireplace he looked back
towards the fire as if expecting to be followed.
"Nice of you to join us Remus." Said McGonagall warmly getting no response from Lupin who was
still glancing at the fireplace
Suddenly the fire sparked and a mess of dirty robes and
limbs came flying out of the flames.
"Black!" Yelled
Snape jumping out of his chair.
McGonagall swayed unsteadily on her feet grabbing hold of
Lupin's arm as a look of relief flooded his face.
Dumbledore was visibly surprised to see Sirius Black tumble
out of the fireplace but being ever practical and alert his mind shot straight
to…
"Harry."
On hearing his godson's name Sirius winced and paused from
brushing the soot from his apparel.
"Oh Sirius Black! Don't you ever do that to me again!" Said McGonagall sternly her eyes shining suspiciously brightly behind
the frown.
Sirius raised his eyebrows.
Dumbledore noticed this and said.
"Harry told us that you'd been killed."
Sirius' eyes snapped to Dumbledore immediately.
"Harry? When? Where?"
"He's in the Hospital Wing right now. He thinks you're dead, and he's not taken it
very well." Said Snape quietly having sat
back in his seat to lean heavily against the chair back.
"He's… what?" Said
Sirius frowning and looking very confused.
"He came back Sirius. He came here, to Hogwarts. He's
come back to us." Said Remus putting a
hand on Sirius' shoulder to calm him.
Sirius almost crumbled but he managed to grab Remus around
the shoulders and clung onto his friend to hold himself together.
"He's normal again… he's safe?"
~~~
Harry felt rested and surprisingly calm after Fawkes left.
He heard Madame Pomfrey humming next door as she arranged
her supplies…
He heard the birds outside singing brightly…
He heard Peeves the poltergeist knocking over suits of
armour…
He almost fancied he could hear the familiar roar of the
quidditch crowd drifting over from the quidditch pitch…
But most comforting of all was that, for the moment at
least the voice was gone.
Thinking for once about nothing at all he started to doze,
untroubled and peaceful at last.
~~~
Dumbledore eventually managed to get everyone seated and
calmed, this was difficult in Sirius' case as he desperately tried to escape
the room to see Harry straight away.
But after a brief scuffle they were all ready to sort out
what had happened.
"Sirius. Perhaps
you would enlighten us with your version of events." Said Dumbledore peering intently at Sirius over the top of his
glasses.
"When I set off for Hogwarts I was in my animagus
form. I thought I was safe. I hadn't expected a confrontation, and
especially not with Death Eaters.
There were four I think. They didn't seem to question that I wasn't just an ordinary dog. They stunned me before I had a chance to
react to four masked figures blocking my path.
When I woke up I was ordered to transform. I didn't, but then they told me that they had
found out about my animagus form from Harry… Of course I thought Harry was in trouble so I co-operated so that I
might be able to see him. It was then
that they took me to him.
Voldemort seemed very happy to see me. He taunted me for a while about my failure to be there for my godson.
When he stepped aside to introduce me to my executioner I
found myself looking at Harry.
I couldn't believe it. I closed my eyes when he said Avada Kedavra. Hearing Harry say those words it was the hardest thing of my
life.
He tried to kill me. I must admit that was all I could think of at the time… Harry tried to
kill me!
But it didn't work.
It hit someone else instead.
I heard Lucius Malfoy try it again twice. When I looked I saw that Peter had taken one
of the blows. But Harry and Voldemort
had disappeared.
Then all I remember was green light.
When I woke up I thought I was dead. When I realised I was hurt I knew I
wasn't. There was a graze along my side
as if a curse had just narrowly missed me. It must have been the killing curse.
I looked around but no one was there.
In the end I started back for Remus' house, as it was
closest. Then he brought me here."
Everyone was silent as Sirius' story fell into place in
their minds.
Sirius however was unable to tolerate silence.
"Now will someone explain what's been going on with my
godson?" He said.
~~~
It was a much more subdued Sirius Black that limped
slightly as he walked into the Hospital Wing. He was still feeling the effects of his brush with death, but he felt
the pain of knowing what Harry had been through even more keenly.
As he drew towards the bed he saw that Harry was
asleep. His covers were straight as
though he'd hardly moved. His face was
relaxed, his forehead smooth aside from the familiar lightening bolt
groove. His left arm was hanging down
off of the bed and the ugly dark mark remained faintly branded there forever,
but in the end just another scar.
Sirius wiped a stray tear from his cheek. He could hear the others talking to Madame
Pomfrey outside.
As he stood next to his peacefully sleeping godson he felt
the paternal instinct inside of him telling him to hug Harry.
Not wanting to wake him he settled on tucking the covers
carefully around the boy.
~~~
Harry felt the comfortable sleep starting to fall away and
was aware of someone softly wrapping him up in enveloping warmth. He wondered who it was… Madame Pomfrey, or
Lupin perhaps. When he heard the person
whisper his name his heart jumped.
"Sirius." He
whispered, his throat constricting painfully as soon as the words had passed in
realisation that it couldn't possibly be Sirius Black.
"I'm here Harry."
Harry's eyes flew open. Even though his sight was distinctly blurred and his eyes close to tears
Harry could make out the long black hair and persistently thin frame of the
most wonderful person in the world.
"Sirius!" He
yelled, praying ferociously in his heart that this wasn't a dream or illusion.
As godson and godfather hugged each other tightly nothing
in the world could have drawn their attention away.
Harry gasped in his breath as he felt his heart pound with
joy.
"You're alive!" He
cried hugging Sirius even more tightly.
"Ouch! Yeah, I
know." Said Sirius clutching his side.
"I'm so sorry." Chocked Harry his eyes clouding over with the guilt that had been
so consuming of him.
"Harry. I'm proud
of you, you made the right decision when it really mattered. And I love you, no matter what." Said Sirius reaching over for Harry's
glasses and sliding them onto his godson's tearstained face.
Sirius sat down next to Harry who smiled and said.
"I love you too. And I'll never forget that again."
A/N
There you have it!
*Wipes sweat from brow*
I hope the ending wasn't too mushy, but hey! It had to be!
I feel I might need an epilogue just to put a few little
things to rest but this was the ending I planned, tell me what you think!
Enormous thanks to everyone who reviewed any or all of the
parts. *Grins*
Reviewers of Part 5
QtPie079
vmr
Grace
Holli
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Creamy Mimi
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Raven of Death
sweets
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Sirius*Padfoot*Black
Thanx u guys!
This is the first proper fic that I've finished, (unless
there's an epilogue!) And I'm very
proud if myself.
Rest assured that I should be getting back to DoR and
Auriellis soon. They're not going to be
forgotten!
Love U All!
Jona
xxx
