Part Six: A Glimpse of Destiny
Voldemort knew the exact second the cursed blade struck Harry. A searing pain ripped into his shoulder and then a numbness spread across his chest. He laughed, for he knew it wouldn't be long before Harry figured out who was responsible and said the word that would begin the transfer of energy. Voldemort lowered himself into a chair, his own strength failing as the blade opened a channel between them. He forced himself to slow his excited breathing and sit quietly, waiting. Before long the blade tingled slightly and then a surge of energy flowed into the dark wizard. He bellowed in triumph and stood, the power filling him, completing him. Voldemort knew that before long his very form would change. Every feature from his deathly pale skin to his red, slitted eyes would transform. He would no longer look like the terrifying monster whose face was known throughout the world.
"My lord! Master, are you alright?" Wormtail yelled, panting, as he ran into the room. "I heard you yell . . . " Whatever Wormtail might have said died on his lips as he gaped at his master. "Your face." he whispered. "What's happening to your face?"
Voldemort ran to the mirror and touched his already changing face. The tight skin around his chin and nose was filling out. His hands were gaining flesh. He smiled a cruel smile at his reflection and the red eyes glowed with evil pleasure. Before the Potter boy took his last breath, Voldemort's own servant wouldn't recognize him.
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Sirius Black transformed back into his human form and ran to Harry, who had managed to get himself up off the ground. He was kneeling, struggling to stand as he stared horrified at his new friend, unconscious in the dirt.
"Harry? Let's go, quickly. We need to get you help." Sirius took in the dragon hilt and Harry's blood-covered shirt and put a restraining arm across Harry's shoulders, trying to keep him still.
Harry looked at his godfather. "You have to help her!" he pleaded. "She was trying to help me. She's not dead, is she?" Sirius noticed the strips of cloth wrapped around the blade, obviously put there to staunch the bleeding. He blanched at his mistake and looked Harry in the eyes. "I'm sorry, Harry. I thought she was hurting you. She's not dead. I'll check on her if you promise to stay still." Harry nodded dully and sat back on his legs. He watched anxiously as Sirius checked Glynnis over. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw her move.
Glynnis heard a loud roaring in her ears and the back of her head ached abominably. She sensed that someone was very close to her and felt a touch on her hand. She opened her eyes and only the pain in her head kept her from sitting upright in shock. A man with long, matted hair wearing robes that looked as if they'd been used for everything from sleeping bag to towel was crouched beside her. His painfully thin face sagged with relief when she looked at him with clear eyes. Glynnis glanced around toward Harry and saw him kneeling, his eyes glued on her. He too seemed relieved to see she was awake. Glynnis looked back at the man over her. "Harry should be lying down," she announced in a pained voice. The man nodded. "I know. But he wanted to make sure I hadn't done you any lasting damage." Glynnis' forehead wrinkled in thought as she tried to piece together the events of the last few minutes. She remembered a loud growling and then a huge black blur running toward her. There was no one who looked like this in her memory. Then something tugged at the back of her mind and she smiled up at the careworn face over hers. "You must be Harry's godfather, the dog."
Sirius stared at her for a moment, completely taken aback. Then the desperate absurdity of the whole situation dawned on him and he laughed, a weak, rusty, unused thing, but a laugh nonetheless. He smiled down at the woman beneath him. "I guess that pretty much sums it up."
Glynnis' heart stopped dead in her chest when the strange man smiled. His entire face transformed and the handsome visage buried beneath the worry lines and haggard features burned into her mind like a cool fire. She simply stared at him and full reality dawned on her. Harry had brought her here, but Harry was not her destiny.
Sirius' smile erased into an anxious frown when Glynnis stopped breathing. "Are you sure you're alright?" he asked worriedly. Glynnis nodded her head slightly and then wished she hadn't. The slight motion brought the dull pain in her head into a full-blown headache. She started to sit up and grasped Sirius' offered hand for assistance. Once standing, she leaned against him until the trees stopped spinning.
Sirius put an arm around the woman leaning against him. He knew she must be dizzy and he waited until she looked up at him before removing his arm. He stared into her large, dark eyes and deep within his mind his subconscious blinked. He'd never met this person, he was sure of it, but something in him responded to her, as if an old friend had called his name out in a crowd. It wasn't until he saw her lips move that he realized she was speaking. "I'm sorry," he said quickly. "What did you say?"
"I said 'Hello. I'm Glynnis'."
Sirius stood tongue tied. For some strange reason he couldn't respond, only stare. Glynnis stared back at him, for a moment. Then her mouth curled up mischievously. "Do you have a name or should I simply call you Rover?"
"Rover?" Sirius asked, his puzzlement evident on his face. "No. It's Sirius. Sirius Black."
"Well, then Sirius Black, don't you suppose you could let go of me and we could see to Harry?" Sirius looked down and discovered that the steadying arm he thought he'd removed from her back a moment ago was still wound around her waist. He released her abruptly and stepped back, all his attention focused once again on his godson. Sirius and Glynnis reached Harry at the same time and they knelt next to him.
"Are you okay, Glynnis?" Harry asked.
Glynnis ruffled his hair gently. "I'm fine. Just a knock on the head. Nothing more than I got from your little friend there." Her eyes fell to the dragon hilt which was eyeing Sirius and baring its teeth. Startled, Sirius looked at her. "You tried to touch the hilt?" Glynnis nodded. "What happened?"
"It tossed me across the clearing," Glynnis answered with a wince. "It was somewhat less enthusiastic about it than yourself, but I got the message."
Sirius looked at Harry. "Harry, I know you've figured out that this knife is wizard made. But . . . " Sirius stopped abruptly and looked at Glynnis. Harry could tell what he was thinking.
"It's alright, Sirius. Glynnis know everything."
Sirius nodded hesitantly. "I found out from Dursley that the knife was sent by . . . "
"DON'T SAY IT!"
Harry and Glynnis' shout cut off Sirius words. Harry was white with fear and Glynnis was clutching Harry's hand tightly. "Whenever I say his name," Harry panted, "it hurts."
Glynnis looked at Sirius with pleading eyes. "I don't know what might happen if anyone else says it, but please believe me, Harry can't take another round of whatever this thing dishes out when it hears the name." Sirius passed a hand over his eyes as it occurred to him what kind of blade this might be. He nodded with closed eyes and sighed. "We've got to get you out of here, Harry. I know a doctor who may be able to help, but I don't know where I can take you. Hogwarts isn't safe. Hogsmeade isn't safe. I'd take you to the Shrieking Shack but I'm certain it's being watched by now."
"What about Diagon Alley?" asked Glynnis.
Sirius eyed her suspiciously. "What do you know about Diagon Alley?"
"Sirius." Harry's pleading voice drew his gaze. "Glynnis is Hermione's aunt. When I said she knows everything I meant everything. You can trust her." Sirius drew Harry into an awkward embrace. "I trusted Dumbledore with your life and look what happened," he mumbled brokenly into Harry's hair. "I have almost you more times in the past few years than I can stand. Are you sure you can trust this Muggle with your secrets? With your life?"
Harry pulled back as best he could and put his left hand against Sirius' face. "Yes," he said.
Glynnis watched as Sirius and Harry looked at each other, silently pleading for the other to see things their way. Finally, after a long moment, Sirius looked at Glynnis. "You'll help us then?" She nodded and voiced the question she'd been pondering. "Does Harry have to go to a wizard place for this doctor to see him?"
Sirius sighed. "I'd settle for somewhere safe and out of the way. I'm still wanted by both Muggle and Wizard authorities. And after what happened at the Dursley's, things are bound to heat up again." Harry gasped. "What did you do?" Sirius flinched and told them what he'd done. To his surprise and relief, Glynnis chuckled. He looked at her quizzically and she shrugged. "He got what he deserved, the little rotter," she said seriously. "Still, though, I would've done worse in your shoes. I admire your self restraint." She saluted Sirius jauntily and smiled at Harry. Harry smiled weakly in return and then sagged against Sirius, his face strained.
Glynnis turned to Sirius. "I don't live far from here," she said. "It's the last house on a dead end street and it's fairly secluded. My backyard borders the park. We can be there in ten minutes." Sirius met her anxious gaze. He didn't want to trust her but the feeling that he knew her was still deep inside him, compelling him to listen. Glynnis watched him at war with himself and was vastly relieved to see his curt nod. Then, with a strength that belied his gaunt frame, he scooped Harry up into his arms and motioned her to lead the way.
