Disclaimer: all characters belong to J K Rowling and Warner brothers.
a/n Story dedicated to Moppet Poppet, Cheating Death's 500th reviewer!
I know I said I wouldn't post until Tuesday, but for some reason, studying didn't settle with me and I sort of… strayed. So here we go, chapter 17 of WS. If I flunk AP Chem, I'm blaming this story *cries* Well, it's my own fault, but… still! Um... I'm apologizing for an extremely long a/n before hand. *hides sheepishly*
Of Western Stars
By neutral
Chapter seventeen - of lessons of faith
Remus' hand was trembling when he threw the pinch of green powder into the fireplace. Still winded from his run back to Arabella's house, his voice came out raspy when he called into the flame.
Dumbledore seemed to have sensed his distress; he appeared almost instantly, the lines on his face deeper and the rings around his eyes darker. His blue eyes were weary and tired when they rested on his former pupil.
It was hard for the headmaster, with the minister more in denial than ever, to trace the boy and run a school at the same time. At the news of Harry's disappearance, Fudge became even more desperate.
Terrified that the hush-up of Sirius Black's escape would whiplash him and brand him with the fault of failing to protect The Boy Who Lived, he covered up the entire news with inches of thick cement. When that threatened to crack, he sought to place the entire blame of the Dursleys, fabricating a story that they had been guilty of murder and turning the fault to Dumbledore for ever leaving Harry there (as much as Remus thought the Dursleys deserved that guilt, having Dumbledore incriminated outweighed that good by tons). Only the fear that Dumbledore would expose Black's escape made him stay his hand.
Remus drew a deep breath, the words were ready to burst free in a flood of suppressed frustration and bitterness of the past days. "I know where they are… Sirius took a taxi four days ago… he had Harry with him…"
Dumbledore tensed, eyes brightening with a restrained relief. "Where are they?"
"Thirty miles northwest of here, in a small suburb. He drew me a map, but said he couldn't remember the exact location," Remus said, still paler than usual. "There's about an area of five miles they could be in. I'm guessing it could take me about three to five days to track them down, unless Sirius moved already…" he trailed off, pushing back his hair wearily.
"How is Harry?" Dumbledore urgently asked.
Remus drew a shuddering breath, the chair all but forgotten as he sat on the floor. "I don't know… I don't know. That man was pretty vague."
Dumbledore's frowned thoughtfully, eyes glazing out of focus. "What about Sirius?"
Remus shook his head again. "Sirius was trying to help him."
Instead of appearing surprised or even confused, Dumbledore became more thoughtful than ever. A brooding distant look passed over his demeanor like a mask. Remus couldn't help but wonder if Dumbledore had foretold this somehow, or even expected it. But whatever speculations the headmaster had, he kept them to himself.
"Did he?" Dumbledore asked softly.
"The man said he wasn't paying attention, but Sirius had a first aide kit and was trying to bandage his wrist or something. He said Sirius looked really upset, really worried," Remus trailed off, staring at the floor numbly. "The man thought Sirius was Harry's father."
A suffocating quiet filled the room as both men sat, lost in their own thoughts, not even aware of each other's presence.
"He's too young…" Remus whispered.
Dumbledore dropped his head, his blue eyes almost grey with the darkness swimming through them. "He is. He's too young to sustain that sort of damage regularly. Harry's condition could be much more serious than we all assumed. Only two months ago, he came dangerously close to catching pneumonia after lying ill with the flu for over two weeks. For a six year old, undernourished boy, it takes a while to fully recover. If he caught another illness in this short period of time, the repercussions could be rather serious."
Remus swallowed, his throat almost choking him. "Then… Harry's life is completely in Sirius' hands, isn't it?" he whispered, dread sinking like ice in his stomach.
Dumbledore sighed, turning away. "Yes, it is."
"Then, he may use Harry against us, or he might have… disposed of him altogether," Remus whispered hoarsely.
Dumbledore said nothing, but another shadow passed over his face. "We shouldn't just to conclusions just yet," he said.
Remus was too preoccupied to notice the thoughtful look of the headmaster. Apart of him was still whispering bitter betrayal, but inwardly praying that Sirius had a soft spot for James' son. He'd be relieved and thankful enough to even embrace the traitor if he found Harry carefully taken care of. The other was still logical, wondering why Lily and James' murderer would stop short of their son. It just didn't add up.
"It doesn't make any sense," Remus said suddenly. "The only explanation to this is that Sirius wants to use Harry as a tool for Voldermort…"
"No, we can't conclude that, Remus. There's more to this than what meets the eye," Dumbledore muttered. "Act with discretion. I know you have many emotional ties to this, but please don't do anything if you find them; bring them to Hogwarts immediately."
Harry was stiff, the fiery rage of the dream still lingering in the back of his mind. He squeezed his eyes together tightly, trying to block out the light.
That man, the stranger who helped him was Sirius Black. He was being aided by a murderer the entire time! Harry shivered at just the thought.
But… that couldn't be right.
Sirius seemed to care about him. He was going out of his way to help him, to make sure that he would recover and to make sure that he was well. He even called a doctor for him, bandaged the cuts, even sat by his bed through the night when he felt ill. He was pale with worry when Harry retched every single one of his meals during the first few days, and thinned out even faster than the child did. Sometimes, Harry wondered if Sirius wished those injuries were inflicted on him just to spare Harry the pain.
How could he be evil if he was so kind?
// 'I trusted you, Peter. I told James to trust you.' \\
Harry stilled.
// 'You betrayed them to Voldermort!' \\
That name felt like ice in his stomach, making his skin prickle and crawl. Was it…?
Harry forced those voices away, nestling deeper in the warm blankets. His body was numb and heavy, but his side only stung mildly at the movement. That was when he noticed his inclined position, as if someone was holding him upright. He was leaning against something stiff and bony, but reassuring in its presence.
A hand lightly brushed his hair, a foreign gesture that made Harry startle and slowly open his eyes. The person beside him immediately stilled, waiting from him to adjust. Harry took in the wrinkled shirt against his cheek, the blankets tangling him in a small cocoon, and the slightly blurred, but visibly nervous face of the stranger staring down at him.
The contrast between him and the man in that dream was disorienting. For a long moment, Harry just stared, unsure of what to think. Tentatively, almost fearfully, the man laid his hand the child's hair again, and when Harry didn't flinch or whimper, brushed some stray locks from his forehead. Sirius' movement pulled the collar of his oversized shirt from his shoulder, and for a brief second, Harry caught sight of a thin, discolored line etched between his neck and collarbone.
Harry stiffened, and Sirius instantly pulled away.
"That's…" Harry didn't even realized he had moved his hand until he was almost tracing the frayed flesh. "That man with the knife gave it to you. He…"
But the moment Harry brushed his fingers over the scar, high pitched shrieks echoed through his mind. Harry jerked as if stabbed, snapping his hand back.
Sirius was so silent that he could hear his shallow breathing rattling through his chest. "What…?" he finally choked out.
"That man was evil," Harry whispered, shuddering.
Sirius froze. He was so aggravated that Harry wished he could take those words back. "Who was evil?" he asked softly.
Harry paused, trying to recall the name. Was it Peter or Wormtail? He couldn't remember. He turned his attention from the sniveling, beady eyed man, and looked up curiously. "You're Sirius."
The color drained from Sirius' face at those words, the conflict almost audible in his mind. He seemed to be desperate to admit and deny it at the same time. His shoulders slumped in defeat. The arm across Harry's shoulders tightened painfully, almost as if he was afraid the child would flee in terror.
"I don't know what Remus told you, but I swear, I did not kill anyone," he choked out desperately. He rubbed his eyes harshly, hand shaking with weariness. "You have to believe me, Harry. I didn't kill anyone. I was…" He broke off abruptly, indecisive again.
Harry blinked, perplexed by his unease. No one ever reacted towards him like that; the man seemed so worried about frightening him. His hand was trembling violently on Harry's shoulder, so tense that it was painful. He tilted his head, looking up to examine Sirius' expression with bafflement. But Sirius only became more upset, dropping his head back against the sofa.
"I didn't," Sirius repeated, voice strained as if recalling a distant memory. He seemed dangerously close to breaking down completely. "I didn't. I didn't."
"You were at the street. There was a man with black eyes… you were angry… you wanted to kill him," Harry whispered softly, squinting as he recalled the details of the dream. " He gave you that scar."
*
Short chapter, sorry. Remus hasn't confronted Sirius yet, and so many issues have yet been unresolved before that can occur. The plot moves with the consistency of molasses. *sigh* It grew longer by two chapters, so WS is a total of 32 chapters now. That's about the same length as CD, then why does WS seem so much shorter? The chapters are about the same length too…
Sorry about my poor characterization of Dumbledore in earlier chapters! I hope this one was better.
PoM hit an all time low. I hit a bottleneck and can't crawl out. I probably should go back to CD…
Sakrchan! About the blurb from James' past of his friendship with Will, umm… I took that down since it was apart of the hiatus note. But it has 2 more scenes added to it now, just as something I did trying to throw off writer's block. Would you like me to post it again?
Nicky - well, Remus will head to them right away, but it's going to be like finding a football in a haystack instead of a needle. I think Remus is on the verge of breaking down too, although that wasn't really intended. Oopsie. Two adults on the verge of breaking down, a six year old kid beaten past endurance... *sigh* it's not going to be pretty
puddlew - Sorry! The plot sort of fell in here, didn't it?
vmr - thank you!! Little Harry's getting sort of creepier, isn't he? Is it just me, or does he act a bit like that boy from the 6th Sense?
Tarawen - Ack!! Stay away from APs, far far away! They're murderous, I tell you! Harry isn't quite communicative enough to narrate the details of the street to Sirius word by word, but he's dropping little clues which are torturing Sirius half to death. Its sort of unfortunate that Harry had to see the street memory though... Yeah, I agree. Sirius is sort of the person with his own set of values and he follows them with extreme stubborness. And some of those values leads him to do some very illogical things. Umm... Remus doesn't come just yet. Ack... WS's plot is reaaaaaaaaaaally slow.
Sasseesam - I will! I hope you liked this one!
Lady Foxfire - waah! I'm trying!! Although... chapter 20 has a sort pf knott in it.
RJLL - Harry's still confused like hell, James and Lily in his mind didn't automatically relate to his parents. Yes, Remmyboy is going to get quite a shock. Plus, considering his and Sirius' mental state, its going to get a little... strange. *sigh*
MidnightDragon - uhoh... Remus is still a bit angry. Waah, he's going to have such a guilt trip afterwards.
Kim - well, he will soon! It's going to be fun *cackles*
Carey - That's coming up, soon! Well... semi-soon. First, I need to settle some topics. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
venus4280 - humm... PoM is so difficult! I'm trying to keep it believable yet not too sluggish at the same time, and it's really getting... urg. I mean, James isn't the type who would instantly accept a whole new identity at the drop of a pin. And Sirius isn't the type who would accept the idea that Harry remembers absolutely nothing at the drop of a pin. And then, with Remus as the only one who manages to keep himself calm, it's going to be a nightmare. Not to mention Ron and Hermione, which... acccck...
Firedrake - thanks!! Memorizing those equations are murderous. *cries*
Kaylin - thanks!!
AllAboutMe - muses? humm... it's tempting, it really is! Who should I kidnap?
Luna Rose - of course Remus will go after them! But the rest is a secret *grins*
stormyfire - huh? As in what'll happen for Harry's third year if he meets them now? Well... I really have no clue. I suppose he could endure a kidnap by someone evil? I haven't thought about that yet... humm...
Bumblebee Bucy - *grins* Sirius is determined to take care of Harry... and Remus is determined to 'save' Harry from the clutches of evil. It's all a big huge miscommunication. Sad, really...
Child of Two Worlds - The confrontation is... I'm going to be flamed for it *sigh* it's just... mean. But you didn't hear that! It's some chapters off and being slowly polished so it wouldn't be that mean. But ack, Harry's reaction isn't as bad as what Sirius thinks he's thinking.
Tabby - ick! English language? I heard that's like the writing section for the PSATs. (which I flunked *groan). Sirius is sort getting to the point of physical and mental breakdown from all the stress that's going on. It's going to be fun *grins evilly*
Allocin - yeah, but sometimes, a comment or two helps chip away some writers block that occur later. *grins* You like creepy Harry? He gets sort of creepier later on, but not too creepy. He's still a little kid. I wonder if he's going to get creepier when he grows up. Creepy Harry, first year, Quirrel won't stand a chance. He'll know right away.
RavenLady - ack, I'm having trouble signing in too! I have it on save identity, but it lies and doesn't save... grrr... I'm glad you liked that chapter!!
Phoenix - I will!
Teigra - well... not really. He's still rather blurred out on the James and Lily part, and he has no idea what happened after Peter screamed out to the street, but making him watch 13 people get burned and ripped apart is just too evil on a 6 year old kid. Poor Harry...
Jedi Cosmos - I read up on an art history review a week ago, and it turns out the picture has some very disturbing background. Dali's sort of insane, and he made that lump on the floor a uterus, because he has some strange love for his mother, and the dead tree represents the wrath of his father, and all in all, it's a strange picture. *shudder* Dali has issues... *grins* after the Dursleys, Remus became sort of pessimistic
Kit Cloudkicker - really? humm... maybe it's because Harry is so creepy. It gets weirder later on!!
Sandrine Black - *grins* That'll be coming soon! Remus's meeting with Sirius will be... interesting. *cackles evilly*
gjegje - wow, thanks!! I'm so flattered! Ack... passing tests... that's... *hides*
Kaydee - but bashing oneself is a necessity! Well, for me, it is. Wait... that makes me sound strange... The next part isn't that interesting, is it? *hides* It's sort of... slow again. WS moves in peaks and runs.
CatC10 - well, cliffie's are fun! Aren't they? *grins*
MercS, Tilly, & Nick - yeah, Sirius is having a really hard time, and Harry's going to be freaked out when Sirius does crack. Well, almost crack. He's trying hard to pull himself together. Uh oh... the story doesn't have any Dursley bashing past the part that Remus punched him in. Uhh... it can be a short story sort of thing... No, no, no, don't hurt poor Remmy! He's just sort of disillusioned after the Dursleys, and isn't so optimistic anymore. Harry's rather confused by the dream, as he's confused by a lot of things in general, but he's opening up to Sirius after how much Sirius is trying to help him. *grins* thanks MercS! *wonders what it'll be like to be sugar high in the middle of the APs... cackles evilly*
Nacasara - boycotting me? No!! That's not fair! You'd love PoM if you liked CD, so go read that! Well, if you're boycotting me, you'd probably won't read this message, but... *sigh* Oh, you have a story? I'll be sure to check it out!!
summersun - well, not really. WS' plot is sloooooooow... sorry about that.
gwendolyn-flight - Importance of Being Earnest, right? The name, Gwendolyn! *grins* love that play. Harry sort of understands and sort of doesn't, but the next chapter should sum it up!
kelly - ack, I donnuo. Sometimes I write something, and it seems off, then I mull over it for days. It's happening to PoM right now. I'm glad you find all the chapters great!!
skvph - thank you!! I hope you enjoy this chapter too!
a/n Story dedicated to Moppet Poppet, Cheating Death's 500th reviewer!
I know I said I wouldn't post until Tuesday, but for some reason, studying didn't settle with me and I sort of… strayed. So here we go, chapter 17 of WS. If I flunk AP Chem, I'm blaming this story *cries* Well, it's my own fault, but… still! Um... I'm apologizing for an extremely long a/n before hand. *hides sheepishly*
Of Western Stars
By neutral
Chapter seventeen - of lessons of faith
Remus' hand was trembling when he threw the pinch of green powder into the fireplace. Still winded from his run back to Arabella's house, his voice came out raspy when he called into the flame.
Dumbledore seemed to have sensed his distress; he appeared almost instantly, the lines on his face deeper and the rings around his eyes darker. His blue eyes were weary and tired when they rested on his former pupil.
It was hard for the headmaster, with the minister more in denial than ever, to trace the boy and run a school at the same time. At the news of Harry's disappearance, Fudge became even more desperate.
Terrified that the hush-up of Sirius Black's escape would whiplash him and brand him with the fault of failing to protect The Boy Who Lived, he covered up the entire news with inches of thick cement. When that threatened to crack, he sought to place the entire blame of the Dursleys, fabricating a story that they had been guilty of murder and turning the fault to Dumbledore for ever leaving Harry there (as much as Remus thought the Dursleys deserved that guilt, having Dumbledore incriminated outweighed that good by tons). Only the fear that Dumbledore would expose Black's escape made him stay his hand.
Remus drew a deep breath, the words were ready to burst free in a flood of suppressed frustration and bitterness of the past days. "I know where they are… Sirius took a taxi four days ago… he had Harry with him…"
Dumbledore tensed, eyes brightening with a restrained relief. "Where are they?"
"Thirty miles northwest of here, in a small suburb. He drew me a map, but said he couldn't remember the exact location," Remus said, still paler than usual. "There's about an area of five miles they could be in. I'm guessing it could take me about three to five days to track them down, unless Sirius moved already…" he trailed off, pushing back his hair wearily.
"How is Harry?" Dumbledore urgently asked.
Remus drew a shuddering breath, the chair all but forgotten as he sat on the floor. "I don't know… I don't know. That man was pretty vague."
Dumbledore's frowned thoughtfully, eyes glazing out of focus. "What about Sirius?"
Remus shook his head again. "Sirius was trying to help him."
Instead of appearing surprised or even confused, Dumbledore became more thoughtful than ever. A brooding distant look passed over his demeanor like a mask. Remus couldn't help but wonder if Dumbledore had foretold this somehow, or even expected it. But whatever speculations the headmaster had, he kept them to himself.
"Did he?" Dumbledore asked softly.
"The man said he wasn't paying attention, but Sirius had a first aide kit and was trying to bandage his wrist or something. He said Sirius looked really upset, really worried," Remus trailed off, staring at the floor numbly. "The man thought Sirius was Harry's father."
A suffocating quiet filled the room as both men sat, lost in their own thoughts, not even aware of each other's presence.
"He's too young…" Remus whispered.
Dumbledore dropped his head, his blue eyes almost grey with the darkness swimming through them. "He is. He's too young to sustain that sort of damage regularly. Harry's condition could be much more serious than we all assumed. Only two months ago, he came dangerously close to catching pneumonia after lying ill with the flu for over two weeks. For a six year old, undernourished boy, it takes a while to fully recover. If he caught another illness in this short period of time, the repercussions could be rather serious."
Remus swallowed, his throat almost choking him. "Then… Harry's life is completely in Sirius' hands, isn't it?" he whispered, dread sinking like ice in his stomach.
Dumbledore sighed, turning away. "Yes, it is."
"Then, he may use Harry against us, or he might have… disposed of him altogether," Remus whispered hoarsely.
Dumbledore said nothing, but another shadow passed over his face. "We shouldn't just to conclusions just yet," he said.
Remus was too preoccupied to notice the thoughtful look of the headmaster. Apart of him was still whispering bitter betrayal, but inwardly praying that Sirius had a soft spot for James' son. He'd be relieved and thankful enough to even embrace the traitor if he found Harry carefully taken care of. The other was still logical, wondering why Lily and James' murderer would stop short of their son. It just didn't add up.
"It doesn't make any sense," Remus said suddenly. "The only explanation to this is that Sirius wants to use Harry as a tool for Voldermort…"
"No, we can't conclude that, Remus. There's more to this than what meets the eye," Dumbledore muttered. "Act with discretion. I know you have many emotional ties to this, but please don't do anything if you find them; bring them to Hogwarts immediately."
Harry was stiff, the fiery rage of the dream still lingering in the back of his mind. He squeezed his eyes together tightly, trying to block out the light.
That man, the stranger who helped him was Sirius Black. He was being aided by a murderer the entire time! Harry shivered at just the thought.
But… that couldn't be right.
Sirius seemed to care about him. He was going out of his way to help him, to make sure that he would recover and to make sure that he was well. He even called a doctor for him, bandaged the cuts, even sat by his bed through the night when he felt ill. He was pale with worry when Harry retched every single one of his meals during the first few days, and thinned out even faster than the child did. Sometimes, Harry wondered if Sirius wished those injuries were inflicted on him just to spare Harry the pain.
How could he be evil if he was so kind?
// 'I trusted you, Peter. I told James to trust you.' \\
Harry stilled.
// 'You betrayed them to Voldermort!' \\
That name felt like ice in his stomach, making his skin prickle and crawl. Was it…?
Harry forced those voices away, nestling deeper in the warm blankets. His body was numb and heavy, but his side only stung mildly at the movement. That was when he noticed his inclined position, as if someone was holding him upright. He was leaning against something stiff and bony, but reassuring in its presence.
A hand lightly brushed his hair, a foreign gesture that made Harry startle and slowly open his eyes. The person beside him immediately stilled, waiting from him to adjust. Harry took in the wrinkled shirt against his cheek, the blankets tangling him in a small cocoon, and the slightly blurred, but visibly nervous face of the stranger staring down at him.
The contrast between him and the man in that dream was disorienting. For a long moment, Harry just stared, unsure of what to think. Tentatively, almost fearfully, the man laid his hand the child's hair again, and when Harry didn't flinch or whimper, brushed some stray locks from his forehead. Sirius' movement pulled the collar of his oversized shirt from his shoulder, and for a brief second, Harry caught sight of a thin, discolored line etched between his neck and collarbone.
Harry stiffened, and Sirius instantly pulled away.
"That's…" Harry didn't even realized he had moved his hand until he was almost tracing the frayed flesh. "That man with the knife gave it to you. He…"
But the moment Harry brushed his fingers over the scar, high pitched shrieks echoed through his mind. Harry jerked as if stabbed, snapping his hand back.
Sirius was so silent that he could hear his shallow breathing rattling through his chest. "What…?" he finally choked out.
"That man was evil," Harry whispered, shuddering.
Sirius froze. He was so aggravated that Harry wished he could take those words back. "Who was evil?" he asked softly.
Harry paused, trying to recall the name. Was it Peter or Wormtail? He couldn't remember. He turned his attention from the sniveling, beady eyed man, and looked up curiously. "You're Sirius."
The color drained from Sirius' face at those words, the conflict almost audible in his mind. He seemed to be desperate to admit and deny it at the same time. His shoulders slumped in defeat. The arm across Harry's shoulders tightened painfully, almost as if he was afraid the child would flee in terror.
"I don't know what Remus told you, but I swear, I did not kill anyone," he choked out desperately. He rubbed his eyes harshly, hand shaking with weariness. "You have to believe me, Harry. I didn't kill anyone. I was…" He broke off abruptly, indecisive again.
Harry blinked, perplexed by his unease. No one ever reacted towards him like that; the man seemed so worried about frightening him. His hand was trembling violently on Harry's shoulder, so tense that it was painful. He tilted his head, looking up to examine Sirius' expression with bafflement. But Sirius only became more upset, dropping his head back against the sofa.
"I didn't," Sirius repeated, voice strained as if recalling a distant memory. He seemed dangerously close to breaking down completely. "I didn't. I didn't."
"You were at the street. There was a man with black eyes… you were angry… you wanted to kill him," Harry whispered softly, squinting as he recalled the details of the dream. " He gave you that scar."
*
Short chapter, sorry. Remus hasn't confronted Sirius yet, and so many issues have yet been unresolved before that can occur. The plot moves with the consistency of molasses. *sigh* It grew longer by two chapters, so WS is a total of 32 chapters now. That's about the same length as CD, then why does WS seem so much shorter? The chapters are about the same length too…
Sorry about my poor characterization of Dumbledore in earlier chapters! I hope this one was better.
PoM hit an all time low. I hit a bottleneck and can't crawl out. I probably should go back to CD…
Sakrchan! About the blurb from James' past of his friendship with Will, umm… I took that down since it was apart of the hiatus note. But it has 2 more scenes added to it now, just as something I did trying to throw off writer's block. Would you like me to post it again?
Nicky - well, Remus will head to them right away, but it's going to be like finding a football in a haystack instead of a needle. I think Remus is on the verge of breaking down too, although that wasn't really intended. Oopsie. Two adults on the verge of breaking down, a six year old kid beaten past endurance... *sigh* it's not going to be pretty
puddlew - Sorry! The plot sort of fell in here, didn't it?
vmr - thank you!! Little Harry's getting sort of creepier, isn't he? Is it just me, or does he act a bit like that boy from the 6th Sense?
Tarawen - Ack!! Stay away from APs, far far away! They're murderous, I tell you! Harry isn't quite communicative enough to narrate the details of the street to Sirius word by word, but he's dropping little clues which are torturing Sirius half to death. Its sort of unfortunate that Harry had to see the street memory though... Yeah, I agree. Sirius is sort of the person with his own set of values and he follows them with extreme stubborness. And some of those values leads him to do some very illogical things. Umm... Remus doesn't come just yet. Ack... WS's plot is reaaaaaaaaaaally slow.
Sasseesam - I will! I hope you liked this one!
Lady Foxfire - waah! I'm trying!! Although... chapter 20 has a sort pf knott in it.
RJLL - Harry's still confused like hell, James and Lily in his mind didn't automatically relate to his parents. Yes, Remmyboy is going to get quite a shock. Plus, considering his and Sirius' mental state, its going to get a little... strange. *sigh*
MidnightDragon - uhoh... Remus is still a bit angry. Waah, he's going to have such a guilt trip afterwards.
Kim - well, he will soon! It's going to be fun *cackles*
Carey - That's coming up, soon! Well... semi-soon. First, I need to settle some topics. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
venus4280 - humm... PoM is so difficult! I'm trying to keep it believable yet not too sluggish at the same time, and it's really getting... urg. I mean, James isn't the type who would instantly accept a whole new identity at the drop of a pin. And Sirius isn't the type who would accept the idea that Harry remembers absolutely nothing at the drop of a pin. And then, with Remus as the only one who manages to keep himself calm, it's going to be a nightmare. Not to mention Ron and Hermione, which... acccck...
Firedrake - thanks!! Memorizing those equations are murderous. *cries*
Kaylin - thanks!!
AllAboutMe - muses? humm... it's tempting, it really is! Who should I kidnap?
Luna Rose - of course Remus will go after them! But the rest is a secret *grins*
stormyfire - huh? As in what'll happen for Harry's third year if he meets them now? Well... I really have no clue. I suppose he could endure a kidnap by someone evil? I haven't thought about that yet... humm...
Bumblebee Bucy - *grins* Sirius is determined to take care of Harry... and Remus is determined to 'save' Harry from the clutches of evil. It's all a big huge miscommunication. Sad, really...
Child of Two Worlds - The confrontation is... I'm going to be flamed for it *sigh* it's just... mean. But you didn't hear that! It's some chapters off and being slowly polished so it wouldn't be that mean. But ack, Harry's reaction isn't as bad as what Sirius thinks he's thinking.
Tabby - ick! English language? I heard that's like the writing section for the PSATs. (which I flunked *groan). Sirius is sort getting to the point of physical and mental breakdown from all the stress that's going on. It's going to be fun *grins evilly*
Allocin - yeah, but sometimes, a comment or two helps chip away some writers block that occur later. *grins* You like creepy Harry? He gets sort of creepier later on, but not too creepy. He's still a little kid. I wonder if he's going to get creepier when he grows up. Creepy Harry, first year, Quirrel won't stand a chance. He'll know right away.
RavenLady - ack, I'm having trouble signing in too! I have it on save identity, but it lies and doesn't save... grrr... I'm glad you liked that chapter!!
Phoenix - I will!
Teigra - well... not really. He's still rather blurred out on the James and Lily part, and he has no idea what happened after Peter screamed out to the street, but making him watch 13 people get burned and ripped apart is just too evil on a 6 year old kid. Poor Harry...
Jedi Cosmos - I read up on an art history review a week ago, and it turns out the picture has some very disturbing background. Dali's sort of insane, and he made that lump on the floor a uterus, because he has some strange love for his mother, and the dead tree represents the wrath of his father, and all in all, it's a strange picture. *shudder* Dali has issues... *grins* after the Dursleys, Remus became sort of pessimistic
Kit Cloudkicker - really? humm... maybe it's because Harry is so creepy. It gets weirder later on!!
Sandrine Black - *grins* That'll be coming soon! Remus's meeting with Sirius will be... interesting. *cackles evilly*
gjegje - wow, thanks!! I'm so flattered! Ack... passing tests... that's... *hides*
Kaydee - but bashing oneself is a necessity! Well, for me, it is. Wait... that makes me sound strange... The next part isn't that interesting, is it? *hides* It's sort of... slow again. WS moves in peaks and runs.
CatC10 - well, cliffie's are fun! Aren't they? *grins*
MercS, Tilly, & Nick - yeah, Sirius is having a really hard time, and Harry's going to be freaked out when Sirius does crack. Well, almost crack. He's trying hard to pull himself together. Uh oh... the story doesn't have any Dursley bashing past the part that Remus punched him in. Uhh... it can be a short story sort of thing... No, no, no, don't hurt poor Remmy! He's just sort of disillusioned after the Dursleys, and isn't so optimistic anymore. Harry's rather confused by the dream, as he's confused by a lot of things in general, but he's opening up to Sirius after how much Sirius is trying to help him. *grins* thanks MercS! *wonders what it'll be like to be sugar high in the middle of the APs... cackles evilly*
Nacasara - boycotting me? No!! That's not fair! You'd love PoM if you liked CD, so go read that! Well, if you're boycotting me, you'd probably won't read this message, but... *sigh* Oh, you have a story? I'll be sure to check it out!!
summersun - well, not really. WS' plot is sloooooooow... sorry about that.
gwendolyn-flight - Importance of Being Earnest, right? The name, Gwendolyn! *grins* love that play. Harry sort of understands and sort of doesn't, but the next chapter should sum it up!
kelly - ack, I donnuo. Sometimes I write something, and it seems off, then I mull over it for days. It's happening to PoM right now. I'm glad you find all the chapters great!!
skvph - thank you!! I hope you enjoy this chapter too!