A/N: Yes, you might all think you know where I'm going with the whole
Sev/Lily/Harry thing, and for the most part I'm going there, but there is a
twist…I just can't tell you, yet. :-) And I have no idea where the Minerva
and Remus thing came from, but I liked it (and damnit, it might be the most
original idea you're going to wring out of me, since at least I haven't
seen it anywhere…)
Oh, and I'm a moron and just realized yesterday that I had never bothered to uncheck the "No Anonymous Reviews" box…no wonder people have been emailing me. So, many sorries, and it's now unchecked to make your lives easier. :-) And thanks!!!
And Severitus, I swear this is still Severus/Harry centered (as per the challenge)…it's just that Harry's, um, unavailable at the moment so Remus is stepping in for him. :-D
Enjoy. :-)
****************************************************************************
The Color of Crimson
By Lady of Arundel
Chapter Six: Destruction and Death Marks
Remus stood frozen to the spot - heart, body, and mind clenched tightly by tendrils of fear and dread.
"Oh gods," he breathed, "Harry…"
The carefully manicured perfection of Privet Drive was rent asunder by gaping, smoking ruins interrupting an otherwise orderly line of identical houses. Number four had not been completely destroyed, it seemed the explosion or fire or whatever had occurred on the first floor near the front. The back and side walls and a good portion of the second floor and roof remained intact, it was just the front that was no more. Licks of hazy gray smoke drifted up from the ruined portion. And floating above…
Floating above…the Dark Mark, sickening in its eerie green.
Remus xouldn't prevent the sudden flood of memories…the scene before him was all too reminiscent of that terrible, horrible All Saints' Day all those years ago…the Death Mark – an arrogant act of presumption on You-Know- Who's part – still staining the sky above the ruins of Godric's Hollow, still smoldering despite the time elapsed since its destruction.
Except it wasn't quite the same. Idly the portion of his mind struggling to function in the present noted the deafening silence. Shouldn't there be distressed Muggles scattered about to see what had happened? Shouldn't the Ministry already be at the scene? There should be chaos, not this heavy silence and stillness…
Back then, the first time, there had been noise. A cacophony of barked orders, hushed whispers, wails of anguish, and shouted questions, all grotesquely set against a faint backdrop of fireworks, hooting owls, and distant celebrations.
There had been noise because there had been people, people everywhere. Ministry officials from a dozen departments, mediwizards (too little too late), aurors, reporters…the faces all blurred. Albus had been there, of course he had been there…hadn't Albus been the one to send the Potters there in the first place, hiding them away in his cottage in Godric's Hollow where they should have been safe…would have been safe if it hadn't been for Peter…
Yes, Dumbledore had been there, and with him Severus.
*Severus* had been there.
Funny how he had never remembered that before. But not all that surprising – he had been barely aware of anything at the time. Not to mention that he had vigilantly tried to block the memory of that day, those *months*, ever since.
Yes, Severus had been there. Upon closer inspection of the memory Remus finally made the connection that the terrible howls of grief had belonged to Severus…The more he concentrated, Remus could recall Severus himself…a stricken, broken man crumpled in Dumbledore's tight embrace, the elder wizard quietly seeking to soothe the inconsolable man while blinking away tears of his own.
In other circumstances it would be rather amusingly strange that Remus had forgotten – blocked? – such an poignant image, but Remus himself had not been in much better condition. Remus had borne his pain in a silence wrought by shock, rocked gently in the mothering arms of Minerva McGonagall.
If he remembered anything from that day beside the Mark and the ruins it was Minerva. Minerva, who had come that morning with news that the Potters were dead and who then at his pleading brought him to Godric's Hollow. Minerva who, when it had become too much for him to bear, then returned her adoptive charge home and attempted to console him before being forced to leave for Surrey on business for Dumbledore.
The otherwise-stern witch had always harbored a soft-spot for the young werewolf much in the way she now did for Harry; likewise, Remus had always considered his former head of house as a sort of second mother, a feeling which had only intensified upon the death of his true mother. McGonagall had played guardian to Remus since the beginning when, sensing her eleven year-old charge's fear and distress, she had accompanied Remus in animagus form each full moon throughout first year…thereby earning his trust and affection and, unwittingly, serving as the future inspiration for James, Sirius, and Peter.
He had been so stricken with grief, quickly to be compounded by the news of Sirius and Peter later that day, that he would have completely ceased to function if it had not been for Minerva. So in all, it didn't astonish him greatly to have forgotten that Severus had been there that day. Not that in retrospect it didn't make sense…perhaps it was this morning's revelations that had finally wrenched the memory to the surface…
Blinking rapidly Remus shook himself back into the present moment.
Mouth suddenly dry, he struggled to swallow, a feat since it currently seemed obstructed by his heart – or was that his stomach? – which had chosen to leap into his throat. He couldn't think, he couldn't breathe…
While he had been safe in Arabella's home, contentedly sipping tea and perusing today's correspondence, Harry had been…
*Harry.*
The wizard mentally tried to prod himself into action. 'You don't know he was in there, maybe he left, maybe he escaped before…before…' Remus again swallowed shakily as he more successfully blocked renewed memories… 'If he's in there, he needs your help, Remus. Go and find Harry…'
This last thought prompted him into action.
Wand warily in hand Remus rushed to the ruined house. Fortunately, when whatever happened had occured the shards and chunks of wall, glass, and furniture had exploded outwardly rather than imploded inwardly, making Remus's hopeful task of rescue a little easier.
Casting a charm which rolled the smoke away from the caster to a distance of a yard or so, Remus began to pick through the wreckage.
"Harry?"
Silence.
"Harry, it's Professor Lupin. Can you hear me?"
Still nothing.
"Harry?"
Passing fragments of what looked to have been the doorframe (remnants of the door scattered a good distance away) he called out again, panic quickly creeping into his voice, still to no reply. The smoke still rose heavily here and so Remus cast the dispersing spell again before lighting the tip of his wand with a hoarse whisper of "Lumos."
Remus cautiously picked his way along the ruins until, somewhere around where the front hall met with what had been the living room, he stumbled over something unwieldy and black partially trapped beneath the collapsed wall. Regaining his bearings he hastily pushed aside the rubble.
A death eater.
Remus knelt and held his breath while feeling for a pulse. It was faint but was there and if he listened carefully his sensitive ears could make out the death eater's shallow breathing. The death eater obviously wasn't going anywhere, but Lupin cast a full-body bind and pocketed the wizard's wand as a precaution.
Heart beating even wilder Remus stood back up to his full height and turned to face the main portion of what would have been the living room. Licking his parched lips and swallowing hard he charmed the smoke back yet again to reveal the midsection of the room.
Scattered among the wreckage in a ragged half-circle lay four more death eaters, each apparently in the same condition as the first. Remus quickly called the four wands to him and cast Petrificus Totalus four more times.
One final flick of his wand dispersed the smoke concealing the rest of the room.
His search was over.
Amid the remnants of what had been the parlor's corner, surrounded by the partial ring of fallen death eaters, lay Harry Potter, eyes closed and as still as death.
TBC…
**************************************************************************** ******************************
A/N: Perhaps not quite what you were expecting? :-) And don't you love cliffhangers? I do.
Thank you all SO much for reviewing, you all have warmed my little newbie heart…to get myself caught up I'll just answer specific questions for now…although I must thank Severitus especially for issuing the challenge and not minding how I mauled the original Remus/Severus conversation in chapter 4…
Severus would also like to thank all those who were concerned about the state of his eyebrows in chapter four… :-)
*Allocin, ch. 3: Yeah, Dumbledore is definitely not an innocent in this story…as for whether Harry's going to school, we'll just have to see…
*Indiana jones, ch. 4: Never fear, the Harry-looks-like-James thing will be revealed in due time, it's part of the original challenge.
*Lina Inverse the Dramata, ch. 4: Ha, yeah, not a slash…although that IS one twist to the Sev-is-Harry's-father plot that I haven't seen yet…it would be kinda a weird cross with all those Draco/Lucius stories out there…lol. I decided to write this first to respond to the challenge, since that's what got my lazy fingers in motion. But I'm toying with the idea of doing a HP/SS (one of my favorite couples, go fig) story starting with the same first chapter…if you're looking for some (poorly written…they're my first ever) HP/SS slash, I *have* written 2 pieces for the Severus Snape Fuh-Q Fest… :-D
*Allocin, ch.5: Teehee…well, this chapter answered some of your questions….but you might not like my answers…
Oh, and I'm a moron and just realized yesterday that I had never bothered to uncheck the "No Anonymous Reviews" box…no wonder people have been emailing me. So, many sorries, and it's now unchecked to make your lives easier. :-) And thanks!!!
And Severitus, I swear this is still Severus/Harry centered (as per the challenge)…it's just that Harry's, um, unavailable at the moment so Remus is stepping in for him. :-D
Enjoy. :-)
****************************************************************************
The Color of Crimson
By Lady of Arundel
Chapter Six: Destruction and Death Marks
Remus stood frozen to the spot - heart, body, and mind clenched tightly by tendrils of fear and dread.
"Oh gods," he breathed, "Harry…"
The carefully manicured perfection of Privet Drive was rent asunder by gaping, smoking ruins interrupting an otherwise orderly line of identical houses. Number four had not been completely destroyed, it seemed the explosion or fire or whatever had occurred on the first floor near the front. The back and side walls and a good portion of the second floor and roof remained intact, it was just the front that was no more. Licks of hazy gray smoke drifted up from the ruined portion. And floating above…
Floating above…the Dark Mark, sickening in its eerie green.
Remus xouldn't prevent the sudden flood of memories…the scene before him was all too reminiscent of that terrible, horrible All Saints' Day all those years ago…the Death Mark – an arrogant act of presumption on You-Know- Who's part – still staining the sky above the ruins of Godric's Hollow, still smoldering despite the time elapsed since its destruction.
Except it wasn't quite the same. Idly the portion of his mind struggling to function in the present noted the deafening silence. Shouldn't there be distressed Muggles scattered about to see what had happened? Shouldn't the Ministry already be at the scene? There should be chaos, not this heavy silence and stillness…
Back then, the first time, there had been noise. A cacophony of barked orders, hushed whispers, wails of anguish, and shouted questions, all grotesquely set against a faint backdrop of fireworks, hooting owls, and distant celebrations.
There had been noise because there had been people, people everywhere. Ministry officials from a dozen departments, mediwizards (too little too late), aurors, reporters…the faces all blurred. Albus had been there, of course he had been there…hadn't Albus been the one to send the Potters there in the first place, hiding them away in his cottage in Godric's Hollow where they should have been safe…would have been safe if it hadn't been for Peter…
Yes, Dumbledore had been there, and with him Severus.
*Severus* had been there.
Funny how he had never remembered that before. But not all that surprising – he had been barely aware of anything at the time. Not to mention that he had vigilantly tried to block the memory of that day, those *months*, ever since.
Yes, Severus had been there. Upon closer inspection of the memory Remus finally made the connection that the terrible howls of grief had belonged to Severus…The more he concentrated, Remus could recall Severus himself…a stricken, broken man crumpled in Dumbledore's tight embrace, the elder wizard quietly seeking to soothe the inconsolable man while blinking away tears of his own.
In other circumstances it would be rather amusingly strange that Remus had forgotten – blocked? – such an poignant image, but Remus himself had not been in much better condition. Remus had borne his pain in a silence wrought by shock, rocked gently in the mothering arms of Minerva McGonagall.
If he remembered anything from that day beside the Mark and the ruins it was Minerva. Minerva, who had come that morning with news that the Potters were dead and who then at his pleading brought him to Godric's Hollow. Minerva who, when it had become too much for him to bear, then returned her adoptive charge home and attempted to console him before being forced to leave for Surrey on business for Dumbledore.
The otherwise-stern witch had always harbored a soft-spot for the young werewolf much in the way she now did for Harry; likewise, Remus had always considered his former head of house as a sort of second mother, a feeling which had only intensified upon the death of his true mother. McGonagall had played guardian to Remus since the beginning when, sensing her eleven year-old charge's fear and distress, she had accompanied Remus in animagus form each full moon throughout first year…thereby earning his trust and affection and, unwittingly, serving as the future inspiration for James, Sirius, and Peter.
He had been so stricken with grief, quickly to be compounded by the news of Sirius and Peter later that day, that he would have completely ceased to function if it had not been for Minerva. So in all, it didn't astonish him greatly to have forgotten that Severus had been there that day. Not that in retrospect it didn't make sense…perhaps it was this morning's revelations that had finally wrenched the memory to the surface…
Blinking rapidly Remus shook himself back into the present moment.
Mouth suddenly dry, he struggled to swallow, a feat since it currently seemed obstructed by his heart – or was that his stomach? – which had chosen to leap into his throat. He couldn't think, he couldn't breathe…
While he had been safe in Arabella's home, contentedly sipping tea and perusing today's correspondence, Harry had been…
*Harry.*
The wizard mentally tried to prod himself into action. 'You don't know he was in there, maybe he left, maybe he escaped before…before…' Remus again swallowed shakily as he more successfully blocked renewed memories… 'If he's in there, he needs your help, Remus. Go and find Harry…'
This last thought prompted him into action.
Wand warily in hand Remus rushed to the ruined house. Fortunately, when whatever happened had occured the shards and chunks of wall, glass, and furniture had exploded outwardly rather than imploded inwardly, making Remus's hopeful task of rescue a little easier.
Casting a charm which rolled the smoke away from the caster to a distance of a yard or so, Remus began to pick through the wreckage.
"Harry?"
Silence.
"Harry, it's Professor Lupin. Can you hear me?"
Still nothing.
"Harry?"
Passing fragments of what looked to have been the doorframe (remnants of the door scattered a good distance away) he called out again, panic quickly creeping into his voice, still to no reply. The smoke still rose heavily here and so Remus cast the dispersing spell again before lighting the tip of his wand with a hoarse whisper of "Lumos."
Remus cautiously picked his way along the ruins until, somewhere around where the front hall met with what had been the living room, he stumbled over something unwieldy and black partially trapped beneath the collapsed wall. Regaining his bearings he hastily pushed aside the rubble.
A death eater.
Remus knelt and held his breath while feeling for a pulse. It was faint but was there and if he listened carefully his sensitive ears could make out the death eater's shallow breathing. The death eater obviously wasn't going anywhere, but Lupin cast a full-body bind and pocketed the wizard's wand as a precaution.
Heart beating even wilder Remus stood back up to his full height and turned to face the main portion of what would have been the living room. Licking his parched lips and swallowing hard he charmed the smoke back yet again to reveal the midsection of the room.
Scattered among the wreckage in a ragged half-circle lay four more death eaters, each apparently in the same condition as the first. Remus quickly called the four wands to him and cast Petrificus Totalus four more times.
One final flick of his wand dispersed the smoke concealing the rest of the room.
His search was over.
Amid the remnants of what had been the parlor's corner, surrounded by the partial ring of fallen death eaters, lay Harry Potter, eyes closed and as still as death.
TBC…
**************************************************************************** ******************************
A/N: Perhaps not quite what you were expecting? :-) And don't you love cliffhangers? I do.
Thank you all SO much for reviewing, you all have warmed my little newbie heart…to get myself caught up I'll just answer specific questions for now…although I must thank Severitus especially for issuing the challenge and not minding how I mauled the original Remus/Severus conversation in chapter 4…
Severus would also like to thank all those who were concerned about the state of his eyebrows in chapter four… :-)
*Allocin, ch. 3: Yeah, Dumbledore is definitely not an innocent in this story…as for whether Harry's going to school, we'll just have to see…
*Indiana jones, ch. 4: Never fear, the Harry-looks-like-James thing will be revealed in due time, it's part of the original challenge.
*Lina Inverse the Dramata, ch. 4: Ha, yeah, not a slash…although that IS one twist to the Sev-is-Harry's-father plot that I haven't seen yet…it would be kinda a weird cross with all those Draco/Lucius stories out there…lol. I decided to write this first to respond to the challenge, since that's what got my lazy fingers in motion. But I'm toying with the idea of doing a HP/SS (one of my favorite couples, go fig) story starting with the same first chapter…if you're looking for some (poorly written…they're my first ever) HP/SS slash, I *have* written 2 pieces for the Severus Snape Fuh-Q Fest… :-D
*Allocin, ch.5: Teehee…well, this chapter answered some of your questions….but you might not like my answers…