Like a Phoenix
Ch. 14- The Meeting
A/N: I'm sorry this is taking so long to get out, but I've been really busy, and I've had a small case of writer's block. Not so much writer's block, but a need to do something different with this chapter, so it doesn't turn out the same as all the others... I'm apologizing now for however long this will take. The next two weeks are going to be very long... SATs are on Saturday, followed by the prom Saturday night, and the next Friday is my big History test, which I REALLY need to study for, so I don't know how much time this will get, because I also have two English projects as well... so please, bear with me!!! Thank you! I'll start writing now...
Disclaimer: I don't claim to own Harry Potter. Okay, so maybe I do, but you all know I don't, so...
***
Sirius paced his room nervously. He didn't know what he was going to say when Harry arrived. What could he say? They were both in an awkward position. Sirius felt the anger creeping back into him, but taking a deep breath, he tried to bury it once again.
"I can't do this," he whispered to himself, glancing at his watch again. It was almost time. He felt his heart thumping in his chest. Sighing in frustration, he went to sit down in a chair. Just as he did, there was a knock on the door. Taking another deep breath, he got up to answer it. Standing at the door was Harry.
Sirius stepped aside to let him in, but didn't say anything. He went and took his seat, and Harry sat down across from him on the couch. Sirius glanced at his watch again, then decided to speak.
"You're late. I told Hermione to tell you one o'clock sharp. It's one fifteen," Sirius said. He could hear the anger in his words, although he didn't mean for it to be there.
"I'm sorry. The stairs kept moving on me. I got here as fast as I could," Harry said. "By the way, congratulations on becoming minister. I don't think I ever got to tell you that," Harry said meekly.
"Enough with the small talk already. Why'd you go?" Sirius asked, his voice sounding harsh and cold. Harry looked hurt at the small outburst, but taking a deep breath, began to tell the story again.
"Did the others tell you anything yet? I don't want to sound redundant," Harry asked. Sirius shook his head in response, and sighed, starting to speak once more. "Well, I'm not quite sure where to start. I guess with answering your question. I'm not quite sure why I left. I just felt like I had to go. I couldn't stay here any more. Voldemort was dead. I wasn't needed any more," Harry said quietly. Harry thought he saw a brief glimmer of regret cross Sirius's face, but he didn't say anything. Sirius just nodded for him to continue. "I didn't know what to do, but in that split second, I somehow managed to end up in America. I guess that and killing Voldemort drained me pretty good, because I ended up in a coma for a few months. It was too late to come back by that time. You all would have thought it was a trick, planned by Voldemort's followers," Harry said, almost bitterly.
"But why come back now? Why not just stay in America, let us live our lives in peace?" Sirius asked coldly. Harry looked like he was on the brink of tears.
"My wife, Jenny, wanted to come visit England. While here, she fell in love with London. Found herself a job teaching, and convinced me to move here. So we did. Her brother is a wizard, and she liked to keep up on the wizarding news too. So we always got the Prophet delivered. I told her I was a wizard too, but she doesn't know who I am. I was looking through the paper one day over the summer, and saw that Hogwarts was looking for a new Defense teacher. Jenny saw me reading the paper, and suggested I apply for the job. I refused to at first, but she finally convinced me to do it.
"I didn't think I'd get the job. Dumbledore didn't seem to trust me at all, and I hadn't even gotten a new wand yet. But he seemed desperate, so I was given the job. Jenny and I went to Diagon Alley and I got some supplies, and September first found me riding the Hogwarts Express once again. I didn't know Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were working here until I walked into the Great Hall that night. But I didn't say anything to them. I wanted them to be happy. They seemed to be plenty happy.
"Then things started to fall apart. Ron didn't trust me, and Hermione tried to be friendly. Ginny was the only one who would actually talk to me. At the Halloween dance, Ginny figured it out. I was so stupid, talking to her and dancing with her, just like nothing had changed. Ron was furious because he thought I hurt Ginny. I went to talk to her though, and we worked it out.
"Hermione was next. Ron told me she searched through practically the entire library to find some way to prove what I told her false. And when I was talking to Hermione, Ron overheard and found out. He punched me too, you know," Harry said softly, laughing a little. Sirius just sat there, not saying anything. Finally he cleared his throat.
"You could have come back. We would have believed you. I would have at least. You're like a son to me, Harry, and I would give anything if I didn't have to be like a father to you. I would give anything for Lily and James to still be alive, and for you to never have had to fight Voldemort. But I can't change the past. All I can do is accept what happened. I'm sorry I punched you Harry. I was upset, and it came out as anger. Please forgive me," Sirius asked, tears starting to flow down his cheeks.
"I never held it against you, Sirius. And you shouldn't be the one begging for forgiveness. I should. I hurt you, worse than anyone else could. I'm so sorry Sirius. I'm so sorry," Harry said through sobs. Sirius got up and went to Harry's side, pulling him into an embrace. Harry cried onto his shoulder.
"Shh, everything's okay now. No need for tears," Sirius said quietly, trying to calm his godson. Harry just continued to cry for a little while longer. Finally he got himself under control.
"Thank you for listening to me, Sirius. It means so much to me," Harry said quietly. Sirius just nodded slightly. "Are you staying the rest of the week?" Harry asked, trying to hide the eagerness in his voice. This made Sirius laugh.
"Yes, I'm staying. I'll have to get you a Christmas present now though," Sirius said, smiling. Harry smiled now too. Then he got up, and went to leave.
"Thank you Sirius. This meant so much to me," Harry said before leaving the room.
"Your welcome Harry," Sirius replied to the closed door, before leaning back into the couch, letting out a deep sigh of relief and happiness.
Harry walked down the hallway, heading back towards his room. Just as he turned the corner, he ran into someone.
"Oh, I'm sorry," he said, looking to see who he had run into. "Oh! Ginny! Are you okay? I didn't mean to run into you like that. I was just talking to Sirius," Harry said, smiling at the redhead. She was smiling too.
"That's wonderful! Oh, James, meet my husband, Frank," Ginny said, still smiling. Harry just noticed the man standing next to her, his hair slicked down with gel and hazel eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses.
"Hello. My name's Frank Becker. Ginny's told me a lot about you. It's a pleasure to finally meet you," Frank said, reaching his hand out to shake Harry's. He took it numbly.
"Hi. James Turner. Ginny's mentioned you too," Harry said, plastering a fake smile to his face. Ginny seemed slightly uncomfortable as an awkward silence fell over the three.
"Well, Frank, why don't we go check on Lily? I want to see how she's doing. Would you like to come, James?" Ginny asked. Harry pondered the question for a moment, then answered.
"Sure, why not. I can never resist meeting a beautiful girl," Harry said, grinning devilishly. Ginny laughed, and led the way to her room.
"Mum! I missed you mum! Can I really come here when I'm older? I can't wait! How come Harry gets to come next year?" a little girl asked, running up to Ginny. Ginny smiled and hugged her.
"I missed you too Lily. And of course you can come here when you're older. Your cousin gets to come here next year because he's old enough. You still have a few more years to go. But think, you get to come with Annalisa," Ginny said. At this, Lily's face lit up.
"Can we come visit Harry together mum? I don't think Uncle Fred will care, will he?" Lily asked, her eyes filled with joy. James smiled.
"We'll see, and no, I don't think Uncle Fred will mind," Ginny replied. Lily danced around in a happy circle, singing to herself.
" 'Uncle' Fred?" James asked incredulously, trying to hide the smile on his face. Ginny turned to him.
"Yes, 'uncle'. Fred married Angelina, and George married Alicia. Fred has two kids, Annalisa who's Lily's age, and Alex, who's seven. George has two twin girls, both Alex's age, named Melanie and Faith, and another daughter named Sarah, who's six. Percy married Penelope, and they have a son named Jason. Charlie married a girl named Melissa, and they have twins named Robert and Danielle, the same age as Jason. Bill's still a bachelor, but Mum is always hoping he'll find someone and settle down. Quite a crew when we all get together, if you know what I mean," Ginny said smiling. James nodded in understanding.
"I'd better be going. I'm sure Hermione and Ron want to know how it went with Sirius," Harry said, waving goodbye to Lily who was still dancing around, and quickly shaking Frank's hand as he left.
***
A/N: Please don't hate me! I know this took a really long time to get out, but I'm sorry! I really am! I haven't been feeling good for like the past week, and I kind of decided to read the Lord of the Rings, which takes a LONG time to do (I've been at it for two weeks, and I'm still only at the beginning of The Return of the King...). But school's done in four weeks (Yay!!), so I'll definitely have more time then. Please leave a review, even if it's to say you hate me for taking so incredibly long and this chapter was crap (I think it is at least...). So there ya go!
Thanks:
SiriusBPadfoot- Do I still deserve the title? Nasty, evil writer's block... and I kind of got in a fight with my muse the other night when I needed to get to sleep and she wouldn't let me... oh well, lol!
lucE- Thank you! Don't worry, I'm not stopping till this is done!
Phoenix- Thank YOU! I'll keep writing whenever I can, never fear!
HerbieWerbie- Thanks for your enthusiasm!
Phoenixheart- Thank you again! I post as soon as I can... hehe...
Michelle- Give it a try! Don't be afraid! I'm no Gryffindor, trust me! I'm sure you'd do fine.
dog-boy- I'm going to give something away... just read the next chapter and you'll find the answer to your question......
Tiger Lily- No, it's because my muse doesn't like ME. She would rather give me new ideas for other stories and not let me sleep than let me think of a chapter 14. But it's here, finally!
Bleeding Heart- Please don't die! See, look! Chapter 14! In black and white! I already saw someone die this week (long story....), and I don't need any more dead people! Please!
As always, thanks to everyone who read this! It encourages me to know that you are all so desperate to read this. Please don't do anything rash though! Oh, BTW, I survived my History test! Yay for me!!! And I'll never forget who Andy Warhol is ever again (stupid art people, just because I never took art in high school.... grr!). Anyway, thank you! I'll see about making the next chapter posting a hasty one!!!
Ch. 14- The Meeting
A/N: I'm sorry this is taking so long to get out, but I've been really busy, and I've had a small case of writer's block. Not so much writer's block, but a need to do something different with this chapter, so it doesn't turn out the same as all the others... I'm apologizing now for however long this will take. The next two weeks are going to be very long... SATs are on Saturday, followed by the prom Saturday night, and the next Friday is my big History test, which I REALLY need to study for, so I don't know how much time this will get, because I also have two English projects as well... so please, bear with me!!! Thank you! I'll start writing now...
Disclaimer: I don't claim to own Harry Potter. Okay, so maybe I do, but you all know I don't, so...
***
Sirius paced his room nervously. He didn't know what he was going to say when Harry arrived. What could he say? They were both in an awkward position. Sirius felt the anger creeping back into him, but taking a deep breath, he tried to bury it once again.
"I can't do this," he whispered to himself, glancing at his watch again. It was almost time. He felt his heart thumping in his chest. Sighing in frustration, he went to sit down in a chair. Just as he did, there was a knock on the door. Taking another deep breath, he got up to answer it. Standing at the door was Harry.
Sirius stepped aside to let him in, but didn't say anything. He went and took his seat, and Harry sat down across from him on the couch. Sirius glanced at his watch again, then decided to speak.
"You're late. I told Hermione to tell you one o'clock sharp. It's one fifteen," Sirius said. He could hear the anger in his words, although he didn't mean for it to be there.
"I'm sorry. The stairs kept moving on me. I got here as fast as I could," Harry said. "By the way, congratulations on becoming minister. I don't think I ever got to tell you that," Harry said meekly.
"Enough with the small talk already. Why'd you go?" Sirius asked, his voice sounding harsh and cold. Harry looked hurt at the small outburst, but taking a deep breath, began to tell the story again.
"Did the others tell you anything yet? I don't want to sound redundant," Harry asked. Sirius shook his head in response, and sighed, starting to speak once more. "Well, I'm not quite sure where to start. I guess with answering your question. I'm not quite sure why I left. I just felt like I had to go. I couldn't stay here any more. Voldemort was dead. I wasn't needed any more," Harry said quietly. Harry thought he saw a brief glimmer of regret cross Sirius's face, but he didn't say anything. Sirius just nodded for him to continue. "I didn't know what to do, but in that split second, I somehow managed to end up in America. I guess that and killing Voldemort drained me pretty good, because I ended up in a coma for a few months. It was too late to come back by that time. You all would have thought it was a trick, planned by Voldemort's followers," Harry said, almost bitterly.
"But why come back now? Why not just stay in America, let us live our lives in peace?" Sirius asked coldly. Harry looked like he was on the brink of tears.
"My wife, Jenny, wanted to come visit England. While here, she fell in love with London. Found herself a job teaching, and convinced me to move here. So we did. Her brother is a wizard, and she liked to keep up on the wizarding news too. So we always got the Prophet delivered. I told her I was a wizard too, but she doesn't know who I am. I was looking through the paper one day over the summer, and saw that Hogwarts was looking for a new Defense teacher. Jenny saw me reading the paper, and suggested I apply for the job. I refused to at first, but she finally convinced me to do it.
"I didn't think I'd get the job. Dumbledore didn't seem to trust me at all, and I hadn't even gotten a new wand yet. But he seemed desperate, so I was given the job. Jenny and I went to Diagon Alley and I got some supplies, and September first found me riding the Hogwarts Express once again. I didn't know Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were working here until I walked into the Great Hall that night. But I didn't say anything to them. I wanted them to be happy. They seemed to be plenty happy.
"Then things started to fall apart. Ron didn't trust me, and Hermione tried to be friendly. Ginny was the only one who would actually talk to me. At the Halloween dance, Ginny figured it out. I was so stupid, talking to her and dancing with her, just like nothing had changed. Ron was furious because he thought I hurt Ginny. I went to talk to her though, and we worked it out.
"Hermione was next. Ron told me she searched through practically the entire library to find some way to prove what I told her false. And when I was talking to Hermione, Ron overheard and found out. He punched me too, you know," Harry said softly, laughing a little. Sirius just sat there, not saying anything. Finally he cleared his throat.
"You could have come back. We would have believed you. I would have at least. You're like a son to me, Harry, and I would give anything if I didn't have to be like a father to you. I would give anything for Lily and James to still be alive, and for you to never have had to fight Voldemort. But I can't change the past. All I can do is accept what happened. I'm sorry I punched you Harry. I was upset, and it came out as anger. Please forgive me," Sirius asked, tears starting to flow down his cheeks.
"I never held it against you, Sirius. And you shouldn't be the one begging for forgiveness. I should. I hurt you, worse than anyone else could. I'm so sorry Sirius. I'm so sorry," Harry said through sobs. Sirius got up and went to Harry's side, pulling him into an embrace. Harry cried onto his shoulder.
"Shh, everything's okay now. No need for tears," Sirius said quietly, trying to calm his godson. Harry just continued to cry for a little while longer. Finally he got himself under control.
"Thank you for listening to me, Sirius. It means so much to me," Harry said quietly. Sirius just nodded slightly. "Are you staying the rest of the week?" Harry asked, trying to hide the eagerness in his voice. This made Sirius laugh.
"Yes, I'm staying. I'll have to get you a Christmas present now though," Sirius said, smiling. Harry smiled now too. Then he got up, and went to leave.
"Thank you Sirius. This meant so much to me," Harry said before leaving the room.
"Your welcome Harry," Sirius replied to the closed door, before leaning back into the couch, letting out a deep sigh of relief and happiness.
Harry walked down the hallway, heading back towards his room. Just as he turned the corner, he ran into someone.
"Oh, I'm sorry," he said, looking to see who he had run into. "Oh! Ginny! Are you okay? I didn't mean to run into you like that. I was just talking to Sirius," Harry said, smiling at the redhead. She was smiling too.
"That's wonderful! Oh, James, meet my husband, Frank," Ginny said, still smiling. Harry just noticed the man standing next to her, his hair slicked down with gel and hazel eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses.
"Hello. My name's Frank Becker. Ginny's told me a lot about you. It's a pleasure to finally meet you," Frank said, reaching his hand out to shake Harry's. He took it numbly.
"Hi. James Turner. Ginny's mentioned you too," Harry said, plastering a fake smile to his face. Ginny seemed slightly uncomfortable as an awkward silence fell over the three.
"Well, Frank, why don't we go check on Lily? I want to see how she's doing. Would you like to come, James?" Ginny asked. Harry pondered the question for a moment, then answered.
"Sure, why not. I can never resist meeting a beautiful girl," Harry said, grinning devilishly. Ginny laughed, and led the way to her room.
"Mum! I missed you mum! Can I really come here when I'm older? I can't wait! How come Harry gets to come next year?" a little girl asked, running up to Ginny. Ginny smiled and hugged her.
"I missed you too Lily. And of course you can come here when you're older. Your cousin gets to come here next year because he's old enough. You still have a few more years to go. But think, you get to come with Annalisa," Ginny said. At this, Lily's face lit up.
"Can we come visit Harry together mum? I don't think Uncle Fred will care, will he?" Lily asked, her eyes filled with joy. James smiled.
"We'll see, and no, I don't think Uncle Fred will mind," Ginny replied. Lily danced around in a happy circle, singing to herself.
" 'Uncle' Fred?" James asked incredulously, trying to hide the smile on his face. Ginny turned to him.
"Yes, 'uncle'. Fred married Angelina, and George married Alicia. Fred has two kids, Annalisa who's Lily's age, and Alex, who's seven. George has two twin girls, both Alex's age, named Melanie and Faith, and another daughter named Sarah, who's six. Percy married Penelope, and they have a son named Jason. Charlie married a girl named Melissa, and they have twins named Robert and Danielle, the same age as Jason. Bill's still a bachelor, but Mum is always hoping he'll find someone and settle down. Quite a crew when we all get together, if you know what I mean," Ginny said smiling. James nodded in understanding.
"I'd better be going. I'm sure Hermione and Ron want to know how it went with Sirius," Harry said, waving goodbye to Lily who was still dancing around, and quickly shaking Frank's hand as he left.
***
A/N: Please don't hate me! I know this took a really long time to get out, but I'm sorry! I really am! I haven't been feeling good for like the past week, and I kind of decided to read the Lord of the Rings, which takes a LONG time to do (I've been at it for two weeks, and I'm still only at the beginning of The Return of the King...). But school's done in four weeks (Yay!!), so I'll definitely have more time then. Please leave a review, even if it's to say you hate me for taking so incredibly long and this chapter was crap (I think it is at least...). So there ya go!
Thanks:
SiriusBPadfoot- Do I still deserve the title? Nasty, evil writer's block... and I kind of got in a fight with my muse the other night when I needed to get to sleep and she wouldn't let me... oh well, lol!
lucE- Thank you! Don't worry, I'm not stopping till this is done!
Phoenix- Thank YOU! I'll keep writing whenever I can, never fear!
HerbieWerbie- Thanks for your enthusiasm!
Phoenixheart- Thank you again! I post as soon as I can... hehe...
Michelle- Give it a try! Don't be afraid! I'm no Gryffindor, trust me! I'm sure you'd do fine.
dog-boy- I'm going to give something away... just read the next chapter and you'll find the answer to your question......
Tiger Lily- No, it's because my muse doesn't like ME. She would rather give me new ideas for other stories and not let me sleep than let me think of a chapter 14. But it's here, finally!
Bleeding Heart- Please don't die! See, look! Chapter 14! In black and white! I already saw someone die this week (long story....), and I don't need any more dead people! Please!
As always, thanks to everyone who read this! It encourages me to know that you are all so desperate to read this. Please don't do anything rash though! Oh, BTW, I survived my History test! Yay for me!!! And I'll never forget who Andy Warhol is ever again (stupid art people, just because I never took art in high school.... grr!). Anyway, thank you! I'll see about making the next chapter posting a hasty one!!!