Like a Phoenix
Ch. 17- Free Falling
A/N: I wish I could be reading this story and someone else was writing it. I tried to read my story, but it just didn't work, because I already knew what was going to happen. It's like when you re-read Prisoner of Azkaban (or whichever is your favorite book) again for the gazillionth time in anticipation of the fifth book, and you're saying characters lines that won't be happening for ten more minutes, because you've got the entire series memorized... GAH! Don't you just hate that??? I know I do... heheh... Okay, I'll shut up and start writing. I don't think anyone reads these anyway... I know I do, some of them are amusing, lol... Hehe...
Disclaimer: *Insert witty remark about me not owning Harry Potter here*
***
As Harry walked into the Great Hall, he let out a loud gasp. It felt like he was back in Second Year, when Gilderoy Lockhart had taken it upon himself to decorate the Great Hall for Valentine's Day. Thankfully though, Lockhart wasn't there any more. Harry walked to the staff table, still gawking at the awful decorations. Heart-shaped butterflies were fluttering around his head, and he tried to swat them away.
"Do I want to know?" Harry asked Ron, who looked like he was going to be sick. Hermione had a sort of grimace on her face, which Harry thought might be her attempt to smile at the decorations.
"Not really," Ron replied, stabbing his fork into the neon pink scrambled eggs covering his plate. He closed his eyes and bit into the food, desperately trying to look at the colors everywhere.
"I think Sirius is coming by this afternoon," Hermione said, taking a sip of her juice, which thankfully, was normal colored. Harry's face shot up from the food he was glaring at.
"Really?" he asked, his voice mixed with hope and apprehension. Ron and Hermione both noticed.
"Harry, have you told him about..." Hermione asked, trailing off the end of the sentence. She looked uncomfortable, but Harry seemed more so.
"You have to tell him. He deserves to know, Harry," Ron said, staring intensely into Harry's eyes. Harry looked away, back at his food.
"I know. I just don't know how. It just seems like it's never the right moment," Harry replied quietly.
"Make it the right moment, Harry. He needs to know," Hermione said, a stern edge to her voice.
***
Later that afternoon found Harry sitting at his desk, pouring over a piece of parchment, anticipation written all over his face. All of a sudden, he jumped to his feet, tapping the piece of parchment as he stood. Grabbing his broom, he walked outside towards the Quidditch pitch. He saw a person zooming around the Quidditch pitch, but without even being close enough to tell, he knew it wasn't a student, or even another teacher. As he approached, the figure spotted him and flew down to meet him.
"Hey, how've you been?" Sirius asked, landing his broom and following Harry over to the stands.
"Fine," Harry replied, his voice sounding strained. He forced a small smile, but it seemed as if Sirius didn't buy it. He didn't comment though.
"What have you been up to lately?" Sirius asked, trying to start some kind of conversation.
"Not much. Trying to get the fifth years' ready for the O.W.L.s, and the seventh years' for the N.E.W.T.s. You know what it's like," Harry replied.
"Yeah. I hated those tests. Remus used to make all of us study, but we'd all sneak off when he'd go to get another book. He would get so mad at us and go off on one of his little speeches. No surprise he became a professor," Sirius said, smiling.
"I know what you mean. Hermione was the same way," Harry said, opening up a little bit. "Bit of a surprise Ron became a professor though. I never saw him teaching," Harry said.
"He loves Quidditch, and he wanted to be close to Hermione. His parents were a bit shocked too though. I guess he couldn't bear to leave Hogwarts though," Sirius said. Harry shifted uncomfortably for a moment, then stood up.
"Want to race? You might have a better broom, but I bet I can still beat you," Harry said, a competitive gleam in his eyes. Sirius stood up as well.
"You're on!" he said, mounting his broom and zooming off. Harry quickly followed suit. They both stopped side by side next to the goal posts, ready to begin.
"To the goals and back again, on three," Sirius said. "One, two, three!" Sirius shouted. Harry took off, leaning low on his broom, urging it forward. Sirius was right beside him, doing the same thing. In an instant, they had reached the other end of the field. Harry knew this was where the race would be decided.
He made a quick loop upside-down and started flying back to the other end, still dangling from his broom. He slowly rotated up as he flew, Sirius far behind him. Sirius had stopped to turn around, not having the natural maneuverability Harry did as a Seeker. Harry could hear Sirius swear as he tried to catch up but by the time Sirius was halfway back, Harry was already at the finish line.
"Told you so," Harry said as Sirius finally made it to his side. A huge grin was plastered on his face, his hair plastered to his sticky forehead as he breathed heavily.
"Fancy bit of flying there. I should have figured you'd do something like that," Sirius said, wrinkling his nose up in mock distaste. Harry laughed.
"You're just jealous because I'm better at flying than you are," Harry retorted. Sirius looked shocked.
"You? Better than me? Preposterous! I haven't heard such heresy since your father was alive!" Sirius said. A moment later, he realized what he had said. Harry didn't seem affected by it though. "I'm sorry," Sirius said, uncomfortably.
"For what?" Harry asked. "For talking about my father? You have nothing to be sorry about. He was your friend, and you should be able to talk about him all you want. It's been 26 years since he died, Sirius. We shouldn't be afraid to think about him and smile," Harry replied. Sirius still looked uncomfortable, but slightly relieved.
"You've grown up so much since you were in school, kid," Sirius said, leaning over and ruffling Harry's hair.
"A lot has happened since I was in school," Harry replied. He started flying slowly across the field, looking around at the stands in a longing way. "It's been so long," he whispered, as he remembered all the times he had played on the field, all the times he had won, and lost. All the injuries he had gotten while on the field, and the friends he made while playing the game he loved. "I missed Quidditch," he said softly as Sirius came up next to him.
Sirius seemed to sense there was something more to Harry's mood than just missing Quidditch though. He didn't say anything at first, but Harry remained silent. He coughed once, but still didn't say anything. Finally, Sirius decided to break the silence. "Is there anything you wanted to talk about?" he asked, trying not to sound nosy. Harry sighed, wiping his forehead.
"I should have come back sooner," Harry said quietly. "I don't know why I waited so long to come back, and to tell you all the truth. It was stupid, really."
"It doesn't matter. You're here now, and things will be just like they used to," Sirius said, knowing what he said wasn't the complete truth.
"No they can't, and you know it just as well as I do. Things have changed too much. We're completely different people. I have a wife, Ginny's married and has a kid, Ron and Hermione have a kid. You're Minister of Magic, for crying out loud! Things can't be the same," Harry replied, his voice sounding defeated.
"But we still have each other Harry. I'll always be here for you. I know I haven't been the greatest godfather at times, but I've tried," Sirius said. Harry was silent for a moment.
"I know. You've already proven that. It's just..." Harry said, knowing what he had to say, but not wanting to say it. "Hey, do you want to race again? Best two out of three?" he asked abruptly. Sirius looked shocked, but Harry didn't wait for a response and took off flying.
Sirius sat looking at Harry for a moment, not knowing what to think, but he took off after Harry, knowing he wouldn't catch up at the speed Harry was going. Sirius knew something wasn't right, that Harry was hiding something, but he also knew not to push it, and Harry would tell him in his own time.
Sirius watched as Harry flew the length of the field a few times, obviously having noticed Sirius wasn't racing him. He did a few loop-the-loops, then did a horizontal barrel roll the length of the field. He righted himself, and started flying the length of the field once more. All of a sudden, it seemed as if time slowed down.
Sirius sat frozen in shock as he saw his godson's body go limp on the broom and lean towards the side. Harry was at the opposite end of the field, at least twenty feet above the ground. In a burst of adrenaline, Sirius started flying towards him, but Harry's body had already started falling towards the ground.
Sirius reached his side just as Harry hit the ground, an instant too late to try and break his fall. He jumped off his broom and went to Harry's side, his face stricken with panic. He felt for a pulse, and with a lurch of his stomach, shot a jet of silver light towards the school.
***
A/N: *Grins*. I know, I'm evil, aren't I??? Plus it was short... I couldn't drag it out any longer!! And I know, it took forever, didn't it?? Lol... Sorry, I was at camp for two weeks. Actually, two camps. The first, an engineering camp, rocked. I had so much fun. The second, an oceanology camp, sucked. Oh well... Why do people like this story? Do you know how many plot holes are in it? Like, how did Harry get his Firebolt???? I was just thinking about that, trying to figure it out... I'll have to do something about it, won't I? *Sighs in frustration*. I hate plot holes... Lol. Well, I think I'm going to do my thanks now, and send this to my sister to read (she was very excited when she got ch.16 in the mail, lol). I'll be posting today as well! Hurray for me!! It only took 20 days!! Okay, I'll shut up...
Thanks to all my reviewers. You're input means the WORLD to me!! I'm hoping to break 100 with this story, and it's up to YOU to help me get there!! Come on, I know you can!! And just so you know, there are at least two more chapters in the works here, maybe more, depending on how everything plays out, hehe...
Autumn Ice- Oh, don't you worry! He will. No healing in THIS story.. Unless I chicken out, but I don't think I will... hehe... Oh well, thanks for reviewing!
Lady Avalon- Yay, I made you cry! Oops.. I mean... Thanks for reviewing!! I love getting reviews too.. I don't know if Dumbledore is going to find out... He might just remain oblivious to this entire thing... I dunno... We'll have to see, now won't we... Hehe.. Thank you so much for the review!!
And those were the only reviewers... Besides me... only because I was whining that I wish I could be reading this instead of writing it because I went back to read it, but I already knew what was gonna happen, and know how it's gonna end, which ruins the ENTIRE story!! Yeah... I know, I'm weird, aren't I??? Lol... Oh well, thanks again for taking the time to listen to me babbling on and on about nothing! Please review!!! Pretty please??????
Ch. 17- Free Falling
A/N: I wish I could be reading this story and someone else was writing it. I tried to read my story, but it just didn't work, because I already knew what was going to happen. It's like when you re-read Prisoner of Azkaban (or whichever is your favorite book) again for the gazillionth time in anticipation of the fifth book, and you're saying characters lines that won't be happening for ten more minutes, because you've got the entire series memorized... GAH! Don't you just hate that??? I know I do... heheh... Okay, I'll shut up and start writing. I don't think anyone reads these anyway... I know I do, some of them are amusing, lol... Hehe...
Disclaimer: *Insert witty remark about me not owning Harry Potter here*
***
As Harry walked into the Great Hall, he let out a loud gasp. It felt like he was back in Second Year, when Gilderoy Lockhart had taken it upon himself to decorate the Great Hall for Valentine's Day. Thankfully though, Lockhart wasn't there any more. Harry walked to the staff table, still gawking at the awful decorations. Heart-shaped butterflies were fluttering around his head, and he tried to swat them away.
"Do I want to know?" Harry asked Ron, who looked like he was going to be sick. Hermione had a sort of grimace on her face, which Harry thought might be her attempt to smile at the decorations.
"Not really," Ron replied, stabbing his fork into the neon pink scrambled eggs covering his plate. He closed his eyes and bit into the food, desperately trying to look at the colors everywhere.
"I think Sirius is coming by this afternoon," Hermione said, taking a sip of her juice, which thankfully, was normal colored. Harry's face shot up from the food he was glaring at.
"Really?" he asked, his voice mixed with hope and apprehension. Ron and Hermione both noticed.
"Harry, have you told him about..." Hermione asked, trailing off the end of the sentence. She looked uncomfortable, but Harry seemed more so.
"You have to tell him. He deserves to know, Harry," Ron said, staring intensely into Harry's eyes. Harry looked away, back at his food.
"I know. I just don't know how. It just seems like it's never the right moment," Harry replied quietly.
"Make it the right moment, Harry. He needs to know," Hermione said, a stern edge to her voice.
***
Later that afternoon found Harry sitting at his desk, pouring over a piece of parchment, anticipation written all over his face. All of a sudden, he jumped to his feet, tapping the piece of parchment as he stood. Grabbing his broom, he walked outside towards the Quidditch pitch. He saw a person zooming around the Quidditch pitch, but without even being close enough to tell, he knew it wasn't a student, or even another teacher. As he approached, the figure spotted him and flew down to meet him.
"Hey, how've you been?" Sirius asked, landing his broom and following Harry over to the stands.
"Fine," Harry replied, his voice sounding strained. He forced a small smile, but it seemed as if Sirius didn't buy it. He didn't comment though.
"What have you been up to lately?" Sirius asked, trying to start some kind of conversation.
"Not much. Trying to get the fifth years' ready for the O.W.L.s, and the seventh years' for the N.E.W.T.s. You know what it's like," Harry replied.
"Yeah. I hated those tests. Remus used to make all of us study, but we'd all sneak off when he'd go to get another book. He would get so mad at us and go off on one of his little speeches. No surprise he became a professor," Sirius said, smiling.
"I know what you mean. Hermione was the same way," Harry said, opening up a little bit. "Bit of a surprise Ron became a professor though. I never saw him teaching," Harry said.
"He loves Quidditch, and he wanted to be close to Hermione. His parents were a bit shocked too though. I guess he couldn't bear to leave Hogwarts though," Sirius said. Harry shifted uncomfortably for a moment, then stood up.
"Want to race? You might have a better broom, but I bet I can still beat you," Harry said, a competitive gleam in his eyes. Sirius stood up as well.
"You're on!" he said, mounting his broom and zooming off. Harry quickly followed suit. They both stopped side by side next to the goal posts, ready to begin.
"To the goals and back again, on three," Sirius said. "One, two, three!" Sirius shouted. Harry took off, leaning low on his broom, urging it forward. Sirius was right beside him, doing the same thing. In an instant, they had reached the other end of the field. Harry knew this was where the race would be decided.
He made a quick loop upside-down and started flying back to the other end, still dangling from his broom. He slowly rotated up as he flew, Sirius far behind him. Sirius had stopped to turn around, not having the natural maneuverability Harry did as a Seeker. Harry could hear Sirius swear as he tried to catch up but by the time Sirius was halfway back, Harry was already at the finish line.
"Told you so," Harry said as Sirius finally made it to his side. A huge grin was plastered on his face, his hair plastered to his sticky forehead as he breathed heavily.
"Fancy bit of flying there. I should have figured you'd do something like that," Sirius said, wrinkling his nose up in mock distaste. Harry laughed.
"You're just jealous because I'm better at flying than you are," Harry retorted. Sirius looked shocked.
"You? Better than me? Preposterous! I haven't heard such heresy since your father was alive!" Sirius said. A moment later, he realized what he had said. Harry didn't seem affected by it though. "I'm sorry," Sirius said, uncomfortably.
"For what?" Harry asked. "For talking about my father? You have nothing to be sorry about. He was your friend, and you should be able to talk about him all you want. It's been 26 years since he died, Sirius. We shouldn't be afraid to think about him and smile," Harry replied. Sirius still looked uncomfortable, but slightly relieved.
"You've grown up so much since you were in school, kid," Sirius said, leaning over and ruffling Harry's hair.
"A lot has happened since I was in school," Harry replied. He started flying slowly across the field, looking around at the stands in a longing way. "It's been so long," he whispered, as he remembered all the times he had played on the field, all the times he had won, and lost. All the injuries he had gotten while on the field, and the friends he made while playing the game he loved. "I missed Quidditch," he said softly as Sirius came up next to him.
Sirius seemed to sense there was something more to Harry's mood than just missing Quidditch though. He didn't say anything at first, but Harry remained silent. He coughed once, but still didn't say anything. Finally, Sirius decided to break the silence. "Is there anything you wanted to talk about?" he asked, trying not to sound nosy. Harry sighed, wiping his forehead.
"I should have come back sooner," Harry said quietly. "I don't know why I waited so long to come back, and to tell you all the truth. It was stupid, really."
"It doesn't matter. You're here now, and things will be just like they used to," Sirius said, knowing what he said wasn't the complete truth.
"No they can't, and you know it just as well as I do. Things have changed too much. We're completely different people. I have a wife, Ginny's married and has a kid, Ron and Hermione have a kid. You're Minister of Magic, for crying out loud! Things can't be the same," Harry replied, his voice sounding defeated.
"But we still have each other Harry. I'll always be here for you. I know I haven't been the greatest godfather at times, but I've tried," Sirius said. Harry was silent for a moment.
"I know. You've already proven that. It's just..." Harry said, knowing what he had to say, but not wanting to say it. "Hey, do you want to race again? Best two out of three?" he asked abruptly. Sirius looked shocked, but Harry didn't wait for a response and took off flying.
Sirius sat looking at Harry for a moment, not knowing what to think, but he took off after Harry, knowing he wouldn't catch up at the speed Harry was going. Sirius knew something wasn't right, that Harry was hiding something, but he also knew not to push it, and Harry would tell him in his own time.
Sirius watched as Harry flew the length of the field a few times, obviously having noticed Sirius wasn't racing him. He did a few loop-the-loops, then did a horizontal barrel roll the length of the field. He righted himself, and started flying the length of the field once more. All of a sudden, it seemed as if time slowed down.
Sirius sat frozen in shock as he saw his godson's body go limp on the broom and lean towards the side. Harry was at the opposite end of the field, at least twenty feet above the ground. In a burst of adrenaline, Sirius started flying towards him, but Harry's body had already started falling towards the ground.
Sirius reached his side just as Harry hit the ground, an instant too late to try and break his fall. He jumped off his broom and went to Harry's side, his face stricken with panic. He felt for a pulse, and with a lurch of his stomach, shot a jet of silver light towards the school.
***
A/N: *Grins*. I know, I'm evil, aren't I??? Plus it was short... I couldn't drag it out any longer!! And I know, it took forever, didn't it?? Lol... Sorry, I was at camp for two weeks. Actually, two camps. The first, an engineering camp, rocked. I had so much fun. The second, an oceanology camp, sucked. Oh well... Why do people like this story? Do you know how many plot holes are in it? Like, how did Harry get his Firebolt???? I was just thinking about that, trying to figure it out... I'll have to do something about it, won't I? *Sighs in frustration*. I hate plot holes... Lol. Well, I think I'm going to do my thanks now, and send this to my sister to read (she was very excited when she got ch.16 in the mail, lol). I'll be posting today as well! Hurray for me!! It only took 20 days!! Okay, I'll shut up...
Thanks to all my reviewers. You're input means the WORLD to me!! I'm hoping to break 100 with this story, and it's up to YOU to help me get there!! Come on, I know you can!! And just so you know, there are at least two more chapters in the works here, maybe more, depending on how everything plays out, hehe...
Autumn Ice- Oh, don't you worry! He will. No healing in THIS story.. Unless I chicken out, but I don't think I will... hehe... Oh well, thanks for reviewing!
Lady Avalon- Yay, I made you cry! Oops.. I mean... Thanks for reviewing!! I love getting reviews too.. I don't know if Dumbledore is going to find out... He might just remain oblivious to this entire thing... I dunno... We'll have to see, now won't we... Hehe.. Thank you so much for the review!!
And those were the only reviewers... Besides me... only because I was whining that I wish I could be reading this instead of writing it because I went back to read it, but I already knew what was gonna happen, and know how it's gonna end, which ruins the ENTIRE story!! Yeah... I know, I'm weird, aren't I??? Lol... Oh well, thanks again for taking the time to listen to me babbling on and on about nothing! Please review!!! Pretty please??????