Like a Phoenix
Ch. 18- The Morbid Truth
A/N: Maybe I shouldn't write cliff hangers if I'm not going to write the next chapter until a month later... Nah! Oh well, lol. Sorry about that... I know where I want to go with this, but I don't know where I want to go with this... *Sigh*... And of course school starts next week, although I was spoiled and got three months of summer this year... Only because of renovations, they needed us out of school early, so we lost February vacation earlier in the year... So anyway... Oh, on a random note, since you people have been with me through it all, I got my AP results back!! I think the people correcting my test must have been on drugs, cuz I got a 5.... *Shakes head in confusion*... I dunno... Anyway, you really don't care about me and my pitiful life, right? Right! Okay then! Review already!!
Disclaimer: I own Harry Potter just as much as I own all the other things I'm obsessed with (the list is VERY long, trust me!!).
***
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.
***
He felt as if he had been sat on by a dragon, and it had laid several eggs on his chest, not allowing him to breath quite properly. His chest felt like it was about to give way, but his aching lungs kept it inflated. He tried to take in a deep breath, which not only caused pain in his chest, but a searing pain to race up his back. Mentally sighing, he resigned himself to simply opening his eyes to see where he was.
After a few minutes, or a few seconds, he couldn't rightly tell, he managed to open his eyes. His sight was met by the glaring brightness of the all-white Hospital Wing. He could see sunlight streaming in through the window, but was unable to tell whether it was the morning or the evening.
Glancing around, his sights fell on a man sitting in the chair next to his bed. He seemed to be asleep, or at least resting his eyes. He didn't want to disturb the man, but he wanted to find out why he was here, since he couldn't seem to remember. The last thing he remembered was flying around the Quidditch pitch, contemplating how he would tell his godfather he only had a few more months to live.
'It'll be a lot easier now,' he thought sarcastically, trying to ease himself onto his side, hoping it would ease the heaviness in his chest. It only made his entire body hurt, and a dull throbbing to flare up in his temples. He let out a soft groan, but it seemed loud enough to wake his godfather, who shot up straight in his seat, anxiety written all over his face.
"You're awake!" Sirius said, not able to hide the excitement and relief from his voice. "How do you feel?" the anxiety was back in his voice, his posture suddenly tense with worry.
"How to describe the pain... Well, let's just say it feels like there are dragon eggs on my chest, leprechauns in my head pounding to get out, and someone let a troll use my body as a stepping stool," Harry replied, trying to sound as humorous as possible, without showing any of the pain on his face. A small smile formed on Sirius' face.
"Doesn't sound that bad," he said in response. Harry rolled his eyes and tried to sit up, letting out a soft groan. "Let me help you," Sirius said, propping some pillows up behind Harry.
"It feels like fifth year all over again," Harry said in a half-mocking, half-serious voice. Sirius didn't make a response. They were silent for a few moments, then Harry, finally sitting up, decided to figure some things out. "What happened? How long have I been out?"
Sirius looked slightly uncomfortable for a minute before he finally answered. "We were out on the pitch, and you were flying back and forth, and all of a sudden, you just... fell... and I couldn't get there quick enough. You hit the ground... That was last Saturday. It's Friday now," Sirius said, avoiding Harry's eyes. "Harry, what happened to you?" Sirius asked, sounding extremely scared and worried at the same time. Now it was Harry's turn to look uncomfortable.
Just as Harry was about to answer, Madame Pomfrey came out of her office. "Professor Turner, so glad to see you awake again. You've had us all in a fright. Good afternoon, Minister," she said cordially to Sirius. He just nodded his head in greeting.
"I should go tell the others you're awake. I'm sure they'll be relieved," Sirius said, getting up to leave. "I'll be back in a little while, and we can talk then," he said, making his way to the door. Harry nodded in his bed, silently thanking Madame Pomfrey for choosing that instant to appear. He had been out for a week, and he needed some time to get his courage up again.
***
Sirius walked into the teacher's lounge looking extremely worn out. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny stood up quickly when he entered.
"So? Is he awake?" Ron asked nervously. The last week had been very trying for all of them. It had almost seemed like a relapse of ten years ago.
"Yes, he's awake. He's in some pain though. Madame Pomfrey will take care of that. I still don't understand what happened out there though," Sirius said wearily, letting himself fall onto the couch. Ron and Hermione shared a look with Ginny, their faces lined with anxiety. "He's not telling me something, I just know it."
"Maybe he'll open up to you. Don't worry about it," Hermione said soothingly. "Hey, it's almost dinner time. Why don't we sneak some food up to him? You know how awful hospital food is," Hermione said, standing up once again from the seat she had taken.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Ginny said, also standing up. Ron stood up as well, but Sirius was still in his seat. "Is there something else bothering you, Sirius?"
Sirius sighed. "No, not really. I was just thinking. I've been so worried, I haven't had time to just think all week," he replied, slowly getting up from his seat.
***
They were all talking and laughing rather loudly, and they had been yelled at already on several occasions by Madame Pomfrey, but it hadn't stopped them yet. Ron, with help from Ginny and Hermione, was telling Sirius and Harry about a family party the Weasley's had earlier that year. It involved many pranks on Fred and George's parts, and many of the youngest Weasley generation changing colors due to them.
After an hour or so, they started to quiet down a bit. Harry, who had just spent the week unconscious, was in no hurry to go back to sleep, and was doing everything in his power to keep his friends there. Unfortunately for him, though, his plan backfired. Sirius brought up the topic of discussion from earlier that day.
"So, Harry, any ideas why you fell off your broom? Or were things just getting to boring and you needed to liven them up a bit?" Sirius asked, his voice sounding amused, his eyes still full of worry.
Harry shifted uncomfortably in his bed. Hermione was giving him a patronizing glare, and Ron was doing everything in his power to look encouraging. Ginny looked at him with a sad sort of sympathy in her eyes. He sighed, trying to think of the best way to explain his situation, using his eyes to plead for help from his friends. Sirius seemed to be getting impatient.
"I don't know how to say this. It's hard for me. I guess the easiest way is to explain what happened. You know the night Voldemort tried to kill me, for the first time, and his curse rebounded on him?" Harry asked. Sirius' eyes darkened. "Dumbledore figures that we became connected in a way, by that curse. How I always felt pain in my scar whenever he was near, or angry. Then in my fourth year, when he used my blood to resurrect himself, the bond grew, I guess you could say. So when I killed him ten years ago, it was almost as if I killed part of myself," Harry stopped, letting that much sink in. He could see the dread building in Sirius' features as he put two and two together.
"So what you're saying is it's only a matter of time before you..." Sirius said, unable to bring himself to finish his sentence. Harry nodded, and the little color left in Sirius' face vanished. Harry could see tears making their way down Ginny's cheek, and Ron and Hermione looked close to tears as well. Sirius cleared his throat. "When... I mean... How much longer... do you have left?" he asked hoarsely.
"I'm not exactly sure. I don't think much longer though. It's been ten years, and I've felt it every day. I guess I waited too long though. I don't think the curse of the Defense teacher will be broken by me," Harry said, trying to lighten the mood.
"And there's nothing we can do?" Sirius asked, trying to sound hopeful.
"No. What could anyone do? It's not like this kind of thing happens every day. As far as I know, I'm still the only one who's ever survived the Killing Curse. Or have I lost hold of that title over the last ten years?" Harry said, a small smile on his face. Ginny managed to laugh through her tears, even though his joke was rather dark.
"No, the title is still yours, oh valiant Boy Who Lived," Ron replied, rolling his eyes along with everyone else.
"Speaking of boys who lived, maybe we better go so Harry can get some sleep. Otherwise, I think Madame Pomfrey will have our necks," Hermione said, standing up from the chair she was in.
"I guess you're right. Plus, I should probably go back to work tomorrow. I've called out sick all week. They might think I'm dead and hold elections," Sirius said jokingly. Everyone laughed.
"You can't be that bad, can you?" Harry asked, a glimmer of happiness in his eyes and a teasing note in his voice.
"Sure I can. After all, I'm a Marauder, am I not?" Sirius asked, ruffling Harry's already disheveled hair as he stood up.
"Gee thanks, like my hair wasn't bad enough before," Harry replied, trying to make his hair lay flat once again. Everyone gave Harry a hug, then headed out for the night, leaving him alone to get some rest.
***
A/N: Eh... Wow, I wrote this all in like two days! If only my muse had been nice to me two weeks ago, right? LOL! Okay, so I'm thinking maybe next time I go to write a story I should wear my glasses.... Hehe.. I took them off cuz I wanted to go stand in the rain, and left them in my bedroom, then I went on my computer to see if my friend was online, and she wasn't, so I decided to finish this off... And yeah, I'm getting a headache from squinting... Serves me right, eh? I was watching the VMAs earlier, and I was very excited that Avril Lavigne was on. I was supposed to see her in concert on Tuesday, but she canceled because she was sick... My friends and I were very upset.. Especially since we didn't find this out until we were outside the place the concert was and there was a sign saying she wasn't coming, and the stupid radio station people, who KNEW we were there to see Avril, didn't say anything either! So we left, because we didn't want to see anyone else who was performing... Yeah.. We had fun anyway... So I'm going to apologize, because Dumbledore was SUPPOSED to find out about Harry this chapter, but he didn't feel like leaving his office... Stupid Dumbledore, lol... And I was almost mean and have Harry die, but I didn't... Then I was almost mean again and was going to have him have amnesia... But I didn't... I just didn't think it would work right with my story line.... Yeah, wow, this is a really long author's note... Ok, I'll go thank people now... Please review!!!
Thanks as usual to all my wonderful reviewers!!! (TEN MORE UNTIL 100!!!!!!!!!!!)
NightSpell- Maybe he should have.. But you're right, I wouldn't have a fic! LOL! Did I review your story yet? I think I did.. Maybe I should check and see if you've updated... *runs off to check...*
Bleeding Heart- Hehe... *grins sheepishly and runs to hide*... Don't hurt me!! It was all my muse's fault, honestly! She didn't feel like writing!! I guess a week straight of English homework jolted her into action though, lol. I'll try and get the next chapter up relatively soon... Once I find something to write about, hehe... But I'm warning you now, school starts for me on Tuesday, and I'm going away all weekend, so I don't know how quick it will be!! Please be patient!!!
Phoenixheart- How was camp? What kind of camp? Hope you had fun! I had fun at my camp.. It was science camp!! Hehe.. I'm weird, I know, lol... Thanks for your support, I'm glad you were so excited to see I updated!! And you know what? I can kill him if I want!! :-P!!!! Thanks again for reviewing!!
Autumn Ice- Ooh, I'm so happy you like my story!! Thank you so much!!! Harry isn't dying QUITE yet... Don't worry though, it will be a nice and angsty ending!!! *Grins evilly*... Thanks for reviewing!!
angelkas- That sucks! $17.50????!!!! Wow... That's a lot of money... Eh, I'm sorry, but he has to die. He just has to. He told me, when I first started writing this, that even if he wasn't really dead at the beginning, he had to die at the end. I'm sorry. I can't help but do what the Great Harry Potter tells me to do!!! You understand, don't you? Thanks for reading my story (especially since it cost you so much money!!!!)!!
I HATE FUDGE- Hmm... Interesting theory... I'm not quite sure it's true though.. Well, I guess in a way you could say it was, because Fudge didn't believe Dumbledore when he said Voldemort was alive, so he refused to do anything about it, thus causing Harry to have to kill Voldemort on his own, which in turn is making Harry die and his friends suffer.... So good luck on the Fudge hunting. Do tell me if you catch him!! And thanks for reviewing!!!!
Wow, I was so proud! Six new reviews!! Thanks to everyone!! And I WOULD thank my sister, but she hasn't read chapter 17 yet because I never sent it to her at camp, and now she's home, so I have to have her read it, so yeah... Okay, I should go now... TTYL!!!!!!
Ch. 18- The Morbid Truth
A/N: Maybe I shouldn't write cliff hangers if I'm not going to write the next chapter until a month later... Nah! Oh well, lol. Sorry about that... I know where I want to go with this, but I don't know where I want to go with this... *Sigh*... And of course school starts next week, although I was spoiled and got three months of summer this year... Only because of renovations, they needed us out of school early, so we lost February vacation earlier in the year... So anyway... Oh, on a random note, since you people have been with me through it all, I got my AP results back!! I think the people correcting my test must have been on drugs, cuz I got a 5.... *Shakes head in confusion*... I dunno... Anyway, you really don't care about me and my pitiful life, right? Right! Okay then! Review already!!
Disclaimer: I own Harry Potter just as much as I own all the other things I'm obsessed with (the list is VERY long, trust me!!).
***
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.
***
He felt as if he had been sat on by a dragon, and it had laid several eggs on his chest, not allowing him to breath quite properly. His chest felt like it was about to give way, but his aching lungs kept it inflated. He tried to take in a deep breath, which not only caused pain in his chest, but a searing pain to race up his back. Mentally sighing, he resigned himself to simply opening his eyes to see where he was.
After a few minutes, or a few seconds, he couldn't rightly tell, he managed to open his eyes. His sight was met by the glaring brightness of the all-white Hospital Wing. He could see sunlight streaming in through the window, but was unable to tell whether it was the morning or the evening.
Glancing around, his sights fell on a man sitting in the chair next to his bed. He seemed to be asleep, or at least resting his eyes. He didn't want to disturb the man, but he wanted to find out why he was here, since he couldn't seem to remember. The last thing he remembered was flying around the Quidditch pitch, contemplating how he would tell his godfather he only had a few more months to live.
'It'll be a lot easier now,' he thought sarcastically, trying to ease himself onto his side, hoping it would ease the heaviness in his chest. It only made his entire body hurt, and a dull throbbing to flare up in his temples. He let out a soft groan, but it seemed loud enough to wake his godfather, who shot up straight in his seat, anxiety written all over his face.
"You're awake!" Sirius said, not able to hide the excitement and relief from his voice. "How do you feel?" the anxiety was back in his voice, his posture suddenly tense with worry.
"How to describe the pain... Well, let's just say it feels like there are dragon eggs on my chest, leprechauns in my head pounding to get out, and someone let a troll use my body as a stepping stool," Harry replied, trying to sound as humorous as possible, without showing any of the pain on his face. A small smile formed on Sirius' face.
"Doesn't sound that bad," he said in response. Harry rolled his eyes and tried to sit up, letting out a soft groan. "Let me help you," Sirius said, propping some pillows up behind Harry.
"It feels like fifth year all over again," Harry said in a half-mocking, half-serious voice. Sirius didn't make a response. They were silent for a few moments, then Harry, finally sitting up, decided to figure some things out. "What happened? How long have I been out?"
Sirius looked slightly uncomfortable for a minute before he finally answered. "We were out on the pitch, and you were flying back and forth, and all of a sudden, you just... fell... and I couldn't get there quick enough. You hit the ground... That was last Saturday. It's Friday now," Sirius said, avoiding Harry's eyes. "Harry, what happened to you?" Sirius asked, sounding extremely scared and worried at the same time. Now it was Harry's turn to look uncomfortable.
Just as Harry was about to answer, Madame Pomfrey came out of her office. "Professor Turner, so glad to see you awake again. You've had us all in a fright. Good afternoon, Minister," she said cordially to Sirius. He just nodded his head in greeting.
"I should go tell the others you're awake. I'm sure they'll be relieved," Sirius said, getting up to leave. "I'll be back in a little while, and we can talk then," he said, making his way to the door. Harry nodded in his bed, silently thanking Madame Pomfrey for choosing that instant to appear. He had been out for a week, and he needed some time to get his courage up again.
***
Sirius walked into the teacher's lounge looking extremely worn out. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny stood up quickly when he entered.
"So? Is he awake?" Ron asked nervously. The last week had been very trying for all of them. It had almost seemed like a relapse of ten years ago.
"Yes, he's awake. He's in some pain though. Madame Pomfrey will take care of that. I still don't understand what happened out there though," Sirius said wearily, letting himself fall onto the couch. Ron and Hermione shared a look with Ginny, their faces lined with anxiety. "He's not telling me something, I just know it."
"Maybe he'll open up to you. Don't worry about it," Hermione said soothingly. "Hey, it's almost dinner time. Why don't we sneak some food up to him? You know how awful hospital food is," Hermione said, standing up once again from the seat she had taken.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Ginny said, also standing up. Ron stood up as well, but Sirius was still in his seat. "Is there something else bothering you, Sirius?"
Sirius sighed. "No, not really. I was just thinking. I've been so worried, I haven't had time to just think all week," he replied, slowly getting up from his seat.
***
They were all talking and laughing rather loudly, and they had been yelled at already on several occasions by Madame Pomfrey, but it hadn't stopped them yet. Ron, with help from Ginny and Hermione, was telling Sirius and Harry about a family party the Weasley's had earlier that year. It involved many pranks on Fred and George's parts, and many of the youngest Weasley generation changing colors due to them.
After an hour or so, they started to quiet down a bit. Harry, who had just spent the week unconscious, was in no hurry to go back to sleep, and was doing everything in his power to keep his friends there. Unfortunately for him, though, his plan backfired. Sirius brought up the topic of discussion from earlier that day.
"So, Harry, any ideas why you fell off your broom? Or were things just getting to boring and you needed to liven them up a bit?" Sirius asked, his voice sounding amused, his eyes still full of worry.
Harry shifted uncomfortably in his bed. Hermione was giving him a patronizing glare, and Ron was doing everything in his power to look encouraging. Ginny looked at him with a sad sort of sympathy in her eyes. He sighed, trying to think of the best way to explain his situation, using his eyes to plead for help from his friends. Sirius seemed to be getting impatient.
"I don't know how to say this. It's hard for me. I guess the easiest way is to explain what happened. You know the night Voldemort tried to kill me, for the first time, and his curse rebounded on him?" Harry asked. Sirius' eyes darkened. "Dumbledore figures that we became connected in a way, by that curse. How I always felt pain in my scar whenever he was near, or angry. Then in my fourth year, when he used my blood to resurrect himself, the bond grew, I guess you could say. So when I killed him ten years ago, it was almost as if I killed part of myself," Harry stopped, letting that much sink in. He could see the dread building in Sirius' features as he put two and two together.
"So what you're saying is it's only a matter of time before you..." Sirius said, unable to bring himself to finish his sentence. Harry nodded, and the little color left in Sirius' face vanished. Harry could see tears making their way down Ginny's cheek, and Ron and Hermione looked close to tears as well. Sirius cleared his throat. "When... I mean... How much longer... do you have left?" he asked hoarsely.
"I'm not exactly sure. I don't think much longer though. It's been ten years, and I've felt it every day. I guess I waited too long though. I don't think the curse of the Defense teacher will be broken by me," Harry said, trying to lighten the mood.
"And there's nothing we can do?" Sirius asked, trying to sound hopeful.
"No. What could anyone do? It's not like this kind of thing happens every day. As far as I know, I'm still the only one who's ever survived the Killing Curse. Or have I lost hold of that title over the last ten years?" Harry said, a small smile on his face. Ginny managed to laugh through her tears, even though his joke was rather dark.
"No, the title is still yours, oh valiant Boy Who Lived," Ron replied, rolling his eyes along with everyone else.
"Speaking of boys who lived, maybe we better go so Harry can get some sleep. Otherwise, I think Madame Pomfrey will have our necks," Hermione said, standing up from the chair she was in.
"I guess you're right. Plus, I should probably go back to work tomorrow. I've called out sick all week. They might think I'm dead and hold elections," Sirius said jokingly. Everyone laughed.
"You can't be that bad, can you?" Harry asked, a glimmer of happiness in his eyes and a teasing note in his voice.
"Sure I can. After all, I'm a Marauder, am I not?" Sirius asked, ruffling Harry's already disheveled hair as he stood up.
"Gee thanks, like my hair wasn't bad enough before," Harry replied, trying to make his hair lay flat once again. Everyone gave Harry a hug, then headed out for the night, leaving him alone to get some rest.
***
A/N: Eh... Wow, I wrote this all in like two days! If only my muse had been nice to me two weeks ago, right? LOL! Okay, so I'm thinking maybe next time I go to write a story I should wear my glasses.... Hehe.. I took them off cuz I wanted to go stand in the rain, and left them in my bedroom, then I went on my computer to see if my friend was online, and she wasn't, so I decided to finish this off... And yeah, I'm getting a headache from squinting... Serves me right, eh? I was watching the VMAs earlier, and I was very excited that Avril Lavigne was on. I was supposed to see her in concert on Tuesday, but she canceled because she was sick... My friends and I were very upset.. Especially since we didn't find this out until we were outside the place the concert was and there was a sign saying she wasn't coming, and the stupid radio station people, who KNEW we were there to see Avril, didn't say anything either! So we left, because we didn't want to see anyone else who was performing... Yeah.. We had fun anyway... So I'm going to apologize, because Dumbledore was SUPPOSED to find out about Harry this chapter, but he didn't feel like leaving his office... Stupid Dumbledore, lol... And I was almost mean and have Harry die, but I didn't... Then I was almost mean again and was going to have him have amnesia... But I didn't... I just didn't think it would work right with my story line.... Yeah, wow, this is a really long author's note... Ok, I'll go thank people now... Please review!!!
Thanks as usual to all my wonderful reviewers!!! (TEN MORE UNTIL 100!!!!!!!!!!!)
NightSpell- Maybe he should have.. But you're right, I wouldn't have a fic! LOL! Did I review your story yet? I think I did.. Maybe I should check and see if you've updated... *runs off to check...*
Bleeding Heart- Hehe... *grins sheepishly and runs to hide*... Don't hurt me!! It was all my muse's fault, honestly! She didn't feel like writing!! I guess a week straight of English homework jolted her into action though, lol. I'll try and get the next chapter up relatively soon... Once I find something to write about, hehe... But I'm warning you now, school starts for me on Tuesday, and I'm going away all weekend, so I don't know how quick it will be!! Please be patient!!!
Phoenixheart- How was camp? What kind of camp? Hope you had fun! I had fun at my camp.. It was science camp!! Hehe.. I'm weird, I know, lol... Thanks for your support, I'm glad you were so excited to see I updated!! And you know what? I can kill him if I want!! :-P!!!! Thanks again for reviewing!!
Autumn Ice- Ooh, I'm so happy you like my story!! Thank you so much!!! Harry isn't dying QUITE yet... Don't worry though, it will be a nice and angsty ending!!! *Grins evilly*... Thanks for reviewing!!
angelkas- That sucks! $17.50????!!!! Wow... That's a lot of money... Eh, I'm sorry, but he has to die. He just has to. He told me, when I first started writing this, that even if he wasn't really dead at the beginning, he had to die at the end. I'm sorry. I can't help but do what the Great Harry Potter tells me to do!!! You understand, don't you? Thanks for reading my story (especially since it cost you so much money!!!!)!!
I HATE FUDGE- Hmm... Interesting theory... I'm not quite sure it's true though.. Well, I guess in a way you could say it was, because Fudge didn't believe Dumbledore when he said Voldemort was alive, so he refused to do anything about it, thus causing Harry to have to kill Voldemort on his own, which in turn is making Harry die and his friends suffer.... So good luck on the Fudge hunting. Do tell me if you catch him!! And thanks for reviewing!!!!
Wow, I was so proud! Six new reviews!! Thanks to everyone!! And I WOULD thank my sister, but she hasn't read chapter 17 yet because I never sent it to her at camp, and now she's home, so I have to have her read it, so yeah... Okay, I should go now... TTYL!!!!!!