Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.
Dangers in the past.
Professor Snape arrived a few hours later. He hadn't been at Hogwarts when Hedwig had arrived with the urgent message, and McGonagall had been forced to go get him at the Ministry. Snape entered the infirmary quietly and went to the beds where James and Lily lay sleeping. The only ones that had remained in the hospital wing, were Ryan, who was watching over a sleeping Harry, Daniel, Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey, all of whom were hovering beside the two cursed teens.
"What's wrong with them?"
The adults looked up at him in relief; even Ryan tore his gaze away from Harry to look at his long time rival.
The elder headmaster put a hand on Snape's shoulder, and in a hushed voice, told him what Daniel and Madam Pomfrey suspected. The Potions Master nodded and left the hospital wing, telling the others he would go talk to Danielle, since his old Potions professor had already started doing different tests on the teens' blood.
It was a while later when the peace of the hospital wing was shattered by Ryan's cry of anguish. There, under his gaze, Harry was starting to vanish.
Dumbledore and Daniel rushed to his side and looked horrified as Ryan pulled the semi-transparent child into his arms, calling his name frantically. A few minutes later, Snape rushed into the room, with Danielle at his side. The two Potions professors stopped in their tracks at the sight that greeted them. Everyone remained still as Ryan softly continued to call Harry's name. The small boy was becoming more transparent by the minute and there didn't seem to be anything they could do about it. Finally, Snape pulled himself out of his reverie and walked to Dumbledore.
"Headmaster."
The old man looked at him questioningly, he appeared to be unwilling to shift his gaze from the teenager he seemed to be losing.
"Have you found out anything, Severus?"
The dark man nodded and pulled the headmaster away from the bed and into the nearby office. The news he was bringing wasn't good and he didn't want to distress Ryan further.
After the door of Madam Pomfrey's office closed, Snape turned to Dumbledore. "This is very serious, Albus. Danielle and I have tracked down the potion, it wasn't that hard after all. It's an ancient dark potion., Voldemort never liked it much because it didn't inflict physical pain on the victim, it just made the one who drank it go to sleep, to be forever plagued by the worst nightmares you can think of. There are two antidotes, but one of them has to be given to the victim before they become poisoned. That's the only one I told Voldemort about. The other antidote requires a hair of a blood-relative. I think Harry would be able to give us a hair."
Sensing there was a 'but' coming, the headmaster waited.
The potion's Master sighed and continued. "But Harry is disappearing by the minute, and the potion takes one day to get brewed. From what I've seen, I don't think the boy will last that long. Lily still has that blasted sister of hers, but James has no other blood-relative, making it impossible to make the potion."
Dumbledore paled even more at the news. "Do you know of a way we could preserve one of Harry's hairs, Severus?"
The man shrugged. "How, Albus? Harry is disappearing. You can't preserve something that wasn't there to begin with. We are not playing with curses here, we are playing with time, and that's a very dangerous thing."
Dumbledore put his head in his hands. "Isn't there any other way?"
But the man was already shaking his head before the older man had finished asking his question. "I'm afraid not, Albus. You see, Voldemort liked the idea of the potion, but he didn't like the fact he wasn't able to witness the effects first hand. He preferred to see his victim's mind crumble under the nightmares. That's why he asked me to experiment with the potion, he wanted me to find a way to view the effects first hand, either by entering the person's mind or being able to awake them at will. I came up with that antidote but it seemed to be impossible to find one that would awake an already poisoned man."
"Could you find it now?"
"No, I don't think so. You see, the potion pulls the mind of whomever had swallowed it into the world of nightmares, as I've taken to call it. Once the mind is there, there's nothing we can do to pull it out. The antidote I designed formed a link between the body and the mind that made it impossible for the mind to get lost, and allow you to call it back with a charm." Dumbledore processed that information and sank back into a chair. His gaze shifted to the door. He had to do something, or else the life of the child he had learned to love more than anything would be lost. He couldn't allow it; that would destroy not only his live, but also the lives of the people who loved Harry, and there was quite a list. Eventually, he noticed that Snape was looking at him worriedly. Having made a decision, he stood up.
"Severus, how long would it take for you to make the antidote?"
The man looked a tad bit confused. Hadn't the headmaster been listening to him? Shaking his head, the man thought for a moment. "I guess I could have it done by tonight, I think Danielle has all the ingredients I need in her store room."
Dumbledore nodded. "Do it then, please. Oh, and before you go back to the dungeons, go tell Miss Granger and Mr Weasley, I need to talk to them." Before the man could leave the office, he added, "Don't tell Sirius about it."
Meanwhile, in the main room of the hospital wing, Ryan was sitting in a chair, with Harry snuggled closely to him, sitting on his lap. Daniel had left a while ago, telling him he would be in the library if he was needed. Madam Pomfrey was still hovering between James and Lily, hoping they would give some sign of consciousness. Harry had yet to re-awaken and Ryan was becoming desperate. No matter what Daniel told him, he knew he was losing his godson. He didn't need anyone to tell him what was happening, he could figure it out himself. If they didn't get James and Lily to wake up, they would never be married and Harry would never be born. So many things would be altered in their future; he knew it was possible that he could also disappear, but the first one to leave existence would be Harry. He angrily brushed his tears away, the mere thought of Harry leaving his life was almost more than he could cope with at the moment.
He was somewhat startled when Snape exited Madam Pomfrey's office and left the hospital wing without a word to them. Not that he really cared. The less said between the two men, the better. Still, Sirius was curious to know what was going on; if the other wizard had found out something. He was debating whether or not he should go after him and demand an explanation, when he felt the child in his arms begin to stir.
Hopeful, Sirius softly whispered his name. "Harry?"
Green eyes opened for the second time that day. "Sirius?"
The boy's voice was soft, Sirius had to strain his ears to hear it. "Yes, it's me, kid."
Harry frowned. "I feel weird, Sirius."
Sirius felt the blood leave his face, and hoped Harry wouldn't notice. Not such luck. The boy's frown deepened. "What's going on, Sirius?"
The man bit his lip. He wasn't sure how to answer that question. Should he tell Harry the truth, tell him how they had failed after all they had done to protect James and Lily? In the end, no explanation was needed. Without him noticing, Harry had lifted one of his hands to his face and saw it for himself. He could see right through his hand, which was becoming more and more transparent as the minutes went on. Shifting his gaze, Harry looked at his future parents. In an even softer voice, he asked. "Are they dead, Sirius?"
The man choked but shook his head. "They are sleeping. We. we can't wake them up. Remus and Madam Pomfrey think it's a potion. Snape is working on a antidote, and I'm sure they'll wake them up soon."
Harry closed his eyes. "You know you won't be able to. I'm disappearing, it means it's too late."
Sirius wanted to deny it, wanted to tell Harry everything would be alright, but he couldn't, he knew it wasn't true. At the lack of response from the other man, Harry sighed and pulled away as much as Sirius's arms would let him.
"Sirius..." The man looked down at him, with tear filled eyes. "You don't have to stay with me, Sirius. I think it would be better for you to go away. You don't have to see me die."
The arms that were holding him tightened their grip. "No, Harry. I'm not leaving you. Not now, not ever. I'll stay with you always. You have been alone for too long, and I won't allow you to be alone now."
Harry looked at him for a while, but saw that under the tears, his godfather's eyes were determined. No one would get him away from his godson. Nodding, Harry snuggled closer into the man's arms, closing his eyes tiredly.
"I feel comfortable in your arms, Sirius. There's no other place where I would be rather than here. Don't put me back in the bed."
Sirius choked a sob and put his cheek against the near-transparent head of his godson. "I won't."
Harry nodded and drifted off to sleep. Sirius wanted to wake him. He didn't want his godson to go to sleep and possibly never wake up again. But he knew it was better to let the boy rest. Harry probably didn't want to be awake to watch himself disappear, and Sirius wouldn't be the one to deny him that.
Watching the two from the door of Madam Pomfrey's office was Dumbledore. He looked older than anyone had ever seen him look. But behind his glasses, his eyes were roaring with a forceful light; he wasn't going to let this child disappear. not if he had any say in the matter.
To be continued.
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. And lots of thanks to my beta-readers, Gates and Tanya.
One last thing, the wonderful author Sun princess has started translating the Betrayal to French, anyone who wishes to read it in that language can find the story under the name of: "La Trahison" http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=849109
Lots of thanks Sun princess for your wonderful translation.
Dangers in the past.
Professor Snape arrived a few hours later. He hadn't been at Hogwarts when Hedwig had arrived with the urgent message, and McGonagall had been forced to go get him at the Ministry. Snape entered the infirmary quietly and went to the beds where James and Lily lay sleeping. The only ones that had remained in the hospital wing, were Ryan, who was watching over a sleeping Harry, Daniel, Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey, all of whom were hovering beside the two cursed teens.
"What's wrong with them?"
The adults looked up at him in relief; even Ryan tore his gaze away from Harry to look at his long time rival.
The elder headmaster put a hand on Snape's shoulder, and in a hushed voice, told him what Daniel and Madam Pomfrey suspected. The Potions Master nodded and left the hospital wing, telling the others he would go talk to Danielle, since his old Potions professor had already started doing different tests on the teens' blood.
It was a while later when the peace of the hospital wing was shattered by Ryan's cry of anguish. There, under his gaze, Harry was starting to vanish.
Dumbledore and Daniel rushed to his side and looked horrified as Ryan pulled the semi-transparent child into his arms, calling his name frantically. A few minutes later, Snape rushed into the room, with Danielle at his side. The two Potions professors stopped in their tracks at the sight that greeted them. Everyone remained still as Ryan softly continued to call Harry's name. The small boy was becoming more transparent by the minute and there didn't seem to be anything they could do about it. Finally, Snape pulled himself out of his reverie and walked to Dumbledore.
"Headmaster."
The old man looked at him questioningly, he appeared to be unwilling to shift his gaze from the teenager he seemed to be losing.
"Have you found out anything, Severus?"
The dark man nodded and pulled the headmaster away from the bed and into the nearby office. The news he was bringing wasn't good and he didn't want to distress Ryan further.
After the door of Madam Pomfrey's office closed, Snape turned to Dumbledore. "This is very serious, Albus. Danielle and I have tracked down the potion, it wasn't that hard after all. It's an ancient dark potion., Voldemort never liked it much because it didn't inflict physical pain on the victim, it just made the one who drank it go to sleep, to be forever plagued by the worst nightmares you can think of. There are two antidotes, but one of them has to be given to the victim before they become poisoned. That's the only one I told Voldemort about. The other antidote requires a hair of a blood-relative. I think Harry would be able to give us a hair."
Sensing there was a 'but' coming, the headmaster waited.
The potion's Master sighed and continued. "But Harry is disappearing by the minute, and the potion takes one day to get brewed. From what I've seen, I don't think the boy will last that long. Lily still has that blasted sister of hers, but James has no other blood-relative, making it impossible to make the potion."
Dumbledore paled even more at the news. "Do you know of a way we could preserve one of Harry's hairs, Severus?"
The man shrugged. "How, Albus? Harry is disappearing. You can't preserve something that wasn't there to begin with. We are not playing with curses here, we are playing with time, and that's a very dangerous thing."
Dumbledore put his head in his hands. "Isn't there any other way?"
But the man was already shaking his head before the older man had finished asking his question. "I'm afraid not, Albus. You see, Voldemort liked the idea of the potion, but he didn't like the fact he wasn't able to witness the effects first hand. He preferred to see his victim's mind crumble under the nightmares. That's why he asked me to experiment with the potion, he wanted me to find a way to view the effects first hand, either by entering the person's mind or being able to awake them at will. I came up with that antidote but it seemed to be impossible to find one that would awake an already poisoned man."
"Could you find it now?"
"No, I don't think so. You see, the potion pulls the mind of whomever had swallowed it into the world of nightmares, as I've taken to call it. Once the mind is there, there's nothing we can do to pull it out. The antidote I designed formed a link between the body and the mind that made it impossible for the mind to get lost, and allow you to call it back with a charm." Dumbledore processed that information and sank back into a chair. His gaze shifted to the door. He had to do something, or else the life of the child he had learned to love more than anything would be lost. He couldn't allow it; that would destroy not only his live, but also the lives of the people who loved Harry, and there was quite a list. Eventually, he noticed that Snape was looking at him worriedly. Having made a decision, he stood up.
"Severus, how long would it take for you to make the antidote?"
The man looked a tad bit confused. Hadn't the headmaster been listening to him? Shaking his head, the man thought for a moment. "I guess I could have it done by tonight, I think Danielle has all the ingredients I need in her store room."
Dumbledore nodded. "Do it then, please. Oh, and before you go back to the dungeons, go tell Miss Granger and Mr Weasley, I need to talk to them." Before the man could leave the office, he added, "Don't tell Sirius about it."
Meanwhile, in the main room of the hospital wing, Ryan was sitting in a chair, with Harry snuggled closely to him, sitting on his lap. Daniel had left a while ago, telling him he would be in the library if he was needed. Madam Pomfrey was still hovering between James and Lily, hoping they would give some sign of consciousness. Harry had yet to re-awaken and Ryan was becoming desperate. No matter what Daniel told him, he knew he was losing his godson. He didn't need anyone to tell him what was happening, he could figure it out himself. If they didn't get James and Lily to wake up, they would never be married and Harry would never be born. So many things would be altered in their future; he knew it was possible that he could also disappear, but the first one to leave existence would be Harry. He angrily brushed his tears away, the mere thought of Harry leaving his life was almost more than he could cope with at the moment.
He was somewhat startled when Snape exited Madam Pomfrey's office and left the hospital wing without a word to them. Not that he really cared. The less said between the two men, the better. Still, Sirius was curious to know what was going on; if the other wizard had found out something. He was debating whether or not he should go after him and demand an explanation, when he felt the child in his arms begin to stir.
Hopeful, Sirius softly whispered his name. "Harry?"
Green eyes opened for the second time that day. "Sirius?"
The boy's voice was soft, Sirius had to strain his ears to hear it. "Yes, it's me, kid."
Harry frowned. "I feel weird, Sirius."
Sirius felt the blood leave his face, and hoped Harry wouldn't notice. Not such luck. The boy's frown deepened. "What's going on, Sirius?"
The man bit his lip. He wasn't sure how to answer that question. Should he tell Harry the truth, tell him how they had failed after all they had done to protect James and Lily? In the end, no explanation was needed. Without him noticing, Harry had lifted one of his hands to his face and saw it for himself. He could see right through his hand, which was becoming more and more transparent as the minutes went on. Shifting his gaze, Harry looked at his future parents. In an even softer voice, he asked. "Are they dead, Sirius?"
The man choked but shook his head. "They are sleeping. We. we can't wake them up. Remus and Madam Pomfrey think it's a potion. Snape is working on a antidote, and I'm sure they'll wake them up soon."
Harry closed his eyes. "You know you won't be able to. I'm disappearing, it means it's too late."
Sirius wanted to deny it, wanted to tell Harry everything would be alright, but he couldn't, he knew it wasn't true. At the lack of response from the other man, Harry sighed and pulled away as much as Sirius's arms would let him.
"Sirius..." The man looked down at him, with tear filled eyes. "You don't have to stay with me, Sirius. I think it would be better for you to go away. You don't have to see me die."
The arms that were holding him tightened their grip. "No, Harry. I'm not leaving you. Not now, not ever. I'll stay with you always. You have been alone for too long, and I won't allow you to be alone now."
Harry looked at him for a while, but saw that under the tears, his godfather's eyes were determined. No one would get him away from his godson. Nodding, Harry snuggled closer into the man's arms, closing his eyes tiredly.
"I feel comfortable in your arms, Sirius. There's no other place where I would be rather than here. Don't put me back in the bed."
Sirius choked a sob and put his cheek against the near-transparent head of his godson. "I won't."
Harry nodded and drifted off to sleep. Sirius wanted to wake him. He didn't want his godson to go to sleep and possibly never wake up again. But he knew it was better to let the boy rest. Harry probably didn't want to be awake to watch himself disappear, and Sirius wouldn't be the one to deny him that.
Watching the two from the door of Madam Pomfrey's office was Dumbledore. He looked older than anyone had ever seen him look. But behind his glasses, his eyes were roaring with a forceful light; he wasn't going to let this child disappear. not if he had any say in the matter.
To be continued.
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. And lots of thanks to my beta-readers, Gates and Tanya.
One last thing, the wonderful author Sun princess has started translating the Betrayal to French, anyone who wishes to read it in that language can find the story under the name of: "La Trahison" http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=849109
Lots of thanks Sun princess for your wonderful translation.