Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.
Dangers in the Past.
Dumbledore was sitting in Madam Pomfrey's office along with Snape. Neither was talking, both far too worried about Harry and how things were going in the past. The potion's master was upset with Dumbledore because he was trusting two teens to save them all. He had tried to argue about sending Ron and Hermione back, but Dumbledore had told him with unusual sharpness to keep his opinion to himself. He knew the old man was worried, hell, even he was worried, and not only because their future was at risk. A few months ago, Harry and him had become friends, but sadly, the unusual circumstances had broken that friendship. It was mostly his fault, he knew that very well, Harry had not really done anything, but he had been angry at the web of lies Dumbledore and Harry had been wrapped in not so long ago. (A/N: That will be explained in the prequel I'm planning.)
A sharp cry broke the silence that had been suffusing the room. Both men shot up from their seats and rushed to the door, hoping they would see James and Lily awake. The sight that met them shattered those hopes. The two teens were still lying in their beds unmoving. Sirius, however, had moved. Instead of holding Harry, he had draped his arms around his knees and his head was hidden in them. His entire body was trembling, and Dumbledore suspected he was crying. Looking around, he felt himself grow pale. Harry was nowhere in sight.
In a sharp voice, the old headmaster spoke. "Sirius, where's Harry?"
The crying man didn't move from his position. Before Dumbledore got the chance to repeat his question, Snape moved past him and walked up to Sirius. Gripping the distraught man's robes tightly, he roughly hauled him on his feet and shook the man forcefully, ignoring the tears running down Sirius's checks.
"You heard the headmaster, Black, where's Potter?"
Sirius choked back a sob and looked away. With an outraged cry, Snape slammed him against the wall.
"Where's Harry, damn it!"
"Severus calm down!"
But the enraged potions master ignored him and shook Sirius again. Finally, the man stopped sobbing long enough to answer him. "He disappeared. Completely. It's over."
Dumbledore sagged against the door, a desolated look in his eyes. Snape's hands went rigid and Sirius's robes slipped from them. Since Severus was no longer holding him up, Ryan slumped against the wall and slowly slid down until he was sitting on the ground. The potions master stayed completely still, looking ahead from him, his normally burning eyes oddly hollow.
"He can't be dead." He shook his hair lightly. "He can't be."
Dumbledore looked up at him. "Hermione and Ron aren't back yet. We have no idea what has happened. How long would it take for the potion to take effect?"
Severus shrugged slightly. "I don't know. It depends on the person, it affects everyone in a different way."
They stayed silent for a long while. Sirius had once again curled up and wasn't paying any attention to the other occupants of the room. He didn't even look up when the doors to the infirmary opened and two weary teens came in. Ron and Hermione stopped short at the scene that met their eyes. Hermione looked hesitantly up at the headmaster. "Professor Dumbledore? What's wrong?"
The old man gave them a tired look. "Harry disappeared completely."
Both teens grew pale. Ron shook his head forcefully. "But that can't be! We gave them the potion. Hell! We nearly forced it into them."
Severus and Dumbledore looked at them sharply. "Are you sure about that?" Both teens nodded.
"Tell me exactly what happened."
Hermione and Ron complied. Both men were slightly relieved that the two teens had managed to do things right. Now they only had to wait. Sighing, Dumbledore looked back at Ryan and silently cast a sleeping charm on him; the poor man needed to get a good rest and it would be better if he remained asleep while they waited. Snape picked up a chair and sat down on it, his eyes now trained towards Lily and James. The headmaster sent Hermione and Ron off so they could get some rest. The hospital wing was once again silent.
Harry had awakened the moment he felt his body dissolve into nothing. Just when he did, he knew he had to do something or not even if his parents woke up would he be able to come back. Summoning all his energy together, Harry placed a protective wall around himself. Silently, he floated up, waiting to see what was about to happen. Snape and Dumbledore had barged in when his Godfather broke down crying. Harry was torn between anger and happiness when he saw Snape slam Sirius into a wall. Anger because he was hurting his Godfather and happiness because at that moment, he knew the friend he had come to appreciate during the previous months was still there, even if Snape had been furious at him and had reverted to his usual nasty self. He couldn't really blame Snape for it, it had been his and Dumbledore's fault.
He listened on carefully as Ron and Hermione quickly explained what had happened, slightly amused by the way things had gone. After that, everyone seemed to calm down, except for Sirius, who was lost in his own world and didn't seem aware of what was going around him. Dumbledore luckily saw it, too, and he took matters into his own hands, putting the man to sleep and settling down to wait with Snape.
Now that everything seemed to be ok, he turned his gaze towards his future parents. He knew that Dumbledore and Snape had done everything they could, and that it was only a matter of waiting, but he wondered if there wasn't anything he could do to help them along the way. A golden light suddenly enveloped him and drew him closer to James' sleeping body. A weird pulling sensation ran through his limbs before he was sucked into it, without a chance to make a sound. Not that it would have helped, since he had 'disappeared'.
When Harry was once again aware of his surroundings, he saw he was at the Hogwarts grounds, but there was something strange; it was dark and silent, as if nothing had been living there for a long time. No sound even came from the forest. The place was starting to make him feel nervous, but there was something tugging at him faintly. Looking around, he decided to walk into the castle, since the pull came from there, and it couldn't be that bad inside.
He was wrong.
To be continued.
A/N: Yes, I know I'm evil, bear with it, you shouldn't be that surprised, you know me and cliffangers. Anyway, thanks for all reviews, and thanks for my beta reader Tanya.
You can now find Free being translated to french by Kelly Exvagus, the story is called Libre and you can find it: http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=918972
Dangers in the Past.
Dumbledore was sitting in Madam Pomfrey's office along with Snape. Neither was talking, both far too worried about Harry and how things were going in the past. The potion's master was upset with Dumbledore because he was trusting two teens to save them all. He had tried to argue about sending Ron and Hermione back, but Dumbledore had told him with unusual sharpness to keep his opinion to himself. He knew the old man was worried, hell, even he was worried, and not only because their future was at risk. A few months ago, Harry and him had become friends, but sadly, the unusual circumstances had broken that friendship. It was mostly his fault, he knew that very well, Harry had not really done anything, but he had been angry at the web of lies Dumbledore and Harry had been wrapped in not so long ago. (A/N: That will be explained in the prequel I'm planning.)
A sharp cry broke the silence that had been suffusing the room. Both men shot up from their seats and rushed to the door, hoping they would see James and Lily awake. The sight that met them shattered those hopes. The two teens were still lying in their beds unmoving. Sirius, however, had moved. Instead of holding Harry, he had draped his arms around his knees and his head was hidden in them. His entire body was trembling, and Dumbledore suspected he was crying. Looking around, he felt himself grow pale. Harry was nowhere in sight.
In a sharp voice, the old headmaster spoke. "Sirius, where's Harry?"
The crying man didn't move from his position. Before Dumbledore got the chance to repeat his question, Snape moved past him and walked up to Sirius. Gripping the distraught man's robes tightly, he roughly hauled him on his feet and shook the man forcefully, ignoring the tears running down Sirius's checks.
"You heard the headmaster, Black, where's Potter?"
Sirius choked back a sob and looked away. With an outraged cry, Snape slammed him against the wall.
"Where's Harry, damn it!"
"Severus calm down!"
But the enraged potions master ignored him and shook Sirius again. Finally, the man stopped sobbing long enough to answer him. "He disappeared. Completely. It's over."
Dumbledore sagged against the door, a desolated look in his eyes. Snape's hands went rigid and Sirius's robes slipped from them. Since Severus was no longer holding him up, Ryan slumped against the wall and slowly slid down until he was sitting on the ground. The potions master stayed completely still, looking ahead from him, his normally burning eyes oddly hollow.
"He can't be dead." He shook his hair lightly. "He can't be."
Dumbledore looked up at him. "Hermione and Ron aren't back yet. We have no idea what has happened. How long would it take for the potion to take effect?"
Severus shrugged slightly. "I don't know. It depends on the person, it affects everyone in a different way."
They stayed silent for a long while. Sirius had once again curled up and wasn't paying any attention to the other occupants of the room. He didn't even look up when the doors to the infirmary opened and two weary teens came in. Ron and Hermione stopped short at the scene that met their eyes. Hermione looked hesitantly up at the headmaster. "Professor Dumbledore? What's wrong?"
The old man gave them a tired look. "Harry disappeared completely."
Both teens grew pale. Ron shook his head forcefully. "But that can't be! We gave them the potion. Hell! We nearly forced it into them."
Severus and Dumbledore looked at them sharply. "Are you sure about that?" Both teens nodded.
"Tell me exactly what happened."
Hermione and Ron complied. Both men were slightly relieved that the two teens had managed to do things right. Now they only had to wait. Sighing, Dumbledore looked back at Ryan and silently cast a sleeping charm on him; the poor man needed to get a good rest and it would be better if he remained asleep while they waited. Snape picked up a chair and sat down on it, his eyes now trained towards Lily and James. The headmaster sent Hermione and Ron off so they could get some rest. The hospital wing was once again silent.
Harry had awakened the moment he felt his body dissolve into nothing. Just when he did, he knew he had to do something or not even if his parents woke up would he be able to come back. Summoning all his energy together, Harry placed a protective wall around himself. Silently, he floated up, waiting to see what was about to happen. Snape and Dumbledore had barged in when his Godfather broke down crying. Harry was torn between anger and happiness when he saw Snape slam Sirius into a wall. Anger because he was hurting his Godfather and happiness because at that moment, he knew the friend he had come to appreciate during the previous months was still there, even if Snape had been furious at him and had reverted to his usual nasty self. He couldn't really blame Snape for it, it had been his and Dumbledore's fault.
He listened on carefully as Ron and Hermione quickly explained what had happened, slightly amused by the way things had gone. After that, everyone seemed to calm down, except for Sirius, who was lost in his own world and didn't seem aware of what was going around him. Dumbledore luckily saw it, too, and he took matters into his own hands, putting the man to sleep and settling down to wait with Snape.
Now that everything seemed to be ok, he turned his gaze towards his future parents. He knew that Dumbledore and Snape had done everything they could, and that it was only a matter of waiting, but he wondered if there wasn't anything he could do to help them along the way. A golden light suddenly enveloped him and drew him closer to James' sleeping body. A weird pulling sensation ran through his limbs before he was sucked into it, without a chance to make a sound. Not that it would have helped, since he had 'disappeared'.
When Harry was once again aware of his surroundings, he saw he was at the Hogwarts grounds, but there was something strange; it was dark and silent, as if nothing had been living there for a long time. No sound even came from the forest. The place was starting to make him feel nervous, but there was something tugging at him faintly. Looking around, he decided to walk into the castle, since the pull came from there, and it couldn't be that bad inside.
He was wrong.
To be continued.
A/N: Yes, I know I'm evil, bear with it, you shouldn't be that surprised, you know me and cliffangers. Anyway, thanks for all reviews, and thanks for my beta reader Tanya.
You can now find Free being translated to french by Kelly Exvagus, the story is called Libre and you can find it: http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=918972