Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.
Dangers in the Past:
When Ryan woke up, he saw that he was lying on a bed in the hospital wing. The light in the room was dimmed, and it was most likely very late at night. Stretching carefully, he tried to remember why he was there, what had happened. A rush of images flooded his sleepy brain, making him wake up completely.
He had failed.
All his efforts in protecting his godson, his son, had been for nothing. Harry had disappeared and he was sure he would be following soon, because without Harry, he really didn't have anything to live for. Of course, there was Remus, but that wasn't the same. The other man had become used to be lonely, even if they liked to stay close to each other, Remus didn't need him the way Harry had. And he couldn't provide Sirius with an objective, something to focus on. Sighing, the man sat up in his bed and looked around the ward, trying to make out who was still there. To his right, James and Lily were still lying motionless, it looked like they were barely breathing, but Sirius couldn't bring himself to care anymore. Without Harry, James and Lily were nothing else but names of old friends in his head. Trying to shake those depressing thoughts out of his mind, he looked at the figure sitting in a chair between the two beds. He was slightly startled to recognise McGonagall sitting there, silently dozing. Of course, it made sense that someone would stay with the two teens, but Sirius thought it was kind of useless, they weren't going anywhere. Turning his head to the other side of the room, he saw someone sitting on a chair, much the same as McGonagall, with his back turned to him. He easily recognised his best friend, but couldn't help but wonder why he was there. From his bed, he tried to see the person lying in the bed Moony was watching, but his friend shielded his view. Sirius debated about just lying back down and forgetting about it, but his curiosity won out. Softly, he slid out of his bed, trying to not make noise, and he padded to his friend's side.
His breath stopped at once in his throat, it just wasn't possible. For a second, he thought it must be James, that they had moved the teen from the bed he had been using to this one. But deep in his mind, he knew that was not true. He would never confuse Harry for James, he had come to know his young godson well enough to recognise him anywhere. While his mind kept telling him this was not possible, his heart told him to just hug the sleeping teen.
A soft voice broke through his indecision. "You didn't really think we would let him disappear on us, did you, Padfoot?"
Sirius didn't move his eyes from the teen. "This can't be real."
Remus chuckled softly. "Oh, but it is."
Frowning, his friend turned to him, still keeping an eye on the teen, as if afraid he would disappear if he stopped looking at the slight form. "How, Moony?"
Remus laughed softly, at the disbelieving tone of voice his friend was using but started to tell him exactly what had happened since they had found out what was going on with James and Lily. By the end of the tale, Sirius was sitting in a chair next to Remus, trying to process all the information his friend had given him. A deep happiness was starting to take a hold of his mind, and slowly he started to smile.
"So, James and Lily awakened? Harry is fine?"
Remus grimaced a bit. "James and Lily are indeed awake. As for Harry, we'll have to wait until he wakes up to be completely sure but Madam Pomfrey already says he's exhausted. All his bruises have faded so she's not concerned about that but, well, you know how Harry gets."
Sirius groaned softly and leaned back into his seat. "You're telling me. Here we go again."
Remus chuckled softly. "Well, it could have been worse."
The man didn't comment.
Some of the happiness in Sirius had dimmed, replaced with concern, but the smile stayed on his face. Even if Harry was weak, or sick, or whatever, he was still here, alive, and that was enough to return the light into the man's eyes.
James woke up late the next morning. He was feeling more alert and refreshed than he had the previous evening and some of the confusion that had clouded his mind had disappeared. Slowly, he sat up in the bed, trying to assess the condition his body was in. Luckily, he was not in pain, and although he was hungry, everything else seemed to be fine.
"Good morning, Mr Potter, I trust you slept well?"
James started and looked at his side, where his transfiguration professor was looking at him intently. "Er. Good morning, Ma'am. Yes, I slept fine, thanks for asking." Looking at the other bed, the boy couldn't help but worry about his girlfriend. "Is Lily ok, Professor? Did Harry help her?"
McGonagall chuckled. "Miss Evans is fine, James, although Madam Pomfrey thinks she will still sleep for a few more hours yet. She came out of the dream state a few hours after you."
James nodded, relieved to know Harry had kept his word, and relaxed against the pillows. His teacher stood up and smiled at him slightly. "I have to go talk to Professor Dumbledore, on the way I'll ask a house elf to bring you something to eat. If you need something, ask either Daniel or Ryan."
McGonagall pointed towards the two men and then left the room.
James stayed quiet for a few minutes, observing the still figures of his best friends. It was strange knowing that those adults were his friends, they acted so differently, specially Sirius. He couldn't help but wonder what had happened to change the joking, happy kid, into this serious, somewhat sad, man.
Curious about what the two teachers were watching, James slid out of his bed and silently made his way towards the other side of the room. Even being careful so as not to make any noise, Daniel heard him and turned his head to acknowledge him, a small smile on his lips.
"Good morning, James, it's nice to see you again."
Ryan turned slightly, never letting go of the hand of the person lying in bed, and also smiled to him. "Hey, Prongs."
James came to a stop next to them and in a joking voice, greeted them. "Good morning, Professors."
Both adults chuckled lightly but didn't say anything, there was nothing to say. James finally looked at the bed and immediately froze in shock. Remus noticed this and arched an eyebrow.
"Something wrong, James?"
The boy couldn't say anything, his brain was still trying to register that lying in that bed, was Harry, his future son, and that instead of being still, as dead people should be, the boy was still breathing regularly. Ryan finally remembered why this should be a shock to James and laughed softly.
"Yes, James, this is Harry and he's not dead. To be completely truthful, he never died."
The raven-haired boy looked at him. "But... but I saw him die!"
Remus shook his head. "No, you saw him get hit with the killing curse."
An unexpected voice joined the conversation. "That's the same thing!"
The three men watched as Lily joined them, coming to stand next to James. Both teens kissed briefly, but their attention was still on Harry. "Anyone who gets hit with the killing curse dies, that's why it's called the killing curse. No one has ever survived it."
Ryan looked sadly at his godson. "Harry has, or rather will, survive it. On several occasions, actually. Your son is called The Boy Who Lived for a reason, Lily."
Lily looked confused, as did James. "That's what he said in my dream, but I don't understand what that means. And what is this about my son? I don't have a son! And why are you three being so familiar with each other?" The three men laughed at her ranting, while the girl looked at them annoyed. "Someone better start explaining things soon, or I'll hex you."
Shaking his head in laughter at her antics, Daniel softly started to explain everything about Harry to the two teens.
Harry sighed softly, he was starting to awaken but he really didn't want to. It was painful, all his muscles were sore and he was starting to get a headache. It really was no wonder, after all, he had been ripped apart and pulled back together. That last thought made him fight harder for consciousness, he had to make sure his body was back, although the pain that was travelling through his limbs made him pretty sure it was. Moaning in pain, he opened his eyes a bit. The bright light in the room blinded him for a moment, making his head pulse painfully. Someone, Harry wasn't sure who, gently took his hand.
"Harry, kiddo, are you awake?"
Harry moaned again, trying to open his eyes further, but the light was starting to hurt even more and he knew it would only be a matter of minutes before he was once again out. Suddenly someone lifted up his upper body, causing him to hiss in pain, and something cold was pressed against his lips. The same soft voice spoke to him again.
"Kiddo, drink this, it will make you feel better."
His mind somehow registered what the voice had told him to do, and he slowly opened his mouth a bit, just enough to allow the liquid to seep through. He was nearly asleep again, when he felt himself being lowered back into the bed. Soft hands tucked him in and he felt himself drift off to sleep.
To be continued.
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. And a million thanks to my beta reader, Tanya.
Dangers in the Past:
When Ryan woke up, he saw that he was lying on a bed in the hospital wing. The light in the room was dimmed, and it was most likely very late at night. Stretching carefully, he tried to remember why he was there, what had happened. A rush of images flooded his sleepy brain, making him wake up completely.
He had failed.
All his efforts in protecting his godson, his son, had been for nothing. Harry had disappeared and he was sure he would be following soon, because without Harry, he really didn't have anything to live for. Of course, there was Remus, but that wasn't the same. The other man had become used to be lonely, even if they liked to stay close to each other, Remus didn't need him the way Harry had. And he couldn't provide Sirius with an objective, something to focus on. Sighing, the man sat up in his bed and looked around the ward, trying to make out who was still there. To his right, James and Lily were still lying motionless, it looked like they were barely breathing, but Sirius couldn't bring himself to care anymore. Without Harry, James and Lily were nothing else but names of old friends in his head. Trying to shake those depressing thoughts out of his mind, he looked at the figure sitting in a chair between the two beds. He was slightly startled to recognise McGonagall sitting there, silently dozing. Of course, it made sense that someone would stay with the two teens, but Sirius thought it was kind of useless, they weren't going anywhere. Turning his head to the other side of the room, he saw someone sitting on a chair, much the same as McGonagall, with his back turned to him. He easily recognised his best friend, but couldn't help but wonder why he was there. From his bed, he tried to see the person lying in the bed Moony was watching, but his friend shielded his view. Sirius debated about just lying back down and forgetting about it, but his curiosity won out. Softly, he slid out of his bed, trying to not make noise, and he padded to his friend's side.
His breath stopped at once in his throat, it just wasn't possible. For a second, he thought it must be James, that they had moved the teen from the bed he had been using to this one. But deep in his mind, he knew that was not true. He would never confuse Harry for James, he had come to know his young godson well enough to recognise him anywhere. While his mind kept telling him this was not possible, his heart told him to just hug the sleeping teen.
A soft voice broke through his indecision. "You didn't really think we would let him disappear on us, did you, Padfoot?"
Sirius didn't move his eyes from the teen. "This can't be real."
Remus chuckled softly. "Oh, but it is."
Frowning, his friend turned to him, still keeping an eye on the teen, as if afraid he would disappear if he stopped looking at the slight form. "How, Moony?"
Remus laughed softly, at the disbelieving tone of voice his friend was using but started to tell him exactly what had happened since they had found out what was going on with James and Lily. By the end of the tale, Sirius was sitting in a chair next to Remus, trying to process all the information his friend had given him. A deep happiness was starting to take a hold of his mind, and slowly he started to smile.
"So, James and Lily awakened? Harry is fine?"
Remus grimaced a bit. "James and Lily are indeed awake. As for Harry, we'll have to wait until he wakes up to be completely sure but Madam Pomfrey already says he's exhausted. All his bruises have faded so she's not concerned about that but, well, you know how Harry gets."
Sirius groaned softly and leaned back into his seat. "You're telling me. Here we go again."
Remus chuckled softly. "Well, it could have been worse."
The man didn't comment.
Some of the happiness in Sirius had dimmed, replaced with concern, but the smile stayed on his face. Even if Harry was weak, or sick, or whatever, he was still here, alive, and that was enough to return the light into the man's eyes.
James woke up late the next morning. He was feeling more alert and refreshed than he had the previous evening and some of the confusion that had clouded his mind had disappeared. Slowly, he sat up in the bed, trying to assess the condition his body was in. Luckily, he was not in pain, and although he was hungry, everything else seemed to be fine.
"Good morning, Mr Potter, I trust you slept well?"
James started and looked at his side, where his transfiguration professor was looking at him intently. "Er. Good morning, Ma'am. Yes, I slept fine, thanks for asking." Looking at the other bed, the boy couldn't help but worry about his girlfriend. "Is Lily ok, Professor? Did Harry help her?"
McGonagall chuckled. "Miss Evans is fine, James, although Madam Pomfrey thinks she will still sleep for a few more hours yet. She came out of the dream state a few hours after you."
James nodded, relieved to know Harry had kept his word, and relaxed against the pillows. His teacher stood up and smiled at him slightly. "I have to go talk to Professor Dumbledore, on the way I'll ask a house elf to bring you something to eat. If you need something, ask either Daniel or Ryan."
McGonagall pointed towards the two men and then left the room.
James stayed quiet for a few minutes, observing the still figures of his best friends. It was strange knowing that those adults were his friends, they acted so differently, specially Sirius. He couldn't help but wonder what had happened to change the joking, happy kid, into this serious, somewhat sad, man.
Curious about what the two teachers were watching, James slid out of his bed and silently made his way towards the other side of the room. Even being careful so as not to make any noise, Daniel heard him and turned his head to acknowledge him, a small smile on his lips.
"Good morning, James, it's nice to see you again."
Ryan turned slightly, never letting go of the hand of the person lying in bed, and also smiled to him. "Hey, Prongs."
James came to a stop next to them and in a joking voice, greeted them. "Good morning, Professors."
Both adults chuckled lightly but didn't say anything, there was nothing to say. James finally looked at the bed and immediately froze in shock. Remus noticed this and arched an eyebrow.
"Something wrong, James?"
The boy couldn't say anything, his brain was still trying to register that lying in that bed, was Harry, his future son, and that instead of being still, as dead people should be, the boy was still breathing regularly. Ryan finally remembered why this should be a shock to James and laughed softly.
"Yes, James, this is Harry and he's not dead. To be completely truthful, he never died."
The raven-haired boy looked at him. "But... but I saw him die!"
Remus shook his head. "No, you saw him get hit with the killing curse."
An unexpected voice joined the conversation. "That's the same thing!"
The three men watched as Lily joined them, coming to stand next to James. Both teens kissed briefly, but their attention was still on Harry. "Anyone who gets hit with the killing curse dies, that's why it's called the killing curse. No one has ever survived it."
Ryan looked sadly at his godson. "Harry has, or rather will, survive it. On several occasions, actually. Your son is called The Boy Who Lived for a reason, Lily."
Lily looked confused, as did James. "That's what he said in my dream, but I don't understand what that means. And what is this about my son? I don't have a son! And why are you three being so familiar with each other?" The three men laughed at her ranting, while the girl looked at them annoyed. "Someone better start explaining things soon, or I'll hex you."
Shaking his head in laughter at her antics, Daniel softly started to explain everything about Harry to the two teens.
Harry sighed softly, he was starting to awaken but he really didn't want to. It was painful, all his muscles were sore and he was starting to get a headache. It really was no wonder, after all, he had been ripped apart and pulled back together. That last thought made him fight harder for consciousness, he had to make sure his body was back, although the pain that was travelling through his limbs made him pretty sure it was. Moaning in pain, he opened his eyes a bit. The bright light in the room blinded him for a moment, making his head pulse painfully. Someone, Harry wasn't sure who, gently took his hand.
"Harry, kiddo, are you awake?"
Harry moaned again, trying to open his eyes further, but the light was starting to hurt even more and he knew it would only be a matter of minutes before he was once again out. Suddenly someone lifted up his upper body, causing him to hiss in pain, and something cold was pressed against his lips. The same soft voice spoke to him again.
"Kiddo, drink this, it will make you feel better."
His mind somehow registered what the voice had told him to do, and he slowly opened his mouth a bit, just enough to allow the liquid to seep through. He was nearly asleep again, when he felt himself being lowered back into the bed. Soft hands tucked him in and he felt himself drift off to sleep.
To be continued.
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. And a million thanks to my beta reader, Tanya.