Disclaimer: all characters belong to J K Rowling and Warner brothers.
a/n Don't worry, this isn't the 1000th post for WS, so don't freak out Rowena Gryffindor! I just realized that CD is going to die if I delay it any longer, so it's now officially off hiatus. Although the next chapter isn't quite ready, I have something in mind so it shouldn't take more than a month to get the next chapter out. PoM… well… chapter 7 isn't quite ready yet. I wasn't really expecting WS to reach 1000th so fast!! That chapter will be up… Monday at the latest. So I'm compensating a bit for CD's chapter 20. Ack! Imagine what it was like when I come home and check the review count for the first time after I posted WS' chapter 23, and boom! 1000!! I nearly spit soda all over my laptop! *sigh*
Cheating Death
By neutral
Chapter twenty - cheating forebodence
It soon occurred to everyone that returning to the Potter's home was not the best idea. With the Death Eaters still out for Harry's blood, their residence would be the first place they would target. The travel would take more than four days at least, and by that time, Harry's location would travel like wildfire. It was finally decided that they would keep a low profile in Cedric's small cottage, and Cedric would escort Lily from her home.
Harry was annoyed with the precautions they had to take. It seemed to worsen since his time with the Dursleys; at least there, they never spoke openly about his well-being (if at all). But he kept silent, seeing that both James and Sirius would be furious if he suggested anything remotely dangerous. Harry was embarrassed for having to put Cedric through so much trouble, but the older boy was insistent. He seemed to feel guilt from the very idea that Harry had tortured himself for weeks over his death.
Harry seemed to realize right away he was causing friction between James and Sirius. He was torn between wanting to spend time with his newly found father and become better acquainted with his godfather, and wanting to stay out of their way to keep the object of their dispute as far as possible. He had always imagined the reunion of the two best friends to be nothing short of a fairytale; never in his dreams would he imagine James and Sirius to come to a disagreement over him. He hid in his room as much as possible, sometimes watching the pair with a tinge of remorse.
James and Sirius were still best of friends. They spent hours in each other's company reliving the past, but the tension was still there. They both ignored it as much as possible, trying not to waste the precious time they had together.
"But I barely know him," James admitted to Sirius, squinting his eyes against the sun as he laid against the grass outside Cedric's small cottage. They were on the subject of Harry yet again; it always came up, no matter how hard they tried to avoid it.
"Prongs, you have no idea how much Harry is like you. Usually, when you know he's up to something and you don't know what, just think: what would James do? You'll be right nine out of ten times," Sirius gazed unblinkingly at the canopy above him, patches of gold peeking through the trees. It was a while since anything was as peaceful as this.
James looked incredibly flattered. "Really?"
"Yeah, that was how Remus found us at the Shrieking Shack Harry's third year."
"He doesn't play any pranks though."
Sirius grunted. "The Weasley twins already give everybody a handful. Besides, I don't think Harry wants any detentions. There's always a possibility he'd get Snape."
James made a strange gurgling noise, almost as if he was trying to choke, laugh, and vomit at the same time. He sat up, coughing and spluttering incoherently. Sirius laughed, patting his friend on the back good-naturedly.
"I still haven't gotten over the shock of him being a professor," James spluttered.
"Oh, he hates Harry's guts. Or I thought he did," Sirius added as an afterthought. At James' inquisitive gaze, Sirius tried to put his thoughts into words. "At the Riddle House, he was the first one to see Harry. He told him to leave, but evidently, Harry refused. He even visited once or twice after Harry died," Sirius trailed off, a shadow passing over his face as he recalled the days when he huddled in the small guestroom with Harry's lifeless body. It seemed such a long time ago.
"But I don't know that much about Harry at all either," Sirius said suddenly. "We've only met each other face to face five times, and all of those meetings were never more than half an hour. The longest was probably our first conversation at the Shrieking Shack," he sighed, raking a hand through his long hair.
James stared at Sirius in surprise. It hardly seemed possible to him, after watching their interactions, however brief, it was obvious the two shared many deep bonds.
"He's sort of like… Moony, in a way. You can speak to him for hours and not have learned a piece of information about him personally. But if you ask him, he just shuts up."
"Moony?" James echoed. He seemed incredulous at first, but the expression of doubt soon became understanding.
"He only told me things once," Sirius continued, eyes unfocused as he replayed the memory in his mind. "That was during the Tournament, before the First Task. The whole school thought he had somehow sneaked his name in the goblet and his best friend abandoned him. He was falling apart." Sirius sighed, leaning back against the grass heavily. It was a painful image to remember. It took a lot to force Harry into such desperations, and Sirius dreaded to wonder what would have happened if he kept it all hidden.
"Harry… he's very important to you, isn't he?" James asked softly.
"He's your son! Of course he's important," Sirius said, a bit more harshly than he intended.
"No, that's not what I meant. It's like, Harry's become something of a lifeline to you," James glanced at Sirius tentatively, traces of regret in his eyes.
Sirius was silent, crushing a small weed with a finger as a distraction.
"When you're at Akzaban, you need a goal," he finally said. "Otherwise, you'll forget and get lost."
"Harry was your goal?"
"No," Sirius smiled bitterly. "It was Wormtail. I wanted to avenge your death. I didn't really start focusing on Harry until after the Shrieking Shack, and I realized what growing up without loving parents did to him," he paused, trying to steady his trembling hands. James looked at him quietly, but Sirius couldn't bring himself to meet his eyes. "He told me he heard you and Lily… dying… every time he came near a dementor. He said it was my fault. He wanted to kill me…"
James drew a sharp breath, covering his face in his hands. He couldn't seem to find the words to speak.
"It was like seeing you," Sirius continued, "in Akzaban… blaming me for your death."
"Sirius," James cut in sharply.
"You did it… he kept saying over and over. You did it," Sirius couldn't suppress a shiver as he recalled the memory.
"Sirius!" James gripped his friend's arm firmly.
Sirius paused, turning to look at his friend questioningly. But under James' reassuring gaze, and eyes that held not a trace of accusations against him, Sirius couldn't seem to keep his doubts . He turned away again, unable to meet his friend's eyes, tracing the outline of the distant mountains.
"He couldn't do it," Sirius said softly. James raised his eyebrow in confusion. "Harry had that wand in his hand. He stood there for well over a minute. You could see that hate and anger in his eyes, but when he pointed it at me, he couldn't do it," Sirius swallowed past a constricted throat, eyes fixed at the canopy above. "Harry's too kind for his own good, just like you, James."
Harry sat up with a jerk, gasping for breath. He glanced around shakily, the nightmare still vivid in his mind, a hand reaching blindly for his glasses. He didn't relax even when the room came back into focus.
A dream…
Harry touched his quiet scar out of habit. Harry shut his eyes, trying to hold the flimsy images. The voices were slipping away rapidly, and he was left with a lingering feeling of unease. Harry couldn't decide whether it was a memory of his past, or some sort of twisted surveillance still watching his archenemy after death. He sighed wearily, rubbing his eyes.
It was still hard to believe that he was dead. Everything seemed so real, so simple. Looking outside was like looking into a tamed Forbidden Forest; there was nothing unusual about it. Harry sighed when his mind drifted to his awkward situation. Both James and Sirius expected him to miraculously return a few days after he becomes re-acquainted with Lily. Did they realize it wasn't that simple? He didn't even know how he was held back after his run-in with Riddle. He was pretty sure his one wish right then was to go back to Sirius, but it obviously wasn't right. Frankly, Harry didn't even know what was going on in his own mind. He wondered if he'd ever be able to make it home.
The sound of laughter shattered his concentration. Looking out, Harry smiled as he caught sight of the two best friends, laughing as they sat of the grass. Sirius seemed years younger, the life back in his face and his eyes gleaming. Harry sighed wistfully; if only none of this had happened. If only Voldermort never lived. Then everything would be perfect.
Harry paused, a bitterness of guilt and fear rushing into his mind. Sirius had given up a lot to save him, sacrificed a lot for him. It had never occurred that he was that important to anybody, but he was. It was obvious Sirius didn't want him to die, despite his words. Harry wondered what would happen if he chose to stay.
He shook away the doubts angrily, telling himself firmly that he would enjoy the worryless times while they lasted. Harry crawled out of bed with some difficulty, Cedric's oversized shirt and pants almost tripping him as he stood. But his body was thankfully completely healed; dying wasn't so bad if he had his parents and he an immortal body. He folded the sleeves and legs of his clothes before walking towards the door of the small cottage. He hesitated when he stepped outside, afraid that he would cause another dispute between the two. James and Sirius looked so happy, so carefree. He didn't need to shatter it from them.
'Child.'
Harry jumped, looking around sharply. The soft whispered voice was almost inhuman in its melody, and sent a shiver down his spine.
"Whose there?" he called uncertainly, backing towards the door. A cold, silky weight slid across his leg, and Harry startled. Looking down, he was shocked to discover a small, common grass snake, scales catching the shimmer of the afternoon sun, wrapped loosely around his ankle.
'They know.'
'What are you talking about?' Harry asked, reaching for the wand hidden in his pocket. He glared at the snake suspiciously, but couldn't summon fear or hatred against such an ordinary animal.
The animal lifted his head, black eyes boring into his. 'Those men with the human skulls know. They're coming for you.'
*
Short chapter. I wasn't sure if it was wise to make Sirius so open with James, since he normally seems so reserved, but considering how close they were before, I thought it seemed possible.
Chapter 20 and 21 marks the end of character development and paves the way to action. However… chapters 21 to 24 are in a state of revision, because the are… in short… awful. And I do mean it!! I mean… reading them gave me a headache. I don't know exactly why those are terrible, I think it has something to do with overkill and just plain bad writing skills and repetitiveness. But if I find myself completely incapable to rewrite CD anymore, I'll post it as it is so CD will never be in danger of dying completely.
Expect PoM before Monday. Sorry for the delay, is this an okay peace offering?
Thank you all so much for your encouragements!! They really helped keep me tied to my computer. I put it on hiatus because I felt that CD was beginning to die, and without all those reviews, I'm sure it would have. They were a great confidence booster; it was reassuring in that CD wasn't really as bad as I thought it was. Once again, thank you all so much!!! CD would never be here if it wasn't for all you guys!
a/n Don't worry, this isn't the 1000th post for WS, so don't freak out Rowena Gryffindor! I just realized that CD is going to die if I delay it any longer, so it's now officially off hiatus. Although the next chapter isn't quite ready, I have something in mind so it shouldn't take more than a month to get the next chapter out. PoM… well… chapter 7 isn't quite ready yet. I wasn't really expecting WS to reach 1000th so fast!! That chapter will be up… Monday at the latest. So I'm compensating a bit for CD's chapter 20. Ack! Imagine what it was like when I come home and check the review count for the first time after I posted WS' chapter 23, and boom! 1000!! I nearly spit soda all over my laptop! *sigh*
Cheating Death
By neutral
Chapter twenty - cheating forebodence
It soon occurred to everyone that returning to the Potter's home was not the best idea. With the Death Eaters still out for Harry's blood, their residence would be the first place they would target. The travel would take more than four days at least, and by that time, Harry's location would travel like wildfire. It was finally decided that they would keep a low profile in Cedric's small cottage, and Cedric would escort Lily from her home.
Harry was annoyed with the precautions they had to take. It seemed to worsen since his time with the Dursleys; at least there, they never spoke openly about his well-being (if at all). But he kept silent, seeing that both James and Sirius would be furious if he suggested anything remotely dangerous. Harry was embarrassed for having to put Cedric through so much trouble, but the older boy was insistent. He seemed to feel guilt from the very idea that Harry had tortured himself for weeks over his death.
Harry seemed to realize right away he was causing friction between James and Sirius. He was torn between wanting to spend time with his newly found father and become better acquainted with his godfather, and wanting to stay out of their way to keep the object of their dispute as far as possible. He had always imagined the reunion of the two best friends to be nothing short of a fairytale; never in his dreams would he imagine James and Sirius to come to a disagreement over him. He hid in his room as much as possible, sometimes watching the pair with a tinge of remorse.
James and Sirius were still best of friends. They spent hours in each other's company reliving the past, but the tension was still there. They both ignored it as much as possible, trying not to waste the precious time they had together.
"But I barely know him," James admitted to Sirius, squinting his eyes against the sun as he laid against the grass outside Cedric's small cottage. They were on the subject of Harry yet again; it always came up, no matter how hard they tried to avoid it.
"Prongs, you have no idea how much Harry is like you. Usually, when you know he's up to something and you don't know what, just think: what would James do? You'll be right nine out of ten times," Sirius gazed unblinkingly at the canopy above him, patches of gold peeking through the trees. It was a while since anything was as peaceful as this.
James looked incredibly flattered. "Really?"
"Yeah, that was how Remus found us at the Shrieking Shack Harry's third year."
"He doesn't play any pranks though."
Sirius grunted. "The Weasley twins already give everybody a handful. Besides, I don't think Harry wants any detentions. There's always a possibility he'd get Snape."
James made a strange gurgling noise, almost as if he was trying to choke, laugh, and vomit at the same time. He sat up, coughing and spluttering incoherently. Sirius laughed, patting his friend on the back good-naturedly.
"I still haven't gotten over the shock of him being a professor," James spluttered.
"Oh, he hates Harry's guts. Or I thought he did," Sirius added as an afterthought. At James' inquisitive gaze, Sirius tried to put his thoughts into words. "At the Riddle House, he was the first one to see Harry. He told him to leave, but evidently, Harry refused. He even visited once or twice after Harry died," Sirius trailed off, a shadow passing over his face as he recalled the days when he huddled in the small guestroom with Harry's lifeless body. It seemed such a long time ago.
"But I don't know that much about Harry at all either," Sirius said suddenly. "We've only met each other face to face five times, and all of those meetings were never more than half an hour. The longest was probably our first conversation at the Shrieking Shack," he sighed, raking a hand through his long hair.
James stared at Sirius in surprise. It hardly seemed possible to him, after watching their interactions, however brief, it was obvious the two shared many deep bonds.
"He's sort of like… Moony, in a way. You can speak to him for hours and not have learned a piece of information about him personally. But if you ask him, he just shuts up."
"Moony?" James echoed. He seemed incredulous at first, but the expression of doubt soon became understanding.
"He only told me things once," Sirius continued, eyes unfocused as he replayed the memory in his mind. "That was during the Tournament, before the First Task. The whole school thought he had somehow sneaked his name in the goblet and his best friend abandoned him. He was falling apart." Sirius sighed, leaning back against the grass heavily. It was a painful image to remember. It took a lot to force Harry into such desperations, and Sirius dreaded to wonder what would have happened if he kept it all hidden.
"Harry… he's very important to you, isn't he?" James asked softly.
"He's your son! Of course he's important," Sirius said, a bit more harshly than he intended.
"No, that's not what I meant. It's like, Harry's become something of a lifeline to you," James glanced at Sirius tentatively, traces of regret in his eyes.
Sirius was silent, crushing a small weed with a finger as a distraction.
"When you're at Akzaban, you need a goal," he finally said. "Otherwise, you'll forget and get lost."
"Harry was your goal?"
"No," Sirius smiled bitterly. "It was Wormtail. I wanted to avenge your death. I didn't really start focusing on Harry until after the Shrieking Shack, and I realized what growing up without loving parents did to him," he paused, trying to steady his trembling hands. James looked at him quietly, but Sirius couldn't bring himself to meet his eyes. "He told me he heard you and Lily… dying… every time he came near a dementor. He said it was my fault. He wanted to kill me…"
James drew a sharp breath, covering his face in his hands. He couldn't seem to find the words to speak.
"It was like seeing you," Sirius continued, "in Akzaban… blaming me for your death."
"Sirius," James cut in sharply.
"You did it… he kept saying over and over. You did it," Sirius couldn't suppress a shiver as he recalled the memory.
"Sirius!" James gripped his friend's arm firmly.
Sirius paused, turning to look at his friend questioningly. But under James' reassuring gaze, and eyes that held not a trace of accusations against him, Sirius couldn't seem to keep his doubts . He turned away again, unable to meet his friend's eyes, tracing the outline of the distant mountains.
"He couldn't do it," Sirius said softly. James raised his eyebrow in confusion. "Harry had that wand in his hand. He stood there for well over a minute. You could see that hate and anger in his eyes, but when he pointed it at me, he couldn't do it," Sirius swallowed past a constricted throat, eyes fixed at the canopy above. "Harry's too kind for his own good, just like you, James."
Harry sat up with a jerk, gasping for breath. He glanced around shakily, the nightmare still vivid in his mind, a hand reaching blindly for his glasses. He didn't relax even when the room came back into focus.
A dream…
Harry touched his quiet scar out of habit. Harry shut his eyes, trying to hold the flimsy images. The voices were slipping away rapidly, and he was left with a lingering feeling of unease. Harry couldn't decide whether it was a memory of his past, or some sort of twisted surveillance still watching his archenemy after death. He sighed wearily, rubbing his eyes.
It was still hard to believe that he was dead. Everything seemed so real, so simple. Looking outside was like looking into a tamed Forbidden Forest; there was nothing unusual about it. Harry sighed when his mind drifted to his awkward situation. Both James and Sirius expected him to miraculously return a few days after he becomes re-acquainted with Lily. Did they realize it wasn't that simple? He didn't even know how he was held back after his run-in with Riddle. He was pretty sure his one wish right then was to go back to Sirius, but it obviously wasn't right. Frankly, Harry didn't even know what was going on in his own mind. He wondered if he'd ever be able to make it home.
The sound of laughter shattered his concentration. Looking out, Harry smiled as he caught sight of the two best friends, laughing as they sat of the grass. Sirius seemed years younger, the life back in his face and his eyes gleaming. Harry sighed wistfully; if only none of this had happened. If only Voldermort never lived. Then everything would be perfect.
Harry paused, a bitterness of guilt and fear rushing into his mind. Sirius had given up a lot to save him, sacrificed a lot for him. It had never occurred that he was that important to anybody, but he was. It was obvious Sirius didn't want him to die, despite his words. Harry wondered what would happen if he chose to stay.
He shook away the doubts angrily, telling himself firmly that he would enjoy the worryless times while they lasted. Harry crawled out of bed with some difficulty, Cedric's oversized shirt and pants almost tripping him as he stood. But his body was thankfully completely healed; dying wasn't so bad if he had his parents and he an immortal body. He folded the sleeves and legs of his clothes before walking towards the door of the small cottage. He hesitated when he stepped outside, afraid that he would cause another dispute between the two. James and Sirius looked so happy, so carefree. He didn't need to shatter it from them.
'Child.'
Harry jumped, looking around sharply. The soft whispered voice was almost inhuman in its melody, and sent a shiver down his spine.
"Whose there?" he called uncertainly, backing towards the door. A cold, silky weight slid across his leg, and Harry startled. Looking down, he was shocked to discover a small, common grass snake, scales catching the shimmer of the afternoon sun, wrapped loosely around his ankle.
'They know.'
'What are you talking about?' Harry asked, reaching for the wand hidden in his pocket. He glared at the snake suspiciously, but couldn't summon fear or hatred against such an ordinary animal.
The animal lifted his head, black eyes boring into his. 'Those men with the human skulls know. They're coming for you.'
*
Short chapter. I wasn't sure if it was wise to make Sirius so open with James, since he normally seems so reserved, but considering how close they were before, I thought it seemed possible.
Chapter 20 and 21 marks the end of character development and paves the way to action. However… chapters 21 to 24 are in a state of revision, because the are… in short… awful. And I do mean it!! I mean… reading them gave me a headache. I don't know exactly why those are terrible, I think it has something to do with overkill and just plain bad writing skills and repetitiveness. But if I find myself completely incapable to rewrite CD anymore, I'll post it as it is so CD will never be in danger of dying completely.
Expect PoM before Monday. Sorry for the delay, is this an okay peace offering?
Thank you all so much for your encouragements!! They really helped keep me tied to my computer. I put it on hiatus because I felt that CD was beginning to die, and without all those reviews, I'm sure it would have. They were a great confidence booster; it was reassuring in that CD wasn't really as bad as I thought it was. Once again, thank you all so much!!! CD would never be here if it wasn't for all you guys!