A/N: I do not own any characters, except Brianna.
Brianna awoke with a start. It took a moment for her to realize where she was. The Gryffindor Common Room came into focus and she felt Harry's heavy hands on her waist. They must have fallen asleep while reading. She gently pried herself out of Harry's grip and sat up, rubbing her eyes. Wondering what woke her so suddenly, she looked around, before recognizing the silent silhouette that sat by the window.
"Hedwig!" she cried. "You frightened me!" Hedwig remained silent, but her sharp eyes penetrated the darkness of the Common Room. The fire had nearly gone out and a cloud slipped over the winter sun, casting the Common Room into darkness. Feeling the couch beside her, Brianna's fingers brushed the corner of an envelope. Picking it up, she rose to give Hedwig a piece of toast that lay on the table beside two empty mugs. Hedwig nibbled happily on the cold bread as Brianna studied the writing. It wasn't Hermione's, nor did it belong to Ron. In fact, it looked like.
"Sirius!" Harry's godfather hadn't written him in weeks and Brianna knew that Harry was worried. Each morning as the post arrived, Brianna painfully watched Harry scan the room for a sign of Hedwig with a letter from Sirius. She knew he would want to read this right away.
"Harry," she hissed quietly, not wanting to scare him. "Harry, wake up!" She shook his arm gently and he moaned, moving his head from one side to the other. "Harry, wake up, please! You have a letter."
"Tell them not to bring it, then," he muttered. Brianna sighed impatiently.
"Harry, you have a letter here! It's from Sirius!"
Harry's eyes opened with a flash. "Sirius?" he muttered sleepily. He sat up quickly and grabbed his head as it began to spin. Snatching the letter out of Brianna's outstretched hand, he ripped it open and began to read aloud:
Harry, I am sorry I haven't written for awhile. I've been very busy, indeed, but there is one thing I want to make clear. I am fine. Please don't worry yourself, as I know you tend to overreact when everything is fine. I will come visit you as soon as I can and I will bring your Christmas gift. Sirius
Harry looked up from the parchment he held in his hands. He needn't speak a word; Brianna could read his face.
"That's not Sirius," he said quietly, reading the letter again to himself. "It doesn't sound like him. 'I know you tend to overreact when everything is fine." What the hell is that?"
Brianna shook her head, at a loss for words. She wanted to comfort Harry, telling him that maybe Sirius just had a bad day and it was nothing to worry about but a little voice in the back of her head kept nagging at her. Don't leave it alone. Pay attention to it. Something's wrong. Instead of saying these thoughts aloud, she smiled falsely and grabbed Harry's hands.
"Come on, buddy, we've got to have a bit of fun before supper tonight. Don't worry about it now, we'll worry about it when we come back tonight."
Harry nodded uncertainly. "Maybe he was just in a bad mood."
"That's possible."
Harry's eyes were frustrated as he followed Brianna out of the Common Room and outside. Before he had a chance to tell Brianna that they were going to freeze from lack of jackets, she began tossing fluffy snow at him again and it wasn't long before they were racing away from each other, white powder flying between them.
"Isn't this sweet?"
The sound of Malfoy's voice brought Brianna to a grinding halt and caused Harry to trip over her. Lying in the snow, they stared up at Malfoy, who looked unusually large from this view. "Little Potter and his girlfriend playing in the snow," he sneered. "Isn't this such a pleasant sight?"
Harry jumped up and sneered back in Malfoy's face. "What's it to you, Draco?"
Draco smiled, a nasty thought crossing his mind. Instead of relaying it, he simply replied, "Nothing. But keep an eye on your girl, Potter." His eyes became dark and violent. "Someone might just snatch her from under your nose." With that, he turned and left.
Brianna grabbed the back of Harry's sweater to keep him from attacking Malfoy's departing figure. "It's not worth it," she whispered gently. Staring down at Malfoy's back as Harry turned away, she grimaced, trying to hold down the deep, dark thoughts she hid in her mind.
Supper that night began promptly at six. Brianna could tell that Sirius' note still plagued Harry's mind. He barely noticed that she was wearing his jumper that Mrs. Weasley made for him. All the way down to the Hall, Brianna kept trying to make Harry laugh, but she knew that deep down inside, Malfoy was also irritating him.
Albus Dumbledore once again headed up the great Head Table at the end of the Hall. He looked mighty powerful in his glimmering robes. Brianna felt that maybe she wasn't dressed as properly as she should be, but Dumbledore greeted them both with a great smile and a cheerful hello. When Harry responded glumly, he immediately sensed that something was wrong.
"Mr. Potter, may I speak to you after the meal?" he asked in his kind, gentle voice and Harry looked a little startled. "Nothing serious, my dear boy, nothing serious." He grinned again and Harry nodded sombrely.
Dinner was spectacular, as usual. Harry's mood seemed to have lifted greatly when a note from Hagrid arrived, telling everyone how his holidays were going. Brianna made a mental note to send a Christmas greeting to Hagrid the following morning. Dumbledore finished reading Hagrid's letter and set it aside his plate in the graceful way that he always moved. He sighed deeply and smiled at Harry. Many of the students had already dispersed to their dormitories and Brianna whispered to Harry that she was going back to the Common Room so he could talk to Dumbledore.
"I want you to stay here with me," he whispered back, looking into her eyes. Brianna felt herself melt and as much as she wanted to protest, she slowly nodded her agreement. However, their conversation with Dumbledore didn't take place until several minutes after all the teachers left to be with their houses. Draco Malfoy remained seated at his place, smirking at Brianna and Harry. He knew that they wanted a word alone with Dumbledore, and he wasn't about to let that happen.
"Harry, Brianna, I want to show you something," Dumbledore said, standing. "Mr. Malfoy, if you'll excuse us." He began to walk towards the Hall doors. Harry tried to hide his smile, but Brianna burst out laughing at the sudden drop in Malfoy's sneer. She jumped up quickly to join Harry and Dumbledore, and also to avoid being left alone in Draco's presence.
They walked what seemed like for miles without a trace of where Dumbledore was leading them. Up one staircase, only to descend the parallel one. Brianna felt her head spinning before Dumbledore reached a doorway. Turning to face them, he gestured for them to sit. Looking around at the concrete ground, Harry and Brianna sat, both wincing at the cold.
Dumbledore smiled at their quizzical glances. "I tried to lose Mr. Malfoy," he told them, "for I had a feeling that he would follow us to hear what I'm about to say." He took a deep breath. "Harry, what I'm about to say may surprise and shock you. Then again, you may already know. Your godfather, Sirius Black, has been Abunded."
Harry shrugged. "What's Abunded?"
"Abunded is like being controlled by someone else. Your godfather is being controlled by a man of the name Henry Wattler. He's an old friend of Sirius' from school here. He was a bright boy, but had an extreme liking for the Dark Arts. Abunding is a Dark Arts practice."
"But why would Henry Wattler want to Abund Sirius?" Brianna asked, her mind full of questions.
Dumbledore shrugged and slowly lowered himself to the ground in front of the teenagers. "Who knows why anyone does anything?" he asked, more to himself than Harry and Brianna. They shared a concerned look and stared eagerly at Dumbledore, awaiting more of the story. When he failed to continue, Harry's temper flared.
"Well, what's going to happen to Sirius? What can we do to stop Wattler?"
Dumbledore immediately looked apologetic. "I'm afraid there is nothing you can do, Harry. Not yet. The Abunding can only be undone when one of two things happens. Either the victim must drink the potion used to revive Abunding sufferers, or the Controller, Wattler in this case, must lose interest in his subject and move on. Once that happens, the victim is freed of the Abundance."
Harry's eyes began to gleam and Brianna quickly jumped to her feet, pulling Harry with her. "Thank you, Dumbledore. At least now we know why Sirius sent that strange letter to Harry."
Dumbledore nodded, without saying a word and Brianna had the distinct sense that Dumbledore knew all about the letter. How he knew, she wasn't sure. "Harry and I are going to go back to the Common Room before it gets really late." She began tugging on Harry's arm, and Harry protested loudly.
"Before you go, may I ask a favour of you two?" Dumbledore asked. When they responded, he said, "Please help me up. I'm not as young as I used to be."
Brianna awoke with a start. It took a moment for her to realize where she was. The Gryffindor Common Room came into focus and she felt Harry's heavy hands on her waist. They must have fallen asleep while reading. She gently pried herself out of Harry's grip and sat up, rubbing her eyes. Wondering what woke her so suddenly, she looked around, before recognizing the silent silhouette that sat by the window.
"Hedwig!" she cried. "You frightened me!" Hedwig remained silent, but her sharp eyes penetrated the darkness of the Common Room. The fire had nearly gone out and a cloud slipped over the winter sun, casting the Common Room into darkness. Feeling the couch beside her, Brianna's fingers brushed the corner of an envelope. Picking it up, she rose to give Hedwig a piece of toast that lay on the table beside two empty mugs. Hedwig nibbled happily on the cold bread as Brianna studied the writing. It wasn't Hermione's, nor did it belong to Ron. In fact, it looked like.
"Sirius!" Harry's godfather hadn't written him in weeks and Brianna knew that Harry was worried. Each morning as the post arrived, Brianna painfully watched Harry scan the room for a sign of Hedwig with a letter from Sirius. She knew he would want to read this right away.
"Harry," she hissed quietly, not wanting to scare him. "Harry, wake up!" She shook his arm gently and he moaned, moving his head from one side to the other. "Harry, wake up, please! You have a letter."
"Tell them not to bring it, then," he muttered. Brianna sighed impatiently.
"Harry, you have a letter here! It's from Sirius!"
Harry's eyes opened with a flash. "Sirius?" he muttered sleepily. He sat up quickly and grabbed his head as it began to spin. Snatching the letter out of Brianna's outstretched hand, he ripped it open and began to read aloud:
Harry, I am sorry I haven't written for awhile. I've been very busy, indeed, but there is one thing I want to make clear. I am fine. Please don't worry yourself, as I know you tend to overreact when everything is fine. I will come visit you as soon as I can and I will bring your Christmas gift. Sirius
Harry looked up from the parchment he held in his hands. He needn't speak a word; Brianna could read his face.
"That's not Sirius," he said quietly, reading the letter again to himself. "It doesn't sound like him. 'I know you tend to overreact when everything is fine." What the hell is that?"
Brianna shook her head, at a loss for words. She wanted to comfort Harry, telling him that maybe Sirius just had a bad day and it was nothing to worry about but a little voice in the back of her head kept nagging at her. Don't leave it alone. Pay attention to it. Something's wrong. Instead of saying these thoughts aloud, she smiled falsely and grabbed Harry's hands.
"Come on, buddy, we've got to have a bit of fun before supper tonight. Don't worry about it now, we'll worry about it when we come back tonight."
Harry nodded uncertainly. "Maybe he was just in a bad mood."
"That's possible."
Harry's eyes were frustrated as he followed Brianna out of the Common Room and outside. Before he had a chance to tell Brianna that they were going to freeze from lack of jackets, she began tossing fluffy snow at him again and it wasn't long before they were racing away from each other, white powder flying between them.
"Isn't this sweet?"
The sound of Malfoy's voice brought Brianna to a grinding halt and caused Harry to trip over her. Lying in the snow, they stared up at Malfoy, who looked unusually large from this view. "Little Potter and his girlfriend playing in the snow," he sneered. "Isn't this such a pleasant sight?"
Harry jumped up and sneered back in Malfoy's face. "What's it to you, Draco?"
Draco smiled, a nasty thought crossing his mind. Instead of relaying it, he simply replied, "Nothing. But keep an eye on your girl, Potter." His eyes became dark and violent. "Someone might just snatch her from under your nose." With that, he turned and left.
Brianna grabbed the back of Harry's sweater to keep him from attacking Malfoy's departing figure. "It's not worth it," she whispered gently. Staring down at Malfoy's back as Harry turned away, she grimaced, trying to hold down the deep, dark thoughts she hid in her mind.
Supper that night began promptly at six. Brianna could tell that Sirius' note still plagued Harry's mind. He barely noticed that she was wearing his jumper that Mrs. Weasley made for him. All the way down to the Hall, Brianna kept trying to make Harry laugh, but she knew that deep down inside, Malfoy was also irritating him.
Albus Dumbledore once again headed up the great Head Table at the end of the Hall. He looked mighty powerful in his glimmering robes. Brianna felt that maybe she wasn't dressed as properly as she should be, but Dumbledore greeted them both with a great smile and a cheerful hello. When Harry responded glumly, he immediately sensed that something was wrong.
"Mr. Potter, may I speak to you after the meal?" he asked in his kind, gentle voice and Harry looked a little startled. "Nothing serious, my dear boy, nothing serious." He grinned again and Harry nodded sombrely.
Dinner was spectacular, as usual. Harry's mood seemed to have lifted greatly when a note from Hagrid arrived, telling everyone how his holidays were going. Brianna made a mental note to send a Christmas greeting to Hagrid the following morning. Dumbledore finished reading Hagrid's letter and set it aside his plate in the graceful way that he always moved. He sighed deeply and smiled at Harry. Many of the students had already dispersed to their dormitories and Brianna whispered to Harry that she was going back to the Common Room so he could talk to Dumbledore.
"I want you to stay here with me," he whispered back, looking into her eyes. Brianna felt herself melt and as much as she wanted to protest, she slowly nodded her agreement. However, their conversation with Dumbledore didn't take place until several minutes after all the teachers left to be with their houses. Draco Malfoy remained seated at his place, smirking at Brianna and Harry. He knew that they wanted a word alone with Dumbledore, and he wasn't about to let that happen.
"Harry, Brianna, I want to show you something," Dumbledore said, standing. "Mr. Malfoy, if you'll excuse us." He began to walk towards the Hall doors. Harry tried to hide his smile, but Brianna burst out laughing at the sudden drop in Malfoy's sneer. She jumped up quickly to join Harry and Dumbledore, and also to avoid being left alone in Draco's presence.
They walked what seemed like for miles without a trace of where Dumbledore was leading them. Up one staircase, only to descend the parallel one. Brianna felt her head spinning before Dumbledore reached a doorway. Turning to face them, he gestured for them to sit. Looking around at the concrete ground, Harry and Brianna sat, both wincing at the cold.
Dumbledore smiled at their quizzical glances. "I tried to lose Mr. Malfoy," he told them, "for I had a feeling that he would follow us to hear what I'm about to say." He took a deep breath. "Harry, what I'm about to say may surprise and shock you. Then again, you may already know. Your godfather, Sirius Black, has been Abunded."
Harry shrugged. "What's Abunded?"
"Abunded is like being controlled by someone else. Your godfather is being controlled by a man of the name Henry Wattler. He's an old friend of Sirius' from school here. He was a bright boy, but had an extreme liking for the Dark Arts. Abunding is a Dark Arts practice."
"But why would Henry Wattler want to Abund Sirius?" Brianna asked, her mind full of questions.
Dumbledore shrugged and slowly lowered himself to the ground in front of the teenagers. "Who knows why anyone does anything?" he asked, more to himself than Harry and Brianna. They shared a concerned look and stared eagerly at Dumbledore, awaiting more of the story. When he failed to continue, Harry's temper flared.
"Well, what's going to happen to Sirius? What can we do to stop Wattler?"
Dumbledore immediately looked apologetic. "I'm afraid there is nothing you can do, Harry. Not yet. The Abunding can only be undone when one of two things happens. Either the victim must drink the potion used to revive Abunding sufferers, or the Controller, Wattler in this case, must lose interest in his subject and move on. Once that happens, the victim is freed of the Abundance."
Harry's eyes began to gleam and Brianna quickly jumped to her feet, pulling Harry with her. "Thank you, Dumbledore. At least now we know why Sirius sent that strange letter to Harry."
Dumbledore nodded, without saying a word and Brianna had the distinct sense that Dumbledore knew all about the letter. How he knew, she wasn't sure. "Harry and I are going to go back to the Common Room before it gets really late." She began tugging on Harry's arm, and Harry protested loudly.
"Before you go, may I ask a favour of you two?" Dumbledore asked. When they responded, he said, "Please help me up. I'm not as young as I used to be."