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Heather Hidden
Chapter Four
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Heather safely tucked the boy into his sleeping bag, "When he wakes up, he may not listen to you. Just send for one of us and try to keep him from running away. That'll be his first instinct." She warned.
The teenagers nodded, while the adults that had followed exited. The redhead turned to follow her godparents, but was stopped by Hermione's delicate hand. She quickly looked to the eyes of the youth, "Something you want to know, Miss Granger?"
"How do you know all this? About what he would do, I mean."
"Easy…I know his heart better than he does." She paused, "And it wasn't so long ago that I was in his shoes. Not the same situation, but the same emotions. The same pain that hurts right to your very soul as though it will never go away." The green eyes grazed the saddened face, "But he will heal, just as I did. It is going to take time and patience to draw him out. However, have no doubt that Harry will return."
The brunette nodded, a headache already starting. Her eyes closed, but her mouth opened to speak again – and when her eyelids opened, Hermione Granger found herself speaking to dust.
Fred and George had disappeared while the two young women had been talking, but returned to find Harry and Ron dozing contentedly and the only woman to their group staring, glassy-eyed, at the back of The Fat Lady's portrait. They let her alone, wanting her to snap out of it herself, instead choosing to sit down at the table with various papers in their hands.
Eventually, with a tired sigh, the girl did return to lucidity, startled when she saw the twins looking at her.
"What?"
"Nothing." They answered in unison.
"Have I ever told you two how creepy it is when you do that?" She grumbled, marching over to the duo, "What are you doing?"
They shifted the stack of parchments and photographs, coming up with an adorable image of a healthy, pink – and screaming – baby boy in the arms of a ragged looking redheaded woman. Fred continued his work, so he brother spoke, "Professor Dumbledore asked if we would make Harry another album of his family. He gave us these at the end of the school year so it could get done for his birthday. We were going to put charms to make it sing and all sorts of stuff, but we got a little sidetracked."
She gave each a sympathetic look – everyone had stopped whatever they were doing when the news had come out that The-Boy-Who-Lived had gone missing, but the Weasleys had been, by far, the hardest workers. "Would you like some help then?"
"Sure." Fred replied, never lifting his eyes from the cream-colored pages of the leather bound book.
"We're trying to organize them by years, so each of the pages are done accordingly. He's working on the terrible twos right now. It's going to howl when we're done." George whispered, keeping an eye on the two sleeping boys as she sat down beside him.
With the ruffle of papers, the work continued well into the darkened night, stopping when either of the soon-to-be-fifth-years would roll over or moan softly in their slumber, and never speaking more than a few words or an incantation. Until exhaustion caught up with them and each laid their heads on their crossed arms, closed their eyes.
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Heather slipped into the common room, her eyes set to laughing when she took in the sight of the various students – Hermione was laying with her head on her left arm, her right thumb set firmly in her mouth; Fred's face was hidden by the hand that was splayed over it, while George drooled onto the dark-stained oak table. Harry was curled in the red-and-gold fabric, a slight smile on the normally-paled features the elven-maintained fire casting an orange hue on his skin, while causing Ron to be the same color as his warm-cinnamon colored hair. The aforementioned Youngest Mr. Weasley was lying on his stomach, arms crossed beneath his pillow, emitting quiet snores from time to time.
She crossed the room to the scarred boy, "Harry, time to wake up, Love. Breakfast is going to be ready soon and if you miss it, Aunt Minerva will force feed you."
"Um hum." He tightened his grip on the bag, and returned to his dreamland.
Paddock was tempted to let him sleep, to let him escape reality if only for a little while longer, but from experience she knew that it was a bad idea, "I'll play Quidditch with you later and show you some new moves if you'll help me to wake up Ron."
"Too tired." He mumbled.
I know you want to avoid this, but I promise I won't leave you. I'll stay with you and get you through this. However, it'll only work if you wake up. The laughter in the Voice was unmistakable.
"Can't I…"
"Ignore it and it will only get worse." She kissed his hair, "Now come on, I've got some things for us to do. If you have some fun, maybe I can get Uncle Albus to stop hovering." The honey-colored hand swung through the air behind her, landing on the ankle of Dumbledore, "Invisibility is a privilege – not a toy to be used for spying."
The white-haired man appeared with the twinkle returned to his eyes, "I'll wake Miss Granger."
"Good idea." The laughter appeared again, "Come now, let's beat your friends down to the hall."
"Why?"
"I got you something special for your birthday." The fact came out of her mouth as though it were an everyday occurrence.
The embers that were once his happy spirit started to glow and warm in his chest. A memory was fighting to come to the surface, but it was hazy, and he allowed himself to revel in the thought that he got a present from the person before him, "What…what is it?"
"Can't tell you. It's a 'gotta see' type present." She helped him to sit up, "I'll go get your chair."
"No. I want to walk." He noticed the hesitant look in her eyes, "If it's okay."
The edges of her eyes crinkled, "You can do whatever you please."
"Heather, why don't I help Harrison to get ready while you finish up downstairs?" The eldest in the room suggested.
"Would that be alright with you?"
Potter was suddenly aware of her question hanging in his mind. He thought for a moment then nodded, "Yeah. Just one thing – is it a big present?"
The hopeful expression in her direction broke her heart, as it reminded her of what he had been deprived, "I think so."
His face lit up and he jumped to his feet, before running up the stairs to his trunk for clothes.
"He doesn't have any clothes that fit properly…" She trailed off, knowing her uncle would understand, then leaving the room with a dim smile on her face.
"Professor?" Ron rubbed his eyes. The stampeding Harry had woken the boy, who had groggily begun to realize what was going on.
"Good Morning, Ronald. Why don't you go get dressed?" Dumbledore directed, waking the twins as Hermione yawned.
"Yes, sir." He rolled to his feet and trudged up the creaking wood stairs, unsurprised to find his best friend slowly picking out an outfit, "I might have something you could fit in."
He breathed a sigh of dead relief, "You're sure?"
Excitedly, Ron ripped through his worn trunk, coming up with a pair of faded-blue jeans and a red Gryffindor t-shirt, "Professor Dumbledore will shrink them if they're too big."
"Thank you." He clutched the items to his chest, grabbing a pair of underwear and disappeared out the dormitory door.
Soon, the redhead followed the same path and entered the bathroom to find one of the bathtubs surrounded by the curtain, a chair housing the select pieces of wardrobe, "Harry?"
"Yes?" The voice sounded excited, the smile almost palpable.
"Just checking if you were in there or if I could tease one of my brothers." He slipped into the shower.
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A few minutes later, a bubbling Harry and his cohorts were dressed, raring to go. Severus and Minerva had joined the group, stunning their students with their casual attire of slacks and button-down shirts.
"Ready, Harry?" McGonagall grinned.
"Yes!" He shouted, then caught himself as the adults nodded to each other and removing themselves from the room.
With an extra hop in their step, the entire group made their way down the shifting staircases, into the antechamber, stopping at the huge doors.
The Potions Master produced a blindfold, "I don't think you like the idea of wearing one right now, so would you prefer if you close your eyes and someone covers them?"
The birthday boy nodded, removing the silver frames he was currently having to wear, and let the lashes drift to his thinned cheeks. A large hand snaked around his head to rest lightly on his face, the other hand gingerly grasping one of Potter's. The realization set in that it was Snape's long fingers, but it was not repulsive as it once would have been – because he knew Heather was protecting him.
Slowly, he heard the others enter the room and his heart raced, causing the raven-haired man to start to remove his hands.
"No. It's alright." The youth murmured, and felt the hand return again.
The sound of the doors opening incited his spirit again, and once the teacher pressed the boy forward, it was an all-out effort to not laugh hysterically. The sweeping sound that signified the closing of the great doors, caused the elder man to lift his shield, and Harry opened his eyes.
To find Sirius, Remus, the entire Weasley family, Hermione's parents, and several of the fifth years lazing about, gifts piled high on the Hufflepuffs' table. The candles that normally floated above their heads were replaced with glittering stars and Muggle Christmas lights; a huge banner relaying the message 'Happy birthday, Harry!' was floating by the fireplace.
"For me?" He asked, when Heather appeared from behind a blue-haired man.
"All for you." She hugged him, and when she let go, the boy immediately recognized the man and the woman standing beside him.
"Thomas! Thea!" He raced forward to hug them both at the same time.
Blue-haired, but brown-eyed Thomas Kayesfort was of a stature that would intimidate most people, except by those who knew him, who understood that his demeanor was a kind one, borne of a happy childhood.
His twin sister was the ideal Swedish god – blonde-haired and blue-eyed with fair skin. At five-foot-eleven, she was slightly shorter than her brother, but her stubbornness and determined personality made up for the physical deficiency.
"Hey, buddy. How's it going?" Thomas ruffled the younger's hair, as Heather started the music.
"I'm alright."
"Sorry that you got pinned with our wonderful best friend."
He shook his head, glanced at his friends, and spoke, "I like her."
Thomas and Thea laughed, "Go hang with your friends." The girl smiled, "We'll catch up with you later."
The scarred boy hugged each again and disappeared in to the steadily growing crowd, only to be replaced by a redhead with a wick grin on her face.
"Are you sure you're on the right side?" He teased.
"Hey, he deserves it. After all those years of living with the Dursleys and never having any day just for him…"
"I get
it. Just ribbing you." The
eighteen-year old continued, "So have they been grilling you?"
Paddock shook her head, "Not
really. They've been asking about where
I've been, my name, my alumnus. I think
the Weasley twins are starting to get an inkling about me and Harrison, but
they haven't said anything to anyone."
"Good to know." Thea allowed her eyes to wander from student to student, "It seems so long ago that we were here."
"Your leaving was your fault. I had to leave. You dopes should've stayed."
"It was the end of fourth year. We didn't think we'd end our education in Salem."
The conversation, much like everything else, kept on in the same way, all three hinting toward the secret, but never saying it out loud – if one of the other students heard before Heather had a chance to explain, it could be devastating to Harry. Finally, gift time arrived and the twins moved forward to watch the extravaganza of wrapping paper and ribbon.
The redhead, however, stayed behind to talk to the animagus who had suddenly appeared, "Hey, Siri."
He groaned, "Must you call me that?"
"But of course." She giggled, "So, happy to see that he's aright?"
"He's only physically well, and yes, I'm glad to see that. His mind, on the other hand…"
She nodded, "He's smiling now. We got that much and this is a few days after we found him. I thought I'd still be fighting with him to accept the help that we're offering him, but he's taken to it right away."
Black smiled, "Because it was you that offered it first. He has written me about 'The Voice' on many occasions, and you have no idea how hard it was for me not to tell him exactly who you are. He has an idea that he knew you once, yet isn't sure how."
"He'll find out soon." She informed, "Uncle Albus is going to want to kill me when I do, but he can't get back into the school year with the belief that he has been orphaned once again. Besides, Draco Malfoy knows my real name. He knows my last name is Potter. Give him time and a half and he'll know we're related."
A cheer erupted from the group surrounding the birthday boy, and both decided it was time to join their friends in celebrating the tired young man.
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*v* Cassie Jamie *v*
cj.1@cassie-jamie.com
http://www.cassie-jamie.com
