Chapter 55
The effect was instantaneous, and before he even knew what was happing, he felt a terrible pain flood his veins as the potion began to work, but there was something else, as soon as he felt that pain, he felt another and with a terrible start, he realized what it was. Voldemort was using all the energy he still possessed to curse him, trying desperately to gain control while Harry was crippled with the insurmountable pain that was coursing through his body. He stumbled on his feet, tripping over a nearby desk, causing it to tip over, and knock the still simmering cauldron to the ground and spilling its contents all over the dungeon floor, almost falling over himself as his world was turned upside down, and with violently shaking hands, the goblet fell from his grasp and landed with a crash on the floor, shattering into a thousand pieces, but Harry didn't even notice as he fell to his knees and gripped his head tightly in his hands, trying desperately to make the pain stop, but it wouldn't, it just kept getting stronger.
His entire body felt as though it were on fire and covered with ice at the same time, every single nerve firing and sending one signal to his brain, pain. He fought as hard as he could to block out the pain, but headless to his efforts, a blood curdling scream escaped his lips as he fell to his side, echoing off the dungeon walls.
He was so absorbed in the overwhelming pain that he didn't even realize that he was no longer alone in the room as he tried desperately to make it all stop, even if it meant certain death, it was preferable to what he was experiencing now. He felt his voice give out after what felt like an eternity, but still the pain would not stop no matter what he tried, it was flooding his body in waves and he felt that the only way it would end would be if he just gave up and surrendered to Voldemort, then it would all go away and he would hurt no more. Just as he thought these thoughts, the pain vanished and he instantly gave in to the darkness and slipped from consciousness.
The four in the hall were waiting tensely, waiting for any noise to come from within the room to let them know what was going on. The had only been waiting for a few moments, though, when the sound of something heavy, probably a desk, or more than one, hit the ground, and a moment later, the sound of shattering glass hit their ears and they all looked to each other in worry.
The next moments passed in silence, and they had all thought that the worst was over until they heard the scream. A scream that caused them all to feel a ice cold hand tightening over their hearts, a scream that was probably heard throughout the castle, even in the highest turrets and towers. But it wasn't the volume of the scream that frightened them all, it was the raw pain that it resonated that frightened them, and instantly, Dumbledore signaled for Sirius, Remus, and Snape to follow him into the room.
When they entered, their eyes were met with a terrible sight. Several tables were overturned, the ingredients that had been on top of them now covering the dungeon floor, and the cauldron that was holding the potion was tipped over as well, and the thick green liquid was beginning to mix with the other ingredients and letting of a very acrid odor, but that was not what their attention was focused on. Harry was lying in the middle of the mess, his knees drawn up to his chest and his hands clenched in fists so tight that his nails drew blood from his sensitive palms and pressing against his temples as he continued to scream.
Every muscle in his body was flexed, and he was convulsing violently on the cold stone floor, and despite the coldness, his brow was covered in a thin layer of perspiration, causing his raven hair to be plastered to his cheeks and forehead and his robes were soaked from his effort as well. His normally kind and happy eyes were clenched tightly closed, and tears of pain were running from the corners and leaving wet trails down his face. His screams didn't stop for several minutes, and his voice was hoarse from their intensity, but finally, they did end, and the three men looked to him, hoping the worst was over, but it wasn't.
Even though he was no longer crying out in pain, it was blatantly obvious that he was still suffering. His muscles were still clenched tightly and convulsing violently in response to the intense suffering he was being forced to endure, and his breath was coming in harsh and ragged gasps. His hands were still pressed as tightly as possible to his temples as though he were trying desperately to block out the hurt that was being inflicted upon him.
After several agonizing minutes of having to watch the raven haired youth suffer, to the great relief of the three men, his hands fell away from his head and his entire body relaxed. They all let out a sigh of relief before the headmaster spoke up.
"I had no idea that he would be hurt so much by that potion" he said heavily "If I had known, I would have never subjected him to it"
"It wasn't just the potion that was causing him pain, Albus" said Snape quietly, and the other three looked to him in curiosity and only now realized that he was clutching his left arm "If I'm not mistaken, you-know- who was cursing him at the same time, but somehow he managed to still keep control" he said in an impressed voice
Sirius cursed heavily under his breath before turning to the headmaster "Do you think he will be all right?" he asked as he glanced between the old man and his godson who was still lying unconscious on the stone floor.
"Only time will tell, Sirius, but for now, we should get him up to the hospital wing where he can rest" he said and Sirius quietly approached him and knelt down beside him, noting with fear the tremors that were still racking Harry's frame even in unconsciousness, but before he picked him up, he was distracted by Remus' voice.
"How strong do you think the curse was, Severus?" he asked heavily
"Much stronger than last time, I'm amazed that he was able to survive it at all, especially given the fact that he was probably already in incredible amounts of pain from the potion" he answered honestly
Shaking his head, Sirius gently brushed the sweaty locks from Harry's clammy face, almost recoiling when he felt how cool it was despite the fact that he had just had such a terrible physical as well as mental battle. Noticing Sirius sudden change in expression, Remus cautiously approached his best friend "What's the matter, Padfoot?" he asked quietly
"He's so cold" answered Sirius in a whisper, and before he realized what was happening, Remus had removed his cloak and covered the black haired boy with it "Thanks Moony" said Sirius as he carefully slid his hands under Harry's body and lifted him from the stone floor, painfully aware of the violent muscle spasms traveling throughout the thin body "Can we give him a pain killing potion before he wakes up?" he asked hopefully, looking to the headmaster and Snape.
"I'm afraid not, any potion we give him could react with the one he just took. Not enough is known about it to risk causing any side effects" said Snape, and he truly looked like he wished there were another way "All we can do is try to make him as comfortable as possible without them"
Sirius nodded his head glumly and began to follow Dumbledore from the room, Snape and Remus close behind them. They walked in silence through the dungeons, and when they reached the entrance hall, they were not surprised to see the majority of the student body and professors alike milling around, obviously alerted and frightened from the screams they had heard. The professors all ran hurriedly up to Dumbledore when they saw the small group emerge from the dungeons.
"Albus, what is going on, all we heard were screams, is everyone all right?" asked McGonagall desperately, but then she seemed to notice Harry "What happened to him?" she asked as she took in his sweat covered form, pale complexion, and blood coated hands.
"Not now, Minerva, please, get all of the students back to their common rooms, I will explain everything later" said the headmaster quietly, and she grudgingly nodded her head and began to direct the students away from the entrance hall. One particular group though, looked to the four men hopefully, and the headmaster gave them a slight nod of his head and grim smile, indicating that everything had worked out fine and with a collective sigh of relief, the five seventh years quietly followed their head of house toward Gryffindor tower and the other three began to lead the other houses back to their common rooms as well.
Once they were able to reach the staircase, Sirius followed Dumbledore the rest of the way to the hospital wing in silence, holding tightly to his godson and trying desperately to ignore the steadily shuddering muscles that continued to torment the unconscious body. When they reached the hospital wing, Madame Pomfrey was pacing back and forth in front of one of the beds that was already prepared with several thick blankets covering it.
"Thank Merlin, you finally got here" she said breathlessly "Here lie him down" she instructed Sirius who obediently approached the bed and gently set Harry down on top of it "Now, what happened? I could hear him screaming all the way up here" she said as she got to work removing his soaked robes.
"All we know is that when he took the potion, Voldemort cursed him, but despite everything, he was stronger and fought his power" said Sirius tiredly
Madame Pomfrey stumbled slightly in her work when she heard this, but she quickly composed herself and continued "As you probably already know, I can't give him anything to help with the pain, all I can do is try to make him comfortable, but I am positive he will be asleep for several days at least, he is exhausted" she said as she looked down onto his face with compassion.
She then reached over to the table beside her and grabbed a soft washcloth and began to wipe the sweat from his face, paying careful attention to the area around his scar that had shed several drops of blood and was quite red before beginning work on his hands. Once she had wiped away all the blood though, she looked to the headmaster in confusion "I thought he was able to heal any cuts he received on his own?" she asked
"He was able to last time, but he was probably too exhausted to worry about it today" he answered.
"Well, I won't be able to heal them until he wakes up and drops whatever that shield is that protects him while he's asleep" she said as she used her wand to summon several bandages which she gently wrapped around each hand. She then used the cloth to try and sooth the angry red flesh around the mark burned into his arm which looked quite tender itself.
Once she had finished with all she could do, she pulled the blankets up to his chin before she set back and looked to the four men "There is nothing else I can do for him now" she said "But I wish there were" she added quietly as she looked at him and noted his still trembling muscles.
"You have done the best you can, Poppy, thank you" said the headmaster with a smile as Sirius took the seat next to Harry's bed, Remus standing behind him "Severus, come, I will help you fix up your classroom" he said quietly, and with a nod, the two left the hospital wing in silence.
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The walk to the common room was a silent one for Ginny, Lily, and the three marauders, all of them completely wrapped up in their own thoughts to speak too much to one another about them. They were all worried about what was going on several floors below them at that very moment, no one knew just what to expect when Harry took that potion, and for that reason, their anxiety was justified. Before they had even had an opportunity to take their seats though, they were stooped where they stood when a piercing scream met their ears.
All five of their faces lost every bit of color and they turned to look at one another, ignoring the frightened faces and voices of the rest of the members of their house.
"Harry" whispered Ginny quietly, and without another word, the five students sprinted from the room as fast as they could, the rest of their house on their heels and the screams still echoing through he vast castle. By the time they reached the entrance hall, the rest of the students and professors were their, but they quickly pushed their way through the large mass and headed toward the staircase that led to the dungeons, but before they reached it, they were stopped by their head of house.
"Miss. Weasley, I must insist that all students remain here until we find out what is going on" she said firmly
"Professor, you don't understand, we need to get down their!" exclaimed Ginny as she tried again to run down the stairs, but she was stopped when Lily grabbed a hold of her robes from the back.
"Ginny, their coming up" she said quietly and Ginny immediately spun around to see the headmaster climbing the stairs with a weary and tense expression on his face. Professor McGonagall ran up to him, desperate to find out what had happened, but Ginny didn't notice what she said, her attention was focused on Sirius who was carrying Harry in his arms.
Her boyfriend was unconscious and even from a distance, she could tell that he was far from all right. His hair was plastered to his head from sweat, and his palms were both bloody, and even though he was being held tightly, she could see his muscles trembling through the robes he was wearing and the cloak that was covering him. Just then, Dumbledore caught her eye and gave them a small smile and nodded his head to the five of them, telling them silently that Harry was going to be fine, that the potion had worked and he had won. Knowing that she wouldn't be allowed near the hospital wing until Madame Pomfrey was done with Harry, she grudgingly turned around again and followed everyone else back to the tower.
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By seven that night, the headmasters office was full of all of those who weren't aware of just what had really happened in the dungeons that afternoon, and no one was too happy.
"Albus, I demand you tell us what was going on down there!" yelled the deputy headmistress, frustration ringing through her words.
"Minerva, I can't tell you just now, it is a matter of utmost secrecy" sighed the headmaster, for the fifth time in as many minutes
"Sir, I have the highest amount of trust in you, and normally I wouldn't question your judgment about anything, but there is an eighteen year old boy lying unconscious in the hospital wing, suffering from the after effects of dark magic that was clearly performed in the castle, and for the safety of all of the students who are here, we need to know what is happening so we can be prepared" said McGonagall, resorting to logic when yelling had failed so far.
"I can tell you this much, Mr. Potter was exposed to extremely dark magic, but I can assure you that as of now, none of the other students are at risk from it, and if that condition changes, you will be informed" said the headmaster, his eyes losing their twinkle as he spoke, warning the professors to keep silent, a warning they took "Very well, if there is nothing else, then I must be getting up to the hospital wing to check on Harry, I will see you at breakfast" he said as he stood, and the others all left the office, some still grumbling about the conversation that had told them nothing.
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For Ginny, the afternoon couldn't pass fast enough. She sat with Lily, James, Sirius, and Remus in front of the fire and listened idly to their conversation, occasionally adding in bits of her own.
"What do you think happened down there?" asked Lily hesitantly once they had settled into the chairs and cast a silencing spell around themselves to prevent their other house members from overhearing what they were talking about.
"I don't know, but he didn't look too good when they brought him up, did he?" said James as he pulled Lily closer to himself.
"No he didn't but Dumbledore looked like everything worked like it was supposed to, didn't he?" said Remus
"Yeah, I guess that means that Harry won, but why was it so much harder than they thought? Originally, Dumbledore said that it could be painful, but I didn't think it would be that bad" admitted Sirius "He looked like he had just fought a war or something" he added
"I know what you mean" said James "But my question is why it hurt him so much, I mean, I thought Harry had a pretty high tolerance for pain after everything I've seen, nothing seems to phase him, but whatever that potion did must have been pretty terrible to make him scream like that"
"I agree, but hopefully he'll be all right" said Lily quietly
"Me too, and hopefully we'll be able to see him after dinner" Ginny added without taking her eyes from the fire. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Sirius spoke up again.
"When do you two cast that spell on him?" he asked as he looked to James and Lily
"The thirtieth at midnight" answered James "The first night of the new moon" he added "Why do you ask?"
"Well, once that is done, will we be sent back?" he asked hesitantly
"Probably within a couple of days, why, do you want to stay here?" asked Lily
"No, it's no that, I was just worried" he answered quietly and the others all turned to look at him in confusion
"About what?" asked Remus finally
"Everything" answered Sirius "I mean, if everything goes as planned, Harry will send us back to our own time, after casting another memory charm no doubt, we will finish the last half of the year and graduate, and then our lives will become a living hell. James and Lily will die, Harry will become an orphan, I will get sent to Azkaban for who knows how long, and Merlin knows what happens to Wormtail" he said grimly
After hearing his words, the other four all looked to each other with grim expressions clouding their faces, but it was Ginny who spoke up "I'm sorry you will have to go through all of these things, guys, and I wish there were something we could do to change things, but there isn't. If James and Lily weren't attacked with Harry, then you-know-who would have never been stopped for as long as he was and even more people would have died.
And as for you, Sirius, if you weren't sent to Azkaban, then Harry wouldn't have had to grow up with his terrible relatives, but then he may have never become as strong of a person if he didn't have to face the hardships he did, and you are here for him now and that's what matters" she said quietly, and they could all see her point, but Sirius wanted his other two questions answered.
"Can you tell me how long I was in Azkaban for? And what happened to Peter?" he asked hesitantly "I mean, if you don't want to, I won't mind, but if we're just going to have our memories erased regardless, I don't see what it could hurt" he added when he saw her reluctant expression
"No, it's fine, but are you sure you really want to know the truth?" she asked as she fixed him with a piercing gaze
"Positive" he said immediately with a nod of his head
Ginny took a deep breath and looked into the fire for several moments before she began speaking again "Well, when James and Lily found out the you-know-who was after them, they decided to cast the fidelus charm, and they told Dumbledore and everyone else, including Remus, that you were their secret keeper, but at the last moment, you guys decided to switch because you thought that it would be obvious to the death eaters if Sirius were the secret keeper.
Everyone knew how close you and James were and you thought it would be better to change to Peter without telling anyone else. You knew that someone close to you had been feeding you-know-who information about where you were, but no one knew who the traitor was, and everyone was suspicious about everyone else, but no one thought that Peter would be the traitor" here she paused and waited until what she had sunk in, and after several silent moments, all four of their faces were contorted in shock, but before they could say anything, she continued
"Well, the charm was performed, and you thought everything would be fine, but it wasn't. On Halloween, when Harry was one and just after the charm had been cast, you went to check on Peter but he wasn't there, and you realized what had happened. You went immediately to James and Lily's house and found out what had happened, but you were too late and they were already dead, but then you found Harry and he was alive, but Hagrid had been instructed to bring him to his relatives.
You agreed and once Hagrid had left, you went in search of Pettigrew. You cornered him on a street in muggle London, but before you could do anything, he yelled out that you had betrayed James and Lily and then he cut off one of his own fingers, blew up the street using the wand that he had hidden behind his back, and transformed into his animagus form and ran off into the sewers.
Twelve muggles were killed in the explosion, and when the ministry arrived, you were standing there laughing, they arrested you and sent you to Azkaban with no trial for killing the muggles and Peter, and after you were gone, he found a wizarding family to live with and no one knew he was alive until Harry's third year when you escaped and found Peter who had been living with Ron the entire time as his pet.
Peter escaped that night, though, and went back to his master. The next year, during the third task of the triwizard tournament, Harry and another student were taken to you-know-who when they touched the trophy that was really a portkey. Cedric was killed immediately, and Wormtail tied Harry up. He then made a potion using Harry's blood and cut off his own hand to resurrect you-know-who. Harry escaped though, and you were still on the run from the ministry, and during his sixth year, Wormtail was spotted and you were pardoned" she finished and was met with utter silence.
"So" said Sirius several minutes later "I was sent to Azkaban for killing Peter and twelve muggles"
"Yes, and everyone thought you were the one who betrayed James and Lily, and that you were you-know-who's right hand man" she added
"Well, it's good to know that I'm not going to lead a boring life" said Sirius finally, always the one to try and lighten up a serious conversation with humor "But the next time I see Wormtail, I am going to murder him, no wonder Harry didn't trust him, how come we never noticed what a sniveling little coward he was" he growled
"Calm down Padfoot, there's nothing we can do about him right now, it'll just have to wait until we get back and hope we at least remember not to trust him, even if we can't remember why" said James calmly
"Prongs is right, right now we have more important things to worry about, like how Harry is doing and what we can do as a surprise for him when he wakes up" said Remus, event though both were fuming on the inside as well, neither wanted to discuss it until things calmed down some "Anyways, it's about time for dinner, why don't we head on down and then hopefully we can go up to the hospital wing and check on him" he added as he got to his feet and stretched. The others all followed suite and they silently made their way out the portrait hole and to the great hall.
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Harry was bored out of his mind. Ever since he had passed out in the potions classroom, he had been in this place, and where it was, he had no idea, but what he did know was that he was more than ready to leave already. He was pacing around in circles with in this vast expanse of absolute nothingness with only Voldemort for company, and if he had the power to do so, he would have killed the snake eyed man more than once now.
'So, boy, have you decided to give in yet?' asked Voldemort for what seemed like the hundredth time.
'I have already told you, Tom, I won, and I will never give in to you now. Your days are numbered, so accept it already' Harry growled without even facing the other man
'You seem awfully sure of yourself, Potter' said Voldemort mockingly 'This battle is not over yet, or have you forgotten what you saw in the crystal ball?' he asked
At this, Harry spun around to face him 'That will never happen, I would never allow you to harm Ginny' he bit back harshly with his eyes narrowed into thin slits
'That may be what you think, Potter, but you saw the vision, and once it happens, there will be nothing you can do to stop it' he said
'Just a few more days, Tom, and I will finally be rid of you after seventeen years of trying' said Harry with a determined glint in his eye
'Don't overestimate yourself, Potter, you haven't won yet' said Voldemort, his face fading away into the distance as Harry was pulled back into the harsh pain of reality.
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A/N: Sorry for the wait, but I got a 'B' on my exam! Next chapter is almost done so I will post it in a few days. Thanks for the reviews and let me know what you think of this one!
The effect was instantaneous, and before he even knew what was happing, he felt a terrible pain flood his veins as the potion began to work, but there was something else, as soon as he felt that pain, he felt another and with a terrible start, he realized what it was. Voldemort was using all the energy he still possessed to curse him, trying desperately to gain control while Harry was crippled with the insurmountable pain that was coursing through his body. He stumbled on his feet, tripping over a nearby desk, causing it to tip over, and knock the still simmering cauldron to the ground and spilling its contents all over the dungeon floor, almost falling over himself as his world was turned upside down, and with violently shaking hands, the goblet fell from his grasp and landed with a crash on the floor, shattering into a thousand pieces, but Harry didn't even notice as he fell to his knees and gripped his head tightly in his hands, trying desperately to make the pain stop, but it wouldn't, it just kept getting stronger.
His entire body felt as though it were on fire and covered with ice at the same time, every single nerve firing and sending one signal to his brain, pain. He fought as hard as he could to block out the pain, but headless to his efforts, a blood curdling scream escaped his lips as he fell to his side, echoing off the dungeon walls.
He was so absorbed in the overwhelming pain that he didn't even realize that he was no longer alone in the room as he tried desperately to make it all stop, even if it meant certain death, it was preferable to what he was experiencing now. He felt his voice give out after what felt like an eternity, but still the pain would not stop no matter what he tried, it was flooding his body in waves and he felt that the only way it would end would be if he just gave up and surrendered to Voldemort, then it would all go away and he would hurt no more. Just as he thought these thoughts, the pain vanished and he instantly gave in to the darkness and slipped from consciousness.
The four in the hall were waiting tensely, waiting for any noise to come from within the room to let them know what was going on. The had only been waiting for a few moments, though, when the sound of something heavy, probably a desk, or more than one, hit the ground, and a moment later, the sound of shattering glass hit their ears and they all looked to each other in worry.
The next moments passed in silence, and they had all thought that the worst was over until they heard the scream. A scream that caused them all to feel a ice cold hand tightening over their hearts, a scream that was probably heard throughout the castle, even in the highest turrets and towers. But it wasn't the volume of the scream that frightened them all, it was the raw pain that it resonated that frightened them, and instantly, Dumbledore signaled for Sirius, Remus, and Snape to follow him into the room.
When they entered, their eyes were met with a terrible sight. Several tables were overturned, the ingredients that had been on top of them now covering the dungeon floor, and the cauldron that was holding the potion was tipped over as well, and the thick green liquid was beginning to mix with the other ingredients and letting of a very acrid odor, but that was not what their attention was focused on. Harry was lying in the middle of the mess, his knees drawn up to his chest and his hands clenched in fists so tight that his nails drew blood from his sensitive palms and pressing against his temples as he continued to scream.
Every muscle in his body was flexed, and he was convulsing violently on the cold stone floor, and despite the coldness, his brow was covered in a thin layer of perspiration, causing his raven hair to be plastered to his cheeks and forehead and his robes were soaked from his effort as well. His normally kind and happy eyes were clenched tightly closed, and tears of pain were running from the corners and leaving wet trails down his face. His screams didn't stop for several minutes, and his voice was hoarse from their intensity, but finally, they did end, and the three men looked to him, hoping the worst was over, but it wasn't.
Even though he was no longer crying out in pain, it was blatantly obvious that he was still suffering. His muscles were still clenched tightly and convulsing violently in response to the intense suffering he was being forced to endure, and his breath was coming in harsh and ragged gasps. His hands were still pressed as tightly as possible to his temples as though he were trying desperately to block out the hurt that was being inflicted upon him.
After several agonizing minutes of having to watch the raven haired youth suffer, to the great relief of the three men, his hands fell away from his head and his entire body relaxed. They all let out a sigh of relief before the headmaster spoke up.
"I had no idea that he would be hurt so much by that potion" he said heavily "If I had known, I would have never subjected him to it"
"It wasn't just the potion that was causing him pain, Albus" said Snape quietly, and the other three looked to him in curiosity and only now realized that he was clutching his left arm "If I'm not mistaken, you-know- who was cursing him at the same time, but somehow he managed to still keep control" he said in an impressed voice
Sirius cursed heavily under his breath before turning to the headmaster "Do you think he will be all right?" he asked as he glanced between the old man and his godson who was still lying unconscious on the stone floor.
"Only time will tell, Sirius, but for now, we should get him up to the hospital wing where he can rest" he said and Sirius quietly approached him and knelt down beside him, noting with fear the tremors that were still racking Harry's frame even in unconsciousness, but before he picked him up, he was distracted by Remus' voice.
"How strong do you think the curse was, Severus?" he asked heavily
"Much stronger than last time, I'm amazed that he was able to survive it at all, especially given the fact that he was probably already in incredible amounts of pain from the potion" he answered honestly
Shaking his head, Sirius gently brushed the sweaty locks from Harry's clammy face, almost recoiling when he felt how cool it was despite the fact that he had just had such a terrible physical as well as mental battle. Noticing Sirius sudden change in expression, Remus cautiously approached his best friend "What's the matter, Padfoot?" he asked quietly
"He's so cold" answered Sirius in a whisper, and before he realized what was happening, Remus had removed his cloak and covered the black haired boy with it "Thanks Moony" said Sirius as he carefully slid his hands under Harry's body and lifted him from the stone floor, painfully aware of the violent muscle spasms traveling throughout the thin body "Can we give him a pain killing potion before he wakes up?" he asked hopefully, looking to the headmaster and Snape.
"I'm afraid not, any potion we give him could react with the one he just took. Not enough is known about it to risk causing any side effects" said Snape, and he truly looked like he wished there were another way "All we can do is try to make him as comfortable as possible without them"
Sirius nodded his head glumly and began to follow Dumbledore from the room, Snape and Remus close behind them. They walked in silence through the dungeons, and when they reached the entrance hall, they were not surprised to see the majority of the student body and professors alike milling around, obviously alerted and frightened from the screams they had heard. The professors all ran hurriedly up to Dumbledore when they saw the small group emerge from the dungeons.
"Albus, what is going on, all we heard were screams, is everyone all right?" asked McGonagall desperately, but then she seemed to notice Harry "What happened to him?" she asked as she took in his sweat covered form, pale complexion, and blood coated hands.
"Not now, Minerva, please, get all of the students back to their common rooms, I will explain everything later" said the headmaster quietly, and she grudgingly nodded her head and began to direct the students away from the entrance hall. One particular group though, looked to the four men hopefully, and the headmaster gave them a slight nod of his head and grim smile, indicating that everything had worked out fine and with a collective sigh of relief, the five seventh years quietly followed their head of house toward Gryffindor tower and the other three began to lead the other houses back to their common rooms as well.
Once they were able to reach the staircase, Sirius followed Dumbledore the rest of the way to the hospital wing in silence, holding tightly to his godson and trying desperately to ignore the steadily shuddering muscles that continued to torment the unconscious body. When they reached the hospital wing, Madame Pomfrey was pacing back and forth in front of one of the beds that was already prepared with several thick blankets covering it.
"Thank Merlin, you finally got here" she said breathlessly "Here lie him down" she instructed Sirius who obediently approached the bed and gently set Harry down on top of it "Now, what happened? I could hear him screaming all the way up here" she said as she got to work removing his soaked robes.
"All we know is that when he took the potion, Voldemort cursed him, but despite everything, he was stronger and fought his power" said Sirius tiredly
Madame Pomfrey stumbled slightly in her work when she heard this, but she quickly composed herself and continued "As you probably already know, I can't give him anything to help with the pain, all I can do is try to make him comfortable, but I am positive he will be asleep for several days at least, he is exhausted" she said as she looked down onto his face with compassion.
She then reached over to the table beside her and grabbed a soft washcloth and began to wipe the sweat from his face, paying careful attention to the area around his scar that had shed several drops of blood and was quite red before beginning work on his hands. Once she had wiped away all the blood though, she looked to the headmaster in confusion "I thought he was able to heal any cuts he received on his own?" she asked
"He was able to last time, but he was probably too exhausted to worry about it today" he answered.
"Well, I won't be able to heal them until he wakes up and drops whatever that shield is that protects him while he's asleep" she said as she used her wand to summon several bandages which she gently wrapped around each hand. She then used the cloth to try and sooth the angry red flesh around the mark burned into his arm which looked quite tender itself.
Once she had finished with all she could do, she pulled the blankets up to his chin before she set back and looked to the four men "There is nothing else I can do for him now" she said "But I wish there were" she added quietly as she looked at him and noted his still trembling muscles.
"You have done the best you can, Poppy, thank you" said the headmaster with a smile as Sirius took the seat next to Harry's bed, Remus standing behind him "Severus, come, I will help you fix up your classroom" he said quietly, and with a nod, the two left the hospital wing in silence.
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The walk to the common room was a silent one for Ginny, Lily, and the three marauders, all of them completely wrapped up in their own thoughts to speak too much to one another about them. They were all worried about what was going on several floors below them at that very moment, no one knew just what to expect when Harry took that potion, and for that reason, their anxiety was justified. Before they had even had an opportunity to take their seats though, they were stooped where they stood when a piercing scream met their ears.
All five of their faces lost every bit of color and they turned to look at one another, ignoring the frightened faces and voices of the rest of the members of their house.
"Harry" whispered Ginny quietly, and without another word, the five students sprinted from the room as fast as they could, the rest of their house on their heels and the screams still echoing through he vast castle. By the time they reached the entrance hall, the rest of the students and professors were their, but they quickly pushed their way through the large mass and headed toward the staircase that led to the dungeons, but before they reached it, they were stopped by their head of house.
"Miss. Weasley, I must insist that all students remain here until we find out what is going on" she said firmly
"Professor, you don't understand, we need to get down their!" exclaimed Ginny as she tried again to run down the stairs, but she was stopped when Lily grabbed a hold of her robes from the back.
"Ginny, their coming up" she said quietly and Ginny immediately spun around to see the headmaster climbing the stairs with a weary and tense expression on his face. Professor McGonagall ran up to him, desperate to find out what had happened, but Ginny didn't notice what she said, her attention was focused on Sirius who was carrying Harry in his arms.
Her boyfriend was unconscious and even from a distance, she could tell that he was far from all right. His hair was plastered to his head from sweat, and his palms were both bloody, and even though he was being held tightly, she could see his muscles trembling through the robes he was wearing and the cloak that was covering him. Just then, Dumbledore caught her eye and gave them a small smile and nodded his head to the five of them, telling them silently that Harry was going to be fine, that the potion had worked and he had won. Knowing that she wouldn't be allowed near the hospital wing until Madame Pomfrey was done with Harry, she grudgingly turned around again and followed everyone else back to the tower.
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By seven that night, the headmasters office was full of all of those who weren't aware of just what had really happened in the dungeons that afternoon, and no one was too happy.
"Albus, I demand you tell us what was going on down there!" yelled the deputy headmistress, frustration ringing through her words.
"Minerva, I can't tell you just now, it is a matter of utmost secrecy" sighed the headmaster, for the fifth time in as many minutes
"Sir, I have the highest amount of trust in you, and normally I wouldn't question your judgment about anything, but there is an eighteen year old boy lying unconscious in the hospital wing, suffering from the after effects of dark magic that was clearly performed in the castle, and for the safety of all of the students who are here, we need to know what is happening so we can be prepared" said McGonagall, resorting to logic when yelling had failed so far.
"I can tell you this much, Mr. Potter was exposed to extremely dark magic, but I can assure you that as of now, none of the other students are at risk from it, and if that condition changes, you will be informed" said the headmaster, his eyes losing their twinkle as he spoke, warning the professors to keep silent, a warning they took "Very well, if there is nothing else, then I must be getting up to the hospital wing to check on Harry, I will see you at breakfast" he said as he stood, and the others all left the office, some still grumbling about the conversation that had told them nothing.
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For Ginny, the afternoon couldn't pass fast enough. She sat with Lily, James, Sirius, and Remus in front of the fire and listened idly to their conversation, occasionally adding in bits of her own.
"What do you think happened down there?" asked Lily hesitantly once they had settled into the chairs and cast a silencing spell around themselves to prevent their other house members from overhearing what they were talking about.
"I don't know, but he didn't look too good when they brought him up, did he?" said James as he pulled Lily closer to himself.
"No he didn't but Dumbledore looked like everything worked like it was supposed to, didn't he?" said Remus
"Yeah, I guess that means that Harry won, but why was it so much harder than they thought? Originally, Dumbledore said that it could be painful, but I didn't think it would be that bad" admitted Sirius "He looked like he had just fought a war or something" he added
"I know what you mean" said James "But my question is why it hurt him so much, I mean, I thought Harry had a pretty high tolerance for pain after everything I've seen, nothing seems to phase him, but whatever that potion did must have been pretty terrible to make him scream like that"
"I agree, but hopefully he'll be all right" said Lily quietly
"Me too, and hopefully we'll be able to see him after dinner" Ginny added without taking her eyes from the fire. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Sirius spoke up again.
"When do you two cast that spell on him?" he asked as he looked to James and Lily
"The thirtieth at midnight" answered James "The first night of the new moon" he added "Why do you ask?"
"Well, once that is done, will we be sent back?" he asked hesitantly
"Probably within a couple of days, why, do you want to stay here?" asked Lily
"No, it's no that, I was just worried" he answered quietly and the others all turned to look at him in confusion
"About what?" asked Remus finally
"Everything" answered Sirius "I mean, if everything goes as planned, Harry will send us back to our own time, after casting another memory charm no doubt, we will finish the last half of the year and graduate, and then our lives will become a living hell. James and Lily will die, Harry will become an orphan, I will get sent to Azkaban for who knows how long, and Merlin knows what happens to Wormtail" he said grimly
After hearing his words, the other four all looked to each other with grim expressions clouding their faces, but it was Ginny who spoke up "I'm sorry you will have to go through all of these things, guys, and I wish there were something we could do to change things, but there isn't. If James and Lily weren't attacked with Harry, then you-know-who would have never been stopped for as long as he was and even more people would have died.
And as for you, Sirius, if you weren't sent to Azkaban, then Harry wouldn't have had to grow up with his terrible relatives, but then he may have never become as strong of a person if he didn't have to face the hardships he did, and you are here for him now and that's what matters" she said quietly, and they could all see her point, but Sirius wanted his other two questions answered.
"Can you tell me how long I was in Azkaban for? And what happened to Peter?" he asked hesitantly "I mean, if you don't want to, I won't mind, but if we're just going to have our memories erased regardless, I don't see what it could hurt" he added when he saw her reluctant expression
"No, it's fine, but are you sure you really want to know the truth?" she asked as she fixed him with a piercing gaze
"Positive" he said immediately with a nod of his head
Ginny took a deep breath and looked into the fire for several moments before she began speaking again "Well, when James and Lily found out the you-know-who was after them, they decided to cast the fidelus charm, and they told Dumbledore and everyone else, including Remus, that you were their secret keeper, but at the last moment, you guys decided to switch because you thought that it would be obvious to the death eaters if Sirius were the secret keeper.
Everyone knew how close you and James were and you thought it would be better to change to Peter without telling anyone else. You knew that someone close to you had been feeding you-know-who information about where you were, but no one knew who the traitor was, and everyone was suspicious about everyone else, but no one thought that Peter would be the traitor" here she paused and waited until what she had sunk in, and after several silent moments, all four of their faces were contorted in shock, but before they could say anything, she continued
"Well, the charm was performed, and you thought everything would be fine, but it wasn't. On Halloween, when Harry was one and just after the charm had been cast, you went to check on Peter but he wasn't there, and you realized what had happened. You went immediately to James and Lily's house and found out what had happened, but you were too late and they were already dead, but then you found Harry and he was alive, but Hagrid had been instructed to bring him to his relatives.
You agreed and once Hagrid had left, you went in search of Pettigrew. You cornered him on a street in muggle London, but before you could do anything, he yelled out that you had betrayed James and Lily and then he cut off one of his own fingers, blew up the street using the wand that he had hidden behind his back, and transformed into his animagus form and ran off into the sewers.
Twelve muggles were killed in the explosion, and when the ministry arrived, you were standing there laughing, they arrested you and sent you to Azkaban with no trial for killing the muggles and Peter, and after you were gone, he found a wizarding family to live with and no one knew he was alive until Harry's third year when you escaped and found Peter who had been living with Ron the entire time as his pet.
Peter escaped that night, though, and went back to his master. The next year, during the third task of the triwizard tournament, Harry and another student were taken to you-know-who when they touched the trophy that was really a portkey. Cedric was killed immediately, and Wormtail tied Harry up. He then made a potion using Harry's blood and cut off his own hand to resurrect you-know-who. Harry escaped though, and you were still on the run from the ministry, and during his sixth year, Wormtail was spotted and you were pardoned" she finished and was met with utter silence.
"So" said Sirius several minutes later "I was sent to Azkaban for killing Peter and twelve muggles"
"Yes, and everyone thought you were the one who betrayed James and Lily, and that you were you-know-who's right hand man" she added
"Well, it's good to know that I'm not going to lead a boring life" said Sirius finally, always the one to try and lighten up a serious conversation with humor "But the next time I see Wormtail, I am going to murder him, no wonder Harry didn't trust him, how come we never noticed what a sniveling little coward he was" he growled
"Calm down Padfoot, there's nothing we can do about him right now, it'll just have to wait until we get back and hope we at least remember not to trust him, even if we can't remember why" said James calmly
"Prongs is right, right now we have more important things to worry about, like how Harry is doing and what we can do as a surprise for him when he wakes up" said Remus, event though both were fuming on the inside as well, neither wanted to discuss it until things calmed down some "Anyways, it's about time for dinner, why don't we head on down and then hopefully we can go up to the hospital wing and check on him" he added as he got to his feet and stretched. The others all followed suite and they silently made their way out the portrait hole and to the great hall.
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Harry was bored out of his mind. Ever since he had passed out in the potions classroom, he had been in this place, and where it was, he had no idea, but what he did know was that he was more than ready to leave already. He was pacing around in circles with in this vast expanse of absolute nothingness with only Voldemort for company, and if he had the power to do so, he would have killed the snake eyed man more than once now.
'So, boy, have you decided to give in yet?' asked Voldemort for what seemed like the hundredth time.
'I have already told you, Tom, I won, and I will never give in to you now. Your days are numbered, so accept it already' Harry growled without even facing the other man
'You seem awfully sure of yourself, Potter' said Voldemort mockingly 'This battle is not over yet, or have you forgotten what you saw in the crystal ball?' he asked
At this, Harry spun around to face him 'That will never happen, I would never allow you to harm Ginny' he bit back harshly with his eyes narrowed into thin slits
'That may be what you think, Potter, but you saw the vision, and once it happens, there will be nothing you can do to stop it' he said
'Just a few more days, Tom, and I will finally be rid of you after seventeen years of trying' said Harry with a determined glint in his eye
'Don't overestimate yourself, Potter, you haven't won yet' said Voldemort, his face fading away into the distance as Harry was pulled back into the harsh pain of reality.
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A/N: Sorry for the wait, but I got a 'B' on my exam! Next chapter is almost done so I will post it in a few days. Thanks for the reviews and let me know what you think of this one!