Rising Shadows
Chapter Nine - Christmas Morning
Peter lay in bed on Christmas Morning, awake, but not quite. The morning sunlight poured through the bed curtains and warmed his face. He smiled contently and finally opened his eyes.
They young boy yawned and stretched, before sticking his legs out the curtains. His bare feet knocked over a parcel on their way down.
Peter smiled at the gifts. His parents had sent his gifts to Hogwarts, along with a long and loving (and embarrassing) letter from his mother. He read his letter, and then moved over to Remus's bed, which had a much smaller pile of gifts near it.
"Remus?" he said in a soft voice, thinking Remus might just be lying awake in bed as Peter had been. No answer. Peter tried again, "Remus?" he said, louder this time. Still no answer. Peter sighed, opened the curtain, and reached out to shake the boy awake, when he realized something.
Remus wasn't there.
Peter grumbled, feeling stupid for talking to an empty room. There was a note lying on the pillow, however. Peter took it and read:
Dear Peter,
Feeling ill today, gone to hospital wing.
Merry Christmas
Your Friend,
Remus
Oh great. Just great. What a very merry Christmas indeed.
Well, even if Remus was ill, he should still be able to open his presents. After all, a few gifts might make him feel better. Actually, a few gifts better make him feel better, as that was all he had. Peter saw a gift from him and gifts from James, Sirius, Frank, and Lily. There were two other parcels, which were obviously from Remus's mother and father.
Making up his mind, Peter gathered the six packages into his bag, and walked down to the hospital wing. When Peter arrived, he was surprised to find it empty. Even Madam Pomfrey wasn't there. Wondering what was going on, Peter walked back to the first-year dorms to open his gifts in silence.
~oOo~
James woke up early Christmas Morning. He sat impatiently in his room until his parents woke up. He pushed the half-asleep adults down the stairway where a large pile of Christmas presents was waiting.
Ame stood back, smiling as her son opened gift after gift. Some from family and friends, but most from them. John Potter took pictures of James opening candy, clothes, and all sorts of odd little devices.
Finally, after there were no more gifts to open, Ame announced that she would have breakfast ready in ten minutes, and left the room.
James sat and played with his new gifts without noticing his father leave the room. He returned silently and stood behind his son.
After a few moments, James turned around to look up at his father. John sat down beside James. He pulled one more package out from behind his back, and handed it to James.
"This is a very special gift that my father gave to me when I started Hogwarts. You can't tell anyone but your closest and most trusted friends that you have it. It's very rare, and very valuable."
James stared wide-eyed at the silvery cloak in front of him. He stood up, and put it on. His father smiled as he disappeared from view.
"Now, remember only your closest friends should know you have it." John felt something thump against him, and simply laughed as his invisible son hugged him and whispered "Thanks Dad!" in his ear.
"Breakfast is ready!" shouted Ame from the kitchen. Father and Son got up, carefully rewrapping the cloak, and raced to the kitchen. There they found all their favorite breakfast dishes scattered across the dining table.
Before the family could sit down to eat, however, a large, black owl crashed through the window, and flew straight to James. The owl dropped the paper it was carrying in its beak on the table, and then flew back out the now broken window. The Potters stared after it.
James recognized the parchment as being torn out of a copy of the Hogwart's students' History of Magic textbooks. It was covered in blood. James picked it up and noticed one handwritten work at the bottom. 'Help'
~oOo~
Sirius moaned in pain as he heard the door to his bedroom open again. He tried to move his arms to protect his head, but only succeeded in causing himself even more pain. Rigel Black grabbed the boy's hair, and lifted his head to see his father. "Boy!" he said, Sirius moaned and closed his eyes, too tired and hurt to move much. "Look at me!" the man yelled. Sirius whimpered as the hand twisted his hair, but opened his eyes. His father held up his History of Magic book, covered in blood, and opened to reveal a place where a page had clearly been ripped out. "Your owl's gone." Rigel growled, "Where is it?!"
When Sirius didn't answer, he hit his son across the head with the book. The boy fell to the floor and didn't move to get up, even when his father yelled at him to stand. He simply didn't have the energy to move, and laid there until he slipped into unconsciousness, hoping the letter would reach James.
~oOo~
"Oh no! I knew this was a bad idea!" muttered James. He looked nervously at his parents, who were watching him with worried expressions.
James sighed. He didn't know whether his father would help Sirius or not. He didn't think Sirius would want his dad to know what he'd told him, but doubted that he'd rather be beaten up by his father.
James sighed and turned to his mother.
"Mum?" he said, "You know how the ministry decided that Jillian Black had poisoned herself?"
The family sat down as James talked. He told them everything he could think of until his father seemed convinced.
"Okay." said John, rubbing his forehead, "But what do you want us to do?"
James handed him the sheet and showed him what Sirius had written on it. "We have to help him!"
"James." started Ame.
"No!" James shouted. "We have to help! We can't just let him stay there! It's Christmas, and he's really hurt! Please?"
John sighed. "I'll call the Ministry." he got up and walked in to another room to use the fire.
Ame began putting food on a plate, and handed it to James. "You should have told someone about this earlier."
I know," James said, not touching his food. "But I didn't want to do anything until he was ready to talk to someone."
"He talked to you, didn't he?" She said, forcing a fork into James's hand, then making up a plate for her husband.
"Well, yeah, but it's not quite the same as telling an adult." James pushed his food across his plate. "Could we let Sirius stay here, with us?" he asked.
Ame stopped adding food to her plate, and looked up at her son. "I don't know about that..." she said.
"Don't know about what?" asked John as he walked back into the dining room.
"I asked if Sirius could stay with us. I mean. we have enough room for him." James said.
John frowned, a dark look overcoming his expression. "The ministry is sending someone to check on the boy. Let them handle it."
Peter lay in bed on Christmas Morning, awake, but not quite. The morning sunlight poured through the bed curtains and warmed his face. He smiled contently and finally opened his eyes.
They young boy yawned and stretched, before sticking his legs out the curtains. His bare feet knocked over a parcel on their way down.
Peter smiled at the gifts. His parents had sent his gifts to Hogwarts, along with a long and loving (and embarrassing) letter from his mother. He read his letter, and then moved over to Remus's bed, which had a much smaller pile of gifts near it.
"Remus?" he said in a soft voice, thinking Remus might just be lying awake in bed as Peter had been. No answer. Peter tried again, "Remus?" he said, louder this time. Still no answer. Peter sighed, opened the curtain, and reached out to shake the boy awake, when he realized something.
Remus wasn't there.
Peter grumbled, feeling stupid for talking to an empty room. There was a note lying on the pillow, however. Peter took it and read:
Dear Peter,
Feeling ill today, gone to hospital wing.
Merry Christmas
Your Friend,
Remus
Oh great. Just great. What a very merry Christmas indeed.
Well, even if Remus was ill, he should still be able to open his presents. After all, a few gifts might make him feel better. Actually, a few gifts better make him feel better, as that was all he had. Peter saw a gift from him and gifts from James, Sirius, Frank, and Lily. There were two other parcels, which were obviously from Remus's mother and father.
Making up his mind, Peter gathered the six packages into his bag, and walked down to the hospital wing. When Peter arrived, he was surprised to find it empty. Even Madam Pomfrey wasn't there. Wondering what was going on, Peter walked back to the first-year dorms to open his gifts in silence.
~oOo~
James woke up early Christmas Morning. He sat impatiently in his room until his parents woke up. He pushed the half-asleep adults down the stairway where a large pile of Christmas presents was waiting.
Ame stood back, smiling as her son opened gift after gift. Some from family and friends, but most from them. John Potter took pictures of James opening candy, clothes, and all sorts of odd little devices.
Finally, after there were no more gifts to open, Ame announced that she would have breakfast ready in ten minutes, and left the room.
James sat and played with his new gifts without noticing his father leave the room. He returned silently and stood behind his son.
After a few moments, James turned around to look up at his father. John sat down beside James. He pulled one more package out from behind his back, and handed it to James.
"This is a very special gift that my father gave to me when I started Hogwarts. You can't tell anyone but your closest and most trusted friends that you have it. It's very rare, and very valuable."
James stared wide-eyed at the silvery cloak in front of him. He stood up, and put it on. His father smiled as he disappeared from view.
"Now, remember only your closest friends should know you have it." John felt something thump against him, and simply laughed as his invisible son hugged him and whispered "Thanks Dad!" in his ear.
"Breakfast is ready!" shouted Ame from the kitchen. Father and Son got up, carefully rewrapping the cloak, and raced to the kitchen. There they found all their favorite breakfast dishes scattered across the dining table.
Before the family could sit down to eat, however, a large, black owl crashed through the window, and flew straight to James. The owl dropped the paper it was carrying in its beak on the table, and then flew back out the now broken window. The Potters stared after it.
James recognized the parchment as being torn out of a copy of the Hogwart's students' History of Magic textbooks. It was covered in blood. James picked it up and noticed one handwritten work at the bottom. 'Help'
~oOo~
Sirius moaned in pain as he heard the door to his bedroom open again. He tried to move his arms to protect his head, but only succeeded in causing himself even more pain. Rigel Black grabbed the boy's hair, and lifted his head to see his father. "Boy!" he said, Sirius moaned and closed his eyes, too tired and hurt to move much. "Look at me!" the man yelled. Sirius whimpered as the hand twisted his hair, but opened his eyes. His father held up his History of Magic book, covered in blood, and opened to reveal a place where a page had clearly been ripped out. "Your owl's gone." Rigel growled, "Where is it?!"
When Sirius didn't answer, he hit his son across the head with the book. The boy fell to the floor and didn't move to get up, even when his father yelled at him to stand. He simply didn't have the energy to move, and laid there until he slipped into unconsciousness, hoping the letter would reach James.
~oOo~
"Oh no! I knew this was a bad idea!" muttered James. He looked nervously at his parents, who were watching him with worried expressions.
James sighed. He didn't know whether his father would help Sirius or not. He didn't think Sirius would want his dad to know what he'd told him, but doubted that he'd rather be beaten up by his father.
James sighed and turned to his mother.
"Mum?" he said, "You know how the ministry decided that Jillian Black had poisoned herself?"
The family sat down as James talked. He told them everything he could think of until his father seemed convinced.
"Okay." said John, rubbing his forehead, "But what do you want us to do?"
James handed him the sheet and showed him what Sirius had written on it. "We have to help him!"
"James." started Ame.
"No!" James shouted. "We have to help! We can't just let him stay there! It's Christmas, and he's really hurt! Please?"
John sighed. "I'll call the Ministry." he got up and walked in to another room to use the fire.
Ame began putting food on a plate, and handed it to James. "You should have told someone about this earlier."
I know," James said, not touching his food. "But I didn't want to do anything until he was ready to talk to someone."
"He talked to you, didn't he?" She said, forcing a fork into James's hand, then making up a plate for her husband.
"Well, yeah, but it's not quite the same as telling an adult." James pushed his food across his plate. "Could we let Sirius stay here, with us?" he asked.
Ame stopped adding food to her plate, and looked up at her son. "I don't know about that..." she said.
"Don't know about what?" asked John as he walked back into the dining room.
"I asked if Sirius could stay with us. I mean. we have enough room for him." James said.
John frowned, a dark look overcoming his expression. "The ministry is sending someone to check on the boy. Let them handle it."