Rising Shadows
Chapter Ten - Social Worker
"Poor boy tripped on his way down the staircase."
"It must have been quite the fall. He's hurt pretty badly."
"Yeah.he crashed headfirst into that vase at the bottom.I was just about to call a doctor when you arrived."
"Why don't you go ahead and call, I'll watch over the child."
"Well, alright, but don't wake him, not yet."
"I won't, go on."
Sirius heard footsteps on the staircase. Then he heard his bedroom door opening. He opened his eyes, and soon a blurry image of a woman appeared in front of him.
"Hello child, are you awake?" Sirius tried to nod, but his head hurt too much. Instead, he answered in a croaky voice, much unlike his own, "Yes."
"Good, how is your head feeling?" she asked.
"Hurts." said Sirius, "Who are you?"
The woman smiled kindly. "My name is Selena Remington; I am from the Ministry of Magic. I'm here to check on you."
"Oh..."
"Sirius, would you like to tell me how you got hurt?" Ms. Remington said in a soft, quiet voice.
Sirius thought a moment about what he should say. He thought of what his father had said and done, and he though about what his friends had said. Finally, as footsteps once again sounded on the stairs, Sirius muttered "Father." and blacked out again.
~oOo~
Peter sat alone Christmas evening in the Common Room in front of the fire. Remus's presents lay in the dormitory on his bed, still unopened. Peter hadn't enjoyed the feast very much. Though the food was wonderful, not many Gryffindors had stayed for Christmas, and Peter had been very lonely.
Around 10:00, Peter heard the portrait open. He looked up to see Remus walking his way.
"Hey." Remus said, looking very pale.
"Hi.are you feeling better?" said Peter as pleasantly as possible.
"Err.yeah. Look, I'm sorry I left you alone for Christmas. I've been asleep all day; I've only just woken up."
Peter sighed. "It's alright." He thought a moment, and then grinned at Remus. "Come on, let's go open your presents! They're in the dorm."
Remus grinned as well. "Alright, then you can show me what you got."
Peter stood up, and the two boys raced to the first-year dormitory, much to the annoyance of a sixth year prefect.
~oOo~
Sirius woke up to the sound of a soft, muffled voice. His head was pounding and his entire body ached, though he couldn't remember why. Sirius pulled the sheets of the soft bed he found himself in over his head to block out the echoing voice, and closed his eyes tightly.
He heard ruffling next to his bed, and then a voice, closer this time.
"Sirius?" The voice echoed oddly in his head. It was a soft voice he remembered hearing several times before. He groaned and winced when he felt a hand on his arm. But the hand was gentle, and so the voice continued to be. "Sirius? Come on, dear, you need to drink this."
The boy groaned again, but he moved his arms and the sheets away from his head. He opened his eyes, but quickly shut them again as the bright lights increased the pain in his head. A hand lifted his head, and he felt something being forced down his throat. It burned, but his head cleared immediately, and the pounding stopped. Sirius opened his eyes.
A woman was standing over him, smiling sadly. He didn't know who it was, but she seemed familiar. "Who are you?" Sirius asked, his voice sounding raw and strained.
She smiled. "Selena Remington. I was sent to check on you, remember?" Sirius nodded, he remembered.
"This is my house. You'll be staying here from the rest of your break. Now, why don't you get some sleep? If you're feeling better, we can go to the Christmas Feast."
The woman covered Sirius again, and tucked him in; she kissed his forehead as he closed his eyes. Sirius smiled, remembering the way his mother used to do the same when she put him to bed.
After a few minutes, his breathing was steady, and the boy was deep in sleep. The woman sighed, a loving gaze on the boy. She left her place beside his bed, and went to prepare for Christmas Night.
~oOo~
Mrs. Potter tapped her foot impatiently as she waited at the fireplace.
"John! James! Aren't you two ready yet?"
The Potters were do to arrive at the Ministry building in 3 minutes, but neither her husband nor son was in sight. (Of course, we all know why that is, don't we?)
"Hey James," John whispered to his son. "Let's put this away and go before you mother skins us, eh?" James nodded in agreement, and the two snuck out of the room. The cloak was placed back in its box. After the Potter boys straightened out their robes, and one last futile attempt to flatten James's hair, they ran back to the fire and Amethyst.
"It's about time, come on, we'll be late!" shouted the woman as she shooed her family into the fireplace.
~oOo~
"Here you are dear." Said Ms. Remington, holding up some midnight blue dress robes. "You can wear these to the feast tonight."
"Thank you, Ms. Remington." Said Sirius, taking the robes.
She helped the boy lift the robes he was wearing over his head, then pulled the new ones on. Sirius put his feet on the ground, and slowly stood up. Ms. Remington put a hand on his shoulder and back to steady him. His head was spinning, and his legs would barely hold him up
"Are you okay? Do you think you'll be alright for the feast, or do you want to just stay here and sleep?"
"No, I'm fine, I'll be alright in a minute." Sirius answered quickly. He was really tired of sleeping (though that doesn't make much sense). Ms. Remington looked doubtful, but smiled. "Okay dear."
She led the boy to the fireplace and handed him a pinch of floo- powder.
"It's called 'Ministry: Field E."
Sirius smiled and waited for Ms. Remington to go through before following.
A/N: The next chapters the really big important one. I'll post that and a few others tomorrow, so long as the laptop doesn't blow up. There's only sixteen chapters total, so I'll be finished real soon.
"Poor boy tripped on his way down the staircase."
"It must have been quite the fall. He's hurt pretty badly."
"Yeah.he crashed headfirst into that vase at the bottom.I was just about to call a doctor when you arrived."
"Why don't you go ahead and call, I'll watch over the child."
"Well, alright, but don't wake him, not yet."
"I won't, go on."
Sirius heard footsteps on the staircase. Then he heard his bedroom door opening. He opened his eyes, and soon a blurry image of a woman appeared in front of him.
"Hello child, are you awake?" Sirius tried to nod, but his head hurt too much. Instead, he answered in a croaky voice, much unlike his own, "Yes."
"Good, how is your head feeling?" she asked.
"Hurts." said Sirius, "Who are you?"
The woman smiled kindly. "My name is Selena Remington; I am from the Ministry of Magic. I'm here to check on you."
"Oh..."
"Sirius, would you like to tell me how you got hurt?" Ms. Remington said in a soft, quiet voice.
Sirius thought a moment about what he should say. He thought of what his father had said and done, and he though about what his friends had said. Finally, as footsteps once again sounded on the stairs, Sirius muttered "Father." and blacked out again.
~oOo~
Peter sat alone Christmas evening in the Common Room in front of the fire. Remus's presents lay in the dormitory on his bed, still unopened. Peter hadn't enjoyed the feast very much. Though the food was wonderful, not many Gryffindors had stayed for Christmas, and Peter had been very lonely.
Around 10:00, Peter heard the portrait open. He looked up to see Remus walking his way.
"Hey." Remus said, looking very pale.
"Hi.are you feeling better?" said Peter as pleasantly as possible.
"Err.yeah. Look, I'm sorry I left you alone for Christmas. I've been asleep all day; I've only just woken up."
Peter sighed. "It's alright." He thought a moment, and then grinned at Remus. "Come on, let's go open your presents! They're in the dorm."
Remus grinned as well. "Alright, then you can show me what you got."
Peter stood up, and the two boys raced to the first-year dormitory, much to the annoyance of a sixth year prefect.
~oOo~
Sirius woke up to the sound of a soft, muffled voice. His head was pounding and his entire body ached, though he couldn't remember why. Sirius pulled the sheets of the soft bed he found himself in over his head to block out the echoing voice, and closed his eyes tightly.
He heard ruffling next to his bed, and then a voice, closer this time.
"Sirius?" The voice echoed oddly in his head. It was a soft voice he remembered hearing several times before. He groaned and winced when he felt a hand on his arm. But the hand was gentle, and so the voice continued to be. "Sirius? Come on, dear, you need to drink this."
The boy groaned again, but he moved his arms and the sheets away from his head. He opened his eyes, but quickly shut them again as the bright lights increased the pain in his head. A hand lifted his head, and he felt something being forced down his throat. It burned, but his head cleared immediately, and the pounding stopped. Sirius opened his eyes.
A woman was standing over him, smiling sadly. He didn't know who it was, but she seemed familiar. "Who are you?" Sirius asked, his voice sounding raw and strained.
She smiled. "Selena Remington. I was sent to check on you, remember?" Sirius nodded, he remembered.
"This is my house. You'll be staying here from the rest of your break. Now, why don't you get some sleep? If you're feeling better, we can go to the Christmas Feast."
The woman covered Sirius again, and tucked him in; she kissed his forehead as he closed his eyes. Sirius smiled, remembering the way his mother used to do the same when she put him to bed.
After a few minutes, his breathing was steady, and the boy was deep in sleep. The woman sighed, a loving gaze on the boy. She left her place beside his bed, and went to prepare for Christmas Night.
~oOo~
Mrs. Potter tapped her foot impatiently as she waited at the fireplace.
"John! James! Aren't you two ready yet?"
The Potters were do to arrive at the Ministry building in 3 minutes, but neither her husband nor son was in sight. (Of course, we all know why that is, don't we?)
"Hey James," John whispered to his son. "Let's put this away and go before you mother skins us, eh?" James nodded in agreement, and the two snuck out of the room. The cloak was placed back in its box. After the Potter boys straightened out their robes, and one last futile attempt to flatten James's hair, they ran back to the fire and Amethyst.
"It's about time, come on, we'll be late!" shouted the woman as she shooed her family into the fireplace.
~oOo~
"Here you are dear." Said Ms. Remington, holding up some midnight blue dress robes. "You can wear these to the feast tonight."
"Thank you, Ms. Remington." Said Sirius, taking the robes.
She helped the boy lift the robes he was wearing over his head, then pulled the new ones on. Sirius put his feet on the ground, and slowly stood up. Ms. Remington put a hand on his shoulder and back to steady him. His head was spinning, and his legs would barely hold him up
"Are you okay? Do you think you'll be alright for the feast, or do you want to just stay here and sleep?"
"No, I'm fine, I'll be alright in a minute." Sirius answered quickly. He was really tired of sleeping (though that doesn't make much sense). Ms. Remington looked doubtful, but smiled. "Okay dear."
She led the boy to the fireplace and handed him a pinch of floo- powder.
"It's called 'Ministry: Field E."
Sirius smiled and waited for Ms. Remington to go through before following.
A/N: The next chapters the really big important one. I'll post that and a few others tomorrow, so long as the laptop doesn't blow up. There's only sixteen chapters total, so I'll be finished real soon.