A/N: Thanks for reviewing, Lumos Girl! More chaps are coming!
Disclaimer: Still don't own anyone except Rowena.
Dumbledore gave a long sigh, looked down, and put his head in his hands. Rowena bit her lip. She was worried, truly concerned, for Dumbledore's welfare. Why was he so upset? Why was he so different? What had changed him so?
"Two years ago, Sirius, broke out of Azkaban. He entered Hogwarts, most likely in his Animagus form, and broke into Gryffindor common room. One day, he finally met Harry and his friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, in the Shrieking Shack. Ron's pet rat, as he knew him, was Peter.
"Then, Remus, who was the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, found them both in the shack, and tried to calm Sirius. Harry probably was very confused at the time, and thought Sirius was the killer of his parents. Then Severus came in. . .",
Dumbledore gave another sigh, but smiled afterwards. Rowena grinned. Dumbledore finished the story with,
"Harry had saved Sirius and sent him off on a hippogriff."
Rowena was laughing slightly at this, surprised that she could laugh when the story of her comrade's death was upon her.
"Harry is gifted like his father. . .", she said softly, "You know very well sir, I wasn't that fond of his father, but he was inarguably brilliant. A full fledged Patronus. . ."
"Sirius lived in a cave above Hogsmeade for some time. . . when Harry came back with the message of Voldemort's return. . . I sent Sirius to his House of Black, for, well you must know now."
"What?"
"Well, now it is the meeting place of friends."
She understood. He was talking about the Order.
"Moving on, Sirius was sick of waiting at his house while others were doing work. Harry went to the Department of Mysteries, believing that Sirius was in grave danger there and that Voldemort would kill him. You see, that scar of Harry's shows a connection in the thoughts of Harry and Voldemort. I told Harry to learn Occlumency from Severus, to block Voldemort's thoughts, though he didn't put his heart into it. I blame myself for that: I should've told him what it was for, but I believed it unsafe.
"Sirius hadn't been in grave danger, he was at home. Harry tried to reach by fire, but Sirius wasn't near the fireplace, and Kreacher, well, he gave Harry false information. Harry assumed that he was right. He, and five friends, went to the Department of Mysteries. Ten Death Eaters that had escaped cornered him and his friends there. He held the Prophecy in his hand. They wanted it for Voldemort. My pupils fought the Death Eaters, all of them with minor injuries, except Harry.
"Severus had sent for the Order, under Harry's hint. Sirius joined the rest. He saw Bellatrix Lestrange, his cousin and one of Voldemort's followers. They dueled, and he did quite well. He taunted her and then. . . she hit him with a Stunning spell. . . he fell through the veil. . . "
Dumbledore didn't finish. Rowena knew he didn't have to.
"The Death Eaters went to Azkaban, except Bellatrix, who escaped with Voldemort. That night, I finally told Harry the prophecy."
"I see."
"Rowena, I cannot apologize enough for the death of Sirius. It was my fault, mostly, perhaps not entirely."
His voice had lost the mechanical quality from the story Dumbledore told; it was now full of heart, full of pain, full of sadness. . .
"It isn't your fault, Professor. It isn't Harry's. It isn't the Order's. It isn't Severus's. It isn't Kreacher's, the filthy thing. It isn't even Bellatrix's. I prefer to think it was Fate. If Sirius had lived, you wouldn't have told Harry the Prophecy. If he had lived, Harry could not have learned that curiosity can hurt you, that obedience can be good. If Sirius lived, Harry would have a close attachment, which Voldemort would use against him when the time came. Voldemort has already used Sirius against Harry."
"Rowena, I suppose you can be right."
"And besides, Sirius would've went, if Harry was there or not!"
Rowena found herself trying to be unbiased, and hoping that Sirius's death was inevitable. She didn't want there to have been a chance that he could've lived. If there was a chance, she would obsess to the point where she might commit murder on whoever she felt responsible. She wanted see Sirius again. . . her last words were not the best. . . she could not even remember them.
Dumbledore sat down in a chair next to her, to her dismay. She did not want him to comfort her, to see her tears, despite the unbiased theory she gave of Fate. She looked up at him, hiding her sadness, her pain, her doubts. He put a knotted hand on her shoulder. She smiled. He was still a gentle person, sensitive to the pain of others. Perhaps it was his tragic flaw.
"Would you like to stay at Hogwarts for the night? The students are gone. It would be very easy to situate you."
"No, Professor. I need to see. . . someone."
"Very well. Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place."
"What?"
Dumbledore handed her a silver lighter. . .or an unlighter.
"Will you need a Portkey? . . . Or do you think you can Apparate?"
"I'll Apparate. . . what is this place?"
Dumbledore wouldn't answer. Rowena took the hint. He did not want to say out loud. She grabbed her bag from beside her, clutching it a bit too tightly.
"I'll see you Professor Dumbledore. . .soon, hopefully"
"It has been a pleasure seeing you, Ms. Flintwood."
~**********************~
Rowena ran down the spiral steps, managing to find her way outside the massive castle. She had to be a mile away from the school in order to successfully Apparate. She thought Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place and suddenly pointed her wand upon herself, hoping to reach there.
Suddenly she was in front of the narrow space between Number Eleven, Grimmauld Place and Number Thirteen, Grimmauld Place. She grinned.
"Of course.", she thought, "It wouldn't be a Wizard's home unless it was hidden in a Muggle neighborhood."
She pulled the silver unlighter out of her jeans pocket, feeling it's steely coolness against her fingers. She popped the cap until all the streetlamps were out. She then waited, hoping something would happen.
All of a sudden, a house slipped in between the two houses she saw before. She smiled. She lighted all the streetlamps again.
Walking up to the door, she felt her heart pounding. What was it that she was expecting? Did Dumbledore really know who she wanted to see?
Rowena grasped the doorknob, and the icy feeling crept up her arm. She twisted it, thinking,
"Maybe your future lies here. . .maybe Dumbledore knows what's best for you. ."
She walked in, the house almost perfectly dark. She noticed little things: a dark couch, a dark stairway, little blue shadows along the floor and the walls. She saw a tapestry of the Black Family Tree on the wall. She scowled. Sirius wasn't on it, and he, in her opinion, was what made the Black family so honorable. Otherwise they were just a bunch of pure-blood, arrogant fools.
"Ungrateful prats!", she thought, gazing at the burn mark which once held Sirius's name.
She sat down on the couch, feeling rather lonely. She heard a few steps, and felt a hand on her shoulder.
A voice whispered in disbelief.
"Rowena?"
Dumbledore gave a long sigh, looked down, and put his head in his hands. Rowena bit her lip. She was worried, truly concerned, for Dumbledore's welfare. Why was he so upset? Why was he so different? What had changed him so?
"Two years ago, Sirius, broke out of Azkaban. He entered Hogwarts, most likely in his Animagus form, and broke into Gryffindor common room. One day, he finally met Harry and his friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, in the Shrieking Shack. Ron's pet rat, as he knew him, was Peter.
"Then, Remus, who was the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, found them both in the shack, and tried to calm Sirius. Harry probably was very confused at the time, and thought Sirius was the killer of his parents. Then Severus came in. . .",
Dumbledore gave another sigh, but smiled afterwards. Rowena grinned. Dumbledore finished the story with,
"Harry had saved Sirius and sent him off on a hippogriff."
Rowena was laughing slightly at this, surprised that she could laugh when the story of her comrade's death was upon her.
"Harry is gifted like his father. . .", she said softly, "You know very well sir, I wasn't that fond of his father, but he was inarguably brilliant. A full fledged Patronus. . ."
"Sirius lived in a cave above Hogsmeade for some time. . . when Harry came back with the message of Voldemort's return. . . I sent Sirius to his House of Black, for, well you must know now."
"What?"
"Well, now it is the meeting place of friends."
She understood. He was talking about the Order.
"Moving on, Sirius was sick of waiting at his house while others were doing work. Harry went to the Department of Mysteries, believing that Sirius was in grave danger there and that Voldemort would kill him. You see, that scar of Harry's shows a connection in the thoughts of Harry and Voldemort. I told Harry to learn Occlumency from Severus, to block Voldemort's thoughts, though he didn't put his heart into it. I blame myself for that: I should've told him what it was for, but I believed it unsafe.
"Sirius hadn't been in grave danger, he was at home. Harry tried to reach by fire, but Sirius wasn't near the fireplace, and Kreacher, well, he gave Harry false information. Harry assumed that he was right. He, and five friends, went to the Department of Mysteries. Ten Death Eaters that had escaped cornered him and his friends there. He held the Prophecy in his hand. They wanted it for Voldemort. My pupils fought the Death Eaters, all of them with minor injuries, except Harry.
"Severus had sent for the Order, under Harry's hint. Sirius joined the rest. He saw Bellatrix Lestrange, his cousin and one of Voldemort's followers. They dueled, and he did quite well. He taunted her and then. . . she hit him with a Stunning spell. . . he fell through the veil. . . "
Dumbledore didn't finish. Rowena knew he didn't have to.
"The Death Eaters went to Azkaban, except Bellatrix, who escaped with Voldemort. That night, I finally told Harry the prophecy."
"I see."
"Rowena, I cannot apologize enough for the death of Sirius. It was my fault, mostly, perhaps not entirely."
His voice had lost the mechanical quality from the story Dumbledore told; it was now full of heart, full of pain, full of sadness. . .
"It isn't your fault, Professor. It isn't Harry's. It isn't the Order's. It isn't Severus's. It isn't Kreacher's, the filthy thing. It isn't even Bellatrix's. I prefer to think it was Fate. If Sirius had lived, you wouldn't have told Harry the Prophecy. If he had lived, Harry could not have learned that curiosity can hurt you, that obedience can be good. If Sirius lived, Harry would have a close attachment, which Voldemort would use against him when the time came. Voldemort has already used Sirius against Harry."
"Rowena, I suppose you can be right."
"And besides, Sirius would've went, if Harry was there or not!"
Rowena found herself trying to be unbiased, and hoping that Sirius's death was inevitable. She didn't want there to have been a chance that he could've lived. If there was a chance, she would obsess to the point where she might commit murder on whoever she felt responsible. She wanted see Sirius again. . . her last words were not the best. . . she could not even remember them.
Dumbledore sat down in a chair next to her, to her dismay. She did not want him to comfort her, to see her tears, despite the unbiased theory she gave of Fate. She looked up at him, hiding her sadness, her pain, her doubts. He put a knotted hand on her shoulder. She smiled. He was still a gentle person, sensitive to the pain of others. Perhaps it was his tragic flaw.
"Would you like to stay at Hogwarts for the night? The students are gone. It would be very easy to situate you."
"No, Professor. I need to see. . . someone."
"Very well. Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place."
"What?"
Dumbledore handed her a silver lighter. . .or an unlighter.
"Will you need a Portkey? . . . Or do you think you can Apparate?"
"I'll Apparate. . . what is this place?"
Dumbledore wouldn't answer. Rowena took the hint. He did not want to say out loud. She grabbed her bag from beside her, clutching it a bit too tightly.
"I'll see you Professor Dumbledore. . .soon, hopefully"
"It has been a pleasure seeing you, Ms. Flintwood."
~**********************~
Rowena ran down the spiral steps, managing to find her way outside the massive castle. She had to be a mile away from the school in order to successfully Apparate. She thought Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place and suddenly pointed her wand upon herself, hoping to reach there.
Suddenly she was in front of the narrow space between Number Eleven, Grimmauld Place and Number Thirteen, Grimmauld Place. She grinned.
"Of course.", she thought, "It wouldn't be a Wizard's home unless it was hidden in a Muggle neighborhood."
She pulled the silver unlighter out of her jeans pocket, feeling it's steely coolness against her fingers. She popped the cap until all the streetlamps were out. She then waited, hoping something would happen.
All of a sudden, a house slipped in between the two houses she saw before. She smiled. She lighted all the streetlamps again.
Walking up to the door, she felt her heart pounding. What was it that she was expecting? Did Dumbledore really know who she wanted to see?
Rowena grasped the doorknob, and the icy feeling crept up her arm. She twisted it, thinking,
"Maybe your future lies here. . .maybe Dumbledore knows what's best for you. ."
She walked in, the house almost perfectly dark. She noticed little things: a dark couch, a dark stairway, little blue shadows along the floor and the walls. She saw a tapestry of the Black Family Tree on the wall. She scowled. Sirius wasn't on it, and he, in her opinion, was what made the Black family so honorable. Otherwise they were just a bunch of pure-blood, arrogant fools.
"Ungrateful prats!", she thought, gazing at the burn mark which once held Sirius's name.
She sat down on the couch, feeling rather lonely. She heard a few steps, and felt a hand on her shoulder.
A voice whispered in disbelief.
"Rowena?"