A/N I really need to get on some sort of schedule so that you all will know
when to expect a chapter. I doubt that will happen, so all I can really do
is apologize.
Chapter 2
Death and Drinking
"Hi," the woman said brightly, "You're dead."
Harry stared at her wide-eyed. This woman must be mad.
"A little subtlety wouldn't kill you, Kori," the man standing next to her said in a gruff voice.
"I like the deer-caught-in-headlights look they get though," Kori argued excitedly.
"Um," Harry wondered if he should interrupt their banter. He decided quickly that his need for answers superceded his need to be polite. "Are you two a bit crazy, by any chance?" he asked. He hadn't planned on dropping all manners, but, then again, it was a fair question.
"No sweetheart. You really are dead," the woman said sweetly as the man nodded grimly behind her.
Harry opened his mouth to argue only to close it again before ever uttering a word. Memories flooded his mind, and the world was suddenly filled with fire. Flames licked at the three bodies laid out before him as blood red eyes emerged from the burning wall of the Dursley's living room. Harry remembered everything.
He looked up at the pair who had been kind enough to give him a moment to process the truth. "I'm dead," he said matter-of-factly, though his wide eyes betrayed his shock.
Kori knelt beside his bed. Her warm brown eyes looked up into his glistening pools of emerald. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly.
Harry avoided the question, not really knowing the answer, and instead turned his attention upward. The ceiling was hidden from his view by the white canopy attached to the bed. The thin posts holding it in place were painted the same stark white as the walls and what ceiling he could see beyond the bed. Two overstuffed white armchairs sat off to one side upon a plush white carpet that stretched across the room.
Harry turned his attention back to the other occupants of the room. They each wore a white robe, though where Kori's tied about her waist with a gold belt the man's were left open, revealing a white dress shirt and slacks.
"Am I in heaven?" Harry asked wearily.
"No," Kori answered.
"Am I in hell?" he asked quickly.
"No," she laughed.
"There are a thousand different words for it, but most here stick with limbo," the man said helpfully.
"How long have I been here. asleep?" Harry asked.
"Not as long as some, longer than most," the man replied less helpfully.
Kori slapped his leg with the back of her hand. "Ignore Nate. He's an idiot," she told Harry. "He gets nervous when it takes very long for a new arrival to wake. You've been out for nearly a week."
Harry had a thousand questions racing through his head but did not get a chance to ask them yet.
"Why don't we leave you alone for a moment? It'll give you a chance to change out of the pajamas and to think on all of this for a minute," Nate suggested, helping Kori to her feet. Harry nodded, and Kori gave a friendly was as they exited the room.
Harry noticed his white silk pajamas for the first time and wondered where they had come from and what he was supposed to change into. He threw back the white linens and the plush white comforter. He dropped his bare feet to the thick carpet and stood, stretching his muscle.
There were three doors leading out of the room. The one Kori and Nate had exited through was on the wall to the right of the bed and there were two on the wall across. Harry walked over and opened the one on the right to reveal a closet. Inside he found a set of simple black robes. He pulled them out assuming that they were for him and moved to the other door. He opened the door and stepped into a clean white bathroom.
Harry stood a few minutes later in front of the fogged up mirror. His shower had been very refreshing, and his mind was starting to catch up with the conversation he had just held. His list of questions was steadily growing, but at least now he was awake enough to comprehend the answers.
He left the bathroom and found Kori and Nate sitting in the bedroom waiting for him.
"Ready to go?" Nate asked, rising to his feet.
"Where?" Harry asked.
"We thought you might like a tour," Kori answered, as she led him out the door. The hallway beyond was nothing like what Harry had expected, which is to say, completely normal. Hardwood floors matched the dark wood of the doors lining either side of the corridor. A small brass number adorned each door. The one he had just shut loosely held the number 42. The faded floral wallpaper was peeling from the wall in places. Nothing was white.
Smiling at the look on his face Kori stated, "The rooms that the new arrivals are put in are done in all white for effect." Harry nodded and continued to follow as they entered a dingy stairwell.
After four flights of stairs they left the stairwell in favor of what appeared to be a hotel lobby. I was completely empty, and for how impressive the room upstairs had been the rest of the building was rather dilapidated. Harry followed Nate and Kori through the glass doors and out into the blazing sunlight.
"Welcome to limbo," Kori said theatrically with a wide sweep of her arm.
They stood on what seemed to be the main street of a town only a bit larger than Hogsmeade. The street, which was lined with various shops, started at the gates of a great white castle, and continued to wind its way out into a vast desert.
Kori and Nate guided him through town, introducing him briefly to the few people they met on the street. They stopped to get something cool to drink at a tiny café around midday.
"You're lucky," Kori commented. "Some wake in the evening. They don't get a chance to look around."
"Why?" Harry asked. "What happens in the evening?"
"When the sun sets you will be taken to where you are supposed to be," Nate explained.
"Where am I supposed to be?" Harry asked with a raised brow.
"That depends," Kori smirked. "Are you a good witch or a bad witch?"
"Oh," Harry replied, catching on.
"So everyone here is waiting to crossover or whatever?" he asked, waving a hand in the direction of the café's few patrons and staff.
"Well," Kori shifted nervously, "not exactly. Most of them are residents. It's been a long morning, and I'm sure that you are tired. Nate and I have some errands to run. Why don't we take you back so you can have a nap?" she asked, hurriedly trying to change the subject.
"No thanks," he said brightly, sensing that they were keeping something from him. "I've been asleep for nearly a week. You two go ahead though. I'll just walk around on my own a bit." Harry rose from the table, leaving his guides a bit shocked.
Harry wandered about the small town for nearly an hour. He was just about to head back to the hotel for the nap he had refused, when he met a familiar face, "Cedric!"
Remus Lupin sat in his kitchen staring down at the full glass of whiskey sitting on the table in front of him. Generally speaking, Remus didn't drink, but he was considering taking it up. I just seemed to be the next logical step in his depression.
Ever since Harry's memorial, he hadn't been about to pull himself out of his worst memories. Lily, James, Sirius, Peter's betrayal, his own parents, and now Harry, he had no one left.
Remus had his hand wrapped around the glass when he heard the fire flare up in the next room. Pulling his hand back he rose from his seat and walked to his living room.
"Hello, Albus," he greeted.
"Just the man I was looking for," Albus Dumbledore replied. "I have a proposition for you."
"Thanks, but you're not my type," Remus said tiredly.
"I once again find myself in need of a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor," Dumbledore continued without acknowledging the younger man's comment. "I was hoping that you would consider taking up the position again."
"I told you when I quit that I'm not comfortable around children anymore. I could have killed someone."
"I have complete confidence that you will do just fine."
"I can't, Albus. I just. can't," Remus said, looking at some spot off in the corner, avoiding the piercing eyes of the aged headmaster.
"Ah," Dumbledore's face fell slightly. "Of course," he turned and threw a handful of Floo powder into the flames. "Do let me know if you change your mind."
Remus went upstairs, his glass of whiskey no forgotten. He lay down upon his perfectly made bed and stared at the ceiling above him. He truly hated Albus. He hated that the man asked him to do things he didn't want to do. He hated the look on the man's face when he said no, but most of all he hated the strong feeling he had that he would be teaching Defense at Hogwarts this year.
A/N Reviews would be greatly appreciated.
Chapter 2
Death and Drinking
"Hi," the woman said brightly, "You're dead."
Harry stared at her wide-eyed. This woman must be mad.
"A little subtlety wouldn't kill you, Kori," the man standing next to her said in a gruff voice.
"I like the deer-caught-in-headlights look they get though," Kori argued excitedly.
"Um," Harry wondered if he should interrupt their banter. He decided quickly that his need for answers superceded his need to be polite. "Are you two a bit crazy, by any chance?" he asked. He hadn't planned on dropping all manners, but, then again, it was a fair question.
"No sweetheart. You really are dead," the woman said sweetly as the man nodded grimly behind her.
Harry opened his mouth to argue only to close it again before ever uttering a word. Memories flooded his mind, and the world was suddenly filled with fire. Flames licked at the three bodies laid out before him as blood red eyes emerged from the burning wall of the Dursley's living room. Harry remembered everything.
He looked up at the pair who had been kind enough to give him a moment to process the truth. "I'm dead," he said matter-of-factly, though his wide eyes betrayed his shock.
Kori knelt beside his bed. Her warm brown eyes looked up into his glistening pools of emerald. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly.
Harry avoided the question, not really knowing the answer, and instead turned his attention upward. The ceiling was hidden from his view by the white canopy attached to the bed. The thin posts holding it in place were painted the same stark white as the walls and what ceiling he could see beyond the bed. Two overstuffed white armchairs sat off to one side upon a plush white carpet that stretched across the room.
Harry turned his attention back to the other occupants of the room. They each wore a white robe, though where Kori's tied about her waist with a gold belt the man's were left open, revealing a white dress shirt and slacks.
"Am I in heaven?" Harry asked wearily.
"No," Kori answered.
"Am I in hell?" he asked quickly.
"No," she laughed.
"There are a thousand different words for it, but most here stick with limbo," the man said helpfully.
"How long have I been here. asleep?" Harry asked.
"Not as long as some, longer than most," the man replied less helpfully.
Kori slapped his leg with the back of her hand. "Ignore Nate. He's an idiot," she told Harry. "He gets nervous when it takes very long for a new arrival to wake. You've been out for nearly a week."
Harry had a thousand questions racing through his head but did not get a chance to ask them yet.
"Why don't we leave you alone for a moment? It'll give you a chance to change out of the pajamas and to think on all of this for a minute," Nate suggested, helping Kori to her feet. Harry nodded, and Kori gave a friendly was as they exited the room.
Harry noticed his white silk pajamas for the first time and wondered where they had come from and what he was supposed to change into. He threw back the white linens and the plush white comforter. He dropped his bare feet to the thick carpet and stood, stretching his muscle.
There were three doors leading out of the room. The one Kori and Nate had exited through was on the wall to the right of the bed and there were two on the wall across. Harry walked over and opened the one on the right to reveal a closet. Inside he found a set of simple black robes. He pulled them out assuming that they were for him and moved to the other door. He opened the door and stepped into a clean white bathroom.
Harry stood a few minutes later in front of the fogged up mirror. His shower had been very refreshing, and his mind was starting to catch up with the conversation he had just held. His list of questions was steadily growing, but at least now he was awake enough to comprehend the answers.
He left the bathroom and found Kori and Nate sitting in the bedroom waiting for him.
"Ready to go?" Nate asked, rising to his feet.
"Where?" Harry asked.
"We thought you might like a tour," Kori answered, as she led him out the door. The hallway beyond was nothing like what Harry had expected, which is to say, completely normal. Hardwood floors matched the dark wood of the doors lining either side of the corridor. A small brass number adorned each door. The one he had just shut loosely held the number 42. The faded floral wallpaper was peeling from the wall in places. Nothing was white.
Smiling at the look on his face Kori stated, "The rooms that the new arrivals are put in are done in all white for effect." Harry nodded and continued to follow as they entered a dingy stairwell.
After four flights of stairs they left the stairwell in favor of what appeared to be a hotel lobby. I was completely empty, and for how impressive the room upstairs had been the rest of the building was rather dilapidated. Harry followed Nate and Kori through the glass doors and out into the blazing sunlight.
"Welcome to limbo," Kori said theatrically with a wide sweep of her arm.
They stood on what seemed to be the main street of a town only a bit larger than Hogsmeade. The street, which was lined with various shops, started at the gates of a great white castle, and continued to wind its way out into a vast desert.
Kori and Nate guided him through town, introducing him briefly to the few people they met on the street. They stopped to get something cool to drink at a tiny café around midday.
"You're lucky," Kori commented. "Some wake in the evening. They don't get a chance to look around."
"Why?" Harry asked. "What happens in the evening?"
"When the sun sets you will be taken to where you are supposed to be," Nate explained.
"Where am I supposed to be?" Harry asked with a raised brow.
"That depends," Kori smirked. "Are you a good witch or a bad witch?"
"Oh," Harry replied, catching on.
"So everyone here is waiting to crossover or whatever?" he asked, waving a hand in the direction of the café's few patrons and staff.
"Well," Kori shifted nervously, "not exactly. Most of them are residents. It's been a long morning, and I'm sure that you are tired. Nate and I have some errands to run. Why don't we take you back so you can have a nap?" she asked, hurriedly trying to change the subject.
"No thanks," he said brightly, sensing that they were keeping something from him. "I've been asleep for nearly a week. You two go ahead though. I'll just walk around on my own a bit." Harry rose from the table, leaving his guides a bit shocked.
Harry wandered about the small town for nearly an hour. He was just about to head back to the hotel for the nap he had refused, when he met a familiar face, "Cedric!"
Remus Lupin sat in his kitchen staring down at the full glass of whiskey sitting on the table in front of him. Generally speaking, Remus didn't drink, but he was considering taking it up. I just seemed to be the next logical step in his depression.
Ever since Harry's memorial, he hadn't been about to pull himself out of his worst memories. Lily, James, Sirius, Peter's betrayal, his own parents, and now Harry, he had no one left.
Remus had his hand wrapped around the glass when he heard the fire flare up in the next room. Pulling his hand back he rose from his seat and walked to his living room.
"Hello, Albus," he greeted.
"Just the man I was looking for," Albus Dumbledore replied. "I have a proposition for you."
"Thanks, but you're not my type," Remus said tiredly.
"I once again find myself in need of a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor," Dumbledore continued without acknowledging the younger man's comment. "I was hoping that you would consider taking up the position again."
"I told you when I quit that I'm not comfortable around children anymore. I could have killed someone."
"I have complete confidence that you will do just fine."
"I can't, Albus. I just. can't," Remus said, looking at some spot off in the corner, avoiding the piercing eyes of the aged headmaster.
"Ah," Dumbledore's face fell slightly. "Of course," he turned and threw a handful of Floo powder into the flames. "Do let me know if you change your mind."
Remus went upstairs, his glass of whiskey no forgotten. He lay down upon his perfectly made bed and stared at the ceiling above him. He truly hated Albus. He hated that the man asked him to do things he didn't want to do. He hated the look on the man's face when he said no, but most of all he hated the strong feeling he had that he would be teaching Defense at Hogwarts this year.
A/N Reviews would be greatly appreciated.