THE LEAVING STORY
~*~*~
My Promise-
"You came back," I hear an old woman say. I cannot tell where we are, but I trust you. "You kept your promise," the old woman speaks again. She is talking to you, but somehow the words sink into my skin. How many promises have I broken? I said I would die for Harry Potter. I said I would die for the cause. But I am not dead yet.
"Yes," is all you say to the old woman. You are still carrying my frail body. Your long fingers are wrapped protectively around me. You kept your promise, whatever it was. It is time for me to make a promise to keep. My life is yours to do as you wish. I will tell you this in the morning, once I am fully recovered. Somehow I know I will be better by then.
You carry me into the woman's cottage and lay me down on the only bed in the one room building. Are those fairies dancing around the woman's body? She turns to prepare some potion, undoubtedly for me. You look at me in what you hope is a compassionate way. You need some practice, but I will not tell you this.
"Why didn't Harry and Ron rescue me?" I ask, assuming you are looking at me hoping I'll ask just that. I am right. The Gryffindor know-it-all within me rejoices.
"They agreed with Dumbledore that you were a sacrifice that had to be made," you say. I thought as much. I wonder why you wanted to tell me so. Do you want me to hate them? I have before. It is not as hard as you might think.
The old woman comes over now, and pours a liquid down my throat. I cough and sputter most of it up. Neither you nor she is surprised. Then I fall into a deep sleep and dream of things that could have been.
I awake to darkness and forget momentarily where I am. Then I remember. I roll over and see the small flickering of a candle. You are sitting there with the woman. She has her hands covering your own on the table. Your head is bowed and she is whispering something. Your gaze flickers to me for a moment. I fear you will tell the woman to stop so she can tend to me.
You don't, and she continues murmuring in some unrecognizable tongue. It comforts me immensely. You seem comforted, too.
"Bring her here," the old woman says. We both sigh, wishing she would continue with her talking, but you obey anyways. You kneel in front of my face.
"You can walk." I shake my head. "Try," you insist. I frown. Don't you understand what I've been through? I remember my promise. I try. I fail. The Gryffindor know-it-all within me smiles on.
You smile sadly, and help me. Together we walk over to the table and you place me in the chair and stand behind me.
You gently place my hands together on the table. The old woman covers them with her own and begins murmuring again. I bow my head like you did. The comforting feeling is increased by a ten-fold. I drift off, into a haze. I see things I have not before, and suddenly understand things that were once a mystery.
I see what will be if things continue as they are. Neither Light nor Dark will ever prosper, just merge into one horrific cause.
I see what will be if things change, if someone stands up to stop it all. I see families being raised. I see children smiling again. I see hope. I feel elated. I know it is possible.
Then it ends suddenly. I look up at the woman, but she is already gone, brewing a potion over a large cauldron. I look at you.
"Do you understand?" you ask. I nod. Something new has begun, and it scares me. I tell you this. You nod. It scares you too. I wonder why it had to be me and you, you and me, that were the firsts.
"What was the promise you kept?" I ask. I don't really expect an answer. In fact, I am still waiting for you to sneer at me. I am still waiting for me to wake up and find myself still chained to some dungeon walls while Lucius Malfoy tells me my friends don't care about me enough to come.
"I have kept many promises tonight. The one she," you say, gesturing to the old woman, "was talking about was to return, and allow her to show me what she has just blessed us both with. I kept a promise to myself of never allowing another innocent child to die while I stood by, doing nothing." I nod. "I have not been very good at keeping that promise to myself," you say. I start to believe you can read minds as that was the one question on my mind that instant.
"What do we do now?" I ask.
"We return, and complete the task ahead of us as you know we must," you say. I nod. Obedient forever. I'll tell you that in the morning, when I have recovered. I notice light peaking through the foggy window panes. I decide my definition of morning has changed along with my definition of recovery. Morning will be when I can awake and look at all those I love again without a fear they will be taken from me by the next break of dawn. Recovery will be when I forget what it feels like to be abandoned.
~*~*~
Authors Note- Three reviews and I decided to continue? Of course. It won't be a horribly long fic. Just a new take on the inevitable "war."
Love, A.H.
~*~*~
My Promise-
"You came back," I hear an old woman say. I cannot tell where we are, but I trust you. "You kept your promise," the old woman speaks again. She is talking to you, but somehow the words sink into my skin. How many promises have I broken? I said I would die for Harry Potter. I said I would die for the cause. But I am not dead yet.
"Yes," is all you say to the old woman. You are still carrying my frail body. Your long fingers are wrapped protectively around me. You kept your promise, whatever it was. It is time for me to make a promise to keep. My life is yours to do as you wish. I will tell you this in the morning, once I am fully recovered. Somehow I know I will be better by then.
You carry me into the woman's cottage and lay me down on the only bed in the one room building. Are those fairies dancing around the woman's body? She turns to prepare some potion, undoubtedly for me. You look at me in what you hope is a compassionate way. You need some practice, but I will not tell you this.
"Why didn't Harry and Ron rescue me?" I ask, assuming you are looking at me hoping I'll ask just that. I am right. The Gryffindor know-it-all within me rejoices.
"They agreed with Dumbledore that you were a sacrifice that had to be made," you say. I thought as much. I wonder why you wanted to tell me so. Do you want me to hate them? I have before. It is not as hard as you might think.
The old woman comes over now, and pours a liquid down my throat. I cough and sputter most of it up. Neither you nor she is surprised. Then I fall into a deep sleep and dream of things that could have been.
I awake to darkness and forget momentarily where I am. Then I remember. I roll over and see the small flickering of a candle. You are sitting there with the woman. She has her hands covering your own on the table. Your head is bowed and she is whispering something. Your gaze flickers to me for a moment. I fear you will tell the woman to stop so she can tend to me.
You don't, and she continues murmuring in some unrecognizable tongue. It comforts me immensely. You seem comforted, too.
"Bring her here," the old woman says. We both sigh, wishing she would continue with her talking, but you obey anyways. You kneel in front of my face.
"You can walk." I shake my head. "Try," you insist. I frown. Don't you understand what I've been through? I remember my promise. I try. I fail. The Gryffindor know-it-all within me smiles on.
You smile sadly, and help me. Together we walk over to the table and you place me in the chair and stand behind me.
You gently place my hands together on the table. The old woman covers them with her own and begins murmuring again. I bow my head like you did. The comforting feeling is increased by a ten-fold. I drift off, into a haze. I see things I have not before, and suddenly understand things that were once a mystery.
I see what will be if things continue as they are. Neither Light nor Dark will ever prosper, just merge into one horrific cause.
I see what will be if things change, if someone stands up to stop it all. I see families being raised. I see children smiling again. I see hope. I feel elated. I know it is possible.
Then it ends suddenly. I look up at the woman, but she is already gone, brewing a potion over a large cauldron. I look at you.
"Do you understand?" you ask. I nod. Something new has begun, and it scares me. I tell you this. You nod. It scares you too. I wonder why it had to be me and you, you and me, that were the firsts.
"What was the promise you kept?" I ask. I don't really expect an answer. In fact, I am still waiting for you to sneer at me. I am still waiting for me to wake up and find myself still chained to some dungeon walls while Lucius Malfoy tells me my friends don't care about me enough to come.
"I have kept many promises tonight. The one she," you say, gesturing to the old woman, "was talking about was to return, and allow her to show me what she has just blessed us both with. I kept a promise to myself of never allowing another innocent child to die while I stood by, doing nothing." I nod. "I have not been very good at keeping that promise to myself," you say. I start to believe you can read minds as that was the one question on my mind that instant.
"What do we do now?" I ask.
"We return, and complete the task ahead of us as you know we must," you say. I nod. Obedient forever. I'll tell you that in the morning, when I have recovered. I notice light peaking through the foggy window panes. I decide my definition of morning has changed along with my definition of recovery. Morning will be when I can awake and look at all those I love again without a fear they will be taken from me by the next break of dawn. Recovery will be when I forget what it feels like to be abandoned.
~*~*~
Authors Note- Three reviews and I decided to continue? Of course. It won't be a horribly long fic. Just a new take on the inevitable "war."
Love, A.H.