Chapter Five - Bri Returns
No one spoke as they piled out of the cars. As if in a trance Sirius thrust Harry's shrunken things they had liberated from the Dursley's into Remus' hands and dashed up the stairs followed by the rest of the silent group. Ginny, who had finally gotten her sniffles under control, looked on the verge of tears again and to everyone's surprise it was Snape, not Bill, who placed a steadying hand on her back. Not that Sirius noticed any of this, he had scampered ahead of everyone and was standing next to Dumbledore trying to find his voice and ask the questions that were plaguing him. When everyone reached the landing in front of the doors Dumbledore spoke softly, "It seems that Harry was injured worse than it appeared." As one the group started to speak but Dumbledore held up his hand to silence them. "It seems that he has a few broken ribs, and that he's had them for a while. Quite possibly since the day Miss Weasly lost contact with him. Apparently they have punctured his left lung and have also caused internal bleeding. Now we've done everything we can, the rest is up to him."
The air seemed to vibrate with the tension. No one spoke, no one moved, it was as if they were all waiting for a sign. A sign that it was ok to accept this news as true. Surprisingly it was Ginny that took the first step. Finally gaining a tremulous control of her emotions Ginny raised her eyes and noticed something that no one else had. There were tears streaming silently down Sirius' cheeks. Before anyone could stop her she took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and crossed to Sirius placing her tiny hand in his. Facing Dumbledore she said calmly, "Take us to him." The first smile of the night finally graced Dumbledore's face. He nodded slightly. Everyone watched silently as the littlest Weasly gripped Sirius' hand tighter and dragged him down the hallway after Dumbledore. "Well," Bill said softly after a minute, "I should probably head home and let Mum and Ron know what happened. I'm sure that they've missed us by now. I'll bring them back with me after I get some dinner." With that he tossed some floo powder on the fire, stated clearly "The Burrow," and was gone. Remus, still clutching Harry's things, looked at Snape who had taken refuge in one of the chairs along the wall. "It might be a good idea for someone to let Miss Granger know what's going on as well. I'm sure that she is the first person Mr. Weasly, Ron I mean not Bill, will contact after hearing the news." Snape just stared at Remus not saying anything. Remus cleared his throat before going on, "Well, um, there is someone, uh, at home that I, um, need to contact. So, uh, if you wouldn't mind." Snape just grunted, nodded, and apperated to, Remus could only guess, the Granger residence. Taking a deep breath and picking pasting a smile on his face, he tossed floo powder onto the fire and with the words, "Willow Field" he was gone.
Meanwhile Dumbledore, Sirius, and Ginny had reached the door to Harry's room. Slowly and silently the three filed into the room. In a hushed whisper Dumbledore told Ginny and Sirius that the doctors had stopped the internal bleeding and done what they could to repair the lung. Harry was just sleeping now, and they should let him sleep as long as possible. Ginny finally let go of Sirius' hand and crept towards Harry's bedside. Settling herself in a chair on his left side she brushed his hair softly away from his face and clasped his heavily bandaged hand between both of her tiny ones. Dumbledore motioned to Sirius and they both stepped outside the room to give Ginny a moment alone. "Sirius, I've known you for a long time," Dumbledore placed a hand on Sirius' shoulder to make Sirius look at him. "There is something, beyond Harry's current condition, that is bothering you. What is it?" "What is it? How can you not know? How can you not see that that boy is lying in that bloody hospital bed because of me?" "What exactly do you think you have done to Harry? As far as I know all you've ever done is love him." "Well, let's assume for a minute that it wasn't me who talked his parents into switching secret keepers, and let's assume for a minute that I didn't let him talk me out of killing that rat Peter. I have been free for weeks, WEEKS, and he's been suffering. I should have gone after him before the ink even dried on the pardon. So, you see, it's my fault. It's all my fault." Dumbledore opened his mouth to reply, what he really wanted to do was grab Sirius and shake him until all this nonsense came free in his brain and fell out his ears, but before Dumbledore could even get a word out his salvation, if that's what you want to call it, came from behind him. "Sirius Black," the voice wasn't loud, shrill, or angry, instead it was soft, quiet, and disappointed. "I can't believe what I am hearing." Both men turned to see Ginny in the doorway to Harry's room, pain and disappointment written all over her face. She never raised her voice, but her tone conveyed her displeasure in the conversation she had overheard. "You are just like Harry you know? He always blames himself for everything. I know that he blames himself for not saving the people he sees die in his visions. Like there was a way he could actually save those people when he is not even really there. What is it with men and this complex that everything that happens is your fault?" With a last shake of her head she turned to go back to Harry's side, "And don't even think about coming in here until you lose that It's all my fault attitude, Harry doesn't need anything else depressing him right now." With that she shut the door in their faces. Sirius and Dumbledore looked at each other in awe. "Well, that was certainly unexpected," Dumbledore said. Taking a still very lost looking Sirius by the hand he turned towards some chairs sitting along the wall, "Come my boy, I think it's time we had a long overdue talk."
Remus stepped out of the fireplace and looked around slowly, heaving a great sigh of relief when he found the room empty he started towards the stairs as quickly and as quietly as he could. As his foot reached the first step he was frozen in place by a question from the shadows. "And just where do you think you are going Remus J. Lupin? You have a lot of explaining to do."
'Bloody Hell' Remus thought to himself 'I'm in trouble now.' Plastering a bright smile on his face he turned and said with forced brightness, "Bri, what are you doing up and about this late?"
Brianna Potter-Neufield stepped out from the doorway of the kitchen where she had been standing in the shadows. She was not smiling. "Don't try to pull the crap with me Remus. (A/n I'm not totally sure if this is vocabulary they would use in England but she has been in hiding in America for fifteen years, so of course she would talk like an American at least partially) I have known you way too long to be fooled by that innocent look, which incidentally, you don't pull off half as well as you think you do. So just go ahead and tell me what you and Sirius are up to and save me the trouble of pulling out my wand and hexing you into next week."
Clearing his throat Remus mumbled, "What makes you think we are up to something?"
Bri took another step towards Remus, her wand coming up to point at him, but before she could open her mouth a tired voice came from the step. "Momma, why are you pointing your wand at Mr. Remus?" A petite girl with long wavy black hair and sleepy pale blue eyes yawned as she finished these words. She looked questionably between her mother and this man she had only known for a few weeks but that seemed rather trustworthy.
"Serena, my dear," seeing his chance Remus made a dash towards the steps and put his arm around the eleven year old. "Up for a midnight snack? Here let Uncle Remus help you." Remus chattered away brightly as he steered Serena towards the kitchen. He was stopped suddenly, although not unexpectedly, when Bri grabbed the back of his robes.
"You aren't getting away that easily Remus. What in the bloody hell is going on? Where did you and Sirius go rushing off to? And." Her words trailed off as a snowy white owl swooped into the room through the open window and perched on the railing. Even in the dark it was plain to see that there was blood on her chest and wings, in her beak she held a wrinkled sheet of parchment that contained obvious blood stains. Serena gasped at the first sight of the bird thinking that it was hurt. Bri stared at it trying to figure out where she had seen it before. Remus stepped forward and held out his arm, the owl flew slowly over and perched on it.
Reaching up with his other hand and stroking the owl softly Remus whispered, "I'm so glad you made it girl. Sirius told me he let you go out the window but I wasn't sure if you would find us." The owl dropped the parchment into Remus' hand and hooted feebly.
Clearing her throat Bri started, "Uh Remus?" Without even looking at her Remus handed her the parchment and continued stroking the bird checking to make sure everything was ok. Serena just stood there gaping not sure what to think about everything she was just about to ask what was going on when her mom gave a startled cry and looked at Remus tears gathering in her eyes. "No Remus, no. Tell me he's ok. Oh God, there's so much blood." Her mom broke down and started crying burying her head in her hands, Serena bent down and picked up the piece of parchment from where it had fallen. Glancing at it almost made her sick to her stomach, it was literally covered in blood but the writing was still distinguishable. Looking up she saw Mr. Remus trying to comfort her mom and decided to go ahead and read it for herself.
Dear Aunt Bri,
I know that I don't really know you and that you don't really know me but I need help. Honestly I don't even know if I will ever be able to send you this letter. The Dursley's have locked me in again as well as padlocking Hedwig in her cage. But if I figure out a way to free her this will be ready. I thought I should write it now while I was able. If you ever get this letter could you please come get me from the Dursley's? I mean if it wouldn't be too much bother. I'm not really sure how much longer I can stay here. Hedwig and I are both starving and I'm pretty sure that I have a dislocated shoulder. So if it's not too much trouble if you could come get me or maybe send help that would be gre
The letter ended in the middle of a word with a long slash of ink running down the parchment as if the writer had been jerked away in a hurry. Serena looked up at her mom and Mr. Remus. "It's Harry isn't it momma? Something's happened to Harry." Both of them nodded slowly. "Is he alive?" Again another nod. And the Serena asked the question that Remus had been dreading ever since he got the news about Harry being hurt. "Can we see him?"
"Yes my darling, of course we are going to him. We are his family. Now run upstairs and wake up your brother and sister, all of you get dressed, and then come back down and we'll go." Serena nodded and started towards the stairs. She stopped in front of Remus, who was currently gaping at her mother, and held out her arm. Hedwig hooted softly and flew to her.
"I'll clean you up and get you some food before we go girl." Serena whispered quietly to the owl. "You can sleep upstairs with Malin he's momma's owl and he'll be nice to you." Both adults smiled at the little girl as she chattered away to the owl on her way up the stairs.
Turning back towards each other Remus took a deep breath, but before he could even open his mouth Bri held up her hand. "Don't start Remus. I know we decided that I shouldn't go out in public too much, but it's just too bloody late for that. It's obvious that poor Harry hasn't had a good family life and if I am ever going to prove to him that I am not a thing like that disgusting ingrate Petunia then I am going to have to be there at the hospital when he wakes up. Don't argue with me you know I'm right and you know I can protect myself, all I'm asking you to do is protect my children. Is that clear?" When Remus nodded Bri continued, "Now I see you have some shrunken items there in your hand am I correct in assuming those are Harry's?" Another nod. "Good, take them up to his room and restore them to their proper size. Check on the children because Sera is probably distracted with the owl, you know her and animals, and then meet me back down here, I am going to floo Bella and ask her to meet us there to help you with the children." With that Bri turned her back on him and headed back towards the kitchen.
Twenty-five minutes later everyone was dressed, everything explained, and Brianna Potter-Neufield stepped out of the fireplace at St. Mungo's and back into the English wizarding world. Taking a deep breath she looked around the entryway. Standing with Remus was her old friend Arabella Figg. Bri smiled as she watched Bella introduce her self to the twins. Serena and Sebastian were looking around them as if they had never seen a place like this before, which they hadn't since the wizarding community in America is much different and into more modern type buildings than that of England. As she continued her introspection she felt a hand slip into hers. Smiling to herself she let her gaze fall to her side and her arm slip around her oldest child's waist. Jamilah was always the one that knew when her mother needed comforted. While all of her children had inherited her black hair, Serena and Sebastian had their father's eyes, eyes so pale blue they were like ice. And though their eyes were stunning, Jamilah's were almost hypnotizing by comparison. Whatever mood she was in Jamilah's eyes fairly shown from her face. The blue orbs that were so blue they looked like they were made of sapphire were only made more amazing by the small but exceedingly breathtaking ring of gold that circled her pupils. No one who knew her mother could ever doubt that Jamilah was her mother's daughter. Jamilah's eyes were a carbon copy of her mother's, and her mother's before her. In fact a boy back at her old school had told her that the reason he fell down the stairs while talking to her was because her eyes were so mesmerizing he didn't even notice the stairwell. Leaning down she placed a soft kiss on the top of her daughter's slightly messy raven black hair and stepped away squaring her shoulders as she approached the nurse's station. One of the nurses looked up as she reached the desk so Bri took a deep breath and wasted no time, "I'm looking for Harry Potter."
"Who isn't?" The nurse replied sarcastically. "As I have told everyone else this evening only the people approved by Headmaster Dumbledore are allowed to know his whereabouts as the boy really has no proper family. So why don't you just go away and leave us alone?"
It took all her strength to not pull out her wand and just blast the witch right there, but instead Bri bit her tongue and smiled brightly a plan forming in her head. "You say that Albus has made a list of approved visitors?"
"Yes, of course. But unless your last name is Weasly, Granger, Lupin, Black, Snape, McGonagall, Pomfrey, Figg, or Potter you aren't on it."
Smilingly again sweetly Bri beckoned all those that had come with her closer when she turned back to the nurse her words dripped with sarcasm. "Well his name (pointing to Remus) is Remus Lupin, and that's (indicating Bella) Arabella Figg. These (her hand sweeping around to indicate the children) are my children. And who am I you ask? Well, my last name isn't on your list. Not my full last name that is. I am Brianna Marianne Potter- Neufield. And if you don't tell me where my nephew is in the next three seconds I will not be held responsible for my actions."
The nurses all gaped at Bri; every movement had stopped at the station with her proclamation of her name. The one that had read the list started to sputter. "But you. I mean she.. I mean.. Oh bugger.. You can't be her. She's dead. She's been dead for almost 16 years."
"Oh dear Lord, you are going to be difficult aren't you? Now listen to me because I am not going to repeat myself again. I am Brianna Potter- Neufield. Harry Potter is my nephew. As I am standing here in front of you, I can assure you I am most certainly not dead. And if you don't tell me where he is right now."
"BRIANNA!" Unfortunately no one got to hear what Bri would have done to the nurse because at that moment a woman with bright red hair came around the corner, saw her, and dashed to her gathering her up in an air- depriving hug. "Oh Brianna, I thought, we all thought, oh thank the gods, I can't believe it, that poor boy needs you."
Bri pulled back and patted the woman on the shoulder smiling broadly. "Molly, it's so good to see you. And yes I know what everyone thought, and I will gladly explain, but later. Right now, this cow (here she shot a murderous glare at the nurse at the desk) refuses to tell me where Harry is."
Molly shot the nurse one of her patented Weasly glares and hooked her arm through Bri's. "Well of course my dear, follow me, I'll take you to him." With that everyone in the entryway followed the two women as they chatted quite companionably. Remus and Bella looked at each other and grinned. It was so good to have their friend back. Serena, Sebastian, and Jamilah were trying to stifle their giggles; they loved seeing their mother when she was ticked off. It was so amusing because on a normal day she wouldn't hurt a fly, but man if you ticked her off you were lucky if you made it out with your hair still intact and all your body parts the right color.
Everyone halted outside a door. Molly Weasly turned around and smiled. "Remus, Bella, I believe I have completely forgotten my manners it's nice to see you both again. And you three must belong to Brianna; it is so nice to meet you. Now when I open this door I don't want all of you to be shocked so let me just tell you what to expect. First of all, there are a lot of redheads in there, don't worry about them, they belong to me and if they bother you they'll answer to me. Second of all, there are some of Harry's other friends in there, don't worry about them either I'll introduce you to them all. Finally, and most important, don't be alarmed when you see Harry. He was banged up pretty bad and he lost a lot of blood so he's still pretty pale. Also he's still unconscious thought the doctors tell us that he's just sleeping and right now it's a matter of waiting. They say the sooner he wakes up the better his chances of a full recovery are. So if we are ready," Looking around she received nods from everyone. Slowly she opened the door and stepped back to let them enter.
Brianna stepped into the room and her eyes found the bed, she headed straight for it not even hearing the soft gasp from the gathered people who recognized her. She vaguely noticed a young redhead sitting on the left side of Harry's bed. She only had eyes for one person at that moment. She stopped at his bedside, her children close beside her, and leaned down to brush Harry's hair back from his face a little. Tears filled her eyes as she took in Harry's face. It was like looking at her little brother all over again. She felt Jamilah lean against her giving her the support she needed to sit down in the chair and take Harry's hand in hers. Bringing it up to her face she rubbed the back of it against her cheek softly she spoke her voice tender and loving. "Harry, I know you can hear me. Come back to us Harry, we need you. Not we the wizarding world Harry, no, we need you for something much more important than getting rid of Voldemort (most of the people in the room flinched at this). We need you to love Harry. We need you because we are your family. We'll always need you. That's right Harry, we are your family. So you have to wake up because your cousins, my children, want to meet you. Come to think of it so do I. But we love you Harry, we don't have to know you to love you, that's what families do. So wake up Harry, because our family isn't complete without you." Bri's tears finally got the best of her and she just closed her eyes and let them flow. Just about everyone in the room had tears in their eyes or flowing down their cheeks. Jamilah noticed that when her mother started speaking the redhead on the other side of the bed had buried her face in her hands and started crying, but she wasn't really sure why. She herself was fighting a battle with tears hearing her mother's words. All her life her mother had talked about her cousin Harry and how one day when it was safe they would find him and bring him home with them. Many nights when her father was away working Jamilah had sat with her mother as she cried and worried about Harry. She knew that her mother felt pain that she couldn't help her only brother's child. Some children might have resented the fact that their mother was so worried about someone else's child, but not Jamilah. All she had ever worried about was what would happen if her mother couldn't ever bring Harry home with them. And honestly she thought it would be great to have someone else around. The twins were great but they were wrapped up in each other. Jamilah always had her mother, she always understood. When Jamilah would have one of her dreams, she would wake up and her mom would be there, waiting for her to talk about it. How she always knew Jamilah wasn't quite sure, but she did know her mom made it easier to cope with the dreams, or visions, or whatever they were. As Jamilah's mind wandered in thought she let her eyes wander over Harry. He looked so familiar to her but she couldn't place why. Somehow she knew it was more than the fact that he looked like the pictures of Uncle James her mom had hanging in the house. She was just about to try and comfort her mom again when Harry moved a little in the bed and whimpered softly. Bri's head snapped up and she whispered softly, "Harry?" The silence was deafening.and then, "A..aunt Bri?" The hoarse whisper reached every corner of the room. Everyone leapt to their feet and moved closer. "Yes sweetie, it's me, I'm here. I'm never going to leave you again I promise." "Am I still dreaming?" "No Harry, you aren't. You are in the hospital. You were hurt pretty bad but you are going to be just fine." Harry's eyes slid open at last, the startling green looking even more vibrant against his pale skin. He searched around his eyes unfocused until Bri slipped his glasses on his face. He turned his head and looked her straight in the eyes. Their gazes met and held. "Thanks." Then Harry asked softly his eyes full of hope. "Aunt Bri?" "Yes Harry?" "Did you mean it?" "Mean what Harry?" "That you loved me. That your family wasn't complete without me?" Tears filled Bri's eyes again as she leaned forward and kissed Harry's forehead softly. "Of course I meant it sweetie. We're Potters. We belong together. And I do love you Harry. I always have, and I always will. You will never be a burden, a bother, or trouble. You are a blessing Harry. You are God's blessing, to me and my family, and don't you ever forget that." Harry closed his eyes for a moment, and everyone saw the tears slide down his cheeks. He opened his eyes again and looked at Bri. "I'm still tired. Can I go back to sleep now?" "Only if you promise you'll wake up again for me Harry." "I promise, oh and Aunt Bri?" Harry yawned widely. "Yes sweetie?" "Tell Ginny that I'd never leave her behind." Harry's eyes slid closed and he fell back into a peaceful sleep. Bri looked at the redhead across from her and smiled softly watching the tears rolling down her face slowly a bright smile pasted across her face. "I'm going to take a shot in the dark and guess that you're Ginny." When the redhead nodded Bri reached across Harry and patted Ginny's arm. "I'm going to look forward to getting to know you." Ginny just smiled back at her, Bri was turning to address the rest of the people in the room when a small gasp from Jamilah stopped her. She saw the faraway look in Jamilah's eyes. "What is it baby? What's wrong?" "Mom, I remember." Jamilah's face scrunched up in concentration. "You remember what baby?" Bri pulled Jamilah towards her and stared into her eyes. She noticed the tears that were filling Jamilah's. "The dreams." Bri gasped a little and Jamilah continued. "He looked so familiar when we walked. I've been trying to figure out why. And then suddenly it just hit me. Mom, it's Harry. He's the boy from my dreams."
No one spoke as they piled out of the cars. As if in a trance Sirius thrust Harry's shrunken things they had liberated from the Dursley's into Remus' hands and dashed up the stairs followed by the rest of the silent group. Ginny, who had finally gotten her sniffles under control, looked on the verge of tears again and to everyone's surprise it was Snape, not Bill, who placed a steadying hand on her back. Not that Sirius noticed any of this, he had scampered ahead of everyone and was standing next to Dumbledore trying to find his voice and ask the questions that were plaguing him. When everyone reached the landing in front of the doors Dumbledore spoke softly, "It seems that Harry was injured worse than it appeared." As one the group started to speak but Dumbledore held up his hand to silence them. "It seems that he has a few broken ribs, and that he's had them for a while. Quite possibly since the day Miss Weasly lost contact with him. Apparently they have punctured his left lung and have also caused internal bleeding. Now we've done everything we can, the rest is up to him."
The air seemed to vibrate with the tension. No one spoke, no one moved, it was as if they were all waiting for a sign. A sign that it was ok to accept this news as true. Surprisingly it was Ginny that took the first step. Finally gaining a tremulous control of her emotions Ginny raised her eyes and noticed something that no one else had. There were tears streaming silently down Sirius' cheeks. Before anyone could stop her she took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and crossed to Sirius placing her tiny hand in his. Facing Dumbledore she said calmly, "Take us to him." The first smile of the night finally graced Dumbledore's face. He nodded slightly. Everyone watched silently as the littlest Weasly gripped Sirius' hand tighter and dragged him down the hallway after Dumbledore. "Well," Bill said softly after a minute, "I should probably head home and let Mum and Ron know what happened. I'm sure that they've missed us by now. I'll bring them back with me after I get some dinner." With that he tossed some floo powder on the fire, stated clearly "The Burrow," and was gone. Remus, still clutching Harry's things, looked at Snape who had taken refuge in one of the chairs along the wall. "It might be a good idea for someone to let Miss Granger know what's going on as well. I'm sure that she is the first person Mr. Weasly, Ron I mean not Bill, will contact after hearing the news." Snape just stared at Remus not saying anything. Remus cleared his throat before going on, "Well, um, there is someone, uh, at home that I, um, need to contact. So, uh, if you wouldn't mind." Snape just grunted, nodded, and apperated to, Remus could only guess, the Granger residence. Taking a deep breath and picking pasting a smile on his face, he tossed floo powder onto the fire and with the words, "Willow Field" he was gone.
Meanwhile Dumbledore, Sirius, and Ginny had reached the door to Harry's room. Slowly and silently the three filed into the room. In a hushed whisper Dumbledore told Ginny and Sirius that the doctors had stopped the internal bleeding and done what they could to repair the lung. Harry was just sleeping now, and they should let him sleep as long as possible. Ginny finally let go of Sirius' hand and crept towards Harry's bedside. Settling herself in a chair on his left side she brushed his hair softly away from his face and clasped his heavily bandaged hand between both of her tiny ones. Dumbledore motioned to Sirius and they both stepped outside the room to give Ginny a moment alone. "Sirius, I've known you for a long time," Dumbledore placed a hand on Sirius' shoulder to make Sirius look at him. "There is something, beyond Harry's current condition, that is bothering you. What is it?" "What is it? How can you not know? How can you not see that that boy is lying in that bloody hospital bed because of me?" "What exactly do you think you have done to Harry? As far as I know all you've ever done is love him." "Well, let's assume for a minute that it wasn't me who talked his parents into switching secret keepers, and let's assume for a minute that I didn't let him talk me out of killing that rat Peter. I have been free for weeks, WEEKS, and he's been suffering. I should have gone after him before the ink even dried on the pardon. So, you see, it's my fault. It's all my fault." Dumbledore opened his mouth to reply, what he really wanted to do was grab Sirius and shake him until all this nonsense came free in his brain and fell out his ears, but before Dumbledore could even get a word out his salvation, if that's what you want to call it, came from behind him. "Sirius Black," the voice wasn't loud, shrill, or angry, instead it was soft, quiet, and disappointed. "I can't believe what I am hearing." Both men turned to see Ginny in the doorway to Harry's room, pain and disappointment written all over her face. She never raised her voice, but her tone conveyed her displeasure in the conversation she had overheard. "You are just like Harry you know? He always blames himself for everything. I know that he blames himself for not saving the people he sees die in his visions. Like there was a way he could actually save those people when he is not even really there. What is it with men and this complex that everything that happens is your fault?" With a last shake of her head she turned to go back to Harry's side, "And don't even think about coming in here until you lose that It's all my fault attitude, Harry doesn't need anything else depressing him right now." With that she shut the door in their faces. Sirius and Dumbledore looked at each other in awe. "Well, that was certainly unexpected," Dumbledore said. Taking a still very lost looking Sirius by the hand he turned towards some chairs sitting along the wall, "Come my boy, I think it's time we had a long overdue talk."
Remus stepped out of the fireplace and looked around slowly, heaving a great sigh of relief when he found the room empty he started towards the stairs as quickly and as quietly as he could. As his foot reached the first step he was frozen in place by a question from the shadows. "And just where do you think you are going Remus J. Lupin? You have a lot of explaining to do."
'Bloody Hell' Remus thought to himself 'I'm in trouble now.' Plastering a bright smile on his face he turned and said with forced brightness, "Bri, what are you doing up and about this late?"
Brianna Potter-Neufield stepped out from the doorway of the kitchen where she had been standing in the shadows. She was not smiling. "Don't try to pull the crap with me Remus. (A/n I'm not totally sure if this is vocabulary they would use in England but she has been in hiding in America for fifteen years, so of course she would talk like an American at least partially) I have known you way too long to be fooled by that innocent look, which incidentally, you don't pull off half as well as you think you do. So just go ahead and tell me what you and Sirius are up to and save me the trouble of pulling out my wand and hexing you into next week."
Clearing his throat Remus mumbled, "What makes you think we are up to something?"
Bri took another step towards Remus, her wand coming up to point at him, but before she could open her mouth a tired voice came from the step. "Momma, why are you pointing your wand at Mr. Remus?" A petite girl with long wavy black hair and sleepy pale blue eyes yawned as she finished these words. She looked questionably between her mother and this man she had only known for a few weeks but that seemed rather trustworthy.
"Serena, my dear," seeing his chance Remus made a dash towards the steps and put his arm around the eleven year old. "Up for a midnight snack? Here let Uncle Remus help you." Remus chattered away brightly as he steered Serena towards the kitchen. He was stopped suddenly, although not unexpectedly, when Bri grabbed the back of his robes.
"You aren't getting away that easily Remus. What in the bloody hell is going on? Where did you and Sirius go rushing off to? And." Her words trailed off as a snowy white owl swooped into the room through the open window and perched on the railing. Even in the dark it was plain to see that there was blood on her chest and wings, in her beak she held a wrinkled sheet of parchment that contained obvious blood stains. Serena gasped at the first sight of the bird thinking that it was hurt. Bri stared at it trying to figure out where she had seen it before. Remus stepped forward and held out his arm, the owl flew slowly over and perched on it.
Reaching up with his other hand and stroking the owl softly Remus whispered, "I'm so glad you made it girl. Sirius told me he let you go out the window but I wasn't sure if you would find us." The owl dropped the parchment into Remus' hand and hooted feebly.
Clearing her throat Bri started, "Uh Remus?" Without even looking at her Remus handed her the parchment and continued stroking the bird checking to make sure everything was ok. Serena just stood there gaping not sure what to think about everything she was just about to ask what was going on when her mom gave a startled cry and looked at Remus tears gathering in her eyes. "No Remus, no. Tell me he's ok. Oh God, there's so much blood." Her mom broke down and started crying burying her head in her hands, Serena bent down and picked up the piece of parchment from where it had fallen. Glancing at it almost made her sick to her stomach, it was literally covered in blood but the writing was still distinguishable. Looking up she saw Mr. Remus trying to comfort her mom and decided to go ahead and read it for herself.
Dear Aunt Bri,
I know that I don't really know you and that you don't really know me but I need help. Honestly I don't even know if I will ever be able to send you this letter. The Dursley's have locked me in again as well as padlocking Hedwig in her cage. But if I figure out a way to free her this will be ready. I thought I should write it now while I was able. If you ever get this letter could you please come get me from the Dursley's? I mean if it wouldn't be too much bother. I'm not really sure how much longer I can stay here. Hedwig and I are both starving and I'm pretty sure that I have a dislocated shoulder. So if it's not too much trouble if you could come get me or maybe send help that would be gre
The letter ended in the middle of a word with a long slash of ink running down the parchment as if the writer had been jerked away in a hurry. Serena looked up at her mom and Mr. Remus. "It's Harry isn't it momma? Something's happened to Harry." Both of them nodded slowly. "Is he alive?" Again another nod. And the Serena asked the question that Remus had been dreading ever since he got the news about Harry being hurt. "Can we see him?"
"Yes my darling, of course we are going to him. We are his family. Now run upstairs and wake up your brother and sister, all of you get dressed, and then come back down and we'll go." Serena nodded and started towards the stairs. She stopped in front of Remus, who was currently gaping at her mother, and held out her arm. Hedwig hooted softly and flew to her.
"I'll clean you up and get you some food before we go girl." Serena whispered quietly to the owl. "You can sleep upstairs with Malin he's momma's owl and he'll be nice to you." Both adults smiled at the little girl as she chattered away to the owl on her way up the stairs.
Turning back towards each other Remus took a deep breath, but before he could even open his mouth Bri held up her hand. "Don't start Remus. I know we decided that I shouldn't go out in public too much, but it's just too bloody late for that. It's obvious that poor Harry hasn't had a good family life and if I am ever going to prove to him that I am not a thing like that disgusting ingrate Petunia then I am going to have to be there at the hospital when he wakes up. Don't argue with me you know I'm right and you know I can protect myself, all I'm asking you to do is protect my children. Is that clear?" When Remus nodded Bri continued, "Now I see you have some shrunken items there in your hand am I correct in assuming those are Harry's?" Another nod. "Good, take them up to his room and restore them to their proper size. Check on the children because Sera is probably distracted with the owl, you know her and animals, and then meet me back down here, I am going to floo Bella and ask her to meet us there to help you with the children." With that Bri turned her back on him and headed back towards the kitchen.
Twenty-five minutes later everyone was dressed, everything explained, and Brianna Potter-Neufield stepped out of the fireplace at St. Mungo's and back into the English wizarding world. Taking a deep breath she looked around the entryway. Standing with Remus was her old friend Arabella Figg. Bri smiled as she watched Bella introduce her self to the twins. Serena and Sebastian were looking around them as if they had never seen a place like this before, which they hadn't since the wizarding community in America is much different and into more modern type buildings than that of England. As she continued her introspection she felt a hand slip into hers. Smiling to herself she let her gaze fall to her side and her arm slip around her oldest child's waist. Jamilah was always the one that knew when her mother needed comforted. While all of her children had inherited her black hair, Serena and Sebastian had their father's eyes, eyes so pale blue they were like ice. And though their eyes were stunning, Jamilah's were almost hypnotizing by comparison. Whatever mood she was in Jamilah's eyes fairly shown from her face. The blue orbs that were so blue they looked like they were made of sapphire were only made more amazing by the small but exceedingly breathtaking ring of gold that circled her pupils. No one who knew her mother could ever doubt that Jamilah was her mother's daughter. Jamilah's eyes were a carbon copy of her mother's, and her mother's before her. In fact a boy back at her old school had told her that the reason he fell down the stairs while talking to her was because her eyes were so mesmerizing he didn't even notice the stairwell. Leaning down she placed a soft kiss on the top of her daughter's slightly messy raven black hair and stepped away squaring her shoulders as she approached the nurse's station. One of the nurses looked up as she reached the desk so Bri took a deep breath and wasted no time, "I'm looking for Harry Potter."
"Who isn't?" The nurse replied sarcastically. "As I have told everyone else this evening only the people approved by Headmaster Dumbledore are allowed to know his whereabouts as the boy really has no proper family. So why don't you just go away and leave us alone?"
It took all her strength to not pull out her wand and just blast the witch right there, but instead Bri bit her tongue and smiled brightly a plan forming in her head. "You say that Albus has made a list of approved visitors?"
"Yes, of course. But unless your last name is Weasly, Granger, Lupin, Black, Snape, McGonagall, Pomfrey, Figg, or Potter you aren't on it."
Smilingly again sweetly Bri beckoned all those that had come with her closer when she turned back to the nurse her words dripped with sarcasm. "Well his name (pointing to Remus) is Remus Lupin, and that's (indicating Bella) Arabella Figg. These (her hand sweeping around to indicate the children) are my children. And who am I you ask? Well, my last name isn't on your list. Not my full last name that is. I am Brianna Marianne Potter- Neufield. And if you don't tell me where my nephew is in the next three seconds I will not be held responsible for my actions."
The nurses all gaped at Bri; every movement had stopped at the station with her proclamation of her name. The one that had read the list started to sputter. "But you. I mean she.. I mean.. Oh bugger.. You can't be her. She's dead. She's been dead for almost 16 years."
"Oh dear Lord, you are going to be difficult aren't you? Now listen to me because I am not going to repeat myself again. I am Brianna Potter- Neufield. Harry Potter is my nephew. As I am standing here in front of you, I can assure you I am most certainly not dead. And if you don't tell me where he is right now."
"BRIANNA!" Unfortunately no one got to hear what Bri would have done to the nurse because at that moment a woman with bright red hair came around the corner, saw her, and dashed to her gathering her up in an air- depriving hug. "Oh Brianna, I thought, we all thought, oh thank the gods, I can't believe it, that poor boy needs you."
Bri pulled back and patted the woman on the shoulder smiling broadly. "Molly, it's so good to see you. And yes I know what everyone thought, and I will gladly explain, but later. Right now, this cow (here she shot a murderous glare at the nurse at the desk) refuses to tell me where Harry is."
Molly shot the nurse one of her patented Weasly glares and hooked her arm through Bri's. "Well of course my dear, follow me, I'll take you to him." With that everyone in the entryway followed the two women as they chatted quite companionably. Remus and Bella looked at each other and grinned. It was so good to have their friend back. Serena, Sebastian, and Jamilah were trying to stifle their giggles; they loved seeing their mother when she was ticked off. It was so amusing because on a normal day she wouldn't hurt a fly, but man if you ticked her off you were lucky if you made it out with your hair still intact and all your body parts the right color.
Everyone halted outside a door. Molly Weasly turned around and smiled. "Remus, Bella, I believe I have completely forgotten my manners it's nice to see you both again. And you three must belong to Brianna; it is so nice to meet you. Now when I open this door I don't want all of you to be shocked so let me just tell you what to expect. First of all, there are a lot of redheads in there, don't worry about them, they belong to me and if they bother you they'll answer to me. Second of all, there are some of Harry's other friends in there, don't worry about them either I'll introduce you to them all. Finally, and most important, don't be alarmed when you see Harry. He was banged up pretty bad and he lost a lot of blood so he's still pretty pale. Also he's still unconscious thought the doctors tell us that he's just sleeping and right now it's a matter of waiting. They say the sooner he wakes up the better his chances of a full recovery are. So if we are ready," Looking around she received nods from everyone. Slowly she opened the door and stepped back to let them enter.
Brianna stepped into the room and her eyes found the bed, she headed straight for it not even hearing the soft gasp from the gathered people who recognized her. She vaguely noticed a young redhead sitting on the left side of Harry's bed. She only had eyes for one person at that moment. She stopped at his bedside, her children close beside her, and leaned down to brush Harry's hair back from his face a little. Tears filled her eyes as she took in Harry's face. It was like looking at her little brother all over again. She felt Jamilah lean against her giving her the support she needed to sit down in the chair and take Harry's hand in hers. Bringing it up to her face she rubbed the back of it against her cheek softly she spoke her voice tender and loving. "Harry, I know you can hear me. Come back to us Harry, we need you. Not we the wizarding world Harry, no, we need you for something much more important than getting rid of Voldemort (most of the people in the room flinched at this). We need you to love Harry. We need you because we are your family. We'll always need you. That's right Harry, we are your family. So you have to wake up because your cousins, my children, want to meet you. Come to think of it so do I. But we love you Harry, we don't have to know you to love you, that's what families do. So wake up Harry, because our family isn't complete without you." Bri's tears finally got the best of her and she just closed her eyes and let them flow. Just about everyone in the room had tears in their eyes or flowing down their cheeks. Jamilah noticed that when her mother started speaking the redhead on the other side of the bed had buried her face in her hands and started crying, but she wasn't really sure why. She herself was fighting a battle with tears hearing her mother's words. All her life her mother had talked about her cousin Harry and how one day when it was safe they would find him and bring him home with them. Many nights when her father was away working Jamilah had sat with her mother as she cried and worried about Harry. She knew that her mother felt pain that she couldn't help her only brother's child. Some children might have resented the fact that their mother was so worried about someone else's child, but not Jamilah. All she had ever worried about was what would happen if her mother couldn't ever bring Harry home with them. And honestly she thought it would be great to have someone else around. The twins were great but they were wrapped up in each other. Jamilah always had her mother, she always understood. When Jamilah would have one of her dreams, she would wake up and her mom would be there, waiting for her to talk about it. How she always knew Jamilah wasn't quite sure, but she did know her mom made it easier to cope with the dreams, or visions, or whatever they were. As Jamilah's mind wandered in thought she let her eyes wander over Harry. He looked so familiar to her but she couldn't place why. Somehow she knew it was more than the fact that he looked like the pictures of Uncle James her mom had hanging in the house. She was just about to try and comfort her mom again when Harry moved a little in the bed and whimpered softly. Bri's head snapped up and she whispered softly, "Harry?" The silence was deafening.and then, "A..aunt Bri?" The hoarse whisper reached every corner of the room. Everyone leapt to their feet and moved closer. "Yes sweetie, it's me, I'm here. I'm never going to leave you again I promise." "Am I still dreaming?" "No Harry, you aren't. You are in the hospital. You were hurt pretty bad but you are going to be just fine." Harry's eyes slid open at last, the startling green looking even more vibrant against his pale skin. He searched around his eyes unfocused until Bri slipped his glasses on his face. He turned his head and looked her straight in the eyes. Their gazes met and held. "Thanks." Then Harry asked softly his eyes full of hope. "Aunt Bri?" "Yes Harry?" "Did you mean it?" "Mean what Harry?" "That you loved me. That your family wasn't complete without me?" Tears filled Bri's eyes again as she leaned forward and kissed Harry's forehead softly. "Of course I meant it sweetie. We're Potters. We belong together. And I do love you Harry. I always have, and I always will. You will never be a burden, a bother, or trouble. You are a blessing Harry. You are God's blessing, to me and my family, and don't you ever forget that." Harry closed his eyes for a moment, and everyone saw the tears slide down his cheeks. He opened his eyes again and looked at Bri. "I'm still tired. Can I go back to sleep now?" "Only if you promise you'll wake up again for me Harry." "I promise, oh and Aunt Bri?" Harry yawned widely. "Yes sweetie?" "Tell Ginny that I'd never leave her behind." Harry's eyes slid closed and he fell back into a peaceful sleep. Bri looked at the redhead across from her and smiled softly watching the tears rolling down her face slowly a bright smile pasted across her face. "I'm going to take a shot in the dark and guess that you're Ginny." When the redhead nodded Bri reached across Harry and patted Ginny's arm. "I'm going to look forward to getting to know you." Ginny just smiled back at her, Bri was turning to address the rest of the people in the room when a small gasp from Jamilah stopped her. She saw the faraway look in Jamilah's eyes. "What is it baby? What's wrong?" "Mom, I remember." Jamilah's face scrunched up in concentration. "You remember what baby?" Bri pulled Jamilah towards her and stared into her eyes. She noticed the tears that were filling Jamilah's. "The dreams." Bri gasped a little and Jamilah continued. "He looked so familiar when we walked. I've been trying to figure out why. And then suddenly it just hit me. Mom, it's Harry. He's the boy from my dreams."