Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter characters. Man, this gets old.
A/N: Hi all. My wrist hurts like Hades. Oh well, I figure I can't afford to have surgery done on it, and if I did, I couldn't write for four months. Wouldn't that suck? I'm probably exaggerating, but oh freaking well. Anyways, I guess I will just get on with the story now, since I made you all wait so long. Sorry! I have no excuse for being so late on my update. FORGIVE ME!!!!! It won't happen again. Maybe. If you review a lot.
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The night was growing chilly, and Sirius quickly wrapped his godson in the blanket that lay at the end of the bed. Making sure he was still sound asleep, he made his way downstairs. He had some 'business' to take care of. When he reached the living room, he noticed that he wasn't the only one awake at such an ungodly hour.
"Hello, Arthur." he said quietly.
"Sirius." he replied, nonchalantly. "Harry asleep?"
Sirius nodded in affirmation. "Ron? Is he alright?" he knew it couldn't be easy on him either. Harry, as bad as it sounded to him, at least knew what to expect. Ron, on the other hand, had never been hit before in his life. At least, not like that. He figured it would take a toll on the both of them. Poor kids.
"He'll be fine, I hope." he sighed in frustration. "I can't believe this is happening again. I really thought things would be different. That bastard is a great actor."
"You're telling me." he motioned towards the Floo powder in the older man's hands. "Going somewhere?"
"Yep, same place as you're going, I'd venture to say." Arthur replied, eyeing the wand that was sticking out of his pocket. "Harry's?"
"Yes. I didn't want to take his, but I don't have my own. On the off chance that I need it, that is."
"Don't worry; I've got mine as well."
"Ready?" asked Arthur.
"As I'll ever be." said Sirius. And they each stepped into the fireplace.
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Vernon fruitlessly tried to escape the odd creature that had managed to get onto his back. However, no matter which way he turned, it wouldn't fall off. He was beginning to panic, since he couldn't see his attacker. Although, it wasn't exactly attacking, it just sat there, and didn't move. This could almost make the situation more bizarre and frightening. He'd rather the blasted thing move than not at all. He then stopped moving himself and decided to talk to it, since it had previously talked to him.
"What are you?" he asked rather quietly. He was generally afraid of any kind of answer he might receive.
"I, chubby, am Angel, a magical mirror that has oh so unhappily lived in your retched little home since Harry Potter arrived. Harry is my master and friend, and you sir, went too far." replied the ancient mirror, now staring Vernon in the face. The mirror's own face was contorted it what appeared to be rage, or extreme anger. Vernon, not in the least intimidated now that he knew he was facing off against a little mirror, stood up. The mirror held fast, and rose with the man.
"If you think I'm going to fall over in fear just because an unsightly wall ornament looked at me angrily, you've got another thing coming." said Vernon, again trying to shake and pry the thing from his shirt. "Unhand me, you freak!" he yelled.
Angel, who had become more and more irritated the longer the fat man talked, decided to finally take action. But the fireplace suddenly exploded into flames. He knew the calvary had arrived. He didn't need it, but he knew it was coming. The young men wanted some revenge. He waited. Not ten seconds later the two men entered the hallway where Vernon and the clutching mirror still stood. Vernon paled visibly upon seeing them enter. He knew he was dead meat and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it. So, throwing caution to the wind, he decided to speak his mind. If he was going to go down hard, he'd let them know exactly what he felt about that little bratty nephew he hated.
"I know what you're here to do, and quite frankly, I don't care. I have done what that brat rightly deserved, and I am not sorry about it. In fact, I'm so happy I could sing." Sirius and Arthur looked at each other in confusion. Was the man that daft or did he have a death wish. Apparently it was the latter, because he continued speaking. "Apparently you don't care half as much about him as you so righteously act or you would never have allowed him in my care again. You knew what would happen, and you let it. You don't care about him, no one does. I've drilled that into his head since he was four, and if he didn't believe me then, he'll believe me now. He knows no one cares, and I hope he dies a horrible, painful death. Preferably inflicted by myself, but since I doubt that will happen anytime soon, then by some ghastly being I can't even fathom. I hate him, I hate him, I hate him!!!" he screamed, acting like a maniac by this point. His rant ended, he realized his folly. He was screwed. The absolute hate radiating from the men standing in front of him scared him out of his wits. Oops.
The mirror, which was still attached to the front of his shirt, began to glow a gold color of striking intensity. He vaguely heard the two men speaking in some foreign tongue, but they seemed drowned out by the loud color surrounding him. How color could be loud, he didn't know, but it was. The gold colors melted into dark reds and soon he was engulfed and devoured. He felt a searing pain like he had never felt before, as if he was being burned alive. He finally realized he was no longer in his home, but in a world full of fire. Everywhere he looked, things were ablaze. There were no other people, no buildings, and no objects of any kind. The heat of the fire was overwhelming, and he felt his face melting. The screams were suffocated as his throat constricted and turned to liquid. He felt his body turn into a liquefied pool of fire. And then he was no more.
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As soon as the portal to the other dimension had closed, the mirror returned to its normal color. Arthur and Sirius looked at each other, tired.
"Should we have gone that far?" asked Sirius, now holding the mirror in his hands.
"I'm not sure, but I think the man was potentially deadly. If we hadn't stopped him, I'm not sure he would have stopped there. He could have come after our children again, and I couldn't have stood for it. I can't believe how wrong we were." he paused here, wondering exactly how to ask his next question. "Do you really think Harry feels that way? That no one cares for him? If he really did tell him that since he was only a four year old, that could do some serious damage to his emotional state of mind."
"I don't know. I'm positive the bastard told Harry those things, but surely he wouldn't have believed him, at least not now. He knows we care for him."
"Does he? How do we know? For all we know he does think we hate him, that we knew his uncle would hurt him again." Arthur shook his head in frustration. "I don't know. All we can do now is get back to our families. If Harry does think these things, we'll show him otherwise."
"I guess you're right. Let's get back home. I need to see Harry again." Arthur nodded in response. He needed to see Ron as well. Make sure he was alright, along with the other members of his family. Harry included.
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The clock on the mantel showed that it was four thirty in the morning. Molly would kill him if she realized what he had done. Either that or be mad that he hadn't allowed her to join in. The two men wearily made their way up the stairs, each going in different doors. Sirius paused, however, as he was entering. "Maybe we should keep this to ourselves until we absolutely have to tell them." he said. Arthur understood that 'them' was the boys.
"Alright. We won't speak of it again, until we have to." he replied. "I'll see you in the morning."
Sirius nodded in response and then disappeared behind the closing door. Turning, he looked to his godson, who still lay silently in his bed. He only hoped Harry would be able to get over this latest turmoil in his life. The poor kid never got a break, never. During the night, Harry had kicked his blankets off onto the floor. Sirius picked them up and covered the boy again, drawing the covers up to his chin. "Sleep tight, kid." he murmured softly, watching as the boy's chest rose and fell with each breath. With that, he got comfortable in the armchair sitting beside the bed and fell asleep. And then Harry's nightmare began.
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Sleep seemed to be on the back burner tonight. No matter what position he turned to, he couldn't seem to get comfortable. He didn't know how Harry had lasted so long. His face was absolutely killing him. Harry. He probably wasn't exactly used to it either. He probably had the joy of being bashed into unconsciousness instead of what he was enduring now. If he ever got the chance to attack that jerk again, he'd be sure he had his wand in hand the next time. The more he thought about his best friend's uncle, the more he wanted to go back right now and finish him off. However, his thoughts were cut short as his bedroom door opened and in walked his father.
"Are you okay?" he asked quickly, noticing his son looked rather upset.
"I'm fine, just thinking about things." He suddenly found his comforter very interesting. He felt ashamed of his bruises, of everything, for reasons unknown to him. Stupid bruises. He wondered if Harry felt the same way.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked cautiously, not knowing what Ron was really thinking.
"Not now, maybe later." he replied tiredly. "I can't sleep." he added.
"Do you want me to stay?"
Having his father with him at that precise moment felt like the most wonderful thing in the world. He finally felt safe, now that his father was there. "Yes."
Arthur crossed the room and sat down on the edge of Ron's bed. "Sleep, I'll be right here." Ron nodded and closed his eyes, drifting off almost immediately. Short lived as it may have been.
Ron's eyes suddenly popped back open, looking horror struck. "Wake him up, now!" he yelled, jumping from the bed. He was out the door before Arthur had a chance to react at all. He ran after his son, not knowing what in the world was going on.
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Harry opened his eyes only to remain in darkness. 'Not again.' he moaned. He knew this dream all to well. The familiar sense of dread and fear fell upon him as he reached up, only to hit the coffin's lid. 'No, no, no, no more!' he screamed into nothingness. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the scene changed, and he was now lying in the trunk of his uncle's car. Suddenly the lid flew open and his uncle was revealed, but he was disfigured and burnt. "Look what you did to me, you freak!" he screamed, bringing down one meaty hand, flesh hanging, into his face. Harry recoiled against him, screaming all the while. Hands grabbed his arms and shook him violently. He tried to get out of the grip, but they were too strong. Suddenly the darkness disappeared, and he woke up.
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Screams pierced the night and two bodies suddenly sprang to life. Fred and George looked to each other, fear plainly showing on each face. "What was that?" asked George.
"Harry." answered Fred. They each jumped from their beds, throwing on a robe haphazardly and ran out the door. On their way down the hall, they nearly ran over Molly and Ginny, who also were awakened by the screams. "What happening?" asked Molly, grabbing the nearest twin by a belt robe and pulling him back towards her. It was Fred.
"We think Harry is having a nightmare, mum. Let's go."
They reached the bedroom in record time, only to be denied access by the head of the house hold.
"Arthur!" ranted Mrs. Weasley. "Let us in, he needs us."
"Wait, Ron said to give him a moment, and for some reason, I'm inclined to think he knows what he's doing." Arthur seemed to have an awe struck, yet slightly alarmed look on his face. "He must see things." he then murmured to himself.
"What?" asked Molly, clearly thinking her husband had gone mad.
"Nothing, we'll talk about it later." he said, dismissing the conversation before it had begun.
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Sirius had been mildly surprised when he woke up to the door slamming open. "Ron? Are you alright?"
"I am," he said, "but I don't think he is." He went to Harry's bedside and began shaking him.
"Ron, stop it, he's sleeping!" yelled Sirius. But then Harry started screaming and all rational thought went out the window. "Wake up, Harry!" he started to help Ron.
Harry's eyes shot open, and he flung Ron's hands off of him as if burnt. Reeling backwards, he struck the headboard, hard. "Ow." he gritted out. He finally noticed that he wasn't in dreamland anymore, but at the Burrow. He also noticed that Ron and Sirius were looking at him worriedly.
"Are you alright?" asked Ron.
Harry slowly drew away from the headboard and swung his feet onto the floor, drawing the covers around him as he did so. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"No, you're not." said Ron, matter-of-factly. Harry seemed startled. Ron leaned down next to Harry's ear. "I know what you dreamed," he hesitated before continuing. "I saw it all." Harry looked almost as confused as Ron did.
"How?"
"I haven't got a clue."
Sirius was looking at the two of them oddly. "What are you talking about?"
"Nothing." said Ron, preferring to keep this between him and his friend until he figured out what was going on.
"Okay." Sirius decided not to ask any more questions. He wasn't the only one in this household keeping a secret. "I'll leave you two to talk then."
"Thanks, Sirius."
"No problem" he replied, and walked out the door. And about took out Mr. Weasley in the process.
"Is everything alright?" blurted Mrs. Weasley as soon as Sirius was out the door.
"I'm not sure, but I think Ron and Harry need some time to talk, privately." The others nodded in agreement.
They all retreated back to their rooms. Arthur, Sirius, Harry, and Ron were each wondering what the hell just happened.
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A/N: Sorry if it sucks, but I've got total writers block. I can't think of anything good to write. Although, I've got an idea going with Ron. Anyways, hopefully I'll get out of my funk soon. I'm sorry it took me so long to update, but I just couldn't think of anything to write. Sorry!
Lana: You read all three and didn't leave, I'm impressed. At least you liked them. And yippee, I always love it when people think I have a great quality of writing. In fact, I think you're the only one who has phrased it quite that way. Thanks! I hope this chapter didn't suck too badly.
Englishgirl: Cool. There will hopefully be more of Sirius and Harry. I'm glad you like it!
BlackenedSoul: Not too much Ron bashing, I actually like his character. Cool, I'm glad it's original. You're right though, I haven't read any quite like mine.
Arizosa: I'm glad you think I'm cute when I'm making up such funny things. I try and all. I have no pain killers, it's all pain for me. Except for the occasional Advil. I love those things. I have insomnia, I can't sleep. It blows. I'm sorry I made you wait so long for this update. Get out the teddy again and the popcorn, because I toasted the asshole in this chapter. Loves ya too!
Sailor Sol: I just love it when Harry gets all loved on. It's so sweet. Killer headaches suck, and you empathize, good. Hope you're not feeling one right now. I'm not, but my wrist is still killing me.
Psychochic: Ron is awesome, I must agree. Was this good enough, or should I have been more sadistic while killing Vernon? Yes, he's dead! Well, I hope your medical issues are getting better, or gone. It seems I still can't get rid of the whole wrist thing. But oh well. What's up with your eye swelling? That's got to suck. I did update, so now you should update! Ha!
Inigma: Well, some of the stories I have on my list I forget about. I need to go see if anyone's updated. An eye for an eye, how about burnt to a crisp?
Puddles: I know, he's not recovering yet, believe me. He's just not letting others see yet.
MixedUpAgain: So violent! Kidding! Well Valentines has come and gone, and now I have realized just how long I waited to update. SORRY! So was Andrew really serious? Are you guy's bf/gf? That'd be neat. Hope you had a great Valentines day. Thanks! I haven't gone to neopets yet, but I'll check it out later. Later!
MelissaLupin: Take lots of pictures, it doesn't last long! I should have prolonged his suffering, but oh well. I just wanted to get something out.
Weird: Well, I guess you could say Sirius did something, in the spell form. Did you like it? Violence is wonderful in some cases!
Von: Sorry, I'm not planning on this to be finished for a while actually. Not too long, though. Thanks for the advice on the headache! It's gone now! Let's wonder why, it's been like a month, perhaps??? Glad you liked it. So, does that mean you're from Australia? Excuse me for being an idiot.
Iniysa: Well, they didn't really react all that much in this chapter. Things will happen more in the next one though, I promise.
Xirleb70: Thanks! It feels better. Glad you liked the story. I hope this chapter didn't suck too badly for you!
Celebony: I'm in a class of my own. Five others, that's it?? You must be pretty picky then. COOL! Glad I could make you feel better. I hope this chapter is up to your standards. I think its kind of crappy, but what do I know?
Lucy-Liza: Oh Lucy-Liza! (I'm mimicking you, SMILE!) I know, Vernon was a jerk, but he's a goner now. Yea! Harry is an awesome little person. Probably right on the Dudley assumption. An amusement park ride??? Hmm… kind of, doesn't it? It hurts really bad right now! Yes, it's never a good sign when things are going blurry, heh! Madness, third stage, what's that??? Kidding. I'm glad I could help out in the vivid department! Yes, all the characters are awesome. The social worker lady, as you so fondly call her, (Indra) I can't remember her last name at the moment, I'd have to look it up, is going to get yelled out, undoubtedly. I found it hilarious in the first place. I'm am easily amused, if you haven't figured it out. No wonderful updates here, I'm extremely sorry I didn't update earlier! NOW, *stares at Lucy-Liza* Lose no more brain cells, for I have updated! He nooks his ass! (the mirror, I mean.)
Cerridwen: Ah, things aren't always as they seem ceridwen, I'm acting stupid, so ignore me. Happiness is yet to fully arrive. Yes, everyone is extremely cool.
Lei Dumbledore: Where'd you get lost at? How could you lose my so awesomely cool story. I'm a dork, I know. Well, I love the Sirius/Harry relationship as well.
Lanfear: Well, it was quick, but powerful. One hell of a talented writer, huh? THANKS!
Firefly: The best fic, huh? Thanks a lot! I appreciate it. I'm sorry I didn't update earlier, but writers block in a pain in the rear. I believe you're right, you take some getting used to. I understand, but the roomies still wander by every once in a while and try and use my washer and dryer, the little hooches. Oh well, I'll try to update more often from now on. OH, and yes you reviewed three times, not that I mind. Review all you want!!!!!!!!!!! Outsiders???
Toffee: I'm very happy that you and your sister enjoyed my story so much. If I can remember, I'll email you immediately to tell you I updated. Later!
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STUPID SAYING OF THE DAY:
My wrist hurts, holy crap, my wrist hurts.
THAT'S ALL! OH, AND ONE MORE THING:
Review, please, please, please. I'll love you forever.