CORRECTION:
*looks at reviews and cringes* Okay, I slipped there! Haha! I actually
forgot Lily's maiden name and wrote 'Petunia Potter' to fill things up and I
meant to go back and correct it. But when I did, I only corrected the 'left the
Evans family to become a Dursley' part, forgetting entirely that I wrote
'Petunia Potter'. Sorry! Edited the past chapter, thank you (SagePotter, Cat Riddle, SpaceCatdet, Lyss33, Thehobbitgirl, Ireth Lossehelin,
fanficloveronunfairsitetrekkie21 and angel74) for pointing it out! :o)
NOTE:
Very stressful week. *nurses swollen toes from kicking FF.net repeatedly* As
you have probably read about at ff.net's front page, reviews wasn't able to be
viewed, and seeing the review count rise but you can't read it practically
drives you nuts! Not to mention it wouldn't let me log in the past 2 days, so
imagine the torture of clicking on the 'Log In' link and then the pain of it
tossing you back out.
TO:
mscs3, SeekerGirl17, Froboy, Krylancelo, Dark Feline Huntress, texasjeanette,
hp-lover-lol, Amie87, ponykid, Ice Lightning, Elanore-Malfoy-Black, Serebii,
Pip3, fanficloveronunfairsite, Draconisdagger2000, Savoy Truffle, Arsenal,
Grim's Angel 13, MarauderGirl89, I-Like-Chickens, athenakitty, Natural Anthem,
Yana5, ReeseCraven, gaul1 -- Thanks for all your kind words, reviews and
thoughts, I treasure every one of them. Seriously thinking of printing and
binding it...lol. Read more, review more! :)
Hilel -- *moves blurrily towards the mouse, logs in, clicks on update
story....* SNAP. What am I doing here? Wait, what, how, when, where, which?!
*roars* HILEL!
Lily Skylo -- Yeah, how nice having Sirius...I wish I was Harry....on a
second thought, I don't. I don't want my wrists to be slit! Haha!
Serpent of Light -- Down with Prejudiced Idiots! Count me in, how much is
the entrance fee? g
Lory -- Me neither. I was thinking off seriously sending them to the
hospital due to heavy internal bleeding and crushed into powder bones but it
seems that my brain and fingers somehow do not connect. Thinking about it and
typing it just does not come out the same!
jeangab057 -- Thanks for the reassurance. HE WELL DESERVED IT! (Phew,
that feels better now)
Eric2 -- Is that a compliment? Haha! :)
ParanoiaIn2005 -- *Gasp* 12 lines! The jinx is strengthening. Be
yourself, just your presence helps me! *looks up at review and blushes a deep
maroon* You are so nice! Thank you!
Raphaelle -- Ahhhh. Someone at least remembers the kitten.... :)
Ireth Lossehelin -- Yeah, I tend to go overboard. But to think of it, I
actually like going overboard. Me for dramatics! Haha! Whatever, yeah. *beam*
Siri Kat -- *bangs head on the wall along with Elvett* Exactly! How could
I make him decent!
Elvett -- Oh, dear, don't bang too much, you'll get sick then you can't
review! *tries to pull you away from any surrounding walls* Sugar, sugar, I love
sugar too! Salt and pepper! Nice salt! Pepperup now! Okay, now I have caught
your virus. LOL. Giant purple poodles? Really? I gotta try that. *hunts for any
potato chips lying in the pile of trash beside me* Oh, blush. *starts collecting
all the Huggies-drink and food coming my way* More, more! Haha!
Japonica -- I feel so intimidated. *tries to shrink in a corner* I think
I'm probably a Hufflepuff. All the other three won't want me, boo hoo! :) Okay,
let me quiz you....*looks at you, then looks at your report card* Uhm...maybe
next time.
Jadyn Potter -- Funny you should suggest that. I actually wrote something
like that for the ending. Not a truce, something like that. Yes, I wrote the
ending, without even finishing the middle parts!
KoontzReaderz -- I went to check Ms Padfoot once I read your review but
*embarrassed* one look at the number of chapters blasted me out of the chair.
I'll read it when the weekend comes, lol.
restless-soul -- Why should Sirius go mad and crazy? A mentally wacked
person can't take care of poor Harry! (shields Harry from any deranged
Godfathers) Haha! It's okay, you reviewed anyway!
ERMonkey, Queen of Insani -- See! Finally I have someone to feel sorry
with!
MikiBaby -- I'm loving you to pieces!
Wiccan PussyKat -- Thank you! That was so flattering! *turns pink*
AJ-Wolf-AJ -- Excused ;) Sure, I'm going to read it now!
Me-Love-You
Owls to Ireth Lossehelin, FreakyGeek101, Ice Lightning -- I LOVE YOU!
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With Time Comes Trust: Healing of the Broken
They portkeyed back to the Hogwarts Great Hall, all three of them squashed between the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw's house table. Momentarily stuck, Minerva kicked at a bench, sending it slamming under the table.
"Move!" Snape snarled.
Sirius pushed his way past Minerva so that they were in a single file and ran, leading the way to the exit. Minerva let Severus pass with his precious burden before bringing up the rear.
Sirius felt a sense of dejá vu as they passed the very window where Remus had assured him nothing would happen to Harry a day ago. Regret filled his soul and he wished that he had been more alert. He sped up, motioning for Severus and Minerva to run faster.
Severus held tighter to the 11-year-old, cradling him protectively as Sirius finally opened the door to the Hospital Wing and bellowed the mediwitch's name. His heart beat painfully against his ribcage and he didn't dare to look down at Harry for a reason he didn't want to consider. What if he was dead? What if they were too late?
Severus quickly lay Harry down on the nearest bed, and arranged the pillows, propping up the boy for easier breathing. Gently taking a wrist, and carefully untying the bloodied cloth, Severus looked up to see a worried Sirius come out from his search around the room waving a piece of parchment.
'GONE TO HOGSMEADE TO REPLENISH SUPPLIES'
"Damn it!" Minerva cursed. "Just when we need her the most!" She paced around, hand to her forehead, tapping it to help her think. "I'll go fetch her, do what you can do." She said firmly, then fled out of the room in a hurry.
Sirius turned to Harry and was about to undress him when Severus (who was holding a 'Medical Care for the Magical Heir' book in his hand) yelled, "Stand back! Stand back!"
Sirius jumped back just as a sharp brilliant amber shot out of the Potions Master's wand, enveloping Harry. The color burst into an orb of dull red, settling on Harry before dissolving into particles bringing dried blood, dust and dirt with it, cleaning the unconscious boy in seconds. Another wave of the wand undressed Harry.
As impressed as he was, Sirius bit his tongue when he saw the large bruise forming on Harry's stomach and clenched his fists angrily. Why couldn't he have been more careful? If he had been alert, maybe they could have stopped Dursley before he did anything to Harry.
"Doesn't help when there's no sound coming from the house." Severus said as if he could hear Sirius' thoughts. He suddenly grabbed his head in his hands and shook it roughly. "Think, think, think."
"What?" Sirius asked desperately.
"Blood Replenishing Potion, Healing Cream..." Severus started in a sprint towards the supply closet. He slammed it open then delivered a string of colorful words. Poppy hadn't been kidding when she said 'Replenish Supplies'. The stupid cupboard only held two bottles of Skele-Gro Potion and about 50 of empty vials and jars.
"What kind of school is this?" Sirius shouted.
"I have to brew the Potions," Severus said. He kicked the door close and turned to Sirius. "But it takes time..."
Both of them simultaneously looked towards the unconscious boy. "And we just have to wait?" Sirius snapped. "He may be dying right now from internal bleeding or something! Plus he lost quite a large amount of blood."
"I can't do anything, I'm not a trained Mediwizard!" Severus snapped back. He picked up the 'Medical Care for the Magical Heir' and thrust it at Sirius. Opening his hand, he said, "Accio book!" A thick book flew into his hand from under one of Poppy's shelves.
He chucked it at Sirius. "Try some Muggle ways, it might work. Now, I really have to go." He ran out of the hospital wing and headed straight to his office to grab the ingredients before getting down to the dungeons to brew the potions Harry needed to survive.
Sirius turned the book over in his hands: 'Traditional Muggle Medicine'.
"What the hell..." he opened it and scanned through a page. "...is this shit."
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A small chime sounded in his office, reverberating off the walls, a smooth clear note. Soft but it steadily grew stronger before fading dimly.
Dumbledore's eyes hardened. Reaching towards a silver round compact mirror on his desk, he opened it .The disc held two mirrors, one a clear reflection of the office, one a deep murky gray, the colors swirling like angry waters at a storm.
"The heart of the wicked and the pure."
The Mirror of Innocence was the heart of the Death Reflection Charm. Deep in the gray cloudy mist, Vernon Dursley's soul stirred with restlessness and agony, trapped eternally in the clouds of evil. Only two ways were known to set the victim free.
Until someone sets him free into the pure or someone breaks the wicked, Vernon Dursley would be forever on the brink of death and life.
Dumbledore could not bring himself to smile or feel relieved.
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"Blood, blood, blood," Sirius frantically flipped through the index page to find a way to replenish blood. "Page 78!"
He slapped the pages aside until he found it. "Get a history from the patient or family and certify what blood type the patient has and what types of blood can then be given. The four basic groups are O, A, B and AB. Blood comes in...WHAT IN THE BLOODY WORLD!"
He tossed the book aside and grabbed at the magical one. Flipping open the pages, he could not bring himself to concentrate on what he was looking for. He threw that one behind him too and decided to use his logic and brains. Except Severus often told him he hadn't any.
"Okay...wrists first." He took one of Harry's hand gently and untied the cloth around it. Severus had been halfway through the knot and the progress surely made things easier as the knot was tight and soaked in blood. He continued pressing down on the wrist and twisted himself around, digging into his pocket for his wand before waving it. "Accio bandages!"
Wrapping the fresh white gauze around his godson's wrist tightly, he lay his ear on Harry's chest, straining his ears for a heartbeat. He found one, weak and erratic. "Okay, don't die on me, Harry Potter. Don't die," Sirius muttered. He cleaned up all the visible wounds he could find, bandaged them and redressed the child before clambering on the bed and gathering Harry in his arms.
Holding the child tightly, he felt his own heartbeat, strong and fast. Fear started to overtake his senses again and as he held his Godson in his hands, he found himself praying hard.
Then a minute later, the tiny puffs of air he had been feeling on his chest, slowly diminished. His fear returned tenfold as he looked down at Harry. His Godson was pale, his form limp. Blind panic engulfed him.
No! Not so fast! How can it happen! No, please, no!
With a shaking hand, Sirius lifted his hand to feel for a pulse at the child's neck. There was no heartbeat.
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"POPPY POMFREY!" Minerva said loudly to the apparently deaf shopkeeper in 'MediSupplies'. "Nurse from Hogwarts! A bit plump and rosy cheeks..."
"What?" The old man motioned to his ear and waved his hand to indicate Minerva to repeat herself.
Minerva growled, almost on the verge to curse the man on the spot. However, manners had always been one of her strong points and she refrained herself with difficulty. "P-O-P-P-Y P..."
"WHAT?"
Minerva lost her temper. "Sonorus!"
"MADAM POPPY POMFREY!"
The whole Hogmeades village practically shook at the loud echo of Minerva's impatient voice.
The old man, who was very close to Minerva got the effect full force and groaned, stuffing his fingers into his ears. "Alright, alright, you don't need to shout! Pomfrey just left a few minutes ago, said she was going to get some tea or something!"
"WHICH SHOP!"
"I don't know!" the man wailed, clapping his hands over his ears desperately. "Will you please lower down now?"
Minerva ignored him and stomped out of the shop. Standing in front of the store, hands on hips, her face set in a stern glare which she served full force at staring wizards and witches she shouted: "POPPY! WE NEED YOU!"
A moment passed before another thunderous voice answered the Transfiguration Professor. "WHERE ARE YOU!"
Everyone near Minerva desperately clamped their ears shut and hurried away, trying not to turn deaf. Some shouted in annoyance while some waved their wands threateningly. The windows rattled noisily.
"GO BACK TO HOGWARTS! WE NEED YOUR HELP!"
"WHAT'S WRONG!"
"NOW!"
Without waiting for an answer, she apparated back to the edge of Hogwarts then hurried back to the Hospital Wing.
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Severus ran with all he could muster, all pride and dignity forgotten, grasping the precious bottles of potions in his arms. He skidded past hallways, leapt up the stairs and sped into the last hallway. He had a life to save.
He could see the open door of the Hospital Wing and put on speed when something jumped down in front of him, nearly causing him to drop his precious potions.
The tabby cat on the ground transformed back into Professor McGonagall who hurried towards the Hospital Wing without a backward glance at her colleague. "How's Harry?"
"I don't know," Severus replied, picking up pace.
They entered the Hospital Wing to see Sirius holding Harry tightly and sobbing, his face buried in Harry's shoulder.
Minerva's heart hammered painfully against her chest.
Severus froze.
Sirius lifted his head, his eyes shining with grief. "He's gone."
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Dumbledore stopped in his tracks to the Hospital Wing as a tingling feeling rushed through his veins. He shuddered slightly in the aftereffect. Then he smiled. The Protection Charm was being relocated.
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He was alone. Everywhere was blue and white, as if he was in the folds of the heaven's clouds. He turned a slow circle savoring the peace he felt radiating from the place he was at.
A rich melodious note sounded. Then another followed, and another. A melody formed, it's tone rich with vigor, it's base a continuous relaxing chain of music. He turned around to see a large black shiny object.
"Hello?" he said nervously.
The music stopped. Then a beautiful lady, dressed in a flowing white dress, the creamy tresses falling softly on her chest, shiny blonde hair flying gently behind her.
"You are young." She said, smiling gently. "Why are you here?"
"I'm tired. I want this all to end."
"You have just found a family, do you want to leave them?" she prompted kindly.
Family. He couldn't bring himself to think of his Godfather. He had betrayed his trust. He promised he wouldn't need to return to the Dursleys. Deep in his heart, he knew it was something that couldn't be helped, the defeat and anger in Sirius' eyes portrayed that much.
But trust was a thing he had never had the ease to give to someone. He had released it for the first time, and it had failed him. He didn't want to start again.
The things Uncle Vernon had told him hurt. Hurt deeply and he truly wished he wouldn't need to go back to the world which had cast him away. His guilt, anger and hurt raged within him like an eternal flame of fire. He didn't care whether he lived or died. He wished everything to end. He was exhausted, tired. Let it end.
"It's a Muggle object," she said softly, sensing that Harry was not about to say anything. She touched the black object. "It's called the Piano. This instrument reflects our soul, beautiful notes when you are sad, angry loud music when you are angered."
She reached out for Harry's hand and Harry found himself taking hers. She led him to the piano and sat beside him. She lifted his hand and laid it on the piano keys. "This represents your life."
"This is the C note," her hand gently pressed down his index finger and a clear note rang. "That's where we are."
Her hand guided him to the note beside it. "The D note. Your first step into the future. The yearning, desire, aspiration, future, hope. Where your family are. Your true family, people who would love, cherish and nurture your soul. Where you can finally live the life you want."
Moving his finger back two notes, she said, "The B note. Your past. You have lost, suffered, learnt, and grew. However, it is all in the past. Let it be. Move forward. Your wounds will heal with time. Don't lose yourself in time, Harry. Give yourself and others a second chance."
Suddenly moving his fingers to the lowest note, she drew his hand up in a fast motion so that his fingers hit every key, forming a chain chromatic melody. She stopped him at the middle C.
"Would you choose to continue?"
"You are my godson, and I will take care of you from now on till eternity."
"We'll help you. One step at a time."
"I'm afraid," Harry confessed, tears shining in his eyes.
"Don't be," she said, her voice a calming influence on his confused mind. "They will be with you. They will guide you and stay with you throughout your path of life."
Raising his eyes to her beautiful blue orbs, Harry whispered. "Okay."
The lady smiled and then helped him play the rest of the keys.
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R E V I E W !
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