Title: Wisdom From The Dark 13
Author: Jyrnn
Spoilers: All four books. Wait, can't say that now can I? Okay, PS, CS, PoA, and GoF. I'll probably pilfer whatever bits I can from The Order of The Phoenix. Incidently some of it can fit. Thank you J. K Rowling. Well except the part about Sirius.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor any of its characters. They are the sole intellectual property of J. K. Rowling and Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. I gain no monetary reward for this exercise and do not intend any copyright infringement.
Summery: A child has suffered enough, an intruder encounters unexpected resistance, and the careless words of Voldemort have the most unexpected results. Harry Potter is about to take a stand.
*...* Direct thoughts
Chapter 15: Thoughts, Deeds, and Letters of Lament
First he babbled. Then he blathered, After a respectable period of blathering, Sirius fell into a simple dignified sputter that only the British are capable of. The last person he had expected to walk through the door was his Godson who was supposed to safe back in England. Harry's much changed figure was shocking to the stressed wizard. Marduk and Henrik quickly slipped out the door to discuss something amongst themselves in private.
"What the hell are you doing here? And how do you know these people?" exploded Black.
Harry hopped up on the metal table between Sirius and Falkirk unconcern with Sirius' loud voice. Legs swinging childishly under his trenchrobe he smirked at his baffled guardian. "Clearing you name O' Godfather of mine. To your second question: Marduk handles my ancestral holdings."
"Oh. Okay. Thanks by the way. When Dumbledore reach you with the news of my capture?"
"He didn't. I haven't spoken to Dumbledore since after the Tri-Wizard Tournament. I read about you in a French newspaper this morning."
"Why on earth would you subscription to a French newspaper?" asked Sirius.
"Because it has refreshing news with different viewpoint that's not centered around hiding Voldemort's return. But I don't have a subscription." calmly replied Harry.
"What? Did your Muggle relatives take you on a trip to France then?"
"That would be the day. Uncle Vernon would sooner take up flamenco dancing than take me on holiday with him."
Sirius was getting exasperated with the dialogue. "Then how?"
"The waiter at my Marseilles hotel gave me a copy with my breakfast." evenly replied Harry. He was enjoying the frustration of his Godfather who normally held all the answers.
"I didn't know you owned a hotel in France." expressed Sirius.
"Neither did I until yesterday morning."
"What happened yesterday morning?"
Harry paused as if he had to search for the memory for the events of the previous day. Truth be told a lot had happened to Harry over the span of only four days. He shook off that line of thought and assumed an expression of elation as if he had just discovered something. Snapping his fingers across his lap he resumed his speech. "That's right. Yesterday morning I arrived in France after fleeing England to escape persecution from Minister Fudge and in abeyance of my banishment. So you see, rather routine stuff really." Harry said in a bland tone while examining his fingernails.
Heavy, calloused hands flew to his shoulders and shook him. The desperate and frustrated move of his Godfather, while unexpected, did Harry no harm. However as a now standing Sirius jarred Harry's body, the violent bobbing of his head was enough to activate the tinting enchantment on his new glasses. Harry's world shifted from the dark one he had been accustomed to since he first shifted them in The Pillar's dining hall. First a bright rose color, then a painful yellow, and finally to the clear spectrum of regular glass. Valerie merely sat and looked on, disapproving of both Harry's and Sirius' antics.
"If we are quite done." Said the scowling Slavic woman. In close quarters and in the absence of her mentor and associate, Falkirk seemed to put aside her harsh facade. Her look was of specific annoyance rather than a generic gaze of irratation. For some odd reason this made it seem more personal
Immediately the pair stopped their struggle and listened as Falkirk explained to Sirius the events of Harry's exile. "So you see Mr. Black," she said in conclusion, "You are also an expatriate of Britain. The ban on associating with Englishmen is not applicable here or in any other country but the United Kingdom. Through you may make contact with your friends and countrymen, Harry cannot. He is completely set apart form everything he has known. Except for you"
***
Some would call Albus Dumbledore infallible. Indeed his power and cunning had, in the past, proved this sentiment to be true. That was the past. This was the present. He sat in his office surrounded by the paraphernalia of all his predecessors. Ancient and auspicious portraits looked down on him, some so old that the paintings themself had ceased movement. Fawkes crooned and chirped in front of him on his perch. Sitting back now, he truly examined the decisions he had made regarding Harry Potter. For the first time since Grindelwald, Albus felt a true sense of weakness. The events of August the third had spun out of even his control. The wards should have been impregnable. He had purchased strategically placed houses in Surrey and set up the largest Anti-Dark Circle in the recent history of magic. As a result there were few places that were as secure as that small suburb in Surrey. Albus had even gone as far as to set up Arabella Figg as a secondary line of defense with her countless Kneazles. It seemed flawless. But it was, admittedly, untested.
Of course Albus should have known that his efforts to protect the boy had been for naught when he first noticed the thin, pale boy during his sorting. He should have listened to Minerva all those years ago and sent the boy anywhere else but the Dursleys. Unfortunately it was a mistake that could not be rectified. The familial bond between family that bound Petunia Dursley and Harry, be it ever so slight, was the crux the wards. She must have openly hated the boy for the wards to be as ineffective as they were. The Ministry had placed its own set of wards, despite his own assurances they were unnecessary. In the end it was the Ministry that had both saved and damned Harry. It saved him from the grasping hands of Voldemort but damned him to the a life of wandering. He had been so very wrong. His silver features were sunken with sorrow and his characteristic twinkle had fled from his eyes. Confronted by the immensity of his arrogance and failure, Albus felt immeasurably old. He could not speak to Harry, nor could he write. The child he spent the better part of two decades protecting was completely out of reach.
And who did he own a debt to for telling him of the events that Cornelius had sought hide: Rita Skeeter. The same Rita Skeeter who had give him nicknames like "Dingbat" in her defamatory articles. He had been convinced the woman was incapable of acknowledging any fact or truth. Again he had been wrong. All support seemed to have left him. Even Remus was unavailable by Floo. The only person he had been able to reach with any first hand information that was willing to speak was Percy Weasley. He would be visiting Hogwarts tomorrow.
His predecessors were quiet but they seemed to glare down at him. Had they failed as he had? Had all their lessons fallen into silence and obscurity? Had all their ideals been stripped away by the tide of public opinion and the vindictiveness of their leaders? If they had, how had they dealt with the growing ache of uselessness that now gripped Albus Dumbledore.
***
The first thing Sirius had done was Floo Professor Lupin. The bedraggled lycanthrope seemed overjoyed at the change in Sirius' luck and had insisted he know what was going on. These questions were not something Harry wanted to discuss with the disembodied head of his former teacher. As chance may have it, Moony had chosen to live in Muggle France and they had reached him in his Normandy cottage. Harry advised him to go to Marseilles because Marduk had informed him that Sirius was now welcome in France as well as the Netherlands. The flame enveloped features of Lupin were obviously impressed when he was told to meet them at The Pillar.
That had been three hours ago and Harry was now audience to a fifth drunken rendition of "Four Green Fields." Sirius had been adamant they celebrate his freedom and the pair were well into there third bottle of Fire Whiskey. The normally calm and reserved werewolf had been matching Sirius shot for shot and any curiosity about Harry's presence melted away with each sip. Harry had taken a bit himself but found it less than drinkable. He was content to sit and thumb through a book as Sirius and Remus vented fifteen years of grief and sorrow.
The tome before him was rather comprehensive but engrossing nonetheless. A book worthy of even Hermione's attention. The name drew a sharp pain as realization of his state came crashing down once again. He add tried to write them but Hedwig could not carry the letter. The address that usually appeared magically on the envelope came up black. Whatever charm or curse the legal sentence had placed on him was impossible to circumvent. He could reach Percy though, He knew that much. Slipping out of his chair and laying the Complete Works of Miranda Goshawk aside, he walked to desk in the balcony room and wrote. Long after the revelry of his Godfather and old mentor had ceased, Harry kept writing.
End 15
Author Notes.
Well Dumbledore is a bit melancholy I know that, but he has sunken into brief depressions in the past. Rita's bombshell hit him ad the rest of Harry's friends kind of hard. It was really the only way I could portray him giving the course of events. But he's meeting Percy. My Percy and not the sycophant from OOTP, bear that in mind and give poor Perce the benefit of the doubt. I brought Lupin in rather fast and without any ceremony but I figure Moony would be the first person Sirius would want to talk to. Also given the fact that the last chapter was rather Sirius-centric, I ask you all to forgive me for not writing the segment where Sirius himself spoke with Lupin. I decided I need to speed things up a little because only four days has passed since Falstaff's attack. If it takes me three and half chapters to move the time frame ahead one day the fic would end up with an absurd chapter count. I plan on eventually moving into an almost completely Potter point of view. My entire "One man's Journey to grow strong enough to confront his nemesis and grow out of sheltered upbringing" has been hindered by my need to explore other characters. The story's moving along though and that's a good thing.
Also a concern has been expressed about Harry's sudden change in vocabulary. His speech is not the problem though, its my habit as a narrator of expressing the thoughts of the characters like an all-seeing observer. Please only take speech and those *...* things as the only things directly from the characters. The rest s merely me waxing poetic will describing the mind set of the character, sometimes aptly, sometimes poorly, but never perfectly.
To my reviewers I must bow and offer my most profuse thanks. That means you all: Nighttime Sunshine, peeweepotter Relle, AJaKe, cricket, sil, Zaln, Lady FoxFire, Them Girl, fan, Otaku Freak, Saiyan Seker88, bostonian, ADJ, Webster, Star Mage, Lilybee2003, ZeonReborn, gallandro-83, Paul, pablo5280, Imaginaryfriend, Destruxion, kapies, rosie. Bill Weasly, Myrddin Ambrosius Jr.book worm, litine, clingon87,Siri Kat, pan, potter-man, DaBear, Potatoes, PheonixMan,GREENDAY 9829, Elessar, Jason Gregory, Renee Fay and Rachel A. Prongs. You feedback is greatly appreciated and if I have missed anyone you have my apologies. I consider all of you suggestions.
Incidently it has come up that I need beta readers. If you are interested or if you have any suggestions or questions about my work, feel free to e-mail me about them. The address in my FF.net account is accurate and I check my mail regularly. Bye.
Author: Jyrnn
Spoilers: All four books. Wait, can't say that now can I? Okay, PS, CS, PoA, and GoF. I'll probably pilfer whatever bits I can from The Order of The Phoenix. Incidently some of it can fit. Thank you J. K Rowling. Well except the part about Sirius.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor any of its characters. They are the sole intellectual property of J. K. Rowling and Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. I gain no monetary reward for this exercise and do not intend any copyright infringement.
Summery: A child has suffered enough, an intruder encounters unexpected resistance, and the careless words of Voldemort have the most unexpected results. Harry Potter is about to take a stand.
*...* Direct thoughts
Chapter 15: Thoughts, Deeds, and Letters of Lament
First he babbled. Then he blathered, After a respectable period of blathering, Sirius fell into a simple dignified sputter that only the British are capable of. The last person he had expected to walk through the door was his Godson who was supposed to safe back in England. Harry's much changed figure was shocking to the stressed wizard. Marduk and Henrik quickly slipped out the door to discuss something amongst themselves in private.
"What the hell are you doing here? And how do you know these people?" exploded Black.
Harry hopped up on the metal table between Sirius and Falkirk unconcern with Sirius' loud voice. Legs swinging childishly under his trenchrobe he smirked at his baffled guardian. "Clearing you name O' Godfather of mine. To your second question: Marduk handles my ancestral holdings."
"Oh. Okay. Thanks by the way. When Dumbledore reach you with the news of my capture?"
"He didn't. I haven't spoken to Dumbledore since after the Tri-Wizard Tournament. I read about you in a French newspaper this morning."
"Why on earth would you subscription to a French newspaper?" asked Sirius.
"Because it has refreshing news with different viewpoint that's not centered around hiding Voldemort's return. But I don't have a subscription." calmly replied Harry.
"What? Did your Muggle relatives take you on a trip to France then?"
"That would be the day. Uncle Vernon would sooner take up flamenco dancing than take me on holiday with him."
Sirius was getting exasperated with the dialogue. "Then how?"
"The waiter at my Marseilles hotel gave me a copy with my breakfast." evenly replied Harry. He was enjoying the frustration of his Godfather who normally held all the answers.
"I didn't know you owned a hotel in France." expressed Sirius.
"Neither did I until yesterday morning."
"What happened yesterday morning?"
Harry paused as if he had to search for the memory for the events of the previous day. Truth be told a lot had happened to Harry over the span of only four days. He shook off that line of thought and assumed an expression of elation as if he had just discovered something. Snapping his fingers across his lap he resumed his speech. "That's right. Yesterday morning I arrived in France after fleeing England to escape persecution from Minister Fudge and in abeyance of my banishment. So you see, rather routine stuff really." Harry said in a bland tone while examining his fingernails.
Heavy, calloused hands flew to his shoulders and shook him. The desperate and frustrated move of his Godfather, while unexpected, did Harry no harm. However as a now standing Sirius jarred Harry's body, the violent bobbing of his head was enough to activate the tinting enchantment on his new glasses. Harry's world shifted from the dark one he had been accustomed to since he first shifted them in The Pillar's dining hall. First a bright rose color, then a painful yellow, and finally to the clear spectrum of regular glass. Valerie merely sat and looked on, disapproving of both Harry's and Sirius' antics.
"If we are quite done." Said the scowling Slavic woman. In close quarters and in the absence of her mentor and associate, Falkirk seemed to put aside her harsh facade. Her look was of specific annoyance rather than a generic gaze of irratation. For some odd reason this made it seem more personal
Immediately the pair stopped their struggle and listened as Falkirk explained to Sirius the events of Harry's exile. "So you see Mr. Black," she said in conclusion, "You are also an expatriate of Britain. The ban on associating with Englishmen is not applicable here or in any other country but the United Kingdom. Through you may make contact with your friends and countrymen, Harry cannot. He is completely set apart form everything he has known. Except for you"
***
Some would call Albus Dumbledore infallible. Indeed his power and cunning had, in the past, proved this sentiment to be true. That was the past. This was the present. He sat in his office surrounded by the paraphernalia of all his predecessors. Ancient and auspicious portraits looked down on him, some so old that the paintings themself had ceased movement. Fawkes crooned and chirped in front of him on his perch. Sitting back now, he truly examined the decisions he had made regarding Harry Potter. For the first time since Grindelwald, Albus felt a true sense of weakness. The events of August the third had spun out of even his control. The wards should have been impregnable. He had purchased strategically placed houses in Surrey and set up the largest Anti-Dark Circle in the recent history of magic. As a result there were few places that were as secure as that small suburb in Surrey. Albus had even gone as far as to set up Arabella Figg as a secondary line of defense with her countless Kneazles. It seemed flawless. But it was, admittedly, untested.
Of course Albus should have known that his efforts to protect the boy had been for naught when he first noticed the thin, pale boy during his sorting. He should have listened to Minerva all those years ago and sent the boy anywhere else but the Dursleys. Unfortunately it was a mistake that could not be rectified. The familial bond between family that bound Petunia Dursley and Harry, be it ever so slight, was the crux the wards. She must have openly hated the boy for the wards to be as ineffective as they were. The Ministry had placed its own set of wards, despite his own assurances they were unnecessary. In the end it was the Ministry that had both saved and damned Harry. It saved him from the grasping hands of Voldemort but damned him to the a life of wandering. He had been so very wrong. His silver features were sunken with sorrow and his characteristic twinkle had fled from his eyes. Confronted by the immensity of his arrogance and failure, Albus felt immeasurably old. He could not speak to Harry, nor could he write. The child he spent the better part of two decades protecting was completely out of reach.
And who did he own a debt to for telling him of the events that Cornelius had sought hide: Rita Skeeter. The same Rita Skeeter who had give him nicknames like "Dingbat" in her defamatory articles. He had been convinced the woman was incapable of acknowledging any fact or truth. Again he had been wrong. All support seemed to have left him. Even Remus was unavailable by Floo. The only person he had been able to reach with any first hand information that was willing to speak was Percy Weasley. He would be visiting Hogwarts tomorrow.
His predecessors were quiet but they seemed to glare down at him. Had they failed as he had? Had all their lessons fallen into silence and obscurity? Had all their ideals been stripped away by the tide of public opinion and the vindictiveness of their leaders? If they had, how had they dealt with the growing ache of uselessness that now gripped Albus Dumbledore.
***
The first thing Sirius had done was Floo Professor Lupin. The bedraggled lycanthrope seemed overjoyed at the change in Sirius' luck and had insisted he know what was going on. These questions were not something Harry wanted to discuss with the disembodied head of his former teacher. As chance may have it, Moony had chosen to live in Muggle France and they had reached him in his Normandy cottage. Harry advised him to go to Marseilles because Marduk had informed him that Sirius was now welcome in France as well as the Netherlands. The flame enveloped features of Lupin were obviously impressed when he was told to meet them at The Pillar.
That had been three hours ago and Harry was now audience to a fifth drunken rendition of "Four Green Fields." Sirius had been adamant they celebrate his freedom and the pair were well into there third bottle of Fire Whiskey. The normally calm and reserved werewolf had been matching Sirius shot for shot and any curiosity about Harry's presence melted away with each sip. Harry had taken a bit himself but found it less than drinkable. He was content to sit and thumb through a book as Sirius and Remus vented fifteen years of grief and sorrow.
The tome before him was rather comprehensive but engrossing nonetheless. A book worthy of even Hermione's attention. The name drew a sharp pain as realization of his state came crashing down once again. He add tried to write them but Hedwig could not carry the letter. The address that usually appeared magically on the envelope came up black. Whatever charm or curse the legal sentence had placed on him was impossible to circumvent. He could reach Percy though, He knew that much. Slipping out of his chair and laying the Complete Works of Miranda Goshawk aside, he walked to desk in the balcony room and wrote. Long after the revelry of his Godfather and old mentor had ceased, Harry kept writing.
End 15
Author Notes.
Well Dumbledore is a bit melancholy I know that, but he has sunken into brief depressions in the past. Rita's bombshell hit him ad the rest of Harry's friends kind of hard. It was really the only way I could portray him giving the course of events. But he's meeting Percy. My Percy and not the sycophant from OOTP, bear that in mind and give poor Perce the benefit of the doubt. I brought Lupin in rather fast and without any ceremony but I figure Moony would be the first person Sirius would want to talk to. Also given the fact that the last chapter was rather Sirius-centric, I ask you all to forgive me for not writing the segment where Sirius himself spoke with Lupin. I decided I need to speed things up a little because only four days has passed since Falstaff's attack. If it takes me three and half chapters to move the time frame ahead one day the fic would end up with an absurd chapter count. I plan on eventually moving into an almost completely Potter point of view. My entire "One man's Journey to grow strong enough to confront his nemesis and grow out of sheltered upbringing" has been hindered by my need to explore other characters. The story's moving along though and that's a good thing.
Also a concern has been expressed about Harry's sudden change in vocabulary. His speech is not the problem though, its my habit as a narrator of expressing the thoughts of the characters like an all-seeing observer. Please only take speech and those *...* things as the only things directly from the characters. The rest s merely me waxing poetic will describing the mind set of the character, sometimes aptly, sometimes poorly, but never perfectly.
To my reviewers I must bow and offer my most profuse thanks. That means you all: Nighttime Sunshine, peeweepotter Relle, AJaKe, cricket, sil, Zaln, Lady FoxFire, Them Girl, fan, Otaku Freak, Saiyan Seker88, bostonian, ADJ, Webster, Star Mage, Lilybee2003, ZeonReborn, gallandro-83, Paul, pablo5280, Imaginaryfriend, Destruxion, kapies, rosie. Bill Weasly, Myrddin Ambrosius Jr.book worm, litine, clingon87,Siri Kat, pan, potter-man, DaBear, Potatoes, PheonixMan,GREENDAY 9829, Elessar, Jason Gregory, Renee Fay and Rachel A. Prongs. You feedback is greatly appreciated and if I have missed anyone you have my apologies. I consider all of you suggestions.
Incidently it has come up that I need beta readers. If you are interested or if you have any suggestions or questions about my work, feel free to e-mail me about them. The address in my FF.net account is accurate and I check my mail regularly. Bye.