AN: *sigh* this thing fought me tooth and nail. That and school are responsible for this wait. 20 credits per semester, what was I thinking?! *smacks head* So sorry, ya'll. Hopefully the others won't be half as bad. Oh, and may I make a shameless plug? I have added a new ficlet. Nothing much, but it's one I'm proud of. It's the one called 'The Writer Canturbury Style'. Please check it out? *puppy dog eyes* Oh, and I've issued a challenge on my bio page incase anyone's interested.
Part 7: Hints of Tattered Silk Wings
Sirius nearly ran to the Great Hall where the Governors, Professors, Headmaster, and Minister waited to talk to him. They had all been briefed by Dumbledore as to his view on the situation and were interested in what he had to say. There had been a 4-hour delay on the meeting due to other issues that came up and he was eager to get it done and over with. The sooner he presented and proved his case, the sooner he would be able to look for Harry.
Remus walked alongside him, trying to remain a steady backbone to his impulsive friend. But it was hard to remain calm himself, when he also felt like going out on a crusade. He knew it was neither logical, nor productive, but it felt better than remaining at Hogwarts doing nothing. He had made it perfectly clear to the guilt ridden Sirius that he did not hold him responsible for the attack or losing his godson. There was no need to fear the werewolf's wrath.
Taking a deep breath and receiving a reassuring smile from Remus, Sirius opened the doors to the Great Hall. The assembly regarded him calmly, obviously trying to make sure he was perfectly sane before risking their Aurors' lives on a wild goose chase.
"Welcome, Sirius Black," Minister Fudge greeted with no emotion. Sirius choked back a sneer. He was never very fond of Fudge, before or after Azkaban. And the feeling was obviously mutual. There was not any love lost between them.
"Thank you for allowing me to meet with you all," Sirius said politely, not bothering to conceal his wish for quick action and little talk. They would not indulge him on that.
"We never expected to see you again," old Mrs. Figg remarked. "You must have quite a tale for us." He hadn't known the Order of the Phoenix was there as well. Even from 30 meters, he could smell the stench of cats all over the old woman. Some days it didn't pay to have some remnant senses of his alter form.
"We are eager to hear about it," finished Moody, "Why don't you tell us about your little escapade? We were so sure you had died in your house."
"So I've heard."
"So go on then. Tell us your story," requested Fudge. "We're all very …"
"Beg your pardon," Sirius said, impatiently, "But I think that…"
"We need to understand the facts, Sirius," Dumbledore said soothingly, "If you would please…"
Reluctantly, Sirius began to tell them about what happened after being dragged from what remained of Manticore's Den.
* * *
Harry didn't know how much time had passed. But he knew by the ability to think clearly meant that Javen was now asleep. He had decided a long time before that the situation could not go on like it was any more. If he was wrong and misguided, then he needed to hear so from someone he respected and trusted above everyone else.
At this point, only the wise Headmaster could clear up the boy's confusion. With a bit of guilt, Harry used Alohomora to open the lock on the closet. He was only 10 feet from the fireplace, not such a long ways away. He could call the Headmaster and be back in the closet before Javen ever woke up. But he had to know. If he was a hopeless case, then Dumbledore would tell him and he would know beyond any further doubt.
* * *
After Sirius had finished his story, they told him everything they knew, which, to his immense frustration, was not much. But when he heard that Javen himself had called to report their deaths, he was then thoroughly convinced that he knew where to find Harry.
"Javen has betrayed us all then," Fudge sighed. Sirius fought himself not to scoff at the Minister stating the obvious. "He definitely knew about Sirius being alive, and my people have confirmed he is nowhere near Egypt. And my owl has yet to return from its mission to find him. It seems he has gone into hiding."
"I feared he might do something like this," Dumbledore said heavily, "I had hoped the signs I saw would lead to nothing. I was wrong."
"What do you mean, Dumbledore?" asked Sirius. He had known Javen only since after graduation and knew very little about his past. Being a few years younger, Javen had little contact with the Marauders other than as a possible victim to their pranks. Only James knew the younger boy well.
"Ever since he was a student, he had shown a particular fancy in the Dark Arts. Voldemort had orphaned him at a young age and he was so full of anger… I had hoped his longing for control was just an angry adolescent's way of reacting. There were so many of my students without parents at that age… I just did not know how to protect you all." Remus' eyes glazed slightly as he thought back to those days. Yes, there were so many deaths back then. Too many. And there was not one of his generation untouched by the first war.
"When he joined the Ministry as a hit-wizard," continued Fudge, "We saw a lot of potential in him. He was magically powerful and had the will to succeed. But he was too angry and bent on revenge to function properly. We fired him about a year after for his aggressive behavior. Then he started causing problems. Not large ones, but we had a few serious crimes on his record. Spent about a month in Azkaban for assault and battery on a superior ranking Auror. After that, he was on parole for a while. We decided to let him continue to practice magic under supervision. That was at the end of last year."
"Has anything happened to him since then to cause concern?" asked Remus. He had obviously made a connection that Sirius had failed to make. The werewolf felt that there had to be something to make Javen pay more attention to Harry. Something that could answer for his traitorous behavior.
"Only one thing," answered Moody gruffly, "He came to us complaining about constantly being rejected when he applied to adopt. We felt that his records proved him incapable of being a parent."
Sirius was barely able to keep his infamous temper in check. His godson was out there somewhere, no one knew where, with a paroled former hit-wizard that no one trusted and probably thought he was dead. If Javen lied to everyone in the wizarding community, then it was a safe bet to think he lied to Harry as well.
"So Javen wants Harry as a trainee? He'd never go along with it. He knows what Dark Magic feels like."
"But that's just it," Mrs. Figg said, "Javen doesn't behave like one who practices the Dark Arts. That's why he was only paroled instead of having his wand snapped. We just thought he was overeager with a bad temper. It seems we may have been wrong."
May have been! Of all the… "Concerning he has kidnapped my 15-year old and held him for whatever purpose for about a month now, I'd have to agree," Sirius growled.
"We didn't want to be hasty," Fudge said defensively, "It was a delicate matter. Javen's family was a prestigious one and public opinion…"
"Keep your public opinion, Fudge," Sirius snarled, ignoring Remus' glares to remain silent, "Harry is out there with a wizard you should have kept a closer eye on, instead of worrying who would make Wizard of the Year in the Daily Prophet."
"Look, Black," Moody growled, "We don't even know if Javen has Potter. The circumstantial evidence is great, but that's all it is. Circumstantial. Trust me, boy. I've been doing this longer than you've been alive. We need to be careful. Harry could be continents apart from Javen or he could be dead. We don't know. Hot heads won't get us anywhere if you have any…"
His words were cut off abruptly as a small voice, barely above a whisper called out 'Hogwarts!' A giant flame grew in the dormant fireplace behind the teachers' table and was replaced with the form of a small 15-year old. Everyone could see him, but as the Headmaster was directly in front of the fire, he was the only one seen by the boy. Harry did not seem to hear the collective gasp of everyone in the room as his liquid green eyes raised nearly fearfully to meet his mentor's.
"Professor Dumbledore," the soft voice reverberated through the room. A hot knife sank into Sirius' heart at the sound of it, "I'm sorry for interrupting, Sir. But I need to talk to you. I need to talk to someone." His last sentence was more of a pleading than a request and his voice cracked. Sirius stared in horror at the boy. The fire was fuzzy, but the pain on Harry's face was clear. His voice was low and heavy. There were three long, dark marks on Harry's face to join a black eye and lips twice their normal size. His normally bright green eyes were hollow and haunted. He held his head as though he were an old man laden with arthritis. And his face was too gaunt to be considered healthy. What in the world had Javen done?
"I don't want to question you, or Fath… Javen's," He shook his head sadly though it was obvious the slight movement pained him. "But I can't…"
"Harry!" exclaimed Dumbledore, "Where are you? What happened? We were so worried!" His eyes were filled with concern for the young boy.
Harry looked up from his submissive stare at the ground. His eyes were now filled with confusion, "But Father told me… Didn't you…" his sentence was cut off as he either heard or sensed someone behind him. He turned around and his cry was cut short as the fire was snuffed out by a great gust of wind.
Dumbledore turned to a hit-wizard who had accompanied the Minister to the meeting, "Trace that fire!" he ordered, leaving no room for argument. The young man fled the room at once.
Sirius stood there transfixed as the hot knife twisted a little further into
his gut. The sight of the boy's abused
body would not leave his mind. It took
several moments to control his emotions enough to let him speak. "Is that proof enough for you?" he growled
murderously, his voice sounding very much like a snarling dog.
Remus stared at him warily as though he might go insane and attack everyone. He knew that gleam in Sirius' eyes. It was the same look he had seen in the Shrieking Shack when Sirius was explaining how Peter betrayed the Potters. And he knew it was a waste of breath to try and calm him down. You may as well try to tame Remus on a full moon and have him play fetch.
"Indeed," Fudge said in his usual pompous manner. He didn't seem affected by the sight of Harry, frightened and in pain before them. Was it because he had seen worse? Remus didn't want to see anything worse. And Sirius looked as though he would lash out at the Minister if nothing was done swiftly. The werewolf didn't think that was such a bad idea. From the stories of the Minister that both Harry and Padfoot told him, he was beginning to seriously dislike Fudge very much. And it took a lot to anger the usually peaceful Moony.
Dumbledore looked very old and sad, not seeming to see the silent battle between the three. He cared deeply for Harry, and not just because he was the Boy Who Lived. It took considerable effort for his mind to remove the image of Harry's haunted eyes that were in place of his normally bright ones. Fudge would take forever in getting a strike team together and even longer to actually do something. What they needed was action and not politics.
"He called Javen 'Father'," Dumbledore said, trying to be the voice of reason, "It was clear he thought Javen had our permission to take him."
"You're right, Sirius," Minerva said, her voice husky with sadness, "He needs to be found right away. There is something else going on that I do not like one bit."
The young hit-wizard entered the room again with the name of the place where Harry had called from. All they knew was that he had called from somewhere in Dublin, but everyone knew that if Javen had an ounce of sense, which he seemed to have a great deal of, he would take the boy and run as far and as fast as he could. But it was their only chance.
"You and Remus may go to Dublin and search there as soon as you're ready," Dumbledore said to Sirius, "The rest of us will form search teams and spread out. I'll go call our contacts on the mainland."
"Don't worry, Sirius," said Professor Flitwick, jumping down from his perch on his chair, "We'll find him."
"Let's hope to Merlin the child doesn't pay too dearly for contacting us," Professor Sprout murmured to herself; her words not meant for the enflamed ex-convict. She didn't know if he heard or not, for he was already a dog bounding out of the room with the werewolf at his heels.
* * *
Harry couldn't think, couldn't move, couldn't breathe. Not since the first blow fell. Javen was beating him to an inch of his life, and he actually felt a tinge of fear that he would not survive long enough to be found. The man was angrier then Harry ever thought possible and did not doubt that if the man lost any more control then real damage would certainly be dealt out. He could feel himself beginning to black out, but Javen was in his mind still, and would not let him. Every pounding of flesh against flesh was felt entirely with no haven of unconsciousness in sight.
"How dare you!" Javen was screaming over and over, "How dare you disobey me like that! How dare you!" He threw Harry to the floor, not bothering to be careful or lenient this time. "Face the wall, Potter," he ordered. And again when Harry didn't move, "Face the wall!" Still Harry didn't move, "I am your father and I am telling you to face the wall!"
"N—no you're not," Harry said weakly, finding some strength to get to his feet, although a bit shaky. "You're not my father… Sirius never appointed you godfather. It was Remus all along, wasn't it? You lied to me! And you lied to them! You've been lying for weeks! You're not my guardian and you never will be!"
Javen advanced upon the slowly retreating Harry. "You're wrong, Potter," he said darkly, "And I punish ignorance dearly." He reached out for Harry, but his hand was shoved away.
"Stay away from me, Javen! You've got no right!" For the first time in a month, Harry could see clearly. It was like a heavy blanket was finally pulled up away from his eyes. He could finally see all the anger, sorrow, and need for revenge that was buried beneath a calm and cool exterior. The intensity of Javen's dark thoughts in his mind made him dizzy.
Javen knew the moment he was revealed to the boy. And he watched helplessly as his hard work fell to pieces before him. Deciding there was nothing left to lose, he advanced once again on Harry. He flung him across the room and kicked him over. Forcing him to face the wall, he held him there with an iron grip and pounded into the young flesh with all the fury and rage that he had struggled to control for years. Although Harry tried to fight back, his efforts were useless as his feeble arms were nothing to the seasoned ex-hit-wizard.
* * *
Sirius paced outside the small shack impatiently. He was finished searching the surrounding lake and woods and was waiting for Remus to exit with his findings. It had been three days already since they began their search in Dublin, first making sure that Javen was no longer around in any surrounding dwelling. He knew that it was irrational to expect it to be easy and that Remus was much more likely to find small clues that he would just step over, but he wanted to find his godson and get Javen as soon as possible.
It was not surprising to him that praises were never sung of his patience, but then again, he had a lot to be anxious about. He was firmly convinced that Harry had already given him a fatal case of stress ulcers. He was also sure that the boy would be the leading cause of Sirius' death that was bound to occur by the end of the year at the rate things were going.
Finally, he saw the tall form of his friend exit the hut which reeked of Javen and Harry. He looked more somber than usual, which was really saying something considering the circumstances. Sirius ran up to him eagerly.
"What did you find, Moony?" he asked before Remus could even shut the door behind him. Remus looked reluctant to answer but did so anyway. He would have preferred to sit down and process what he had experienced in the shack first.
"We're close on their trail. They had to have been here just a few days ago."
"But they could be anywhere by now," Sirius protested, knowing very well that whining rarely accomplished anything.
"I know. What do you want me to do about that? They used the fire to travel and left a magical trail behind them. It could be a ruse, but whatever it was, the Floo connection was broken on the other end. The fire is useless."
"What else did you find? I know that look in your eyes," Sirius' voice grew softer, seeing obvious pain in his friend. Remus looked at him and shook his head.
"We don't have much time, Padfoot. Even someone who didn't have a werewolf's senses could have smelled all that blood. Javen, it seemed, was not happy with him for contacting us. From the amount of blood I saw, I don't think he killed him but…"
Sirius growled low in his throat, "I'll kill him. I swear I'll…"
"Padfoot!" Remus' voice was sharp, momentarily startling Sirius, "Would you please think of the situation at hand? That's exactly why I wanted to check the shack and not you. I knew how you'd react to it all. I wouldn't mind paying a visit to Javen on a full moon myself, but we need to focus. It is imperative that we find Harry and I need your brains on this. Don't freak out on me."
"Sorry," Sirius mumbled, managing to push back his thoughts of vengeance, "I'm not being much help, am I?"
Remus smiled slightly, "Just don't start blowing up streets and I think we'll be golden. We'll find them, I promise."
"Thanks for the help, Moony. You're being really patient with me. I just want Harry back."
"I know, Sirius. I want him back too. For once, I know how you felt when you broke out of Azkaban. He's my godson now and I'll follow him to the ends of the Earth if I have to. But we must be patient and try to outthink Javen."
"I can't believe James and Lily actually thought I'd be a responsible parent," he muttered to himself, "I can't even focus on finding my own son."
"On the contrary, Padfoot. Your love and devotion for Harry does you credit. They knew how much you would give for him. Thirteen years of imprisonment, breaking into Hogwarts, living off rats just to be close by, and risking your freedom, life, and soul for him…I couldn't appoint him a better guardian."
Sirius allowed himself momentarily to enjoy the praise before putting it away for later recollection, "So where did you trace the fire?"
"To a small island on the other side of Ireland. I think he's expecting us to widen our search and never stop to think he actually moved very little. What do you think?"
"I think that's exactly what he wanted us to do. He thinks that I'm either dead or incapacitated and that you will be unable to function through various emotional and physical ailments. He's good, but we're better. We're still the Marauders." He gave a semi-winning smile. Remus returned the smile.
"My thoughts exactly."
Review Time!
Siri Kat: *hands out some brand name Ti's Tissues* Believe me, the tears have not yet begun to fall ^_^
Schnickledooger: Hehe calm down mon ami! All will be revealed soon. Harry is not so weak as to allow this to happen. Sirius gets to jump into action soon I promise. And Javen will get his eventually.
Calimora: Oh thank you so much. I'm glad that someone looked into some of the smaller things like that. And Harry has only begun to fight back I promise. But no one's completely safe yet. Not till chappie 11.
Someone Reading: Oh I'm sorry I made you wait so long. But the sequel is absolute rubbish I swear! -_-() I can barely read either this story or its sequel without wanting to delete them sometimes. They never come out the way I want them to.
Black Rose 9: Thank you, I'll do my best.
Wicked Misty: I totally agree ^_^ they're just asking to be abused aren't they?
Ilovepadfoot: Y'know, I've always held a little place in my heart for Javen. As said before and as others will point out later, he really is a tragic victim at times.
Lily Skylo: Hi! I've missed you in my time away from the computer. Matches? Nopers, sorry. They're not allowed in my dorm. Honestly, I can't understand why the school officials don't trust us poor misunderstood college students *angelic look* You guessed right, it was Draco, but don't let that fool you into thinking he's any less of a beast. He had his reasons and none of which have to do with him going good.
XxXMelJayXoX: Hi again! There are 11 chapters in this story, right? *checks files* Yeah, 10 at the least, 11 at the most. Sorry, can't find the exact number at the moment.
Snuffles: Oh I'm sorry I have been taking so long. Are you still interested in reading the rest via email? There are about 10 chapters total and I'm always eager for someone's honest opinion. Believe me when I say that nothing I write is ever abandoned. I do finish things eventually ^_^ even if there is evidence to the contrary.
Beren's-Wife: ^_^ Is it sad that I know the meaning of your name? Honestly, I have to get out more often instead of sticking my nose in a book. Viva la Tolkien! Er… something like that
Hi: Hi! I will don't worry
Almusssusa: It all works out in the end, you'll see
Japonica: Understandable, don't fret ^_^ *blushes* Thank you, I am really honored by that, because I hardly feel I deserve any of that.
Adaa-Chan: Ohayo! Wow, you need to keep away from the caffeine ^_^ I'm addicted to dark and depressing. There needs to be a support group for people like us, neh?
ParanoiaIn2005: Thank you! I love well rounded reviews like that *big hug* Do you mind pointing out any awkward points? I'm always on the quest to improve and lordy knows I need it ^_^
Eternally*Mine: Yeah, I'd say I have an inkling on what will happen next lol. Yeah, Javen won't know what hit him by the time our overprotective pup gets through with him.
DEALWITHLATER: I will I will I will! Sometimes I really don't like college and all the time it consumes nowadays