Disclaimed
Author's note: Sorry about the long wait. Why do they all schedule midterms for the same week? I think the influence of standardized tests made this chapter a little angsty. The next one will be cheerier. Any who, on with the show.
The Basement
By Marz
Chapter 19: Where the Hell Have You Been?
It was like one of those dreams where you're falling, except I was going forward instead of down. The world was gray and black and white, but it smelled brown and green. The forest tilted and rocked all over the place as I went. One of my legs wasn't working right, and it made my strides lopsided. It hurt, and every once in a while I would stop and chew on it, but I never stopped for long. Something in my head just wouldn't let me rest. I knew I had to go home, and I couldn't stop until I got there. I had no idea where home was, but I had a feeling in the back of my head that I was going the right way. I was still hobbling along, in the same direction, when the sun rose and the world exploded again.
"Harry, please wake up! Oh God! Please wake up!"
Water dribbled across my face. There were thin cool lines where I wasn't in flaming agony, but they faded away too quickly. I groaned.
"Harry! That's it. Just open your eyes for a second, please!"
I opened my eyes a crack. I wasn't certain I had woken up though. The world around me was blurry, bright and burning hot. Something smelled fetid and awful. More water splashed onto my forehead, and ran down my face and neck. Through the fog I realized there was a hand on the back of my head, holding me up right.
"We're almost there Harry. Only a couple of hours more and we'll have you in the hospital wing. You have to hang on till then."
The voice was familiar, but I couldn't remember who it was. The blurry figure leaned past me and I tried to see what he was doing. Next to me was something so bright it was impossible to look at, but I heard another splash. It must have been a stream. I couldn't figure out how water that painfully bright could be so cold, but as another hand full was dribbled across my face, I found I didn't really care.
"Try to drink a little."
A cupped hand poured more water into my mouth. He kept giving me water until I couldn't drink anymore. The world seemed to clear up a little bit. I finally figured out who the man was.
"…Black…"
"That's right Harry. Do you feel any better? We're almost back to the school."
He splashed more water on my face as he spoke, and I realized he was me favorite person in the entire universe.
"…swim…" I said. The water was right there after all.
Black laughed. It sounded forced. "You can swim all you want after we get your arm fixed."
"…'s hot…"
"It'll be better soon. Try to stay awake alright. We have to keep moving."
I opened my eyes a little more, and it was easier to focus. I took a deep breath. The fetid smell seemed stronger.
"What's that?" I asked, sniffing the air.
"Nothing. Close your eyes again."
I realized my left arm didn't hurt anymore. There was only a strange hot feeling. I started to look down but Black put his hand over my eyes. He couldn't keep it there thought. He uncovered my face so he could pick me up. I looked at my arm. I didn't know puss came in that color. Fortunately I passed out before I could vomit on myself.
"Just give him the rest of the potions and get out."
"Are you giving me orders Black?"
"No, I'm threatening you."
"Both of yeh knock it off or I'll knock yer heads together!"
My head hurt badly, but despite my better judgment I sat up and looked around. I was immediately dizzy. The room spinning around me was Hagrid's hut. I'd been tucked into his oversized bed, and I began to push the blankets off. I felt like a foil wrapped potato stuffed in an oven. As the blankets fell to the floor, three surprised people turned towards me. Black was at my side in an instant, reburying me in unnecessary insulation.
"No! It's too hot," I said, trying to shove them off again.
Black won the argument when I got so dizzy I had to lie back down.
"Snape, give him the God Damned potions!" Black growled.
Snape swooped up to the bed and pulled a handful of vials from his sleeve. Each was filled with bizarre neon colored liquids. I noticed Snape was wearing gloves. He looked down at me with an expression I couldn't figure out, and it was very unnerving. Snape handed the vials to Black without comment, and backed away. Hagrid came forward to fill the unoccupied space.
"How're yeh feeling Harry?" asked Hagrid, as Black poured a purple, very un-grape flavored, liquid into my mouth.
"I'm alright," I said, trying not to gag. I remembered something was wrong, but I couldn't remember what, something about Ron and Hermione. I asked if they were ok.
"They're fine. McGonagall's locked um' both up in the hospital wing till Dumbledore gets back and we get this all sorted out," Hagrid said.
"That's good," I said as a sour, gritty, pink solution was dumped into my mouth. I noticed my left arm was itching and I pulled it out of under the blankets. It was completely encased in gauze bandages. "What happened?" I asked, struggling to remember.
"We'll talk about it later," Black said, pouring a viscous green potion down my throat. I started to argue, but I couldn't keep my eyes open.
When I woke up again the terrible heat had faded to a comfortable warmth. It was mostly dark, but I could see smoldering embers in a fire place a few feet to my left. I knew right away what had woken me up. I crawled out of bed in search of the bathroom. I progressed about a foot before tripping over the dog.
POP!
"Harry what's wrong? Why are you out of bed?" Black asked as he helped me up.
"Where's the bathroom?" I asked.
Black reached under the bed, and pulled out a cast iron pot. It looked suspiciously like the pot Hagrid usually used for making stew. "Here," he said.
"That's not a bathroom!"
"It's a chamber pot. I'll go out side until you're finished."
"I'm not peeing in any more buckets!" I declared loudly.
Black was making a funny choked noise and I realized he was trying not to laugh, but he also looked like his stomach hurt. "Calm down Harry."
"You calm down."
"Do you feel well enough for a short walk?" Black asked.
My legs felt a bit rubbery but I nodded. Black reached under the bed again and pulled out some slippers. I put them on, and Black grabbed one of the blankets off the bed and wrapped it around my shoulders. He turned back into a dog and led me out the door. It was night and the sky was cloudy. We circled the hut and crossed the pumpkin patch. I stopped when I saw our destination.
"That's not a bathroom either. That's Hagrid's tool shed!"
The dog made a funny chuffing noise, and kept going. I opened the door of what I had thought to be a shed.
I suppose it made sense that Hagrid had an outhouse. It was kind of a long walk up to the castle. It was still one of those things I'd be happier not knowing though.
By the time we got back to the hut, (I insisted on finding somewhere to wash my hands), my teeth were chattering with cold. I sat on the bed and pulled my feet up under me. After returning to human form, Black threw some more wood into the fire place. It immediately caught, filling the room with orange light. Black sat down next to me. The humor was gone from his face. There was something at the back of my mind that I was trying very hard not to think about. I had a feeling Black was going to bring it up.
"Harry, do you remember what happened to you?" Black asked.
"Yes. No. Yes." I did. I remembered then, but I had this theory that if I didn't say anything, and no one else did, then maybe the universe would forget and I could just go on like normal.
"Have you studied werewolves yet, in Defense Class?" Black asked.
"That's not until next semester."
"Harry…" Black began, but I cut him off.
"I've lost my glasses again. I hope they'll turn up. Aunt Petunia really hates it when she has to get me new glasses, but it's usually not my fault. There was this one time Dudley, he's my cousin, threw them up on the roof of the school, and I was going to climb up and get them but the bell rang and I had to go to class or I would have gotten in trouble."
"Harry…"
"It's not that I really need them. I can see close up just fine with out them. Hermione will let me copy her notes, so I'm not that worried about reading the board in class, but Quidditch will be a bit harder."
"Harry…"
"Did you ever wear glasses, or maybe contact lenses? I always wanted to try those but I'd probably loose them somewhere."
"Harry…" He grabbed my shoulders and I knew I couldn't dodge it any longer.
"There's no cure." I stated.
"There's no cure," Black confirmed quietly.
"I turned into one. That's why my head's all fuzzy about last night."
"It was three nights ago Harry."
"Oh."
There was a long silent pause.
"Did you get Pettigrew?" I asked.
Black threw his arms around me, and started his "I'm sorry" chant. I guessed that meant no. All that work for nothing. Part of my brain was telling me it was ok to cry, as there was a shoulder readily available. Well it was more of an armpit really, because Black's about a foot taller then me. I couldn't cry though. I didn't even have that kind of sore throat feeling you get when you try not to cry. It was too big to think about, like when somebody tells you that in four billion years the sun will explode, and you just say "that's not good". It was too big to be real. I was about to push Black away when the door knob rattled.
Pop!
Black the dog went up to the door and sniffed it. He growled. A moment later Snape pushed the door open, nearly hitting the dog in the head with it.
"Dumbledore will be here shortly," Snape said. He swept into the room, but avoided all the available chairs. Another figure stood right outside the door way, as if afraid to enter.
"Coward," Snape said in a nearly inaudible voice.
The figure flinched as if struck, and a moment later, Professor Lupin stepped inside. He stared at the floor.
"Not even going to look at what you've done?" Snape needled.
Black the dog growled, and advanced on Snape.
I thought stupid fighting was about to ensue, but then Hagrid returned. He picked up Black the dog by the back of the neck and tossed him on the bed next to me. Hagrid went to the hearth and put the kettle on.
"Dumbledore's on his way," he said.
The next few minutes passed in tense silence, broken only by the clink of china as Hagrid set out mugs. Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and Kingsley Shacklebolt entered without knocking. I didn't know I was angry at Dumbledore until I saw him.
"Where've you been," I asked. I guess I sounded accusatory, because McGonagall shot me a look, but it rapidly changed from stern to pitying. I looked away.
"I am certain everything will be explained," Dumbledore said calmly, "but first I must insure we have privacy. Hagrid, if you would?"
Hagrid nodded and, after taking his crossbow from its hook above the door, stepped outside.
"Mr. Black, you may join in the conversation if you wish." Dumbledore continued.
The dog looked at me questioningly. I didn't have any advice for him, so I just patted him on the head. With a pop he transformed. Black sat quietly, looking at everyone. I think he was a little intimidated. The kettle whistled. Dumbledore went to the hearth and served out the tea. When everyone had a cup, he sat in one of Hagrid's huge lumpy arm chairs.
"I believe we should begin at the beginning," said Dumbledore. "Mr. Black, would you please enlighten us as to how and why you escaped Azkaban and abducted Harry?"
So Black repeated his depressing tale of Pettigrew's betrayal and the subsequent hunt for him. He left out Kreacher, and I didn't call him on it. We had to slap him back to reality four times. When he talked about my parents he'd start mumbling he was sorry, and when he talked about Pettigrew he mumbled less then endearing homicidal intentions. I guess the recent run-ins with the Dementors had put a few hurtles in his path back to sanity. I already knew most of the story, though it was a bit of a surprise when Black described my transformation, and the night he spent chasing me through the Forbidden Forest. He didn't find me until the next morning, and by then the bite on my arm was badly infected. He'd had to carry me all the way back to Hogwarts. He finished and Dumbledore simply nodded.
"Remus, would you fill in the gaps pertaining to your participation in last Saturday's events?"
Lupin looked as if he would rather have shot himself in the foot. He spoke in a clear voice, but his eyes never left the floor.
"I was correcting papers for my sixth years, and I felt for some tea. Nothing seemed off about it, until I was halfway through my second cup. I don't know how I missed the silver nitrate. There must have been some sort of anesthesia in it, so I couldn't feel it burning my mouth. I didn't think I would make it to the hospital wing, but then Harry and Hermione Granger burst through the door. I woke up in the hospital wing. I thought it was the same night. I didn't know. I didn't know a day had gone by. I wouldn't have gone out, but I thought it was the same night…" He paused for a moment and I saw he was trying to stop his hands from shaking.
"I woke up locked in a private room, wrapped in someone else's robe. The smell, I knew it was Sirius'. I went through the pockets and found a map we had made, together with James and Peter when we were all at school here. It shows where everyone is in the school at any given moment. I saw Sirius and Harry running under the Whomping Willow and Severus a few yards behind. I thought Sirius was playing some kind of sick game. I thought he was going to kill Harry, while I could only watch.
"I broke out, and found my wand. They had gone off the map by the time I reached the willow. I went into the tunnel. I was halfway there when a curse hit me. I think it was a Confundus Charm, the only thing I remember after that is Severus shouting that I was about to transform. I'm sorry."
He didn't look up the entire time he spoke.
Professor McGonagall told her story then. She had been in her office, when suddenly her tally board showed that someone had taken a thousand points from Gryffindor. She could think of only one Professor who would even contemplate such an act. When she could not locate Snape, she summoned Kingsley Shacklebolt, as Snape was another likely target for Sirius Black. They came outside when they heard the werewolf howling and the rest of the story we already knew.
Dumbledore nodded again as she finished. He did not give Snape a chance to talk. Dumbledore took a sip of his tea, and began his own tale. "Severus, the next time you inventory your potion store, I believe you will find silver nitrate missing, and Draft of Living Death as well." He took another sip of tea.
"I should have been more careful after the attempt on Professor Lupin's life, but I trusted the wards around my office. I knew there was no way any person could get in without my knowledge. Four days ago, I had a meeting with the Minister of Magic, concerning what he viewed to be the misuse of a Time Turner, loaned to Hermione Granger. Its intended use was violated when she and Harry went back in time one hour, to save Remus' life. I had to argue on her behalf.
"I was about to leave for the meeting, when I felt a twinge in my sweet tooth. I opened the top drawer of my desk to get my tin of lemon drops. They seemed to be a bit to the left of where I had placed them the night before, but I did not dwell on it. I was running late and I took the tin with me.
"The Minister and I got into a particularly heated argument, and I tried to lighten the situation by offering candy. Cornelius declined. I indulged. A few minutes later the argument grew unpleasantly loud. The minister stood up and so did I. I remember nothing after that.
"The rest of the story I have collected over the past few hours, since I was revived at St. Mungo's. Apparently the Minister panicked when I collapsed. He checked for a pulse and did not find one, which is not uncommon when a person has ingested the Draft. Assuming I was dead and nothing could be done for me, the Minister attempted to find a good spin to put on the incident. I suppose he could not find a way to make my dying in the middle of an argument with him reflect favorably. Rather then asking his secretary to summon healers, he continued to carry on his half of the conversation in a loud voice, mean while he was arranging for my body to be moved somewhere less scandalous. At some point in the chain of command, "move the body" was translated to "dispose of the body." Fortunately Fawks sensed something was wrong and came looking for me, or I might have ended up in Mrs. Norris' next tin of cat food."
Dumbledore settled back in the chair as he finished, and at that moment he looked terribly old. It seemed rather unbelievable that Pettigrew had gotten the drop on the most powerful wizard in England. The whole situation was unbelievable. It was impossible, and it wasn't fair.
My eyes darted to the dark corners of the room, but I didn't see any rats. I didn't feel any more confident though. Dumbledore's presence no longer made me feel as safe as it used to. I think that's when it really sunk in. The Headmaster would not be able to help me. No one was hiding a miracle up their sleeve.
I'm a werewolf.
I'm still not sure if I said that out loud or not. Every adult in the room was watching me. I don't care if I did.
Snape started to say something, but Dumbledore cut him off. "I have some things I need to discuss with Harry, in private."
The Professors and Black all stood up and left. Black stared at me for a long moment, before turning into a dog and walking out. I wished he would argue and try to stay with me. Maybe he still believed Dumbledore could make things right.
"You have some decisions to make, Harry" Dumbledore said quietly, after the door closed, "and none of them are easy."
He waved his wand, and a roll of parchment appeared in my hands. I opened it, and began to read.