Chapter 12
Not unfamiliar territory
Sirius turned around and stared intently at the small eleven year old. It was the first time he had ever heard those words directed toward him. He gave her a reassuring smile and said very softly, "I have always loved you my child" and swept out of the room.
As Sirius made his way back to Linnea's house a new fear arose. Where and how had this happened? This was not a freak accident, and nor, fro what he could remember, was it a muggle killing. Could it possibly be death eaters who merely want to let the wizarding world know that they were still around? Then why kill a muggle family?
He pulled into the seemingly empty driveway only to walk into a sea of "MOMI" officers (Magical Office of Ministry Investigation). At this Sirius knew something was amiss as MOMI rarely if ever got involved in muggle killings even if done by a wizard.
Sirius quickly fond the Chief Officer in charge and pulled him aside.
"Alright Ron, spill. What is going on here?"
Ron Weasley sighed. He could tell by the look on his face that Sirius was not going to let this one pass. "There have been calls, threats really of a new potential threat, nothing like what we have had before, but something we need to look into squashing before it gets started. We figured this was probably there doing."
"But why muggles. Wouldn't another Wizard be a bit more effect especially to scare the people."
"Oh Muggles are the best of you are trying to really piss off 'MOMI'. Muggles are much harder to get information from. Now-a-days we can generally extract some information from a Witch or Wizard due to there openness of mind" Ron said plainly. But it was clear from the blank stare Sirius had no idea what he was saying. Ok, Muggles as a general rule are not sensory to there 6th sense; they don't have magic powers obviously. The part of the brain that controls those nerves is completely shut down in a muggle. It is practically non-existent. It is quite close to a large part of your memory. That is how spells and incantations stay with you so easily..."
"This was not supposed to be a 3 hour lecture on the workings of the muggle mind Mr. Weasley." Sirius said trying to sound light-hearted but getting agitated none-the-less.
"I know I know," Ron said hurriedly. "Anyway, the closed off extra- sensory part of the brain acts almost as a shield for Magical mind readers. It is much harder to determine a killer that way."
"So then this could have been random." Sirius said with an edge of relief in his voice.
"Not necessarily," I believe this is the father and mother of a..."
At this Ron glanced down at a clipboard that Sirius had not noticed before.
"...a Miss. Huse." He said looking up at Sirius for conformation.
"Well Linnea is actually...um, my daughter." Sirius said beginning to feel uncomfortable.
"Well, that explains a lot then. It had to be former Dark Lord follower who got bored and decided they wanted to get back at someone. Its no wonder they picked you."
At the conclusion of Ron's explanation Sirius heaved a sigh of relief. He was afraid that it might have something to do with Linnea, though he wouldn't know what.
Ron wasn't sure how to respond to the relief on Sirius' face. He seemed to be relieved by the fact that his former wife died of a practically random cause. He decided, though, not to press the matter.
"How's Linnea?"
"Oh, um, I think she is getting over the shock. Harry is with her at St. Mungos."
*****
Harry had finally abandoned all hope of communication with Linnea after twenty minutes of solitary conversation. Now he simply sat by her bed and watched her as her glossy eyes seemed to look right through the wall into an unknown void.
About an hour later Sirius showed up in the doorway of her room.
"Welcome back," said Harry lazily still gazing at Linnea for any sign of life.
"Anything?" Sirius asked.
"Not so much as a finger twitch." Harry replied.
Sirius sighed and leaned in next to her. "Linnea, its time to go home."
"What are you..." Harry started but then stopped suddenly when Linnea's head turned and looked at her father. Sirius looked deep into her eyes as they began to focus on him. She slowly nodded her head and held up her hands to wrap around his shoulders. Sirius gave a small smile behind her back to Harry and mouthed "my house 6" Harry nodded in understanding and strode silently out of the room. Sirius picked up his daughter and carried her out of the hospital without a word to the desk clerk who seemed quite taken aback at the sudden removal of a patient.
Linnea sat in the back seat of Sirius car and stared out at the muggle world in front of her. Everything seemed to be a dream, a blur. The only thing in her life that seemed real now was Sirius. Why did she even go to Hogwarts anyway? What use was it to her if she could make feathers levitate?
Sirius opened the door to the house as Linnea almost walked straight into it. She collapsed on to the couch and once again stared into the void that seemed to follow her everywhere she went.
Sirius stepped into her sight once again and looked her straight in the eye. He decided this would have to be the best time to talk about the incident before it truly became too much too ever overcome.
"Linnea," Sirius began, but her mouth opened and he fell silent.
"I was mad at them. Mad at them for forgetting about me at the train station. Now the only thing that clouds my mid is guilt. Guilt of my final time with them, and guilt of my final thoughts before discovering their end. Guilt that I was not with them when it happened. Could I have possibly kept it from happening or would I merely be lost as they were. At first I thought perhaps the first, and soon I relied the latter of course would have been the outcome. I do not know why this happened, but I believe that I was truly not supposed to be there. That for some reason I am to live on and perhaps make something of myself. So Uncle Sirius, I will not bid you goodnight." At this Linnea stood up and strode to her room and lightly closed the door.
It was not until her last sentence did Sirius realize exactly what he was up against. That was not a real response from an eleven year old but a well thought out speech taken from things she had probably heard from her parents. "Cherrilyn always did prize herself as something of a psychologist." He thought
This was far from over, but it seemed it might be easier then he first feared.
At seven o'clock Sirius peeked in on Linnea to find her sleeping soundly. Harry and Remus Lupin were both in the kitchen having a cup of tea when Sirius reentered.
"Out like a light." He said sounding quite relieved.
"So what now?" Harry asked looking at Sirius and Remus.
"I suggest we try to get her back to normalcy," said Remus plaintively.
"No kidding." Harry said slightly perturbed. "I mean how would we go about do that?"
"No that is what I mean. Get her into her old routine."
"Well that takes her to either school or her parents," Sirius said now aware of the hopelessness of the situation until school started again, which could be to late.
"Get some of her friends over here Sirius."
"I don't know who her friends are."
"Of course you don't. But I do." Remus said with a smile. "Your daughter is quite the little butterfly. Her group has many names around school and is very well known. Let's see, we've got the Dream Team, the Fabulous five, and the Quintet. They all fight for the top spot in their year and one of them I believe could be on the Gryffindor quidditch team if it weren't for they new rule they laid down a couple of years ago."
"OK, I get the picture just get them here will you."
"How's tomorrow at noon?"
"Perfect, get on it."
Remus stood and with a small pop disappeared from Sirius' kitchen.
"Harry, I need you to keep in touch with Ron and the moment you find out something let me know."
"Gotcha!" And with a small pop he too disappeared from Sirius' kitchen.
Linnea woke up at 9 the next morning. "Whew 18 hours of sleep. How did I manage t pull that off?" As she didn't here any noise from out side her room she felt this was a good time to practice her telekinesis. Just as she was making a roll of tape fly across the room the door opened and Sirius poked his head in. Linnea wheeled around and unfortunately the tape followed suit.
"Ah," Sirius said rubbing his forehead, "I see your up."
Lupin, of course had been keeping Sirius informed of his daughters schooling, so Sirius was merely relieved that his daughter was trying to get back in the swing of things.
Ok Hun your friends are coming over in a few hours and we are going to go to the movies alright.
"Cool, they have never seen a movie before.
"Well then you better pick out a really good one." He said, and then very slowly as if merely to transition to another thought, "and, your parents funeral is tomorrow at eleven."
Linnea's eyes went comatose once again and Sirius knew that ever since yesterday afternoon she had been in a deep state of denial. He sighed whispered "I'm sorry hunny" and exited her room.
After the movie Parvati and Amerie headed home, but as Piper and Alexia stayed at school for the holidays they had permission to stay at Sirius' house overnight and for the rest of the break if they really wanted to. Linnea was grateful for their company and seemed to brighten a bit when they decided they would stick with her.
"Sorry Mr. Black, but you simply can't get rid of us." Piper said with a sly smile.
"Well the more the merrier I guess." He said wit ha sigh.
That night in bed the three girls plotted adventures for the marauderettes when they returned to Hogwarts. They decided monthly meetings would be the best, that way they could begin work on becoming animagus'
Linnea lively engaged in the conversation, but inside she was truly dreading the rise of the sun. Her parent's funeral loomed over her like a dark rain cloud ready to rain acid at any moment.
Finally the girls slowly drifted into sleep but were all too soon awaken by Sirius and a hardy breakfast. The meal was quite as everyone knew what was forth coming. The girls dressed in silence and at 10:15 sat on the couch awaiting Sirius' hand to sweep them out the door to the car.
When they arrived at the church Linnea felt a sudden lurch in her stomach she stepped out of the car and looked around. People she knew, friends of her parents were all walking into the church with their heads bowed. "What's going on?" She asked almost automatically. Then it hit her. She had dreamed this very incident. She had dreamed of her parent's funeral. She stopped dead unable to move save for the large staggering breaths. Sirius' must had heard this because he turned around sharply and ran towards her. HE caught her right before she almost fainted.
She built up her courage and with Sirius' help she entered the building very slowly. As she turned into the auditorium she began to turn away very quickly but the crowd of people that had formed behind her pushed her forward and she had to continue. There they were. There heads barely visible above the coffin from such a distance. They did not look peaceful as she had read in other books. They looked dead. Simply that. There faces were plastered with make-up to cover the ever whitening skin, and their faces were stone cold. They did not even look as though they were asleep.
Visions from that night flooded her mind. Her head started to swim as she got closer. Tears began to form in her eyes as what she was looking at began to sink in. She could not hold in her emotions any longer and she completely broke down. Sirius fell with her as she crumpled in his arms. He merely rocked her back and forth whispering reassuringly in her ear that it will be ok, and that they will get through it together. But it was not ok. Nor would it ever be ok. Her parents were dead, gone. Hopelessness greater than she had ever felt before began to mix in her body and she cried harder. For minutes they sat and cried together on the floor in the front of the church auditorium.
When she rose she made herself face her parents once more and continue to her seat. The feeling of hopelessness in her seemed to be sown around her entire body, and she felt as though she would suffocate under its pressure.
By the graveside service she had pulled herself together enough to sprinkle the first bit of dirt on there final resting place. As they began to lower the coffins into the graves one of Linnea's cousins only five years old broke loose from his parents and ran to the other side by Linnea. "Uncle Matt, Auntie Cherrilyn?" he said very softly. He knelt down beside their coffins and simply watched them with a questioning look on his face. He looked up at Linnea and asked ever so quietly, "Where are they going?"
Linnea held back the tears that crept back to her eyes. She bent down and hugged her cousin.
"Home" she said softly. "They are going home."
Sirius turned around and stared intently at the small eleven year old. It was the first time he had ever heard those words directed toward him. He gave her a reassuring smile and said very softly, "I have always loved you my child" and swept out of the room.
As Sirius made his way back to Linnea's house a new fear arose. Where and how had this happened? This was not a freak accident, and nor, fro what he could remember, was it a muggle killing. Could it possibly be death eaters who merely want to let the wizarding world know that they were still around? Then why kill a muggle family?
He pulled into the seemingly empty driveway only to walk into a sea of "MOMI" officers (Magical Office of Ministry Investigation). At this Sirius knew something was amiss as MOMI rarely if ever got involved in muggle killings even if done by a wizard.
Sirius quickly fond the Chief Officer in charge and pulled him aside.
"Alright Ron, spill. What is going on here?"
Ron Weasley sighed. He could tell by the look on his face that Sirius was not going to let this one pass. "There have been calls, threats really of a new potential threat, nothing like what we have had before, but something we need to look into squashing before it gets started. We figured this was probably there doing."
"But why muggles. Wouldn't another Wizard be a bit more effect especially to scare the people."
"Oh Muggles are the best of you are trying to really piss off 'MOMI'. Muggles are much harder to get information from. Now-a-days we can generally extract some information from a Witch or Wizard due to there openness of mind" Ron said plainly. But it was clear from the blank stare Sirius had no idea what he was saying. Ok, Muggles as a general rule are not sensory to there 6th sense; they don't have magic powers obviously. The part of the brain that controls those nerves is completely shut down in a muggle. It is practically non-existent. It is quite close to a large part of your memory. That is how spells and incantations stay with you so easily..."
"This was not supposed to be a 3 hour lecture on the workings of the muggle mind Mr. Weasley." Sirius said trying to sound light-hearted but getting agitated none-the-less.
"I know I know," Ron said hurriedly. "Anyway, the closed off extra- sensory part of the brain acts almost as a shield for Magical mind readers. It is much harder to determine a killer that way."
"So then this could have been random." Sirius said with an edge of relief in his voice.
"Not necessarily," I believe this is the father and mother of a..."
At this Ron glanced down at a clipboard that Sirius had not noticed before.
"...a Miss. Huse." He said looking up at Sirius for conformation.
"Well Linnea is actually...um, my daughter." Sirius said beginning to feel uncomfortable.
"Well, that explains a lot then. It had to be former Dark Lord follower who got bored and decided they wanted to get back at someone. Its no wonder they picked you."
At the conclusion of Ron's explanation Sirius heaved a sigh of relief. He was afraid that it might have something to do with Linnea, though he wouldn't know what.
Ron wasn't sure how to respond to the relief on Sirius' face. He seemed to be relieved by the fact that his former wife died of a practically random cause. He decided, though, not to press the matter.
"How's Linnea?"
"Oh, um, I think she is getting over the shock. Harry is with her at St. Mungos."
*****
Harry had finally abandoned all hope of communication with Linnea after twenty minutes of solitary conversation. Now he simply sat by her bed and watched her as her glossy eyes seemed to look right through the wall into an unknown void.
About an hour later Sirius showed up in the doorway of her room.
"Welcome back," said Harry lazily still gazing at Linnea for any sign of life.
"Anything?" Sirius asked.
"Not so much as a finger twitch." Harry replied.
Sirius sighed and leaned in next to her. "Linnea, its time to go home."
"What are you..." Harry started but then stopped suddenly when Linnea's head turned and looked at her father. Sirius looked deep into her eyes as they began to focus on him. She slowly nodded her head and held up her hands to wrap around his shoulders. Sirius gave a small smile behind her back to Harry and mouthed "my house 6" Harry nodded in understanding and strode silently out of the room. Sirius picked up his daughter and carried her out of the hospital without a word to the desk clerk who seemed quite taken aback at the sudden removal of a patient.
Linnea sat in the back seat of Sirius car and stared out at the muggle world in front of her. Everything seemed to be a dream, a blur. The only thing in her life that seemed real now was Sirius. Why did she even go to Hogwarts anyway? What use was it to her if she could make feathers levitate?
Sirius opened the door to the house as Linnea almost walked straight into it. She collapsed on to the couch and once again stared into the void that seemed to follow her everywhere she went.
Sirius stepped into her sight once again and looked her straight in the eye. He decided this would have to be the best time to talk about the incident before it truly became too much too ever overcome.
"Linnea," Sirius began, but her mouth opened and he fell silent.
"I was mad at them. Mad at them for forgetting about me at the train station. Now the only thing that clouds my mid is guilt. Guilt of my final time with them, and guilt of my final thoughts before discovering their end. Guilt that I was not with them when it happened. Could I have possibly kept it from happening or would I merely be lost as they were. At first I thought perhaps the first, and soon I relied the latter of course would have been the outcome. I do not know why this happened, but I believe that I was truly not supposed to be there. That for some reason I am to live on and perhaps make something of myself. So Uncle Sirius, I will not bid you goodnight." At this Linnea stood up and strode to her room and lightly closed the door.
It was not until her last sentence did Sirius realize exactly what he was up against. That was not a real response from an eleven year old but a well thought out speech taken from things she had probably heard from her parents. "Cherrilyn always did prize herself as something of a psychologist." He thought
This was far from over, but it seemed it might be easier then he first feared.
At seven o'clock Sirius peeked in on Linnea to find her sleeping soundly. Harry and Remus Lupin were both in the kitchen having a cup of tea when Sirius reentered.
"Out like a light." He said sounding quite relieved.
"So what now?" Harry asked looking at Sirius and Remus.
"I suggest we try to get her back to normalcy," said Remus plaintively.
"No kidding." Harry said slightly perturbed. "I mean how would we go about do that?"
"No that is what I mean. Get her into her old routine."
"Well that takes her to either school or her parents," Sirius said now aware of the hopelessness of the situation until school started again, which could be to late.
"Get some of her friends over here Sirius."
"I don't know who her friends are."
"Of course you don't. But I do." Remus said with a smile. "Your daughter is quite the little butterfly. Her group has many names around school and is very well known. Let's see, we've got the Dream Team, the Fabulous five, and the Quintet. They all fight for the top spot in their year and one of them I believe could be on the Gryffindor quidditch team if it weren't for they new rule they laid down a couple of years ago."
"OK, I get the picture just get them here will you."
"How's tomorrow at noon?"
"Perfect, get on it."
Remus stood and with a small pop disappeared from Sirius' kitchen.
"Harry, I need you to keep in touch with Ron and the moment you find out something let me know."
"Gotcha!" And with a small pop he too disappeared from Sirius' kitchen.
Linnea woke up at 9 the next morning. "Whew 18 hours of sleep. How did I manage t pull that off?" As she didn't here any noise from out side her room she felt this was a good time to practice her telekinesis. Just as she was making a roll of tape fly across the room the door opened and Sirius poked his head in. Linnea wheeled around and unfortunately the tape followed suit.
"Ah," Sirius said rubbing his forehead, "I see your up."
Lupin, of course had been keeping Sirius informed of his daughters schooling, so Sirius was merely relieved that his daughter was trying to get back in the swing of things.
Ok Hun your friends are coming over in a few hours and we are going to go to the movies alright.
"Cool, they have never seen a movie before.
"Well then you better pick out a really good one." He said, and then very slowly as if merely to transition to another thought, "and, your parents funeral is tomorrow at eleven."
Linnea's eyes went comatose once again and Sirius knew that ever since yesterday afternoon she had been in a deep state of denial. He sighed whispered "I'm sorry hunny" and exited her room.
After the movie Parvati and Amerie headed home, but as Piper and Alexia stayed at school for the holidays they had permission to stay at Sirius' house overnight and for the rest of the break if they really wanted to. Linnea was grateful for their company and seemed to brighten a bit when they decided they would stick with her.
"Sorry Mr. Black, but you simply can't get rid of us." Piper said with a sly smile.
"Well the more the merrier I guess." He said wit ha sigh.
That night in bed the three girls plotted adventures for the marauderettes when they returned to Hogwarts. They decided monthly meetings would be the best, that way they could begin work on becoming animagus'
Linnea lively engaged in the conversation, but inside she was truly dreading the rise of the sun. Her parent's funeral loomed over her like a dark rain cloud ready to rain acid at any moment.
Finally the girls slowly drifted into sleep but were all too soon awaken by Sirius and a hardy breakfast. The meal was quite as everyone knew what was forth coming. The girls dressed in silence and at 10:15 sat on the couch awaiting Sirius' hand to sweep them out the door to the car.
When they arrived at the church Linnea felt a sudden lurch in her stomach she stepped out of the car and looked around. People she knew, friends of her parents were all walking into the church with their heads bowed. "What's going on?" She asked almost automatically. Then it hit her. She had dreamed this very incident. She had dreamed of her parent's funeral. She stopped dead unable to move save for the large staggering breaths. Sirius' must had heard this because he turned around sharply and ran towards her. HE caught her right before she almost fainted.
She built up her courage and with Sirius' help she entered the building very slowly. As she turned into the auditorium she began to turn away very quickly but the crowd of people that had formed behind her pushed her forward and she had to continue. There they were. There heads barely visible above the coffin from such a distance. They did not look peaceful as she had read in other books. They looked dead. Simply that. There faces were plastered with make-up to cover the ever whitening skin, and their faces were stone cold. They did not even look as though they were asleep.
Visions from that night flooded her mind. Her head started to swim as she got closer. Tears began to form in her eyes as what she was looking at began to sink in. She could not hold in her emotions any longer and she completely broke down. Sirius fell with her as she crumpled in his arms. He merely rocked her back and forth whispering reassuringly in her ear that it will be ok, and that they will get through it together. But it was not ok. Nor would it ever be ok. Her parents were dead, gone. Hopelessness greater than she had ever felt before began to mix in her body and she cried harder. For minutes they sat and cried together on the floor in the front of the church auditorium.
When she rose she made herself face her parents once more and continue to her seat. The feeling of hopelessness in her seemed to be sown around her entire body, and she felt as though she would suffocate under its pressure.
By the graveside service she had pulled herself together enough to sprinkle the first bit of dirt on there final resting place. As they began to lower the coffins into the graves one of Linnea's cousins only five years old broke loose from his parents and ran to the other side by Linnea. "Uncle Matt, Auntie Cherrilyn?" he said very softly. He knelt down beside their coffins and simply watched them with a questioning look on his face. He looked up at Linnea and asked ever so quietly, "Where are they going?"
Linnea held back the tears that crept back to her eyes. She bent down and hugged her cousin.
"Home" she said softly. "They are going home."