A/N: I like this chapter, I don't know why. Notice the complexity of
Shadow's thoughts? They're so human-like, while Tawny's were so primitive.
Sorry, sometimes I just like to point simple things like that out. Oh, I
decided it would be fun to leave it at a cliffhanger, but I didn't word it
properly, so it really lost a lot of the affect.
After faking her suicide following her brother's death, Michelle took her stallion to a different continent. There, the young Miss Potter learnt to suppress the pains that her Hogwarts years caused. But then she's forced back into the world of Magic, when she has been trying to live among muggles for the past twelve years, Michelle Potter returns to England to face her past, and confess to the friends who once mourned her death, the lie that she kept from them all.
Between The Heavens, a Trial of Faith: Chapter 5, Shadowed Thoughts
********************
A black and white owl dropped on his desk. The wings of the bird were bleeding slightly, and it looked as though some feathers had been torn out.
Tawny twitched mercifully, for she had been brutally attacked by a fox while scouring a small valley for food. He had clamped his jaws around her left wing, while she tried wildly to fly away, resulting in the significant loss of blood and feathers. Perhaps if she had no master, then her primal instincts would have dominated over her loyalty, but Michelle needed this letter delivered, and her ring could not be lost.
Dumbledore stared at the small owl, then saw the letter still tied tightly to its right leg. Relieving it of its package, Dumbledore's eyes shown in bewilderment to feel that the letter was unusually heavy, almost as if it had a rock in it.
Opening the envelope, the ring fell to the ground and made a hollow clunking noise. Taking no notice of it at first, he began to slowly skim the contents of Michelle's letter.
Tawny could feel him and his fingers unconsciously scratched her head. He felt confused, very confused, slightly skeptical as well, but the prime emotion was confusion. Then, Tawny thought, he began to feel a little sad, as if he was remembering a happy memory and knew that it was only a memory, a distant dream of ages ago.
"Curious," Dumbledore muttered, chewing as though he had a piece of spitting tobacco wedged between his teeth.
"So, she's been alive this entire time, completely ducked beneath the Ministry's radar."
Tawny assumed that when Dumbledore said "she", he was referring to Michelle. She could feel the same sad emotions in Dumbledore's touch as she could feel sometimes through Michelle's. Perhaps it was the same memory that they shared, the same distant feeling of prolonging.
The ring, Tawny thought urgently, he has not come to notice Master's ring. Tawny understood that the ring was important to Michelle, though she did not understand why. She knew that it made Michelle cry sometimes, to look at it when it was on her hand, and that Michelle looked at it a lot more when she thought Shadow wasn't watching. But Master did not put the faith in Tawny as she put in Shadow, Master did not realize that Tawny understood some human feelings, and that she could sometimes feel human feelings that she did not understand.
Dumbledore met Tawny's eye, almost as if he knew that the owl was trying to pry him open and spill him all over the desk. When their eyes met, Tawny saw a twinkle, and it scared her. She closed her eyes, willing, wishing that he'd take notice to the ring.
But he did not.
Instead, Dumbledore put the letter aside, pulled out his wand, and uttering some human words, Tawny no longer felt pain in her left side. In fact, Tawny no longer felt pain at all, she felt her eyes closing the world around her, even though she did not wish them to.
**************************************************************
Michelle walked the length of her room, it had been several weeks since she had sent Tawny on her mission, and despite the fact that she'd known that it would be a long time before she got a reply, she hadn't thought it would be that long. Her left hand felt naked, as though a part of it was missing. It no longer felt weighed down, and that thought was disconcerting slightly, and as she paced through her cabin, she thought herself insane for sending such a precious item halfway across the world.
Shadow reared and bucked unpleasantly, Michelle, he knew, was feeling anxious, and she was so unsure of her actions. Day by day Shadow felt the anxiety and depression grow in his friend, his good friend. She was reminiscing more than ever about everything she had left behind, and Shadow knew that she even blamed herself at times for recent events.
The stallion knew of Sirius's death, he had liked Sirius, some might even say love, but whatever he felt towards Sirius had nearly disappeared after fifteen years away from him, but Shadow knew that Michelle did not share that same outlook. If anything, Michelle missed him more with every passing moment of her life, and it had become harder for her, since his death, because Shadow suspected that a part of her always thought that she would go back one more time. Now it was too late, Sirius's time had set, and Michelle could no longer hold onto the unlikely dream of ever seeing him again.
Michelle, walked out of her home, her steps were strong and purposeful, as they always were. She reached her tack for Shadow's bridle, and grabbed it with unholy force
She whistled lightly to the horizon, she could see Shadow moving in an ungodly fashion, as if something was tormenting him, a pest that he could not free himself from. To her beck and call, Shadow's ears perked, and steered his strides towards home. As he grew closer, his pace quickened and smoothed itself over. It was no longer the painful movements that he had been forcing his body into minutes before.
"Easy, boy," she whispered as he stood in front of her, "I just want to get away, that's all."
He let her slip the bridle on without objection, opening his mouth and allowing the bit to be sandwiched in his mouth. He knelt down, for he saw no saddle; he liked it when she rode him bareback. Having her warm body moving in complete harmony with his rhythm, it was something that he would not have traded for the world.
She squeezed his sides with her upper legs, but had to do no more, for Shadow could sense Michelle's silent urgent cries. He could feel her need to run away, he had felt this need before, but this time, he knew, they would be returning home.
In a way, Shadow missed England; he had been foaled and cared for in the heart on Great Britain. He had grown to love and trust Michelle's Sirius, and he had become acquainted with James, a man with the same touch and scent as Michelle, but he lacked her passion. Shadow and James were similar in the sense that neither really liked the other, but they trusted one another to a great extent. Their priorities were not much different, for they both seemed to pride themselves in keeping Michelle safe from any harm, and liked to keep her close by. And when James had died, Shadow felt that his own life was in mortal danger, for he and James were so alike. Shadow had become the lone ski, trying to get its owner down the mountain safely, without its parallel twin to help guide them along. Shadow had become a snowboard.
The trees were green with life, and the flowers, past their prime, were still colorful, just not vibrant as they had once been. But everything around Michelle reminded her of her home. She still called England home, it was comforting knowing that it still had a place in her heart, and although she tried not to remember what happy had once meant to her, for it had a new definition now, it was hard at times.
Michelle insides churched unhappily, as she realized that she was running again. She had left England so she wouldn't have to run, wouldn't have to feel pain. But she was still running; it all seemed useless.
"Shadow," she cried so suddenly, that she shocked the horse beneath her, "please, I can't do this again."
Shadow understood, not so much her words, but her tone. She wanted to go back, and back she would go. He turned around elegantly, and retraced his steps delicately, taking her home safely, James would have been proud.
Michelle dismounted with an impatient furry, and Shadow felt guilt and hurt splash over his entire body like a title wave against the rocks lining the ocean shores.
Michelle ran into the cabin, leaving Shadow bridled, standing in all his glory, watching her. She was looking for something, perhaps she was looking for Tawny, but Shadow knew that Tawny had flown away ages ago, and had not yet returned. Perhaps, Shadow thought, Michelle has forgotten that Tawny left, perhaps she needs Tawny, and Tawny is not around. This left Shadow with the thought of why the owl had left, why?
Michelle spun into her kitchen, and let out a scream so violent that it made Shadow want to break the walls to retrieve her. Something was in her kitchen, and Michelle could hardly believe her eyes.
********************
A/N: OK, the next chapter is another Michelle chapter, but then after that I am getting Michelle into the world of Hogwarts, so to speak, so much more Harry Potter and co. action in the chapters to come.
Scratch that thought, next chapter is to Harry, Ron and Hermione, then the one after that is for Michelle, and then we'll take it from there. (Yes, I plan ahead...to an extent at least.)
After faking her suicide following her brother's death, Michelle took her stallion to a different continent. There, the young Miss Potter learnt to suppress the pains that her Hogwarts years caused. But then she's forced back into the world of Magic, when she has been trying to live among muggles for the past twelve years, Michelle Potter returns to England to face her past, and confess to the friends who once mourned her death, the lie that she kept from them all.
Between The Heavens, a Trial of Faith: Chapter 5, Shadowed Thoughts
********************
A black and white owl dropped on his desk. The wings of the bird were bleeding slightly, and it looked as though some feathers had been torn out.
Tawny twitched mercifully, for she had been brutally attacked by a fox while scouring a small valley for food. He had clamped his jaws around her left wing, while she tried wildly to fly away, resulting in the significant loss of blood and feathers. Perhaps if she had no master, then her primal instincts would have dominated over her loyalty, but Michelle needed this letter delivered, and her ring could not be lost.
Dumbledore stared at the small owl, then saw the letter still tied tightly to its right leg. Relieving it of its package, Dumbledore's eyes shown in bewilderment to feel that the letter was unusually heavy, almost as if it had a rock in it.
Opening the envelope, the ring fell to the ground and made a hollow clunking noise. Taking no notice of it at first, he began to slowly skim the contents of Michelle's letter.
Tawny could feel him and his fingers unconsciously scratched her head. He felt confused, very confused, slightly skeptical as well, but the prime emotion was confusion. Then, Tawny thought, he began to feel a little sad, as if he was remembering a happy memory and knew that it was only a memory, a distant dream of ages ago.
"Curious," Dumbledore muttered, chewing as though he had a piece of spitting tobacco wedged between his teeth.
"So, she's been alive this entire time, completely ducked beneath the Ministry's radar."
Tawny assumed that when Dumbledore said "she", he was referring to Michelle. She could feel the same sad emotions in Dumbledore's touch as she could feel sometimes through Michelle's. Perhaps it was the same memory that they shared, the same distant feeling of prolonging.
The ring, Tawny thought urgently, he has not come to notice Master's ring. Tawny understood that the ring was important to Michelle, though she did not understand why. She knew that it made Michelle cry sometimes, to look at it when it was on her hand, and that Michelle looked at it a lot more when she thought Shadow wasn't watching. But Master did not put the faith in Tawny as she put in Shadow, Master did not realize that Tawny understood some human feelings, and that she could sometimes feel human feelings that she did not understand.
Dumbledore met Tawny's eye, almost as if he knew that the owl was trying to pry him open and spill him all over the desk. When their eyes met, Tawny saw a twinkle, and it scared her. She closed her eyes, willing, wishing that he'd take notice to the ring.
But he did not.
Instead, Dumbledore put the letter aside, pulled out his wand, and uttering some human words, Tawny no longer felt pain in her left side. In fact, Tawny no longer felt pain at all, she felt her eyes closing the world around her, even though she did not wish them to.
**************************************************************
Michelle walked the length of her room, it had been several weeks since she had sent Tawny on her mission, and despite the fact that she'd known that it would be a long time before she got a reply, she hadn't thought it would be that long. Her left hand felt naked, as though a part of it was missing. It no longer felt weighed down, and that thought was disconcerting slightly, and as she paced through her cabin, she thought herself insane for sending such a precious item halfway across the world.
Shadow reared and bucked unpleasantly, Michelle, he knew, was feeling anxious, and she was so unsure of her actions. Day by day Shadow felt the anxiety and depression grow in his friend, his good friend. She was reminiscing more than ever about everything she had left behind, and Shadow knew that she even blamed herself at times for recent events.
The stallion knew of Sirius's death, he had liked Sirius, some might even say love, but whatever he felt towards Sirius had nearly disappeared after fifteen years away from him, but Shadow knew that Michelle did not share that same outlook. If anything, Michelle missed him more with every passing moment of her life, and it had become harder for her, since his death, because Shadow suspected that a part of her always thought that she would go back one more time. Now it was too late, Sirius's time had set, and Michelle could no longer hold onto the unlikely dream of ever seeing him again.
Michelle, walked out of her home, her steps were strong and purposeful, as they always were. She reached her tack for Shadow's bridle, and grabbed it with unholy force
She whistled lightly to the horizon, she could see Shadow moving in an ungodly fashion, as if something was tormenting him, a pest that he could not free himself from. To her beck and call, Shadow's ears perked, and steered his strides towards home. As he grew closer, his pace quickened and smoothed itself over. It was no longer the painful movements that he had been forcing his body into minutes before.
"Easy, boy," she whispered as he stood in front of her, "I just want to get away, that's all."
He let her slip the bridle on without objection, opening his mouth and allowing the bit to be sandwiched in his mouth. He knelt down, for he saw no saddle; he liked it when she rode him bareback. Having her warm body moving in complete harmony with his rhythm, it was something that he would not have traded for the world.
She squeezed his sides with her upper legs, but had to do no more, for Shadow could sense Michelle's silent urgent cries. He could feel her need to run away, he had felt this need before, but this time, he knew, they would be returning home.
In a way, Shadow missed England; he had been foaled and cared for in the heart on Great Britain. He had grown to love and trust Michelle's Sirius, and he had become acquainted with James, a man with the same touch and scent as Michelle, but he lacked her passion. Shadow and James were similar in the sense that neither really liked the other, but they trusted one another to a great extent. Their priorities were not much different, for they both seemed to pride themselves in keeping Michelle safe from any harm, and liked to keep her close by. And when James had died, Shadow felt that his own life was in mortal danger, for he and James were so alike. Shadow had become the lone ski, trying to get its owner down the mountain safely, without its parallel twin to help guide them along. Shadow had become a snowboard.
The trees were green with life, and the flowers, past their prime, were still colorful, just not vibrant as they had once been. But everything around Michelle reminded her of her home. She still called England home, it was comforting knowing that it still had a place in her heart, and although she tried not to remember what happy had once meant to her, for it had a new definition now, it was hard at times.
Michelle insides churched unhappily, as she realized that she was running again. She had left England so she wouldn't have to run, wouldn't have to feel pain. But she was still running; it all seemed useless.
"Shadow," she cried so suddenly, that she shocked the horse beneath her, "please, I can't do this again."
Shadow understood, not so much her words, but her tone. She wanted to go back, and back she would go. He turned around elegantly, and retraced his steps delicately, taking her home safely, James would have been proud.
Michelle dismounted with an impatient furry, and Shadow felt guilt and hurt splash over his entire body like a title wave against the rocks lining the ocean shores.
Michelle ran into the cabin, leaving Shadow bridled, standing in all his glory, watching her. She was looking for something, perhaps she was looking for Tawny, but Shadow knew that Tawny had flown away ages ago, and had not yet returned. Perhaps, Shadow thought, Michelle has forgotten that Tawny left, perhaps she needs Tawny, and Tawny is not around. This left Shadow with the thought of why the owl had left, why?
Michelle spun into her kitchen, and let out a scream so violent that it made Shadow want to break the walls to retrieve her. Something was in her kitchen, and Michelle could hardly believe her eyes.
********************
A/N: OK, the next chapter is another Michelle chapter, but then after that I am getting Michelle into the world of Hogwarts, so to speak, so much more Harry Potter and co. action in the chapters to come.
Scratch that thought, next chapter is to Harry, Ron and Hermione, then the one after that is for Michelle, and then we'll take it from there. (Yes, I plan ahead...to an extent at least.)