A/N: I've always wondered how James's parents died, because really, their
life needed to end before Harry was one, making them roughly in their
sixties. That's a bit young to be dying of natural causes.
As more about James's complicated past unravels itself, Harry is beginning to learn more things about his late Godfather. But when he discovers too much about the Marauders, Harry's life is thrown into a fatal vortex. Voldemorte is back, he's already failed countless times in killing Harry, and he doesn't intend to fail again.
Between The Heavens, a Trial of Faith: Chapter 12, Old Habits Never Die
********************
"Come on, mate, just leave her alone," Sirius said, pushing James away.
"She's my little sister-"
"And perfectly capable of making her own decisions," Sirius yelled back at him, before he even knew what he was doing.
"What's going on, Padfoot," James said slowly, "you're acting different."
"Good God," Sirius gasped, "they never told you, did they?"
It was eight days after Michelle alleged suicide attempt. Sirius had picked up on her bandaged wrists immediately after walking into the common room one night and staring aimlessly into the fire pit.
"You should be in bed," he had said.
"Why bother?" Both cheeks had been streaked with tears, and Sirius knew at that moment that she wasn't going to make it to her sixteenth birthday if things didn't change, and soon.
"Tell me what?" James demanded, snapping Sirius back to the present, "What do you know that I don't?"
Michelle walked up behind them, she couldn't face James right now, she knew that what he would ask of her, and she just couldn't. As she turned to walk away, James caught her out of the corner of her eye.
"Michelle," he called, beckoning him over, "what's going on?"
"I was just talking to Professor McGonagall," She whispered before bursting into tears, "Voldemorte...there's been another attack."
"Who?" James asked, mildly concerned.
"Mum and dad," she was wailing by now, "Oh James, one of his supporters...in our home...both dead."
"What?" James breathed heavily. Voldemorte was slowly beginning to rise to power, but he had never suspected his parents to be in any mortal danger of him. Right now it was powerful ministry families who were being targeted. His father had been a retired farmer, what could Voldemorte ever have wanted with them? "When did it happen?" He asked, the blood slowly draining from his face.
"Not long ago, today I think, they attacked Shadow too...he's lame, but made it here alive. I think he was trying to bring mum with him..."
"But she wouldn't leave, would she...oh God Michelle, what's happening to us?" James eyes were watering; the only thing keeping him from weeping was the will to be strong for his sister.
"James," Sirius whispered, "I'm sorry..." News of this had come to a shock to Sirius as well, no one understood what was happening to their world, but the pattern for the brutal murders were clear enough: power, money, and authority. As far as Sirius was concerned, the James's parents had not enough of any of those to be a threat to Voldemorte.
"Don't be, Sirius," James said.
********************
Michelle woke up in her office.
"Well..." she said slowly to herself, "that's different."
It had been many years since she had had a dream like this. Remembering the day her parents died. James had taken the news harder than anyone, but she recognized his strength to go on. If it wasn't hate fueling him by what Voldemorte had done, then it was his will.
"Holy Marry mother of God," Michelle breathed just remembering her parents was enough to break her to the state of tears. "This ends now."
She walked out the corridor and down a few flights of stairs. Wandering aimlessly had been a hobby for her in Hogwarts, and within her first few years, the castle seemed so much less intimidating as it once had.
"Michelle," Dumbledore said smiling, "Late night walk?"
"Indeed, professor," she said gently, "I was actually looking for the hospital wing, or a liquor store."
"Something troubling you m'dear?" Dumbledore asked, eyes twinkling as his white beard tried to reach the ground.
"Just my subconscious, but easy enough to settle, a few shots, a dreamless sleep is all I need," she said yawning.
"All you need, Michelle," Dumbledore said slowly, choosing his words wisely, "Is some rest, and perhaps some more closure then you have allowed yourself to have. We both knew it wouldn't be easy to be back in Hogwarts, but right now you need to be here, if not for your sake than for the Order's."
Michelle nodded, she knew that he was right, "there will always be a Potter in the Order, headmaster, as long as the two of both live, and just think, when I die then you will have James's son, what a pretty price will be on Harry's head then?" She said thinking to herself, "Think James would kill me if he were alive; I really do..."
She turned around and headed towards the hospital wing. "Michelle Potter." Dumbledore whispered slowly to himself, "A legend in her own time, she's planning something, I know that look."
Indeed he did, he recognized her defiance in Harry the moment he'd laid eyes upon him. And he still continued to see her rebellion. Dumbledore knew that she did not expect to live through the year, yet the only difference was that she didn't expect to be killing herself this time.
Michelle never did reach the hospital wing; instead she walked outside to see Shadow. It was nearing one o'clock, she knew that he would be sleeping, but had never objected in the past to a bit of midnight riding.
He usually grazed near Hagrid's hut, and she could see his silhouette figure in the distance. Going into a small job, Michelle made her way towards him. As she got closer, she strained to see another figure, a younger, less aged figured, certainly not Hagrid.
"Oi!" She called, returning to a fast walk. Harry turned his head to meet hers.
"If my memory serves me," she said slowly, "the names Harry, correct me if I'm wrong."
"That's right, professor," Harry said, not breaking eye contact with the horse.
"You're good with him," she commented, "he doesn't usually like strangers, bet he'd let you ride him if you wanted to."
"Huh?" Harry asked, he had expected a detention, he had expected points to be taken away from his house, but he had not expected that.
"Of course, he's a bit fresh, probably want to throw a saddle on him first though. And he never responds well underneath a saddle, no matter how light. What are you doing out here, Harry?"
"Couldn't sleep," he murmured, "and I saw this horse out here and wanted to see him."
"You and me both, son," she said slowly. "Come on, I can't just stand here with a good conscience and watch you break fifty rules in the book. But me and my conscience have never seen eye to eye in the past, so what do you say to coming back to the castle and getting some type of potion to treat what's ailing you."
"Like what..." Harry said slowly, cautiously.
"Was just heading up to get some of that Dreamless Sleep potion for myself, but ran into Dumbledore. He doesn't like playing God with the body, you know, doesn't like me taking too much of that potion, I think it bothers him. But, I was just on my way to breaking into that wing and grabbing some, want to come along?"
"Sure..." Harry said slightly confused, "but won't he be mad?"
Michelle shrugged, "my boy, Dumbledore knows better than anyone what goes on through this castle, and he lets most of it happen. He knew what he was getting into when he signed me on, I'm not here to give out detentions and discipline, you know," she cracked a smile.
"Come on, Harry, you start classes tomorrow, the best thing to do is to get some sleep." She clucked her tongue loudly, "Shadow, get, I'll take you out in the morning."
Walking towards the castle, Michelle kept an eye on Harry with her perpetual vision. There you go, James, she thought to herself, I'm taking care of your boy like you would have wanted me to, now when will these nightmares end?
"Michelle?" Harry said, breaking her thoughts, "did you...did you know my dad?"
"We've met," she said smiling, "good man."
"Is that why Snape hates you?" Harry asked. Since Sirius's death, he found himself no longer caring about what people might react to him, he didn't care for the school rules, and he barely cared for his life anymore.
"Oh, you probably know Severus better than I do, Harry, but yes, to an extent, that could be the cause of such feelings towards me. But there's nothing he detests more than someone who will not return the feeling, and throughout my entire life, I never once cared enough about him to hate him."
"You knew...." Suddenly Harry felt it difficult to breathe, "Sirius. You knew him?"
Michelle's eyes narrowed. Guilt, it appeared was finally catching up to her, "I knew him, knew him well enough to know that he was never a murderer, and if you ask me Harry, if Dumbledore had told me to fetch you from that destroyed house when you were a baby, I would have handed you over to Sirius in a heart beat, and I would not have looked back on it at all."
"Is that why he asked Hagrid then?" Harry asked, these questions felt painful, but he knew that the curiosity would later chew his inners up and spit them back out. Some part of him told him that he needed to know.
"No, by the time he had learnt about it, and had sent Hagrid, I was already out of the country. Old habits never die, Harry, remember that."
As more about James's complicated past unravels itself, Harry is beginning to learn more things about his late Godfather. But when he discovers too much about the Marauders, Harry's life is thrown into a fatal vortex. Voldemorte is back, he's already failed countless times in killing Harry, and he doesn't intend to fail again.
Between The Heavens, a Trial of Faith: Chapter 12, Old Habits Never Die
********************
"Come on, mate, just leave her alone," Sirius said, pushing James away.
"She's my little sister-"
"And perfectly capable of making her own decisions," Sirius yelled back at him, before he even knew what he was doing.
"What's going on, Padfoot," James said slowly, "you're acting different."
"Good God," Sirius gasped, "they never told you, did they?"
It was eight days after Michelle alleged suicide attempt. Sirius had picked up on her bandaged wrists immediately after walking into the common room one night and staring aimlessly into the fire pit.
"You should be in bed," he had said.
"Why bother?" Both cheeks had been streaked with tears, and Sirius knew at that moment that she wasn't going to make it to her sixteenth birthday if things didn't change, and soon.
"Tell me what?" James demanded, snapping Sirius back to the present, "What do you know that I don't?"
Michelle walked up behind them, she couldn't face James right now, she knew that what he would ask of her, and she just couldn't. As she turned to walk away, James caught her out of the corner of her eye.
"Michelle," he called, beckoning him over, "what's going on?"
"I was just talking to Professor McGonagall," She whispered before bursting into tears, "Voldemorte...there's been another attack."
"Who?" James asked, mildly concerned.
"Mum and dad," she was wailing by now, "Oh James, one of his supporters...in our home...both dead."
"What?" James breathed heavily. Voldemorte was slowly beginning to rise to power, but he had never suspected his parents to be in any mortal danger of him. Right now it was powerful ministry families who were being targeted. His father had been a retired farmer, what could Voldemorte ever have wanted with them? "When did it happen?" He asked, the blood slowly draining from his face.
"Not long ago, today I think, they attacked Shadow too...he's lame, but made it here alive. I think he was trying to bring mum with him..."
"But she wouldn't leave, would she...oh God Michelle, what's happening to us?" James eyes were watering; the only thing keeping him from weeping was the will to be strong for his sister.
"James," Sirius whispered, "I'm sorry..." News of this had come to a shock to Sirius as well, no one understood what was happening to their world, but the pattern for the brutal murders were clear enough: power, money, and authority. As far as Sirius was concerned, the James's parents had not enough of any of those to be a threat to Voldemorte.
"Don't be, Sirius," James said.
********************
Michelle woke up in her office.
"Well..." she said slowly to herself, "that's different."
It had been many years since she had had a dream like this. Remembering the day her parents died. James had taken the news harder than anyone, but she recognized his strength to go on. If it wasn't hate fueling him by what Voldemorte had done, then it was his will.
"Holy Marry mother of God," Michelle breathed just remembering her parents was enough to break her to the state of tears. "This ends now."
She walked out the corridor and down a few flights of stairs. Wandering aimlessly had been a hobby for her in Hogwarts, and within her first few years, the castle seemed so much less intimidating as it once had.
"Michelle," Dumbledore said smiling, "Late night walk?"
"Indeed, professor," she said gently, "I was actually looking for the hospital wing, or a liquor store."
"Something troubling you m'dear?" Dumbledore asked, eyes twinkling as his white beard tried to reach the ground.
"Just my subconscious, but easy enough to settle, a few shots, a dreamless sleep is all I need," she said yawning.
"All you need, Michelle," Dumbledore said slowly, choosing his words wisely, "Is some rest, and perhaps some more closure then you have allowed yourself to have. We both knew it wouldn't be easy to be back in Hogwarts, but right now you need to be here, if not for your sake than for the Order's."
Michelle nodded, she knew that he was right, "there will always be a Potter in the Order, headmaster, as long as the two of both live, and just think, when I die then you will have James's son, what a pretty price will be on Harry's head then?" She said thinking to herself, "Think James would kill me if he were alive; I really do..."
She turned around and headed towards the hospital wing. "Michelle Potter." Dumbledore whispered slowly to himself, "A legend in her own time, she's planning something, I know that look."
Indeed he did, he recognized her defiance in Harry the moment he'd laid eyes upon him. And he still continued to see her rebellion. Dumbledore knew that she did not expect to live through the year, yet the only difference was that she didn't expect to be killing herself this time.
Michelle never did reach the hospital wing; instead she walked outside to see Shadow. It was nearing one o'clock, she knew that he would be sleeping, but had never objected in the past to a bit of midnight riding.
He usually grazed near Hagrid's hut, and she could see his silhouette figure in the distance. Going into a small job, Michelle made her way towards him. As she got closer, she strained to see another figure, a younger, less aged figured, certainly not Hagrid.
"Oi!" She called, returning to a fast walk. Harry turned his head to meet hers.
"If my memory serves me," she said slowly, "the names Harry, correct me if I'm wrong."
"That's right, professor," Harry said, not breaking eye contact with the horse.
"You're good with him," she commented, "he doesn't usually like strangers, bet he'd let you ride him if you wanted to."
"Huh?" Harry asked, he had expected a detention, he had expected points to be taken away from his house, but he had not expected that.
"Of course, he's a bit fresh, probably want to throw a saddle on him first though. And he never responds well underneath a saddle, no matter how light. What are you doing out here, Harry?"
"Couldn't sleep," he murmured, "and I saw this horse out here and wanted to see him."
"You and me both, son," she said slowly. "Come on, I can't just stand here with a good conscience and watch you break fifty rules in the book. But me and my conscience have never seen eye to eye in the past, so what do you say to coming back to the castle and getting some type of potion to treat what's ailing you."
"Like what..." Harry said slowly, cautiously.
"Was just heading up to get some of that Dreamless Sleep potion for myself, but ran into Dumbledore. He doesn't like playing God with the body, you know, doesn't like me taking too much of that potion, I think it bothers him. But, I was just on my way to breaking into that wing and grabbing some, want to come along?"
"Sure..." Harry said slightly confused, "but won't he be mad?"
Michelle shrugged, "my boy, Dumbledore knows better than anyone what goes on through this castle, and he lets most of it happen. He knew what he was getting into when he signed me on, I'm not here to give out detentions and discipline, you know," she cracked a smile.
"Come on, Harry, you start classes tomorrow, the best thing to do is to get some sleep." She clucked her tongue loudly, "Shadow, get, I'll take you out in the morning."
Walking towards the castle, Michelle kept an eye on Harry with her perpetual vision. There you go, James, she thought to herself, I'm taking care of your boy like you would have wanted me to, now when will these nightmares end?
"Michelle?" Harry said, breaking her thoughts, "did you...did you know my dad?"
"We've met," she said smiling, "good man."
"Is that why Snape hates you?" Harry asked. Since Sirius's death, he found himself no longer caring about what people might react to him, he didn't care for the school rules, and he barely cared for his life anymore.
"Oh, you probably know Severus better than I do, Harry, but yes, to an extent, that could be the cause of such feelings towards me. But there's nothing he detests more than someone who will not return the feeling, and throughout my entire life, I never once cared enough about him to hate him."
"You knew...." Suddenly Harry felt it difficult to breathe, "Sirius. You knew him?"
Michelle's eyes narrowed. Guilt, it appeared was finally catching up to her, "I knew him, knew him well enough to know that he was never a murderer, and if you ask me Harry, if Dumbledore had told me to fetch you from that destroyed house when you were a baby, I would have handed you over to Sirius in a heart beat, and I would not have looked back on it at all."
"Is that why he asked Hagrid then?" Harry asked, these questions felt painful, but he knew that the curiosity would later chew his inners up and spit them back out. Some part of him told him that he needed to know.
"No, by the time he had learnt about it, and had sent Hagrid, I was already out of the country. Old habits never die, Harry, remember that."