Family for the Dragon
Chapter 22: Harry is awake!
Remus woke up on the floor. He looked up at the person had been shaking him.
"Arabella? What's wrong?" asked Remus sleepily as he watched Arabella shiver and clutch him.
"You were all so powerful, for some reason I can't stop shaking," said Arabella as she shivered and rubbed her hands together.
"Come here. Don't worry, nothing's wrong. Come on, let's wake up the others," said Remus pulling Arabella into a comforting hug. She nodded and they waked around to the others. Minerva was already wakening up Albus, so they continued onto the others. As he walked, Remus felt some "threads" in his mind that connected him to the others. Mentally reaching for the Severus "thread," Remus gave it a little tug thinking almost to him, "I wonder when they are going to get you."
Instantly across, Severus woke up and yelled to Remus, "You didn't have to YELL!!!" Remus turned around confused.
"What? I didn't say anything!" protested Remus.
"Mentally, stupid. You can just say it softly, don't have to put so much force into it," explained Severus exasperatedly.
"Did I really send you that thought mentally?" asked Remus incredously.
"Of course, you are acting like one of the dunderheaded first years. Don't tug, just think, and send," instructed Severus.
"Okay," said Remus puzzling over it in his mind.
"What happened to Katrina?" asked Severus worried as he pulled his love into his arms.
"She is just sleeping after our connecting ceremony. Let me try to wake her up. I want to see how to do this," said Remus excitedly as he tried mentally to wake Katrina up.
"Remus? Why do I have to wake up?" asked Katrina groggily as she got up.
"Because it's not time to sleep, love. Get up, we have to wake Draco and Hermione still," said Severus noticing Draco and Hermione sleeping. Katrina smiled at her soul mate and one of her dearest friends, and they walked over to Hermione and Draco.
"Draco, wake up" called Remus mentally to Draco softly. Draco stirred and turned over moaning something about Elizabeth and Salazar being slave drivers.
"Draco Edward Malfoy, if you don't get up this instant you are going to be grounded for life" said Katrina in a mother like voice.
Draco sat up instantly, "Mother?" said Draco bewildered. Remus and Severus laughed and laughed as Katrina filled Draco in chuckling.
"Hermione, Mya, wake up, darling," said Draco softly as he shook Hermione away.
"Draco? It's not time for training already is it?" asked Hermione quitely as she leaned back into Draco's comforting warmth.
"We are back home, remember?" said Draco wryly.
Hermione looked around at Katrina, Severus, Remus, and Draco and just nodded.
"I am glad to see you all awake," said Albus and he walked over with Minerva.
"Albus! Albus!" called Madame Pomfrey rushing into the room.
"Poppy! Is something wrong with Mr. Potter?" asked Albus worried.
"No! He's awake, I thought you might want to know," said Madame Pomfrey.
"Harry's awake? Is he okay?" asked Remus urgently suddenly guilty about having forgot about the boy for a couple of hours. Then he suddenly disappeared from the room. The room was instantly in a uproar as everyone stared at the spot where Remus disappeared.
"You can't apparate in Hogwarts!" said Hermione incredulously.
"And he didn't, the wards haven't been disturbed at all," said Albus pondering profound thoughts.
"Did you learn about transporting in your lessons from the other council of six? That's what he did, probably at Mr. Potter's side right now," said Severus smirking at Albus' shocked expression.
"Now that would be feasible explanation. Why did I not realize that? Shall we take the old fashion way to the Hospital Wing to visit Mr. Potter," asked Albus recovering nicely.
"No! Ms. Granger may visit, but the rest of you, except Ms. Figg, are not allowed to visit. The poor boy does not need to be crowded the first thing after he has woken up," said Madame Pomfrey and she walked off to the Hospital Wing. Hermione tried to walk after her, but found that she was too tired to go anywhere. Draco also soon found out about the exhaustion that set in.
"Let's put you both to bed, shall we?" asked Katrina kindly as she led Hermione and Draco to their beds or should I say Hermione's bed and Draco's couch since he still hadn't gotten a bed. In the hospital Wing, Remus was talking to Harry. He had unknowingly transported himself to the Hospital Wing.
"Harry! Are you feeling better?" asked Remus rushing to Harry's side. The boy who lived was pale and looked quite sickly. Harry flashed a quick smile at the worried man kneeling by his bed.
"I am fine, Remus. Just tired, I am always tired after those visions," said Harry softly. Remus frowned reaching to brush Harry's unruly hair back when he felt the poor boy burn up with a nasty fever. Calling on his powers, Remus summoned healing herbs to his hand. Being the Guardian of the Beasts had some benefits, since he was able to summon or grow anything with lots of ease and almost instantaneously.
"Now, Harry, I want you to drink this. It is some healing herbs and water. It will help you get better, okay? You are going to need to be nice and healthy by the time Ron can come over to stay for a while. Sleep, Harry," said Remus soothingly as Harry drank the mixture, Remus had made from some water and herbs.
"Don't wanna sleep... rather stay awake...thank you..." muttered Harry as he tried to keep his eyes open.
"Why not, Harry?" asked Remus concerned for the boy.
"Nightmares, visions" said Harry softly as he struggled to stay awake.
"Shh...I will stay here, I will wake you up at the first sign of a nightmare, just sleep, I am here," said Remus slipping his hand into the sick boy's clammy one. Remus gave a reassuring squeeze as Harry drifted off into dreamland.
"Doesn't he look like an angel?" whispered Katrina to Severus as they watched Draco sleep on the couch.
"Yes, too bad that doesn't last when he is actually awake," smirked Severus. Katrina hit him lightly on the shoulder as she leaned back into Severus' comforting heat.
'We are all connected. I can feel it in my mind,' thought Katrina to Severus.
'Yes, Remus was overjoyed to find out today,' replied Severus with a grumpy undertone.
'That certainly sounds like Remus, so much like Hermione yet so different,'
'Speaking of Hermione, did you see,' asked Severus gesturing to Draco.
'Of course, it was even obvious before this council of six stuff. The way those two work together, it's really surprising they haven't gotten together before now.'
'Love, remember Hermione only knew our Draco as Malfoy, not Draco. He was definitely different during the past, he has become so much...'
'Sweeter? Kinder? Better? Much like another man I know, anyway...' replied Katrina as she tucked Draco in.
'What, love?' asked Severus
'We should check on Hermione,' thought Katrina. They walked into Hermione's room softly as they checked on the young woman.
'She is sleeping peacefully enough,' thought Katrina.
'Love, what that wonderfully devious, mischievous mind of yours is doing now?' teased Severus.
'Nothing,' replied Katrina innocently.
'If you are going to get those two together then good luck. I would be suprised if you achieved that by the time they graduated. Teenagers are so stupid at times,' thought Severus.
'Then, how about a bet, dearest?'
'What will you bet?'
'Anything, but if I win you must be nice to your students for six months at least AND you have to wear something everyday that is visibly not BLACK,' thought Katrina mind-smirking at Severus.
'Fine, but if I win then you have to wear Gryffindor colors for six months straight, AND you have to have dog ears, a cat's tail, and a striped tiger face for six months,' replied Severus smiling evilly at Katrina.
'Love!' protested Katrina as they remembered back to their sixth year.
Flashback
"Severus!!!" yelled Katrina as she ran down the girls' stairs.
"What dearest? Now whatever happened to your face," asked Severus innocently.
"SEVERUS SALAZAR SNAPE!! What the hell did you do to me??" yelled Katrina as she hid her face in her hands.
"Nothing, dearest. It was not my handiwork," smirked Severus as he examined her doggy ears, cat like tail and stripped face. He wrapped his arms around her as he pressed a kiss into her forehead.
"You still look just as beautiful as you usually do," he whispered. Katrina smiled up to him happily, but that unfortunately did not solve her problem. She soon found out that the prank would not come off. Even Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall had trouble removing it. She thought the later truly did not know what spell had been used, but the former probably could not because he was laughing to hard. Once the prank was removed, Katrina and Severus won back Slytherin's dignity by pranking those who had pranked Katrina. That was one of the few happy days they had left together for a long time
Back to current time
"Those were the days, the golden days," murmured Katrina softly.
"You sound like an old lady," remarked Severus bluntly.
"You are right! Come on, let's go outside! It is a wonderful day for a walk," said Katrina happily. And so they went on a wonderful walk regressing back into the "old days."
After three or four hours of healing sleep, Harry woke up to find Remus dozing by his bed.
"Harry?" asked Remus concernedly as Harry averted his eyes.
"Remus? Is he okay? I keep seeing him under the curse," whispered Harry as he stared out of a nearby window.
Remus frowned in puzzlement for a second, before comprehending to whom Harry was referring.
"Don't worry, Harry. Severus is perfectly fine. I am more worried about you then Severus or anyone else at the moment," soothed Remus.
"Why? Is it because I am your dead best friend's son?" asked Harry bitingly. Then as if he realized what he had just said, Harry started to take it back.
"I am s-"
"Don't be. You have every reason to ask that question. No, I don't care because you are James's son. I care because you are Harry, not James's son, the Boy Who Lived, or any other stereotypes you might think of. I care because you are who you are," said Remus forcefully, but quietly.
"Thank you, Remus," whispered Harry. Remus looked into those bright emerald green eyes that used to belong to a long died friend of his. Those eyes were just as readable now as they were so many years ago, but the emotions were much more different and varied. In Lily's eyes, he often saw love, happiness, joy, amusement, and rarely sadness, but in Harry's eyes, he saw fear, unsteadiness, sadness, and most of all the absence of hope.
"What's wrong, Harry?" asked Remus in a quiet soothing voice. Harry once more became distant and drew into a tight shell.
"Nothing, Remus. Nothing," said Harry unconvincingly.
Remus didn't say anything just waited it out. He knew that Harry would benefit more without any words of wisdom now then with.
"Remus?" asked Harry after a couple of minutes of silence.
"Yes?" asked Remus.
"Have you ever felt that sometimes that there is no hope, that it is better to just give in?" Remus studied Harry closely as he thought out his answer.
"Do you want the truthful answer or the easy one?" asked Remus before saying anything.
"The truthful answer, I know by now that life isn't all sweets and candy," remarked Harry.
"Yes. Lot's of times, but there is always someone there who either helps me out of that mood or brings me out of that mood. Someone's always there," said Remus sadly.
"Remus, I wish I didn't have to. I don't want to kill anyone, even him. I don't want to, but I have to. Everyone expects me to do it. It's not like a job I can get out of. What if I can't? Then what?" whispered
Harry. Remus stood shocked for a moment as Harry's words hit home.
"You don't have to kill Voldemort. You can be a kid. The world has no right to put their problems on your shoulders," said Remus comfortingly as he pulled Harry into his lap. There he held the Boy-Who-Lived as here assured Harry. Harry remained stiff in Remus' hold for a few seconds before relaxing slightly.
'He should have been called the Boy-Who-Lived-To-Never-Know-Love. Like those relatives of his ever hugged him or held him,' thought Remus cynically.
"Of course the world has a right. I am the boy-who-lived right?" whispered Harry.
"No! You are just Harry, a student at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Just Harry," whispered Remus to Harry as he broke down into silent tears. Remus rocked Harry back and forth thinking about how the world was unfair to everyone.
That's all folks!! My Harry probably is nothing like how he is supposed to be, BUT I never said I could write Harry Potter well. Actually, I believe that Harry is one of the hardest characters to write because the books are from his point of view. My Harry Potter will be a very angst-y boy for a while, who soon becomes a normal boy once school starts. Tootles!
Madame Moony
P.S. Also this chapter is #22 because the ending of chapter 20 was chapter 21.