Chapter 10: Awakening
Janie lay dumbly in bed as the sensation ran over her. Her whole life had come flooding back to her in one frantic moment. She was remembering everything from her child hood all the way through to June 28th when she had fallen asleep back stage on the opening night of Le Miserables. She remembered her mother's death when she was only five, the foster home she had grown up in, the night she ran away 10 years before when she was sixteen. But was everything that had happened in the past five months a dream? Would she soon wake up to find herself back in her own dressing room? No. No she couldn't. It was too real to have been a dream. But if it wasn't a dream then.
Janie tore the covers off her bed and nearly ran to the table to find her cloak. How long had she been asleep? It didn't matter if he had already left, she didn't have much time either way. She knew she had to get to Sirius, as quickly as she possibly could. She didn't want to take the time to get dressed again, her night gown with her black cloak on top would suffice.
Janie moved to grab her cloak from the high-backed chair next to her writing desk. As she did, a small piece of parchment caught her eye. She grabbed it, unfolded it and hurriedly began to read.
Ebony,
I may already be back by the time you read this but in case I'm not, please don't worry. Harry's in a spot of trouble and Remus, Tonk's, Mad eye, Kingsly and I have gone to help him out of it. It might take a while but I will be home.
Janie felt the unpleasant sensation of ice water running through her veins. He had already left. Her eyes scrolled down to the bottom of the parchment. There, in place of a signature, in bold letters as if they had been traced several times were the words: I Love You
She felt a single tear well in her eye and fall across her cheek. She wiped it away hurriedly. This didn't mean any thing. There might still be time to save him. There had to be. With this renewed hope she took the parchment, hastily stuffed it in a pocket of her tattered cloak and ran down the stair well. There was a bag of floo powder next to the fireplace in the living room, she might still have time to stop everything before it happened.
As she reached the bottom of the stairwell she could hear the echo of wheezy laughter resonating from the living room. "That must be Kreatcher" she thought bitterly feeling colder toward him than she had in the past five months. Indeed when she heard his gleeful laughter she had a sudden urge to strangle the elf with her own two hands. The only good thing about the elf's laugh meant that it wasn't too late. If Janie wasn't mistaken when she opened the door to enter the living room she would find Dumbledore listening to the whole tale.
"Hello Ebony." Sure enough The old Wizard was standing next to the fire place. The twinkle in his blue eyes that Janie had always pictured while reading the books seemed particularly dim tonight. She knew of course why.
"Professor. We've got to get to the ministry of magic as quickly as possible!"
She didn't stop to think that this wasn't much of an introduction. Sirius would be dying at any moment and it was all she could do to stop the plummeting sensation in her stomach from continuing.
"If we don't go soon enough Siri- something horrible is going to happen."
"May I ask how you know this?"
Janie was growing increasingly annoyed with Dumbledore's calm composure when she herself was so frantic. He doesn't know, she reminded herself. Of course he wouldn't panic yet. He had no idea that within minuets a member of the order would be lost forever. Shrouded behind some obscure black veil.
Besides this she knew he wouldn't believe the truth about her story even if she chose to tell it to him.
"It's far too complicated to go into now. Just trust me, please!" She said. Trying not to appear to impatient.
"I'm afraid I can't trust you, at least not yet." Dumbledore told her in his annoyingly calm voice. "Not until I know the whole truth."
Janie stood idley by the fire place listening to the clock on the mantle piece click ominously on. What could she possibly say? How would she go about telling him that he was a fictional charcter in a novel? What would he say if she told him that she came from a world where everything he knew was simply a figment of one person's imagination? At the same time, however, she was certain no lie would get passed Albus Dumbledore. In the end, she decided on fragmented truth.
"There is a plot. a plan to murder. I read something I shouldn't have. That's why I came here. That's all I can say now."
Dumbledore was still eyeing her wearily. He didn't believe her.
"You already know from the elf that I'm not a spy!" Janie said throwing a heated glance at Kreatcher who grinned evily. She swallowed the urge to strike out at him.
"Please sir. Please believe me." She implored once again.
Perhaps it was the pleading look in her eyes or the fact that her hands had now begun to shake with urgency, but Dumbledore was now surveying her with a look of unmistakable trust.
"You must waste no more time. Quickly take the floo powder and go to the ministry of magic. When you get there find the door that leads to the department of mysteries. No doubt you will know which one it is. I will follow as soon as I get a few more answers."
Janie ran towards the fire place hurriedly grabbing a hand full of floopowder from the bag.
"Ministry of Magic" She said struggling to keep her voice steady.
Janie was soon caught in an emerald green blaze. Her head was light, and feet flying faster than they ever had before. This was surely a sensation that could not accurately be described by any book.
Janie lay dumbly in bed as the sensation ran over her. Her whole life had come flooding back to her in one frantic moment. She was remembering everything from her child hood all the way through to June 28th when she had fallen asleep back stage on the opening night of Le Miserables. She remembered her mother's death when she was only five, the foster home she had grown up in, the night she ran away 10 years before when she was sixteen. But was everything that had happened in the past five months a dream? Would she soon wake up to find herself back in her own dressing room? No. No she couldn't. It was too real to have been a dream. But if it wasn't a dream then.
Janie tore the covers off her bed and nearly ran to the table to find her cloak. How long had she been asleep? It didn't matter if he had already left, she didn't have much time either way. She knew she had to get to Sirius, as quickly as she possibly could. She didn't want to take the time to get dressed again, her night gown with her black cloak on top would suffice.
Janie moved to grab her cloak from the high-backed chair next to her writing desk. As she did, a small piece of parchment caught her eye. She grabbed it, unfolded it and hurriedly began to read.
Ebony,
I may already be back by the time you read this but in case I'm not, please don't worry. Harry's in a spot of trouble and Remus, Tonk's, Mad eye, Kingsly and I have gone to help him out of it. It might take a while but I will be home.
Janie felt the unpleasant sensation of ice water running through her veins. He had already left. Her eyes scrolled down to the bottom of the parchment. There, in place of a signature, in bold letters as if they had been traced several times were the words: I Love You
She felt a single tear well in her eye and fall across her cheek. She wiped it away hurriedly. This didn't mean any thing. There might still be time to save him. There had to be. With this renewed hope she took the parchment, hastily stuffed it in a pocket of her tattered cloak and ran down the stair well. There was a bag of floo powder next to the fireplace in the living room, she might still have time to stop everything before it happened.
As she reached the bottom of the stairwell she could hear the echo of wheezy laughter resonating from the living room. "That must be Kreatcher" she thought bitterly feeling colder toward him than she had in the past five months. Indeed when she heard his gleeful laughter she had a sudden urge to strangle the elf with her own two hands. The only good thing about the elf's laugh meant that it wasn't too late. If Janie wasn't mistaken when she opened the door to enter the living room she would find Dumbledore listening to the whole tale.
"Hello Ebony." Sure enough The old Wizard was standing next to the fire place. The twinkle in his blue eyes that Janie had always pictured while reading the books seemed particularly dim tonight. She knew of course why.
"Professor. We've got to get to the ministry of magic as quickly as possible!"
She didn't stop to think that this wasn't much of an introduction. Sirius would be dying at any moment and it was all she could do to stop the plummeting sensation in her stomach from continuing.
"If we don't go soon enough Siri- something horrible is going to happen."
"May I ask how you know this?"
Janie was growing increasingly annoyed with Dumbledore's calm composure when she herself was so frantic. He doesn't know, she reminded herself. Of course he wouldn't panic yet. He had no idea that within minuets a member of the order would be lost forever. Shrouded behind some obscure black veil.
Besides this she knew he wouldn't believe the truth about her story even if she chose to tell it to him.
"It's far too complicated to go into now. Just trust me, please!" She said. Trying not to appear to impatient.
"I'm afraid I can't trust you, at least not yet." Dumbledore told her in his annoyingly calm voice. "Not until I know the whole truth."
Janie stood idley by the fire place listening to the clock on the mantle piece click ominously on. What could she possibly say? How would she go about telling him that he was a fictional charcter in a novel? What would he say if she told him that she came from a world where everything he knew was simply a figment of one person's imagination? At the same time, however, she was certain no lie would get passed Albus Dumbledore. In the end, she decided on fragmented truth.
"There is a plot. a plan to murder. I read something I shouldn't have. That's why I came here. That's all I can say now."
Dumbledore was still eyeing her wearily. He didn't believe her.
"You already know from the elf that I'm not a spy!" Janie said throwing a heated glance at Kreatcher who grinned evily. She swallowed the urge to strike out at him.
"Please sir. Please believe me." She implored once again.
Perhaps it was the pleading look in her eyes or the fact that her hands had now begun to shake with urgency, but Dumbledore was now surveying her with a look of unmistakable trust.
"You must waste no more time. Quickly take the floo powder and go to the ministry of magic. When you get there find the door that leads to the department of mysteries. No doubt you will know which one it is. I will follow as soon as I get a few more answers."
Janie ran towards the fire place hurriedly grabbing a hand full of floopowder from the bag.
"Ministry of Magic" She said struggling to keep her voice steady.
Janie was soon caught in an emerald green blaze. Her head was light, and feet flying faster than they ever had before. This was surely a sensation that could not accurately be described by any book.