Chapter Nine.. Yups.. x-x So yeah. Read. I'M SO EFFING SORRY! C-C I've been SO EFFING BUSY! PLEASE FORGIVE ME BEFORE I EXPLODE!
Um.. yeah. Like I said, please forgive me. I've been feeling dead. Down. Stupid, useless. Whatever. And here I am, a perky, idiotic, depressed teenager. o-O
This chapter is total crap. But if you like it, I'll luff you. If you tell me you like it, I'll luff you even more. And from now on, I'll try and update as quick as possible. -nodnod-
The usual, hardly any swearing, or, more likely, no swearing.. xD And yet again, not all in Harry's point of view.
Disclaimer: I own notttthing, except for Morgan Fanei, Guinevere Fanei, Zarifa, and the plot. -ebil laugh- And once again, Raven and Hades are Fox's.
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Chapter Nine
Alive!?
Morgan sighed, and continued on down the street. All shops were closed, at least, they appeared so. The Three Broomsticks was still open... Morgan shook her head, wondering what had caused her to have such pointless thoughts.
She shook away the bitter feeling that seemed to settle atop her, and coughed slightly. Her thoughts fell back to The Hog's Head...
Just waiting there had been terrible. She had decided against The Three Broomsticks for a reason- too many people could recognize her. And The Hog's Head was so disgusting.. The odor still lingered in her nose, and she breathed through her mouth for a moment.
Ahh, well.. Not all places were wonderfully brilliant... Morgan chuckled slightly at that, despite the lack of humor her thought had contained.
She thought back to her abrupt departure. Those eyes- those startling, green eyes. No, they weren't Lily's, but there were strangely familiar... Morgan gasped as she realized, and she whipped around, darting back to The Hog's Head. She did not seem to see the scurrying person ahead of her, blanketed in a cloak of black that blended with the dank shadows that fell over the street.
The two collided, and Morgan fell back with a loud 'oomph!'. Her hood fell from her face, and she cast a glance at the other victim of their collision. Her jaw dropped and she let out gasp.
"Raven?!"
"Morgan!?"
The two stumbled up to greet each other, Morgan's gaze sweeping over her old friend. Raven was the same, tall and willowy, with a blanket of deep, red hair that framed her delicate face and eyes of a bright, forest green. The same emerald gem was set in her forehead, glittering menacingly, and she was clad in fitted pants of a sooty black and a long-sleeved blouse, dusty gray in color. A long, billowing black cloak hung off her shoulders, the hood pushed back from her face.
They stared transfixed at each other for a few seconds, then embraced. "Oh my gosh, it's been so long," Raven murmured, and Morgan smiled as she pulled away.
"I know.. How have you-"
Raven hushed her, drawing her hood back up. "We cannot talk here... And I cannot be seen..." Morgan raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Raven gathered herself, shrouding her face tightly with the hood, as she had as a youth. Morgan was filled with past memories and shook slightly as she strode beside Raven.
"Where have you been?" Morgan wondered aloud. Raven glanced sideways at her.. "You know, where have you been Morgan? You left so suddenly..." Morgan's eyes fell to the ground.
"Raven, I would prefer not to talk about it.. Especially not here.."
Raven watched from the corner of her eye, then nodded. A few minutes of tense silence passed between them, and Morgan watched as Raven led her to the Shrieking Shack. Her heart thudded terribly, and inhaled deeply. Raven looked at her, then at the shrieking shack. Morgan watched her intently, noting her paleness. 'Well, it's no wonder... A full moon was just a few days ago..' Morgan sighed, and Raven smiled at her.
"How have you been?"
"Okay."
Morgan hated the shortness of her answer. Damn, it had been about nineteen or twenty years, and all she could say was that she was 'okay'? Morgan cursed herself, and Raven laughed quietly. A tentative smile crossed over Morgan's face. "And you?"
Raven's smile began to fade, and her eyes fell to the ground. "Fine..." Morgan noticed her unease as well, and did not question her further. The silence returned, and Morgan gazed at the sky as the strode over the dusty road that wound its way to the top of the hill, where the shack stood, overlooking the small town of Hogsmeade. "Raven... where exactly are you leading me?" Morgan asked quietly. Raven looked at her and sighed.
"In truth, we're sneaking into Hogwarts."
For a second, Harry's theory of Raven as a deatheater flew threw her mind. Morgan shook the thought away, but stopped walking. "I can't go..." She sounded frightened. Raven turned to her, curiously. "Why not?"
"Because."
"Why?"
"Because.."
A sigh sounded and Raven stared at her. "Morgan, we're acting like children."
A bitter laugh escaped Morgan, and she turned her eyes to Raven. "Raven, if you don't recall, the last time we met, we were but children..." Her lip quivered.
Raven watched her for a moment, and Morgan coughed. She shook herself, and pulled her cloak tighter about her. "Why must we go to Hogwarts?"
"Because."
Morgan chuckled, and the two made their way to the Shrieking Shack.
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"Harry, what are you-"
I clamped my hand over Professor Lupin's mouth, hushing him instantly. Lupin lay on a bed, a sheet of white over him. His frailty struck me greatly, and pity entered me. I forgot about it as Lupin opened his mouth to speak in a whisper.
"What are you doing here?" His tired eyes watched me, curiosity swirling in the gray. I ignored his question.
"Sir, you know about the red journal containing memories of the past?"
Lupin's mouth fell. "You know about the book? Do you still-" He broke off as he realized something. "That's why you asked about Morgan!" He stared at me. "I thought that journal was lost..."
"It is now." Once more, my stupid mouth shooting ahead of my brain.
"What!?" He yelped, and I jumped, telling him to shut up. Yes, it was disrespectful, but it got the job done. He watched me for a second. "Where is it." He didn't ask me. He demanded me. I gulped, and cast my eyes to the ground shiftily. "I lost it."
"But where is it?"
I licked my lips nervously, and glanced up. "I don't know..." Lupin sighed, and looked far off, as if in a dream land. He shook his head, letting out another sigh. "I have one question- why are you telling me?" Oh lord... I looked away, rubbing at the back of my neck. The clicking of heels sounded, and I jumped. "Shh!" I hissed, and I pulled the Marauders' Map from my pocket. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." I breathed, and the contents of the map materialized. My eyes widened, and I stared at Lupin nervously. I moved my gaze away quickly, but he was already suspicious. Quirking a brow, he made to snatch at the map. It somehow got into his fingers, and Lupin glanced at it, swearing beneath his breath.
Oh lord... What was Morgan doing here? And, better more, what was Raven doing here?
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Raven hissed at Morgan once more, and Morgan reluctantly followed. Memories tugged at her mind, but she shook them away chillingly. She did not like this, she did not like this one bit...
Raven sighed very quietly, and gently grabbed the hesitant Morgan's wrist, pulling her along. "Come on..." She whispered, and Morgan nodded. The crept about the corridors, unknowing of two that followed along silently. They twisted about the corridors, shrouded with the disillusionment charm, but their tracks were left upon the Marauders' Map.
A slight cough sounded, faint to the ears. Morgan ceased movement, causing Raven to roll her eyes. "Morgan.. What's wrong?" Her voice was but a whisper. Morgan shook her head quickly, and Raven began to lead the way once more. Morgan shuddered, pulling her cloak tighter about her body.
Raven shook her head they continued on. The flickering lights of the torches upon the wall dimmed the light a tad, and a chilling air seemed to be gusting it's way through the castle. Raven shrugged, absentmindedly as they came to a stop before a giant boar's head. Morgan grimaced at the grotesque thing, inching back ever so slightly.
The boar was large, with a head of granite carved intricately. Every detail had much care poured into it, and the realistic carving caused Morgan to shudder. One would think Morgan a wimp. She was, indeed, frightened of many things, but there were plenty of things that she wasn't frightened of. These dark times seemed to pull out her fright.
Raven gazed blankly at the boar, uttering,"Dark chocolate bat wings." Her voice was low and quiet, but determined also.
The boar's mouth lolled open, it's granite tongue rolling soundlessly onto the stone floor. It's mouth widened, and it's snout was raised high. Even the throat was carved elaborately, and Raven indicated towards a hidden door in the thing's mouth. Morgan wrinkled her nose, but followed Raven down anyway.
"He better be there..." Raven's mumbled undertone met Morgan's ears, and she cast her a curious look. "What?" Raven shook her head. "Never mind." Morgan let it slip away, and Raven pushed open the door, ascending more stairs that spiraled down. The base of the stairs was flooded with a dim light, and Morgan's curiosity grew.
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"Holy shit."
"Harry!"
I didn't bother apologizing, for my heart seemed to stop. I stared and stared at the map, my eyes fixed on one mark upon the map, moving back forth in what appeared to be a secret room in the boar's mouth. Lupin, rather annoyed that I had ignored his scolding, glanced over my shoulder at the map. His eyes widened a great deal, and he snatched the map away from me.
"Holy shit." This time it was Lupin speaking, and I would've laughed had I not been so numb.
He was here. He was here! Excitement shocked through my body whilst fear tremored through me. My skin was crawling with eagerness, my heart thudding with nervousness. It couldn't be. I had to be hallucinating. But Lupin had seen it too... Which meant it wasn't a hallucination... My heart's speed quickened, and I cast a glance at Lupin.
Lupin watched the map, and my gaze turned there instead. It showed a scrawled image of a boar's head, and a bubble with the words, "Dark chocolate bat wings." I raised an eyebrow curiously. What was with all the candy-related passwords? I shrugged it away, and took a step forward. "Dark chocolate bat wings." I uttered quietly yet loudly. The boar's mouth opened silently, and we descended the stairs in the throat. It was dark, so dark, that I would've crashed into a hidden door had Lupin not snatched the back of my shirt.
"Careful Harry." He whispered, and I realized he was as nervous as I was. I trembled slightly, and nodded. Lupin forced a smile on his face and halted me from opening the door.
"I don't think it'd do if we barged in now. They're bound to talk about something." Once more, I nodded. I didn't see anything wrong with entering though, but despite my thoughts, I acknowledged his wishes. We both pressed are ears against the oak door, I on my knees and Remus standing, careful not to press his weight against the door.
Silence ensued for quite some time, and I recognized the low voice of Morgan.
"It's been a long time..."
"Yes. And much has happened... But if you don't mind my asking, why did you leav-"
"Raven, I truly don't think I should talk about it here..." I raised an eyebrow at that, exchanged a curious glance with Lupin.
A sigh sounded. "Morgan, we can talk here.. There's a reason why I brought you here."
"And what's that reason?"
"Morgan! You are so annoying sometimes..." A quiet scratching sounded, and after a few minutes of silence, a gasp sounded. "Sirius?!"
And it was at that moment I lost my balance. As I stood up, to supposedly hear better, I lost control, and crashed into Lupin, who let out a yell as he crashed against the door. The door tumbled open, and we fell to the floor with a crash.
An awkward moment occurred, and a loud silence followed. My green eyes flew upwards, moving from the blank Morgan to the shocked Raven, then to the last figure in the room.
"SIRIUS!" I hollered, and I untangled myself from Lupin, tackling the black-haired fellow. Happiness exploded through my heart, and tears threatened to pour down my face. I took a good look at Sirius's face, and I realized just how terrible he looked.
His dark hair was as ragged as ever, unkempt and shaggy, with a damp look to it. His skin was terribly pale, and stretched over his face. His body was so thin, I swear I could've picked the man up myself. He was clad in dusty robes, the hem was torn a tad. But an infectious grin broke out on my face, and I embraced him.
"Sirius... But... Lupin and Dumbledore said you died... And.. I saw you die!" My brows furrowed as I stood before him. A smirk washed over Sirius's face, and he waved it away. "All that will be explained in good time..." His gaze flickered over the other three, who were silent.
"Remus!" Sirius moved toward Remus in three strides, and pulled him into a tight embrace. "It's good to see you again." He said jovially, and the grin on my face brightened at his infectious happiness. Remus grinned, but there was a look of unease upon his face. Sirius then turned to Raven and Morgan, and he cast Morgan a slightly suspicious look. He said nothing though, but grinned at Raven. Raven, meanwhile, was looking at me, and remembrance seemed to be dawning her face.
"Harry?" Her voice was hoarse, and filled with emotion. Different shades of green met one another, and as I returned her probing gaze, she looked away, as if in pain. I took a step forward, and Raven turned to me once more. "It's just so.. hard.. I can't believe it's you. The spitting image of James... And Lily's eyes.." She chuckled nervously at that. "You probably get that all the time." I smiled comfortingly at her.
"And you are... Raven." It wasn't a question. Just a statement, and Raven smiled, startled. "How do you know my name?"
'Oh damn.'
My eyes flitted about, and all eyes turned to me. I avoided all their gazes, and I grew tense. I glanced up at Sirius, who was puzzled. "How do you know Raven?"
Remus's and Morgan's eyes only knew. They knew about the diary, and I was about to turn to Remus when both of them began to speak. "The diary-"
But of course, silence fell, and Morgan and Remus seemed to suddenly realize the other's presence. Raven's eyes had widened. "The diary!? Where?!" Remus and Morgan exchanged baffled, uneased glances. After a moment of more silence, I opened my mouth.
"The diary. I found it in.. Sirius's attic."
Once more, all eyes fell on me. I shifted nervously, twisting the hem of my sleeves in unease. They all waited for me to continue.
I drew in a deep breath. "I found it in Sirius's attic during the summer. I assumed it was mum's... diary. I don't know how I got it to open.. But.. I discovered.. memories in the book. They were all shuffled, and.. I saw Raven in quite a few memories. Quite.. a lot actually." Raven began to speak, but I overrode her.
"I saw them. The day.. they died." There was a lump in my throat, and tears threatened to fall. I felt someone's arms wrap around me, and I let the tears fall. It didn't feel strange to be crying. No, I had been doing it a lot lately.
I let the thin arms hold me tightly as the silent tears flowed. "Harry, I'm sorry you had to see that.." Raven's soft voice whispered gently. She pulled away, wiping a tear from her eye. Sirius smiled sadly at me, and I took a deep breath, nodding my head. All looked apologetic.
I sat down, hoping no more questions would be directed at me. Raven saw my discomfort, and turned to Remus and Morgan instead.
Once more, tension filled the atmosphere. Sirius and Raven exchanged a glance, and I caught a vengeful look in Sirius's eye. I kept my eyes to the ground, a slightly guilty feeling entering my gut.
(A/N: From this point the story is not in Harry's point of view. Might be later..)
Raven watched the two, her gaze flickering between them. She finally turned to Sirius, pulling him slightly away. "We have to do something!" She whispered, and Sirius twitched slightly, a grin coming on his face. Lord, that tickled. He suddenly comprehended what Raven had said, and his eyebrows furrowed in thought.
"Why should we?" He had a slightly haughty look now. "She left him. I dare say, she rather deserves whatever's going to happen.. I might even-"
He let out a moan of pain, his foot coming up to be rubbed by his fingers. At least, that was what he intended to do, had Raven's foot not been planted squarely upon his. Sirius winced.
"Don't you dare." The hiss lingered in his ears, and he shivered, nodding his head. Raven's foot left his, and he moved next to Harry, a glum expression upon his face. "Stupid.." He muttered, and Harry chortled very quietly.
Raven moved forward to the two, looking at the both of them. What to say? Uncertainty flickered in her eyes a moment. She took a deep breath, green irises casting a stern yet soft look at misty blue ones.
"Morgan, maybe it would do to explain why you left."
Morgan looked up, strickened. "W-what!?" She stammered. Raven just stared at her, knowing full well that Morgan had heard her.
Morgan bit her lip. Why, oh why? She felt a moan rising in her, along with the quickened beating of her heart. She didn't dare look at Remus, and she sat down in a chair. She took a deep breath, her fingers tapping the opposing fingers nervously.
"I don't know what to say. My quick departure must've struck you all as..." She struggled a moment, searching for the right word. "Odd. No, not odd. You probably detest me. But I guess I deserve it." She took a long breath, closing her eyes. Remus's eyes turned to watch her, silent.
"I came to Hogwarts late, because of my father. He was... a muggle wizard, and when my mum died at the hands of the growing followers of.. of You-know-who.... He grew a dislike for anything that had to do with the Wizarding World. I was only ten, so I made no objection." Morgan looked timid, with her eyes cast to the ground, and that same haunting voice, speaking so softly.
"I was illiterate with magic. We had no connection to the Wizarding World.. When I was fourteen, my dad's dr- problems got worse, so I ran away. Somehow, Professor Dumbledore got wind of my disappearance, and a week later Hagrid found. I was brought to Hogwarts. It was hard, having to catch up in four years worth of studies. Remus helped me though." There was a pause.
"It was in my seventh year when I got news from my family. It was during a Hogsmeade trip when he showed up." Morgan pressed the back of her hand against her cheek, wincing. "Father was always great in the Dark Arts. It used to awe me, but my awe turned to fright." Tears welled up in Morgan's eyes.
"He threatened you. He threatened my friends. He threatened me!" Morgan trembled in her seat, and continued. "I went back home with him. I was always the one who obeyed him, who took care of him. It was just my and my youngest sister for four years... He died then. I was.. too afraid to return."
Morgan's eyes were closed, and she seemed to be fighting something inside her. Raven watched her silently, then turned to Sirius. "I told you she had never left on her own... She wouldn't have returned here if she had." There was superiority in her voice, but it was soft. She kept an eye on Sirius.
Sirius, meanwhile, was biting his lip. He always assumed Morgan lived alone. Even as a child. She never mentioned family, so he just assumed she had no family, and that life was lovely for her. Of course... Sirius had always been a very gullible child.
Sirius sighed, and he cast an apologetic glance at Morgan. "I'm sorry for doubting you." Morgan smiled wryly, her lips tight. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Her eyes slowly moved towards Remus, who was very silent. Morgan's foot twitched, and she reached into her pocket, drawing out the same pocket watch. Harry instantly put his hands into his pocket, as if searching for it.
Morgan's fingers traced the engraving. R.J.L. Slowly, she stood up, moving towards Remus. She knelt in front of him, her head bowed as she placed the watch in his hand. Remus's eyes met her's, and Morgan took a deep breath.
"Remus, I'm sorry for causing you all this.. pain. I don't deserve to be forgiven. I know it. But I am sorry." Tears threatened to fall from her eyes, but she held them back.
Remus slowly looked up at her, conflict and pain mingling in his eyes. It was quiet for a moment. "Morgan... I.. can't."
There was a long silence in the room. Morgan slowly stood up, trying her best to keep her face dry. She glanced from each occupant of the room, nodding her head. "I-I... I should be going.. I.. really shouldn't be here..." Her voice was shaking, and Morgan fled from the room.
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(A/N: Back to Harry.)
My eyes were wide, and I stared at Remus. I wanted to yell at him, but I bit my tongue, turning instead to Raven and Sirius. Raven's eye were pinched close, her lips pursed. Sirius was frowning, staring at Remus. It seemed I didn't have to scold him, for Sirius did instead.
"Remus! What the blood-"
Of course, he was cut off by Raven, who had her fingers pinched about Sirius's ear. "Sirius!" She hissed. Remus was hanging his head, but looked up at the hiss.
"No need to punish him, Raven." He said quite forlornly. Raven raised an eyebrow, but released his ear. Sirius winced, rubbing his head. "So violent.." He muttered.
There was the same silence, lingering in the room. I let out a cough, glancing at Sirius. "Would you care to explain your being alive now?" Sirius nodded his head, but Raven shook her head.
"Harry, now is not a good time. Go back to your Common Room and rest. Perhaps come back tomorrow..." Raven was stern, and I nodded my head wistfully. I embraced each of them, and quickly left towards the Gryffindor Common Room, pondering the flurry of thoughts in my head.
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I hope you liked this chapter. I hated it. Then again, I hate everything.. Ah well. I realized there's so much I skipped over. Like the relevance of Sirius and Raven being married, and Raven being Dumbledore's grand-daughter. Crap. I'll have to edit...
Lady Tide