Chapter 29 – The Power of Friendship Pt. 2
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'Is someone crying? Lily.....is that you?'
Maria yawned and stretched, standing up slowly. Her first thought was, 'Oh. I'm surrounded by mirrors.' It was followed by, 'Wait. Why am I surrounded by mirrors? Oh, boy, it's like a Muggle funhouse.....'
"Hey, Maria!" someone giggled.
She thought it best not to answer.
"That's okay, Maria. Stay where you are - I'll find you!"
Maria gulped. She was 99.9% sure that she did not want the owner of the voice to find her.....even if the voice sounded slightly like her own. She began to run, smacking into mirrors every now and then.
Voice giggled again. "Don't run from me, Maria. I'll find you. I can hear you, sweetheart!"
'Arrrgh! I bet James got a plain, oval mirror! Why did I get stuck in the Carnival of Horrors!?' Maria thought furiously as she ran into yet another mirror.
"Maria, please come back."
She stopped, gazing at a mirror ahead of her. "Remus?"
One of her many reflections had morphed into her brother, who stepped out of the mirror. "Maria, what are you doing?"
"Remus, where are we?"
"We? Oh, Maria, I'm not really here. You're stuck inside your own soul.....your mind and spirit are poisoned. Your body – and James's – they're trying to heal you."
Maria cocked her head. "I.....hey, wait!" Remus was disappearing rapidly. "What about Sirius!?"
"I'm right here."
She turned. Sirius stood a few feet away from her. "Sirius! You're okay!"
He held out his arms. She ran to him. "But you're not okay, Maria. I'm sorry." He tilted her face up and pressed his lips to hers.
"Sirius, its alr - what!?" As she pulled away, she saw not Sirius, but James!
He laughed, holding her at arms length. "Hahaha! Oh, Maria, you're so weak! You can't even tell which friend is holding you!" His grip tightened.
"Oh – James – let me go!" Maria struggled, which just made James laugh harder.
"You're so weak, Maria! You're weak, weak, weak!" he giggled, spinning himself and Maria in crazy circles. "Oh, Maria, I love your weakness!"
"James, I-"Tears threatened to spill from her eyes.
"See, look! You're gonna cry!" he exclaimed gleefully, dipping her. "You're such a-"
"-baby, Maria." Noel said disgustedly, coming up from the dip. "Always running and hiding behind Remus or Lily. You never talk to me anymore, Maria."
"You're always busy!" Maria shot back, fury evaporating her tears. "What about you, always hiding behind your brother!?"
Noel laughed. "Oh, Maria, I'm not on trial, you are!" she turned away.
"Hey, don't you walk away from me, Noel Jaden Potter!" Maria ran forward and spun her friend around. "Oh! Who are you!?" She was surveying a carbon copy of herself – but in robes with the Ravenclaw crest.
The girl tilted her head. "Who are you? You're not me. I'm not you. I am reality....." she laughed. "I'm your destiny. I'm your power." She spun Maria to the left.
Standing there was another copy, this time bearing the Slytherin crest. "I am who you were meant to be. I am your jealousy." She also spun Maria to the left.
By now, Maria was expecting this, so she wasn't too surprised to see herself with the Hufflepuff crest. "I am everything you hate. I am your weakness." She grabbed Maria's hand and jerked her forward so that she fell to the floor at the feet of a last figure.
Maria looked up into her own face. The girl bearing the Gryffindor crest pulled her to her feet and stroked her hair back. "But only I am who you are. I am your strength and courage. I've been with you in your weakest moments-"
"-and I always will be," Lily finished, tucking a loose strand of hair behind Maria's ear. "So, Maria, will you bare your life to me?"
Maria nodded, and Lily placed her hand over her friend's heart. "Of course.....I knew. Be careful, Maria. Your choices put you in danger."
"I know," Maria sighed, looking up into Lily's eyes. "I miss you, Lily."
Lily smiled as, all around them, the mirrors shattered.
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a/n: The last of the soul-search chapters. Strange? Like? Hate? Please review. And, can someone please tell me how to get italics or bold in here? I'd like to use song lyrics if they fit, bit I don't know how to discern them from the regular story. It would be a big help.
- - - - - - - -
'Is someone crying? Lily.....is that you?'
Maria yawned and stretched, standing up slowly. Her first thought was, 'Oh. I'm surrounded by mirrors.' It was followed by, 'Wait. Why am I surrounded by mirrors? Oh, boy, it's like a Muggle funhouse.....'
"Hey, Maria!" someone giggled.
She thought it best not to answer.
"That's okay, Maria. Stay where you are - I'll find you!"
Maria gulped. She was 99.9% sure that she did not want the owner of the voice to find her.....even if the voice sounded slightly like her own. She began to run, smacking into mirrors every now and then.
Voice giggled again. "Don't run from me, Maria. I'll find you. I can hear you, sweetheart!"
'Arrrgh! I bet James got a plain, oval mirror! Why did I get stuck in the Carnival of Horrors!?' Maria thought furiously as she ran into yet another mirror.
"Maria, please come back."
She stopped, gazing at a mirror ahead of her. "Remus?"
One of her many reflections had morphed into her brother, who stepped out of the mirror. "Maria, what are you doing?"
"Remus, where are we?"
"We? Oh, Maria, I'm not really here. You're stuck inside your own soul.....your mind and spirit are poisoned. Your body – and James's – they're trying to heal you."
Maria cocked her head. "I.....hey, wait!" Remus was disappearing rapidly. "What about Sirius!?"
"I'm right here."
She turned. Sirius stood a few feet away from her. "Sirius! You're okay!"
He held out his arms. She ran to him. "But you're not okay, Maria. I'm sorry." He tilted her face up and pressed his lips to hers.
"Sirius, its alr - what!?" As she pulled away, she saw not Sirius, but James!
He laughed, holding her at arms length. "Hahaha! Oh, Maria, you're so weak! You can't even tell which friend is holding you!" His grip tightened.
"Oh – James – let me go!" Maria struggled, which just made James laugh harder.
"You're so weak, Maria! You're weak, weak, weak!" he giggled, spinning himself and Maria in crazy circles. "Oh, Maria, I love your weakness!"
"James, I-"Tears threatened to spill from her eyes.
"See, look! You're gonna cry!" he exclaimed gleefully, dipping her. "You're such a-"
"-baby, Maria." Noel said disgustedly, coming up from the dip. "Always running and hiding behind Remus or Lily. You never talk to me anymore, Maria."
"You're always busy!" Maria shot back, fury evaporating her tears. "What about you, always hiding behind your brother!?"
Noel laughed. "Oh, Maria, I'm not on trial, you are!" she turned away.
"Hey, don't you walk away from me, Noel Jaden Potter!" Maria ran forward and spun her friend around. "Oh! Who are you!?" She was surveying a carbon copy of herself – but in robes with the Ravenclaw crest.
The girl tilted her head. "Who are you? You're not me. I'm not you. I am reality....." she laughed. "I'm your destiny. I'm your power." She spun Maria to the left.
Standing there was another copy, this time bearing the Slytherin crest. "I am who you were meant to be. I am your jealousy." She also spun Maria to the left.
By now, Maria was expecting this, so she wasn't too surprised to see herself with the Hufflepuff crest. "I am everything you hate. I am your weakness." She grabbed Maria's hand and jerked her forward so that she fell to the floor at the feet of a last figure.
Maria looked up into her own face. The girl bearing the Gryffindor crest pulled her to her feet and stroked her hair back. "But only I am who you are. I am your strength and courage. I've been with you in your weakest moments-"
"-and I always will be," Lily finished, tucking a loose strand of hair behind Maria's ear. "So, Maria, will you bare your life to me?"
Maria nodded, and Lily placed her hand over her friend's heart. "Of course.....I knew. Be careful, Maria. Your choices put you in danger."
"I know," Maria sighed, looking up into Lily's eyes. "I miss you, Lily."
Lily smiled as, all around them, the mirrors shattered.
- - - - - - - - -
a/n: The last of the soul-search chapters. Strange? Like? Hate? Please review. And, can someone please tell me how to get italics or bold in here? I'd like to use song lyrics if they fit, bit I don't know how to discern them from the regular story. It would be a big help.