Sorry about this not going up this morning-- FF.net wouldn't let me log
in.
I wish I knew how long this fic was going to be... ^___^ As for
information on my novel-- since you all seem to want to read it I'll be
sure to inform you when it comes out. I've just hit a bit of a
stumbling block at the moment, so I need to think my way around it.
Fire-Mage - I always like your reviews. They're funny ^_^ Death and
destruction coming soon, within the next couple weeks (I hope). You go
back tommarrow? *whines* You so lucky. I had to go back today...
katrina - The silver-eyed wraith is only part of the transformation. I
just want to make you guys wait and wait and wait until you can see
Weapon in his full glory. Ehehehehehehe.
Black Rose - Near death? Aiyah! Go thing we've got a Weapon Name in
this chapter, no?
Kennan - Actually Draco was first. But it's alright that you forgot. I
wrote that a long while ago.
Marschild - *falls over laughing*
Soulless - Harry and Katar Voodoo dolls? Wow, I never thought those
would actually sell. *big cheesy grin, while standing in front of a
truckload of Harry & Katar merchandise.*
Steph - You really need to lay off on the coffee... Obeying now, new
chapter!
Shila - I said I would, didn't I?
SaGGiTaRiuS000 - Do you take this fanfic to be your lawfully wedded...
er... lawfully wedded story?
miss-magic - I'll try. I'm coming up on diploma exams so I have to cut
back on all my extra stuff. Blackened Sunrise isn't going to get cut
back though-- I believe we all know when I write by now.
I've said it thirty-three times already, but... I don't own Harry
Potter.
---
Blackened Sunrise
Chapter Thirty Six : Named
The Itch
---
Blackness crowded in on his vision for a moment, and then Sirius was
standing in the scene of the majority of his nightmares for the past
fifteen years: Godric's Hollow, the night he told James to switch
Secret Keepers to Peter Pettigrew.
Why would the Power bring him here to preform the Challenge?
Then again, Harry never had actually explained exactly what happened
during the Challenge. Maybe he just had to relive his worst memories?
He'd done that often enough while in Azkaban; this would be a breeze.
As usual, he drifted forwards, placing his hand on the doorknob of the
home, preparing to open the door-- when his hand passed through it.
That had certainly never happened in any of his nightmares!
A bit more wary, Black pushed his hand right through the door, and then
drifted inside, deeming it safe. The scene within... was not one he had
expected to come across. It was not the scene he remembered; not at
all.
In his memories, Lily was cradling Harry in her arms, talking with
James and himself. What he saw was Lily holding a child-- but with red
hair not unlike her own, and milky blue eyes. James was leaning across
the table to where Lily sat... beside a younger version of himself.
"What the...?"
At his words, the scene seemed to unfreeze, and James began speaking
the very words Sirius himself could remember telling the Potters all
those years earlier.
"I'm too obvious a Secret Keeper, Padfoot!" he was arguing, "Use
someone else, someone who can hide away while I'm chased across the
countryside!"
"But who, James?" Lily rocked the child gently, leaning her head on the
younger Padfoot's shoulder, "You wouldn't have come to us with this if
you didn't already have someone in mind."
"Peter," James nodded with a grin, "He's the perfect Secret Keeper--
he's one of us!"
Oh yes, Sirius could well remember that conversation, even if he and
James' positions had been switched. It was... creepy, to say the least.
Shaking his head, he was about to step closer when there was a
deviation to what he remembered happening.
Moony trudged down the stairs with a yawn, the wearied sag to his
shoulders and head indicating that he'd recently been through his
transformation. Sirius was utterly and completely confused. He did
_not_ remember Moony having been there...
"What are you three plotting now?" the werewolf wondered, plopping
himself into a chair at the table and scratching behind one ear. The
three looked between each other and grinned a bit nervously.
"Nothing Padfoot," the trio chimed, before moving onto such topics as
had 'Marron' started walking yet and if he was speaking anything more
than 'no' and 'moo-y'. Apparently, Marron was the little boy Lily was
holding. That was definitely not how Sirius remembered it-- in fact, he
remembered them going and doing the Fidelus Charm that night, with
Peter as the Secret Keeper-- even if they didn't actually _tell_ him he
was the Secret Keeper for another few nights.
Confused, Sirius came closer to the group, and was almost at the table
when he felt the magic of the group ripple outwards and grab him. With
a yelp, he found himself blinking in stark confusion as he landed on
the floor. When had he tripped?
And since when were the four at the table aiming their wands at him?
"Hey, hey," he lifted his hands, "watch where you're pointing that
thing!"
"Who the hell are you?!" James snapped, "A spy for You-Know-Who?!"
"His name is Tom Riddle," Sirius grumbled half-heartedly, ignoring his
once friends' confused stares, "And why the hell would I be a spy for
that asshole? He and the rat got me locked up in Azkaban for twelve
years!"
They were still aiming their wands at him, and in a fit of annoyance,
he sent his own ripples through their magic-- yanking the Wizard Weapon
from their hands. They flew into his own palms, and he studied them
with his Power-brought senses.
There were minor differences to them, he found with a shock. He and
James really _had_ changed places in this world. What the hell was
going on. With a groan, he held his head, "Harry, this is all your
fault."
---
After about six hours worth of explanations-- which was almost the
exact same conversation over and over again as Lily, James, Padfoot and
Remus repeated the exact same questions again and again-- Sirius had
finally got them to understand. Sort of.
To them, he was Sirius from the future, come to save them from dying
horrible deaths at the hands of the Deatheaters, and to keep his
younger self from being accused of murdering his wife and best friend--
Sirius was still trying to accept the concept that _he_ was the one
married to Lily-- and sent to Azkaban. Of course, that was only to the
four that were there when he arrived. Lily had cooked up some cover
story about the older Sirius being the younger Padfoot's long-missing
uncle, Aeris.
"Aeris" had been the only one to find that funny, but he supposed it
made sense. He very highly doubted that game was out yet-- the
playstation had yet to be invented.
Aeris had been warned that he could spend many, many years in the
Challenge-- he just never thought he'd be one of the Weapons who went
through it. The fateful Halloween night that had seen Lily and James
Potter die passed without incident, Sirius and Lily having decided that
they would have James as the Secret Keeper, while telling everyone it
would be Aeris. After all, they had a blood connection, right?
But as life progressed, Aeris found it trying and harsh. Marron began
to be taught battle magic the day he turned seven. Voldemort was still
on the loose, still very powerful, and it was only through pure luck
that "Aeris" managed to get away from him and the other Deatheaters to
the point when the Fidelus Charm was no longer needed-- Marron was
eight years old, and capable of holding himself against Auror James
Potter's own mighty wand.
At least, in his world, there had been a time of peace, a time where
people learned that not all was battle, and they weren't training
children almost as soon as they could walk in methods of fighting.
Sure, he was a Weapon, and sure, he appreciated all the training in the
art of war-- but to train children for so long? This world was
practically creating an army of Weapons-- minus the ability to channel
the Power.
And he hated it.
"Uncle Aeris!" drawn from his thoughts, the man once known as Sirius
Black turned to find an eleven year old Marron baring down on him,
waving a letter in hand. With Lily and Sirius working as Aurors in the
Ministry, Aeris had practically raised the child, "I've been accepted!"
"Really?" he turned a smirk on the boy, "S'wonderful news."
The boy nodded rapidly, then paused, "Uncle Aeris?"
"Yeah?"
"What was Hogwarts School of Battle Magic and Tactics like when you
went there?" Another pang ripped at his heart. That wasn't supposed to
be. It was supposed to be Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,
but the name had been changed when Marron was three, after old
Dumbledore's death while facing Voldemort and a legion of Deatheaters.
Headmistress McGonagal only taught battle magic these days.
"A lot different," he mused sadly, then, for absolutely no reason, he
found himself patting Marron on the head and muttering, "I wish you
could have seen what Hogwarts was supposed to be like."
And the world dissolved.
---
Sirius found himself blinking spots out of his eyes, staring off into
the blackness that he remembered from a decade earlier. The Power...
Challenge... he'd all but forgotten. The Power rippled around him, and
he could have sworn he heard a whisper telling him that he had learned
what the Challenge had meant for him to learn.
That things were perfectly fine the way they were. That if Lily and
James had survived all those years ago, like the Lily and Sirius of the
Challenge, then no child would have ever been able to grow up without
Voldemort hanging over their heads. Things were the way they were
supposed to be.
Shaking his head, and wondering if that other world had ever actually
existed, he struck off in a completely random direction. Not five
minutes later, and he saw Harry, and two strange figures standing off
in the distance. He broke into a run, feet pounding the non-existent
ground to get to his godson as soon as he possibly could.
"Harry!"
Harry grinned widely, practically vibrating on the spot, a maniacal
gleam in his eye and a psychotic smile on his face as he waved
frantically. The strange redhead to his right was giving him a
malicious bearing of the fangs, in what Sirius assumed was supposed to
be a smile. He didn't really notice the fact that it was malicious--
mostly because he'd seen such expressions on his godson's face often
enough.
"So?"
"So...?" Sirius drawled, sweeping Harry into a hug and promptly
granting upon his skull the wondrous thing known as a noogie.
Harry pouted and whined, "Stop it!! What's you're Weapon Name?"
"Yeah," the strange redhead Sirius didn't know, agreed, "Who is our
newest Weapon?"
Sirius opened his mouth to respond with the name he'd been using for a
decade-- but that was not the name that left his lips. Instead, his
response was "Dart."
The unknown Weapon nodded, "Dart. You practice long-distant weaponry,
then."
"Yeah, but I th--"
"Dart?" Harry interrupted, then abruptly started snickering, "Dart! We
need to get you some red body-armor and some blonde hair dye! Dart!"
Sirius nee Dart hiked an eyebrow, "Is he on something?"
"Oxygen," intoned an all-too familiar monotone, and Dart turned to face
the one who he hadn't recognized at first. Then he gave a low whistle.
"Shiiiit... Weapon?"
"Indeed," silver eyes framed by silver hair set in milky white skin
turned to appraise him, "Welcome, Dart."
"Er... okay..." Sirius tipped his head to one side, "Man, you weren't
kidding when you said you weren't human."
Weapon gave a mirthless bark of laughter, before turning his attention
back to the blackness, "Another comes. Virginia."
"I thought Draco would be next," Harry muttered to Dart and Katar,
"he's usually pretty fast in figuring out what the Power wants him to
do."
"He's got Hak to help him," Dart returned, turning his attention back
to the nothingness, and watching the small spark of orangish-red that
was Ginny's shaved head come ever closer. He had to wonder what her
Weapon Name would be.
---
End Chapter
Well, we've got Sirius' Weapon Name. If you can't figure out the video
game allusions, Aeris is from Final Fantasy, and Dart's from Legend of
Dragoon. ^___^
in.
I wish I knew how long this fic was going to be... ^___^ As for
information on my novel-- since you all seem to want to read it I'll be
sure to inform you when it comes out. I've just hit a bit of a
stumbling block at the moment, so I need to think my way around it.
Fire-Mage - I always like your reviews. They're funny ^_^ Death and
destruction coming soon, within the next couple weeks (I hope). You go
back tommarrow? *whines* You so lucky. I had to go back today...
katrina - The silver-eyed wraith is only part of the transformation. I
just want to make you guys wait and wait and wait until you can see
Weapon in his full glory. Ehehehehehehe.
Black Rose - Near death? Aiyah! Go thing we've got a Weapon Name in
this chapter, no?
Kennan - Actually Draco was first. But it's alright that you forgot. I
wrote that a long while ago.
Marschild - *falls over laughing*
Soulless - Harry and Katar Voodoo dolls? Wow, I never thought those
would actually sell. *big cheesy grin, while standing in front of a
truckload of Harry & Katar merchandise.*
Steph - You really need to lay off on the coffee... Obeying now, new
chapter!
Shila - I said I would, didn't I?
SaGGiTaRiuS000 - Do you take this fanfic to be your lawfully wedded...
er... lawfully wedded story?
miss-magic - I'll try. I'm coming up on diploma exams so I have to cut
back on all my extra stuff. Blackened Sunrise isn't going to get cut
back though-- I believe we all know when I write by now.
I've said it thirty-three times already, but... I don't own Harry
Potter.
---
Blackened Sunrise
Chapter Thirty Six : Named
The Itch
---
Blackness crowded in on his vision for a moment, and then Sirius was
standing in the scene of the majority of his nightmares for the past
fifteen years: Godric's Hollow, the night he told James to switch
Secret Keepers to Peter Pettigrew.
Why would the Power bring him here to preform the Challenge?
Then again, Harry never had actually explained exactly what happened
during the Challenge. Maybe he just had to relive his worst memories?
He'd done that often enough while in Azkaban; this would be a breeze.
As usual, he drifted forwards, placing his hand on the doorknob of the
home, preparing to open the door-- when his hand passed through it.
That had certainly never happened in any of his nightmares!
A bit more wary, Black pushed his hand right through the door, and then
drifted inside, deeming it safe. The scene within... was not one he had
expected to come across. It was not the scene he remembered; not at
all.
In his memories, Lily was cradling Harry in her arms, talking with
James and himself. What he saw was Lily holding a child-- but with red
hair not unlike her own, and milky blue eyes. James was leaning across
the table to where Lily sat... beside a younger version of himself.
"What the...?"
At his words, the scene seemed to unfreeze, and James began speaking
the very words Sirius himself could remember telling the Potters all
those years earlier.
"I'm too obvious a Secret Keeper, Padfoot!" he was arguing, "Use
someone else, someone who can hide away while I'm chased across the
countryside!"
"But who, James?" Lily rocked the child gently, leaning her head on the
younger Padfoot's shoulder, "You wouldn't have come to us with this if
you didn't already have someone in mind."
"Peter," James nodded with a grin, "He's the perfect Secret Keeper--
he's one of us!"
Oh yes, Sirius could well remember that conversation, even if he and
James' positions had been switched. It was... creepy, to say the least.
Shaking his head, he was about to step closer when there was a
deviation to what he remembered happening.
Moony trudged down the stairs with a yawn, the wearied sag to his
shoulders and head indicating that he'd recently been through his
transformation. Sirius was utterly and completely confused. He did
_not_ remember Moony having been there...
"What are you three plotting now?" the werewolf wondered, plopping
himself into a chair at the table and scratching behind one ear. The
three looked between each other and grinned a bit nervously.
"Nothing Padfoot," the trio chimed, before moving onto such topics as
had 'Marron' started walking yet and if he was speaking anything more
than 'no' and 'moo-y'. Apparently, Marron was the little boy Lily was
holding. That was definitely not how Sirius remembered it-- in fact, he
remembered them going and doing the Fidelus Charm that night, with
Peter as the Secret Keeper-- even if they didn't actually _tell_ him he
was the Secret Keeper for another few nights.
Confused, Sirius came closer to the group, and was almost at the table
when he felt the magic of the group ripple outwards and grab him. With
a yelp, he found himself blinking in stark confusion as he landed on
the floor. When had he tripped?
And since when were the four at the table aiming their wands at him?
"Hey, hey," he lifted his hands, "watch where you're pointing that
thing!"
"Who the hell are you?!" James snapped, "A spy for You-Know-Who?!"
"His name is Tom Riddle," Sirius grumbled half-heartedly, ignoring his
once friends' confused stares, "And why the hell would I be a spy for
that asshole? He and the rat got me locked up in Azkaban for twelve
years!"
They were still aiming their wands at him, and in a fit of annoyance,
he sent his own ripples through their magic-- yanking the Wizard Weapon
from their hands. They flew into his own palms, and he studied them
with his Power-brought senses.
There were minor differences to them, he found with a shock. He and
James really _had_ changed places in this world. What the hell was
going on. With a groan, he held his head, "Harry, this is all your
fault."
---
After about six hours worth of explanations-- which was almost the
exact same conversation over and over again as Lily, James, Padfoot and
Remus repeated the exact same questions again and again-- Sirius had
finally got them to understand. Sort of.
To them, he was Sirius from the future, come to save them from dying
horrible deaths at the hands of the Deatheaters, and to keep his
younger self from being accused of murdering his wife and best friend--
Sirius was still trying to accept the concept that _he_ was the one
married to Lily-- and sent to Azkaban. Of course, that was only to the
four that were there when he arrived. Lily had cooked up some cover
story about the older Sirius being the younger Padfoot's long-missing
uncle, Aeris.
"Aeris" had been the only one to find that funny, but he supposed it
made sense. He very highly doubted that game was out yet-- the
playstation had yet to be invented.
Aeris had been warned that he could spend many, many years in the
Challenge-- he just never thought he'd be one of the Weapons who went
through it. The fateful Halloween night that had seen Lily and James
Potter die passed without incident, Sirius and Lily having decided that
they would have James as the Secret Keeper, while telling everyone it
would be Aeris. After all, they had a blood connection, right?
But as life progressed, Aeris found it trying and harsh. Marron began
to be taught battle magic the day he turned seven. Voldemort was still
on the loose, still very powerful, and it was only through pure luck
that "Aeris" managed to get away from him and the other Deatheaters to
the point when the Fidelus Charm was no longer needed-- Marron was
eight years old, and capable of holding himself against Auror James
Potter's own mighty wand.
At least, in his world, there had been a time of peace, a time where
people learned that not all was battle, and they weren't training
children almost as soon as they could walk in methods of fighting.
Sure, he was a Weapon, and sure, he appreciated all the training in the
art of war-- but to train children for so long? This world was
practically creating an army of Weapons-- minus the ability to channel
the Power.
And he hated it.
"Uncle Aeris!" drawn from his thoughts, the man once known as Sirius
Black turned to find an eleven year old Marron baring down on him,
waving a letter in hand. With Lily and Sirius working as Aurors in the
Ministry, Aeris had practically raised the child, "I've been accepted!"
"Really?" he turned a smirk on the boy, "S'wonderful news."
The boy nodded rapidly, then paused, "Uncle Aeris?"
"Yeah?"
"What was Hogwarts School of Battle Magic and Tactics like when you
went there?" Another pang ripped at his heart. That wasn't supposed to
be. It was supposed to be Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,
but the name had been changed when Marron was three, after old
Dumbledore's death while facing Voldemort and a legion of Deatheaters.
Headmistress McGonagal only taught battle magic these days.
"A lot different," he mused sadly, then, for absolutely no reason, he
found himself patting Marron on the head and muttering, "I wish you
could have seen what Hogwarts was supposed to be like."
And the world dissolved.
---
Sirius found himself blinking spots out of his eyes, staring off into
the blackness that he remembered from a decade earlier. The Power...
Challenge... he'd all but forgotten. The Power rippled around him, and
he could have sworn he heard a whisper telling him that he had learned
what the Challenge had meant for him to learn.
That things were perfectly fine the way they were. That if Lily and
James had survived all those years ago, like the Lily and Sirius of the
Challenge, then no child would have ever been able to grow up without
Voldemort hanging over their heads. Things were the way they were
supposed to be.
Shaking his head, and wondering if that other world had ever actually
existed, he struck off in a completely random direction. Not five
minutes later, and he saw Harry, and two strange figures standing off
in the distance. He broke into a run, feet pounding the non-existent
ground to get to his godson as soon as he possibly could.
"Harry!"
Harry grinned widely, practically vibrating on the spot, a maniacal
gleam in his eye and a psychotic smile on his face as he waved
frantically. The strange redhead to his right was giving him a
malicious bearing of the fangs, in what Sirius assumed was supposed to
be a smile. He didn't really notice the fact that it was malicious--
mostly because he'd seen such expressions on his godson's face often
enough.
"So?"
"So...?" Sirius drawled, sweeping Harry into a hug and promptly
granting upon his skull the wondrous thing known as a noogie.
Harry pouted and whined, "Stop it!! What's you're Weapon Name?"
"Yeah," the strange redhead Sirius didn't know, agreed, "Who is our
newest Weapon?"
Sirius opened his mouth to respond with the name he'd been using for a
decade-- but that was not the name that left his lips. Instead, his
response was "Dart."
The unknown Weapon nodded, "Dart. You practice long-distant weaponry,
then."
"Yeah, but I th--"
"Dart?" Harry interrupted, then abruptly started snickering, "Dart! We
need to get you some red body-armor and some blonde hair dye! Dart!"
Sirius nee Dart hiked an eyebrow, "Is he on something?"
"Oxygen," intoned an all-too familiar monotone, and Dart turned to face
the one who he hadn't recognized at first. Then he gave a low whistle.
"Shiiiit... Weapon?"
"Indeed," silver eyes framed by silver hair set in milky white skin
turned to appraise him, "Welcome, Dart."
"Er... okay..." Sirius tipped his head to one side, "Man, you weren't
kidding when you said you weren't human."
Weapon gave a mirthless bark of laughter, before turning his attention
back to the blackness, "Another comes. Virginia."
"I thought Draco would be next," Harry muttered to Dart and Katar,
"he's usually pretty fast in figuring out what the Power wants him to
do."
"He's got Hak to help him," Dart returned, turning his attention back
to the nothingness, and watching the small spark of orangish-red that
was Ginny's shaved head come ever closer. He had to wonder what her
Weapon Name would be.
---
End Chapter
Well, we've got Sirius' Weapon Name. If you can't figure out the video
game allusions, Aeris is from Final Fantasy, and Dart's from Legend of
Dragoon. ^___^