Disclaimer: If I owned HP I would spend countless hours trying to come up with plans to sneak into JK's house and steal her copy of last chappi in book 7….jk….I really wish I could though!
A/N: Sorry for da loooong delay every1! Stupid exams…..I've been up to my neck with final assignments and studying….n my next chap will probably be posted 2 weeks from now….or sooner, depending on how well ma studying goes! Anyway, on a happier note a response to Acacia Jules, I really do have a plot….sure it's a bit messy, but all the new characters you seem to find pointless are a part of it. Oh n in later chapz u gotta keep your watch on the Potter's New Years party…..some stuff are gonna unwrap there…very important to da plot. As silly as this story seems, it does have a plot n propose…just hope you're patient with the immature humor and craziness! ^_^
TheSunAndTheMoon, I totally dig you're idea….itz AWSOME! Hope you have fun doing it!!! And to all my other reviewers THANKS SOOOOOO MUCH, you're reviews are definitely confidence boosters!!!! I promise to try to be faster with chapters as soon as exams are over!
Hermione sighed quietly, hoping no one noticed how down she was over not seeing Remus till the party the Potters were having on New Year Eve. James had assure Hermione, Harry, and Ron over and over about how his mother simply loved company and how they just had to stay over at his house if they weren't planning to travel all the way back home, so they had little choice but to agree to spend the winter holidays at the Potters, not that any of them minded at all. Though to Hermione's disappointment not all the Marauders were going to be there, Remus and Peter had gone to their own families for most of the holidays.
Sighing once again, Hermione turn away from the car window to watch the boys, ogling over a Quidditch magazine. Her eyes fell on James Potter for a second, the boy all the girls in her dormitory always talked about, except Lily who usually scowled at the mention of his name. While appearance wise he looked a mirror image of Harry (well almost anyway), when it came to personality…Hermione just couldn't imagine Harry running around with Sirius and tackling everyone in the Great Hall and drenching them with ever filling beer bottles. That she had learned was the Marauder way of wishing all merry Christmas, funny…till they all realized the bottles were charmed so the fluid drenching them wouldn't be dried so easily, and with all their other closes already packed in the train…it soon became a rather wet sticky problem.
Still lost in thought, Hermione was surprised to feel the car stop. Her eyes fell on Sirius and James whose grinning faces were practically glowing. After stealing a quick look to see Harry's excited expression, she got out of the large black limousine the Potters had sent for them, and felt her jaw drop seeing the magnificence of the Potter manor.
"James, Sirius!" A female voice called, and Hermione looked around to see a blond woman with a towel robe clad around her running towards them.
"Mom," James cried in agony, and Sirius just clasped on the perfectly trimmed green grass.
The woman merely crossed her arms across her chest, and raised one of her perfectly shaped eyebrows at them. Turning to the trio instead with a warm smile on her face, made Hermione realized just how young and beautiful she was…until the woman's eyes fell on Harry. It was obvious from the shocked look on her face that she had also seen the amazingly strong resemblance he bore to James, and it hardly seemed to help when James introduced him to her as Harry Potter.
"Potter," she said finally, still looking rather bewildered.
"Yeah, he says he thinks he is a faraway cousin of ours or somethin'," James said, pulling out a bag of BBEF beans.
"Um…I'm sure that must be it," Hermione was sure she had seen something flicker in her eyes, but it was gone in less than a second, and instead now she turned to James and Sirius frowning, "up in the house we have the finest in cooking hours-elves, and all you two can munch on is disgusting junk!!!"
"Sorry mom, just getting used to the school life: little sleep, hard labor during daily detentions, starvation, crappy food…" he sighed tragically as though he was trying to be brave and not show just how much it hurt.
"Please, if Hogwarts was half as bad, you'd have learned a tiny bit about obedience and rules…I guess you just can't have everything in life," she imitated his tragic sigh, "get in the house and get something healthy to eat, or I'll get Dumbledore to personally monitor you're diets at school…actually better yet McGonagall, that woman has sent me quite a few letters in the last few months…"
Exchanged grim looks, James and Sirius quickly jumped up from where they had sat on the grass and ran all the way to the front door. After seeing the two boys disappear inside, Mrs. Potter turned to smile at the trio once again, her eyes lingering on Harry, before turning to the other two. She asked for their names and grinned at the mention of the name weasley, showing a dimple in her left cheek.
"I had a best friend named Molly Weasley once, it's a shame we lost touch after I got married the year we graduated. I hear she her eldest is 9 years old now, she must be you're auntie, you have her eyes…and flaming red hair."
"Uh…she is my mom's cousin," Ron said awkwardly, but Mrs. Potter hardly noticed, as she was staring at Hermione now.
"A muggle born, am I right?" she asked, with not even a hint of discrimination in her voice, but her expression, still soft, had something odd about it that Hermione couldn't put her finger on quite yet.
"Yes," she said simply.
"Lovely, you have something called a television…it has bound me and my husband to it like a dead spider in a bubbling cauldron," Mrs. Potter laughed, "how bout you two go in there and explore, get something to eat as well, the house-elves will make you anything you wish…and let me and Harry have a small chat about the Potters out in France."
Hermione was so scared Harry would blow his cover that she hardly noticed the bit about the house-elves, and instead grasped Ron's sweater sleeve. The two of them stared at Harry with worried faces, but the other boy just stared at his very young grandmother with a rather glazed look. Seeing as there was nothing they could do about anything, and their stay would make things much more suspicious, Ron and Hermione made their way to the front doors and sent Harry one last look before stepping into the house.
* * *
Harry followed Mrs. Potter around the mansion and in through a back door near a large pool and into what look like a huge elegant library with shelves full of books and walls covered by ancient portraits. Mrs. Potter offered Harry the chair sitting in front of a large desk in the middle of the room, and leaned against the desk herself facing Harry, a peculiar expression on her pretty face.
"Who are you really? And don't try to keep going with you're ridiculous story about far way cousins from France. You see Harry, I own a famous line of witch wear, and I've been forced to get to know every pureblood family throughout the world…we have no Potter relatives in France or in any other part of Europe, some in North America…but…why don't you just tell me who you really are?" she asked, her large sea colored eyes telling him she knew he was not a cousin…and there would be no fooling her.
"What does it matter?" Harry replied, the next best thing he could think of saying, instead of telling her something she knew was false.
"I matters, because…" she stopped suddenly biting her lip and her eyes began to shine as though wet with tears, "I think you're James' son."
"What!" Harry was so shocked he felt color leave his face, and his fingers that had become sweaty were now ice cold. Feeling her eyes on him, now soft and crying, he realized she was sure about what she had just said, and defeated he looked down, "how did you know?"
"The way you first looked at me…it was so sad, yet wonderful at the same time. They died didn't they?" she didn't wait for an answer and instead wrapped her arms around him, letting his head rest against her chest, "I wasn't there either…no one was…"
"Is it that obvious," Harry croaked not able to fight the tears that now rained down his cheeks.
"Yes…you're face…it looked so lonely. I'm so glad I can do this…held you…and that lost look in your eyes…I felt like it would tear my heart to little pieces…" she murmured into his hair, comforting him, yet at the same time clenching at his heart, as though someone was trying to squeeze it dry of blood.
Harry had never been hugged like this; it was desperate almost, for the both of them. So longing, so loving, he was sure he could feel her love radiate as she held him against her heart. Yet the tears didn't seem able to stop, it was like a dream come true in most ways…but also like a cruel joke, showing him what he was missing…the love he'd never have! It hurt so bad, tearing at his very soul, but Harry wasn't able to let go…feeling as though if he did, a part of him would die.
* * *
Realizing his house was empty except for their 3 obedient and rather ugly house-elves, Regulus Black left his luggage that had just been dropped off of the car his father had sent for him from the train station, leaving it for the youngest house-elf to care to. He moodily made his way to the kitchen, and munched on something only half made by their only female elf.
Mr. Black was off to Asia for 3 more days, doing business with some of the pureblood families there no doubt, and his wife…she was probably off at the Malfoys or her sisters having tea, leaving poor Regulus with what could be hardly defined as a warm welcome. That wasn't the thing that bothered him though, he was far used to his parents lack of warmth as it was…what was bothering him was the lack of his older brothers presence. Sure Sirius always complained on the way home for holidays, sure his pranks were not always very funny (least not to the person getting pranked), and sure there was always more than a few fights concerning Sirius and his parents nearly every night of the break…but he had been there. That was more than Regulus could say about his parents at the moment.
Regulus grimaced at the half raw food he had just tasted, and pushing the dish away he searched the kitchen for some kind of desert, finding a half finished pumpkin pie. The sugary taste of pie brightened his spirit up a bit, just a bit, but he couldn't stop himself from missing Sirius…the brother he had always been so damn jealous of all his life. If Sirius had been there he probably would have told Regulus go suck his wand and kept to his own bedroom for most of the night, drinking most likely, but then there was at least another human being breathing under the same roof. Now there was no one.
Regulus had never really been a big fan of change, but he never realized how miserable things could actually turn out after it. Leaving the plate covered in crumbs, he slowly rose from his chair, and still marveling on his misery he made his way into the hall, the dark green and silver decorations doing nothing to lift his lousy mood. Before he had realized what he was doing, Regulus found himself standing in front of Sirius' door, and with a shaky hand clasped on the doorknob, he lightly pushed it open.
Regulus hadn't spend much time in this room, mainly cause Sirius would've kicked him out, but he remembered when he was younger…before Hogwarts, when he would come into his older brothers' room to wait for Santa Claus together, help Sirius prepare his next prank on their parents, or simply to get Sirius to read books and Quidditch magazines out loud since he didn't know how. He could remember all the times he had spend in this room feeling safe…not that it looked anything like it did 6 years ago.
The walls of Sirius' room were covered in large posters of women Quidditch players from around the world, all dressed in cut, ripped, or two pieced super mini Quidditch robes, each more beautiful than the other. His expensive ancient wooden bookshelves were loaded with everything from thick complex books on advanced magic, to 'Poor Chucky the Charm Master' comics. A matching dresser stood on the opposite side of the wall with Sirius' super large magical radio (the one he had gotten as a birthday present years ago from Mr. Black) on the top, and its many speakers scattered around. A large king sized bed made of the same dark wood of the bookshelf was placed in middle of the room, with its cream and brown blankets and pillows disarrayed. Even from where he stood he could see all the empty alcohol bottles lying on the ground beside the bed, as well as scattered Quidditch and PlayWizard magazines. The messiest of all though was the rich wooden floor and the beautiful carpet that rested there. Neither was visible through the piles of clothes and robes, disarrayed books, wrappers of junk food, small bags of spilling flo powder as well as Gallons, dirty goblets and plates, and half burned stuff Sirius had set on fire by accident…or most likely on purpose.
Though incredibly messy, Sirius' room still looked very cool, just like everything else about Sirius…no matter what Sirius did, he could do no wrong. How was Regulus supposed to keep himself from jealousy when his older brother had absolutely everything? Sirius was extremely handsome, smart without having to try too hard, creative, brave, strongly magical, fun…Regulus had hated his bitter jealousy towards his own brother, but it never faded. Not even when Regulus had managed to get into Slytherin after Sirius had arrogantly let his parents down, and winning over their favor!
Regulus picked up a set of photographs, glaring at James Potter's grinning face…he could remember the Christmas after Sirius' first year of Hogwarts, the way his brother would not shut up about his dumb friends Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew…but most of all James! If Sirius and James had been close as kids, they had become joined at the hips by the time they had roomed together in Gryffindor. Nevertheless Regulus had always felt the need to somehow out do Sirius, and the two falling apart, specially after Regulus became a Slytherin, did nothing to help the matters.
Throwing the pictures away, Regulus snored with bitter laughter. If there was anything he and Sirius ever had in common it was their strong will; Regulus had used it to become the model of a pureblood wizard, everything their parents dreamed to have in their son…and Sirius had used it to become their parents' worst nightmare! While winning their parents' favor had given Regulus a sense of satisfaction, it drove his brother much farther away from him. He could never think back of Sirius' disgust at it all, without his stomach churning uncomfortably. If he hadn't been so envious, if he hadn't fallen to his parent's trap so horribly…if he hadn't been so determined his parents had it right and Sirius was just being stubborn…he could've taken Sirius' side in their last fight, then maybe he would've still had his older brother with him! The brother he missed so very much…for nearly 6 years now.
* * *
"Dad," James carried on, "we could really use you're help on it…"
"How far have you two gone with the book?" Mr. Potter asked rubbing his short well styled beard thoughtfully as he looked through the notes James had just handed him.
"How clever are we!" Sirius said, his proud voice causing a smile to form on Mr. Potter's face.
"Very," he replied his head still in the notes, "some of this stuff…it would take me a long to time to get through as well!"
"Brilliant right? Specially all the things we learned about time travel!!!" James was practically bursting to try and built the things only a numbered amount of people could ever make, Sirius' grin was just as wide and bursting with excitement.
"And work with the elements…by using these we could become so damn powerful!"
"Yes," Mr. Potter said suddenly, and motioned the boys to sit down and after putting the notes down, he picked up the heavy book and began flipping through it, pausing at a page, "hmmm, not enough at all…tell me, what else have you boys learned about death?"
"The body is left behind much like old clothes," James said.
"The soul goes to another place," Sirius said.
"Some wait as ghosts, some watch over us, and others sleep."
"All are waiting for a day they seem to think of like a judgment day."
"The dead can be contacted with…through the very few portals of death."
"But if one passes the portals…they will have sure death!"
Mr. Potter smiled in an amused sort of way, looking through the book one more time he turned to the boys.
"You know that I spend a few short years working in the department of magic before my father passed away and I had to take his place in our company. I think you boys have achieved a lot out of this book, but I have much to add on."
"Tell us then father!" James demanded and Mr. Potter's smile grew.
"Let's start with death, so far the one you seem to understand least of all. Whenever there is a death…a new portal forms (we still do not know how!) ready to take in the soul of the dead, when the body can no longer hold on to it. The people deaths happed around rarely do notice it, since their minds are too full of emotions or thoughts, and it takes a lot of concentration to being able to find the portal. If someone who is not dead manages to find it…they will likely step through and die, like you said, but we've found out that…" Mr. Potter sighed as though not sure he should say this to two boys of 16, "I go to the department often as I am still a part of it, and through spies and history studies, we've been able to find that the ancient Egyptians had some sort of magical energy that is able to open a portal, in such a way that the souls would be able to escape and take hold of a new body, or an old one and just merely fix it!"
"How bout those who are sucked in with their whole body?" Sirius asked curiously.
"Their bodies are left behind in the entrance of the portal, they might be able to regain them instead of finding another to fix through magic."
Sirius and James exchanged awed looks, then turned back to Mr. Potter with identical large grins.
"Tell us more!" James demanded.
"Yes, you know so much Mr. Potter, it's mind bottling you're brain is the same size as everyone else's'," Sirius flashed him his most charming smile, making Mr. Potter chuckle as he placed the notes on the desk behind him.
"Very well, but everything I tell you is a summery and description not a manual…that you need to figure out yourselves. How bout we get into the planets a bit?" he asked the two boys and chuckled once again, seeing their abnormally large smiles double in width.
* * *
"You don't have to be so fucking touchy bout it!" Ariadne snapped at Severus who like her had stayed behind during the holidays…and unlike her was determined to be miserable about it! She had just tried to make small talk, he could at least be civil…after all, most guys would love to be included in a conversation with her…or so she had thought. The kids at Hogwarts weren't at all like she had expected, especially the Slytherins… Rabastan and Evan were too cold for their own good. Her seductive method hadn't exactly failed, but none had fallen helpless to her feet, and that was not usual!
Then there was Snape, the boy who outright refused her!!! Ariadne had never thought that possible…but it was true. Severus Snape had stopped her the second she had reached for his pant zipper, calling her a dirty whore! It had been shocking and embarrassing, and Snape ignoring her had been no treat either, though she just couldn't figure out why he had said no…why not have just have used her like Evan had? She couldn't have described the shame she faced in those few minutes even if she tried…it was too horrible! But Ariadne wasn't one to dwell on the past, even if it made her teeth clench to move on…so she had tried to act civil towards Severus, but it seemed as though he wasn't so forgetting.
"Touchy?" Severus snored, "you're one to talk!"
"Right…I forgot. It's alright Snape, I understand how you feel…I was once a virgin too!" having had to cover her emotions for so long, it came almost natural to Ariadne now. Snape's eye however twitched, giving her the satisfaction of touching a nerve.
"What, when you were 5?" he said coldly, turning back to his heavy transfiguration text book, "why don't you just leave, maybe you can convince the 3rd years to pay you a few knuts, who knows how much you can make out of sex."
"I'm sick of you're immature jokes Snape! I thought there was another sixth year left here, but it looks like I was wrong!" Ariadne said getting up swiftly, and made her way out of the Slytherin. While still in an outrage she walked passed the library, but was all of a sudden stopped by Dumbledore himself, who ushered her into his office.
Staring into those searching blue eyes, Ariadne tried to keep her cool as she leaned back on her chair, not that it worked. She had a feeling Dumbledore could read her mind, and the thought of someone doing such things brought chills to her very bones.
"I have been hearing much about you, Ms Ariadne," Dumbledore said softly, though his voice held no accusations, she still couldn't help herself feeling some what ashamed of her behavior and felt her cheeks grow warm.
"What sorts of things," she tried her best calm voice, which was rather squeaky, none of her cool tactics seemed to work around this particular headmaster.
"Of you're making friends fast, with many Slytherin none the less. I must say, you have some of your father in you," Dumbledore wasn't even looking at her now, but staring at the library door, but Ariadne still felt his eyes on her.
"Is that so?" her voice was lacking emotion, though inside it was quite the opposite. While Ariadne was bubbling in anger to be compared to the Dark Lord, she was also swelling in pride…she had been called great in most ways than one.
"Yes, but I like you to be careful. While it may be fun and brilliant to make such strong allies for yourself, you may also be stepping deeper and deeper into a trap. A trap that might not be so easy to get out when the time comes when you want to do so." Dumbledore said all this very casually, as though talking about the weather, Ariadne on the other hand felt her insides freeze, though what he had said sent waves of confusion washing over her, a tiny part knew exactly what he had meant and it scared her in a way nothing had ever before.
"I don't understand," she whispered, but even she could hear the lie loud and clear in her voice. Dumbledore just gave her a brief smile.
"Maybe you'll be strong enough to help him too," he murmured before walking passed her with a swift departing nod, all before what he had said had hit Ariadne.
Eyes popping out, Ariadne turned around to find the hall empty, and frustrated she stomped her foot on the ground, growling, "NOT HIM! I refuse to have anything to do with him…no guy is gonna touch my life in anyway, you hear that Dumbledore!" an odd stare from 2 passing 2nd years shut her up, making her turn a shade of red, though that did little for her temper.
A/N: Sorry for da loooong delay every1! Stupid exams…..I've been up to my neck with final assignments and studying….n my next chap will probably be posted 2 weeks from now….or sooner, depending on how well ma studying goes! Anyway, on a happier note a response to Acacia Jules, I really do have a plot….sure it's a bit messy, but all the new characters you seem to find pointless are a part of it. Oh n in later chapz u gotta keep your watch on the Potter's New Years party…..some stuff are gonna unwrap there…very important to da plot. As silly as this story seems, it does have a plot n propose…just hope you're patient with the immature humor and craziness! ^_^
TheSunAndTheMoon, I totally dig you're idea….itz AWSOME! Hope you have fun doing it!!! And to all my other reviewers THANKS SOOOOOO MUCH, you're reviews are definitely confidence boosters!!!! I promise to try to be faster with chapters as soon as exams are over!
Hermione sighed quietly, hoping no one noticed how down she was over not seeing Remus till the party the Potters were having on New Year Eve. James had assure Hermione, Harry, and Ron over and over about how his mother simply loved company and how they just had to stay over at his house if they weren't planning to travel all the way back home, so they had little choice but to agree to spend the winter holidays at the Potters, not that any of them minded at all. Though to Hermione's disappointment not all the Marauders were going to be there, Remus and Peter had gone to their own families for most of the holidays.
Sighing once again, Hermione turn away from the car window to watch the boys, ogling over a Quidditch magazine. Her eyes fell on James Potter for a second, the boy all the girls in her dormitory always talked about, except Lily who usually scowled at the mention of his name. While appearance wise he looked a mirror image of Harry (well almost anyway), when it came to personality…Hermione just couldn't imagine Harry running around with Sirius and tackling everyone in the Great Hall and drenching them with ever filling beer bottles. That she had learned was the Marauder way of wishing all merry Christmas, funny…till they all realized the bottles were charmed so the fluid drenching them wouldn't be dried so easily, and with all their other closes already packed in the train…it soon became a rather wet sticky problem.
Still lost in thought, Hermione was surprised to feel the car stop. Her eyes fell on Sirius and James whose grinning faces were practically glowing. After stealing a quick look to see Harry's excited expression, she got out of the large black limousine the Potters had sent for them, and felt her jaw drop seeing the magnificence of the Potter manor.
"James, Sirius!" A female voice called, and Hermione looked around to see a blond woman with a towel robe clad around her running towards them.
"Mom," James cried in agony, and Sirius just clasped on the perfectly trimmed green grass.
The woman merely crossed her arms across her chest, and raised one of her perfectly shaped eyebrows at them. Turning to the trio instead with a warm smile on her face, made Hermione realized just how young and beautiful she was…until the woman's eyes fell on Harry. It was obvious from the shocked look on her face that she had also seen the amazingly strong resemblance he bore to James, and it hardly seemed to help when James introduced him to her as Harry Potter.
"Potter," she said finally, still looking rather bewildered.
"Yeah, he says he thinks he is a faraway cousin of ours or somethin'," James said, pulling out a bag of BBEF beans.
"Um…I'm sure that must be it," Hermione was sure she had seen something flicker in her eyes, but it was gone in less than a second, and instead now she turned to James and Sirius frowning, "up in the house we have the finest in cooking hours-elves, and all you two can munch on is disgusting junk!!!"
"Sorry mom, just getting used to the school life: little sleep, hard labor during daily detentions, starvation, crappy food…" he sighed tragically as though he was trying to be brave and not show just how much it hurt.
"Please, if Hogwarts was half as bad, you'd have learned a tiny bit about obedience and rules…I guess you just can't have everything in life," she imitated his tragic sigh, "get in the house and get something healthy to eat, or I'll get Dumbledore to personally monitor you're diets at school…actually better yet McGonagall, that woman has sent me quite a few letters in the last few months…"
Exchanged grim looks, James and Sirius quickly jumped up from where they had sat on the grass and ran all the way to the front door. After seeing the two boys disappear inside, Mrs. Potter turned to smile at the trio once again, her eyes lingering on Harry, before turning to the other two. She asked for their names and grinned at the mention of the name weasley, showing a dimple in her left cheek.
"I had a best friend named Molly Weasley once, it's a shame we lost touch after I got married the year we graduated. I hear she her eldest is 9 years old now, she must be you're auntie, you have her eyes…and flaming red hair."
"Uh…she is my mom's cousin," Ron said awkwardly, but Mrs. Potter hardly noticed, as she was staring at Hermione now.
"A muggle born, am I right?" she asked, with not even a hint of discrimination in her voice, but her expression, still soft, had something odd about it that Hermione couldn't put her finger on quite yet.
"Yes," she said simply.
"Lovely, you have something called a television…it has bound me and my husband to it like a dead spider in a bubbling cauldron," Mrs. Potter laughed, "how bout you two go in there and explore, get something to eat as well, the house-elves will make you anything you wish…and let me and Harry have a small chat about the Potters out in France."
Hermione was so scared Harry would blow his cover that she hardly noticed the bit about the house-elves, and instead grasped Ron's sweater sleeve. The two of them stared at Harry with worried faces, but the other boy just stared at his very young grandmother with a rather glazed look. Seeing as there was nothing they could do about anything, and their stay would make things much more suspicious, Ron and Hermione made their way to the front doors and sent Harry one last look before stepping into the house.
* * *
Harry followed Mrs. Potter around the mansion and in through a back door near a large pool and into what look like a huge elegant library with shelves full of books and walls covered by ancient portraits. Mrs. Potter offered Harry the chair sitting in front of a large desk in the middle of the room, and leaned against the desk herself facing Harry, a peculiar expression on her pretty face.
"Who are you really? And don't try to keep going with you're ridiculous story about far way cousins from France. You see Harry, I own a famous line of witch wear, and I've been forced to get to know every pureblood family throughout the world…we have no Potter relatives in France or in any other part of Europe, some in North America…but…why don't you just tell me who you really are?" she asked, her large sea colored eyes telling him she knew he was not a cousin…and there would be no fooling her.
"What does it matter?" Harry replied, the next best thing he could think of saying, instead of telling her something she knew was false.
"I matters, because…" she stopped suddenly biting her lip and her eyes began to shine as though wet with tears, "I think you're James' son."
"What!" Harry was so shocked he felt color leave his face, and his fingers that had become sweaty were now ice cold. Feeling her eyes on him, now soft and crying, he realized she was sure about what she had just said, and defeated he looked down, "how did you know?"
"The way you first looked at me…it was so sad, yet wonderful at the same time. They died didn't they?" she didn't wait for an answer and instead wrapped her arms around him, letting his head rest against her chest, "I wasn't there either…no one was…"
"Is it that obvious," Harry croaked not able to fight the tears that now rained down his cheeks.
"Yes…you're face…it looked so lonely. I'm so glad I can do this…held you…and that lost look in your eyes…I felt like it would tear my heart to little pieces…" she murmured into his hair, comforting him, yet at the same time clenching at his heart, as though someone was trying to squeeze it dry of blood.
Harry had never been hugged like this; it was desperate almost, for the both of them. So longing, so loving, he was sure he could feel her love radiate as she held him against her heart. Yet the tears didn't seem able to stop, it was like a dream come true in most ways…but also like a cruel joke, showing him what he was missing…the love he'd never have! It hurt so bad, tearing at his very soul, but Harry wasn't able to let go…feeling as though if he did, a part of him would die.
* * *
Realizing his house was empty except for their 3 obedient and rather ugly house-elves, Regulus Black left his luggage that had just been dropped off of the car his father had sent for him from the train station, leaving it for the youngest house-elf to care to. He moodily made his way to the kitchen, and munched on something only half made by their only female elf.
Mr. Black was off to Asia for 3 more days, doing business with some of the pureblood families there no doubt, and his wife…she was probably off at the Malfoys or her sisters having tea, leaving poor Regulus with what could be hardly defined as a warm welcome. That wasn't the thing that bothered him though, he was far used to his parents lack of warmth as it was…what was bothering him was the lack of his older brothers presence. Sure Sirius always complained on the way home for holidays, sure his pranks were not always very funny (least not to the person getting pranked), and sure there was always more than a few fights concerning Sirius and his parents nearly every night of the break…but he had been there. That was more than Regulus could say about his parents at the moment.
Regulus grimaced at the half raw food he had just tasted, and pushing the dish away he searched the kitchen for some kind of desert, finding a half finished pumpkin pie. The sugary taste of pie brightened his spirit up a bit, just a bit, but he couldn't stop himself from missing Sirius…the brother he had always been so damn jealous of all his life. If Sirius had been there he probably would have told Regulus go suck his wand and kept to his own bedroom for most of the night, drinking most likely, but then there was at least another human being breathing under the same roof. Now there was no one.
Regulus had never really been a big fan of change, but he never realized how miserable things could actually turn out after it. Leaving the plate covered in crumbs, he slowly rose from his chair, and still marveling on his misery he made his way into the hall, the dark green and silver decorations doing nothing to lift his lousy mood. Before he had realized what he was doing, Regulus found himself standing in front of Sirius' door, and with a shaky hand clasped on the doorknob, he lightly pushed it open.
Regulus hadn't spend much time in this room, mainly cause Sirius would've kicked him out, but he remembered when he was younger…before Hogwarts, when he would come into his older brothers' room to wait for Santa Claus together, help Sirius prepare his next prank on their parents, or simply to get Sirius to read books and Quidditch magazines out loud since he didn't know how. He could remember all the times he had spend in this room feeling safe…not that it looked anything like it did 6 years ago.
The walls of Sirius' room were covered in large posters of women Quidditch players from around the world, all dressed in cut, ripped, or two pieced super mini Quidditch robes, each more beautiful than the other. His expensive ancient wooden bookshelves were loaded with everything from thick complex books on advanced magic, to 'Poor Chucky the Charm Master' comics. A matching dresser stood on the opposite side of the wall with Sirius' super large magical radio (the one he had gotten as a birthday present years ago from Mr. Black) on the top, and its many speakers scattered around. A large king sized bed made of the same dark wood of the bookshelf was placed in middle of the room, with its cream and brown blankets and pillows disarrayed. Even from where he stood he could see all the empty alcohol bottles lying on the ground beside the bed, as well as scattered Quidditch and PlayWizard magazines. The messiest of all though was the rich wooden floor and the beautiful carpet that rested there. Neither was visible through the piles of clothes and robes, disarrayed books, wrappers of junk food, small bags of spilling flo powder as well as Gallons, dirty goblets and plates, and half burned stuff Sirius had set on fire by accident…or most likely on purpose.
Though incredibly messy, Sirius' room still looked very cool, just like everything else about Sirius…no matter what Sirius did, he could do no wrong. How was Regulus supposed to keep himself from jealousy when his older brother had absolutely everything? Sirius was extremely handsome, smart without having to try too hard, creative, brave, strongly magical, fun…Regulus had hated his bitter jealousy towards his own brother, but it never faded. Not even when Regulus had managed to get into Slytherin after Sirius had arrogantly let his parents down, and winning over their favor!
Regulus picked up a set of photographs, glaring at James Potter's grinning face…he could remember the Christmas after Sirius' first year of Hogwarts, the way his brother would not shut up about his dumb friends Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew…but most of all James! If Sirius and James had been close as kids, they had become joined at the hips by the time they had roomed together in Gryffindor. Nevertheless Regulus had always felt the need to somehow out do Sirius, and the two falling apart, specially after Regulus became a Slytherin, did nothing to help the matters.
Throwing the pictures away, Regulus snored with bitter laughter. If there was anything he and Sirius ever had in common it was their strong will; Regulus had used it to become the model of a pureblood wizard, everything their parents dreamed to have in their son…and Sirius had used it to become their parents' worst nightmare! While winning their parents' favor had given Regulus a sense of satisfaction, it drove his brother much farther away from him. He could never think back of Sirius' disgust at it all, without his stomach churning uncomfortably. If he hadn't been so envious, if he hadn't fallen to his parent's trap so horribly…if he hadn't been so determined his parents had it right and Sirius was just being stubborn…he could've taken Sirius' side in their last fight, then maybe he would've still had his older brother with him! The brother he missed so very much…for nearly 6 years now.
* * *
"Dad," James carried on, "we could really use you're help on it…"
"How far have you two gone with the book?" Mr. Potter asked rubbing his short well styled beard thoughtfully as he looked through the notes James had just handed him.
"How clever are we!" Sirius said, his proud voice causing a smile to form on Mr. Potter's face.
"Very," he replied his head still in the notes, "some of this stuff…it would take me a long to time to get through as well!"
"Brilliant right? Specially all the things we learned about time travel!!!" James was practically bursting to try and built the things only a numbered amount of people could ever make, Sirius' grin was just as wide and bursting with excitement.
"And work with the elements…by using these we could become so damn powerful!"
"Yes," Mr. Potter said suddenly, and motioned the boys to sit down and after putting the notes down, he picked up the heavy book and began flipping through it, pausing at a page, "hmmm, not enough at all…tell me, what else have you boys learned about death?"
"The body is left behind much like old clothes," James said.
"The soul goes to another place," Sirius said.
"Some wait as ghosts, some watch over us, and others sleep."
"All are waiting for a day they seem to think of like a judgment day."
"The dead can be contacted with…through the very few portals of death."
"But if one passes the portals…they will have sure death!"
Mr. Potter smiled in an amused sort of way, looking through the book one more time he turned to the boys.
"You know that I spend a few short years working in the department of magic before my father passed away and I had to take his place in our company. I think you boys have achieved a lot out of this book, but I have much to add on."
"Tell us then father!" James demanded and Mr. Potter's smile grew.
"Let's start with death, so far the one you seem to understand least of all. Whenever there is a death…a new portal forms (we still do not know how!) ready to take in the soul of the dead, when the body can no longer hold on to it. The people deaths happed around rarely do notice it, since their minds are too full of emotions or thoughts, and it takes a lot of concentration to being able to find the portal. If someone who is not dead manages to find it…they will likely step through and die, like you said, but we've found out that…" Mr. Potter sighed as though not sure he should say this to two boys of 16, "I go to the department often as I am still a part of it, and through spies and history studies, we've been able to find that the ancient Egyptians had some sort of magical energy that is able to open a portal, in such a way that the souls would be able to escape and take hold of a new body, or an old one and just merely fix it!"
"How bout those who are sucked in with their whole body?" Sirius asked curiously.
"Their bodies are left behind in the entrance of the portal, they might be able to regain them instead of finding another to fix through magic."
Sirius and James exchanged awed looks, then turned back to Mr. Potter with identical large grins.
"Tell us more!" James demanded.
"Yes, you know so much Mr. Potter, it's mind bottling you're brain is the same size as everyone else's'," Sirius flashed him his most charming smile, making Mr. Potter chuckle as he placed the notes on the desk behind him.
"Very well, but everything I tell you is a summery and description not a manual…that you need to figure out yourselves. How bout we get into the planets a bit?" he asked the two boys and chuckled once again, seeing their abnormally large smiles double in width.
* * *
"You don't have to be so fucking touchy bout it!" Ariadne snapped at Severus who like her had stayed behind during the holidays…and unlike her was determined to be miserable about it! She had just tried to make small talk, he could at least be civil…after all, most guys would love to be included in a conversation with her…or so she had thought. The kids at Hogwarts weren't at all like she had expected, especially the Slytherins… Rabastan and Evan were too cold for their own good. Her seductive method hadn't exactly failed, but none had fallen helpless to her feet, and that was not usual!
Then there was Snape, the boy who outright refused her!!! Ariadne had never thought that possible…but it was true. Severus Snape had stopped her the second she had reached for his pant zipper, calling her a dirty whore! It had been shocking and embarrassing, and Snape ignoring her had been no treat either, though she just couldn't figure out why he had said no…why not have just have used her like Evan had? She couldn't have described the shame she faced in those few minutes even if she tried…it was too horrible! But Ariadne wasn't one to dwell on the past, even if it made her teeth clench to move on…so she had tried to act civil towards Severus, but it seemed as though he wasn't so forgetting.
"Touchy?" Severus snored, "you're one to talk!"
"Right…I forgot. It's alright Snape, I understand how you feel…I was once a virgin too!" having had to cover her emotions for so long, it came almost natural to Ariadne now. Snape's eye however twitched, giving her the satisfaction of touching a nerve.
"What, when you were 5?" he said coldly, turning back to his heavy transfiguration text book, "why don't you just leave, maybe you can convince the 3rd years to pay you a few knuts, who knows how much you can make out of sex."
"I'm sick of you're immature jokes Snape! I thought there was another sixth year left here, but it looks like I was wrong!" Ariadne said getting up swiftly, and made her way out of the Slytherin. While still in an outrage she walked passed the library, but was all of a sudden stopped by Dumbledore himself, who ushered her into his office.
Staring into those searching blue eyes, Ariadne tried to keep her cool as she leaned back on her chair, not that it worked. She had a feeling Dumbledore could read her mind, and the thought of someone doing such things brought chills to her very bones.
"I have been hearing much about you, Ms Ariadne," Dumbledore said softly, though his voice held no accusations, she still couldn't help herself feeling some what ashamed of her behavior and felt her cheeks grow warm.
"What sorts of things," she tried her best calm voice, which was rather squeaky, none of her cool tactics seemed to work around this particular headmaster.
"Of you're making friends fast, with many Slytherin none the less. I must say, you have some of your father in you," Dumbledore wasn't even looking at her now, but staring at the library door, but Ariadne still felt his eyes on her.
"Is that so?" her voice was lacking emotion, though inside it was quite the opposite. While Ariadne was bubbling in anger to be compared to the Dark Lord, she was also swelling in pride…she had been called great in most ways than one.
"Yes, but I like you to be careful. While it may be fun and brilliant to make such strong allies for yourself, you may also be stepping deeper and deeper into a trap. A trap that might not be so easy to get out when the time comes when you want to do so." Dumbledore said all this very casually, as though talking about the weather, Ariadne on the other hand felt her insides freeze, though what he had said sent waves of confusion washing over her, a tiny part knew exactly what he had meant and it scared her in a way nothing had ever before.
"I don't understand," she whispered, but even she could hear the lie loud and clear in her voice. Dumbledore just gave her a brief smile.
"Maybe you'll be strong enough to help him too," he murmured before walking passed her with a swift departing nod, all before what he had said had hit Ariadne.
Eyes popping out, Ariadne turned around to find the hall empty, and frustrated she stomped her foot on the ground, growling, "NOT HIM! I refuse to have anything to do with him…no guy is gonna touch my life in anyway, you hear that Dumbledore!" an odd stare from 2 passing 2nd years shut her up, making her turn a shade of red, though that did little for her temper.