Under My Skin
Chapter four
I'm the Boy Who Lived, So I Can Wander The Halls!
Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter...:( lol
The nearly full moon hung high in the heavens, bathing everything it touched with shimmering light. Everyone, for the most part, was in a peaceful slumber, dreaming of petty things that they would surely forget about in the morning.
In the depths of the darkness, where no light dared to go, a house stood tall. It looked as if it had been magnificent in it's day; although now, if you actually happened to get a chance to see it, it looked like a stray dog; old, worn, ragged...
Number 12 Grimmauld Place had always housed a dark family. They were known supporters of the Dark Lord himself, and many of the family members were Death Eaters as well. The family of Black also, obviously, had believed in many Pureblood's view of the Wizarding world; Muggles, filth, Muggleborns, filth, Muggle lovers, filth, and blood traitors, filth. It seemed that the whole family believed these rules as rules of life.
Sirius Black was the only exception.
He knew what his family believed in, and thought of it as 'rubbish' at the best. He was the only known Black to belong to Gryffindor, fight against, not with, Voldemort, and believe that Dumbledore was one of the greatest wizards alive.
He had also befriended one James Potter; the Potter's were considered enemies to the Dark Lord for quite a while. Even long before the prophesy about James and Lily's son had unfolded, Voldemort had been intent on taking down the Potter family. The hatred had merely intensified.
Voldemort had, unfortunately, murdered all of the Potters, with only one exception; Harry Potter. Yet as young Harry lived on that fateful Halloween night, both of his parents had perished...
...Or so everyone thought.
Sirius Black paced endlessly in the dusty kitchen of Number 12, Grimmauld Place. October 31...the day his two best friends had died. He could not sleep, of course. He hadn't slept in days. Every year around the end of October, he'd dream of James, Lily, and Voldemort...the married couple dying...It was his fault! he told himself.
Of course, it wasn't as if he'd never had these nightmares; it was just that around the anniversary of his best friends' deaths, the nightmares became more vivid, and even worse, if that was possible.
Remus Lupin sat at the kitchen table; eyes darted from Sirius, to the fire, to his butterbeer, then back to Sirius. The werewolf was quite concerned for his friend; Black had not slept for more then a few hours the past couple days and it was really beginning to become evident. Sirius' eyes were quite hollow, and bags hung under them, and he appeared as if he might fall over and minute. That was pretty much true, too. Every once in a while, Sirius would have to clutch a counter or chair to regain balance, but then he would go on with his pacing.
Perhaps it was because of the state of Sirius, or the constant reminisce
of James and Lily, but the sight reminded him of the day Harry was born.
"Sirius, stop pacing and sit down already!" he had chided, rolling his eyes.
"Sit down? Sit down? Moony, are you daft!" Sirius nearly howled, indeed looking the one who was mad.
"Guys! Cool it!" Peter said, trying, and failing, to mollify the other two MaraurdersSirius and Remus had continued to bicker every now and then, though, leaving Peter quite exasperated.
A few hours later, the three had been allowed into Lily's hospital room, greeted by a fatigued and ill, but merry looking Lily, an ecstatic James, and a small baby, dozing peacefully. James' appearance had been nearly identical to Sirius'. Exhausted, worried…
Remus snapped out of his thoughts as Sirius suddenly plopped roughly into the chair opposite of him.
"Padfoot?" Remus inquired softly. Sirius suddenly looked as if something deeper was troubling him.
Lupin's voice seemed to shake Sirius from his thoughts. His slightly narrowed eyes glanced at his old friend, pondering something. "I'm fine," he said, lying in response to Remus' unasked question. "But…I don't know, I just got this bizarre feeling…I don't know, I'll bet I'm imagining things…." he trailed off, rubbing his eyes with his fists roughly. When he reopened them, tiny white spots erupted in front of his face, and Sirius tried his best to shake them off.
Remus, however, did not shrug this off. "Sirius, you should really consider some sleep…I don't want to be stuck dragging you to your room after you've passed out," he added in an attempt of lighthearted humor. Sirius, however, merely waved him off.
"I'm not tired," he groaned quietly, sounding remarkably like a child. He seemed to realize this, and he quickly added. "I mean, I might as well go on and get a jump start of cleaning the sitting room. It's gotten quite dirty since the summer…."
Remus sighed and watched the animagus wander off into the gloomy hallway. It was nearly midnight, and Sirius claimed to wish to clean? He must truly be desperate to avoid a much needed rest if he'd go that far.
The werewolf sighed, gathering a few empty butterbeers from the counter and throwing them into the trash. For some reason, he reckoned it would be a long night.
Remus vaguely heard Sirius exclaim something that sounded like 'He's WHAT?' but waved it off. Sirius was just strange like that sometimes, and recently he'd taken up taking to himself occasionally.
His assumption was proved, when not a moment later, Sirius called for his from the sitting room, adding a rude "and hurry!". Remus gently tsked, but made his way to the sitting room with agility nevertheless.
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Harry, covered completely by his Invisibility cloak, walked with acceleration, brows furrowed. Tonight dream--vision--was quite different then any other night's. Typically, he dreamt of endless, windowless corridors, with a locked door at one end. Yet tonight was one of Voldemort himself. He unconsciously put two fingers to his scar. The excruciating pain he'd experienced moments previous had died down considerably, leaving Harry with a mere twinge. It didn't hurt, but it was distracting.
He had his wand in his right hand, gripping it firmly, but didn't think he should use Lumos. He doubted it would help in keeping the fact that he was out of bed, wandering her corridors, after hours a secrete. Oh yes, Filch, the old caretaker, who be delighted to put him in detention for a month or two. Snape would probably remove a good amount of Gyffindor points. Harry involuntarily shudder at the thought of Snape.
Snape had taken a disliking to Harry the moment they'd layed eyes on each other. Harry knew the true reason behind this. It was because James Potter was his father. Snape and James had had a long, hateful past together when both attended Hogwarts as students. James was everything Snape was not; a star quid ditch player, popular, and James pretty much excelled in everything he did. Snape was just this outcast oddball who had an uncanny fascination in the Dark Arts. So James (along with the rest of the Maraurders-namely James and Sirius) had loathed 'Snivelus' and the feeling was quite mutual.
Harry was thoroughly immersed in his thoughts, his attention to where he was heading dwindled a bit every passing minute. So when he finally snapped out of it, he found himself on the opposite side of the castle, as far from the Headmaster's office as possible. He could have hit himself for letting his mind wander for so long. What was even worse was that he was quite near where Umbridge resided. He was only a floor above.
The Gryffindor made a quick, sudden movement to exit this corridor, and ran into something quite solid. He fell back, and the Cloak fell off of him leaving him visible.
"Ah, Mr. Potter, out for a late night stroll, I presume?" came an all too familiar voice.
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Thunder boomed in the distance, but the sky was clear. The air around, however, was chilling James Potter to the bone. The fact that he was already soaked did not help matters at all. He staggered to his feet; Apparating had taken a considerably large amount of energy from him, and he hadn't much to begin with.
As rapidly as he possibly could, James made his way towards Hogwarts. The castle didn't look any different at all, James reflected vaguely, and a haunted smile nearly graced his lips upon noticing the Whomping Willow in the distance. But alas, this merely delivered an extra dose of pain and suffering as he reminded himself that his friends were dead.
The thundered sounded again, and far away James spotted a dash of lightening. He decided that it was for the best that he got inside Hogwarts before it rained on him again.
By the time he reached Hogwarts, he figured it was quite late; many lights were extinguished, leaving the thousands of windows dark and gloomy. It was surreal to be striding up to Hogwarts again, really. But then again, he thought of Lily and Harry…Hadn't he always heard the whole 'kill the men, save the women and children' saying? This was unfair that James was now alive and his family…they were not.
He grew steadily closer to the castle, everything blurred considerably by his lack of glasses to aid his vision. Off in the distance, near the looming Forest, was a black smudge that James reckoned was Hagrid's place. Hagrid…so he was still here then? Or perhaps, thought James, Hagrid was gone as well, and no one had removed his hut from the grounds….
When James finally approached the massive front doors, he pushed on them. They wouldn't budge. He kept at it for a few unsuccessful moments before crying in frustration, "Come on! I need to see Dumbledore quickly!"
It was as if saying the magic password, or perhaps the doors knew who the Maraurder was- this place was magic after all- but the doors suddenly flung themselves open wide. Potter sighed gratefully and went on his way in the silent darkness. If he hadn't used to creep around most nights as a school boy here, he'd probably of been frightened by the creak and moans the castle frequently gave off. Of course, James remembered the route to the Headmaster's office. He'd spent so much time there in school, he believed he and Sirius had set a record…Sirius. James hastily made his way to the Gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's office, pushing his thoughts from his mind. He couldn't break down in the middle of a school corridor, if anyone came across him, they'd believe him mad.
Ah, he thought, frowning. The password…James had no idea what the passowrd was. From past experiences, it was usually some sweet name. And so Potter began spitting out any sweet name he could think of. After quite a while of babbling, James managed to get the Gargoyle to spring aside at 'Lemon Drop'. As he mounted the tight spiraling staircase, he couldn't help but wonder why Albus seemed so fond of those Muggle treats.
He reached the office door and knocked a few times, quite impatiently. He pushed open the door when he heard a quiet 'Come in' from inside.
Albus Dumbledore sat at his desk silently, fingers neatly intertwined, hands atop the desk. He was not expecting a visit from a dead man- James Potter, no less! The old man gasped and stood, the twinkle that usually resided in his bright, blue eyes vanishing.
"Why- James Potter?"
"Albus, no, you need to listen!" James interuptest urgently. "Voldemort, he attacked us-- Lily and Harry, Albus you need to save them before-- and Remus, Sirius, Peter….Peter! Is he alright? Where are they!"
Dumbledore blinked, trying to make sense of what was happening. But that was the thing, this did not make sense!
"Albus, don't tell me…please, Merlin no, Lily…Harry!" James slumped to the ground suddenly.
Dumbledore rushed around his desk and kneeled down beside James. There was only one way he knew how to decide if this was truly James Potter or not.
"James, you must listen to me," he said gently. "Would you kindly transform into Prongs for me,"
James didn't understand. What was Dumbledore doing, at this rate, Lily and Harry hadn't a chance! But he obliged, if it would make things go faster. Soon a stag stood in James Potter's place, tossing it's head nervously. A moment later James shifted back into his human self.
"This…this is absolutely amazing…." Dumbledore breathed, eyes wide.
"What?" James asked, jumping up, now quite angry. "Albus, Harry, Lily! And Sirius, Remus, Peter! You need to gather the Order, Voldemort-!"
Albus sighed and gently directed James into a seat. "James, my dear boy…welcome back, I daresay everyone's missed you these past 14 years,"
James sputtered. "Four-FOURTEEN YEARS?" he bellowed, completely in shock. "Oh no, oh no oh no…"
"James, you must believe me when I say this. Sirius and Remus and Pettigrew- they are all alive. As is your son, Harry,"
James sank back into his chair, feeling dizzy. If he hadn't been sitting, he would have falling to the floor in an instant. A buzzing noise entered his head and wouldn't go away. Dumbledore was busy calling someone at the fireplace; James didn't catch who. He was too…what was the word one might use to describe how he felt? Hopeful, hurt, excited, the list went on. It wasn't until a moment later, while Dumbledore's head was still in the fire, did James reconnect with the living world. A knock on the door had caused it. Albus seemed to hear it also, because not a second later he was out of the fire. The person at the door did not wait, though. She barged right in.
It was a stumpy sort of woman who, James thought, greatly resembled a toad. Except quite uglier. She looked disheveled yet excited. James wondered why, but didn't move or make himself known from his seat in the corner.
"Albus, Potter was found walking about the corridor-!" She stopped and noticed James, and her mouth was left hanging open.
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"So, Potter, you thought because you're the Boy- Who- Lived that you can wander the castle after hours? Well, I do believe a visit to the Headmaster is entitled. Yes and along with any punishment you receive from Dumbledore, you will spend a week with me writing lines!" Umbridge spoke so fast and so animatedly that Harry found it difficult to follow along. He seethed with anger at the woman, but literally bit his tongue to calm himself and stop himself from saying something that would double his detentions. Angelina was going to murder him when she found out about this.
Ah yes, writing lines. Harry smiled bitterly and glanced at his right hand. The scars 'I will not tell lies' shined slightly in the rays of light from the moon. It had finally healed over completely, but itched greatly and ached constantly. And now he'd be adding a new line to his hand, writing in his own blood. Harry began silently wondering what the evil toad would have him etch into his skin this time; probably something like 'I will not wander the corridors at night just because I'm the Boy- Who- Lived,'
Harry had tried to reason with her, told her he was trying to get to Professor Dumbledore's. She, naturally, did not believe him. Since Harry was so far from the Headmaster's office, Umbridge highly doubted Harry's story. Then again, the monster would probably deny Harry's innocence even if Harry were standing right outside the Gargoyle that guards Dumbledore's office.
Soon they reached the Gargoyle and Umbridge stated the password. As they mounted the staircase, she puffed herself out in a way Harry believed she thought menacing. In reality it only made her look more like a toad.
At the oak door, the DADA professor ordered Harry to stay outside for a moment while she 'informed Headmaster Dumbledore of his misdeeds.' Harry sighed and leaned against the wall while she waited.
He was silent outside the door for a moment until he heard shouting. It was unmistakably Umbridge, why she was screaming bloody murder was beyond him.
Young Potter opened the door, wand raised just in case.
What he saw, no, who he saw, made Harry's head spin and his forehead feel like someone was piercing the scar with a dagger.
A/N: Ack! I meant to get this out Monday, but I didn't have time! Sorry! Anyway, sorry for the little cliffhanger! I would have gone farther, but then this chapter would probably end up going from 5 pages to like 10, and in that case, it would take me a few more days to get this to you. Still, I'm not really satisfied with this chapter. It just didn't come out the way I'd planned. Hmm…
DemonlitionxLovers: Oh don't worry, I won't have Harry jump on James and be all like 'Oh my god Dad I've missed you now lets go do a prank!' WHERES THE DRAMA WHERES THE ANGST IN THAT? Seriously! But I'm glad you side on me with that, that Harry wouldn't jump into James' arms. Ooh pizza! Yum XD
Amrawo: Omg I take just as long to find stuff I like lol! Well, as you've read, they HAVE technically just met, but I'm pretty sure it won't be like you know, 'meet' meet. More like Harry sees James and freaks. There definitely wont be any bonding or anything for at LEAST a few more chapters though.
Shaira: No that's not boring, it's cool! French seems like such a pretty language to me, but so confusing too lol! Thanks!
Danix: I tried working on this chapter whenever I could, I hope I got it up fast enough J Thanks for reviewing and reading!
LittleLily87: I'm glad you like it! Thanks a lot really!
Untill next time! Next chapter, there will be some injuries, freaked/angry/angsty Harry, and much much more fun! So don't miss it XDD