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Chapter 14: Answers and questions.

… How was she supposed to answer that?

How can I tell him, or anyone for that matter, how can I tell them the truth.

Julia just looked at Draco, the satisfied smile slowly falling away from her face, being replaced by an almost expressionless look, almost. Draco could tell that something was bothering her. She had gone completely still.

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes, I do. I want to know why for the past week, when someone wanted to find you, they couldn't. Why we had to send the whole castle searching for you. I think everyone wants to know."

I shouldn't have been obvious that I was hiding, Idiot.

"It hurts… to be around everyone, to be around anyone. Especially when there upset, or feeling hurt, it's almost overwhelming."

Draco didn't understand and said so.

"What don't you get? I can feel their emotions, it's almost as if it's radiating off of them. I can feel it when their happy, or sad, or angry. I can feel it, and it's too much to handle. How am I supposed to handle their emotions along with mine?" Julia's voice which had been strong at the beginning of her answer was now trembling with anguish. "The only way I can stop myself from feeling what everyone else is feeling is to go, to hide from everyone. That's why I'm hiding, Draco Malfoy."

Draco was taken aback. What the heck? What's going on around here is the world turning backwards or something? Draco tried to ignore the little flash of guilt he felt, it wasn't his fault. He didn't send the death eaters after Julia. It just bothered him that his family had been in on it that they had been the ones to do that to someone.

Julia looked at Draco curiously was he feeling guilty. She wasn't too familiar with the feeling of guilt. Of course she felt it when she and Harry got into arguments over things that were her fault, but she wasn't used to such strong feelings of guilt as was emanating from Draco.

"Draco, are you feeling guilty?"

Draco looked surprised, but before he could answer there was a shout of "Julia Lillyana Potter where are you!"

"I knew we shouldn't have been playing chess up here", Julia exclaimed gesturing around at the astronomy tower, "Snape already yelled at me for being up here the first time. He'll have a fit if he finds me here again!" Julia quickly grabbed her book bag, which she had been carrying with her everywhere, and ran down the steps leaving Draco alone on the tower.

Draco looked around the tower, it was already getting dark outside, he hadn't even noticed. Time fly's when your getting your arse handed to you on a silver platter. He thought referring to Julia's chess prowess. He had to get Julia and Severus to play against each other one day. Then it occurred to him that he didn't even really know Julia very well. He didn't even know why he had asked her to hang out with him, he tried to rationalize it to pure boredom plain and simple, but deeper inside him he knew that he felt guilty about what had happened to Julia, but he didn't want to base everything he did now with Julia on guilt. He didn't even know that he wanted to hang out with Julia again. What would his friends think? They might abandon him. Heck they might abandon you already because you ran away from home. They will abandon you if they find out your siding with Dumbledore. They're only your friends because of who your father is. You know it don't deny it. The cynical side of his conscience Said, but the more optimistic side thought otherwise, they're your friends, they'll like you no matter what.

Pushing those thoughts aside he thought about how his afternoon had gone once they had left the dungeons, while he was picking up the scattered chess pieces. Julia and Draco had wandered the halls at first. Just chatting about normal things, trying to be nice, and not knowing what exactly to say they didn't even really know that much about each other. They still didn't to tell the truth. Draco had found out that Julia liked music, not the modern pop music that was always playing, but the older pieces, she loved piano. And she was fond of chess. That little tidbit of information had led them to the top of the astronomy tower, where Julia had insisted was the best place to play, the more outlandish the environ, the better. Draco knew better now. She had chosen the astronomy tower because no one ever came up there so she wouldn't have to feel anyone's emotions, beside hers, and his obviously. The thought of emotions led Draco back to Julia's earlier question:

"Draco, are you feeling guilty?"

The way her face had looked as she said that, confused Draco, it was almost as if she couldn't believe that someone could feel guilty, or rather so guilty.

So she wasn't lying when she said that she felt other people's emotions. Draco wondered if she had told anyone else.

Severus Snape was preparing another drought of Wolfs Bane Potion when there was a knock on his door.

"Enter" he said rather absently. His attention only on making the potion he didn't notice when Remus Lupin came in and took a seat across the lab table.

After a few minutes of silence Severus looked up to see who it was. Seeing Remus he said, "potion's not ready yet Lupin, come back in an hour".

"That's not why I'm here Severus" pausing Remus scratched his nose, a nervous habit that he had. Then he said in a rush, "I think we should tell her about Saris." Remus waited for the blow up.

Instead Severus took a deep breath, "are you sure Lupin, are you ready to tell her everything?"

"She has to know that she's not the only one, are we in agreement then?" Remus said taking his earlier lack of out burst as agreement.

Severus took a minute before he replied, "Yes Remus, I agree."

Remus opened his mouth to say something but before he could they heard, "Julia Lillyana Potter where are you?" Both men looked at each for a moment.

"Well I guess that we should tell her now." Severus said, leaving the room with a vial of Remus' potion, and leaving Remus behind to wonder if they were doing the right thing.

"Well Lupin, are you coming or not?"

"Where have you been young lady?"

Julia was bent over gasping from running all the way to the infirmary.

"I'm sorry madam Pomfrey the time just got away from me."

The nurse just shook her head and started into what Julia knew was going to be a long rant. "Time just got away from you! Where were you that time just got away from you? Do you know how important it is to take your potions in time, each and every day? Do you? And then all you can say for your self is that 'time got away from you' that is one of the most…" harrumphing to her self the nurse went into her office to get the medicine.

Julia, though startled by the outburst wasn't too worried about getting yelled at. While she could tell that the nurse was far from happy with her, Julia felt worry not anger emanate from her. She was in a lot of trouble Julia knew that, she wasn't delusional. The nurse had never yelled at Harry like that. Harry never saw fit to leave the hospital ward against orders did he? Biting her lip Julia wondered what was taking the nurse so long. Maybe she was in more trouble that she knew. The sound of the doors to the infirmary swishing opened distracted Julia from further thought of the nurse.

She was dancing around the hall. She shouldn't of been dancing, Severus knew that, had tried to stop her in fact.

"Saris, your just going to get into trouble stop before father finds out" he'd desperately shouted out. But of course it was too late.

"Just what do you think you're doing young lady", they heard as the door slammed shut. Severus shrank against the wall as his father came stomping down the hall. Saris however was standing very still watching their father come.

"So what was that all about?" Julia asked as Remus directed her to a seat, while professor Snape warded his office.

"Well um….." Remus began, but Snape cut him off.

"You said you would let me begin, remember Lupin?"

"Well yes I remember I was just going to tell Julia why we insisted on speaking with her down in your office, Severus."

'Well this is certainly enlightening, Remus and Snape getting along, hummm and maybe next I'll find out that the tooth fairy is real' Julia mused as she watched the unfolding scene. And pondering about how she had come to be in the potion masters office. While Snape gestured Remus outside the office.

While she had been waiting for madam Pomfrey to come out of her office and give Julia her, quite disgusting, potions, Remus and Snape had come into the ward and insisted quite strongly to the nurse that Julia should take the medicine later on in the day. Then they whisked her off to Snape's office, presumably to yell at her, 'or mayhaps to explain just what the heck Julia was doing at Hogwarts.' Any time she had asked after she woke up from her 'coma' Julia had been told, "Later" or "in time" it infuriated her to no end. Why was she to be expected to wait for answers for questions about herself when she knew for a fact that Draco Malfoy knew more than she did? Julia had heard the headmaster warn him not to tell her anything, or woe betide him, "or some other nonsense" as Draco had told her later. It was strange that they were getting along as well as they were. Usually Julia just stayed back from the arguments, taunts, and inevitable fights that Malfoy and Harry got into. And usually they left her out of it. Well mostly at least, there was that time back in third year when she had hexed Malfoy quite mercilessly; she had thought Buckbeak the hippogriff dead at the time though.

Even so Julia was curious as to why the potions master and Remus were getting along so well, by her standards they seemed quite chummy. 'No werewolf jokes, or quite dignity yet'

Julia waited quietly for someone to begin explaining something. She waited for a couple of minutes while both men were quietly arguing outside, 'probably arguing about how much to say'. And waited, and waited. After twenty minutes of twiddling her fingers, Julia gave up being polite. "Excuse me", she said in a loud, irritated voice, "are you done out there or should I come back when both of you have figured out just how much to tell me?"

The voices stilled outside then she heard "oh fine you tell her" from Remus as her former professor and her current professor reentered the office.

Julia waited until both men had seated themselves, Snape behind his desk, Remus just to the side of Julia; before asking "well?"

Snape opened his mouth, looking like he would like nothing better than to assign points, or give a detention. 'Ha it's the summer so he can't even if he wanted to!' Julia crowed to herself, for some strange reason she felt giddy all of a sudden. That had been happening quite a bit lately, she would be in a situation that would require one emotion but she would feel the complete opposite. Couple that together with the spurts of emotion she could feel radiating off anyone else and Julia ended up with a headache and the distinct feeling that she was going crazy. All in all it had not been a good week. Snape closed his mouth and then sat back at his desk regarding Julia with something of a contemplative nature; it reminded Julia of Dumbledore slightly, 'odd'. Julia was wondering just when the man would speak. She couldn't tell if what he was going to say would be good or not. For some reason, that Julia attributed to his being a,' what did Harry say Dumbledore said, oh yes a "superb occlumens"', Julia couldn't tell what the man was feeling, and for that she was extremely grateful. Remus was projecting worry, but that was all he had been projecting since she had started feeling his emotions. After a moment Snape started to speak.

"I suppose you want to know what happened to you?"

When Julia nodded, Snape put up a silencing spell on the office.

"What I'm about to tell you does not leave this office, do you understand?"

"Yes sir", Julia said reverting to student mode. Wondering as she did what she was about to learn and why Severus Snape would be the one telling her.

"Where should I start, perhaps the beginning?"

"Three weeks ago, you were attacked at the home of Arabella Figg's house. You recall that incident, am I correct?"

Julia nodded slightly.

"Do you recall what happened to you?" he asked in a cold voice, as if he were in class and was asking the common uses of powdered Graphon.

"Not the specifics, I know some of it but not all." Julia said hesitating as she tried to remember it. "I remember looking for Ms. Figg, and not being able to find her. Then…. Then finding the cats," she swallowed back the vile feeling of nausea, that had gripped her when she pictured the cats, as she had last seen them. "and Mr. Tibbles I remember finding him still alive, I was so relieved, I took him outside, I was going to take the cat to Harry, but I went back inside for some reason, I can't really remember why. Then I remember seeing Lucius Malfoy." suddenly Julia was lost in her memories.

"Hello Potter, so nice of you to join us."

Julia tried and failed to get away from his grasp.

"Sorry Potter, no such luck today." Malfoy laughed nastily…

…."Where's Ms. Figg you slimy bastards"?

"Who are you to make demands of us, Potter? It doesn't seem like your in control of the situation, now does it?"

"What a brave little girl, she thinks she can talk to us like that, Like she's in charge. What a brave stupid little girl." Bellatrix Lestrange said in a babyish voice…

…The Dementor was standing, or rather floating in the corner of the kitchen…

"Ms.Figg, are you okay?" Julia asked, but received no response. Something was terribly wrong with her…

…Ms.Figg had no expression on her face. She had no Figg'ness left. It looked like she had no sense of self…

"What did you do to her, what did you do?"

"We did what we had to, what you're about to experience. Look your future in the face Potter!" Malfoy snarled...

…Suddenly he threw her toward the Dementor…

…The Dementor grabbed her throat and brought its face closer to Julia's, before she knew it every thing had gone black… …She could see nothing…

…"Selubrious!"…

"Potter, Potter, look at me!" Julia heard someone shout.

Shivering convulsively Julia did.

Snape was looking at her with an odd expression on his face; it could almost be termed concern.

"What happened potter" he asked.

Julia shook her head; she didn't want to repeat it.

Remus was standing next to her, holding her still quaking shoulders, "give her a moment" he said in a harsh, angry voice.

"No I will not give her a moment, I know more than you what's happening. I told you before to. Let. Me. Handle. This. Now will you, please?" Snape said in a cold, threatening voice. It was the most threatening Julia had ever heard Snape speak in. when he spoke to Julia it was in a decidedly more calm, gentle manner.

"Potter, here I want you to take this," he said handing her a vial of purple potion.

Julia took it and swallowed the contents in one gulp. She instantly felt better, her muscles were relaxing and the choking feeling she had felt was gone. "What is this stuff," she belatedly asked?

"It's an emotion suppresser. It helped I presume?"

"Yes, thank you."

The potion was coming into full effect now, Julia didn't feel worried or upset, in fact she felt nothing of all, well nothing of her emotions at least. She could still feel Remus' worry pouring off him in waves. Unconsciously she pulled back from Remus, sitting more forward in her chair.

Snape seeing the motion, instantly knew what was going on. "Lupin, you will have to leave." He sneered.

Julia looked up at her professor in shock, 'did he know?"

Remus on the other hand was pissed thoughts of 'how dare he' and 'what right does he have to order me around like that' were running through his head. How ever all he said was, "Severus, may I ask what reasons how have to," and here he sneered, quite unlike himself, "Ask me to leave?"

Everyone in the room knew that Snape hadn't asked, he had ordered.

Snape took a breath before answering in one of his more snarky tones, "Well I just thought that you wouldn't want your god daughter to be in any necessary pain, due to your presence."

'Well', Julia thought, 'that answers that question, doesn't it?'

She looked over to Remus to see how he was taking the news.

Remus sat ramrod strait, unable to believe what he had just heard, what was the man on? He was the one who had just asked Julia to recount what had happened to her at Arabella house. "Explain."

Snape smiled, 'this was really going to tick the other man off'

"Perhaps later, if I deem it necessary to tell you, Now off with you" he said, using his arm to dismiss the man.

Julia scowled at the potions master, 'he looks like he's enjoying holding the information over Remus' head. He really has a weird sense of humor.'

Remus didn't move he just sat there after Snape's little dismissal. He was beyond angry he was furious.

Julia took pity on her godfather, she really hadn't wanted to tell anyone, especially like this, but she also didn't want to see who would win in a duel between Snape and Remus, she thought Snape would win.

"Remus," Julia said in her most soothing tones, "professor Snape is right, well sort of," she shot Snape and angry look; she really didn't want to tell Remus. "Except that I'm not in any pain, it's just stressful, feeling what you feel." There she had said it, even if it had been in a round about way.

"Excuse me?"

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'Authors note: hey, sorry it's taken so long to update, I've been really busy with school lately. So just to fill you in, I was originally going to tell you more about Saris in this chapter but seeing as its been a while since my last update I just thought that I would leave it to next chapter. I will endeavor to have the next chapter up in a week if possible; I've already started writing it so it will be up soon. No month long waits between updates right now. Anyways I have given you a bit of info about "Saris" in this chapter, tell me what you think the story is.

Next chapter: Saris

Excerpt: "well I guess you have the right to know." Julia looked up at him curiously, 'what right to know what?"