Disclaimer: I don't own it. Have I ever?
Chapter Five – The deceptiveness that comes hereby
Canada was cold in winter.
It was icy, snow covered the ground and icicles hung pinnacle like from the pines. Any water was frozen over, silent and hard on the outside, even if, underneath the thin crust of ice, it flowed and flowed.
Appearances could be deceiving, after all.
Gypsy laughed as she tottered out onto the magically reinforced ice, her arms flailing like a windmill as she tried to make her way over to her brother, on the other side of the medium sized pond. Cody grinned and skated further away from her, gliding in circles on the white surface.
With a thump Gypsy landed on her padded behind.
"Why did I agree to this?" her wail of complaint was layered with humour and happiness as she glared balefully at her brother, wide hazel eyes blinking at him tearfully, her bottom lip protruding just a little too far for how she was acting to be taken literally.
Cody grinned, coming over to help her up.
With a laugh from his sister and a surprised scream from Cody he too was sitting on the ice looking over to a hysterical Gypsy. He gave into the smile that was threatening to take over his face and both of them were laughing on the lake, happy.
Appearances could be deceptive.
"Are you two done yet?" they both looked up, the grins on their faces growing as the looked at their also laughing father. Gypsy nodded from her snow angel position on the ice, just as Cody tried to get up and run off the pond to show just how ready he was. He fell over backwards though, and was soon in the same position that Gypsy was; spreadeagled out on the cold surface.
And then, with absolutely no warning, their laughing father burst into tears.
Both Gypsy and Cody froze and looked up to their dad, watching as he wailed his heart out for the first time since they had been two and a half years old. Neither of them moved as the man dropped down onto the hard surface and put his face in his hands, sobs racking his body as he shook his head in what might have been denial.
The two exchanged 'looks' and Gypsy tottered up, unused to the slippery surface, but managed to half drag/claw, half skate over to her father, then giving a huge bear hug that was welcomed as James moved his sobbing face from his hands to her shoulder. A second later Cody joined them and the three stayed that way until the warning dinger went off; telling them that the spell placed on the ice to make it un-breakable had faded off.
Gypsy spoke first.
"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, her voice surprisingly gentle compared to what her sharp eyes and even sharper tongue would normally say, her eyes soft and her tongue almost melting. (A/N: huh? What did I juss write?)
It was the sort of question that her mother and father had asked her when she was younger, when she'd gotten into a cat fight with their neighbour, she'd gone home crying her eyes out covered in scratches and bruises with a black eye. The neighbour, she had later informed Cody, had not been so lucky.
Her dad had sat her down on his knee and looked at her with reproachful hazel eyes, the exact replica of her own, and asked in a very solemn and formal voice 'do you want to talk about it?' But Gypsy rarely had wanted to, and only on a few, special occasions had the girl ever answered in all honesty, baring her emotions for inspection. The same, she knew, was true of Cody.
And now the roles had been reversed.
In truth, Gypsy didn't expect an answer, the sort of thing bothering her father was the sort of thing one didn't speak of, but she thought the familiarity of the question might make contact to the exhausted man, she was not disappointed. Gathering his courage James Potter shook his head and managed to find enough energy to ruffle her long black-blue hair.
"No Cupcake, it's fine, I guess it just got a little too much for me" Cody, on Gypsy's right side, gave his dad a tight hug and nodded.
"Should we be getting back dad? Mum'll chop your toes off if you're not back within her allocated amount of time, dearest papa" James smiled, already looking much more like the father he was supposed too, leaving the two of them much more like the children they were meant to resemble.
"Could be a problem. But you'll back me up won't you" the two nodded solemnly, both adopting identical sceptical but supportive looks that made their father chuckle.
"Sometimes you worry me, twinles" their eyes narrowed simultaneously at the nickname; Twinles had been what the two were called when they had been tiny, and they had both been exceptionally relieved to outgrow the nickname, and this sudden re-introduction of it might cause trouble; their mother, who had invented it, found it oddly endearing and had been reluctant to stop using it, but their persuasive measures had never failed before... but now, with an unidentified (in the sense of whether their brother would cave in or not to their... persuasion techniques) stranger in the house... it could cause trouble...
Without any warning the two rushed towards their father, jumping the man and doing their best to pin him to the ground for 'interrogation'.
Much laughing ensued, and if it had not been for the only-just-dry tear tracks that dripped down James Potter's face, it might have been possible to conceive that all was well.
But it was not possible, for all the family tried.
Things were not always as they seemed, and appearances could be deceptive.
"Mr Potter?" Harry jerked his head up, his lips twisting themselves into an odd smile that didn't even almost reach his eyes. The aged form of Dumbledore took a seat in one of the plush couches that lined the common room, and still Harry didn't move.
"I have been meaning to talk to you for quite a while now. Tell me, do you know why?" Harry did know why.
But he shook his head none the less, and Dumbledore sighed unhappily, turning his head so he was gazing out of the Gryffindor window, watching the green grass, and the sparkling blue water in the summer sun.
"What you have told me about your arrival here is amusing, Harry. If I were not myself, your lies and half-truths would have gone unnoticed" Harry's head buried deeper into the pillow he was lying on as he waited for the headmaster to continue.
"I am ashamed that you think I am so gullible, not for me, but for you; because that will probably be one of the worst mistakes you ever make. You have lied to me about where you come from, about why you are here, whatever you say. I know it is true. But I am also able to understand that the truth is something you must protect, from me as much as Voldemort. And I can only find pity for you, Harry, anger is a feeling I have long since abandoned" he stopped talking and watched the teen, whose head was still buried in the pile of pillows.
For almost twenty minutes, neither of them moved in the slightest, their shallow breathing the only sound in the room.
"I can't tell you the truth" the muffled answer didn't surprise the elderly man in the slightest and he shrugged his agreement.
"I had guessed as much, but it would have been nice if you had told me as much, rather than just saying you arrived here one second after you left. It is clear that something happened to you, and I am most certainly curious. But my curiosity can, and will, be repressed if you wish it to be, and we will not speak of this matter until you think that the time is right, if ever" he finished, and again waited for Harry to comment.
Harry lifted his head from the pile of cushions and turned to Dumbledore, opening his mouth to say something, and then closed it again suddenly. He turned his head to look out of the window, seeing the same green grass and the same azure lake and the same picture perfect sky with the same white clouds that dotted his horizon, yet so totally different. They made him realise something.
"You're different to my Albus Dumbledore" a pause as Harry seemed to decide on what else to say "You really are. At first I couldn't see it. You're still old, you still love lemon drops, you still get very scary when you get very angry, and you still seem to care in an overprotective kind of way. It was odd walking into your office, and seeing everything identical to the way it always has been, well, apart from a few contraptions that... went missing... at the end of last year, and even odder seeing you sitting there, as you always have been.
"It scared me, to think that things could be that unchangeable. That wherever I went, something's, and not necessarily the things I wanted to, would always be the same. I don't think I have ever been as afraid in my entire life, and that is saying something" he trailed of, still watching as a bird zoomed down, skimming the lake and causing small ripples to flow outwards, reflecting to blue sky, and the darkness of what was underneath the surface.
Dumbledore was silent.
"Because, I thought, if nothing else around me changes, what hope do I have? If none of the things about me can change enough to impact on me, then I have about a snowball's chance in hell of changing myself. And that terrified me even more than the fact that I would have to live in the same prejudice world, and just continue, as if I found everything about it perfect" he stopped and sighed, placing his head in his hands, hiding the world from his eyes.
"You've always helped me before, Professor, and now you're not. Isn't that funny? I bet you don't even know what I'm talking about, you're probably sitting there thinking 'Oh, gosh, really? Now how did that happen, we must correct the problem'. Well don't worry professor, because I think I rather like it this way. I'm not in imminent danger of death, if I was I think I would be annoyed, but at the moment I like this no-help thing just fine" he stopped again, waiting to see if Dumbledore would say anything.
Silence.
"I only wish, my Albus Dumbledore could be more like you, and see that sometimes what a person needs can't be given, and that giving only makes it worse" Harry lifted his head again, looking Dumbledore in the eyes.
"So thankyou, but I can't tell you, and if I need anything then I'll come to you. You can try and second guess me, feel free, just please don't act upon those guesses. You don't know me, which will probably make your guessing more accurate, but nonetheless, please. If I want anything, I'll call you. You and me? We have an ordinary student/teacher relationship. There's nothing special about me, you're just a teacher. That's how I want it to be, that's how I hope you will understand for me, it has to be. Now, I'm going for a walk, don't worry. I'll be just fine" and with that he stood up without waiting for further reply's and left the common room, thanking the fat lady on the way out.
His abrupt departure left the headmaster with the feeling that he had been afraid of Albus's reaction to his news/opinion, and had not wanted to see if the old man was angry.
But Albus Dumbledore was not angry.
He was, in fact, very happy.
"An 'ordinary student', Mr Potter? An ordinary student. Well then, if that's the way you want it... that's the way we'll do it"
Severus Snape stood above Neville Longbottom, glaring down at the younger boy with one his darkest, meanest, scariest glares. Neville was reacting appropriately, and looked just about ready to drop dead on the spot. Just the way the Professor wanted it.
Mwahahaha...
Severus quickly snapped at the small internal voice that was wheezing with laughter to shut up, and continued to simply look at the Gryffindor. So far looking had worked just fine, Severus could see that if he made any sudden movements the Gryffindor boy would actually, truly faint.
Faint as in, loose consciousness and drop to the floor.
So, as much as he would have loved to, Severus made no sudden movements.
"Longbottom" Snape drawled slowly, making sure to stretch out the name, and roll the syllables around in his mouth until he could see the sweat of Neville's forehead. After a few moments of delightful stewing he continued.
"You imbecile. I had thought that after the incident with the Coffer Concoction your idiocy would ceased to amaze me, but even for you, Longbottom, this is a whole new level. I had thought that the Swelling solution might make you have at least the barest minimum spark of recognition when a potion was going wrong. I had thought that the Bashing Beverage might make you just a bit more aware of what you were doing in my classroom! However, I can clearly, very clearly, a little too clearly, see exactly how much your complete and utter brainlessness has ruined your, and in the process my, life!"
It was the day after the 'accident' in potions in which one Harry James I-don't-give-a-stuff-any-more Potter had suddenly disappeared, and the potion that the raven haired teenager had been forced to take had belonged (you guessed it) to one Neville oh-my-god-quivering-wreck Longbottom.
And professor Snape was extracting his revenge from the sixteen year old.
None of the Gryffindor's saw fit to point out to him that if he hadn't put the boomslang into the potion then just perhaps the whole fiasco might have been avoided. They seriously doubted that professor Snape would welcome the input, and as well as that, they were to busy cowering.
Not all of the sixth year Gryffindor's were in attendance, Ronald Bilius Weasley, Lavender Rosemary Brown and Hermione Anne Granger (which had of course contributed to the fact of why Neville was being shouted at) were all absent from the class.
It was not really a question of why, any first year hufflepuff knew that.
After all, it was not every day that the boy-who-lived disappeared into thin air after an argument with a known (although (apparently) ex) death eater.
Oh yes, the rumor mill was working over time.
Everyone who had been close to Harry were amazed at the stories being spun, at the glances they received in the hall that varied from 'wow, you knew Harry Potter, the Harry Potter' to 'Oh my god, I didn't realise you were Lily Potter's illegitimate brothers half sister's daughter's grandfather's son's daughter by marriage...' which had been decidedly odd, especially when the claim was made referring to Ron.
Within only a day of Harry's disappearance, the castle was back in working order and classes were being held (they had been cancelled the afternoon before when Dumbledore had called a rather impromptu meeting with all the staff, most of which were order personnel).
So after a day of 'omg! The savior is gone', the disappearance of the boy who lived had then been chalked up as deliberate; and the whole 'It was an accident' thing as an elaborate hoax played by the light side to make it look at though Harry was weak.
Unfortunately the reality was quite different, and although the whole castle believed the rumours that Tonks (undercover, of course) had planted, it didn't change the truth.
Harry Potter was missing, and it was all Snape's fault.
Therefore: it was all Neville's.
"Longbottom. I expect you to tell me exactly, exactly what you did to that potion. If I don't have the exact instructions by tomorrow afternoon..." he left it hanging.
"Understood?" the quivering form that was Nevillle nodded quickly, slumping to the ground in relief when Snape swept back to the front of the classroom.
"Class dismissed"
For Harry, however, his distorted time line of holidays passed relatively uneventfully: he lay around the Gryffindor tower, reading and writing, watching and drawing, creating and destroying, waiting for the summer to be over, and the new school year to begin. Gypsy and Cody seemed to act as they normally would: almost, almost forgetting the existence of their brother, playing with their parents, laughing with their friends and counting the days down to the first day of school with undeniable relish.
Nothing of real consequence happened, and apart from the sudden decrease of death eater attacks, everything was normal.
But then again, appearances could be deceptive.
A/N: Ok, I have some VERY IMPORTANT notices for everyone reading this fic:
Do you think that I put too much description in and not enough dialogue?
Should I add more of the holiday period or just get them all to Hogwarts as quick as possible?
Does anyone have any original suggestions for DADA professor?
Ok, so the second two aren't overly important, but the first one is, and I'd really, really, REALLY appreciate it if you replied – I've been going over my work and I suddenly realised I add so much boring background shit, I bet people just stop reading cose they find it so boring. I actually thought to myself that I would too, but I'm not entirely sure as I am the one who writes the damn thing. So PLEASE answer, and suggestions about the other two would be welcome, although not as important as the first.
I won't post the next chapter for a while, as I need to write it and all, and not to mention I'm a lazy pig(ie). Hehe, that reminds me, I drew a little blob the other day and called it 'Cochonie'. I found it hilarious, but no one else seemed to get the joke. Oh, just in case you weren't aware, 'Cochon' in French means pig.
Also I'm incredibly sorry that chapter took so long to get out, and I'll warn you again that the next one won't be up for WEEKS, not ONLY because I'm a lazy piggie, but because my exams are in two and I've run out of things to clean in m room... so that means study. It's my yearlies and I really, really need good marks... otherwise I am SO dead.
I haven't been listening to a word the teachers say this semester, and I have to go over all the work we've done since then for all my subjects, French included, although I think I might just miss out on PE, it's the only thing I've every failed, although that was in year seven. OMG!! I HATE EXAMS!!! And to top things off – get this – we can't even go home after our exams for the day are over, all because a bunch of years ten's went off between exams (which we're not supposed to do – we have to stay in 'study rooms' erk. Life is pathetic. Or it may just be me.
But I'm pissed of at our school (screw them!! SCREW THEM ALL!!!) and it's too hot at the moment for it to be even conceivable that life can continue... I hate the heat and... and... don't worry, I'll think of something.
And I've just realised how pathetically long this whole thing is and how it's probably a waste of space because you'll never read it anyway, so that's all I'm going to write.
Oh, wait, I just need to tell gallandro-83 something:
Harry has not yet had the chance (or power, really) to kill Voldemort so far in his world, he's only grown an attitude (which doesn't help much), although chances have increased for the Voldemort of Cody and Gypsy's world, which will hopefully be explained soonish.
Yay! Thankyou! Alternate reality's are the best stories on the fandom (as long as they're written well, which could mean bad things for this fic) although I'm not so much into insane Harry ones... so although he's definitely odd, he won't be institutionalised just yet
Erm... Yeah. Oops. When I first wrote this I couldn't decided how to kill Harry, everyone else always has him dying when Voldemort attacks (which in this one he doesn't) and I guess my mind sorta had it stuck that he died that way, even though I made it pretty clear he didn't... sorry. Thanks for pointing it out, for now I don't think I'll do anything about it, but I will fix it, when I have more time and can think of something to put in... oh god. I'm so lazy.
I hadn't really thought all that much about Sirius to tell the truth, but I'll be sure to add him in. Hey! Maybe he could be DADA teacher or something... Nah, maybe not, too overdone. Ok. Erm... I'll find a way :P
You know, right now I'm wondering too. I'm sure it'll come to me
The 'new universe structure' is there, and I've got it all planned out inside my head, because that's just what I do. What I've written so far about it is seriously nothing, I'm so obsessed with background stuff that I tend to write too much of it, something that's been worrying me a lot, as you may have noticed above. It's so weird, you just end up reading so much fanfic that there comes a point where you can just come up with an entire world just like that. It's so fun. I've been making my own worlds (god I came up with some freakish names) since I was nine and in year five... Anyway. Rambling. Sorry.
Did you know that in the cannon series Ginny is like, my idol, even tho she's younger than me. I think she's so cool! So she definitely won't be horrible, just in case you were wondering, and Ron... yeah. I follow your lead. Enough said about him.
And OMG!! You must be sitting there reading this going 'What are you... Desperate?' well... yeah. I am. Your review was so so so nice and I was reading it and I almost burst into tears it was so nice. So thankyouthankyouthankyou veryveryveryvery much!! I was so happy that I just sat down and thought 'screw reading fanfics, I'm going to write a nice long and boring reply for the nice person' (which is big for me) and so I have. So I'm sorry about this, the reply is about as long as the amount of chapter five there is (oops?) and THANKYOU SO SO MUCH!!!!!!!
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