Disclaimer:Own nothing. Harry Potter and all within is the property of JK Rowling and Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all within belongs to Joss Whedon. Blurry is by Puddle of Mud.
A.N.Sorry no individual messages this time, wanted to get this up quickly to make amends for leaving the last chapter so long before I posted. I appreciate all my reviewers though, and if there was anything anybody wanted a specific answer for, just flame me I'll do it properly -)
A.N. Guess what- this is now officially 500 pages in word!
For Catty… hope you're feeling better!
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Blurry
"Daddy…"
A jolt of surprise went through Harold. He hadn't been called that since James was six years old, but it didn't feel entirely wrong or strange. He pulled Dawn a little closer.
"It's alright, sweetheart," he whispered. "I'm here."
He lifted her up slowly and checked his surroundings, his hands shielding her as well as he could. By now the Death Eaters were outnumbered and unable to pay much attention to him. Harold glanced at the two Aurors covering him to make sure they were still on the watch, then broke for the door.
Only a couple of hexes brushed by him, he tightened his hold on Dawn instinctively. Then he was clear of the building with her. The little tremors were running through her body ceaselessly now, she'd gone into shock. Harold glanced down, and knew in an instant that she'd lost consciousness.
"Portus!" He pointed his wand at a fragment of the door and turned it into a Port-Key.
"Moody, I'm clear," he hollered, and Moody turned just in time to see Harold summon a piece of wood to his hand and disappear.
He Port-Keyed straight to the Hospital Wing, where his wife and Madam Pomfrey were on standby. Cecilia let out one horrified gasp at the sight of the girl, then all was down to business.
"Put her here," Madam Pomfrey ordered, pointing to a bed surrounded with healing supplies.
Harold laid Dawn down and then stepped back to let the two women in. he drew the curtains around them and went to report to Dumbledore.
"Icy cold," Cecilia hissed, her hand on Dawn's bluish skin. "She's in shock."
The two healers seemed to instinctively know how to work together. Being the more experienced, Madam Pomfrey took the lead. She began weaving spells over Dawn's body, conjuring a list of both external and internal injuries, and Dawn's condition on the whole. Meanwhile, Cecilia was cutting Dawn's soggy clothing away from her body and casting warming charms over her to bring her out of shock.
With Dawn's nose broken, her face was bloody and swollen and there was no way to pour a pain relieving potion down her throat without risking further damage. So they injected it right into her bloodstream.
"Well it will counter the effects of the Cruciatus with more speed," Madam Pomfrey reasoned.
"The physical effects, at least," Cecilia muttered darkly, smearing orange paste over the multitude of cuts, abrasions and bruises marring Dawn's skin. It was well known that anybody suffering under the effects of the Cruciatus for too long was liable to lose their mind, and there was nothing they could do but wait until Dawn regained consciousness to start assessing the psychological damage.
With the warming spell, Dawn had come out of shock and stopped trembling at last. They'd taken care of all her internal pain, and Madam Pomfrey began to work on her nose. She waved her wand a couple of times, muttering and flicking her wrist, until all the delicate bones remoulded to their original shape.
Cecilia took a warm wash cloth and cleaned Dawn's face of the dried blood and the trickle of vomit at the corner of her mouth before rubbing a soothing balm over her face. Soon the skin was almost back to normal, although a little pink and tender looking.
Madam Pomfrey took a blood sample and stored the vial in her office to analyse later, while Cecilia gently redressed Dawn in one of the Hospital Wing gowns and covered her over with the bedding. She cast a monitoring charm over the girl's vitals and kissed her forehead before stepping out from behind the curtain.
Harold had to resist the urge to demand to stay right where he was until he found out if Dawn was ok. But he knew the healers needed space to work, so he kept himself busy by heading up to the Headmaster's Office where there were several people waiting on the edge of their seats for news.
In reality, nobody was in a seat at all. Even Dumbledore was on his feet, pacing and muttering fretfully to himself. When Harold stepped into the office, everybody stopped breathing. Suddenly he wasn't sure what to say.
"Has Moody checked in yet?" is what came out of his mouth.
Dumbledore shook his head slightly. "Harold…" he said in an almost warning tone.
James was much more blunt. "Who cares? Did you find Dawn? Where is she? Is she ok? Can we see her?" he fired desperately. "Dad…"
"We found her," he said quietly. "She's in the Hospital Wing, they're working on her now…"
Fear hung in the air, thick as fog. Nobody had liked the tone of Harold's voice. At once, Dumbledore made for the door, his students barely a step behind. They reached the Hospital Wing in record time, then had nothing to do but wait.
Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let any of them in while they were still stabilising Dawn, so six Gryffindors and two adults littered the corridor outside, feeling useless. Isabel was crying slightly, little tears were dripping down her face and she had her head buried in Remus' neck. James and Lily were pacing, barely noticing that they brushed past each other on every fifth step while Peter watched without really seeing and Sirius stared out the window, feeling confused.
At long last, the doors swung open. Madam Pomfrey stepped over to talk to Dumbledore and Harold, the students went to follow until Cecilia rounded them up and headed them off to the side. Madam Pomfrey was talking in a low, urgent voice and it took a couple of moments to stop the others trying to listen in.
"Mum?" James prodded weakly. "Is she…?"
"She's sleeping now," Cecilia said softly, brushing his hair back from his forehead and then looking around at the rest of the kids. They suddenly looked so young again, so innocent. "She's very sick, and I'm only glad we got to her when we did."
"Is she going to be ok?" Lily asked timidly. She liked Mrs Potter, but she always felt a bit funny around her. How could such a lovely woman have produced a cretin like James Potter? They even had the same eyes.
"All we can do is wait," Cecilia said, touching a light hand to the arm of the girl her son was in love with.
"What do you mean, 'all we can do is wait'?" Sirius asked. "Is she… is she not going to wake up?"
"Of course she's going to wake up," Cecilia said firmly. "But she'll have a lot more healing to do when she does, and it'd going to take time to get her better again. I don't know what you kids know about the Cruciatus Curse, but it can be very, very harmful."
"Merlin," Remus whispered, horrified. He'd read up on the Unforgivables when the Death Eaters had started to use them more often, and some of the effects were sickening. He hated to think of their little Kitten being put through any of that.
"C-can we see her?" Peter asked, his voice even higher and more strained than usual.
Cecilia glanced around, but Madam Pomfrey was still deep in conversation with Dumbledore and Harold. As the list of Dawn's injuries grew, the Headmaster's face went just a little more ashen. Cecilia nodded slowly.
"Just for a minute, but you're not to disturb her in any way. She needs to rest," she said, her voice hushing on reflex as she pushed the doors open.
They crept in quiet as mice, barely game to breathe. Cecilia pulled the curtain open a few inches, revealing Dawn's unconscious form on the bed. Her skin was like paper, and her lips were just starting to lose the bluish tinge, overall she looked much tinier than she usually did. Fragile. Fractured. None of them could think of anything to think, let alone say.
"Come on, it's time you all had a cup of hot chocolate and got yourselves to bed," Cecilia said, closing the curtains as she realised how the sight was affecting all the young Gryffindors.
"But Mum," James protested. "Someone should stay with her."
"I'm not going to leave her side," she promised. "Now off you go. There's a House-Elf waiting in your Common Room with hot chocolate. Goodnight." She kissed her son, and his three best friends on the forehead. Then she glanced at the girls and pecked Lily and Isabel as well.
On their way out, they passed the three adults on their way back in. Cecilia had already set up a chair at Dawn's bedside, without speaking Harold took a seat next to his wife and Dumbledore went to the opposite side of the bed.
"I think we should just do it," Harold said softly, after a while had passed. The statement seemed random, but his wife understood it perfectly.
"You're right. Even if the effects of the Cruciatus are lasting, I don't care. I haven't changed my mind," Cecilia said, leaning forwards to stroke Dawn's hair tenderly.
Knowing very well what the Potters were discussing, but understanding that it should be a private discussion, Dumbledore got up and wandered off. Harold moved forwards so one arm was around Cecilia. With his free hand, he reached out and took Dawn's slightly cold one.
He nodded. "Once she wakes up, and we see that she's ok, I'll go to work and grab the forms. They're already filled out in my desk, waiting for us all to sign on it," he admitted.
"Jimmy will be rapt," she noted. "They've already claimed each other anyway."
"Jimmy?" Harold chuckled. "Haven't heard that in years. Don't let James hear you call him that, you'll ruin his tough Quidditch star image."
She turned wide, brimming hazel eyes up to her husband. "Don't joke. Not now… please, not now."
"Hey honey, it's alright," Harold said, tightening his grip around her shoulder and kissing her temple. "Please don't cry, it's going to be ok."
Cecilia nodded and swallowed her tears. They fell back into silence, watching over Dawn's prone form all through the night. Madam Pomfrey came in to check on Dawn once, brought them both a cup of tea, and ordered them to inform her if there was any change in their patient overnight before retiring.
Morning came with no chance save for the light slowly ebbing into the Hospital Wing. The doors swung open early in the morning, and Alastor Moody stepped in. He nodded at the bed.
"How's the victim? What's her condition?"
Harold nodded off to the side, and he and his boss stepped away to talk without disturbing Dawn. "She's still unconscious, hasn't stirred at all yet. We don't know if there's any… permanent damage," he said heavily. "How was the raid? Did we catch any of those sons of bitches?"
"Only one," Moody growled, clearly unhappy with the result. "A low-rank, snivelling little thing. The rest were too savvy- Disapparated once they realised they'd lost their prey."
Harold rubbed his chin, a habit he'd developed since he'd stopped running his hand through his hair. "Any chance of getting this weasel to talk?"
Moody shook his head. "Not so far. I was hoping we'd be able to get the girl to testify, identify some more Death Eaters that way."
"I don't know how good your chances will be there," Harold said dully. "We don't know what shape Dawn will be in…"
While the Ministry's two most senior Aurors talked in the corner, Cecilia kept a close watch over Dawn. The first thing she noticed was the twitching fingers. Then Dawn's head moved a couple of times and a low moan escaped her lips. Cecilia's breath caught in her throat.
Dawn felt a hand stroking her hair, and when her eyes refocused slightly, she could make out the hazy form of Mrs Potter leaning over her.
"Wha-" she began, but her voice cracked and broke against the dryness of her throat.
"Hush, darling," Mrs Potter murmured. "You're in the Hospital Wing. You're safe now, we're taking care of you."
Slowly, the world started to come into focus a little more for Dawn. And with it, came the pain. Her insides were on fire, like lava coursing through her veins. She began to whimper, but had no voice to tell anyone where it hurt.
"Poppy!" Cecilia called over her shoulder, holding Dawn's hand tight. "We need another dose of pain reliever here!"
Dawn had no concept of the passage of time over the next couple of days. She was unconscious for endless stretches, and then she'd wake in little bursts. Sometimes Madam Pomfrey would be working around her, trying to soothe her hurt somehow, and sometimes the Potters, or a couple of her friends (never Sirius) would be sitting with her. Or holding her hand and whispering to her. But she was never alone.
Then one afternoon when her eyes opened, they were much clearer. As she struggled weakly to sit up, Remus put the book he was reading aloud to her aside and helped her.
"Missed you, Kitten," he whispered, settling her against the pillows and kissing the top of her head.
Dawn just smiled wanly and then he was turning to fetch Madam Pomfrey from her office. The Matron bustled over and began waving her wand over Dawn while she asked questions.
"How do you feel?"
"Like I got run over by the Hogwarts Express and then fed to a Thestral."
"Any headaches?"
"Just a little woozy and ooggy."
"Tightness across the chest?"
"Do hunger pains count?"
"Right," Madam Pomfrey nodded decisively. "We'll need to run a few tests, but first we've got to build your strength up."
"Thank God," Dawn murmured. "I'm starving."
Madam Pomfrey tutted. "You can have a bowl of tomato soup and a glass of water, but that's all for now. We can't overload your system too early on."
Dawn just sighed as the makeshift table floated in front of her, carrying the sparse offering. What she wouldn't give for some real food.
For some reason, though, the spoon was too heavy for her. Every time she went to lift it, her hand would get the shakes and she'd drop it back into her bowl with a little plop.
"Here." Remus settled himself beside her and started to spoon feed her.
Famished as she had been moments before, Dawn found she couldn't stomach more than a few mouthfuls of the rich soup. Madam Pomfrey told her not to worry, they could try again later. She then dismissed Remus and informed Dawn it was time for her to undergo a few tests.
From the way Remus had been sent away and the grave look in the Matron's eyes, Dawn had assumed they would be painfully embarrassing physical tests which would require her to take off the nightgown that was driving her insane already. But instead she found herself, strangely, undergoing a series of psychological tests.
"Why did I have to do that?" she asked when they were through. "I mean, I'm not crazy or anything, am I?"
"No, dear," Madam Pomfrey promised, relief evident on her face. "But sometimes the Cruciatus, when used in excess, is liable to cause mental damage. We just wanted to make sure you were not affected."
"One Cruciatus is excessive," Dawn said, her eyes clouding over darkly.
The doors opened then, and two men walked in to see her. A memory came to Dawn and she blushed a little. Had she really called the one in front 'Daddy'?
"Hi Mr Potter," she mumbled, not quite catching his eye.
He kissed her cheek. "I much preferred that other name you called me," he whispered.
Dawn smiled a little, then her gaze fell on the second man to walk into the Hospital Wing and her face grew serious. Harold noticed her sober reaction and patted her hand while he took the seat closest to her. The other man took her wand, that she thought was lost forever, from his robes pocket and set it on her bedside table. She stared at it in awe and relief.
"Dawn, honey, this is Alastor Moody, my boss at the Ministry. He's going to ask you some questions about… about what happened and we need you to tell us as much as you can. Do you feel up to that?"
'No.' Dawn nodded reluctantly. She watched, weary, as Moody sat down and extracted a roll of parchment and a quill from his robes. They set themselves up on the cleared bed table still floating over her, the quill poised to start writing of its own accord.
"You don't need to worry, girl," Moody grizzled. "That quill will write exactly what you say and you won't be made to sign anything before you're satisfied it's correct. You can test it by stating your name."
Dawn shivered under the electric blue glare of Moody's magical eye, then craned her neck to see the surface of the parchment. "Dawn Summers."
The quill wrote her name flawlessly. Dawn gave a tiny giggle. "Cool."
Harold grinned at her, but stayed silent as Moody began to conduct the interview.
"What were you doing at dusk last Saturday?" he asked.
All trace of mirth and relaxation evaporated from Dawn. "I was on my way back to Hogwarts after a Hogsmeade visit. I'd just split up with my friends, who were heading to the Three Broomsticks to see S- someone," she said, unable to speak the name.
"Why didn't you go with them, instead of walking off in the dark alone?" Moody cut in, a little aggressively. He couldn't believe how foolish they had all been to let this happen.
"Because," Dawn shifted uncomfortably. "They were going to meet my ex-boyfriend. I wasn't exactly welcome."
When she shot him a begging glance, Harold took her hand and shook his head at Moody. "Let's move on, shall we?"
Dawn explained that someone had tossed a sack over her head, she'd been dragged off and dumped in a cage. The quill scratched incessantly against the parchment as she talked about being surrounded by men in white masks, whom she deduced were Voldemort's Death Eaters
Moody twisted his face into a frightening-looking grin of pride when Dawn said 'Voldemort' without so much as batting an eyelid. "Got some pluck to you, girl," he commented. "I like that. What happened next?"
The hand in Harold's started to squeeze tighter and tighter, it became more difficult for Dawn to speak, but she forced it out. She stuttered broken sentences about being questioned and hit and cursed until the pain suffocated her along with her own blood. She cried over the countless Cruciatus Curses until Harold was rocking her in his arms and insisting she take a break to settle down.
Moody paced up and down along the bed until Dawn felt ready to continue. The Head Auror levelled both his mismatched eyes at her, commanding her gaze. "Did you recognise any of the Death Eaters?"
Dawn's mind was screaming that she did, but there was something blocking her from the thought. She shook her head sadly. "No."
"All right then. Can you think of any distinguishing features? Height, build, accent…?"
Dawn shook her head. "No, I can't…"
"Oh come on," Moody growled impatiently. "There must be something about at least one of them that you remember!"
"Mad-Eye…"
Harold's warning was cut off by an angry cry.
"Well, I can't! I'm sorry, I'm trying so hard, but every time I try to see them my head goes all fuzzy." A few more tears slipped out. "I know I should be able to tell you, and I know there's something that I heard or saw that's really important for me to tell you, but it's like there's something in my head that just won't let me see it!"
"It's alright," Harold soothed, but his eyes met Moody's with sudden understanding.
"Poppy," Moody barked. "Can we see you a minute?"
Madam Pomfrey was there in a flash. "Is she ill?"
"No," Harold said quietly. "Just a little upset. We won't go on for much longer," he added for the benefit of both the ladies in the room.
"Have you analysed the blood sample yet?"
She didn't seem at all surprised by Moody's question. "Yes. I found a large dose of the Fogging Draught in the patient's system, along with another toxin that I had to confer with experts at St Mungo's to identify. It was an Identity Masking Agent."
"I'll need a copy of the report and the blood sample," Moody said at once.
"It's in my office, ready and waiting."
"What's all that stuff mean?" Dawn asked Harold timidly.
He shook his head at her sadly. "It means they've poisoned you so you can't identify them. Dawn, do you know what date rape potions are?"
Dawn's eyes widened. They were most likely the same things as date rape drugs. Reading her expression, Harold squeezed her hand.
"Don't worry, they haven't… they haven't hurt you like that. But the potions they put into your system are designed to take you out of reality for a while, which explains why you were unconscious for so long. they probably wanted to lower your defences so you would talk more easily."
"The Identity Masking Agent is a new kind of evil," Moody chipped in gruffly. "It's added insurance so the slimy cowards can't be identified by the victim- every time she tries to think about her attacker, all the distinguishing features are blocked in her mind and she has no way to tell who it is. There's no cure, yet."
"So that's it?" Dawn asked dejectedly. "I'll never be able to tell who it was? They all just get away with it."
"We caught one," Harold said. "And we're going to do everything in our power to make him tell us who his buddies were, sweetheart. Just try your best to tell us everything else you can remember, ok?"
"I don't remember much," Dawn whispered, tired and having lost a lot of faith in the point of this exercise. "Just the potion burning as they forced it down my throat… there was a voice saying something about making me talk…"
"Can you remember the exact words?" Moody cut in.
Dawn screwed her face up and thought. "It was… 'we'll get you to talk yet, bitch'. And… and then I remember Mr Pot- Dad… being there, and the next time I remember anything is waking up here… I'm sorry. I just don't remember anything else."
"Good enough," Moody said, taking the spell off the quill at last. "I don't think there's any more you could have said."
He handed her the parchment, had her read it and then sign the legal disclaimer that had appeared at the end of her words, then created a copy for her to keep. Next he headed for Madam Pomfrey's office to collect the blood evidence that she had prepared.
"Are you alright?" Harold asked, brushing a fatherly hand through Dawn's bed-mussed hair.
"Tired now," she murmured.
He helped settle her back down flat on the mattress and fixed the covers over her. "Sleep now, kiddo. Everything will be ok." He went to move away.
"Dad?" Dawn called tentatively, deciding it sounded pretty good to her ears. He turned back with a little smile to betray that he thought the same thing. "Will you stay until I fall asleep?"
"Of course."
He sat himself back down in his chair and waited patiently for Dawn's eyelids to start to droop.
It was dark all around her, but Dawn could feel the presence by her bed. Her skin was tingling. Her eyes slowly opened and he was there, staring down at her. His face bore absolutely no expression.
She remembered the last time she'd seen him; he'd been his alter ego, staring in at her through the window. She knew those pale eyes anywhere.
"You found me," she whispered. "Thank you."
He stared down at her in confusion. Her eyes were closed and she looked like a little china doll laying there against the pillows. Why was he here? He wasn't supposed to care.
He wouldn't say a word. He cupped her cheek with one hand, feeling the soft skin beneath his fingers. But when Dawn opened her eyes again, he was gone.
In the morning, she had to wonder if it was a dream. She was moping over a bowl of cereal for breakfast (Madam Pomfrey had finally let her have a bit of real food again) when an entourage of visitors slipped in.
A massive smile lit up Dawn's face. "Hi guys."
Isabel and Lily were standing there with the Marauders, grinning to see her in such good shape. Sirius wasn't there. Dawn's smile dimmed a notch, but she wasn't too upset, given the five people now taking turns to hug her.
James didn't want to let her go. "Don't ever scare me like that again," he whispered. He kissed her forehead, her cheeks, even her lips once, until Remus complained that he was hogging Dawn before they'd all got to hug her.
They all settled around her, chattering away to bring a little brightness to the dull of Dawn's day, stuck in the Hospital Wing with only bad memories for company. She pushed her empty bowl away and sighed.
"I'm just dreading the amount of work I'll have to catch up on once the warden lets me out of here," she grumbled, her voice low so Madam Pomfrey wouldn't overhear.
Remus grinned and extracted a folder from his bag. "I'll keep you up to date, don't you worry. I know how it can be, stuck in here with nothing to do all day."
Lily and Isabel glanced at him out of the corners of their eyes, but Dawn didn't give them a chance to say anything.
"Thanks, Rem. You're the best," she said, breaking open the folder at once to scan what was there.
A bell rang, signalling it was time for classes to begin. The boys all got up reluctantly and said their goodbyes to Dawn before wandering out of the Hospital Wing. Lily and Isabel hung back, perching on the end of the bed.
"I believe we had plans for details and girly bonding," Dawn hinted.
"Oh, Dawn, it was so perfect," Lily gushed, and Dawn could tell she'd been dying to spill everything about her date with Chase for days. "He was just so sweet, and sensitive, and when I talked, he was really listening to what I was saying… How many guys do that?" she said, sighing dreamily.
'James hangs on every word you say,' Dawn thought. But she was smiling warmly. "That's so great Lily. Have you talked to him since, yet?"
"No," Lily said, looking disappointed but not overly concerned about it. "I've been preoccupied, we were worried sick about you! And he's got that big Quidditch game coming up to worry about… I'm sure we'll have more time together soon. He did say he wants to see me again."
She kept on smiling, but as Dawn glanced at Isabel, she noticed she didn't look too happy. There was worry in the warm brown eyes, and fear that she'd be sweeping up the shattered pieces of another broken heart off the dorm room floor much too soon for her liking.
"Well, we're late. We should get going or McGonagall might lose her sense of humour," Isabel grinned.
Dawn snickered. "Ok. Thanks for coming by."
"Take care, get yourself better," Lily responded with warmth.
The moment Dawn was left alone, Madam Pomfrey popped up and whisked the remains of Dawn's breakfast away. Then she bullied Dawn every which way until she was satisfied all her injuries had been thoroughly tended to. Dawn considered making a run for it the moment the Matron turned her back, but she had no clothing and wasn't about to streak through the entire castle in a hospital gown.
She settled for flipping dejectedly through the folder Remus had prepared for her, wishing she could try some of the new spells listed. She flipped over the last leaf of parchment and tossed the folder aside, settling for laying back and staring at the ceiling. She let herself slip into dangerous thought.
The moment she was left unoccupied, her mind began to pull her backwards into dark depths. She heard the clanging of her cage door so clear she jumped and looked around to see where it was; she expected the Death Eaters she couldn't identify to come slinking out of the shadows that grew in her mind any moment. She whimpered, but did not dare call out to Madam Pomfrey. What if they decided she really was crazy after all? What would happen to her then?
She closed her eyes against the tears, and a jumble of words and images assaulted her. She heard the curses coming thick and fast, watched her prone form being beaten and broken like it was a film… Dawn snapped her eyes open, breathing heavily, and wiped at her face. She forced herself to focus on anything else at all, even the ticking of the clock on the far wall, until she was able to settle herself down.
She lifted her head in surprise when the doors opened again; she thought anyone likely to visit her would be in class until lunch.
"How are you feeling, dear?" Cecilia asked as she and Harold came in to sit with her.
Dawn smiled, glad she was no longer alone. "Better… Ok… Bored," she admitted in a wry voice, deciding it was best not to mention her little foray into possible craziness just a few minutes before.
"Good," Cecilia said warmly. "If you're bored, you're definitely on the mend."
"Does that mean I can leave now?" Dawn piped up hopefully. She really didn't want to be alone anymore.
Harold chuckled at the look on her face. "Not yet, honey. You're not completely better yet, you might think your mind doesn't need the rest but your body still does."
Dawn pouted.
Cecilia took her hand gently. "Dawn, there's something we'd really like to discuss with you."
She sat up straighter in bed. "What? What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong, dear. It's nothing bad," Harold said quickly. "But the thing is, it's already March, and you've only got a few months of school left before the Summer."
She nodded. She knew that. She'd worried over that. She wondered if Dumbledore would keep her at the school, or if he'd make her go to an orphanage or something over the holidays.
Cecilia picked up the thread again. "We've been thinking about what's going to happen to you in June, and we've decided that we'd love it if you'd be a part of out family," she said with a small smile.
Dawn blinked. "What?"
"If you want us to, we'd like to become your legal guardians," Harold explained.
Dawn didn't dare believe it was real, but her mouth was starting to broaden into a grin despite her. "Does James know? Is he ok with it?"
Both the Potters burst out laughing. "Honey, he was ecstatic," Cecilia promised. "We couldn't sign the forms quick enough for him."
Overwhelmed, Dawn looked down. "Thank you."
A form was slid in front of her, Dawn could see both Potters' signatures on the parchment. With a grateful smile, she accepted the offered quill and curled her own signature over the dotted lines. She wiped her eyes.
"I'll put this in the second I get back to work, and if I can pull the strings, it'll be official by the end of the day," Harold grinned.
Dawn matched the expression. "You're the best Dad I've ever had already."
Cecilia watched her husband and new foster daughter bonging happily. She patted Dawn's hand. "You know, dear, you're more than welcome to call me Mum if you like."
With a pang, Dawn thought of her own mother and how much she still missed her at times. She wholeheartedly believed that if Joyce had been with her, she wouldn't have made so many mistakes this year. She just might have even been able to make it work with Sirius.
Cecilia picked up on the vibe at once. "It's ok, Dawn. You can call me whatever you feel comfortable with."
"It's just… my father was absent at the best of times, and downright negligent the rest. Did you know he didn't even call when my Mom died? I've got no ties to him. But my Mom… she was my world, and I don't ever want to disrespect her memory," she said softly, looking down.
"I understand, sweetheart."
With a little smile, Dawn looked up again. "Can I call you Mom Potter?"
Madam Pomfrey kept Dawn in the Hospital Wing for a full week, and she hated every second of it. The strain of not letting her memories engulf and consume her whenever she was left alone was exhausting, and only pushed her into nightmare-filled sleep, which in turn made her exhausted again. Madam Pomfrey had considered a Dreamless Sleep potion for her, but Dawn had insisted she was all right without it. The stronger she seemed, the quicker she would be set free.
When she was stuck in bed all day, suddenly all the work Remus delivered so faithfully to her took a ridiculously small amount of time to complete. She memorised the folder and even got 'Outstanding' on all the homework (even the Charms) she had Remus hand in for her. She played counting games, and counted every object in the Hospital Wing at least a dozen times. One day she counted the total amount of time she got to spend with other human beings. She wished she hadn't- two hours of company a day was a depressing thought.
The little letters from her new guardians, along with brief visits from her friends were all that stood between Dawn and insanity that week. Cecilia and Harold wrote to her, explaining as much as they could about the case of Zacharias Odwin, the Death Eater they'd captured but hadn't been able to convince to talk. The Ministry had wanted to force Dawn to testify, but as her legal guardians, the Potters had petitioned the Wizengamot to spare her the pain.
Harold had said that Dawn was still recovering and frail, and the potions she'd been drugged with prevented her giving any concrete identifying evidence anyway. Much to Dawn's relief, she was spared the pain of having to go to court, her statement and blood sample were tendered as evidence instead.
She had quickly learned that her Dad was good at many things when it came to looking after her, one of which was his ability to smuggle in chocolate bars for her. She polished one off, licked the remains from her fingers and carefully disposed of the evidence before flopping back against the pillows with a sigh.
"So bored I could kill someone," she said in a sing-song voice.
"Oh," a voice replied. "Well, I suppose I'm safe anyway."
A laugh bubbled out of the bedridden girl for the first time in days. "Myrtle! I was so hoping you'd come."
The ghost drifted over by her bed. "I wanted to wait until you were feeling better, and James said now would be a good time to visit," she said, blushing.
Analysing the blush that surrounded Myrtle's mention of James, Dawn understood it in seconds. It wasn't the you-don't-know-I-spy-on-you-naked blush of her first meeting with Remus, that much was certain. Dawn bolted upright.
"Oh my God! You've got a crush on James!" she blurted.
Myrtle's silvery flush deepened. She didn't bother even trying to deny it. Dawn, meanwhile, was torn between finding the whole situation either completely gross or completely hilarious.
"My dead friend has a crush on my brother. Oh that is just way too weird." A cackle burst out of her, but she shot a look at Myrtle and hastily piped down. "Sorry, I'll shut up now. I seem to have lost certain social skills."
"It's ok," Myrtle said quietly, resisting the urge to squeal in annoyance. "I suppose it must seem silly."
"Nah," Dawn waved a hand. "At least now I can tell how James must've felt about me and Sirius. You know, when there was me and Sirius."
Myrtle grew serious, seeing Dawn's eyes dull at the mention of Sirius. "Has he even visited you?" she asked, her eyes gleaming with the anticipation of one who lived vicariously through the people around her.
"No… Yes… Kinda," Dawn said, her face screwing up. "It's complicated, and I may have even been hallucinating. This place does strange things to your mind after a while."
"Pardon?" Myrtle said, having not followed a single thing Dawn said. "What do you mean?"
Dawn closed her eyes and imagined the scene again. She relayed the details to Myrtle as it played out in her mind; waking up to see him just standing there, looking at her. She remembered closing her eyes and whispering her thanks, feeling his hand on her cheek. And then the emptiness of him not being there anymore.
"Maybe he's confused," Myrtle said, surprising even herself with her wisdom. "The others told me he'd been pretty desperate while you were missing. Now that you're ok, maybe he can't figure out why he cared about you being in danger so much in the first place. I mean, he's really not supposed to anymore, is he? And just look at how he behaves around the school."
Dawn sighed. "Yeah, I guess that's all it is."
"Hello Dawn. Hello Myrtle, good to see you out and about," a cheery voice said. They both looked up to see Dumbledore approach and settle himself in the bedside chair.
Myrtle started at being addressed by the Headmaster. He'd only been Transfiguration teacher when she was a living student.
"Hello, Professor," she said shyly.
"Hey Professor," Dawn said, much more casually. She'd wondered when he would show up for a chat.
Myrtle excused herself and drifted off through a wall. Dawn watched her go a little sadly. It was nice to have had company who didn't have to rush of to class, Quidditch practice, or the Library after five minutes of being with her.
"How are you feeling, Dawn?"
Dawn shrugged. "Fine, bordering on chipper, and tomorrow planning on being obnoxious," she said, remembering when she'd heard someone else use that phrase.
The Headmaster chuckled. "I'm glad to hear that. Er, if I may, what is that?" he asked, staring at the black and green growth in a pot on her bedside table.
"Hagrid sent it. The gift shop must've been all out of 'get well soon' balloons," Dawn said, running a finger down one of the black thorns. She liked it- it was something interesting for her to look at in this dreary place. She didn't know what type of plant it was, but it changed shape for her every day. Twice, if she put sugar in the pot. Dawn was a little depressed that she'd been bored and lonely enough to discover that.
"Indeed," Dumbledore said softly. "If you're ready, Dawn, I'd like to talk about a few things."
"Like what?" Dawn asked, not really wanting to know.
"Is there anything in particular you'd like to discuss first, about what you've been through?"
"No," Dawn said, crossing her arms.
"Very well. I'm sorry to do this, but I'm going to have to ban you from future Hogsmeade visits. There's only one left this year, but we will have to wait and see about next year," he said with gentle firmness.
"What?" Dawn was bolt upright in bed. "It's not enough to keep me locked up in here for a week- now you're punishing me extra long for being chucked in a cage and tortured? That's not fair!"
He held up a long-fingered hand. "Nobody is punishing you, Dawn. I have conferred with your Head of House, and both Professor McGonagall and I believe it's the safest option for you. Unless you have another alternative?"
"As a matter of fact, I do," Dawn said hotly. She now knew why she had paid so much attention that day in Charms, why the lesson had been so important to her.
"I want to go under the Fidelius Charm!"
Dumbledore paused, thinking. It was a permanent and fairly secure solution. He mulled it over. She was a Marauder- if he banned her from Hogsmeade visits, she'd just probably find a way to sneak out anyway, and he'd likely have a hard time catching her out. "Who would you have as your Secret Keeper?"
"Myself," Dawn said at once, a little less heated now that the scales were tipping in her favour.
Dumbledore's white, long eyebrows rose at that.
"It's my secret," Dawn explained. "Not only should it be entirely my choice to whom I reveal it, but it's a burden I can't rightly ask anyone to take on for me."
After a pregnant pause, Dumbledore nodded his assent. "We'll make the preparations for when you are strong enough to withstand the intensity of that sort of magic."
Dawn smiled.
A.N.Gold star for anyone who can name the episode the line "Fine, bordering on chipper tomorrow planning on being obnoxious" comes from.
