Hey everyone,
This is going to be a pretty intense chapter. It will feature Rita Skeeter getting questioned, the teachers meeting over their opinions of the events of the day and the former captured crew conversing with their loved ones and taking another step in getting back into everyone's lives. Like I said, pretty intense.
However, I also know another story that is also incredibly intense. Intense enough it kept me captivated and off of writing – and pretty much all my other usual hobbies – for almost a full week. The story is called The Debt Of Time and features Hermione, Remus, Sirius and the incredible mystery that is Time-Travel.
Go read it, y'all,
Venquine1990
Chapter 22
Hogwarts, A Busy Night
James' POV
I never imagined it. I never actually imagined that I'd be back inside this incredible castle. That I would ever walk through these great halls, gander at these wonderful portraits, move up these ever changeable staircases and reenter this ever so welcome environment that is my old living space inside the Gryffindor Common room.
I never mentioned it to either Lily, Reggie or the Prewett twins – although I have no doubt that they probably picked up on it from time to time – but there have definitely been times over the last twelve years where I felt convinced that our time in the doll-house was for the sake of a permanent stay, never for us to leave its confines again.
So to then be saved on the day after Halloween – which was actually the day where the captivity of myself and my sister in all but blood began – was something I felt sure was but a dream, a fantasy or – as I sometimes imagined – a sure tell sign that my many years in captivity had done the same as years locked away in Azkaban.
Yet the rescue had been neither of the three and Rosie – a woman who could be my good friend Sev's sister – had been the one to safely get us and the doll-house out of the house that had been our extended prison for much too long and once we had gotten out of there, had it actually only been a matter of time before we were released from the doll-house as well.
And the fact that it had been my sweet baby boy Harry who had freed us had shocked us almost just as much as the discovery that he and all the others are Elementals as well as the discovery that, instead of Siri and I having two sons, we actually have three with my sweet boy Jeffrey having travelled back in time from several years in the future.
Yet the fact that I have three kids to take care of just feels like a welcome back present, a gift of time and magic to prove to me that holding onto my strength and strength of character was the right thing to do, yet it also seems as if magic wants to give me an extra purpose now that I have been freed from my enchanted prison.
Pettigrew hasn't just captured me, my sister, my brother in law and two men who have been like brothers to me since I was born as they unofficially adopted me upon meeting me at my official introduction party, which like all other Purebloods my parents threw in honor of my birth, he has gone even one step further.
The dirty little rat has cast a huge, nationwide curse, one that seems to have altered history in the minds of practically everyone who was born or grew up around the same time as myself and my friends and the way that he has changed history has caused horrible changes, both to the people and to their bonds with each other.
And to make matters even worse has this curse ruined almost everything that once made my good friend Severus great, that made me consider Sirius my brother as well as my beloved and that made me proud to be a part of Remus' pack and each of them now seem to have their childish, teenage characters stuck in their adult forms.
Yet to my utter relief does it seem as if the spell – or the MMB as it's called – is weakening in strength and does everyone at Hogwarts seem very, very eager to hear me and my friends out in regards to the truth about the past and while I have no doubt that even our efforts will require years of hard work to get things done, am I still ready.
Ready to get back at the dirty little rat and prove him that his kind of behavior and treatment of others will never have true lasting effect. Ready to break the spell and turn everything back to how it was before I got captured. Ready to work my absolute hardest to get all of my friends back and make them better versions of themselves.
"Mum?" Harry then asks and I lovingly smile at him, hating how he seems shocked at seeing the love before he smiles back and asks: "I – I'm not sure I should ask this, but – what happened? On Halloween, I mean?" Yet here I sigh as that is just not something I am ready to talk about and I hug him close as I say:
"I'm sorry, kiddo. Just – not yet." And Harry nods, the sensation of his head moving against the fabric of my shirt making me again know that I am once again my original size and that everything is slowly but surely getting back to how they should be, which makes me send a hugely appreciative smile at my mate and two other sons.
He then turns to the older group of my son and his friends and says: "I just wonder one thing. Why hasn't my future self ever told you any of this? I mean, I get that we met less and less, but - I can't imagine the thought of me not telling you guys I have a godfather - or a way to make my life with the Muggles easier." And at this I notice them all cringing.
"Do you have to be so Merlin damned perspective, Harry?" The eldest asks and I gape at him as the girl named Hermione shrieks: "You did know?" To which the whole group nods and Molly Weasley asks: "Why didn't you say anything?" To which Irma Lovegood answers: "We couldn't. The timesand, books and the file kept us. It would have ruined the plot."
At this I nod and Molly's husband, Arthur mumbles: "I can't imagine how hard these past few days must have been for you. Knowing the truth about a wanted man and unable to comfort those that believed all these horror stories." And instantly I feel like pulling my youngest - now eldest - close as the whole group gives him a grateful smile for his caring tone.
Then the younger Jeremy speaks up and says: "Everyone, I – I just want to let you all know that, over the course of the reading, I have been thinking and I decided on a name for myself." And to my utter pride do the other younger teens all nod in agreement, proving they have been mirroring the fifteen year old teen.
This makes all of their parents smile in great pride at them and then Jeremy takes a deep breath and says: "Starting tomorrow morning, I would like everyone to start calling me … Jason." And while this seems to shock some, does Reggie smile widely and says: "A noble name." And the others nod before I ask: "So, who's next?"
And one by one the kids speak in perfect order, proving their dynamics as they say: "I was Isaac, now I am Joshua.""I was Elena, now I am Elisa.""I was Rosaline, now I am Rosemary.""We were Jack and Eddy, now we are John and Edward.""I was Irma, now I am Irina.""I was Edena, now I am Iris.""I was Jeffrey, now I am Jessie."
And these names make all of us smile as we all go and hug our kids in pride over their choices and then Jeremy asks: "So you're the newly named kids, but what are we? We're not the Gang anymore, you know. That's you guys.""Wait, are you sure?" Rosemary asks and Rosaline nods as she says: "You guys gave up enough, no worries."
And while I am amazed that someone who travelled several years in time says such a thing and while I smile at Frank and Alice in pride over their daughter being so heartfelt and caring, does Harry ask: "What about the Squad? I mean, they usually call a team of heroes, the rescue squad and your guys arrival did save a lot of lives."
And the elder group of teens look at each other as Isaac says: "It would be a good way to always remember our very greatest achievement, not to mention the course of action that gave us what we always wanted even if we didn't realize it would do so." And the others nod before Jeremy says: "The Squad it is."
And the rest of the evening is spend with great joy and love, the teens from Hogwarts and this timeline happily talking to us about their last few years, even if I do notice how they all seem to avoid the previous year for some strange reason and all in all, at the end of the night, do I happily cuddle myself into my conjured sleeping bag.
However, halfway through the evening something happens that stirs me awake and it takes me a few seconds to realize that it's not something, but rather someone and when I look up with sleepy eyes, do I see Frank's worried gaze before he whispers: "Pads needs you, Prongs." And instantly I'm wide awake and alert.
I look and sit up and he motions for Sirius, who had gone to lie in a sleeping bag next to me on my request, but who is strangely enough suddenly on the other side of the room and has changed into his Animagus form, the poor black furred canine whimpering and swishing his legs further and further trapped in the fabric.
"How did he get there?" I ask Frank and the man motions for Molly who actually casts a Silencing spell on my poor husband as he says: "She thought keeping you asleep was more important than helping Sirius through his nighttime terrors." And this makes me glare at her, the woman looking at me shocked before she groans:
"Ugh, I can't believe this, I was too late.""No you weren't, Molly. I woke James up because I know James and I know he would not want to leave his husband hanging. Just like you wouldn't want him to do to Arthur what you just did to Sirius now, would you?" And the woman cringes as I decide to take this step by step.
I move fully out of my sleeping bag and then change into my Animagus form, Frank quickly casting a chain of Silencing charms on my hooves before I move over and when I pass the Silencing charm on my mate, do I use my muzzle to offer him comfort and help guide him out of the land of sleep, dreams and nightmares.
The dog yelps in fear and instantly I start moving my muzzle from his head down his neck and back as well as past his stomach and when I feel his fur changing into sleeping wear and a pair of famished arms wrap themselves around my neck, do I quickly transform before moving myself so I am sharing the sleeping bag.
"Jamie. P-P-P-Prongs." The man whimpers and I softly kiss him, yet not on the lips as I want to so badly. Instead of that do I chose the one place that I often, in the past, used to calm him down when he was feeling angry or stressed and press my lips against the part of his shoulder where the shoulder goes over into the upper arm.
And the minute that I do this, does Sirius gasp, proving that he instinctively recognizes my gesture and I move my head back to his as I whisper: "I'm here, Siri. And you're mine." Something I often had to remind Sirius of in the first year after we graduated and these words seem to do exactly the same thing they always used to.
Siri calms down and with a grateful, loving smile does he push and move himself so that his head rests under my own and that his face is pressed against my chest and while I love that things are slowly getting back to normal, do I then help both myself and my beloved back to sleep by softly petting his gorgeous long black hair.
Albus' POV
It's quite amusing that this is the second Teacher's meeting in only two days, yet all of my staff agreed that this was a true requirement and after the whole thing with the Patronus, the broken MMB and Rosie bringing Lily, James, Regulus and the Prewett twins back from supposed death, do I whole-heartedly agree with them.
At the same time I fully understand why Severus and Remus didn't join with us as I know that, had it not been for the fact that I am Headmaster of the school, I would have joined them as they went to catch up with their friends and kids in the Gryffindor common room and Severus going there willingly proves quite a few things.
"The MMB has really changed that man." Minerva then voices one of my thoughts and I nod as I say: "Yes, however it seems that his love for Regulus and his two sons is enough to make him look past the beliefs he's had for the last decade and it also seems that the MMB is really weakening if Severus goes there willingly and painlessly."
"Do you think the Gryffindors will just go and accept him?" Filius then asks and I answer: "I have no doubt that some of them will, by instinct, get shocked and perhaps angered when they wake up tomorrow morning, yet I believe the presence of everyone else there will – hopefully – keep the situation from going too sour."
The man nods and I say: "Now onto something that actually wasn't discussed at last night's meeting; the kids being Elementals." All of the teachers nod and Pomona asks: "Am I the only one who thinks it ironic that a wizard as light-hearted and caring as Mr. Potter-Black controls Shadows?" Yet before I can answer, does something happen.
A gasp comes from the very back of the Teacher's Lounge where I know that usually only one or two teachers go to sit and we all turn to the corner, my eyes widening as I see Sybil sitting there with her eyes wide and her voice turning raspier with each breath. "Could this be a replacement of the other one?" I think as she speaks:
Years of Darkness, Years of Light
With Friends Returned, the Future of kids will be Bright
Separated by Mind, weighted down by Fame
Many of them suffer under the wrong Family Name
Yet while Power and Mind Fight for the Title of Dark One
The title Dark Lord belongs to the Mind alone
And while the Shadows Evolve to Death
Mind will be the first to draw his last breath
With friends by his side, Death will bring Light
With family behind him, he will show his true Might
And once Power has come and gone
All levels of the child's life will truly be One.
The prophesy shocks us all and then Minerva clears her throat as she says: "Well, I – I can only assume that – that Shadow stands for Mr. Potter-Black and that Mind stands for Peter Pettigrew, correct?" And everyone nods and then Pomona says: "Then – then Power – does that stand for – who I think?"
And I gravely answer: "It seems that this part of the books is indeed destined to come true, Pomona. We best make sure Cornelius and Amelia view this at earliest convenience." The teachers nod and Filius asks: "What do you think it means Shadows Evolve to Death?" Yet I have no answers to this whatsoever.
Same time
Gryffindor House
5th year Girl's Dorm
Angelina's POV
I don't know what it is that woke me, but for some reason I feel myself coming out of the great dizzying darkness that is sleep and do I feel my eyes opening. Yet instantly as I do, do I see a possible reason why as my eyes are aimed for the bed that Irma and Irina decided to share for the night in my dorm.
The two girls are lying on their backs each, their eyes wide open yet unseeing and their bodies stiff like a steel plate and then Alicia says: "They have been lying like that for some time now. I woke because I had to use the restroom and I found them lying like that. They do still seem to be asleep themselves though."
This confuses me and then my friend and I gasp as the two girls open their mouths at the same time and a mist of foggy water seems to escape them, forming above their bed and from within the cloud words start forming, which makes Alicia and I share an absolutely flabbergasted look before I carefully read the words:
Years of Darkness, Years of Light
With Friends Returned, the Future of kids will be Bright
Scarred by Death, weighted down by Fame
Many of them suffer under the wrong Family Name
Yet while Power and Mind Fight for the Title of Dark One
The title Dark Lord belongs to the Mind alone
And while the Shadows Evolve to Death
Mind will be the first to draw his last breath
With friends by his side, Death will bring Light
With family behind him, he will show his true Might
And once Power has come and gone
All levels of the child's life will truly be One.
Alicia and I look at the words in utter shock and then the fog actually changes into water which falls onto the girls, but while I cringe and expect them to wake up shocked, do they just sigh before closing their unseeing eyes and moving themselves so that it looks as if Irma is defending Irina while deep asleep.
"You know, I think we need to give those two a water bed sometime." Alicia mutters and I look at her shocked, to which she says: "What, I make comments offhandedly when something overwhelms me. And you can't say that prophesy didn't overwhelm you either, cause I know it did. I know you, Angie."
And I nod before I say: "Let's – let's just – just write it down and – and then go back to sleep. Maybe if we show it to the teachers tomorrow – or maybe even that sister of theirs, Luna Lovegood, we can deduce more of what it could mean." Alicia nods and I grab my writing equipment as she joins me in bed.
Yet it seems as if the prophesy has overwhelmed us more than I expected as it takes us over half an hour and several rolls of parchment before Alicia says: "Yeah, I – I'm pretty sure that's what it said." Yet out of pure fatigue, I just don't feel like arguing with her and say: "Let's recap in the morning, goodnight."
And the girl nods before stumbling back to her own bed and before she can do more than crash onto the mattress, is she already fast asleep and I sigh, quickly casting a few spells to make sure she is tucked under her covers before sending another tired look at the roll and the sleeping girls, do I join them all in dreamland.
Hey everyone,
So, no Rita Skeeter this chapter, but I still think I made some amazing progress. There really wasn't a lot of people catching up on things, but I did establish that James and Sirius were definitely close when they were married and I lashed out at Molly Weasley yet again, which I know a certain reader will love.
Next chapter, however, will be focused on the whole thing with Skeeter as I will be writing a chapter about what happens outsideof Hogwarts. This means we will get some Hit-Wizard-Pettigrew action, the questioning of Skeeter, a bit of inner monologue from Fudge and Xeno finding out about his daughters.
This is going to be fun,
Venquine1990
