Sitting On The Baby By HPOD sufferer
Date: Saturday, 9th September, 7:11PM
Rating: K+ (Scary and Supernatural themes may scare young children), sexual implications (very minor)
Summary: Sirius bounded into the compartment, making to sink into the seat next to Lily. The seat in which a sleeping baby...well, slept. Eyes popping, James grabbed his friend's wrists, stopping him from sitting. Sirius Black was frozen in a strange, half-sitting, half-standing position. Lily grabbed the baby quickly, and James released his friend. "You know," said Lily " Baby sitting doesn't usually consist of actually sitting on the baby."
A baby has appeared. Where from? Why? Who does the baby belong to? Harry travels to Marauder Era. AS A BABY! Something went seriously wrong on that Halloween night.
Chapter 19: The Big Bad Wolf
The moon shines so bright, the moon it shines tonight,
Never have I memories of this wondrous sight.
Alone in a building I am locked inside,
Not behind bars but within myself I hide.
How was I to know of what I might find,
See the future walk where the past is confined.
But tonight I have my friends, as I howl my heart bends,
Forever have I memories of the healing of love and what it mends.
The sky was a dark shade of lavender, but to the west it was streaked with brilliant orange, pink wispy clouds floating over where the last of the sun remained. The wind rustled the leaves of the Forbidden Forest, and Remus sighed. It seemed the world was mocking him with all its beauty. Beauty he could see and sometimes even touch, but never, never possess. Madam Pomfrey glanced around nervously, even after all these years, and quickened her pace across the school grounds. Remus followed her.
The pair soon reached a large, yet fairly young tree, which swayed ominously in the breeze. The Matron picked up a stick and prodded it around the base of the tree, until the plant became still, then ushered Remus to the gap between the roots. Remus slipped through into the darkness, and began to walk at a fast pace.
It didn't take him long to get to his destination, and he closed the door of the bedroom quietly, and sat on the bed heavily, glancing at the boarded up window where a golden ray of light shone through a crack. Soon the light disappeared, and Remus closed his eyes, face turned to the ceiling. Above him was a small hole in the roof.
Outside, the moon rose into the sky, and the first moonbeam travelled in a straight line. The angle was so exact, it sieved through the hole in the ceiling and shone onto Remus's face. Despite the circumstances, he felt himself smiling. There was always a moment, just when the moon hit him, that he felt peaceful. Neither man nor wolf, he was a pure heart.
And then pain gripped his body and he let out a desperate cry that nobody would hear, except the scared inhabitants of Hogsmeade.
James sat in the common room by the window, eyes glued on the window. The sun had just set below the horizon. James stood up, claiming that he wanted to go check out a book from the library, and headed to the portrait hole. Five minutes later, Sirius Black stood, telling the girl with heavy black lashes who'd been blinking at him that he had a detention with Filch. Four minutes after Sirius, Peter told the person he'd been playing exploding snap with that he was hungry and needed to visit the kitchens.
The three boys met on the second floor corridor, and James dug his treasured invisibility cloak from his pockets, along with a piece of parchment. The three boys put their wands on the parchment, and chanted as one. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good..."
And the Marauder's map came to life.
Sirius poked Peter in the side, and the boy promptly turned into a rat, curling up in Sirius's pocket. James and Sirius shared a glance, and moved once again. They'd timed their expedition perfectly, slipping through the great oak front doors just as the Matron started climbing the steps. She tugged her cloak about her as the cloak fluttered dangerously close to her ankles, but didn't seem to sense anything suspicious. The boys passed her and before too long Sirius, James and Wormtail the rat were in the tunnel leading to where Remus was. James silently drew the invisibility cloak from their shoulders, stuffing it with the map into a notch in the dirt wall. Sirius smiled a tiny smile, then his face lengthened, his spine twisted, fur sprouting all over his body until a large black shaggy dog shook itself, smiling sloppily up at James. Wormtail squeaked, climbing up onto the dog's back.
James took this as his cue, and he closed his eyes. He transformed into a young stag with large hazel eyes and an pair of three tined antlers. He pawed the ground, snorting softly, and the other two followed him along the tunnel.
Three pairs of sensitive ears pricked as the sounds of whimpering cries reached them. Prongs the stag paused in the lower level of the house, and Sirius the dog looked at him, growling softly. Wormtail scampered from his back, squeaking in agreement. Prongs dipped his head.
I understand.
Padfoot took a deep breath, eyes creased slightly with worried, then bounded up the staircase. The stench of pain and torment reached his nose, along with the comfortable smell of wolf. Padfoot knew he should fear this smell, but it sparked off a primal feeling of family. He nudged open the door to the bedroom, and entered.
A snarl came from the bed, and Padfoot could see two eyes staring at him in the dark. Padfoot whined.
Hi Moony.
The werewolf's eyes, shining in the dark, stared with a harshness.
Go away.
Moony, it's me. Your pack?
My Pack? Go away.
Padfoot whined, begging the wolf to understand, wishing that the tiny part of Remus it could still hear would be heard. Come on Moony, you can do it!
A light flickered behind Moony's eyes, but only lasted a second.
Go away.
The werewolf had stood, rising from the mattress, a figure in the shadows. The drapery ruffled in a catch of wind- caused by the cracks in the walls or by the Wolf's movements Padfoot did not know, but his ears instinctively pricked at the sound of rustling. The curtains stilled, but the sound still echoed in his ears.
The werewolf had frozen also, paused to listen. It was like whispers, whispers whose words could not be heard, but were very close. Padfoot strained to hear.
"You need to get yourself out."
The words sounded like a child's spoken with a pain-filled voice. It came from everywhere- Padfoot did not know where to look for the source. The Shack had started to shake from the wind outside, but underneath the creaking and groaning, he could hear the whispers, like a distant shout. It was all so loud he could no longer hear Prong's snorting breath from downstairs anymore. Then the voice spoke again, but it didn't sound normal, it sounded like an echo.
"It was just like magic!"
Another voice joined.
"I didn't do it I swear, I just jumped behind the bins!"
A frantic voice, excited, happy.
"Come look, it's my parents!"
"He's back. He's back. Voldemort's back."
This last sentence made Padfoot jump. He knew that name, but the sentence in which it was said did not make sense. Voldemort...You-Know-Who...back? When had he ever gone?
Padfoot glanced at the Wolf. The Wolf, for the first time Padfoot could remember, looked scared. Not just scared; terrified. The Wolf was moving back from Padfoot, eyes wide with panic. Staring at Padfoot the whole time. Padfoot moved his head, then froze, his hackles raising.
Something was behind him, he could feel it.
Slowly he turned, and a rush of air left his lungs.
James Potter, his best friend, stood in front of him. but this James Potter didn't look quite right. This James Potter, whilst the same age as Padfoot's James, was rather pale...and transparent. Not transparent like a ghost- transparent like a...Padfooot did not even have a name for it.It was like a coloured, yet see-through glass sculpture- 3D but not even really there. The boy looked ahead, right at the Wolf, and raised a wand.
Despite the fact he was a wizard at heart, Padfoot felt fear as the wand was raised. Dogs cannot fight magic.
The boy shut his eyes and it was only when he did so was it that Padfoot realised what was the difference between James and this...boy. This boy had green eyes, a green Padfoot was sure he'd seen somewhere.
The eyes opened again, and the boy let out a choked sob, and fell to his knees, his wand dropping from his hand. He whispered.
"No more."
Padfoot was trembling, the background whispers were getting louder, shouting for attention.
"Help...I want to join...You can't stop me...There's nothing more guys, nothing...like something out of someone else's life, these last few weeks with you...Dumbledore's Army...It's gonna happen and there's nothing i can do to stop it...Leave me...Help...It's gone, just gone...Maybe if I'm gone you'll be safe...I've lost too much...I'm so glad I'm here...You'll be here forever, yeah?...Not like I got much else to do, just save the world...Yes! We did it!...Hogwarts is my home...the Shrieking Shack...Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfooot and Prongs proudly presents...I'm just want to kill that bastard!..."
Padfoot moved back as the boy started to cry into his hands, pressing his glasses to the bridge of his nose.
Padfoot's head started to ache, the voices like a rolling wave, crashing around him.
Prongs came crashing into the room, his antlers shaking off the last piece of door that was stuck on the tines, a rat clinging desperately on his neck. The transparent boy faded from view, but Prongs stilled as the last of the image disappeared. He lifted his head, eyes locking with Padfoot.
Padfoot knew Prongs could hear the voices too.
The moon shone through the roof, bathing the room in a soft low. The Wolf whimpered, not daring to do anything. Prongs leapt over to where Padfoot stood, nudging him in the side. Padfoot whined.
Suddenly the room burst into colour, tens, hundreds of the images appearing. At first it was just the boy who looked like James, but then more came- Padfoot was sure he'd seen James's crush, Lily Evans, run past with a bundle in her arms.
His eyes were attracted to where a tinkling laugh originated, and he saw the boy leaning against the wall, a girl sitting in his lap. All the other figures flitted about, but all sound seemed to fade away, as Padfoot homed in on their voices. The girl leaned her head back on the boy's shoulder, her red hair shining in non-existent sunlight.
"You'll be here forever, yeah?" She asked lightly.
"Yeah," the boy answered. He coughed to clear his throat. "Forever...always."
"You're a good guy," she murmured, closing her eyes.
"Yeah," he said, resting his chin on her head. "That's me."
"Your parents would be proud of you," the girl said suddenly.
The boy bit his lip. "You think so?"
"How could they not be?"
The boy was silent for a moment. "They're not alive, so I guess I would never know." He stopped speaking. "You know, I had a dream of them once."
The girl in his arms shifted. "You mean of the night they-"
"No, a nice dream," the boy smiled. "They told me they liked me."
The girl turned around to hug him. "Anyone who knows you would have to like you."
The pair faded.
A harsh, cold, cruel voice rang throughout the room, hurting Padfoot's ears and striking fear in his heart.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Padfoot's eyes flicked to where a figure crumpled to the floor, revealing a cot...and his stomach turned icy. A tall cloaked figure turned their wand on the cot. Padfoot shifted closer to Prongs's leg, and could feel the stag shaking.Green light erupted from the tip, bathing the room in harsh light. Then, just over the place where the body lay, it seemed to pause. The whole room glowed green.
"Dada!" the little child in the cot cried in wonderment at the light. "Mama, dan Pafof!" with a tiny shriek he clapped his hands.
The green light grew brighter, then brighter still, and Padfoot had to shut his eyes to protect them, only opening them when the burning sensation left. Everything was silent, even the voices. All the mirages were gone.
The curtains were still.
And the lingering scent of a child remained in the room, easily detectable to Padfoot's sensitive nose. Without thinking, Padfoot turned to Prongs and resumed his human form. He only remembered how stupid this was when a growl erupted from the bed.
No matter what happened, the Wolf would always be on a full moon.
And Padfoot had just done the equivalent of teasing the Big Bad Wolf with a nice fat little pig, or a little girl in a red riding hood.
Or a young man who stunk of fear.
And the wolf loved to hunt those who smelt of fear.
Sirius turned to see two eyes glowing and the howl of the Wolf's first ever victory echoing in his ears…
A/n: I give you guys complete and utter permission to hunt me down, dress me in ceremonial clothing, tie me to the stake, shave off all my hair (I won't really mind, it's not very nice hair), drown me, burn me, and force me to eat peanut butter.
Because I am a very very bad author who took way to long to do this chapter. Sure, I had six projects and three tests, but Fan fiction should come first (please not the sarcasm by the way), shouldn't it?
Who cares if my education is forfeited?
Will Sirius get killed! (please poll)
Anyway, hope you liked the cliff hanger. ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER?
Oh, and thankyou to the forty people who have added this to their c2 archives, and to the nine (tut-tut, I expect more of all you guys) people who reviewed!