Sitting On The Baby By HPOD sufferer
Date: Sunday, 23rd September, 3:10PM
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 22: The House Elf Knows
I betrayed them with my body, but not with my soul
Did you really think I'd break away and make a gaping hole?
The walls are falling and the wards are crumbling,
It seems as if the world's tumbling.
But the mistakes of the past are to be fixed forever,
Today will decide what's to be and what's to be never.
The folk who are tied are obliged to preserve,
But the future means to move on for those who deserve.
Severus Snape heaved a sigh if relief as the pair disappeared around the corridor, and peered into the hospitable wing.
It was amazing nobody had seen him, and even more so that no one was looking for him. He felt his heart thump at Dumbledore's words. How foolish they all were.
Sirius Black was merely an ant in all of this...no, Sirius Black was a dog. Snape allowed himself a grim smile.
Snape had to admit to feeling young and foolish at the moment, hiding behind a door. Hiding in his own school.
But of course, it wasn't everyday that the Hogwarts wards fell. Snape could feel it. It was like that night weeks ago, when the whole castle had shaken with terror of having a breach.
If that was what had happened last time, Snape had a distinct feeling the castle might collapse this time around. And he wouldn't be entirely satisfied with the outcome, but...
Snape kept his eyes locked on a figure in the Hospital wing. Peter Pettigrew sat up, and mechanically got off the bed. Severus pressed himself closer to the wall. Pettigrew's state was unstable-Snape had seen his collapse as he returned to the grounds from within the forest after meeting with the Death Eaters.
Peter's eyes blankly settled on the baby on the bed, and picked it up. His lips made a sloppy smile, and he marched to the doors. Snape watched with distaste as the hapless Gryffindor marched off.
Now Snape could make his move.
James hurried along the corridor. He knew where Sirius would be, and James really needed to talk to Sirius.
His mind whirled with a thousand thoughts, and James had the urge to shout. If not to vent his anger, but at least tell the voices to shut up. James's footsteps echoed off the walls and the castle seemed unnaturally still. James came to a painting of a bowl of fruit, and leaned towards the pear, tickling it.
The pear squirmed, and James fancied he could hear muffled laughter. The pear soon gave up, and revealed itself to be what it truly was- a doorknob. James grasped it firmly, and let himself in.
James's guess was right, and Sirius turned from his place at the table. His face darkened upon seeing who it was. "Piss off," he growled; turning back to the orange fruit he'd been preoccupied with.
"No."
Sirius wheeled around again, annoyance crossing his features. "I said, get out."
The house elves, sensing disturbance, skittered away.
"No," said James again, with much more conviction. "Something just happened there, and I want to know what it was."
Sirius rolled his eyes, complete carelessness displayed on his face. "I thought it was obvious. Oh! I forgot, you're too caught up with being grown up to even notice when you lose a friend."
"You're still my friend."
"No I'm not. Didn't you hear me?"
James kept his resolve. "I consider you my friend Sirius. Just because I've got other-"
"WILL YOU JUST GIVE UP?" Sirius shouted. His voice turned cold, and his eyes bored into James. "Don't you get it? Don't you realise you've...you've...I've had enough!"
"No, I don't-"
Sirius had picked up whatever he was eating, and threw it. The orange fruit landed at James's feet, shattering and spraying orange all over James's legs. "What-what was that?" he gasped as a dozen house elves came charging to his aid.
"Papaya," Sirius said with satisfaction. "That'll stain. And since you're such a grown up boy, I think you can wash them yourself." Sirius turned to the house elves. "What did I say?"
"Not to help Master Potter, sir?" the closest said timidly, wringing its hands.
"Yes," Sirius hissed. "And what are you trying to do?"
The house elf glanced at its comrades. "Help Master Potter, sir?"
"Do what should you be doing?"
"Not helping Master Potter?"
"Exactly," Sirius said. The whole group of house elves retreated, looking forlorn.
James glared at his friend. "What is wrong with you Sirius?"
"Nothing. Everything. You."
James lifted his hands to the ceiling in exasperation. "Fine! I'm done!"
Sirius muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, "good," but James ignored it. Lily's words had made so much sense, and James had let himself believe them.
A house elf was tugging at Sirius's leg, and after looking at his own trouser leg, James realised he had his own elf to contend with. "Yes?" James bit out with impatience. The house elf looked nervous, but after a pause it spoke.
"Master Black and Master Potter needs to go back to their common room," it squeaked, a hand clutching at the Hogwarts emblem on its clothing.
James frowned in confusion. "But it's breakfast time, why would we need to go-"
The house elf was starting to go pale, and was shaking. "Masters must go now! Masters must go!"
"Why?" Sirius demanded, taking the little hand off his pant leg.
The house elf seemed as if it weren't going to answer, but spoke. "Hogwarts in danger sirs, you must hide, must go to safety, sirs!"
James glanced at Sirius before dropping down to the elf's height. The house elf had lost all colour from its face, and its hands grabbed at James's robes to keep steady. The house elf looked James earnestly in the face.
"Hogwarts is in danger master Potter," the house elf breathed. "Us house elves can feel her tremble. Master Black and Master Potter needs to go to safety..."
"What's wrong?" James pressed. The house elf brought a hand to its mouth, shaking its head desperately. James placed a hand on the elf's shoulder-to encourage the elf perhaps. The house elf gave a terrified squeal, and popped out of sight. The one next to Sirius did the same. James stood up, only to see that every single house elf had gone- where there had been hundreds before, there were none.
James didn't spare any time for Sirius, and turned tail. He sprinted out of the kitchens, his heart pounding.
He trusted the house elves. Hogwarts was in danger.
And then the ground beneath his feet trembled, just as the house elf had said.
Peter held the baby to his chest, eyes vacant, as he moved briskly across the Entrance Hall. No one was around, which was quite odd, since there should be hundreds of students milling around for breakfast, but Peter made no sign of noticing this. He pushed his way outside onto the grounds, leaping down the last of the stairs and almost running across the lawns towards the gates. The group of Death Eaters assembled on the other side watched as the rather plump boy started to get red in the face, but he didn't slow until he came to the gates. He stopped, panting.
Bellatrix dropped her hood, motioning to her comrades not to copy her. She eyed the baby in Peter's arms.
"That's it, is it, then?" she said, wrinkling her nose.
Peter stood stiffly, staring at a tree behind the group. Baby Harry snuggled closer to Peter- he didn't like this group of masked people.
"Answer me, dammit!" Bellatrix growled. "Is that the child our master wants?"
The figure next to her placed a calming hand on her arm. "Calm yourself, wife," the voice snapped, and Bellatrix glared at him, but bowed her head in silence. "I told you that cursing the boy to much might...well, I don't think there are that many babies in Hogwarts, hmmm?"
One of the group snickered, but silenced when nobody else followed.
The man who had calmed Bellatrix turned to where another, rather stooped Death Eater sat mumbling and poking their wand at the gates. "How are you faring?" he called.
The Death Eater stopped mumbling. "Less than four hours, they're falling fast. I don't get it..." The Death Eater scratched their head.
"What don't you get?" The man snapped.
"Well," the Death Eater said, standing up, "They really shouldn't be falling at all." The man's head twitched to the side, and then his companion continued. "I mean, with Dumbledore putting his own protections on top of-this really should be impossible."
"Well, continue."
The Death Eater nodded and kneeled down again to continue their task. Bellatrix grumbled. "Four hours; great. And Pettigrew's just going to sit on the other side of the gates until they open?"
"Yes," her husband snapped. "And you best wait patiently."
"You're lying, Professor," Lily Evans insisted, pacing. "The Hogwarts wards can't just drop away like that."
The Headmaster watched with slight amusement as the Head girl continued to pace. "I assure you Miss Evans, they are, for reasons I cannot fathom."
Lily twirled around. "But...the Founders-they sealed the walls themselves. You warded the gates yourself. And you're trying to tell me that in less than three hours, they're just going to drop away as if they were never there?"
"That is correct."
"And the Death Eaters are just going to be able to come in here and do what ever they please? Even Voldemort, if he cared to come?"
"Yes, Miss Evans. You do realise this is the fifth time we've said this?"
Lily stopped pacing, her hands dropping to her sides. "It's just...I'd never imagine it to happen. It's like telling me that I'm not a witch and all of this is a dream."
"Now that would be astounding," Dumbledore agreed. "A rather fantastic dream it would have been, however."
Lily took a calming breath. "What will they do, when they get inside?"
"Kill all those who displease them, I suspect."
Lily trembled. "Would-would I d-displease them, Professor?"
"I imagine you would."
Lily wrung her hands. "What about-my friends?"
"If they got in the way."
Lily whimpered the next sentence. "And...And James? Sirius? Remus? Erm, Peter?"
"If they are foolish."
Lily gasped and hid her face in her hands. "Can we-can we fight them?"
"I thought you'd never ask!" Dumbledore. Lily looked up to see him smiling at her, his eyes bright. "Will you fight?"
Lily gulped, but then raised her chin in a defiant stance. "Yes, Professor, I shall fight."
"Then make haste- find your friends, any who are willing to fight with you. And those who do not care to join you- hide them. The castle may no be able to protect you, but she is very apt at hiding those who seek not to be seen. There are other ways to be invisible than using a cloak."
Lily caught the knowing look in the Headmasters eyes. "Yes, Professor," she said, racing from the Headmaster's office.
Down in the kitchens, a house elf cleaned away the mess of papaya on the floor, shaking its head. Master Sirius Black had stormed out minutes before. The house elf was the only elf left in the kitchens- all of his fellows had gone to preserve the castle they were bound to serve. The castle had called them and they had obliged. The house elf straightened up and with a snap of his long fingers, the mess disappeared. He felt lucky he didn't feel the castle's pain. With a pop he appeared in a completely different place in the castle.
The Room of Requirement moulded immediately to the elf's requirements. Along three of the walls were glass fronted displays. All through the room were glass boxes, almost like tanks, placed on top of stands. In each display or tank was a 3-dimensional view of different parts of the castle. The house elf moved to the largest tank, in the middle of the room. In it was a scale model of the castle and its grounds.
The house elf cast its eyes over the group at the gates. It then moved along the walls, watching as a group of first-year Raven claws tried to break out of their locked doors. A hysterical Head Girl racing through the corridors. Master Sirius Black unrolling a piece of parchment. Orders of the Phoenix converging to talk with the Headmaster. A sleeping werewolf in the Hospital Wing. So many scenes, all moving in synchrony with the real-life events.
Then at the end of the wall was an empty box. The house elf stopped at this display case, waiting. He knew it would start any moment.
When it did, the house elf nodded to itself, and popped away to tell his fellows that they need not try to save the Hogwarts wards.
Because they were meant to fall, and if they didn't something very bad indeed would happen.
A/n: Well, I have a very good excuse for being late with this one: I lost all of my notes. I had about six pages worth of notes for the ending of this story, and lost all of them in my end of term excitement (Australian school term ended for a two week holiday this Friday) and since they included plot points I've been carrying throughout this whole story, plot points with which my story cannot make sense without. Luckily I found them under my bed next to my art essay and iPod. Now, this isn't the last chapter-I get the weird feeling I might hit the 25 mark. I don't know about you, but I'm excited. This chapter bounced around quite a bit, but I needed to set everything out for the… (Coughs to cover what was nearly a spill of the ending), which I'm sure you'll all love. Sirius is still being rude at the moment, but can you convince him to be nice to Jamie? If you want him to be good and save the day or something like that, vote!
Didn't I say the papaya would play a more important roll? Well, it will!
P. S. I advise you pay close attention to this chapter. Every breath each person took was important.
P.P.S. Yay, fixed up the error with their rulers! I shall be re-posting all the chapters I posted while they had this error, but none of the content will be different-it is merely to calm my perfectionist's soul.