Bloody Introductions
Harry remained in the Hospital Wing with round the clock surveillance by the Order for the next two weeks. When both Professor Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey were satisfied that Harry had not gone wandering off with invisible people, they let him leave. He now sat in the Common Room, staring out the window when Ron and Hermione sat down on either side of him.
"How you doing mate?" Ron asked.
"I…I'm fine…I think. Well…actually I don't know. I haven't seen her in two weeks. But maybe you are right…maybe I am going crazy," he mumbled.
"Harry if you haven't seen this girl in two weeks maybe it was just hallucinations," Hermione said.
"Or grief," Ron piped.
"I don't know," Harry muttered before falling into silence.
"Come on. We've got Potions. Don't want to be late and get detention with Snape," Ron said, pulling himself out of the chair.
Hermione joined him and Harry finally dragged himself out of the chair. The threesome headed down to the dungeons to join their fellow classmates. Not five minutes after the trio arrived, Snape came stalking down the hallway. He stopped as he opened the door and caught sight of Harry.
"Well, well. It appears our young hero has returned to us," he drawled.
"Nice to see you too," Harry muttered as he entered the room.
Harry took his seat and ran a hand through his hair. He looked up at the board and began gathering the materials and instruments he would need to concoct the potion for the day. He pulled out his copy of Advanced Potion Making on the process of preparing the ingredients. He slowly began dicing up the dragon heartstring. His mind was wandering elsewhere when suddenly he turned his head and nearly took off his own finger. There standing next to him was the girl with the blue eyes and lips. He stared, his mouth gaping, as she stared back. He blinked several times but she did not disappear.
"Potter what are you gaping at?" Professor Snape snarled.
"N-nothing Sir," Harry answered.
"Then get back to work. Five points from Gryffindor," Severus barked.
Harry averted his gaze and closed his mouth. Trying to appear as normal as he could, he returned to making his potion. Unfortunately, the girl sat down next to him, making it impossible for him to ignore her looming presence.
"What do you want?" he muttered through tightly pressed lips.
"I need to show you something," she answered.
"Look. It was great meeting my parents and seeing Sirius again, but I don't want to go on any more of your bloody adventures," he hissed.
"Potter shut up! That's another ten points for disrupting my class," Severus spat.
Just then Harry caught Draco staring at him with a raised eyebrow. He chuckled and covered his mouth to stifle the sound. Harry glared at him only half-heartedly. He knew he'd just made a fool of himself but he didn't need Malfoy reminding him. The dark-eyed girl seemed to sense this from Harry and deftly grabbed his cutting knife. The sixteen-year-old caught sight of the missing object just as she tossed it across the room, causing it to land deeply in Draco's palm. Harry's face paled to within several shades of his ornery Potions Master as he realized what she'd done and that he would undoubtedly be blamed for it. All Harry could do was stare. Somehow, the act had paralyzed him.
"Aaaah!" the Slytherin boy wailed, growing faint as the blood began to seep from the wound.
"What are you screaming about Mr. Malfoy?" Snape queried from his desk.
"Potter…attacked me!" he screamed.
"Potter what in Merlin's name do you think you are doing! The Headmaster will hear about this!" Professor Snape bellowed as he strode over to the whimpering blonde and dislodged the weapon.
"Come with me Mr. Malfoy," he ordered and Draco gladly complied.
Without waiting, Harry grabbed his bag and bolted from the room. Little did he know that all of his classmates were staring after him in disbelief and confusion. Ron began to stand up and follow but Hermione grabbed him by the wrist.
"Let him go," she said quietly.
"But he just attacked Malfoy…for no reason," Ron retorted.
"I know that Ron. Just…let him be," she finished in a hushed voice as Professor Snape returned.
"What are you idiots staring at! Just because Potter's decided to draw unbelievable amounts of attention to himself does not mean you all can just gaze about as if you don't have a brain in your pathetic little heads" he boomed menacingly.
As everyone turned back to inspect simmering cauldrons and read the next set of directions, Harry sprinted as fast as he could away from the dungeons. The first place he encountered where he was sure not too many other people would be was the library. He ran in and headed to the back for a secluded table. He found one behind a bookshelf near the Restricted Section that looked out onto the lake. He flung himself down into the chair and held his head in his hands. He was finally convinced that everyone else was right. He was going insane and it scared him, more than seeing into Voldemort's head. He felt hot tears falling from his gem-liked eyes but he didn't care. His glasses began to fog up as he continued to sob.
"It's nothing to cry over," came the cool, unmistakable voice of the girl that had so recently plagued him.
"Get away from me," Harry hissed angrily.
"I told you I need to show you something," she said, seating herself across from him.
"I said leave me alone," he spat.
"Merlin what am I doing? I'm talking to myself that's what. Great I really am loony," he moaned.
"So your opinion has changed? You no longer think yourself sane?" she commented airily.
"No I do not think myself sane," he snarled through clenched teeth.
"Look at me," she ordered.
"No," Harry whined defiantly.
She did not respond. Instead she laid her hand down on the table with a 'wham'. The sudden sound and movement of the table caused the boy to look up out of impulse.
"You want answers. It is time you were given them," she remarked.
"This isn't happening. You aren't real," he mumbled trying to convince himself she was not there.
"You are not crazy," she stated firmly, locking onto his gaze.
"Prove it," Harry snapped.
"My name is Reva," she began.
Harry did not comment. He just stared at her. He had the sudden feeling that he was being tricked, that maybe this really was Voldemort's doing. Yet, he could not feel angry or hateful or any emotion associated with the situation.
"So…you're just going to give me answers to any question I ask is that it?" he asked slowly.
"Within reason," she answered.
"Ok then why is it that whenever I'm around you I can't feel anger or hatred or any negative emotion?" Harry inquired.
"A very good question. However, before I can answer that there are certain things you must know," she said, in essence avoiding his question.
"Oh? Like what?" Harry shot back.
"It is imperative that you believe that I am real," she stated more firmly than Harry had anticipated.
"Ok. I believe you're real," Harry muttered.
"Good. Now. You must also know that meeting your parents and seeing your godfather were also real," she continued.
"Ok. Why did I meet them?" he queried.
"I will get to that," she said.
"Now. Returning to your question regarding your emotions going…on and off. You have been grieving Harry. But both times, when you witnessed the death of those you loved," she began.
"You were there with me. You asked me how I felt," Harry interrupted.
"Yes. You see Harry, I am your hate and fear and anger," she finished cryptically.
"Excuse me?" Harry remarked, eyeing her incredulously.
"You're telling me I'm supposed to believe my emotions have been walking around invisible to everyone else and getting me in trouble?" He seethed.
"I am merely a personification of these emotions Harry. You detached yourself from your grief when Sirius died. You created me so you would not have to deal with the pain of losing him," she orated.
"Well that was clever of me wasn't it," the boy snapped.
"Would you like to know why I brought you to meet your parents and see Sirius?" Reva questioned.
"If you wouldn't mind," the boy wizard answered in a mocking tone.
"Hearing everyone else tell you they all loved you isn't enough. You needed to hear it straight from them in order to do what you must do," she explained.
"I needed to hear from them that they loved me so I can defeat Voldemort? How does that work?" he asked.
"Just believe me when I say it will make all the difference when the time comes," the blue-eyed girl said.
"And now to address your final question as to why only you can see me," she said, a knowing smile on her eerily hued lips.
"Yeah. Why have you gone about making everyone, including myself think I'm going mental," Harry commented.
"I had to. What I showed you had to be done in private without anyone following us. It was for the best that everyone believe you were wandering off by yourself. I can, however, reveal myself to them and I will," she said, a small smirk toying at the edges of her mouth.
"Why'd you attack Malfoy?" Harry inquired.
"He was making fun of you. He deserved it," she replied, smirking fully now.
"Oh. Well yeah, that makes sense," Harry said with a nod.
"So, uh. Can you reveal yourself now. I need to talk to Ron and Hermione and it would really help if they could see you," he said hopefully.
"Yes. It is time that your peers and elders see me, for their own safety," Reva murmured.
"Will I ever be able to feel everything you represent again?" he asked as he stood up.
"Yes. In time, everything will work itself out," she responded as she too rose from her seat.
"So does that mean that I defeat Voldemort?" Harry questioned with a hopeful glint.
"Don't forget Harry. I'm part of you and you are quite dreadful at Divination. So I do not know whether you will succeed in your task or not," she said.
"Great. I have to worry about convincing everyone I don't need a permanent room in St. Mungo's and whether or not Voldemort kills me," he muttered as they exited the library, a very confused Madam Pince staring after them.