I dug my fingers in the earth.
I drew you pictures of my pain.
They were so pretty.
They were so vain.
Put your hands in the water.
Let it touch you everywhere.
Boat of my father.
Cut from my mother.
January 2? 7:45AM
Hogwarts Infirmary
"Now, please allow me to continue," Dumbledore continued in a serious tone, "There is a story from the past that you must hear before you return to your own time."
Thousands of years ago a pact was made between two families. This happened so far back in history that even in all of my travels through time I have not been able to find its origin. I do know that it stemmed from a life debt owed by the ancestors of the Evans family to the ancestors of the Riddle family.
From what I can surmise the two families were very good friends. An event took place which caused the Evans family to owe the Riddle family a life debt of such magnitude that the Evans family promised that if the Riddle famly ever called for the debt to be repaid they would go to any length and do anything in their power to repay that debt. I can only guess as to what might have happened to create a debt of such importance. Perhaps the Riddle family saved the Evans family from some dire fate that would have wiped them from existence.
The enormity of the life debt made both of the families nervous. The Evans were afraid of what might be asked of them and the Riddles, being such good friends of the Evans, feared that their friendship would dissolve under the weight of such a debt. So a pact was made. It was decided that whenever a new member was born into the Evans family, two drops of blood would be taken from the newborn babe and put into a bottle made of crystal. The bottle would serve two purposes. The first was to make certain that the Evans family never forgot the debt owed and the second purpose was that if the Riddle family wished to call upon the Evans to repay the debt they would need the crystal bottle. If the Riddle family had a reasonable request the Evans family agreed that they would hand over the bottle and the debt would be repaid.
This agreement eased the tension between the two families for many years and after a few hundred years passed the debt was all but forgotten by the Riddle family. The Evans family, on the other hand, did not forget the debt so easily. They continued to place their blood in the crystal bottle but they hid the bottle away whenever it was not needed. There were a few instances where certain members of the Riddle family found out about the debt and made attempts to steal the bottle away, but none were successful.
The Evans family continued to keep the tradition of the crystal bottle and unknowingly created something very powerful. You see, there is something very powerful in their blood, something so powerful that it defies any explanation. It is not the same as magic, it is something ancient and for many years it remained dormant. When Lily was born I was sure that her magical abilities were caused by her blood but later I realized that she was only an ordinary muggleborn witch. But when Harry was born I felt the power in his blood begin to stir almost immediately. The Evans blood mixing with the blood of the Potter family must have activated the power that runs in the Evans bloodline. It was too much power for one person and once Harry reached magical maturity he became mentally unstable.
In the few months after Harry's birth I learned from a reliable source that Voldemort was searching for young Harry. My first thought was that his interest in the boy was due to the prophecy made shortly before Harry's birth and I also assumed that it stemmed from the fact that Tom is the heir of Slytherin while James and Harry were the last in the Gryffindor line. When I explained my theory to James and Lily they agreed at first, but some weeks later Lily returned to speak to me. She tearfully explained the real reason Voldemort was after Harry. Tom was looking for something in young Harry, or to be more precise, on young Harry.
"The lightning bolt scar!" I interrupted loudly, "That's why you put the scar on his forehead." Dumbledore nodded in response.
"Yes, it was a plan that I came up with to destroy Voldemort for good," he explained.
"And instead it ended up getting Lily killed," Severus broke in angrily.
"But why the scar? Why did Voldemort want to kill my dad just because of a scar?" I asked in confusion.
Dumbledore let out a loud sigh and slumped in his chair. "Voldemort did not want to kill your father because of the scar, instead he wanted to kidnap him."
"Kidnap!" Severus and I both exclaimed at the same time.
"Yes," Dumbledore replied gravely, "He intended to steal baby Harry away and raise him as his own son."
"But why?" I questioned, "And if that's the case then why didn't he kidnap him instead of using the killing curse?"
"Voldemort never used the killing curse on baby Harry," Dumbledore stated in a serious tone, "He used a revealment spell on Harry's scar. He wanted to be certain that it was not a fake."
"And you setup a trap!" exclaimed Severus and Dumbledore nodded in reply.
"You are correct. The scar was a trap."
"But then why did James and Lily try to fight Voldemort? Why didn't they just surrender?" I asked in confusion.
"Do you really think Voldemort would have believed our ruse if Harry's parents would have just stepped aside without a fight?" Dumbledore asked and I shook my head.
"You still have not explained why the Dark Lord wanted Potter in the first place," Severus stated in a curious tone.
"It began with the vampires actually. For some reason the vampires held the Evans family in very high regard," he began, "The vampires knew of the crystal bottle and the life debt. It was an old tale passed down from generation to generation. The story was to be kept a secret from outsiders which is why I have never heard the story of the origin of the debt. But one vampire did come to me and she told me part of the legend, the part where the crystal bottle went missing."
"Missing?" Severus asked.
"Yes," Dumbledore stated with a nod, "The bottle went missing shortly after Lily was born. The vampire told me that Lily's father had spoken to the vampire council and asked for help in hiding the bottle so that Tom Riddle, who the vampires knew to be the Dark Lord, would not find it and call upon the debt. He feared the Voldemort would demand Lily since she was a witch. The council agreed to help the Evans hide the bottle but they would not keep it for him."
"Instead, they used vampire magic to infuse the collected blood back into the Evans line," he continued, "But they warned Lily's father that one day the mixed blood would live once again and a child would come, a mark of power on their forehead. This child would have the combined power of all of the Evans family and would be obligated to repay the life debt that was made."
"Why would they agree to such a thing?" Severus growled, "How utterly foolish!"
"Mrs. Evans thought the same thing," Dumbledore replied in an amused tone, "That is why, before the ceremony was completed, she took two drops of blood from the bottle and placed those two drops where she believed no one would ever find them, even I do not know where the two drops were hidden, nor what was done with the bottle."
"What would be the importance of the bottle if the blood had already been removed?" Severus asked in a curious tone.
"The bottle and the blood were both part of the agreement between the Evans family and the Riddle family, both would be needed for the debt to be repaid," explained Dumbledore, "By removing the two drops of blood, Mrs. Evans had also guaranteed that the marked child would never be born."
I gave Dumbledore a questioning look. "But what about the contract between my parents and Voldemort?"
"There was no contract," Dumbledore stated. "Oriel lied to your father."
"No, that can't be...she killed my brother because of the contract," I replied in disbelief.
"That is what she told her mother and your father, but there never was any contract. It pains me to tell you this, but Oriel was not a loving woman. She was more like her father than Adrienne ever was," he explained, "She seemed completely innocent, but in reality she had a deep lust for power."
My mind went into shock at Dumbledore's revelation. Could the kind, sweet woman my father told me stories about be a complete lie? It didn't make sense. None of it made any sense to me at all. I couldn't allow myself to believe something so awful.
"I know you don't want to believe it," Dumbledore stated as if I had spoken my thoughts aloud, "But Oriel killed your half-brother because he did not bare the scar of power and without it he was completely useless to her."
"Half-brother?" Severus asked in confusion. The old wizard let out a long sigh and rubbed his brow tiredly.
"Our time is becoming short so I cannot afford to be gentle in my explanations," Dumbledore responded sadly, "Oriel was not your mother, she had already died before..."
"Before what?" I questioned angrily.
"Before Harry created you..." The room spun around me and I suddenly felt the urge to vomit.
"Created?" asked Severus.
Dumbledore reached over and placed a hand over my own but I pulled away quickly as if I'd been burned. "I'm sorry Jenny, but it's true. Harry was working on a project with Charles Smith. I do not know the exact details but I believe it involved the creation of what could be described as a...clone."
"Humonculous..." I stammered unconciously. The word sounded so foriegn on my lips, like something out of a fantasy book.
"I think I can deduce the rest of this story," Severus interrupted, "Potter used the last two drops of blood to create Jenny, not realizing the dire consequences of such actions. What I don't understand, is how he and Smith could have been successful in such an endeavor."
"That would be a better question to ask your vampire friend," Dumbledore replied in an annoyed tone, "Since I believe she had a hand in the planning."
"Khalida?" I questioned disbelievingly, "But she's never said anything about..." My mind wandered back to the time in Smith's cottage when I asked for an explanation. "She didn't want me to know because she was afraid Voldemort would find out."
Dumbledore shook his head. "Miss List should have realized that secrets have a way of making themselves known...no matter how we try to hide them."
"You're one to talk!" Severus broken in angrily, "You're not even the real Dumbledore! And you still have not revealed your true identity. Why should we believe any of this nonsense from one who's whole life is a lie?"
"O Severus..." Dumbledore responded wearily, "Even in my time you never did care for me..."
A clock chimed somewhere in the castle. Dumbledore's eyes widened in surprise and he gripped the phoenix necklace tightly in his right hand. Severus and I gave him a questioning look.
"I fear our time is up," Dumbledore stated worriedly as he glanced at the hospital wing doors, "The Dumbledore of this time will be bringing a confused Tom Riddle into the hospital wing at any moment." I fumbled in my pocket and pulled out the time-turner.
"I don't know how many turns..." I began but Dumbledore interrupted me.
"Follow your instincts and you will not be lead astray," he stated in a serious tone, "There is one more warning I must give you. Find the crystal bottle as quickly as you can and take it to Hogwarts."
"But..." said Severus.
"You must find that bottle," Dumbledore broke in sternly, "Or all will be lost."
The sound of footsteps coming closer caused my hands to tremble as Severus quickly grabbed ahold of my shoulder. I was about to give it a spin but Severus motioned for me to wait.
"Who are you?" he questioned as his eyes met Dumbledore's.
The old man smiled serenly. "Let me give you a hint. I absolutely love sweets, Potions was always my most hated subject although I've always been bloody awful when it comes to Divination, I enjoy wizard's chess quite a bit, played quidditch in my younger days, and..."
"Ron Weasley," Severus gasped loudly as Dumbledore nodded in response. "But...you can't...that doesn't...what..."
"But Ron and Hermione are together in our time too," I stated and Dumbledore nodded once again.
"Fate has it's own way of working itself out and there are things that no amount of meddling can change," the old wizard replied with a wink. The footsteps suddenly became even louder. It sounded like there was a group of people right outside the door.
"Tell us how we can save Khalida and Hermione then," I pleaded dispairingly.
"Khalida will be fine," Dumbledore replied with a frown, "As for Mrs. Granger-Weasley...well, as I said, fate has it's own way of working itself out..."
"But that means..." Severus began, "One more question sir."
"Quickly Severus..."
Severus gave Dumbledore a serious look. "If I betrayed you in your time, then why in Merlin's name did you trust me in my time?" Dumbledore's lips turned up in an amused grin.
"The Severus in my time actually smiled and enjoyed friendly conversation," he replied in an innocent tone, "Once I changed the timeline and took over for Dumbledore I remember waiting for you to come to Hogwarts. I wondered what kind of child you would be and how I would react. Then I met you and you were the sourest, most pessimistic, most serious child I'd ever met in my life. That, my Severus, is how I knew that you were nothing...at...all like the double-crossing, git from my time." Out of the corner of my eye I could see the corner of Snape's mouth twitch ever so slightly.
"You must go now!" Dumbledore whispered hurriedly before mumbling something under this breath and disappearing with a small flash of light.
The hospital wing door began to open and I gave the time-turner as many turns as I could before letting it spin. I hoped that Severus and I would find ourselves back in our own time so I would be able to find Khalida. From Dumbledore's explanation I had no doubt that she knew more than she was letting on and no matter what, I planned on hearing the rest of the story.
Date?
Time?
Hogwarts Infirmary
"Jenny, I..." Snape's voice trailed off as I stumbled away from him.
"We have to get out of Hogwarts," I spat angrily, "We have to get away from here." I began to navigate around the beds in the darkened hospital wing, slowly making my way toward the door.
Flashes of light suddenly drew our attention to the windows overlooking the Forbidden Forest. An ominous silence enveloped us as we watched the intermittent flashes of yellow and red. As Severus' attention was still on the forest, I took a moment to glance around the infirmary, something we should have done immediately on our arrival in that time.
"Severus," I whispered fearfully, "There's something wrong." The castle seemed deathly silent and it was unnerving to say the least.
"I know," he replied quietly, "I feel it too." He motioned to the forest. "It looks as if there's some kind of battle going on out there but it's too dark to make out exactly what's happening."
"Then we better go down and get a closer look," I stated while grabbing onto his robes and pulling him towards the door.
We took a few steps and then Severus suddenly stopped. I glanced over my shoulder but turned away from his pitying glance. "We don't have time for this," I growled angrily and continued tugging at his robe. A moment later a calloused hand covered my own and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
"Are you alright?" Severus asked in a concerned tone. His grip on my hand tightened slightly and I fought to pull away. "Jenny..."
"We don't have time for this," I repeated with a hiss, "I'm...fine."
"I don't think..."
"Leave it Severus."
"But..."
"There's too much to think about...to think about it now," I stated as I finally pulled my hand away and continued toward the door. "I can't think about it now and I won't allow..."
"Potter through and through aren't you," Severus interrupted as he stepped up beside me. He turned to look at me as we both placed a hand on the hospital wing door. "Always attracting trouble, causing problems, never telling anyone how you feel..."
I smirked at him and nodded my head. "You forgot the whole saving people thing," I replied as we pushed open the door.
dSz
dSz
AUTHOR'S NOTE:I'm very sorry that this update has taken so long. Between work and life I haven't had much time. I've been working 12 to 13 hours a day so I don't really feel like going on my computerwhen I finally get home,and I've got a new boyfriend :). Also, I was caught up in the HBP excitement. I read HBP the day after receiving it and I read it straight through, starting at 9:30PM and finishing at 3:30AM (with one bathroom break in the middle) and now I'm reading it again.
I know this chapter is information heavy but I hope it's easy enough to understand. And I know it seems as if there are all these different plot points and they'll never come together, but I assure you that by the end you will know everything and it will all make perfect sense. When I came up with this story I knew it would be a bit confusing but I also knew that most people will have the same reaction to the ending. That "O, now I see, that makes sense," type of reaction. Just be patient, getting there is half the fun.
Next chapter: Back to action! I like writing action, it's much more exciting.