Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
He felt someone stroke his hair. Hmm… it felt nice. He hadn't felt that good for a long time. Wait. Someone was stroking his hair!
Harry's eyes flew open to a brilliant lit sky. He gasped, taking in the purple, blue, and green lights, all perfectly blend together and looked to be almost dancing. It was mesmerising.
He forced his eyes from the lights to the person stroking his hair. If he'd been older, he would have fell in love with her. She was absolutely gorgeous to look at her. She was leaning against a tree, her legs folded, still stroking Harry's hair. She had a pale complexion. Her sea green eyes were alluring to look at. She had rosy cheeks. Her hair was totally white, not grey, but glowing white that fell to her hips. When she saw Harry staring at her, her blood-red lips pulled into a wide smile, which showed her blinding white teeth.
Harry wondered how anyone's teeth could be so white. "Harry Potter," she purred in an accent he couldn't place. Harry stared nonplussed. "Am I dead?" he wondered, because he was sure he had died. He had felt his magic give out. The lady's smile stretched, "You are in the Realm of Death, yes. Though, you are in the Realm of Life as well. This place I call the Neutral Realm, is a place most never enter. You are a most special case Harry Potter."
Her eyes locked with his and neither of them said anything for a moment. "This is the choosing ground, whether you want to go back or whether you want to pass on," she continued as if nothing just happened.
Harry frowned, it was obvious the lady wanted him to choose. He was okay with death. Being locked up for weeks with nothing but reading a pile of books he had already read over and over again made him almost apathetic.
It was easy to sort through his thoughts and memories. He understood that his parents forgot about him or that they just didn't care.
They were plainly not suitable for him, as they never noticed his needs. Sirius on the other hand was the only one who truly cared about him. Remus, sure he was great, but Sirius loved Harry with all his heart. Sirius would always love him, that much was clear, but he also understood Harry in a way no one else did before. Harry knew that the closest feeling of love he had was for Sirius.
"Why?" The lady gave him a questioning look. "Why am I in the Neutral Realm and not truly dead?" he rephrased.
"You are dead Harry Potter," was all she said, giving a secretive smile. Harry gave a frustrated sigh, but conceded. It was obvious she wouldn't answer him for now.
"You know my answer," he simply said, again staring at her eyes. The lady gave him a genuine smile. "You are an unusual child Harry Potter," she said, intrigued.
Harry gave her a flashing grin that felt totally fake, "I try." She gave a tinkling laugh. "I'll see you again Harry Potter," she said waving a hand over Harry's face. The world started to fade. "You never told me your name," Harry called out. He was her flashing teeth. "I'm Am (Aum)." The world became black.
Sirius rocked back and forth, staring at the flickering flames. Harry was in his arms, still warm but pale. He looked down to see Harry again, only to shriek like a girl. Harry's vivid emerald eyes were watching him with amusement. "H-h-how?" Sirius asked, trying to get his heart rate back to normal. He felt sudden tears on his cheeks and hugged the child hard.
"Sirius," Harry gasped in pain. Sirius immediately loosened his hold looking sheepish. Then he went back to looking overjoyed. "You're alive!" he yelled.
"So I can tell," Harry said, humor in his voice. Sirius proceeded to hug Harry again. "You brat, don't ever give me a scare like that again. I have enough grey hairs."
"Oh, so you've finally admitted that you're old Padfoot. You became an adult," Harry pretended to look around, and then cupped his hands around his mouth and whispered, "with responsibility." Sirius gasped, looking affronted. "Never," he said, his mouth open in horror. Harry collapsed laughing, and Sirius joined after a second.
Harry began wheezing, holding his ribs.
Sirius's laughter immediately stopped, his eyes concerned, he carried Harry to the nearest bed. Harry had stopped shaking and stared as Sirius ran frantically around the room, muttering something about bloody potions under his breath. He ordered an extremely jumpy house elf to call for Poppy.
Harry guessed that Poppy was the Mediwitch of Hogwarts, as he heard James talk about her once. Sirius then seemed to remember something and let out even more curses under his breath.
Poppy came in with an irritated expression on her face, but spoke softly to Sirius. "Mr Black? Are you alright?" she asked cautiously, inching towards Sirius, not noticing Harry awake. "Poppy!" Sirius yelled in relief. "Harry needs potions and food! He is practically bones. Thank Merlin you're here."
Poppy's irritation melted into concern. "Mr. Black, perhaps you should sit down. I'll get you a calming draught okay."
"Wait wait, no Harry-"
"Mr. B- Sirius, please, you must sit down. Oh dear, I think you're a bit delirious. Hold on dear," she said sympathetically, still not noticing Harry.
"No! Ugh," Sirius let out his frustration by throwing up his arms and glaring at the witch much to Harry's amusement. He got of the bed Poppy pushed him onto and grabbed the Mediwitch's shoulder. He turned her around to face Harry.
Looking at Harry's seemingly angelic face and wide innocent eyes, she fell back into Sirius, her head knocking into the his chin, and yet out a yelp.
"B-b-b-b," she spluttered. Sirius rubbed his chin with a grumbled expression. "I don't know either, but there's no time for that. Harry needs to be cared now!" Pomfrey quickly went to her cabinet, shaking out all feelings of shock. She'd wonder about the miracle later, right now her patient needed help.
Harry ate till he thought he was going to blow up if he ate another bite. Sirius was leaning against the wall, watching Harry with amusement and something else he couldn't identify. "Are you done Harry?"
Harry looked down at his tray still full of food that could almost feed him up to a week. He shrugged, though his grip on the tray tightened. From the corner of his eye, he saw Sirius frown, and he hunched a bit to cover his tray. "Harry," he he heard Sirius say slowly. He saw Sirius sit down next to him.
"I'm not going to take it away from you if you don't want me to child." Harry almost sighed in relief. He believed Sirius. He would never do that to him. Why would he even think that? He met his godfather's eyes. "I'm sorry," he said softly, slightly afraid he'd hurt Sirius's feelings.
"Oh Harry," he heard Sirius sigh and felt arms wrap around him. "There is nothing to be sorry for."
Sirius was so angry his hands shook. How dare they starve his precious godson. How could they make this child fear that his food would be taken away in an instant.
Harry had fell asleep almost instantly after he took his two nutrition potions. The child's chest rose up and then down evenly. He looked so peaceful when asleep. He didn't have that old far away look on his face.
The child had seen so much, had been so wronged and neglected that he couldn't even be called a child anymore. He had been forced to grow up way too early.
Well, if Sirius had it his way, he would do his best to help Harry experience a real childhood again. He would spoil the child like mad. He started to think about all the things to buy… ooh! And pranks!
If anyone walked near the infirmary now, they would have heard Sirius's mad cackles and feel a shiver run through their back.
Severus Snape huried into his quarters and took out a bottle of firewhisky and pored it into a glass. He sat on the sofa, morosely stared at his glass and then downed the whole thing. Harrison James Potter was the bane of his thoughts. The child was dead, and it was obviously because of starvation. But how? How could the great James Potter not look after his own child?
He pampered the golden boy and gave everything a child could want to even not need. The Father of the golden child neglecting his other one was laughable. Severus sighed.
But, that could be the reason to. Looking after the boy-who-sadly-lived was probably to much work, that poor James Potter had to ignore his other son.
The way the man treated him during his Hogwarts years were not so forgettable, and it was actually not so hard to see that man neglecting his child. Glaring at the wall, Severus tried very hard to not think about her. But he couldn't and his thoughts wandered towards Lily Potter.
Snarling he thre the empty glass. The glass shattered, but Severus didn't care. How could she? Lily abandon her own son. It was too much, she knew how Severus was treated by his own Father, how could she do the same thing to her own son. The girl who had too big of a heart, left her own child to die.
Suddenly he heard a sound and cursed. It was urgent, something was happening in the Infirmary. Severus walked fast, out of his room, robes billowing behind him.
He rushed into the room, "What's wro-" Severus's jaw drop. The boy was alive and staring at him. At his astonishent, the boy gave a sweet, innocent smile that looked very fake. "Poppy?" he asked, pinching himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Severus was very sure that a few hours ago the brat had been very much dead.
"Yes Severus," Poppy asked with a mishevious smile. Severus merely glared, not able to say anything.
Albus shuddered, staring at a picture of Ariana. She was giggling at something, her beautiful red hair swirling around her as she ran. Tears fell out of his eyes. He had failed so many people, but most of all little Harry and his wonderful, sweet sister Ariana. They both died because of his mistakes. He was too late to save both of them. His beard was wet as he had cried till he had no tears left.
He heard someone knock on his doors. "Come in," he called weakly, quickly wiping away his tears. Sirius entered his room. Another young man he had failed. Sirius who suffered at the hands of his cruel family, having to go back every year in the summer to a place where he was hated after Hogwarts. If Albus had noticed, Sirius would not have had to go through all those years of pain. He was very proud that the young animagus still held his morals and values and goodness afterwards.
Sirius stared at his friend or mentor. Albus seemed so frail, he had never seen him look like this. His eyes wre wet and he was holding a picture frame of someone Sirius could not see. "Albus," Sirius gently said, his voice full of knowing that his old friend had been crying before he came in. Albus said nothing, still staring at the picture. "Harry's alive." The frame dropped and Albus's head turned swiflty to Sirius's direction. "What?" he demanded, his blue eyes shining deep with emotion. "Harry's alive," Sirius said again. Albus was out of his chamber in a second as if he apparated and was running towards the infirmary as if he wasn't a 150 years old.
Pushing the doors open he saw Harry talking softly to Poppy and Severus looking awkward, standing to the side. He stared at Harry, taking in his tiny frame, but a very much alive tiny body. "Harry," he whispered in happiness. Harry turned, his weary emerald eyes turning into joy as he saw the man he thought as a grandfather. Albus found his arms around his grandson and he wept in relief and joy.
Hi everyone! Sorry about the long wait, but life got ahead of me. Anyway, this is the next chapter and I hope you guys like it. I am not very happy with this chapter, but I couldn't really think of anything better so here it is.
