Disclaimer: Harry Potter? Not mine. Cover art? Not mine. Horizont Alley? Not mine. (Can't remember whose it is.)
Pairing: Sirius/fem!Harry
Warnings: I don't have a beta reader. Please bear that in mind.
Dedication: This chapter is for noneofmyshipssail, for being an awesome friend. Thank you. :)
§
THREADS OF TIME
Chapter 8
"When you meet someone for the first time, that's not the whole book. That's just the first page."
~ Brody Armstrong ~
OoOoO
Despite the chill in the air, it's a bright day. There are springtime flowers blooming in the cemetery, and Bella suspects that there's magic at play.
There are only a few people at the funeral; it's a private ceremony, and Sirius and Dumbledore together have placed wards on the premises, so that only those invited can even enter.
Sirius has taken special care to ensure that unregistered Animagi can't just waltz in.
Dumbledore is conducting the ceremony, and Bella takes that as a chance to subtly study the people who have come. Augusta Longbottom is there, with a white, veiled hat. She's studiously staring ahead, her expression blank.
McGonagall is standing by Hagrid, weeping quietly into a handkerchief. It makes Bella wonder if her parents were truly that treasured, and if anyone would have cried for her the same way if there had been anyone left behind to grieve for her.
It looks like most of the original Order is present, at least, it's living members. She guesses that the tall red-haired man is one of the Prewett twins. But didn't they die together much before the end of the war?
Bella doesn't remember Ron or Ginny ever telling her that one of their uncles was married. And yet, she can see a golden band glinting on his hand, just as there's one on the hand of the blonde he's supporting. She's crying as well.
There are a few others, but their faces all seem to blur into one. They're all dressed in white, and that's all she notices.
Dumbledore stops his Latin chanting and looks directly at her. This is it. This is the moment that she's been stressing about for the past few days. Sirius pushes her forward and all of a sudden, she finds that she can't breathe. The air around her feels thick.
Someone else pushes her further - probably Remus - and she's now close to Dumbledore, who smiles at her grimly.
Bella can't remember the spell.
She spies a dark-haired man standing at the boundary, in the shadow of the ash trees, his sallow features hidden by his hair. He's staring at his feet intently.
A small hand presses itself into her cold, limp left hand, warming it over. Bella looks to her left to see a pixie like woman with platinum blonde hair whose face exudes calmness and peace.
"Breathe. I'm with you," she whispers, and it's like Bella is shrugging off a cloak. Bella now stands taller and firmer and she doesn't feel so alone or scared anymore.
The woman doesn't remove her hand even as Bella casts the spell, the white flame growing from the tip of her wand. It grows bigger and brighter and surrounds the opens coffins, cocooning them. The flame grows hotter and stronger.
Dumbledore resumes his chanting, this time in English.
"Let it be known that the Living pray for the Departeds' journey.
The plea of Grace has duly been invoked.
May Morrigain protect her beloved
And may Merlin defend his treasured.
May they show cause for justice to His circle,
And bless these now gone souls with Grace.
Death is the last enemy that shall be conquered;
And his Grace, the last gift that shall be bestowed."
A tear rolls down Bella's cheek of its own volition. Though she's standing here, physically, her thoughts are with her parents. She thinks of her real mother's unconditional love and her real father's bravery, even though she doesn't mean to.
It's almost like the ritual of Grace has forced her to think of all the positive qualities of her parents.
She thinks of the Lily Potter who laid her life for her and she thinks of the Lily Potter who laid her life for Harry. She thinks of both the James Potters who stood up to Voldemort to give his family more time.
But are the people she will soon be burying her real parents? She feels like an impostor. Her mind doesn't stay on that for long though, because what's happening is morbidly beautiful.
The Acromantula silk robes that her parents are dressed in alone continues to burn merrily under the white flame, though nothing is really burning; there's no ash formed anywhere.
Remus steps up and places a large bronze coin on each of the corpses' foreheads, after which Dumbledore concludes the ceremony.
"All things have a start and all things have an end. The start and the end are the same. Let dust become dust and ash become ash. Let those buried merge with life just as they merged with life when they were first born. Blessed be thy travels."
He waves his wand with what Bella feels is an unnecessary flourish, and the flames disappear, leaving the corpses glowing unnaturally. Wooden boards grow to encapsulate her parents within the coffins, before the two coffins raise and lower themselves into the ground.
At that moment, she realises that the mysterious blonde has disappeared from next to her. Bella frowns; she isn't that unobservant usually.
All those present raise their wands and repeat, "Blessed be thy travels." Sparks shoot out, and the graves are now covered with fresh mud.
It reminds her of how she buried Dobby in her own thread. And that adds one more thing to ever growing list of things to do - to see if Dobby wants to be set free, and use his help to get Riddle's diary.
Bella watches as Sirius says the line with his face devoid of any emotion, Harry nestled firmly in his left arm. She should have taken the baby from him, seeing as she isn't supposed to participate in the last part anyway.
She walks close to Sirius, and holds his right hand in hers, pressing it firmly to comfort him. However, he doesn't notice it, as he is too busy glaring at someone under the ash trees - ah, Snape.
When Remus comes up to them, she lets go off Sirius' hand and hugs him tightly, and he hugs her back.
"You did well," he says, giving her a grim smile.
She turns to take Harry from Sirius, and once she does that, Remus engulfs Sirius in a bear hug. It reminds her of how her Remus and her Sirius had hugged each other in the Shrieking Shack back in her Third Year.
The various people assembled start coming towards them, and she whispers in both the Marauders' ears, "I don't want to meet these people, can I leave?"
Remus opens his mouth and looks as though he is about to protest, but Sirius nods his head at her. Before she can ask if she can leave the premises, the voice from before says, "Take a walk with me, Isobel?"
She turns around to eye the blonde witch. There's something about her which screams safety and warmth. Bella can't understand this instinct, as she usually is never too hasty in trusting others.
"Who are you?" asks Bella, slightly mesmerised by the woman's tawny eyes.
"Helen Flamel."
OoOoO
They're sitting on a bench in an older part of the cemetery. The silence is awkward, to say the least. Bella has no idea what to say.
At long last, Helen says with a sigh, "I've waited for so long to see you, to actually talk to you and now that the moment is here, I don't know what to do."
Bella gives the woman a tiny smile as Harry tries to wriggle and get down from her lap. Bella has no plans of letting him frolic in a place where dead people are buried.
"Why don't you tell me about yourself?" asks Bella, in an attempt to get the conversation moving. Hopefully, it will become less awkward over time.
"My name's Helen. And I'm your godmother, as you might have gathered from Skeeter's article. And I was your guardian for the past few years."
Bella nods at this, but narrows her eyes when she realises that that's all the older witch has to say.
"Don't give me that look, duckie," she chuckles lightly. "I know you have many questions - I can see it in your eyes. But there's no point in me telling you about me. You should form an opinion of me by yourself."
"Right..." says Bella, racking her head for something else to say. What does one say to a stranger to make small talk? Make comments about the weather?
And that's what she's about to do, when Helen speaks, "I see you didn't use the Deathstick today."
"Yes. Uh, the spell for the Fire of Grace didn't work with it. I had to get a new wand."
"You'd think a wand touched by Death himself would be easier to help the departed move over, wouldn't you?" she asks rhetorically.
Bella nods her head once again, before focussing her entire attentions on the impossible task of flattening Harry's hair.
The sun creeps up steadily, and a bird starts chirping.
"That's odd," Helen says, and Bella looks up from fussing over Harry.
"What is?"
"Mockingbirds aren't indigenous to Great Britain."
"Huh?"
"The sound... It's the nest relief call. Interesting..." the blonde says, gazing sharply at the upper branches of the tree under which their bench is.
"I thought the mockingbird could copy sounds?"
The other witch is silent for a while, before she turns to Bella and says, "I have a book on them, if you'd like to read it. Right now, I think it's time we went back to your... friends."
As they make their way back, Helen asks, "Mind if I hold him?"
Bella reluctantly hands over Harry, watching in surprise, as Harry doesn't throw a fuss. If she closes her eyes, she can still hear Harry bawling at Madam Malkin's.
Harry reaches up and tugs Helen's hair, as she chuckles, "As always, Harry-boo."
"What?" asks Bella before she can help herself.
"Harry always pulls my hair when I pick him up, don't you Harry-boo," she says, nuzzling his cheek as Harry giggles.
"You've met Harry before?" she asks, feeling oddly left out.
"Of course I have, duckie. What kind of a godmother would I be if I didn't interact with my goddaughter's baby brother?"
OoOoO
Only Remus and Sirius are there by the freshly covered grave when Bella and Helen, along with Harry enter the newer part of the graveyard.
At least, that's what she thinks, until a tall imposing figure makes its way to the group. And it's someone Bella can identify with her eyes closed; after all, she has been at the receiving end of this woman's portrait's many shrieks.
It's Walburga Black.
Sirius tenses, seeing her, and almost instinctually, Bella slips her hand into his, squeezing it slightly. He holds her hand tightly, and she can see Helen quirk her eyebrow at that.
There's something about Helen which reminds her of Hermione. And Luna. A rational Luna. Is that even possible?
Remus whispers in a low tone, "You invited your mother?"
But before Sirius can answer, Walburga's long strides have brought her right to them.
"A well performed ritual, Lady Potter. I'm sorry for your loss" she says, not looking all that sorry. Her eyes are cold, calculative. Her icy blue eyes look devoid of any humanity.
If there's one thing Bella has learnt from this thread, it's that meaningless diplomacy between heads of houses is important.
"Thank you, Lady Black, for your kind words" she says, gently extricating her hand from Sirius'. It wouldn't do to give Walburga anything else to talk about.
The older witch looks meaningfully at the others and in a lofty voice announces, "I'd like to speak in private with Lady Potter."
Sirius growls at his mother, "No."
"All righty, then. We'll be waiting by the trees there, hmm?" says Helen, walking away with Harry, as Remus grabs Sirius and drags him along.
Great support system they are, leaving her to face Walburga alone, thinks Bella, trying to not let her irritation be apparent on her face. Traitors, the whole lot of them.
Over the Black matriarch's shoulder, she sees Helen turn her head and throw a reassuring smile at her. Bella focuses her gaze back on Walburga's impassive face.
"This might seem like an inappropriate time to ask this, but what are your intentions with my son?"
"What!" exclaims Bella incredulously.
"It's my duty, as the Black Mistress, to figure out what you mean to do with my son, the Black Heir," her eyes icier than ever.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," says Bella, her eyes narrowing.
"Don't you? My house-elf thinks otherwise. As does my niece, whom I met in a ministry holding cell yesterday."
"Your house-elf is insane and bigoted. Your niece, apart from being insane and bigoted, is also a sociopath. I would take both their words lightly."
"You are bordering on impertinency here, Lady Potter."
"And you're completely being inappropriate here," counters Bella, her fingers itching to take out her wand.
"If you have any matrimonial interest in my son, now would be the time to tell me."
"I assure you, Lady Black, that I have no matrimonial interest in your son. But even if I did, it would be between me and your son. It would be none of your business, really."
An approving growl comes from Bella's left and she almost jumps. There's a large Grimm standing next to her, glaring menacingly at Walburga Black. Bella holds back a smile. She has no idea how long he's been standing there, unobserved by the both of them.
"I should have known that you Potters would stoop low enough to bring up such mutts," the older woman spits out viciously, glaring at Padfoot, who has moved to stand in between the two witches.
"Are you openly insulting the Potters, Lady Black? Are you trying to start a feud between our houses?" she asks, drawing her wand out of its holster.
Walburga sneers at her, eyeing her wand. "There can't be a blood feud. Your grandmother was a Black. Try to be more informed next time, child."
The way she says it rankles Bella, so she's thrilled when Padfoot snaps at the other woman's ankles.
"Tell my son I love your earrings, won't you?" she says scathingly, as she takes a few steps away, not turning her back on Bella, before Disapparating with a pop.
Bella drops to the ground, throwing her arms around the shaggy dog.
"Thanks for that, Sirius," she says, burying her face in his thick hair. Padfoot pulls back a little and licks her on her face. Bella laughs.
"Eww, stop that. That's disgusting!" she says, not meaning a word of it. Padfoot barks in response, his tail wagging madly.
"Let's go see where Remus, Helen and Harry are, hmm? They're the worst people I know, leaving me to the tender mercies of your mother."
Padfoot growls at the mention of Walburga, and Bella places a kiss on his head, between his ears.
"C'mon boy, let's go."
OoOoO
It's half five when Bella returns 'home' with Harry. She's dead on her feet and Sirius has decided to spend the night with Remus. Bella understands that he needs his space.
Bella's mind is more taken up by her mysterious godmother who'd made some flimsy excuse after lunch and had disappeared shortly after that. Bella realises that she knew close to nothing about Helen Flamel.
Her godmother has platinum blonde hair, knows Harry, and knows trivia about the mockingbird. Bella's information on her may have as well been useless.
She sits down on the sofa and hugs Harry tightly, feeling lonely. She hates feeling this way. It's not just about being alone, it's about having no one to really turn to; no one to really trust with her whole heart. No adult, that is.
"You know what, Harry?" she asks the sleepy toddler in her arms. He looks at her drowsily, and Bella just wants to cover his little face with kisses.
"You lost a mum and a dad. You lost the two people who loved you the most. But it's okay. It's okay because I promise you that I'll be here for you, I'll be here to look after you. No one was there for me, but I won't let the same thing happen to you. Ever. Because I love you, sweetheart. And I'm supposed to be your sister, but I'll be whatever you want me to be. If you want a mother, I'll be her. If you want a friend, I'll be her. If you just want a sister, I'll be her. You'll always have me around, love."
She stares into his green eyes, and has the oddest feeling that he can understand her perfectly.
"I'm going to be there for you, Harry. I'm going to protect you, and love you, and care for you. I'm going to spoil you rotten and buy you the latest brooms. I'm going to teach you Quidditch and the nastiest jinxes anyone can think of. And somehow, I'll manage to get that horrible Horcrux out of you, so that you can lead a happy life. And we'll be the best of friends, okay? I'll do everything for you."
She bends down and kisses him on his forehead, right on his scar, and hugs him tighter.
"La," he says faintly, shifting a little, his eyes fluttering shut as he finally stops rubbing at them. Bella raises her hand to wipe away a tear. It's incredible, how much she loves him. It's scary too. It's scary to believe that she could actually love and care for another human being so damn much.
"How come you aren't hungry?" she asks him idly, watching the baby drift to sleep. Aren't babies supposed to be hungry all the time?
She takes him to his room and gently removes his clothes. She changes his diaper and puts on a Slytherin green onesie.
"Goodnight, Harry. Bella loves you," she whispers, as she leaves a tiny night lamp on.
She doesn't close the door.
A quick survey of the fridge reveals a pack of Butterbeers that she's sure wasn't there yesterday. She pops a bottle open, before deciding against limiting herself.
She takes the whole pack out, closing the fridge with her foot. She makes her way to Sirius' room, and proceeds to drink all of them, after changing out of her stuffy dress.
The cold, frothy, sweet drink makes her feel better and she falls asleep, pleasantly buzzed.
OoOoO
"You've done well, Isobel. We're so proud of you," says the pale figure of a red-haired woman.
"It's just a few steps now, we'll be with you till the end," says a lanky man whose glasses keep slipping off. He uses a translucent hand to push them up.
"Dying? It's easier than falling asleep," assures the handsome man with shoulder-length hair, tilting his head to one side.
"It's simply the natural progression of things. Everyone's supposed to die," says the fourth adult wisely, his scars shining silver. He holds a blue-haired baby in his arms.
"So close, sweetheart. We're right next to you," says the lone female of the group, stepping closer.
Together, the four ethereal figures form a barrier around the shivering green-eyed teen, protecting her from the dementors. They protect her with love and promises of a reunion.
They shall be reunited, soon.
A metal ring falls from the hand of the girl onto the floor of the forest, but she doesn't pause to pick it up. She can't see the others anymore, but that doesn't mean she can't feel them around.
OoOoO
When Bella wakes up, it's to find her face pressed against something warm. She blearily opens her eyes to see that she's snuggled against a warm chest.
"Gahh!" she exclaims, scrambling away.
Sirius continues to sleep, undisturbed.
When she realises that he won't be waking up, she sits there on the bed, watching his face. She doesn't feel like a creepy stalker, not at all.
There are lines on his forehead, and he looks tired, even while sleeping. His mouth is slightly open, and his lips look enticing, even in the semi-darkness. His shoulder-length hair is messily spread all over the pillow.
Bella reaches out and pushes some of his hair from his face, watching him breathe in and out deeply. She tries to push all thoughts of how utterly kissable his lips look out of her head, reciting the twelve uses of dragon blood in her head.
It helps.
A distant rhythmic sound from somewhere outside makes her aware of the fact that there's an outside world to get to. Watching Sirius sleep seems to be a bubble, isolating her from the rest of the world.
She's a horrible guardian, her first waking thought should be Harry.
Picking up the empty bottles quietly, she makes her way to the kitchen. She then checks on Harry, placing a kiss on the sleeping baby, after adjusting his blankie.
As she makes her way out, she sees a large brown owl tapping at the window. Hedwig, on the other hand, seems to be missing.
She unlatches the window, letting it swing outward. The owl hoots angrily at her, almost as if she should have warned it that the window would open that way.
The owl barely waits, flying out the window the minute Bella unties the roll of parchment from its leg.
'Dearest Isobel,
You probably have tons of questions to ask me. I know that if I were in your place, I would too. As I told you yesterday, I want for us to get to know each other.
I may seem a stranger, but remember that your parents did see something in me to name me your godmother. I'm not asking you to implicitly trust me, but I'd like for you to give me a chance.
Would you like to meet for lunch today? Or on any other date, really. It's all your choice. There's a place on Horizont Alley, The Inn. If you have a different suggestion, I wouldn't mind going there either. Wherever you choose, duckie.
I'd like to meet just you, to be really frank. Please leave Harry behind with his godfather. I have nothing against the man, but I'd like our lunch to be private.
Reply by at least 11 am. That would give me ample time to make a reservation at whichever restaurant it is you want to go to.
Love,
Helen'
Bella sets the letter on the table, and tears out a sheet from her notepad.
'Dear Helen,
Yes, I'd love to meet you. The Inn sounds lovely. I'll meet you there at half-twelve for lunch today?
Regards,
Bella'
Now , she has to wait till Hedwig gets back from hunting rats, or whatever it was she is up to. In the meantime, she decides to make herself a mug of coffee.
It is only when she opens the kitchen cupboard that she remembers that all the coffee powder has gone 'missing'.
Huffing in annoyance, she sets a kettle of water on the stove to boil.
She knows, just knows, that Sirius has something to do with her missing coffee. Doesn't he know that she depends on it the way everyone else needs air?
Should she hide his Earl Grey in retaliation? No, that would be immature. The better thing to do would be to use up all the tea leaves.
So Bella sets out to make herself four large mugs of strong tea.
Sirius can suck on that.
OoOoO
§
Note:
For those of you who wonder why I used 'cemetery' instead of 'graveyard'. Yes, both are burial grounds, but a graveyard is one that adjoins a church. A cemetery, on the other hand, is not joined to or maintained by a church. You will find Christmas being referred to as Yule in this story. And it'll be Samhain, as opposed to Halloween. Yes, wizards and witches in this story follow the Wheel of the Year, and are pagans, or neopagans, to a large extent. I don't think people who have magic would willingly believe in a God. Which is why a magical burial ground, in my eyes, would never be linked to a religious institute (i.e, a church). I hope that clears things up.
Review replies:
omaris . rosador, I wish you had your PM facility turned on. Your review summarises the characteristic traits of both MCs perfectly. Thanks for reading and reviewing. :) :D
Guest, normally I'd agree with you, but as I mentioned in a previous chapter, Lily had particularly requested for Snape to be present at her funeral. Also, Bella still clearly remembers how Snape sacrificed himself for the greater good. I can't imagine her feeling any less defensive about him, even he's not the best human being all the time. Thanks for your review, though. :)
Fallow52, thanks for the review. :)
marie potter riddle, thanks a lot for reading and reviewing! :) :* If your PM facility had been turned on, I would have PMed you.
AN:
Eh, I forgot to update? *cringes*
But I'm sooooo excited. :D We're so close to the end of the introductory arc. One more chapter, then an interlude. *asdfghjkl* I'm so bloody excited, haha. And then we'll be onto serious Horcrux hunting. Also, who's looking forward to some smut?(Oooh) Or at least a kiss? 'Cause I am. ;)
Thanks for all the love that you're showering on this story, it means a lot. Thanks to all the followers, favourite-ers, readers and lurky-lurkersons. And oh, did I forget the reviewers? Here's a huge hug to all of you who take the time to review. You rock. *heart* :) :*
I'm rather proud of the ritual and that poem that Dumbles chanted. ^_^ What do you think?
Next update: April 16th, 2016. (Hopefully?)
Please review, I've had a mehhh day, and need some cheering up.