This chapter thoroughly consists of convenient entrances for plot continual purposes.
Key reference: M = Memory entrance or exit, T = Memory Transition.
Hannah stared aimlessly toward Snape, her thoughts still lost in what she just envisioned. Her face remained emotionless, as always, but her head ran through an emotional minefield. "Hannah," Snape started, his head reeling just as thoroughly as hers. Hannah's eyes refocused to reality, as she looked back at Snape. What had he thought about everything that he just saw?
"Yes?" Hannah asked, as if she hadn't just witnessed her past unfold in front of her.
"Your parents…" Snape started, his face showed the slightest bit of emotion, horror, guilt, worry. "What were your parents last names?"
"Leems, I think." Hannah answered. Why was his first instinct to question what my parents' last names were?
"Did you ever consider why they felt the need to practice harmful spells and potions on animals?" Snape enquired, his deep eyes filled with memories.
"It didn't really occur to me as a 7 year old." Hannah replied. She hadn't considered why they practiced on animals, she just thought of them as heartless people who relished in harming innocent things.
"Susanna and Brian Leems, both were death eaters in Voldemort's inner circle. They used potions as a torture technique, alongside the cruciatus curse." Snape spoke, his eyes lost in his past memories.
"I'm assuming you were a death eater too, then?" Hannah enquired. She hadn't really cared much about Snape's past, and she wasn't exactly going to care much if he admitted to being a mass murderer or cause of grief and pain. In all honesty, she had only really cared about the wellbeing of animals, and not entirely the wellbeing of humans. Perhaps it was because animals were just that much more vulnerable and helpless.
"Since you inquire, yes. But things have changed since then." He replied, somewhat surprised Hannah didn't seem too phased by the concept.
"So you knew my parents?" Hannah dug into her most curious question. She had always wondered what actually happened with her parents, but for some reason she never pondered on their past beyond the day they left.
"Yes, and no. I worked with them, we worked on potions together, nothing more or less than that. They seemed a lot more indulged in the thought of harming others' than I was. I personally didn't feel any need to get to know them any more than I did, they weren't particularly the most pleasant of people to be around." Snape drawled, with the thought of Susanna and Brian controlling his voice. Hannah, for the first time, felt she couldn't control her curiosity, since the day her parents left. She felt the need to ask more questioned, but she hated asking questions. She hated being curious. She had every reason to want to refrain from being too curious. "Miss Byron, I'm not going to hurt you for being curious. I never will. Ask away your curiosity, you've held it in too long." Snape reassured her. She felt odd, when such a sinister man sounded somewhat comforting. She didn't know if she liked or hated it.
"What happened to them?" Hannah finally asked.
"I can't certainly answer that question, although, I think I know someone who can." Snape remembered his recent conversation with Dumbledore, he knew the man had knowledge that Hannah didn't have, and he knew he probably was the only one who did. He had a tendency of knowing too much, and keeping his knowledge in the dark until things were perhaps too late.
At that moment the door opened, to Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore strolling in one after the other, Madam Pomfrey with a tray full of food, Dumbledore with a sparkle in his eye. "Ahh Miss Byron, it's truly relieving to see you're alright." Dumbledore conjured a chair next to Snape's and sat, facing Hannah. Madam Pomfrey placed the tray on the bedside table.
"Honestly, I'm going to need to do some check-ups on Miss Byron sooner or later without feeling like I'm intruding." Madam Pomfrey complained.
"Ah, Madam, you'll be sure to have the opportunity soon, although, I believe Severus, Hannah, and I have something to discuss at this very moment." Dumbledore smiled up at Madam Pomfrey, allowing the lingering smile to be a dismissive sign. Madam Pomfrey left the room, returning the smile.
"Albus, your entrance is at a most convenient time. Miss Byron and I were just discussing the unknown that you were so unwilling to explain. I think now would be most opportune to reveal your secrets." Snape drawled, with a slight teasing sarcasm in his voice.
"Very well, Miss Byron, are you willing for Severus and yourself to view the smallest of details I'm knowledgeable of, from the night your parents left?" Dumbledore enquired, with sincerity. Hannah's head reeled with questions. How did this man know so much? How come she wasn't informed of anything earlier? She nodded in response. "Very well." Dumbledore seemed a bit uneasy. His head was reeling with regret and guilt. He felt terrible for what he witnessed, terrible for what he done, and even more terrible for what he didn't do. Dumbledore waved his hand over near the bed, and conjured a pensieve. He placed his wand to his temple, threading a stream of silver from his head, as he allowed it to flow into the liquid of the pensieve. "Please, Hannah, don't think ill of me when you see my mistakes." Dumbledore looked pleadingly at Hannah, before Severus and Hannah fell into the memories.
M
Dumbledore walked down a road of Godric's Hollow, drowning in his old memories of living there. He jumped out of his thoughts when he heard a scream emit from nearby. His curiosity controlled him, as he followed the source of the scream. He peered through the neatly trimmed hedge, which bordered and concealed the Leems' house. Two adults, looking as deranged as they come, and a vulnerable little blond girl, stood beside a swimming pool. The man of the three watched, amused, as the woman lifted the curse off of the kitten, and turned to her own daughter. Screams echoed about the area again. Dumbledore watched as the girl was tortured, then plunged into the water. His senses took over himself, as he raised his wand, and climbed through the bushes. A stream of red emitted from the end of his wand, knocking the woman out. Brian turned, a green light flashing out of his wand. Explosions broke out, as the two duelled, no words said between them, just pure anger. Dumbledore's head filled with fear for the girl at the bottom of the pool, she'd definitely be unconscious by now, her life draining away as they fought. One last green light flickered out of Brian's wand, as a shield formed around Dumbledore. The green light bounced back, hitting Brian square in the heart. His body laid lifeless upon the concrete. Dumbledore, without considering the fact he had just killed the girl's father, levitated Hannah from the water. He performed spells to clear her lungs and fill them with oxygen, then placed her under a stunning spell, to ensure she didn't wake soon.
T
Auras arrived at the scene, disposing of the dead body, and taking Susanna Leems to Azkaban. They left Dumbledore, with the unconscious girl on the ground, and with the black kitten, which perched nearby, watching everything in front of him. Dumbledore picked the kitten up in his arms, then walked back through the hedge, before lifting the stunning spell from Hannah, allowing her to wake. He felt guilt as he left. But he had made his decision. He was not fit enough to look after another vulnerable person. He couldn't even look after his own sister. He walked away, hoping that someone would find her, and take care of her, while she would live a life without parents.
M
Hannah lifted her head out of the pensieve. She didn't know how to feel. She sat, her eyes unfocused, reliving the memories in her head again. Dumbledore sat uneasily. He expected Hannah to be disappointed with his actions. He expected her to be disappointed that he left her there. But he also knew she wasn't that shallow, he knew that she would try to understand his full motives, before determining how she felt about what he did. "Miss Byron, I understand that I made many mistakes that day. I also understand that you ought to be disappointed with those mistakes, which nearly cost you your life. I can't tell you not to hate me for my actions, but I can ask for you to be forgiving." Dumbledore looked pleadingly at Hannah.
"One shouldn't feel guilt, just because their good deed wasn't better. The fact you went out of your way to save my life should be enough to let you sleep at night." Hannah looked intently at Dumbledore, then shifted her eyes to Snape, knowing that it applied to him too. Hannah wasn't particularly happy that she was still alive, she did want to die in the end, but things always happened for a reason.
"Hannah, you're awfully forgiving for one who has lost so much through the failure of others'. I'm thankful for that, yet intrigued." Dumbledore allowed a smile, as his eyes flickered with thankfulness.
"An event shouldn't damage your ability to think logically." Hannah reassured. She knew Dumbledore didn't entirely doubt that she would forgive him. She didn't see why he should feel much guilt, having saved her in the first placed. To actually take her in afterwards would have been the work of a saint. "Sir, what happened to the cat?" Hannah enquired. She was curious about what happened to the kitten all those years ago. Typical, for someone who was more worried about the wellbeing of animals than humans.
"Actually, Miss Byron, he's still alive. In fact, one of the students has him as a pet." Dumbledore smiled brightly, he was thankful that Hannah was willingly making conversation now, and asking questions. "Ligo, I think the student named him. In fact, I think you're friends with the cat's owner." A twinkle appeared in Dumbledore's eye, as an inside thought controlled his exterior. At that moment, the door opened, to Adrian Pucey walking in with Spero in his hands, and another black cat trailing behind him. Ligo.
Okay, to avoid any argument, yes, Dumbledore did in fact use Protego to repel Avada Kedavra, and there's no definite answer to whether that's actually possible or not. But for this stories purpose, it is. Here is my justification:
Albus is in fact the most powerful sorcerer in the world, therefore is just fabulous and can do basically anything.
Albus also happens to own the freaking strongest wand in the word.
Albus also happens to be able to conjure a really powerful Protego spell.
Albus is fab.
Albus.
Anyway, please review and let me know how my stories coming along, :)