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Chapter Fourteen:
By Rosa241
Percy's POV:
It's been ten minutes now, ten minutes of total silence. I've told him everything and he's yet to say a word. I don't know whether that's a good or a bad thing though…
His face is full of confusion and he's been pacing for the last minute. He always does that when he's thinking, or when he's worried, again that could be a good thing or a bad thing. My mind is screaming at me to say something or to do something but I restrain myself. Somewhere inside I just know that there's nothing else to say, I just know that he needs to do this himself. There are no more words that I can say to make this easier, if he's going to believe me then he has to make that decision by himself. He finally stops his pacing and turns back to face me.
"Are you completely mad?" Despite knowing that this was coming I can't help the anger that surges through my body.
"Oliver just…just-" I don't know what I'm going to say but whatever it was is cut off.
"No, no! No Percy this is just totally insane! You can't expect me to believe all of this!? I mean come on, being sent back from the future?" He waves his hands in the air, growling in frustration.
"I know, okay I know! Believe me I'm fully aware that I sound completely crazy right now but I swear to you that it's true." Please believe me…
"It can't be. You can't seriously think I'm going to buy all of this?" Oliver stares me directly in the eye, I can see him searching me for something…anything…
"I knew you wouldn't believe me." I mutter moving to stand over by the window. I should have been more careful.
"There's nothing to believe! This is complete crap! I don't know why you're lying to me but I promise you-" His words come out in a rush but my ears catch them.
"Lying? Oliver just stop for a moment." He moves to speak but I hold a hand up to stop him. "No, no, no. Just stop."
"Percy I don't understand." Shaking my head I scrub a hand over my eyes and sigh heavily.
"I know you don't. This whole thing is so ridiculous and so insane, if I was in your position I wouldn't believe me either. But when have I ever lied to you before?" He shakes his head, looking away from me. "When have I ever lied to you?"
"You don't lie. You're far too proud, annoyingly neat, frighteningly organised…but you don't lie." A small flicker of hope ignites inside me as he says this. He knows me better than most people. Out of everyone in the world he knows that I wouldn't lie to him, especially not to him.
"Exactly. Oliver I know that asking you to believe this is…outrageous but…it's true. Every single word is true." He stares me in the eye as he tries to judge for himself what to believe.
"Perce…" He sighs as he sits back onto the nearest bed, his head dropping into his hands. "What you are asking me to believe is impossible, okay it's just impossible. There's just no way."
"Okay, let's say that I'm making it up. Let's say that I'm lying to you. You found that list before everything happened with Scabbers and Pettigrew, right?" He nods his head, rubbing at his eyes. "Then explain how I knew."
"What?" Sitting opposite him I can see the torment in his eyes. He's fighting to believe me but he can't, not that I can blame him of course.
"If everything I've told you is insane, if everything I've told you is a lie then explain to me how I knew that Scabbers was Pettigrew." Confusion crosses his face as my words reach home and silence falls over us as the doubt creeps into his mind. Despite his mind telling him my words are illogical there's a small piece, a small voice telling him that it's true. After many minutes of agonising wait he finally speaks.
"I don't know." I can't help breathing a sigh of relief as he admits to the hole in his theory. Before either of us can say anything else a knock on the door interrupts us.
"Come in." Oliver calls, standing from his position and moving to the other side of the room.
"Percy I'm sorry to interrupt but I'm afraid I'm going to need you to come with me." Professor McGonagall stands before us a small smile on her face.
"Is everything okay?" My mind fills with all sorts as I stand.
"Everything's fine. Just need a quick word, about Scabbers." Nodding my head I spare a quick look to Oliver, who's determined not to face me, before leaving the room.
Just this morning everything as perfectly fine. Scabbers was out of Ron's life, Pettigrew is behind bars and Sirius was free. Now…now everything's just gone to hell.
Sirius' POV:
Who would have thought that something so simple could bring someone so much pleasure? Well, after ten years of sleeping on a cold hard concrete floor a mattress feels like total heaven. After several more minutes of revelling in the absolute comfort the loud growling my stomach gives off forces me to leave my haven of warmth.
"Ahh, I was beginning to think that you'd vanished on me." Remus says as I wander into the kitchen.
"You know how I like my beauty sleep." He chuckles at that and we fall into a comfortable silence. It's hard to believe that it's been ten years since we've done this but it feels like nothings changed. In reality of course everything's changed. James and Lily are dead, Peter's a traitor and Harry…I try not to think about my Godson. He was just a tiny baby when I last saw him, now he's eleven. All these years have passed me by.
"I've been thinking about Harry." It takes a moment before Remus lowers the paper and places it back on the table. The reluctance to talk about such a painful topic is obvious but he knows that eventually we have to discuss it.
"He's crossed my mind more times than I'd like to admit these last ten years. I've never been able to bring myself to go and see him." We've been avoiding the conversation since my return from prison but now is the time.
"Why didn't you?" It's hard to be angry with him. Of course it's been hard on both of us (understatement of the century there I know) but I can't help thinking that in a way this was worse on Remus. He was the only one left. In one day he lost James, believed me to be a traitor and then lost Peter as well.
"Fear…guilt. I've always wondered why I didn't see it. We've been friends for so long, how didn't I see that you'd gone to Voldemort? If I'd seen it then perhaps James and Lily…" He trails off at this, shaking his head. "Now I know why."
"I've thought to same thing for ten years. I was the one who suggested that they have Peter as their secret keeper, I thought it was the perfect plan. Voldemort would never have suspected a thing, I was the one he was focused on. I as good as killed them." Tears spring to my eyes as I finally speak the words I'd feared so much.
"Sirius listen to me. You thought you were keeping them safe, you thought that you were doing what was right in order to keep them alive. It's not your fault that Peter betrayed us. You had no way of knowing that he was Voldemort's spy. None of us knew." Although I knew Remus' words were true it didn't stop the uncontrollable guilt still pooling within me. "I don't blame you for what happened. The only person to blame is Peter."
"But if I hadn't have convinced James to switch then they'd still be alive." He sighs as he rises from his chair and walks towards me. Placing both hands on my shoulders his eyes bore straight into my own.
"You are not to blame. Peter had us all convinced, even Dumbledore didn't see through his lies. We have no idea what would have happened if you'd remained their secret keeper. But do you know what I believe?" Shaking my head I can't help the tears dripping down my cheeks. "Peter would have betrayed us in some other form. He would have found a way to sell us all out."
Remus pulls me into a hug as the sobs that I've held back for ten years finally broke free. As the tears fall from my eyes I can feel the ache in my heart lesson slightly. All these years of guilt and pain finally begin to ebb away only to be replaced with something else. It takes far too long before I register the feeling as hope. It feels so strange after so long, to feel something other than despair.
"I know you're right of course but…it's not easy." Nodding his head Remus pushes me down into the nearest chair and places a cup of tea in front of me. "Tea makes everything better."
"Unless it's cold in which case it ruins everything." We both laugh as we recall James' favourite saying. "Now, I was thinking-" Before we can say anything else someone bangs far too loudly on the door.
Who would have thought that having a good cry could make me feel so much better? God if my dear old mum could hear me now, hopefully she can and she's spinning in her grave.
"'Ello Sirius." My eyes snap to my left where the giant form of Hagrid is now standing in our living room.
"Hagrid!" Moving faster than I thought possible I engulf the man in a hug (well in truth he engulfed me but still).
"I just wanted to see 'ow you were doin'." He says after he puts me down.
"Better, now that I'm not stuck in that place." He gives me a sympathetic look before speaking again.
"I can imagine. I'm afraid I can't stop long, things to do an' all." As much as I'd love for him to stay forever I know that he's got a life calling.
"How are things at Hogwarts?" It's been far too long since I've heard news of the place.
"Pretty good actually. Dumbledore's keeping everything in check, o' course Minerva's by his side as always." Good old Minnie. For the next half an hour he fills me in on the comings and goings of Hogwarts. As he speaks I can feel happiness seeping through me. Hogwarts was one of only two places that I actually felt like I was at home, the other of course being James' house.
"Right. I hate to leave but duty calls I'm afraid." As we bid a sad farewell Hagrid turns back. "Oh, I can't believe I almost forgot. Here. Minerva gave that to me this morning, it's from Harry. Apparently he's been quite keen to speak to you."
He says another goodbye but I don't hear it. All I can focus on is the envelope in my hands. Harry wants to speak to me. He actually wants to speak to me. I'd hoped but I never thought for a moment that we'd have any contact.
"Sirius." Remus is as nervous as I am I can feel it. Thank merlin I'm already sitting down because my legs are shaking like mad. Gazing into the eyes of my friend we share a nod before my trembling fingers tear open the letter.
To Mr Black,
I don't really know what to say except hi. I'm sure you already know this but my name is Harry James Potter. I live at number four privet drive with my aunt and uncle. I am in my first year at Hogwarts and have been placed into Gryffindor house.
I don't know a lot about my parents and I'd understand if you don't want to but would you be able to tell me anything about them? Professor McGonagall told me that you were my dad's best friend and that you knew my mum as well. She also told me that you are my Godfather, is this true?
I don't really know what else to say other than I'd really like it if you wrote back.
Yours Sincerely,
Harry James Potter.
"Short and sweet." Remus says after we've both read the letter several times.
"He sounds happy, do you think he's happy?" He merely shrugs his shoulders, the letter doesn't really say much, other than what I already know. It doesn't surprise me that Minnie told him that truth but the fact that he doesn't know his own parents. How did that happen?
"He said that he lives with his aunt right? That means he lives with Petunia." Remus' words send more confusion through me.
"Lily told us that Petunia hated her, said that she hated magic. Why would they send him to live with her?" It doesn't make sense, from what I remember Petunia and that husband of hers hadn't spoken to Lily in a couple of years before she died. "How can he know so little of James and Lily? Surely he would have been told all about them."
We both descend into silence as we think. In the short time since I'd been released I'd spent most of my time thinking about Harry. I would have assumed that he would have known all about Lily and James by now but apparently he didn't. Given what I know about Petunia it wouldn't surprise me if she didn't talk about her sister much but what of Dumbledore? Could he really have told Harry nothing of his parents?
"You need to write back. He clearly wants to speak to you." Even as he says this Remus is handing me a piece of paper and a quill. "Tell him about James and Lily, tell him who they really were."
"You're right." I know instantly what I want to write. The truth. Harry needs to know how amazing his parents truly were, since no one else deemed it fit to tell him I'll do it.
"I've got photographs around here as well, we'll include a couple. I'm sure I've got some from their wedding day." Remus hobbles off into his bedroom as the quill hits the paper.
Percy's POV:
My mind is firmly set on Oliver as I follow Professor McGonagall. I know in his heart that he wants to believe me but his head won't allow it. I can't blame him of course, let's face it no one in their right mind would believe me. But what's he going to do now? Will he keep quiet about it? What if he tells someone? If he tells anyone then they're going to think I'm crazy, more importantly what if Voldemort were to find out about it. Then what?
"Um…Dad…what's going on?" Entering Professor Dumbledore's office to see my dad sitting there can only mean one thing. Bad news. Why else would he be here?
"Sit down Percy." Despite the questions running through my mind I oblige my father and sit in the empty chair. Before long we're joined by Ron and shortly afterwards by Fred and George, all of whom seem to be equally as confused as me.
"What's going on?" Ron queries as dad ushers him into the chair beside him.
"Your parents brought up an interesting point regarding the situation with Peter Pettigrew." Dad's death grip on my hand forces my worries over Oliver to vacate my brain. "He was in your house for a very long time and spent time alone with both of you."
In an instant I know where this is going. "You think he did things to us?"
"Well that's just it, we don't know what might have happened." Truth is I should have seen this coming. "I know you both said that he didn't do anything but there could be things you aren't aware of."
"You think he could have done something without us knowing about it?" Although I know it's not true the involuntary shiver that runs down my spine is genuine. Just thinking about that man gives me the creeps.
"Well he didn't…did he?" Ron has been struggling with this whole thing since it came out. I've had time to process the entire thing (several years actually) but he hasn't. Although I know that he'll get over it eventually I can't help worrying over him. Thankfully Fred seems to be on the same wave length as me and he places an arm around Ron's shoulder.
"That's what we're going to find out. Ginny's already been checked of course, she's fine." Dad's voice is clipped with obvious anger. If there's one thing that most people don't know about my dad it's that he has one hell of a temper. Truth is Mum's got a temper as well but Dad's is terrifying. Whenever dad loses his temper then it's a sure fact that all hell is soon to break loose.
"How do we do that?" Between Dad's anger and Ron's increasingly pale features I think the sooner we get this over with the better.
"It's just a simple spell." Taking my position as the eldest I stand first and move over to where Dumbledore is standing. "Now just relax and try not to move too much."
"Specialis Revelio." All of a sudden a wave of warmth crashed over me, leaving me feeling like I was floating on a cloud. How long it lasted I don't know but after what felt like a lifetime the warmth let me and I finally opened my eyes.
"So what does that mean?" George questioned as I retook my seat next to dad.
"That means that no spells, curses or charms have been cast." I could feel the tension leave dad's body in an instant, well some of it at least. Ron stood, shaking slightly, and wandered over towards Dumbledore.
"Specialis Revelio." Squeezing his eyes shut Ron was engulfed in a bright white light for a few seconds before it disappeared. Judging from the satisfied look on Dumbledore's face then Ron is obviously clean as well. Despite knowing he would be I can't help but feel relieved. Fred and George quickly followed suit, both coming up clean as well.
"So we're all perfectly fine yeah?" Dumbledore nods, confirming my words, before I speak again. "So can we all start to relax now?"
Dad's head snaps to me quickly, his eyes widening in confusion and anger.
"Look…the fact that he was asleep in our beds and lived with us for all these years is creepy as anything. It's enough to give anyone nightmares." At this I send a knowing glance to Ron, who blushes furiously and ducks his head. "But it's over. He didn't do anything, to any of us, so can we try to relax?"
"Still can't believe he was under our noses for all this time. Anything could have happened." Shaking his head Dad clenches his fists in anger, well…anger and worry.
"But it didn't. Everything's fine now." Dad's smile doesn't quite reach his eyes but it's getting there. Merlin only knows what's been going through his brain, and mums for that matter.
"Yeah, Percy's right." Everyone's eyes flash to Ron who shuffles under the attention. Since this whole thing came to light he's said very little about it, preferring to either leave the room or change the subject completely. "He's behind bars and…and we're alright."
Nodding his head Dad seems to relax. Eventually he says his goodbyes and heads back home. Walking back to the common room there's only one thing on my mind, what the hell do I do about Oliver?