So I decided to be a nice person and post this chapter two weeks early. And then something called College intervened and so…er yeah, you had to wait another week. And I'm gone next weekend, so I couldn't have posted it then anyway. I'll be back the 25th of October and then, depending on how good you are, I'm going to post the next chapter. But *don't* hold me to it! You never know what might happen.
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Chapter 7: More is Revealed
***
"Oh my God…I-" Minerva was rarely flustered. After fifty years of teaching, she knew almost every thing there was to expect from students and parents. But even she was not prepared to see James and Lily Potter sitting quite alive in the Headmaster's office. She felt faint.
Arabella was going through the same thing. Though she had not taught at Hogwarts, as Minerva had, with hundreds of students every year, she had been an Auror for almost one hundred and thirty years. And she had also taught some Auror-students, ones that were especially talented. Like the Potters for instance. So surprise was not something she felt very often. She swallowed. This was just the same, if not worse as Aurora showing up that time. "James, Lily…may I ask just what exactly you're doing here? Alive?"
James smiled. "Bella! How nice to see you!" He swept her up in a hug. "How are you doing?" He set her down. "You know, I could ask you the same thing. Where we come from, you're dead yourself. Quite tragic, it was."
Lily shook her head. "Sorry, Arabella. We come from another world, you see. And it's quite different…for instance, in our world, Harry's dead." She smiled lightly. "But it's nice to see familiar faces. We've already seen Severus, and Harry too…" Her voice trailed off.
Arabella, who had become a good friend of Lily, frowned. It may have been almost fourteen years, but she could still read Lily like a book. For the most part, that is. "I assume Harry did not take it well-" She stopped. "That fits with what I witnessed this summer. Harry's been a bit…down… lately." But then she grinned. "Never mind, Harry'll come around. It's marvellous to see you both again."
Minerva nodded shortly. "Yes. It is nice to see you again…you said Severus-?"
Lily blushed. "Yes, James decided to go exploring early this morning…and unfortunately ran into Severus. You can imagine what a surprise he had." She answered dryly, standing up.
"Yes, I believe that." Minerva stated dryly, but she soon softened her voice. "Actually, you should have seen him after your death. He was quite shaken up. He looked worse than usual, as hard as it is to believe, and he ran around in sort of a trance. I'm sure he probably would have tried to kill himself if he hadn't been watched. He fainted once during a class and spent the week in the Hospital Wing. He hadn't eaten for days and close to starvation." She shook her head. "He'd been through so much and your death just about pushed him over the edge…"
Lily looked horrified. "Oh my, poor Severus. I never knew how much he needed me…oh, that's terrible. I-"
"Don't worry, Lily dear, he's normal now. Or at least as normal as he ever was. I still say he's in love with you, though. He's never married nor even dated." Arabella added, glancing mischievously at her old friend. She grinned as Lily squirmed, blushing.
"Severus never dated, Bella, and he certainly was never in love with me. We were friends. That's it."
"Really? I seem to remember a young woman coming to visit me right before she was to be married, hinting about a certain friend of hers who seemed like he wanted to be more than friends. And if I remember it correctly, it was-"
"Don't be ridiculous, Bella. I have never felt anything more than friendship for Severus and he never has either. Let's just leave it." Lily said strongly, interrupting Arabella.
Arabella nodded. "Whatever you say, dear." She knew enough not to dig anymore. But it was true that Lily and Severus had been the best of friends once and it was obvious to see that Severus was in love with her. Lily had ever said anything about her feelings and she was happily married to James. There was no reason to open old wounds. However, she still did wish to get to the bottom of the situation sometime. Especially when James Potter wasn't standing there, scowling and tapping his foot.
Dumbledore let the scene play and then coughed. "Yes, Minerva, Bella. I am glad to see you both here. As it is, Minerva, Harry will be staying here the rest of the summer, so you need not stay with Arabella. And Severus is looking for Harry. I suspect he'll return soon.
"But what I believe needs to be discussed is how long you two are staying, Lily, James, and Voldemort's current situation. I shall brief Lily and James now. Arabella, if you would please find me a copy of the Daily Prophet?"
***
After dangling in the air for what must have been hours, in Harry's point of view, he decided to at least do something. Harry sighed, holding on tightly. "I should have known this was going to happen to me." He muttered, eyeing the snake. "How did you get here anyway?"
A mongoose was after me and I crawled up into the tree to get away. Unfortunately it was a Jumping Mongoose, so I had to crawl into a hole. I got stuck there. Thankfully, the mongoose left.
Harry nodded, sighing. "Wonderful. Well, we're both stuck here now."
The snake began to hiss in laughter. You look funny.
Harry shrugged as best he could. "What do you mean?"
Your hands are turning purple.
"Purple?" Harry almost let go of the tree in surprise, but luckily remembered where he was, holding on as tightly as he could.
Yes. This is a Colour-Changing Tree. Warm-blooded creatures that come in contact with it turn different colours.
"Wonderful." Harry sighed. "I just hope someone comes to get me…except the fact that no one knows where I am."
How did you come here? I sense that something happened…not very pleasant for you.
Harry stared at the snake. "How did-how do you know?"
If snakes could grin, Sal would have. I can read emotions, Harry Potter, as well as read minds, though if you shield yourself, as you are now doing, I can't Read very much.
Harry stared at the snake, digesting the new information. If Sal can read minds…what *else* can he do? "So you can read minds. And you know my name. I suppose you know everything else about me then?"
No. You shield your mind, Harry Potter. I cannot Read a shielded mind. But you *are* right, Harry Potter, I *have* heard about you. It's hard not to, when there are only two living Parseltongues living in the world right now. Sal flicked his tongue out. You are troubled, but not because of Great Snake Demon, Harry Potter. There is something *nearer* to you, that troubles you.
"You're right, it's actually my parents." Harry conceded, bowing his head, before he realised that looking down might not be such a good idea after all. "Great Snake Demon? Is that Voldemort?"
No, that is not Tom Riddle, your Voldemort. We snakes go by names, not titles, Harry Potter. Or at least true snakes do. Great Snake Demon is a Demon to us snakes. I believe she goes by the name of Nagini to you humans. In reality, she is no snake but a demon, trapped in a snake's form. She gives Riddle her power.
"Wait…does that mean Voldemort's not really a Parseltongue? Then how did I get it?" If Voldemort wasn't born one, did that mean he could pass the power off to someone else? And what did Sal mean by 'true snakes'? "And what's a true snake?"
A true snake is a snake that listens to itself, a snake who does its specific job. A true snake, Harry Potter, does not call a man by another name, but his own. A true snake does not accept broken promises, Harry Potter. I am a true snake, because I Read what I Sense, following my place as Stellar-Lunar snake. I have decided to join you Harry Potter, not because you have requested my help, but for the exact opposite. You are also a true snake, never giving up, always trying, and attempting to reach your goals alone. For only you can reach your goals, and only with out help.
And no, Harry Potter, Riddle was also a Parseltongue by birth. The power he receives from Nagini is only enough to give him the senses of a snake and power to cast so many powerful spells with out ever tiring. Nagini uses Voldemort as much as he uses her-she feeds off his soul little by little. He was not always such an evil being- it started when he was a young man, starting off to journey the world and learn what he could. He was drawn to Nagini for her promise of power, she was drawn to him because he was a powerful wizard, lustful for power, but also naive…
"That can't be true! Voldemort was always evil! At sixteen he released a Basilisk on the students! And then he blamed Hagrid for it! How can he not be evil?" But as Harry said the words, he remembered his summer, and the dreams he had had…
You know the answer, Harry Potter, I sense it within you. Now, please tell me about your self.
Harry sighed, knowing what Sal meant. "Well, I was born on 31 July, 1980 to James and Lily Potter-"
No, Harry Potter, I know your history. I want what you feel, and who you are, not insignificant facts about you. The snake curled itself tightly around the branch, flicking his tongue out to feel Harry's hand.
Harry felt oddly comforted when Sal flicked his hand. He decided to tell him what he knew…and he hoped Sal knew how hard it was going to be for him. "Well- I guess I should begin when I got home this summer…"
***
Severus glared at the damn trees, fingering his wand. There was a spell, he knew, to find the path again, but he didn't feel like using it. Not to mention that he wasn't exactly sure of the incantation. But there was another way to find Harry Potter, and did not require any magic on his part. He sighed deeply and pulled an amulet out of his robes.
The amulet was black, held in a silver setting. But as Severus gripped it, the centre turned clear as a small object was displayed. A fine strand of raven coloured hair, upon more observation, belonging to a certain person who was currently missing. "Show me." He whispered, as the amulet began to glow a bright white, turning slowly to gold. "Show me where the boy is." And the amulet jumped into the air; casting a light overhead, following a signature only know to itself.
He rarely used the amulet and he was the only person who knew of its existence. Not even did the Headmaster know of it, and Severus was going to keep it that way. Until he remembered something, one person who did know about the amulet. Lily. After all, it was she who had given it to him, all those years ago, when Harry was not even one month of age.
He followed it through the forest, cursing. The problem with the amulet was that it didn't pay attention to normal things like walls and bushes, but went straight through them. Therefore Severus had top spend some time blowing holes through bushes, stepping through swampy patches and generally getting dirty. It was not something he was thrilled about.
So he followed the amulet through the forest, muttering obscenities as various things got in his way. At least it was daylight, so no animals were really out and about. But still…the Forbidden Forest was also not a very pleasant place in the daylight either and he didn't relish his time there.
It wasn't until he got to a cliff that the amulet stopped and flew back to his hand. Severus glanced around. A cliff, with a steep ravine underneath and bushy trees and shrubs on both sides. Including one tree that had apparently fell and was balancing on the cliff by a few roots.
As Severus neared the tree, he noticed a bright light shining from it. Now, it could have been the sun, but as the sun was in the other direction, it had to be something else. And normal people don't shine in a bright golden light. But Severus had witnessed many displays of Power in his life and he knew a Power glow when he saw it.
However, there was no possible way for it to be that bright. James and Lily Potter had the brightest Power he had ever seen before-and this exceeded their glow by the hundreds. This glow was so bright that he could not look into it. There was no other explanation. It had to be Potter.
He inched over to the ledge before covering his eyes and yelling downwards. "Potter?"
"Oh no, Professor, it's Voldemort. Who else would I be?" Severus almost fell of the cliff himself. Was that sarcasm Potter had just used? Perfectly pulled off sarcasm? No Gryffindor ever was sarcastic. No one. Only Slytherins seemed to be prone to sarcasm.
Plus it was Potter. Harry James Potter, Golden Boy of Gryffindor. Potter sure couldn't be capable of sarcasm. He was a stuck-up hero, but sarcasm was a trait Severus had never witnessed in him. So how was it that suddenly after four years of teaching that brat, he was suddenly sprouting off sarcasm?
"Potter, I should take points away for that remark. Do you want any help?"
"Of course not, Professor. I just love dangling from a branch over a ravine. It's really the highlight of my life." There it was again.
"Fine Potter. Get rid of that glare." Severus shielded his eyes, as he slowly took a step downwards to a ledge right underneath the cliff. This certainly wasn't how he had expected to spend his day. He had been thinking more in the direction of reading Potions Quarterly and stirring his various potions that took longer than a day to complete. Instead he was climbing off cliffs in the Forbidden Forest, trying to rescue Potter. It was turning out to be a wonderful day.
"What glare?"
Severus took a deep breath as he held on to a root. "Just…I don't know Potter, just get rid of it!" He was slowly losing what little of patience he had. As he got closer to Potter's level, he noticed something dangling on the branch talking to Potter. Soon the glare went away and he could actually truly look at Potter, though he didn't necessarily want to.
So he didn't bother. He decided to look at the tree instead. Until Potter had to ask him if the glare was gone. Grudgingly he glanced over and nodded slightly. "Yes. Now I guess I'll have to touch you, so take my hand and-"
"No!" Though Severus was slightly glad that Potter had refused to touch his hand, for he wasn't relishing the thought of touching Potter either, getting interrupted by Potter was just plain rude.
"Now hear this, Potter, I'm the only person who's going to be rescuing you today, so unless you would rather spend the night out here, you have to take my hand. And no, I don't want to touch you either, but it's the only way. I can't use my wand without letting go of this root, which would mean I would fall as well. So take my hand."
"Trust me, Professor, I'm not thrilled about taking your hand either. But I'm not leaving without Sal. So you can forget it unless I can take him too." Potter began to talk to something in that dratted tree of his.
Forget his patience wearing thin, his patience had run out. "Potter, what in hell are you talking about? In case you've forgotten, we're currently hanging over a cliff by mere roots in the Forbidden Forest! I don't give a damn about what ever beast you've befriended yourself with, so if you want to get rescued, the time is now!"
There. That ought to have scared Potter enough to make him forget whatever foolishness he had been prone to and to make him see sense. Too bad it wasn't during the year or else he could have given detentions and taken off points. Oh well, there were many other ways to torture the boy. But his glee was short lived.
"You know, if the Founder of your House heard you saying that, I doubt he would be very pleased. After all the emblem of Slytherin is a snake and seeing how Salazar Slytherin was one of the few Parseltongues in history, I'm sure he had an affinity to snakes."
He stared at Potter. That couldn't possible mean that Potter had made friends with a snake. Though now he looked back, Potter was a Parseltongue. "Fine." He spat out. "Then grab your friend and I'll try a spell to reach you. Don't blame me though if the spell fails and you fall to your death."
***
"Let me get this straight. Fudge is such an idiot that he refuses to believe that Voldemort's back?" James paced the floor. "Don't get me wrong, I think everyone knows that Fudge is an idiot, but really, this takes the Pumpkin Pastry. Just how did he gat elected to Minister?"
Minerva shrugged and placed the Daily Prophet back on the table. "Albus didn't want it and there was no one else who really tried. Lucius Malfoy would have gladly taken the position, but at the time there was a bit of a fiasco over his involvement in the Dark Arts…"
"That happened to take place right then when the Ministry elections were going on. A perfect plan, everyone who had ended up in Questioning for using the Dark Arts suddenly was taken in for more Questioning. The claim was that there had been some sort of mistake and someone who was supposed to be tried wasn't. Of course, all suspects were held back from participating in any Ministry affairs during that period." Arabella grinned. "It was perfect timing. There were no arrests made, because there had been no mistake in the sentencing, but there was a big furry at whom it might have been. It did stop a bunch of accused Death Eaters from becoming Minister, however."
Lily shook her head. "Honestly, that's unbelievable. In our world I won't say that Fudge is a saint, but he at least acknowledges that there are Death Eaters and Voldemort running around."
The tone in the room became grim as all thought on the importance of this matter. The fact that Fudge wasn't accepting that Voldemort had risen again was a deep blow for the side of the Light, especially for the five people in the room. Even though Lily and James did not belong in the world, they had been key players in the fight against Voldemort and still were in their world. They knew the various horrors. They knew the gravity of this news.
After a few minutes of silence where James flipped through past editions of the Daily Prophet and Lily read over his shoulder, Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Lily, James, I am not sure if your arrival here is a blessing or hindrance. Yes, it is wonderful to have both of you here, but there is not much you can do, after being dead in this world for close to fourteen years."
"We'll do anything, Pro-Albus. Lily and I-we're used to fighting Voldemort. In this world you had at least a few years of peace. In our world the Darkness never really stopped. And now that Voldemort's returned in this world, we'll be glad to help. I'm sure there are differences, including how many Aurors you have, and who the Aurors actually are. But we know some things and we both can fight."
Dumbledore looked at them both. "And I am glad to have you both on our side once again. But there is no possible way you two can fight looking like yourselves. Not only would the Ministry not believe you, but Voldemort would also be alerted. No, there must be some other way."
"Perhaps changing our appearances? I know that James can do so and I can as well, though not as good as he can. But we could try, right, James?" Lily smiled, her eyes gleaming. "Then we could stay as long as needed and help and no one would know the difference. James and I definitely have experience with fighting Voldemort and we could get to know Harry some."
Minerva nodded, as did Arabella. "That would definitely work, Albus. And it would help the cause. After the deaths of so many from the last war, we definitely need to recruit more. And I doubt that many are going to be very experienced. After all, we only have so few original members who fought against Voldemort in the last war."
"Ah, but Minerva, perhaps you should remember that a new perspective is also a good thing. We will also begin recruiting new. The two eldest Weasley sons have already agreed to help and I am sure that more people are willing to fight for our cause. Just think of all the Aurors." Dumbledore shook his head. "We will need all the help we can get and as long as there is a will, there will always be a way."
"Yes, we certainly don't want everyone to behave like Alastor." Arabella shook her head, remembering various endeavours of his.
James looked insulted. "I liked Uncle Allie's way of doing things sometimes. It was always good for a laugh."
Minerva chuckled. "Really, James, I think Alastor would be highly insulted if you called him Uncle Allie now. From what I remember, he hates being called that."
James shrugged and grinned. "I know. That's why I call him that."
"Ahem." They all turned towards Dumbledore. "At the moment, what is important is what we are to do with Lily and James. It is nearing the end of August and I suggest that since we have had no other applicants for the Defence Against the Dark Arts job, except Severus, we let you two have it. How are your teaching skills, Lily and James?"
****
Even though I got less than 20 reviews…more like 17 or so, I decided to post this. And you can forget that rule, it was just to give you guys a bit of incentive. However, I'll make a deal with you. I think Chapter 11 is when I'm going to be writing the Sorting and such. If I hit 150 before then, or even 175 or 200(here's *really* hoping), I'll put you in the Sorting, or somewhere else, if you so please…for instance on the Hogwarts Express if you review before Chapter 10, or something. If you *do* hit 150 or another number in intervals of 25 from it, e-mail me and I'll write you in. Don't expect anything big, but e-mail and we'll discuss where I am in the Chapter/story and where you can be fit in.
Anyway, I think I'll post Chapter 8 on my group tomorrow right after posting this, not the entire thing, but the beginning at least, but I'm not sure. I'm working on Chapter 9, but my problem is that even though I out-lined the chapter, I don't stay on the out-line. This means that during my vacation with practically no computer access…perhaps some, but not much, the chapter isn't going to get typed. So it's probably going to be a wait.
I'll also planning on posting an interlude of what's happening in Lily and James's world sometime on my Yahoo! Group. I don't know when I'm going to get that posted though, so that might be awhile as well.
Anyway, like I said I'll probably post the beginning of Chapter 8 on my Yahoo group and wait until I'm back to post the entire *edited* thing on ff.net. Chapter 9 will follow sometime after.
-Myra10/13/03