AN- sorry, I know I haven't written in a while, I just have a lot going on in terms of my art, writings, novel and poetry. It all just sort of caught up with me, and it seemed everything was due right before spring break, which I have just gotten off. Again, sorry for the delay, but thank you for your patience and remember it could've been worse! (No really, it could have!) Now, to the reviews, then the story.
Sweetkiwi456- YAY! Someone actually got what I was hinting at when I repeated the part about the burns going up his back! It make one wonder, how would a human, without being tied down and lain on a table, get burns up his back, and not around his back, or directly on his back! Anyways, I was going to have a little talk with Dumbledore in this chapter, and have him hint that he's on to the Marauders, (even though he never really figures them out.) Hope yah like! And thanks for the e-mail address I'll send yah something sometime, maybe a prolog of my story, Wolf Magick. (I know, weird name, I'll explain it in the book.) Anyways, good luck with yours! And have you come up with a name?
hermionemalfoy-evil name, I know I loved your review, and I'm so glad you liked it, but evil name. It would be amusing though, from what I've read.
prongsgurl- Millionth time, NOT E-MAIL! And call me, we have to find someone to edit, mom will never get it done!
JayaMioneDurron- love the name, and thanks so much for reviewing this time, you have no idea, (or maybe you do) how good it feels, even just to get one appreciative review! Glad you liked the stag, because the transformations will play a key part in many up-coming events! And I know it's sad, that's why it's called depression! And what does delurks mean?
Sweet Dreams Reviewers-
Lady Akako-don't worry, I'm planning on staying this time… I hope. And thanks, I love looping back to the beginning, you may see that in my other fics. THANK YOU!
Anonymous- thank for asking the time to review. Hopefully, whoever you are, you read this fic so you know I can thank you.
Sauron the Dark- can I assume you know all about blackmail and treachery. (Smirk) a true Slytherin? Anyways, I thought about what you said, and you're right, more padding, (although I took the bones compliment nicely.) maybe later I'll re-write Sweet Dreams and try to add some of that padding. While things may not be different, it could be interesting, and people that didn't read it before could get a better version now. See, I do take your advice to heart. (Smirk again)
Still missing- my muse. Black hair, black eyes, hates me, and tends to give me good ideas and bad endings. Evil devil smile and laugh that sends chills down the spine. Lives up to and answers to the name `devil'. If found, please send via review or e-mail.
Disclaimer- why do we write these if we know we aren't J.K., and we use the name portkey. ORG, meaning non-profit organization? Just asking.
James-
So far, I'd been pretty reckless, and I was very aware of it. Showing Lily Prongs, running to Hogsmade and passing out were just a few of the many times I'd almost gotten caught. But I very narrowly avoided another incident, this one started by the Headmaster himself.
There's something you should know about Dumbledore before we continue. He knows, more or less, everything that happens in his school, and we've always wondered how he knew it. Thus the Marauder's map, the midnight trips to memorize every school corridor, the knowledge of each house's password and the pranks pulled year-round. But we have yet to figure him out.
I think it bothered him that for once, he was out of the picture. At least when it came to my burns. Madam Pomfery couldn't quite pace together how I'd gotten burnt up my back, and I'm pretty sure she'll never know. So now, every time I stretch wrong and Dumbledore's anywhere nearby, he asks a similar question about my burns. Normally I'm expecting it. This time, however the headmaster caught me off-guard.
"Mister Potter." He was asking one day after a head meeting, "You have been getting your treatments for the burns?" As much as I wanted to snap at him, he'd said nothing, (much to my disappointment,) I could yell at him for. He'd simply asked an even simpler question, one that only demanded a yes or no answer. But the yes or no answer was like a life-or-death question. Because if he so much as mentioned the burns, I was a goner. I'd never been good at lying, (or cheating, or stealing) and Dumbledore's piercing blue eyes didn't help at all. So instead I just continued gathering up my stuff, and acted avoided the headmaster's stare.
"Yes." I replied tensely, very aware of Lily hanging on our every word. (Nosy, insufferable, annoying-)
"Those were some rather unusual burns." Oh, there goes my train of thought. "I knew magical fire could take a while to heal, but they almost left a pattern up you spine, rather than at a particular area of your back. Perhaps you can explain the patterns?"
"Huh?" I froze on the spot, knowing he was referring to the lines up my back. It must have something to do with being a four-legged animal that left the lines because I even had to admit they made me look suspicious. But no animagus had ever been burnt up the back before that I was aware of, or Dumbledore would've instantly called me on it.
"Yes, the lines running up your back, combined with the fact that in the snow we found no human footprints. In fact, we only found you because of the Kneazles they've been training to find those injured but alive. So how exactly did you get there, without walking, and survive such a burn?"
" Snow must have melted, or been covered over in that time, because I did run there." Half-truths were better than whole lies. Still, I could feel my face heating up. Dumbledore didn't seem satisfied with my answer, but didn't want to push the matter too far, not in front Lily, so he excused me, reminding me again that if I ever needed to talk I could notify one of the teachers and within moments he'd be in his office. Right, like I was going to talk to the headmaster about how I'd seen my mum die. But I nodded anyways and excused myself. Hey, I'd actually gotten away with it! I knew that muggle card game Bullshit would help. (AN- I hate cussing.)
Lily wouldn't let it go as easily as the Headmaster though. She followed me back to the common room, at first silent, then voicing her opinion on the issue. That had been one of the reasons I'd liked her to begin with-nope, not going there again!
"You know, people are actually starting to worry about-"
"Evans, not now." I said, knowing I sounded tired. "I'm going to bed." But I could swear as I left I heard her mention a stag, and a quiet one at that. I waited till I heard her footsteps retreat on the Girl's Dormitory stairs, then pulled the invisibility cloak over my head. Call me scared, but I couldn't sleep, knowing what I would remember and hear about that night. Instead, I brought my homework and actually finished it. In the end, even though I swore I'd never sleep, I dozed off on the couch in a chair.
Lily-
I'll be plain and flat-out when I say the reason I went back downstairs. I was somewhat worried about James Potter. Maybe it was guilt that I'd been the one to make him like this, maybe it was something else, but I didn't believe James Potter when he said he went to sleep. He looked like he hadn't actually had a decent sleep for at least a week. He looked even worse when I came back to the common room. Just as I thought he might, he had stayed down there, and covered himself with the invisibility cloak. It had slipped off during his fit-full sleep so now I pulled it off him and made him fully visible.
I have no idea what it was he saw that day, how he got the burns up his back, or how he managed to run and make no footprints in the mud and snow. But I know it all relates to whatever he'd be dreaming right now. He was tossing and mumbling, but never screaming or pleading. And all right, so I was curious. Are you saying you wouldn't be? So I placed the tips of my fingers on his sweaty brow and tried something I'd only read about, but never done, dream readings. Angels used to do dream readings to interpret what they saw in them or ease someone's nightmares or minds. I didn't know anything as fancy as that, and even if I had; I doubt I could have pulled it off. All I did was get a scrambled image of this thoughts, the things he saw and heard.
I watched people, Aurors I could sense he had known, dying, falling from both death curses and bleeding wounds. I saw his mother, blood-soaked and battle-weary, being helped and held by someone who only could have been James's father. (The messy brown-black hair was a dead give away.) I felt James's pain as he saw a scrambled and swimming mix of images, sinking in mud as he tried to run. His four legs slid and…wait, what was James doing with four legs and no arms. I couldn't, for the life of me, have told you what James was. I was in too much of a panic. But he sure as hell wasn't human. I felt his own pain and fear as he tried to run, and saw the final image with a sickening clarity I hadn't had with the others. It was my own face, sneering at me. (Or him, rather.) Soon I was lost in his mind, and stuck no matter how hard I tried to pull out.
We regret to inform you Mrs. Potter's funeral…"Daddy, I thought you stopped drinking"…Mom…"Don't tell Sirius about your father's problems, honey. He could lose his job, and that's not something else you have to burden the poor boy with, he has it worse"…"Everyone et out, Hogsmade's under attack…A man was carrying a woman's body off of a grey and bleak battle field…"I wouldn't go out with you if it were a choice between you and the giant squid!"…
I pulled away at that last shouted image, the one of Snape and myself. Things were getting really out of control. And what was that about Potter being an animal? Because when I had been inside his head, that was how it had been. He'd had four legs and something heavy on his head.
I didn't wake him up. Somehow, I just tried to comfort him, rushing to get a wet washcloth and fussing over him. Eventually he stopped twisting in the cloak and his shakes were reduced to shivers and shudders. (So many s's.) I left Potter there, unsure of what else to do, as the sun came up. Knowing he'd wake up soon, I went to up the stairs and to bed. I had no lessons today, thank god. I hadn't had a decent night of sleep for two days now. Even if I had, I think I would've done exactly what I did. I went upstairs and fell asleep.
Sirius-
James hadn't been in his bed when I'd woken up. I knew nothing was wrong, because I would've felt it. James and I have a connection like that. I'd known something was wrong when his mother had… well, you know. Not because he was missing, but because you have this feeling in the pit of your stomach. Remus had it too, but I can't say Peter did. Then again, that didn't surprise me. Peter's pretty un-sensitive.
James was stretching out on the couch in the common room when I came down. Remus and Peter were still asleep, but I'd heard James get up last night. I'd been closer to Miss. Harriet that my own mother, had even been told I could call her `mum'. I never had though. Now I regretted it.
I sat down next to James, unsure of what to do. "Did you put this here?" He asked, gesturing to a wet washcloth. I had to wonder why he would ask. I wouldn't have had the common sense to get a wet washcloth, and had had no reason to.
"No."
"Oh. I suppose we should get ready. Funeral's today."
"We." As honored as I was, I wasn't sure I'd be able to go without crying. Trying to think up a good reason to avoid it, I said "they'll never let me in. I'm a black, remember?" But already I felt guilty for abandoning my friend to such a depression. It was like watching him hurt himself and not doing anything.
"You can go as Padfoot if you have to." I mumbled in reply and went to get ready. A funeral. Great. Well, at least as Padfoot I'd be wearing black. The name really fits. We left about an hour later on the train, but ran into Snivellus on our way out.
"So, Potter. Heard your mudblood mother finally got what she had coming."
"Shut it Severus. I'm not in the mood." James replied, his face turned away. He didn't even stop, just continued out the front doors and to the train. We rode to the meeting place for those who lost loved ones in the Hogsmade battle in silence, James looking out the window and myself staring into space. Neither of us had anything to say.
I didn't know Snivellus had a first name.
Blackmail- yes, I'm once again bringing out the blackmail. Five reviews and I update! Seriously, I'll try to get the next chapter up within the week I get the five. (I've got a little more time now, for reasons I wish not to explain.) Again, even if I have five, all reviews are appreciated.
-padfoot_puppyeyes