Human Spirit
For what seemed like the millionth time, Hermione was running through the forest. She could now predict not only what would happen, but also when it would happen. She knew the exact moment she would scratch her shoulder on the tree branch.
Only problem was she couldn�t control her own actions. She couldn�t avoid the branch. And, much more disturbing, she couldn�t alter her course. It was as if she was meant to see what was happening with Harry. Meant to see it, but not to stop it.
Sure enough, she came out into the clearing and stopped. Harry was there, already walking toward the images of his parents. His �mother� reached out a hand to him.
�Harry, no!� Hermione shouted. This was usually where the dream ended.
But this time it didn�t. This time she had to watch as Harry took his �mother�s� hand. Almost immediately, the images disappeared, leaving You-Know-Who holding Harry�s hand. You-Know-Who let go of Harry and turned to Hermione.
�You�re too late,� he hissed. Even as she stood there, she could feel herself waking up, being slowly lifted from this dream world.
Then she was back in her bed, staring into the darkness of the room. This new, extended version of her dream just served to scare and confuse her even more.
A sharp pain in her shoulder brought her back to reality. She clamped a hand to her arm. When the pain had subsided, she loosened her grip and looked at her shoulder.
The sleeve of her nightgown was ripped, revealing a gash in her arm, right where the branch in her dream had scratched her.
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Harry woke suddenly, sitting up. Each time he had the dream it became more vivid, more real. And this time he could have sworn he�d seen Hermione there.
He immediately dismissed this however. Seeing her was surely just because he missed her so much. Besides, if that wasn�t the case, it just further proved what he�d long ago realized and had to change. The fact that all of the people he cared about were in danger unless they stayed away from him.
But the rest of the dream made no sense. He could feel himself walking toward his parents, and, yet, he didn�t know why. He knew that the images weren�t real, so why was his dream-self fooled by them?
Harry growled, slamming his fists against the wall in frustration. All this did was to send shooting pain through his hands. He swore under his breath and headed downstairs and outside to sit by the lake.
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Ron sighed. Harry was gone again. This was beginning to become a part of Ron�s daily schedule. He headed downstairs to find Melissa and Sheila already waiting for him.
�We�ll go with you,� Sheila said. �Our Herbology class was cancelled because of the snow.�
�Thanks,� Ron said, leading the way through the castle and out onto the grounds. Just as he�d suspected, there was Harry, sitting on the stone by the lake.
They had just started toward the lake when a loud hoot from over their heads made them stop. A tawny owl swooped down over them, dropping a newspaper at Melissa�s feet.
�I almost forgot I got a subscription,� Melissa said, picking of the paper. Upon opening it, she immediately paled several shades and motioned for Ron and Sheila to come look at it too. Ron looked at the paper and his jaw dropped. He�d expected something bad, but not this bad.
An End to the Manhunt
After spending so long on the run, the notorious Sirius Black has finally been apprehended. This is certainly newsworthy, as he is the second-most feared man in the Wizarding world, next to the Dark Lord himself.
Black, the man who is responsible for the deaths of Lily and James Potter more than fourteen years ago, is suspected in a string of murders that have recently plagued the magical and Muggle worlds alike. The most recent murders are those of prominent wizard Joe Lytle and, former professor at Hogwarts, Remus Lupin, who was found just one day before Black�s recapture.
Mr. Lupin�s case is special in that it is the only one of these brutal murders with actual evidence of Black�s guilt. A hippogriff, believed to have been stolen by Black after his most recent escape, was found tied in the backyard of Mr. Lupin�s house. It is believed that Black abandoned the poor creature to lessen his chances of getting caught.
But Black�s evasive maneuvers have failed him. He was found in Hogsmeade, on the Hogwarts� students� weekend visit no less. Luckily, he was captured before he could strike again. There is no doubt of who his next victim would have been.
So what next? Much to the surprise of many, Black�s execution has been postponed until the first of June. This is due to a growing number of protesters gathering outside the Ministry building. These witches and wizards, led by none other than Albus Dumbledore, seem to be convinced that Black is innocent. Crazy as these claims may seem, the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, has decided to deal with this problem first so that, when he does execute Black it will be with the full support of the voters.
The three stood for a moment in stunned silence. This was almost more than Ron could take. The best teacher they�d ever had was dead and, before the end of the school year, his best friend�s godfather would likely be gone too. Ron finally broke the silence.
�How are we gonna tell him?� he asked quietly, looking across the grounds at Harry.
I don�t know,� Sheila said, stepping forward, �but we have to. No matter what his reaction may be, he deserves to know.�
There was no further discussion. They continued toward Harry. He didn�t seem to notice them and kept his gaze focused on a point across the lake.
�Harry,� Sheila said. Harry showed no sign of having heard her. Sheila nodded to Melissa, who knelt on the ground beside the stone Harry was sitting on. She put the paper in his hand.
As Harry took the paper, Ron noticed bruises forming on Harry�s hands, but he didn�t say anything. As Harry read, his face turned from its already paler color to a dull gray. When he�d finished, he rolled up the paper and threw it into the lake.
�Are you okay?� Melissa asked, reaching out to touch Harry�s shoulder. He jerked away from her and took off running toward the Forbidden Forest. Melissa stood up, brushing off her robes but making no attempt to go after Harry.
�Shouldn�t we follow him?� Ron asked.
�No,� Sheila said, �that�s one of the worst things we could do at this point. He needs time to sort through his thoughts. Go to your class. Tell Professor Felina that Harry�s going through a tough time. She�ll understand. We�ll wait for Harry here. If he isn�t back within an hour we�ll go after him.�
Ron nodded and slowly walked to his Care of Magical Creatures class. By the time he got there, class had already started.
�Five points from Gryffindor,� Professor Felina announced when he arrived. The other students watched him as he went over to a spot where no one was and sat on one of the benches that had been set up specifically for this class.
�As I was saying,� Professor Felina said, looking at the class, �the Crups are getting to be above your skill level control. Therefore, when the Easter Holidays arrive, I will be taking them with me to finish their training. They�re in a tricky stage right now, so you won�t be able to work with them today. You may talk with you friends for the rest of the class. Mr. Weasley, I�d like to have a word with you.�
Ron stood and walked up to where Professor Felina stood. She led him away until they were out of earshot of the rest of the class.
�Mr. Weasley, have you spoken with Mr. Potter today?� she asked. �Do you know why he isn�t in class?�
�Professor, he�s just going through a really tough time,� Ron said, hoping she wouldn�t be mad. She thought about this for a while before replying.
�I understand,� she said finally. �Just tell him not to make a habit out of skipping class.�
Ron nodded and wordlessly followed her back to class. He attempted to get back to his place of solitude, but was stopped by Malfoy.
�Where�s Potter?� Malfoy asked, his voice showing neither sarcasm not real interest.
�None of your business,� Ron said, unsuccessfully trying to mask his hatred.
�I�d think he�d be happy, seeing as Black was finally captured,� Malfoy continued. Ron knew that there was almost no way Malfoy could know that Sirius was innocent, but he didn�t care.
�Don�t you dare talk about things you don�t understand,� Ron hissed, causing Malfoy to retreat several paces. He�d obviously not expected such an angry reaction.
Ron stalked off to sit alone, away from the rest of the class. He spent the rest of the class time glaring at anyone who dared come within five feet of him.
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Harry ran through the forest, hardly stopping to catch his breath. For the first time since the night he�d almost ended it all, he felt a strange separation, as if his soul had been disconnected from his body.
Lupin�dead, Sirius�captured. Harry�s mind was reeling from all this. And, as always in these situations, he found a way to blame himself, not for Lupin�s death, as there was nothing he could�ve done to stop it, but for Sirius� capture.
After all, Sirius had only come to Hogsmeade because of Harry. Because of what he�d done and the way he was acting. It was all his fault. Now Sirius was scheduled to die for something he hadn�t done.
But this did nothing to alter Harry�s attitude. If anything, it gave him more reason to distance himself. He felt that everyone would be much better off if he just disappeared from the face of the earth.
Harry finally slowed down as he came out of the trees and into a clearing. There was a small circle of stones set around a large cauldron. The place seemed to echo with magical workings of some sort.
Something on the ground caught Harry�s eye. He knelt down and began to dig through the snow, uncovering several locks of silvery-blond hair that had been poking up through the snow.
Normally Harry�s curiosity would take over at this point, but this was not a normal time. All he could think at this point was that someone had been here recently and would likely be coming back. He couldn�t be there when they got back.
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The house was almost completely destroyed with only a few walls remaining. Glass crunched under Sirius� feet as he walked through the ruins that had once been the home of two of his best friends and their children. And now�all was lost.
Then, upon entering what had once been the living room, he saw something that tore at his heart. Little Melissa and Sheila Potter were shaking the lifeless form of their father.
�Daddy!� one of them cried. �Daddy, please wake up!�
�Why won�t Daddy wake up?� the other asked, turning to Sirius.
Sirius couldn�t speak as lump had formed in his throat. He knelt down on his knees and held his arms out to the girls. They ran to him and the three hugged, clinging to each other as if for dear life. Sirius finally found his voice and pulled back.
�Where�s your mother?� Sirius asked, fearing the worst. Melissa and Sheila led him through the house to what had been the nursery.
There was Lily Potter, lying on the floor. She looked almost perfectly normal. The only thing that showed that she was truly gone was her eyes. Those eyes which stared blankly, seeing nothing, never to see again. It was these eyes that would haunt Sirius for years to come.
Sirius sat in his cell, memories playing over and over again in his head. He�d learned long ago not to fight them. They were like water. Once the floodgates were opened, there was no stopping them.
But if there was anything to be learned from Muggles it�s that the human spirit is a hard thing to kill. In the face of a flood, they build piles of sandbags around their houses to keep out the water. Sirius just had to build his own barrier with what he had.
For this, Sirius didn�t look to memories. All of his good memories were tainted by the bad. No, for his barrier, he had to look at the present and near future.
He had to think of his godchildren. They were his only reason for living. The possibility that he might see them again kept him alive, even in the face of tragedy.
Since he�d arrived, he�d learned what had been happening in the weeks since he�d first left for Hogsmeade. He�d been most upset about Remus� death, for this marked the disappearance of all his friends he�d gone to school with. The Potters� and Remus had died, while Peter had gone down a path far worse than death.
Sirius back up against the stone wall, mentally hiding behind the barrier he�d built up. He would have transformed, but he couldn�t risk it. He might use up his energy again and be stuck as a dog for several hours. He didn�t want to think about what would happen if a Ministry official came to check up on him and found a dog in his place. Even Fudge wouldn�t be stupid enough to not be able to figure out Sirius� secret from that.
Sirius had also heard of his scheduled execution, but this didn�t worry him much. Dumbledore wouldn�t be swayed by anyone, much less Fudge.
And besides, Sirius planned to be gone before the first of June. He�d gotten out before. He could do it again.
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Author's note: There it is, chapter 29. Before ya'lls form an angry mob and start screaming "off with her head!" I should tell you that Lupin's death surprised me just as much as it did you. It's true purpose is to get ya'lls on your feet and looking for clues to the ending. It's not just a tragic love story ya know. Anywho, I should also make sure all of you know that the first part of Sirius' point of view is a memory, just so there's no confusion. This memory is actually your first glimpse into my next story, which will likely contain a section with those exact words in it. If ya'lls have any questions or notice any mistakes I've made, don't hesitate to ask/tell. It's less embarrassing for me if mistakes are caught early. Happy Turkey Day!
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