The Potter Manor Chronicles

Chapter Four

Nightmares of Voldemort's Victim's

And Little Nervous Breakdowns

Harry was walking down the winding corridor for several minutes before he realized that he was no longer in the Potter Mansion. This corridor had stone carvings of poisonous serpents rather than inviting paintings and tapestries. Harry found that his feet had minds of their own and continued forward against his will.

Suddenly, Harry found himself in a church with hundreds of Muggles, all of whom were crying. Harry noticed a coffin being carried down the aisle by six pallbearers. He quickly jumped out of the way, but no one seemed to notice him. The mourners all stood up and a formed a procession out of the church. Harry noticed that among the last to leave were Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. They were almost twenty years younger. Behind them walked a woman with red hair and green eyes just like his. She looked extraordinarily like his mother, but was several years older than Lily Potter had been at her death. Behind the woman walked--Harry's parents. They looked like they were still in school. His mother was crying into his father's shoulder. James was holding Lily very tightly.

As they stepped outside, Lily looked off to her left and something caught her attention. "What's Veronica doing here?" she whispered to James.

"Dunno," James whispered back. "It looks like she wants to talk to us." They headed over to a woman whom Harry recognized as Veronica McKinnon-Prewett from some old photographs.

"Hello James," said Veronica. "Lily, I'm so sorry about your dad." Veronica put her hand on Lily's shoulder.

"Thanks," Lily sobbed. "That stupid gas pipe! I thought they had people to check those things."

"That's why I'm here, I'm afraid," said Veronica.

"What do you mean?" asked James. Harry was listening very intently.

"The gas pipe story was a cover-up. It was a group of Death Eaters that murdered all those Muggles."

"What?" said the red-haired woman from behind Lily and James. "Death Eaters killed my husband? Why?" Veronica looked a little taken aback.

"It's alright," said Lily. "My mum knows all about Voldemort."

"Right then," said Veronica. "I'm very sorry to have to tell you this, but I thought that you had a right to know the truth. Things are getting bad."

"Thank you for letting us know Veronica," said Mrs. Evans.

"What is she doing here?" shrieked Petunia from behind her mother. "It's bad enough that you had to bring him to Daddy's funeral," she said pointing furiously at James. "We don't need any more of your freak friends around, Lily."

"Shut up, Petunia!" said Lily furiously. "Daddy was always fond of James. It's that pig he couldn't stand!" Lily was pointing furiously at Vernon whose face was purpling.

It's good to know that at least someone said it to his face, Harry thought.

"That's enough, both of you!" said Mrs. Evans steeping between her two daughters. "This day is for you father and that last thing he'd want would be his daughters fighting at his funeral. Now let's get to the car! We have to go to the burial."

Harry found that his feet were turning him around. He was standing in some sort of office at the ministry. A young woman was sitting at a desk writing on a bit of parchment. This was another woman whom Harry recognized from a photograph. She was Derek's wife Amelie. Suddenly several Death Eaters in masked broke through the front door. Amelie jumped up and pulled out her wand.

"Stupefy!" she yelled pointing her wand at one of the figures in masks who immediately fell over.

"Crucio!" shouted another figure. Amelie fell to the floor and began writhing in agony. Harry wanted to help her, but he couldn't move. Two of the men began searching through bits of parchment.

"Ah, this will prove most useful," one of them said. Harry recognized the voice as MacNair's.

"Thank you for your assistance, Wormtail," came Lucius Malfoy's voice. "You have been most helpful. The Dark Lord will be very pleased. Avada Kedavra!" Malfoy said pointing his wand at Amelie who died instantly.

"Harry felt ill. He turned around to puke when he found himself in a living room. He looked up to see his mother sitting holding his baby self in her arms. Her face looked tired and weary. Annie walked into the room carrying a bottle.

"Here, Lily," she said. "I'll take Harry for a minute. You look like you could use a break." Lily smiled and handed her baby to her best friend.

"I just feel so helpless," said Lily as her eyes filled with tears.

"Hey, you deserve some rest," said Annie. "You saved a lot of lives last week. You need your strength."

"I know, I just can't stand being in here when James and the boys are out...there." said Lily. Annie used her free hand to squeeze Lily's shoulder.

"We are going to win this war, Lily. And then you and James can raise Harry in a safe world."
"I hope so. I don't want Harry to ever have to deal with any of this." Harry felt a lump swelling in his throat as his mother spoke.

"Lily? Annie? Are you there?" Both women looked up to see Veronica Prewett's head in the fire. They stood up.

"What is it, Veronica?" asked Annie.

"I'm afraid that Dumbledore was right about there being a spy among us," said Veronica soberly.

"What? You mean one of our friends?" asked Lily. Veronica nodded sadly.

"I think I may know who it is," said Veronica.

"Who?" asked Annie.

"I don't want to say anything yet, because I could be wrong," she answered. "I just wanted to let the two of you know what I'm up to. I'll let you know tonight." Before either of them could protest, Veronica vanished with a pop! Annie shifted Baby Harry in her arms. Lily sat down and buried her face in her hands. Annie sat next to her and put her hand gently on her back.

"I can't believe it," Lily sobbed. "None of our friends would help Voldemort. They'd die first."

No Mum, none of your friends would help Voldemort, just a rat who pretends to be your friend. Why can't anyone see that it's Peter? Harry thought. His fists were clenched at his side. He turned away and found himself following two people down a dark alley. It was Veronica and her husband Ben. Harry suddenly felt a wave of alarm come over him. He had a horrible feeling that he was about to witness their deaths as he had witnessed Amelie's.

"Are you sure this is the place, Ronnie?" asked Ben.

"That's what the informant said," she whispered. Then she spotted a shadowy figure ahead. "Look!" she breathed. Veronica and Ben proceeded ahead with their wands out. The figured turned around.

"Peter!" said Ben. At that moment several Death Eaters stepped out of the shadow then Voldemort himself stepped out from behind Peter.

"So, you two took the bait, I see. Even the clever ones are easy to manipulate," said Voldemort with a gleam in his red eyes. "Avada Kedavra!" Veronica collapsed beside Ben. She was dead.

"NO! cried Ben dropping beside his deceased wife and taking her up in his arms.

"I warned you over and over to be more polite," said Lucius Malfoy as he removed his mask. "CRUCIO!" Ben was writhing in anguish for what seemed like an eternity to Harry who could do nothing but watch.

"Enough of this," said Voldemort. "We have other business to attend to. Avada Kedavra!"

Harry's feet spun him around as Ben Prewett fell to the earth. He was inside of Mrs. Figg's house. It did not reek of cats and cabbage. In fact, it was rather well kept. It rivaled Number Four Privet Drive in cleanliness. The doorbell rang. Mrs. Figg came out of the kitchen. She looked younger and healthier than Harry was used to seeing her, but that changed at the moment she opened the door. The corpses of two men were lying on her front porch. Harry recognized on of the men as Teddy Figg, Arabella's husband and a good friend of the Potters and the Prewetts. The other was Teddy's father and Mrs. Figg's husband, Martin Figg. They were both covered in hex marks. Harry quickly turned away from the horrible sight as Mrs. Figg cried out in horror.

Harry found himself in the same living room where he had seen his mother and Annie talking to Veronica. A calendar on the wall indicated that the date was October 9, 1981. Harry felt his insides lurch as he saw his mother walking to the front door. Sirius had told him about this. Lily let out a shrill cry as she opened the door.

"JAMES!"

James came running into the front room. "Lily, what's wrong?" he asked. He stopped dead as he saw what Lily was crying about on the front porch. "Mum, Dad, NO!" James cried as he turned over the dead bodies of his parents futilely trying to revive them.

The sound of a baby crying echoed through the hallway. Lily and James got up and darted to Harry's nursery. Lily picked up Harry and held him closely to her. "It's alright, Darling, ssssshhh." Tears were still streaming down her face. James wrapped his arms protectively around his wife and son.

"Voldemort's coming for you and Harry next, isn't he James?" said Lily.

"It'll be alright, I'll talk to Dumbledore," said James. "He won't get his hands on Harry."

Harry felt tears leaking from his eyes as he watched his parents. Through the fear and sorrow, he saw love and closeness. He had missed that in his childhood.

The next moment, Harry found himself in a cloud of smoke. As it began to clear, he saw several Muggles lying dead on the street and the distinct form of a rat running into the sewer. And there was Sirius, laughing like a mad man. He looked as though he had just gone completely insane. Harry hated seeing Sirius like that.

Suddenly, at least two-dozen hit-wizards apparated with their wands pointed at Sirius.

"We have you covered, Black! Drop your wand!" Sirius dropped his wand without breaking his rhythm of laughter. The hit wizards seized him and dragged him away. Harry felt as though he was going to be sick.

Several wizards apparated. One of them Harry recognized as a young Cornelius Fudge. One of the witches was Annie. "What happened here?" asked Fudge.

"Sirius Black," said one of the hit wizards who had remained behind. "Went mad. Blew apart half the street killing Peter Pettigrew and some Muggles."
"What?" exclaimed Annie. "Sirius? That's impossible!"

"I'm afraid it's true, Miss Spinnet. If you don't want to be here, I'll understand."
"No," said Annie shakily. "I'll help with the questioning. I want to know what happened."

"Very well," said the hit wizard.

Annie walked up to a nervous looking Muggle witness. "Excuse me, sir, but could you tell me what happened here?"

"There was a short, plump young man and another dark-haired young man who seemed to be having some sort of argument. The short man said two names-Lily and James I think- then he said something like 'how could you!' then there was some sort of explosion over there." The witness pointed to a spot on the street that looked like a burnt crater.

"Thank you, sir," said Annie. She walked over to the crater and began to examine it. She found Peter's finger and looked as though she was about to be ill. Annie began to examine the finger closely as she regained her composure. The expression on her face told Harry that she was noticing something odd. Harry noticed it too. The place where the finger had been severed from its hand was very strait as though it had been cut rather than torn. Harry knew that all Annie was thinking at that moment was that it seemed odd, not considering the possibility that Wormtail had cut off his finger himself and transformed into a rat.

Harry looked over to his right and saw Rita Skeeter watching Annie with her quick quotes quill writing across a piece of parchment: The street lies in ruins after Sirius Black, You-Know-Who's Right hand man, has murdered twelve Muggles to get to Peter Pettigrew. Harry's fists clenched at his sides.

The next moment, Harry found himself in a hallway at the Ministry. Barty Crouch Sr. was making out a report.

"So the Muggles saw Black blow apart the street and kill Pettigrew." said Crouch.

"They, didn't say that!" said Annie. "They said that saw an explosion!"

"We don't have time to squabble over insignificant details, Spinnet," said Crouch. "Black is obviously a murderer and he must be sent to Azkaban immediately."

"What about the trial?" asked Annie alarmed.

"There are a lot of dark wizards still out there. We don't have time to try someone who has more than enough evidence against him."
"Then at least let me speak to him first," said Annie.

"Why do you wish to speak to the man who has just murdered your friends?"

"I want to know why he did it. It doesn't make any sense."

"Miss Spinnet, the safety of the wizard world cannot be put on hold so you can make sense out of things. Black is going to Azkaban now and you are to continue doing your job," said Crouch coldly and stormed off.

Annie leaned back against the wall for support and buried her face in her hands.

"Here," said a teenage male holding a handkerchief out for Annie. It was Barty Crouch Jr. Annie looked up with surprise and took the offering. "I'm afraid my father is a little too greedy to care about the pain of others."

"Barty?" said Annie. Crouch pulled a face.

"I really do despise my name, but I am flattered that you remember me, Annie. You and your friends were a few years ahead me and in another house."

"Well, you were an excellent Quidditch player, and a very talented wizard," said Annie as she wiped her eyes.

"Thank you," said Crouch. "I only wish that I had better teammates...and housemates for that matter. Lucius Malfoy and Tibalt Avery turned themselves in yesterday after the news of Lord Voldemort's disappearance got out." Crouch made a disgusted face. "They claim that the Dark Lord had them under the Imperius Curse."

"That's a load of bullshit if I ever heard one," Annie snorted. "Imperius Curse indeed!"

"Don't worry, they'll get what's coming to them, one way or another. So will my father. He is a very disappointing man, I must say."

"Well, if he does become the next Minister of Magic, I'm moving to Italy!" said Annie. Crouch laughed a chilling laugh; at least Harry found it chilling.

The next moment, Harry was standing in some sort of nursery. Four Death Eaters were Torturing a woman--Clara Longbottom, Harry realized with horror. Baby Neville was screaming and reaching out for his mother while Frank Longbottom yelled. "I don't know where Voldemort is! Nobody has any idea what happened to him when he tried to killed the Potter boy!"

"We know how close you are to Dumbledore," said one of the men in masks. "Now tell us what he has done with our master."

"I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT NOW LEAVE MY WIFE ALONE!"

"I suppose that you really do know nothing, Longbottom, but we can't have you telling others about us now can we? Crucio!"

Harry awoke with a start. He was lying in his own four-poster. He looked over at his clock, which read 4:17. Ron was sound asleep in the next bed and Harry decided not to wake him. He felt too restless to try to go back to sleep. Harry stepped into his slippers and threw on his bathrobe. The house was silent and the waning moon was still bright in the sky. Harry walked past Remus' bedroom. For a brief moment, he considered opening the door and checking in on Remus, but Harry decided it was best to let him sleep.

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Sirius had been unable to sleep. He kept hearing Peter's voice in his head.

S--Sirius...R--Remus...My friends...my old Friends.

He killed Lily and James and now he's going to kill me too...You've got to help me, Remus...

Sirius--it's me...it's Peter...your friend...you wouldn't...

Harry...Harry...you look just like your father...just like him...

Sirius let out cry of anger and threw his glass against the wall. He grabbed his hair and began pulling at it. How had it come to that? Peter had been his friend since their first year at Hogwarts. Sure, Peter had usually stood back and allowed Sirius, Remus, and James to fight the bullies, but the three of them had had some good times with Peter. He had been so eager to help Remus by becoming an Animagus. Why had fear caused Peter to turn on his friends, to sell them out to Voldemort? Why had Sirius allowed himself to be manipulated by Peter in the last year of Lily and James' lives?

It was Peter's begging for mercy that was haunting Sirius. As far as Sirius could tell, Peter hadn't shown a single person mercy. He had attacked Ron after they had left the Shrieking Shack; he had taken Harry's blood to resurrect Lord Voldemort, he had killed twelve Muggles to escape Sirius, he had tortured Harry and would have taken him to be murdered by Voldemort if the Ford Anglia hadn't shown up, and most recently he had stood idly by while Lucius Malfoy and his goons had burned silver into Remus. These actions were only the ones Sirius actually knew about.

Sirius began throwing and kicking random objects to vent his frustration. He suddenly looked up and saw Harry in the doorway. Considering what he had possibly just witnessed, Harry seemed remarkably calm.

"Harry," said Sirius. "I--I..."

"It's alright, Sirius," said Harry. "I understand, believe me."

"I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No, I'm having trouble sleeping. I don't think anyone else can hear you either. The walls here are really thick."

"Were you having another nightmare, Harry?" asked Sirius looking directly into Harry's eyes. Harry bit his lip and stared at the floor. It was no use trying to deny anything to Sirius.

"I'm fine, Sirius. Really." said Harry in a strangled voice. Sirius walked up to his godson, put his arms around him, and pulled him into a tight embrace. Harry buried his face in Sirius' shoulder and allowed himself to give a single sob. Sirius tightened his grip.

"They'll pay, Harry, I promise you that. Those bastards will pay."

"Sirius?" said Harry looking up.

"Yes?"

"I've been thinking...You know how Cho is coming to visit?"

"Yes."

"Well, would it be alright if Neville came as well?" asked Harry.

"Longbottom?" asked Sirius.

"Yes. I was just thinking, you know, he doesn't have his parents either. And I've seen his grandmother with him and heard about how his aunts and uncles tried to force magic out of him when he was little. It can't be much better for him where he is than it is for me at the Dursleys."

"It's alright with me," said Sirius.

"Did you know the Longbottoms at all?" asked Harry.

"Yes," said Sirius sadly. "They were five years ahead of us at school. Frank was Head Boy, and damn good at it too. Frank and Clara were good people. They were the last people who deserved what happened to them."

"Sirius, are you there?" came a voice from the fireplace causing both Harry and Sirius to jump. It was Arthur Weasley.

"Arthur," said Sirius running over to the fireplace and kneeling down next to it. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm afraid so," said Mr. Weasley. "Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Pettigrew have escaped somehow. There's a leak in the Ministry." Sirius let out a few rather loud, vehement expressions then looked apologetically from Harry to Mr. Weasley.

"What happened?" asked Harry.

"We don't know exactly," said Mr. Weasley. "Tabitha Lupin and your mother, Sirius, heard that Pettigrew had been caught and wanted to confront him. When they arrived at the detainment cell, Pettigrew and his companions were gone. That's all we know right now."

"Shit!" said Sirius. "Does Tabitha know about what happened to Remus?"

"No," said Mr. Weasley. He sighed. "I'm glad that Ron and Ginny are safe with you. Thank you for letting them stay with you, Sirius."

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Annie jerked awake as the first rays of the morning sun hit her face. She had fallen asleep in the chair next to Remus' bed. She looked at him and was relieved to see that a tiny amount of colour had returned to his face. His breathing was still raspy and uneven. Annie felt his forehead. He was still hot.

Annie opened up the first aid kit she had put together especially for Remus. Over the years, she had become quite the expert on taking care of him. Tabitha Lupin had been teaching Annie everything there was to know about caring for Remus since her fourth year at Hogwarts in the hopes that Annie would one day marry her son.

Annie pulled back the sheet that covered him and began to gently clean the sores left behind by the silver chain. She felt a surge of anger as Peter entered her thoughts. She pushed the image aside and concentrated harder on the task at hand. The open sores on Remus' chest were easily cleaned, but the sores on the back of his neck were another story. Annie gently rolled Remus over on his side and washed the neck sores then rolled Remus on his back again. He was still out cold.

As Annie began to apply the ointment to the sores, Remus' eyes flickered. He let out a pitiful moan, which caused Annie's stomach to churn. "Ssssshhh, Remus, stay still," she said putting her hand lightly on the part of his chest that was not covered with sores.

"What time is it?" he asked in a hoarse whisper.

"It's about seven-thirty in the morning," Annie answered as she continued to rub the ointment in Remus' sores. "Madam Pomfrey says that you'll be alright as long as you get plenty of rest. I'm just glad that the next full moon is three and a half weeks away. I shudder to think about what would happen if you had to take the Wolfsbane potion with silver still in your bloodstream."

Remus smiled weakly. "Is everyone else alright?" he asked.

"They're as good as can be expected, I suppose," said Annie. "They just want you to get better."

"And Harry? His scar hasn't been hurting, has it?"

"Not that I know of," Annie answered. "Can you sit up? I need to get some of this ointment on the back of your neck."

Remus nodded. As he pushed himself up with his elbows, Annie helped him sit up the rest of the way and rubbed the ointment on the rest of his sores, then helped him lay back down.

"That's better," he said. "Thanks."

"Are you hungry?" Annie asked. Remus shrugged. "I'll get you something." Annie was about to stand up when Remus grabbed her wrist. There was a lost look in his eyes.

"I'm not hungry, Annie," Remus whispered. His hand moved from her wrist up to her elbow and pulled her down onto the bed next to him. She rested her forehead on his. Tears leaked out of Remus' eyes.

"When that silver was burning into me, I thought I was going to die right then and there, Annie, and it scared me. Christ, I haven't felt that way since I was bitten."

"It's alright," Annie whispered as she wiped a tear from his cheek with her thumb and desperately wished she had something more comforting to say.

"I can't take all this shit anymore, Annie, I'm just sick of it!"

"I know, Remus," Annie whispered as she caressed his hair with her fingers. "So am I." Annie began to cry as well. At that moment, they both felt helpless to stop what was going on in the outside world.

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Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny had chosen to eat their breakfast by the lake. None of them were in the mood to listen to the Dursleys' opinion of things. Harry hadn't planned on mentioning the escape of Wormtail and the others to his friends, but the morning edition of The Daily Prophet had done the job for him. The four of them slowly ate their breakfast in silence.

"I can't take this!" said Ron startling the other three. "I mean just sitting here and not being able to do a damn thing! The fate of the wizard community is practically in the hands of that idiot Fudge!"

Harry jumped to his feet, picked up a heavy rock and threw it as hard as he could into the lake. "Well, that kind of felt good," he said. "Try it, Ron." Ron tried it. "Wow, nice shot!"

Ron took a deep breath and smiled weakly. "There's a leak in the Ministry and Dad and Percy are in a good spot to be targets."

"I know," said Harry.

"They're both really smart, Ron. I'm sure they'll be fine," said Hermione as she stood up and put her arms around him.

"I just hope that Fudge doesn't make a blunder that costs them or someone else their lives," said Ron. "I just hate not being able to do anything."

"Who says we can't do anything?" said Ginny with a sudden mischievous grin.

"What are you talking about, Gin?" asked Ron.

"An editorial," said Ginny.

"Editorial?" asked Harry.

"Yes," said Ginny. "You saw how influential Rita Skeeter's articles were--"

"Boy did we ever!" said Hermione.

"Doesn't Arabella's daughter write for the Daily Prophet?" asked Ginny.

"Yes," said Harry slowly. "But Lucy just does the book reviews."

"Why don't we get her a promotion by giving her an exclusive interview?"

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As Sirius walked past Remus' room, he noticed through the slightly opened door that Remus was awake, propped up against some pillows and reading a book on ancient magic. Sirius smiled to himself. You never did let a severe injury get in the way of your studies, did you, Moony, he thought.

"Sirius?" said Remus. Sirius hesitated then opened the door the rest of the way and entered the room.

"I didn't think you'd be awake yet," he said. Sirius winced internally as he noticed the sores on Remus' chest.

"I couldn't sleep and I didn't feel like taking any more potion yet," Remus answered casually.

"I don't know who is the most pig-headed--you or Harry," said Sirius with a smile.

"You're one to talk, Padfoot," Remus answered lightly. Sirius pretended to look affronted, then spoke more seriously.

"How do you feel, Moony, really?" asked Sirius. Remus shrugged, an action that caused him to wince slightly. "I see," said Sirius.

"I've been better," said Remus.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"It's not your fault, Padfoot! You did save my life after all. I'm the idiot who followed Peter down that alley alone."

"We should have all stuck together in the first place," said Sirius. He walked up to Remus' bed and sat down next to his friend. "After everything that has happened we all should have known better than to split up just to save a little time shopping." Self-disgust crept into Sirius' voice. His mind wondered to earlier that morning when Harry had walked in on his nervous breakdown. "Wormtail is going to pay when I find him. I won't wait for the Ministry to take care of things next time."

"What are you talking about, Padfoot? I thought Peter and the others were in custody."

Shit! Sirius thought. He doesn't know yet. "They escaped, Moony. I don't know how, but there's a leak in the Ministry."

Remus gripped his book tightly and clenched his jaw.

"The Ministry officials want a statement about what they wanted from you, Moony," said Sirius cautiously.

"They wanted information about the Order of the Phoenix and where to find Harry," said Remus. Then he looked up at Sirius. "Did Peter really flip out at first out when you guys told him I was a werewolf?"

Sirius lowered his eyes and nodded the looked up again quickly. "But nobody else did. The rest of us just wanted to help you. You know that, don't you Moony?" Remus nodded. Sirius put his hand on Remus' shoulder and realized that his hand was on the bite that had inflicted the curse on Remus in the first place. He remembered the first time he had seen that scar at the end of their first year at Hogwarts. Seeing the scar had proven the theories he and James had about Remus' illness. Tears began to leak from Sirius' eyes as he thought of James, Lily and his other friends who had died because of Peter's betrayal. He suddenly found himself pulling Remus into a tight hug.

"Don't you die on me too, Moony. Don't you ever die on me!" said Sirius vehemently. Before serving twelve years in Azkaban, Sirius had rarely cried. But since his escape, he found himself doing it on a regular basis. He wanted his friends back. He wanted Harry to have his parents, Derek to have his wife, Neville to have his parents, Arabella to have her husband, and Remus and Annie to have their happiness.

"I'm so sorry, Remus!"

"For what?"

"For every time I've acted without thinking." Remus knew that one of the things Sirius was referring to was telling Snape how to get past the Whomping Willow. Even knowing what that could have cost him, the only time Remus had been able to feel any anger toward Sirius about it was when he thought Sirius had betrayed Lily and James.

"I forgive you, Padfoot. For the millionth time I forgive you. Think you'll ever forgive yourself?"

"I'm working on it."

"Padfoot?"

"Yes?"

"I'm--I'm...scared."

"So am I Moony."

Remus' head suddenly became very heavy on Sirius' shoulder. Sirius could feel that he was starting to run a dangerously high fever. Remus began to shiver.

Oh shit! thought Sirius. Shit! Shit! Shit!

"Mummy, it hurts! I'm scared!" said Remus in a very child-like voice.

"Remus?" said Sirius anxiously.

"They won't be my friends anymore if they find out what I am, Hagrid!"

"C'mon, Remus!" said Sirius desparately.

"No! There must be some mistake. Sirius wouldn't betray Lily and James. He wouldn't kill Peter."

Sirius felt his stomach turn. "ANNIE!" he yelled. "COME QUICK! REMUS IS HALLUCINATING!"

Annie sprinted into the room. She hastily pried Remus from Sirius' grip and gently pushed him onto his back. She then opened up his first aid kit and gave him a thylenous potion. After coaxing it down Remus' throat, Annie took out a medicated cloth and began to wipe and dabb his forehead. Sirius stood transfixed at the sight. Annie finally looked up and saw the terrified expression on Sirius' face.

"Madam Pomfrey told me to expect this," she said attempting to be stoic though her voice wavered.

"How long is he going to be suffering like this?"

"I'm going to make sure he gets better as soon as possible," Annie asserted as she caresses Remus' forehead.

"Annie?"

"Yes?"

"I think I'm losing my mind

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"Isn't that Mrs. Lupin and Mrs. Black?" asked Ginny pointing to the two women standing just outside of the veil.

Harry looked at the two women for a moment then said, "It is them. They must have heard about Remus."

At that moment, Annie came running up behind them. She stopped at the veil and held a Sneakoscope in one hand and a foe glass in the other. She looked back and forth between the objects for a few moments. When she was satisfied, she pocketed them both, pulled out her wand and lifted the veil for the two women to enter.

"Where is he, Annie?" asked Mrs. Lupin.

"He's sleeping, Tabitha," said Annie. "How did you find out?"

"I went to confront Peter only to find that Fudge and his people, being as competent as they are, let him and Malfoy escape. Then I heard people talking about needing to question Remus and asked why."

"I ought to warn you, Tabitha, Remus isn't in good shape right now. But he will be fine, I promise," said Annie giving Tabitha's hand a squeeze.

"I bet he didn't want me to know until after he was better. Probably thought he was being a burden on me, or something. Honestly the whole lot of you are too pig headed for your own good," said Tabitha including Harry and the others in her stare. Harry looked down at his feet. He had lived with the Dursley's for so much of his life that he was still getting used to the idea that there were people who actually cared about him.

"How are you doing, Harry?" asked Mrs. Black.

"I've been better, Agatha," Harry answered honestly. Harry had met Agatha Black for the first time since his parents had been killed the summer before. She had always been very kind to him. Harry was the closest person she had to a grandchild. Agatha had not known of Sirius' innocence until he had gone to alert the "old crowd" because Sirius had not wanted her to be put in an uncomfortable position with the Ministry. The day that Sirius had been declared innocent had been the happiest of her life.

"C'mon, Tabitha," said Annie. "I'll take you to see Remus, but I don't think he'll wake up for a while."

"I just want to be with him," said Tabitha as she, Annie, and Agatha headed for the house leaving the four teenagers behind.

Petunia eyed them suspiciously as they passed her in the corridor. She appeared as though she was about to make a rude remark when Annie shot her a warning look and Petunia hurried off.

When they reached Remus' room, Sirius was at his bedside. He looked up wearily. Agatha ran to her son and embraced him in the same manner she had every time she saw him since his time in Azkaban. Tabitha nearly collapsed to her knees as she saw the silver burns on her son's bare chest. She staggered to her youngest son's side, knelt down next to him and began to stroke his graying hair.

All Tabitha Lupin had wanted in life was to see her sons happy. Voldemort and Wormtail had managed to crush that dream. Derek had been rendered a widower and a single father and Remus had given up his engagement after losing nearly all of his friends. Right then and there, Tabitha added herself to the growing list of people who wanted to beat the shit out of Wormtail. Agatha was certainly willing to help her since Wormtail had caused her son to rot in Azkaban for twelve years.

At that moment, without any warning, Harry's scar began to burn on his forehead as he had a vision of Peter, Lucius, Crabbe, and Goyle were being tortured by Voldemort for failure to get any information of Remus. Harry fell to his knees clutching his scar. Ginny threw her arms around him as Ron and Hermione dropped to their knees by his side.

"I want it to stop! I JUST WANT IT TO STOP!" cried Harry.

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Never fear, Fred and George will soon be here.