Harry Potter and the Forest of Shadows

Harry Potter and

the Forest of Shadows

****Chapter Four****

Severus Snape had just gotten back from a Death Eater meeting. His body and left forearm burned from the after-effects of the Cruciatus and his mind ached from all the long and detailed potions Voldemort had asked for. He wasn't even sure if he could make all of the torture potions he was asked to make.

Just as he collapsed onto the bed, someone knocked on his door. With a low growl, he walked over and threw the door open. When he saw who was standing there, his intimidation act dropped immediately.

"Rosemary?"

"Hi, I-I need your help. Two potions. A sedative and one that can stop blood from flowing."

"For whom, may I ask?" he questioned, already searching through his private store cabinet.

"None of your business. Gimme them," she demanded as he stood before her, to vials in his hands.

"I'm really not in the mood for this, but I'm going to have to ask you to let me distribute them."

"Snape, not the time to argue. Just give. Me. The. Potions."

He fixed her with an icy glare and, in a voice that matched, said, "Whoever it is, could be allergic or have a bad reaction to the pain. I refuse to let you go on you merry way with these."

Rosemary made an impatient noise at the back of her throat. "Fine, we need to use a fireplace and some Floo Powder."

"Where are we going?" Snape asked as Rosemary threw in the white powder and the flames burst into emerald.

"The Burrow," she stated, stepping into the large fireplace and disappearing.

Snape groaned; he didn't feel like helping any of the Weasleys, but

couldn't back down on a girl that had so much trust in him.

As he came out of the Weasleys fireplace, the first thing he saw was Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley sitting on the couch, apparently in shock. They seemed sedated enough, so who was the potion for?

"Severus," Rosemary snapped, and motioned for him to follow her up the stairs.

When they reached the very top level of the house, Rosemary pushed open the only door and stood back. What Snape saw made him blanch and his breath hitch in his chest.

Sitting on one of the two beds, was Sirius Black, a few gashes in his arms and one on his cheek. Clinging with a death grip that looked like it wasn't possible to loosen, was the Boy-Who-Lived. Blood flowed through the bedclothes he was wearing while tears and sweat sheeted his bruised and battered face.

"What happened?"

"Can you help? He started convulsing and thrashing when he saw Sirius and wouldn't let go."

"What about the blood?"

"Can you help, or not?" she asked sharply.

"I'm going to need some help."

Hermione and Ron were brought up from the sitting room and helped hold their friend down. Rosemary managed to get his hands from Sirius' shirt while Snape attempted to keep his head still, forcing down the sedative.

Almost immediately Harry's body went lax and he sagged on the bed. "Granger," Snape ordered, "go get a cold, wet washcloth and don't wring it. Get me another wrung one."

When she returned with both cloths, Snape took the drenched one and wiped the sweat and tears from Harry's face, wondering what he was doing, helping his arch-nemesis' son.

Next, he took the semi-wet one and poured a vivid black substance on. "I'm not going to lie," he said softly, totally out of character. "It's very painful."

Sirius opened his mouth as if to argue, but stopped himself as Remus laid a hand on his shoulder. He gripped it in one of his own and held on of Harry's lifeless ones in his other. Rosemary followed his example and took his other hand in both her hands, hoping to warm up the hand that felt like ice.

Snape poured the lot of the viscosite, black liquid down Harry's throat. Almost immediately the potion took its effect: Harry's hands took a death grip on his guardians hands as his back arched in pain. All the cuts and gashes scabbed over efficiently and the black and blue bruises faded to a yellow-greenish color.

When his back finally hit the bed again, Rosemary enlarged Ron's bed and moved him from the blood soaked sheets before giving him a dreamless sleep potion.

Five minutes later, after Rosemary had finally gotten Harry to give into the potion, she, Sirius, Remus, Snape, Ron, and Hermione walked back down into the living room where the rest of the Weasleys, except for Ginny, were sitting.

Ron and Hermione settled on the floor, leaving Rosemary, Remus, and Sirius to collapse onto the love seat. Sirius and Remus took a spot on either end so Rosemary could lay down, her back against Remus' left shouled and bare feet resting in Sirius' lap.

"You're back," Mrs. Weasley said breathlessly.

"You can't get rid of me that easily," he replied half-heartedly with a weary smile on his face.

"How did you come back?" Fred asked eagerly, earning himself a glare from both of his parents.

"Yes, Black, enlighten us."

They all turned to Snape who was coming from the shadows that the furniture and walls portrayed. Fred and George jumped to their feet, enraged.

"What are you doing here?"

"This is our house!"

"Yes, so get out!"

"Fred, George, sit down!" Rosemary snapped, out of character. "He's here on my leave and probably just saved Harry's life. Now, Severus, if you would be so kind as to go get Albus?"

"That will be quite alright."

Albus Dumbledore had just apparated in the middle of the room, firelight dancing across his smiling face.

"Albus," Rosemary said, raising her hand. He responded to her, nodding in acknowledgement.

"Ms. Potter."

Fred and George's mouths fell open as if weighed down. Rosemary rolled her eyes. "Fred, George, close your mouths. It's not polite to gape. Albus, I known you since I was eight; please call me by my first name. Bill, will you take Ron and Hermione upstairs. Harry's on Ron's bed but I enlarged it. Please try not to wake him."

Bill helped Ron and Hermione to their feet and guided the half-asleep teenagers up the stairs.

"Mr. Black."

Sirius looked up at his former professor and mentor.

"Professor Dumbledore, sir."

Dumbledore sat across from the three friends in Bill's vacant seat, a smile on his face and twinkles in his eyes. "Tell me: How did you manage to get back through the portal?"

"Ask her," he replied, briefly tickling Rosemary's feet, earning him a smile and soft kick in the chest.

Almost immediately Rosemary's smile faded and guilt dawned on her face. "I used necromancy. I know it's dark magic, but... After Remus reminded me of it I went straight to the ministry to check out the portal. It was a standard one; nothing complex like I was used to. So I got through and got him back out pretty easily, then told him to stay under an invisibility cloak."

"Well, Sirius, it seems a simple healing tonic should do you right up. Molly, if you have some..." Dumbledore said, getting to his feet.

"Thank you professor," thanked Sirius. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Right now," he said, laying a hand on the younger man's shoulder, "Harry needs you. Severus." And with that, he disappeared.

Just before Snape left, Sirius stopped him by saying very softly, "Thank you... for helping him."

"You're... welcome," was the hesitant, awe-filled reply before Snape disapparated.

Mrs. Weasley came back from the kitchen with a vial that had Healing Tonic written across it. Reluctantly, he took it and poured the lot of it down his throat. "Thank you," he muttered, distastefully, wiping the back of his hand across his lips.

"Fred, George, come here," Rosemary said tiredly. Warily they got up and walked over to her. She laid a hand on either of their foreheads and closed her eyes, racking for every sign of Sirius that night and deleting. As she finished, their eyes drooped and they groped their way to the staircase and up it.

"Sirius," Bill said, understanding his friend's reasonings, "it'll be better if they, along with Ginny, don't know you're here. You can stay in your dog form."

"All right. As long as I can talk to Harry."

"Of course," reassured Rosemary with a wiggle of her feet.

He smiled at her and abandoned his seat, lifting Rosemary off the couch. She stood an arm's length away, smiling. "I missed you," she said sweetly.

"I missed you too," he murmured, planting a kiss on her forehead and smiling at Remus, stifling a yawn.

Rosemary heard it and gently pushed him to the foot of the stairs. "Go to sleep. I'm sure we'll have some dog food by tomorrow." Sirius

threw a glare over his shoulder at the dry statement. He could still hear Rosemary and Remus' laughter as he reached Ron's bedroom door.

Harry awoke the next morning, a heavy weight on his chest and stiffness and faint traces of pain in his limbs. Surprisingly, as he opened his good eye, the other one opened along with it- it was back to normal. And he could almost move his feet.

As he slipped on his glasses, his breath hitched in his throat. The familiar bear-like dog was spread protectively across his torso in a heavy sleep.

"Padfoot?" he whispered, uncertainly probing the dog, afraid it might just be another dream that seemed so real.

The black labrador, stirring from his sleep, stretched the width of the enlarged bed and yawned widely. When his attention was turned to his arouser, he gave a lopsided and began licking the boy's face.

Harry pushed away the dog's face before hugging him with all the might his sore arms could muster. Immediately, the dog changed back into a man and Sirius hugged his godson. After a few seconds, they both drew back, Harry wiping away traces of joyful tears as Sirius held him at an arm's length, surveying him.

"You like hell," he murmured, looking at the fading bruises and scabbed gashes. "And your as cold as ice. I can't believe... I should have been there."

"It's not your fault. No one could have known."

"But they did. Remus, and Dumbledore, and Rosy-"

"You know Rosemary?" he asked, eagerly leaning forward.

"Yea, I know her."

"I thought I told you that."

Sirius smiled as Rosemary walked in, still in a white silk nightgown that flowed around her feet with a matching silk robe thrown over her shoulders. "'Morning milady."

"Good morning," she replied, laying a hand on his shoulder. He gently yanked down on one of the braided plaits her hair was in and

whispered something to her."

Harry watched as she pulled up, smiling before walking back out.

"Where'd she go?" he queried, eyebrows furrowed.

"You'll see. She's pretty, isn't she?"

Harry missed his godfather's sly grin and nodded mutely, smiling. Just then did he see Sirius' expression and opened his mouth to argue but was cut off by Sirius laughing.

"I'm joking," he said, teasing poking Harry's ribs. Harry visibly flinched, biting on his bottom lip. "Sorry, I didn't mean to."

"It's okay. I'm fine."

Rosemary opened the door and threw a bag at Sirius. He caught. "Thank you, sweetheart."

"You're welcome," she said, winking at them before leaving, closing the door softly behind her.

Sirius settled on the pillows so he was sitting next to Harry and opened the bag.

"What is that?"

He took two chocolate chip cookies out and handed the bag to Harry. "Take what you want." As Sirius bit into one of the cookies, he spit it out. "ROSY!"

The door opened again to reveal her again. "Sorry, but that was funny." Sirius chucked the cookies at her but she closed the door just in time.

"What was wrong?"

"Yours aren't. They enchanted them to taste like dog food for me," he muttered, taking a deck of cards off the table. "Wanna play poker?"

"Sure. I taught myself to play."

"Good, because we need to talk about a few things."

After Sirius had dealed, he asked, "Now, about last night..."

Harry flushed and cringed at the thought of the nightmare. "I'd rather not talk about that," he said, still trying to get the face of the person who had cast the cruciatus curse out of his head. "But I wanted to ask you something," he said carefully, takiing a cookie and eating it.

"Shoot."

"What was behind it- the veil, I mean."

Sirius looked up from his cards. "The veil was a portal. It was an easy, standard one to pass through; one of five in the world. Others have to be called upon by certain people. But behind it, was where most people got after they die. Also known as the Forest of Shadows."