So I don't think there's a single person who doesn't think Redemption needed a complete overhaul. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't good either. It could be better. I wanted it to be better. Thanks to one thing or another, it never got there. Well. I am now taking the time to make it better. I hope everyone can enjoy the complete rewrite of A Wizard's Redemption. I know it makes more sense to me story-wise and it seems to flow a heck of a lot better compared to what I'll call the first draft. Plus, it's more interesting. Enjoy.
Warnings: This story is shonen-ai, slash, gay, whatever you wish to call it. It's also a sequel. If you haven't read A Wizard's Lament, you aren't going to understand everything.
Notes: (X) is pov change and or time jump
Chapter, 1: Swaying Nightmare
Protecting your home and family against the dark forces
1. You are advised not to leave the house alone.
"No, no, don't! Please!" Harry's pleading seemed to make no difference. His hands wrapped tightly around Tom's arm did no better. Tried as he might, the two of them kept moving towards the row of prophecies. The others in the room ignored them. Every time he tried to meet one of his friend's eyes, they looked away. A spell shot past Harry's arm just missing him. He managed to tighten his grip more while attempting to dig his feet into the floor, but Tom walked on with ease. "You're going to die!" They stopped at the shelf holding the prophecy about Harry's life. The sphere began to glow, the light reflecting in Tom's eyes.
"Good. I can finally get away from you." Tom tore his arm out from Harry's hands, his long fingers wrapping around the globe. A blinding light enveloped them.
"No!" Harry lunged forward, but caught nothing. His boyfriend's face looked peaceful as he turned into a ghost only to vanish into the shelf. "Tom!" He tried to catch his hand, tried to go after him, looked behind the shelf, but his boyfriend was nowhere in sight.
CRASH!
Harry jerked around, the room consumed by darkness. It was suffocating at first. He closed his eyes trying hard to calm himself down and then opened them.
Now he was still standing in the dark empty room. It was always the same, black, endless, nothing until he finally managed to wake up. A quiet shuffling sound had his ears perking up and he looked towards the source. Someone was actually in the room with him. He could feel it. That was new. Cautiously he moved towards the figure he somehow knew was there. His eyes seemed to adjust to the darkness, the figure turning to look at him. His body relaxed. Tom was standing there, no longer a ghost, and looking quite healthy. Relief flooded Harry, a smile finding its way onto his face. Tom was safe.
"Don't do that! I thought you had died." He moved towards Tom ready to embrace him.
A smile crept across Tom's face.
Harry stopped short. The smile did not seem right, there was something…twisted about it.
"Something like that kill me?"
Harry took a step back. Tom's hand shot out and wrapped around Harry's arm. His eyes were suddenly slanted, his pupils' slits, his nose was gone, fangs protruding over his lipless mouth. His body was covered head to toe in scales, his fingers transformed into claws pierced into Harry's arm, blood pooling from the newly formed wounds.
"T, Tom!" The pain was horrible, white lights flashing before his eyes. If Tom didn't release him he was going to pass out. His free arm came up tugging desperately at Tom's hand, not that it did any good.
"You should know I'd never leave you. You belong to me." Harry could feel his consciousness slipping, the claws digging in deeper, his attempts at getting free slowing. "I'm never letting you go!" Tom jerked Harry forward into an embrace. "No one will ever accept you like I will. I will give you up to no one!" Harry noticed his boyfriend had one arm wrapped around his waist. He removed his claws from Harry's arm and moved them into his mouth sucking Harry's blood off each one.
"You're blood is always so sweet. Must be your mother's love."
CRASH!
Harry's entire body jolted up. He was back in his own bed, his eyes wide, chest heaving, and covered in sweat. Draco was sitting beside him, a potion bottle in his hand. Empty. Seconds later Draco's form dimmed leaving behind a misty ghost-like one.
Another crash.
Harry rubbed his eyes sitting up, for once grateful for his stupid uncle's intrusion. At least he'd timed it to free Harry from another nightmare, not that he would be letting him know that.
The door came open hitting the wall with enough force to leave an indent from the handle. His uncle stormed into the room then, shouting about one thing or another, Harry could hardly keep up. His mind kept going back to the snake creature that had supposedly been Tom. While the empty room had been a common occurrence, the creature had been a new addition.
"-And in my house! I will not tolerate this! This boy must go at once!" Uncle Vernon's face was red on the verge of turning purple. Harry hoped the man didn't have a heart attack. His aunt would never let him back in the house if he did. Not that he would particularly mind such a punishment, but Dumbledore had been quite clear about him having to return to the Dursley's one more time after this summer.
His Uncle's pointer finger shot out in front of Harry's face, the man wheezing as he seemed to think about what his next words should be.
"This ends now! You are lucky enough we tolerate you coming here during the summer, but to bring some stranger, some boy! And to sleep in the same bed...!"
Harry held back a sigh. He would have found the entire situation amusing if his uncle didn't do it almost every night. He seemed to think if he could get into Harry's room at random times, he would eventually catch Harry and Draco in some horrible act. Someone needed to inform his uncle that you needed to be quiet when sneaking up on others, not cause enough noise to rouse the whole neighborhood. It was thanks to his uncle's stupidity and the ghostly visage potion in Harry's bedside table that his uncle had yet to prove there was even another person in the room.
"If you will not leave, I'll call the authorities!" His uncle's hand whipped out from in front of Harry's face to Draco's shoulder, only to go right through it. "Wh, what?"
"I'll be leaving in a few days," Harry said savoring the look on Uncle Vernon's face so he could laugh later. The man's face had frozen in a mix of half anger and half fear, his finger still hanging in the air. "You wouldn't want me to have to send a letter, would you?"
His uncle twitched but did not budge.
"Not you, him," he said his head motioning to Draco, but his words no longer held the power they'd had seconds before. "I see no one," Harry said feigning worry. "Are you alright? I thought you kept coming into my room to make sure I wasn't doing any magic, not because I was trying to hide someone." He gave a slow look around the room. It's just Hedwig and me in here..." The fire in his uncle's eyes seemed to die out with that. His arm fell limply to his side, his shoulders slumping. "What is it you're seeing?" Harry pressed. Harry could see the uneasiness growing within his uncle. The dread that he might be losing his mind. Why such a thing couldn't possibly happen to such a normal upstanding citizen such as Vernon Dursley. No, that sort of thing was reserved for people like Harry.
"Nothing!" Uncle Vernon screamed as he stomped out of the room, some of his defeat replaced by his hatred for Harry. The Gryffindor couldn't have the man broken after all and everyone knew his uncle already walked quite a thin line. Best not to push him over it.
"Blimey, every night," Harry said once he was sure his uncle was far enough not to hear. He dropped his glasses onto the bedside table and lay back down. "His face may be priceless, but being woken up at random all the time isn't fun. He seemed surer of himself tonight too."
"Yeah, I knocked that fat pig onto his arse before we went to bed," Draco sneered. One look at his friend told Harry he was pleased with his work. "He tried to put me in a headlock and take me to your uncle, so I pushed him down the stairs." Harry couldn't help laughing at that. "He's fine. That personal padding back there was more than enough to keep him safe."
"I'm sure," Harry agreed between laughs. It was good to be at the Dursleys' and have an ally with him. He knew Draco wouldn't kill anyone, so he didn't have to watch his every step and the Slytherin definitely helped when it came to helping drive the Dursley's mad.
"Hey…were you having another nightmare?"
"Yeah." The cheer in the room was gone, but Harry didn't see the point in lying. He had hit Draco often enough while tossing in bed during his nightly fits. He knew when Harry's sleep was disturbed.
"Same thing," he asked his eyes watching Harry's every move.
"Yeah," Harry said hoping Draco wouldn't see his lie. Draco was already nervous about Harry having nightmares; he didn't want to stress him out even more. Besides, as much as they tormented Harry, they were just dreams. They were nothing like Voldemort's violations into his mind like the year before. "That dumb room and all the prophecies…Why would the ministry even keep all of those down there? Not to mention all the other weird things in that place…and so much for safety, Voldemort had walked in just as easily as we had!" He really didn't want an answer to any of those things, his outburst more to keep Draco believing he was still having the exact same nightmare than anything else.
"My dad never mentioned it. You'll have to just ask Dumbledore," Draco said quietly.
The same response, but he could see that Draco was no longer on guard. The repetitiveness of this conversation, which like Uncle Vernon's intrusions into the room, happened every night. Draco had been worried at first. Harry had even watched him send owls to Lupin and Hermione asking about it. Both had replied with basically the same answers. Harry was just feeling guilty and mentally anguished over both the deaths of Tom and Sirius. So he had combined different parts of the trauma and kept reliving them while he desperately tried to make things right. He already knew the reality however and so nothing he could do in his dreams would fix either of the two deaths. Having read the owls, Draco had shared them with Harry in what he guessed was an attempt to make him feel better.
It hadn't.
"I'm going to try and get more sleep." He turned his back to Draco, closed his eyes, and hoped he would have no more dreams.
(X)
2. Particular care should be taken during the hours of darkness. Whenever possible, arrange to complete journeys before night has fallen.
"Breathe slowly, you're alright." The lights were too bright. He tried to bring his hand up to cover his eyes, but couldn't. He could feel some sort of texture on his wrist, different from what was under his arm. His wrists' were bound. "Don't struggle. You've been unconscious the last few weeks….I was worried you wouldn't wake up at all." There was worry in the voice.
"Move."
He shut his eyes trying to keep the blinding light away. He moved against at the bindings ever so slightly only to be rewarded with pain. He relaxed his arms knowing how pointless it would be to struggle. His body was too tired, too sore. He recognized both voices, even if they seemed so far away. He felt someone pushing down on his body, prodding at every inch. It hurt, almost like they were jabbing him with frozen steel needles. He wanted it to stop, but had no power to do so.
"He's still dehydrated and from the looks of it, his wounds aren't healing much at all. Whoever that sick—"
"Lower the lights," the first voice ordered.
The room no longer seemed to be on fire. He opened one eye slowly, then the other. He recognized the room immediately.
"Where?" His throat burned and he began coughing, which only made everything worse.
"Water." He could see movement in his peripheral vision. "Drink." His body was helped into a sitting position, a scream escaping his lips when the hand touched his back.
"Gently!" Came the loud warning. His eyes began to adjust more. Somehow, he knew he was safe. He didn't know how. Illusions like this had been normal during his capture, but this felt different. Dumbledore helped him get the water down then took the cup away. "You're alright."
"Harry," he managed the burning not as intense. "He's alive?" He saw no signs of his boyfriend in the infirmary. Why wasn't Harry there? He should have been there, unless… His eyes widened, his muscles tensing. He tried to bring his hand up to grab Dumbledore, to get an answer, but the binding stopped him short and dug into his wrist. He hissed at the pain, hesitating at pulling again. He needed to see Harry, but the pain…
"He's fine," Dumbledore said quickly. "You can see him later, you need to rest." Dumbledore's voice was stern. A smile appeared on his adopted father's face. "Thank goodness…we didn't know if—"
"—Sirius?" He had to gasp at that. His lungs were not functioning like they were supposed to. Every breath felt like fire going through them and then up his throat to cause even more pain. Why was it so hard? Why did everything hurt so badly?
"Yes," Dumbledore motioned to another bed. "He woke up a week ago. He's been healing since."
"Ugh." He wanted to say something along the lines of 'good' or 'fine', but his throat just wasn't going to let him. He was glad to be somewhere safe, but why? He tried to remember what had happened and then his memories came rushing back. He'd been hit with two spells at once, an attacking and a paralyzing one, both crafted to hit his spirit, at the same time. They'd reacted to one another and his physical form had been destroyed leaving his spirit frozen on the floor. Then Voldemort had cast a sealing spell on his spirit. The pain that had followed, the torture, his revenge, finding Sirius locked up and in no better shape. The escape…
He let out a loud gasp as everything registered at once. He was alive and far away from Voldemort and his boyfriend was going to treat him like a prince because he'd saved Sirius too. Not that, that had been his only reason for saving Sirius, but enough of it. He could just imagine Harry hugging him, the snogging session that was bound to follow; perhaps he could willingly get his clothes off too? He knew he'd have to wait until after he healed though, all joy fading from his mind. He would be lucky if he could handle holding his hand right now.
"It took some time to get everything back in order, a lot of healing, but I dare say, Aderes, you should make a full recovery."
His adopted father was beaming down at him as he spoke the words. He couldn't care less. All he wanted was Harry. He tried looking for the warmth in his mind, that all-consuming bond that would allow him a calm to ease his mind, but somehow he found a block. He tried again and met with the same resistance.
"Harry," he said this time more forcefully.
"I blocked your bond," his adopted father admitted. "I want you to heal. Harry will be waiting for you."
How dare he was the only thought he could manage. Where was his wand? He could undo the block himself. He could shatter it without the wand, but it would take more effort and energy, both of which he wasn't sure he had. Dumbledore seemed to catch his line of thoughts.
"Do you really want him to feel and see you being tortured? The pain you're in now while healing?" the headmaster asked.
No, but I want him, he's mine. He's the only person I've ever claimed as mine. The only one who really likes me for me.
"I promise you, you'll see Harry soon enough. First, you must heal." Tom couldn't ignore the strain in Dumbledore's words. Something was wrong, but he didn't know if it was about Harry or Dumbledore.
"If he's dead…" He could say nothing more, but the threat was obvious.
"I assure you, he is alive," Dumbledore snapped, anger flaring in his eyes. "Now rest or Madam Pomfrey will be giving you a sleeping draught."
That actually sounded good to Tom. A sleeping draught would put him back to sleep where he could at least dream of Harry. Then it occurred to him. He could sense no one else in the infirmary. It was summer. Harry was with the Dursleys renewing his protection. That meant his boyfriend was living in hell alone again. He needed to heal, to get out of this place and back to Harry.
Somehow, Dumbledore seemed to know what he was thinking again, because Madam Pomfrey was suddenly standing beside him, the two adults pouring the sleeping draught down his throat.
(X)
3. Review the security arrangements around your house, making sure that all family members are aware of emergency measures such as shields, disillusionment charms, and, in the case of underage family members, side-along-apparitions.
The only sound was the strained groan from the chains of the swings as the teens drifted back and forth. The sun was getting closer to dusk, but he couldn't get himself to leave. Sure, being out of the Dursleys' house, especially near dark was almost asking to be killed, but he could not get himself to care.
I can't think this way, not until after I save Tom and Sirius, he chided himself. He had to save them, somehow. Even if neither of them wanted anything to do with him afterward, and he didn't blame them, he owed it to both of them to bring them back.
"So, we're really going to do this Friday?"
"You don't have to go. I should be the only one who does. I can explain everything to Tom, he'll understand. I'll make things right. We can both save Sirius—"
"What happens if you die while saving them? You only lived, because Aderes jumped in front of you," Draco pointed out.
Harry couldn't help wincing at that. If he died before saving the other two, would any of them survive? There had to be a way around that.
"What if…I stopped them from going to the ministry altogether?" If he went back far enough, perhaps he could speak with Tom and explain the entire situation. He could apologize to Tom for his stupid and rash actions that had resulted in the two most important people in his life being killed. Tom would know what to do, he always did. And, after that? He could worry about his future after he'd saved them.
"Wouldn't that change too much?"
"I'll ask Dumbledore when he comes." Obsessing over his plan wouldn't help him much. He'd tried to work out the details by himself and with Draco. Both times had ended with him in state of dark thinking, but he deserved whatever he got.
They kept swinging a few more moments in silence. If Harry stopped them from going, Aderes and Sirius would be fine. There wouldn't be any more trouble…but his godfather's name might not be cleared again for a while…and there would be no proof of Voldemort being on the rise again. He closed his eyes hoping Dumbledore might have some answers. Maybe if they still went and he took Tom's place. It was an acceptable exchange. His life in return for Sirius's and Tom's? They were much more important than he was and both of them had a better chance of stopping Voldemort than he ever would.
"We should get going," Draco said quietly slipping off the swing. "We don't need to be out caught out here in the dark."
Harry nodded dully.
"Right…Dudley has a friend staying over tonight."
"Are we going to play with them?"
Harry focused his attention back onto his friend and smiled. He could use a stress release and what a better way to do that than making Dudley and Piers think they were losing their minds?
"Of course."
(X)
4. Agree on security questions with close friends and family as to detect Death Eaters masquerading as others by use of the Polyjuice potion.
Remus stared down at the fireplace, Minerva's head just vanishing, emerald flames going with her. He looked to Tonks wanting to make sure he hadn't hallucinated the entire conversation that had just taken place. Tears were streaming from her eyes and the smile on her face told him he hadn't.
Sirius was alive. He was at Hogwarts recovering, but Remus couldn't get him yet, not until number twelve had a suitable place for Sirius to rest.
He leaned against the wall, his entire body shaking. Sirius had been brought back to him. Again. How had he gotten so lucky? A return karma on being made a werewolf maybe? He wiped his own tears away and started laughing.
"He's alive," he said a loud testing the words. "He's going to be coming back and his name is cleared….he's coming back." The tears fell harder, Tonks nodding in agreement. Both of them looked a mess, but Remus did not care. Soon enough he'd have Sirius back in his life, in his arms!
"You heard Minerva; we have to have a safe and comfortable place for him if we want to grab him."
Remus gave a small nod. Of course, his git of a boyfriend would wait until number twelve was just about empty to come back. He grabbed one of the boxes from the floor and started up the stairs. Minerva had said they could get Sirius as early as tonight if he had a place to heal. It had to be in number twelve for safety reasons though.
"Bring more of those boxes back up," he yelled down over the banister. If they worked quickly, he could have Sirius back within the hour. Luck must have really been with him because he'd removed the beddings last and none of it had left the house. He ripped open the box he'd brought up. Inside were the shrunk pillows and duvet. He removed his wand and started changing them back to their original sizes. Tonks came in a few seconds with more boxes. "Thanks." Remus wasted no time in putting the bed back where it had been, the bedside table, and the rest of the furniture. With both of them working hard, the room was once again livable in less than a full hour.
"Suppose I'll start gathering things and bringing them back…" Tonks started.
"I'm going to get Sirius," Remus said smiling at the woman who'd become one of his closest friends since Sirius' supposed death. "I could use some backup."
Tonks's head snapped up, a grin on her face. "Sure!" In the months that had passed, Remus had learned just how close Tonks and Sirius had been. The two oddballs in a pureblood family known for their cruelty. The two of them had kept each other sane over the holidays before both of them had finally had enough and left their respected homes.
They stepped out of the room.
"That means we'll have Harry for the rest of the summer too," Remus said. "We'll have to get his room set back up soon."
"I wonder if anyone has even told Harry," Tonks said.
"I'll send him an owl once we have Sirius settled." His mind was spinning now at everything that needed to be done and all the information that was rushing through it. Sirius was alive, they would get to stay at number twelve, Harry would be staying with them just like Sirius had fought for back during the spring. It was almost like the past month had just been some horrible nightmare. Now that they were awake, everything was normal again. Or, as normal as it could be. After all, even if Remus had been lucky enough to get Sirius back, Tom was still gone… or was he? Remus had a nagging feeling that somehow both Sirius and Tom had survived and he knew he had Tom to thank for it. Harry's boyfriend had a knack for doing whatever he wanted, especially when it came to making Harry happy. He hoped his gut feeling was right. He didn't want Harry to feel any worse than he already did.
Leaving Harry, even with Draco, at the Dursleys' had been one of the hardest things Remus had, had to do. With both of their lovers gone, he'd thought the two of them could grieve together and move on, but Dumbledore wouldn't hear of it. He understood the headmaster wanted Harry to return to the Dursleys for protection, but he'd even rejected Remus' idea of taking Harry after his required time there. It had hurt both of them. Remus had been lucky enough to have Tonks by his side though. He hoped Draco was proving as much of a friend to Harry.
(X)
5. Should you feel that a family member, colleague, friend, or neighbor is acting in a strange manner, contact the Magical Law Enforcement Squad at once. They may have been put under the Imperius Curse.
Despite the pain, Tom kept himself awake. Dumbledore was obsessing over his wounds, applying and reapplying ointments to every cut, bruise, and mishap on his body. The sting had long ago turned into a dull throb.
There had to be some way for him to let Harry know he was okay and to get his boyfriend by his side. While he didn't deny enjoying the attention his adoptive father was finally giving him, he was selfish, he wanted Harry too.
Movement from Sirius' bed caught his attention. He tried to move just enough to get a better look. Dumbledore stood up and blocked his line of sight until he relaxed his body.
"Where," he asked. "Thought he was…okay…" He mentally cursed at how much talking hurt. He needed answers; he needed someone to obey him so he could have his way again.
"Remus is here to get him so we can focus all of our attention on you. Sirius is in no danger. He just needs some rest and potions."
"Let me say goodbye…" he coughed doing his best to ignore the stars that had suddenly appeared in front of his eyes.
"Bring Sirius over here," Dumbledore demanded. The Animagus looked surprised. He was limping, using anything he could around him for support. Tom didn't understand why they hadn't given him a cane. He managed to make it to Tom's bed in one piece, Dumbledore moving so he could sit down on the bed.
"You're healing well…lucky arse." He started coughing again, his voice becoming hoarse. Sirius had to lean closer to him to hear. "Don't…do anything…stupid…since…I'm stuck here…"
"I'll behave," Sirius promised. "And when we're both in better health, I'll thank you properly for getting me out of there."
"Well…you kept me…sane…" Another cough. "Hey…" he made sure his voice was as quiet as it could be forcing Sirius to put his ear to his mouth. "Tell Harry I'm alive. I don't care how, but let him know and that I love him. I will be there for him as soon as I can. He's in anguish right now, I can feel it. You have to tell him." His message given he went back to coughing. He couldn't let Dumbledore catch on. Even if Harry couldn't come see him, there was no reason for his boyfriend to be left in the dark. Dumbledore was acting irrationally about that. They could easily write to each other. That would be enough for him until Harry was freed from the Dursleys.
"Yeah...yeah." Sirius let out a long sigh. "I can't really stop you from sharing a room with Harry. With everything you've done, you have my blessings…and I'll be sure to have chocolate waiting for you when you get to number twelve." He grinned. "Anything in mind right now?"
"Ice cream," he said thinking of how raw his throat was. Hopefully, by the time Harry and him were reunited it would be healed.
"Consider it done," Sirius said smiling down at him.
"Good…" He closed his eyes hoping Sirius wasn't lying and would indeed inform Harry of what was going on. He trusted Sirius to tell Harry he was alive, even if Dumbledore was against it. Sirius wouldn't want Harry sad.
He smiled slightly despite himself. He couldn't deny that he was glad that Sirius had finally accepted him. Maybe Harry wouldn't put up such a fight about them showing affection around Sirius now.
"Sirius…thank you," Dumbledore sounded emotional to Tom.
"He got himself blown up saving Harry and saved me from you-know-who. How could I stand against a relationship with someone who's willing to die for my godson? Besides, he saved my life too…he's going to be a great addition to the order when he's of age."
Tom opened one eye. Dumbledore looked thrilled, giving Sirius a tight hug. Perhaps it was just his imagination. Dumbledore was probably just relieved everyone was okay. No doubt tired and stressed out over all the things that had happened. It was a shame that it took Tom nearly dying and being tortured by Voldemort though to get his adopted father's complete attention anymore.
(X)
6. Should the dark mark appear over any dwelling place or building, DO NOT ENTER, but contact the Auror office immediately.
"I hope you don't think we're trying to get rid of you. You're almost completely healed and Aderes…" Minerva's voice trailed off. Sirius had a good idea of what she was thinking.
"Hey, I'm getting sent home to Remus and with a cleared name. I don't care if you're trying to get rid of me or not," he said with a grin. He was using the walls to keep himself walking, but even with the wounds, he could feel the spring in his step. He was finally getting to see Remus. "I have to ask, why isn't he healing?" Minerva stopped her eyes holding Sirius with a dark look. "He saved my life, he saved Harry's. If there's something I can do…"
"He left a part of himself in that necklace Potter has," she finally said. "And without it, his body will take much longer to heal."
"Why not just ask Harry for it?" Sirius knew Harry would hand it over without question if it meant saving Aderes's life.
"Because Mister Potter is not to know that Aderes is alright and…" the look of anger was gone, replaced with one of tiredness. "I believe Albus blames Potter for what happened and wants him to stay away from Aderes."
Sirius winced at that, but he had, had the same feeling.
"You know Aderes is going to do whatever he wants, right? Dumbledore is never going to be able to stop him from going back to Harry."
"I've already tried that route," Minerva said with a smile, they were walking again, both of them going at a steady pace. "All he asks for is Harry. And, every time I see Albus twitch. I'm sure he will stop being so stubborn once Aderes has healed. As you said, he doesn't stand a chance keeping that boy away from Potter. You-know-who couldn't do it, how could he possibly manage?"
"And Harry will be fighting to see him just as badly. Aderes tried to kill him last Christmas…I was furious. I wanted to kill him, but Harry went right back to him like nothing had happened. I couldn't understand it until I was with Aderes the last month. He's a much different person than he lets on."
"Oh that is the truth," Minerva snickered. "He is a handful, especially when he decides to take everything into his own hands…he is powerful enough to do so, but he lacks the experience and maturity to use it properly. He always ends up hurting himself and those around him." They were near the entrance now. It felt like it had taken hours to get there. "Not a word about any of this," she warned him firmly. "We don't need anyone knowing where he is or that he's even alive until he is further along with recovery. There is still a small chance that he won't make it so…" She sniffed at the last part. "I never imagined he would turn out to be such a good boy. I knew he wasn't evil, but I never expected this." She was wiping a few tears away. "I'm sorry."
"He's going to be fine Minerva. He withstood a lot. He's not going to die now that he's escaped. He's too stubborn for that."
His words had Minerva laughing and he relaxed. He truly couldn't see Aderes going anywhere. If anything was going to kill that kid, it would have been what he'd been put through already. He'd survived, albeit, barely, but he had. And, the entire time all he had talked about was revenge and Harry. The two had ended up swapping stories about his godson. Sirius had even started talking about Remus. And, while Sirius hadn't wanted to admit it at first. He could see just how much Aderes was truly in love with Harry. He couldn't let him die now.
7. Unconfirmed sightings suggest that the Death Eaters may now be using Inferi. Any sighting of an Inferius, or encounter with same, should be reported to the Ministry IMMEDIATELY.
(TBC)
Okay, so here's chapter 1 of the complete overhaul. Enjoy. I have an entire story now to rewrite…it's going to be different, a few things left in place. We'll see where this could possibly go. I'm curious myself now honestly and that's always a good thing.