That was Then, This is Now
Disclaimer: Ditto from the previous chapter.
Kristin: I HAVE OVER TWO HUNDRED REVIEWS!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so happy! Thank you my lovely reviewers! I love you all! When I started this fic, I didn't think that I would even get to one. You guys really have no idea how much this means to me. I know that this is incredibly short for how long it has been since I last updated, but I have a terrible case of writer's block on this story and am lucky to be able to get out this much.
***
The sound of Harry's footsteps echoed hollowly in the empty hallways of Hogwarts. Hundreds of students had left earlier that morning for their homes, Hermione and Ron among them. Harry had been invited to spend the holidays with Ron's family, but he had declined. The Weasly's had always tried to make him feel like one of the family, but the more time he spent with them, the more he realized that he never would fit in. He had always been treated as a guest. It was impossible not to notice the way that Mr. and Mrs. Weasly were always on their best manners around him; and the way that he never got in trouble for anything, even if they would have practically killed one of their own children for doing the same thing. He wanted people he could be completely himself around and vise versa. He wanted a family. "Mr. Potter! Wait up for a moment," a pleasant voice called from behind him. Harry turned around and saw Professor Black walking briskly toward him. He blinked. She was smiling. She never smiled, ever.
"Yes, Professor," he asked, trying to keep the curiosity from his face. She merely smiled wider.
"I would like to talk to you, Mr. Potter. I have a sort of a proposition that I would like to run by you. If you would join me in my office for a few moments, please," she said, more of a statement than a request. Harry glared at the petite professor's back as he followed her, feeling slightly annoyed at being told to do things over his vacation.
"Don't glare at me, Mr. Potter," she began, never turning around, as if she was reading his thoughts. Harry blinked again. "Please understand that because of what I did and who I was for the largest portion of my life, I have grown more accustom to giving orders, than asking people politely to do things." She turned and smiled kindly at him, opening the door to her office and motioning for him to enter. He walked through the door and sat down on an old, worn armchair. Instead of sitting down behind her desk as Harry had expected her to do, Professor Black took the seat beside him, turning it so that she was facing him.
"What was it that you wanted, Professor?" He studied her carefully. If it had been anyone but Professor Black, he would have said that she was nervous.
"Harry, may I call you Harry," she asked, looking a bit uncertain. He nodded and she continued. "I never really thanked you. If it hadn't been for you, I have no idea when I would have seen Sirius again. So, thank you, you really have no idea how much what you did means to me." Harry nodded and began to rise from his seat.
"What else could I have done, Professor? If that was all you wanted to see me for, then I should get going." Professor Black held up a hand as a signal for him to wait.
"Actually, Harry, there was something else as well." He settled back down in his chair, waiting for her to continue. "Sirius and I have been talking, and he brought up a rather good point, which I agreed with. As you will probably figure out, if you haven't already, I don't enjoy it when things happen that I have no control over." Harry blinked, again. He was feeling rather confused. Not only was Professor Black not making any sense, but also tears were gathering in her eyes. "Harry, when your parents died, I felt a tiny bit better knowing that I was going to get to raise you. I actually got through the first few hours of shock only because I spent them planning the things that you and I would do together. I must have spent the better part of the day writing down stories about Lily and James that I wanted to tell you. I still have the book that I wrote it all down in if you want it," she wiped away the tears that were falling freely down her face while Harry nodded. "I was so furious with Dumbledore and the Ministry when they told me that you would be going to those muggle relatives of yours. Unlike Dumbledore, I had actually met them. They have to be the rudest, most self-centered, self-righteous people I have ever met, muggle or wizard.
"I'm getting off track, and I apologize for that. The fact of the matter is, we would have raised you as a member of our family; and while we are entering your life much later than we would have liked, Sirius and I would still like it if you would contemplate considering us as your family. In addition to this, we would also be honored if you would spend Christmas with us this year at our home." Harry sat quietly for a few moments.
"May I think about this, Professor?"
"Of course, you can." Harry and Professor Black both rose from their chairs and walked to the door. She opened the door for him and he stepped out of the office. "You have two days, then we will be leaving." He nodded. "Harry? If you don't want to, you don't have to worry about offending us." She smiled soothingly, although the saddened look in her eyes suggested that she wasn't telling the truth. Despite his initial misgivings about accepting her offer; Harry found himself wanting to go with her and his godfather.
"Actually, Professor, I don't need to think about it. I think that I would love to take you up on your offer." She smiled again, and it struck Harry as odd, how different she seemed out of the classroom. Her overall countenance was warmer, almost maternal.
"Well, then be ready in two days. Hotaru will show you where to go."
*
Cornelius Fudge stood in the front entryway of Malfoy Manor subconsciously straightening his suit. After several long minutes, a house elf scurried up to him, and motioned for him to follow her. He was left in front of a thick oak door, which swung open at his touch. The first thing that he noticed upon entering the room was Narcissa Malfoy. The blonde was reclining on a sofa, her lithe body draped with navy blue robes and her hair pulled back from her bored face. In one hand she held a book and in the other was a goblet of blood red wine. Fudge cleared his throat, causing the goddess- like woman to look up. A slow, manipulative grin spread across her face. She set her glass and book on a low marble table.
"Hello, Minister. Won't you have a seat? And perhaps a cup of tea?" Fudge nodded and sat rigidly on a stiff armchair. A teacup appeared in front of him, which he took.
"Your owl said that you wanted to speak with me about something important, Mrs. Malfoy," he said, raising the teacup up to his lips.
"Yes, and I do. I would like for you to arrest my husband." Fudge spit out the tea that had been in his mouth. The corners of Narcissa's mouth twitched.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me, Minister. I would like for you to arrest my husband. Is that really so hard to understand?" He drew in a shuddering breath and placed his teacup on a table beside him, succeeding in spilling most of it before it reached its destination.
"Do you have any reason for my arresting him?" At his question, Narcissa's facial expression darkened.
"I refuse to put my son in any more danger. Lucius has a nasty habit of loosing his temper and acting irrationally. This morning when my son returned home, Lucius used an Unforgivable him. Draco is in his room, resting. The doctor said that we should know by tomorrow if he will be all right or not. If that isn't enough to lock him away for life, then the fact that he is a Death Eater should." Fudge struggled to control his breathing and failed miserably. He tried to come up with a response but completely drew a blank. Finally, he said the only thing that he could think of.
"Merlin's beard, I need a drink." Narcissa smiled again, and handed him a bottle of wine.
***
Kristin: I will try very hard to get the next chapter out, but it's been hard to find time to write, and then when I have time, I can't get anything to come out right. I'm going to work on my other HP/SM fic for a while to see if that will help at all. Perhaps it will open up my creative juices for this fic.
Special thanks to:
Kiwi
Silver Moon Goddess
Alexz
CloverWeave
Firelightz: I'm not sure if I want Harry and Hotaru to fall in love now, or if I'm going to do that in a sequel type thingy. Either way, they are going to end up together.
Tenshi-Chikyuu
Solarmisstress17: That information is confidential. You will just have to wait and see. *smiles evilly* I love it when I get to say that to people.
Ice-Goddess: Again, that information in confidential. You might be right, but you might not be. I'm not telling. Thanks for putting me on your favorites list. I feel so loved.
La Katsup: I'm still waiting for you to respond to my email.
GLow
Lunarian Amethyst: Yes, I do believe in life in other solar systems. I believe that if God could create all of us, then he could very easily have created other intelligent beings. I also think that the reason he didn't tell us about them is so that we wouldn't try to find them, which would probably ended up destroying our race.
Final-Fan: What's this? A review from you without any constructive criticism? A review without any nit picking? I'm shocked! I always look forward to your scarce reviews because they make me think about how I can become a better writer. Actually, I love that phrase.
Disclaimer: Ditto from the previous chapter.
Kristin: I HAVE OVER TWO HUNDRED REVIEWS!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so happy! Thank you my lovely reviewers! I love you all! When I started this fic, I didn't think that I would even get to one. You guys really have no idea how much this means to me. I know that this is incredibly short for how long it has been since I last updated, but I have a terrible case of writer's block on this story and am lucky to be able to get out this much.
***
The sound of Harry's footsteps echoed hollowly in the empty hallways of Hogwarts. Hundreds of students had left earlier that morning for their homes, Hermione and Ron among them. Harry had been invited to spend the holidays with Ron's family, but he had declined. The Weasly's had always tried to make him feel like one of the family, but the more time he spent with them, the more he realized that he never would fit in. He had always been treated as a guest. It was impossible not to notice the way that Mr. and Mrs. Weasly were always on their best manners around him; and the way that he never got in trouble for anything, even if they would have practically killed one of their own children for doing the same thing. He wanted people he could be completely himself around and vise versa. He wanted a family. "Mr. Potter! Wait up for a moment," a pleasant voice called from behind him. Harry turned around and saw Professor Black walking briskly toward him. He blinked. She was smiling. She never smiled, ever.
"Yes, Professor," he asked, trying to keep the curiosity from his face. She merely smiled wider.
"I would like to talk to you, Mr. Potter. I have a sort of a proposition that I would like to run by you. If you would join me in my office for a few moments, please," she said, more of a statement than a request. Harry glared at the petite professor's back as he followed her, feeling slightly annoyed at being told to do things over his vacation.
"Don't glare at me, Mr. Potter," she began, never turning around, as if she was reading his thoughts. Harry blinked again. "Please understand that because of what I did and who I was for the largest portion of my life, I have grown more accustom to giving orders, than asking people politely to do things." She turned and smiled kindly at him, opening the door to her office and motioning for him to enter. He walked through the door and sat down on an old, worn armchair. Instead of sitting down behind her desk as Harry had expected her to do, Professor Black took the seat beside him, turning it so that she was facing him.
"What was it that you wanted, Professor?" He studied her carefully. If it had been anyone but Professor Black, he would have said that she was nervous.
"Harry, may I call you Harry," she asked, looking a bit uncertain. He nodded and she continued. "I never really thanked you. If it hadn't been for you, I have no idea when I would have seen Sirius again. So, thank you, you really have no idea how much what you did means to me." Harry nodded and began to rise from his seat.
"What else could I have done, Professor? If that was all you wanted to see me for, then I should get going." Professor Black held up a hand as a signal for him to wait.
"Actually, Harry, there was something else as well." He settled back down in his chair, waiting for her to continue. "Sirius and I have been talking, and he brought up a rather good point, which I agreed with. As you will probably figure out, if you haven't already, I don't enjoy it when things happen that I have no control over." Harry blinked, again. He was feeling rather confused. Not only was Professor Black not making any sense, but also tears were gathering in her eyes. "Harry, when your parents died, I felt a tiny bit better knowing that I was going to get to raise you. I actually got through the first few hours of shock only because I spent them planning the things that you and I would do together. I must have spent the better part of the day writing down stories about Lily and James that I wanted to tell you. I still have the book that I wrote it all down in if you want it," she wiped away the tears that were falling freely down her face while Harry nodded. "I was so furious with Dumbledore and the Ministry when they told me that you would be going to those muggle relatives of yours. Unlike Dumbledore, I had actually met them. They have to be the rudest, most self-centered, self-righteous people I have ever met, muggle or wizard.
"I'm getting off track, and I apologize for that. The fact of the matter is, we would have raised you as a member of our family; and while we are entering your life much later than we would have liked, Sirius and I would still like it if you would contemplate considering us as your family. In addition to this, we would also be honored if you would spend Christmas with us this year at our home." Harry sat quietly for a few moments.
"May I think about this, Professor?"
"Of course, you can." Harry and Professor Black both rose from their chairs and walked to the door. She opened the door for him and he stepped out of the office. "You have two days, then we will be leaving." He nodded. "Harry? If you don't want to, you don't have to worry about offending us." She smiled soothingly, although the saddened look in her eyes suggested that she wasn't telling the truth. Despite his initial misgivings about accepting her offer; Harry found himself wanting to go with her and his godfather.
"Actually, Professor, I don't need to think about it. I think that I would love to take you up on your offer." She smiled again, and it struck Harry as odd, how different she seemed out of the classroom. Her overall countenance was warmer, almost maternal.
"Well, then be ready in two days. Hotaru will show you where to go."
*
Cornelius Fudge stood in the front entryway of Malfoy Manor subconsciously straightening his suit. After several long minutes, a house elf scurried up to him, and motioned for him to follow her. He was left in front of a thick oak door, which swung open at his touch. The first thing that he noticed upon entering the room was Narcissa Malfoy. The blonde was reclining on a sofa, her lithe body draped with navy blue robes and her hair pulled back from her bored face. In one hand she held a book and in the other was a goblet of blood red wine. Fudge cleared his throat, causing the goddess- like woman to look up. A slow, manipulative grin spread across her face. She set her glass and book on a low marble table.
"Hello, Minister. Won't you have a seat? And perhaps a cup of tea?" Fudge nodded and sat rigidly on a stiff armchair. A teacup appeared in front of him, which he took.
"Your owl said that you wanted to speak with me about something important, Mrs. Malfoy," he said, raising the teacup up to his lips.
"Yes, and I do. I would like for you to arrest my husband." Fudge spit out the tea that had been in his mouth. The corners of Narcissa's mouth twitched.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me, Minister. I would like for you to arrest my husband. Is that really so hard to understand?" He drew in a shuddering breath and placed his teacup on a table beside him, succeeding in spilling most of it before it reached its destination.
"Do you have any reason for my arresting him?" At his question, Narcissa's facial expression darkened.
"I refuse to put my son in any more danger. Lucius has a nasty habit of loosing his temper and acting irrationally. This morning when my son returned home, Lucius used an Unforgivable him. Draco is in his room, resting. The doctor said that we should know by tomorrow if he will be all right or not. If that isn't enough to lock him away for life, then the fact that he is a Death Eater should." Fudge struggled to control his breathing and failed miserably. He tried to come up with a response but completely drew a blank. Finally, he said the only thing that he could think of.
"Merlin's beard, I need a drink." Narcissa smiled again, and handed him a bottle of wine.
***
Kristin: I will try very hard to get the next chapter out, but it's been hard to find time to write, and then when I have time, I can't get anything to come out right. I'm going to work on my other HP/SM fic for a while to see if that will help at all. Perhaps it will open up my creative juices for this fic.
Special thanks to:
Kiwi
Silver Moon Goddess
Alexz
CloverWeave
Firelightz: I'm not sure if I want Harry and Hotaru to fall in love now, or if I'm going to do that in a sequel type thingy. Either way, they are going to end up together.
Tenshi-Chikyuu
Solarmisstress17: That information is confidential. You will just have to wait and see. *smiles evilly* I love it when I get to say that to people.
Ice-Goddess: Again, that information in confidential. You might be right, but you might not be. I'm not telling. Thanks for putting me on your favorites list. I feel so loved.
La Katsup: I'm still waiting for you to respond to my email.
GLow
Lunarian Amethyst: Yes, I do believe in life in other solar systems. I believe that if God could create all of us, then he could very easily have created other intelligent beings. I also think that the reason he didn't tell us about them is so that we wouldn't try to find them, which would probably ended up destroying our race.
Final-Fan: What's this? A review from you without any constructive criticism? A review without any nit picking? I'm shocked! I always look forward to your scarce reviews because they make me think about how I can become a better writer. Actually, I love that phrase.