Shadows to Shadows

Hey everyone!!


Don’t worry, you’re not hallucinating. I really am updating. Life threw me a few curves in the last few years and I stopped writing and I really regret it. Hope you guys can forgive me. Just so you know, my attention right now is on Shadows to Shadows and when it’s finished, I’ll work on my others until they’re finished. I’m the type that posts without finishing and I really need to start redeeming that habit…or at least start writing a few chapters ahead of what’s posted.


Warnings: A few new characters are going to be introduced in the oncoming chapter(s).


Oh and as for all my lovely reviewers…THANK YOU!!! ^_^ You’re reviews have given motivation when it was desperately needed and thank you so much for the feedback.


Without further ado, read, enjoy & review. ^_^


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Shadows to Shadows


Part 4


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The first semi-lucid though that he was able to understand was the ever intelligent, ‘…Ow.’


Such a statement could quite possibly take prize for Understatement of the Century as the deep aches and pains in his body flared to life with his consciousness and nearly caused him to black out again.


A deep ache had settled into his head, throbbing in sync with his heartbeat and only seemed to get worse the more aware he was. His breath hitched in his chest when he tried shifting to a more comfortable position, white-hot pain shooting up his spine and throughout his entire body. Remaining still, he fought to regain his breath and relax against the panic and confusion that was trying to overwhelm him.


A cool hand was suddenly on his cheek, fingers caressing his feverish skin. “Easy. Just breathe, Mr. Potter. It’ll pass.”


Though the maternal voice was foreign to him and the words barely even registered, the warmth in that tone calmed him and he felt himself complying without protest. Air slowly came back to his aching chest and after what seemed like an eternity to the groggy teen, the pain diminished into a deep ache that was, unfortunately, tolerable.


He took a few deep breaths in relief when the pain dulled, only now noticing the hand had disappeared at some point.


“I’m still here, don’t worry,” the gentle voice soothed. “Do you think you could open your eyes for me?”


The small movement took far more strength than Harry would’ve liked but he managed to open his eyes…only to shut them again when the light made his head hurt even worse. “Too…too bright,” he croaked, groaning when the pounding became even more intense.


“All right, just a second,” he heard the person move around before settling beside him once more. “Now, try again.”


Keeping his breaths steady, he slowly repeated the exhausting task. This time, while the light was still painfully bright to his sensitive eyes, it was reduced to a single torch on the wall a ways away from his bed. He shifted, relieved when the pain didn’t flare up again before he felt the presence beside him return and looked over to the meet the eyes of a woman he didn’t know at all.


The woman was bustling about in a way that reminded him of Madam Pomfrey only she was obviously not human, the wizard not knowing a charm in the entire magical world that could turn a person that…pink.


Yes, pink.


He sincerely hoped he wasn’t hallucinating but then again…he never really cared for the color.


Physically, she wasn’t very big but he could tell she wasn’t weak by any standards simply by the way she carried herself. She looked somewhat like a muggle doctor with her black slacks and white coat, heels clicking against the stone floor as she walked around with a confidence only a healer could possess. What immediately had his attention though was her hair that strongly reminded him of Tonks. It was long and well kept; the length of it was in a loose braid and ended around the middle of her back…not to mention that it was a light pastel pink color. Her eyes were also pink but far darker and her nails, which easily could’ve been claws, were also pink.


‘Whoa.’


When she smiled, his eyes immediately went to her fangs but he wasn’t afraid, her smile had a very calming effect. “Welcome back to the land of the living, Mr. Potter.” She took a quill out of her pocket. “Do me a favor and follow this with your eyes.”


She moved it back and forth a few times, Harry following it without difficulty.


“Well, your eyes seemed to have healed a little. That’s something,” her smile didn’t waver. “My name is Leena Shaw, Mr. Potter. I’m a panther youkai and the designated healer for Neforia Academy.”


The word pink coupled with the word panther wasn’t lost on him but he ignored it, far too confused to even think on it.


Harry tried to smile back but failed miserably as yet another pain shot through his jaw, the smile pulling back into a wince. “…Wh… What happened to me?”


Her eyes softened as she settled down on the side of his bed. “Tell me the last thing you remember.”


‘That didn’t answer my question,’ he mentally growled but didn’t voice the thought, concentrating instead on what he actually could remember. It took a few seconds but his memory finally served its purpose. “The Oracle…Krystoff.” He looked at her again. “What did he do to me?”


“He awakened your magic.”


Harry blinked. “What?”


Not the most intelligent of responses but still effective.


Leena sighed, crossing her legs as she settled in to explain. “You see, Mr. Potter, when dormant magic is awoken in the manner yours was, well…sometimes the body has a hard time adjusting to the change even after the inevitable physical changes occur.”


Silently, Harry nodded to show her he was following her so far.


“In your case, your body and your mind have reacted defensively, which is not at all out of the ordinary,” she reassured at his panicked look. “Because you already knew what your magic felt like, unlike muggles, it was a natural reaction. The mind is very powerful and can easily affect the state of your physical body, especially if magic is involved and especially given the amount of power you have.” She gave him a small smile. “Basically, the magical advance overloaded your mind and your senses and resulted in you slipping into a healing coma to help your body and mind adjust while your magical core reformed itself to accommodate that kind of power boost.”


Again, he nodded.


The panther suddenly glared at his forehead. “With that bloody scar, however, it took nearly twice as long for you to heal because your magic became powerful enough to react to the foreign magic within you…and rather violently, at that.”


“Voldemort,” he murmured, looking away from her in thought.


“Yes.” After a moment, Leena continued. “You’ve been out of it for nearly two weeks. We almost lost you several times because, like I said, the sudden changed basically overloaded everything in your body. Your heart gave out once because Voldemort’s magic also reacted to the newly awakened power inside of you. It nearly killed you several times.”


Though impressed that she wasn’t afraid of his name, Harry’s look flattened. ‘I feel like I’ve been here before.’


Leena smiled. “You owe Hyperion your life for getting you back here in time.”


He made a mental note to get the hippogriff a few ferrets.


“Oh, for the love of Hyne herself! Let the boy breathe, woman.”


The panther looked a tad sheepish but it swiftly turned into an impressive glare aimed at the smirking phoenix. “You’re one to talk. You and that damned mutt haven’t left my hospital for more than an hour since he was brought back.”


Daija smirked. “At least I didn’t give him another heart attack,” he countered childishly, winking at Harry.


Harry watched them banter, deciding his questions could wait a few minutes.


Leena’s expression flattened. “You’re behaving like a four-year-old.”


“Well, what can I say?” The phoenix shrugged. “It keeps me young.”


At the two demons continued, Harry shook his head before raising his hand to rub his head only to stop cold when a sharp pain shot up his arm. ‘Healed my ass,’ he thought wryly, glancing down at his arm that was covered in mostly red bandages. What shocked him though was the darker bronze color his skin had turned and the bright silver, and rather wicked looking, claws that adorned the tip of each of his fingers. ‘What…the…hell?’


Looking at his other arm, he saw it was in a similar condition and had a matching set of claws.


Sitting up carefully to minimize the pain in his protesting body, Harry leaned against the headboard while the ‘adults’ in front of him continued their squabbling.


When his breathing became easier again, he carefully unwrapped the bandages around his left wrist, minding the claws, since those bandages looked to have bled the most if the stains were anything to go by. Using the ruined piece of cloth as a rag, he wiped the excess blood from his skin and blinked at his wrist. Several silver lines intertwined around his wrist, breaking off and traveling up his thumb to connect with the elegantly curved claw.


Repeating the action on his right wrist, he made the same discovery.


“Daija, I swear--” Leena broke off when she glanced at Harry. “Oh, Mr. Potter, I wouldn’t--”


“DAMMIT, BLACK!!! Get back here!! NOW!!”


All three sets of eyes snapped to the door of the infirmary at the sudden shriek.


“Will you stop screeching at me!? You sound like a god damn banshee.” There was a pause. “…Or my mother.”


Harry nearly blacked out at the very familiar voice, his eyes locked onto the door.


“Excuse me!? What did you just say to me!? You’re the one that just showed up out of nowhere!! Literally!! We all thought you were dead, you sorry excuse for a mutt!!”


“Oh, for the love of god! I’ve told you what happened three times, Sakura!”


“Yes and it STILL doesn’t make any sense!!”


“Back off, Cooney.” The growled threat was obvious.


“We might’ve gone to school together, Black, but when you’re here, I outrank your shaggy hide. I demand a full explanation!!”


“Harry deserves to know first, above anyone else here. So, back off!!”


It was right then that the large doors to the infirmary finally opened and Harry openly gaped in absolute shock as the familiar form of none other than Sirius Black, a.k.a. his godfather, stormed into the room followed closely by a fuming and obviously rattled headmistress.


Daija smacked his forehead. ‘Poor kid’s gonna die from heart failure at this rate.’


Sirius stopped when he spotted Harry, a grin highlighting his face. “Hey, Bambi.”


Those two little words shoved him back into reality and Harry quickly closed his mouth, not knowing what to think. ‘He’s alive,’ he thought; joy seeping through him before it was suddenly replaced by anger. ‘He’s alive!?’ Even in his head, it sounded like a growl.


Sirius’ grin quickly faded. “Harry…you okay?”


Turning slightly, Harry put his feet on the cold ground and silently glared at the nearby wall.


Concern flooding his features, Sirius went over and sat beside his godson. “What is it?”


Grinding his teeth together, now able to feel how sharp some were, he asked, “Was it planned?”


He winced. “Look, Harry--”


“Was it planned,” Harry repeated, growling.


Sirius’ face took on a pained look before he nodded. “Yes,” he answered truthfully. “I wanted to tell you, but--”


The animagus wasn’t able to finish as Harry’s fist suddenly shot out and connected with his temple, sending him to the ground in a less than dignified heap.


With a groan, Harry fell back onto the bed and curled on his side before promptly passing out again.


Daija blinked, cocking his head to the side as he observed the nonmoving Black.


Sakura crossed her arms with a scowl. “Well, no one can say he didn’t have that one coming.”


Leena rolled her eyes, waving a hand to levitate the man to a bed. “This is tiresome.”


“It’s Black,” Sakura pointed out.


“Point taken but I suddenly feel like I chose the wrong occupation.” The panther shook her head before going about her duties.


Daija smirked.


The vixen glared at him. “What’s so funny?”


“Nothing,” his face turned serious though his eyes were still laughing. “I’m overdue at home, Headmistress. Have a pleasant day.”


With that, the phoenix took his leave.


Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose. “Why did I take this job again,” she muttered, leaving the infirmary as well.


…
…


Holding the ice against his aching head, Sirius leaned back in the chair and put his feet up on Harry’s bed. If he’d known the boy could hit that hard, he probably would’ve rethought getting so close to him so soon.


“You deserved it,” Leena pointed out, remaking the bed he’d woken up in.


He glared at the empathic demon. “Don’t start with me, Leena.”


She smiled but remained silent, finishing up the bed before heading to her office in the back.


It wasn’t ten minutes later that Sirius heard the change in Harry’s heartbeat, the tempo quickening from the steady pace indicating he was waking up. He looked at his godson just as emerald-green eyes flickered and then opened before focusing on him once more.


Sirius continued holding the ice, smiling. “Hey, Bambi,” he said softly.


After getting his bearings, Harry silently sat up before glaring at his godfather. “Talk.”


With a sigh, Sirius took the ice away from his head and simply gazed at it a moment before looking at him. “Harry, do you know anything about your mum? Really know anything?”


Harry blinked but focused on the question, shaking his head after a few seconds. “Only that I have her eyes.”


“That you do,” Sirius smiled. ‘And even more so now,’ he thought, seeing the flecks of silver in those familiar green irises. “Harry, your mother and I trained together.”


Harry shrugged. “I know, the Order--”


“Is not what I’m talking about,” he cut the teen off. “Lily and I, we both attended Neforia Academy.”


The boy stared at him. “What? But…how is that possible?”


“Simple, really. I’m sure you know by now that it doesn’t matter if you’re a muggle or wizard here, yes?”


Harry nodded.


“Well, your mother was once a simple muggle girl. She was brought here when her name appeared on the list of students ready to attend the academy. That is how she was introduced to magic. Neither of us went to the wizarding world until much later.”


“How much later,” he asked, remembering Daija’s age.


Sirius smiled a bit. “About sixty years.”


Harry stared at him for several minutes. “You’re not joking.”


“No.” The man looked uncharacteristically calm and collected. “While Lily was a muggle, I was born into the Black family who was very prominent in both the wizarding world and this world. My brother Regulus and my cousins Bellatrix, Narcissa and Andromeda all attended here as well as many generations of the Black line before us.”


“So, then you’re all about the same age.” Harry nodded before blinking. “Has Bellatrix been with Voldemort since--”


“That’s a story for a different time,” Sirius interrupted. “Right now, I just want to focus on your mother and me.”


Harry nodded. “All right.”


Sirius cleared his throat before moving on. “We trained here for twelve years like anyone else but what you need to understand is that time works differently down here.”


“What do you mean?”


“For every two years that pass here, only one year passes for the rest of the world. Some think it’s because the Oracle’s so close, others think it’s something to do with the balance between Neforia and Jetton but no one really knows why. All we know is that time slows down here.”


“Huh,” Harry thought a moment. “So, I’m going to be twenty-seven when I go back?”


Sirius silently nodded.


He shook his head but decided to think on it later.


“Lily and I became fast friends and we ended up like brother and sister. When we graduated, we broke away from here and went around the world to see the sights. For years, we did nothing but travel and we saw everything we could before we finally ended up in Britain to see the infamous Diagon Alley. From there, naturally, we wanted to see Hogwarts.”


Again, Harry nodded.


“When we arrived, we met Albus Dumbledore and asked if we could just look around and he offered to give us a tour. We had just seen the Pitch when death-eaters attacked. We ended up fighting alongside the Order and, with our combined help, the death-eaters were driven off. That was when we found out about the war and after hearing everything, we offered to help and Albus accepted it because it was starting to get out of control.”


He gave the man an irritated look. “Help?”


Sirius sighed. “After we all talked and came up with a plan, Lily and I returned here and told everyone that needed to know. Many of them agreed to come with us and when it was decided who would play what roles, we set off.” He shook his head, smiling. “We found a de-aging charm that would allow us to retain our adult mind and magic but would make us seem whatever age we wanted to be.”


Harry stared. “You mean you de-aged yourself and went back to school…willingly?”


“Don’t remind me,” Sirius chuckled. “We went through every year and even now, I can’t believe how well it worked.”


Harry blinked. “Then everything about Azkaban and Pettigrew and the Marauders…”


“From the time we entered Hogwarts, everything you’ve been told became reality. Only Albus knew who we really were and that’s why we were so involved in the Order. We became really good friends with many people and your mother ended up falling in love with James. Eventually, she married him and had you.”


A troubled look crossed the youth’s face. “Did he ever know?”


Sirius shook his head, regretful still that it hadn’t ever been brought to light. “We wanted to tell everyone who and what we were but we all mutually agreed that with the war escalating, we simply couldn’t afford anyone knowing anything until it was over. It wasn’t until I escaped Azkaban that I finally told Remus but he had to know because, eventually, I knew you would find your way here.”


Harry sighed. “So, you faked your own death so you could be here when I came.”


The grim nodded. “Exactly.”


Harry glared. “I still wanna hit you.”


Sirius scooted the chair a few feet away from the bed.


Rolling his eyes, Harry couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips. “Very funny.”


Chuckling, Sirius got up and embraced his godson tightly. “Just remember, Harry, you’re not alone in this.”


Closing his eyes, Harry tightened his grip on the man. “I’m so glad you came back.”


Both stayed that way for a very long time, both of them needing the reassurance the comfort offered.


Harry suddenly pulled away but didn’t let go. “Uh…where exactly does your family fit into this?”


Sirius hesitated before, “Well…”


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Rudolphulus LeStrange was an extremely complicated and powerful man, his wealth and influence nearly matching the Malfoy family though he preferred not to abuse his power unless it was needed. The LeStrange patriarch wasn’t really known for anything except for the fact that he’d married one Bellatrix Black.


His position within the inner circle of Voldemort’s followers was sometimes a burden he’d give anything to be rid of, however, he kept himself distant and never really spoke up unless asked something directly…until recently, at least. Because he had made a decision a few months back, he was now beginning to pay more attention to his mentally unstable wife as well as the Dark Lord and everyone else around him.


Though his face gave nothing away, his eyes held disgust as he watched his wife fawn over the snake-like creature.


During his time in Puther, he had loved her deeply and, being young and naïve, thought he loved her enough for the both of them to have a somewhat happy life. The Black family was nearly ecstatic when he proposed in Neforia’s grand hall and Bella accepted, the two of them marrying directly after graduation.


It had been a mistake.


He would freely admit that much to himself although the small part of his youth that survived these troubling decades longed to bring her back even though his mind and now his heart dwelled on another. He knew it was hopeless. No one could bring her back.


The only positive thing in his marriage anymore was that Bella unknowingly kept the spotlight off him but, like everything, this came at a price. He couldn’t voice anything. No matter what the woman did, no matter how crude she was with the snake, he forced himself to never react nor interfere.


Because of this, he was able to observe and listen to everything going on around him without suspicion being cast.


“Husband.”


His eyes met her half-crazed gaze. “Yes, darling?”


Bellatrix grinned, sauntering over to him and raising her hand to lie on his chest. “Shall we retire for the night?”


He raised an eyebrow. “What of your duty to the Dark Lord?”


A frown marred her brow. “I miss my husband.”


“When this foolish war is done, you shall have me again,” he brushed his lips against her forehead.


The words seemed to satisfy the witch as she leaned in, giving him a lingering kiss on the lips. Not at all deterred by his lack of response, she smiled at him once more before returning to the snake’s side.


Yes, indeed, Rudolphulus LeStrange played his part well.


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End of Part 4


I know it’s kind of a lot to take in but I don’t want to linger on the past at this point in the story so if you guys have any question, don’t be afraid to ask and I’ll try to explain more clearly. Maybe after Shadows is done, I’ll write a prequel or something. Hmm…ideas. Also, I’m sorry that the mystery wasn’t revealed yet but I PROMISE it’ll be in the next chapter. Once again guys, thank you so much for the awesome reviews.


Leave a review to tell me how you like it. ^_^