Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ McGill ❯ Turn to Face the Sun ( Chapter 14 )

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Turn to Face the Sun

Tuesday, September 15, 1991
12 Grimmauld Place
Library

Black frowned as he placed another book back on the shelves. All of them seemed to agree; to heal him would need a Master Occulumens and there were none of sufficient trust in the Black family. Sighing, he decided it was inevitable, life had a way of making people pay for their arrogance. First, this business of getting healed; then having to deal with Walburga. He would much rather not … grovel to her but he needed access to things that only she had access to. Well, he wasn't put into Gryffindor because he looked good in red.

Snapping his fingers, he waited for Colly to show. The house elf that had replaced Kreacher popped into existence. He was like all house elves, faintly green with large eyes and spindly limbs. However, since Sirius's return, he was ordered to wear a clean uniform made out of a black towel with the family crest located on his upper right shoulder done in silver and white threads. The old elf seemed to be recovering his senses as repairs were made on the house.

"Colly, I need to talk with my mother's portrait. We will likely fight. You are not to interfere. Instead, I wish you to work on cleaning, not shuffling around, but cleaning the upper den. The Family Seat of the House of Black has fallen in disrepair. I would be ashamed to bring anyone into here. My godson can not live in a dark, damp, filthy, falling apart place. He had enough of that when he was abused by Muggles. We are Magical Folk, we have no reason to live like this and we won't. So you will help us fix it so that we can once again hold balls and dinners to make the House of Black once more a respected place to gather. Is that understood, Colly?"

The trembling house elf nodded.

"Go, thank you, Colly"

The house elf nodded once more and scuttled out the library door.

Sighing, Sirius stood up and left the library. He conjured a chair and sat before the curtained portrait. The heavy black velvet drapes sat like a hole in the wall. Sitting down, he flicked his wand and the curtains pulled aside. The portrait had been repaired and she was quieter now, though from time to time you could still see faint lines like scars.

"Mother."

"Oh my ungrateful son."

"Mother. You and I will not agree on the issue of muggleborns nor should you expect us to, however we do agree on the dignity of the House of Black. That it should be dignified. It is one of the reasons we fought so much. I saw your stance as deranged pureblood paranoia which would result in the House of Black being destroyed and you saw my stance as weak. However, I am here and you are dead."

"Here and disgraced. You are nothing more than a convict!"

"Poor Mother. I am not, in fact the Ministry released me and paid damages because I was not a convict. The two of us both fell to the same fallacy. We trusted our leader blindly. In my case, it was Dumbledore. I honestly believed in him because I could see the problems he pointed out. That inbreeding was leading to too many problems. He was right that we need muggleborns for the new blood. However, his willingness to sacrifice anyone and anything to make others obey him is wrong. He knew I was innocent but he allowed me to stay in Azkaban without a trial so that he could control me later.

"However, V-Voldemort is not much better than Dumbledore. Sure, he's willing to be a figurehead of all that's right and noble and Light. He's all about the greater good and benevolence. Yes, he isn't as sneaky or manipulative and he's more open about his demands but he is still trying to control people. For all your support of him, he is still killing purebloods. He killed Reggie. My little brother who I failed; the son who you failed. What did you know of him except that he said he supported your pureblooded mania? So, he promised to help you exterminate yourselves. He's a half-blood mother. Muggle father, pureblood mother. If anything you should have approved of my godson. At least both his parents were magical. Yes, Lily was a muggleborn, but she wasn't a muggle. Voldemort's father was. So out of the two people we support, which one is more worthy according to your ideals?" Sirius paused for a moment as grief touched him.

"And now, my godson, who is for all intents and purposes a pureblood, was abused so badly that the only way to heal and keep him safe was to use the Adoptio Asylum measures. You know what that requires, Mother."

The portrait stayed silent. She knew… she knew well. Subdued, she whispered. "Even you didn't go so far."

"I've lost him before I've had him and I'll not get him back without a fight. I took the wrong lesson from you. I thought of pride, of vengeance before I thought of little Harry. For that sin of failing family, failing my godson, I lost him and spent ten years in Azkaban, have I not paid enough, Mama?"

"I still do not approve of the fact that he's a halfblood."

"He isn't. His mother was a muggleborn, true but she was a powerful witch. She ranked mid 30's. She was a witch and James was a wizard, he's the scion of a pureblood family and considered pureblood. V-V-Voldemort and Dumbledore are two of the same kind. Both more interested in how they can shape the Wizarding World in their image and they are both insane."

"If we can not trust the Dark Lord nor the Light Lord…"

"We trust the Grey… the shadow, the McGill… and he has protected Harry. No one can find a trace of him, they weaved glamours over him for the trial, giving him Veritaserum every time he came into court to verify he is who he says he is and later, he disappears. So, although I will worry about him, I don't need to be worried about him.

"Meanwhile, I will restore the house of Black to its former political glory, with the help of several allies and Remus. For this, I need access to all of the family magicks. You know how to get me access to it. I know you, and you would not have left this portrait here otherwise."

"True but to trust you again, after all you did and said?"

"I'm wiser now, Mama… older, tired, and definitely a bit more wiser than when I went in. After all, I didn't follow a maniac halfblood. Dumbledore is a pureblood, even if he's just as nuts as Riddle."

"Riddle?"

"The Dark Lord, his birth name. Tom Marvolo Riddle, son of Merope Gaunt and a Muggle."

Walburga gasped, her grey eyes stormy.

"Sirius, you need to go to the tapestry and swear yourself back to the Black Legacy, if you are true about this, the magick will know and place you back onto the tapestry. If you are lying… you will pay the price."

"Understood, Mama. Thank you."

Sirius stood and flicked his wand, the curtains about the portrait shone.

September 15, 1991
Kingston-Upon-Thames
10:15 a.m.

Dudley stood up on shaky legs. Last night, he had spent a long while puking after some tests. Carmus had come in that night and told him he was getting two days off school and explained what he meant when he said that his magic had been sealed. It was hard to believe his mother had done it but considering how she felt about… fr…fre… magical folk. Had she known it would kill him? Would she have made any other choice even if she had known?

Dudley sighed as he made it to the chair by the desk. A soft pop and Dayn appeared next to him.

"Is Master Dudley going out?"

Dudley smiled, "I wanted to but I don't think I have enough strength to."

"Not to worry, Master Carmus be saying that you can have pepper-up potion and strength potion."

"P-potion?"

"Like muggle vitamin drinks."

"Okay, ummm can I have them please?"

"Yes, right away! But Dayn be warning Master Dudley, they don't be tasting very nice." Dayn popped away and reappeared with two bottles. Dudley took them carefully.

Dayn pointed to blue liquid in one. "Drink the strength one first."

The boy frowned and carefully drank the first bottle down. His face twisted in a grimace. Panting, he let it drop listlessly from his hands, Dayn snapped her fingers and the bottle disappeared. Dudley looked at the orangey red liquid. Dayn nodded.

Slowly, he raised it to his lips and drank it quickly. His face turned red as steam poured out of his ears. Jumping to his feet, he danced in place before it finished its work.

"Is that why it's called Pepper-up?"

Dayn laughed. "Master Carmus is waiting in the library."

Dudley nodded before leaving his room. He headed down the stairs and stopped at the library door. Looking at the house he noticed that it was much larger from the inside than it appeared to be from the outside, more magick he guessed and yet, if… if... his parents had accepted Harry and they had treated him right… If they had, would they have had all this, everything his parents had wanted? A large house, excellent food, money? Harry had to have money. McGill said that Harry's father was a Lord.

"Sir… did you want to see me?"

"Yes, I know that I want you to rest but I was wondering if you would like to see different types of wizards and how they live. You know about me and how we live here but we're connected to the Muggle world. There are whole towns and counties and cities that aren't on Muggle maps. Most wizards and witches live there and I'd like to show you those places.

"Some of them are nice, some are not. Today we are going to go to a pureblood's house. They are proud that nearly all their family has been magical for the past eight hundred years, if not more. You can either go there as a muggle or we can tell them that you are blocked. Consider well what you want to tell them.

"I plan to leave in about forty-five minutes. Dayn is going to make you a light meal, you really shouldn't have a heavy meal after potions. Also, you understand that if I don't unblock your magic then you will die before you are thirty. So I must, which means you need to be trained. I want to send you to Hogwarts but you are nowhere near ready. It should take about a year or maybe a year and half. That means you must be tutored. When we go to this meeting. I am going to talk to Sirius Black, to see if he will tutor you in the offensive and active magicks, while Remus Lupin-Black will tutor you in the defensive and passive magicks."

"What if I don't want to be a wizard?" Dudly frowned. "I'm not like you."

"You were born one and this blocking is killing you. Once you graduate from Hogwarts, I can wait for your magic to mature and then rebind it, properly this time! The magic won't strangle you like it is now. Of course once you enjoy your magic you may not want to rebind it."

"I will." The boy stated firmly.

"We'll see."

Dudley nodded as he turned and headed for the dining room. Carmus sighed.

Number 12 Grimmauld Place
London
Fire Room
11:07

Carmus stepped from the first and turned to catch Dudley as he tumbled out. Setting the boy on his feet, he led the way from the Fire Room to the library. A house elf popped in suddenly.

"Master say, we be meeting in front library, please be following Colly."

Carmus followed the house elf, one hand on Dudley's back gently leading him forward.

Soon they arrived at the library; Black was sitting on a tall wooden chair, its upholstery a pattern made by the Black Crest. To the left sat the two elder Malfoys with a young man next to them who was obviously a Malfoy relative. Around the room were clusters of three to five people. Light sided families, Dark sided families, even neutrals. They were all here for one purpose. One goal.

Carmus nudged Dudley to sit as far from them as possible. "Welcome. To all of you, it's wonderful to see so many people here. I am Carmus McGill. I know most, if not all of you, even though that you may not know me. Look around you, you see Dark families, you see Light families, you see Neutrals. Understand this… there is none here who are invariantly evil, no matter what magic they practice. I know you have been informed of the lies Dumbledore has been feeding the last fifty years of students.

"That's two generations… not just you but your parents… not just you but your children and in some cases your grandchildren. If you want to ask me questions about Light and Dark magic please do so later.

"So to start us off, why don't we open the floor to questions… within reason. No curses, hexes, jinxes, or spells are to be cast within this room."

Carmus sat down and waited, the tension ratcheted up. A Dark wizard stepped forward, on his shoulder he wore a shield identifying him as part of the Pengel family.

"We know who you are and you know who we are, but who is the child?"

"His name is Dudley Dursely and he's in need of our help."

The roar ripped around the room, with Black lunging forward to smash into a shield, Remus behind him pulling him back. Black snarled. "You dare, you dare to bring that damned piece of shit into my home!!!!"

"Yes, Black, because as you have found out, Dumbledore isn't all he's cracked up to be. I found out what Petunia was offered to keep Harry, what tender she was offered…

"In return for her taking Harry in and abusing him, Dumbledore sealed Dudley's magic in. If it's not unsealed, he will die before he even reaches the age of thirty. The magic unable to manifest will consume his flesh and appear as cancer. It will devour him."

"Good… let him die!"

Narcissa Malfoy stood up, her silver dress rustling as she walked towards Carmus. She knelt down gracefully and looked at Dudley, one slim hand cupping his cheek. Whatever she sought, she found as she stood up and walked over, a flash of silver shone as her shoe caught Sirius Black in the ribs. "This is why you will not get your godson back anytime soon."

Andromeda Tonks smiled at her sister. "Carmus, such a thing is beyond the pale. It is not allowed unless the person has committed some great crime and the only crime this child has committed was to mimic those awful people he lived with. Dumbledore did this?"

"I know of very few people who could do it… less that could do it on their own." Carmus sighed. "I come to you because there are many books that we don't have, though my family is trying to correct that oversight. There are histories that your families may have that we don't know. There has to be a solution someplace. I have been studying him and with my own knowledge of the nature of magic, I have worked on dissembling this complicated work but if there is a better way, then I'd rather do it that way. My way will hurt, take two years, and he may die of it."

"Indeed." A tall man, thin and spare, with long red gold hair pulled back in a French braid moved forward to kneel beside the boy. "Boy, I am Wilfred Yanti Pike Wiley, head of the Wiley family. What you did was reprehensible and if you were an adult I would have let you die but you are a child and a stupid lump of one at that. You have done little good with your life preferring to be a bully, a brat, eating until you burst, and you only move if forced to. You whine and demand what is not yours by right. Yet you are but a child, spoiled but not spoiled through and thus I will help you and with my support so will myriad others of the Light. We seek to redeem you for your soul's sake. We seek to give you true choice. So, we will help you. This time."

Dudley stared at the wizard, eyes wide. Carmus nodded. "He won't thank you now but he will later. I do thank you, Wiley. I would also ask for a Dark sponsor to help in unraveling the bonds."

Narcissa bowed her head.

"Thank you, Lady Malfoy. Now, let's move on. I am holding off on releasing more of what Dumbledore has done because I do believe that too much, too fast would only hurt our cause. These alliance meetings will sometimes be called for the sole purpose of allowing Dark and Light and Neutrals to mix without always having up their guards. There has been many… lies spread about what Dark is and what Light is. It is only through free discourse that we can defeat the plan that our enemy has wrought."

Carmus looked at the faces of his audience. Some were set in determination, others sparked with anger. Some were just appalled at the callousness of either him or Dumbledore, whatever they felt it didn't matter. Dumbledore was going down, it would just take a bit of finesse to make sure that when he falls, he will never again step up.

"Too long, we have allowed the prejudices and beliefs color our behavior towards each others. To allow this sham of so called manners to continue would be to grant him another victory. So let's not."

Several people nodded. Leaning back into his chair, Carmus smiled. "So who would like to start?"

Monday

September 16, 1991

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

6:40 a.m.

Harry winced as he felt Professor Quirrell's eyes on him again. Every morning, he stared at him, and every morning, he got a headache. It was only three weeks into the school year and already he had a problem. The whole thing bothered his stomach. Draco put his fork down and turned towards his friend. "You tell Sev or I will!"

"I'll tell him, soon."

"No, you'll tell him today. We have double potions today. If we get there before class starts then we can talk to him. I'm done."

Simon sighed and put his fork down. Turning to his left, he nodded at Hermione. "See you in class."

Simon hurried off towards the dungeons and the Potions room with Draco at his side. A few minutes later they were at the door and Draco knocked. They entered as they heard the muffled call and saw Professor Snape reviewing his notes for the lesson.

"Professor, Simon needs to talk to you."

Simon groaned and stood before the desk. "Sir, is it safe to talk here?"

Snape gave a quick nod. "Of course."

"Well, sir, it's about Professor Quirrell. Is there something wrong with him?"

"Why do you ask, McGill?"

"Because every day, he stares at me. Every day, when he does, my scar burns. Even though they can't see it, I can feel it.

"I know it's a curse scar, but why is it hurting? Is it because he's a Defense teacher and he's been around too much evil magic?"

Snape nodded. "It is possible. Has your scar hurt at any other time?"

"No, sir. Dad said to tell you if it did before school started. It's on-"

The sound of a dozen or so students coming down the hallway caused Simon to stop suddenly. Snape waved them away and the boys took their seats for the first class of the day.

2:49 p.m.
Defense Against Dark Arts room

Simon groaned and banged his head on the table. If he had to listen to Quirrell stutter through another paragraph, he was going to research a hex, just for him! Draco on his left snickered while Hermione's bushy hair seemed to generate its own disapproval. Simon glared at his godbrother. "Fine, next time I won't share any of Dayn's scones with you."

Draco turned to him, silver eyes wide with affront.

Simon chuckled and lay his head back down. Ten more minutes and he could escape from the pain.

A small slap on his shoulder caused Simon to blink blearily. He noticed the other students packing up and bent down to shove his book into his own bookbag. Yawning, he turned towards Ron.

"Hey, I have to go see Professor Snape, can you let the others know?"

"Why do you have to see him?! The overgrown bat gave you detention?" Ron muttered.

The distant tolerant look fell from Draco's face as Simon stared at the red headed boy. "Shut it, Weasely. I don't pick on your… abundant family then you don't pick on my godfather, is that clear?"

"Whatever!" Ron turned, yelping as Simon grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.

"I mean it. Is it clear, Weasely?"

Ron stared at the two other boys then nodded slowly. "Clear."

Hermione and a couple other students stared at the three. One caramel eyebrow lifted. "Draco?"

"It's a pureblood thing, a family thing. Bring it up at the meeting. I think there's one the Saturday after next?

Hermione nodded, and opened a notebook to make a note. "I will."

Professor Snape's Quarters

4:17 p.m.

Severus looked at the results from the scans that he had done on his younger god child. Sighing, he waved his wand and a large flask filled with a pale luminescent blue liquid floated over to them

"Keep this in you trunk, you can refill a small bottle. No more than 2 ounces, every 6 hrs. I will know if you use more. The pain is coming from your scar. I need to speak to your father about this. However, this potion should relieve some of the pain. I fear we did you little favor, in regards to your scar, when Carmus adopted you. I believe you have inherited the ability to sense and manipulate energy, magickal energy. However your scar reacts to certain magicks, which means it will only enhance your pain."

Draco frowned but did not stop stroking the smooth skin of his brother's forehead. "Dark Magic, sir?"

"Yes."

Simon frowned in thought, causing his head to wrinkle. Draco lightly slapped him. "Stop it, you'll create wrinkles that betray your thoughts. "

Simon rolled his eyes and looked up at him from the lying position. "Really? I'm in great and massive pain because my Defense Against Dark Arts teacher is steeped in Dark Magic and you are worried about me getting wrinkles… what a Malfoy!"

Draco stared at him, "I am a Malloy, and don't you forget it."

Severus chuckled and sent them off to study. Now he had to write a letter to Carmus, a warm glow started in his chest as he thought of the other man. He barely felt the twinge of discomfort in his Dark Mark.