Harry Potter and the Secret Promise by SaimheofAvalon
Summary: At the end of GoF, Harry is sent home for a very specific reason – it is time for the secrets of Harry’s past to end, for a new journey to begin and for old friendships to be tested, new friendships to be formed. And, as always, Dumbledore is right, only through friendship, trust and love will the treat of Voldemort be ended.
Categories: Parental Snape > Biological Father Snape > Severitus Challenge Main Characters: .Snape and Harry (required), Draco, Hermione, Original Character, Ron, Sirius
Snape Flavour: None
Genres: Drama, General
Media Type: None
Tags: None
Takes Place: 5th summer
Warnings: None
Challenges: None
Series: None
Chapters: 39 Completed: No Word count: 124421 Read: 94740 Published: 02 Feb 2005 Updated: 05 Nov 2005
Reunion by SaimheofAvalon

June 25, 1995 (The day after the third task)

Arabella rolled over and glanced at her clock for the umpteenth time that night. The bright green lights of the Muggle alarm clock read 4 AM. Sighing, she threw her legs over the side of the bed and pulled herself into a sitting position. She knew after thirteen years of living alone, that when her anxieties began to get the better of her, no amount of tossing and turning would help her get any sleep.

Reaching for her dressing gown, she fastened the belt around her thick, round waist with a sigh. Idly, she wondered how it would feel to be free all the charms, potions and transfigurations for more than a day at a time. Pulling open the drawer in her bedside table, she retrieved her wand and a small wooden box before slowly making her way through the dark house to her kitchen. Setting the box on the table, she ran her hand over the intricately carved lid before she opened the box and pulled out a group of letters neatly tied together by a green ribbon. Tapping the stack of letters with her wand, she whispered a short incantation and watched the letters expand back to their original size.

Ten years ago, the first group of letters had been in one of the rare packages she received from Professor Dumbledore. All but one had been from Severus. At the time, the letters had seemed like a godsend, the ability to communicate with Severus again after so long. Now, she wondered if, maybe, ignorance would have been better. Yesterday, according to her last letter, was the third task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Harry could be dead, and there was not a thing she could have done to protect him.

Absently, she ran her hand over the envelopes and remembered Severus’ description of the second task, including his suspicions that Harry had stolen the Gillyweed from his personal stores. There were moments when Arabella could almost hear Severus’ voice as she read the letter; at times she thought she could detect his fear for Harry, in others it was only the anger. For the past four years, Arabella had prayed that Severus would get the inclination to find a way and see past the bitterness he had developed for the boy he once dotted on. So far, while he’d never failed to do whatever he had to to protect Harry, his actions were often colored by his bitterness.

Standing abruptly, she began pacing the length of her kitchen. She had never been good at waiting. She was sure that if she had to wait the two days for anything to come from Dumbledore via the Muggle post, there would be a groove worn into her kitchen floor. She was already a nervous wreck. When her wedding band had gone ice-cold earlier in the day, much like a wizard’s clock might register a loved one in mortal danger, she panicked. It took at least an hour for the ring to return to a more normal temperature and her apprehension to ease.

Stopping before her stove, she began the process of making tea in the Muggle fashion, needing something to occupy her mind. She wished that the Hogwart’s Headmaster would just let Severus use an owl, or better yet, come himself. She needed to know what had happened before the grey in her hair was real and not magically induced.

The chiming sound of her doorbell startled her from her introspection. Glancing quickly at a clock, she realized two hours had passed since she had given up on sleeping. Half-heartedly, she straightened her dressing gown and walked toward her foyer. Reaching the door, she looked through the peephole then stepped back and rubbed her eyes before taking another look. Relief washed through her as realized who was waiting for her on the other side of the door. Grabbing the handle, she yanked the door open.

“Remus?” She asked, her voice shaking slightly.

“Good Morning, Arabella,” he replied, smiling a bit mischievously. Gesturing to his side, he said, “Mind if my dog and I come in?”

Glancing down, she noticed the disgruntled, overly large, shaggy black dog biting and tugging madly at the bright pink collar and leash around its neck. At the sound of her laugh, the dog stopped its chewing and began barking excitedly and wagging its tail. Her eyes widened as she looked to Remus for confirmation, still unable to actually believe that both he and Sirius were standing there. The sight of Remus’ wide smile released a flood of relieved tears as she stepped back to let them pass.

She managed to shut the door before finding herself engulfed in the strong arms of her brother. Wrapping her arms around his body, she laid her head against his chest as her hands clutched the worn fabric of his robes. She held on to him tightly, hardly believing it was truly her brother after so many years. As he always had, Sirius seemed to know exactly what she needed to hear and his softly whispered words assured her that both he and Harry were alive and well and that Harry was now the champion. Arabella chuckled softly at his how he exaggerated phrasing as he told the story. The chuckle quickly dissolved into sobs of relief.

She had known that Harry was safe the moment she saw the impish smile on Remus’ face. But still, she needed to hear the confirmation as much as she needed to hear her brother’s voice after thirteen long years. Sirius’ arms tightened around her. His deep voice whispered comforting noises. She laughed and cried even harder as the joy of seeing her brother, alive and relatively well added to her overwhelmed emotions. Knowing the nightmare was nearly over added to her reactions.

Taking a deep breath, Arabella did her best to regain control and she hugged her brother fiercely, squeezing briefly before releasing him and stepping back. “I have missed you, big brother. It’s so good to see you.”

Smiling, she turned to face Remus, who stood leaning against her front door. In one step, she closed the distance between them and drew him into a tight hug. Pulling back, she clasped his head between her hands, examining his face, and taking his “emotional temperature” as he had once jokingly called the habit of using her empathic gift. She laughed slightly at his resigned look and raised eyebrow before throwing her arms around him to hug him again. “I missed you, too, Remi.”

Separating from him, she took his hand and then grabbed her brother’s hand and drew them both into her kitchen. She busied herself immediately with making them both a large breakfast; she was too filled with excited energy to sit still. She gently lectured and teased them both, on not eating enough.

Sirius laughed before asking, “Bella, do you think you could remove the disguise for a short time? It’s disconcerting to hear your voice coming out of ah…” he paused, looking a bit sheepishly.

Bella laughed, enjoying the feeling. Walking to a cabinet, she pulled out a bottle of what looked like Muggle cough medicine. Pouring the prescribed amount, she tossed it back, her body shuddering.

“Ugh! You would think that after thirteen years of taking that stuff once a month, I would get used to the taste. Ugh!” she said, her body shuddering again, emphasizing the point.

Retrieving her wand, which still sat on the kitchen table, she pointed it at herself and ended the multiple glamourie charms and transfigurations that, along with the aging potion, completed her disguise. The sound of her brother’s chair scraping against the floor as he stood quickly and the startled, sad look on Remus’ face told her she probably looked pretty bad.

“That bad, huh?” she asked as her brother moved over toward her, gently taking her shoulders in his hands.

“Bella?”

“I’m alright, really.” She said, trying to sound convincing. Looking to Remus, then back to Sirius, she smiled reassuringly. Touching his cheek, she looked him in the eye, “I won’t pretend it’s been easy, especially this year. But it was necessary, Sirius.”

Letting out a deep breath, Sirius sighed and moved back and dropped into his chair. “I can’t believe that ass let her go through all this alone.” He mumbled under his breath.

Pouring pancake batter onto the skillet, Arabella closed her eyes briefly to compose herself. “He didn’t LET me go through anything alone, Siri. It was part of Dumbledore’s rules.” She responded; knowing his derogatory tone was against Severus and not the Headmaster. “It was either that or I go back to the Wizarding World, and trust me, if I could have taken Harry, I would have left this place a long time ago. But I couldn’t leave him here, Siri. Not with them.” As she spoke, she flipped the pancakes, her spatula scraping harshly against the iron pan.

Lifting the cooked pancakes from the pan, she deposited them on the serving platter before starting a new batch. Then she walked across the kitchen, pulling plates from the cabinet and utensils from a drawer. She placed them on the table before returning to the stove to flip pancakes and check the sausage. Grabbing a bowl, she poured in a bit of milk before cracking several eggs to be beaten.

“So, tell me what’s happened.” She said, matter-of-factly.

“Why do think something has happened?” Sirius asked, his voice both curious and anxious.

She turned and fixed him with a steady glare, “Just because I haven’t slept in a week and turned into a emotional basket case, however briefly, at your arrival does not mean that I am mentally impaired or failed to grasp the significance of the two of you actually sitting in my kitchen when Dumbledore has refused to even allow my own husband to see me in thirteen years!” She ranted at him, managing to say her complete thought in one breath.

Remus laughed slightly and fixed Sirius with a “you had to ask” look before rising from the table and walking toward her. “Go sit down, Arabella. I’ll handle the rest of breakfast.”

She looked between them both as the empty feeling in her chest began to grow. “What is it? What’s happened?” she asked, starting to grow worried. Catching the haunted looks on their faces, her hands started to shake, enough so that the contents of the bowl swished about, threatening to splash over the sides. Gently, taking the bowl and whisk, Remus gestured toward the table. “Sit down, Bella.”

Arabella surrendered and walked over to the table, taking the seat across from her brother. She listened carefully as Sirius spoke, relaying the story Harry told concerning the end of the task. The world grew cold and her vision narrowed, as if she were seeing and hearing the world through a long tunnel. The words, Voldemort has returned, kept running through her mind like a broken Muggle record.

Suddenly the stark cold of her ring earlier made sense, Severus felt Voldemort’s return. And her Harry, he had been there, gone through so much more than anyone should have to endure. Arabella closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around herself as she leaned forward in her chair. She bit her lip, suppressing the desire to cry once again.

“Bella?”

She felt Remus’ hand on her shoulder, and looked up at him. ‘Hmm?”

“Did you hear? Albus wants you to come back. He’s gathering the old crowd.”

She nodded then turned back to Sirius. “You are sure Harry is okay?” She asked, more concerned with her godson than anything Albus Dumbledore might want at the moment.

“Yes, Bella. He’s fine. A little shaken up, but he’s a strong kid, he can handle it.”

Suddenly, Arabella felt a sharp anger toward her brother. ‘A little shaken up? He’s a strong kid, he can handle it?’ He’s shouldn’t have to handle it. She found herself wondering if anyone was there to comfort him, support him, or was he forced to deal with yet another devastating experience on his own. Taking a calming breath, she looked back up at her brother and then to Remus.

“Tell Dumbledore that I will be glad to come back but that Harry comes with me. I will not leave him to those Muggles this summer. As a matter of fact, I am not leaving him to those Muggles, period.”

“Bella,” Sirius started, warningly.

“No, Sirius. It’s over. All the lies. All of it. Harry deserves better. He deserves a real home with people who love him for him. Thanks to those bastards at the Ministry, you can’t give him that.” Standing, Arabella, agitated, began to pace. Short-tempered due to anger induced adrenaline and lack of sleep, she bit out. “But I’ll be damned if I let them, anyone, stop me, especially now. If Voldemort’s used Harry’s blood like you said, all those wards around the Dursley’s won’t mean a damn thing; they are all based on the blood-relation.” Her arms gestured emphatically as she spoke.

“She’s right, Sirius.” Remus said as he placed three plates full of food on the table.

“I know,” was Sirius reply.

Arabella felt her ire begin to deflate. Pulling out her chair, she sat back down and began playing with her food. The quiet in the room began to grow uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to go off on you two."

“It’s alright, Bella. It’s been a rough week all around. Sirius, we’ll need to head back to Hogwarts, which means we will not be able to stay much longer if we are to contact the others,” Remus commented.

Sirius nodded, taking a bit of food. Reaching out, he squeezed her hand. “I know. I’m sorry, Bella. I was hoping to spend some time with you.”

Arabella smiled, “We’ll have plenty of time, Sirius. I promise. Now, eat. You’re too skinny.”

Remus and Sirius both shook their heads, laughing. The three spent the rest of their time together catching up on the last few years. All too soon for Arabella, it was over. She hugged them both again as they said good-byes and watched them disapparate.

Walking back to the table, she picked up the wooden box to place the folded letters back inside. Closing the box, she walked back to her bedroom, thinking about Lily, James and all they had done to protect Harry. Sighing, she discarded her dressing gown and dropped down on her bed. Speaking aloud to Lily as if she might actually be able to hear, she said, “You were right. You said fifteen years. I didn’t like it, but I kept my promise, Lil. Let’s hope you were right about the rest of it.”

Lying back, she pulled the covers over her shoulders and let much needed sleep finally claim her.

To be continued...


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