He was back in the opera house. He knew he was back in the opera house. So deeply buried under Central it was forgotten. He could feel the hush of the array his brother was trapped on. Just within reach. The stone...humming.. with the countless..stolen lives Scar took...That he couldn't stop him from taking. Just waiting to be activated.
But it was his brother. The stone was his brother.
His brother. Whom he had doomed to live as a suit of armor. He was the idiot who put him in that armor.
Fix a mistake with a mistake. Brilliant, idiot apprentence. Just. Brilliant.
His only brother had counted on him. The only family he had. Fool enough to have faith in him. But he failed him. Time. And again.
His brother hated him. For everything.
Slipping through his fingers like sand.
Just. Can't breathe.
Whiteness. An ocean of white. With no up or down. Left or right.
He floated in it.
Where was he? Who was he? What did he want?
It wouldn't be long be for the truth arrived. The awful. Cruel. Truth. He knew.
Truth within truths.
Blood on the wall. The gory remains of a little innocent girl. He tried and tried and tried and tried. Against that. Unforgivng wall.
He failed her. Because he was blind to it.
Truth within truths within truthswithintruths.
He always awaited him by the doors. Smiling wide like it all was just some great joke.
He would wait for him. In this place...whatever it was. Timeless white ocean with no up or down. Left or right.
Not so. Cold? But wasn't he supposed to not feel anything?
He floated along.
And was surrounded by voices.
Harry heard the crash and ran to the kitchen. He blinked in surprise at what he saw.
Amid the shards of glass that were the remains of the sliding glass door lay Professor Lupin. He shook his head slightly, and more glass shards fell clinking to the ground. He rolled up to a sitting position and looked out the doorway. Harry followed his gaze.
Laying on the ground just outside, with the blankest of blank facial expressions, was Ed. He looked like he was about to do a pushup, but his whole body seemed to be shivering. Golden eyes unfocused.
Behind him stood Professor Moody and the woman called Tonks. Tonks had her mouth open in amazement, hair now a dazzling blue. Moody had his arms folded across his chest.
Lupin looked up almost sheepishly at Harry, and gave him a little smile.
"Stay back, Harry."
Lupin then stood up on the crunchy ground and absently brushed off what glass shards he could. He then cautiously approached Ed on the ground outside. He waved his hand in front of Ed's golden eyes, but the blond didn't even blink. Lupin sighed, and leaned down into a crouch.
"It might be well past the chocolate stage. We're gonna need help with this."
"So drop him off at St. Mungo's." Moody said.
"With those burns on his neck? Think man. No witch or wizard ever gets those from a Dementor. They'll know he's a muggle straight away. They'll panic. Wipe his mind clean. You know that." Tonks said.
Moody snorted.
"Solves our security problem." He said.
"We can't just...leave him like this." Harry said.
Moody gave him a sharp look, and scowled.
"He's my friend." Harry said.
"Don't. Trust. Anyone with false limbs. Boy." Moody said.
"Don't you have..?" Harry said.
"My point exactly." Moody said.
Harry looked down at Ed's right hand. Right METAL hand, shining in the light of Tonk's wand, shaking slightly like his natural one.
'I couldn't even tell it was fake', Harry thought. 'Wait a...'
"Who did that cage thing?" Harry asked.
Moody shrugged and scowled some more. Lupin folded his hands together before his chin and leaned his elbows on his thighs. Harry notice he was careful not to look at him. He looked at Tonks and saw she folded her arms and looked down, hair shifting to orange.
"Fess up. Shacklebolt already said he couldn't get it to end. So who did it?"
Moody shrugged.
"Just proves it's not safe here. For you, or us. We'd better get going. Reparo!" Moody said, and with a flick of his wand, the glass of the door reassembled itself back together before Harry's eyes.
Tonks too, flicked her wand, and Ed floated easily into the air. Tonks took the few steps to the door, and slid it open with her free hand. When she turned around, Ed had folded into a loose fetal position.
Lupin flicked his wand and nodded over to Tonks.
"I'll watch him. Finish helping Harry pack, ok?" He smiled almost shyly.
She nodded. And returned the smile. Her hair changed to a bright pink.
"C'on. Harry. Let's go."
As Harry passed the wizards, and witch, still inside the cage, he couldn't help but notice their expressions. Whatever spell-ending spell they had tried so far, even the best must not be working. He found that fact disturbing, and it worried him. Deeper than he wanted to admit.
'Imagine that. A spell that can never be broken' He thought. A cold shiver went down his spine.
:::
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