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Books » Harry Potter » To See A Falling Star text size: (+) : (-)
Author: Lady FoxFire
R - English - Angst/Drama - Reviews: 437 - Published: 05-18-02 - Updated: 01-26-04 id:784754

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to the series but I wish I did.

Bad Author Notes: This is an unedited chapter due to the fact that Sirius Black has kidnapped my editor.

Wear My Sunglasses at Night

By Lady FoxFire

Oct 27, 2002

"Where are we?!?" Harry panicked as his legs collapsed underneath him, throwing him to the ground. "Aunt Petunia where are we?" He asked as he reached out wildly trying to find someone, something to reassure himself

"It's ok Harry." Petunia said as she knelt next to him, her hand rested on his shoulder in a comforting way. "It looks like we're on the outskirts of a town. I can see the building down the road."

"Get up Potter. We're on the road to Hogmeades" Snape snapped as he glared down at the boy and his aunt. "I told you we would portkey to the boarders of Hogwarts. After last year the Headmaster increase the wards on the school. Or didn't you trust me Potter."

"After last year I don't take anything at face value anymore." Harry said standing up. "You were acting too… nice. I wasn't sure you were who you claimed to be."

"And now?" Snape said looking down his nose at Harry. "Do you now believe that I am your greasy potion master?"

Harry turned his face towards his Professor, his sightless eyes staring up at him. "I do now." Potter explained a slight smile on his lips. "So tell me Professor Snape what was it? Was it shock?"

"Insolent brat." Snape muttered under his breath as he started down the road towards the school,

"My glasses." Potter said suddenly turning towards his aunt. "Aunt Petunia do you have my glasses? I forgot them."

"I have them right here." She said as she dug through the bag on her shoulder. "I thought you would forget them so I packed them."

"Glasses?" Snape asked in confusion as he stopped and looked back at them. "What do you need glasses for?"

Petunia pulled out a pair of glasses and placed them in her nephew's hand. "Mostly for protection." Harry answered as he slipped a pair of dark sunglasses on his face hiding his sightless eyes from the world. "But also so I don't upset anyone. People don't like looking into dead eyes; it's upset them. Makes them pity me. Make them treat me as if I'm completely helpless."

"It allows you to hide from the world." Snape said with a sudden understating. "If they can't see your weakness then they can't use it against you. Is that why you hide the fact you were being abused from everyone?"

Harry cocked his head to the side, lost in thought. "I never hide it professor. People would never look or if they did they never believed." He answered in a sad lonely tone.

"Umm I hate to ask this but are we safe here?" Petunia asked nervously as she looked around nervously.

"She's right. It's best if we proceed to Hogwarts." Snape said with a sigh.

"We're off to see the wizard. The wonderful wizard of Hogwarts." Harry sang off key as Petunia thread her arm in Harry's.

"Wonderful. He's gone insane." Snape mumbled under his breath as he led them up the road toward the school.

~*~

"It wonderful." Petunia whispered her voice full of child-like wonder and awe as she got her first look at Hogwarts.

Harry smile as he heard her reaction in his aunt's voice. "You should see it at night from the middle of the lake with the castle aglow with lights. It looks like a fairy tale castle, the type you find sleeping princesses in and dragon's outside guarding it from Prince Charming." Harry explained as he remember the first time he saw the school.

As they past through the gate and walked towards the door of Hogwarts they could hear Hagrid's booming voice. "Now this little creature is a Fennec from the desert of Egypt. In Ancient Egypt witches and wizards used them as messages and as a form of defense. The Fennec has the ability…."

"Hey look its Harry Potter!" A boy's voice called out from Hagrid's class. "Potter is back!"

"Wonderful! It's my favorite stalker." Harry sighed in frustration at the sound of Colin Creevey.

Snape snort in amusement at Potter's statement. "Yes he does have some stalker quality about him."

"Professor." Harry turned toward Snape's voice. Harry's voice betrayed his uneasy in meeting any of his fellow students at this time.

Snape's attention turns to the number of Gryffindor rushing to see their hero. "Mr. Creevey." Snape snarled at the young Gryffindor, his eyes cold and heartless. "I guess you return to your class before I decide that you need to scrub all the cauldrons in the castle."

Colin skidded to a halt and looked at the Potion Master in fear. Swallowing nervously, Creevey nodded his head before turning and walking back to his class, looking over his shoulder once in a while.

"Irritating pest." Snape mutter under his breath as he watches Colin walk into a tree, knocking himself unconscious.

"You should try living with him!" Harry chuckled as the continued up the path. "Most of us have developed an inborn Colin and his camera radar system. You don't want to get caught by Colin coming out of the shower."

Snape looked down at Potter in shock. "He won't dare!" He sputtered.

Harry turned his head so that his face was facing Snape, a twisted grin on his face. "Oh but he did!

"If he tried to take my photo I would shove his camera up…."

"Ron almost did." Harry said with an evil chuckle. "Luckily Fred and George was able to save Colin. Minus the camera of course."

"Of course." Snape replied as Petunia looked upon the men disapproval but with a twinkle of merriment in her eyes.

~*~

"Harry! Welcome back." Dumbledore exclaimed with a smile, his eyes twinkling as Harry and his aunt followed Snape into the office. "And Mrs. Dursley. A pleasure to finally meet you."

"Nice to meet you Headmaster." Petunia said politely as she looked around Dumbledore's office in awe. "And please call me Petunia, I don't go by Mrs. Dursley any more."

Dumbledore blinked in surprise at Petunia's statement. "Of course Petunia. Would you care for a lemon drop?" He asked holding up dish of candy. Petunia shook her head no as she wondered over to Fawkes. With a shrug of his shoulder Dumbledore popped a piece of the hard candy in his mouth before turning towards Harry. "Why weren't you on the train, Harry? We were worried about you. You should have sent a message to us if you were having trouble."

"I just didn't see the point in it Headmaster." Harry explained as he took off his sunglasses. He turned and blinked his sightless eyes at the headmaster.

"By Merlin's beard." Dumbledore whispered in shock as he sunk in to his chair. The lemon drop falling from his gaping mouth as he stared at Harry. "What happened child!?! What happened to your eyes?"

"Why?" Harry said with all the pain and anguished he felt in his voice. "Why did you leave us there. Why did you allow him to do this?"

"I don't understand Harry." Dumbledore said in confusion as he looked at Petunia and Snape for understanding, for an explanation. "Please tell me what happened."

"Abuse. Torture. Hate." Petunia said from where she stood stoking the phoenix's feathers. "You place Harry in my house but you never checked on him. You never checked that he was safe. That he was loved. That he was wanted. You trapped us in that house. You trapped Harry, my son and myself in that house with a monster. And no one cared. No one cared to check on us even once."

Petunia walked over and sat down in a chair near the windows. She then began the tale of abuse in the house and her disparate struggle to protect the Harry and her own son.

Dumbledore sat in silence as Petunia finished her tale. "I… I… I don't know what to say to either one of you. I had assumed that Harry would be safe there. That he would have been cared for. I never thought…"

"That right. You never thought." Harry snapped at Hogwarts' Headmaster. "You left us in that house. You left him there to take my sight."

"Harry!" Petunia said in surprise at her nephew's savage attack on Dumbledore.

"No. He's right." Dumbledore said in a defeated tone. "I should have watched him better. I should have kept my promise to your mother Harry. She make me promise to watch after you if something would have happen to them and your godfather."

Snape suddenly sniff in disgust. "Well I guess we can finally put that mangy mutt to use finally. While I rather not have him underfoot he could be useful right now."

"Fluffy?" Dumbledore said in confusion. "I hardly think this is time for that animal."

Snape snorted in surprise. "Wrong mangy mutt. I was thinking that his Godfather could be of a use right now. He could act as a guide dog and as protection for Potter while the boy learn to do magic without his sight."

"His Godfather." Petunia stuttered. "The mass murder!"

"Actual he's an innocent man. But I'm sure he'll gladly kill Vernon." Harry explained as he leaned his face into the sunlight. "So who's going to break the news to him? I won't suggest that it be Moony he would probably help Sirius curve Vernon up."

Dumbledore lean forwards his head in his hands. "I'm getting to old for this." He mumbled to himself. With a sigh he lean back in his chair. "Severus would you please take Mr. Potter to the hospital wing. Perhaps there is something that Poppy could do for him. Meanwhile Petunia and I have to discuss her future."

~*~

"This way Potter." Snape said as he placed Harry's hand on his shoulder.

"What do you think will happen professor?" Harry asked as the Potion Master led him down the halls towards the hospital wing.

"I don’t know. I expect that the Headmaster will help your aunt and cousin set up a new life safe from your uncle."

"His not my uncle. He's a…." Harry's voice trailed off as his hand slipped from Snape's shoulder

"Potter?" Snape turned towards Harry. Taking a few steps away from his teacher, Harry cocked his head to the side, listening for something. "Harry?"

Harry raised his hand toward his professor, motioning him for silence. "I hear something. Voices."

"The Secret Chamber." Snape whispered unknowingly.

"No. This is something different. It's all around us." Harry explained, his face showing his confusion. "Can't you hear it?"

Snape shook his head before realizing that Harry couldn't see him. "No I can't hear anything. Can you understand what they're saying?"

"No. I can't quite make it out." Harry said his brow furrowed in frustration. "It's not…. It's gone. They've stopped."

Snape looked around nervously. "Let's get out of here." He said grabbing Harry's arm and dragging him towards the hospital wing.

~*~

"And you said that he couldn't understand what the voices were saying?" Dumbledore asked as he watched Snape pace back and forth.

"Potter said the voices were mumbled. That he couldn't make them out." Snape stopped this pacing and ran a shaking hand through his hair. "But he was positive that the voices were unlike the time the Basilisk was released."

"And you didn't hear anything?" Professor McGonagall said from her seat as she chewed on the bottom lip. "Perhaps he imaged it. He has been under a great deal of stress since last year."

Snape shook his head no. "I didn't hear a thing Minerva but that doesn't mean Harry imaged the voices either."

Dumbledore looked deeply into the crackling fire, lost in thought. "It could be that Harry…" Just then a knock came at the door, all eyes locked upon it. "Severus would you please open the door. I expect that it's Poppy."

Madam Pomfrey came in to the room, her face answering their unspoken question. With a weary sigh Pomfrey sank into a chair.

"WELL?!?!?" The normal calm McGonagall exploded.

"I'm sorry that I took so long but I wanted a second opinion." Pomfrey explained.

"That’s fine Poppy." Dumbledore said with a nod of his head. "Please go on."

"Do you remember Deana Donovan, a Ravenclaw from about eight years ago?" Poppy started her tale. "She went on and became an ophthalmologist." Seeing the blank looks on their face. "She's a doctor specializing in diseases and injuries of the eyes. While she was train for be a surgeon at a Muggle university she meet her husband, Rick Carnahan. To make a long story short…"

"Too late." Snape mumbled under his breath.

"I sent my report on Harry's condition to them to see if they have a possible treatment for the poor child." Pomfrey said ignoring Snape comment.

"And?" McGonagall growled in frustration.

Pomfrey sighed wearily before explaining what she had learned from the two doctors. "If Harry had been able to receive treatment from St. Mungos with seventy two hours of the injury they would have been able to save his sight. A Muggle hospital would not have been able to help him."

"Poppy." Dumbledore said drawing their attentions. "Is there anything that can be done. You said that Deana and her husband was doing research on eye injuries, have them made any break through?"

"Due to the nature of the injury and the amount of scar tissue present…" Pomfrey shook her head. "At this time there is nothing they can do. Perhaps in a few years there might be a treatment. But at this time there is nothing that can be done."

~*~

"BOY! Get down here. NOW!" Uncle Vernon bellowed from the front of the stairs.

"Coming sir." Harry said as he rushed out of his room. "I wasn't expecting you home so soon." Harry said nervously as he started down the stair, his eyes never leaving Vernon's face for a moment. "Aunt Petunia and Dudley have gone shopping. They said they won't be back till around three."

"We're celebrating today." Vernon ignored Harry's comments about his wife and son. "I signed a hundred million pound contract today. Grunnings is now the solo provide of drills to British Petroleum."

"Congratulation Uncle Vernon. I'm sure Aunt Petunia and Dudley will be proud of you." Harry said uneasily as he stood on the last step watching his uncle.

"Yes they will be." Uncle Vernon's grin slowly transformed into a cruel evil smile. "I also figured something else out." He said as he grabbed Harry by the arm, throwing him from the stair into the far wall.

"You see boy I finally figured out a way to keep you from that freak school forever." Vernon said as he rained abuse down on this young nephew. "If you can't see you can't do magic!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Harry woke screaming.

"Harry?!?" Madam Pomfrey rushed to her only patient, wrapping her dressing gown around her. "What is it child?" she said as she gathered the crying child in her arms. "Was it a dream about You Know Who?"

Harry pulled back from her and silently shook his head. "I was dreaming about that day… the day Vernon…" Harry's shaking fingers brushes over his eyes.

"The day that monster took your sight." Pomfrey finished what Harry could not. "Oh Harry." She said softly as she stroked his hair in a motherly fashion, rocking him in her arms. "I'm sorry. I wish I could made it all better."

Harry arms snaked around her and held her tight. "So do I. So do I." Harry whispered into her dressing gown.

Poppy held Harry until he started to draft off to sleep. "Try and get some sleep Harry." Pomfrey whisper as she laid Harry down and tucked him in. "You're safe here. No one will harm you."

Harry snuggled down under his blanket. Madam Pomfrey's footsteps echoed as she walked back to her room. He was almost asleep when he suddenly heard the faint sounds of a lullaby coming out of nowhere.

"Safe." Harry whispered as his eyes closed and he fell to sleep. "I'm safe."