Squib

Chapter 22: Bearer of Bad News Part 2

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The Bearer of Bad News part 2

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Harry realized that Dumbledore was looking straight at him, waiting for some sort of reaction from those emotionless green orbs. It was a testament to his occlumency that none of Harry's inner emotions could be discerned by looking at him, his eyes devoid of emotion as a parchment is devoid of ink. 'He expects me to show emotion, ha! Laughable at best, but what emotion am I to show? I don't even know what I'm feeling right now. Is it pain and sadness for the loss of a loved one? I can't really tell from behind this curtain of occlumency...but I can feel it building up. I need to get out of here.' Harry's thoughts were racing.

The sound of shattering glass brought Harry out of his stupor. McGonagall was trying to calm John down who, it seemed had collapsed on the ground in a crying heap. John's magic was lashing about breaking Dumbledore's trinkets. 'My magic I suppose, but is it really mine anymore? Dumbledore's attention is diverted, only Snape is still looking at me, time to leave.' Harry spun on his heel and made his way towards the exit. Harry could feel Snape staring at him as he left without a word.

Malfoy noticed the squib Potter approaching him as he clutched the letter from his father in his hand. 'Father did tell me to make friends with the Potter boys now that their bloody mudblood mother is dead. Argh! It's preposterous to even think that Father is thinking of contesting for guardianship over the boys. Surely we could do without the Bloody Boy-who-lived, I mean, the Malfoys already have the fame and the money, there's nothing these Potters could add to....but father would be displeased if I didn't at least try...' Malfoy thought.

"Hey Potter, do you want to go flying?" Malfoy asked quashing his pride. Harry looked at Malfoy once before continuing on his way. The blank state of his eyes surprised Malfoy, he expected Potter to be a little more....vulnerable right now and thought that any act of friendship would be received well. But Potter was still continuing on his way. "I'm talking to you Potter!" Malfoy yelled after him but Harry was already a ways away from him. 'To hell with it! I'm not going to go after a squib asking for his friendship. Perhaps the other Potter will be more receptive.'

Harry walked until he was deep within the forbidden forest. Standing in the middle of a clearing, Harry let his occlumency barriers fall. The pent up emotions hit him like a rock, his mind unable to bear it anymore. He let out a scream, it felt good and some of the pressure on his mind lessened. He screamed again and again until he could scream no more. With each scream, a circular blast of wind materialized around him as his element took form and spread outwards, doing damage to the trees or rocks it hit. The clearing was now a mess from broken branches, up-heaved rocks and layers of dirt covering everything in the vicinity. His throat dry from screaming, his emotions having found an outlet, Harry felt exhausted. His occlumency barriers took over, now in perfect control of his emotions as Harry fell unconscious from mental exhaustion.

The sound of hooves rang through the clearing as a horde of centaurs approached. They had heard the commotion and came to investigate. Their crossbows pointed at the unconscious form of Harry Potter, they all stood in a circle around him. The eldest of the centaurs went forward to observe and recognized the boy as the one who dared hunt in their forest and who had escaped them earlier. "Lower your bows, have you forgotten our laws?" The elder centaur commanded. "We do not fight against someone who is already vulnerable. And no matter how much I would like to kill this foe of our forest, right now is not the time."

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The rain and the clouds covering the sky were accurate reflections of the mood permeating the environment. It was impossible to distinguish the rain from the tears on people's faces. Umbrellas were not used as this was a gathering of wizards, their clothes eerily dry despite all the rain falling on them. The somber mood, the dark clothes, the aged wizard speaking and the casket in the midst of it all meant no one could mistake this for anything but a funeral, the funeral of Lily Evans Potter. "I remember Lily from when she first arrived at Hogwarts, a muggleborn that was unsure of this world, completely different from her own; yet in those eyes, I could see a determination that I have rarely seen in children so young. As Lily grew up, her delightful personality, her brilliance with a wand and most importantly her strength of will brought about a change in many people. It is people like Lily that stand out sharply against all of this darkness that seems to surround us at every moment, and most importantly, the darkness in our hearts; their limitless love makes the world a better place. And I know in my heart, that with her departure the world weeps for the loss of such love." Dumbledore addressed the gathering.