❝ you may say I'm a dreamer,
but I'm not the only one ❞
in which the girl who hated many things found someone to fight for.
TEMPEST THATCHER ; HARRY POTTER UNIVERSE
MARAUDERS ERA - GOLDEN ERA
COVER BY @BonitaRogue
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chapter ten ; the boy who lived
CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF, TEMPEST THATCHER WAS AFRAID OF A LOT OF THINGS. Whether it be walking into Hogwarts for the first time, accepting a proposal, fighting for her life or making friends, she knew fear like the back of her hand. Though nothing she had ever experienced before seemed to add up to the situation she currently found herself in.
"So, you're a witch?" Harry chose to speak first, his footsteps quiet against the wooden planks of the covered bridge as he joined Tempest. She wasn't tense; she actually appeared quite relaxed, though on the inside she felt utterly ill. She forced a soft smile on her face as she looked out into the ravine outside Hogwarts, avoiding looking at her biggest regret.
"Yes, I am," she responded after a moment, briefly glancing over to see the young boy watching her intently. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, Harry. It's killed me to keep this a secret from you."
"Then why didn't you just tell me?" Harry quickly responded, his voice raising a little. It didn't seem to bother Tempest at all, she just turned to face him completely and sighed quietly. He was an average height for a thirteen year old boy, only reaching her shoulders, as she was a relatively tall woman. His dark hair was sticking up in every direction, and the hurt expression upon his face broke her heart. "I used to see you every day, I used to tell you everything that was happening to me, and you did nothing."
"I know," Tempest admitted, crossing her arms as she tried to think of the right words to say. She wasn't the best person at consoling people, but she knew there was no other way to help James and Lily's son. "I shouldn't have listened, I should've taken you in so that you didn't have to live with the Dursleys. But believe me when I say that I did what I had to do to keep you safe. I was told to stay out of the way so that you wouldn't be put in danger again, but it wasn't worth it."
"What are you talking about?" Harry's eyebrows knitted together curiously, not piecing together what she was saying. "Who were you listening to?"
Tempest pursed her lips, before hesitantly replying. "Dumbledore."
"Dumbledore?" Harry repeated, his eyes widening in surprise. Of course it was the man he least expected, but his mind quickly came to the Headmaster's defence; of course there'd be a suitable reason for his actions. "Why would Dumbledore try to keep you away from me?"
"There were many reasons," Tempest shrugged, tucking her hands in her pant pockets, feeling the chill underneath her engulfing burgundy cloak. It was nearing March, though the winter bitterness was still evident in the air. "I knew your parents, and after they died, I knew people who wanted you gone too."
"Like Sirius Black?" Harry inquired, and Tempest faltered a little bit. She knew it was time to tell him all he wanted to hear, even if it meant throwing Sirius and herself under the metaphorical bus. "Did you know him too?"
