Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so shall you become. Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil.
~James Allen~
Kripke's Hollow, USA
Kripke Elementary
Light cascaded across empty tables in the early morning. At each table, a stack of four packs of colored pencils sat. Shelves of art supplies lined the walls, alight in the soft luminous rays of the sun. A woman, Hailey Bay, stood at the window that stretched across the west wall, back facing the door as she took a sip of a steaming cup of coffee.
One hand resting on her stomach. Hair like spun gold fell in curly spirals down her back, blue eyes watching as the sun slowly rose into the sky. Her tanned skin glowed bronze in the dawn.
Wearing black slacks and a white button-down shirt that stretched over her shoulders, she turned on her black flats and walked toward her desk. Composition notebooks were stacked precariously on the right side of her pinewood desk. Pulling out the expresso colored leather chair, she perched on the end of the seat.
Placing her flowered ceramic mug of steaming coffee on the coaster by her cup of pens at the top left of her desk, she glanced at the morning's newspaper that sat in front of her. Her face was awash in emotions, eyes glued to the photograph that was splashed across the front page. The headline still made her tremble in disbelief and fear.
"SKY RAINS FIRE! TRAIN COLLIDES WITH VEHICLE!"
The knowledge that she could have been on that train that day, could have lost her unborn child, left a nasty taste in her mouth. She had taken little Chuck's advice three days before and had a coworker drive her to her apartment. Sure enough, the child's prediction came true. The media was still talking about it. When Hailey found out about the train crash, she had gone straight to church and prayed.
Thanking God for being alive. She still couldn't believe it. Chuck had said he dreamed of the crash, but if he predicted the event, would he predict something else? This thought led to the new project she was going to have her class undertake. Cocking her head to the side, she picked up the newspaper and put it in the desk drawer as she heard the pitter-patter of little feet approaching.
The door to the classroom opened and her students filed in. Each smiling at her and bidding her good morning. Little Chuck was the last to find his seat at the back of the classroom. A young girl sitting across him. Both reached for a pack of coloring pencils. Eyeing Mrs. Hailey curiously. Chuck still seemed to be in awe that she was still breathing. Standing Hailey walked to the front of the classroom.
"Good morning class!" She called out exuberantly.
"Good morning Mrs. Hailey!" They replied. Mrs. Hailey picked up a composition book and held it up for the class to see.
"Today we are going to start a new project. Each of you will get a composition notebook. You are to take it home and when you wake each morning you are to write down what you dreamed about. Then when you come to class you are to draw something from that dream. If you look at the table, there is a pile of colored pencil packs. Each of you will take one home with you to use for this dream journal. I will collect your journals at the end of every week on Friday and return them Monday. I call this the dream project and we will be doing this for the rest of the year."
The class became excited at the prospect. All except for one little boy. Chuck slid down in his seat as Mrs. Hailey began to pass out the composition books. When she neared him, she placed her hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring squeeze. Chuck looked up into Mrs. Hailey's ocean blue, his eyes wide in fear. Mrs. Hailey smiled, her eyes softening.
"This project is to thank you for saving me." Mrs. Hailey whispered. Her grin widening as surprise flashed across Chuck's face. Chuck's table neighbor looked at him curiously as the teacher placed a notebook in front of her. Sighing as Mrs. Hailey finished passing out the books, she clapped her hands to get her excited students' attention.
"All right class, now that you have your books, you can start your first journal entry. I want one person from your table to go to the supply shelf and get paper for your tables. Then write what you dreamed about last night. Then you are to draw something from that dream on a sheet of paper using colored pencils. Begin." Mrs. Hailey instructed and the students scrambled to obey.
Mrs. Hailey's eyes strayed back to Chuck. Only time would tell if Chuck would predict anything else. She would just have to wait and see.
British Auror Office
A smartly dressed woman walked briskly through the throngs of flying missives that darted about in the walkway. Her dark purple robes billowing behind her as she headed for her destination. Dozens of Aurors ran past her as she walked. Each with a determined air about them. Amelia Bones sighed as she came to an open room where many desks filled the area.
Walking with a no-nonsense gait to a door with her name on it, she pushed it open. A man with shaggy brown hair, tattered robes, and amber eyes stood up from the chair he had sat in as she opened the door.
Closing the door, Amelia walked around her desk and sat down. The office was large, a floor to ceiling window giving a marvelous view of Diagon Alley. Candles floated along the walls, dark wood shelves reached the ceiling filled to the brim with books behind the cherry wood desk.
Placing the file she was clutching in her arms on the desk, she conjured two cups of tea and floated one to the nervous man that now sat before her. Opening the file of one Harry James Potter, the Head Auror took a sip of tea to calm her nerves. Sitting back in the chair, she sighed and looked at the man in front of her. Dark eyes locking with amber.
"Hello Mr. Lupin, it's been a while." She started.
"Madam Bones." Remus Lupin nodded to the head Auror in acknowledgment.
"I assume you are here in regards to the missing Potter heir. It says here that you applied for guardianship seven times? It appears that Dumbledore blocked you on every turn." Auror Bones stated as she observed the man. Remus shivered, his amber eyes flashing as he grit his teeth. Taking a sip of tea to calm himself, his hands clutching the china in a white-knuckled grip.
"Yes, he is the son of one of my best friends. James and Lily told me that if anything happened to them that their son should first go to Sirius, but if he couldn't take care of him then he should go to me. Since Sirius is a traitor and in Askaban, his guardianship should go to me. It should be in the will they left, but the goblins said that Dumbledore sealed the will shortly after they died. I tried to get custody. Now because of that bastard, my cub is missing!"
Remus growled through clenched teeth. The teacup shattered in Lupin's grip instantly calming him. Amelia vanished the tea and china shards with a wave of her wand and a few mumbled words.
"Peace Mr. Lupin. We are doing everything we can to find young Mr. Potter. If all else fails we will have to rely on the magic of the Hogwarts charter. But we will find him. Of that, I promise you. I will not rest until he is found. In regards to Sirius Black, we cannot be sure of his guilt just yet. Dumbledore has a lot to answer for. I am in the process of going over all the decisions he has made, every bill and law he passed, and thing he has done since the defeat of you-know-who.
I need to be sure that everything matches up. Already I have found an alarming amount of individuals who were persecuted in 1981 that either had no evidence of their incarceration or they had no trial. Your former friend Sirius Black was one of them. I do not wish to give you hope of his innocence, but he will be given a trial with the truth serum to be sure of his guilt." Amelia explained. Remus was in shock.
"What! He didn't have a trial?" He gasped.
"No, he did not." Amelia sighed. Rubbing a hand through her dark hair, she took another sip of tea,
"When is his trial?" Remus asked.
"Next week. Dumbledore is being held under a full Wizegmot council tomorrow and we are giving those that didn't get a trial one at the beginning of next week. We still need to reopen certain investigations to see how many people were thrown into Azkaban under martial law just to get them out of the way and who was guilty." Remus swallowed thickly and slumped in his chair. The possibility that Sirius was innocent set his heart to pumping erratically.
"Harry?" Remus whispered out.
"As I said, we are doing everything we can, come by again next week and I will have new information for you. But he is under heavy enchantment where ever he is for him to not show up on our tracking systems. The only thing we have managed to find is that the child is still alive and that will have to be enough for now. I have your floo address in case we find him sooner." Madam Bones said briskly in clear dismissal. Lupin stood and bowed to her in respect.
"Thank you, Madam Bones. For everything. If you need help…"
"I'll know where to find you." Amelia finished with a smile as the amber-eyed man turned and left from her office. Sighing the head Auror pulled the file towards her. She would find the child savior no matter how long it took.