Summary and Acknowledgments
A woman from Sirius' pre-Azkaban life arrives unbidden, and sets sparks in the emotional tinderbox of 12 Grimmauld Place.
PG-13: Brief violence, discreet (I hope) sex, including brief nonconsensual contact, and minimal suggestive or profane language.
Almost slavishly cannon compliant as far as book six, you should expect the tale to be rather dark. Dates are from HP Lexicon circa 2005. I did not make adjustments re. the "Black Tapestry" circa 2006.
This tale is set between the end of "Goblet of Fire" and the first days of "Order of the Phoenix." It is only fair to tell you that Harry, though pertinent to the story, does not appear in it. (He comes near it once, but is obscured decorously by a draped diaper.)
You may expect to find almost any of the other characters with which JKR peoples 12 Grimmauld Place here, and especially Sirius, Severus, Molly and Remus. (These characters are borrowed with the utmost affection and no intention of trespassing on copyright, of course.)
Any two or four legged beings that do not originate with Ms. Rowling are entirely the possession and progeny of my disturbed imagination. Some of the places,
however, are quite real. If you are unaccustomed to the marvelously musical American Indian names that abundantly bless my native sod, you should assume that they are spelled phonetically, and pronounce accordingly. (Etowah = ET-oh-wah)
If you like puzzles, metaphor and hidden meanings, there are plenty. Look in "Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs" c. 1987 by Rodale Press Inc., and "The Home Garden Book of Herbs and Spices" (c. 1952) by Milo Miloradovich for clues. Others will be found in American and Scottish history, and the mythology of gems and astronomy. You can also ignore these allusions quite easily.
I must also acknowledge my reliance on "Cherokee Plants: their uses-- a 400 year history," by P. Hamel and M. Chiltoskey (c 1975), and "Nvwoti: Cherokee
Medicine and Ethnobotany," c. David Winston AHG 2001. If you are a competent botanist, I sincerely apologize for my ignorance and promise to accept any
gentle corrections with humility. If you are foolish enough to construe what is recommended by a fictional character as medical advice, I am not responsible.
This is a tale of strong, determined, intelligent people who's lives are being defined by circumstances they can barely hope to influence, let alone control. They portray constancy and jealously, conquest and sacrifice, forgiveness and resentment, anger and gratitude.
Especially gratitude - which I express here to Mary H for extensive efforts at editors duty, Linda C for sharing her knack for names, the hard working "staff" of The Penseive.org for providing a place to post this, and therefore, a reason to complete it; to "Nim, the cat" for pointing me in the right direction and giving me a push; to my cousin, Isaac, for explaining to me why I needed to write this; and, of course, to Jo Rowling, for creating such a delightful playground for her fans' imaginations to romp in. Also thanks to you for reading this humble offering. I wrote it for my own therapy, but I hope it brings you a little joy.
Posted by Madmaxime at June 15, 2007 02:43 PM