Chapter 4: A Duel In The Hall
Harry looked anxiously around the Great Hall, but Hermione was nowhere to be seen, and when he turned around he realised that he was alone, as Ron had already gone to Potions. Harry stepped down the empty hall, every footstep he took echoing loudly, when suddenly he heard a scratching sound, and saw the curtain to his right move slightly. Whoever this person was, he or she was under an invisibility cloak. Harry looked around him for a few more minutes.
"Hermione, where are you!" he called. Harry walked forward a few more steps and then stopped as he caught sight of something hovering in the air. Oh no, he thought. It's the Dark Mark. Death Eaters have been here. Harry turned and ran out of the hall. He sprinted down three corridors before reaching the entrance to Dumbledore's Office, muttered the password, and stepped up onto the platform to be carried up to the office.
Harry walked through an archway to find Dumbledore sitting at his desk. "Professor," he gasped, "I think Hermione's been kidnapped! I went to the Great Hall and one minute she was there and the next minute she wasn't. Then I heard a noise and saw the curtains moving and then I saw," Harry paused for a moment, gasping for air, "I saw the Dark Mark…it's in the Great Hall." Dumbledore nodded at him in a been-there-done-that sort of way, and looked Harry square in the eyes.
"Harry, I want you to do me a favour. Go down to the Great Hall and keep an eye out for any strange events while I get in touch with the Order." As Harry turned to leave Dumbledore spoke again. "Harry, get out your wand, you may need it." Harry pulled out his wand and raced down to the hall.
When he got there, he saw the Dark Mark there again, but this time he saw Hermione lying on the ground under it. He ran up to her and leant down to the ground, picked up her wrist and felt for her pulse. She's still alive, he thought. Suddenly, Lucius Malfoy appeared across the room and pointed his wand at Harry.
"Crucio!" he screamed. Harry grabbed a chair and held it in front of him, and the spell shattered the chair to pieces. He grabbed his wand from the ground and pointed it at Lucius.
"Stupefy!" he yelled. Lucius ducked the spell. He spun around again and fired another spell at Harry.
"Serpensortia." A snake about two metres long slithered towards Harry, backing him in a corner. He pulled out his wand and muttered the spell. "Impedimenta." The snake wrapped around itself and froze in front of him. Malfoy cast another Crucio at him, but this time Harry ducked under the table. He threw himself underneath the chairs as he saw Malfoy walking towards him, his wand pointed out straight. Harry tried desperately to think of a spell, and all of a sudden it came to him.
He desperately raised his wand and screamed. "Ferano Armbre!" the yellow sparks flew out of his wand and wrapped around Malfoy's arms, causing him to drop his wand. Harry then cast 'Stupefy' on Lucius, who dropped to the floor. Harry held his head, which was bleeding from cuts caused by the shattering wood off the chairs.
Harry crawled out from under the table and went to Hermione's side. She was still breathing but appeared to be knocked out, so he picked her up and held her in his arms. As he looked around the room and there was still no sign of the Order, he decided to take Hermione first to the Hospital Wing and when he got there, heleft her with Madam Pomfrey. He then descended back to Dumbledore's Office, and at his entrance, Dumbledore turned around quickly.
"Harry, what happened?" he asked.
"I just found Hermione and Lucius Malfoy was there. I fought Lucius off and took Hermione to the hospital wing. Where is the Order?"
Dumbledore looked at him with pain in his eyes. "They have been in battle with Death Eaters," he said, "at Grimmauld Place. Unfortunately, we lost Kingsley. He was a fine auror and his life is a terrible cost to the Wizarding world." He looked down to the ground, and so did Harry. "Where is Lucius?" asked Dumbledore.
Harry looked up at him. "In the Great Hall sir." The two of them walked down to the hall but when they got there, Lucius was gone. "He was right here sir, I promise," Harry pleaded.
"I believe you, Harry. My guess is that he had a portkey hidden somewhere in here and he is now back with Voldemort." Dumbledore sighed deeply. "Harry, I have a lot of work to do. If you wish, you may skip lessons today and get some rest after your battle. I suggest you go to see Madam Pomfrey about those cuts on you head." Harry nodded and made his way to the hospital wing.
When he got there he saw Hermione lying on a bed with her eyes closed. He carefully walked over to her and placed his hand in hers. He looked at her, with tears slowly falling out of his eyes. "How could anybody hurt you like this Hermione? You never did anything to deserve this, I'm sorry."
"Hem hem." Harry turned around and saw Madam Pomfrey staring at him. "She is not ready to wake up yet Mr. Potter," she said briskly.
"She will wake up…won't she," Harry asked with worry written all over his face.
"Oh yes Mr. Potter, she will definitely wake up, I just don't really know when."
"Do you know exactly what happened to her?" Harry asked.
"Not exactly, but to my understanding she suffered the Crucio curse at least three times. She was also knocked out, and judging by the cuts on her head, I would say they were simply from a fist or a boot." Harry looked up at Pomfrey, his eyes full of tears. He couldn't believe what had happened to his best friend. "Looking at your head, Mr. Potter, I would say that you have a few cuts that need healing too. Stay here and I'll just get a simple potion that will fix you up in no time," she added.
It's a shame she can't heal my wounds inside, he thought to himself.
Madam Pomfrey returned a few minutes later with a yellow potion. "Drink this up Mr. Potter." Harry swallowed back the potion a little nervously, and felt a soaring pain on his head as his skin stitched itself back together.
*
Harry stayed by Hermione's side for the next two hours, mainly just holding her hand and stroking her hair. He realised that Potions was over when Ron came galloping into the room. "Harry what happened?" he asked. Harry told Ron the whole story of the afternoon. "I hope she's ok soon, we have some tough work to do," Ron said.
Harry looked at him disbelievingly. "Oh, Ron, could you be any more inconsiderate?"
"I was only kidding," Ron laughed.
Ron sat with Harry by Hermione's bed for about an hour before he heard a growling sound coming from his stomach. "Well I'm off for some dinner, then afterwards I suppose I should study, or I might just go to bed. I'll see you in a bit?"
"Yeah maybe," said Harry who wasn't really paying attention to the question.
He sat with Hermione for a long time. She still hadn't woken up when Madam Pomfrey told Harry that it was time for him to leave. "No, I won't leave her!" Harry insisted.
"Mr. Potter, I cannot let you stay any longer. It is in the school rules." she said firmly.
"Oh, to hell with the school rules, you expect me to be needed around this place when my best friend has been unconscious for the past eleven hours, and it's all my fault!" Harry let out in a frustrated shout. "I cannot take this stress any longer. I am fed up with being the boy who lived, I am fed up with being the person who has to save the world, and I am fed up with not having any family, when it's all my fault. And now I have a friend who could have died because of me.. My parents died because they were trying to protect me, my godfather dies because he was trying to protect me and my best friend nearly died because I didn't go and support her when she needed it. Lets just face the facts, I am a problem to everybody in this world, and it would have been better if Voldemort had just killed me that night sixteen years ago and got it over with!" Harry was breathing heavily with anger, and staring a hole through Madam Pomfrey. She looked at him sternly and then her face softened.
"I'm sorry Mr. Potter. I suppose I can make an exception this one time. I will allow you to stay here as long as you like." Madam Pomfrey left the hospital, leaving Harry alone with Hermione. He continued to hold her hand and stroke her hair through the night, until at last he slept.