Chapter Number: 15
Chapter Name: The Dead Body and the Carcass
Hermione woke up in the morning in the Pasha household. On one side of her was Sirius, Ron, Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape, on the other side Mrs. Weasley and her mother - both sobbing openly and consoling each other. On the chairs near by, Mr. Pasha and Professor Flitwick were discussing something in a low voice.
Her eyes still didn't get properly focused, when her light groan alerted her mother to her consciousness. She was immediately enveloped in a very tight hug. At first Hermione had trouble remembering what had happened, on what she believed was the night before. Or why there were all those people around her, but then suddenly her mind was flooded with the events.
Actually she had slept for an entire day, because of the strength of the spell. When she looked around she only saw blackened faces with sad expressions. She wanted to ask a question but her voice box would simply not comply. " ... How are you sweetie?" asked her mother.
Hermione's voice was coming back but it hurt when she asked, " Where's Harry?"
Everyone went blank and started to look to each other as if deciding whether or not to tell her anything. Professor Dumbledore stepped up to her and said, " They found his body, his wand, a watch, and the carcass of the Nundu near a Griffins nest yesterday. We know it was his.... I'm sorry, Hermione. If I could do something to take away the pain I would..."
Hermione snapped and said, " I don't believe you." She said - her voice steeling in resolve that Harry was still there. " I want to see the body..."
Few hours later when Hermione saw the evidence and the remains of Harry's body she felt as if the world had just ended. She recognized Harry's watch as a gift from Ginny to her crush Harry. When she saw the grubby wand she knew it was his, but there wasn't enough of the body left to be recognized as Harry. She refused to believe it was Harry's for a long time while her mother consoled her. After a few hours she accepted the fact that Harry was now indeed dead.
Ron tried several times to console her, but she flat out refused to be touched by anyone other her mother. She closed herself in her room with her mother and together they cried and shared stories about Harry. Mrs. Granger was a very good listener and when she finished analyzing her daughter's stories she asked if she loved Harry. " Love..." Hermione thought about it, " May be... I'm not sure." She paused, "... I've never thought of him as anything more than a friend. I might have felt something for him last school year, -but I don't know. I kissed him in the train station... even then it was to comfort him. No.... definitely not. We were friends. That's the way we like it."
Mrs. Granger had a hard time believing her daughter and she knew from experience, first love or true love was hard to identify even when it's gone. She and her husband were best friends for over fifteen years and never thought of each other as anything other than friends. Then when her fiancée had left her and Paul was there to console her, she realized that she loved Paul more than anyone else in her life.
It took a long time after that for her to come to terms with the fact that, she was indeed in love with her best friend. It took an even longer time for them to admit their mutual love to each other. But Mrs. Granger didn't tell it to her daughter this. She didn't want to make the lass more than it was. She didn't want to send her daughter into a pit of unrecoverable depression.
The journey back to Britain was hell. The reporters all wanted to know what happened and just before they existed the airport, Hermione snapped. She threatened that she would kill the next person who asked her a question and reminded them that she could get away with it if she said she was grieve stricken from the death of her friend Harry Potter - the boy who lived.
No one dared mutter another word until she was at the train station on 1st September. That was the first day that she allowed Ron to comfort her - actually that was the first day that she let Ron come anywhere near her. When they entered through the magical barrier she wasn't surprised to see all the people moping about.
But she was surprised to see that a few of the Slytherins were also moping about. * Not all of 'em are bad * though Hermione as she got into the train.
Ron took her trunk inside and Hermione was about to set foot inside the carriage when she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. It was almost as if her whole being was telling her something was going to happen. Something big. Almost instinctively she looked up into the sky where she saw a small silver glint.
Parvati Patil broke down crying when she read the headline in Daily Prophet. She was so upset that she didn't even notice that almost everyone was doing the same all around her as they waited for the train. Some like Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, who were best friends with Harry were mortified as the moved towards the train. People who knew how close those three were, came from all direction to offer their condolences.
Parvati was one of the few witches born to wizard houses who didn't get Daily Prophet and as such she didn't
know the news that had spread across the world before it even went to press. " Harry Potter dies Valiantly."
Underneath it said, " Today is September 1st and the world is grieving the loss of Harry Potter, The Boy who
lived. writes T. G. McGinities of Daily Prophet. He died valiantly in the desert trying to save his friend and an
entire city from the terrible
magical beast known as the "Nundu". Found in east Africa it is one of the rarest of beasts that resembles a
muggle leopard but it's not the hunger for humans, muggles or magical, but its capability to infect entire villages
with its potent breath that makes this a nightmarish creature.
Acting on the information received from the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Professor Albus Dumbledore, the Ministry of Magic in Morocco had started to surround the city with protective magic but when the beast attacked prematurely all hope seemed to be lost. The few wizards that hadn't panicked and ran away or who hadn't lost consciousness were desperately trying to subdue the beast. That is when Harry Potter the boy who lived came on a magic carpet with his long time friend Ms Hermione Granger. Details are sketchy, as Ms. Granger and some of the people on the frontline were too grieved to talk.
From what we know the beast and Mr. Potter disappeared when it looked as though the creature was about to attack a large group of wizards. Some eyewitnesses report on seeing Mr. Potter glow white before disappearing with a bright white flash and supersonic pop noise which shook the entire city.
A search party was sent out once the protection spell was set properly, and the half eaten carcass of a human body and
the creature was found in an abandoned Griffins nest five day journey from the original site. The body was severely
dismembered and missing the head. From the evidence nearby it was determined to be of Harry Potter. The evidence in
question was his wand, identified by Mr. Oliverand and a broken watch identified by Ms. Granger to be a birthday gift
from one of his many female admirers, Ms. Ginny Weasley sister of the newly
appointed liaison to Moroccan ministry Weatherby Weasley, in the wake of this terrible event.
The evidence point to Mr. Potter apparating the beast to the Griffin's nest that he was studying for his school homework. As soon as the Griffins spotted the pair, they were attacked and eaten. The world it seems is once again in debt to Harry Potter last of the Potter family line. We only hope that his sacrifice will inspire others to be as brave and valiant in the face of danger. There will be commemorative issue of the Daily Prophet printed this afternoon available to the public free of charge. It is our way to remember a great hero.
The main funeral will be held on 2nd September at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Attendance to the funeral will be limited to Students and selected close friends only. There will be a public ceremony at Ministry Head Quarters at 3:00pm on 3rd September"
When Millicent Bullstrode the Slytherin finished reading the paper out loud she cried openly. Some of her classmates
mostly girls joined in some of the boys also tried to console the girls. The majority of the Slytherins were
celebrating, until a wave of curses from all direction silenced them. Then someone pointed something in the sky.
" Is it a bird?" asked Lavender Brown.
" No. ITS HARRY POTTER!!!, HE'S ALIVE!!! HE'S ALIVE !!! And He's on a FLYING CARPET" said Millicent as she jumped in joy. She wasn't the only one who was happy, but she was one of the few Slytherins to do so. Their was almost a deafening cheer that went across the platform.
' Why do I always have to make grand entrances?' thought Harry as he started to remember the events of the last few days....
Hermione couldn't even dare to believe it, for if it was a mistake she was going to have to go through the pain all over again. But something inside her made her start to move to where that person was landing. ' If this is one of Malfoy's tricks, I'm going to kill him.' , thought Hermione as she moved pass the crowd amidst a loud cheer that went up. ' May be it is him'
When she finally waded through all the people that were blocking her way, she started to cry and run towards Harry. She flung her arms around him and started to kiss his cheek and face like a mother, who had just found her lost child after ten years. She didn't care what people thought, nor did she care if Harry was embarrassed. She was happy to have one of her best friends back from the dead and she wanted to show it.
When Hermione separated herself from him, his face was slightly pink. She also noticed for the first time that Harry was standing in his cloak that he wore two and a half days ago, aside from that his glasses were not there either. His clothes were really shredded, and now almost nothing was covering his belly. She could see his chest now sported three deep scars as well as one on his arm. Hermione didn't know it but the smaller scar was the griffins had attacked him.
There was something different about him, almost as if he looked older. But she didn't get to follow that train of thought for long. The conductors of the train had already started to beep their horn in celebration. Ron had heard the loud cheer that went across the platform and decided to investigate it - and since Hermione wasn't there, he was worried.
He found Hermione next to Harry. ' Is that...him? No it can't be!'
" Harry! Harry!" he yelled at the top of his voice getting the attention from Hermione, followed by Harry. Harry smiled and yelled back, " Ron". Both Harry and Hermione started to make their way toward their best friend Ron Weasley. Harry put both his arms on Ron's shoulder and looked Ron up and down. He had grown to a six feet figure. Harry was happy that he had finally grown past his tall friend.
When he finished his inspection, Ron pulled Harry in for a hug. The hug lasted only a fraction of a second, as anything more is looked down upon by others of the male gender. " Good to see you." said Ron, not even noticing the crowd that was around his friend. This is the first time that Ron wasn't jealous of his friend. Until that point he had assumed his friend to be dead and now that he was back he was too happy for words.
" How was you holiday" asked Harry.
" Fine. How was yours?"
" I died. I came back. I got more attention than I wanted at the beginning of the year and I hate Malfoy. All in all.... same as always"
" Let's go inside you two. We're making the train late..." said Hermione, wiping away her tears, grabbing Harry arm with her bother hands and holding him. Alsmot afraid that he was a dream and would leave her if she let go.
" Yes... It's going to be a good year. I can feel it." Said Harry as he put his one arm around her and the other around Ron. Once they entered the carriage Ron locked it with a Locking charm, so that no one could enter.
" Hermione.... Where is my wand?" asked Harry.
" It's in my trunk.... I'll get it."
" Too late. It's coming to me...." as soon as he said this Hermione's trunk with clothes in it exploded, showering the room with bits and piece of clothes. The bit of clothes showered the trio, but Harry had erected a shielding charm around himself before he came down from the carpet and so he wasn't covered in pieces of Hermione's clothes.
The same couldn't be said for Ron and Hermione. Hermione was covered in little bits as opposed to big bits or whole clothes like Ron. Ron's had one of Hermione's bras stuck to his face and one of her panties over his shoulder. As soon as he realized what the pieces of clothing were, his face turned the same shade of red as his hair.
They both looked at where the trunk was to see the wand floating over the mangled cover. The wand made its way across the carriage and into Harry's open palm...
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END OF CHAPTER
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