Chapter 25: Aftermath *******************Riddle Mansion**************************
June 5, 2005
A tall blond man and a black haired woman kneeled before a tall hooded man, The lights were very low in the room, indeed, Lucius Malfoy, one of the supplicants on the floor, had trouble seeing his master. The only real light in the dungeon room came from a couple of torches and the red glowing eyes of Voldemort. "Lord, I"
Voldemort stopped his pacing and glared at Malfoy, "How is it that a terror attack, one that was meant to show well and truly that I had returned and throw the public into panic failed so miserably? How was it that I sent three dragons, a hundred trolls and almost fifty of your comrades and only yourself, Bellatrix and one dragon return? How is that?" Voldemort asked almost conversationally. He turned to Bellatrix, "How is it that I hear from you that Potter is dead or soon will be then this very morning I hear from our spy that he is not only alive, but according to some stories may have accounted for at least half of my followers that I sent on the attack?" Voldemort turned slightly to Dolohov, who was standing to one side, "Bring me Malfoy's wife."
"NO MY LORD!" Lucius shouted, only to be stopped by a raised hand. "She will not be harmed as long as you perform adequately from now on, but as to now, CRUCIO" Lucius Malfoy dropped to the ground screaming. "Take him away, remove the curse, in ohh a half hour." Several other Death Eaters hastened to comply. "Now as to you Bellatrix, I could curse you, but you probably would like it, it would probably even turn you on. I could get your useless husband, but I doubt that would bother you either. I will think on this, but remember always, you live only at my sufferance. Now go." Bellatrix never looked, up just scuttled from the room, and at a look most of the rest of the Death Eaters followed her.
Voldemort began pacing again, brooding. With an spoken thought, "Harry, Albus, I have underestimated you, I see now that I must look for another way to destroy you, perhaps though others, perhaps..." A low chuckle emanated from under his cowl as he worked through the possibilities in his head. "Bring me the captive." His chuckle turned to full on laughter, as he saw the terrified visage of Sibyl Trelwany being led before him. As he motioned, two of his followers dragged her to him.
"LEGILIMENS" Trelwany screamed hoarsely as he forced his mind into hers. After a minute she started twitching and finally flopped unconscious, a trickle of blood coming from her nose and dripping down onto the already stained floor.
Voldemort motioned to one of his followers, "Dump her back in Hogwarts, leave her alive, I want them to wonder. I want them to not sleep at nights."
**************************Hogwarts, Infirmary*****************************
The casualties of yesterday were in the infirmary, at the least the student ones. The townspeople's were in St Mungo's, hastily set-up infirmaries or in the local morgue. Harry looked up as he entered the infirmary, to see that the nurse portraits were in on the act, watching over particularly injured students like life monitors in a muggle hospital. Of his housemates only Dean was actually in the infirmary, Ginny had had her arm fixed in the field and was even now on probably on patrol with her brother, on prefect duty. All of the prefects, and capable members of the DA, were periodically checking up on the school, there were no real classes for the remainder of the week, though Harry had already agreed to expand the previously planned nightly DA meetings to help those who were not DA members, but now thought they might need the skills. In fact the meetings were so large they were to be in the Great Hall. But for now Harry was looking in on the injured, most of who were members of the DA. Harry had taken responsibility for them in his mind the instant he had starting giving orders, he felt responsible, no matter what anyone else said. "Hi Pavarti" Harry said quietly to her, she was sitting next to her sister, who along with Cho, had blinded the first Dragon.
"She's ok, Harry, I'm glad you came by, she's just asleep, though the howler mum sent damn near woke her up and half the rest of the folks in the infirmary as well," Pavarti said with a forced grin, as she brushed the hair from the eyes of her unconscious twin.
Harry just chuckled a bit, "You didn't hear the one Molly sent to Arthur this morning... if you need anything." Harry said quietly laying his hand on her shoulder for a second, then at a slight headshake he nodded and moved on to...Cho. "Hi Cho." He said to his ex- who happened to be awake now, she like Padma was still in for observation.
"Harry" She looked up at him and with a weird expression, "I'm still kind of mad at you, but I apologize for the thing on the train. I'll be ok Harry, you did good out there, and I don't think we would have made it out alive..."
"Tell it to them," Harry replied wearily, gesturing with his head towards the next room were the bodies of several students waited for their parents to come and claim them.
"Harry, no matter what else happened last year between us, I meant it, you led us well, and if it had been anyone else I doubt any of us would be here now." Cho replied with sincerity in her eyes.
"Thanks" Harry muttered and walked on, as he approached the next student, a Ravenclaw friend of Padma's whose name he couldn't remember for the life of himself, he felt a smaller hand seek his out and intertwine its fingers with his. "Mione" he said quietly without turning.
"You're going to visit everyone, aren't you?" She asked, even though he knew it wasn't a question.
"Yeah"
"Then let's go" and she did, staying with him as he visited every student still in the infirmary, even those that had not been in the DA, but had been injured in the dual explosions of Zonkos and Honeydukes, or the evacuation. Finally she pulled him away to the hall outside. "Ok Harry?" She asked throwing her arms around his neck.
"Yeah Mione" Harry replied in a whisper, as tears started to fall silently down his cheeks, "it's just that those kids, some of which like Ernie, gave his life and I didn't even really like him. And I just feel responsible Hermione."
"I know you do love, it's because were the good guys." She gave him a half smile as she leaned in, her lips met his and for a moment neither of them felt much of anything though their pounding hearts, the energy crackling in the air, and the electricity that coursed though their bodies at the long delayed out come. Curiously, this was their first kiss since they had finally admitted their feelings for each other, in fire and death, except for that kiss of thanks during Harry's report to Dumbledore following the battle. They pulled apart slightly. "I love you, Harry."
"I love you too, Hermione" Harry replied in a whisper for her ears only, a small odd corner of his mind comparing the kiss to his with Cho, and even though there were tears in both, in this one the adjectives, explosive, electric or just...right would apply, not the adjective the previous one to Cho had acquired...wet.
As they stood foreheads together, they suddenly heard "NO FUCKING WONDER" thunder out down the hall. Their heads instantly snapped apart and to find Ron staring at them from the end of the hall. Harry suddenly saw several emotions on his friend's face including one he had never seen before. The jealousy he has seen, and the anger, but the hatred? Ron walked closer to them and they pulled all the way apart. "So Hermione, this is why you turned me down, had to be with the rich hero huh?" Hermione's eyes grew huge, but before she could respond he went on, he was on a roll. "And you, Harry? Just have to have everything, huh, the big seeker, the big hero, the money, the house and now the girl huh? So Hermione, are you putting out for him yet?" Ron said snidely. Harry looked apoplectic, if this were Draco, he'd be dead were he stood, but this was Ron? It was only though sheer willpower, that Harry kept his powers in check, he could feel them, bubbling up inside, begging to be set free.
That last comment was far too much; two female voices snapped back, "RONALD!" Ginny's soft voice echoed Hermione's; she had just come out of the infirmary where she had been visiting friends. Before Hermione could even say another word or punch him in the face, the tiniest Weasley stood in front of her brother, and even though she was at least a foot shorter, laid into him with a chewing worthy of their mother. "RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE A GIT AND CAN'T BE HAPPY FOR YOUR FRIENDS DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN TAKE IT OUT ON THEM. IF I WERE THEM I'D HAVE YOUR HEAD FOR THAT, LAST COMMENT, AND AS IT IS I'M TEMPED ANYWAY. I KNOW YOU WERE TOO STUPID TO SEE PAST YOUR OWN BLINDERS, BUT STEP UP AND APPLOGIZE." Ron however, just shook his head and walked away. Hermione and Harry started to take off after him only to be also stopped by Ginny before they took two steps. "No stay, he'll get over it. It's his fault; well mostly anyway, if you two had just paid attention years ago, we probably wouldn't have had that. I'll talk to him, quietly ok?" Harry and Hermione just nodded in mute response as she walked off. After she was gone, Hermione cried softly into Harry's shoulder and he bent his head into hers, both afraid that they have just lost their other best friend.