Chapter 7 - Heartbreaks and Healing.
The deafening silence in the Great Hall mirrored the mood of the students. The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs each lost a member of their houses, and were in mourning . The Gryffindors were in shock too; a large number of them were missing from the table. Most notably were Ron Weasley, his sister Ginny, and Hermione Granger. For many others, their bandages were still fresh, some with crisp red stains. One Gryffindor sat at the table, alone and uninjured, unable to look or speak to any of those in the room.
There was not one Slytherin missing or hurt, and a few were actually smirking at the pain of those who were suffering. One Slytherin was notably quiet; he had been listed as missing when the explosion occurred, but was safely on the train, waiting to leave.
"May I have everyone's attention, please?" Professor McGonagall began, "In light of today's events, the welcoming feast and sorting ceremony have been cancelled. All first years will be sorted now by Professor Snape, and will be sent to their new houses. Will the prefects please return for the first years once you have escorted the remaining class members? And will Harry Potter please report to the Headmaster's office. Thank you."
Harry didn't like the sound of being called to the headmaster so soon. He stood from his seat and left in the opposite direction as the other students, and walked to the familiar statue of a phoenix. Without knowing the new password, the stature turned and the staircase appeared, as if it was waiting for him. He climbed the stairs and the door opened as the headmaster beckoned him inside.
"Harry, we must hurry."
"Why? What's going on, professor?"
"I'm taking you to St. Mungo's. Ron and Hermione are there, and then I must check on the others who were taken to the Muggle hospital, Ginny Weasley and Parvati Patil are there."
"Thank you, Professor. I've been worried about them. How are they?"
"Ron was badly injured. From what I understand, he saved Miss Granger's life by shielding her body with his. If it weren't for her quick thinking and her advanced studies, Mr. Weasley would have died in her arms. She managed to stop his wounds from bleeding until help arrived."
"I need to talk to them both, I need to fix some things, I've been---"
"You need to tell them, not me. Now, we've wasted enough time." With that he tossed a handful of powder into his fireplace, and said " St. Mungo's Hospital", and in a flash of green flames, he disappeared. Harry quickly followed.
"They're resting quietly," The medi-witch told them "She's refused to leave his side, and since she wasn't physically hurt, we let her stay. It seems to help them both. Right this way and please don't upset Mr. Weasley."
"Ron? Hermione?"
"Harry? You've decided to talk to us again?" the young witch snapped.
"Hermione, please, I feel…"
"Like shit I hope. (cough…) Why'd you decide to show your face now? Decide (cough…cough) to crawl out of your hole? People are dying just to keep you safe… (cough… cough)… you fuckin' coward…"
"Ron, don't strain yourself." She cooed to the wounded wizard, stroking his hair. She stood and grabbed Harry by the arm and pulled him to the hallway.
"You heartless bastard! You have ANY idea what you did? That boy in there LOVED you and you tore his heart out."
"You can't understand. You can't know---"
"What pain and suffering is? Maybe not like you've been through, but yes, we ALL have suffered."
"Hermione, no, you have no idea what life is like to be without a family. I wanted, needed to talk to you, but you said you were leaving, and things happened fast that first week in that house. I couldn't think clearly, there's too much going through my head. I was hurting, still... hurt. But I don't expect you to understand."
"I wrote you the NEXT day and said I wasn't going. You COULD have called! And HOW can I understand if you WON'T talk you us."
"That doesn't matter now. They wouldn't have let me call you anyway. Besides, nothing you could have said would have made any difference."
"That DAMNED defeatist attitude… You NEED to get over that. We're all in this together. When Sirius' will was read, Ron hoped you'd be living with them. He wanted to go get you when you stopped replying to our owls. And when we found out what happened…"
"How did you find out? I didn't tell anyone, no one was there except a kid in the park and…"
"Your aunt owled me and told us."
"She OWLED you? Like she cared."
"You're wrong, Harry. She asked that I didn't tell you or let your uncle find out. She was quite concerned about you being moody and withdrawn, and not eating. She said she found bloody towels and our letters to you in the trash."
"I got beat up by Dudley's gang, and I wasn't welcome there. Not after what I heard Vernon say my first night back. I just came tonight to make sure you were ok. PLEASE tell Ron I'm sorry."
"For WHAT? Did you make that thing blow up? Did YOU do all this?"
"If it wasn't for me---"
"STOP with the self-righteous crap, Harry. IT"S NOT your fault. It's your FATE…You're NOT the one responsible for any of this, so get over it. You have people that love and care for you..."
"…That KEEP GETTING HURT OR KILLED! And now look what's happened, Sirius and Cedric died, Ron's hurt and Hannah and Padma are dead."
That news hadn't been told to her yet. "Hannah Abbott, from Hufflepuff and Padma? What happened to Parvati?" the anger in her voice quivered and disappeared.
"We're going to visit her and Ginny at the Muggle hospital. Parvati might lose her arm. You stay with Ron. We'll talk when you get to school. I promise."
"Ginny? How bad is she?"
"I don't know. I think Ron and Parvati are the worst, Luna has a broken leg."
"Ron doesn't know. Please don't tell him until he's stronger. Harry, but again remember it's NOT your fault. I'll calm Ron down, he's really pissed, not because he got hurt, but he thinks you didn't care."
"I… I tried to help. I was around the corner, Tonks held me back. She wouldn't LET me help. I could have stopped it."
"It was a freak accident, how could you stop it?"
"It was Bellatrix. Talk to Ron, please. Tell him I'm sorry." His voice trailed off as he spoke.
Harry turned from his friend, hoping he could one day rebuild his friendships. Now he and the Headmaster needed to visit two more.
"Come Harry, Ron will be fine. Like you, he now needs time to heal." Dumbledore held Harry's hand in his and they disappeared together with a pop.
Instantly, they reappeared in an alley next to the hospital where Ginny and Parvati had been taken. The headmaster waved his wand over his clothes and his robes turned into the closest Muggle clothes he could conjure, colorful bellbottom pants and tie-dyed shirt, like an aging hippie.
Once inside, they asked for Ginny and Parvati, the desk nurse refused them entry, unless they could show a reason to visit.
"I am the girls' headmaster at the school they both attend, and I am ultimately responsible for their safety. I failed that task this morning and I need to check on them."
"That's fine. Son, you'll have to wait here."
"Why can't I go? Ginny is my, umm, step-sister." He told a fib. She wasn't his step-sister, , not technically, but he was part of the Weasley family in a way.
"Alright, then I guess its ok, they did list a large number of brothers, but no step-brother."
"Her parents were made my guardians this summer, since I've lost my parents."
"I'm sorry, go ahead then. Visit you new sister."
They found their way to the ward where Ginny was waiting, she had been laying on a bed, still in her bloody robes, head bandaged.
"Ginny…"
"Harry? How did, oh, sorry Headmaster, I didn't see you."
"Perfectly ok, I'm here to bring you back, we just stopped to visit your brother, he'll be fine in a few days. "
"Ron was hurt?"
"Yes, he'll be fine. Harry would you stay here while I see to Miss Patil?"
"Sure." Harry was left alone with Ginny, knowing full well he's got a lot of explaining to do. "Ginny, I…"
"No, Harry. If you're going to just say 'I'm sorry' then forget it. You've been a prat all summer, thinking only of yourself."
"Look, I just had this out with Hermione…"
"And you'll have it out with ME too, mister."
The fiery Weasley temper had been boiling for a couple months, and that pot was about to over flow. "Do you have ANY idea how Ron felt when you ignored him? And what about when Hermione tried to talk to you, you bit her head off."
"GINNY… SHUT UP!" He clamped his hands over his face and began to break down. "You… just…
don't..."
"Harry?" That's when she know she pushed him over the edge. "Harry?"
"I-I can't, not now..." As he started for the door; she grabbed his arm and stopped his retreat.
"Harry… please… I'm sorry. Why can't you just talk to me? I want to help."
"Ginny, you of all people should understand. Remember how you felt when Riddle forced you to do things?"
"Yes, why?"
"That's how I feel all the time. He's linked inside my head. He can see into me and see my feelings. He uses that to twist me, to hurt those around me. I can't explain it better then that, but you should know what I mean."
She looked up into his eyes, seeing the pain deep behind them and simply nodded. She slipped her arms around his neck, and put her head on his shoulder. He slipped his arms around her waist, and placed a kiss on her head, being careful to avoid her wound so to not to hurt her any more.
"Does that hurt?"
"Much, they used a needle and thread to sew my head up. They said they put in 35 'stitchers'."
"You mean 'stitches.' You forgot I grew up as a Muggle."
She turned her head to face him, closed her eyes and placed her lips to his, tentatively parting her lips. He felt her tongue at his lips and responded. Their first kiss deepened, each seeking the comfort of the other, neither knowing where it could or should lead them.
Harry broke away, "Sorry, maybe we shouldn't."
"Shhh, Harry. Its fine, I've wanted to do that for years." They both sat on the bed, her head resting on his shoulder, and waited for the headmaster to retrieve them. "Tell me about Ron."
He proceeded to tell all he knew to that point, about Ron and Hermione, Hannah and Padme, deaths, and Parvati's arm. She knew about their other friends' minor injuries and shared that with him.
"Harry, promise me you won't act like this again, come to me if you feel down."
"I'll try." He placed a tender kiss on her forehead.
- - -
Headmaster Dumbledore found his way to a waiting area, where Parvati's parents were waiting. "How is she?" he asked Parvati's father.
"These Muggles are doing something to her arm, why couldn't she go to our hospital?"
"From what I understand, the extent of her injury couldn't be fixed by our people. Her arm was nearly severed. These people have techniques that could save her arm, and we must trust them. I must also offer my condolences for your other daughter. I had received an initial report that it was done by a group of Death Eaters."
"NO…" Parvati's mother swooned and fainted at the mention of those responsible.
"How do you know this, headmaster?"
"One of our students who was tuned into their activities was able to see the attack."
"Who? I want to know their involvement. I want to know who's responsible for Padma's death."
"He would rather be left anonymous for the moment, but I assure you his integrity is unquestioned."
"How can you be sure? How do you know he's not hiding something?"
"All I can tell you is he is in the same house as Parvati and has more at stake then you or I."
"Is there anything else you can tell us? I won't rest until those responsible are held accountable."
"I fully understand, I'll have a talk with him and see if he'll talk to you about what he knows. He's also still very shaken. I have a couple students here to return, and one at St Mungo's Hospital to retrieve. I will be visiting Parvati daily. If you will agree, and if she is up to it, there are a number of classmates that would wish to visit."
"That would help her. She's been through a traumatic day."
"Then, until tomorrow, and please send me word as soon as she is out of the surgery."
"Good day and thank you for coming."
"One more thing, if you agree, I will have someone I trust guard her until she returns to Hogwarts."
"Please, that would make us both feel better."
- - -
"Miss Weasley, Mr. Potter, are you both ready to leave?"
The three departed for school, and were escorted to their common room by the headmaster. "Please rest tonight, I'm sure there will be a lot of question, for the both of you."
He turned back out the portrait hole and left to bring Hermione back.
Harry turned to leave for his room beginning to feel his depression return, when Ginny called to him, "Please stay for a minute, Harry."
A sigh escaped his lips as he turned, "I really feel kind of tired."
"Please, I'm still shaking."
He walked back to the only other person who could understand how he felt, sat down next to her and she laid her head on his shoulder. He could feel her body tremble with a mixture of fear and pain.
"Shhh… it's going to be ok Gin."
"Harry, will it?" She turned to face him, looked into his eyes, and could still see his pain. "You know I had a crush on to since I first saw you."
"Yeah, I guess I did. I remember when Ron, Fred and George got me the second year and the look on your face when you came down the stairs looking for your jumper. I'll never forget it."
"I wasn't expecting to see anyone there." She blushed a deep crimson.
"When I heard you were in the Chamber, I knew Ron would try and find you, I couldn't stand the thought of what could have happened to you."
"I'm glad you found me." She nuzzled closer, and wrapped her arm through his. He looked down at her head, the bandage still fresh, he could smell the distinctive odor of the blood that was still in her hair. This upset him more then all the events of the summer, including his own wound. They sat staring into the fire for a long while; they savored these few minutes of tranquility, oblivious to anything around them. They both failed to notice a shadow slip through the portrait and pause.
"Tell me what happened this summer that made you so upset. Please…"
He thought back to the first day of summer, what he over heard and the things he thought. The things he said to his closest friends, the way he treated them and himself and how he felt about betraying them. He thought back to a single event where he forgot his problems to help a young boy. He though of Sirius, the will, his loneliness since then, the dreams he had. Those didn't seem so important compared to the recent events. He was glad to be able to release these from his mind and quickly told her everything he could. Ginny looked up to him and could see the pain in his eyes start to fade. She pressed her lips to his once again, this time, both eager to share the experience. He felt a wave of peace for the first time in many months.
In the corridor, the shadowy figure listened to the tale that unfolded, and watched the tender interactions, smiled softly and slipped away, unnoticed.
"Gin, talking things with you helped me clear my head, but Ron is still quite pissed and me. I don't want him angry with you because of me."
"I'll talk to him when he gets back. Besides, if you haven't noticed, I think he and Hermione had kind of been dating since…"
"When?"
"Well, since she came for the summer, they've been inseparable since she said she talked to you."
"Then they really don't need me around."
"That's not true. They BOTH love you and I've seen how your behavior's affected them both."
"Then it's good they have each other."
"What about you? I'm happy right here like this, are you?"
"I'm not sure. It's hard for me to put into words, but the happiest I've been has been here at school. I've never really felt anything for anyone before, until Sirius came into my life. But now he's gone. I don't know if I can take feeling like that again."
"So, you're saying you're not happy like this? You need to take a chance, you might be happy." She wrapped her arms around him and held him as tightly as she could.
"I-I really don't know what I'm suppose to feel, so I don't know. But I don't feel as bad as I did."
"Well, I'll take that as a start. It's late. I'd love to stay here all night, but my head is aching and I need to get cleaned up. I must smell awful."
"No, not really, considering I'm just as ripe."
"Well," she stood up, and gave Harry a last kiss, "I'm off to bed. Night, Harry, and don't worry about Ron, it'll work out."
"Night, Gin."
They both left the common room for their own dorms to take a quick shower and sleep.
Harry's dorm room was the same one he's shared with Ron, Neville, Dean and Seamus. Ron was still in hospital, and the others were fast asleep. Harry, as tired as he was, changed into his bed clothes, tossed his soiled clothes into a pile in the corner of the room, to be cleaned later and fell asleep the minute his head hit the pillow. A small silver object fell from the pocket of his trousers and rested just out of sight under his dresser.
His first thoughts were the soft lips he just tasted, then her gentle caresses through his hair. The softness of her touch sent chills through him.
He released himself from the embrace, she drifted backwards, backwards, falling, falling, he still held her hand they were both falling down an abyss. As he felt her hand slip from his, she disappeared into the darkness. He reached for her, but could not see her. He heard her call his name, 'Harry… I'm here, I can't see you…' He kept reaching, reaching, falling, falling…
His eyes grew to see in the darkness; red slits bore into the dark. Red slits seeing the girl fall as he cracked a laugh that would curdle milk, a sinister laugh. He watched as the girl splashed into the crimson pool at the bottom of the abyss.
He fell into the same pool and passed through to the other side, there he heard a familiar hiss.
"CRUCIO… Now you can suffer your failure. You had them all, if you only waited a minute. CRUCIO…" The witch receiving the punishment doubled in pain, her very skin quivering from the muscles contracting and releasing at an alarming rate. Trickles of blood leaked from the corners of her mouth, eyes and ears, as she was dealt the vengeance of her master. A blood-curdling laugh, quite familiar, broke out at the pain being administered.
He broke out into a cold sweat, soaking the bedcovers as he had some months earlier. His forehead burned with pain, but never woke.
He began falling again.
A new-born babe, swaddled in a blanket was being placed in a new mother's loving arms, ripped away and flung into the abyss.
He screamed out in pain for the loss he witnessed.
"WORMTAIL, you worthless scum… FIND THE BOY or Nagini will dine well tonight!"
His remaining roommates gathered around his bed, and tried to wake him.
"STUPEFY-- WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA ," He was thrown back; the girl in his arms was torn from him. He watched the girl rise in the air, her back to him. The blood poured from her body to pool at his feet... A green glow surrounded the body; he heard a voice and an unfamiliar curse. "I can SEE what frightens you, mudblood. I can see the one thing you desire. And now, I'm going to deny you that one thing... ORBATOR LIBERI NUDO PUERPERUS!" A green glow surrounded her body, and the worst was done. Harry saw the traces of blood trickle down her leg...
"AVADA KEDAVRA"
"HARRY! WAKE UP!" Neville screamed.
The shock of Neville's scream brought him back, wondering why he was again soaked in his bed with friends surrounding him.