A/N: Second story I've ever posted., third I've written. Learning to Cope Without Arthur is not abandoned or forgotten. I will hopefully have a new chapter up soon. I just had writer's block with it and started on other things. And I should have another story up within the next week or two.
Here's Arthur's Battle. Enjoy! And please leave reviews!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of these characters. They belong to JKR.
ooOoo
It was the heat of the battle. Death Eaters, giants, and acromantulas were everywhere, inside the castle and out. Kingsley, Arthur, and Remus led troops into the grounds of Hogwarts while the professors commanded troops inside.
Everyone fought their hardest, both good and evil. Many had fallen and many more were injured.
Arthur had taken down many Death Eaters already. He was exhausted but still fought strong. Blood, sweat, and dirt covered his body. His clothes were ripped from curses, hexes, and shrapnel. Throughout the battle, the only thing keeping him going was the hope and knowledge that his family was in one piece and fighting alongside him, even though none of them were in his field of view. Even though he couldn't see his family, he knew he wasn't alone in this fight against evil. Dozens of other duels were taking place around him in the dark grounds.
He was engaged in the most challenging duel he had been in that night. This particular Death Eater was more skilled and had more energy than Arthur and refused to give him any slack, this was a fight to the death after all.
Arthur was so busy dodging and blocking the Death Eater's curses and hexes, he didn't have a chance to fire any of his own.
"Ossis Effergo!" a dark blue jet of light shot out of the end of the Death Eater's wand hitting Arthur in the left leg, causing it to break
Arthur screamed out in pain and collapsed to the ground as a loud cracking noise emanated from his leg. As the Death Eater advanced, Arthur scooted back against the trunk of the tree they were dueling under, doing his best to block the Death Eater's attacks. He was unable to concentrate fully due to the sharp pain in his leg. The Death Eater disarmed him, and Arthur watched as his wand flew from his grasp to land ten feet away.
Disarmed, cornered, and wounded, Arthur did not cower, but stared back with defiance. He knew what was coming. He knew the next curse he would be hit with would most likely be the Killing Curse. Sure he was afraid on the inside, for himself and his family, but he was not going to give the Death Eater the satisfaction of knowing he was afraid during the last moments of his life.
But he was wrong. The next curse to erupt from his opponent's wand was not the Killing Curse. In fact, he wished it had been, in that instant. "Crucio!" It was the most excruciating pain Arthur had ever felt, like hundreds of knives were piercing his body. His screams mingled with the various noises of the raging battle as he writhed on the ground. The curse seemed to last for several minutes and only ceased when a high, cold voice rang through the night air, causing all duels to halt. It was Voldemort's voice, and he called for a one hour armistice.
The pain still lingering, Arthur sat up on his elbows. A feeling of relief rushed over him though he knew he could still be killed before the Death Eater departed. He looked into his enemy's cold, hard black eyes with his soft blue ones as a wand was pointed at his chest.
"Sectumsempra!" a white jet of light collided with his chest and he was slammed into the ground from the impact of the curse. The Death Eater disapparated as blood steadily soaked Arthur's shirt.
Arthur lay on his back gasping for breath and experiencing agonizing pain induced by the curses. He wasn't about to attempt to stand. His wand was still ten feet away also. He tried calling for help, but he couldn't find the strength to vocalize his plea. Arthur would have to wait for someone to find him, so he clenched his teeth, tightly shut his eyes, and tried to steady his breathing in an attempt to ignore the pain.
Everything went black, yet the intense pain remained.
ooOoo
Percy and Neville carried Fred's body into the Great Hall, and laid him next to Remus and Tonks.
The Great Hall quickly filled with people - injured, dead, and unscathed. Percy watched the door, anxiously waiting for his other brothers, sister, and parents, hoping they would all be walking in, not being carried because if they were carried in they wouldn't be alive.
His fears were relieved over the next several minutes. First Charlie came in followed by Bill and Fleur. Molly and George entered next. All were disheveled, scratched, and bloody. All were extremely upset by Fred's death, especially George and Molly. They were all comforting each other and anticipating the arrival of the last three Weasleys along with Harry and Hermione.
"Ginny!" Molly ran and embraced her daughter as soon as she entered the Hall. "Have you seen Ron or your father?"
"They're not in here?"
"No. We were hoping at least one of them would be with you."
"I haven't seen either of them since I left Ron, Harry, and Hermione in the Room of Requirement."
Molly paled at this information. Neither her son nor her husband had been seen in hours.
"Mum, I'm sure their fine," Ginny assured her, trying to assure herself as well. She looked over at her brothers. Her voice was subdued when she asked, "Mum, who - who's that? Who are they standing around?"
Molly hesitated before answering, "F-Fred."
Ginny walked over and knelt beside her brother, joining her family in mourning his death.
Molly pulled Bill to the side, "Bill, I'm really worried. It's been fifteen minutes and neither of them are back yet. They should be back by now." She was on the verge of tears again.
"I know, Mum. Me too." Bill took his mum in a tight hug, trying to comfort her. He wasn't about to tell her they would be okay because he knew she wouldn't believe him, he wouldn't even believe himself. "Just give 'em a few more minutes."
ooOoo
Kingsley and several others were searching the grounds for the dead or injured while others were searching the castle.
He spotted Arthur lying beneath the beech tree, and started making his way to him.
"Arthur? Arthur!"
Arthur didn't respond or move. Kingsley broke into a sprint. As he got closer he could see Arthur's eyes were closed and he looked as if he were in excruciating pain. He also saw the growing red stain on his chest. Kingsley felt a pang as he expected the worst. Arthur had seven kids and a wife who loved him dearly. He wasn't even fifty yet. How would he tell the Weasleys that, not only had they lost a son, but they had also lost a father and husband tonight?
Kingsley knelt beside Arthur and put his hand on the side of his neck, checking for a pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief when he felt the steady, although faint, beat. How much time did he have left? Kingsley would have to work quickly.
"Arthur," Kingsley hurriedly patted Arthur's cheek, trying to wake him up, "Arthur."
When that didn't work, Kingsley pointed his wand at Arthur's chest and said, "Rennervate!"
Arthur groaned weakly, though he did not stir. He couldn't move if he tried. He was in an almost paralytic state.
"Arthur, can you hear me?"
Arthur nodded almost imperceptibly.
"Okay, I know it hurts, but I need you to stay awake," Kingsley said as he ripped Arthur's shirt open to reveal half a dozen deep cuts covering his chest. He started muttering spells and moving his wand along the lacerations. Half of the wounds healed completely leaving scars in their places while the other half barely closed and continued to bleed. With each healed wound, Arthur's pain lessened. The subsequent pain from the Cruciatus Curse was subsiding also. When he had done all he could, Kingsley conjured bandages to place over the still open gashes on Arthur's chest.
Kingsley leaned over Arthur's face when he finished, "Arthur, I need you to open your eyes. Can you do that for me?" Slowly, Arthur's eyes fluttered open. As he looked down into them, Kingsley could see the agony that consumed the blue orbs.
"Atta boy. Where else are you hurt?"
"Leg," Arthur groaned, nearly inaudible.
"Which one? Right?"
Arthur shook his head, a little more so than earlier. He seemed to be regaining mobility.
"Your left then?
Arthur nodded.
Kingsley gingerly moved Arthur's left leg, but swiftly withdrew his hands as Arthur suddenly cried out in pain.
"It's broken. It's too bad for me to fix though. Poppy will have to reset it and fix it…Alright this may hurt a little." Kingsley conjured a splint and started securing his leg. Arthur had to bite his lip to keep from screaming again. "We need to get you sitting up now until I can get someone to help me get you to the castle." Kingsley moved Arthur to rest against the tree trunk.
"Tell me – Tell me Molly's okay?" Arthur asked, breathing unevenly and still in severe pain, "Tell me she's safe, and unharmed?"
"I just saw her a few minutes ago. She's fine, just a few scratches." Relief instantly washed over Arthur at the sound of these words. "How do you feel?"
"A little better, light headed, it still really, really hurts…How long have I been out here?"
"They retreated about ten or fifteen minutes ago. I found you five minutes after. You lost a lot of blood, that's why you're light headed. What still hurts?"
Arthur scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Everything. Can you hand me my wand?" Arthur pointed to his wand still lying in the grass ten feet away.
Kingsley retrieved the wand and handed it to Arthur who holstered it. "You'll probably be in pain for a while, or at least until we get you to Poppy. That was a close call. Who were you dueling?"
Arthur shook his head, "I don't know. He wasn't anyone I recognized," then continued solemnly, "He could've easily killed me, but he used Sectumsempra instead."
"To be honest with you, I think he was hoping you would bleed out before anyone found you."
"That was what I was beginning to think – but, why?"
Kingsley shrugged. "They're Death Eaters."
"Please don't tell Molly what happened. I don't want her upset any more than she will be. She's probably already worried sick about me."
Kingsley looked around for someone to help him get Arthur to the castle. He spotted Seamus a short distance away. "Finnigan!"
Seamus jogged to the two older men underneath the beech tree. "Yes, sir?"
"Help me get Arthur to Madam Pomfrey? Watch out for his chest and left leg -"
"- I'm not going to Poppy right now," Arthur interrupted.
"Yes you are." Kingsley retorted.
"No, Kingsley, I'm not. I'm going to see my family first," Arthur snapped back, "I have to see that Molly and the kids are okay."
He doesn't know about Fred yet? I can't tell him. He needs to be with his family when he finds out. "Alright. Come on, Seamus." Kingsley and Seamus knelt down on either side of Arthur who put his arms over their shoulders. They both grunted as they lifted him off the ground. Arthur groaned in pain as he stood, avoiding putting his left foot on the ground.
The three slowly made their way to the castle. It took them nearly ten minutes to make it to the Great Hall. Arthur blacked out again about halfway to the Oak front doors due to his pain, exhaustion, and blood loss.
The Great Hall and Entrance Hall were extremely crowded. The Weasleys were watching the door intently for any sign of Arthur, Ron, Harry, or Hermione when they saw an apparently lifeless red-haired man being carried in by Kingsley and Seamus.
Arthur hadn't looked this bad since his attack at the Ministry. Scratches and blood covered his face, and he was extremely pale. His red hair was matted with sweat. His blood-soaked shirt was ripped to reveal bloody bandages and both old and new scars on his chest. He looked as if he were dead - everyone thought he was, including his family.
Molly's breath hitched in her throat the second she saw him. Tears began cascading down her cheeks once more. Sensing their mother's sudden distress, Ginny, George, Percy, Charlie, Bill, and Fleur followed her gaze to the trio that had just entered the Hall. The Weasley kids were right behind the matriarch as she weaved her way through the crowd to her husband's side.
Kingsley and Seamus gently laid Arthur down in an empty space on the floor. "Get Madam Pomfrey," Kingsley told Seamus as he checked for a pulse once again, "Tell her what's happened and that the bleeding hasn't subsided," then added in a hasty whisper, "We don't have much time."
Seamus departed to find Madam Pomfrey.
As Kingsley stood and turned to find the Weasleys, he didn't have to look far. Molly and the kids were rushing toward him, they were all clearly upset. He wasn't surprised, seeing how Arthur appeared.
When Molly reached him, Kingsley grabbed her as she tried to reach her husband. She looked from Arthur to him, "Calm down, Molly. He's alive…just unconscious. Seamus went to get Poppy." He then silently communicated with Bill to keep his mother at bay until Madam Pomfrey could work on his father. Bill nodded in understanding, and approached his Mum just as Madam Pomfrey bustled over.
"Mum, why don't we sit down?"
"No, Bill –"
"Let's all go sit down." Bill said sternly. With one last longing look at her husband Molly reluctantly followed her eldest son to a bench across the Hall. The other Weasleys followed.
Kingsley turned and knelt next to Arthur. Madam Pomfrey had administered a Blood Replenishing Potion, and was now trying to wake him up, "Rennervate!"
Arthur did not respond this time.
"Rennervate!" she tried a second time.
Again, he did not respond.
"Why is he not waking up? It should have worked the first time?" Poppy was perplexed.
"I don't know. It worked earlier. His pulse is weakening. We need to do something." Kingsley responded.
"What did you try already?" Poppy asked while removing the dirty bandages.
"Some basic healing spells. I don't know the counter-curse for Sectumsempra."
"I don't think there is one," Poppy said as she cleaned one of the open wounds before pouring a few drops of dittany on the gash. The wound closed and looked as if it were days old rather than not even an hour old. She repeated this with the other two open wounds: they healed the same way. "Well, at least dittany works," she sighed as she leaned back on her heels. "How's his pulse?"
Kingsley placed his hand on Arthur's neck again, "It's getting stronger."
"Good - good. Now, Seamus said something about his leg?"
"Yes. His left leg is broken."
Madam Pomfrey took off the splint, rolled up his pant leg, and healed the broken bone. "He doesn't need to stand on it if he can help it," she told Kingsley. "Now let's try this again," she pointed her wand at Arthur's chest, "Rennercate!"
After a minute or two, Arthur opened his eyes. "You gave us a right scare," Poppy stated.
"Did I?" Arthur asked hoarsely as he ran a hand through his thinning hair to rest beneath his head, a small smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. Checking his wounds one more time and reminding him not to stand on his leg, Poppy bustled off to the next individual who needed her assistance.
"Glad to see you're feeling better," Kingsley chuckled. He was indeed feeling better. The only pain that existed in his body was subtle and he was no longer light headed thanks to the Blood Replenishing Potion.
Arthur nodded, slightly content. His demeanor changed abruptly as a thought struck him. He raised up, wincing slightly, and braced himself on his elbows and fixed Kingsley with a stern look, "Where's Molly – and the kids?"
"Relax. We sent them across the hall since we weren't sure what was going to take place. Here, I'll go get them." Arthur laid back down with his hand cushioning his head as he watched Kingsley disappear into the crowd, content once more.
Kingsley was not surprised by the sight that met his eyes. Molly was clearly still distressed. Five of the Weasley kids surrounded her, trying to comfort her when it was clear they were worried also. And Ron was still nowhere to be seen.
He cleared his throat to announce his presence as he approached. The Weasleys and Fleur looked at him expectantly. A small smile appeared on his face, and the Weasleys relaxed when they saw this. "He's feeling a lot better, and he wants to see you all," although he was speaking to all the Weasleys, he gave Molly a discrete look, silently telling her it was her who he ultimately thought and asked about first.
Molly thanked Kingsley and made her way back through the crowd to her husband. Her kids and Fleur hung back to let their parents have some time to themselves and to try to weasel some information out of Kingsley about what happened.
Arthur sat up warily and rested against the wall as Molly appeared from the crowd. She was relieved to see he had regained his color and had the strength to sit up. Of course, she didn't like seeing that he had accumulated several new scars or the fact that his shirt was still covered in blood.
"Arthur," she whispered as she knelt beside him. He wrapped her in his arms and held her tightly.
"Mollywobbles, you're safe," he breathed into her ear. He knew she didn't like being called that in public, but he didn't care about that right now and neither did she. Besides, who would hear them? All they cared about was that they both made it through the first part of the battle
"So are you," she replied, her voice thick. As she pulled back, cupped his face in her hand, and looked into his eyes which were now unusually bright, "Arthur, I love you. You had me so worried. No one knew where you were for twenty minutes, and then when you came in here," she took a deep, steadying breath as tears started sliding down her cheeks, " I thought you were - I thought - "
Arthur caught her lips with his and kissed her passionately. He didn't want to hear the end of that sentence. He pulled back, rested his forehead on hers, and whispered, "Don't think like that. I'm here now, that's all that matters. Okay?"
She nodded and removed her forehead from his. She saw his tears had escaped. "What happened?" she asked tentatively.
He shook his head. "It doesn't matter."
"Arthur," Molly protested.
"Molly, it will only upset you -"
"- I don't care, Arthur, I'm already upset. I doubt anything you say will surprise me. I saw them carry you in here." Molly was getting agitated.
Arthur sighed. "Love, please calm down. You really don't want to know."
"I have a right to," she retorted.
"Yeah, Dad, we all do," Charlie said. Neither of them had noticed their kids' and Kingsley's presence until now.
"Kingsley wouldn't tell us anything no matter how much we badgered him," Ginny added.
Arthur gave Kingsley an appreciative look then directed his attention back to his family. "You have a right to, yes, but you don't need to know," was his answer.
"Arthur Septimus Weasley, you are going to tell me the whole story right now," Molly's temper was rising quickly.
Arthur gave Kingsley a pleading look, silently asking him for backup.
Kingsley chuckled. "Don't look at me. I'm probably more scared of her than you are."
"Somehow, I doubt that," Arthur mumbled then sighed in resignation. "Alright. Molly, are you sure you want to know?"
"Well, no. I don't want to know, but I think it would be better for you to tell me what happened than let my imagination run with it."
Arthur nodded. He ran his hands down his face, trying to think of an easy way to explain what had happened. Without looking at his wife or any of his kids, he sighed and began, "Okay. I missed a curses that broke my leg, I collapsed, got hit in the chest with another curse, then Voldemort called an armistice. That's it," He would only tell her half of the truth so as not to upset her.
"Look at me, Arthur."
Arthur looked into her eyes.
"That's not the whole story. What else happened? You would have been able to block that last curse."
"You're right. That's not the whole story. I don't want you to know the whole truth. You don't need to know the whole truth."
Kingsley piped in, "Arthur, I think you should tell them everything. They deserve to know."
He looked back into Molly's eyes, "There's no way to say this without upsetting you, dear. I was also unarmed and cornered when the armistice was called." A sob escaped Molly's throat. "He hit me with Sectumsempra when I was coming out of the Cruciatus Curse before he retreated. Then Kingsley found me unconscious five minutes later." Arthur took her into his arms and comforted her as she sobbed into his shoulder.
Once Molly had calmed down, Arthur looked around at his kids. Realization struck him that two were missing. He hesitantly asked, "Where are Fred and Ron?" Everyone's expression turned somber.
"Y-you don't know?" George asked.
"Don't know what?" Arthur was beginning to worry, but he tried to hide that fact. I can't have lost one of my sons, let alone two. Maybe they're alive but badly injured. Yes, that sounds like a good possibility.
Bill spoke this time, "Dad, no one has seen Ron, Harry, or Hermione in hours...And Fred - Fred's," he took a deep breath to maintain his composure and quietly finished, "he's dead."
Suddenly Arthur couldn't look at his family anymore. He placed his hands on his knees and stared at the floor, and choked out, "How?"
No one had asked that question yet, and Percy hadn't told them until now, "A-a wall collapsed on him," Percy replied quietly, his voice thick. All eyes turned to him, but he was staring intently at his feet. "He was laughing when it happened...It shouldn't have been him. I was standing right next to him. It should've been me."
Everyone was taken aback by his last statement, except Arthur who stood and limped over to his third eldest. He placed his hands on his son's shoulders and held him at arm's length. Percy looked up for the first time, and looked into his father's eyes.
"Percy, never, never say that. We love you just as much as any of your siblings" He pulled his son into a tight embrace which quickly turned into a family hug, save for Fred and Ron.
When they broke apart, Arthur asked, "Where is he?"
The family made their way back to where Fred lay; Arthur had help from Charlie so as not to use his injured leg.
The closer they got, the larger the lump in Arthur's throat became. Tears blurred his vision as he knelt beside his son – one of his funny, carefree twins. They began cascading down his cheeks as Molly knelt next to him and put her arm around him. He turned into her embrace.
After several minutes, he pulled back and wiped angrily at his tearstained cheeks. Looking back at his lifeless son, he asked Molly, "Why did this have to happen?" then he turned his gaze to his wife and stated with complete sincerity, "I would rather it have been me than one of our kids."
"I know. Me too. But this is what happened," she took a deep breath, "and there's nothing we can do about it."
The various Weasley family members sat or stood in silence comforting one another over the next few minutes until Ron and Hermione approached. None of them noticed Harry as he ran out of the Great Hall. None of them sensed the guilt he felt for the deaths of the people who fought against the Dark Wizards - people who fought for him.