Faith – A Harry Potter Fanfic

How do all! Here's my second HP story, this time featuring the Gryffindor Goddess Katie Bell, and a Hufflepuff mentioned on the Harry Potter Wikia, Brendon Halkirk. Given Brendon only appears in the PS2 version of POA, and nothing's known about him, I'm making the details about him up myself, and basing his physical form, unashamedly, on myself. The title is taken from a song by rock band The Cure, and the story is canon based around the films, but with some info from the books, covering HBP, DH and the aftermath.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own work. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this is not for profit, only fur fun and creativity.

Chapter 1-St. Mungo's

It was late afternoon on a quiet Saturday in Mid October at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. In the Visitors Tearoom on the top floor, there were very few people inside. Of those there, one of them was a young male by the name of Brendon Halkirk. Brendon was a twenty year old, average height, white half-blood wizard who was dressed like a normal muggle, with a beige polo shirt, beige trousers, black socks and black POD shoes. He was wearing a BEN SHERMAN watch on his left wrist and had a black jacket hanging on the back of the chair he was sitting in. He had cool blue eyes that made him look sharp and attentive, as well as shoulder-length brown hair that was held back in a ponytail. He had a lot of facial hair, including a haggard-looking moustache and a chin curtain beard, plus sideburns that came down to his earlobes. He also carried a bit of flab due to indulging himself in far too many sweets, Chocolate and Takeaways, and his weight was hovering around 14 Stone.

Being a half-blood, Brendon had access not only to many tools of the wizarding world, but also many from the muggle world. His father, an auror who worked for the Ministry of Magic, had served with the Order Of The Phoenix during the first Wizarding War, but sadly died during a skirmish with several Death Eaters, including Bellatrix Lestrange. His mother, a muggle, worked as a nurse at the Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, near where they lived in the village of Waltham, so Brendon was well used to hospitals, but only as a visitor. By some miracle, Brendon had so far managed not to end up as a hospital patient, be it in either Hogwarts, St. Mungo's, or even his own mum's hospital. Even though he had visited the latter on occasions, it was only as a visitor whenever any other family members were patients themselves.

At Hogwarts, Brendon had been sorted into Hufflepuff house, and had proven to be one of their finest students, excelling in Charms, Transfiguration, Defence against the Dark Arts, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes and Duelling, as well as passing his Apparition exam first time. Despite his weight, he was also rather proficient on a broomstick, and he even had an excellent and professional grasp of both wandless and non-verbal magic, something very few people could manage. He had also been a Prefect during his last three years at school, and was well respected and liked amongst many of the staff. He was also a no-nonsense, straight-talking man, and a great advocator of common sense, something that seemed to be lacking in the Ministry at the time. He had, on many occasions, made it clear that he felt Cornelius Fudge, as Minister of Magic was, in his own words, 'An Incompetent, Cowardly Bastard!', and also believed that his successor Rufus Scrimgeour, was just as incompetent, and also downright reckless.

So it was fair to say that Brendon wasn't pursuing a job at the Ministry at this time, even though he had started at Hogwarts at the same time as Percy Weasley. Indeed, he never wanted a job there anyway. Also, despite also starting alongside Oliver Wood, he wasn't looking for a job in Quidditch either, as he never paid much attention to the sport. He had no real idea about what job to go for, and spent most of his time on the Muggle Jobseekers Allowance, leaving him plenty of time to hone his skills, both magical and non-magical. After his father had died, Brendon's mother married a muggle, but they had recently divorced and gone their separate ways.

During their time together though, Brendon had become accustomed to his stepfather's tastes in muggle music, which included a lot of rock bands including Bruce Springsteen, The Who, Suede, Joy Division, New Order, The Cure and The The. Being one of Hufflepuff's finest, Brendon had been able to charm a portable muggle CD player and headphones to work without muggle batteries, and would often spend his free time listening to albums he had borrowed from his stepfather. Whilst at home, he would also spend quite a bit of time using muggle technology, especially computers, and his interest in music also meant he had two muggle electric guitars, both left-handed given he had always been left-handed, which he regularly played when alone in the house.

Personality wise, he was rather standoffish, withdrawn and quiet, spending most of his time reading, listening to music and concentrating on his studies. He was a calm, composed, collected individual for most of the time, but if he was in a rush, he could start to panic, and if something really annoyed him, he wouldn't hesitate to voice his opinions on the matter, not just with the Ministry's complete idiocy, but also with the opinions amongst many in Slytherin house that purebloods were better then muggleborns, which he referred to as being racist, and discriminating against muggleborns. Indeed, he had used his position as Prefect to come down hard on the childish behaviour of many Slytherins on several occasions.

On the day he was visiting St. Mungo's, it was just another typical weekend for Brendon. Since finishing school, he would mainly lounge around the house on weekdays and use his Apparition licence to go sightseeing at weekends. Where he went depended on where he felt like going, and also what the weather was like, but on this day, he had decided to visit London and pay a visit to one his fellow Hufflepuffs, Hannah Abbott. Brendon had become friends with her during his last three years at Hogwarts, which her first three, and was also friends with her uncle Jason, who was a year younger than him, and after hearing about the death of Hannah's mother, he had gone round to see how she was, given she had been removed from Hogwarts because of it, and console her over it, before they went to check up on Jason, whose ambition had been to become a healer, something he had now achieved, as he had been snapped up upon graduating, and now worked on the Artefact Accidents ward on the ground floor.

Whilst Hannah was browsing round the Gift shop, Brendon had settled down in the Tea Room with a Cup of Tea, two scones with butter, and a piece of Chocolate Fudge Cake with whipped cream. He wasn't too hungry on the day, but felt the scones and cake would be enough to fill him up. Whilst sat there, he heard the door opening, and looked up to see a familiar sight greet him. The slick black hair, crooked, upturned nose and black robes of the former potions master and head of Slytherin house, Severus Snape.

While Brendon had managed an Exceeds Expectations in OWL level Potions, it wasn't one of his favourite subjects, and was glad when he didn't have to take it after fifth year, and he had never really liked Snape that much either, not just with how much preference he gave his own house, but also with the fact he was a former Death Eater, which for Brendon was an uncomfortable reminder of his father's death, but he at least had the dignity and common sense to be civil around him. At that point, Snape noticed Brendon sat at one of the tables, and found himself surprised to see him, so he decided to see why he was there.

Brendon saw Snape walking towards him, and groaned inwardly. While he never held anything against Snape, he wasn't too happy about having to talk to him again, especially as it had been well over two years since Brendon had finished. 'Mr. Halkirk' Snape began as he approached; his voice clear and cool as always, 'I must say, I am surprised to see you here'. 'Good afternoon, Professor' Brendon replied calmly, 'I'm only here while Hannah Abbott's visiting her uncle. He works downstairs, you see' he continued. 'Ah yes, Jason I believe' Snape replied, 'he's doing well for himself at the moment. Shame really you don't seem to be following in his footsteps, though' he continued, at which point Brendon looked affronted. 'Listen, if that's a dig at me being unemployed, I expect an apology' Brendon replied, turning to face Snape without fear, I'm not a student anymore' he continued, his voice carrying the slightest tinge of anger about it.

If Snape was able to look amused, it would have shown right now. 'Not to worry; I'm not insulting your lack of suitable work right now. Not everyone's able to find a decent job at times' he replied, his tone of voice unchanged, which did little to erase Brendon's slight anger. 'In any case, I'm not here to nick pick at what former students are up to these days. I'm only here because I needed a small break' he continued. 'What from' Brendon asked, 'it might as well be news to me' he continued, at which point, Snape was about to continue when they were both interrupted.

'Professor Snape!' came the voice, as Hannah returned from the gift shop, extremely surprised to see the new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher at St. Mungo's of all places. 'Ah, Miss Abbott, visiting your uncle, I hear' Snape asked, 'well, you need to keep busy somehow' he continued, to which Brendon stood up sharply, not the slightest bit amused. 'Don't you have a dig at her mother's death, Professor. She's still reeling from it, you know' he replied, his voice clear and sharp, a sign that the no-nonsense man Snape knew from school had changed very little.

'Very well, I apologise for the comment then' Snape replied, knowing he couldn't win outside of school, 'as it happens, I was only here for another reason' he continued. 'What' Brendon and Hannah both asked at the same time. 'There was an incident in Hogsmeade earlier on. Miss Bell has been admitted to the ward Jason works on' Snape replied, at which point, Hannah had to stifle a shriek while Brendon looked dumbstruck. 'You mean… Katie Bell' he asked, 'yes, I'm afraid so' Snape replied, looking surprisingly glum. 'She's being looked at now as we speak' he continued, at which point, Brendon rushed past, grabbed his black jacket and hurtled downstairs, quickly followed by Hannah, with Snape following moments later.

When they made it down, Brendon felt his heart sink at the sight that greeted him. There, on one of the beds, was Katie Bell, a 7th year Gryffindor he had been friends with since his last year at Hogwarts and developed a crush on, looking pale and unconscious, her long brown hair splayed everywhere, while many healers, including Jason, a tall, 6' 4" white male with short blonde hair, working on her. Beside him, Brendon noticed that Hannah was struggling not to cry over the whole thing. Lost and unable to say or do anything for the sight he was seeing, Brendon put his hands behind his head in complete disbelief. He couldn't understand what had happened to Katie, and why, and he was hoping Snape had some, if not all the answers he needed. So he was silently relieved when moments later, Snape arrived behind them both, his face set in stony silence.

'I presume you would both like to know what happened, then' he asked, with which Brendon, still shell-shocked from the news, had to breath deeply to avoid breaking into tears himself. 'Yes' he replied simply, with which Snape directed Brendon and a tearful Hannah through the corridor and into a vacant office, where he closed the door behind them to that they could speak. 'Before I tell you both, I need to make sure you won't say anything about this to anyone apart from Katie when she recovers' Snape asked, with which Brendon and Hannah looked at each other briefly before turning to face Snape again.

'Okay' they both replied. 'Very well. Earlier today, Katie was placed under the Imperious curse and ordered to deliver a cursed necklace to Professor Dumbledore' Snape replied, nearly causing Hannah to faint and leaving Brendon gobsmacked. 'What happened then' he asked, 'Katie ended up arguing about the package with one of her friends at which point the package tore and the necklace brushed the tiniest bit of her skin' Snape continued, leaving Brendon feeling sick to the stomach.

'Will she be fine' he asked, his nerves beginning to fray a little in panic, 'Yes, she will be' Snape replied, much to Brendon and Hannah's relief. 'Because it was only the tiniest bit of skin, she avoided the worst of it, but she's still in great pain, and chances are, she could be here for months' he continued glumly. 'Well as long as she's still alive, that's all that matters to me' Brendon replied, just about able to keep his composure, much to Snape's silent amusement. 'You seem to like her a lot, don't you' he asked quietly, 'Isn't it obvious' Brendon replied, 'I only started noticing her in my last year, but I still believe she's the most beautiful young woman I've ever seen in my life. Who could do this though' he asked, his voice quivering slightly, 'what kind of... MONSTER would do this?' he pleaded.

'I'm afraid the monster responsible is my godson, Draco Malfoy' Snape replied glumly, with which Brendon's expression changed instantly, from near tears to anger. 'WHAT' he all but shouted, 'THAT LITTLE... BASTARD!' he all but spluttered, causing Hannah to back away slightly. She knew that when Brendon was angry, it was not a good sign. 'What in the world POSSESSED him to DO THAT?' he demanded. 'I knew he had it in for Harry Potter and his friends, but this is going too far'.

'It's not like he had a choice, though' Snape replied, 'what do you mean' Brendon asked his anger still bubbling beneath the surface, 'I'm sure you know about the Department of Mysteries incident' Snape asked, 'yes' Brendon replied, trying to control his anger, 'and I heard Lucius Malfoy ended up being arrested' he continued. 'Well, after Lucius made, a fool out of himself lets say, his master was not one bit pleased, especially as he had gone to retrieve the prophecy' Snape replied. 'The one concerning Harry I guess' Brendon theorised, 'indeed' Snape replied, 'and because Lucius messed up so badly, the Dark Lord decided to punish Draco by forcing him into the Death Eaters ranks, and by giving him an impossible mission' he continued.

'Y-You mean, k-kill Professor Dumbledore, or d-die trying' Hannah then asked, her voice shaking with fear. 'Yes' Snape replied glumly, with which Hannah broke out in tears while Brendon looked dumbstruck. Now that he realised the severity of the situation, his anger with Draco was subsiding. Okay, he was still angry with him for not trying to resist somehow, but he could now feel sorry for him all of a sudden. But Brendon still wondered something might be possible. 'Can't you do anything' he asked quietly, 'There is one thing I have planned' Snape replied, 'Dumbledore knows about it as well, but we can't do anything right now without the Dark Lord becoming suspicious' he continued.

'Right' Brendon replied, 'and also, Professor Dumbledore has less than a year to live as we speak' Snape replied, leaving both Brendon and Hannah shocked. 'What happened' Hannah asked, 'he was hit by a deadly curse from a ring. I was able to contain it to his right hand, but it will spread' Snape replied, at which point, something in Brendon's mind clicked. 'I see now, I'm guessing that you're under orders from Albus to kill him off for two reasons. One, to spare Draco, and two, to stop him dying painfully' he theorised. 'Yes' Snape replied glumly, at which point, both Hannah and Brendon had some newfound respect for Snape. Like many people, they had previously thought that he was cold and standoffish, but now they could see that he did have some compassion about him, compassion Brendon thought, that might get him killed sooner or later, but he kept quiet about it.

'Why did Katie have to get caught up in it though' Hannah asked quietly, feeling sorry for the injured 7th year. 'She was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time' Snape replied, 'but I'll be visiting here whenever I can to help her recover' he continued, at which point, Brendon made a decision to himself. 'In that case, I'll help as well' Brendon replied, 'I don't want to lose Katie to anything. I'll see if I can help out here' he continued. 'Me too' Hannah piped up, 'I might as well do something with my time, if it's going to help a good friend' she continued. Snape was rather surprised to hear that they wanted to help, but he could understand where they were both coming from. Hannah and Katie had obviously grown close in the last year thanks to Dumbledore's Army, while Brendon, as he had mentioned, had harboured feelings for Katie for over two years, and they were driving him in the bid to help her recovery.

'Very well then' Snape replied. 'I'll have a word with the staff, see if they can take you both onboard, but I'm wondering whether you'll want to talk to Dumbledore about all this' he then asked. 'I do' Brendon replied, 'cause if it's got anything to do with the war, then I'm gonna need some more answers, and I'm sure Katie will want some as well once she's recovered', Okay then' Snape replied, once Katie's fully recovered and back at Hogwarts, I'll make an appointment for you both to see Albus. Now, if you excuse me, I need to return to Hogwarts' he continued.

'See you around then' Brendon replied, to which Snape replied in the same manner, before leaving the office and making his exit. Once Snape had gone, Brendon and Hannah left the office as well, their heads still spinning from what they had heard. 'Do you think we can actually help' Hannah asked, to which Brendon turned to face her, 'well, we can give it a bloody good try' he replied, we'll just have to wait and see'. And with that, Brendon and Hannah took one last look at Katie, still comatose and pale, before they left the ward.

After having a word with the management at St. Mungo's, Snape was able to get Brendon and Hannah permission to help out, starting the very next day if possible, though Brendon would need to provide his grades before he could start, and Hannah was limited to minor duties given technically, she was still a student, but this was something Hannah knew she could live with. With that out the way, Brendon apparated the pair of them back to Hannah's house to drop her off before apparating back home.

Once home, Brendon spent the rest of the day helping his mother out with various chores and surfing the internet on the computer before getting tea, a couple of sandwiches, and then preparing himself for bed. That night, before climbing into bed though, Brendon did something he never usually did and prayed. He never went to church and was never part of any religion. Heck, he wasn't sure if God even existed, but he decided to pray for Katie that night, because he felt it was something worth trying.

'Think, o God, of our friend who is ill, whom we now commend to Your compassionate regard.

Comfort her upon her sickbed, and ease her suffering. We beg for deliverance, and submit that no healing is too hard for the Lord, if it be Her will.

We therefore pray that You bless our friend with Your loving care, renew her strength, and heal what ails her in Your loving name.

Thank You, Lord'.

And with that, Brendon turned himself into bed for the night, and silently hoped that Katie would recover from her injuries, and that he could do something to help with it.

So what do you think? Comments would be appriciated.