Chapter 9 – Sorry

Ron, Draco and Hermione were rooted in fear, all of them rendered immobile with shock and fright. Harry had his back to the source of the growl and he was perplexed by the look of terror on their ashen faces. When another more sinister growl was heard, Ron's Auror training kicked in and he went into 'save-the-civilians' mode.

"Harry. Stay where you are. Don't move a muscle." Ron's voice was laced with tension and a tight sense of control.

Harry cocked his head to one side, and stared at his friend. Don't move? What in heaven's name was he up to? Ron didn't seem to heed his own advice and his arm was slowly extending out to Harry. At first, Harry thought that Ron intended for him to take his hand, but then he realized that he was raising his hand to brandish his wand. Before he could warn him off the foolish act, Ron's wand leapt from his arm-holster into his awaiting hand. Ron had no time to even utter a spell before a big black shape growled and pounced on the witless red-head. Harry felt something hit his shoe and he looked down. A stick. The black terror had dropped a stick at his feet.

Harry whipped his head up when he felt the tell-tale sensations that preceded wand magic and saw that both Draco and Hermione had their wands pointed at the beast that was currently sitting on Ron's chest as he lay helpless on the ground.

"Stop! Put those away! What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" Harry shouted, startling everyone besides the large black dog that was growling in Ron's face. Draco and Hermione stared at Harry with incredulous expressions. A beast was attacking their friend and Harry wanted them to put away their wands? Ron would have had the same expression if not for the fact that his attention was focused on the beast that was baring his impressive sat of fangs in his face.

Looking as angry as ever, but now with a touch of amusement, Harry called out, "Nightmare. Come! Get off the idiot."

The big black dog obediently trotted back to his master and happily nudged against his legs. Harry patted the dog on its head and smiled down at the ferocious beast.

"You want to play fetch don't you?" As if he had understood the question, the dog picked up the stick he had dropped with his huge muzzle and offered it to Harry. Blatantly ignoring his friends, Harry took the stick and waved it about in the air.

"You want to play fetch, boy? Well, you better go long, cos this is gonna be a good one!" The beast seemed to be happy with the exclamation and started to bounce away happily. It was terribly disconcerting to see such a huge, fearsome looking creature doing something as silly as bouncing and the three outsiders were very confused, if not a little frightened by the display. Meanwhile, Harry was swinging his arm back to give a good throw. Went the stick flew into the air, the menacing dog did not run after it immediately, to the surprise of the dumb-struck trio. Instead, the black beast called Nightmare turned back and gave them a fierce, warning growl, showing off it's impressive set of canines as if to say 'be careful, I'm watching you', then he bounded off to retrieve the stick.

Harry was looking at his friends with amusement in his eyes, though it did not over-ride his anger or his desperation to see them gone. After a few moments, Ron gathered the strength to stand up, albeit on shaky legs. All of them looked shaken; even the ever poised and perfect Draco. As always, Hermione was the first to get control of her tongue again.

"That was a Grimm, Harry!"

Harry gave her a look that made her blush despite herself; he had given her the Harry trademarked 'duh' raised eyebrow look.

"I think I would have noticed it was a Grimm, Hermione. Nobody could miss those red eyes." And Harry was right. The Grimm not only differed from normal dogs in their enormous size, but also their blood red eyes. It was because of this, and their ominous black color, that these 'beasts' were often seen as death omens. They were rare, magical creatures that had a reputation of being the total opposite of 'people-friendly'. Just like Harry felt these days. He was like the Grimm he had let into his home as a pet and companion; wary and mistrustful of people, and a hell-demon when provoked.

"Why would you have a Grimm?" Draco had finally managed to form a coherent thought and even managed somehow to put them into words.

Harry shrugged. "Because I do. He's a perceptive one, that one. He knows I don't want you guys here. So, you better go before he comes back and jumps on all of you."

"But Harry, we want to see you! We haven't seen you in months! And we're worried about you!" Ron was not going without a fight.

"Well, that's just bloody well and good! Worried about me? You could have owled. You could have, I don't know? Maybe asked me whether you guys could come over and disrupt my life?! I don't need you guys here. I'm fine, and I don't need your help. So just go!"

Nightmare came trotting back to Harry with the stick in his mouth. He had sensed Harry's anger and fear and he knew that those three intruders had something to do about it. He dropped the stick and growled at the trio again. If they did not leave soon, he would bite all their heads off. His Harry was fragile, and hurting. He sensed an overwhelming reservoir of pain, guilt and the burden of duty within the powerful wizard. He was not a magical creature for nothing; and the legend of Grimms like him being death omens was not entirely untrue. They rarely chose a wizard companion to attach themselves to, and when they did, it was the ones who were burdened with responsibility and touched by death. And if they had chosen one as a master, they protected their wizard with their lives.

Despite the impassioned speech and the growling beast, the three unwelcome guests did not move to leave. They did not want to leave Harry. Ron and Draco were looking at Harry with pleading eyes. Hermione was looking at Harry with a curious expression on her face. It was a mixture of fear, concern, guilt and pity. Her friend was hurting, badly. And even before Severus, he had been reclusive and silent. It was not like him. How had she not seen it sooner? Harry was not recovering well from the Final Battle. The war was over, and he looked lost. Her friend was seriously damaged and she had done nothing to help him. What kind of friend was she? She had been so busy celebrating Voldemort's demise and trying to start a life of her own with Ron that she had forgotten all about Harry. The guilt overwhelmed her for a moment before her natural Gryffindor tenacity broke through. She had made a mistake, yes. But she was going to make up for it as best she could.

"Harry. We'll leave. Right now. But it has to be all four of us. Five if you want Nightmare to come along," she glanced nervously at the Grimm before continuing. "We'll leave here. All of us. You can stay at our house, Harry. We'd love to have you over. Then we'll sit up and talk, just like we used to do all the time. We miss you Harry."

Harry stared at her as if her words did not make any sense. And in truth, they didn't. Leave the house? Stay with them? That was asking him the stars and the moon. But then again, the world had always expected the impossible from him. Harry shook his head sadly. His anger had been spent, and all he was left with was fear and an overpowering sense of sadness. The life she talked about, the time when the four of them could sit down and talk and joke, was over. At least for him.

But Hermione would not take no for an answer. "Harry, it's not safe for you here. It's not healthy. You have been avoiding us forever and it's not good to be so removed from everything. I know you want it, Harry, but it's not the best thing for you. Why don't you come home with us? It'll be just like it used to be."

Once again, Harry shook his head slowly. There were no more words to say, on his part. How many times and in how many ways could he say no?

"Harry, please. We really do miss you. And Hermione's right. It's not healthy for you here, all alone. Come back with us." Ron had joined in on the pleading.

Another shake of the head from Harry.

"Maybe you can come over to the Manor instead. It's much bigger, and you can be alone if you want to," Draco paused. "Severus is there. He's distraught over you Harry. I think he misses you."

Harry, who had been shaking his head again in silent protest, looked up at Draco at the mention of Severus. It took him a moment for Harry to absorb the rest of the sentence. Severus missed him? Harry missed the man too. The house was so empty without him. For a moment, Harry contemplated going to Malfoy Manor just to see Severus, but that was quickly dashed when he realized that such an old house as the Manor would be reeking of magic. And he would have to apparate there. He shuddered at the thought and was calmed by Nightmare, who sensed the spike of emotions in the wizard and rubbed against Harry's leg soothingly.

Harry looked at his friends and could see the sincerity of their intentions and their concern. They wanted to help him, truly they did. But didn't they realize by now that it was impossible? Harry shook his head again. The sadness was joined by weariness. He had fought so long and so hard; everyday was a constant battle for him. Their demanding pleas and the love he felt from them only made it harder for him to cope. He shook his head again.

Hermione knew that no amount of words could sway Harry anymore. He would not follow them, even if it was for his own good. Not voluntarily. Hermione did not want to do this, but her friend was suffering, he was sick in the most unrecognizable way, and she needed to help. She looked Harry in the eye. Hopefully he could forgive her for this. "I'm sorry Harry."

Before she could even cast the spell, both Harry and Nightmare sensed it. Nightmare reacted first and launched himself at the witch. How dare she fire a spell at his wizard! Hermione was thrown to the ground with the force of the attack and her wand flew out of her hand. Ron acted instinctively and blasted the Grimm off his wife. The beast landed gracefully a few meters away and turned to howl at the Auror. Now it was war. He leapt at the stupid fool who had blasted him.

Harry was motionless as he watched his friend battle the Grimm. He did not even register the chocked sobs and gasps that Hermione emitted; she had been bruised from the sheer force of the attack. All he could think about was that Hermione had wanted to spell him. He was confused, and hurt. Why would Hermione do that? Draco, who had been thus far ignored by the ferocious Grimm and Harry, knew why. They had to get Harry out of his seclusion. He was slowly wasting away and they all had to help. So while the rest were occupied, Draco shot the intended spell at Harry.

"Somnus!"

It was a simple, mild sleeping spell that was often used on sick patients and even babies. But to Harry, it was like liquid fire all over again. Apparation had been an intimate magic and that had burned his core. But this, this was a spell fired at him. His mind, body and magic revolted against it. Harry's magical core heated up to supernova proportions, the magic straining to get out and neutralize the perceived threat. His veins throbbed with the intense magical power that threatened to force its way out. The spell had no effect on him; no sense of drowsiness of tiredness overcame him. But the agony was more than apparent. He could not think, he could barely breathe. The magic in him wanted to get out. Get out and destroy the threat. But it was impossible. So it raged within him, eating at him from the inside. His very bones and muscles cracked and strained to cope with the magical surge. Unable to hold it in, Harry let out a blood-curling scream of pure agony.

Draco's face was ashen. What had he done? He had hoped, for a split second, that the convulsions and the frantic clawing motions Harry made were fake; that it was all just some sick joke and Harry would just jump up and yell 'Gotcha!'. But the scream could not be faked. It filled Draco, Ron and Hermione with a sense of dread and immense guilt. What had they done?

Nightmare knew what was happening, his wizard was in pain. He sprinted over to where Harry was, screaming and convulsing on the ground, under the mockingly cheery sun. He could sense a storm raging within his master; his magic was revolting against his fragile human shell. Acting on instinct, Nightmare bit into his master's arm, drawing blood.

The shock of seeing the Grimm bite so viciously into Harry's arm woke the three friends up from their guilt-ridden thoughts.

"Draco, go get Severus! He may know how to deal with this!" Hermione shouted as she and Ron rushed to beat the Grimm away from Harry.

Not needing to be told twice, Draco apparated away to his ancestral home. The minute his feet hit the wooden floor of his foyer, Draco was off running to Severus' rooms. He hoped he wouldn't be too late.

Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione were almost hysterical in their helplessness. Every time they tried to wrench the beast from his death grip on Harry's arm, they were thrown back violently by a bright pulse of magic. Hermione was perplexed. The Grimm was a magical creature, but it should not be capable of creating a shield like that! A creature could not wield magic! Ron too was at a lost. His Auror training did not help in this situation, and his brain would not function coherently. His only thoughts were remorse and the horror of helplessness.

As his friends stood by in shock, Harry screamed as the pain lanced through his body again and again. He was dimly aware of an exterior pain in his right arm, but it paled in comparison to the fire that consumed his mind. He wished that unconsciousness would take him, like the last time, but this time his magic was too aggressive and it was keeping him from slipping into blessed darkness. So he screamed and clawed at his skin, almost tearing at his eyes to rid himself of the burning sensations. His back arched at an impossible angle, his muscles convulsed of their own accord, making him seem like a puppet being fiendishly manipulated by a sadistic puppeteer. He could not take anymore of this. No more.

Nightmare heard his master's silent plea. Biting harder into the bleeding arm, the Grimm sucked the blood like a ravenous vampire.

Severus and Draco ran in and stopped at Ron and Hermione's side just in time to see Nightmare tear into Harry's flesh. Severus' first reaction was to wrench the stupid dog away from Harry, but before he could act, there was a brilliant flash of light as a powerful pulse of magic spread through the entire area. The four spectators could only shield their eyes against the light and gasp in awe of the awesome power. It was pure, raw magic that enveloped them and ensnared their senses. It was powerful. And it was undoubtedly Harry's magic; they could feel it. What horrified them was that for a split second, they could feel Harry's pain too. For just a moment, they felt an echo of the torture Harry had gone through. It left them all weak, and speechless.

When the light finally faded and they dared to open their eyes, they looked immediately to the still form of Harry. The Grimm was licking at the bite marks on Harry's arm and it seemed to be closing with astonishing speed. Severus was the first to reach Harry's side and was amazed to see no wounds or scars. Reaching out to touch Harry's arm, he realized that it was completely healed, and only the few droplets of blood that stained the grass below Harry were the only evidence that it ever was there. His amazement however, was turned to alarm when he noticed just how cold Harry felt beneath his fingers. It was just like before, almost. Harry was unconscious and as cold as ice. Lifting Harry in his arms, Severus strode towards the house and entered the sitting room, the trio close behind him. They had no idea what was going on, or what to do, so they had decided to follow Severus' lead.

Severus wrapped Harry up in a warm blanket he found and placed him gently on the rug in front of the fireplace. He reached for the matches Harry kept on the mantle above the fireplace, and attempted to start a fire. Harry was far too cold. Seeing what Severus was trying to accomplish, Hermione took out her wand.

"Here, this will be easier." Suddenly, Hermione's wand was wrenched from her grasp by a livid Severus.

"Do you want to make it worse you fool?!" Hermione, Ron and Draco only stared at Severus in shock. They had never seen him this truly enraged. A soft groan drew them all out off their daze, and Severus was by Harry's side in an instant.

"Harry. Can you speak? Say something, Harry."

"Magic, Sev. Magic," Harry managed to moan out. He was conscious but still in agony. Severus was perplexed for a moment before he understood the meaning of Harry's words. He reached out with his senses and he felt the magic humming in the air. The magic outburst had left a strong residue on everything, and it was causing Harry even more pain. Making a quick decision, Severus once again scooped the too light man in his arms and walked briskly out of the house. He had to get him as far away from the house as possible. Three confused and worried friends hurried after the Potions Master as he all but ran down the path away from the house.

They walked for a long time before they reached a small village of sorts. Severus seemed to hesitate a moment, wanting to stop, before he resolutely carried on walking. Draco was the first to express his thoughts.

"Where are we going, Severus? Where are you taking Harry?"

Sneering at his godson, Severus answered, "As far away from here as possible. You can't possibly be that dimwitted, Draco. The magic in the air is hurting Harry, so we take him away from the magic. Can't you sense it? The air is practically humming with the residue of the magical outburst." He did not need to add that the magic that hummed in the air was Harry's. The sensation was heady and rich, and was the unique signature of the Gryffindor.

Hermione was even more confused by this. Magic hurts Harry? And why would Harry be hurt by the magic in the air if it was his own? She did not understand, but the confusion did nothing to allay the strong sense of guilt that had taken hold of her. This was her fault. Her and her stupid Gryffindor-ish ideas. Meanwhile, Ron and Draco were having similar thoughts. Their minds spun with questions and thoughts, but they were made incoherent by the abruptness at which everything had gone horribly wrong. They followed behind the anxious Severus, unsure yet reluctant to bring the wrath of the Slytherin down on them again. In Severus' mind, all he could think about was Harry. Harry was hurt. Harry was in pain. He had to take Harry away from the magic. His thoughts were honed and tunneled so all he could concentrate on was getting Harry safe. As the trio of guilt-ridden friends followed behind Severus, they only hoped that they could make up for their dreadful mistake.

Author's Note:

And another chapter done! Bet none of you suspected a Grimm huh? Nightmare is in here for a very good reason, which will be revealed in due course. He is also here because I love Sirius and this is a small tribute to him. Come on, who wouldn't want a cuddly, ferocious pet that's the size of a small bear? Haha! Thanks for reading! :)