Chapter 8 - Burdens
The phoenix trilled reprovingly. The boy glared back. He picked up another lemon drop and popped it in his mouth, and looked at the bird smugly, as if daring the phoenix to stop him. Fawkes gave a trill that could have passed for a sigh and flew back to its perch.
"Looks like Fawkes just gave up on you, Master Evans," said Dumbledore, with a benign smile from his portrait.
Mark's pleasant expression vanished and he stared at Dumbledore blankly. He had no affection for Dumbledore.
Dumbledore sighed. "I wish to relay information from St. Mungo's. Frank Longbottom has finally succumbed to his mental illness." Mark had a curious look on his face. "Frank was your Professor Neville Longbottom's father. He was tortured into insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange and Barty Crouch nearly two decades ago with his wife."
"Lestrange," Mark hissed. After a second, he sighed. "Albus gets another point, guys. He's in the lead again. Come on, you can do better than this. Armando, anything?"
Armando Dippet's portait sighed regretfully and shook its head.
"I have something," Phineas Nigellus said blandly. "Though I doubt you'd want to give points for this. Word has just reached Grimmauld Place… Marcus Flint was killed by Bellatrix Lestrange."
Mark felt his insides go cold. "No," he whispered.
"Unfortunately, yes," said the portrait. "The brave man saved the prisoners and then he fought Bellatrix Lestrange to save his partner. He died but allowed Daphne Greengrass to escape."
"No, this can't be," Mark gasped. "He can't die!" Mark turned to Dumbledore. "He can't die!"
Dumbledore lowered his eyes.
"Tell me, Dumbledore!" Mark yelled. He raised his wand and cast a privacy charm to shield their conversation from the rest of the portraits. "Is Harry alive?"
"I do not know," Dumbledore admitted. "The Quickening works on randomness. If Harry was killed by a random act, then yes, he lives in the body of his murderer. But if he deliberately died or tried to make things happen in a specific way, then no."
Mark narrowed his eyes. "Great. I have no way of telling now."
"You have Fawkes," Dumbledore reminded him.
Mark sighed. "Harry isn't deceitful. I must believe he's still alive. I have to believe it."
Dumbledore smiled at him. "Faith and hope are indeed the most powerful weapons you can have. And love."
"Shut up," said Mark. "I doubt you did anything you did to Harry out of love! Your meddling has been the cause of all his woes!"
Dumbledore's eyes dimmed. "And yet despite everything I did and everything that has happened to him, he is still capable of loving Ginny Weasley so much."
Mark looked with a disturbed expression at Dumbledore. He removed the privacy charm and ignored the protests from the other Headmasters and Headmistresses. Instead, he informed them, "It might interest you to know that Bill Weasley is recovering. He was overcome emotionally to see Ginny, Gabrielle and Victoire alive. However, his tale has only made Professor Ginny relapse into a greater depression."
"The news of Flint's death will devastate her," said McGonagall sadly.
"I know," said Mark. "However, it will be worse should she find out during battle. I will tell her myself." He picked up a quill and started writing. He read out loud for the portraits to listen and advise accordingly. He didn't notice it, but all the former Headmasters and Headmistresses had become extremely fond of him.
"To the Order
I am most aggrieved to hear of Marcus Flint's untimely death. He was a dear friend of mine and achieved much in the past few weeks."
"Not mentioning a timeframe would be better," said Armando Dippet. "It will make others imagine he was on our side for much longer period than he actually was."
Mark nodded. "He was a dear friend of mine and has achieved much. I am certain he would greatly appreciate being buried near Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter. As we have learnt, Fawkes is able to transport lifeless bodies, and will do so with Marcus Flint." He turned to the portraits. "Any other news?"
Newt Scamander nodded. "I spoke to a fellow portrait in the old Ministry building. Apparently, some mysterious person has killed several Death Eaters."
"Who all are dead?"
"The Carrows, Crabbe and Goyle."
Mark frowned. "So, in short, the four who had tortured Hermione Granger?" he asked to the room in general. There was silence, although some of the elderly portraits raised their eyebrows at his joining the lines and connecting the deceased with their former victim so quickly. He quickly jotted that down. "A little phoenix has witnessed vengeance finally coming to those who tortured Hermione Granger. The identity of the perpetrator, alas, is not known."
"Any other news?" asked Mark.
Dilys Derwent nodded eagerly. "Yes, Master Evans," she said. "In my portrait in St. Mungo's, I overheard a healer express her disgust with the Monarch. It was subtle, but it was there. Her name was Miriam Wilkes."
Mark turned to McGonagall and Dumbledore.
"Miss Wilkes," McGonagall said thoughtfully, "was a quiet Slytherin, very deft in spell casting and very intolerant of below average students. Other than that, I do not recall any prejudice in her."
"She was together with a boy from Hufflepuff for a good part of her senior years," said Dumbledore. "If memory serves right, the boy was a first generation pureblood, and hence, not better than a halfblood in the eyes of many."
"That's good enough," said Mark, and began writing again. "Phoenixes also reveal that Miriam Wilkes, a healer in St. Mungo's, could be a potential new recruit. Tread with care and send your best members to impress her."
He waited for more news. When nothing came, he finished the letter.
"Marcus Flint's last act of bravery was to rescue Bill Weasley from the prison and send him to his sister and daughter. The Lady of Hogwarts is overcome to have her lost brother back. That's all for now from me, folks.
The S of H
P.S. Do not worry, Marcus Flint's body will be treated with utmost respect and care. He was as a brother to me."
Mark handed the letter to Fawkes. "Come with Flint's body, Fawkes. Not here, bring him to the Hospital Wing. But give me at least half an hour so I can break the news to Ginny gently."
"I wish it weren't so."
Mark turned to face McGonagall, who was looking at him fondly.
"How I wish it weren't so that one as young as you must shoulder the responsibilities that we older people have failed to do," said McGonagall, with a hint of a tear.
Mark shrugged. "I can't complain," he said, "when there are others with much greater responsibilities struggling even harder." He glared at Dumbledore again.
Dumbledore sighed and watched the young boy retreat sadly.
Mark approached the Hospital Wing. He saw Gabrielle standing outside and took her hand. "You all right?"
The girl nodded, but blinked back a tear. "Things seem to be getting better finally," she said. "First, he came back. Then, Victoire. Now, Bill." She looked at Mark's clouded expression.
"Come with me," he said. "There's some bad news. But please, when you hear it, remember what happened the previous time somebody killed him." He saw Gabrielle's nervous expression but walked in. There was no point in repeating it twice.
Inside, Ginny Weasley was sitting next to Bill, who was lying on a bed. They were both talking, laughing and crying at the same time. Mark approached them.
"There is some bad news." The mood dampened around him. Mark noted how Bill reached for his sister's hand and sighed in relief. "You need to brace yourself."
"Go ahead, Mark," said Ginny apprehensively. "The Wards are intact."
"Someone died in the last Order mission," said Mark, trying to break the news in bits. He saw Ginny's face harden. He hesitated. "It is Marcus Flint."
Mark saw Ginny's self control shatter at those words. But fortunately, there was no rippling effect on the wards. He sighed in relief when he saw Bill's hands rubbing his sister in comfort.
"H-How?" asked Ginny. She wasn't looking at Mark.
"Bellatrix Lestrange killed him. He fought with her, allowing his partner Daphne Greengrass to escape," said Mark.
He had expected Ginny to cry, perhaps be devastated. But to his amazement, she simply stood up and walked towards the door.
"Ginny," Bill called out.
"No," she whispered. "I need to be alone."
Mark bit his lips. He looked at Poppy Pomfrey, Gabrielle and Bill, and then sighed. "I'll go," he said, and was surprised when all three deferred to his authority. He turned around and followed Ginny softly. They walked out the castle to Dumbledore and Harry Potter's grave.
On discovering that Fawkes could transport corpses, Harry Potter's was the first that Ginny had demanded. Mark recalled the strength with which Ginny had treated the corpse with her own hands, fixing him as best as could be expected. Then they dug the grave and buried him. He wanted the same to be done to Marcus Flint's body, for nothing short of that would be deserving of the soul that had occupied it in the end.
"I killed him," Ginny whispered when she saw Mark beside her. "I killed him."
Mark looked at her blankly.
"I sent him away," she continued. "I broke his heart… I killed him…" Ginny was gazing at the grave of Harry Potter. She touched the tombstone gently. "Oh, Harry! You would be so disappointed with me!" she gasped, as if suddenly realizing something. "I made the same mistake again!" her voice was broken. "I allowed the words of a Death Eater to sway me into believing the worst of someone who had been nothing but wonderful to me… I did it again… how can I ever receive your forgiveness now?"
"You will receive his forgiveness," said Mark gently, slipping his fingers in her hand, "because he loves you as much as you love him."
She looked at Mark, but averted her gaze instantly. "How can you stand to be near me, Mark? You cared for him too… I made him go away, to his death…"
"Please don't cry, Professor Ginny," Mark sided against her, and Ginny wrapped her arms around the young boy.
"He stayed true to his oath until the end," Ginny wept. "He brought me back my niece and my brother. He saved my life… He brought me healing and love… And I killed him…" her voice was laced with grief and self-disgust.
Mark couldn't stand her grief any longer. "Professor, please listen to me," he pleaded. "This is very important. Marcus Flint's body is in the Hospital Wing. We will bury it, just as we buried Harry Potter. But please listen to me."
Ginny looked at the boy, waiting for him to continue.
"These bodies," he said slowly, "They are merely ash and dust… The body isn't what you loved… not for Harry and not for Marcus…"
Ginny swept back as if she were slapped.
"Please try to understand," Mark begged. "Please understand that there might come another, another body, and you might feel the same as you did with them…"
"Why must you be so horrid to me?" Ginny's eyes were glistening with tears. "I'm here, before Harry's grave, just been told of Marcus' death, and you're telling me to search someone else to love… why?"
"That's not what I meant," Mark looked tired. "I'm asking you to think… what was it that you loved about Harry?"
Ginny remained silent.
"Was it the same thing that you loved in Marcus?" he asked.
Ginny paused, but slowly nodded.
"Why can't you see it?" Mark cried out. "There's something about Marcus that made you see Harry in him…" he trailed off, knowing he should stop or Harry's secrets would come pouring out of him. He parted from the woman he'd begun to seen as a mix of an elder sister and an aunt.
He was tired. He couldn't do it. There were too many responsibilities on his shoulder. Ginny had to pull herself together on her own, or lean on someone else. It was beyond him.
"What I mean is… the worst thing you can do is to drive away the next person who reminds you of Harry," he whispered, and walked away.