Author's Note: Here's Chapter Ten

Author's Note: Here's Chapter Ten. I hope you guys like it. It looks like I'm going to be concentrating much more on this story this summer instead of my other one on account of nobody seems to want to read that one (hint, hint…wink, wink….) Enjoy and please remember to review!

La Vie Comme Un Infirme-Chapter Ten: Truth and Punishment

It had to be one of the hardest tasks Remus had ever done in his life. No—not one of the hardest—the hardest. How would he begin? How could he possibly remain strong for them all?

Perhaps it would have been more proper for Minerva to do it. After all, she was their Head of House. But, unfortunately, she didn't know all the details, and Remus was, as many of the students had admitted, a much more approachable and gentle teacher. Minerva McGonagall was strict and stern and probably wasn't the best person to deal with panicking children; and after today, the children would be panicking a lot.

, By the time Remus had returned from the hospital, classes had ended and the students had been sent to their dormitories. Gradually, he ascended the magnificent marble staircase to Gryffindor Tower. Gazing down at the stairs below him, it scared Remus to think that only hours before, the staircase on which he walked had caused Harry what was probably life-altering damages. This staircase, what with leading the way to all the classrooms and educational opportunities, it shaped the life of so many students. So many for centuries had walked up this staircase and into the classrooms to which it led, to come out successful and bright adults, altering their lives forever. It was ironic how it had also shaped Harry's life, but in the opposite way of all the other students, causing him misery.

One could only hope that no other students were to suffer as much as Harry had.

Finally, after what seemed like decades, he reached Gryffindor Tower, his feet feeling as though they had a ship's anchor attached to them. The Fat Lady's portrait looked solemnly at Remus as she asked him the password. It was as if the whole castle were grieving over the tragedy.

"Pickled Toad," he responded. All the teachers were required to know the passwords to all of the dormitories just in case of emergencies, and Remus would consider this along the lines of an emergency, or at least an urgent situation.

The portrait swung open, revealing all of the Gryffindor first years and several other students, notably Oliver Wood and the Weasley twins, sitting around the fireplace, on the sofas, and in the fluffy armchairs that were placed throughout the room. It was much smaller than Remus remembered it being, and much gloomier, but that appeared to be the result of the scared and worried looks on all of the students' faces which greeted him as entered the room.

"Hello, everyone," he said quietly, watching all of the children pale at the sight of him. Strangely, there were no outbursts from any of the students. In all honesty, Remus had expected all the children to start bombarding him with questions about Harry as soon as he walked through the doorway.

"Hello, Professor Lupin." It was as though a band of Inferi was staring back at him. Remus could make out nothing but dead, empty emotion in their greeting. He knew this was going to be hard to explain. If they were this depressed before he had even begun to tell them the news, there was no telling what to expect as to how they would act after he told them.

He walked over and sat down in one of the armchairs near the fireplace so that all the students could see him when he spoke. Gripping the arms of the chair to relax himself (however much he could relax), he took a deep breath and began to explain Harry's condition.

"The Healers have predicted that, unless there is a drastic change in Harry's improvement, he will not be returning to school this year." Remus waited for this information to sink in before continuing.

Hermione Granger, Parvati Patil, and Lavender Brown, seated on the floor in front of Remus, began to sob. Ron Weasley, also sitting on the floor, was visibly shaking. Neville Longbottom was fidgeting absentmindedly with a tassel on the armchair he was occupying. Dean Thomas was as still as stone, and Seamus Finnegan was biting his fingernails, much like Nymphadora Tonks had done. The other children staring quietly back, waiting to hear the rest.

"He is still unconscious as of right now, but the Healers were able to determine that he is—" Remus let out another deep breath, his stomach tightening into the biggest knot he that it could form—"both blind…and paralyzed…from the waist downward."

Hermione let out a dreadfully loud sob and began crying hysterically into her hands.
The other two girls began whimpering and all the boys started screaming, the loudest Remus had ever heard boys do so.

He tried to think of words to calm them down, but what could he say when there was nothing calm about this situation?

Finally, Dean came back to his senses and spoke up. "Will he ever recover, Professor?"

At that question, everyone stopped crying and looked to their professor expectantly, silently.

"Yeah, w-will he?" Neville's brown eyes were wide with hope.

Remus felt like he had just been torn in half. It was the worst feeling he had ever had in his life.

"I don't know, but hopefully so…. Hopefully…."

&

"Sit down, Draco."

Cold gray eyes stared down at him like an angry stormy sky. The silky black robes reminded Draco of the picture he had seen in his Defense Against the Dark Arts book of the black fortress of Nurmengard prison, ominous and hostile, daring anyone to stand up to it. Slowly and nervously, feeling as though his knees would buckle underneath him at any moment, Draco sat down in a wooden chair across from his father's menacing figure, in a vacant room that Dumbledore had set aside for the two Malfoys to "talk".

Lucius Malfoy had arrived at Hogwarts twenty minutes earlier, outraged and furious at both Dumbledore and Draco: Dumbledore, for expelling Draco, and Draco, for facing expulsion. He knew that Dumbledore's decision was final and that there was nothing he could do to alter it, even if he were a governor of the school. So, he had chosen to take most of his anger out on his son. But of course, he was not angry with Draco for merely harming another student. On the contrary, harming Harry Potter in Lucius's eyes was one of the greatest things that could ever happen. Now, the Dark Lord would have a chance at reigning over the Wizarding world at last. In fact, Lucius was undeniably proud of Draco for his actions.

It was the fact that Draco had chosen to do it so publicly and foolishly. Now, because of course of action, his educational career was ruined. With this record, there was barely any chance of Draco getting a proper job. Any good career consultant would shun a person for expulsion from school and Lucius knew that Draco was no exception to any person. He would be a disgrace to the Malfoy family, Lucius was sure of it.

"Why am I here, Draco?" Lucius asked his son as soon as the boy had taken a seat, growing very pale and rigid every passing moment. Of course, Lucius knew the reason for having been dragged to the school from his work at the Ministry, but Draco figured he wanted to ask him just so he could be humiliated and feel guilty for what he had done. It was always his father's custom to do so when Draco got into trouble.

The child's palms began to sweat as his father's glare continued to bore into him like a vulture waiting for its prey to die. Draco knew that his father was going to whip him for this, no doubt about it.

"Tell me, Draco." Lucius's voice became harder and colder, but did not rise. Draco hated when his father's voice stayed at steady levels during times like this. It meant that he was in his highest state of rage.

He crossed his arms and strode slowly over to Draco's chair, finally stopping when his face was just inches from Draco's, his long blond hair falling over his shoulders and framing his eyes like curtains to windows; dark, haunted windows.

Draco knew he had to answer now, but began stuttering as the words came out and he couldn't control the tears that were now escaping from his eyes. His father was the only person who could ever make him cry.

"B-b-beca—"

"Spit it out, child!" His father's eyes were now burning devilishly. Lucius gripped Draco's shoulders, forcing him to look his father in the eye.

"BECAUSE I GOT EXPELLED!" Draco gasped in horror and began to cry harder. He knew that was a mistake. He could not ever yell at his father. It was the worst thing that he could possibly ever do, even worse than expulsion from school.

Lucius' calm demeanor switched immediately to one of absolute rage. Without warning, he smacked his eleven-year-old son across the face with his right hand so hard that Draco was knocked off the chair and onto the floor, barely catching his balance with his outstretched hands.

Draco could feel the mark that his father had left on his cheek burning angrily into his face. He could only imagine the nasty handprint that could be branded there, a mark to the world of his shame and disobedience.

But, predictably, Lucius was not done with punishing his son. He held down Draco with one hand in the small of his back and beat his bottom with the cane in which he used to hide his wand. The pain so severe that it seared through Draco's entire body, making him scream with all his might. He didn't care if the whole school heard him. He didn't care.

He just needed to scream….

Finally, Lucius stopped beating him and turned his son over to look at him. Draco's face was now bright red, both from the tears and from his father's handprint. His eyes were puffy and swollen.

"It will be a lot worse next time, Draco," Lucius warned, his gray eyes still flashing threateningly.

End Note: I hope you guys liked this chapter. I did. Anyway, next chapter Harry wakes up from his coma, the Gryffindor first years have a talk, and Draco gets hit with even more consequences of expulsion. Please review!

Au Revoir,

Amélie