Disclaimer: Harry Potter, etc. does not belong to me, but to JK Rowling. I'm just practicing my writing skills by making up a story using her characters and such. I make no profit from any of this, so please don't sue me.
A/N: First of all, I apologize for taking so long in getting this chapter to you. Secondly, as stated before, this story is no longer in line with canon. It is an alternate version of Harry's fifth year. Let me just make clear that I'm telling a story and not trying to duplicate JK Rowling -- So, don't expect everything to be the same -- especially Harry! And I am very much into foreshadowing and leaving things up in the air or unclear until later in the story -- so there may seem to be plot holes. This entire story is already written in a notebook, so I will not be making any major changes to the storyline. Whether I actually write up the next two stories which explain much of what goes on in this one is up to how much response and excitement I get from you, the readers. That said, I hope you all enjoy this next chapter. I'll try not to take so long to get more out, but it depends mostly on whether RL gives me time to type.
CHAPTER 20:
Immediately, Harry straightened up. He recognized that scream.
"Hermione!" he gasped, then took off in the direction the scream had sounded from. Harry hardly noticed Cho behind him, yelling for him to stop. All he could think about was that one of his friends was in trouble.
Rounding a clump of high shrubs, Harry was suddenly hit with a blast of icy cold. He staggered back, surprised. Voices began to fill the air around him. Familiar voices. First, his mother's ... then his father's ... and, surprisingly, there came the sound of Cedric's voice. Finally, there was that high-pitched chilly laugh that he so much detested.
Dementors!
It was the only think that Harry could think of that would be causing all this to happen. He began to concetrate on his happiest moments as he pulled his wand out.
In a booming voice, Harry yelled, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" The cold sensation decreased, as did the voices. Slowly, Harry reopened his eyes.
The sight that met him was frightening. Harry noticed immediately, Ron and Hermione off to one side of the gardens. Hermione appeared to have passed out and Ron was desperately trying to hold her while performing the Patronus Charm. Across from them stood Neville and Natalie, back to back. They, too, were sending out whisps of silvery-grey smoke from their wands. And all around them were, roughly, a dozen or so dementors.
"Oh Merlin!" Cho cried out as she came up behind Harry. He put an arm out to keep her back.
"Go up to the castle and get help! Find Dumbledore and Lupin!"
Noticing that his patronus had faded, Harry began to gather up the will to recast it. He yelled out the incantation once again, bringing forth from his wand the silvery-grey mist. Slowly, the mist came together to form a brilliant image of a stag. Concentrating with all his might, Harry sent his patronus over to help protect Ron and Hermione.
Suddenly, Cho let out a scream from behind him. Harry had thought that she'd left ... and if she hadn't, then that meant they had no help coming. Neville and Natalie were weakening quickly. And with Harry's patronus protecting Ron and Hermione, he had no way to protect himself or to help Cho.
Just as he felt his strength start to sway, several things happened. A flame of silvery-grey fire appeared in front of Ron and Hermione, causing the dementors to start to back off from them. At the same time, a misty form of a dragon appeared next to Neville and Natalie. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry also noticed that Cho was no longer alone. Li was standing by her, muttering as he waved his wand. No silvery smoke came from the tip, but Harry noted that the dementors were unable to get to the boy or his sister.
Harry was just starting to sigh with relief when he realized that all of the dementors had suddenly turned towards him. In a rush, he tried to perform the Patronus Charm, but the cold and the voices were making it difficult to concentrate. Weakening, Harry could only watch as the dark shapes drifted closer.
"EXPECTO PATRONUS!"
The words rang out into the night like a battle cry. Harry stared with amazement as a bright silvery object darted from one dementor to the next. Each one it got near, immediately stepped back. Then, it slammed into one. A horrid screeching echoed around the gardens. Then another screeched as it was hit. Soon, the brilliant object was flying around them so fast that it was a blur.
One of the dementors threw down something and a shimmer of blue light appeared. The next second, all of the dementors were gone.
Harry looked around him. Ron was still craddling Hermione. Neville and Natalie were holding each other up. And, Cho was being comforted by her brother. Turning completely around, Harry sought out the spell caster.
"Ginny!?" Harry murmurred, seeing the girl just a few feet behind him. She was extremely pale and breathing heavily. Harry started to move towards her when she suddenly whithered to the ground. Before he could get to her, Cho collapsed as well. For a moment, Harry stood there in between the two fallen girls ... unsure who to go to.
Professor Lupin, Seamus, and Dean came charging around the corner just then. As the professor dropped to his knees to check on Ginny, Harry slowly began to move towards Cho.
Li looked up as the older boy approached. In a low tone, Li said, "She's only fainted."
Harry knelt down, nodding. Looking over at Ginny, he saw that Professor Lupin had conjured up a stretcher to take the girl to the hospital wing. Shakily, Harry did the same for Cho.
As Harry was getting back up to his feet, Ron went rushing past him ... Hermione in his arms.
"You could just conjure up a stretcher, Ron," Seamus yelled after the Weasley boy. However, it was clear that Ron wasn't listening.
Carefully, Harry followed Professor Lupin, Ginny, Seamus, and Dean up to the infirmary. The stretcher holding Cho's limp form glided along behind him ... with Li, Neville, and Natalie just behind. As they approached the front entrance, Harry noticed the white-blonde hair of Draco Malfoy going into the castle. With the Slytherin boy was the tiny blonde girl that Harry had seen at the dance.
Madame Pomfrey was in a tizzy when they all entered the hospital wing. She immediately had Hermione, Ginny, and Cho placed on beds. Then, after a quick check on the girls, she turned her attention to the others. Professor Lupin was alreadly passing out large chunks of chocolate. Neville and Natalie were sitting together nibbling on theirs. Ron was holding a block, but was too concerned about Hermione and Ginny to eat it. And Li had completely refused any.
Professor Lupin walked up to Harry and handed him some chocolate. In a low tone, he asked, "What happened down there, Harry?" Where did the dementors come from ... or go to?"
Harry had no idea what to tell him. "I wasn't there when they appeared. But, they disappeared into a blue light of some kind."
"That's how they appeared, too," Neville stated. Natalie nodded with agreement.
"A blue light, hmm?" Professor Lupin mused. He looked at Harry as he asked, "Did any of the dementors make an odd movement or something before the light appeared?"
For a moment, Harry didn't say anything as he tried to recall what had happened. Then, slowly, he nodded. "Yeah ... one of them looked like it threw something on the ground. Then, the light appeared."
"Sounds like a Vortex Stone," a wisened voice said from the doorway.
They all turned to see Professor Dumbledore entering with Fred and George. The twins, upon seeing their little sister lying on one of the beds, rushed over to her side. Professor Dumbledore walked over to Professor Lupin and asked, "So, it was, indeed, dementors?" The younger professor just nodded. "What happened?" the older man asked. "And let us start at the beginning. Who first saw the dementors?"
Harry glanced from Ron over to Neville and Natalie. In a quiet voice, Natalie answered, "We did, sir ... um ... Neville and I, that is ... and Ron and Hermione. We'd all gone out for a stroll after dinner." Harry noticed that both Neville and Natalie appeared to be blushing. Under different circumstances, he might have found this to be amusing. But, at present, nothing could amuse him.
Ron suddenly spoke up. "Neville and Natalie were up ahead of Hermione and I. We'd ..." He paused, frowning. "We'd been fighting. I don't even remember what about."
Madame Pomfrey came out of her office with a vial of steaming greyish liquid in one hand and a cup of something in the other. Watching as the woman attempted to awaken Hermione with the steamy potion, Ron continued. "All of a sudden, there was this bright blue light between us and them ... and then, we found ourselves facing a dozen dementors."
Hermione began to cough as she stirred just a bit. Ron's attention immediately returned back to her. Madame Pomfrey urged Hermione to drink from the cup she was holding. It took a few seconds, but Hermione finally obliged. She made a face of disgust, then drifted off into a peaceful slumber. Taking both the cup and the vial, Madame Pomfrey went back to her office. Ron stood protectively over the sleeping girl, no longer appearing to be interested in anything but watching Hermione rest.
Harry jumped slightly when Professor Dumbledore asked him, "And where were you at this point?"
Looking over at the bed where Cho was laying, Harry answered, "Cho and I were a bit further back on the path. We heard Hermione scream and ran to help." Harry went on to explain in more detail about the fight against the dementors.
When Harry had finished telling them about Ginny's patronus and the dementors' disappearing, Professor Dumbledore mused, "And just how did Miss Weasley know about the dementors?" His gaze moved from the twins to Seamus and Dean as he asked, "You boys were with her, correct? Where were you and what happened?"
Seamus and Dean exchanged a look before Dean answered, "We were up in the Gryffindor common room. Ginny had just entered ... and Fred and George started singing that Pickled toad song. At first, we all thought that she was mad or something. She just stopped in the middle of the room and started shaking. Then, she got all pale and wide-eyed. She muttered something like, 'Oh no ... Harry!', then yelled for us to find you and Professor Lupin and go to the gardens."
Harry could feel his face burning when Dean mentioned that Ginny had said his name.
"But how did she KNOW about the dementors?" Professor Lupin asked. "The Gryffindor common room is too far away to sense them."
Before he realized it, Harry said, "Not for Ginny."
Everyone looked at him, including Ron and the twins.
"She told me that she can sense dementors from far off. She hears a kind of humming sound that gets louder as she gets closer to them. I ... I told her that I'd teach her how to do the Patronus Charm ... but I never got around to it."
Harry felt horribly guilty, yet at the same time, curious as to how Ginny had learned it.
Natalie must have realized what he was thinking, because she suddenly said, "Ginny learned the Patronus Charm from Professor Hall. She was teaching Neville and I how to cast the charm."
Professor Dumbledore nodded with understanding. Once more, Madame Pomfrey came out of her office with more of the greyish potion and another cup. She took the same vial of steaming liquid that she'd used on Hermione and waved it under Ginny's nose.
But, Ginny didn't stir.
Professor Dumbledore had turned his attention to Li at this point. "And how, Mr. Chang, did you come to be out in the garden?"
Looking up from his sister, Li said quietly, "I was coming out of the Great Hall when I ran into Ginny. She was saying something about dementors being out in the garden with Harry and my sister. We both rushed outside ... I must have got ahead of her, though." He glanced back down at his sister as he added, "I got there just in time. A moment later and those creatures would have been on her. I used the ancient shielding charm to protect us, just as my grandfather taught me."
Harry was feeling even worse now. He hadn't been able to help Cho at all during the fight. He'd barely been able to protect Ron and Hermione. If it weren't for the others ...
"Wait!" Harry suddenly said. He looked over at Li as he asked, "If you were doing the shield charm, then ... who was making the flame patronus ... or the dragon one?"
Li shrugged. Harry glanced around at the others who shrugged as well.
"Apparently," Professor Dumbledore said with a slight twinkle in his eyes, "You had some additional assistance from someone who wishes to remain anonymous."
Madame Pomfrey sighed heavily as she left Ginny's side. The steaming potion had not revived the young girl. With a look of concern, the nurse moved over to Cho. One wave of the solution under the Ravenclaw girl's nose and she awoke.
Coughing as she tried to sit up, Cho asked, "What happened? How'd I get here?"
Harry walked over to her and sat down on the edge of the bed. "You passed out, Cho. Remember? The dementors in the garden?"
Cho's pale face showed that she obviously remembered. She glanced over at the beds where Hermione and Ginny were. With a look of horror, she asked, "They ... they didn't get ... kissed, did they? By the dementors?"
Madame Pomfrey tsked lightly as she stated, "Of course not, dear. They're just both sleeping. Which, I believe, is exactly what you should be doing." The nurse looked up at the professors as she added, "I see no reason any of them except Miss Granger and Miss Weasley should stay here. They should all go back to their dorms and get some rest, though."
Cho looked up at Harry and asked, "Will you walk me to Ravenclaw?"
Before Harry could answer, Professor Lupin stepped forward and smiled gently at the girl. "I don't think that's a good idea, Miss Chang. Harry needs to get some rest, too. I'll be happy to see you safely to your house, though."
Cho didn't look pleased, but she remained silent about it. With a quiet bid of good-night, she left with the Defense professor and her brother.
Seamus, Dean, the twins, Neville, and Natalie soon left as well. Professor Dumbledore went into Madame Pomfrey's office to speak to her about sleeping potions for Harry and Ron. As soon as they were alone, Ron looked seriously at Harry and said, "Thank you!"
All Harry could say was, "For what?"
Ron looked at him with a hint of amazement. "What do you mean, for what? For saving Hermione and I. If you hadn't showed up when you did ... " He couldn't finish the sentence ... only shook his head.
Harry shrugged. "It wasn't just me. If Ginny hadn't shown up ..." He paused, glancing down at the younger girl. "Ron ... her patronus attacked those dementors. They were all heading straight for me ... She saved my life."
Ron gave Harry a concerned look. Sighing, Harry figured that Ron wouldn't understand how he was feeling. He wasn't even sure that he, himself, understood.
"Come on, Harry," Ron said after a while. "Madame Pomfrey must have that potion ready for us. We should get some sleep so we can get back up here first thing."
Harry nodded. He watched as Ron bent over his little sister and gently kissed her forehead. Then, to Harry's suprise, Ron did the same to Hermione. As Ron began to head over to the office, Harry started to follow.
But then, he stopped. Looking back at the two girls, Harry felt as if he couldn't leave just yet. He noticed that Ron had disappeared into the office. So, quietly, he walked back in between the two girls' beds. Coming up to Hermione first, Harry realized that there was something lying on the pillow next to her head. He smiled, seeing that it was a single red flower. Ron must have sat it there when he'd kissed her good-night.
Harry didn't feel comfortable to give even a brotherly kiss to either girl. And he was sure that if he tried and Ron saw, he'd be as good as dead. Instead, Harry reached down to pat Hermione's hand in an awkwardly comforting way. Then, turning to Ginny, he did the same ... although, he did find it harder to pull his hand away from hers once they'd touched.
Voices from the office told Harry that Ron, Professor Dumbledore, and Madame Pomfrey would be back out soon. Harry started to move back to the office door ... but, once more, paused. He'd put his hands into his pockets and his fingers had brushed up against something soft and fuzzy. Pulling the object out, Harry found himself looking at the teddy bear with the golden snitch.
For a moment, Harry stared at it. Then, without any more hesitation, he turned back to walk over to Ginny's side. Shakily, Harry laid the stuffed bear on the pillow next to the sleeping girl. Letting out a quivering breath, he turned and quickly walked away. By the time he reached the office door, Ron was coming out with Professor Dumbledoor and Madame Pomfrey.
The nurse was trying to give Ron last minute instructions for using the sleeping potion. However, Ron was ignoring her. Finally, the boy turned to the older woman and said, "Yes, yes ... We drink the potion and fall asleep. Not too difficult. I do believe we can handle it, Madame."
Madame Pomfrey just shook her head, turned around, and walked back into her office as she muttered to herself.
Professor Dumbledore looked at the two boys with eyes full of humor ... yet, still oddly haunted. "Well, I believe it is time to say good-night. You both have done very well this evening. I'm sure that both young ladies will be up and around in no time at all." Nodding a good-night, the headmaster slipped out the door.
Harry glanced back at the girls one last time, then asked Ron, "You ready to go?"
Ron silently nodded. In much more mellow moods, the two left the hospital wing and headed back to Gryffindor Tower.
The next morning, when the boys came to the infirmary, they were pleased to see that both girls were awake and fine. Madame Pomfrey wanted to keeps them a bit longer, but Hermione refused to miss any classes. The nurse did insist that the girls eat their breakfast there in the hospital wing. To keep them company, Harry and Ron stayed to eat there as well.
It wasn't until they'd gone back up to Gryffindor Tower so the girls could change that Harry realized that he'd not even thought about meeting Cho for breakfast. In fact, he hadn't thought about her since she'd walked out of the hospital wing the night before. He pondered over this as he waited for Hermione and Ginny to come down from the dorms. It was still heavily on his mind as they all made their way to their first classes.
TBC
A/N: First of all, I apologize for taking so long in getting this chapter to you. Secondly, as stated before, this story is no longer in line with canon. It is an alternate version of Harry's fifth year. Let me just make clear that I'm telling a story and not trying to duplicate JK Rowling -- So, don't expect everything to be the same -- especially Harry! And I am very much into foreshadowing and leaving things up in the air or unclear until later in the story -- so there may seem to be plot holes. This entire story is already written in a notebook, so I will not be making any major changes to the storyline. Whether I actually write up the next two stories which explain much of what goes on in this one is up to how much response and excitement I get from you, the readers. That said, I hope you all enjoy this next chapter. I'll try not to take so long to get more out, but it depends mostly on whether RL gives me time to type.
CHAPTER 20:
Immediately, Harry straightened up. He recognized that scream.
"Hermione!" he gasped, then took off in the direction the scream had sounded from. Harry hardly noticed Cho behind him, yelling for him to stop. All he could think about was that one of his friends was in trouble.
Rounding a clump of high shrubs, Harry was suddenly hit with a blast of icy cold. He staggered back, surprised. Voices began to fill the air around him. Familiar voices. First, his mother's ... then his father's ... and, surprisingly, there came the sound of Cedric's voice. Finally, there was that high-pitched chilly laugh that he so much detested.
Dementors!
It was the only think that Harry could think of that would be causing all this to happen. He began to concetrate on his happiest moments as he pulled his wand out.
In a booming voice, Harry yelled, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" The cold sensation decreased, as did the voices. Slowly, Harry reopened his eyes.
The sight that met him was frightening. Harry noticed immediately, Ron and Hermione off to one side of the gardens. Hermione appeared to have passed out and Ron was desperately trying to hold her while performing the Patronus Charm. Across from them stood Neville and Natalie, back to back. They, too, were sending out whisps of silvery-grey smoke from their wands. And all around them were, roughly, a dozen or so dementors.
"Oh Merlin!" Cho cried out as she came up behind Harry. He put an arm out to keep her back.
"Go up to the castle and get help! Find Dumbledore and Lupin!"
Noticing that his patronus had faded, Harry began to gather up the will to recast it. He yelled out the incantation once again, bringing forth from his wand the silvery-grey mist. Slowly, the mist came together to form a brilliant image of a stag. Concentrating with all his might, Harry sent his patronus over to help protect Ron and Hermione.
Suddenly, Cho let out a scream from behind him. Harry had thought that she'd left ... and if she hadn't, then that meant they had no help coming. Neville and Natalie were weakening quickly. And with Harry's patronus protecting Ron and Hermione, he had no way to protect himself or to help Cho.
Just as he felt his strength start to sway, several things happened. A flame of silvery-grey fire appeared in front of Ron and Hermione, causing the dementors to start to back off from them. At the same time, a misty form of a dragon appeared next to Neville and Natalie. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry also noticed that Cho was no longer alone. Li was standing by her, muttering as he waved his wand. No silvery smoke came from the tip, but Harry noted that the dementors were unable to get to the boy or his sister.
Harry was just starting to sigh with relief when he realized that all of the dementors had suddenly turned towards him. In a rush, he tried to perform the Patronus Charm, but the cold and the voices were making it difficult to concentrate. Weakening, Harry could only watch as the dark shapes drifted closer.
"EXPECTO PATRONUS!"
The words rang out into the night like a battle cry. Harry stared with amazement as a bright silvery object darted from one dementor to the next. Each one it got near, immediately stepped back. Then, it slammed into one. A horrid screeching echoed around the gardens. Then another screeched as it was hit. Soon, the brilliant object was flying around them so fast that it was a blur.
One of the dementors threw down something and a shimmer of blue light appeared. The next second, all of the dementors were gone.
Harry looked around him. Ron was still craddling Hermione. Neville and Natalie were holding each other up. And, Cho was being comforted by her brother. Turning completely around, Harry sought out the spell caster.
"Ginny!?" Harry murmurred, seeing the girl just a few feet behind him. She was extremely pale and breathing heavily. Harry started to move towards her when she suddenly whithered to the ground. Before he could get to her, Cho collapsed as well. For a moment, Harry stood there in between the two fallen girls ... unsure who to go to.
Professor Lupin, Seamus, and Dean came charging around the corner just then. As the professor dropped to his knees to check on Ginny, Harry slowly began to move towards Cho.
Li looked up as the older boy approached. In a low tone, Li said, "She's only fainted."
Harry knelt down, nodding. Looking over at Ginny, he saw that Professor Lupin had conjured up a stretcher to take the girl to the hospital wing. Shakily, Harry did the same for Cho.
As Harry was getting back up to his feet, Ron went rushing past him ... Hermione in his arms.
"You could just conjure up a stretcher, Ron," Seamus yelled after the Weasley boy. However, it was clear that Ron wasn't listening.
Carefully, Harry followed Professor Lupin, Ginny, Seamus, and Dean up to the infirmary. The stretcher holding Cho's limp form glided along behind him ... with Li, Neville, and Natalie just behind. As they approached the front entrance, Harry noticed the white-blonde hair of Draco Malfoy going into the castle. With the Slytherin boy was the tiny blonde girl that Harry had seen at the dance.
Madame Pomfrey was in a tizzy when they all entered the hospital wing. She immediately had Hermione, Ginny, and Cho placed on beds. Then, after a quick check on the girls, she turned her attention to the others. Professor Lupin was alreadly passing out large chunks of chocolate. Neville and Natalie were sitting together nibbling on theirs. Ron was holding a block, but was too concerned about Hermione and Ginny to eat it. And Li had completely refused any.
Professor Lupin walked up to Harry and handed him some chocolate. In a low tone, he asked, "What happened down there, Harry?" Where did the dementors come from ... or go to?"
Harry had no idea what to tell him. "I wasn't there when they appeared. But, they disappeared into a blue light of some kind."
"That's how they appeared, too," Neville stated. Natalie nodded with agreement.
"A blue light, hmm?" Professor Lupin mused. He looked at Harry as he asked, "Did any of the dementors make an odd movement or something before the light appeared?"
For a moment, Harry didn't say anything as he tried to recall what had happened. Then, slowly, he nodded. "Yeah ... one of them looked like it threw something on the ground. Then, the light appeared."
"Sounds like a Vortex Stone," a wisened voice said from the doorway.
They all turned to see Professor Dumbledore entering with Fred and George. The twins, upon seeing their little sister lying on one of the beds, rushed over to her side. Professor Dumbledore walked over to Professor Lupin and asked, "So, it was, indeed, dementors?" The younger professor just nodded. "What happened?" the older man asked. "And let us start at the beginning. Who first saw the dementors?"
Harry glanced from Ron over to Neville and Natalie. In a quiet voice, Natalie answered, "We did, sir ... um ... Neville and I, that is ... and Ron and Hermione. We'd all gone out for a stroll after dinner." Harry noticed that both Neville and Natalie appeared to be blushing. Under different circumstances, he might have found this to be amusing. But, at present, nothing could amuse him.
Ron suddenly spoke up. "Neville and Natalie were up ahead of Hermione and I. We'd ..." He paused, frowning. "We'd been fighting. I don't even remember what about."
Madame Pomfrey came out of her office with a vial of steaming greyish liquid in one hand and a cup of something in the other. Watching as the woman attempted to awaken Hermione with the steamy potion, Ron continued. "All of a sudden, there was this bright blue light between us and them ... and then, we found ourselves facing a dozen dementors."
Hermione began to cough as she stirred just a bit. Ron's attention immediately returned back to her. Madame Pomfrey urged Hermione to drink from the cup she was holding. It took a few seconds, but Hermione finally obliged. She made a face of disgust, then drifted off into a peaceful slumber. Taking both the cup and the vial, Madame Pomfrey went back to her office. Ron stood protectively over the sleeping girl, no longer appearing to be interested in anything but watching Hermione rest.
Harry jumped slightly when Professor Dumbledore asked him, "And where were you at this point?"
Looking over at the bed where Cho was laying, Harry answered, "Cho and I were a bit further back on the path. We heard Hermione scream and ran to help." Harry went on to explain in more detail about the fight against the dementors.
When Harry had finished telling them about Ginny's patronus and the dementors' disappearing, Professor Dumbledore mused, "And just how did Miss Weasley know about the dementors?" His gaze moved from the twins to Seamus and Dean as he asked, "You boys were with her, correct? Where were you and what happened?"
Seamus and Dean exchanged a look before Dean answered, "We were up in the Gryffindor common room. Ginny had just entered ... and Fred and George started singing that Pickled toad song. At first, we all thought that she was mad or something. She just stopped in the middle of the room and started shaking. Then, she got all pale and wide-eyed. She muttered something like, 'Oh no ... Harry!', then yelled for us to find you and Professor Lupin and go to the gardens."
Harry could feel his face burning when Dean mentioned that Ginny had said his name.
"But how did she KNOW about the dementors?" Professor Lupin asked. "The Gryffindor common room is too far away to sense them."
Before he realized it, Harry said, "Not for Ginny."
Everyone looked at him, including Ron and the twins.
"She told me that she can sense dementors from far off. She hears a kind of humming sound that gets louder as she gets closer to them. I ... I told her that I'd teach her how to do the Patronus Charm ... but I never got around to it."
Harry felt horribly guilty, yet at the same time, curious as to how Ginny had learned it.
Natalie must have realized what he was thinking, because she suddenly said, "Ginny learned the Patronus Charm from Professor Hall. She was teaching Neville and I how to cast the charm."
Professor Dumbledore nodded with understanding. Once more, Madame Pomfrey came out of her office with more of the greyish potion and another cup. She took the same vial of steaming liquid that she'd used on Hermione and waved it under Ginny's nose.
But, Ginny didn't stir.
Professor Dumbledore had turned his attention to Li at this point. "And how, Mr. Chang, did you come to be out in the garden?"
Looking up from his sister, Li said quietly, "I was coming out of the Great Hall when I ran into Ginny. She was saying something about dementors being out in the garden with Harry and my sister. We both rushed outside ... I must have got ahead of her, though." He glanced back down at his sister as he added, "I got there just in time. A moment later and those creatures would have been on her. I used the ancient shielding charm to protect us, just as my grandfather taught me."
Harry was feeling even worse now. He hadn't been able to help Cho at all during the fight. He'd barely been able to protect Ron and Hermione. If it weren't for the others ...
"Wait!" Harry suddenly said. He looked over at Li as he asked, "If you were doing the shield charm, then ... who was making the flame patronus ... or the dragon one?"
Li shrugged. Harry glanced around at the others who shrugged as well.
"Apparently," Professor Dumbledore said with a slight twinkle in his eyes, "You had some additional assistance from someone who wishes to remain anonymous."
Madame Pomfrey sighed heavily as she left Ginny's side. The steaming potion had not revived the young girl. With a look of concern, the nurse moved over to Cho. One wave of the solution under the Ravenclaw girl's nose and she awoke.
Coughing as she tried to sit up, Cho asked, "What happened? How'd I get here?"
Harry walked over to her and sat down on the edge of the bed. "You passed out, Cho. Remember? The dementors in the garden?"
Cho's pale face showed that she obviously remembered. She glanced over at the beds where Hermione and Ginny were. With a look of horror, she asked, "They ... they didn't get ... kissed, did they? By the dementors?"
Madame Pomfrey tsked lightly as she stated, "Of course not, dear. They're just both sleeping. Which, I believe, is exactly what you should be doing." The nurse looked up at the professors as she added, "I see no reason any of them except Miss Granger and Miss Weasley should stay here. They should all go back to their dorms and get some rest, though."
Cho looked up at Harry and asked, "Will you walk me to Ravenclaw?"
Before Harry could answer, Professor Lupin stepped forward and smiled gently at the girl. "I don't think that's a good idea, Miss Chang. Harry needs to get some rest, too. I'll be happy to see you safely to your house, though."
Cho didn't look pleased, but she remained silent about it. With a quiet bid of good-night, she left with the Defense professor and her brother.
Seamus, Dean, the twins, Neville, and Natalie soon left as well. Professor Dumbledore went into Madame Pomfrey's office to speak to her about sleeping potions for Harry and Ron. As soon as they were alone, Ron looked seriously at Harry and said, "Thank you!"
All Harry could say was, "For what?"
Ron looked at him with a hint of amazement. "What do you mean, for what? For saving Hermione and I. If you hadn't showed up when you did ... " He couldn't finish the sentence ... only shook his head.
Harry shrugged. "It wasn't just me. If Ginny hadn't shown up ..." He paused, glancing down at the younger girl. "Ron ... her patronus attacked those dementors. They were all heading straight for me ... She saved my life."
Ron gave Harry a concerned look. Sighing, Harry figured that Ron wouldn't understand how he was feeling. He wasn't even sure that he, himself, understood.
"Come on, Harry," Ron said after a while. "Madame Pomfrey must have that potion ready for us. We should get some sleep so we can get back up here first thing."
Harry nodded. He watched as Ron bent over his little sister and gently kissed her forehead. Then, to Harry's suprise, Ron did the same to Hermione. As Ron began to head over to the office, Harry started to follow.
But then, he stopped. Looking back at the two girls, Harry felt as if he couldn't leave just yet. He noticed that Ron had disappeared into the office. So, quietly, he walked back in between the two girls' beds. Coming up to Hermione first, Harry realized that there was something lying on the pillow next to her head. He smiled, seeing that it was a single red flower. Ron must have sat it there when he'd kissed her good-night.
Harry didn't feel comfortable to give even a brotherly kiss to either girl. And he was sure that if he tried and Ron saw, he'd be as good as dead. Instead, Harry reached down to pat Hermione's hand in an awkwardly comforting way. Then, turning to Ginny, he did the same ... although, he did find it harder to pull his hand away from hers once they'd touched.
Voices from the office told Harry that Ron, Professor Dumbledore, and Madame Pomfrey would be back out soon. Harry started to move back to the office door ... but, once more, paused. He'd put his hands into his pockets and his fingers had brushed up against something soft and fuzzy. Pulling the object out, Harry found himself looking at the teddy bear with the golden snitch.
For a moment, Harry stared at it. Then, without any more hesitation, he turned back to walk over to Ginny's side. Shakily, Harry laid the stuffed bear on the pillow next to the sleeping girl. Letting out a quivering breath, he turned and quickly walked away. By the time he reached the office door, Ron was coming out with Professor Dumbledoor and Madame Pomfrey.
The nurse was trying to give Ron last minute instructions for using the sleeping potion. However, Ron was ignoring her. Finally, the boy turned to the older woman and said, "Yes, yes ... We drink the potion and fall asleep. Not too difficult. I do believe we can handle it, Madame."
Madame Pomfrey just shook her head, turned around, and walked back into her office as she muttered to herself.
Professor Dumbledore looked at the two boys with eyes full of humor ... yet, still oddly haunted. "Well, I believe it is time to say good-night. You both have done very well this evening. I'm sure that both young ladies will be up and around in no time at all." Nodding a good-night, the headmaster slipped out the door.
Harry glanced back at the girls one last time, then asked Ron, "You ready to go?"
Ron silently nodded. In much more mellow moods, the two left the hospital wing and headed back to Gryffindor Tower.
The next morning, when the boys came to the infirmary, they were pleased to see that both girls were awake and fine. Madame Pomfrey wanted to keeps them a bit longer, but Hermione refused to miss any classes. The nurse did insist that the girls eat their breakfast there in the hospital wing. To keep them company, Harry and Ron stayed to eat there as well.
It wasn't until they'd gone back up to Gryffindor Tower so the girls could change that Harry realized that he'd not even thought about meeting Cho for breakfast. In fact, he hadn't thought about her since she'd walked out of the hospital wing the night before. He pondered over this as he waited for Hermione and Ginny to come down from the dorms. It was still heavily on his mind as they all made their way to their first classes.
TBC