By Reason of Insanity
A/N:"Vulnera Sanentur" – big gashes, tergeo—cleans blood, Ignavus is Latin for lazy/coward.
I don't own Harry Potter or anything, that's all J.K. Rowling. I just own this silly plot. Enjoy!
Harry sprinted up the grounds to the castle as fast as his legs would take him. He ran through the doors and shoved past all the students lingering in the hallway during the warm fall morning. By the time he reached the portrait of the fat lady, he seriously thought he might die of a heart attack or asphyxiation.
"Car….carp…ca." Harry wheezed before the Fat Lady, hunched with his hands on his knees.
"My dear, Mr. Potter. What has you in such a hurry?" the obnoxious portrait asked with interest.
Harry just glared up at her from his exhausted position between his knees.
"Well don't look at me like that! Harry Potter or not I need a password! No password, no entry." The Fat Lady huffed.
"Carpe….diem." Harry gasped as he still tried to catch his breath.
The annoying portrait swung open and he climbed as quickly as he could into the Gryffindor common room. He did a cursory glance around the room and quickly spotted the person he was searching for. Hermione's bushy curls stood out dramatically at her position at the work table. Her head was bent low over her parchment, quill scratching furiously on what appeared to be a transfiguration essay.
"Hermione, I need your help." Harry rushed as he stood in front of her.
Hermione curtly set down her quill and gave him a frustrated glance. "I told you to work on your potions essay earlier but you and Ron insisted on practicing quidditch. I'm not going to help you when it's convenient for you!"
"It's about…" Harry started before lowering his voice and casting a furtive look around the room. "….Scarlett."
"What about her?" Hermione inquired.
"She's at Hagrid's. Something's happened and she's hurt really bad. Hagrid just thinks she's a wild animal that's strayed onto Hogwarts grounds and that he can't do much for her as an animal. I need your help!"
"Harry, I'm not a healer!" She exclaimed. "We need to take her to Madame Pomfrey."
"Hermione, you know what they will do to her as soon as they see her! They won't even give her the chance to heal." He argued.
"What did she do now to get herself hurt anyway?" Hermione questioned with a tone of obvious dislike.
"If you're not going to help me, at least tell me what I can do! Please Hermione, I need her." Harry begged.
The young witch studied him curiously for a brief moment before nodding her head in approval. "I'll go with you. You'd somehow manage to find a way to kill her yourself if I let you do these spells alone."
Harry jumped at her approval and wasted no time. He took her by the wrist and pulled her through the portrait door. Dragging Hermione behind him, Harry sprinted through the empty halls of the castle and across the grounds to Hagrid's hut.
"Harry, slow down!" Hermione exclaimed.
But he neither slowed his pace nor loosened his grip on her wrist. "We don't have time!"
They continued pushing forward. The sound of their sneakers pounding hard on the earth was accompanied only by their harsh, ragged breathing. Harry skidded to a halt right outside the feeble wooden door before pushing through without pausing to knock.
Bellatrix lay on her uninjured side on Hagrid's massive bed in her animagus form. The wolf had a bandage wrapped around its middle, but it wasn't doing much to stop the blood flow. Hermione watched the wolf take in shallow, rattling breaths. They needed to do something now or Bellatrix would be in trouble. Hermione knelt in front of Bellatrix's prone form and scratched behind her ear cautiously.
"Bellatrix, I'm here to help you. But I need you to change back. Can you do that for me?" Hermione said gently.
Harry cringed as the sound of Bellatrix's pained whimpering reached his ears. Drawing on the last of her fading strength, Bella shifted once more. As she changed, the wolf whimpers became screams of agony. Hermione worked quickly to assess Bellatrix's wounds after removing the bloodied bandages.
"Oh my god. Harry, I don't know what I'll be able to do!" Hermione exclaimed as she inspected the wound. "There's so much blood! I'm not a healer Harry!"
"You need to do something! Whatever you can!" He yelled back in panic.
Their fearful bickering was interrupted by another cry from the dying woman in front of them. Hermione turned back to her charge and frantically searched her mind for anything she had read about that could help Bellatrix.
"Tergeo," she whispered as she waved her wand over the gash.
Immediately the dirty and drying blood began to clean, giving Hermione a better view and access to the cut. The slash was deep and long, running from just underneath her left arm all the way down to her lower right abdomen.
"The only thing I can think of is a spell I read about. I've never practiced it. It is highly theoretical and complex." Hermione nervously stated.
"Just do it." Harry rushed.
With a look of severe concentration, Hermione whispered "Vulnera sanentur" as she flicked her wand continuously over the length of the gash.
The wound glowed a bright blue and slowly began closing itself from each end. New skin began to form and sew together in tandem with scar tissue. As it healed, Bellatrix again began to shriek. Her bloodied fists clutched at the quilted sheets of the bed and sweat dripped freely from her forehead. Harry joined Hermione on the floor next to her and grasped her cold hand. After a few long and excruciating minutes, the edges of the healing slash met in the middle just below her ribcage.
"It worked!" Hermione exclaimed excitedly as she traced her finger down the thin scar that now adorned Bellatrix's torso.
The fresh pink scar contrasted with the milky paleness of Bellatrix's complexion. It reminded Hermione of the scar on her own chest that she had obtained from the wand of Antonin Dolohov at the Department of Mysteries. Harry brushed a damp curl away from Bella's forehead and squeezed her hand gently to get her attention.
"Bella, are you going to be okay?" He asked her quietly.
"I'll be fine. I'm just exhausted." She replied despite her still labored breathing.
"What happened?" Harry questioned.
"Harry! Now is not the time for that. She needs rest! And you are sitting here interrogating her." Hermione hissed.
Harry nodded sheepishly and brushed a light kiss across Bella's forehead. "I'm sorry."
"What we need to focus on is where to put her. She needs to recover, but she obviously can't stay in the castle." Hermione pondered as she continued to clean the blood from Bellatrix's body. "And she can't go back to Black Manor, assuming that's where she was attacked."
"It was." Bella inserted.
"The shrieking shack?" Harry offered.
"You're not seriously going to house a lady in the shrieking shack?" Hermione scoffed incredulously. "How about the room of requirement?"
"She would be hidden from students, I could still see her, and no one could get in unless they knew what they were looking for." Harry said as he contemplated her suggestion.
"How would I get there?" Bellatrix asked them both, trying to include herself in the plans.
"She's right. Everyone is bound to see Bellatrix Lestrange walking through the halls of Hogwarts." He interjected.
"Do you have enough energy to transform again?" Hermione asked, finally addressing Bellatrix directly.
"I think people are bound to notice a huge white wolf walking down the halls as well, Hermione." Harry argued sarcastically.
After shooting him a glare, Hermione responded "But she wouldn't be noticed out here."
"Are you suggesting I stay in the Forbidden Forest for the duration of the school year?" Bellatrix interjected with apparent disgust.
"Not at all. I'm suggesting that you stay with Hagrid. He loves animals and he would take excellent care of a wolf as beautiful as you." Hermione answered sweetly in an attempt to persuade her.
"Hagrid almost went to Azkaban in our third year for a bloody hippogriff." Harry added as he considered this option.
"You both want me to stay with Hagrid in this hut for approximately eight months. Am I following correctly?" Bella asked them incredulously.
"Precisely." Hermione smiled.
"There is nowhere else for you to stay that is safe. I trust Hagrid. I know he will take good care of you." Harry said slowly.
"Honestly, this is worse than staying by myself in Black Manor." She huffed.
"I'll keep you company. I promise." Harry tried to comfort, placing his hand on hers. "I'll come down at least once a day. We can run together."
After a few minutes of mumbling and grumbling, Bellatrix agreed to remain with outside with Hagrid. The dark scowl across her face made it clear to both the Hogwarts students exactly how she felt about the situation.
"She was there! We all saw her. We need to do something!" Tonks raged, slamming a fist on the hard wood of the table.
The long table at 12 Grimmauld Place was filled to capacity with all the Order members. From the highest ranked members such as Albus Dumbledore to the lowest ranking students fresh out of Hogwarts. To Albus and Severus, this was probably one of the most important meetings the resistance group would ever have.
"Nymphadora, please calm down. This is a dire situation and needs to be discussed rationally." Dumbledore attempted to soothe.
"Rationally? That bitch tried to kill us! Almost all of us here at some point!" She screeched.
Alastor Moody placed a mangled hand on her shoulder and pushed her slowly back into her seat, his good eye giving her a warning look. After the young metamorph was silenced, Albus took a long look around the table. Most of the faces looked back at him with fear and concern.
"As we have discussed before, Bellatrix Black, formerly Lestrange, was found in Harry Potter's current place of residence." He started calmly. "As Voldemort's first lieutenant and escaped convict, I don't need to tell you she is dangerous. But this new information is critical to our cause. If she was found inside the house and in Harry's bedroom, we are only to assume that Voldemort may be trying to go after Harry directly."
"But Moody said that Harry was letting her stay there…" Lupin said slowly.
"We are not exactly sure of the entire situation. We must assume the worst, and the worst is that she was there to take him or to kill him." Albus said gravely.
"Constant vigilance! She is the most dangerous witch out there! If you see or encounter her, do not engage alone. Rule number one: do not engage her unless you are with at least three others. One on one you will surely loose. She is an excellent duelist." Alastor added.
"And if that situation does arise, we want her alive. She could be key to winning this war." Dumbledore concluded. "But do not risk your own lives for hers. You are dismissed."
The numerous people in the room slowly started to trickle out the door. Some wore expressions of fear and disconcertment. Others, such as Tonks and a few Weasleys, left angrily.
"Remus, Severus, will you two please stay behind." Dumbledore ordered before they slipped through the door.
The two worn men stood before the much older wizard somberly, awaiting their instructions.
"Remus, I must ask a great favor of you." He said sagely as he intertwined his fingers and looked over his half-moon spectacles. "We are in need of a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher…again. It seems Professor Ignavus has decided to resign due to the 'unexpected rise in danger' in teaching this specific position."
"And you want me there again? Don't you think parents will fuss about a werewolf teaching their children?" Lupin asked incredulously.
"I need someone uniquely qualified as well as someone I trust. You, Remus, satisfy both of my requirements without fail. "
"If you think it would be best, I accept." He answered humbly.
"Thank you Remus, that is all."
Severus Snape watched Lupin exit the kitchen and waited for the sound of the front door closing before turning to speak.
"I have spoken with him." Snape said cryptically.
"What was discussed?"
"I told him she was spotted and that the Order has begun a hunt for her. I have made him believe that she is attempting to make up for her failure at the Department of Mysteries by going after the boy." Severus clarified.
"Maybe she is. But no matter, I assume he is placing you in charge of returning her to him?" Albus asked.
"Indeed. And you know as well as I that we cannot let that happen. She must be found by the Order first. Alive or dead." Snape rushed.
A/N: So there is the next chapter. Sorry it took so long everybody, I got a little stuck writing it. But I think i've gotten through that and the rest of the chapters should be up a little quicker. And things are progressing in the war. I say that I am about halfway done with the story overall. The climax should be coming soon!