A/N Quick chapter update this time - thanks to everyone who's still following and reading the story but please leave a review telling me what you think - it really helps! And if you're interested, check out my new story: Words of Wisdom - chapter three is now up! Enjoy!
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Fawkes' Song
Ron, though Amara could walk just fine, helped her to the Hospital Wing whilst Lupin took Neville and Madam Pomfrey and McGonagall took Bill. Tonks and Ginny followed quickly, each rather pale but looking relieved.
Neville was put into a bed by the door of the Hospital Wing. She helped him first, fixing his leg, which was injured, and giving him a sleeping potion so that he could sleep it out. When Neville was fast asleep, Madam Pomfrey came over to see how Amara was. She had been forced to get into a bed, even though she said she was fine. But Ron told Madam Pomfrey that Greyback had made the scratches and the matron had forced her to straight away. McGonagall had also looked worried at this, but Amara insisted she was fine.
Madam Pomfrey drew curtains around her bed and helps her take off her robes and managed to get her just in a vest top so that she could inspect the scratches better. She then re-opened the curtains and ushered Ron inside.
"They're not deep," Madam Pomfrey said, inspecting the scratches that were on the top each shoulder and ran down vertically a few inches. They were painful and bleeding slightly and Ron panicked that she was going to be a werewolf. "And there's only two, I doubt there'll be any werewolf tendencies at all. They'll just scar. You got off very lucky, Miss Matthews. Mr Weasley can you dab this onto her scratches? I've got to attend to Bill."
She moved away and Ron came forward.
"It was Felix Felicis," he whispered. "You could've - he would've -" he looked over at Bill and paled. He started dabbing the ointment onto her left side. "If we hadn't had that potion I think we would have died."
Amara nodded, still fiddling with the bed sheets with her fingers. The doors opened and Hermione and Luna came hurrying through.
"We heard about the fight - I can't believe we couldn't help - Amara! What - what happened?"
Hermione was nearly in tears by the time she reached Amara's bed.
"I'm fine," Amara said. "Greyback -" Hermione blanched and Luna looked pale. "- he slashed me - but they're not deep and I won't get any side effects - not like Bill, anyway."
"What happened to Bill?"
"He got mauled by Greyback," said Ron quietly. "Madam Pomfrey's trying to fix him up, but there might be some damages ..."
"Oh no," Hermione whispered and she collapsed into a chair next to Amara's bed. Ron continued with his dabbing whilst Luna went over to see if Neville was okay. Amara did not look over at Bill's bed. She did not want to feel the little squirm of guilt that went into her when she saw his unrecognisable face.
It could have been her as well.
But it was because of Harry's Felix Felicis that let her get away with two shallow scratches. She felt guilty because she was glad she hadn't, and that she was all right in the end. But Bill wasn't and she had no right to feel relieved when he was going to suffer for the rest of his life and could have werewolf tendencies.
"It's not right," whispered Amara and Ron paused. "That I got off lightly and Bill …"
"Better only one serious injury than two," Ron said roughly, dabbing the ointment again. "I don't know if Fred has heard yet."
He moved onto her other side as Professor McGonagall told them she was going to contact Mr and Mrs Weasley. Madam Pomfrey was trying to find an ointment that would work better on Bill's deep scars. The one Amara had did not work on his bites.
Amara was soon able to get up and sit in a chair next to Bill's bed as everyone else, minus Neville, gathered around the bed, staring sadly down at the once handsome face.
The doors opened and Ginny, who had apparently gone without Amara realising, returned with a white, shaking Harry in tow. Hermione got up and hugged him straight away, and Lupin hurried forwards too.
"Are you all right, Harry?"
"I'm fine. . . . How's Bill?"
Nobody answered. Amara saw Harry looking over Hermione's shoulder and seeing how bad Bill looked. His white face seemed to get paler as he took it in. Madam Pomfrey was still dabbing at his wounds with the harsh-smelling green ointment which seemed to work.
"Can't you fix them with a charm or something?" Harry asked the matron.
"No charm will work on these," said Madam Pomfrey. "I've tried everything I know, but there is no cure for werewolf bites."
"But he wasn't bitten at the full moon," said Ron, who was gazing down into his brother's face from next to Amara. "Greyback hadn't transformed, so surely Bill won't be a — a real — ?"
He looked uncertainly at Lupin.
"No, I don't think that Bill will be a true werewolf," said Lupin, "but that does not mean that there won't be some contamination. Those are cursed wounds. They are unlikely ever to heal fully, and — and Bill might have some wolfish characteristics from now on."
"Dumbledore might know something that'd work, though," Ron said. "Where is he? Bill fought those maniacs on Dumbledore's orders, Dumbledore owes him, he can't leave him in this state —"
"Ron — Dumbledore's dead," said Ginny.
Amara gasped as Ginny's words cut through her like a cold knife. Dumbledore's dead. It couldn't be true - Dumbledore was the greatest wizard to ever live ... Amara shook slightly as she realised what this meant. When had it happened?
Ron had frozen beside her as a few tears started to fall down Amara's cheeks.
"No!" Lupin looked wildly from Ginny to Harry, as though hoping the latter might contradict her, but when Harry did not, Lupin collapsed into a chair beside Bill's bed, his hands over his face. Harry's face was pained and Amara realised that was why he had been pale and shaky when he had entered with Ginny. Amara sniffed slightly.
Dumbledore was dead.
"How did he die?" whispered Tonks. "How did it happen?"
"Snape killed him," said Harry. "I was there, I saw it. We arrived back on the Astronomy Tower because that's where the Mark was. . . Dumbledore was ill, he was weak, but I think he realized it was a trap when we heard footsteps running up the stairs. He immobilized me, I couldn't do anything, I was under the Invisibility Cloak — and then Malfoy came through the door and disarmed him —"
Hermione clapped her hands to her mouth and Ron groaned. Luna's mouth trembled.
"— more Death Eaters arrived — and then Snape — and Snape did it. The Avada Kedavra." Harry couldn't go on.
Madam Pomfrey burst into tears. Nobody paid her any attention except Ginny, who whispered, "Shh! Listen!"
Somewhere in the darkness a song had started. A Phoenix was singing in such a way of beauty yet sorrow that it made Amara pine for comfort but her sadness was lessened slightly and she listened to the song for a long time.
They listened for what seemed like an age, all of them listening to the song somewhat desperately, as if it would somehow help them.
When the doors opened and Professor McGonagall walked in the trance was broken - they rubbed their eyes and stared down at Bill once again. Professor McGonagall soon reached them, looking like they did with scratches and torn robes.
"Molly and Arthur are on their way," she said, "Harry, what happened? According to Hagrid you were with Professor Dumbledore when he — when it happened. He says Professor Snape was involved in some —"
"Snape killed Dumbledore," said Harry flatly. Snape.
Professor McGonagall stared at him for a moment, then swayed alarmingly; Madam Pomfrey, who seemed to have pulled herself together after bursting into tears, ran forward, conjuring a chair from thin air, which she pushed under McGonagall.
"Snape," repeated McGonagall faintly, falling into the chair. "We all wondered . . . but he trusted . . . always . . . Snape . . . I can't believe it. . . ."
"Snape was a highly accomplished Occlumens," said Lupin, his voice uncharacteristically harsh. "We always knew that."
"But Dumbledore swore he was on our side!" whispered Tonks. "I always thought Dumbledore must know something about Snape that we didn't. . . ."
"He always hinted that he had an ironclad reason for trusting Snape," muttered Professor McGonagall, now dabbing at the corners of her leaking eyes with a tartan-edged handkerchief. Amara stared miserably at the floor. "I mean . . . with Snape's history . . . of course people were bound to won- der . . . but Dumbledore told me explicitly that Snape's repentance was absolutely genuine. . . . Wouldn't hear a word against him!"
"I'd love to know what Snape told him to convince him," said Tonks.
"I know," said Harry, and they all turned to look at him. "Snape passed Voldemort the information that made Voldemort hunt down my mum and dad. Then Snape told Dumbledore he hadn't realized what he was doing, he was really sorry he'd done it, sorry that they were dead."
They all stared at him. Snape had said he was sorry for passing on information to Voldemort?
"And Dumbledore believed that?" said Lupin incredulously. "Dumbledore believed Snape was sorry James was dead? Snape hated James. . . ."
"And he didn't think my mother was worth a damn either," said Harry, "because she was Muggle-born. . . . 'Mudblood,' he called her. . . ."
Snape had killed Dumbledore.
Snape had ruthlessly murdered the greatest man alive.
"This is all my fault," said Professor McGonagall suddenly and everyone looked up at her. "My fault. I sent Filius to fetch Snape tonight, I actually sent for him to come and help us! If I hadn't alerted Snape to what was going on, he might never have joined forces with the Death Eaters. I don't think he knew they were there before Filius told him, I don't think he knew they were coming."
"It isn't your fault, Minerva," said Lupin firmly. "We all wanted more help, we were glad to think Snape was on his way. . . ."
"So when he arrived at the fight, he joined in on the Death Eaters' side?" asked Harry.
"I don't know exactly how it happened," said Professor McGonagall distractedly. "It's all so confusing. . . . Dumbledore had told us that he would be leaving the school for a few hours and that we were to patrol the corridors just in case . . . Remus, Bill, and Nymphadora were to join us . . . and so we patrolled. All seemed quiet. Every secret passageway out of the school was covered. We knew nobody could fly in. There were powerful enchantments on every entrance into the castle. I still don't know how the Death Eaters can possibly have entered. . . ."
"I do," said Harry, "there's a pair of Vanishig Cabinets that got broken last year. The other one was in Borgin and Burkes whilst the broken one for put in the Room of Requirement. Malfoy had been fixing them all year so that they could pass through the pathway they made. So they got in through the Room of Requirement."
Harry glanced at Ron, Amara and Hermione. They stared back at him, horrified.
"I messed up, Harry," said Ron bleakly from his place next to Amara. "We did like you told us: We checked the Marauder's Map and we couldn't see Malfoy on it, so we thought he must be in the Room of Requirement, so me, Amara, Ginny, and Neville went to keep watch on it . . . but Malfoy got past us."
"He came out of the room about an hour after we started keeping watch," said Ginny. "He was on his own, clutching that awful shrivelled arm —"
"His Hand of Glory," said Ron. "Gives light only to the holder, remember?"
"Anyway," Ginny went on, "he must have been checking whether the coast was clear to let the Death Eaters out, because the moment he saw us he threw something into the air and it all went pitch-black —"
"— Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder," said Ron bitterly. "Fred and George's. I'm going to be having a word with them about who they let buy their products."
"We tried everything, Lumos, Incendio," said Ginny. "Nothing would penetrate the darkness; all we could do was grope our way out of the corridor again, and meanwhile we could hear people rushing past us. Obviously Malfoy could see because of that hand thing and was guiding them, but we didn't dare use any curses or anything in case we hit each other, and by the time we'd reached a corridor that was light, they'd gone."
"Luckily," said Lupin hoarsely, "Ron, Amara, Ginny, and Neville ran into us almost immediately because Amara's sister had given us a tip-off. They told us what had happened. We found the Death Eaters minutes later, heading in the direction of the Astronomy Tower. Malfoy obviously hadn't expected more people to be on the watch; he seemed to have exhausted his supply of Darkness Powder, at any rate. A fight broke out, they scattered and we gave chase. One of them, Gibbon, broke away and headed up the tower stairs —"
"To set off the Mark?" asked Harry.
"He must have done, yes, they must have arranged that before they left the Room of Requirement," said Lupin. "But I don't think Gibbon liked the idea of waiting up there alone for Dumbledore, because he came running back downstairs to rejoin the fight and was hit by a Killing Curse that just missed me and Amara."
"So if Ron was watching the Room of Requirement with Amara, Ginny and Neville," said Harry, turning to Hermione, "were you — ?"
"Outside Snape's office, yes," whispered Hermione, her eyes sparkling with tears, "with Luna. We hung around for ages outside it and nothing happened. . . . We didn't know what was going on upstairs, Ron had taken the map. . . . It was nearly midnight when Professor Flitwick came sprinting down into the dungeons. He was shouting about Death Eaters in the castle, I don't think he really registered that Luna and I were there at all, he just burst his way into Snape's office and we heard him saying that Snape had to go back with him and help and then we heard a loud thump and Snape came hurtling out of his room and he saw us and — and —"
"What?" Harry urged her.
"I was so stupid, Harry!" said Hermione in a high-pitched whisper. "He said Professor Flitwick had collapsed and that we should go and take care of him while he — while he went to help fight the Death Eaters —" She covered her face in shame and continued to talk into her fingers, so that her voice was muffled. "We went into his office to see if we could help Professor Flitwick and found him unconscious on the floor . . . and oh, it's so obvious now, Snape must have Stupefied Flitwick, but we didn't realize, Harry, we didn't realize, we just let Snape go!"
"It's not your fault," said Lupin firmly. "Hermione, had you not obeyed Snape and got out of the way, he probably would have killed you and Luna."
"So then he came upstairs," said Harry, "and he found the place where you were all fighting. . . ."
"We were in trouble, we were losing," said Tonks in a low voice. "Gibbon was down, but the rest of the Death Eaters seemed ready to fight to the death. Neville had been hurt, Bill had been savaged by Greyback . . . It was all dark . . . curses flying everywhere . . . The Malfoy boy had vanished - Amara had said that he'd gone up the stairs . . . then more of them ran after him, but one of them blocked the stairs behind them with some kind of curse. . . . Neville ran at it and got thrown up into the air —"
"None of us could break through," said Ron, "and that massive Death Eater was still firing off jinxes all over the place, they were bouncing off the walls and barely missing us. . . ."
"And then Snape was there," said Tonks, "and then he wasn't —"
"I saw him running toward us, but that huge Death Eater's jinx just missed me right afterward and I ducked and lost track of things," said Ginny.
"I saw him run straight through the cursed barrier as though it wasn't there," said Lupin. "I tried to follow him, but was thrown back just like Neville. . . ."
"He must have known a spell we didn't," whispered McGonagall. "After all — he was the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. . . . I just assumed that he was in a hurry to chase after the Death Eaters who'd escaped up to the tower. . . ."
"He was," said Harry savagely, "but to help them, not to stop them . . . and I'll bet you had to have a Dark Mark to get through that barrier — so what happened when he came back down?"
"Well, the big Death Eater had just fired off a hex that caused half the ceiling to fall in, and also broke the curse blocking the stairs," said Lupin. "We all ran forward — those of us who were still standing anyway — and then Snape and the boy emerged out of the dust — obviously, none of us attacked them —"
"We just let them pass," said Tonks in a hollow voice. "We thought they were being chased by the Death Eaters — and next thing, the other Death Eaters and Greyback were back and we were fighting again — I thought I heard Snape shout something, but I don't know what —"
"He shouted, 'It's over,'" said Harry. "He'd done what he'd meant to do."
It became silent in the hospital wing. They just stood or sat in various positions, staring ahead and listening to the phoenix's song dully, trying not to think about what had happened. Fawkes continued to sing at the loss of his master and Amara slouched shakily in her chair. Every year since Cedric had died another one of them had fallen.
Sirius, Dumbledore. Who'd be next?
The doors opened once again with surprising force as Mr and Mrs Weasley strode into the room and up the ward. Fleur followed them, looking terrified.
"Molly — Arthur —" said Professor McGonagall, jumping up and hurrying to greet them. "I am so sorry —"
"Bill," whispered Mrs Weasley, darting past Professor McGonagall as she caught sight of Bill's mangled face. "Oh, Bill!"
Lupin and Tonks had got up hastily and retreated so that Mr and Mrs Weasley could get nearer to the bed. Mrs Weasley bent over her son and pressed her lips to his bloody forehead.
"You said Greyback attacked him?" Mr Weasley asked Professor McGonagall distractedly. "But he hadn't transformed? So what does that mean? What will happen to Bill?"
"We don't yet know," said Professor McGonagall, looking helplessly at Lupin.
"There will probably be some contamination, Arthur," said Lupin. "It is an odd case, possibly unique. . . . We don't know what his behaviour might be like when he awakens. . . ."
Mrs Weasley took the nasty-smelling ointment from Madam Pomfrey and began dabbing at Bill's wounds.
"And Dumbledore . . ." said Mr Weasley. "Minerva, is it true . . . Is he really . . . ?"
Professor McGonagall nodded sadly and Mr Weasley looked horrified again. Amara saw that Ginny was frowning at a frozen Fleur, who was staring down at her fiancé's face.
"Dumbledore gone," whispered Mr Weasley, but Mrs Weasley had eyes only for her eldest son; she began to sob, tears falling onto Bill's mutilated face.
"Of course, it doesn't matter how he looks. . . . It's not r-really important . . . but he was a very handsome little b-boy . . . always very handsome . . . and he was g-going to be married!"
"And what do you mean by zat?" said Fleur suddenly and loudly. "What do you mean, ' 'e was going to be married?' "
Mrs Weasley raised her tear-stained face, looking startled. "Well — only that —"
"You theenk Bill will not wish to marry me anymore?" demanded Fleur. "You theenk, because of these bites, he will not love me?"
"No, that's not what I —"
"Because 'e will!" said Fleur, drawing herself up to her full height (which was rather tall) and throwing back her long mane of silver hair. "It would take more zan a werewolf to stop Bill loving me!"
"Well, yes, I'm sure," said Mrs. Weasley, "but I thought perhaps — given how — how he —"
"You thought I would not weesh to marry him? Or per'aps, you hoped?" said Fleur, her nostrils flaring. "What do I care how he looks? I am good-looking enough for both of us, I theenk! All these scars show is zat my husband is brave! And I shall do zat!" she added fiercely, pushing Mrs Weasley aside and snatching the ointment from her.
Mrs Weasley fell backward against her husband as Fleur began dabbing at Bill's wounds. Amara's eyes were huge at what had happened and Hermione looked shocked.
Nobody said a word, waiting for an explosion of anger.
"Our Great-Auntie Muriel," said Mrs Weasley after a long pause, "has a very beautiful tiara — goblin-made — which I am sure I could persuade her to lend you for the wedding. She is very fond of Bill, you know, and it would look lovely with your hair."
"Thank you," said Fleur stiffly. "I am sure zat will be lovely."
Suddenly Mrs Weasley and Fleur had collapsed onto each other and burst into tears. They hugged and sobbed whilst everyone looked shocked.
"You see!" said a strained voice. Tonks was glaring at Lupin. "She still wants to marry him, even though he's been bitten! She doesn't care!"
"It's different," said Lupin, barely moving his lips and looking suddenly tense. "Bill will not be a full werewolf. The cases are completely —"
"But I don't care either, I don't care!" said Tonks, seizing the front of Lupin's robes and shaking them. "I've told you a million times. . . ."
Tonks had fallen in love with Lupin. It explained the hair and the Patronus and why she was worried and came to see Dumbledore all the time.
"And I've told you a million times," said Lupin, refusing to meet her eyes, staring at the floor, "that I am too old for you, too poor . . . too dangerous. . . ."
"I've said all along you're taking a ridiculous line on this, Remus," said Mrs Weasley over Fleur's shoulder as she patted her on the back.
"I am not being ridiculous," said Lupin steadily. "Tonks deserves somebody young and whole."
"But she wants you," said Mr Weasley, with a small smile. "And after all, Remus, young and whole men do not necessarily remain so."
He gestured sadly at his son, lying between them.
"This is . . . not the moment to discuss it," said Lupin, avoiding everybody's eyes as he looked around distractedly. "Dumbledore is dead. . . ."
"Dumbledore would have been happier than anybody to think that there was a little more love in the world," said Professor McGonagall curtly, just as the hospital doors opened again and Hagrid walked in.
He had been crying and was continuing to do so in his handkerchief. His face was swollen and tears were leaking into his beard as he walked forwards.
"I've . . . I've done it, Professor," he choked. "M-moved him. Professor Sprout's got the kids back in bed. Professor Flitwick's lyin' down, but he says he'll be all righ' in a jiffy, an' Professor Slughorn says the Ministry's bin informed."
"Thank you, Hagrid," said Professor McGonagall, standing up at once and turning to look at the group around Bill's bed. "I shall have to see the Ministry when they get here. Hagrid, please tell the Heads of Houses — Slughorn can represent Slytherin — that I want to see them in my office forthwith. I would like you to join us too."
As Hagrid nodded, turned, and shuffled out of the room again, she looked down at Harry. "Before I meet them I would like a quick word with you, Harry. If you'll come with me. . . ."
Harry stood up, murmured "See you in a bit" to Ron, Hermione, Amara and Ginny, and followed Professor McGonagall back down the ward.
Amara and the others remained in the hospital wing. Fleur and Mrs Weasley both helped in dabbing the ointment onto Bill's wounds whilst Mr Weasley looked sadly down at his son.
Madam Pomfrey decided to check up on Amara's scratches as well, and Lupin and Tonks had both looked panicked when they found they were werewolf scratches, but Amara and Madam Pomfrey told them she was going to be fine.
The scratches seemed to be closing, so Madam Pomfrey put another layer of ointment on them before wrapping them up and instructing Amara to report back to her in the morning.
She then instructed Ron, Amara, Hermione, Ginny and Luna to go back to their common rooms and rest.
Amara knew everyone was awake and she knew that they'd know they'd been fighting Death Eaters, because of the cuts, bruises and torn robes. Whilst they walked silently down the corridors after saying goodbye to Luna, Amara realised she did not want to see anyone at the moment.
The Fat Lady had visitors in her portrait when they arrived and they all seemed to be hysterical, and let them in without the password.
The common room was full of people who all looked up when they entered. There were gasps as they took in their appearances and many people stood up to see what was going on.
Amara saw Tessie and Ethan huddled together in the corner with their friends. She smiled weakly at them and they broke away to hug her.
"Is it true?" Tessie whispered. "Dumbledore ..."
Amara nodded and Tessie's eyes filled with tears. Ethan gave her a hug and led her back towards their friends.
"Get some sleep," he told Amara, who nodded. When had Ethan become mature?
Ron broke off and went up to the boys' dormitory alone, whilst Hermione, Ginny and Amara walked up the girls' staircase. Ginny went into the fifth-years' dormitory and Amara and Hermione kept going.
Their room was empty because Parvati, Lavender and Sophie were still downstairs.
Not saying much, Amara got herself together and drew her curtains shut and began one of the worst nights of sleep she'd ever had
