CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE:
HUMAN AGAIN?
Pandora turned to everyone who now surrounded Prometheus and said, "I need to ask you all to please step away from him. An adverse reaction may occur when this is removed," and Pandora rested a hand on the deadly stake running through Harry's body. Everybody was too distraught to realize not only were Dora's last words a complete deception, but also that Harry had failed to release his grip on her hand. In a human, that could easily be attributed to some kind of muscular spasm...but physically at least, Harry was still very much the immortal Prometheus...
What nobody else knew is that her stake had some very fancy modifications done to it. The weapon was wood only on the outside...a protective sheath for the actual metal spike inside. She reached out, hit the hidden release trigger, and Rome's 'body' jerked back into motion, while everybody else made sounds of shock.
Pandora, however, smiled with great satisfaction after that jolting kickstart the removal of the stake caused. She leaned over Harry and asked in a slightly playful tone, "Still with me, kiddo?"
Nobody was more surprised than Rome, however. His eyes flew open and fixed on Pandora's face. "Hurts…" he gasped painfully...but then he joked, "still d-dead an-nd kicking."
Then Dora asked the awed crowd at large, "Now will somebody direct us to the nearest resurrecting facility? I believe this young man has a date with Mortality!"
Quickened footsteps echoed down the hall as much of the Order and school staff turned the corner to see the scene. Confusion of what just conspired there spread around the group like wildfire, only a few knew that time was running out.
The tall healer immediately went to work by conjuring a stretcher and examining the extent of Rome's wounds. On Dumbledore's orders, the rest of the adults began to usher out the four teenagers outside.
"Hagrid, could you please pick up Rome? He's lost an awful lot of blood, even for a vampire," Adonna said as she gave Prometheus a critical look.
"Of course, Madam Adonna," Hagrid said as he gently lifted the injured immortal. Pain that rivalled any other crashed over the young man as he lay on the stretcher. His tried his best to ignore it and focused on something else. Just moments before, Epimetheus and Apollo tried to use Shantiel to finish the transformation.
"Uhhhnnngg. Shan. Where's Shan.…?" Rome asked through groans of pain. He saw her timidly walking over to his side but he read the slight fear in her face.
"I'm right here…," Shantiel said softly. He was overcome with such relief that she was all right and was still by his side. But a twinge of guilt pulled at him.
He weakly clutched her hand in his bloodied one, "Are you...are you okay? You're not badly hurt?" He asked, glancing her over to make sure that nothing was wrong.
"No, I'm not hurt badly. I'm fine," she tried to smile while giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. She knew that now she needed to stay strong for the both of them. Adonna caused the stretcher to hover into the air as they made their way outside of the castle with everyone else gathered around.
They crossed the grounds in silence. It was Remus who broke it when they approached the gates, "Headmaster, do you have the Portkey for Godric's Hollow?" He asked the elderly wizard.
"Yes, right here, Remus," Dumbledore said as he set a worn old trash bin onto the ground. One by one everyone touched the bin and were immediately transported to the tiny quiet church that stood in the middle of the village. For Rome, Hermione, Ron, and Shan it feel like they had gotten back a year ago to when they defeated Voldemort. They walked through the graveyard as the sky turned a deep royal purple.
"The font is already cleaned and filled with holy water, Headmaster. I have the other items in my robes," Adonna said as she once again examined Rome, who was fading quickly. That alone made what they were about to do all the more dangerous.
"It's...it's nearly sunrise," Rome said, feeling himself want to drift off more and more but the hope of being mortal again was what kept him from slipping completely.
"Yes, thank you, Adonna," Dumbledore said opening the door of the church and led the way. They came to a room that had a stone font in the middle of the room. The water within it reflected off all the walls. A claw footed mirror stood feet away against a far wall. The stretcher finally halted in front of the font.
"Hagrid, please put Rome into the water," Adonna requested of the giant man. Hagrid placed Prometheus into the water and let him float.
Instantly the young vampire's entire body felt as though he had just been put into a bed of burning coals. He looked over to see the shared pain in a pair of sapphire blue eyes.
"Not–not much more of this–eh, Shan?" Rome gasped painfully but still smiled weakly. He knew that she was just as scared as he was. She returned the smile and the unspoken words stayed in her eyes. Adonna placed the Moonstone around Rome's neck and let it hang as a pendant. The healer then gave Promtheus several potions distilled from different woods that would help heal him. Next, Dumbledore steered Shantiel over to the mirror.
"This is the next step in the transformation, the Mirror of Erised, all it does is show us our deepest heart's desires. I want you to look into the mirror and see your deepest desire to help Harry return Mortal," Dumbledore explained to the young woman. She nodded before facing the mirror to see Harry standing next to her. The Harry she had been wishing for months to return to her. She heard thrashing behind her in the water.
"Is that clear? We need to be facing the mirror and thinking of Harry as we was when he was mortal. Him at his best," Adonna addressed everyone else in the room. To make this work he needed the strength and love of his family once more. Everyone immediately gathered around the mirror all wanting and seeing the same thing.
The sunlight shone through the stained glass window of the church and the sliver of light struck the water where Rome was. Both Hagrid and Remus quickly lowered the glass dome that hung above the font to keep the young man underneath the water. He began to thrash around more as the pain level rose tenfold, "NO. NOOOOO! AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
Like everyone else Shantiel was fighting the urge to run to him, to stop the pain he was experiencing, but her mother placed her hands on Shantiel's shoulders to reinforce what they were doing, even though she knew it broke her daughter's heart to see Harry in so much pain. Everyone kept their focus. For some time no one had seemed to notice that the thrashing had suddenly stopped. Out of concern, they looked at the font to see that Harry had vanished.
"He's gone!" Adonna exclaimed searching around and inside the font. Emotions of fear ran high. But seconds later, Harry reappeared by the side of the font, soaked and not breathing. Once again an ominous silence fell over everyone. They all feared the same thing it had been too much for his body to handle.
Remus spoke first, "Oh no, please...after all he's been through, don't let him be.…" He trailed off and shook his head.
"He was so badly hurt, all of the pain he must've been through," Adonna's voice caught on her words as she covered her mouth with her hand. Silent tears slid down Shantiel's face having once again witnessed losing the one she loved. She barely noticed that Hermione had pulled her into a hug. Dumbledore walked over to the young man as other members of the Order when to survey how much damage had been done.
"We mustn't give up all hope just yet," the elderly man said with unshakable reassurance. Hagrid lumbered passed everyone and right up to the pale crumpled Harry on the ground.
"You said it, headmaster. This is all he needs!" Hagrid said as he picked up the limp form on the floor with one arm and slammed him on the back with the palm of his open hand. To everyone's surprise, Harry lurched slightly and began to cough up tons of water and trying to suck in air through great heaving gasps.
"He's alive!" Adonna exclaimed incredulously. She checked to see if there was still fluid left in his lungs. Hagrid cradled Harry in his arms as one by one everyone touched the bin to be taken back to the school.
A heavy cloud of tension settled over everybody after the transformation. Harry had slipped into a deep sleep moments following the event and had yet to awaken. Adonna had explained that they wouldn't know if it truly worked until he woke, if Harry even woke for that matter. It was suggested that the piercing through the heart and the transformation ultimately drained him of any life.
Nothing happened for what seemed like the longest time, which seemed to make everyone's anxiousness grow more intense. They all were waiting for some kind of news…. Neville and Luna went to the kitchens to get everyone some hot cocoa.
Ron paced the corridor but stopped whenever he passed the door stared at it expectantly then continued pacing. Hermione and Shantiel both sat on a bench next to the doors.
"It's bad enough to lose Ginny, but to lose your best mate, too..."
"This feels like a sentencing for Azkaban," Hermione broke the silence.
Ron and Shantiel nodded in agreement with the bushy-haired girl. The feeling had became one of waiting to hear if someone was going to receive the Dementors' Kiss or not.
"I wonder what's going on in there," Ron questioned before continuing his march.
"I don't know," Hermione said solemnly. The others soon returned with steaming cups in their hands.
"Has anyone come out yet?" Luna asked somewhat hopefully.
Hermione went to respond as a familiar toadish looking woman in pink approached them smiling horribly.
"Well, well if it isn't Cornelius Fudge's ickle pet assistant," Fred said with dark sarcasm.
"What'd he promise you for coming out to offend us with your presence this time? A year's supply of your favourite brand of kitten plates?" George continued his brother's retort.
"I just got word that Harry Potter has drifted back into our midst," Umbridge said in her most sugar-coated voice but hinted with evil delight. "I'm sure you will be pleased that Potter is going to die a valiant hero just like he planned," she added with a giggle.
Ron started towards the woman, his hand on his wand, but Hermione held him back whispering, " Don't–it's not worth it."
Umbridge clicked her tongue while shaking her head, "Yes, I would expect all of you to defend him, even though all evidence points to Harry himself being this mysterious Prometheus everyone is raving about. And now here is The Boy Wonder, showing back up again a year after his presumed death." The squat woman continued, "I wouldn't be surprised if Potter staged this whole thing to attract more attention. Killing You-Know-Who was to be his pinnacle moment, yet he couldn't bear seeing his name out of the limelight and conjured this scheme to continue the Potter Mystique. That would be so typical of Harry."
Neville and Ron both glowered at the woman. She laughed again, making the fire if indignation burn more inside Harry's friends.
"You know nothing," said a woman's voice from the end of the corridor. They saw Pandora standing there, her eyes livid with anger. "Absolutely nothing. Harry never planned any of this. He never wanted it at all and in fact, he proved it as so much as that he asked me to kill him with dignity. Put his body somewhere, someone could find him so you could see him one last time. The very reason he was at first bound and determined to die," she spoke calmly but frustration rang through.
She stepped forward, inches from Umbridge's face, her eyes burning like embers. "I learned very early on that he was the wrong human to even think of sireing. At the time, I was angry because he took away the one reason for revenge for my lover's death by Voldemort's hands. In the time he was with me, he taught me how to love and how to have hope. Something I hadn't experienced in a long time. And you actually have the nerve to say he wanted this? He planned this?" Pandora glared at the other woman, who was now silent. "How dare you come here when you know nothing about Harry," she concluded icily.
Umbridge silently glared at the vampyress, a wave of pure hate reverberated off them filling the area where everyone stood. Pandora bared her fangs with her eyes still bright; she finally got her point across as Umbridge backed away. She let out a small chagrined huff before leaving. The second she was gone, an air of relief briefly washed over the group.
"So, have we heard anything?" Pandora asked concern took over in her voice.
Everyone shook their heads for an answer as the same haunting thought returned to everyone's mind.
The young blonde woman locked eyes with the vampyress. Pandora couldn't help notice the yearning inside Shantiel's pale eyes. Pandora joined the girl on the window seat and looked out at the outside world.
"That night…by the pond…he swore he didn't–couldn't possibly love me anymore," Shantiel said softly her eyes looking unseeingly at the window. Pandora looked at the girl sitting across from her.
Then Pandora said with assurance, "We must surmise the only reason he said that was to save you–from yourself and him. He finished the immortal change for your rescue, then lied about his own motivation to protect you. Even though it meant never seeing you again, he gave you a reason to let go, Shan," Pandora explained. Shantiel looked at her with a mixture of shock and guilt she looked at the hospital door. Harry was willing to risk everything for…her…. Pandora continued, "So you see–anything he did, he did for or because of you."
Dora paused, looked down, and said, "I'm a vampire simply because my own love wasn't selfless enough to protect or let me go. Harry's deepest regret was the lie to you, and his biggest fear was you might find out, and never forgive him. Letting someone go for their protection, even if it means never seeing them, is the highest sacrifice anyone can make. There is no greater love," Pandora's voice cracked at the end.
The blonde young woman sat there in a sea of overwhelming emotions; for nearly a year, she couldn't fathom why Harry did what he did that night. Now…she understood why his love for her and her protection overruled everything else. The door to the Hospital Wing opened. Everyone stood as Adonna stepped out. The anticipation once again reformed amongst the group.
