"Neville?"
Neville opened his eyes and was surprised to see that he had spent the night sitting on the edge of Scorpius's hospital bed with his head against the wall. After quickly checking to make sure that Scorpius was still resting comfortably, Neville looked towards the door and saw Kaysar standing there.
"Neville, I have someone out here who wants to visit Scorpius," Kaysar, who had managed to get a few hours of sleep, a shower, and a change of robes, said in a cheerful voice. "Is Scorpius up to a visitor?"
Neville yawned and looked at Scorpius, "Scorpius, do you want a visitor?" he asked in a gentle voice.
"Sure," Scorpius replied sleepily as his eyes slowly opened and he looked up at Neville. "Is it okay?"
Neville nodded and looked back at Kaysar, "As long as it's not a reporter," he replied softly. "Is it?"
Kaysar smiled, moved into the room, and nodded out into the hallway. A moment later, Hagrid came into the room with a small rucksack over one arm and a small tree in the other. He smiled at Scorpius.
"I heard you're gonna be in here over Christmas, so I thought I'd come and visit yeh," Hagrid said in a cheerful voice as he walked over to the bed and set the small tree on the bedside table. "I brought yeh a tree, some little baubles for it, and a few presents to cheer you up; how are you feeling, Scorpius?"
Scorpius blinked, "Professor Linnis healed my shoulder with his wand, but my ribs and my head are sore," he replied in a groggy voice as he looked up at Hagrid. "Can I help you in the new term?"
Hagrid didn't reply; he took a few colorfully wrapped packages out of the rucksack and put them under the small tree and then took out a small box that jingled, "A few baubles so that you can decorate the tree later if you're feeling up to it," he said in a cheerful voice as he sat in a chair near the bed.
"If you wanna go have a break, Professors, I'll be okay," Scorpius spoke nervously. "Hagrid's here."
Neville sighed and stood up, "Professor Linnis and I will be out in the corridor," he replied gently.
Scorpius was quiet as Neville and Kaysar left the room, "Hagrid, what will happen if my mum and dad are killed?" he asked in a quiet voice as he looked over at Hagrid. "Am I gonna be abandoned?"
Even though he knew that Neville would never do that, Hagrid was at a loss for how to respond and silently reached into his rucksack, "Here, I brought you food from Hogsmeade," he said in a gentle voice as he handed Scorpius a small breakfast sandwich that Hannah had made especially for Scorpius.
Scorpius held the sandwich for a moment and then sighing, he slowly began to nibble away at it.
Even though he was slightly tired from traveling via the Floo Network, Percy gazed around the fully stocked joke shop with an expression of wonder on his face, "How on earth did you and Fred manage to put together a place like this?" he asked in a faint voice as he carefully moved out of the fireplace.
"Harry gave us his Triwizard winnings," George replied as he turned and saw that Percy was leaning very heavily on his cane for support and looking rather pale. "Are you sure you're really feeling up to this?"
Percy nodded and coughed, "Just got a little smoke in my lungs," he replied tiredly as he slowly stepped forward to get a better view of the joke shop. "Molly and Lucy have always liked books, but I don't…"
"I actually do sell a book in here, believe it or not," George replied in a semi-amused voice. "Not long after I married Angelina, I wrote a book about the minds behind the joke shop; about both Fred and I. It talks about how we grew up, started the shop, and everything..."
When Percy didn't speak, George waved his wand and a chair appeared, "Sit down there and I'll go get the book for you to look at," he said in a firm voice. "I might see if we have any other things…"
Letting out a tired sigh, Percy quietly sat in the chair and closed his eyes; a brief nap wouldn't hurt. He could hear George's footsteps moving around the shop and quite suddenly, there were small 'pops'.
"Oy you, don't move!" a sharp voice suddenly hissed in his ear as a wand touched his temple.
Percy trembled, but he didn't open his eyes to see who was ambushing him, "The Ministry had a feeling that people would be poking around here when it was quiet," a sharp voice hissed.
"OY!" George's angry voice suddenly filled the shop. "SEAMUS, GET YOUR WAND AWAY FROM PERCY!"
Wondering why on earth Seamus Finnegan would point a wand at him in a threatening manner, Percy swallowed hard and pulled out his wand with his left hand, "How do I know it's really him?!" he heard Seamus ask in a threatening voice. "The Ministry ordered a full sweep of Diagon Alley and I think I should bring this one in for questioning as a precaution."
"WHO ELSE WOULD I BRING IN HERE OTHER THAN MY FAMILY WHEN IT'S CLOSED?!" George's angry voice filled the entire shop as there was a loud BANG. "YOU GO BACK TO THE MINISTRY AND TELL THEM TO STAY OUT…!"
Percy heard footsteps and then swallowed hard, "Percy, it's all right, Seamus left after I blasted him with my wand," George's voice said. "Percy, I've got two copies here..."
Unfortunately, shock was quickly settling in and Percy let out a faint moan before toppling forward and convulsing violently several times before going completely still and unresponsive.
The door suddenly was thrown open, "Seamus Finnegan accused us of being Polyjuiced Death Eaters and just tried to blast us before he Apprated away," Charlie said in an anxious voice as he and Bill entered the store. "Bill and I were talking…"
"Oy, why is Percy here and on the floor?" Bill asked as he suddenly noticed Percy on the floor.
George scoffed, "I'll tell you later," he hissed angrily. "Help me get Percy upstairs for now."
"YOU IDIOT BOY!" Lucius roared as he paced back and forth in front of Seamus, who had been attacked at his country home and placed under the Imperius Curse for the sole purpose of causing serious harm to Percy Weasley. "I ASK YOU TO DO ONE THING AND YOU CAN'T EVEN DO IT QUIETLY! It was good that you stated you were from the Ministry, but then you fouled up!"
Seamus, who was still under the Curse, said nothing, "AVADA KEDAVRA!" Lucius hissed as he flicked his wand at Seamus, smiling as a jet of green lit hit Seamus and sent him to the floor in a heap.
"This is what I get for kidnapping Gryffindors," Lucius hissed in a disgusted voice as he stormed out of the room and into another room where Daphne Greengrass, Millicent Bulstrode, Marcus Flint, Theodore Nott, and Adrian Pucey were all gathered and dressed in heavy black cloaks.
Several kidnapped and tortured Muggleborns and other valuable witches and wizards, including Astoria, were shackled to the far wall and had been listening to bits and pieces of the discussions ever since they had been ambushed at their homes and taken prisoner.
Daphne smiled evilly when she saw Lucius, "Is the time at hand, Master?" she asked in a cunning voice.
"When we receive the signal," Lucius replied darkly. "Pansy will send a signal when the job is done."
Daphne nodded, "Is Narcissa still tending that idiot, Draco?" she asked haughtily with a sneer.
"There's no harm in allowing Narcissa out of that chair, as she can't get out of the Manor," Lucius replied smoothly as he walked around the small circle his followers stood in. "Now, we wait."
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU LET GEORGE TAKE PERCY OFF TO DIAGON ALLEY?!" Ginny heard her mother's angry voice echo through the mansion as she and Harry came out of their bedroom.
Ginny looked at Harry worriedly, "Why would Percy want to go off to Diagon Alley?" she asked in a worried voice as they slowly walked down the hallway and down the stairs. "He's not well…"
The scene at the bottom of the stairs startled Harry and Ginny; Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were standing near the tree and while Mr. Weasley was looking nervous, Mrs. Weasley looked absolutely furious.
"Molly, I was out here talking with Severus and Percy and George came downstairs all ready to go," Arthur replied nervously. "I couldn't very well deprive Percy of his desire to get presents…"
Mrs. Weasley suddenly froze and turned to Harry and Ginny, "Hello, you two," she said nervously.
"We were thinking of taking Albus and James to St. Mungo's to visit Scorpius," Harry said in a slightly nervous voice, not wanting Mrs. Weasley to know that they had heard bits of the argument.
Mrs. Weasley frowned, "I know that Adeleina and Molly are also his friends, but Scorpius might be very overwhelmed if he has too many visitors at once," Harry explained quietly. "Ron's kept in touch with Neville and Neville said that too many visitors might stress Scorpius out too much…"
"Are you sure it's wise for you to travel publicly before Christmas, Mister Potter?" Severus, who had left Teddy working on some potions in the lab, asked as he came into the sitting room holding a rolled up copy of the Daily Prophet in hand. "I've read in the Prophet that there could be some trouble…"
Harry sighed, "I won't deprive Albus of knowing that his best friend will be all right," he replied softly.
"Perhaps take your Cloak with you just as a precaution," Severus replied tonelessly. "Excuse me."
As Severus left the room, Harry looked at Ginny, "Go and get Albus and James ready," he said in a gentle voice. "I'll wait here and we'll not take very long when we get to St. Mungo's; all right, Ginny?"
"All right," Ginny replied softly as she kissed Harry's cheek. "I'll have the boys get their cloaks."
When Ginny left the room, Harry sighed, "The paper reported that the prisoner transfer is supposed to be today, but it's not going to happen," he explained quietly to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. "It's going to happen in January, after all the kids have gone back to school and both Ron and I will be involved."
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley said nothing, however; they merely gave Harry frantic looks of deep concern.
'Rita' stood before Lucius looking rather nervous; she had arrived at the Ministry all ready to accompany the Aurors to Azkaban for the transfer of prisoners to Nurmenguard. However, she had been surprised when Minister Shacklebolt had stated that the transfer had been postponed until further notice.
"It's almost as if they had a feeling that we were going to hijack it," Pansy said as her 'Rita disguise' began to fade. "I cannot do any more than I have already done; I went through with my orders…"
Lucius snarled, "And you have failed!" he snapped as he strode away from her and faced the rest of the group that had gathered in the large room. "Everyone return to your current situations; due to unforeseen circumstances, I have no use for any of you for the time being. You are all dismissed."
Without waiting for the group to disembark, Lucius turned and stormed out of the room, not stopping until he reached Draco's old room. He threw open the door and saw Narcissa sitting in a chair beside the bed where Draco lay badly beaten and unconscious. Narcissa looked up at him, but said nothing.
"Consider this a Christmas present for you and Draco," Lucius hissed. "You will both live for now. Do nothing but remain in this room. If you will excuse me, I must take my REAL son on an errand."
Narcissa gave a nod and turned her attention back to watching Draco as Lucius left the room, slamming the door behind him. Letting out a quiet sob, Narcissa stroked Draco's hair with her shaking hand.
"I have a plan to get you out of here, Draco," Narcissa whispered tearfully. "It will just take time."
"…I've told Kingsley and he's going to shut down Diagon Alley for the next two days to make sure that nothing else like this is going to happen," Bill's voice spoke as a door opened and closed.
Percy suddenly heard a faint moan escape his lips, "George is just getting some stuff from downstairs and then I think it's best we take Percy to St. Mungo's just for a bit of a checkup from Healer Linnis," he heard Charlie say in an anxious voice. "I know Percy just wanted Christmas gifts for his girls, but…"
"Yeah," Percy replied groggily as he forced his eyes open, quickly realized that he was lying on a soft bed and that Bill and Charlie were hovering over him. "I asked George to bring me here to get some gifts…"
Bill looked genuinely shocked as Percy slowly sat up, "George was getting a book from downstairs and I sat in a chair he had conjured up to rest my eyes," Percy explained in an unsteady voice. "I don't…"
"George thinks Seamus was under the Imperius Curse, as do Bill and I," Charlie explained in a worried voice as he sat down on the bed next to Percy. "Before we go back to Professor Snape's, Bill, George, and I are going to take you to St. Mungo's for a bit of a look over; you went into a deep shock…"
Percy sighed and carefully massaged his forehead with his left hand, "I've got a bit of a headache," he said in a faint voice as he suddenly shuddered. "I thought Seamus was going to kill me for a…"
As tears filled his eyes, Percy looked down at the bed and was surprised when Charlie gently pulled him into a warm hug, "Charlie, Bill, Kingsley wants Percy to come to the Ministry and talk about what happened," George's voice filtered into the room. "I told him that Percy's in shock and can't…"
The mention of going to the Ministry for another round of questioning made Percy shudder, "Right, let's get out of here," Charlie said in an anxious voice as he gently hauled Percy to his feet and immediately noticed that Percy's eyes were strangely unfocused. "Hold on to me tight, Percy; we're Apprating."
LeighAnn sighed and quietly closed the door so that she wouldn't wake her now sleeping mother; the visit had been a quiet one, with her doing most of the talking because her mother couldn't talk.
Letting out a tired sigh, LeighAnn walked out into the foyer and was shocked to see Kaysar and Neville huddled in a corner, talking quietly. It was then that she remembered that Neville was looking after Scorpius Malfoy and that Scorpius Malfoy was currently a patient there. Perhaps she should visit him.
"…Oh hello, LeighAnn," Kaysar said, suddenly noticing his sister-in-law standing in the lobby.
Neville turned and smiled at the friend he had made in third year at Professor Lupin's request, "I was thinking of visiting Scorpius before heading home," LeighAnn stated in a gentle voice. "How is he?"
"Hagrid's visiting him, so I think-," Kaysar said, suddenly stopping as Hagrid came out of the small room.
Hagrid sighed, "Scorpius got tired, so I told him to rest," he explained in a somber voice. "I did get him to eat about half a sandwich that Mrs. Longbottom made him and he asked if he could help me at school…"
"Did Scorpius ask about Astoria or Draco at all?" Kaysar asked in a low voice. "Because if he did…"
Neville shook his head, "No, I think he wants to, but he's afraid of the answer," he replied somberly.
"It's good for Scorpius to sleep," Kaysar spoke up in a calmer voice. "He shouldn't be alone, however."
Neville nodded, "I wasn't planning on leaving," he replied softly. "I Flooed Hannah last night and we discussed having a bit of a Christmas dinner here tomorrow so that Scorpius wouldn't be alone, but Alison's still in a funk; she thinks very badly of Scorpius. We'll see how tomorrow plays out, I guess."
"Perhaps anyone else who wants to visit Scorpius would be better off coming tomorrow," Kaysar said in a professional voice, concerned that too many visitors would be trouble. "I don't think…"
Suddenly, there was a faint cough as Bill and George came out of the fireplace that was in the waiting room for easier travel to and from the hospital. A moment later, Charlie came out of the fireplace with his arm around a very pale Percy, who was trembling violently as if he had just been massively sick.
"Seamus Finnegan attacked Percy at my shop!" George snapped before anyone could speak. "He was probably under the Imperius Curse and broke in when I was getting something for Percy to see. Percy fell on the floor and went into some sort of violent convulsions..."
At the mention of Seamus attacking Percy while under the Imperius Curse, LeighAnn quietly slipped off down the hallway and vanished into the ladies' toilets for a moment of privacy to reflect on the past.
Neville paled, but said nothing as Kaysar moved over to Percy, "Percy, can you hear me?" Kaysar asked, noting how pale and out of it Percy seemed, especially after having what George was describing as a seizure. "Percy, I want you to give me some sort of response…"
When Percy didn't reply, Kaysar frowned at Bill and Charlie, "Get Percy into that room over there and on to the bed," he said in a commanding voice as he pointed to an unoccupied patient room. "I'll just…"
"No," Percy spoke in a whispery voice, dreading another day in the hospital. "I just want to go back…"
Kaysar looked concerned, but Percy let out a deep sigh, "I'm really tired and just need a sleep," Percy said in a resigned voice as he leaned against Charlie for support. "I don't want to stay in hospital…"
"All right, Perce, we'll go," Charlie said in a soothing voice, hoping to get his brother to calm down.
Neville sighed, "Hagrid, would you mind going to Hogsmeade and making sure Hannah, Alison, and Frank are all right on your way back to the castle?" he asked, suddenly worried about his family.
"Of course," Hagrid replied, seeing that it was time to get going. "Happy Christmas to all of yeh."
As Hagrid left, Neville quietly slipped back into Scorpius's hospital room and Kaysar turned his attention to Percy, "Your Mum will have a right fit if you don't let me look at you," he said in a gentle voice, hoping that gentle guilt would push Percy to get looked at. "A seizure isn't something to really mess around with, you know. Molly and Lucy will freak out at…"
"Fine," Percy replied in a defeated voice. "Charlie, can you help me in there and help me sit down?"
Charlie nodded and silently led Percy into the patient room. Kaysar sighed and hurried in after them, well aware that Bill and George were at his heels. Percy slowly pulled away from Charlie and sank down on to the rickety bed with a sigh, too exhausted to even say anything. Kaysar sighed and quickly drew his wand, ready to work as a Healer.
For Christmas Eve, the Three Broomsticks was rather quiet; Hannah was behind the bar watching Frank, who was seated at a table near the fireplace tending a small garden plant that he was going to give his father for Christmas. The door suddenly opened and a peaky looking Slughorn came into the pub with a young boy in a large cloak and a Slytherin uniform trailing behind him. Hannah gave them both a smile.
"Afternoon, Mrs. Longbottom!" Slughorn said in a cheerful voice. "I'm just helping a family friend of mine with some shopping he's got to do for his parents and I thought we'd stop in for lunch!"
Hannah smiled, "I've got some soup cooking in my cauldron back here," she replied cheerfully. "How are you doing, Professor Slughorn?" she asked in a gentle voice as she grabbed two bowls off the rack and filled them up with some warm soup. "I don't believe I know your friend, Professor; who is he?"
"My name is Adrian Carrow, ma'am," Adrian replied as he looked up at her with a forced smile.
Hannah nodded and Adrian quickly looked at Professor Slughorn, "Sir, my parents will worry if I'm not back within the timeframe you promised," he said in a worried voice. "May we take the soup with us?"
"Of course we may, dear boy!" Slughorn replied cheerfully. "Mrs. Longbottom, if you please…"
Figuring that Slughorn and Adrian were on their way to a family function, Hannah quickly waved her wand and put the soup into travel containers, "Thank you," Slughorn said in a cheerful voice as he took out a small sack filled with coins and set it on the bar. "This should be enough; Happy Christmas."
Hannah's eyes widened as Slughorn picked up the containers and left with Adrian in tow. She picked up the sack and quickly hid it under the bar to show Neville later, after Frank had gone to bed that night.
"Mummy, come and look at the plant!" Frank crowed in an excited voice. "Daddy will love it!"
As Hannah hurried over to Frank, she failed to notice Slughorn and Adrian walk off of the village path and into a grove of trees that was just below a large cliff.
There was a loud 'POP' as Slughorn and Adrian Apprated into a small cave just outside of Hogsmeade that towered menacingly over the small village. Slughorn grinned menacingly as he gazed down at an unconscious form that was covered by a grass colored cloak.
Suddenly, Slughorn's face began to fade into that of Lucius Malfoy, "Excellent thinking, Adrian," Lucius hissed, realizing that had Adrian not got them out of the pub when they had left, the Polyjuice Potion would have worn off and they would have been in trouble. "The pub seems relatively unguarded…"
"You should see Scorpius at school, Father," Adrian hissed as he glared down at the body. "He's such a little weakling and is always hanging around Professor Longbottom, the Weasleys, or the Potters…"
Lucius scoffed, "I do not care about Scorpius, nor do I care about Draco," he hissed menacingly, suddenly becoming quiet as Hagrid came into view. "Now is not the time to focus on them."
"Alison, maybe some time in the garden will do you good," an upset voice spoke as the door to the pub opened and a small girl dressed in Gryffindor robes walked outside and into a small garden that was in a fence on the side of the pub. Hagrid waved to Alison and then entered the pub, closing the door.
Adrian's eyes widened, "That's Professor Longbottom's daughter, Alison," he explained in a whispered voice as he removed the grass colored cloak, revealing an unconscious Slughorn on the cave floor.
"Hmm," Lucius replied in an intrigued voice, a plan suddenly forming in his mind. "Adrian, come."
Adrian nodded, "This old fool will wake up back in his home with no memory of what has transpired today," Lucius stated as he took Adrian's hand. "You have done well; now it is time to go home."
"Yes Father," Adrian replied softly. "The holidays will be very different, though, with Mother gone…"
Lucius was quiet for a moment, "It is an injustice that you lost your mother as you did and I will ensure that justice will be served on that," he replied in a determined voice. "Now, Adrian, it is time to leave."
Swallowing hard, Adrian remained silent and deep in thought as he Apprated away with his father.
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