Disclaimer: All original characters, situations and plot ideas belong to JK Rowling. I make no profit from this.

Warning: This story is rated M for sexual situations and scenes, language, and darker themes in the story.

A Riven Heart

Chapter 37

August 27th, 2006

How she made it back to Neville's room she didn't know. She had the vague thought that Harry was there, helping her. She remembered briefly running into several Healer's and big thunderous booms coming from the floors below. She remembered Ron running by telling Harry in a rushed voice that Death Eater's were attempting to get into the Hospital. But mostly she remembered falling into Neville's arms and how it felt exactly.

Like a veil of hushed tranquility.

His arms banded around her, and it blocked out the bombardment of clatter, of confusion.

One moment, she was drowning under the buzz of noise the hospital created, Healers running around, patients calling for help, Harry swearing a storm, and Denise's parting words.

I love you my darling girl...

The Sight. You have The Sight.

Such words. Could it be true? The past few weeks, she had been having those strange dreams. They hadn't felt like dreams, but what else could they have been? Preparation for… the sight? Her? A Seer? No, it couldn't be.

And yet, that vision she had had.

Dead bodies. Her friends dead, Theo… dead… Voldemort Dead…

Not worth it. Nothing would ever been worth that.

But as soon as Neville's arms wrapped around her, the buzz of it all disappeared, her head springing with such clarity, it felt like fresh air.

"Oh Gods, Neville."

"What the fuck is happening? Harry? What happened to your arm? Pansy?"

He attempted to bring her forearm into better light but she held onto him even harder, "No, don't let go. Don't let go."

Harry snapped the privacy curtain around them. "Neville, a Healer is going to come in here and look at Pansy and then you two are leaving, get somewhere safe and stay there until I say otherwise."

There was another huge boom from somewhere below them. "Death Eater's are trying to get into the building I think... but we're holding them off. I need to go."

"What the fuck is going on?" he asked again but Harry was already leaving, knowing Neville would follow his orders.

Neville had barely sat Pansy down on the bed when the curtain opened again and Healer Susan marched in.

"You lot sure are making things interesting around here, aren't you?" she commented in a no nonsense way. Her red hair was pulled back into a messy bun and she was wearing fresh yellow robes. "Okay, let me see this arm, dear."

Her gentle hand reached forward with purpose and grasped Pansy's arm with her fingers, baring the bleeding wound Denise had made there. Pansy flinched, waiting for the double vision that came when Harry had touched her skin to skin, but nothing happened this time.

She sighed, unbelievably relieved. Her mind could barely process the past twenty minutes and whenever she thought about it hard enough, she just felt light headed and woozy.

"This is very deep," Susan said, waving her wand and clearing away the blood that gushed from the wound. "I brought a blood replenishing potion, take it and I'll go grab something to keep it from scarring. Then I can heal it fully."

Pansy shook her head. "I want the scar. Just heal it."

Neville looked confused, rubbing his hand on her shoulder. "Pansy?"

"Trust me… my mother… died to give me this… I need it…" she said sadly. She couldn't explain it, but she knew she would need the physical reminder of what her mother had gone through, and done.

"That doesn't…" he looked from her to the arm. "Denise is dead?"

"I know it doesn't make sense, but just heal it Susan."

Susan didn't even blink as she handed Pansy the blood replenishing potion and angled her arm into better light, waving her wand intricately over the wound, channeling Healing magic into the open gash.

Pansy felt a warm, fizzy bubbling feeling spread across her arm and watched as the wound knitted itself together. Susan was still channeling when Ron opened the curtain.

"Hey, Harry wants you to go to Neville's apartment. I'm supposed to Guard you until you both get there safely."

Neville narrowed his eyes. "I can protect her just fine."

"Don't give me shit, Nev. You were hurt bad just two days ago."

But their argument faded to silence when Susan gripped her arm tighter, turned it to get a better angle. Pansy's vision split again, still rough and nausea inducing. It was the same as last time, out of one eye she could see Susan in front of her, focusing on her wand work as she healed the long, open wound. Ron and Neville were off slightly to the side, arguing about her. Though their voices were muffled.

Out of her left eye however, she saw a crowded Diagon Alley at night. Music drifted along the streets and she saw Susan Bones, lips puckered up with a shimmering pink gloss, eyes rimmed in smoky black and lashes thick with mascara and her cherry red hair loose and wild down her back. She wore a slim, short, strapless black dress that slit up on both sides of her thighs and heels that made her freckled legs look ten miles long. Ron Weasley walked up next to her, looking clean and fresh in a nice suit, his hair brushed back. He leaned in and kissed the hell out of Susan, her left hand coming up to the back of his neck and the giant shining diamond wedding ring flashed brilliantly. Pansy didn't only see it, but felt the sexual heat and intimate love between the two as if she were involved.

Pansy shook herself, forcing herself back to the present. It felt like flexing an unused muscle, but she let instincts guide her because she didn't want to feel that kind of heat, so unlike the kind between her and Neville. It was a sense of invasion, knowing the fiery heat between the two... even if it hadn't happened yet...

"Susan." she said, amid Neville and Ron's bickering.

"Ms. Parkinson?" she mumbled, finishing up the Healing the spell. The wound sizzled once more before settling.

"Call me Pansy. You've met my good friend Ron Weasley right?" Pansy asked, her curiosity and the vision she had pushing her into action.

Susan raised her eyebrows in surprise at her question. "Of course, in school. It's been a few years though."

Ron and Neville still paid them no mind, arguing over Pansy's safety. Ron shot out a fist and hit Neville in the ribs, where Pansy knew he had a terrible bruise from the fight at the Leaky. "See, you're still hurt. I'm escorting you. Get over it."

As Neville leaned over, moaning in pain, Pansy gestured to Ron. "Ron! You're single right? You remember Susan Bones from school?"

Ron turned to face the two witches, his face flushing red. "Er – hey Susan…"

Susan looked between Pansy and Ron. "You just punched my Patient."

"Oh – er – I'm sorry… just… proving a point, ya know?"

Something light and airy settled in Pansy's chest, the feeling tasting like her gift stretching its unused muscles again. She took it to mean she had done something right.

Except Susan didn't look very happy for the introduction. "Well next time you feel the need to prove a point, I'll have to ask you to leave the premises. This is a Hospital."

"Oh no, I wouldn't just randomly hurt your patients…"

"Glad to hear it. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of work I need to be doing." She snapped and turned her back on Ron's surprised eyes. "Ms. Parkinson, Pansy. I'm sorry to hear about your mum." she said to Pansy, though in a much nicer voice.

"Thank you." She still had no idea how to process exactly what her mother had told her and how she had done it, but there was only thing Pansy did know. Denise was finally at peace.

"What about your mum?" Neville asked, his face still twisted with pain.

Pansy just shook her head. "I'll tell you in a minute."

"I had something else I wanted to talk to you about, in private, about some of the results I got from your initial testing, but with everything going on I think it could wait a bit. Might I owl you sometime later in the week?"

Nodding she said, "Yes of course."

Neville moaned again, clutching his rib. "Ok, ready to go Pansy?" he bit out.

Susan turned and immediately lifted up his tee shirt. "Let me see this first. This bruise just doesn't want to go away does it? Hmm."

Pansy stepped forward to look at it, black and yellowish on the edges it spanned across his lower left ribs. "I have Bruise Removal Cream back at the house."

"Harry told me to take you to Neville's apartment though." Ron said.

Susan shot him a nasty look before saying, "I have some here. Let me get you a sample and then you can leave."

And she stepped out of the room with quick steps.

"Tell me now, Pansy." Neville said, pushing Ron away now that Susan was gone. "Go away Ron. I'll take us home."

"Uugghh fine. You both are ungrateful." Ron said stomping out of the room.

Neville turned back to Pansy, putting his hands on her hips. "Tell me."

"Denise killed herself upstairs."

Breath rushed out of him and he immediately enveloped her in a hug. "I'm so sorry Pansy."

His comfort, however, only opened a flood gate of guilt on Pansy. She felt her face crumble and tears flowed freely from her eyes. All these years, her mother had such a burden placed on her and Pansy never knew, could never help. Now Pansy had the same burden… was her mother right? Would Neville be able to keep her sane? Could she really control that mirror as Denise had? ...

And everything her mother had said about the mirror, the dream Pansy had had lingered in her mind's eye, the golden shield standing out against white walls, its ruby glinting handsomely at her, and finally it clicked.

Voldemort wanted the mirror because the last Horcrux was inside the mirror.

The Shield in the mirror was the final Horcrux.

Only she could get into the mirror.

That's why Voldemort wanted her.

If her mother hadn't sent Neville into her life, Troy would have killed her and/or taken her to Voldemort.

She most certainly would have died either way…

It was time to end this.

But… how could she do it without her friends dying…

Could her visions be changed?

"Neville?" she asked through her tears. "I need you to get me that mirror and Hermione Granger."