The Enchanter's Princess

Chapter 37: When the Bell Tolls

"Ask not for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee." (John Donne)

Albus stood, watching as Incommodo and the Arsenal of Education regrouped. The Ministry, just as it had been predicted, had left on a very sour note indeed. They had lost the battle. Upon their regrouping, the Goblins got together too, finally together, many injured. Some tried fleeing with few DA members giving chase. Harry regrouped with Ron and Hermione, and Ginny finished bounding up the last of the wounded Arsenal members. The DA had captured so many. The battle seemed over. Everything seemed calm. But this did not mean it was without tragedy. Albus already knew Walter was dead and now Molly was motionless.

Eric seemed desperate but as soon as Albus came, his stomach sank. He knew she was dying. Alexis tried her best too, tried using healing Charms and even tried skinning the cursed skin off. The cursed fire had imbedded itself into her. Her eyes were barely flickering as she stared up at Albus and Eric. She gave Eric one last, final hug before falling back and exhaling a final breath. Eric shook his head, trying to deny it before being held tightly by Alex. Only Alex. Eric's grief seemed to be beyond tears for that moment. Mark, however, was just staring ahead. The appearance of the fire seemed to have sucked the life out of him. Only Aries was beside him.

A few feet off, Soto turned to his followers, Rufeus, Stella and Orgella. "They're coming, Soto," Orgella told him.

"Rufeus, execute the plan," Soto said calmly. "Stand aside for them all and hand them every prisoner we took. No exceptions. I am returning to Hogwarts. I shall not meet him today."

At his command, all Purifiers changed attacks. They turned on the wounded Arsenal members. Some even went so far as to fight some DA members for some prisoners. The battle had plainly dwindled the Arsenal number a great deal. It seemed Soto's plan had worked.

Albus looked around. Scorpius was being helped up by Rose as a horde of Arsenal members rushed past, throwing bangs and blasts, sending Lily off her feet as they tried getting away. Only Era and Redgrow seemed to be unscathed, directing all students and teachers who were still conscious to stay back and off the path. The Arsenal and Goblins would undoubtedly make a massive retreat, and standing in their way wasn't advisable. Shaken up from his earthshaking duel with Incommodo, Galadral Phoenix stood at the front of the small remaining group, ready to put up another round of defense and the fleeing Arsenal stopped.

Incommodo and the Arsenal appeared poised to fight him all at once when the air went hot. Then, it went cool for a few seconds before going hot again. The temperature seemed very unstable and Albus thought someone was trying for another round of Fiendfyre when a large mass of a ship descended on the field in the countryside. It was huge, like a true Muggle ship. Its hull and sides were golden rimmed and its sails pure white and as the bridge lowered, descending from the ship to the ground, Albus had a sudden rush of foreboding.

A group of witches and wizards descended from the ship grandly and upon their arrival cast an Anti-Apparation Jinx on the area. Soto had disappeared but Albus' stomach sank further. The Reservation had arrived.

None recognized the new arrivals, except Albus. Mark seemed to be clueless, still staring at a point over their heads. Lily stared too but she was too preoccupied with healing her own cuts. Why? Who were these people? With a rush of familiarity, an old man in front of the group spoke, "This is Putus Dubium. I am he who will herald the coming of a new era of Wiarding history. An era of purity. You've had one other hero in this regard. Unfortunately, none has managed to deliver those same old promises. Now, we shall finish what many before you started. Who is the Minister amongst you?"

"You intend to do what with my Wizarding world?" Incommodo asked him calmly, voice still wispy and dangerous despite his duel with Phoenix.

"The world is a Phoenix," Dubium said simply. "When it dies, it is reborn from the ashes, purer than ever before. Wizards, while fewer in number, will be Pure-blood again. New roots, new world, and a new civilization. You may join me or step aside and face a new war."

"I think not," Incommodo whispered. "Step away or face a cataclysm the likes of which you have never seen before."

Dubium raised his eyebrows but none from his group moved. The last time Albus saw them was almost two years minus two or three months. They had defended Soto against Incommodo that day when the Arsenal of Education had risen.

Sitting against the wall in weakness, Albus watched as the two faced each other. A duel, somehow, looked unlikely. Incommodo still remained calm but Dubium was pacing around him. All other fighters were frozen in wonder.

"Such brave ignorance," he whispered.

"It is you who are ignorant, Dubium," Incommodo said. "Your newly introduced group suggests extended absence from the Wizarding world. You are cursed with lack of information on the events taking place at this very moment. Should you choose to declare war, even the Muggles will likely get involved."

As Incommodo spoke, a crowd of his injured followers gathered behind him. The Purifiers eyed them from behind the reservation's Wizards. Albus knew Dubium founded a Pure-blood reservation. Defection hadn't served Soto well, it seemed. Now true colors were shown and Soto had bowed out of meeting them. That meant that Soto had betrayed Dubium.

"Allow me to introduce you to our first order of business," Dubium said calmly. "The Headmaster of Hogwarts will come forth and relinquish his position to me. Should he refuse, his school will be an object of attack." There was no response. Even Incommodo did not give Phoenix away. "The Minister will step aside or he will become an object of attack…" No response. "Very well. The last order is for you to hand to me one Muggle-born child. No? So, it is the world against which we fight."

"So, you are threatening the Wizarding race," Incommodo breathed. It seemed incredible. Despite fighting against Incommodo, fighting the Reservation meant allying with the Minister. He was facing them all off.

"Oh, yes, the Wizarding race has proved itself to be far beyond redemption," Dubium said. "Very few of you will be spared. Ironically, whether you are spared or not is up to you."

Dubium directed his followers back onto the ship and as easily as it had landed, it took off again. The end of the afternoon saw students, the remains of the Hogwarts Guard follow Phoenix back to the castle. The walk was the hardest. Professor Redgrow had conjured stretches and bandages for students and teachers who had been injured in the fight. The DA accompanied them, or at least the fit ones did. Many had been left with Harry and Ron who opted to look after them while Ginny and Hermione gathered the residents who had fled. It transpired that James not only evacuated the majority of the students but the village too. The Guard would have been the last to leave. If only Hugo did not have the bright idea of patrolling the village. No one knew just what would happen as a result of this battle except that the war had reached a kind of climax it had never seen before.

On their way to the castle, Phoenix received word from the castle that Soto, or as the students knew him Soot, sent for help. What kind of help was not made clear until they arrived. Half an hour later, Albus found himself helping wounded students into the hospital wing where they received a flurry of visitors. Within minutes, the hospital wing was in panic and frustration. Beds left and right were filled and so many had died. Parents were outside yelling to see their children, beds were filled up to the point that some had to lay in sleeping bags beside other beds to keep up, and Madam Pomfrey, for the first time, could not do it alone. The help Soto had called for arrived in the form of Healers from St. Mungo's who came rushing on command.

The effects of the fight were made clear then. The dead were not as many as Albus had feared but it did not change the fact that Lucy Weasley was now crying hysterically at the back of the room, or that Walter was lying with nobody over him.

Riley had been thrown into a coma by a violent blast from a Goblin. Nate was beside his bed, looking around at the other patients. He was sure to keep his worry from showing and Gabriel came in as a visitor. Albus was kind of grateful for him this time. He did not try making any jokes. His mere presence lightened the dreary mood.

Roxanne was injured badly and unstable. Walking in and out of consciousness, neither Madam Pomfrey nor Head Healer Ferdinand could say if she'd be ok. Fred was beside her bed, stony-faced, head covered in bandages as he stared at her sleeping face hard.

Mark was sleeping in a bed. Only Aries was beside him. Mark did not appear hurt or harmed in any way but Aries said he had been shaken up and could not walk or talk straight any longer.

A little off Mark was two beds that were moved to be together. This was done because the occupants of these beds were twins. Alex and Eric were both beaten up badly. Albus was surprised because he saw them put a fantastic fight up against the Goblins.

"Alex was very badly injured," Scorpius filled him in. "Lost a toe, I think. An axe severed it. Eric just fainted once the Reservation arrived."

As Scorpius spoke, the doors opened and Professor Sorrow walked in with seven more stretchers. One was covered with a shroud, making him think he had died. With a pang, he realized the body was small. The bodies were of Simon, Proxima, Lorcan, Lysander, Lily and Hugo. The small one he had seen was taken away to the back of the infirmary. Albus did not dare ask who it was but when Proxima was supported over by Seth to the body, Albus realized with shock that it was Alpha that was shrouded.

"He's severely injured, just leave him be for now," a Healer was telling Proxima.

She seemed quietly shaken, as if dignity did not allow her to exclaim or cry in worry. Alexis, who rested up on a sleeping bag with a bandage over her chest and a potion beside her sighed and said quietly, "Alpha is not going to survive that blast. He's dying. And if James is right, Lorcan took a bad hit and Hugo took a spell for Lily."

From beside Scorpius was Rose who was very quiet. The battle seemed to have shaken her. She stared at Hugo's bed hard, eyes wide like she had just realized something. Something inside her had snapped.

"What about Professor Creevey?" Scorpius asked, watching Laura sit beside his bed.

"Uncertain fate," a female Healer said as she walked past.

"Hugo? My cousin? My- my"- Albus felt like crying. The battle had claimed two people Albus loved already and it looked ready to claim a third. Hugo was indeed covered on a bed, eyes closed and looking very peaceful.

Alexis sighed, "Hugo will be fine, I'm sure. He has two Healers working on him. It wasn't that bad anyways. I saw it myself. It was just a Flagrate curse and they haven't been known to kill. He looks bad because he was hit with a Furnunculus Curse afterwards. And Lorcan is fine too. He's just sleeping dreamlessly. Even his twin is ok."

"What about Alpha?" Albus asked concernedly.

"Oh… he…"

"He died?"

"Not yet," Alexis muttered sadly. "It's only a matter of time. He can't possibly live. Not through a curse like what hit him. Heart, lungs, kidneys, vital organs, all affected. The Healers will have to have some miracle up their sleeve. I think some Potions could do it but they didn't exactly bring a stock with them."

By late night, many Hogwarts Guard members were cleared and free to go in no time. Louis and Daniel left almost immediately, Nigel stayed beside Laura to watch over his father, and James just rested himself against a wall, bothering no one. Resting by the wall was Neil Nott and James just seemed to be waiting patiently for him to wake up. He even conjured up a hot watered pad and placed it on the boy's forehead. A little way off was a bed keeping Fora Vulneroman. Her father was standing beside her silently, alone very quiet and intimidating in the hospital wing.

Albus' eyes scanned the rest of the room, always seeing a new student he did not notice before. The arrivals were thinning out now, though near midnight a DA member by the name of Dean Thomas came in to make sure everything was still in order. Rose got up, moved from Scorpius and over to Hugo's bed. Now she seemed to be on the verge of tears, "What happened? What happened to him?"

"He's fine, Rosie," Nate assured two beds away. "Some Arsenal members took advantage of the protection failing when Aries got exhausted. Some of us younger idiots fought them and got the crap beaten out of us."

"Don't you ever call my brother an"-

"R'lax Rosie," a mumbled young voice came from his bed making Albus sigh in relief and Alexis mutter 'told you so.' "'M fine."

"Hugo!" Rose yelled, aggravated, but relieved he was fine. "Why'd you even try? Look what happened to everyone older than you- do you- Hugo, do you want to die?"

"I wanted to help," Hugo whined weakly from his bed. "I couldn't see Lily die." Lily reached forward from her sobbing and hugged Hugo like a teddy bear.

"I'm gonna have to ask you to leave," a healer said patiently to an unstable looking Rose. "This boy needs a lot of rest and relaxation and you are only jeopardizing his recovery."

"I'M HIS SISTER!" she screeched in disturbance to everyone in the room as she pointed to Hugo's bed. He was unconscious again, breathing lightly and Lily was crying over him.

"Ok, this is a hospital wing," Madam Pomfrey said in an annoyed way. "We have countless injured here, many of them seriously, and two dead. Have a little respect or I shall have to ask you both to leave."

It was then when a Healer came up. This one wore round glasses and looked young and fresh. He was nervously moving his shoes on the ground, determined not to look her in the eyes. "I'm sorry… make that three dead… this one was found in an alley off Hogsmeade." Albus looked up so fast, his neck cricked. Professor Ackerly had walked in with a stretcher carrying a shrouded body. Beside the stretcher was Samantha Mold. She was fuller now, no longer grotesquely skinny as she once was but she was glassy-eyed. Albus knew that Malcolm was under the shroud.

A cold silence gripped the room as everyone, living and breathing, took in this news. Madam Pomfrey opened her mouth in shock. A speechless Rose was being escorted out of the room as the healer led Madam Pomfrey over to the body.

Malcolm reminded him. Albus got up, patting Alexis' back as he looked around. There he was. Seth Lean was staring at Simon's bed, face going red. In all honestly, Albus always believed Seth might've been a sociopath. By all rights he probably was but there existed only one person he cared for deeply. Albus did not know why. He simply loved Simon. His love for Sierra was a given but Simon was special. As Albus watched Simon breathing very lightly from his bed and watched a healer come up, he started thinking Simon might be ok. But then…

"It's getting harder for him to breathe," she muttered. "The wound is big, internal organs are swelling, and his nose is broken. I'm gonna have to ask you to leave, boy. Wait outside the curtains."

Seth was led out of the curtains which closed shut on him. He fell on his knees, wiping his eyes. Albus stared. He had never seen Seth cry before. Seth was gasping, sobbing, his crying getting harder and still Seth made an effort to hide his tears, to act like he always did, to maintain his emotionless demeanor.

"Professor Creevey is safe!" a healer announced happily. "We've saved him."

Maybe that was the first sign of better things. A small smatter of applause sounded, and as if the announcement was a good omen, another healer happily announced, "Wallader is stable. He'll be ok."

"So is the vampire boy!"

A sigh of relief escaped Nate as Riley was confirmed to be alive, safe, and in stable condition. If that was not enough, Laura squealed in relief as Professor Creevey was said to be safe. Applause from the Healers and Madam Pomfrey sounded, providing a source of calm for everyone else who was merely recovering in bed. Happiness was only short-lived.

Everyone was waiting in silence as the Sleeping potions were nearing completion. Albus wondered if sleep would help at all. He was starting to think not even a sleeping potion would drift him off. Albus watched as from Simon's curtained bed, the healer walked out. He paid no mind to Seth. He just walked past him and on to another patient. Seth looked dangerously close to wailing out loud. Albus sighed and got up, following Seth into the curtained off bed where Simon was sleeping. Just as Albus silently cast the Muffliato Charm, Seth let out a huge gasp.

Albus reached out and took him, held him like a little brother. Seth buried his face in Albus' chest and finally started wailing. For the first time, Seth was like a regular kid. Like a kid who lost something precious. He was perfectly normal. He was shaking, fingers clutching the sheets of Simon's bed. Albus pat his back, "Seth, it'll be fine. I promise you. He'll be fine. The healers are good."

"D-don't lie… I hate it when people lie to me," Seth muttered, drying his eyes despite the steady stream of tears leaking out. "He's dying. I know- I saw it. It was the Terminal Curse. That's another Unforgivable."

Albus flinched at this new information. Seth looked very miserable. Albus knew that if Simon truly did die, Seth would probably never be the same. He might even go off the deep end and descend into insanity. He knew the feeling. It was present in Hugo for Lily, in Mark for the twins, possibly even in Aries for Mark. Seth loved him. Albus took him by the shoulder and looked at Simon with him, "Why are the Healers uncertain if it's a surefire killer, then?"

Seth did not seem able to answer immediately. He just shook his head but after a minute, he stuttered, "I-It's not al-always deadly. They say it-it was… n-nonverbal. That it was…" he threw himself over Simon's body, begging an unseen power to give him a second chance.

"Who did it?" Albus asked him, still wanting to help Seth. He did not know why he was doing it. He felt terrible for Seth now. The look on his face when he killed Malcolm, the hate in his eyes when he dueled Soto who had accidentally fired at Simon and nearly killed him.

"R-Rojer!" Seth said with a growling hate, his eyes tearfully hateful as he recalled the killer. "He did it. He had Malcolm hurt him. He did worst when I left! I-never-should've-gone-after-Malcolm-I-should've-stayed-with-him-I-could've-saved-him!" He said the last lines in one single breath before attempting once again to dry his tears.

"Right," Albus muttered. Usually, had this been any other way, he would have teased Seth for picking the worst side possible. Rojer betrayed him. Maybe unintentionally. Did Rojer know Seth loved Simon?

"Rojer- Rojer wanted the Mold Manor for them. He's doing something there."

"You know what you gotta do then?" Albus told him, feeling a new resolve to talk to Seth. When Seth sighed and dried his tears once more, he looked up at Albus. "You have to fight back. Whether or not your friend lives, I already told you that your friend won't always be safe. And you switching sides won't help him. Now, your father turned his back on you, Rojer betrayed you, and the Reservation did the unspeakable. Even if he lives, he'll need you desperately. Know what that means? You need loyalty, someone who's willing to help you look after him and make sure nothing bad happens. Someone who knows how you feel."

Seth looked down, breathing heavily, eyes still watery but not sobbing at the moment. Albus pushed on, "The only one who stayed true to the agreements you made was me, Seth. And if you care a shred about Simon, you won't let Rojer get away with this."

Seth scoffed, which led to another stifled sob, "Oh, trust me. He's going to die. I swear on Simon's life I'll kill him!"

"Simon means something, you know," Albus told him. "Whatever you feel, he's a Muggle-born. Malcolm hurt him badly already, attacked his heritage and he was only the first. Being in Slytherin, he's going to meet more prejudices. Slytherin house isn't exactly our tolerant Muggle-loving beacon of light yet. It may mean little to you but that means everything to me, Seth. I want to see Simon mean something. I want him to prove Slytherin wrong from the inside, to change it." Albus realized this was what the hat was shooting for when it talked to Scorpius. "Simon is gonna need you and he's gonna need a social group. People who truly do care about him. If he's your main concern, then your days of switching sides for personal gain need to end. At least until you're older and he's able to fend for himself."

Seth seriously looked like he was considering Albus' words. Albus knew he agreed, even if he could not say it aloud. After a minute of quiet brooding, Seth turned back to Simon, truly looking as if he thought this would be the last time he could ever see Simon. "Don't tell anyone… what happened in here."

"You've just shown that you are capable of feeling… and you don't want anyone to know that?" Albus asked, mirroring his namesake in more ways than he knew. "You don't want me to reveal the best aspect of you?"

"Once Simon dies, that aspect will be gone," Seth muttered as they left the curtained area.

"When who dies?" a familiar, weak voice said from behind.

Albus smirked as Seth turned tail and zipped over to him. Albus watched as Seth hugged Simon tightly. Simon was sitting up tiredly, unaware of anyone hugging him. Seth was still crying but it was more out of joy.

Albus was leaving the curtained off area, leaving Seth and Simon alone when he heard Simon mutter something to Seth. Seth managed to dry himself off and in seconds, looked upright again.

Albus left. That was not a conversation he needed to be a part of. Simon's second chance seemed to relieve a lot of Healers. More and more students were discharged as the night wore on but around three in the morning, as Seth was resting on a chair by Simon's bed and Hugo was snoring softly and Scorpius was comforting Lucy, a yell sounded. A worried yell from near Hugo's bed. For a moment, Albus thought Hugo had passed, but then the Healer by the name of Ferdinand shouted the name out. "The Greengrass boy. He's in trouble."

"Oh, God no!" a female yelled and rushed over. Madam Pomfrey burst into tears and rushed out of the room. It was plain she knew he was dying. "I'm not giving up!" he yelled as he forced some liquid down Alpha's dying throat. "He can't die. Not another one. Not this young!"

"Stopper-death," the female muttered at the phial forced down Alpha's throat. "So you delayed it. What're you gonna do?"

"The rules of magic!" the healer called Ferdinand yelled profusely, and he stated something Albus vaguely remembered, as if from a distant past, Professor Macmillan stating countless times. "Every curse has a counter-curse. If the heart can be damaged, it can be repaired too. That's how it goes. I want every available healer on this kid immediately! Follow my instructions!"

"You have to wait outside miss," a healer said in attempted calm.

All dignity forgotten, Proxima was screaming in shock, sorrow, and worry as her twin brother was losing his life. "I CAN'T!" she screamed over the din. "I can't! LET ME STAY!" she dropped down on the floor, pounding the ground with her fists.

The doors burst open and to everyone's surprise, Galadral Phoenix, radiance of power emanating from him at all levels, as if he was ready for another duel, stood in the doorway. He hurried over to Alpha's bed, wand outstretched and phial of a potion in hand. Madam Pomfrey was trailing behind him, still sobbing.

As a healer poured for Albus a sleeping potion, Scorpius stated last words, unaware of Lucy asleep beside him, "Phoenix is in enormous trouble. I personally think he's going to be sacked."

The words resonated with him as sleep overtook him. As Phoenix rolled up his sleeves and readied his wand for his own magic. Wasn't he a Healer too? How could they get rid of Phoenix? He saved the village. Phoenix… he was a hero now… Galadral Phoenix was very powerful. Albus remembered Phoenix quoting words by Dumbledore, and Albus wondered for one last moment before sleep took over exactly how long Phoenix was mentored by Albus Dumbledore himself.

A/N: Another triple update awaits. I promised a double but I recently wrote up a one-shot to go with this story. This one-shot is not your typical optional though, it is about as required as the one-shot in Hogwarts Hurricane. In this sense, it is more of a Chapter 40 than a one-shot, even though I consider it as such because it deals primarily with people other than Albus and outside of Hogwarts. This along with the first chapter of Book 6 will be the first few chapters to deal primarily outside Hogwarts. This next one will answer some questions including a deeper understanding of Aries and her relationship with Mark. It says what becomes of Mark and in a sense, gives a more conclusive ending to this book and serves as a sort of transition to subplots of Book 6.