Chapter 42

Neville's POV

Smoke started to seep out of the caldron. I gasped as I saw Voldemort rise from the steam and smoke. His red eyed stood out on his pale face. His thin lips were curled horribly into a cruel, triumphant smile. There were two thin slits where his nose should be that made him look very snake like. "Robe me!" He commanded in his high, cold, voice. I fought the urge to role my eyes at his apparent lack of ability to dress himself. I've been spending way too much time around Joanne, she's rubbing off on me.

Once he was 'robed', his eyes scanned over all our bodies and finally stopped on Harry. "Ahh, Harry Potter." He spoke. "You escaped my clutches before but not again." He looked around again. "And where is your mudblood friend?" He asked. "I want to see your face when I kill her in front of you." I saw Fred flinch when Voldemort spoke of killing Joanne. Voldemort turned on his death eaters angrily. "I told you to collect her as well! Where is she?"

"She must have evaded capture my Lord. The ones who were supposed to get her still aren't back." One of the death eaters spluttered before bowing and backing away quickly. I saw Fred relax slightly at the knowledge that Joanne was supposedly safe.

Voldemort did not look happy at this information and for a second it looked like he was going to curse the unlucky messenger but then he turned on Padma Patil. "Avada Kedavra!" There were many screams and gasped as the green light hit Padma and she slumped lifelessly in her bonds. Her eyes were wide open and glassy.

"You bastard!" Harry yelled. And he wasn't the only one. I found myself shouting profanities at the Dark Lord along with the twins, Hermione and Padma's twin sister, Parvati.

"You coward!" Fred yelled.

"Silence!" Voldemort yelled and I felt a powerful silencing charm cut off everyones yelling. He tuned to Fred. "You dare call me a coward?! Worthless blood traitor!" He yelled raising his wand. I watched in horror as he screamed, "Avada Kedavra!"

...

Joanne's POV

An old looking Auror walked over to me. "Little girl," He said, "Did you see the person who knocked out all the death eaters?" I scowled at his patronizing tone. Old fart!

"She did." One of the bystanders told him. Everyone else nodded in agreement.

"You did?" He demanded in shock.

"Yes." I admitted. "But I can't stay, I really have to be somewhere." I said as I tried to leave. He grabbed me by the upper arm.

"Sorry miss but I need to talk to you." He said.

"I don't have time for this!" I insisted. Voldemort could be resurrected by now.

"Make time!" He said forcefully as he let go of my arm to take out his wand. Dam it! I need to get away.

I closed my eyes. This has to work! I need to apparate. I concentrated hard on the grave yard. I was thinking about a spot behind a grave stone.

Suddenly, I felt the strange sensation of being underwater. There was pressure on all sides and I heard a loud pop. I appeared in the grave yard. It worked! I had appeared right where I had wanted to. I heard lots of yelling and peeked around the gravestone to see the cold, lifeless eyes of Padma Patil. That monster! Everyone started yelling at him. I blocked out what they were saying. This is my fault. Padma wasn't supposed to die! I should have got here in time. I shouldn't have meddled with time. I should have left things. Now Padma's dead and it's all my fault. My thoughts were interrupted when Voldemort silenced them and to my horror, pointed his wand at Fred, who was a few meters away from me.

I heard him yell out the killing curse. "No!" I screamed as I jumped out from behind the gravestone and in front of Fred. The curse hit me and I flew backwards. Then there was darkness.

My brain felt foggy. "Joanne, no!" I heard Harry yelling. I had a pounding headache. Dying hurts! I thought it was supposed to be painless. I could feel the hard ground under me and the light sprinkle of grass that let me know I was still in the graveyard. Why was I still here? I'm dead. Isn't there a heaven or something. I heard Hermione sobbing quietly. For some reason I felt free. Like a small weight had been lifted off my brain. The curse was broken. I just knew it. I felt that it was gone. It was like the absence of a clamp on my vocal cords that I hadn't noticed until it disappeared.

I opened my eyes and stood up. There was lots of gasping. Everyone was staring at me with their eyes wide. I looked down, expecting to see a body at my feet because I thought I was a spirit. There was nothing there. I looked at my hands and they seemed solid. Why the hell am I not dead?! "Umm...This is awkward..." I muttered, "The killing curse did hit me right?" Everyone just continued to gawk at me so I assumed that meant I did get hit with the killing curse.

"Impossible!" Voldemort shrieked.

"Apparently not." I shrugged. "It's not like this is the first time. Harry did it."

"Well why don't we see if you can do it again." He said as he lifted his wand and pointed it at me. He shot yet another killing curse at me. I reacted quickly and brought up a wall made of earth. I am so glad I mastered my control of my elements right now.

"I'd really rather not." I told him as I took out my wand and started slashing the ropes that were binding the other students.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco and the twins immediately jumped to their feet and came to stand with me. I let the makeshift wall fall back into the ground. We need a way to get everyone out of here. "Hermione, make a port key!" I said as Harry started dueling Voldemort. Harry was good but I don't think he's quite ready to face Voldemort just yet. Then again, if he looses he'll still live and the horcrux would be gone so it might not be a bad thing.

I started fighting the other death eaters that were here. To my pride, almost everyone from the DA jumped up to help. I made sure to put up stone walls if anyone fired an unforgivable curse. However, this made it hard to concentrate on my own battle. While I was protecting Draco from a killing curse, I didn't have time to stop the bone breaking curse coming my way and it hit my wand arm.

I cried out in pain as I felt all the bones in my arm shatter simultaneously. I used my left hand to wandlessly stun the death eater who did it. I was in so much pain. It was worse than the time I broke my leg. I could feel the shattered bits of bone cutting into my flesh. I was starting to find it hard to concentrate while I tried to resist the urge to pass out.

"The portkey is ready!" Hermione called.

"Everyone grab on!" Harry commanded and everyone ran towards it. I had just enough strength to put up a wall to protect everyones retreating figures but I was in too much pain to stand. There was a small flash and all the students were gone. I focused the rest of my energy on apparating.

I apparated away with a loud pop just as I saw Voldemort pointing his wand at me, his eyes full of anger. I appeared back in Hogsmeade and saw that everyone else was there too. The aurors were also still there. Harry appeared to be arguing with them. I heard him yelling that Voldemort was back but they seemed to be too scared to believe it. Some things never change. I clutched my bloody arm to my chest and continued scanning the crowd. My eyes landed on Fred who was yelling at everyone. "I have to go back! Joanne is still there!" He was saying. I saw Hermione and Ron exchanging hopeless looks.

"I'm over here!" I called to them just load enough for them to hear. All their heads whipped towards me.

"Bloody hell Annie! That's two times in one night." Ron exclaimed, "What does that put the thinking-Joanne-is-dead count up to? four?"

Maybe if the circumstances were different I would have laughed with my friends. However, now that there was no immediate danger, my mind came back to remembering the glassy eyed body of Padma. The guilt washed over me and I felt the tears streaming down my face. It was all my fault. I shouldn't even be alive right now! I was hit by a killing curse. I should be dead.

I heard my friends calling my name to try and get my attension as I continued to drown in my own guilt. What right did I have to live through the killing curse when poor Padma couldn't. Why was it possible for me to have done so? The pain in my arm was still unbearable and I felt a wave of weakness wash over me. With no reason to continue to stay awake, I let myself drift into unconsciousness.

...

Here I am waking up in the hospital room. Again. However, this time there is a difference. The room is completely empty. My arm was completely healed so I must have been unconscious for a while. Usually my friends are here when I wake up. I wonder where they are. I thought about waiting for madam Pomfrey, but then I realized she would never let me leave and I had to do some research.

I quickly got out of the bed and hurried to the closest entry to the library. I was careful not to be seen as I moved down the halls but there was no one around anyway. Soon I had reached my library. "How can someone survive the killing curse?" I asked the library and a single, old looking book landed on the table. My voice was horse. It was as if it hadn't been used for weeks. How long was I unconscious for?! It can't have been that long.

I performed the spell to check the date and dropped my wand in shock. It was the 31st of August! I have been unconscious for three months! THREE FREAKING MONTHS! It was the summer holidays. School starts again tomorrow. I slept through most of the summer! That explains why no one was here. Was I in a coma or something?

I decided to put those thoughts out of my mind and look at the big book on the table. I looked down at the tiny writing and started reading.

The killing curse was created by Harold Smith, one of the first wizards in the world. It uses pure hate to kill the person it is directed at. However, it is possible to survive the curse in certain instances. If you have a type A curse on you, instead of removing your soul like the curse is meant to, it will remove the curse. It is the only way to remove type A curses.

Unfortunately, there are sometimes side effects. You see, when the killing curse hits a person it causes the soul to expel from the body by making you so week that it can be forced out. Once a soul is out it can not go back in. This is also the reason that powerful ghosts posses people in their sleep because when you are sleeping you are in a vulnerable state. So even if the curse is what is being removed, the spell could still weaken you considerably. It can take up to an hour for the weakness to fully take effect but when it does, the victim could fall into a coma. Once they are fully restored they will wake can be from months to years depending on the power of the victim.

I closed that book. That explains so much. It must be lost information as I'm pretty sure no one knows what I just read. "What's a type A curse?" I asked. Another book made it's way to the table and opened in front of me.

A type A curse is the most powerful type of curse. It is a spell made from either extremely powerful light magic or extremely powerful dark magic. It does not necessarily need to be a curse but most are. Horcruxes are also classified as a type A curse because they are made with such powerful dark magic.

So that explained why Harry survives in the future. Not only is he a horcrux but his mother gave him a powerful light magic protection. I on the other hand, used to have a curse. I knew it was gone! I had felt it leave. I also now know why I was unconscious for three frigging months. I still can't quite grasp that information.

Then I began to remember what happened in the grave yard. I can't believe Padma is dead. She was only thirteen. It was all my fault! I should have got there earlier. I should have left the death eaters alone and gone strait there. Tears filled my eyes. I stood up and walked over to the corner of the library. I slid down the wall as I started crying into my hands. I suppose I was naive to think that no one would die. I just hoped that with all my future knowledge I could prevent all the deaths. But this is a war. I should have known I wouldn't have been able to keep everyone safe. But I could have stopped this one. If I'd only left the other death eaters in Hogsmeade and apparated strait to the grave yard. She would be alive right now!

I stayed in the corner crying until I fell asleep.

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