Count the Lillies

by onion


I do not own Harry P -- blablabla, you know what ..

Please read and review. This is my very first Harry fic ... so be nice.


CHAPTER FIVE

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Hedwig hopped onto Harry's arm. "Hedwig, fly this to Sirius! It's an emergency!"

Hedwig flapped her wings (slapping Harry's nose) and flew off. Harry carried Cho's body to a clean corner, took of his blood-stained robes, folded it neatly and rested her head over it.

"There he is!!"

Mandy Brocklehurst pointed her shaking index finger at Harry from the door, Professor McGonagall, behind her, gasped. "Potter! What in blazes is going on here?"

Harry's mouth opened but he couldn't choose the words.

"Professor! I saw Harry! He was alone with Cho! He KILLED Cho!"

Harry stood up and marched over to Mandy with tight fists. "I definitely did not kill her, you house rat!!"

"Harry!" snapped McGonagall.

Harry let out a loud sob. "I'm .. I'm sorry Professor."

"Harry. Tell me. Who did kill her?" Professor McGonagall gave Mandy a shut-up-you-little-tick look.

"Ah .." Harry sobbed again. "an invisible creature, m'am. It lifted her up very high off the ground ... and choked her to death."

"And he pulled her leg just to make the choking even worse! Didn't you Harry??" said Mandy, with a very annoying tone.

"She was very high off the ground! What else was I supposed to do?"

"Goodness."

Professor McGonagall pushed Mandy out of the way and ran to Cho's body. She examined Cho's face and neck. She bowed her head and massaged her forehead. "Mandy. Go get Dumbledore and take him to the Hospital Wing." she said as she closed Cho's eyelids. "And don't you even try to tempt yourself from telling another soul about what just happened. Go!"

Mandy gazed at Cho's body through her tears. "Cho .."

"NOW!" Professor McGonagall was getting impatient.

Mandy, her heart beating very fast, tripped on her robes, got back on her feet as quickly as she could and ran away.

"Harry, you're quite big and strong. Carry her body to the Hospital Wing. I'll follow."

"She's dead, Professor."

Professor McGonagall blinked very fast to hold back the tears. "I know, Harry."

"I'm sorry, Professor."

"That was not a good idea, Harry."

"What?"

"Nevermind."

Harry made a self righteaous gesture. "I was scared out of my wits, Professor! It was a reaction!"

"You had your wand with you, didn't you Harry?"

Harry's eyes widened. How stupid was that? He just nodded at that simple question.

"It's okay, Harry. It's not your fault. I bet she was dead anyway before you pulled her down." said Professor McGonagall. "Let's go off to the Hospital Wing."

* *

Harry, Mandy, and Professor Dumbledore accompanied the body of Cho Chang which was lying on a bed at the infirmary. Harry sat with his elbows resting on his thighs and his hands clasped together. Dumbledore and Mandy (still sobbing like crazy) stood next to him. Images of Cho fighting for her life back in the Owl Post came flying across Harry's eyes.

"Professor." sobbed Mandy, answering Dumbledore's question of what she had witnessed. "I saw her floating in the air. Her head was hanging behind her. Harry, well, when I got there, Harry was ... pulling her leg. And I just ran away, and .. and came across Professor McGonagall .. and .."

"That will be all. Thank you Mandy, for your ... er .. courage. And please, don't tell anyone what happened."

"Yes, Professor. Thank you."

"And, Mandy, you may go back to your quarters. You need some rest, after what you have just seen."

"Thank you."

When the sound of Mandy's off-rhythm footsteps died away, Professor Dumbledore put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "I'm very sorry this happened, Harry."

"I didn't even do anything. I didn't even try .. and my wand ... She was right there! In front of me! And I was thinking too much about being a wimp to raise my fucking wand! And I didn't do anything. Just like what happened to Cedric!"

Dumbledore crumpled his eyebrows.

"I'm very sorry Professor." Harry said. "What .. what was that thing anyway?"

"Harry." said Dumbledore (he pulled a chair next to Harry and sat on it). "That invisible creature is called a delitresan."

"What's .. a, er, delitah-suhn?" Harry was a Muggle all over again.

"A delitresan is an invisible being, Harry. And that same being killed Professor Snape."

"Professor Snape? But where ---"

"Albus?" A voice interrupted from behind.

"Ah, Lily. You know Harry Potter."

"Yes, I do Albus. Very well." she said nervously

Professor McKinney?, thought Harry.

Professor McKinney stood on the other side (where Harry and Dumbledore is) of the bed and lifted Cho's chin. "I'm very sorry Professor. I failed you again. I failed you all."

"There, there Lily." Professor Dumbledore walked next to Professor McKinney and gave her a gentle pat on the back. "But, Lily. Where were you?"

"Mr. Ollivander was being attacked before she was (she pointed at Cho's dead body with her lips). I guess I was too slow."

"Oh, Lily. Don't blame yourself. Is Ollivander okay?"

"Everyone at the shop is fine. No one was injured. But it ran away and must have disapparated to the Owl Post"

Professor McKinney's beautiful eyes gazed at Harry's. "Are you okay, Harry? Are you hurt at all?"

Harry pursed his lips. "What is going on here? Where did those things come from?"

Professor McKinney and Professor Dumbledore looked at each other.

"Voldemort, Harry .." said Professor McKinney (without difficulty saying his name).

"He's more powerful than ever." added Dumbledore.

"But he's after me! Not Cho! Or .. or .. Professor Snape! Why didn't that, er, thing kill me when it had the chance? I was right there! Unarmed!"

"Now, that I'm trying to find out." said Dumbledore.

"We do not know why he would kill them. Or where he found those delitresan." said Professor McKinney.

"I .. I don't want anymore deaths. I should have died. That delitresan (hey, he got it) should have killed me."

"You definitely didn't cause Cho's death, Harry."

Professor Dumbledore gazed at Harry's disappointed face. "Harry. You need some rest. I want you to go to your quarters right now. You will also have the day off tomorrow. Is that okay with you?"

"Thanks anyway Professor. I'll just rest today and go to school tomorrow."

"It's up to you."

* *

Harry,

I hope you are okay. I'm terribly sorry about your friend's death. Dumbledore has contacted me and told me the whole thing.

The Delitresan (the invisible beings) are creatures being controlled by a witch or wizard. These creatures are highly dangerous. Try to stay away from them as far as possible. They have no feeling and they will do as told immediately. This has got to be another scheme done by Lord Voldemort. I've no idea what he is up to and who his next victim will be. Watch out. Take CARE.

Sirius

END OF CHAPTER FIVE

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...uh...please review. and, again, this fic is going to be LONG. please be patient. i do stuff, too, you know. ^_^.. and YES, i made up that word...hehe ---

anyway, the plural form for "delitresan" is still "delitresan". delitresanS just sounds kinda weird. i actually got it from the word "delitescent" which means concealed or hidden. ^_^

(UGH~! i updated this chapter like 10 times! BWEEH!)