Chapter Seven
A/N: Thanx Kim for you excellent advice and Bella for your extravagant reviews. Also usabunny and Herm. And all you people, who put your reviews anonymously, try and enter your name and I'll try to send you a complimentary e-mail back and alert you of new updates. And again Review please and tell me what you will happen in the future of this story. If I can I shall put another chapter up today but don't count on it. Any way sorry about the small chapters. They'll increase double in size after chapter ten. Till then, be patient.
Harry looked up towards the ceiling where a moving pictorial of an arguing Hermione and Ron was painted on. Harry had no idea how he could talk to it. Can they see him? He decided that speaking out loud to take their attention was a first step.
"Ahem!" He cleared his throat to get their attention. There was no change. His two friends just kept on arguing about something. Was Dumbledore pulling his leg? Even though he wasn't the kind to pull a mass prank like Fred and George, Harry knew he had a very good sense of humour. But he just couldn't imagine Dumbledore pulling a prank on somebody. He had to try once more. This time he decided to address them by their names.
"Ron! Hermione!"
Suddenly the two figures magically painted on to the ceiling looked straight at him. They had a surprised look on their faces.
"Harry, is it you?" asked Ron as he stepped forward. Hermione too was looking at him very curiously.
"Harry! What's going on?" they asked. Then they noticed something and "What happened to you? Why are you wrapped in bandages?" they yelled, their face expressions turning from surprised to concern.
Dumbledore hadn't been pulling his leg. He really could talk to Ron and Hermione from this picture on the ceiling. Several million thoughts rushed to his mind. He had to tell him about what happened that night. About Joseph Bongine, the package he had given him.
Where was the package? He had left on top of the staircase at the Dursley's. Oh No! He said to himself. What would happen if it were still there and in the hands of the Dursley's? They would surely destroy it as soon as they got to know it had something to do with magic. Dumbledore had mentioned that it was a very powerful object and that it should be used to protect himself. If so it had to be important, not only to him but the entire Wizarding world. And that also meant if Voldemort got his hands on it -. He couldn't imagine what would happen and his carelessness would be blamed for it. Oh No! He said once more to him self but he had a feeling he had said it out aloud because Ron immediately asked "What is it Harry? Are you Alright?"
"You look like as if you've just seen a beast," added Hermione, her voice too filled with concern for him. He had to tell them everything. From the beginning. He could just imagine Hermione giving him a lecture about how careless he had been. Maybe they could help him get it back before the worst happened.
"Ron! Hermione! I have something important to tell you," he said to them.
"Go ahead Harry! What happened? And Harry, What's this?"
"I don't know. Dumbledore conjured it up so that I can talk to you both without leaving the Hospital Wing" he replied and started to explain the day's happenings.
He explained the days happening in full detail from the beginning. Hermione snapped at him when he told her that he went in search of Hedwig and the package and frowned in curiosity when he got to the part when he met Joseph Bongine.
Once he said to them how Aunt Petunia, under the influence of Voldemort messing around with their heads, rushed towards him saying how worried she was, all three of them laughed. But once he got to the part where Death Eaters appeared in the Dursley's back yard, Ron and Hermione went pale white. It seemed as if Ron had started to fear Voldemort's name even more after the Weasley's encounter with the death eaters or who ever they were. Harry continued on while both of his best friends listened flabbergasted. When he reached the part where he somehow or the other deflected the killing curses away from him, Ron and Hermione's face expressions changed to a stunned disbelieving look.
"But… But… Harry! You cannot deflect the Killing curse!" stammered Hermione.
"I know! I even heard Lupin, Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey speaking about it. They don't understand either." He said as calmly as he could.
"And the wand? Without it, he will surely kill you. There's nothing to protect you. You don't even have the package Dumbledore sent you," said Ron.
He was right. His wand and Voldemort's had been brothers. Because of this Voldemort couldn't harm Harry. It was the only reason he was still on this planet, alive. Now it was lost forever. His first round of killing curses had deflected upon it, turning it instantly into a pile of ash. He had nothing to protect himself with, and most importantly he didn't have a wand. His wand had been one of a kind. It had a feather from Fawkes, the Phoenix's tale. It could never be replaced. He remembered how hard it was for him to find wand five years ago in Mr.Olivander's wand shop.
"I think you should talk to Dumbledore about it, Harry!" both of them said at once.
"Are you sure your all right? I mean aren't you even hurt? You've deflected forty-eight killing curses in a single day"
"I didn't get hurt by the Killing curses, but then the ministry and Hogwarts Professors came and started to duel with the death eaters. In the mean time Professor McGonagall guided me towards the Living room. But before that, a banishing curse came from nowhere and hit me. I went flying and hit something. That's why I'm wrapped in bandages. Even then it's not that bad except for the back of my head," he said and turned around to show them the wound.
Ron and Hermione gasped. He hadn't seen it yet, but by the way both of them gasped, he knew it must be bad. After that Hermione and Ron gave him a very sympathetic looks.
"Harry! I think you should rest now. That would looks quite serious," said Hermione. She seemed quite concerned about him. Ron too had the same impression. Were they trying to avoid him? Or were they just too concerned about his injuries.
"Yes Harry! We should let you rest now," he said.
With that, Madam Pomfrey entered the room saying "Very right indeed. It's time you two went to bed your selves and let Harry sleep," she said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"But how?" asked Hermione. "The ceiling in Ron's room is completely picture and we didn't do anything at all"
Harry too looked at Madam Pomfrey. Professor Dumbledore never did tell him how he could switch it off.
"Simple! Harry, just say goodbye to Ron and Hermione and they'll leave" she said and stared at him as if she was waiting for him to do it.
"'Night Hermione! Ron!" he said waving his left hand. "Goodbye"
Suddenly the whole painting on the ceiling vanished and in its place was the former ceiling of the Hospital Window. Had he done something wrong? Will he be able to talk with them from now on? But how?
But Madam Pomfrey, as if reading his mind said "Don't worry Harry dear, just call them when you wake up and they'll appear".
She insisted that he drank the sleeping portion and as soon as he did, he drifted in to a dreamless, comfortable sleep.