CHAPTER NINETEEN: Harry
Madam Pomfrey immediately took Neville and Isabel in hand, instructing Harry, Ron, and Hermione to "stay put" until she had a chance to examine them. As she bent over Clay, Isabel spoke to her in urgent hushed tones pointing her toward Neville. Pomfrey frowned slightly but went to examine Neville. Isabel looked on with some concern. Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at one another and then back toward the bed where Neville lay making no sound. Lupin's brows creased in a frown and he got up and walked to Pomfrey, speaking to her in hushed tones. She shook her head and then gestured toward a set of screens by the wall. Lupin set them up around Neville's bed.
When he returned to sit next to Harry his expression was grave.
"Neville's going to be alright, isn't he professor?" Ginny asked, alarmed.
"I hope so, Ginny." Lupin said gently as the door opened to admit Dumbledore and McGonagall. Dumbledore took in the screens around Neville's bed then looked to Lupin who shook his head slightly. McGonagall took this in and paled.
"Do you three feel up to telling us what happened?" Dumbledore said, turning serious eyes away from the screens surrounding Neville's bed.
It took all three, but between Harry, Ron, and Hermione, the story was told, with some contributions from Ginny and Lupin. Ginny hung her head, looking away from her brother when she explained how she had opened his note and gone for help before the time she had promised.
"I'm sorry, Ron." she said softly.
"For what?"
"I broke my promise, I swore."
"Ginny, please don't apologize for having more brains that your brother... at least sometimes." Ron said with a wry grin. He then picked up the story.
When they were done there was some silence. Finally Harry spoke, looking at Dumbledore.
"Sir, do you believe in what Madam Clay said?"
"Yes, I do, Harry." he said gravely, "We often speak of one thing in many ways but what we call 'ancient magic' and 'mysterious' is much the same as that which Madam Clay calls 'faith' and 'God'. You saw that with your own eyes today, Madam Clay is not a witch, yet she possessed a power that was able to contend with some very powerful dark magic."
"In fact," he continued fixing Harry with a penetrating stare, "I suspect if you think about it, the answers to many questions... both spoken and unspoken... may be found in today's events."
Soon the door of the hospital wing banged open yet again. This time to admit an very anxious Hagrid.
"I jus' heard! He exclaimed to no one in particular, then focused on Dumbledore, "Is everyone alrigh'?"
Dumbledore reached up and put a hand on Hagrid's massive shoulder, "As you can see, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, and Mr. Potter are all well. Madam Pomfrey is attending to Mr. Longbottom, and Madam Clay is a bit the worse for wear but I believe will be just fine."
At the words "Madam Clay" Hagrid looked quickly around and caught sight of Isabel. He rushed over and sat next to her bed, his massive back blocking her from view. Harry's attention, was distracted from this by Snape coming through the door.
"Headmaster, the Magical Law Enforcement Squad has arrived and taken matters in hand." Snape said, taking a quick look around the room.
"Thank you, Severus." Dumbledore said mildly. With this Snape nodded curtly and left.
"I suppose I should go down," Dumbledore said without complaint but also without enthusiasm. With that he was gone and the remaining group sat in silence.
After a time Madam Pomfrey routed Hagrid from Isabel's bedside, sending him out to join the others. With a stern look at the waiting group she put a screen beside Isabel's bed. She could be heard moving about behind it and speaking in hushed tones. After a time she emerged holding an empty goblet. One by one she curtly called Harry, Ron, and Hermione to her office for a quick exam. She walked back out with Hermione and insisted that they and Ginny go back to their dorm and to bed.
McGonagall agreed, rising to escort them back to Gryffindor tower personally. No one was eager to leave not knowing Neville's condition, but they were all too exhausted to object. Silently they followed McGonagall to Gryffindor. They were met in the common room by Fred and George who were unusually pale, each of their many freckles standing out in stark contrast to their bloodless faces. McGonagall had to speak to them rather more sharply than she might have liked to insist that Ron, Hermione, and Harry were alright and that everyone needed to go to bed.
Harry laid for a long time staring up into the darkness and going over the events of the day in his mind. The room seemed very quiet without Neville's usual snores. Harry thought about him sitting up pointing the LeStranges' own wands at them. "...I want to more than I've ever wanted anything in my life, but I won't" Harry wasn't sure he could have said the same in Neville's place.
How hard it must have been to not strike out in revenge, but Neville hadn't. As he thought about this Harry realized that this was what Isabel had been talking
about when she spoke of losing battles but winning the war. No matter what happened to Neville, he had won in a way that was more profound than any victory
Voldemort or his followers could ever achieve. As he lay there Harry found himself saying a silent prayer to the ancient magic or to Isabel's 'God" or whatever it
was that was out there. He prayed that Neville would be alright. He prayed that they would all be alright. And Harry knew, for the first time in a long time, that
no matter what happened, he would be.
