Feallan Steorra
Chapter 17: Aftermath
Author's jibberish: Oh, boy, take a deep breath. The worst is over. Chant with me: Die, Morell, Die!
ChoChanger: Yes, Orion's mark on the victims' necks (Chapter 11?) is like the constellation Orion's Belt. The thing is while brainstorming for this story, my sister helped by taking out her 6,000+ Baby Name book (the handiest thing on earth next to post-it notes) and looking up any names that meant "warrior" or "dark" or anything like that. Orion means "warrior" and I added the constellation connection. I thought it was rather nifty.
Lizzypadfoot: Why in the seven hells did Harry and Orion's wand connect? I hope this chapter makes it clearer…slightly, at least.
"Think he's wakin' up."
"Ron, look."
Harry slowly opened his eyelids. The first person he saw was Hagrid, then Ron, Fred, George, Ginny, Mrs. Weasley, Professor McGonagall and then Professor Dumbledore.
"Alright der, 'Arry?" Hagrid asked.
"Yeah…" he said as he sat up. Suddenly his head rushed in a turbulent spin. He groaned. "Maybe…"
"Relax, Harry," Mrs. Weasley said in a very motherly manner. "No rush to get better so quickly."
Harry's eyes slowly scanned the hospital wing. He soon realized Ginny was up out of bed. "You're alright Ginny? What happened? Where's Malfoy and the others?"
"We've been fine since last night. It was as if it suddenly lifted off me."
"Harry," Dumbledore asked. "Do you have enough strength to say what happened to you last night?"
Harry nodded. "I…I think so."
"Please," Professor Dumbledore looked at the others. "Give us a moment."
They all nodded. "I'll tell Madum Pomfrey ta bring yer food, alright?" Hagrid suggested.
Harry nodded. They exited the hospital wing. Then, he turned to Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall. "Please, Harry," he told him.
"Well," he began. "Ron and I snuck out to find any information on the 3 dot marks on the victims. Ron was taken. Then Hermione was taken from Gryffindor tower. The attacker left a portkey in the shape of a paper flower. It led to a forest--."
"The Forbidden Forest in fact," Professor Dumbledore added. "The creator wasn't strong enough to make the destination too far."
"Continue," Professor McGonagall prompted.
"I found Ron and Hermione tied up. And I found out Orion Morell was responsible." He noticed Professor McGonagall take a deep breath. "He said he was a servant of Voldemort and he wanted to kill my friends to make me suffer. He cursed Ginny because he was close to finding out who he was. He cursed Malfoy and the others because he didn't like them.
"He took control of Hermione with a curse. I never heard of it before…"
"What did he say?" Professor Dumbledore asked.
Harry thought for a moment. "P…Pupan…something like that."
Professor McGonagall gasped. "Puppet spell…how on earth did he master such a dark curse at his age?"
"He said he had been training with Voldemort."
"Please, continue," Professor Dumbledore said.
"I sent Ron back for help. It took a while but Hermione was able to break free."
Professor McGonagall was shocked. "How? Unless he didn't master the spell…"
Harry shrugged. "I don't know. All I did was yell at her to break free." When they stood silently, their lips tight, he took that opportunity to continue. "Then…Orion and I dueled. Something really strange happened. A basilisk came out of his wand and a phoenix came out of mine; they started fighting."
"Good heavens!" Professor McGonagall gasped. "A real basilisk?"
Harry shook his head. "No…it was made of smoke, just like the phoenix." He turned to Professor Dumbledore. "How did that happen?"
"Well, you and Voldemort share the same core in your wands," Professor Dumbledore began. "The crafting of Mr. Morell's wand, most likely with a basilisk scale, was possibly a creation of Voldemort's power. When Voldemort's power and your power collide, it struggles." He noticed Harry's confused look. "Do you remember Voldemort's and your wands connected when forced against each other? Well, Mr. Morell's wand had a bit of Voldemort's power. It connected with yours but at the same time, it tried to fight. It was represented through the core manifestations in the sky."
"So, your wand's power, in the end, broke Mr. Morell's wand?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"I guess so…but after that, I passed out. What happened?"
"Mr. Weasley returned and came to me," Professor McGonagall explained. "He described the location and Hagrid recognized it as the heart of the Forbidden Forest. Suddenly, Professor Dumbledore returned with this black dog," she said, pointing to a black dog lying at Harry's bedside. "Hagrid and he found you."
Harry smiled as he bent over to see the dog. His godfather seemed to always help out when he needed it. He looked up to Dumbledore, who gave a knowing wink.
"He spent all night watching over you," Professor McGonagall added.
Suddenly, it hit Harry's head like a hammer. "What happened to Orion and Hermione?"
"Orion is being treated," Professor Dumbledore added. "Then, he will be trialed and if found guilty…" he sighed, regretful, "He may head to Azkaban."
Harry gulped. "But he's only 15."
"Being a follower of Voldemort is a serious matter."
"And Hermione? How is she?"
If the Professors didn't look grim, then they did now. "She's…" Professor McGonagall frowned. "She hasn't woken up yet."
"Well, it's alright," Harry shrugged. "She just needs to sleep…right?"
"I must be honest with you Harry," Professor Dumbledore said. "The Puppet Spell is like killing someone from the inside, so the caster can take full control. The victim's thoughts and emotions are completely blocked off. There will be a good chance she won't be the same after being touched by such a dark curse."
Harry gulped. "Like a coma? No…it can't be. She had enough strength to push me aside to take a blow from Orion!"
"She did?" Professor McGonagall saw Harry's earnest nod. "Then all we can do is wait and see if she wakes up."
"Where is she?" he asked, pulling the bed sheets off him.
"In the other room," Professor Dumbledore placed a hand on his shoulder. "You must get rest. Madam Pomfrey just nursed your wounds and re-located your shoulder."
"But--," Harry protested.
"You can see her later," Professor Dumbledore's eyes turned to a door at the end of the hospital wing.
Harry's eyes followed to that same door. Hermione would be ok, he kept saying to himself. Just thinking about Hermione's present condition made him feel sick…and guilty.
That night, Harry woke up and saw a figure pouring himself a glass of water. The man replaced the pitcher on the nightstand. "Oh, Harry, you're awake."
Harry nodded. It was good to see Sirius Black, his godfather. Sirius escaped from Azkaban; he was falsely convicted of murder and now was in hiding. "Yeah. You look well."
"I'm holding up. Professor Dumbledore locked up the hospital wing for a while so I could have time to talk with you." Sirius smiled. "One can only stay as a dog for so long."
"Not that I don't like you here, but when will you be leaving?" Harry asked.
"Probably tonight or early morning. I just want to make sure you're ok before I leave."
"I'm ok though," Harry plastered a smile on his face. "My shoulder is where is should be and my wounds are healing."
Sirius shook his head. "Physically, you're fine. Mentally?"
Harry's smile fell. "I'm worried."
"About?"
"Every year, something happens to my friends because of me. First year, Voldemort tried to steal the Sorcerer's Stone and Ron and Hermione got pretty banged up along the way. Second year, a manifestation of Ton Riddle attacked some muggle-borns, including Hermione, and captured Ron's sister. Third year…well, you were there and fourth year, they got caught up in the Triwizard Tournament."
"You feel guilty because they've been put through a lot," Sirius guessed. Harry confirmed his hypothesis with a nod. "Harry, you can't control those events--."
"But they get mixed up in it--."
"But you never forced them, correct?" Sirius interrupted. "Have you ever once forced them to do something?" Harry shook his head. "They are either pulled into it without choice or dive along with you. But no matter what, they stuck by you when all the odds were down, right? I don't think they see it as a price being the friend of 'The Boy Who Lived'. They probably see it as being the friend of 'Harry'…who seems to have a knack of trouble finding him," Sirius lightly said.
Harry looked down. "I put my friends in danger a lot."
"I suspect that they understand that you don't mean it; it just happens. They stick by you just the same," Sirius pointed out. "I understand what you're saying, Harry, but you are not to blame for when your friends get mixed up in the troubles by pure accident. After 5 years, I think they get the idea." Sirius smiled. "So, how did I do? With the godfather-godson discussion?"
"Harry nodded. "Very good. In fact it helped. Thank you."
