Chapter twenty-two- The Weight of Murder
Harry was walking back up the stairs, toward the castle's hallways, dragging his bag with him, bumping into walls, and not realizing what he was doing. He had not noticed that he was back on the seventh floor, and that he walked from the hallway, towards the room of requirement, and down the marble staircase. He was highly unaware that he was bumping into several students, without noticing. Some of them hissed, while others were upset.
He stopped. He was standing in the entrance hall, which was quite empty. His head was replaying the flash of green light, and Kevin's body falling for the past twenty-minutes. He dropped to his knees, dropping his bag, which all of his books spilled out. He did not know what to do. Was this what it felt like to murder? Was this how it felt, painful, powerful?
"H-Harry?" came a familiar female voice. It was Hermione. Harry could hear her footsteps rushing to him, and she went in front of him, and kneeled down. "What's wrong?"
Harry couldn't respond. His throat was dry, and his stomach was squirming painfully. However, he felt anger surface once more, and felt the anger overpower him. He looked up at Hermione through menacing narrow eyes. Quite suddenly, he grabbed a handful of Hermione's robes, yanked her forward, and said in a very cold voice.
"Leave me alone" and with that, threw her forward, causing her to slide across the hall floor, and hit the wall.
"HARRY!" Ron yelled. He had just descended the marble staircase, and was rushing forward toward Harry. Several Hufflepuff students were helping Hermione. "What's wrong with you? Why'd you do that to Hermione!" he shouted, grabbing Harry by the robes.
"LET GO OF ME!" Harry shouted, spinning Ron around, and flinging him across the floor. Ron however, caught himself before he hit the wall. Malfoy had just descended the stairs, with Ginny at his side.
"HARRY!" he shouted, like Ron had done several moments ago. "What's the matter with you?"
Harry looked at Malfoy, and his eyes flashed. He hated Malfoy. He hated every part about him. That sleek blonde hair, those cold-gray eyes. He hated him. Harry pulled out his wand and pointed it directly at Malfoy's heart.
"H-Harry, what are you doing?" Malfoy asked, shocked. Students began screaming.
"You're not really on our side Malfoy, are you?" Harry asked coldly. "You only want to spy on us, so you can give information to Voldemort!"
"Harry, that's not true!" said Malfoy fiercely. "You know that's not true!"
"Harry, what's gotten into you?" Ginny shouted, over the screaming girls.
"I'M GOING TO GET SOMEONE," shouted a girl.
"GO AND GET DUMBLEDORE!" shouted a boy.
"What's gotten into me? Nothing's gotten into me! What about you?" Harry said. "You've been spending a lot of time with Malfoy! Passing on information to him about the-"
"HARRY, SHUT UP!" Shouted Ron from somewhere behind him.
"HARRY STOP!" Yelled Hermione.
"Malfoy, you think people actually trust you?" said Harry, his eyes watering. His anger was mounting even higher. It was as though every hateful thought about anyone was surfacing. "Stupefy"
A jet of red light surged at Malfoy, but he ducked, and the spell hit the stairs and bounced off, zooming out the front doors. More people screamed.
"HARRY STOP, PLEASE!" Hermione shouted, getting to her feet. She charged at Harry, knocking him over. Harry struggled, his wand rolling away across the floor. Hermione pinned him down, and stared straight into Harry's vibrant green eyes. "Tell me, what happened!" she said quietly, her eyes leaking with tears.
Harry's eyes began to sting, as tears filled them. He had to tell her what happened.
"I killed him," he said quietly. "I used the spell, and I killed him" said Harry, his voice shaky. He was crying.
There was a flurry of footsteps, and gasps. Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape and Professor Kevin arrived at the bottom of the marble staircase. All of them looked mildly surprised at the scene in front of them. Ron was bleeding slightly from a cut on his arm, Malfoy standing in front of Ginny, and Hermione, who was pinning Harry down to the floor.
"M-My goodness, what is going on here?" asked Professor McGonagall, her voice trembling.
"Potter has gone mad, Professor" came a small voice, which sounded like a second year. "He started attacking people"
Snape spoke next. "Ms. Granger, get from on top of Mr. Potter, and let him stand up"
Hermione did as she was told, although she continued to stare at Harry, as though he were something valuable. Harry rolled over, tears leaking out of his eyes, and stood up. His heart was in pain. He felt like he wanted to shout at the top of his lungs.
"Okay everyone, back to your classes" said Professor Kevin. Everyone began to hurry away, though still looking back at the scene below. The Entrance Hall was empty once more.
"Harry," said Professor Dumbledore, staring at Harry. He had a mildly curious expression upon his face. "What's the matter?"
Hermione responded. "That's what we're trying to find out sir"
"Potter, what is wrong?" asked Professor McGonagall.
Harry stood there in silence. If he opened his mouth he would scream, if he kept his mouth closed, he would suffer. He didn't know what to do. He looked around him, as though unaware he was in the Entrance Hall. "Potter?" said Snape, curiously, though his voice was still cold as usual.
A rush of hatred rose inside Harry like he had never felt before. He hated Snape. He hated everything about Snape. He hated him from his greasy hair down to his old boots. He hated those cold steel eyes, and that cold voice.
"Don't you talk to me, you foul twisted pile of-"
"Harry!" Ron shouted, surprised at what Harry was saying.
"Headmaster, I think Potter needs to go up to Madam Pomfrey-"
"I DON'T NEED TO GO ANYWHERE EXCEPT LEAVE THIS PLACE!" Harry shouted. He could no longer control the anger that was ragging through his body. He could no longer hold it back. He could no longer hold in all the pain and suffering he was going through at the moment. However, he could not hold himself back from repeating words that Professor Dumbledore had heard once before. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH! I WANT OUT! I WANT TO GET OUT OF HOGWARTS! OUT OF MAGIC! OUT OF EVERYTHING!"
Dumbledore spoke again, and it was odd that he was speaking in such a rather calm and cool tone. "Why do you want out?"
"I KILLED HIM!" Harry shouted, and it was as though he had just released the largest burden he had ever held in his life. His voice sounded as through it was struggling to go any higher and louder. Tears splashed down Hermione's face, and Ron's face had turned white. Malfoy and Ginny looked at each, then to Harry as though they had misunderstood what he had said. McGonagall clasped her hand over her mouth, and Professor Kevin's eyes widened. Snape's face was curious. "I KILLED HIM! HE'S GONE! HE CAN NEVER COME BACK!"
"Killed who?" asked Professor McGonagall, quietly.
"KEVIN!" Harry shouted. "VOLDEMORTS SON! I MADE HIM SUFFER LIKE HIS FATHER MADE ME SUFFER FOR SIXTEEN YEARS!" He continued, tears leaking out of his eyes. It was too much. The pain was unbearable.
"When did-"
"When I ran into you in Gryffindor Tower," Harry said, the anger subsiding, so that his voice was calmer. For some reason, he felt he had to justify himself, to explain what had happened, to tell them all why he had went down to that room in the first place.
"I was on my way to talk to him, and find out more stuff about Voldemort," (Ron, Ginny, Hermione and Draco flinched). "I told him that I knew he was Voldemorts son, and he seemed to get angry with me so we started fighting. He punched me here," said Harry, touching the bruise on his face, where Kevin had punched him. "And I managed to knock him out, because my wand flew away. So, I turned to leave, and he came up behind me, and started to choke me"
He could still feel Kevin's hand clasping over his throat, but he made no motion to touch it. Maybe it was the after effects of the power that Kevin had.
"And then-I retrieved my wand-and-I-I killed him-because of the pain his father caused me-and everyone else. I'm responsible-for killing a man"
Harry could no long speak. The pain he was feeling overrode him again, and he felt angry. He didn't know what to do.
"Harry, come to my office" said Dumbledore. "We need-"
"I DON'T NEED TO DO ANYTHING!" Harry yelled again, the anger inside him blazing like an uncontrollable fire. "ALL I WANT TO DO IS BE ALONE! BY MYSELF!"
Dumbledore's face now looked firm, and it seemed to everyone in the Hall that he was challenging Harry, to see how long he could continue to yell, and shout with rage.
"That is out of the question Harry" Dumbledore said, sternly. No one had ever heard him sound this way. "I think-"
"DO YOU THINK I CARE WHAT YOU THINK?" Harry shouted again. "I COULD CARE LESS! I DON'T GIVE A DAMN WITH WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT ANYTHING!"
Ron stared at Harry, as though he saw something new in him, something he'd never seen before. "Harry."
"I killed him, and for what? Nothing! Only because I hated him. I hated every rotten stinking thing about him, and that was my cause for killing him," said Harry quietly. He suddenly felt dizzy, perhaps from all the yelling he had done. And one last blurry look at the Entrance Hall, he collapsed to the floor, silent, and motionless, only breathing.
* * * * *
Harry opened his eyes sometime later, to a half lit room, with white curtains around his bed. He was in the hospital wing, and was still fully dressed. His glasses lay on the bedside table, and he could just make out shadows from the other side of the curtain. His throat was feeling uneasy, and his stomach was squirming painfully. He did not move the curtains aside. He sat up slowly, thinking about what had happened hours before. He thought about Kevin dying, all because Harry hated himself. However, a small voice kept talking to him inside his head.
"Its not your fault Harry. People cannot always control their actions, and if you look at it from a different perspective. You have just killed one of Voldemorts loyal supporters"
Harry spoke back to the voice inside his head. "But I killed someone. How can I even live with myself?"
"Didn't his father kill your father? Didn't his father kill your mother? Didn't his father attack Ron's dad last year? Didn't his father possess Ginny four years ago? Wasn't his father supporters responsible for luring you to the Ministry of Magic last year, with Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville and Luna? Wasn't his father responsible for attacking Neville's grandmother? Wasn't his father responsible for the problems in the Ministry before you stopped him? Isn't his father responsible for Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and Dudley's kidnapping?"
Harry realized that the voice in his head was right. Voldemort was responsible for so many things, that Harry had not even taken the time to realize it. He still didn't feel proud of killing Kevin, but he did feel proud that he stopped Voldemorts son from doing any more harm. Harry pulled the curtains back.
"Harry!" said a voice in panic. It was Hermione. She must have been waiting for the curtains to pull themselves back.
"Hi Hermione," said Harry, his throat throbbing. He now realized that his cheek felt better. Madam Pomfrey must have healed it while he was sleep. Harry looked around. Ron was sitting in a chair next to Hermione's and when he saw Harry, he smiled. Apparently, Ron agreed with the voice in Harry's head. Next to him was Ginny and Malfoy. Ginny was lying down on Malfoy's lap, curled up underneath his cloak. Malfoy looked up at Harry, and smiled too.
Harry felt like he owed him an apology. "Listen Malfoy," he said, clearing his throat. "I didn't-I didn't mean what I said earlier"
"Don't worry about it," said Malfoy carelessly. "You were angry. You needed Ventilation. No one's perfect you know-well, except Hermione-"
"Hey!" Hermione snapped.
"Are you feeling better?" Ron asked.
Harry nodded.
Madam Pomfrey then emerged into the ward, carrying with her a bottle of mustard green liquid, and a pair of pajamas.
"Good, your awake Potter" she said, striding over to him. "Is your throat ok?"
"It still hurts a little"
"Well, take this!" she said, handing him the bottle. "It'll help it. Professor Dumbledore told me you fancied yelling the whole time you were in the Entrance Hall"
Harry opened the bottle, and turned his nose up at it. It smelled like Ms. Figgs house. He held his nose, and then drank the liquid. It was surprisingly good, considering its smell. It tasted like Honeydukes Chocolate. He handed the empty bottle back to Madam Pomfrey.
"Professor Dumbledore reckons you stay here for the night, so put on your pajamas. Are you all going to stay with him?" she asked, turning to the others.
"Yes" said Ron.
"I'll go and tell the Headmaster then" and with that, she swept past them, and left the wing. No sooner had she gone, Professor Dumbledore came strolling into the ward.
"Professor. Madam Pomfrey went looking for you," said Hermione.
"Did she?" He pulled out his wand, and something silver, that resembled a ghostly bird streaked out of the ward, and down the passage Madam Pomfrey went. Harry had seen that bit of magic before, but he still hadn't figured out what it did. Madam Pomfrey came back.
"Ah, Headmaster!" she said. "This lot will stay with Potter for the night"
"That is fine."
Madam Pomfrey swept back into her office.
"Harry, I feel I must clear something up with you," said Dumbledore quietly. "You have shouldered another grown man's burden, and you have shown me the power you have inside of you. However, with that power comes a price. You must exercise extreme caution when you are angry. Although it may sometimes do wonders for you, it does not always do wonders for others,"
Harry looked into Dumbledore's eyes, and saw them twinkle.
"Harry," he continued. "You have separated yourself from childhood, to adult hood, and not many wizards your age can do that, and for that, I honor you" said Dumbledore gently. Harry gave a small smile. Dumbledore patted him on the shoulder, winked at the others, and swept out of the ward.
"Harry, I have to ask you," said Ron, sitting up, as Hermione sat back down. "How did you-"
"Ron!" Hermione hissed furiously. "Don't!"
"Its ok Hermione. I'll tell-AHHHHH!"
His scar burst open. The pain was beyond anything else he had ever felt before. He was dying. He was dead. He couldn't see. His eyes were stinging, the white-hot scar searing with unimaginable pain. When he did open his eyes, he was not looking at the Hospital Wing. Instead, he was in a room dimly lit with torches that were flickering as though a cold breeze flew past them. He was standing, towering over a figure that was crumpled up on the ground, whimpering and twitching violently.
"You think you can lie to Lord Voldemort," said Harry, his voice cold and high-pitched.
"M-Master," said the figure on the ground. "I-I am s-sorry"
"Your sniveling apologies are useless to me Wormtail. The boy has killed my son. Everything is falling apart. You assured me that nothing would go wrong," said Harry.
"W-We didn't k-know that H-Harry Potter c-could use t-the curse m-master. We didn't think-"
"Yes, that I am aware of Wormtail. Lately, none of you have been thinking" Harry said coldly. "Where are the Muggles Wormtail?"
"D-Down stairs Master"
Harry swept past Wormtail who flinched, hoping Harry wasn't going to attack him again. Harry walked down a flight of wooden stairs, which creaked behind him. He made it to the bottom of the steps, and looked towards a wall. There, chained along the wall were the three Dursleys'. Uncle Vernon's mustache looked in really need of a trim, and his hair was messy. His clothes were ripped, and stained with blood. Next to him, on the ground was Aunt Petunia. She was shaking, and her clothes too were ripped, and her hair a real mess. Beside her, eyes closed and breathing shallow, was Dudley, who was in no immediate danger like his parents. His clothes and hair were surprisingly neat.
"Ah, Harry Potter's relatives" said Harry coldly.
"What do you want?" Uncle Vernon said angrily.
Harry's lips curled into an unpleasant smile. "I hear you are not cooperating with my supporters. I assure you, that you are in no position to deny them the information they need about Harry Potter."
Uncle Vernon's eyes narrowed. "You.you're that bloke that the man told us about. Lord Voldethingy"
"You humor me. Lord Voldemort is my name Muggle."
"Ha! You don't scare me at all," Uncle Vernon said boldly. Apparently, he did not realize he was standing in front of the most feared wizard of all time. "If I weren't chained to this wall, I'd take a couple of swings at you!"
Harry chuckled. "Is that so?"
"Yes!"
Harry pointed his wand at Uncle Vernon, who froze with fright. He muttered something, and the chains that bound Uncle Vernon to the wall disappeared. Aunt Petunia looked frightened.
"V-Vernon! No! You don't realize who your standing up to!"
"I do realize! He's a nutter! I'll have a go at you for kidnapping my family you loony!" and with that, Uncle Vernon pulled his fist back. Harry quickly raised his wand.
"Crucio" he said.
Uncle Vernon screamed in pain, and fell to the floor, clutching it tightly. However, he did not give in. When the pain had stopped, he looked up, and grinned.
"Is that the best you've got?"
"I did not come down here to destroy you, Dursley. I came to question you about Harry Potter"
"Well, you're not getting anything out of us!" snapped Uncle Vernon.
"Dursley, you do not wish to be so brave to me"
"Leave my husband alone, Tom!" screamed Aunt Petunia.
Harry looked down upon her. "Yeah, I know who you are!" she continued. "I went to Hogwarts for three years! I've done magic, and even though I turned out to be a squib, I never let your name escape my memory!" She said, as Uncle Vernon threw a sharp look at her. It wasn't because she was discussing her past; it was because he was scared that Harry would attack.
Harry chuckled. "So, then you know a lot?"
"I know enough, and you're not getting any information about Harry! He's my nephew and I'm going to protect his secret forever!" she said.
Harry could no longer resist. He held up his wand, and said "Crucio"
Aunt Petunia let out an ear splattering scream, which awakened Dudley. However someone else was screaming at the same time. Harry opened his eyes, and saw that he was back in the hospital wing, looking at a nervous Hermione, a scared Ron, a shaken Draco, and a confused Ginny. Madam Pomfrey bustled out of her office, having heard Harry scream.
"What? What's wrong, Potter?"
Harry felt absolutely sick. His stomach was feeling very uneasy, and his mouth was drier than before. His eyes were stinging, and his scar was burning. He felt like he wanted to vomit.
"It.it was nothing." he lied to Madam Pomfrey.
"Of course it was something!" she said irritably. "You were screaming. What happened?" she asked sharply.
"Ron accidentally sat on him," Hermione said quickly. Everyone turned to her.
"What?"
"Ron accidentally sat on Harry's foot, and it hurt really badly. He's sorry"
"You children are going to kill me one day" said Madam Pomfrey, as she swept away.
"What happened?" Ginny asked.
"It's the my aunt and uncle. They're being tortured. Voldemorts got them locked away somewhere, where no one can find them. He's trying to get information out of them about me," said Harry. "And my aunt is a squib"
Ron looked thunderstruck. "The skinny lady? She used to be a witch?"
"Yeah. Now that explains why she disliked my mum," Harry said, his throat and mouth returning too normal. "But still, someone's got to save them. Voldemort won't let them live, if he doesn't get what he wants"
Everyone in the wing knew he was right. Draco of course knew that Voldemort was not a forgiving person. He would never let someone walk out of his midst after they have refused to give him information about Harry. Harry slowly drifted off to sleep an hour later, but yet his brain was still active. Voldemort had the Dursley's captured, and there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn't save them, because he did not know where they were. He wondered if the secret about the orbs was still safe. Finally, his brain decided it was time to rest, and Harry was able to fully, fall asleep.
Harry was walking back up the stairs, toward the castle's hallways, dragging his bag with him, bumping into walls, and not realizing what he was doing. He had not noticed that he was back on the seventh floor, and that he walked from the hallway, towards the room of requirement, and down the marble staircase. He was highly unaware that he was bumping into several students, without noticing. Some of them hissed, while others were upset.
He stopped. He was standing in the entrance hall, which was quite empty. His head was replaying the flash of green light, and Kevin's body falling for the past twenty-minutes. He dropped to his knees, dropping his bag, which all of his books spilled out. He did not know what to do. Was this what it felt like to murder? Was this how it felt, painful, powerful?
"H-Harry?" came a familiar female voice. It was Hermione. Harry could hear her footsteps rushing to him, and she went in front of him, and kneeled down. "What's wrong?"
Harry couldn't respond. His throat was dry, and his stomach was squirming painfully. However, he felt anger surface once more, and felt the anger overpower him. He looked up at Hermione through menacing narrow eyes. Quite suddenly, he grabbed a handful of Hermione's robes, yanked her forward, and said in a very cold voice.
"Leave me alone" and with that, threw her forward, causing her to slide across the hall floor, and hit the wall.
"HARRY!" Ron yelled. He had just descended the marble staircase, and was rushing forward toward Harry. Several Hufflepuff students were helping Hermione. "What's wrong with you? Why'd you do that to Hermione!" he shouted, grabbing Harry by the robes.
"LET GO OF ME!" Harry shouted, spinning Ron around, and flinging him across the floor. Ron however, caught himself before he hit the wall. Malfoy had just descended the stairs, with Ginny at his side.
"HARRY!" he shouted, like Ron had done several moments ago. "What's the matter with you?"
Harry looked at Malfoy, and his eyes flashed. He hated Malfoy. He hated every part about him. That sleek blonde hair, those cold-gray eyes. He hated him. Harry pulled out his wand and pointed it directly at Malfoy's heart.
"H-Harry, what are you doing?" Malfoy asked, shocked. Students began screaming.
"You're not really on our side Malfoy, are you?" Harry asked coldly. "You only want to spy on us, so you can give information to Voldemort!"
"Harry, that's not true!" said Malfoy fiercely. "You know that's not true!"
"Harry, what's gotten into you?" Ginny shouted, over the screaming girls.
"I'M GOING TO GET SOMEONE," shouted a girl.
"GO AND GET DUMBLEDORE!" shouted a boy.
"What's gotten into me? Nothing's gotten into me! What about you?" Harry said. "You've been spending a lot of time with Malfoy! Passing on information to him about the-"
"HARRY, SHUT UP!" Shouted Ron from somewhere behind him.
"HARRY STOP!" Yelled Hermione.
"Malfoy, you think people actually trust you?" said Harry, his eyes watering. His anger was mounting even higher. It was as though every hateful thought about anyone was surfacing. "Stupefy"
A jet of red light surged at Malfoy, but he ducked, and the spell hit the stairs and bounced off, zooming out the front doors. More people screamed.
"HARRY STOP, PLEASE!" Hermione shouted, getting to her feet. She charged at Harry, knocking him over. Harry struggled, his wand rolling away across the floor. Hermione pinned him down, and stared straight into Harry's vibrant green eyes. "Tell me, what happened!" she said quietly, her eyes leaking with tears.
Harry's eyes began to sting, as tears filled them. He had to tell her what happened.
"I killed him," he said quietly. "I used the spell, and I killed him" said Harry, his voice shaky. He was crying.
There was a flurry of footsteps, and gasps. Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape and Professor Kevin arrived at the bottom of the marble staircase. All of them looked mildly surprised at the scene in front of them. Ron was bleeding slightly from a cut on his arm, Malfoy standing in front of Ginny, and Hermione, who was pinning Harry down to the floor.
"M-My goodness, what is going on here?" asked Professor McGonagall, her voice trembling.
"Potter has gone mad, Professor" came a small voice, which sounded like a second year. "He started attacking people"
Snape spoke next. "Ms. Granger, get from on top of Mr. Potter, and let him stand up"
Hermione did as she was told, although she continued to stare at Harry, as though he were something valuable. Harry rolled over, tears leaking out of his eyes, and stood up. His heart was in pain. He felt like he wanted to shout at the top of his lungs.
"Okay everyone, back to your classes" said Professor Kevin. Everyone began to hurry away, though still looking back at the scene below. The Entrance Hall was empty once more.
"Harry," said Professor Dumbledore, staring at Harry. He had a mildly curious expression upon his face. "What's the matter?"
Hermione responded. "That's what we're trying to find out sir"
"Potter, what is wrong?" asked Professor McGonagall.
Harry stood there in silence. If he opened his mouth he would scream, if he kept his mouth closed, he would suffer. He didn't know what to do. He looked around him, as though unaware he was in the Entrance Hall. "Potter?" said Snape, curiously, though his voice was still cold as usual.
A rush of hatred rose inside Harry like he had never felt before. He hated Snape. He hated everything about Snape. He hated him from his greasy hair down to his old boots. He hated those cold steel eyes, and that cold voice.
"Don't you talk to me, you foul twisted pile of-"
"Harry!" Ron shouted, surprised at what Harry was saying.
"Headmaster, I think Potter needs to go up to Madam Pomfrey-"
"I DON'T NEED TO GO ANYWHERE EXCEPT LEAVE THIS PLACE!" Harry shouted. He could no longer control the anger that was ragging through his body. He could no longer hold it back. He could no longer hold in all the pain and suffering he was going through at the moment. However, he could not hold himself back from repeating words that Professor Dumbledore had heard once before. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH! I WANT OUT! I WANT TO GET OUT OF HOGWARTS! OUT OF MAGIC! OUT OF EVERYTHING!"
Dumbledore spoke again, and it was odd that he was speaking in such a rather calm and cool tone. "Why do you want out?"
"I KILLED HIM!" Harry shouted, and it was as though he had just released the largest burden he had ever held in his life. His voice sounded as through it was struggling to go any higher and louder. Tears splashed down Hermione's face, and Ron's face had turned white. Malfoy and Ginny looked at each, then to Harry as though they had misunderstood what he had said. McGonagall clasped her hand over her mouth, and Professor Kevin's eyes widened. Snape's face was curious. "I KILLED HIM! HE'S GONE! HE CAN NEVER COME BACK!"
"Killed who?" asked Professor McGonagall, quietly.
"KEVIN!" Harry shouted. "VOLDEMORTS SON! I MADE HIM SUFFER LIKE HIS FATHER MADE ME SUFFER FOR SIXTEEN YEARS!" He continued, tears leaking out of his eyes. It was too much. The pain was unbearable.
"When did-"
"When I ran into you in Gryffindor Tower," Harry said, the anger subsiding, so that his voice was calmer. For some reason, he felt he had to justify himself, to explain what had happened, to tell them all why he had went down to that room in the first place.
"I was on my way to talk to him, and find out more stuff about Voldemort," (Ron, Ginny, Hermione and Draco flinched). "I told him that I knew he was Voldemorts son, and he seemed to get angry with me so we started fighting. He punched me here," said Harry, touching the bruise on his face, where Kevin had punched him. "And I managed to knock him out, because my wand flew away. So, I turned to leave, and he came up behind me, and started to choke me"
He could still feel Kevin's hand clasping over his throat, but he made no motion to touch it. Maybe it was the after effects of the power that Kevin had.
"And then-I retrieved my wand-and-I-I killed him-because of the pain his father caused me-and everyone else. I'm responsible-for killing a man"
Harry could no long speak. The pain he was feeling overrode him again, and he felt angry. He didn't know what to do.
"Harry, come to my office" said Dumbledore. "We need-"
"I DON'T NEED TO DO ANYTHING!" Harry yelled again, the anger inside him blazing like an uncontrollable fire. "ALL I WANT TO DO IS BE ALONE! BY MYSELF!"
Dumbledore's face now looked firm, and it seemed to everyone in the Hall that he was challenging Harry, to see how long he could continue to yell, and shout with rage.
"That is out of the question Harry" Dumbledore said, sternly. No one had ever heard him sound this way. "I think-"
"DO YOU THINK I CARE WHAT YOU THINK?" Harry shouted again. "I COULD CARE LESS! I DON'T GIVE A DAMN WITH WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT ANYTHING!"
Ron stared at Harry, as though he saw something new in him, something he'd never seen before. "Harry."
"I killed him, and for what? Nothing! Only because I hated him. I hated every rotten stinking thing about him, and that was my cause for killing him," said Harry quietly. He suddenly felt dizzy, perhaps from all the yelling he had done. And one last blurry look at the Entrance Hall, he collapsed to the floor, silent, and motionless, only breathing.
* * * * *
Harry opened his eyes sometime later, to a half lit room, with white curtains around his bed. He was in the hospital wing, and was still fully dressed. His glasses lay on the bedside table, and he could just make out shadows from the other side of the curtain. His throat was feeling uneasy, and his stomach was squirming painfully. He did not move the curtains aside. He sat up slowly, thinking about what had happened hours before. He thought about Kevin dying, all because Harry hated himself. However, a small voice kept talking to him inside his head.
"Its not your fault Harry. People cannot always control their actions, and if you look at it from a different perspective. You have just killed one of Voldemorts loyal supporters"
Harry spoke back to the voice inside his head. "But I killed someone. How can I even live with myself?"
"Didn't his father kill your father? Didn't his father kill your mother? Didn't his father attack Ron's dad last year? Didn't his father possess Ginny four years ago? Wasn't his father supporters responsible for luring you to the Ministry of Magic last year, with Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville and Luna? Wasn't his father responsible for attacking Neville's grandmother? Wasn't his father responsible for the problems in the Ministry before you stopped him? Isn't his father responsible for Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and Dudley's kidnapping?"
Harry realized that the voice in his head was right. Voldemort was responsible for so many things, that Harry had not even taken the time to realize it. He still didn't feel proud of killing Kevin, but he did feel proud that he stopped Voldemorts son from doing any more harm. Harry pulled the curtains back.
"Harry!" said a voice in panic. It was Hermione. She must have been waiting for the curtains to pull themselves back.
"Hi Hermione," said Harry, his throat throbbing. He now realized that his cheek felt better. Madam Pomfrey must have healed it while he was sleep. Harry looked around. Ron was sitting in a chair next to Hermione's and when he saw Harry, he smiled. Apparently, Ron agreed with the voice in Harry's head. Next to him was Ginny and Malfoy. Ginny was lying down on Malfoy's lap, curled up underneath his cloak. Malfoy looked up at Harry, and smiled too.
Harry felt like he owed him an apology. "Listen Malfoy," he said, clearing his throat. "I didn't-I didn't mean what I said earlier"
"Don't worry about it," said Malfoy carelessly. "You were angry. You needed Ventilation. No one's perfect you know-well, except Hermione-"
"Hey!" Hermione snapped.
"Are you feeling better?" Ron asked.
Harry nodded.
Madam Pomfrey then emerged into the ward, carrying with her a bottle of mustard green liquid, and a pair of pajamas.
"Good, your awake Potter" she said, striding over to him. "Is your throat ok?"
"It still hurts a little"
"Well, take this!" she said, handing him the bottle. "It'll help it. Professor Dumbledore told me you fancied yelling the whole time you were in the Entrance Hall"
Harry opened the bottle, and turned his nose up at it. It smelled like Ms. Figgs house. He held his nose, and then drank the liquid. It was surprisingly good, considering its smell. It tasted like Honeydukes Chocolate. He handed the empty bottle back to Madam Pomfrey.
"Professor Dumbledore reckons you stay here for the night, so put on your pajamas. Are you all going to stay with him?" she asked, turning to the others.
"Yes" said Ron.
"I'll go and tell the Headmaster then" and with that, she swept past them, and left the wing. No sooner had she gone, Professor Dumbledore came strolling into the ward.
"Professor. Madam Pomfrey went looking for you," said Hermione.
"Did she?" He pulled out his wand, and something silver, that resembled a ghostly bird streaked out of the ward, and down the passage Madam Pomfrey went. Harry had seen that bit of magic before, but he still hadn't figured out what it did. Madam Pomfrey came back.
"Ah, Headmaster!" she said. "This lot will stay with Potter for the night"
"That is fine."
Madam Pomfrey swept back into her office.
"Harry, I feel I must clear something up with you," said Dumbledore quietly. "You have shouldered another grown man's burden, and you have shown me the power you have inside of you. However, with that power comes a price. You must exercise extreme caution when you are angry. Although it may sometimes do wonders for you, it does not always do wonders for others,"
Harry looked into Dumbledore's eyes, and saw them twinkle.
"Harry," he continued. "You have separated yourself from childhood, to adult hood, and not many wizards your age can do that, and for that, I honor you" said Dumbledore gently. Harry gave a small smile. Dumbledore patted him on the shoulder, winked at the others, and swept out of the ward.
"Harry, I have to ask you," said Ron, sitting up, as Hermione sat back down. "How did you-"
"Ron!" Hermione hissed furiously. "Don't!"
"Its ok Hermione. I'll tell-AHHHHH!"
His scar burst open. The pain was beyond anything else he had ever felt before. He was dying. He was dead. He couldn't see. His eyes were stinging, the white-hot scar searing with unimaginable pain. When he did open his eyes, he was not looking at the Hospital Wing. Instead, he was in a room dimly lit with torches that were flickering as though a cold breeze flew past them. He was standing, towering over a figure that was crumpled up on the ground, whimpering and twitching violently.
"You think you can lie to Lord Voldemort," said Harry, his voice cold and high-pitched.
"M-Master," said the figure on the ground. "I-I am s-sorry"
"Your sniveling apologies are useless to me Wormtail. The boy has killed my son. Everything is falling apart. You assured me that nothing would go wrong," said Harry.
"W-We didn't k-know that H-Harry Potter c-could use t-the curse m-master. We didn't think-"
"Yes, that I am aware of Wormtail. Lately, none of you have been thinking" Harry said coldly. "Where are the Muggles Wormtail?"
"D-Down stairs Master"
Harry swept past Wormtail who flinched, hoping Harry wasn't going to attack him again. Harry walked down a flight of wooden stairs, which creaked behind him. He made it to the bottom of the steps, and looked towards a wall. There, chained along the wall were the three Dursleys'. Uncle Vernon's mustache looked in really need of a trim, and his hair was messy. His clothes were ripped, and stained with blood. Next to him, on the ground was Aunt Petunia. She was shaking, and her clothes too were ripped, and her hair a real mess. Beside her, eyes closed and breathing shallow, was Dudley, who was in no immediate danger like his parents. His clothes and hair were surprisingly neat.
"Ah, Harry Potter's relatives" said Harry coldly.
"What do you want?" Uncle Vernon said angrily.
Harry's lips curled into an unpleasant smile. "I hear you are not cooperating with my supporters. I assure you, that you are in no position to deny them the information they need about Harry Potter."
Uncle Vernon's eyes narrowed. "You.you're that bloke that the man told us about. Lord Voldethingy"
"You humor me. Lord Voldemort is my name Muggle."
"Ha! You don't scare me at all," Uncle Vernon said boldly. Apparently, he did not realize he was standing in front of the most feared wizard of all time. "If I weren't chained to this wall, I'd take a couple of swings at you!"
Harry chuckled. "Is that so?"
"Yes!"
Harry pointed his wand at Uncle Vernon, who froze with fright. He muttered something, and the chains that bound Uncle Vernon to the wall disappeared. Aunt Petunia looked frightened.
"V-Vernon! No! You don't realize who your standing up to!"
"I do realize! He's a nutter! I'll have a go at you for kidnapping my family you loony!" and with that, Uncle Vernon pulled his fist back. Harry quickly raised his wand.
"Crucio" he said.
Uncle Vernon screamed in pain, and fell to the floor, clutching it tightly. However, he did not give in. When the pain had stopped, he looked up, and grinned.
"Is that the best you've got?"
"I did not come down here to destroy you, Dursley. I came to question you about Harry Potter"
"Well, you're not getting anything out of us!" snapped Uncle Vernon.
"Dursley, you do not wish to be so brave to me"
"Leave my husband alone, Tom!" screamed Aunt Petunia.
Harry looked down upon her. "Yeah, I know who you are!" she continued. "I went to Hogwarts for three years! I've done magic, and even though I turned out to be a squib, I never let your name escape my memory!" She said, as Uncle Vernon threw a sharp look at her. It wasn't because she was discussing her past; it was because he was scared that Harry would attack.
Harry chuckled. "So, then you know a lot?"
"I know enough, and you're not getting any information about Harry! He's my nephew and I'm going to protect his secret forever!" she said.
Harry could no longer resist. He held up his wand, and said "Crucio"
Aunt Petunia let out an ear splattering scream, which awakened Dudley. However someone else was screaming at the same time. Harry opened his eyes, and saw that he was back in the hospital wing, looking at a nervous Hermione, a scared Ron, a shaken Draco, and a confused Ginny. Madam Pomfrey bustled out of her office, having heard Harry scream.
"What? What's wrong, Potter?"
Harry felt absolutely sick. His stomach was feeling very uneasy, and his mouth was drier than before. His eyes were stinging, and his scar was burning. He felt like he wanted to vomit.
"It.it was nothing." he lied to Madam Pomfrey.
"Of course it was something!" she said irritably. "You were screaming. What happened?" she asked sharply.
"Ron accidentally sat on him," Hermione said quickly. Everyone turned to her.
"What?"
"Ron accidentally sat on Harry's foot, and it hurt really badly. He's sorry"
"You children are going to kill me one day" said Madam Pomfrey, as she swept away.
"What happened?" Ginny asked.
"It's the my aunt and uncle. They're being tortured. Voldemorts got them locked away somewhere, where no one can find them. He's trying to get information out of them about me," said Harry. "And my aunt is a squib"
Ron looked thunderstruck. "The skinny lady? She used to be a witch?"
"Yeah. Now that explains why she disliked my mum," Harry said, his throat and mouth returning too normal. "But still, someone's got to save them. Voldemort won't let them live, if he doesn't get what he wants"
Everyone in the wing knew he was right. Draco of course knew that Voldemort was not a forgiving person. He would never let someone walk out of his midst after they have refused to give him information about Harry. Harry slowly drifted off to sleep an hour later, but yet his brain was still active. Voldemort had the Dursley's captured, and there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn't save them, because he did not know where they were. He wondered if the secret about the orbs was still safe. Finally, his brain decided it was time to rest, and Harry was able to fully, fall asleep.