Chapter Thirteen: The Attacker's Identity
Harry inwardly agreed with Madame Pomfrey. This was going to cause quite a ruckus. Harry didn't want to think what Snape would do to Percy when he found out. And he didn't even want to fathom how glum Professor Dean's childhood must have been if she was raised by Snape. Harry was thinking how to tell Ron when, all of a sudden, Ava stirred. Harry shot up out of his seat and he sat down on the bed, staring intently at her. She looked troubled as she slept on. Harry almost felt like trying to wake her but he remembered Madame Pomfrey saying that Ava would be in physical pain. He sighed and she stirred again. She started getting fitful in her sleep and Harry got a little nervous. He saw beads of sweat form on her brow. Was this an after effect of the curse? Harry was about to go and get Madame Pomfrey when Ava shot up in bed with a gasp. Harry had no time to react. He just ran to her and wrapped his arms around her to find she was shaking. He pulled back to look at her face, which had tears streaming down it. But maybe he was wrong because his vision was blurred with tears of his own.
"I'll be right back," he whispered quickly. He ran to get Madame Pomfrey. He knocked on her door loudly. She opened, looking harassed. When she saw who it was, she cocked an eyebrow.
"Mr. Potter, I tried waking you up for lunch and dinner, but you wouldn't wake."
"Ava's up," he said simply. Her joking manner faded quickly.
"Why didn't you say so sooner?" She ran inside and came out bearing a tray with a goblet full of Pepperup Potion. When Harry looked at her quizzically, she simply said," to perk the girl up." Harry walked back to Ava's bed and she was looking around like she didn't know how she got there. Madame Pomfrey walked up to Ava and put her hand on Ava's forehead.
"Where am I?" Ava's voice was extremely hoarse and weak. Madame Pomfrey frowned slightly.
"The Hospital Wing at Hogwarts."
"How did I get back here?" Harry was relieved. For a moment there, he thought she had lost her memory. Apparently, so did Madame Pomfrey. She breathed a faint sigh of relief.
"Hagrid found you in Hogsmeade. You were near death, child. Now no more talk. Just drink this." Madame Pomfrey put the goblet to Ava's lips. Ava coughed and spluttered a bit but she drank it all down. "Good. Now, I'll bring you something to eat. You're a bit malnourished." She briskly walked in the directions of the kitchens. As soon as she was gone, there was an uncomfortable silence. Ava looked down at her hands. Harry shifted in his seat.
"So," she started, "how long have you been here?" It took Harry a moment to figure out what she said because she said it so quietly and hoarsely.
"Since this morning. That's when you were brought in." She nodded her head.
"You didn't have to," she said quietly. Harry looked up quickly.
"How can you even say that?" He said it more harshly than he had intended and he saw her flinch. "I'm sorry," he said calming down. "I needed to be here with you Ava. I needed to know you would pull through and make it." She was silent for a moment.
"How are Ron and Hermione?"
"They were just as sad as I was when we found out about you. Only Hermione doesn't handle situations like these very well so they went back to the Common Room. Well, that was earlier, I don't know if they came back. I was sleeping." Ava looked a little worried, but she still wouldn't look Harry in the eye.
"You slept here?"
"Just a nap. I was exhausted. I had a strange dream…" he trailed off. "So I fell asleep in the chair. That's all it was."
"Did you eat?"
"Ava, I don't think you need to be worrying about me. You've been through an ordeal I can't even begin to think of. How are you feeling?" She sighed.
"I don't know. I can't explain it to you," she said sadly. There was something lost in her, Harry could sense it. Like there was a something missing. The spark in her seemed to have been snuffed out. Like a bright light that was now diminished. He wished that what she had suffered had been brought upon him. He would gladly have taken that agony so that she would be like she was before. It was only days ago when they were dancing and smiling. Now she just looked at her lap, her hands, anything but Harry's eyes. She looked highly relieved when Madame Pomfrey came in with a tray of hot soup. She placed it next to Ava and sat down, prepared to feed Ava. Ava looked mortified.
"I can do it," she said quietly. Madame Pomfrey, usually one to argue that Ava was frail and needed care just nodded understandingly and walked out. But before she walked into her office, she looked at Harry pointedly and he nodded. Ava grabbed the spoon and ladled up some soup. Harry noticed her hand trembling violently and the steaming hot soup was threatening to fall on her. Harry put his hand under the spoon and gently pulled the spoon away from her.
"Are you even hungry?"
"No. But maybe it'll make me feel better." So Harry began to feed her. At first, she seemed embarrassed and from time to time, would make comments that she was not a baby and she would try to take the spoon back. But Harry just kept on feeding her and she grew silent as she got comfortable. When she was finished, Harry put the tray on the bedside table.
"Thank you," she said.
"No need to thank me. I'm just taking care of you." She shifted under her quilts and gasped in pain. Harry immediately tried to ease it.
"I'm fine," she mumbled.
"No you aren't," he said annoyed. There was a very pregnant pause and the silence grew to be deafening for Harry. So he asked a question that had been nagging at his mind since McGonagall told him where they found Ava.
"Why were you in Hogsmeade so early in the morning?" She looked up at him and their eyes met, for the first time since she awoke. Harry was startled at how lifeless they seemed. Hollow and empty. He looked away because he couldn't handle it. Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke.
"I don't know. All I remember is walking up to the dorm after…when I woke up," she said this carefully, as if she was keeping something from him. "Then, I got dressed for bed and something took over me. I just know that I was walking in the snow and it was so cold, I was only in my nightgown and I was barefoot." As she said this Harry noticed her feet, peeking through the quilts, were wrapped in layers of thick, woolen socks. Ava continued. "And I wanted to turn back so badly but I couldn't. Something kept on pulling me forward. Like I had no control over my own body. Then I was in Hogsmeade and someone started calling to me. It sounded like…"she trailed off for a minute. Then she gulped and continued. "I followed the voice and it lead me to the Shrieking Shack. But there was nobody there. I called out and I sensed someone behind me. I felt a cold presence behind me. I turned around slowly and…" she stopped, holding back. "That's it," she said quietly, looking back at her hands. Harry shook his head. He knew she was keeping something crucial from him.
"No. That's not it Ava and you know it. Tell me the truth. You saw who attacked you, didn't you?" As Harry was saying this, Ava grew more and more nervous. She began wringing her hands and crying. "Who was it Ava? Tell me!"
"Harry please don't make me tell you." Harry shook his head as Ava pleaded. "Harry don't."
"Ava, who was it?" Harry was firm on his decision. Ava began to sob and shake her head. She put her hands over her face as Harry tried to make her look at him.
"It was my father," she whispered through her tears.
End Chapter Thirteen