Harry felt his knees go weak and his heart was full of dread. He looked at Ava at disbelief.
"No, Ava maybe you were hallucinating. You said it yourself that something came over you. Maybe what you saw was an illusion." Ava pulled her hands away from her face and Harry saw anger and pain on her face.
"You don't know, Harry! You weren't there. He was so close to me that I could smell the cologne that he wears all the time. I could see my reflection in his glasses and the look in his eyes. He had his wedding band on, like always. That was my father Harry. He's banded with Voldemort," she said, a disgusted and pained tone in her voice. "I have no parents now," she said, her tone now hollow and dead.
"Don't say that Ava. It couldn't have been your father. He would never do that to you. You've told me all the things you guys have done together and all the sacrifices he's made for you. He sacrificed being with his daughters to keep you safe, I don't think that he would be the one to put you in danger."
"Harry, you didn't have my dreams. I relived that scene over and over in my mind." She shuddered violently, but continued. "Sometimes, it wasn't me they hit, it was…you," as she said this, she looked up at him. Before he could say a word, she spoke again. "Sometimes he would kill you and then make you alive again to do it all over. He'd make me watch and then I heard a high, cold laugh but my father doesn't laugh like that," she stopped, thankfully because when Harry heard that, he sunk weakly into the chair. Voldemort was back, possibly using Professor Richardson's body as a host. Or he had the Professor under the Imperius Curse. Or he had someone posing as Professor Richardson with the aid of Polyjuice Potion. The possibilities were endless. And the thought of it left Harry feeling sick. And even more so when he realized how easily Ava had lost faith in her father. Everything was looking grim at this point. Harry didn't know what to do or what to think. He had no plan of action whatsoever. A light knocking at the door to the Hospital Wing snapped him out of his daze. It must be Madame Pomfrey with Ava's food, Harry thought. Harry excused himself and Ava nodded slowly. But it wasn't Madame Pomfrey's face he saw when he opened the door; it was Dinah's. Her face was tear-streaked and she clearly wasn't expecting Harry to be there. She just stared at him and Harry felt his anger swell up in spite of himself. He glared at her.
"What are you doing here?" He said it in a menacing hiss and Dinah clearly hesitated. Then her anger took over her fear.
"Excuse me? I am Ava's sister, the one who wasn't informed of Ava's condition by the way. So I have more of a right to be in here than you do," she whispered angrily. None of them wanted to speak loudly lest Ava find out what was going on.
"Your memory is a little foggy so let me refresh it for you. You told Ava that you wanted nothing to do with her. So you gave up your right to be at her bedside when you chose Malfoy over your own flesh and blood. So I suggest that you leave before she figures out you're here and gets upset." He said it slowly and clearly so she would not miss a word. Her face turned pale and then red with fury. She simply couldn't utter any words.
"Harry? Who's there?" Ava called out softly. He turned and looked at her bed and almost stopped breathing. She was standing very unsteadily and peering out from behind the curtain. Harry cursed and ran to grab her before she fell or passed out. But she spotted Dinah before Harry could reach her. Her pale cheeks became flushed as she stared at her sister. "Oh. It's you," she said coolly, trying to hide her anger towards her sibling. "Why are you here?" Her cool exterior cracked for just a moment when she whispered the question. Dinah started to wring her hands. Funny, Harry thought. Ava does the same thing when she's upset.
"I came to see you. Why is that so wrong?" Ava attempted to snort but started coughing painfully instead. Harry scooped her up and carried her to the bed and Dinah followed, looking slightly worried. "I just wanted to see if you were alright." Ava had stopped coughing and she glared at Dinah.
"You didn't come to check up on me before so I don't think you should bother now," Ava said snidely. Dinah's eyes looked bright for a moment and she seemed like she was going to lose her cool. But she blinked and the brightness was gone, replaced by anger.
"You don't know what it's been like," she said bitterly. "You don't know what I've been…" she stopped abruptly. Ava and Harry looked at her, waiting for her to continue, but she didn't. Instead, she straightened her shoulders. "You know what? I don't even need to explain myself to you. I just wanted to check on you and see if you were okay. Obviously, you would rather have him with you than me. But you're fine and that's all that matters." And with that, she walked out of the room.
"She's up to something," Harry said.
"That's funny," Ava said quietly. "I was thinking the same thing."
End Chapter Fourteen