The rancid stink of fear, the hot iron smell of blood, and the sickening
aroma of human waste filled the air. Shouts yelled in the distances, tinny
and unclear. The pounding of feet, the cold laughter of evil, and the
screaming. The screaming came from everywhere, the endless wails and
pleading cries that were shouted from every direction.
Children ran by. Faces slack with fear and blood covering their bodies. First years, second years, their once happy faces filled with terrible fear. Their once bright eyes dimmed with seeing so much horror.
"Someone! Someone take them to the back. Take them to the back!" Harry shouted to those that followed him. He grabbed the nearest person and shoved her toward the children. "Take care of them. Don't let them out of your sight!"
"But you need me!" Ginny cried angrily. "I have to be there!"
"Do it, Ginny!" He roared. Then more softly. "They're just children. They need someone to watch them."
Ginny glanced frantically at the faces of her friends, someone to back her up. But they all looked away, they knew he was right and they knew they didn't want to be the one to leave. They were here to fight at his side and no one wanted to leave.
She cursed them under her breath, she raged with anger at their betrayal and she herded the children through the halls and toward the Hospital Wing. There a semblance of defense had been erected, maybe they could take this burden off her hands and she could do something important, like fighting the Deatheaters.
XXX
It was chaotic, it was madness, it was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. Harry and the others charged down the halls, toward the screaming that continuously seemed to move farther and farther away. It was not a trick, the screaming, it was real. The reality lay in the bodies that curled up upon the floor. Their small forms bent and broken, already cooling and beyond the terrible pain they had just felt.
They followed the sounds and their determination and their rage grew. It hardened, turning to stone, then iron, and then burning brighter than any star known. They saw the death, the destruction and they raged like madden dogs on a leash. They pushed forward faster; the screaming came closer and closer.
A death white head grinned at them, red eyes gleaming in the flickering light of the torches, and a horrible laugh filling their ears. A small form lay clutched in his hands, a quivering student that looked at them desperately for rescue. Casually as if it were an insect or an annoyance the student was tossed aside, a resounding crack of bone filling the air as he struck the stone walls. He did not move again.
A cold laughter filled the air. "Time to die, Potter." Voldemort said, raising his wand.
XXX
Harry awoke with a start. His heart beating madly in his chest and his breathing labored and painful. Sunshine poured in from the huge windows, bathing the room in a soft golden glow. The sounds of birds could be heard through the open window and the fresh scent of grass and flowers filled the air.
He glanced about frantically. Where am I? His vision swam with unfocused shapes and forms. Where am I? Where Am I?
"Shhhh. Calm down, Harry. I'm right here Harry, don't be afraid." A calm soothing voice said, he felt a hand slip into his squeezing it tightly.
"Who?" He asked, trying to focus upon the figure beside him. "Ginny?"
Ginny smiled, a sudden brightening of her face. "Oh, God, Harry. I'm so glad you're awake. We weren't sure you'd make it." She clutched tightly to his hands and smiled again.
Harry leaned back on his bed. He hurt and he felt wasted. He raised his hands to his face and stopped. They were heavily bandaged. What had happened to him? He tried remembering, the chaos and the screaming only filled his mind. The blood, the stink, and a gleaming white snakehead that mocked and laughed at his pain.
He shook his head, trying to shake out the images.
"How do you feel, Harry." Ginny asked, still holding his hand. "Do you need anything to drink, eat?
"No. I-I'm fine." Harry lied, he glanced away from Ginny. His eyes crossed the empty beds and the scorched walls. "What am I doing here?" He asked.
"You were hurt." Ginny said softly.
"How long have I been here?"
"A month." Ginny replied.
A month? Harry stared at her. It had been a month since that day?
"How are the others?" Harry asked.
"The others?" Ginny asked.
"The others. Ron. Hermione. Luna. The others." He said, a faint fear rising in him. He gripped the sides of his bed and awaited her answer.
A darkness crossed Ginny's face. The joy and happiness seemed to leech out of her, replaced with a pain that Harry could feel. "They're all dead." She said softly.
"What!" Harry shouted. He looked at her. They couldn't be all dead. They couldn't! "What happened!"
"They were all killed. They fought against Voldemort and his Death Eaters and they died." Ginny said, her voice cracking and tears glittering in her eyes.
"Oh, God." Harry let out a gasp of pain. He doubled over his bed and gagged with all the pain that tried coming out of him. How could they all be dead? How? "Where's Dumbledore, I need to speak with him."
"He's dead, Harry."
It was like a physical blow, crushing and painful. He dreaded asking, he didn't want to for he feared the answer.
McGonagall?
Dead.
Hagrid
Dead.
Moody?
Dead.
Remus
Dead.
Snape?
Dead.
Your Mother, Father?
"Stop it, Harry!" Ginny shouted, letting go of his hand and sobbing. "Stop it. Stop it. They're all dead. They're all gone." Her thin shoulders racked with sobs and Harry watched her. His eyes unseeing and his mind reeling with what had been said.
Ginny's sobbing brought him back. His mind cleared and he saw her shuddering with her own pain. Harry reached out a hand and softly placed it upon her shoulder. She responded by clutching it tightly, as if he were a lifeline.
She clutched his hands and lay beside him, huddling against him like a child hiding from a nightmare. She hugged him tightly, arms tightly across his bandaged body, sending flares of pain into him. But that pain was nothing compared to the vast void that had opened up before him, where nothing seemed to get through.
They both lay there, their tears mingling, and their pain lapping up against one another like waves. They lay their, their eyes clenched shut from and a desperate loneliness filling them both. They lay there until unconsciousness mercifully took them both to an empty oblivion. A few hours where they didn't have to feel and they didn't have to hurt.
Children ran by. Faces slack with fear and blood covering their bodies. First years, second years, their once happy faces filled with terrible fear. Their once bright eyes dimmed with seeing so much horror.
"Someone! Someone take them to the back. Take them to the back!" Harry shouted to those that followed him. He grabbed the nearest person and shoved her toward the children. "Take care of them. Don't let them out of your sight!"
"But you need me!" Ginny cried angrily. "I have to be there!"
"Do it, Ginny!" He roared. Then more softly. "They're just children. They need someone to watch them."
Ginny glanced frantically at the faces of her friends, someone to back her up. But they all looked away, they knew he was right and they knew they didn't want to be the one to leave. They were here to fight at his side and no one wanted to leave.
She cursed them under her breath, she raged with anger at their betrayal and she herded the children through the halls and toward the Hospital Wing. There a semblance of defense had been erected, maybe they could take this burden off her hands and she could do something important, like fighting the Deatheaters.
XXX
It was chaotic, it was madness, it was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. Harry and the others charged down the halls, toward the screaming that continuously seemed to move farther and farther away. It was not a trick, the screaming, it was real. The reality lay in the bodies that curled up upon the floor. Their small forms bent and broken, already cooling and beyond the terrible pain they had just felt.
They followed the sounds and their determination and their rage grew. It hardened, turning to stone, then iron, and then burning brighter than any star known. They saw the death, the destruction and they raged like madden dogs on a leash. They pushed forward faster; the screaming came closer and closer.
A death white head grinned at them, red eyes gleaming in the flickering light of the torches, and a horrible laugh filling their ears. A small form lay clutched in his hands, a quivering student that looked at them desperately for rescue. Casually as if it were an insect or an annoyance the student was tossed aside, a resounding crack of bone filling the air as he struck the stone walls. He did not move again.
A cold laughter filled the air. "Time to die, Potter." Voldemort said, raising his wand.
XXX
Harry awoke with a start. His heart beating madly in his chest and his breathing labored and painful. Sunshine poured in from the huge windows, bathing the room in a soft golden glow. The sounds of birds could be heard through the open window and the fresh scent of grass and flowers filled the air.
He glanced about frantically. Where am I? His vision swam with unfocused shapes and forms. Where am I? Where Am I?
"Shhhh. Calm down, Harry. I'm right here Harry, don't be afraid." A calm soothing voice said, he felt a hand slip into his squeezing it tightly.
"Who?" He asked, trying to focus upon the figure beside him. "Ginny?"
Ginny smiled, a sudden brightening of her face. "Oh, God, Harry. I'm so glad you're awake. We weren't sure you'd make it." She clutched tightly to his hands and smiled again.
Harry leaned back on his bed. He hurt and he felt wasted. He raised his hands to his face and stopped. They were heavily bandaged. What had happened to him? He tried remembering, the chaos and the screaming only filled his mind. The blood, the stink, and a gleaming white snakehead that mocked and laughed at his pain.
He shook his head, trying to shake out the images.
"How do you feel, Harry." Ginny asked, still holding his hand. "Do you need anything to drink, eat?
"No. I-I'm fine." Harry lied, he glanced away from Ginny. His eyes crossed the empty beds and the scorched walls. "What am I doing here?" He asked.
"You were hurt." Ginny said softly.
"How long have I been here?"
"A month." Ginny replied.
A month? Harry stared at her. It had been a month since that day?
"How are the others?" Harry asked.
"The others?" Ginny asked.
"The others. Ron. Hermione. Luna. The others." He said, a faint fear rising in him. He gripped the sides of his bed and awaited her answer.
A darkness crossed Ginny's face. The joy and happiness seemed to leech out of her, replaced with a pain that Harry could feel. "They're all dead." She said softly.
"What!" Harry shouted. He looked at her. They couldn't be all dead. They couldn't! "What happened!"
"They were all killed. They fought against Voldemort and his Death Eaters and they died." Ginny said, her voice cracking and tears glittering in her eyes.
"Oh, God." Harry let out a gasp of pain. He doubled over his bed and gagged with all the pain that tried coming out of him. How could they all be dead? How? "Where's Dumbledore, I need to speak with him."
"He's dead, Harry."
It was like a physical blow, crushing and painful. He dreaded asking, he didn't want to for he feared the answer.
McGonagall?
Dead.
Hagrid
Dead.
Moody?
Dead.
Remus
Dead.
Snape?
Dead.
Your Mother, Father?
"Stop it, Harry!" Ginny shouted, letting go of his hand and sobbing. "Stop it. Stop it. They're all dead. They're all gone." Her thin shoulders racked with sobs and Harry watched her. His eyes unseeing and his mind reeling with what had been said.
Ginny's sobbing brought him back. His mind cleared and he saw her shuddering with her own pain. Harry reached out a hand and softly placed it upon her shoulder. She responded by clutching it tightly, as if he were a lifeline.
She clutched his hands and lay beside him, huddling against him like a child hiding from a nightmare. She hugged him tightly, arms tightly across his bandaged body, sending flares of pain into him. But that pain was nothing compared to the vast void that had opened up before him, where nothing seemed to get through.
They both lay there, their tears mingling, and their pain lapping up against one another like waves. They lay their, their eyes clenched shut from and a desperate loneliness filling them both. They lay there until unconsciousness mercifully took them both to an empty oblivion. A few hours where they didn't have to feel and they didn't have to hurt.