Disclaimer- I make no claim to owning anything related to the world of Harry Potter. It is the sole property of J.K. Rowling. I only own the plot.
The Summer After Sirius
Chapter 6: Tragedy At Home
Landing with a thud, Harry slumped into a crumpled heap because his legs had given out from lack of nourishment.
Slowly looking around, he could make out the familiar looking white beds of the Hogwarts Hospital wing gleaming in the sunlight that was pouring into the room.
He also saw a very peculiar sight because Madame Pomfrey was looking past him with a look of terror on her face.
Dreading what he thought he must look like to her, he turned his gaze away from her and received the shock of his life.
There stood before him someone he had not seen in over a year. He recognized him immediately due the gleaming piece of silver where his right hand should have been. He was looking into the rat-like face of Peter Pettigrew.
"Welcome Harry, I knew that Dumbledore would send you back as soon as the trial was over. Lucky for me your all alone."
He was just about to argue that he wasn't alone when Wormtail suddenly called out "Stupefy!" and stunned Madame Pomfrey.
Feeling quite defeated now, he knew there was nothing he would be able to do, his wand had been confiscated and hadn't been returned yet. He was completely at the mercy of his parents' traitor.
He was just about to give up when one word crept into his head, stall. 'If I stall him long enough then Dumbledore is bound to come by eventually.'
"What are you doing here? I would have thought that you'd be snake food by now with the way you are always messing up your masters orders." He casually asked as if he always found himself in the company of murderers and traitors. Which for some reason happened quite a lot.
"I've been ordered by the Dark Lord to present you to him in anyway possible, and as I said before, I knew Dumbledore would send you back as soon as the trial was over. He really is too predictable sometimes. Now young Potter, It's time to go."
Realizing that he wasn't planning on sticking around he started thinking quick, he tried to come up with a plan to get himself out of this mess on his own but came up empty handed. Realizing that there was nothing he could do to stop him, he was about to just give up and accept his fate when suddenly there was a rushing sound and Ron and Hermione landed right between him and Wormtail.
"I really don't like traveling like that." He heard Hermione say at once, not noticing that they were in danger.
Looking around Ron caught sight of Harry and started to say something but was drowned out by Wormtail.
"Expelliarmus!"
Ron and Hermione's wands suddenly flew out of their pockets and they flew to the other side of the room, with Ron making an extremely loud thud when his head hit the wall.
Getting up gingerly, Hermione started checking Ron.
"It's ok he's only knocked out, I think he'll be alright." She said quietly.
"Good. We don't want one of the master's prizes damaged." Wormtail said with obvious glee because now he was going to get all three of them.
"Now you girl, go stand over there with Harry and wait while I acquire us a Portkey."
Doing as instructed she slowly made her way over toward Harry.
Glancing in his direction, she must have seen the look of defeat on Harry's face because after looking at him she suddenly looked fearful.
Their attention was turned when Wormtial ripped off one of his shoes and muttered "Portus."
"Now I want you two to move over there next to your friend and hold your hands out, otherwise I'll kill you where you stand."
Doing as instructed they made their way over to the corner he had pointed to.
"What do we do now?" asked Hermione frantically in a whisper.
With a sigh, Harry answered back. "I just don't know."
As Wormtail made his way over to where they stood, the doors to the Hospital wing opened and they couldn't believe their luck; Remus Lupin had just walked in the door.
Pettigrew must not have heard because he continued toward them with a grin of triumphant accomplishment on his face.
Seeing what was transpiring, Remus made his way over to a spot directly behind Pettigrew and pulled out his wand and raised it up, aiming at his back.
"Expelliarmus!" he yelled out.
With a look of shock, Wormtail went sailing across the room with his wand flying into Remus' outstretched hand.
"Looks like I finally caught you Peter. You won't get away like last time." Remus spoke quickly with a hungry look in his eye. "Sirius's name will finally be cleared."
Looking around the room quickly, Wormtail seemed to be trapped until a small smirk spread across his face.
"I'm a lot trickier than you think" Wormtail stated and then suddenly where there was once a man crunched up on the floor, there was a rat scurrying swiftly underneath a bed.
'I've got to do something to help him' Harry thought to himself as Wormtail was getting away. He started to get up when Hermione put her hand on his shoulder.
"You stay here. I'll take care of it." She said simply.
Standing up, she made her way over behind Remus to the door and shut it up before Pettigrew could get away.
"Good thinking Hermione" Remus said, turning his attention to her.
It was a grave mistake because at that moment Wormtail ran from underneath his hiding place and right toward Remus with his silver paw glistening in the sunlight pouring through the windows. It all happened so fast that Harry didn't even have time to register it before he was right behind Remus.
Changing back into a human right behind Remus he reached out with his silver right hand and grabbed him by the throat.
Harry had never heard anybody scream like that in his life. It was the cry of a dying man.
Even from across the room Harry could see smoke rising up where the silver was burning into Remus's flesh.
Doing the only thing he could do, he moved as fast as his feet would allow him to go. He picked up Remus's wand where he had dropped it and pointed it at Wormtail just as he dropped Remus to the ground.
"Wa… Wait Ha… Ha… Harry, we can talk about this." He said realizing that he was in an extremely bad situation.
"You betrayed my parents. You put Sirius into Azkaban for twelve years. I should have listened to Sirius and Remus when they wanted to kill you."
Wormtail was defiantly shaking with fear now.
"I'm not going make that mistake again. You're going to suffer for making Sirius suffer for all those years. Your going to suffer for killing my parents and your defiantly going to suffer for what you just did to Remus!"
With that, he pointed the wand at him and yelled out "Crucio!"
A bolt of light erupted out of his wand and went straight toward Wormtail.
Wormtail's eyes grew wide in shock and anger because he wouldn't be taking the master his prize. Then just before the beam hit a small smile lit up across his face and he changed back into a rat.
The bolt went right through where Wormtail had been standing mere moments before and went sailing right into Hermione who was still standing behind him at the door.
He saw her look at him with a shocked expression just before the beam hit. Then in a flash of light, Hermione was laying on the ground with a look of agony on her face while the room was enveloped in a shriek of excruciating pain.
"No!"
Dropping his wand, he simultaneously fell to his knees. He couldn't believe what he had done. Not only had he used an unforgivable curse on another human being, but it was on one of his best friends.
"See young Harry, no matter what you do, all you will ever feel is pain. As long as you're alive, that's the only thing that your friends are ever going to feel. Because of you, they will never safe." Wormtail taunted as he changed back into a human and slipped on his shoe, only to disappear in a flash.
Harry was only paying half attention to him because he was too preoccupied with Hermione.
"What have I done." He said to himself as he gazed at her lying on the floor unconscious.
Just then the doors to the Hospital wing burst open and in strode Dumbledore.
Taking one look around the room he seemed to gather all the information that he needed because he quickly picked up Hermione and set her in a bed. He then whispered "ennervate" and woke up Madame Pomfrey. Together, they moved Remus onto a bed where she started getting to help him.
Harry registered all this but wasn't processing any of it. Not even when Dumbledore turned his attention to him.
"Are you alright Harry?" He asked gently.
But Harry couldn't answer. He was too far in thought to even hear what was being said to him.
"I could have killed her," he said to himself.
"Killed who Harry?"
"I could have killed her." He repeated.
Turning his head in Dumbledore's direction he finally realized that the Headmaster was there.
"Hermione. I could have killed Hermione." He said as he explained the details of everything that had transpired since the headmasters' arrival.
"I put an unforgivablele curse on Hermione."
Moving from his knees into a sitting position, he started thinking about what would happen to him.
'I'll really go to Azkaban now. I've committed an unforgivable curse on another person' He thought.
"Harry I don't want you to worry about this. While you really shouldn't have tried to curse Peter like that I can understand why you wanted to. He tried to kill the last link to your parents, someone who ironically, also happened to be one his best friends many years ago. But as always, I must ask you to use logic and reasoning before acting on you're emotions."
Gazing up at his Headmaster, he nodded once and started to get up and make his way over to a bed to lie down.
Turning to leave, Dumbledore started for the door but then stopped mid-stride.
"Oh, before I forget, miss Lovegood and Mr. Longbottom are going to be staying here the night and then will go with you three to Grimmald place in a couple of days. Where Miss Weasley is currently staying."
He must have had a look of puzzlement on his face because the Headmaster added, "Their parents have recently joined the Order and we are keeping them there to make sure that they are kept safe. They will be staying in the Gryffindor dormitory until then."
"What about Ginny? Where is she staying?" He asked.
"Miss Weasley is currently at Grimmald place with her parents. After what she said at the Trial I didn't think that you would be comfortable around her just yet."
Giving a nod to show that he understood, he laid back down on the bed. Thinking about the events of today.
After Dumbledore had gone, Harry turned and could see the familiar shape of Madame Pomfrey hurriedly making her way over to him.
"Up now!" she snapped at him.
Jerking up as fast as he could, he marveled how she could be so caring but still command such an authority as well.
"Unbelievable the things you get yourself into… worse than your father" he could hear her muttering under her breath as she fussed over him. "If I ever get my hands on that Cornelius Fudge he will wish he had never been born."
Stifling back a laugh, he continued to just sit there until she deemed him worthy of leaving.
After several minutes and several trips back into her office to bring out more and more potions that she made him choke down, he was finished.
He started getting up but she pushed him back down.
"Now just where do you think you're going?"
Confused, as to why she wouldn't let him up he answered, "I'm going up to Gryffindor tower to go see my friends."
Her lips went into an extremely thin line in a perfect imitation of McGonagall.
"I don't think so Mr. Potter, you've had yourself quite an ordeal and are severely malnourished. If it were up to me then you wouldn't be out of bed for a week, but as it isn't term yet we can't have students here. So you'll only be there for a couple of days."
Seeing that he wasn't going to win this argument he stopped resisting and laid back down on the bed, but there was still something he needed to know.
"I have one question though Madame Pomfrey."
Looking exasperated, she turned to face him once more. "Yes what is it?"
"I wanted to ask how Remus, Hermione and Ron were all doing."
Seeing that it wasn't about wanting to get out of here, she brightened up a little.
"Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger are going to be fine. He only had a bump on his head whereas she seems to be doing pretty well considering what she went through. Remus on the other hand received a very nasty burn and is suffering from shock but should make it with the potions I've given him. Now if there are no more questions, I will be expecting you to be getting some rest."
With that she turned and went over to check on Remus again.
Seeing that he wouldn't be getting out of here until a couple of days he started thinking about what Wormtail had said. 'As long as I'm alive, they will suffer.' He kept repeating to himself.
For some reason, no matter what he did, his friends were always put into danger because of him. Ron was hurt in their first year by an overgrown chess piece because he had to go and save the Sorcerer's stone which in the end, wouldn't have needed saving due to Dumbledore's protection.
Ginny was almost killed by the memory of Tom Riddle in his second year because Lucius Malfoy was trying to get at him.
In his third year, Ron was again hurt and Hermione was almost killed by Dementors when Wormtail had gotten away because he hadn't let Sirius or Remus kill him.
At the end of forth year Cedric was killed because he had insisted on taking a tie with him to get the cup.
And last year, Mr. Weasley was almost killed by a snake and then Sirius was killed because he had gone to the Ministry. Not to mention everyone else who was hurt in that little adventure.
Then just this summer, Dudley was killed in the latest attempt on his life.
Everything was his fault. His friends were always put in danger because he constantly thought that he needed to be involved in everything.
"It seems I was made to suffer, it's my lot in life." He said quietly to himself, remembering a line from an old movie he saw on television once.
A creaking noise woke him out of his musings as the doors to the Hospital wing were pushed open and in came Neville and Luna.
The first thing he noticed about Neville was that he must have had a growth spurt over the summer, because he was a lot taller that he remembered him being.
There wasn't really any difference in Luna though, she still wore her Butterbeer bottle cap necklace and had her wand tucked safely behind her ear. She also still looked like she lived in her own little world, apart from everyone else.
"Professor Dumbledore told us everything Harry, were really sorry about what happened to your cousin and how you were treated by Fudge." Neville said as Luna looked around the room as if she were in a daze.
"Thanks Neville, Luna, I'm just glad that you're both alright I don't know what I'd do if some…"
"JUST WHAT DO YOU TWO THINK YOU'RE DOING IN HERE!" yelled Madame Pomfrey, as she was moving over toward the three of them. "I've already told the Headmaster that there is not to be anyone disturbing my patients right now and that includes you two. Now get out!"
A look of terror crossed Neville's face and he took off like a shot for the door whereas Luna, without dawdling, made her way to the door but at a much more controlled pace.
Turning around at the door, Luna looked at Harry.
"Hope you get well soon Harry" she said in her dreamy voice. With that she turned on her heal and walked out.
"Nosy kids. Just how are my patients supposed to get any rest with all their interruptions?" He heard Madame Pomfrey mutter as she went back into her office.
With a sigh, he moved to get comfortable on the bed once more and found himself staring at the window.
Looking out through the window he could see the last remnants of the sun just barely peaking over the horizon as the world was being enveloped by the night.
Why is life so unfair he wondered to himself. The only constant in my life so far has been death. Maybe everyone would be better off without me.
This was the last thing he thought of as he drifted off to sleep.
A/N I'm so, so, so sorry for keeping you waiting for this chapter for so long. I've got plenty of excuses but none sound very convincing so I won't mention them. Thanks for hanging in there though. The next chapter defiantly will be out a lot sooner than this one was.
I also want to thank ginnygal189 for correcting me on Ginny's true name being Ginevra instead of Virginia.
And as always, your reviews are most welcome.