Chapter 34
When they arrived at the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey was already tending to Zara. "How severe is it Poppy" the headmaster asked.
The nurse looked up from her patient and sighed. "She was stunned; this is all I know by now. I just can't explain all the injuries she has. Has she been tortured?"
"We don't know yet. Mr Longbottom has witnessed at least parts of what happened but he wasn't able to give us enough information yet." Dumbledore replied.
"Is she going to die?" Kayla whispered anxiously. Her friend looked terrible. After the nurse had removed the blood, she could see a big gash that went from the top of the head across her left cheek down to the chin. The girl moved over to the white hospital bed and sat down next to her brother, who was refusing to leave the girls' side.
"No my dear, she's not going to die" Madam Pomfrey assured. Kayla looked up to the nurse and raised an eyebrow as she realized, that the smile, the elder witch had managed, was not at all convincing. "She has lost a lot of blood and it looks like she's in a state of severe shock. If she wakes up in the next 12 hours she has a good chance to heal fully."
Madam Pomfrey went back into her office and came back with a huge chunk of chocolate for the other students. Then she handed Neville a goblet with a bright pink fluid in it. "Please drink this, my dear. This will calm your nerves and you will be able to rest"
Neville swallowed the potion and after a few moments he stopped rocking. His whole body relaxed noticeably, but his face suddenly seemed more alert, as if he just realized what had happened.
The chocolate had worked wonders for Kelsey as well. The haunted look had vanished and been replaced by fury and concern. "Can I do anything to help?" he asked.
"All she needs now is rest, but it seems that your presence makes her more comfortable." Kayla took a closer look and recognized that her friends' breathing was deeper now and her face had turned a little rosier. McGonagall entered the room, followed by an extremely concerned looking Professor Flitwick.
"I sent the teachers out to search the castle and all students are assembled in the Great Hall, Albus" the witch exclaimed. Harry, who was standing next to Neville, had a kind of deja vue. That all was just too much like the Halloween two years ago, when Sirius had broken into Gryffindor tower to get a hold of Scabbers. He knew this time it hasn't been Sirius and Neville had clearly stated that it had been a deatheater.
"Neville can you please answer me some questions?" the headmaster asked calmly. Neville nodded cautiously, while his hands fidgeted with the bedcover. "Have you seen if Zara was tortured?"
Neville shook his head "She wasn't tortured. I ran down the steps from the dorm and the deatheater was right behind me shooting curses. Then I heard Zara calling and I yelled at her to leave immediately. And when I reached the common room, I tried to look back and stumbled, so a curse hit Zara instead. She fell backwards and hit her head hard on the mantelpiece and then she stopped moving. I was so scared when this hooded figure walked over to her. I thought if I won't do anything she will die and so I jumped on the deatheaters' back."
While the other Gryffindors listened their eyes grew wider and wider. "Blimey" George gasped.
"Please continue" the headmaster asked, returning the attention to Neville.
"Then we heard voices and footsteps approaching"
"That was us!" the Weasley twins called out in unison "We recognized that the Fat Lady had disappeared and the portrait hole was empty so we ran for help. The Dark Mark wasn't there yet."
"What happened to the guard?" McGonagall shouted.
"There was nobody when I came to the portrait" Neville added. The headmistress left the hospital wing immediately while Neville continued. "When the deatheater recognized that more people were coming, she shook me off and ran outside."
"She? Neville... who was she?" Ron asked, noticeably terrified.
Neville looked up at the headmasters' concerned face and said firmly. "It was Bellatrix Lestrange. "
"Oh my god" Ginny cried. She hadn't said a single word since she had seen the Dark Mark on the painting. "We have missed her just by seconds"
Professor McGonagall reached Gryffindor tower, her wand pointing in every dark corner. She knew something had happened to Charlie's colleague who was supposed to guard the portrait hole.
"He isn't here anymore" a sing-sang voice came from the portrait hole.
"PEEVES" the deputy headmistress shouted. "Where is he?"
"Oh I know it Professor McGonagall" the poltergeist answered in the same mocking voice.
"If you won't tell me immediately where the guard is then I make sure the Bloody Baron will chase you off the grounds" The voice of the witch was now low and frightening. Peeves blew a raspberry and pointed at a suit of armour on the right.
Professor McGonagall walked over, lifted the visor and gasped.
"What is he doing in there?" The witch turned around and looked at Nearly- headless Nick.
"He was attacked Sir Nicholas. Please go and get Mr Weasley and Professor Lupin."
Without another remark the ghost floated away, while the witch started to free the dragon trainer from his metal prison.
"Is everything ok?" the two wizards called out when they arrived at the portrait hole.
"He's just stunned" McGonagall answered calmly. "Enervate" The blond dragon trainer opened his hazel eyes, which glittered green of fury, and looked around visibly unsettled.
"Where is this crazy bi..? This lunatic cursed me when I didn't let her pass?" Stephen screamed. "Did she hurt anybody?"
"It was a woman?" Remus asked seriously. "Yes, Bellatrix Lestrange... I thought she was in Azkaban" the dragon trainer replied. "This is what everybody thought" the Transfiguration teacher added dryly.
After Neville had finished talking, Professor Dumbledore led the Gryffindors down to the Great Hall, while Kelsey, Neville and Zara stayed in the hospital wing for more treatment.
Seamus and Dean approached them and whispered anxiously "Do you know what happened? I already asked McGonagall but she didn't say a word."
"Somebody broke into our common room during the feast, injured Zara Rawle and Neville witnessed everything" Hermione explained. Dean swallowed hard "What was she doing in our common room; she's in Ravenclaw"
"She was looking for Kelsey and me, so Neville offered his assistance. He told Zara to wait a little further away from the portrait hole but when he didn't come back she must have went to look for him. A deatheater stunned her and she hit her head badly." Kayla recalled.
"And the deatheater is still in the castle?" Seamus whispered, his voice sounding more and more frightened.
"We don't know for sure. I guess this is why we're all here until they're finished searching the castle." Ginny answered. Harry looked at his best friends' sister as she spoke and recognized, that finally some color had returned to her face. Professor Flitwick had also returned to the Great Hall and was now explaining the situation to the Ravenclaws. His students were all a lot taller than him and so the little wizard could barely be seen. Professor McGonagall was talking to the Slytherins while Professor Sprout informed the Hufflepuffs. Professor Lupin and Charlie had just returned together with Stephen, who was now looking for his other colleagues.
"Everything ok here?" the werewolf asked, looking at more or less terrified Gryffindors.
"Have they found her?" Harry whispered.
"No... you'll have to stay here until tomorrow. Filch is looking for the Fat Lady and Dumbledore is going to floo a letter to the ministry as soon as you all are settled." Professor Lupin exclaimed hesitantly and conjured comfortable sleeping bags for the Gryffindors.
"Silence! Please settle down now." When the students heard the headmasters' calm but insisting voice, everybody was quiet and faced the Professor. "Gryffindor tower has been attacked and a student has been injured. We don't know if this person is still on the rounds, but we need to make sure. Some of you have already experienced something similar, so I want you to be a good example to the younger students. The head-boy and head-girl will stay here with you along with the ghosts. I will seal the doors with a security charm so you will be safe in here."
The headmaster left the Great Hall, the teachers close behind, then the doors started glowing crimson, when the headmaster sealed them from outside. Like as somebody was hitting a switch, muffled murmur started among the students. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Kayla crawled into their sleeping bags and waited. None of them was able to sleep, and Harry's thoughts wandered to Sirius. He knew how much his godfather despised his cousin and hoped that he wasn't out on the grounds tonight.
The rest of the night was uneventful and in the morning, the headmaster returned. They didn't find any sign of Lestrange and so the students were allowed to return to their common rooms. Everybody seemed to be tired and still a little scared; especially the Gryffindors. Harry looked extremely tense and that drew his friends' attention.
"What's wrong, Harry" his best friend asked, while they walked to Gryffindor tower.
"My scar didn't hurt at all last night" Harry answered gloomily.
"You should be happy about it" the red-haired boy commented airily.
"No I'm not happy about it at all" Harry countered. "Voldemort didn't react on the events last night and this means that he's not finished yet. That's not the end of it"
"So what do you think Lestrange was doing here?" Hermione interjected.
"I don't know for sure, but she wasn't here to get me and I don't think she was looking for something else. Voldemort was not angry or happy so I guess he is still waiting for something. In my opinion Lestrange's attack yesterday was just the beginning." Hermione went pale and opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it again.
Kayla went right to the hospital wing to see her brother. Madam Pomfrey had promised he could go back to the tower this morning, so she wanted to accompany him. When she entered the infirmary, she couldn't believe what she saw. Her brother and Zara were chatting animatedly as if nothing had happened.
"Come over sis" Kelsey laughed when he spotted his sister next to the door, shaking her head and giggling.
"Hey Zara, how are you doing?" the pretty Gryffindor called out. Her friend looked so much better today. The big gash had been magically healed by Madam Pomfrey and she looked fresh and healthy.
"I'm fine. Can't believe that lunatic got me so easily, but it takes a better witch than Bella to kill me" the Ravenclaw laughed and waved her hand dismissively. Then Madam Pomfrey walked over and informed Kelsey he was free to go. Neville was still sleeping so he would follow later. Zara looked a little disappointed, when Kelsey and Kayla said good bye.
When the twins reached the portrait, Kelsey stopped short and grabbed his sisters' arm. "What is he doing here?"
"Who?" Kayla looked around but couldn't see anyone. Maybe Madam Pomfrey had released him too early when her brother started hallucinating.
"This is Perseus." Kelsey stated amazed; when he looked in the bewildered face of his sister, he added "He is guarding the hidden entrance in St. Mungo's ", and gave her a knowing wink. Kayla walked up to the painting and touched the sword slightly. Even though it was only painted, it seemed to be cold as steel.
"Hello young Miss" the deep voice startled Kayla and she looked up into bright blue eyes. Like Sirius, she thought.
"Perseus what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be... uhm... elsewhere?" Kelsey whispered desperately.
"Your headmaster will give you all the information you need, my lad." was the only explanation the twins received. "What is the new password?" Kayla asked.
"You won't need a password. I know who belongs here and who doesn't" Perseus countered, before he opened the portrait hole. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were playing exploding snap and chatting animatedly about the previous night.
"Can we join?" When they recognized that the twins had returned Ginny got up from the couch and made room for Kelsey to sit down. She and Kayla grabbed empty chairs instead and settled down next to Harry.
"Have you seen the new painting? It's kind of cool." Ron stated.
"Yeah and thank heavens they didn't get Lord Cadogan this time." Harry added chuckling and Hermione sighed "He's so pathetic... this wanna-be-knight with his fat pony"
"Don't be so mean" Ginny contradicted. "I like him"
"He didn't torture you with these ridiculous passwords" Ron called. "He was always less stressful with the younger students"
They decided to visit Sirius after lunch and wanted to find out if he knew that his cousin had broken into the school last night.
"They replaced the Fat Lady again... poor girl...everybody is after her" Sirius chuckled, but inside he didn't feel like laughing at all. The second attack of deatheaters in such a short time was daunting. The Gryffindors, Ginny had joined them this time, had all settled on the bed, which had clean sheets and cover now, and on the few intact chairs in the room.
"Yes the new portrait is really interesting" Ron spoke up. "And we don't need passwords anymore." Ginny added.
"His name is Perseus and his sword is great" Harry stated and beamed at his godfather.
"One of my ancestors name was Perseus... my great-great-great-... well, never mind." Sirius replied. "I've read about him when I still lived at home. He's been a crusader and his life was almost as interesting and thrilling as mine. Everybody in my family's named after star constellations, at least the boys."
Harry looked at his godfather and saw past the calm, happy façade. Until his name wasn't cleared, Sirius would never be able to live a normal life. Once he had been a respected member of the wizarding community with family and friends, and then he had lost everything because of the cowardice and ignorance of people, he thought he could trust.