Disclaimer: Harry does not belong to be, but rather belongs to JK Rowling.

A/N: This is the sequel to Harry Potter and the War of the Wizarding World. I suggest that you read that first or else you won't have any idea what's going on in this story.

Summary: This is a story about Harry's summer before and during his seventh year at Hogwarts. Just after Harry turns 17, Privet Drive is attacked and Harry is forced to protect the family who had never showed him love. Shortly before the start of school, a close friend of the trio disappears and Harry is thrown into turmoil. School begins and the friend returns, but only as the shell of a person. Harry has much more on his plate this year with N.E.W.T.S and the battle against Voldemort coming ever closer.

Title: Harry Potter and the Battle of the Worlds

Ch. 9

The Aftermath

Harry awoke to someone shaking him awake. He groaned and shifted,

"Mr. Potter, MR. POTTER!" Harry opened his eyes to the blurry shape of Madam Pomfrey. He reached for his glasses at the bedside table and put them on as he sat up. "Professor Adams is on his way up here and, though I don't mind you sharing a bed with Ms. Adams, I'm sure her brother will." Harry nodded and climbed back into the chair that was besdie the bed.

He watched Madam Pomfrey hover around Tally, chicking her for anything that she hadn't caught the day before and making sure everything was healing properly. Tally was staring blankly at the ceiling while all this was happening.

A few momentslater the door to the hospital wing opened and Adams and Dumbledore walked into the room. Adams nearly ran to Tally's bedside the moment he caught sight of her.

"Tally, sweetie," Josh whispered closely to her ear, "How are you feeling? Did you sleep at all? Are you in any pain?" His eyes shown wiht worry and his hand gently rubbed her forehead. The only reply he received was Tally rolling over, away from him, and facing Harry. Her eyes were filled with tears. She closed her eyes, leaving a pained expression on her face. Josh sighed sadly and looked up at Madam Pomfrey.

"She slept fine. I think it helped her to have Harry at her side." Josh looked quickly at Harry and for a moment, Harry thought he would receive a telling off. Instead, Adams gestured for Harry to leave the curtained area with him so that they could speak in private.

Once they were a safe distance away from being overheard, Adams looked between Harry and the curtained area where his sister hid behind until his eyes finally rested on Harry. Harry noticed that there were dark circles beneath his eyes and he looked like he hadn't eaten a meal in weeks. Adams sighed once more,

"Harry, I appreciate you staying with her last night. She needed someone close to her with her, especially after everything that has happened..." He trailed off. His eyes became distant for a moment before he focused back on Harry and continued, "Did she say or do anything at all?"

"She cried, but other than that, no." Harry felt that he should be honest with Josh. Tally was his sister afterall. Josh nodded his head at him,

"I figured she would."

"Why weren't you here?" Harry suddenly demanded. Josh looked surprised by his outburst for a moment before he looked horribly sad.

"I went looking for Angel. I figured there might have been a good chance that she had gotten away."

"And?"

"And nothing. I searched everywhere I could, but I couldn't find her." He sighed heavily, "I contacted a couple of people last night as well. They'll be here sometime this morning." Before Harry could ask who, the door opened once more and Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Blaise entered through it. Ron and Hermione were both holding a set of clothes. Dumbledore came out from behind Tally's curtain.

"I spoke with Poppy and she has agreed to allow Ms. Adams to leave the hospital wing. Ah, wonderful, it seems your friends had prior knowledge of this as they have brought you both a change of clothes. I suggest breakfast after you are both dressed. good day to you." With that, Dumbledore walked out of the room with Adams, who gave his sister a good-bye kiss on her head.

Hermione and Ginny went into Tally's area while Harry and the others went into another.

"How is she Harry?" Neville asked.

"How are you for that matter?" Blaise added.

"Yeah, mate, you aren't looking so good." Ron commented.

"She cried herself to sleep and I stayed awake to help her." Harry sighed and sat down and roughly rubbed his face in his hands. "I don't know what to do. there was so much that I saw last night, such...horror...I know that a part of her must be dying inside. If it hasn't already..." Harry said quietly. His friends just gave him lost looks and shrugs.

"I don't really think there is anything we can do." Neville said sadly, "Just, I don't know, stick by her or something. What I mean is, Harry, when your godfather died, no one gave up on you. They kept persisting and never left you alone, right?" Harry nodded to him, "Than that's what we have to do with Tally. Just let her know we are here." He added with a small shrug. Harry got up and left the curtained area followed by his friends. The girls were standing by the door. Tally was wearing a t-shirt that showed the horrid bruises that fully covered her arms.

"Bloody hell!" Ron gasped out when he caught sight of her. She cowered behind Hermione and Ginny, trying to make herself as small as possible.

"Tally dear, I've found a sweater you can wear." Pomfrey called out from her office. Tally walked away from them. Hermione was looking after her with sorrow and with anger.

"She wouldn't let us anywhere near her." Ginny said quietly as she watched Tally retreat to Pomfrey.

"What, why?" Blaise asked.

"Don't know really. She said something about contaminating us."

"What?" Ron exclaimed, but Ginny only shrugged.

"Harry, when this war comes and we have to fight in it, we better be ready!" Hermione demanded quietly, shocking those around her. "I won't let them get away with this." Her voice held a visciousness that Harry knew well. he recognaized it whenever he thought about Bellatrix and Voldemort and now Jacobs. That raw need for revenge. Pure hate. Harry nodded as he watched Tally walk back toward them, now fully covered by the sweater Pomfrey had given to her.

"It was bad, wasn't it?" Neville asked from beside him.

"Yeah, it was."

"How bad?"

"The worst."

The walk to the Great Hall was a long and silent one. Tally held on to Harry tightly; her pain made it a slow treck for them. When they reached the Hall, they found it only half full. It was still early and a Saturday morning. Those that were there stopped talking and turned to stare at them. Harry and his friends glared at them until the other students looked away in shame or embarrassment. Tally kept her eyse focused on the ground.

They seated themselves at the end of the Gryffindor table and ate in silence. It had only been about ten minutes when there was a commotion at the door. They turned to see Adams arguing with Tally's Healer, Aiden Bartholomew and his wife, LuLu.

LuLu spotted Tally and rushed forward to her. Tally, with a speed that Harry have never seen, stood and moved quickly away so that LuLu reached outfor open air.

"Don't" came the lone harsh word from Tally's lips. Harry and his friends turned to stare. LuLu seemed confused at first and again, tried to reach her. The same results occurred.

"Tally, what's wrong? Why won't you let me near you?" There was hurt in her voice. Harry moved so that he was now beside Tally. She looked up at him and he saw a girl who was haunted by her memories. Haunted and ashamed of them. He squeezed her hand reassuringly. She turned back to LuLu,

"I'm tainted." Came her quiet remark, "Tainted and I will not allow you to be tainted too." She looked quickly away. Shocked registered on all their faces, including Harry's. Tainted? What did she mean by that?

"Tally, what on earth are you talking about?" LuLu asked, voicing Harry's thoughts.

"You're pregnant. I can feel the life inside of you," Tears fell from her eyes. a look of complete shock befell LuLu's youthful face.Tally sat down, away from everyone. "He hurt me and because of that I will always be tainted."

"Tally, I-" LuLu began.

"I WON'T LET YOU BE TAINTED!" Tally yelled out in frustration. The hall became eerily quiet. Harrywalked quickly to her. She allowed him to wrap an arm around her. LuLu looked extremely put-out by this.

"Why do you allow Harry to touch you, but not me?"

"Because Harry's soul is as tainted as mine," Harry looked quizzically at Tally. How was his soul tainted? Maybe it was better not to know..., "Neville's too." Harry looked up at Neville, whose jaw had dropped in surprise.

"And why are they tainted?" Hermione asked. Her hands were on her hips and her eyes were narrowed.

"Because they have seen horrors...felt horrors. The same as mine. They understand what it's like to close your eyes at night and wake up feeling empty, dirty. Their souls are as tainted as mine." She had been staring at the floor when she said all this, but now she looked up at them. Harry looked over at Neville and their eyes connected. Somehow what Tally said made sense to the both of them.

"That makes no sense, I don't understand." Hermione said.

"We witnessed death, Hermione. We have seen tortures, we have been tortured! Don't you get it?" Harry said with a slight note of anger.

"Well, we were cursed too!" Ginny pointed out, her face twisted in fury at them.

"IT'S NOT THE SAME!" Harry cried out. "You had a curse, yes it hurt, but it's nothing compared to the Crucatius curse that we had to endure. Nothing compared to the deaths that we have seen or...the other tortures." Harry looked down at Tally when he said that last part. Her eyes had tears falling from them, but she did not look away. Hermione opened her mouth to retort, but Neville beat her to it.

"Our souls are tainted because of our pasts. Because of our memories. Because of our futures." They all looked at Neville in surprise. He, however, was watching Adams and Aiden approach them.

"Tally, we're going to take a look at you to make sure everything's alright with your heart." Aiden said. Tally nodded and stood. "Also, if it's alright, I would like for you to tell me everything that happened." A look of panicked fear overcame her features.

"With the penceive of'course." Her brother added hastily. Although she still looked panicked, Tally nodded again and began to walk away with them.

"Tally?" Ginny asked an unspoken question to her quietly. Tally turned and nodded to her. Ginny and Hermione immediately followed the adults and Tally out of the Great Hall, leaving Harry, Ron, Neville, and Blaise behind.

Blaise sat down across from harry with a frown on his face. Neville and Ron followed his lead.

"Well, that was interesting." Ron said breaking the silence.

"Yeah, but it's all true." Harry said. Ron only looked at him. His eyes showed both confusion and sadness, but he made no comment.

"What did he do to her?" Blaise asked quietly.

"What?" Harry replied, not understanding what he was being asked.

"The person who took Tally, what did he do to her?" Harry's face must have shown pain and anger because Blaise continued without letting Harry answer, "Earlier you said that it was the worst. Obviously she had the Crucatius curse used against her, but there's more, isn't there?" Harry could only nod. He wasn't sure if he was allowed to say anything at all, but he didn't want to lie either.

"What can be worse than the Crucatius curse?" Ron asked them, completely perplexed. Neville's face dawned on realization and he whispered something that sounded like, 'tainted'. Blaise, seeming to understand himself, said every curse word he could think of. If Hermione had been there, Harry was sure that she would have fainted. Ron seemed to need more explaining because he looked at Neville and Blaise as if they were sick with something contagious.

"Ron, think about what could happen to a female, magical or muggle, that would be so horrible they would consider themselves tainted. So tainted that they are ashamed and not allow another to touch them." This explanation seemed to only confuse Ron even more. Ron's inability to understand seemed to infuriate Blaise,

"He took advantage of her, Ron!" Ron's eyes widened in horror and his mouth opened wide.

"You mean..." Harry nodded. "Bloody hell!" They were silent for a moment, the truth sinking into each of them.

"Who did it, Harry? Who was the bastard that did it?" Blaise asked.

"David Jacobs." Harry replied causing Neville to gasp. He seemed to be the only one, other than Harry, who understood the significance of that name.

"What, who is that?" Blaise asked.

"The same man who gave Tally that wicked heart." Neville replied. Blaise's face darkened, as did Ron's and Neville's. Harry looked down at his food realizing he wasn't at all hungry. "Do you think she'll ever be the same?" Harry looked up at Neville who had asked the question. Though he wished it would happen, Harry doubted that it will.

"No, I don't think so. She might come out of this shell she is in right now, but she'll never truly be the same." Having lost Sirius only a year and a few months before, Harry still had a hole in his heart where Sirius had once been. He doubted that that would ever heal.

The boys decided to wait for the girls in the common room. By the time the girls arrived, Neville, Harry, and Blaise had each played two games of Wizard's chess against Ron. And, all three of them lost against him.

The girls walked over to them in a quiet shuffle. Tally immediately sat between Neville and Harry. Her body heavily leaning against Harry. He wrapped one arm around her and her head fell onto his chest. Hermione's and Ginny's eyes were red and puffy. IT was obvious that they had seen everything that Harry had seen the night before.

"I need a shower." Tally said quietly from his chest. She tried to stand, but the pain from her body became overwhelming. Harry quickly helped her to her feet and Ginny escorted her up the girls' dormitory stairs. Hermione sat down beside Ron and buried her head into his shoulder.

"Hermione?" Ron asked causciously. She lifted her head and looked at them. Large tears feel from her eyes.

"It was horrible! The things they did. The things he did!" Her voice cracked and she began to cry harder.

"It's okay Hermione, it's okay." Ron said, though he looked fearful as he awkwardly patted her back.

"HOW? How will it be okay?" Hermione demanded of him. "That could be any one of us the next time! She could have died!" Her tears became a constant stream down her face. "She wanted to die after...after...That's why she cracked and who's to blame her? I'd have done the same!" Hermione's face was red with anger and she looked directly at the boys as if waiting for them to tell her she's wrong. None of them did.

Harry watched Hermione through sad eyes. He knew her conviction, he understood it perfectly, but he couldn't change what had happened. He closed his eyes and placed his head in his hands. He felt heavy and tired. The world was on his shoulders and wanted nothing more than to be done with this whole thing so that he could live a normal life.

"It's not your fault, Harry." The voice was quiet but firm. He raised his eyes to meet Tally's. He subconsciously rubbed the spot where she had smacked him. She gave him a small smile and, with the help of Ginny, knelt in front of him. She placed her hands on each of his knees and looked him in the eyes. He leaned forward and placed his forehead against hers. "I meant it. He would chase me across all worlds to have done what he had. With or without Voldemort." Harry squeezed her tightly against him. Her arms wrapped around him and they stayed like that for a moment. Their friends looked on in silence. "Even if I had been kidnapped for being your girlfriend, I would have fought as I had done. I will always fight for you, Harry. When will you finally learn that?" Tears had begun to fall from her eyes and Harry released her to wipe them away.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you." He whispered softly.

"So protect me now." They were simple words, but Harry took them to heart. She was releasing him of all guilt and telling him to start anew, fresh. He could still see the haunted look in her eyes. It'll take her a long time to heal, but there was hope in them too. And hope was all they had.

A/N: Okay guys, I finally got it up. Sorry it took so long! I had finals to deal with and my manuscript to write, which took me two weeks. Then I got sick and am now only just getting better, so that took another two weeks. But it's done and up.

A NEW YEARS GIFT FROM ME TO YOU!

I'm kind of bummed that I didn't get a lot of reviews from the people who usually review my stories. In fact, I didn't get any. I got a couple from people who've never reviewed before and I'm so grateful to them. Anyway, did you guys not like the last chapter or something? Did I cross some sort of line?

Well, here's some recognition to those who did review:

Lady Shana: I'm so glad you like it. I hope you continue to read this story!

Cynthia1850: Thanks so much for the review! I'm so glad that you are enjoying the story and I hope that you continue to enjoy it in the future.

Esrb99: I didn't get a chance to review your last chapter, so I'll do it here. I'm glad that you are showing Ron to be strong instead of whimpy like so many others. Don't worry, Ron in my story may seem sort of whimpy, but he has his brave moments as well. Keep up the good work!