A/N: The second part is while she is in a coma. She is not reliving the memory. It is real.
The War
It was the end of their Seventh Year, and the four of them (Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Ally) were sitting happily on the train, intent on going home. Hermione and Ron sat on one of the seats, and Ally and Harry sat on the other.
"It all passed by so fast..." Hermione said with a sigh. "Almost a little too fast..."
"...yeah. It's only been two years for me," Alley replied, her thumbs twiddling. "I wish I had come a little earlier - "
Suddenly, the train came to a screeching halt, forcing Ron and Hermione to fly forward, and sent Ron screaming like a girl.
"Ron, you big oaf! Get off me!" Harry yelled.
"Ow! 'Mione...my boob..." Ally whispered in pain.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Ally!" Hermione said quickly as she stood up, trying her hardest not to laugh. "Really sorry.."
"What happened?" inquired Harry, after he's managed to push Ron off him.
"I don't wanna know," Ron squeaked as he sat down on the floor, pulling his knees to his chest.
"It must be something wretched to have caused the train to stop so abruptly like that," Hermione observed.
"Really, 'Mione? I didn't know that," Ron said sarcastically.
"Shut up, Ron," Harry said sternly, pulling out his wand. He watched Ron's surprised face as he did. "You should do the same, Ron."
Ron gulped. "If we die," he began, his voice breaking, "It'll be your fault, Harry - "
"Ron!" Ally exclaimed, smacking his shoulder.
"What? It's the honest truth - "
"...Just because you're bloody chicken," Hermione retorted bitterly at her friend's yellowness.
"I am not chicken - hey...where's Harry?" The trio looked around the compartment, only to find that Harry was gone. Just then, a large BOOM! erupted from the outside; the window shattered, sending sharp glass pieces toward them. Hermione screamed; a large piece had embedded itself into her arm, letting the blood flow out. This completely outraged Ron.
"Ally, stay here; help 'Mione," he shouted before jumping out the window.
Why must I always play nurse? Ally thought angrily.
"O-Okay, don't p-panic, Ally," Hermione stammered. "J-Just wave your...your wand and s-say, Carpillerium Repairo." Ally did as she was told, then Hermione continued. "We should help them, Ally," she said, a look of concern on her face.
"Why? Ron told us to stay here," Ally retorted bitterly, upset that her friend didn't think that girls weren't able to kick some evil butt.
"Since when have we ever listened to Ron?"
Well, Ally thought. Iwas just complaining about always playing nurse...
"Well, Ally? Are we gonna save your boyfriend?"
I do love Harry...
"Any time today, Ally," Hermione said impatiently.
"Let's do it."
They both climbed carefully out of the window, and what Ally saw scared her a little. Wizards in dark cloaks were zapping everyone with a Hogwarts uniform. The Hogwarts male students were zapping back, and Ally could hear the screams of the girls inside the train. A loud roar sounded.
"Oh my word," Hermione gasped, her hand covering her mouth. Two extremely large trolls were heading straight for them with their clubs swinging madly in the air. "Ally..."
"Grab your wand and do what you do best," Ally replied. Suddenly, Hermione started shouting in Latin. Ally could've figured that she was cursing in Japanese. Hermione stopped after the trolls were now flying away from them and towards the trees.
She glared at Ally. "Well, thanks for helping, Ally!" she shouted sarcastically.
"Sorry," Ally said, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm not good with charms and all that stuff. It's a miracle I graduated..."
"Then what are you bloody good at?"
"Kicking people in the shins?"
"Oh, you..." Hermione started angrily, but couldn't finish because a cloaked man headed for them and was about to shout a hex when Ron tackled him to the ground. The girls were too busy watching them struggle when a large boulder was hurled toward them. It nearly missed them, colliding with the train behind them. More screams came from the girls.
"Let's go help," Ally said with a small smile. H
ermione glared at Ally again. "You..." she growled. Ally looked behind Hermione's shoulders. A large - and also cloaked - man was running straight for her, his mouth open. "Crucio!" he shouted. Ally pushed Hermione (without even attempting to scream, "No!") onto the ground and out of the way. She tried to do the same...
But she was hit in the chest, right where her heart was.
A Promise To Save Sirius
She was in front of a veil, inside a large, dark room. She looked around and saw Harry being restrained by a man. Harry was reaching for the veil, and a look of utmost fear was on his face.
Ally looked carefully at the veil. What could Harry possibly want with this pitiful excuse for drapery? True, it did have an eeriness to it, but still. It was just a stupid veil. But then she remembered. ...That story that Harry told me...about a veil...and his uncle or some relative falling through - and not coming back...
She took one last look at Harry before closing her eyes and walking through the veil.
It was dark. She felt as though she was falling. The veil was nowhere to be seen, and she continued to fall until she collided with hard and dusty ground. An angry cloud of dust formed around her and floated there. It wouldn't be carried away by the wind because wind did not exist in this Place. Standing, she looked up at the sky; she gasped. For immense black swirling clouds took the sky's place. In the purple-ish horizon, lightning flashed periodically and without thunder.
Regaining her courage, she brushed herself off. Now what was his name? she thought. Oh, what's Harry's uncle's name? Or was it his godfather? Er...Simon, perhaps? Or Syrus? Shawn? Simone, even? Oh...damn it! she shouted at herself. What was his bloody name?
Ally starting walking around aimlessly, thinking. Well, she did do so until the sound of sobbing hit her. She looked around her; all she could see were faded people walking around even more aimlessly than she had been. They seemed to be staring at nothing, just whatever was in front of them.
But the sobbing...where was it coming from? Where was it coming from?
"...(sniff) Harry!"
Ally looked toward a large boulder about fifteen yards from her. It was a man's voice who'd screamed, she concluded, hurrying towards the rock. Maybe's it's Harry's family member, whatever the heck he played. As she got closer, the groans and sobs got louder.
"Harry!...(sob) I'm sooorrrrryyyyy! I want to come back...help meeeeeee, Harryyyyyy..."
Ally stopped in front of a smaller rock. She carefully looked behind it and saw that there was a very small cave (in dimension) at the bottom of the boulder. Inside the cave, Ally could definitely make out the curled-up figure of a man with his knees brought to his chest. His shoulders were shaking, and he continued shrieking his apologies to Harry.
"Er...ex-excuse me, er...sir?" Ally said quietly and slowly.
The man looked at her. His eyes were frighteningly red from his sobbing, and his now-red face was drenched from the tears. His long raven hair was now matted against his cheeks, and the helpless look in his eyes shot Ally's heart.
"Sir?" she said again, stepping closer.
He lunged at her feet - or attempted to. He seemed to be too weak to stand up and walk, so he crawled slowly and pitifully toward her feet. "C-Can...can you...can you help me?" he said, his voice extremely hoarse. Ally didn't answer as he grabbed her ankles, resting his face on her shoes. "I...I...I need to get back...back to my...to my godson...my godson...my godson, Harry..." He began to sob, yet continued. "He...he needs me, you...you understand. Please...please...help me. Harry...he-he...he needs me..."
This is just a dream, Ally, she thought. Just say something to get this insane old man off you!
"Please..." he pleaded. "He needs me...Sirius...he needs Sirius...Sirius...Sirius needs him..."
Oh, dear heavens. He's so insane, he's even referring himself in the friggin' third person! He's a bloody NUTTER, Ally!
"Please..."
"Okay," Ally finally said. "Look, I'll make you this promise, okay? If I'm ever playing the piano and have as much emotion to do something as you do to get out of here, then you'll be freed, okay? Promise."
"What...what?" Sirius said, a tinge of anger in his voice. "That's...that's all that you...can do for me?"
"Well, I don't know what much else I can do!" she replied. "Besides, looks like I'm the only company you got here, and I think you shouldn't let my offer go to waste..."
Sirius let go of her ankles and crawled back into his cave. "No one believes me here," he said quietly. "I guess...I guess...I shouldn't...(cough) expect...you to believe...believe me..."
"Oh, this is just a dream for me, you moron," she said bitterly. "I'm supposed to say weird things!"
But, alas, it wasn't. For this meeting beyond the veil was real. For the Place that resides beyond the veil is the Place of Despair. Here, you are neither dead nor alive. And this was exactly what Ally was: in between life and death. She was in a coma.
