Chapter 18 – Another

"Av—"

Professor Magus, or Nymphadora Tonks, or whoever she was hurled herself at the Dragon and knocked him over before he could finish the spell. The two struggled on the ground while Liz backed up. Finally the Dragon threw the woman (Liz didn't know what to think of her as now) and grabbed his broom, the translation in his grasp. "Thank you, Elizabeth!" he yelled. He mounted and flew off, creating a hole in the canopy, which let in a ray of sunlight. The lady called Tonks lay breathing hard on the dirt floor.

Liz's legs gave way and she sat on the ground. The Dragon had gotten away, and he had taken the translated manuscript with him. Liz didn't know what to do.

Chris's shallow breathing brought her back down to earth. She ran over to him and shook him hard. "Wake up, Chris," she begged over his body. His chest was rising and falling, but only a little.

"He needs an extended stay in the hospital wing," said the former Professor Magus. "Possibly St. Mungo's. He blocked a Killing Curse."

"So who exactly are you?" Liz asked, sitting back.

"I can tell you on the way up to the castle," said Magus. "You take Chris, and I'll take Hagrid."

Hagrid looked worse than Chris. Warm blood was dripping over the dried blood. "Mobilicorpus!" said Magus. Hagrid was lifted bodily in the air and floated, his head lolling about. Liz did the same to Chris, and Magus led the way out of the forest, talking as she went.

"First you've got to know my name," she said. "I'm Nymphadora Tonks. But I hate my name, so to anyone who doesn't want to get hexed, it's Tonks."

"And you're a Metamorphmagus," said Liz.

"I'm getting there. Yes, I am."

"Weren't Metamorphmagi put into captivity to be taught how to use their powers?" Liz said. "I think Binns taught about it in History of Magic."

Tonks smiled wryly. "That's what the public was told. In fact, there was a group inside the Ministry who hated anyone different. Of course, they waited until your father was presumed dead to put their plan into action."

"Why?"

"Because your father was a Metamorphmagus."

Liz stopped, and Chris's limp figure nearly fell out of the air. "He was?"

"Yes, he was. I knew your father—"

"So you lied to me!"

"What would you have done? Say, 'I'm a Metamorphmagus on the run from the law'? I sort of had to. Yes, they refrained from capturing us because of your father. There would have been uproar if the Ministry had taken Harry Potter, Order of Merlin, first-class, into captivity. So they waited. And when the opportunity arose and your father was presumed dead, the first thing they did was chain up all the Metamorphmagi in Great Britain and lock us together in a desolate chamber underneath the Ministry. Plenty of us died for want of sunlight, but somehow I managed to survive. Then, this summer, I got an opportunity just like the Ministry and escaped."

"So you came and took a job here," said Liz.

"McGonagall doesn't know it was me. The only ones who do are Ron and Hermione. Do you mind telling McGonagall for me?" By this time they had reached the castle, and as Liz reached for the door, Tonks hung back.

"Why?" Liz asked.

"Because I've got to go. If McGonagall knew where I am, she'd be forced by law to turn me in. I don't want to get her in trouble, or you either." She stuck her hand in her robe and produced a minute broomstick. "Enlargio!" said Tonks. The broomstick grew to its regular size. "I have to go, just like your father had to go into hiding." She mounted. "He still regrets it. Goodbye!" She shot off, waving, and leaving Liz looking skyward with Chris and Hagrid floating unconscious at her side. She had to catch Hagrid with her own spell, since Tonks had let go. It took all Liz's energy to move the two of them all the way up to the hospital wing.

"What happened?" Madame Lesille cried.

"It was the Dragon," Liz breathed.

Madame Lesille seemed to panic. "The Dragon? Here? At school?"

"Yes," Liz said wearily. "Hagrid got knocked out, and he's bleeding. Chris was hit with a Killing Curse."

"Then—he's dead?" Madame Lesille asked blankly.

"No. He cast a Shield Charm."

"But that doesn't work."

"It did this time!" Liz was getting annoyed. She really didn't feel like answering questions at the moment. All she wanted to do was go to McGonagall, tell her what Tonks had said, and then collapse in her bed, though it was only the afternoon. But the first thing came to her when McGonagall burst through the doors of the hospital wing, bewildered, confused, and in a rage. "What happened?" she raged. "I saw Elizabeth and Nymphadora Tonks, with Hagrid and Chris hanging in the air—Dora Magus has disappeared, and I want to know what's going on!" She rounded on Liz. "Explain!"

So Liz explained the whole thing, from the hypnotic eyes in the bushes to Tonks's departure. McGonagall listened attentively, but she cried out in surprise when Liz told her about Tonks. "She's been here the whole year and she never told me?"

"You would've had to turn her in," said Liz, who was suddenly exhausted and woozy.

"And are you all right? You look a bit pale," said Madame Lesille, who had been silently awed during Liz's narration of the tale.

"No. No, not really," said Liz. She back up to one of the hospital beds and passed out.

Liz awoke, a couple hours or maybe a couple of days later, in the same bed, but covered with cold sweat. She tried to sit up, but Madame Lesille was suddenly over her, gently pushing her back down. Then Rachel and Michael were at her side. "Liz? You're awake?" Michael said frantically.

"Shh, let her rest," said Madame Lesille.

"Please, we've been waiting for two days," Rachel pleaded.

"Fine," said Madame Lesille, pursing her lips.

When she was gone, Rachel burst out with, "When I heard what happened, I was so worried! I never got to apologize!"

"That's not true," said Michael. "You tried."

"But that was when she was hypnotized," Rachel pointed out, "so that didn't count. I'm sorry, Liz."

"I should be the one apologizing," said Liz. "I should've just told you what was going on with the assignment from Professor Magus. Oh, and did you hear about—"

"Yes, McGonagall told us Magus was actually a Metamorphmagus named Tonks on the run from the Ministry of Magic," said Michael. "Wicked!"

"So how are Hagrid and Chris?" Liz asked them.

Rachel and Michael exchanged worried looks. "Well, Hagrid's a bit better," said Michael brightly. Hagrid was in two beds pushed together across the room. His head was propped up with a pile of pillows, and he smiled weakly and waved, wincing.

"And Chris?"

"Well…er…"

"I…it's…"

A flood of dread washed over Liz. "He's not…he didn't…" She couldn't bring herself to say die. "He made it, didn't he?"

Silence.

"Didn't he?"

"He's made it…so far," said Rachel, biting her lip. "But he's not awake yet. He's muttering in his sleep, about you, the Dragon, and the Killing Curse, and even Madame Lesille can't wake him up."

Liz leapt out of bed before Lesille could stop her. Chris was deathly pale, and he writhed under the sheets. "No…no…Protego…" he moaned in his sleep. Liz felt horrible. If her best friend died, it would be all her fault. She couldn't live with guilt like that on her conscience. She blinked back tears, thinking of all the times she had almost gotten Michael, Rachel, and Chris killed, and how she had finally run out of luck. One tear dripped down onto an area of his chest that was exposed, revealing a scar where the spell had hit the Shield Charm that had been held against his body. With a gasp, he sat up.

"Chris!" cried Hagrid, sitting up and cringing with pain. Liz backed away, unsure of what was happening. Rachel and Michael were both equally surprised. Chris was sitting upright, gasping for breath, and he was quickly regaining his pallor.

"He's awake! It's a miracle!" said Madame Lesille.

"Oh my gosh, Chris," was all Rachel could say.

"I'm—it's…I'm alive…" said Chris. Then he leapt out of bed, causing more sharp intakes of breath from the rest of the occupants of the room, and hugged Hagrid. Then he hugged Rachel, and Liz, and clapped Michael on the back. They all looked stunned.

"You're alive," Liz said weakly, holding onto his bedpost for support.

"Lay back down!" Madame Lesille ordered suddenly, and they all jumped. "Lay back down, Mr. Scott! If you go into a relapse there'll be no cause for celebration. Get back in bed now!" So Chris meekly climbed back into his hospital bed, still grinning like mad.

Madame Lesille kept Liz and Chris in the hospital wing for a week more, in which they both got repeated visits from Rachel, Michael, and (in Liz's case) David. He, as he told her, had been frantic with worry every since the news had been released to the student body. He came three times that week, each time with new things to cheer Liz up.

But underneath it all, Liz was angry with herself. The Dragon had gotten away with the manuscript, and it was all her fault. Why hadn't she burned the translation too? Why hadn't she been able to stop him? The scene kept replaying over and over again in her mind, and now she saw the parts where she had failed, where she could've done better.

After they were released, Hagrid still had to stay. He had been injured badly, and he was getting old. Madame Lesille assured them that he would be good as new when he finally got out, but that wouldn't be for a while. Liz, Rachel, Michael, and Chris went to visit him many times before the first three had to leave for the summer.

At last the day came when it was time to board the train and head home. Liz, Rachel, and Michael went to visit Hagrid in the hospital wing one last time. Chris was there already, as he had been most of the time.

"Hi," said Liz, stepping inside.

"Hi," said Chris.

"Are you feeling any better, Hagrid?" asked Michael.

"A bit," Hagrid answered. "Madame Lesille finally took me off the Blood-Replenishing Potions, and tha' 'elped. They were nasty."

"We came to say goodbye," said Rachel. Chris stood up and hugged her and Liz, and Michael shook his hand. They all hugged Hagrid goodbye, and then they left after making Chris promise to write.

They boarded the train with all the rest of the students, who talked excitedly. "I wonder who our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher will be next year," said Rachel thoughtfully, right after they found a compartment. Both Liz and Michael shrugged and thought for a while, and the three of them speculated the subject together for a while. Then they fell silent, and Liz wondered how Hagrid was doing at that moment.

At last the train stopped, and the trio followed the crowds out. Liz saw Bettie, and Winnie, and both looked sulky. She also saw David, who gave a hug goodbye before rushing off to meet his parents. Michael met up with Jessica and Mrs. Weasley, who had found Mr. Weasley, and they were all rather excited about getting to go home together after such a long year. Rachel was the same with her sisters and her mother. Liz finally found the Smiths, waiting for her just outside the barrier. Emma looked disgruntled, as usual, but Mr. and Mrs. Smith looked pleased to see Liz after so long.

"Had a good year, we hope?" asked Mrs. Smith. Emma grumbled something unintelligible.

"It could've been worse," Liz grinned with the first smile she had used in days. "Come on, let's go." And as they set off, Liz cast one more look backwards and grinned.