Chapter Thirteen – The Wounded Wolf
The Daily Prophet – Special Evening Edition
BOY WHO LIVED DENOUNCES THE DARK LORD
Dark Lord's Father was a Muggle!
by Walter Scrivener, Wizard in Chief
Events unfolded dramatically at a special meeting of the shareholders
of the Daily Prophet. The meeting was called by former Minister
Cornelius Fudge to attempt to prevent Harry Potter from his rightful
place on the Board of Directors (see page 5 for a description of how
the Boy Who Lived inherited his fortune), and the shareholders of the
Daily Prophet met today to decide whether Mr. Potter should sit on the
Board.
The new Minister of Magic, Arthur Weasley, repudiated Mr. Fudge's
charges, and called for an immediate vote. It was unanimous, and Mr.
Potter was immediately installed on the Board of Directors. It is
here where today's news really begins.
Upon being installed on the Board, young Mr. Potter (see page 7 for
the life story of Mr. Potter and the untimely demise of his parents)
described the dark events that have stalked his entire life.
Faithful readers will recall the historic testimony of Mr. Potter from
the various trials of Mr. Lucius Malfoy, Mr. Peter Pettigrew, and Mr.
Sirius Black (see page 11 for related stories). At today's hearing,
Mr. Potter expanded on his previous testimony.
It appears that the Dark Lord has a rather mundane beginning. His
mother, a witch of the darkest temperament, found herself pregnant
with the illicit love child of a muggle. Indeed faithful readers, it
could be said of the imperious Lord Voldemort that he is a mudblood,
or dirty-blood, or any number of vile epithets that his followers cast
at the majority of our kind.
Born Tom Marvolo Riddle, Mr. Riddle started researching the Dark Arts
at an early age while at Hogwart's. Apparently responsible for the
death of a fellow student, he managed to escape detection by placing
the blame on Rubeus Hagrid, Groundskeeper and teacher at Hogwarts.
After graduating from Hogwarts, Mr. Riddle traveled across Europe in
search of the foulest and darkest wizards, desperately searching for
more power, despite the taint of such evil.
Mr. Riddle has used his given name as an anagram and came up with the
designation of Lord Voldemort. Please see the accompanying picture of
young Mr. Potter to see the display of how this works.
Mr. Potter described all of this to the shareholders today and
challenged this paper to reveal the truth. "Do not fear this evil
man's assumed name," the young hero challenged us. "He is no more and
no less than a dark and evil wizard. If we stand together we can
defeat him! I call on all of our kind to call him by his true name,
or even his assumed one, but we must not be afraid to name this evil
for what it is."
We are only happy to oblige the request of the Boy Who Lived, and the
Daily Prophet will stop using such silly titles as He Who Must Not Be
Named.
***
Harry was frantically pacing around the small waiting room outside of the chamber where his favorite professor was fighting for his life. It was a horrible feeling, and it caused dark and painful thoughts to float around in his head. The anguish he had felt at the beginning of the summer still hadn't been entirely resolved, he was still dealing on a daily basis with the death of his godfather, but this attack on top of Sirius' death made Harry's head spin.
Harry couldn't even begin to guess how the Deatheaters had managed to find the two of them. He had no visions from Voldemort which might have served as a link. Harry doubted it was pure chance. So how were they tracked? As he paced around the room, wrapping his head around that query, he was relieved when a door opened and Professor Dumbledore rushed in.
"Professor, he's in there. Do you have the cure? Where are the potions?"
Dumbledore looked at Harry with sad eyes. The twinkle was gone, and Harry sensed that the man was feeling every one of his numerous years. A feeling of despair hit Harry like a physical blow.
"I have a few things to make him comfortable, and Severus is brewing a few others for me as we speak. However, Harry, we must be prepared for the worst. No werewolf has ever survived the Silverthread Curse, but the mediwizards have never gotten a victim this soon. Perhaps there is hope."
Despite the headmaster's words, his voice and body did not seem to hold out any thoughts of survival for Remus Lupin. Excusing himself from Harry, he rushed into the next room.
"How can we trust Snape, when we still haven't learned why he attacked me?" Harry asked himself. Not expecting any answers from the empty room, Harry continued his pacing.
Another commotion outside pulled Harry away from his pained thoughts and he found himself wrapped in a massive hug from Mrs. Weasley. As he gasped for air, she finally released him, only to be swarmed by Hermione and Ginny.
"Thank Merlin you're alive," said Ginny, grabbing him tightly.
"We were worried Harry," added Hermione, joining in the hug. "All we knew was that there was an attack and you and Remus were at St. Mungo's. What happened?"
Harry quickly described the attack, how he and Remus had stalled the Deatheaters long enough for Dumbledore and the Aurors to arrive. When Harry described the curse that had hurt Remus, Hermione's face paled and she gasped.
"Oh no," she moaned. "That's dreadful! What are they doing for him?"
"I don't know," Harry replied. "Dumbledore brought in some potions, but he didn't seem too optimistic."
Hermione quickly started pacing the room, muttering to herself. Her eyes were deep in thought and she ignored the stares of those gathered in the room. After several minutes Ron couldn't control himself any more.
"Hermione!" he said, grabbing her. "Out with it, what are you thinking about?"
"I was just trying to remember what Newt Scamander said about the Silverthread Curse."
"Who?" Harry and Ron asked simultaneously.
"Honestly, do you two ever pay attention to your coursework?" Ginny asked.
"Newt Scamander is the author of several books about magical creatures. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Dangerous Creatures and How to Kill Them. And many more. In Dangerous Creatures he describes the various ways to capture or kill a werewolf and one method is the Silverthread Curse. He didn't describe how to perform it since it has been banned for two centuries."
"Why'd it get banned?" Harry asked.
"It's incredibly cruel," Hermione replied quietly. "It's deadly, but the sole purpose of that particular curse is to cause the death of a werewolf over a long period of time. It takes days or weeks for the victim to die, but it has always caused the death of its victim. The Ministry decided that if a werewolf needed to be killed, there were other, more humane ways to do it, so they prohibited it. It's not quite an Unforgivable, but it is close enough. It's not listed because no one is supposed to know how to do it. But I guess they were wrong."
Harry was anguished. His friend was dying from a curse long since removed from the collective memory of witches and wizards, and it had no known cure. Hermione, the smartest witch he knew, said it was fatal, and Dumbledore, the most powerful wizard alive, seemed to think even he couldn't do anything. Despair welled in his stomach, and he felt like he was going to be sick.
"Ron, we need to go back to Harry's. I need to get my books." Hermione's voice was firm and determined. Ron looked at her with surprise, but saw that she was set on this strategy. Nodding his head, the two of them left the room, leaving Harry alone with Mrs. Weasley and Ginny.
"Harry, dear, can I get you something to eat or drink? Or a more comfortable chair?" Mrs. Weasley relied on her mothering instincts in times of stress, and she knew he would refuse, but she had to try.
"No, thank you, Mrs. Weasley. I'm fine. I just wish that Dumbledore would come out so I could talk with him."
"I'm sure he's doing what he can right now, we just have to wait, and hope."
Hours passed, and finally Dumbledore came back out, his face grave and his eyes dulled in their sockets.
"He's more comfortable, but he is deteriorating rapidly. I don't believe that there is much hope," he sighed.
"NO!" shouted Harry. "We have to do something, anything. Where does this Silverthread Curse come from? There has to be a something that will work, we just need to figure it out."
"Alas, I know of no such cure. It is a dreadful curse, with terrible origins. It causes the iron in a person's blood to slowly turn into silver. It would not be a problem for a normal person, but as Remus is a werewolf, the effects are fatal. As his blood is turned into liquid silver, it poisons him and kills him. His own blood is eating away at his body."
"What about a transfusion?" Harry asked, desperation seeping into his throat.
"No, that wouldn't work, he would need a full replacement, and even then the silver would just regenerate itself."
"Isn't there anything we can do?" begged Harry. As Dumbledore started shaking his head sadly, the outer door burst open again and Hermione and Ron came rushing back in, Ron was struggling with a bag full of books and Hermione had one open in her arms, reading feverishly as she came into the room.
"Harry, Harry!" she cried. "I think I have an idea. Oh, hello Professor Dumbledore, I didn't see you there." Hermione had walked right into the headmaster in her eagerness to bring the book to Harry. It was unlike any book Harry had seen since it was not a book for school, instead it looked like a muggle book on medicine.
"What is that?" he asked. "Where did you get it?"
"Oh, erm, I was doing some independent research for a paper on medicine and bought a few muggle medical textbooks."
"Hermione, we don't have any homework over the summer, they didn't give us any because we didn't know our courses until we got our OWL results."
"Well, I knew I'd be taking the Magical Medicine course, I just wasn't sure if I would take it at NEWT level, but that's beside the point. Ron, give me that other book."
Ron pulled out a large, dusty tome from the library Hermione inherited from Sirius. The leather binding was cracked with age and the parchment looked incredibly brittle as Ron slowly opened the book Hermione had asked for.
"You see," the brainy witch explained, "I was reading this muggle textbook on medicine. It talks about a treatment they use for treating some cancer patients. They use chemicals to burn out the cancer and then let the body heal itself. I thought maybe that idea would work with Professor Lupin. We could burn out the silver, and then help his body heal with other potions."
"But won't that kill him? Burning him from the inside out?" asked Harry.
"Well," said Hermione tentatively, "that's the whole point. You use certain chemicals to try to kill the cancer faster than the rest of the body. Once the cancer is dead, you stop the treatment, and then heal him. There's got to be a way to make this work."
"Indeed there is, my child," said Dumbledore, a faint glimmer of the twinkle returning to his eye. "That is a brilliant notion. May I review that book?"
Hermione eagerly gave him her muggle textbook and the ancient wizard started quickly leafing through the pages. Harry and his friends stared with astonishment as Dumbledore seemed to flip through each page, pausing briefly to scan each page. Finally Dumbledore slammed the book shut and crowed with delight.
"Absolutely brilliant! These wonderful muggles have such amazing concepts. Now, we must hurry. Hermione, my child, do me a favor and give me the book Magical Maladies and Poisons of Ancient Egypt. I trust that you brought that text?"
Ron snorted and started digging through the bag, looking for the book. "Of course she brought it, I've got half the bloody library in here. I think I'll need to check in here myself from the strain."
"Ronald!" gasped Mrs. Weasley. "Watch your language!"
Hermione smiled and grabbed the book from her blushing boyfriend's hand.
"Of course Professor, I thought it might be useful since the ancient Egyptians pioneered most treatments for blood related diseases, and they certainly had a large amount of experience with magical poisons."
She handed the book over to Professor Dumbledore and eagerly showed him the index. Scanning through the list of poisons and spells in the book, Dumbledore's eyes stopped at a place where Hermione had excitedly made a mark.
"The Bloodfire Draught," he whispered aloud, in amazement. "This just might work. Hermione, dear child, you have my deepest thanks. Perhaps I can induce you to assist Professor Snape in the making of this dreadful potion? It is incredibly complex and I believe that he will need you to help prepare the ingredients if we are to save Remus. We are fortunate that this deadly poison does not take too long to prepare, largely because it is so volatile."
"But Professor," interrupted Harry. "We still don't know why Snape tried to use that Portkey on me, we don't know if he's still on our side! We can't trust Hermione, or Remus, to him."
Dumbledore looked at Harry with weary eyes.
"Professor Snape," he said, emphasizing the title, "has earned my trust. I do not know his explanation for the attack on your relatives household, for he just arrived at Hogwarts this afternoon, prior to the attack on the two of you. But he agreed to be bound to the castle, and is unable to leave until I release him, no matter what summons he may receive. We will get to the bottom of that incident. I ask you to trust me Harry, but saving Remus is of the primary importance."
Anger at Snape dueled with concern for Remus in Harry's head. The agony he felt at the prospect of Remus dying won out, and Harry reluctantly nodded his head.
"But I want Ron to be there too, just in case."
Dumbledore nodded his head at Harry's request and pulled out a cube-shaped object from his robes. It was obviously a Portkey since he handed it to Hermione along with the Egyptian book on poisons. Ron grabbed hold of the cube and they promptly vanished.
Turning to go back into the room where Remus was being cared for, Dumbledore reached for Harry and grasped his shoulder.
"Thank you, Harry. Now, please come in with me, it would do Remus some good to see you, I think. He has been heavily dosed with various potions to relieve the pain, so he may be a little groggy and out of focus."
Concern was etched on Harry's face as he quietly followed Dumbledore into the room where Lupin was lying on a bed. Harry gasped at the sight of his friend and former teacher, it was a horrible sight. Remus was gaunt, as usual, but he seemed to have lost a quarter of his body weight in the few hours since the attack. He was sweating profusely, and Harry could sense that Remus was concentrating on not moaning or screaming with agony. Every muscle was clenched in pain and Remus was swaying back and forth in the bed, rocking along to the rhythmic agony of the foul curse that was destroying his body.
Harry gingerly stepped up to the side of the bed, plunged a cloth into a basin of ice water and wrung it out. With soft, soothing motions he wiped Remus' forehead, trying to ease the pain, if only a little. Great big tears welled up in Harry's eyes, but he continued to soothe his friend's head. Remus' eyes shot open and he looked up at Harry with confusion.
"J-James?" he gasped. "Oh, James, I'm so sorry. Don't be mad, please, I don't really know what happened. I couldn't save Sirius, and I wanted to protect Harry, I did, but something hit me, I'm not sure what. Oh James, I'm sorry I couldn't protect your boy."
"No, Remus, it's me, Harry." Harry tried to reassure his friend, but Remus didn't seem to realize that Harry had spoken.
"He's an amazing boy, James, you and Lilly would be very proud. He has had a hard life, and I'm sorry I wasn't there for him more. But you know how dangerous it is for me to get close to anyone. Don't you? Please James, tell me you understand."
Harry's heart was wrenched by the pleading sound of Remus' voice. Harry stared wordlessly at him, trying to find the right words to alleviate his mental agony. Just then another spasm of pain wracked through Remus' body, causing his eyes to clench shut with agony and his mouth clamped shut as he forestalled another cry of agony. Harry looked over to Dumbledore with accusing eyes.
"I thought you said you had given him something to relieve the pain?" His voice was cold with anger.
"I did, Harry. But the curse is very strong and causes tremendous agony. We've alleviated the pain, but we can not block it."
"What about stunning him? Wouldn't it be better if he was unconscious?"
"I've tried that as well. Nothing seems to work. I cannot make him sleep or make him unconscious, the curse prevents it. We can only hope for a miracle from Ms. Granger and Professor Snape."
Minutes ticked by as Harry kept wiping Remus' forehead with a damp, cool cloth. Harry's nerves were fraying quickly with every spasm, his anger boiling up from deep within. His gaze was centered solely on Remus, and he did not see the tears drop from Dumbledore's eyes.
After one hour Harry had almost given up hope. After two, he was sure that he was doomed to watch the last of his father's friends die in misery. Remus' pain had to be intolerable. Every gasp from Remus' mouth caused Harry to flinch and grind his teeth, and he vowed to himself that he would exact revenge for this foul attack.
Finally the door flung open and Hermione and Ron came bustling through the door.
"Harry! Professor Dumbledore! We have it, we got the potion!" Hermione gasped as she ran breathlessly into the room, carefully clutching a vial that had a faint red glow. Gingerly extending the precious vial to Dumbledore with shaking hands, Hermione eagerly looked at Harry.
"This HAS to work, I just know it."
Dumbledore quickly pulled off the stopper of the vial and measured out a large dose for Remus. Gently grasping the writhing wizard's neck to sit him up, the ancient wizard slowly poured the red potion down Remus' throat. At one point Remus gagged at the vile concoction, almost spitting the fluid out, but Dumbledore firmly held on to the writhing man. After several moments the entire dose had been poured down his throat and Dumbledore let him sink back into the bed.
Remus was gasping for breath, sweat started pouring out of him and within moments the bed was drenched. If possible he seemed to be in more pain and his writhing increased as the agony grabbed hold of every fiber of his being. The little crowd watched anxiously for a sign, any sign, to indicate that the potion was working. Moments crept by into minutes. Minutes crept by, silence pervaded the entire room except for the ragged, gasping breaths of Remus.
Harry stared in silent concern at his friend, desperation eating at him as he watched this kind and loving man struggle for his very life. As Harry watched the sweat pour out of his friend, he noticed that a large tear was forming in Remus' eye. Gradually the tear grew bigger and bigger until it streamed down his face, leaving a faint red trail along its path. Another tear formed and followed that same path, leaving a deeper red path.
Harry looked more carefully at his friend and realized that every pore of his body was starting to turn red, as if Remus was being poked by something hot at each pore. Realization dawned on him in an instant.
"It's working, sweet Merlin, I think it is working. But the silver is burning his skin. We have to remove his sweat and tears immediately or it will keep burning him."
Dumbledore nodded his head and quickly waved his wand and muttered several incantations. Remus was quickly lifted from the bed by invisible hands and a massive tub of water appeared. Before letting him drop into the water, Dumbledore conjured up some gillyweed and gently shoved it into Remus' mouth, forcing him to chew. Once the ailing wizard was in the tub, the water started swirling around him, creating a vacuum around his wounded body.
"That should work," Dumbledore said with a faint smile. "With the gillyweed he's able to breathe underwater, and the whirlpool will pull the contaminated liquid away from his body. It will take some time I think, but we may have done the impossible."
Turning his beaming face towards Hermione, Dumbledore offered her a grand smile.
"Congratulations, Ms. Granger. You are the first witch or wizard to successfully cure a werewolf of this dreadful curse. I am sure the mediwizards will want to congratulate you and talk to you about your insight, but well done, well done indeed."
Grasping the beaming girl in a tight hug, Dumbledore seemed to be decades younger. The deep furrows of worry had receded and the mystical twinkle was back in his eyes. Looking over at Harry, the ancient wizard nodded his head to reassure him that everything would be alright.
Disentangling himself from Hermione's awed embrace, he patted her on the shoulder and quietly excused himself from the room to inform the mediwizards of her remarkable cure.
Harry crossed over to Hermione and grabbed her in a fierce embrace. Tears were streaming down his face in relief as he allowed himself to hope for a swift recovery for Remus.
"Th-Thanks, Hermione," he murmured. "I knew you'd be able to figure it out, but, well, thanks."
Hermione responded with a fierce hug of her own.
"Harry, we're all in this together. I don't care what the stupid prophecy says, it doesn't mean you'll be alone. We're a family, all of us, and family fights for each other."
Reaching out to Ron, she pulled him in to the hug, along with Ginny and Mrs. Weasley, and the small group stood for several minutes trying to comfort and reassure each other.
***
It took several hours for Hermione's potion to do all of its work and burn out the dreadful effects of the curse. But after several comprehensive exams by the mediwizards, who were truly impressed by Hermione's cure, Remus was finally removed from the water and allowed to rest in his hospital bed.
Mrs. Weasley wanted to bring everyone back to Harry's to sleep, but Harry refused. Instead he sat in a chair next to Remus' bed and spent the night watching over Remus. Every once in a while Harry would dip a cloth into a bucket of ice water and wipe Remus' forehead, trying to relieve the strain evident on the older wizard's face.
By the middle of the night Remus seemed to relax a bit more and the pain seemed to recede. He was sleeping comfortably and breathing regularly, and Harry finally allowed himself to accept the possibility that Remus would truly be okay.
Realizing how tired he was, Harry rested his head down on the bed near Remus' hand and slowly drifted off to sleep. He slept for hours, his body eagerly relaxing and attempting to recuperate from the strain of the day's events. His dreams shifted from pleasant memories to darker ones.
Harry was reliving a confrontation with Malfoy at school, his first really, when he first realized he could fly on a broom. But this time, instead of catching Neville's remembrall, when he caught up with it the object was no longer a clear crystal sphere. Instead it was Sirius' hand. Harry wasn't sure how he knew what it was, but it was clearly Sirius' hand. Dropping it in disgust, the dream Harry floated back down to the crowd gathered below him.
Instead of cheering Gryffindors, Harry was faced with a crowd of Deatheaters and other angry witches and wizards. All of them were looking at him with anger or fury. Confused, he tried to reach out to one of them, but the crowd melted away from his touch. Pushing forward he tried to grab hold of a Deatheater, who simply disappeared. Turning in frustration, Harry heard a soft, venomous chuckle, and he felt the familiar pain of Voldemort establishing a connection with Harry through the scar.
Voldemort appeared in the middle of the courtyard, and the crowd abruptly vanished. Voldemort looked over at Harry, his red eyes burning with anger, but his mouth was lifted up in a smirk as he looked down at Harry.
"It has been a while, young Potter," he sneered. "I trust you've missed me?"
"Get out of my mind," Harry seethed. "You can't harm me here, and you know it."
"I can do many terrible things to you Harry. Your mother's precious protection doesn't work in your dreams, and I can harm you in immeasurable ways."
Voldemort quietly muttered something and flicked his wand at Harry. Harry tried to dodge the beam, but felt leaden and slow, he wasn't fast enough. Pain, unbearable and intense, flared through his entire body. Harry screamed.
Voldemort laughed at the spectacle of his enemy floundering on the ground like a fish out of water and grinned at the agony the boy was obviously feeling.
Eventually he decided to end the curse and let Harry catch his breath. Unfortunately for Voldemort that was a mistake.
Gasping for breath Harry stood up. His legs were shaking from the twitches in his muscles from Voldemort's curse. Slowly he calmed his legs and caught his breath. Glaring at Voldemort with venom in his eyes, Harry slowly concentrated on Voldemort's face. Repressing a shudder at the horrible sight in front of him, Harry took a deep breath and held it. Concentrating all of his anger towards his lifelong enemy, Harry pushed his mind out towards Voldemort.
"I SAID GET OUT OF MY MIND!!!" Harry screamed. As he screamed he pushed at Voldemort with his anger and a bright flash of light shot out of Harry towards Voldemort. Harry suddenly felt a swooshing sensation as if he was being pulled rapidly away by his belt. As he flew away he heard the sounds of Voldemort screaming in inhuman agony.
With a sharp gasp Harry woke up and nearly fell over in his chair. Dazed from his dream he didn't realize that the only reason he hadn't fallen to the ground was because Remus had grabbed on to his shoulders and kept him from crashing to the ground.
"Harry? Are you okay? You were shouting," Remus said, his voice shaking just a bit.
"Remus? Remus, you're awake! Thank goodness you're awake!" Harry shouted with joy, momentarily forgetting his dream, Harry was overcome with joy at the prospect of his friend waking up.
"Yes, I'm awake. How could I sleep with that racket you were making? Tell me, was it a dream or worse? You were yelling," Remus said, concern resonating through his voice.
"Never mind, I'm fine," he said firmly. "How are you?"
Remus slowly let go of Harry's shoulders, reluctantly deciding that Harry wouldn't divulge anything about his obvious nightmare. Groaning with the exertion of sitting up, Remus slowly stretched his aching arms and back.
"Merlin, I feel terrible. I feel worse than after a full moon. What happened?"
"We were attacked by Deatheaters, and Bellatrix hit you with the Silverthread Curse."
Remus gasped, his eyes widening in horror. "H-how long?" he asked.
"About a day," said Harry, misunderstanding the question.
Remus groaned and collapsed back into the bed, his eyes watering in dread.
"Okay," he sighed. "How will they control the pain? From what I recall, it is supposed to be excruciatingly painful."
Realizing the confusion immediately, Harry interrupted. "Remus, you don't understand, you were cured."
"Harry, I don't know what they told you, but there's no cure. It's fatal to a werewolf. I know, it's okay, I'm just, I'm just sorry that you have to see me die, so soon after Sirius." Tears welled up in his eyes, and Remus shook his head at the cursed life he had led.
"No, Remus, you don't understand. Hermione and Dumbledore, they came up with a cure. They gave you something called the Bloodfire Draught, and it cured you."
Remus was stunned. It was impossible to survive the Silverthread Curse, every werewolf knew it. Even though its use had died out centuries ago, werewolves to this day knew about the deadly, painful method of torturing their kind to death. Remus couldn't even begin to hope that it was true. Maybe Dumbledore was trying to be kind to the young boy who had already lost so much, by giving him some false hope. Shaking his head with determination he looked at Harry with fondness in his eyes.
"I'm sorry Harry, but it's just not possible. I know this will be hard, but we have to accept the truth."
"Listen you stupid mongrel," Harry snapped, irritation and a hint of humor mixed in his voice. "When I tell you that the smartest witch of my generation and the most powerful wizard alive have managed to find a cure that stumped wizards for centuries, don't question it, accept the miracle and rejoice in your salvation."
"Merlin, you sound just like your father," breathed Remus. Could it be true, he wondered. Could it possibly be true? Sure, the pain was much less severe than it had been for the past several hours, and Remus didn't feel like he was being ripped apart at the seams any longer.
"Harry, is it REALLY true? Dumbledore and Hermione? They saved me?"
Nodding his head, tears standing in his eyes, Harry grinned at Remus. "Yes, it's true. We managed to get you here fast enough and Hermione and Dumbledore figured out how to save you. The mediwizards spent hours talking with Hermione about her idea after she and Snape made the potion and gave it to you."
"Sev-Severus? He helped?" Remus asked in an awed voice. "I owe him my life? That will take some getting used to, I think."
"No!" seethed Harry. "If anyone, you owe Hermione, not that foul despicable man. He was merely the way of getting the potion done in time. If Hermione had all the ingredients, we wouldn't have needed him."
"Okay Harry, fine," Remus said, trying to calm down the agitated teenager. "I'm just glad to be alive."
Just then the door swung open and a blurred form rushed through, knocking Harry out of the way and crashing into Remus on his bed. Harry could hear muffled sobs coming from the mysterious person and watched in astonishment as the person suddenly started shifting form in front of him.
Realizing that it had to be Tonks, Harry was stunned to see her weeping and clutching at Remus. If it wasn't such a serious moment, he would have laughed. Remus was obviously trying to disentangle himself from Tonks' firm grip so he could sit up, while at the same time reassuring her that he was okay.
"Nymphadora, I'm okay, I'm going to be okay," Remus said, patting her on the head as he squired his way into a more dignified position.
"Oh Remus, I was so worried when Dumbledore told me, I wanted to Apparate here but he was worried that I would splinch myself, so he made me take the Knight Bus. It took so long, they wouldn't move me ahead in the queue. Oh Remus," she started sobbing again.
"Nymphadora, please, I'm okay. They've cured me, it's a miracle, but I'm going to be okay. Now stop this, please, you're embarrassing Harry." Remus let out a soft chuckle, but Harry noticed that he was still clutching on to Tonks as if his life depended on it.
"Wh-What? Harry's here, oh bloody hell, hiya Harry," Tonks said as she turned her tear streaked face towards Harry and offered him a wan smile. "Erm, how are you doing?"
"I'm fine, in fact I think I'll go for a bit of a walk and let the two of you have some time together. Take care of him Tonks," Harry smiled as he walked out.
"With all my heart," Tonks replied, automatically, and immediately blushed as she realized that she had said that out loud. Remus' face burst into flames and he looked at Tonks with astonishment as Harry quietly shut the door to prevent them from hearing his sniggering.
***
Harry was sitting in the hallway drinking a rich cup of hot chocolate when Ron and Hermione entered the hallway, walking toward Harry hand in hand with small smiles on their faces.
"Hiya Harry, how's Remus?" Hermione asked.
"He's still in some pain, and needs more sleep, but he's doing okay. Thanks to you," Harry replied with a broad smile. Hermione blushed with deserved pride and grasped Harry in a tight hug.
"Easy there you two, I'm going to get jealous in a second," Ron teased, grasping Harry's shoulders in a brotherly hug.
"Worried she'll come to her senses?" Harry quipped back.
"Sod off, you," Ron said, forcibly separating his girlfriend and best friend who were both grinning at him. "We did come by to see how you were doing, but with an attitude like that, maybe we'll just pop in and see how Professor Lupin is doing."
"Oh, well, I wouldn't go in there if I were you?" Harry replied.
"Oh, c'mon, Hermione saved his life, I'm sure he'd want to see her," Ron said, pushing the door open and immediately turning around with his mouth hanging open and his cheeks flaming in embarrassment.
"Ron? Is everything okay?" Hermione asked, concern edging into her voice.
"Yeah, Herms, it's just erm, well, you see Professor Lupin is a little occupied at the moment. I'm sure he'll be fine in a moment or two now that he knows we're out here."
Hermione stared at him, not understanding what Ron was saying until the door opened with a blushing Tonks gesturing them in to the room.
"Oh," said Hermione, a small blush creeping up on her face. "Erm, hi Tonks. We're here to see Professor Lupin, I hope that's okay?"
Tonks nodded her head and opened the door further to let them in. "No problem. He wants to see you Hermione, to thank you. As do I. You have no idea how thankful I am that you saved his life."
"Oh, I think I may have some small idea, Tonks," Hermione replied, giving Ron a small smile. "Somebody has to take care of the men in our lives, right? I'm just glad that I was able to help."
"And help you did," Remus said from his hospital bed. "Thank you Hermione, I would have died if you hadn't come up with such a clever cure. I am indebted to you for the rest of my life."
Remus spoke with an intensity and sincerity that caused Hermione's eyes to well with tears. Ron quietly grabbed hold of her hand and gave her a proud squeeze. Hermione nodded her head at the compliments and sighed.
"I'm glad I could help," she said. "And I'm glad you are okay."
"Me too," replied Remus. "Me too."
The Daily Prophet – Special Evening Edition
BOY WHO LIVED DENOUNCES THE DARK LORD
Dark Lord's Father was a Muggle!
by Walter Scrivener, Wizard in Chief
Events unfolded dramatically at a special meeting of the shareholders
of the Daily Prophet. The meeting was called by former Minister
Cornelius Fudge to attempt to prevent Harry Potter from his rightful
place on the Board of Directors (see page 5 for a description of how
the Boy Who Lived inherited his fortune), and the shareholders of the
Daily Prophet met today to decide whether Mr. Potter should sit on the
Board.
The new Minister of Magic, Arthur Weasley, repudiated Mr. Fudge's
charges, and called for an immediate vote. It was unanimous, and Mr.
Potter was immediately installed on the Board of Directors. It is
here where today's news really begins.
Upon being installed on the Board, young Mr. Potter (see page 7 for
the life story of Mr. Potter and the untimely demise of his parents)
described the dark events that have stalked his entire life.
Faithful readers will recall the historic testimony of Mr. Potter from
the various trials of Mr. Lucius Malfoy, Mr. Peter Pettigrew, and Mr.
Sirius Black (see page 11 for related stories). At today's hearing,
Mr. Potter expanded on his previous testimony.
It appears that the Dark Lord has a rather mundane beginning. His
mother, a witch of the darkest temperament, found herself pregnant
with the illicit love child of a muggle. Indeed faithful readers, it
could be said of the imperious Lord Voldemort that he is a mudblood,
or dirty-blood, or any number of vile epithets that his followers cast
at the majority of our kind.
Born Tom Marvolo Riddle, Mr. Riddle started researching the Dark Arts
at an early age while at Hogwart's. Apparently responsible for the
death of a fellow student, he managed to escape detection by placing
the blame on Rubeus Hagrid, Groundskeeper and teacher at Hogwarts.
After graduating from Hogwarts, Mr. Riddle traveled across Europe in
search of the foulest and darkest wizards, desperately searching for
more power, despite the taint of such evil.
Mr. Riddle has used his given name as an anagram and came up with the
designation of Lord Voldemort. Please see the accompanying picture of
young Mr. Potter to see the display of how this works.
Mr. Potter described all of this to the shareholders today and
challenged this paper to reveal the truth. "Do not fear this evil
man's assumed name," the young hero challenged us. "He is no more and
no less than a dark and evil wizard. If we stand together we can
defeat him! I call on all of our kind to call him by his true name,
or even his assumed one, but we must not be afraid to name this evil
for what it is."
We are only happy to oblige the request of the Boy Who Lived, and the
Daily Prophet will stop using such silly titles as He Who Must Not Be
Named.
***
Harry was frantically pacing around the small waiting room outside of the chamber where his favorite professor was fighting for his life. It was a horrible feeling, and it caused dark and painful thoughts to float around in his head. The anguish he had felt at the beginning of the summer still hadn't been entirely resolved, he was still dealing on a daily basis with the death of his godfather, but this attack on top of Sirius' death made Harry's head spin.
Harry couldn't even begin to guess how the Deatheaters had managed to find the two of them. He had no visions from Voldemort which might have served as a link. Harry doubted it was pure chance. So how were they tracked? As he paced around the room, wrapping his head around that query, he was relieved when a door opened and Professor Dumbledore rushed in.
"Professor, he's in there. Do you have the cure? Where are the potions?"
Dumbledore looked at Harry with sad eyes. The twinkle was gone, and Harry sensed that the man was feeling every one of his numerous years. A feeling of despair hit Harry like a physical blow.
"I have a few things to make him comfortable, and Severus is brewing a few others for me as we speak. However, Harry, we must be prepared for the worst. No werewolf has ever survived the Silverthread Curse, but the mediwizards have never gotten a victim this soon. Perhaps there is hope."
Despite the headmaster's words, his voice and body did not seem to hold out any thoughts of survival for Remus Lupin. Excusing himself from Harry, he rushed into the next room.
"How can we trust Snape, when we still haven't learned why he attacked me?" Harry asked himself. Not expecting any answers from the empty room, Harry continued his pacing.
Another commotion outside pulled Harry away from his pained thoughts and he found himself wrapped in a massive hug from Mrs. Weasley. As he gasped for air, she finally released him, only to be swarmed by Hermione and Ginny.
"Thank Merlin you're alive," said Ginny, grabbing him tightly.
"We were worried Harry," added Hermione, joining in the hug. "All we knew was that there was an attack and you and Remus were at St. Mungo's. What happened?"
Harry quickly described the attack, how he and Remus had stalled the Deatheaters long enough for Dumbledore and the Aurors to arrive. When Harry described the curse that had hurt Remus, Hermione's face paled and she gasped.
"Oh no," she moaned. "That's dreadful! What are they doing for him?"
"I don't know," Harry replied. "Dumbledore brought in some potions, but he didn't seem too optimistic."
Hermione quickly started pacing the room, muttering to herself. Her eyes were deep in thought and she ignored the stares of those gathered in the room. After several minutes Ron couldn't control himself any more.
"Hermione!" he said, grabbing her. "Out with it, what are you thinking about?"
"I was just trying to remember what Newt Scamander said about the Silverthread Curse."
"Who?" Harry and Ron asked simultaneously.
"Honestly, do you two ever pay attention to your coursework?" Ginny asked.
"Newt Scamander is the author of several books about magical creatures. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Dangerous Creatures and How to Kill Them. And many more. In Dangerous Creatures he describes the various ways to capture or kill a werewolf and one method is the Silverthread Curse. He didn't describe how to perform it since it has been banned for two centuries."
"Why'd it get banned?" Harry asked.
"It's incredibly cruel," Hermione replied quietly. "It's deadly, but the sole purpose of that particular curse is to cause the death of a werewolf over a long period of time. It takes days or weeks for the victim to die, but it has always caused the death of its victim. The Ministry decided that if a werewolf needed to be killed, there were other, more humane ways to do it, so they prohibited it. It's not quite an Unforgivable, but it is close enough. It's not listed because no one is supposed to know how to do it. But I guess they were wrong."
Harry was anguished. His friend was dying from a curse long since removed from the collective memory of witches and wizards, and it had no known cure. Hermione, the smartest witch he knew, said it was fatal, and Dumbledore, the most powerful wizard alive, seemed to think even he couldn't do anything. Despair welled in his stomach, and he felt like he was going to be sick.
"Ron, we need to go back to Harry's. I need to get my books." Hermione's voice was firm and determined. Ron looked at her with surprise, but saw that she was set on this strategy. Nodding his head, the two of them left the room, leaving Harry alone with Mrs. Weasley and Ginny.
"Harry, dear, can I get you something to eat or drink? Or a more comfortable chair?" Mrs. Weasley relied on her mothering instincts in times of stress, and she knew he would refuse, but she had to try.
"No, thank you, Mrs. Weasley. I'm fine. I just wish that Dumbledore would come out so I could talk with him."
"I'm sure he's doing what he can right now, we just have to wait, and hope."
Hours passed, and finally Dumbledore came back out, his face grave and his eyes dulled in their sockets.
"He's more comfortable, but he is deteriorating rapidly. I don't believe that there is much hope," he sighed.
"NO!" shouted Harry. "We have to do something, anything. Where does this Silverthread Curse come from? There has to be a something that will work, we just need to figure it out."
"Alas, I know of no such cure. It is a dreadful curse, with terrible origins. It causes the iron in a person's blood to slowly turn into silver. It would not be a problem for a normal person, but as Remus is a werewolf, the effects are fatal. As his blood is turned into liquid silver, it poisons him and kills him. His own blood is eating away at his body."
"What about a transfusion?" Harry asked, desperation seeping into his throat.
"No, that wouldn't work, he would need a full replacement, and even then the silver would just regenerate itself."
"Isn't there anything we can do?" begged Harry. As Dumbledore started shaking his head sadly, the outer door burst open again and Hermione and Ron came rushing back in, Ron was struggling with a bag full of books and Hermione had one open in her arms, reading feverishly as she came into the room.
"Harry, Harry!" she cried. "I think I have an idea. Oh, hello Professor Dumbledore, I didn't see you there." Hermione had walked right into the headmaster in her eagerness to bring the book to Harry. It was unlike any book Harry had seen since it was not a book for school, instead it looked like a muggle book on medicine.
"What is that?" he asked. "Where did you get it?"
"Oh, erm, I was doing some independent research for a paper on medicine and bought a few muggle medical textbooks."
"Hermione, we don't have any homework over the summer, they didn't give us any because we didn't know our courses until we got our OWL results."
"Well, I knew I'd be taking the Magical Medicine course, I just wasn't sure if I would take it at NEWT level, but that's beside the point. Ron, give me that other book."
Ron pulled out a large, dusty tome from the library Hermione inherited from Sirius. The leather binding was cracked with age and the parchment looked incredibly brittle as Ron slowly opened the book Hermione had asked for.
"You see," the brainy witch explained, "I was reading this muggle textbook on medicine. It talks about a treatment they use for treating some cancer patients. They use chemicals to burn out the cancer and then let the body heal itself. I thought maybe that idea would work with Professor Lupin. We could burn out the silver, and then help his body heal with other potions."
"But won't that kill him? Burning him from the inside out?" asked Harry.
"Well," said Hermione tentatively, "that's the whole point. You use certain chemicals to try to kill the cancer faster than the rest of the body. Once the cancer is dead, you stop the treatment, and then heal him. There's got to be a way to make this work."
"Indeed there is, my child," said Dumbledore, a faint glimmer of the twinkle returning to his eye. "That is a brilliant notion. May I review that book?"
Hermione eagerly gave him her muggle textbook and the ancient wizard started quickly leafing through the pages. Harry and his friends stared with astonishment as Dumbledore seemed to flip through each page, pausing briefly to scan each page. Finally Dumbledore slammed the book shut and crowed with delight.
"Absolutely brilliant! These wonderful muggles have such amazing concepts. Now, we must hurry. Hermione, my child, do me a favor and give me the book Magical Maladies and Poisons of Ancient Egypt. I trust that you brought that text?"
Ron snorted and started digging through the bag, looking for the book. "Of course she brought it, I've got half the bloody library in here. I think I'll need to check in here myself from the strain."
"Ronald!" gasped Mrs. Weasley. "Watch your language!"
Hermione smiled and grabbed the book from her blushing boyfriend's hand.
"Of course Professor, I thought it might be useful since the ancient Egyptians pioneered most treatments for blood related diseases, and they certainly had a large amount of experience with magical poisons."
She handed the book over to Professor Dumbledore and eagerly showed him the index. Scanning through the list of poisons and spells in the book, Dumbledore's eyes stopped at a place where Hermione had excitedly made a mark.
"The Bloodfire Draught," he whispered aloud, in amazement. "This just might work. Hermione, dear child, you have my deepest thanks. Perhaps I can induce you to assist Professor Snape in the making of this dreadful potion? It is incredibly complex and I believe that he will need you to help prepare the ingredients if we are to save Remus. We are fortunate that this deadly poison does not take too long to prepare, largely because it is so volatile."
"But Professor," interrupted Harry. "We still don't know why Snape tried to use that Portkey on me, we don't know if he's still on our side! We can't trust Hermione, or Remus, to him."
Dumbledore looked at Harry with weary eyes.
"Professor Snape," he said, emphasizing the title, "has earned my trust. I do not know his explanation for the attack on your relatives household, for he just arrived at Hogwarts this afternoon, prior to the attack on the two of you. But he agreed to be bound to the castle, and is unable to leave until I release him, no matter what summons he may receive. We will get to the bottom of that incident. I ask you to trust me Harry, but saving Remus is of the primary importance."
Anger at Snape dueled with concern for Remus in Harry's head. The agony he felt at the prospect of Remus dying won out, and Harry reluctantly nodded his head.
"But I want Ron to be there too, just in case."
Dumbledore nodded his head at Harry's request and pulled out a cube-shaped object from his robes. It was obviously a Portkey since he handed it to Hermione along with the Egyptian book on poisons. Ron grabbed hold of the cube and they promptly vanished.
Turning to go back into the room where Remus was being cared for, Dumbledore reached for Harry and grasped his shoulder.
"Thank you, Harry. Now, please come in with me, it would do Remus some good to see you, I think. He has been heavily dosed with various potions to relieve the pain, so he may be a little groggy and out of focus."
Concern was etched on Harry's face as he quietly followed Dumbledore into the room where Lupin was lying on a bed. Harry gasped at the sight of his friend and former teacher, it was a horrible sight. Remus was gaunt, as usual, but he seemed to have lost a quarter of his body weight in the few hours since the attack. He was sweating profusely, and Harry could sense that Remus was concentrating on not moaning or screaming with agony. Every muscle was clenched in pain and Remus was swaying back and forth in the bed, rocking along to the rhythmic agony of the foul curse that was destroying his body.
Harry gingerly stepped up to the side of the bed, plunged a cloth into a basin of ice water and wrung it out. With soft, soothing motions he wiped Remus' forehead, trying to ease the pain, if only a little. Great big tears welled up in Harry's eyes, but he continued to soothe his friend's head. Remus' eyes shot open and he looked up at Harry with confusion.
"J-James?" he gasped. "Oh, James, I'm so sorry. Don't be mad, please, I don't really know what happened. I couldn't save Sirius, and I wanted to protect Harry, I did, but something hit me, I'm not sure what. Oh James, I'm sorry I couldn't protect your boy."
"No, Remus, it's me, Harry." Harry tried to reassure his friend, but Remus didn't seem to realize that Harry had spoken.
"He's an amazing boy, James, you and Lilly would be very proud. He has had a hard life, and I'm sorry I wasn't there for him more. But you know how dangerous it is for me to get close to anyone. Don't you? Please James, tell me you understand."
Harry's heart was wrenched by the pleading sound of Remus' voice. Harry stared wordlessly at him, trying to find the right words to alleviate his mental agony. Just then another spasm of pain wracked through Remus' body, causing his eyes to clench shut with agony and his mouth clamped shut as he forestalled another cry of agony. Harry looked over to Dumbledore with accusing eyes.
"I thought you said you had given him something to relieve the pain?" His voice was cold with anger.
"I did, Harry. But the curse is very strong and causes tremendous agony. We've alleviated the pain, but we can not block it."
"What about stunning him? Wouldn't it be better if he was unconscious?"
"I've tried that as well. Nothing seems to work. I cannot make him sleep or make him unconscious, the curse prevents it. We can only hope for a miracle from Ms. Granger and Professor Snape."
Minutes ticked by as Harry kept wiping Remus' forehead with a damp, cool cloth. Harry's nerves were fraying quickly with every spasm, his anger boiling up from deep within. His gaze was centered solely on Remus, and he did not see the tears drop from Dumbledore's eyes.
After one hour Harry had almost given up hope. After two, he was sure that he was doomed to watch the last of his father's friends die in misery. Remus' pain had to be intolerable. Every gasp from Remus' mouth caused Harry to flinch and grind his teeth, and he vowed to himself that he would exact revenge for this foul attack.
Finally the door flung open and Hermione and Ron came bustling through the door.
"Harry! Professor Dumbledore! We have it, we got the potion!" Hermione gasped as she ran breathlessly into the room, carefully clutching a vial that had a faint red glow. Gingerly extending the precious vial to Dumbledore with shaking hands, Hermione eagerly looked at Harry.
"This HAS to work, I just know it."
Dumbledore quickly pulled off the stopper of the vial and measured out a large dose for Remus. Gently grasping the writhing wizard's neck to sit him up, the ancient wizard slowly poured the red potion down Remus' throat. At one point Remus gagged at the vile concoction, almost spitting the fluid out, but Dumbledore firmly held on to the writhing man. After several moments the entire dose had been poured down his throat and Dumbledore let him sink back into the bed.
Remus was gasping for breath, sweat started pouring out of him and within moments the bed was drenched. If possible he seemed to be in more pain and his writhing increased as the agony grabbed hold of every fiber of his being. The little crowd watched anxiously for a sign, any sign, to indicate that the potion was working. Moments crept by into minutes. Minutes crept by, silence pervaded the entire room except for the ragged, gasping breaths of Remus.
Harry stared in silent concern at his friend, desperation eating at him as he watched this kind and loving man struggle for his very life. As Harry watched the sweat pour out of his friend, he noticed that a large tear was forming in Remus' eye. Gradually the tear grew bigger and bigger until it streamed down his face, leaving a faint red trail along its path. Another tear formed and followed that same path, leaving a deeper red path.
Harry looked more carefully at his friend and realized that every pore of his body was starting to turn red, as if Remus was being poked by something hot at each pore. Realization dawned on him in an instant.
"It's working, sweet Merlin, I think it is working. But the silver is burning his skin. We have to remove his sweat and tears immediately or it will keep burning him."
Dumbledore nodded his head and quickly waved his wand and muttered several incantations. Remus was quickly lifted from the bed by invisible hands and a massive tub of water appeared. Before letting him drop into the water, Dumbledore conjured up some gillyweed and gently shoved it into Remus' mouth, forcing him to chew. Once the ailing wizard was in the tub, the water started swirling around him, creating a vacuum around his wounded body.
"That should work," Dumbledore said with a faint smile. "With the gillyweed he's able to breathe underwater, and the whirlpool will pull the contaminated liquid away from his body. It will take some time I think, but we may have done the impossible."
Turning his beaming face towards Hermione, Dumbledore offered her a grand smile.
"Congratulations, Ms. Granger. You are the first witch or wizard to successfully cure a werewolf of this dreadful curse. I am sure the mediwizards will want to congratulate you and talk to you about your insight, but well done, well done indeed."
Grasping the beaming girl in a tight hug, Dumbledore seemed to be decades younger. The deep furrows of worry had receded and the mystical twinkle was back in his eyes. Looking over at Harry, the ancient wizard nodded his head to reassure him that everything would be alright.
Disentangling himself from Hermione's awed embrace, he patted her on the shoulder and quietly excused himself from the room to inform the mediwizards of her remarkable cure.
Harry crossed over to Hermione and grabbed her in a fierce embrace. Tears were streaming down his face in relief as he allowed himself to hope for a swift recovery for Remus.
"Th-Thanks, Hermione," he murmured. "I knew you'd be able to figure it out, but, well, thanks."
Hermione responded with a fierce hug of her own.
"Harry, we're all in this together. I don't care what the stupid prophecy says, it doesn't mean you'll be alone. We're a family, all of us, and family fights for each other."
Reaching out to Ron, she pulled him in to the hug, along with Ginny and Mrs. Weasley, and the small group stood for several minutes trying to comfort and reassure each other.
***
It took several hours for Hermione's potion to do all of its work and burn out the dreadful effects of the curse. But after several comprehensive exams by the mediwizards, who were truly impressed by Hermione's cure, Remus was finally removed from the water and allowed to rest in his hospital bed.
Mrs. Weasley wanted to bring everyone back to Harry's to sleep, but Harry refused. Instead he sat in a chair next to Remus' bed and spent the night watching over Remus. Every once in a while Harry would dip a cloth into a bucket of ice water and wipe Remus' forehead, trying to relieve the strain evident on the older wizard's face.
By the middle of the night Remus seemed to relax a bit more and the pain seemed to recede. He was sleeping comfortably and breathing regularly, and Harry finally allowed himself to accept the possibility that Remus would truly be okay.
Realizing how tired he was, Harry rested his head down on the bed near Remus' hand and slowly drifted off to sleep. He slept for hours, his body eagerly relaxing and attempting to recuperate from the strain of the day's events. His dreams shifted from pleasant memories to darker ones.
Harry was reliving a confrontation with Malfoy at school, his first really, when he first realized he could fly on a broom. But this time, instead of catching Neville's remembrall, when he caught up with it the object was no longer a clear crystal sphere. Instead it was Sirius' hand. Harry wasn't sure how he knew what it was, but it was clearly Sirius' hand. Dropping it in disgust, the dream Harry floated back down to the crowd gathered below him.
Instead of cheering Gryffindors, Harry was faced with a crowd of Deatheaters and other angry witches and wizards. All of them were looking at him with anger or fury. Confused, he tried to reach out to one of them, but the crowd melted away from his touch. Pushing forward he tried to grab hold of a Deatheater, who simply disappeared. Turning in frustration, Harry heard a soft, venomous chuckle, and he felt the familiar pain of Voldemort establishing a connection with Harry through the scar.
Voldemort appeared in the middle of the courtyard, and the crowd abruptly vanished. Voldemort looked over at Harry, his red eyes burning with anger, but his mouth was lifted up in a smirk as he looked down at Harry.
"It has been a while, young Potter," he sneered. "I trust you've missed me?"
"Get out of my mind," Harry seethed. "You can't harm me here, and you know it."
"I can do many terrible things to you Harry. Your mother's precious protection doesn't work in your dreams, and I can harm you in immeasurable ways."
Voldemort quietly muttered something and flicked his wand at Harry. Harry tried to dodge the beam, but felt leaden and slow, he wasn't fast enough. Pain, unbearable and intense, flared through his entire body. Harry screamed.
Voldemort laughed at the spectacle of his enemy floundering on the ground like a fish out of water and grinned at the agony the boy was obviously feeling.
Eventually he decided to end the curse and let Harry catch his breath. Unfortunately for Voldemort that was a mistake.
Gasping for breath Harry stood up. His legs were shaking from the twitches in his muscles from Voldemort's curse. Slowly he calmed his legs and caught his breath. Glaring at Voldemort with venom in his eyes, Harry slowly concentrated on Voldemort's face. Repressing a shudder at the horrible sight in front of him, Harry took a deep breath and held it. Concentrating all of his anger towards his lifelong enemy, Harry pushed his mind out towards Voldemort.
"I SAID GET OUT OF MY MIND!!!" Harry screamed. As he screamed he pushed at Voldemort with his anger and a bright flash of light shot out of Harry towards Voldemort. Harry suddenly felt a swooshing sensation as if he was being pulled rapidly away by his belt. As he flew away he heard the sounds of Voldemort screaming in inhuman agony.
With a sharp gasp Harry woke up and nearly fell over in his chair. Dazed from his dream he didn't realize that the only reason he hadn't fallen to the ground was because Remus had grabbed on to his shoulders and kept him from crashing to the ground.
"Harry? Are you okay? You were shouting," Remus said, his voice shaking just a bit.
"Remus? Remus, you're awake! Thank goodness you're awake!" Harry shouted with joy, momentarily forgetting his dream, Harry was overcome with joy at the prospect of his friend waking up.
"Yes, I'm awake. How could I sleep with that racket you were making? Tell me, was it a dream or worse? You were yelling," Remus said, concern resonating through his voice.
"Never mind, I'm fine," he said firmly. "How are you?"
Remus slowly let go of Harry's shoulders, reluctantly deciding that Harry wouldn't divulge anything about his obvious nightmare. Groaning with the exertion of sitting up, Remus slowly stretched his aching arms and back.
"Merlin, I feel terrible. I feel worse than after a full moon. What happened?"
"We were attacked by Deatheaters, and Bellatrix hit you with the Silverthread Curse."
Remus gasped, his eyes widening in horror. "H-how long?" he asked.
"About a day," said Harry, misunderstanding the question.
Remus groaned and collapsed back into the bed, his eyes watering in dread.
"Okay," he sighed. "How will they control the pain? From what I recall, it is supposed to be excruciatingly painful."
Realizing the confusion immediately, Harry interrupted. "Remus, you don't understand, you were cured."
"Harry, I don't know what they told you, but there's no cure. It's fatal to a werewolf. I know, it's okay, I'm just, I'm just sorry that you have to see me die, so soon after Sirius." Tears welled up in his eyes, and Remus shook his head at the cursed life he had led.
"No, Remus, you don't understand. Hermione and Dumbledore, they came up with a cure. They gave you something called the Bloodfire Draught, and it cured you."
Remus was stunned. It was impossible to survive the Silverthread Curse, every werewolf knew it. Even though its use had died out centuries ago, werewolves to this day knew about the deadly, painful method of torturing their kind to death. Remus couldn't even begin to hope that it was true. Maybe Dumbledore was trying to be kind to the young boy who had already lost so much, by giving him some false hope. Shaking his head with determination he looked at Harry with fondness in his eyes.
"I'm sorry Harry, but it's just not possible. I know this will be hard, but we have to accept the truth."
"Listen you stupid mongrel," Harry snapped, irritation and a hint of humor mixed in his voice. "When I tell you that the smartest witch of my generation and the most powerful wizard alive have managed to find a cure that stumped wizards for centuries, don't question it, accept the miracle and rejoice in your salvation."
"Merlin, you sound just like your father," breathed Remus. Could it be true, he wondered. Could it possibly be true? Sure, the pain was much less severe than it had been for the past several hours, and Remus didn't feel like he was being ripped apart at the seams any longer.
"Harry, is it REALLY true? Dumbledore and Hermione? They saved me?"
Nodding his head, tears standing in his eyes, Harry grinned at Remus. "Yes, it's true. We managed to get you here fast enough and Hermione and Dumbledore figured out how to save you. The mediwizards spent hours talking with Hermione about her idea after she and Snape made the potion and gave it to you."
"Sev-Severus? He helped?" Remus asked in an awed voice. "I owe him my life? That will take some getting used to, I think."
"No!" seethed Harry. "If anyone, you owe Hermione, not that foul despicable man. He was merely the way of getting the potion done in time. If Hermione had all the ingredients, we wouldn't have needed him."
"Okay Harry, fine," Remus said, trying to calm down the agitated teenager. "I'm just glad to be alive."
Just then the door swung open and a blurred form rushed through, knocking Harry out of the way and crashing into Remus on his bed. Harry could hear muffled sobs coming from the mysterious person and watched in astonishment as the person suddenly started shifting form in front of him.
Realizing that it had to be Tonks, Harry was stunned to see her weeping and clutching at Remus. If it wasn't such a serious moment, he would have laughed. Remus was obviously trying to disentangle himself from Tonks' firm grip so he could sit up, while at the same time reassuring her that he was okay.
"Nymphadora, I'm okay, I'm going to be okay," Remus said, patting her on the head as he squired his way into a more dignified position.
"Oh Remus, I was so worried when Dumbledore told me, I wanted to Apparate here but he was worried that I would splinch myself, so he made me take the Knight Bus. It took so long, they wouldn't move me ahead in the queue. Oh Remus," she started sobbing again.
"Nymphadora, please, I'm okay. They've cured me, it's a miracle, but I'm going to be okay. Now stop this, please, you're embarrassing Harry." Remus let out a soft chuckle, but Harry noticed that he was still clutching on to Tonks as if his life depended on it.
"Wh-What? Harry's here, oh bloody hell, hiya Harry," Tonks said as she turned her tear streaked face towards Harry and offered him a wan smile. "Erm, how are you doing?"
"I'm fine, in fact I think I'll go for a bit of a walk and let the two of you have some time together. Take care of him Tonks," Harry smiled as he walked out.
"With all my heart," Tonks replied, automatically, and immediately blushed as she realized that she had said that out loud. Remus' face burst into flames and he looked at Tonks with astonishment as Harry quietly shut the door to prevent them from hearing his sniggering.
***
Harry was sitting in the hallway drinking a rich cup of hot chocolate when Ron and Hermione entered the hallway, walking toward Harry hand in hand with small smiles on their faces.
"Hiya Harry, how's Remus?" Hermione asked.
"He's still in some pain, and needs more sleep, but he's doing okay. Thanks to you," Harry replied with a broad smile. Hermione blushed with deserved pride and grasped Harry in a tight hug.
"Easy there you two, I'm going to get jealous in a second," Ron teased, grasping Harry's shoulders in a brotherly hug.
"Worried she'll come to her senses?" Harry quipped back.
"Sod off, you," Ron said, forcibly separating his girlfriend and best friend who were both grinning at him. "We did come by to see how you were doing, but with an attitude like that, maybe we'll just pop in and see how Professor Lupin is doing."
"Oh, well, I wouldn't go in there if I were you?" Harry replied.
"Oh, c'mon, Hermione saved his life, I'm sure he'd want to see her," Ron said, pushing the door open and immediately turning around with his mouth hanging open and his cheeks flaming in embarrassment.
"Ron? Is everything okay?" Hermione asked, concern edging into her voice.
"Yeah, Herms, it's just erm, well, you see Professor Lupin is a little occupied at the moment. I'm sure he'll be fine in a moment or two now that he knows we're out here."
Hermione stared at him, not understanding what Ron was saying until the door opened with a blushing Tonks gesturing them in to the room.
"Oh," said Hermione, a small blush creeping up on her face. "Erm, hi Tonks. We're here to see Professor Lupin, I hope that's okay?"
Tonks nodded her head and opened the door further to let them in. "No problem. He wants to see you Hermione, to thank you. As do I. You have no idea how thankful I am that you saved his life."
"Oh, I think I may have some small idea, Tonks," Hermione replied, giving Ron a small smile. "Somebody has to take care of the men in our lives, right? I'm just glad that I was able to help."
"And help you did," Remus said from his hospital bed. "Thank you Hermione, I would have died if you hadn't come up with such a clever cure. I am indebted to you for the rest of my life."
Remus spoke with an intensity and sincerity that caused Hermione's eyes to well with tears. Ron quietly grabbed hold of her hand and gave her a proud squeeze. Hermione nodded her head at the compliments and sighed.
"I'm glad I could help," she said. "And I'm glad you are okay."
"Me too," replied Remus. "Me too."