The End
Chapter 39: St. Mungo's
Neve ran through the Forbidden Forest, looking around in the foggy darkness. She heard a twig snap to her left. She turned and started to move stealthily towards the harsh breathing of another. The offender came into view. Neve stopped and pointed the wand she held in her hand.
"Don't move." She said.
Tommy froze in his steps. He turned around to face Neve. She was holding the wand with a shaky hand. He raised an eyebrow.
"Are you really going to shoot me, Neve?" He asked. Neve stared at him, never moving the wand.
"If push comes to shove, yes, I will. Don't make me do it, Tommy. I really don't want to hurt you." Neve said. Tommy nodded.
" You already have hurt me, Neve. You do see this big bruise under my eye and these cuts and stuff, right? Just making sure."
"I don't want to have to kill you, Tommy."
"Then let me go." He said. Neve shook her head. Tommy took a step forward. Neve took one back.
"I can't do that, Tommy. You know I can't do that." Neve said. Tommy nodded.
"Well, then, I'm sorry for what I'm about to do..." Tommy raised his arm.
"Stupefy!" A voice yelled from ehind Neve. Tommy flew back into a tree. He slumped against it. Neve's eyes widened and she turned to face the person who did it. Lina stepped out of the shadows. "Are you all right?" She asked. Neve nodded. She raised her wand at Lina. Lina raised an eyebrow.
"I'm sorry." She whispered. Lina realized too late what Neve was about to do. "Stupefy!" She yelled. Lina flew back on the ground. Neve stared down at her for a moment. She turned around and went over to Tommy. She pointed the wand at him. "Ennervate." She whispered. Tommy blinked his eyes and looked at Neve.
"What just happened?" He asked. Neve shrugged. Tommy looked past her at the stunned Lina and whistled. "She's going to be pissed at you." He said.
"Well, that's something I'll just have to live with." Neve conjured up some bandages and began wrapping Tommy's arm. "You need to get out of here." She said. Tommy just stared at her as she worked.
"Why are you helping me?"
"You die, I die, remember?" Neve asked. Tommy shook his head.
"I can break that spell." He said. Neve shook her head. She looked him in his eyes.
"I don't want you to. I would die anyway without you. I can't let them take you to Azkaban to be executed."
"You're committing treason, Neve." Tommy warned. Neve tied the bandages tight, causing Tommy to wince in pain. Neve did as well, but she shook it off quickly. She looked Tommy in his eyes.
"I can deal with that. I promise they will live. Now, get going before someone else comes." Neve said. She helped Tommy up. Tommy dusted himself off and looked at Neve. Neve avoided his eyes, staring past him at the castle. He grabbed her chin and lifted her face to his. "You need to go." Neve whispered.
"Come with me." He said. Neve shook her head.
"I can't do that, Tommy." Neve said. Tommy nodded. They stared at each other for a minute more. Neve kissed him. When they broke the kiss, Neve was crying.
"I'm sorry." Tommy said. Neve nodded.
"I know." She said. Tommy stepped away from her. With a loud POP, he was gone. Neve watched the spot where he had been standing for a while until she heard footsteps behind her.
"Miss Assante?" A voice said. Neve turned around to see Professor McGonagall limping towards her. McGonagall looked at the ground. Lina was sprawled out across it. McGonagall looked back over at Neve. "Are you all right, Neveah?" She asked. Neve nodded slowly.
"He got away." She lied. McGonagall nodded and pointed herwand at Lina.
"Ennervate." She said. Lina sat up and looked around her frantically. She looked up at Neve. Neve was staring down at her. "How did you get this way, Miss Tremaine?" McGonagall asked. Lina continued to stare at Neve.
"I...he...stunned me." Lina lied. Neve blinked, completely surprised that Lina had just lied for her. McGonagall nodded.
"Very well. Ladies, we're getting ready to transport the injured to St. Mungo's. Come along." She said. Neve raised an eyebrow.
"It's over?" She asked. McGonagall nodded.
"Yes. It's finally over." She said dismally. "But, victory came with a price." She whispered. Neve looked down at the ground.
"State dicendomi (You're telling me)." Neve whispered under her breath as she helped Lina stand up. Lina examined Neve's body.
"Neve, you do realize that you still have pieces of debris still lodged in your body, right?" Lina asked. Neve stared at her blankly for a moment. She then looked down at her body and smirked.
"Wow. I hadn't really noticed all of that. Hmmm..." Neve held out her arm. With her right hand, she grasped the piece of glass in it. She stared at it as she pulled it out. Next, she removed the rest of the shards from her other arm and her abdomen. She threw the glass to the ground and looked at Lina and Professor McGonagall. They were both staring at er with shocked looked on their faces. "What?" Neve asked.
"That didn't hurt?" McGonagall asked. Neve shrugged indifferently.
"Not really. Come on. I need to at least get them cleaned before they get infected." Neve walked past the stunned professor and Lina. They followed after her.
At St. Mungo's, various Mediwizards flew from room to room, floor to floor, trying to help as many as possible. The hospital was packed with injured witches and wizards. Some were in comas and some were in critical condition. Draco stood over Aurora's bed. She was still unconscious. A nurse walked in next to Draco. She carried a large, sharp needle and a bottle with red fluid in it. Draco almost fainted when he saw the length of the needle. The nurse grabbed Aurora's arm.
"What the hell are you doing?" Draco asked. The nurse eyed him and continued her job.
"I'm doing my job, son. Now, move out of the way." She said. Draco stepped back. The nurse filled the needle with the red liquid. She then held up Aurora's shirt. Draco's eyes widened as she realized what the woman was about to do.
"You're going to stab her in the heart?" He yelled. Thenurse turned her head slowly towards him.
"It's the fastest way to get it to spread. Now, do you want her to die? Time is a factor in this situation. I can't wait all day for you to decide."
"Just make it quick." Draco turned away. The nurse nodded and and raised her arm. In one swift motion, she stabbed Aurora in her heart with the needle.
"I'm done." The nurse said. Draco turned around. Aurora was still unconscious but some of the color was starting to come back to her face. "Any later and she might've died."
"When will she wake up?" Draco asked. The nurse shrugged.
"It varies between patients. From what your professor told me, the bite was pretty severe. She was lucky to have lasted this long. It was like she refused to die. Since Miss Assante is so small, she should be awake within the next day or two. Don't worry. She will be fine when she wakes. Her body might ache a little and she might have trouble walking because of the paralysis. But, other than that, she'll be good as new within a week. Get some rest." The nurse walked out of the room.
Ron rubbed his head as he entered the room where Hermione and Ginny were. Ginny's ankle was wrapped and being held up. She was sitting up, stroking Hermione's cat, Crookshanks. She smiled when she saw her brother walk in. Hermione had her eyes closed.
"How's she doing?" Ron asked, sitting on Hermione's bed. Ginny smiled.
"Ask her yourself." She said. Ron blinked and looked over at Hermione. Hermione opened her eyes and smiled at Ron.
"Hey." He said.
"Hey. How's your head?" Hermione asked. Ron shrugged.
"It could be better. I'm not in nearly as much pain as before. How are you, love?" Ron sat down on her bed. Hermione inhaled very slowly.
"I feel like I have a hole in my side." She said, trying to smile. Ron just stared at her.
"Well, you did..."
"Ron, it was a joke." Hermione said. Ron nodded and crossed his arms.
"Well, it wasn't a very funny joke, Mione." Ron mumbled. Hermione laughed and then coughed roughly.
"Oh, lighten up, Ron. Have you seen Harry?" Hermione asked. Ginny looked up from Crookshanks as she asked this question. Ron looked down at the floor, avoiding their faes.
"Well, Harry's a bit...uh..."
"He's not..." Ginny whispered. Ron shook his head fervently.
"No, Gin. He's still alive. He's just in a coma. So is Aurora. The bloody Mediwizards don't even know why, either. They won't let anyone get within twenty feet of his room." Ron crossed his arms.
"A coma? Do they know if they'll wake up?" Ginny asked, looking worriedly at her elder brother. Before he could answer, a relieved sigh was heard in the room. Ron, Ginny, and Hermione turned to see Molly and Arthur Weasley standing in the doorway. Mrs. Weasley ran to her son and hugged him as tight as she possibly could, determined not to let him go.
"Oh, Ronald! I'm so happy that you're alive!" She said with her voice shaking. Ron mumbled something against his mother's chest. Mrs. Weasley didn't seem to notice it. Hermione giggled painfully. Mr. Weasley walked over to Ginny's bed.
"Hi, daddy." Ginny said. Mr. Weasley sat doen and hugged Ginny tightly. Ginny hugged her father back. Ron was still mumbling in his mother's chest. Mrs. Weasley finally realized that Ron was trying to say something to her.
"What was that, darling?" She asked, releasing some of her hold on him. Ron poked his head out.
"I can't breathe." He whispered in strangled manner. Mrs. Weasley released him as Mr. Weasley let go of Ginny. "Thanks, mum." Ron said, gasping. Mrs. Weasley smiled at her son, then went to Ginny. Mr. Weasley walked over to his tall son. Ron stared at his father for a moment.
"All right there, Ron?" He asked. Ron nodded and hugged his father. After Mrs. Weasley was done cutting off Ginny's air circulation, she turned and looked around. Hermione was staring off into space. Before Hermione could protest, Mrs. Weasley was now depriving her of air.
"Don't fight it, Hermione. You're like a daughter to me as well. You might as well get hugged like one." Mrs. Weasley said. Hermione nodded meekly and just took the hug. When they broke apart, Mr. Weasley looked over at her.
"Minerva contacted your parents, Hermione. They should be here within the next day or two. From what they tell us, none of you are leaving for about a week or so." Mr. Weasley said. The three students nodded.
Neve sat in her own room, holding her side painfully. The Mediwizards had insisted she have a psychiatric evaluation. Neve had suggested that they all shove the evaluation up their arses. So, they left her, locked up in the room with nowhere to go. No one was even allowed to see her and Neve desperately wanted to see how her sister was doing.
Neve's mind was currently being invaded with thoughts of guilt and shame. The whole school year, she had ignored good advice and warnings. She had put her friends at risk. Then, to make matters worse, she let the enemy go willingly. She looked down at her sore hands. They had various lacerations on them.
"Am I a bad person?" She whispered.
'No,' a serene voice said in her mind. Neve looked up, her eyes darting from side to side in the dimly lit room. No one was there but her, but someone had just spoken to her. 'You did what you thought was right. I see no fault in that,' the voice continued on. Neve immediately thought she was losing her mind. Maybe she really did need to have a psychiatric evaluation.
"I really am going crazy." Neve whispered.
'No, you are not. This is your sister talking to you, Neve. You do not recognize my voice,' the voice said. It suddenly dawned on Neve that the voice was indeed Aurora's. Why hadn't she realized it before?
"How are you doing this?" Neve asked.
'I am a Telepath, Neve. You are on some level as well. Stop beating yourself up about what happened. You did what any person in love would have done in your position,' Aurora's voice said. 'Someone is coming. I will talk to you soon...' Aurora's voice faded away from Neve's mind. That was when Alfonso Assante walked in the room, looking at his daughter with mild concern. Neve and Alfonso had never gotten on very well. She wasn't "Daddy's Little Girl" like Jolie and Aurora was.
"Neveah, are you doing okay?" Alfonso asked his youngest daughter. Neve nodded numbly, not really knowing what else to say. She really did not want to talk to her father at all.
"If you're here to tell me to let them evaluate my mental state then you can go to hell as well." Neve said, looking away from him. Alfonso nodded.
"If that's the case..." He snapped his fingers. Two Mediwizards came in, holding wands and looking very sinister. Neve only had three seconds to register what was about to happen before she was placed in a very powerful full body bind. Alfonso closed his eyes and the Mediwizards carried her off.
Three days later, Ginny had become rather talented at using her crutches. She went down the corridor, passing the Mediwizards and nurses, smiling at each one. Ginny had seen what condition everyone was in, except Neve.No one had seen her since they had arrived three days earlier. It was starting to unnerve Ginny. Where were they keeping her?
As Ginny passed a room, the door swung open. It was such a shock to Ginny that she nearly fell over. She gasped as she tried to regain her balance. Once she was standing up straight again, she looked to her left to see the culprit. Fred and George were standing there, grinning like mad.
"Did we scare you, baby sister?" Fred asked. Ginny narrowed her eyes. Amazingly, the twins had both ended up with broken arms during the fight at the Ministry.
"Shut up, both of you. You almost made me fall. What would mum have said to that?" Ginny asked. Fred and George looked at each other.
"As if we would care. Have you forgotten, little sister? We're grown men now and we can do whatever we please."
"Frederick and George Weasley! You think you can do anything you want now, eh?" Molly Weasley bellowed from down the hall. Everyone turned their heads to look at the matriarch of the Weasley family. She had one hand on her hip and one was holding a saucer with bread and a cup of tea on it. To make matters worse, she was frowning deeply at her sons. Ginny smirked and winked at the twins.
"Mum, you know we were only playing." George tried to recover. Mrs. Weasley held a rolled up copy of the Daily Prophet. She hit both on the head with it.
"Get back in your rooms this instant. And be quiet! Lee is trying to sleep." She said. George and Fred nodded and retreated back into their room. Mrs. Weasley then turned her stare on Ginny. "What are you doing out of bed, Ginny?" She asked. Ginny had never thought of where she was going exactly. She said the first person that seemed logical.
"To see Harry. You know, to try and talk to him so he can wake up." Ginny said. Mrs. Weasley stared at her only daughter for a moment before nodding.
"Well, hurry back. I don't want you on that leg for too long." Mrs. Weasley went into the room marked "ASSANTE, A." She opened the door to find Draco still watching Aurora. She looked over at the nurse. The woman shook her head. Mrs. Weasley walked over to him and tapped his shoulder. "Draco..." She whispered. The boy jumped and whipped out his wand, surprising her. He relaxed when he realized who it was.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Weasley." Draco mumbled. Mrs. Weasley nodded and took in the boy's appearance. Draco's normally well-kept hair was as disheveled as Harry's on a good day. His eyes were glassy and a bit droopy. He looked as though he hadn't slept in days, which was the truth.
"Draco, you need to get some rest. You staying awake won't make her wake up any sooner." Mrs. Weasley said calmly. Draco shook his head.
"What if she wakes up and I'm not here?" Draco mumbled. Mrs. Weasley sighed. No matter what she said or how logical it sounded, Draco was not going to give in. She sighed and handed him his tea.
"Well, if you won't sleep, at least drink this and eat the bread. Starving yourself won't help, either." She handed Draco the saucer. Draco stared at it for a minute then took it. He stuffed the bread in his mouth furiously. Mrs. Weasley raised an eyebrow. He normally had such good manners. Then, Draco drank the tea quickly, despite its heat. When he was done, Mrs. Weasley took back the dishes.
Draco blinked a couple of times. Everything around him seemed to be getting blurrier and blurrier. His eyelids felt like they weighed a ton. He tiredness was beginning to take over. Draco fell forward onto Aurora's bed, sound asleep. Mrs. Weasley breathed a sigh of relief. The nurse looked at her.
"It had to be done. He needed rest, especially after the battle. He's the only one who did not sleep." Mrs. Weasley said. The nurse nodded and continued doing what she was doing. Mrs. Weasley fixed Draco's head properly and stared at the two for a moment. She then promptly left the room.
Ginny continued down the corridor until she got to the private ward. This area of the floor was dimly lit and seemed very depressing. The most serious cases were located down this passageway. Ginny went to the very last door on the left. It was marked "POTTER, H." Ginny took a deep breath and balanced herself on one crutch. She turned the door handle slowly and quietly. She pushed the door open gradually until it was wide enough for her to slip through.
Harry was laying in bed, his eyes closed and his face placid. Ginny went to the chair that was next to his bed. She carefully lowered herself into it, letting her leg stick out. Putting her crutches to the side, she looked down at Harry.
Harry's face was deathly pale. His face was still a bit swollen from all the abuse he had to put up with during the final battle. His arms, neck, and face still held red marks from where the cuts and lacerations had been healed. There was a bruise on his neck. Harry looked as though he had been in a boxing match. The Mediwizards did not know when he would wake up from his comatose state. That was the most painful news Ginny had ever heard.
Ginny reached out and moved his unruly hair out of his eyes.
"Harry, I know you hear me. I want you to wake up. You're scaring us. You're scaring me. Don't leave me alone in this world, please. I love you too damn much..." Ginny whispered. She jumped when she saw Harry's eyes flicker slightly. "Harry?"
Inside Harry's mind, he was standing on a green hilltop. Someone somewhere was calling his name. He heard footsteps behind him and turned around. A girl with dark hair and caramel skin was approaching him. Like him, she wore all white. Harry squinted and realized that it was Aurora. She smiled as she got closer to him.
"Well, it's over." Harry said, smiling. Aurora nodded.
"Do you think that we should wake up now? I mean, I believe everyone is worried about us." Aurora said, looking over the edge of the hilltop. Harry shrugged.
"I reckon we could give them a little surprise. I wonder who's hovering over me right now." Harry said. Aurora smirked and crossed her arms.
"You are really daft if even you do not even know the answer to that one, Harry. Who do you think is watching over you? I have a pretty good feeling who is watching over me." Aurora said. Harry nodded as he thought of his red-haired girlfriend. His eyes met Aurora's once again.
"See you on the outside." He said, holding his hand out. Aurora took it.
"See you there." She said. A flash of light blinded both of them.
Aurora's eyes blinked open. A blinding light coming from the window directly across from her bed caused her to squint. Aurora turned her head to the left and saw a head resting on the side of her bed. As her vision became clearer, she made out the platinum blond hair of Draco Malfoy. The boy was knocked out. Aurora tried to move to touch him. Every part of her body ached.
'Must be because of that poison,' she thought idly to herself. She managed to raise her left arm to reach out for him. Before she could touch him, a voice stopped her.
"Don't wake him." A woman's voice said. Aurora, startled, turned her head to look at a nurse. She was replacing some flowers in a vase across the room on a table. She smiled and walked over to Aurora.
"Why not?" Aurora asked, her voice a bit scratchy. The nurse looked down at Draco. He looked so peaceful. His mouth hung open slightly and his breathing was soft and even. Aurora loved seeing him like this.
"The poor bloke stayed up for four days straight watching over you. He just went to sleep a couple ofminutes ago. If it wasn't for Molly Weasley, he'd still be up. She made him drink this tea that was laced with sleeping potion. He'll be out for a while." The nurse stated. Aurora felt a grin spread across her face.
"He stayed up just to watch over me?" She whispered. The nurse nodded.
"Yep. He's a very dedicated young man. I think you should hold on to him. I will inform your kin of your return to consciousness." The nurse left the room, leaving Aurora staring at the sleeping Draco. She stroked his soft hair.
'Rest well,' she thought.
Ron walked in Harry's room to find his sister watching Harry intently. Neville followed him in. Ginny seemed to be searching for some sign of life from Harry. Neville closed the door loudly, startling Ginny. Ginny whirled around to face him, nearly taking her wrapped leg with her. She wobbled for a moment, trying to catch her balance in the chairas she glared at her brother and Neville.
"Good morning." Ron said jovially and loudly. Ginny opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by another voice.
"What's so bloody good about it, you prat?" The voice said. Ginny turned around to face Harry. He was rubbing his head and looking highly annoyed. Ginny smiled happily and threw herself forward, forgetting all about her leg. Harry's eyes widened at her embrace. When she let go, before he could even utter a single word, Ginny's hand went across his face. Ron and Neville nearly fell down with laughter.
"Serves you right, Harry Potter. You gave us all a right good scare." Ginny crossed her arms. Harry smiled and flexed his fingers, trying to get the stiffness out of them.
"Sorry about that, Gin. It couldn't be helped. How is everyone else?" He asked, suddenly looking very concerned.
"In comparison to you, everyone is great. Besides you and Aurora, the only ones with fatal inuries were Hermione and..." Ron paused for a moment. He looked at Ginny.
"Has anyone seen or heard from Ava or Neve?" Neville asked.
"That's a bloody good question." Ginny said.
Aurora sat in the presence of her family. She looked around at all of the smiling faces. Draco was still asleep and he had not even stirred in all the noise. Giuliana Assante, Aurora's mother, was stroking her daughter's hair.
"I'm so glad you are awake, Aurora. We thought we were going to lose you." Giuliana said. Aurora smiled in her mother's embrace. She looked around the room at all the smiling faces. There was one very important face that she did not see. The absence of this face caused her to almost choke on her own saliva.
"Dove è Neve (Where is Neve)?" Aurora asked, pulling away from her mother. Giuliana looked at her husband. Benicio and Donatello exchanged glances. Santino just happily continued playing with his toys. Alfonso sighed.
"Aurora..."
"No. Dove è (No. Where is she)?" Aurora asked, looking from one parent to the other.
"È nel quartiere psichiatrico (She is in the psychiatric ward)." Giuliana said quickly. Aurora glared from parent to parent, looking appalled at the news.
"Perchè (Why)?" Aurora asked.
"They think she may be traumatized and they are trying to get a statement out of her. Fudge believes that she may know something." Alfonso said, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"E siete giusti lasciandolo fare questo a lei? Che cosa se non conosce nulla (And you are just letting him do this to her? What if she does not know anything)?" Aurora asked accusingly. She was speaking very fast and she was getting very angry. Her head was starting to hurt.
"Fudge believes that Neve may know where Tomás Zaviera is hiding."
"Come potrebbe conoscere quella? È stata dentro qui per i quattro giorni scorsi (How could she know that? She has been in here for the past four days)." Aurora said, her temper lighting.
"If it makes you feel any better, they are holding his sister as well." Giuliana said. Aurora shook her head and crossed her arms.
"Sta andando essere orinata con gli entrambi voi quando questa finito (She is going to be pissed with the both of you when this is over)." Aurora sat back in her pillow and closed her eyes, signaling that she was through talking to her parents.
Neve stared out of her barred window. The small cramped room they had her end was more like a luxury prison cell. She found herself idly wondering what Tommy was doing. It had only been four days and she was already missing him like crazy. Neve's head snapped to the side as her sensitive hearing picked up the sound of the door unlocking. She turned around as the door opened, revealing two Aurors. She smirked.
"Hi there." She said quietly. One of them walked forward and grabbed her by the arm. Neve looked at his hand. She grabbed it and twisted until she heard the satisfying sounds of bones breaking. The man let her go and reeled in pain. The other Auror held his wand out at her.
"Don't move." He mumbled. Neve held her hands up.
"I was merely demonstrating a point. Don't ever put your hands on me." Neve said calmly. The Auror nodded, looking at his pained comrade. He gestured for Neve to come out of the room. "So where are we going exactly?" Neve asked as she stepped out of the room.
"Interrogation at the Ministry." He said. Neve nodded. This was not going to be very fun at all.