Chapter Twenty Five
A/N: Okay, this is my longest chapter to date. Enjoy! And thank you to the people who reviewed my story. You are what makes the world go round.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter was never mine; it will not be mine now, nor will it ever be mine in the future.
The last thing Harry remembered was the mingled shouts of various people. There wasn't much he could account for in the vision department. Even though Voldemort had gone, the pain in Harry's scar had not. Quite the contrary, actually. The pain in his scar made his whole head throb. He could clearly hear his heart beat somewhere in the region behind his eardrums. His vision blurred due to the pain and pressure on his head, the last thing Harry could remember seeing was a figure donning a lime green bowler rush toward a shape with a long white beard that he took to be Dumbledore.
Harry woke in the hospital wing and immediately cursed himself. Just one time I would like to remain conscious after an encounter with Voldemort! He thought to himself. He reached for his glasses on the bedside table and put them on his nose. Slowly the room slid into focus. He was alone, save for a snoring Neville, whose nose appeared to have been mended. He couldn't even hear Madame Pomfrey bustling about. He debated whether or not to leave. After all, he felt perfectly fine. He had just pulled the covers off of himself and let one leg hang over the side of his bed, when he heard footsteps coming down the hall. Harry hastily pulled his leg back onto the bed and covered himself up.
"See, I told you that he'd be asleep." Harry heard Ron say. Instantly he sat up and looked at the three startled faces of Ginny, Ron, and Hermione.
Ginny clutched at her heart. "Don't scare a person like that!"
"Sorry. I was awake. I thought you all were someone else. What's happening?"
Hermione opened her mouth to speak but just then the twins strode into the hospital wing.
"There you three are!" Fred said.
"We've been-"
But they never found out what Fred and George had been doing, as Madame Pomfrey came rushing into the room.
"Out! Out! She shoed them, waving her hands. "No visitors! You'll see him soon enough."
Harry turned to Ron who shrugged his shoulders. "See you soon, mate." The five of them turned and left a very depressed and information-starved Harry.
"What's happening?" Harry decided to try the school nurse out for information. "Where's Dumbledore?"
"Don't worry yourself now, Mr. Potter. Here drink this." she handed him a goblet with some very foamy looking purple liquid in it.
"But where is everyone? Is anyone else hurt? Where's Professor Lupin?" Harry turned his head to look at the other beds lined along the walls, as if he had missed seeing someone.
"Everyone is fine. Don't worry. Drink that." Madame Pomfrey pushed the goblet closer to Harry's mouth.
Unwillingly Harry drank the foamy liquid. A feeling like he had just had a bucket of ice water dumped on his head came over him.
"Very good. Wait for ten minutes, and then I'll see how you're feeling."
"But I feel fine."
"Nonsense." After a quick check on the still sleeping Neville, Madame Pomfrey turned the corner and shut herself in her office.
Harry waited impatiently for her to return. He wanted to get out of the hospital wing and find out what was going on. Hearing a shift in the bed next to him, Harry looked over and saw a very groggy Neville scratching his head.
"Harry?"
"Hi Neville."
"What's going on?"
"That's what I'd like to know." Harry said flatly.
"Ah, Mr. Longbottom, you're awake. Good." Madame Pomfrey had returned. "Mr. Potter, how are you feeling?"
"Fine. Can I leave now?"
"Of course not."
"But-"
"No buts Mr. Potter." she turned to Neville and asked him about his nose. After taping the bridge area a few times, she concluded that his nose had mended, and sent him on his way.
"Find Ron and Hermione. Ask them what's going on." Harry told him. Neville nodded and exited the room. Harry sighed and placed his head in his hands. It had to have been five minutes before he was bothered by more quick paced steps to the hospital wing. Why can everyone else be roaming around freely?! He thought, rather perturbed with the whole hospital wing situation.
Professor McGonagall quickly walked into the room. "Potter, put on your robes, you are to come with me."
"But Minerva." Madame Pomfrey began. "He can't just go traipsing ab-"
"By order of the Headmaster." Professor McGonagall handed Hogwarts's nurse a piece of parchment on which was a note from Dumbledore saying to release Harry into the care of the Transfiguration teacher.
"Very well…" Madame Pomfrey conceded.
Harry, after hurriedly slipping on his robes, jogged to keep up with McGonagall. It was at this point that he was amazed at the condition he was in. Usually about this time of year he was on the verge of death… or, at least, what felt like the verge of death. Instead, this year, he was jogging behind the Deputy Headmistress.
"Professor, where are we going?"
"St. Mungo's."
"St. Mungo's? But why?!"
"There really is no time to explain, just follow me."
McGonagall lead Harry to her office where a fire was crackling in the grate even though they were well into the month of June.
"Here." Harry grabbed a handful of Floo Powder from the box McGonagall thrust at him. She, herself, grabbed another handful and threw it into the flames. Soon, she and Harry were flying past millions of other grates. They stopped when they reached the familiar lobby of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
"Hello, and how may I help you?" inquired a bubbly witch at the front desk. Professor McGonagall simply stormed right past her, Harry at her heals. Harry's heart began to beat against his ribcage. Why were they in St. Mungo's? Who was hurt? What was going on?
They stopped outside a inexpressive door. Professor McGonagall turned the handle and pushed Harry into the room before her. Harry would never forget what he saw. Remus Lupin was strapped down to a St. Mungo's Hospital bed.
Lupin was clearly not himself. He was trashing about and snarling. The binds that held him down kept tightening as he thrashed. It looked to Harry as he would yank his arms out of their sockets at the rate he was going.
"W-What happened to him? What's wrong?"
"Peter Pettigrew." Harry noticed for the first time that there were other people in the room. Dumbledore, Moody, Tonks, Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, and Bill all stood at the far side of the room.
The full weight of what Dumbledore had said sunk into Harry… Pettigrew… the silver hand… he had to have been at the school! "But… does that mean… is he…"
"We are not sure." Dumbledore said, answering Harry's question before he could even ask it. "The Healers say that Remus's in the worst allergic reaction to silver that they have ever seen. We are not sure what is going to happen."
Harry stood there looking at the man whom he had held in a position of honorary father-figure. His dad's best friend. His last link to his parents… to Sirius… Suddenly rage welled up inside Harry. Wormtail had ruined his life again. First he turned on his parents and now this? For the next five minutes Harry went through a range of emotions. No one spoke, although Harry could hear Mrs. Weasley sniffling behind a handkerchief.
A Medi-Witch came in and told them that visiting hours were over than that they would have to go home. As they all shuffled out of the room, feet full of lead, Harry saw a healer pushing a cart full of all sorts of strange looking interments into Lupin's room and close the door. Harry swallowed the lump in his throat, but it was to no avail. He felt the corners of his eyes began to prickle and he willed himself not to cry. Every single thought of Sirius and his parents from the past year came back to him in a wave of sorrow. Harry wanted to sit down on the cool floor of St. Mungo's Hospital and never move.
Dumbledore placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "I think it would be best if we were to have a talk in my office." Harry said nothing, he just stared stonily forward. Dumbledore took this as a 'Yes, I'd fancy a chat right now.' And lead Harry to a fire grate filled with swirling green flames. The next thing Harry knew they were in Dumbledore's office sitting in the arm chairs at his desk.
Dumbledore placed his finger tips together and surveyed Harry over them. Harry was keenly avoiding Dumbledore's eye. He could hear the fake snoring of the portraits of the past Headmasters and Headmistresses. They were, no doubt, ready to hear what had gone awry this year.
"Harry…" Dumbledore began.
"Look," Harry surprised both of them by cutting Dumbledore off. "I don't want to talk about it."
"Indeed that has been very keen with you this year, has it not?"
Harry thought about the journal upstairs under his four poster. He had been using it all year as a substitute for his friends.
"There are some things, Harry, which should not be bottled up."
Harry sat for a good long while, not saying anything. He didn't know what to say, what to do. All he wanted to do at that moment was to fall asleep and never wake up…
"It's not fair…" he said.
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows slightly; looking like that was what he wanted to hear. "No one ever said what you were going to go through was fair."
"No, not just me. Everyone. My mum and dad, Sirius, Lupin… none of it is fair. And the prophecy… especially that… that's not fair."
Dumbledore folded his hands and placed them on his desk. "Life is not meant to be fair Harry."
"Tell me what happened."
"When?"
"Now. What happened just now?"
Dumbledore heaved a sigh. "Voldemort escaped."
"But I thought… you… I felt…"
"I was about to do something yes. But he had the sense to leave before anything further was done to him."
"And the Death Eaters?"
"Azkaban."
"Even Wormtail?"
"Yes."
"And the students? All the first and second years, they- they're okay, right? No one-"
"No one was hurt beyond a few scrapes a bruises… ah, and one broken nose."
"Professor Lupin-"
"Is being well looked after at St. Mungo's."
"But doesn't silver… I mean… Lupin… he's…"
"A werewolf? Yes. And no, silver does not kill werewolves."
Harry was utterly perplexed. "But-"
"That is an old Muggle superstition Harry. I suspect they simply stumbled across some werewolves with extraordinarily bad allergies."
"Allergies?"
"Yes. Professor Lupin happens to be one of the few such people who are near to deathly allergic to silver."
"But he… I mean… will he…"
"He will be just fine. It will take a while for Professor Lupin to regain his health fully. I'm sure he will have to undergo all sorts of tests and therapies. But yes, Harry, he will be just fine."
Harry let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "P-Professor?"
"Yes Harry?"
"Where did you go? You and the other Professors?" It hadn't crossed Harry's mind until just that very moment to ask him.
Dumbledore smiled weakly. "Voldemort is powerful, and has his ways. His spies are everywhere. And now I am certain, in this very school."
"Snape…" Harry muttered under his breath.
"Professor Snape has nothing to do with what happened to the teachers and I. I want you to understand that Harry." Dumbledore said, sounding very stern.
"Y-Yes sir… Sir?"
"Yes, Harry?"
"The Slytherins…"
"Are all accounted for, although are not at school presently."
"Will they...."
"Be returning next year? Absolutely. I do not feel the need to punish some these students for their parents' wrongdoings."
"Some…?"
"Not every student sorted in Slytherin house has the same ambitions as their parents. And not every parent of those in Slytherin shares the same ideals of those around them."
Harry sat for good and long in that chair in Dumbledore's office. He wasn't sure he was ready to see the rest of his house just yet. While a great weight had been lifted from him when he heard of the safety of those he loved, an ominous presence haunted the corners of his mind at the thought of Voldemort still lurking…
Around midnight Harry found the courage to stand up and leave Dumbledore's office. As he descended the spiraling staircase, someone he didn't expect to see came rushing up the stairs.
"Out of my way, Potter." Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic grumbled, clutching his lime green bowler. Harry flattened himself against the wall to let him pass. He heard him enter Dumbledore's office. Instead of continuing on his way, Harry reversed direction and peered through the slightly open door of Dumbledore's office.
"Here?!" Fudge bellowed. "At the school?! Dumbledore!"
"Surely you believe it. After all you saw…"
"I know what I saw, and yes I do believe it. But Albus, at the school?! Hogwarts is supposed to be the safest place for miles around. And all the administration goes missing and You-Know-Who, himself, comes here?! This will not look good, Albus. This won't look good at all…" Fudge paused a moment. "I- I have no other option but to close the school."
"Close the school?" Dumbledore asked, only mildly surprised. "Surely you wouldn't?"
"It's not safe here; you know that, I know that. Soon all the parents of the students will know that. I'm giving you until the end of this school year, Albus. After that, Hogwarts will be closed."
Harry stood there dumbstruck. He couldn't believe what he just heard. Close Hogwarts? Harry was brought back to reality sharply by Fudge's footsteps toward the door. Harry bolted down the stairs and toward his common room. He gave the password and clamored inside, legs shaking. For a minute he thought he saw two people standing close in the corner of the room, but when he looked again he saw nothing. Harry couldn't think straight. He couldn't stand straight. He sunk down to the floor and placed his head in has hands. What was he going to do?
A/N: This was my longest chapter yet. Honestly, I loved writing it. This is starting to set things up for my sequel, so I hope you all read well. I think the next chapter will put a close to the first part of my two part story. I hope you are all enjoying this as much as I am. I honestly have never had so much writing anything.