I do not own the rights to any of the characters that appear in my
little story. Now I do not claim I can tell a story nearly as well as J.K.
Rowling (if I could I'd be a millionaire). The best I can do is all I can
offer. I hope that you will be entertained.
Holly Potter
And The
Army of Darkness
Story:Kim West Edited: Autumn Winters
Chapter 2: Let The Memories Live Again.
The girls talked all through the night making plans for the upcoming battle against the forces of evil. It was decided that Becky would get in contact with Neville and inform him of what was to take place. Since they were already an established couple nobody would suspect the two of them getting together, and at any rate Neville was needed in order for them to locate his parents, and therefore rescue them. He was surprised and somewhat frightened that people had know about his parents, but when he found out they might be in danger he suddenly became more than willing to take part in the rescue attempt.
When it was time to set off from The Burrows Holly, Becky, and Hermione were faced with an interesting problem. It had taken considerable effort to convince Ginny that she should not come along because it really was too dangerous for her, and the more people who did come along the more risk there was for the mission to fail. So when they found themselves face to face with a fully dressed Ginny Weasley they were confused to say the least.
"What do you think you're doing then?" asked Becky.
"I'm coming with you of course."
"Ginny, I thought we went over this already. It's too dangerous for you," said Hermione softy.
"When Holly was Harry he faced Voldemort when he was eleven years old," replied a defiant Ginny.
"Yes, but that was different," said Holly.
"Oh, age does not apply when it comes to the name of Potter does it? I suppose you..."
Ginny had been walking when she talking and accidentally knocked over a stack of books sitting by a chair. It made a loud crash and everyone froze for several moments hoping it had not raised everyone from slumber. Fortunately nobody had come looking for the source of the disturbance and all three girls looked rather upset at Ginny for some odd reason.
"You did that on purpose you did," accused Becky.
"No, honestly it was an accident." Ginny said as she tried to pick up the mess she made, and almost stumbled over the chair that was next to the mess she made; this made a bit more noise despite her best efforts to stay quiet.
"Stop. You're going to wake up the dead at this rate." Hermione said helping Ginny untangle herself from the chair.
Holly moved closer to Ginny and was looking at her strangely, and she in turn looked uncomfortable being examined in such a way.
"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?" asked Ginny.
"You seem...different somehow to me...almost as if you were..."
"A clumsy cow rampaging her way through the house as if she really belonged in a barn." Becky said in a huff cutting off Holly in the process.
"Take that back!" shouted Ginny.
Hermione grabbed Ginny, covered her mouth, and turned to face Holly. "We need to leave now before these two end up in a all out catfight."
Holly simply nodded and they all left the house without any further incident. They made their way down the dirt road for about a mile or so from The Burrows and waited for The Knight Bus to arrive, and all the while Holly kept looking at Ginny as if something about her was just not right. What it was that was wrong she could not say, but she had a feeling she had better keep an eye on her just the same. Ginny for her part tried her best not to look like she was avoiding Holly at any cost, but that just made things even more obvious to everyone else. Becky and Hermione were increasingly becoming uneasy but they had no idea how to make the situation any better. Everyone kept extremely silent until The Knight Bus finally arrived. When the doors opened they saw Neville inside waiting for them.
"Neville!" Becky shouted with joy as she rushed toward her boyfriend and hugged him until he almost turned blue.
"Please, Becky...you don't know your own strength dear," Neville said gasping for air.
"Yes, Becky, please let go of Neville so we can get moving, and not waste any more time than we already have," said Hermione.
Becky let go of her boyfriend rather reluctantly, and everyone then proceeded to take their seats aboard the bus. They were regular chairs you would find in a house, and were not bolted to the floor. The bus began to speed on its way through forests, then through townships, through buildings. Well, that isn't exactly true, the buildings pretty much moved out of the way so the bus would not crash into them. That was the magic of The Knight Bus for nothing could hinder it when it was in motion. It was however, an exceedingly bumpy ride for the passengers because the chairs they were sitting in had a tendency to move about the floor, and one found oneself crashing into every part of the bus.
"I hope we reach St. Mungo's before this bloody thing kills us." Becky said while holding on to Neville.
"It's ironic in a way. If we do end up badly hurt at least we're heading in the right direction to receive medical attention," Hermione added.
"Yes, that is a comfort. Thank you for sharing," Holly replied.
Suddenly the bus had suddenly screeched to a halt which caused most of the passengers to fall on to the floor of the vehicle.
"St. Mungo's Hospital! All those who wish to disembark. Please do so now!" shouted the bus driver.
All four girls and Neville picked themselves up from the floor of the bus and headed outside. They had arrived in front of what looked like an old- fashioned, red brick department store called Purge and Dowse Ltd. Holly was about to ask where the hospital was for she could not see where it was at all, but Neville ran straight to the display window of the shabby department store. He stood right in front of a badly dressed dummy.
"Wotcher! We're here to see Alice and Frank Longbottom please." Neville said in a whisper.
The next moment the dummy began to nod its head, and Neville quickly walked through the sheet of glass, and soon Hermione, Ginny, and Becky went in as well. They all appeared to have vanished before Holly's eyes. She looked a few moments, and then suddenly Becky's head appeared from the glass.
"Well? What are you waiting for then? An invitation?" Becky's head said, and soon it was swallowed up by the glass once more.
'Oh well', thought Holly as she dove head first into the glass. It felt like dipping into a pool of water, but then she felt very much dry when coming out the other side, which was indeed a hospital waiting room. The others were waiting patiently for her in an apparently empty waiting room. Only a night time receptionist behind a desk seemed to be present.
"So, where are your parents located then, Neville?" asked Holly.
"Just follow me," said Neville resolutely, and they sped of up some rickety stairs, into a hallway lined with portraits. They were supposed to be famous healers who were all snoozing at the moment. One of them woke when Ginny accidentally stumbled into the wall.
"What is wrong with you, Ginny? You've never been this clumsy in your entire life?" Becky said scratching her head.
"Sorry, I sort of slipped is all," Ginny said regaining her composer. The Portrait she disturbed was a rather plump woman who began to immediately diagnose Ginny's ailment.
"You are obviously under influence of an anti-balancing jinx my dear," said the portrait.
"I am?"
"Yes indeed, you must be admitted at once for it can be quite a serious matter to treat."
Neville growled at the portrait. "Don't pay it no mind. None of these pictures knows what they are talking about, and besides we don't have time for this nonsense anyway. It's almost midnight!"
Neville then turned and sprinted down the hallway before anyone could say a word. The others quickly gathered themselves and hurried after Neville. Through some double doors and into the very same hospital ward Holly had seen in her nightmare the night before. She in fact knew exactly where Neville's parents were even without him rushing to their beds. Holly looked about the room for any sign of danger, and then she used her extra magical senses to scan the neighboring rooms and hallway. The others gathered around her watching her glow a dim gold and hover off the ground a couple of inches; she would turn this way and that floating all the while searching, but alas she could not detect anything bad approaching.
"I sense absolutely nothing." Holly said while floating to the ground once more, she turned to see Neville holding his mother's hand.
"Uh...Holly? Could I talk to you a moment?" asked Becky nervously.
"Yeah, sure. What's up?"
"Not here." Replied Becky as she motioned Holly over to the side for a private chat; Holly looked a bit surprised by all of the sudden privacy, but this was her best friend, and she did have a tendency to act strange upon occasion.
"Alright now, what was it you wanted to talk about then?"
"You remember when we were on Avalon, and you did that trick to heal me?"
"Yes, I suppose so."
Becky looked at Holly with a sort of pleading desperation in her eyes. "I want to ask you if you couldn't do the same thing for Neville's parents."
Holly wasn't quite sure what to say, and the look of indecision on Holly's face made Becky panic.
"Please Holly. I'm begging you to do this for me. I won't ever ask anything else from you. I swear I won't. Upon my..."
Holly held up her hand to cut off her friend. "I will try my best, but I do not know if that will be good enough."
Becky hugged Holly quite vigorously. "Ah, thanks Holly. You're a true friend indeed, that's what you are."
"Becky...if you strangle me...I won't be of much use will I?"
Becky let go of Holly, who was waiting until the blood returned to her limbs, and then made her way toward Frank and Alice Longbottom's beds. She moved next to Neville and touched him on the shoulder.
Neville did not look up. "So are you're going to help my parents then?"
Holly was surprised for a moment, but then realized Becky probably had talked to Neville before hand about this possibility. "Well, that depends on whether you want me to try."
Neville stood up and turned to face Holly with a horrible look of dread upon his face. "My entire life I have lived knowing my parents were alive, but they were not able to raise me. Not able to even able to smile at me. The healers here have done every possible thing to bring them back, but they have told me nothing more can be done," Neville paused trying to force himself not to cry, "If you have the power to heal like Becky says then please heal my mum and dad."
Holly smiled a gentle smile. "I promise to you, Neville, I will do everything within my power to bring your parents back to you. I only hope you do not lift your hopes too high if I fail in this task."
Neville simply nodded while walking back to where the others were standing. Holly then moved herself between the two beds and placed one hand on Frank Longbottom's forehead and her other hand on Alice Longbottom's forehead. Holly began to glow first with a red, then gold, and then finally a blinding white light. She lit the entire ward with this white light.
"BY THE POWERS WITHIN ME, LET THESE TWO BE HEALED!"
The bright light that had filled the room suddenly went out except for a soft amber glow all around Holly and Neville's parents. Soon though, this disappeared, and Holly stumbled away from the two beds. She had an eerie look upon her face, and she was shaking slightly.
"Holly, are you alright?" asked Hermione.
Holly started to shake a little more. "No...I think I'm...hurt."
Both Hermione and Becky caught Holly before she almost fell to the ground. Becky's face was extremely pale looking at Holly quivering uncontrollably.
"Holly! Oh...I...what have I done to you?" Becky said pleading.
"I'll be alright...just..." Holly suddenly stopped talking, and apparently stopped breathing as well. Hermione screamed, clutching her friend with all her might.
Neville's face also went pale, but could not move or say anything, and Ginny looked a bit on the panicky side of things, looking about for who knows what. A moment later a nurse came rushing in to see who had just screamed.
"What happened?" asked the nurse, but before anyone could answer Holly suddenly grasped for air once more and began to cough wildly.
"Never mind telling me. Stay where you are. I'll go get some help, and be back as soon as possible." The nurse told them and she was gone.
"Poor little baby Potter is about to die, and she brought all her little baby friends to die with her," said a menacing voice.
Everyone froze with terror, except for Ginny who stepped forward to meet the person who had just spoken.
"Don't come any closer!" Ginny said in a fiery voice.
"Who are you, little baby brat, to threaten me!"
Ginny suddenly grew in height, and her hair went from red to light purple. Her facial features also changed to that of a complete stranger. "The name's Tonks. I am an Auror, and I believe that you, Bellatrix Lestrange, are now under arrest."
Bellatrix backed away a few steps. "An Auror! Well regardless, you are still outnumbered."
Two more Death Eaters came out of the shadows and grabbed Tonks from behind; although she struggled there was simply nothing she could do. Bellatrix began to walk toward Holly who was actually beginning to stand up despite Hermione's and Becky's efforts to keep her down.
"So there appears to be some life left in you after all. Good, I was begging to think this was not going to be fun for me."
"Stand down now, Lestrange, and you may yet live to see your old cell in Azkaban." replied a strangely familiar voice.
Bellatrix showed fear in her eyes for the first time "Mad Eye! You still live to haunt me!"
Mad Eye Moody stepped forward and greeted Bellatrix with a smile, which in Moody's case looked particularly menacing because his face was horribly disfigured.
"I could say the same about you, Lestrange. Now, give up before we have to get rough with you," said Moody with an air of authority.
"We? It's just you and this pathetic Auror called Trunks. I still hold the advantage," huffed Bellatrix.
"Hey! I'm not a piece of luggage! My name is Tonks! Not Trunks!" yelled Tonks.
"Whatever, you are still pathetic, and I grow tired of this boring conversation."
"Then let me introduce you to some friends of mine," Moody said while giving a signal of some sort. "Kingsley Shacklebolt another Auror, and, oh yes, then there's Arthur and Molly Weasley. I believe with them along my side I can now say we have you surrounded."
A tall, black man who looked like he'd seen many a battle strode in from the left, and The Weasley parents flanked Bellatrix from the left side.
"Mum! Dad! How?" asked Becky, bewildered at seeing her parents here.
"Not now, Becky," cautioned Molly Weasley.
"You are out numbered; give up now." Moody said firmly.
There was a murderous look on the face of Bellatrix who suddenly ran toward Holly and grabbed her. She easily pushed Becky and Hermione out of the way while doing so. Everyone froze as the situation escalated.
"Don't be foolish, Bellatrix. You harm the girl, and it is over for you this time."
"Idiot! Do you think I care whether I live or die! Potter's mind will cease to exist! That is all that matters to me!"
Bellatrix put her hand on Holly forehead.
"You don't really want to do this," said Holly.
Bellatrix cackled madly. "Oh yes I do!"
The attack on Holly's very mind began, and for a few moments it looked like Bellatrix would indeed have the last laugh, but then something happened. The Death Eater suddenly was repelled with great force from her intended victim. High in the air she flew and slammed into the far wall; unfortunately, she seemed to be still alive.
"Are you alright, Holly?" asked Hermione.
"Say something, please." Added Becky.
Holly looked at them, and gave a brief smile. "I told her she didn't want to do that to me."
Everyone gathered around Holly amazed at what had just happened but also relieved that she appeared to be alright. The two other Death Eaters decided to let go of Tonks and give themselves up to Mad Eye and Shacklebolt.
"That was impressive stuff you've got there, kiddo, there's no denying that!" rumbled Mad Eye Moody while he was preparing his prisoner for a one- way trip to Azkaban.
"I am just glad she is on our side, Moody!" Shacklebolt said, laughing out loud.
"You should have seen her earlier, Moody. She practically could tell I wasn't Ginny Weasley just by looking at me. I swear, nobody will be able to get the drop on this one when she gets properly trained!" Tonks exclaimed smiling from ear to ear.
"Why, may I ask, did you pretend to be Ginny, and why are so many people here to rescue us?" Hermione asked, "Not that I mind being rescued, but I am somewhat curious just the same."
"Oh, well, Dumbledore asked me to look after Holly because he felt there might be some attempts to do her in, and of course he was right. So anyway, I had been spying on you girls last night when Holly had her nightmare. I knew this might turn out badly so I asked for additional back up, which is why we have the situation we have right now."
"Tonks told us what you were planning because she felt as parents we were obligated to know what sort of risk might take place in regards to you girls." Arthur Weasley added.
"Wow, and mum agreed to all this?" asked Becky who looked stunned.
"Never you mind what I agreed to or not! What you girls did tonight was reckless, foolish, and could have cost you your lives!" Molly Weasley shouted, and then turned to face Holly. "And you almost dying nearly caused me to have a heart attack I'll have you know."
Holly smiled knowing that this is what it must feel like to have someone love and care for her the way a mother would. "I will try to avoid dying in the future when I am battling the forces of evil."
Molly Weasley smiled at that comment despite herself, and then she moved closer to give Holly a hug. "Well, see that you do just that, young lady."
You would think things would start to calm down a bit, but then you would be wrong. Something happened that all of the healers at St. Mungos thought would never happen, but it did just the same. Frank and Alice Longbottom sat up in their beds, and knew who they were.
"Dearest, you look simply terrible," said Frank Longbottom to his wife.
"You don't exactly look fantastic yourself," replied Alice Longbottom.
"Mum? Dad?" Neville cried out loud; he wished beyond wishing that this wasn't just another dream.' It is real. This has to be real. IT HAS TO BE REAL' thought Neville over and over again within his mind.
"My goodness, after all this time we finally get to see the face of our son," Alice said with pride in her voice.
"You may not realize what it meant to us having you visit us, son. It kept your mother and me going," Frank said smiling.
"Yes, we probably would have given up all hope if it wasn't for you." Alice continued as she welcomed Neville in her open arms. Tears of happiness flowed freely down his cheeks. Soon all of the Longbottoms were hugging, crying, laughing, and sharing, for they had an entire lifetime to catch up on.
But wait, there's more dear readers; just then came a weird sort of sound like an old automobile engine trying to turn over but not quite succeeding. Within moments there appeared a Police Call Box right in the middle of the ward. The doors soon opened and two people stepped out of it. One was the nurse who had gone for help, and the other was a strange looking man wearing a brownish tan overcoat, a multi-colored scarf, and a dark brown hat. His hair was curly light brown, and his eyes and smile were like those found on The Cheshire Cat in Wonderland. He surveyed the room and turned to the nurse.
"Companion, what seems to be the problem here?"
"I'm not one of those bimbos you call a companion. My name is Paula Eagan you stupid git, and I work here at St. Mungo's. Now come this way." Paula said grabbing the strange man by the arm. She led him right straight to Holly, and was quite surprised to not only see her up and about, but The Longbottoms were actually moving and talking.
The man went up to Holly and did a rather quick examination. "Hello there, my name is Tom Baker, and I'm here to help you." Tom said smiling.
"Are you a doctor then?" asked Holly.
"Doctor, who? Me? Don't be silly, doctors are for Muggles. I am a healer, which is far better let me assure you," Tom Baker said to Holly, and then turned to Paula Eagan who was still stunned at seeing The Longbottoms chatting away.
"Mrs. Eagan, I see nothing wrong with this young, and might I say, charming girl before me."
Paula Eagan looked somewhat confused. "But I swear she was close to death, and The Longbottoms were comatose when I left to get you."
Tom Baker looked at The Longbottoms, and smiled his Cheshire Cat grin again. "Well they seem fine to me as well...hmm...looks like we'll have some empty spots in this ward soon. Very good job Mrs. Eagan, play your cards right, and this could mean a promotion for you."
"BUT I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"
Tom Baker turned back to Holly. "And modest, now that's hard to find in a good companion these days."
Paula Eagan was fuming. "Oooh! You!" she said pointing a finger at the healer. "That really frosts my cupcakes! You know that, don't you?!"
Alright now, things finally began to get settled down and sorted out. It was discovered that Holly had absorbed all of the bad trauma inflicted on Frank and Alice Longbottom. All that bad negative energy had been coiled up inside her with no place to go. When Bellatrix made contact with Holly's mind, it released all of that energy into the mind of The Death Eater, causing her to now suffer the same fate that she had dealt to the Longbottoms so very long ago. Worse actually, because her bed was right alongside a former Dark Arts Teacher by the name of Gilderoy Lockhart. He had lost his memory, but he wanted to give Bellatrix signed pictures of himself anyway. He chatted with her for hours on end, never once realizing that Bellatrix was not able to respond, but she could hear every single annoying word nevertheless.
Holly Potter
And The
Army of Darkness
Story:Kim West Edited: Autumn Winters
Chapter 2: Let The Memories Live Again.
The girls talked all through the night making plans for the upcoming battle against the forces of evil. It was decided that Becky would get in contact with Neville and inform him of what was to take place. Since they were already an established couple nobody would suspect the two of them getting together, and at any rate Neville was needed in order for them to locate his parents, and therefore rescue them. He was surprised and somewhat frightened that people had know about his parents, but when he found out they might be in danger he suddenly became more than willing to take part in the rescue attempt.
When it was time to set off from The Burrows Holly, Becky, and Hermione were faced with an interesting problem. It had taken considerable effort to convince Ginny that she should not come along because it really was too dangerous for her, and the more people who did come along the more risk there was for the mission to fail. So when they found themselves face to face with a fully dressed Ginny Weasley they were confused to say the least.
"What do you think you're doing then?" asked Becky.
"I'm coming with you of course."
"Ginny, I thought we went over this already. It's too dangerous for you," said Hermione softy.
"When Holly was Harry he faced Voldemort when he was eleven years old," replied a defiant Ginny.
"Yes, but that was different," said Holly.
"Oh, age does not apply when it comes to the name of Potter does it? I suppose you..."
Ginny had been walking when she talking and accidentally knocked over a stack of books sitting by a chair. It made a loud crash and everyone froze for several moments hoping it had not raised everyone from slumber. Fortunately nobody had come looking for the source of the disturbance and all three girls looked rather upset at Ginny for some odd reason.
"You did that on purpose you did," accused Becky.
"No, honestly it was an accident." Ginny said as she tried to pick up the mess she made, and almost stumbled over the chair that was next to the mess she made; this made a bit more noise despite her best efforts to stay quiet.
"Stop. You're going to wake up the dead at this rate." Hermione said helping Ginny untangle herself from the chair.
Holly moved closer to Ginny and was looking at her strangely, and she in turn looked uncomfortable being examined in such a way.
"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?" asked Ginny.
"You seem...different somehow to me...almost as if you were..."
"A clumsy cow rampaging her way through the house as if she really belonged in a barn." Becky said in a huff cutting off Holly in the process.
"Take that back!" shouted Ginny.
Hermione grabbed Ginny, covered her mouth, and turned to face Holly. "We need to leave now before these two end up in a all out catfight."
Holly simply nodded and they all left the house without any further incident. They made their way down the dirt road for about a mile or so from The Burrows and waited for The Knight Bus to arrive, and all the while Holly kept looking at Ginny as if something about her was just not right. What it was that was wrong she could not say, but she had a feeling she had better keep an eye on her just the same. Ginny for her part tried her best not to look like she was avoiding Holly at any cost, but that just made things even more obvious to everyone else. Becky and Hermione were increasingly becoming uneasy but they had no idea how to make the situation any better. Everyone kept extremely silent until The Knight Bus finally arrived. When the doors opened they saw Neville inside waiting for them.
"Neville!" Becky shouted with joy as she rushed toward her boyfriend and hugged him until he almost turned blue.
"Please, Becky...you don't know your own strength dear," Neville said gasping for air.
"Yes, Becky, please let go of Neville so we can get moving, and not waste any more time than we already have," said Hermione.
Becky let go of her boyfriend rather reluctantly, and everyone then proceeded to take their seats aboard the bus. They were regular chairs you would find in a house, and were not bolted to the floor. The bus began to speed on its way through forests, then through townships, through buildings. Well, that isn't exactly true, the buildings pretty much moved out of the way so the bus would not crash into them. That was the magic of The Knight Bus for nothing could hinder it when it was in motion. It was however, an exceedingly bumpy ride for the passengers because the chairs they were sitting in had a tendency to move about the floor, and one found oneself crashing into every part of the bus.
"I hope we reach St. Mungo's before this bloody thing kills us." Becky said while holding on to Neville.
"It's ironic in a way. If we do end up badly hurt at least we're heading in the right direction to receive medical attention," Hermione added.
"Yes, that is a comfort. Thank you for sharing," Holly replied.
Suddenly the bus had suddenly screeched to a halt which caused most of the passengers to fall on to the floor of the vehicle.
"St. Mungo's Hospital! All those who wish to disembark. Please do so now!" shouted the bus driver.
All four girls and Neville picked themselves up from the floor of the bus and headed outside. They had arrived in front of what looked like an old- fashioned, red brick department store called Purge and Dowse Ltd. Holly was about to ask where the hospital was for she could not see where it was at all, but Neville ran straight to the display window of the shabby department store. He stood right in front of a badly dressed dummy.
"Wotcher! We're here to see Alice and Frank Longbottom please." Neville said in a whisper.
The next moment the dummy began to nod its head, and Neville quickly walked through the sheet of glass, and soon Hermione, Ginny, and Becky went in as well. They all appeared to have vanished before Holly's eyes. She looked a few moments, and then suddenly Becky's head appeared from the glass.
"Well? What are you waiting for then? An invitation?" Becky's head said, and soon it was swallowed up by the glass once more.
'Oh well', thought Holly as she dove head first into the glass. It felt like dipping into a pool of water, but then she felt very much dry when coming out the other side, which was indeed a hospital waiting room. The others were waiting patiently for her in an apparently empty waiting room. Only a night time receptionist behind a desk seemed to be present.
"So, where are your parents located then, Neville?" asked Holly.
"Just follow me," said Neville resolutely, and they sped of up some rickety stairs, into a hallway lined with portraits. They were supposed to be famous healers who were all snoozing at the moment. One of them woke when Ginny accidentally stumbled into the wall.
"What is wrong with you, Ginny? You've never been this clumsy in your entire life?" Becky said scratching her head.
"Sorry, I sort of slipped is all," Ginny said regaining her composer. The Portrait she disturbed was a rather plump woman who began to immediately diagnose Ginny's ailment.
"You are obviously under influence of an anti-balancing jinx my dear," said the portrait.
"I am?"
"Yes indeed, you must be admitted at once for it can be quite a serious matter to treat."
Neville growled at the portrait. "Don't pay it no mind. None of these pictures knows what they are talking about, and besides we don't have time for this nonsense anyway. It's almost midnight!"
Neville then turned and sprinted down the hallway before anyone could say a word. The others quickly gathered themselves and hurried after Neville. Through some double doors and into the very same hospital ward Holly had seen in her nightmare the night before. She in fact knew exactly where Neville's parents were even without him rushing to their beds. Holly looked about the room for any sign of danger, and then she used her extra magical senses to scan the neighboring rooms and hallway. The others gathered around her watching her glow a dim gold and hover off the ground a couple of inches; she would turn this way and that floating all the while searching, but alas she could not detect anything bad approaching.
"I sense absolutely nothing." Holly said while floating to the ground once more, she turned to see Neville holding his mother's hand.
"Uh...Holly? Could I talk to you a moment?" asked Becky nervously.
"Yeah, sure. What's up?"
"Not here." Replied Becky as she motioned Holly over to the side for a private chat; Holly looked a bit surprised by all of the sudden privacy, but this was her best friend, and she did have a tendency to act strange upon occasion.
"Alright now, what was it you wanted to talk about then?"
"You remember when we were on Avalon, and you did that trick to heal me?"
"Yes, I suppose so."
Becky looked at Holly with a sort of pleading desperation in her eyes. "I want to ask you if you couldn't do the same thing for Neville's parents."
Holly wasn't quite sure what to say, and the look of indecision on Holly's face made Becky panic.
"Please Holly. I'm begging you to do this for me. I won't ever ask anything else from you. I swear I won't. Upon my..."
Holly held up her hand to cut off her friend. "I will try my best, but I do not know if that will be good enough."
Becky hugged Holly quite vigorously. "Ah, thanks Holly. You're a true friend indeed, that's what you are."
"Becky...if you strangle me...I won't be of much use will I?"
Becky let go of Holly, who was waiting until the blood returned to her limbs, and then made her way toward Frank and Alice Longbottom's beds. She moved next to Neville and touched him on the shoulder.
Neville did not look up. "So are you're going to help my parents then?"
Holly was surprised for a moment, but then realized Becky probably had talked to Neville before hand about this possibility. "Well, that depends on whether you want me to try."
Neville stood up and turned to face Holly with a horrible look of dread upon his face. "My entire life I have lived knowing my parents were alive, but they were not able to raise me. Not able to even able to smile at me. The healers here have done every possible thing to bring them back, but they have told me nothing more can be done," Neville paused trying to force himself not to cry, "If you have the power to heal like Becky says then please heal my mum and dad."
Holly smiled a gentle smile. "I promise to you, Neville, I will do everything within my power to bring your parents back to you. I only hope you do not lift your hopes too high if I fail in this task."
Neville simply nodded while walking back to where the others were standing. Holly then moved herself between the two beds and placed one hand on Frank Longbottom's forehead and her other hand on Alice Longbottom's forehead. Holly began to glow first with a red, then gold, and then finally a blinding white light. She lit the entire ward with this white light.
"BY THE POWERS WITHIN ME, LET THESE TWO BE HEALED!"
The bright light that had filled the room suddenly went out except for a soft amber glow all around Holly and Neville's parents. Soon though, this disappeared, and Holly stumbled away from the two beds. She had an eerie look upon her face, and she was shaking slightly.
"Holly, are you alright?" asked Hermione.
Holly started to shake a little more. "No...I think I'm...hurt."
Both Hermione and Becky caught Holly before she almost fell to the ground. Becky's face was extremely pale looking at Holly quivering uncontrollably.
"Holly! Oh...I...what have I done to you?" Becky said pleading.
"I'll be alright...just..." Holly suddenly stopped talking, and apparently stopped breathing as well. Hermione screamed, clutching her friend with all her might.
Neville's face also went pale, but could not move or say anything, and Ginny looked a bit on the panicky side of things, looking about for who knows what. A moment later a nurse came rushing in to see who had just screamed.
"What happened?" asked the nurse, but before anyone could answer Holly suddenly grasped for air once more and began to cough wildly.
"Never mind telling me. Stay where you are. I'll go get some help, and be back as soon as possible." The nurse told them and she was gone.
"Poor little baby Potter is about to die, and she brought all her little baby friends to die with her," said a menacing voice.
Everyone froze with terror, except for Ginny who stepped forward to meet the person who had just spoken.
"Don't come any closer!" Ginny said in a fiery voice.
"Who are you, little baby brat, to threaten me!"
Ginny suddenly grew in height, and her hair went from red to light purple. Her facial features also changed to that of a complete stranger. "The name's Tonks. I am an Auror, and I believe that you, Bellatrix Lestrange, are now under arrest."
Bellatrix backed away a few steps. "An Auror! Well regardless, you are still outnumbered."
Two more Death Eaters came out of the shadows and grabbed Tonks from behind; although she struggled there was simply nothing she could do. Bellatrix began to walk toward Holly who was actually beginning to stand up despite Hermione's and Becky's efforts to keep her down.
"So there appears to be some life left in you after all. Good, I was begging to think this was not going to be fun for me."
"Stand down now, Lestrange, and you may yet live to see your old cell in Azkaban." replied a strangely familiar voice.
Bellatrix showed fear in her eyes for the first time "Mad Eye! You still live to haunt me!"
Mad Eye Moody stepped forward and greeted Bellatrix with a smile, which in Moody's case looked particularly menacing because his face was horribly disfigured.
"I could say the same about you, Lestrange. Now, give up before we have to get rough with you," said Moody with an air of authority.
"We? It's just you and this pathetic Auror called Trunks. I still hold the advantage," huffed Bellatrix.
"Hey! I'm not a piece of luggage! My name is Tonks! Not Trunks!" yelled Tonks.
"Whatever, you are still pathetic, and I grow tired of this boring conversation."
"Then let me introduce you to some friends of mine," Moody said while giving a signal of some sort. "Kingsley Shacklebolt another Auror, and, oh yes, then there's Arthur and Molly Weasley. I believe with them along my side I can now say we have you surrounded."
A tall, black man who looked like he'd seen many a battle strode in from the left, and The Weasley parents flanked Bellatrix from the left side.
"Mum! Dad! How?" asked Becky, bewildered at seeing her parents here.
"Not now, Becky," cautioned Molly Weasley.
"You are out numbered; give up now." Moody said firmly.
There was a murderous look on the face of Bellatrix who suddenly ran toward Holly and grabbed her. She easily pushed Becky and Hermione out of the way while doing so. Everyone froze as the situation escalated.
"Don't be foolish, Bellatrix. You harm the girl, and it is over for you this time."
"Idiot! Do you think I care whether I live or die! Potter's mind will cease to exist! That is all that matters to me!"
Bellatrix put her hand on Holly forehead.
"You don't really want to do this," said Holly.
Bellatrix cackled madly. "Oh yes I do!"
The attack on Holly's very mind began, and for a few moments it looked like Bellatrix would indeed have the last laugh, but then something happened. The Death Eater suddenly was repelled with great force from her intended victim. High in the air she flew and slammed into the far wall; unfortunately, she seemed to be still alive.
"Are you alright, Holly?" asked Hermione.
"Say something, please." Added Becky.
Holly looked at them, and gave a brief smile. "I told her she didn't want to do that to me."
Everyone gathered around Holly amazed at what had just happened but also relieved that she appeared to be alright. The two other Death Eaters decided to let go of Tonks and give themselves up to Mad Eye and Shacklebolt.
"That was impressive stuff you've got there, kiddo, there's no denying that!" rumbled Mad Eye Moody while he was preparing his prisoner for a one- way trip to Azkaban.
"I am just glad she is on our side, Moody!" Shacklebolt said, laughing out loud.
"You should have seen her earlier, Moody. She practically could tell I wasn't Ginny Weasley just by looking at me. I swear, nobody will be able to get the drop on this one when she gets properly trained!" Tonks exclaimed smiling from ear to ear.
"Why, may I ask, did you pretend to be Ginny, and why are so many people here to rescue us?" Hermione asked, "Not that I mind being rescued, but I am somewhat curious just the same."
"Oh, well, Dumbledore asked me to look after Holly because he felt there might be some attempts to do her in, and of course he was right. So anyway, I had been spying on you girls last night when Holly had her nightmare. I knew this might turn out badly so I asked for additional back up, which is why we have the situation we have right now."
"Tonks told us what you were planning because she felt as parents we were obligated to know what sort of risk might take place in regards to you girls." Arthur Weasley added.
"Wow, and mum agreed to all this?" asked Becky who looked stunned.
"Never you mind what I agreed to or not! What you girls did tonight was reckless, foolish, and could have cost you your lives!" Molly Weasley shouted, and then turned to face Holly. "And you almost dying nearly caused me to have a heart attack I'll have you know."
Holly smiled knowing that this is what it must feel like to have someone love and care for her the way a mother would. "I will try to avoid dying in the future when I am battling the forces of evil."
Molly Weasley smiled at that comment despite herself, and then she moved closer to give Holly a hug. "Well, see that you do just that, young lady."
You would think things would start to calm down a bit, but then you would be wrong. Something happened that all of the healers at St. Mungos thought would never happen, but it did just the same. Frank and Alice Longbottom sat up in their beds, and knew who they were.
"Dearest, you look simply terrible," said Frank Longbottom to his wife.
"You don't exactly look fantastic yourself," replied Alice Longbottom.
"Mum? Dad?" Neville cried out loud; he wished beyond wishing that this wasn't just another dream.' It is real. This has to be real. IT HAS TO BE REAL' thought Neville over and over again within his mind.
"My goodness, after all this time we finally get to see the face of our son," Alice said with pride in her voice.
"You may not realize what it meant to us having you visit us, son. It kept your mother and me going," Frank said smiling.
"Yes, we probably would have given up all hope if it wasn't for you." Alice continued as she welcomed Neville in her open arms. Tears of happiness flowed freely down his cheeks. Soon all of the Longbottoms were hugging, crying, laughing, and sharing, for they had an entire lifetime to catch up on.
But wait, there's more dear readers; just then came a weird sort of sound like an old automobile engine trying to turn over but not quite succeeding. Within moments there appeared a Police Call Box right in the middle of the ward. The doors soon opened and two people stepped out of it. One was the nurse who had gone for help, and the other was a strange looking man wearing a brownish tan overcoat, a multi-colored scarf, and a dark brown hat. His hair was curly light brown, and his eyes and smile were like those found on The Cheshire Cat in Wonderland. He surveyed the room and turned to the nurse.
"Companion, what seems to be the problem here?"
"I'm not one of those bimbos you call a companion. My name is Paula Eagan you stupid git, and I work here at St. Mungo's. Now come this way." Paula said grabbing the strange man by the arm. She led him right straight to Holly, and was quite surprised to not only see her up and about, but The Longbottoms were actually moving and talking.
The man went up to Holly and did a rather quick examination. "Hello there, my name is Tom Baker, and I'm here to help you." Tom said smiling.
"Are you a doctor then?" asked Holly.
"Doctor, who? Me? Don't be silly, doctors are for Muggles. I am a healer, which is far better let me assure you," Tom Baker said to Holly, and then turned to Paula Eagan who was still stunned at seeing The Longbottoms chatting away.
"Mrs. Eagan, I see nothing wrong with this young, and might I say, charming girl before me."
Paula Eagan looked somewhat confused. "But I swear she was close to death, and The Longbottoms were comatose when I left to get you."
Tom Baker looked at The Longbottoms, and smiled his Cheshire Cat grin again. "Well they seem fine to me as well...hmm...looks like we'll have some empty spots in this ward soon. Very good job Mrs. Eagan, play your cards right, and this could mean a promotion for you."
"BUT I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"
Tom Baker turned back to Holly. "And modest, now that's hard to find in a good companion these days."
Paula Eagan was fuming. "Oooh! You!" she said pointing a finger at the healer. "That really frosts my cupcakes! You know that, don't you?!"
Alright now, things finally began to get settled down and sorted out. It was discovered that Holly had absorbed all of the bad trauma inflicted on Frank and Alice Longbottom. All that bad negative energy had been coiled up inside her with no place to go. When Bellatrix made contact with Holly's mind, it released all of that energy into the mind of The Death Eater, causing her to now suffer the same fate that she had dealt to the Longbottoms so very long ago. Worse actually, because her bed was right alongside a former Dark Arts Teacher by the name of Gilderoy Lockhart. He had lost his memory, but he wanted to give Bellatrix signed pictures of himself anyway. He chatted with her for hours on end, never once realizing that Bellatrix was not able to respond, but she could hear every single annoying word nevertheless.