A/N: Heyo! So sorry I've been off the Net for a bit. Honestly, school, work, and life have all just honestly been kicking my ass. I wish I could say that we are going to be seeing a steady stream of updates, but I won't lie to you, that is still very, very unlikely for the time being. I am going to try over the holidays to front load as many chapters as I can, but I really am not certain how much that will amount to.

I am looking for readers that are very invested in this series for help with a special project moving forward, so if that is interesting to you, please PM me. Besides that, after long last, I hope you enjoy Chapter 4 of Harry Black Book 4.

Chapter IV: Awake and Alive

(Astoria P.O.V)

Astoria awoke with a jolt. Her gasp filled the emptiness of her room. A thin shred of light peaked from behind the curtain. Her arm throbbed as she pulled it back, revealing the mid-morning sun. Where am I? Astoria groaned.

Her body felt tired and sore. She gripped her bedsheets tightly, but the strength in her arms felt non-existent. The room spun as a sudden dizziness overtook her. Without a moment's hesitation, she leaned over the bed. Vomit sprung from her lips, painting the polished wooden-floor, her reflection present beside her self-created mess.

She clutched her forehead. Her fingertips aggressively massaged her skin. What's happening to me?

Her eyes jolted up as the creak of the bedroom door centered her attention. A pair of emerald green eyes peered through the darkness before the tanned hand flipped the light switch.

"Hey sleepy-head," Harry said, his voice felt warm and comforting.

Though, he certainly didn't look like, well, Harry. He did wear his signature smile. His hair wasn't purposefully messy; rather, it looked like that of a man who'd just emerged from the center of a hurricane. It was Harry's eyes that betrayed him the most, however. There was no luster; instead, they looked dull and tired encased in deep dark circles, which gave away the boy's lack of sleep.

"Harry?" Astoria whispered, "What happened?"

"Nothing that you should concern yourself with right now," Harry said softly. He vanished the vomit with a wave of his wand before he inched towards the bed. He kneeled before her, the back of his hand plastered to her forehead. "Good, it looks as if your fever has gone down. You had me worried there Short Stack."

Her heart twitched at the nickname. She'd never heard it said so absently. Harry may have been the one checking on her, but Astoria didn't need to be a doctor to see something was terribly wrong with him. Astoria lunged forward. The cold floor sent chills up her body from her bare feet. The attempt hadn't lasted long, however, her face now on a crash-course with the ground.

Harry sprang forward, her head grasped in the palm of his hand. She released a sigh of relief as Harry pulled her up, her frame now fully supported by him.

"Don't do anything rash," Harry said. "If you fall and hurt yourself, you're going to have a bad time. I'm not exactly skilled in the medical arts, you know."

The medical arts, Astoria thought distantly. Her eyes glanced toward Harry. The boy sent her a soft smile, which faded almost immediately. "Harry, where's Daphne?"

Harry's face soured. Her heart pounded. Did something happen? Did they break up? I've never seen Harry make that face at Daphne's name before. Her thoughts raced a mile a minute until Harry placed his arm around her shoulder. "Nothing like that happened, Astoria, I promise you."

"How did you-," She stopped herself at Harry's soft grin, "Right, never mind." She shook her head faintly, "But if that's not why, then-"

"Your sister-" Harry sighed, "Well, all of us, actually, are going through a tough time right now." Despite his closeness, Harry suddenly felt extremely distant as he pulled his eyes off her. "We uh, we took a pretty bad loss while you were out. No one here," Harry quickly corrected, "But uh, Daphne, she-"

Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Daphne hasn't exactly taken in too well. Not that anyone is particularly feeling that cheerful right now."

"What happened? Where's Daphne? Can you take me to her? I-,"

"One step at a time," Harry said. "Thatcher told us about how important it was for you to keep your strength up during recovery. So how about some breakfast first. Okay?"

Astoria nodded. Harry helped her shuffled back towards the bed before he called for Dobby to bring up some food. Within seconds, a platter of toast, eggs, ham, and black pudding arrived. The food looked appetizing, but her stomach felt tight. Harry placed his meal aside, taking her fork and stabbing some eggs before lifting it to her lips.

"Open," He commanded, his tone firm yet soft. "I know your not the type to let a meal go to waste."

Astoria did as he asked, taking in the food. She swallowed with a gulp, but she hardly had time to ask for the second bite, the fork already back at her lips. Silently, she ate as Harry had instructed. Her nausea had finally begun to fade. Harry stretched his arm, setting the now cleaned plate atop her bedside table, and rubbed his hand in soft circles across her back.

"Better?" He asked

"Yeah," She replied. "Harry I know I-,"

"We lost St. Mungos." Harry's word had felt as if somebody had poured a bucket of ice-water atop her head. "The Order, they didn't think we should tell you right away, but I know that you're like me. The not knowing would drive you crazy, but I also know that there is a certain bliss that comes with being ignorant of the situation."

Astoria's pupils widened to the size of marbles. Her gaze locked upon her feet that hovered just above the ground. "What do you mean by lost St. Mungos?"

"Waves of them," Harry said. "It looked like never-ending waves of them were marching on the hospital. I'd never seen so many undead." Harry glanced up, "We tried to hold them back. Fleur and Claire even joined in the fight, the Aurors too, but-" Harry rubbed his neck, "We weren't able to clear out all the patient inside. The Aurors, they 'took care' of any patients too critical to move."

Tears dripped softly down her face. "How could they attack a hospital? Even in a war, there have to be limits, right?"

"We're not fighting a war against people, Astoria." Harry said softly, "I think that's what is causing Daphne a lot of difficulties with her coping as well." Harry turned to her, his emerald eyes burning into hers, "We're fighting monsters. There is no line they won't cross. We need to be prepared for that."

"How can we?" Astoria whispered. "We're humans, Harry; we can't just close ourselves off like that. If we did, what kind of people would we be?"

"I suppose we'd be people like Dumbledore," Harry said. The boy looked up for a moment and sighed. "Never thought the day would come, but I almost wish he were here right now. You know, when he talked about the sacrifices made for the greater good, it always made my blood boil. How could he ever look at people as so expendable?"

"Now though," Harry said, "There are no choices. People are going to die, no matter the decision. That's the reality of war. Perhaps that's why Dumbledore always seemed so distant. To invest in an expendable resource like a soldier is a foolhardy choice. His greater good doctrine is morally objectionable, but I almost feel that if I don't at least believe in it a little- if I don't distance myself from the inevitable, then I-"

Harry paused, a weak smile stretched across his face. "Then I think I might go insane myself."

"No," Astoria said. She shook her head forcefully as she grabbed Harry. "That's not you. That's not who you are. You can try to convince yourself that you can be like Dumbledore, but you can't be. You shouldn't be."

Harry's eyes glanced back at her. "I don't even care if Dumbledore is right. It doesn't matter. You're the type of person who would choose the harder path. You'd rather suffer the losses of your comrades than to distance yourself from them. Harry, you love people. You may not like them all the time, but you're not somebody who could turn a blind eye to someone in need because it didn't fit your plan."

"You're not Dumbledore," Astoria hissed, "And the only reason all of us are still here with you is for precisely that reason. So don't ever talk like that again. You're Harry Potter, and I will only follow Harry Potter's orders. Because I trust Harry Potter with my life."

Harry smiled. It was faint, but Astoria had noticed the gentle upward curl of his lip behind the hand that covered his face. He rubbed his eyes, a spark of life present in them for the first time since he'd entered the room.

"When did you suddenly become so good at giving advice, Short Stack." Astoria shrugged softly before Harry helped her to her feet. "Can you stand? I think Daphne would love to know you're up and moving again."

(Daphne P.O.V)

Daphne laid silently atop the vacant bed. The dim morning light that broke through the curtains provided only the slightest bit of illumination as she sat in the silence of her thoughts. Her stomach growled, but she couldn't eat. Her attempts at sleeping hadn't gone much better. Dark circles framed her icy-blue eyes. It had been days since she got a restful sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, the face of some elderly patient invaded her thoughts.

How many did we leave to die? The thought made her nauseous. She drowned the thought, sealing it from her mind. But it never entirely vanished. "Are you okay?" The question frustrated her. Was she supposed to be. The objective fact that loss in war was the reality did little to help her cope.

Or maybe it was the fact that the one person who didn't ask her if she was okay was the one person she wanted to hear it from, Harry. She and Harry had passed the days in silence. Though he'd never fail to wake her from her nightmares, he never said anything. There was nothing but sadness in his eyes.

Why, why does he look at me like that? Does he think that I'm weak, that I can't handle it? Does he think he made a mistake involving me. Daphne gritted her teeth at her thoughts. She dug her fingers deep into the mattress beneath her. Worse yet, is he right to think so. I-

A knock on the door broke her from her thoughts, though there was no follow up before the hinges swung open. A witch now stood in the empty hall, short and round, her face aged with years of wisdom. "Skipping breakfast isn't a smart idea when you're trying to keep your strenght up child."

"Sorry, Dr. Thatcher, I-"

"Just Abigail is fine," The medical witch whispered, "We aren't exactly in a hospital setting at the moment." The mention of the hospital made her chest tighten. "Nevermind that now," Abigail said, pushing the plate to her lap, "Eat now."

"I'm- I'm not hungry," Daphne muttered.

Her stomach growled as if to betray her words. Abigail's brow rose at the sound as she sighed. "Very well, if you insist on being stubborn about this I could always transfigure something into a feeding tube and force feed you."

Daphne shuttered at the thought. She reached for the fork and stabbed into a pre-made pile of scrambled eggs. "Smart choice," Abigail said. The hazel-eyed witch studied her as she moved the food to her lips. She rolled her eyes, "With some urgency please, Greengrass, we don't have all day."

She quickly shoveled in some more bites. She paused as she reached from the glass of water, pounding it back. For a moment, silence returned to the room. A soft gaze grew in Abigail's eyes as Daphne turned to her. "Why are you here, anyway? Certainly you have your own place to live, don't you?"

"Perhaps I do," Abigail replied, "But I'm in no rush to return. It's not like I'm leaving anyone waiting. Plus, I feel my skills may be of more use here at the moment. Not to mention that a mentor's job is to ensure the success of their pupil and as you've clearly demonstrated, you are in no condition to take care of yourself right now."

"There's no more hospital," Daphne croaked, "And you don't have to babysit me. I-"

"It may be true that the hospital is no longer here, but it doesn't change the fact you still have a healer's heart and much still to learn." Abigail stopped. Her mouth opened, but no words emerged. Daphne studied the older witch for a moment before she sighed. "To become the greatest, I had to sacrifice a lot, child. I studied hard to gain respect and dedicated myself to the growth of St. Mungos. That hospital was my child; when it had been destroyed, I thought I'd lost all I had."

"Had it happened a year and a half ago, I would have been right." Daphne locked eyes with the healer; a newfound vulnerability shone in the witch's stare. "However, I happened to find a young witch who was far too stubborn to quit even when paired with a mentor who ran her to the bring of exhaustion daily."

"I wasn't lying when I said I pushed you hard because I only expected the best from my students and saw you had great potential, but I wasn't telling the whole truth either." The doctor swallowed softly. "You're like a granddaughter to me, Daphne. I see so much of myself in you, and I know this pain and doubt you are feeling right now. You have the potential to surpass me one day, but if I let you falter here, that reality will never come to pass. That is one thing I simply cannot allow."

"Do you remember what I told you that day you tried to stay late to put in extra hours?" Abigail asked softly.

"That I was to eat when you tell me to eat, read what you tell me to read, treat how you instruct me to treat, and most importantly rest when you tell me to rest." Daphne said, a watery smile stretching upon her face.

"However, I appear to have missed a crucial instruction," Abigail said. "You will tell me when you are hurting, no matter the reason."

Tears rushed down Daphne's cheeks as she faced her mentor. "I'm hurting." She whispered, "I'm hurting so badly."

Abigail stretched her arms forward, wrapping Daphne in her arms. For a moment, the hug had reminded her of the ones that her mother had given her when she was small—the hugs she'd been given before everything had gone to shit. Abigail said nothing. She held her, and Daphne wept.

"You will survive this," Abigail said, breaking the silence. "Sometimes there are no words to be said, no actions to be done, sometimes the reality is that we must just be strong and be patient. This too shall pass, but only if you refuse to be broken."

"We cannot rewrite the past," Abigail continued, "But the future is still unwritten, and we can start penning a new story right now. You're strong, Daphne, and thought that boyfriend of yours might not show it, he feels exactly as you do." Daphne glanced up at the woman that held her. "In my time, I've seen a fair share of aurors face conditions that meant most likely certain death with great bravery, but that never vanished the fear."

"You aren't the only one who is afraid. Every single one of us lives with fear. Some of us are better at hiding it than others, but that fear doesn't make you weak. It makes you human." Abigail smiled, "I assure you, child. You are anything but a burden. So clear that nonsense from your mind."

"I didn't say anything about-,"

"You didn't need to," Abigail said, "You're a lot like me, remember."

The elderly woman released her grasp over Daphne as she rose from the chair. "Well, that's as much emotional vulnerability I can put out for one day. I'll be back in an hour or so in case for some reason you've yet to leave this room and I expect that plate to be cleaned. Am I understood?"

"Yes ma'am," Daphne replied with a weak smile.

Abigail nodded, and Daphne sat silently, fork in hand, as the medical witch shuffled out of the room. Daphne wrapped her arms around herself softly, the warmth of the hug still lingering as she side. I'd forgotten what that felt like. She sighed, breaking free of the thought as she lifted a bacon strip from the plate.

She'd only managed to shovel in a few more bites before another knock on the door gripped her attention. "It hasn't been an hour yet!" She called out.

"What are you talking about?" Harry replied. Daphne swallowed as Harry continued, "Um, well, anyway, can I come in?"

"You're asking for permission to enter your own room?" Daphne queried.

"Well, I'm not exactly alone this time." Harry said.

Silently Daphne nodded, opening the door with a flick of her wand. Her heart pounded rapidly in her chest, her wand dropping to the floor as she sprung from the bed. As if lightning coursed through her veins, she sprinted towards the door. Harry barely had time to sidestep as she wrapped her arms tightly around the small girl at his side.

"You're awake!" Daphne exclaimed. "Oh, thank Merlin, you're awake. I was so worried that apparition so close to your treatment would be-" She shook her head, "That doesn't matter. All that matters is that you're okay."

"Can't. Breathe." Astoria grunted.

Daphne hopped back, freeing her sister. Astoria took a deep breath before she returned the smile. "You shouldn't be so surprised you know," Astoria said softly, "I promised you I wasn't going to die until you cured me, didn't I?"

"You look like shit, by the way," Astoria snipped, "I mean, I just woke up, and somehow I look like I'm the pretty sister. You really need to take better care of yourself."

Daphne chuckled, "Shut up you."

Harry stepped forward into the room. Daphne tracked him as he approached the half-eaten plate. "You're eating again, that's a releif."

Astoria stretched out her hand, helping Daphne to her feet. Her eyes peered into the back of the raven-hair wizard's head. Daphne's throat had grown hot as Harry turned to face her, "Hey, um, I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

Harry's head tilted softly, "For what?"

"I know you were worried about how I was acting lately. You have so many other things on your plate and I was just adding to-,"

Harry stepped towards her, his palm cupping her cheek gently, "You will always be my top priority, Daphne. Plus, with all the times I've made you worry, we're not even close to even. You have nothing to apologize for." He smiled, "I wish I could have known what to say to snap you out of your trance, but I'm glad to have you back, Princess."

"Awe, cute," Astoria said teasingly.

"Shut it, short stack," Harry said. Daphne felt Harry's eyes fall upon her again, "I'm going to take Astoria down to get checked over by Doctor Thatcher. We're probably going to be having a meeting soon with Neville and Hermione having to head back to Hogwarts soon. You should try to shower and get dressed. You know I'll always love you no matter how you look, but Astoria's right. You do look like shit."

Daphne grinned and nodded, "Alright, I'll see you downstairs, then."

(Harry P.O.V)

Harry leaned against the rickety wooden walls of the Dinning Hall. Across the hall, Michael pulled Claire into his chest to break the monotony of the French Half-Veela's consistent check of his injuries. He sent the former Ravenclaw a smirk, his silent comment met with the twinkle in his best friend's eyes.

The chatter of the Dinning Hall paused mid speech at the arrival of Astoria. While Dr. Thatcher raced towards the weakened young snake, Mrs. Weasley sent him daggers. Harry simply shrugged, there was no point to secrets, no point to being sensitive to other's feelings, not anymore at least.

Neville and Hermione stood huddled in the corner of the hall around Mad-Eye. Moody for as long as Harry knew him had never looked like the most dapper gentleman, but the war was without a doubt wearing the old man down. Not a single shred of auburn remained in his hair, or at least, what remained of it. Even his hushed whisper to the leaders of the S.P.I.R.E sounded venomous.

Narcissa's arm rested around her sister's shoulders as the two sat in the living room adjacent to the meeting by the warmth of the fire. How badly Harry wished he could simply think of the words to say, but there were no words to be said. Not even the bravest of actions could undo what was done. Only time, that was the only remedy for the Middle-Black sister's weeping heart.

A warm magic flooded his mind as Sirius placed his palm atop his shoulder. "Alright there, pup?"

"Good as can be expected I suppose." His eyes darted towards the younger Greengrass, "A bit better now than before."

Sirius nodded, "We got word back from Bones." Instantly, the mood soured. "Bones claim the Goblins have no interest in negotiations. They said they have nothing left to gain from a Ministry that left them subservient. They will do what is good for business, but whatever deal the Deaters made with the bastards, it must have been a good one."

"Tsk," Harry sneered, "One fucking thing after another." He closed his eyes, "Alright then, plan B, we break in. We can't afford to wait any longer. If they aren't going to help us, then they are eventual enemies. We need to handle this with urgency. Let's start brewing up some-"

"None of that boy!" Moody barked, "We won't need to resort to such underhanded tactic quite yet." Moody smiled as he mentioned the idea of an underhanded tactic. "This lass has actually come up with a brilliant idea." The grizzled auror's hand clamped around Hermione's shoulder as he pushed her forward. "Go on now, tell them what you said."

"Well um," Hermione started, clearly frazzled by the actions of the older wizard. "Well, like I was telling Neville and Professor Moody, I was talking with Professor Flitwick one time a few years back about the artifacts of the Hogwarts Houses- I think it was for some project or something back in first-year, you know when-"

"Hermione. Focus." Harry called out.

"Right, so anyway," Hermione shook her head, "I had expected Professor Flitwick to say that the most valuable one was the diadem of Ravenclaw, because for well, obvious reasons." Hermione paused once more before she swallowed and continued. "But he didn't. He said under normal circumstances he would have said the diadem, but to Goblins, even half-goblins, such as himself, there is no possession quite as treasured among his people as the Sword of Gryffindor."

"Alright, I'll bite, why's that?" Harry asked.

"Merlin, Harry, do you not listen to anything in History of Magic?" Harry shrugged. Hermione rolled her eyes in retort. "Anyway, many of the Goblin Rebellions were started under the belief that Godric Gryffindor had stolen their sword from them. Wizard's accounts differ, but nonetheless, the Sword of Gryffindor is extremely cherished by the Goblins. If you offered them the sword for their cooperation, I'm certain you'd at the very least get a meeting."

The Ravenclaw witch quivered under the heavy gaze of the Order. The creaks of the house stole Harry's attention momentarily before he returned to Hermione. "I'm not saying it's a bad plan and it sure as hell beats breaking into the impenetrable Gringotts, but there's a key flaw to your plan. I don't have the Sword of Gryffindor."

"You can leave that to us, we'll make sure to inform McGonagall of the situation as soon as we get back to the castle and have her agree to hand it over to you," Neville said. "In the meantime, we need to send word to Gringotts. The ministry may not have something they want, but we do."

The wood floors squeaked behind him as Harry turned to face the cool blue eyes of Daphne Greengrass. "The goblins are tough negotiators and real bastards," The blonde muttered, "I would know, I've seen my father barter with them a fair share of time. If the plan rests on negotiation, I'll be the one to go. There's a lot of things you can do Harry, this isn't one of them."

"Why are you talking like I was going to decline your invitation?" Harry said with a coy grin.

"Force of Habit I guess," Daphne chuckled, "Glad we're passed that. I'll handle the Goblins, you focus on doing what you do best."

"And what's that exactly?" Harry said.

"Wreak havoc, of course." Daphne smile turned grim, "They just got a huge victory off on us with the destruction of the hospital, I suspect they are about to plan a celebratory tour at our failure, you need to remind them that we aren't to be fucked with."

"I'm glad to have you back, Princess," Harry said.

"It's," Daphne's eyes fell on the younger Greengrass and the Doctor, "It's good to be back." Harry noticed the witch's eyes linger a bit longer on Astoria, "Just hang on a little longer Astoria, we'll take this one victory at a time."

A/N: Alright, real talk, this was so hard to write. I forgot how much fun, but challenging this FF thing can be. I almost feel like I need to go back and re-read my own story because I forgot how densely packed my own stories were haha. I do hope that for the most part, everyone got some enjoyment out of this chapter. I know it wasn't the most action-packed chapter, but worry not, they'll come.

If you did enjoy the chapter and are glad to see a return of this series, please be sure to Follow, Favorite and Review! And once again, if you'd like to help me on a special project, please do PM me. With all that said, Until Next Time, Peace!