A.N. Some may be confused about the beginning of this fic. Dumbledore had cast a Body-Binding spell at Harry when he heard the Death Eaters arriving and covered Harry with the invisibility cloak. Harry had fallen against the wall, so he was propped on an angle. Dumbledore's reason for this was to prevent Harry from interfering when Snape killed Dumbledore. That is slightly different from the book and drastically different from the movie, so I thought I should explain that.
I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, Ginny would be dead.
"I do not know, Poppy. As I said, Fillius found him at the top of the Astronomy tower, sprawled on the floor. You saw what…what his neck looked like." Minerva McGonagall swallowed as she remembered seeing Harry being levitated into the infirmary by little Professor Flitwick. His neck had been…oozing…blood. And when she had dared to touch it, it had felt as if it were burning.
"There were also marks all over the walls, made by curses. He must have been the object of them." Flitwick said, his squeaky voice much more solemn than what his colleagues were accustomed to hearing.
"But what was he doing up the tower? And why did the Death Eaters attack? How did they attack?" fretted Madam Pomfrey as she moved around Harry, frantically casting spells and transferring potions directly into his stomach. She had managed to stop the heat coming from Harry's throat, but it was still oozing blood.
"We don't know, Poppy. How the death eaters got into the castle is a mystery. The only reason I can think of that could be the cause for their attack is the disappearance of Albus. No one has seen him since he left the castle with Harry last night." McGonagall replied. She was wringing her hands in worry; over her critically injured student, other less serious injuries sustained in the sudden attack, and the absence of the headmaster. And if the death eaters had found a way in, didn't that mean that Hogwarts was no longer safe? They could always come back in the way they came last night.
"Harry probably knows what happened. He was the last person to see Albus, so he can tell us where he is." Flitwick pointed out.
"That is if Mr. Potter recovers. I am only just beginning to understand the nature of the damage done to his neck, but it is nasty. I don't know what curse hit him, and we don't know how long he was up in the astronomy tower with his wound getting worse.
"Even if he recovers, there will be lasting damage that will never heal." Madame Pomfrey informed them gravely.
"What kind of damage, Poppy?" McGonagall asked. Her hands had increased their speed.
"His condition is stable for now. I've stopped that bleeding...I've never seen anything like that before. I don't know what that curse was, but it had to be extremely dark. I'm afraid that whatever that curse specifically does, it somehow burned the inside of his throat. His trachea had small holes in it, which I was able to repair for the most part, and the burn damage got extremely close to his neck vertebrae. Thankfully, his spinal chord was not damaged in any way, but what I'm really worried about are his vocal chords. When he wakes up, he will not be able to speak. I've done all I can, but the damage to his vocal chords was the most severe of all. They were literally burned away...I...I cannot re-grow them." Madam Pomfrey bowed her head, feeling so sorry for the boy. She wished that she could have done more...if only they had found him sooner!
Silence reigned in the infirmary. McGonagall and Flitwick were just beginning to comprehend the implications of Harry's wound, and any other patient was resting, recovering from their own injuries.
"He's going to need help." McGonagall finally said. "I'll inform Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger of his condition. They can help him cope, and I'm sure Miss Granger will go straight to the library, searching for ideas to help Mr. Potter."
Madam Pomfrey nodded. "That will be good. He's going to need all the support he can get."
Professor McGonagall swept through corridors towards Gryffindor Tower, where all the Gryffindors had been sent after the attack. She was on her way to inform them of what had happened, and to tell Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger of the injuries sustained by their best friend.
McGonagall was dreading that conversation.
The Fat Lady opened the portrait for McGonagall as soon as the Deputy Headmistress reached it. She was a teacher; she had free access to any of the common rooms.
The hubbub of the common room instantly abated once McGonagall stepped through the portrait-hole. Slowly they made their way closer to her, sensing that they were about to get an explanation for the attack.
McGonagall took a deep breath, collected her thoughts, and began.
"Last night a group of Death Eaters broke into Hogwarts. We don't know how they got in, but, however they did it, they seemed to have done it on the seventh floor. This is where the Death Eaters seemed to have originated from.
"We don't know why they came, either. The attacking party was too small to have been an attempt to take the castle; it seemed to be more of a strike team. One thing we are concerned about is the apparent absence of Headmaster Dumbledore. A search of the castle grounds is being organized as I speak. He had left the castle last night with Mr. Potter for an undisclosed purpose."
"Where is Harry?" Ronald Weasley asked.
"He is currently in the infirmary, due to mysteriously sustained wounds. Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, you may visit him after I have finished.
"As I was saying, Mr. Potter is unable to currently tell us what exactly happened. He is unconscious and recovering from serious wounds." McGonagall continued.
As soon as she said the words "serious wounds," the common room erupted in worried voices.
"What is wrong with him?"
"How serious?"
"Is he alright?"
"When will he be back?"
"Calm yourselves. Mr. Potter's condition is stable, and he is expected to recover. I do not, however, know when he will be released from the hospital wing." McGonagall said.
"Since the attack has ended, all are allowed out of the tower again. But please use caution, and stay together in groups. All students will stay out of the hospital wing unless given permission to visit a friend or have a serious injury. Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, I need to speak to you two. Please follow me." With that the professer turned back to the portrait hole and stepped through, Potter's friends behind her.
She led them towards the Hospital Wing, speaking as she walked.
"Is this about Harry, Professor? What happened to him?" Miss Granger asked, struggling to keep up with her head-of-house's quick strides.
"Miss Granger, we do not know what exactly happened. He had left with the Headmaster on a trip that no one seems to know the purpose of. No one saw them leave or return, although the Headmaster had told the staff that he would be leaving that afternoon with Mr. Potter. When the Death Eaters attacked a few had gone straight to the Astronomy tower. I followed them but was delayed by the fighting. Professor Flitwick got there, however. When he arrived, no one was there except for Harry, who was collapsed on the floor with blood all over...I'll not go into detail. His invisibility cloak was laying beside him and he still had his wand in his pocket."
"That means that he either didn't know he was being attacked or...he couldn't fight back. Something prevented him from getting his wand out." Miss Granger, insightful as always, said.
"Correct, Miss Granger. Professor Flitwick levitated Harry to the Hospital Wing, as the fighting had mostly ended. As I said in the common room, he is stable for now, but there is permanent damage. As far as I know, he is still unconscious." By now they had reached the infirmary doors.
"I suggest you prepare yourselves. There are more serious injuries being treated here now than you are used to." McGonagall warned, and then she opened the doors.
Hermione was walking in a trance. She was worried sick about Harry, whose injuries McGonagall still had not explained. What had happened to him? Where had he gone with the Headmaster? What was wrong with him? McGonagall had briefly mentioned "permanent damage." What kind of permanent damage?
The Hospital wing was filled with injured students. Most seemed to be recovering relatively well, but a few were unconscious with bloody bandages wrapped around various body parts, or with casts or braces supporting their limbs. A few, Hermione didn't even want to think about.
Ron spotted Harry first, and raced to his friend's bedside. Hermione followed quickly and stopped short beside Ron.
Harry was still unconscious. His neck was obviously the place where he had been injured, for it was secured in a hard brace and the edges of bloody bandages peeked from underneath the plastic.
McGonagall came up behind them.
"As you can see, the serious injury is on his neck. He appears to have been hit by an unknown curse which literally burned the inside of his throat. His trachea had holes in it, which were repaired by Madam Pomfrey. His esophagus was also severely burned, but that was also repaired without trouble."
"What is the 'permanent damage'?" Ron asked, his voice subtly trembling. So Hermione wasn't the only one to have noticed those words.
"I'm afraid that his vocal chords were completely burned away. He will not be able to speak, when he wakes." McGonagall informed them, sadly.
Both Hermione and Ron froze. What? Harry, a mute? That just isn't possible...but...that is what McGonagall says...I'll have to go to the library and get out books on sign language.
McGonagall conjured two chairs and quietly retreated, leaving the two teens with their unconscious friend.
