Albus was sitting up in his bed refusing to take the sleeping potion that Madam Pomfrey had given him. No matter how many times she tried to tell him that sleeping would help the pain, he still refused.
"Not until Lily's okay," he said.
So Albus sat bolt upright, staring at his little sister, wincing with every tiny movement he made.
It was painful to look at Lily. Not because of the cast on her arm, which was the only sign of injury she showed, but because she looked so still. Her eyes were shut, her skin was pale, and her breathing was barely noticeable. It was impossible to wake her. Madam Pomfrey had tried everything in her power, but nothing worked.
And then James was discovered, and the whole room was chaos again.
James was barely breathing when he got to the hospital wing. An old woman who owned a shop in Hogsmeade had gone to see what had caused the racket and found James lying face down in the grass. He was covered in cuts, bruises, burns, and blood. The woman originally thought he was dead, but she discovered James still just barely had a pulse. She contacted Professor McGonagall immediately, and James was sent to the hospital wing.
As James was brought into the hospital wing, Ginny began to scream. Professor McGonagall was trying her best to sooth Ginny, but her face was pale with fear as well. Rose began to cry, and Hugo's face turned green.
Harry and Albus looked identical. They both froze, their green eyes were wide, and their mouths hung just slightly open at the sight of James. Madam Pomfrey ignored all of the commotion and went to work, immediately treating James' wounds.
Harry could barely keep his emotions under control. He was used to experiencing this kind of chaos as Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, but never did he expect to go through this with his children. He felt useless and broken as he watched Madam Pomfrey tending to James.
Not knowing what else to do, Harry held onto Ginny, who was doing her best to hold back tears. Her jaw was clamped shut as she watched Madam Pomfrey work.
The room was silent for a long time as no one wanted to disturb Madam Pomfrey. James was beginning to look significantly better as she cleared much of James' blood away and sealed his gaping wounds with complex wand movements and incantations.
Suddenly, the door burst open again. Three healers hurried into the room. Madam Pomfrey looked up at them with relief.
"It's the girl there by the window. Witnesses say she was hit by two stunners to the chest," Madam Pomfrey told the healers, looking back at James.
The healers nodded and immediately began to examine Lily. At the same time, Madam Pomfrey finally straightened up and away from James. She turned to Harry and Ginny, looking exhausted.
"I've taken care of all the small cuts and bruises. Some of these burns are pretty severe, and they may take a day or two to heal. He suffered a cracked skull, a broken nose, and a broken wrist. It looks like he fell a pretty good distance, and he hit the ground headfirst. But don't worry, he'll heal up in good time. Due to the impact his head suffered, he may not wake for a few days. He also lost a lot of blood and I'm in the process of regenerating that now, so that could prolong his waking a little bit more."
Madam Pomfrey said all of this to Harry and Ginny very slowly and calmly. Harry and Ginny were listening very carefully, eyes wide.
"So...so he's going to be okay, for sure?" asked Ginny shakily.
"I am absolutely positive," said Madam Pomfrey with a small smile.
Harry and Ginny both breathed a sigh of relief and hugged each other. Harry felt the knot in his chest ease up a bit, but only for a moment. Over Ginny's shoulder, Harry could see the healers begin to levitate Lily away from her hospital bed.
"What? What's wrong with her?" asked Harry urgently, his voice cracking.
"They were definitely stunners. She's not responding well. Her body is not capable of handling such powerful spells. Her pulse is much too slow, and her blood is not flowing properly. We need to treat her with the proper equipment at St. Mungo's," said one of the healers.
Ginny was a mess, and so was Harry, but he knew he had to take control. These were his kids, this was his wife, this was his family, and that was something he valued more than anything. Harry took a deep breath and turned to Ginny.
"You go with the healers and Lily. I'll stay here for a while, then I'll meet you at St. Mungo's, okay?" said Harry, his hands on Ginny's shoulders.
Harry was glad to see Ginny take a deep breath and stand straight up, head high. She looked at him determinedly and nodded.
"She's going to be okay," Ginny stated, looking directly into Harry's eyes.
"Yes," he replied, and kissed her forehead.
The healers and Ginny walked out of the room behind Lily's levitating body and disappeared as the door shut behind them. Harry stared at the door for a moment and turned to face the remaining people in the room.
"Harry, I wish I could stay here, but the students – " began Professor McGonagall guiltily.
Harry cut her off by saying, "No, Minerva, it's fine. I completely understand. I'll make sure to speak with you before I leave."
Professor McGonagall nodded appreciatively and began to walk away. Before walking out the door she turned to face Hugo and Rose.
"I will let your Head of House know that you will not be meeting curfew tonight. You have my permission to stay the night in here...Of course, only if that's okay with you, Poppy."
Madam Pomfrey, who was finally getting to take a break and sit down said, "Oh yes, it's fine."
As Professor McGonagall strode out of the hospital wing, Harry conjured a glass and said, "Aguamenti."
"Thank you for taking care of my children," he said, handing Madam Pomfrey the glass of water.
Madam Pomfrey smiled and took the glass from Harry. Harry turned to face his son.
"Albus, what happened to James?" he asked as he took a seat on the edge of Albus' bed.
Albus winced in pain as he sat up a bit more and said, "I don't know, he went flying after something."
"People in hoods," said Hugo from the other side of the room.
"People in hoods? What do you mean?" asked Harry as he turned to face Hugo.
Hugo walked toward Harry and Albus and said, "When Albus caught Lily, James flew right over them. I looked to see what he was after, and there were two people on brooms flying away. They were both wearing big, black cloaks with their hoods up."
Harry froze.
"Hugo...did you...did you see either of their faces?"
Hugo shook is head. Harry turned to face Rose.
"Rose? What about you? Did you see their faces?"
Rose frowned and shook her head as well.
"It was Dolohov. And Macnair."
All four of them jumped, followed by a yelp of pain from Albus. Harry turned to see Olivia standing in the doorway, pale at the sight of James. Harry stood up and walked towards her.
"You're sure? It was Dolohov and Macnair?" Harry asked her urgently.
"Yes. I recognized them from the signs. James told me about the breakout on the train," said Olivia, her voice shaking.
Harry nodded and turned away as Olivia rushed to James. He vaguely heard Rose, Hugo, and Albus explaining to Olivia that James would be fine, but he wasn't paying any attention. Harry had been right. The Death Eaters did have a purpose, and it was revenge.
