With a thud, they landed on the soft grass in front of Hagrid's cabin. Buckbeak pulled on his tether. He was not used to intruders with wings. Dumbledore obviously Apparated him back. Roxie jumped off of the thestral and gently helped Dumbledore off his back. The thestral cantered off into the forest. It doesn't want us to take it on anymore "missions". Roxie helped him hobble towards the front steps. As Roxie reached, with her free hand, to open the doors. They were flung open. Snape stood, the light from inside the castle illuminating him from behind. He looked more evil than ever. "Ahh Miss Barker out after curfew, ten points from Gryffindor, but what is this?" He had just seen Dumbledore clinging to Roxie.
"Severus, I'm alright. I just need to get to the hospital wing."
"Of course." Snape conjured up a stretcher and Roxie helped Dumbledore onto it. "Miss Barker, off to bed with you." Roxie looked at Dumbledore, who was now floating magically to the hospital wing. Snape gave her another sneer. Feeling as if she had no choice, Roxie walked the way back to the common room.
As soon as she walked into the common room, a body hit her. "Oh thank goodness, I thought you were still back in the house." Hermione pulled back. Roxie saw Harry sitting over in the corner. His hair was extra rumpled giving Roxie the impression that he had run his hands through it repeatedly. With Hermione's words, he looked up. Quickly, he stood up and strode over to Roxie. He kissed her.
When they pulled back Harry wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. "I thought I lost you," he whispered into her ear.
"Never." Roxie put her arms around him. Harry released her and grabbed her hand. He led her to the couch. The two of them sat down and Hermione fell into an armchair across from them. "So what happened after you left Dumbledore's office?" Roxie asked.
Hermione was the one to answer. "Well we started to stumble to the hospital wing when we ran into Professor Flitwick. It seems that Dumbledore had told him that we were to be arriving around then and he was supposed to look for us. We thought he would ask questions, but I think Dumbledore told him not to. All he did was conjure up stretchers for them. We followed them to the hospital wing and we were going to stay with them, but Madam Pomfrey told us that we weren't allowed, so we left." Hermione seemed out of breath, so Harry picked up the story.
"When we looked around, we realized that you weren't with us…"
"It took you that long to notice I was missing. I'm glad I'm so loved."
"Well we would have noticed that before, but Ron and Gin…"
"Relax, it was a joke."
"Oh, so anyways, we noticed that you were gone, so we decided to look for you. We were headed back to Dumbledore's office when we ran into Snape. He asked us what we were doing out of bed and Hermione told him we were looking for you. He took ten points from each of us and then escorted us back here. He told us that if he caught us out again he would make sure that we were expelled. I assume he went to look for you then, hoping to make it a round fifty points from Gryffindor. I wanted to go look for you, but Hermione wanted to stay here. I tried to get out, but Snape put some kind of spell on it that wouldn't me open it. So we waited here. Where were you by the way?"
"Well…" Should I tell them? I don't see why it matters. "I was in Dumbledore's office and I destroyed the Horcrux. But then one of the portraits told me that Dumbledore had gone looking for Voldemort. So I decided to go after him." Hermione gasped.
"But…but there was nothing you could do to help him. I mean, surely Dumbledore could handle V…Voldemort on his own."
"I know, but I figured that you can never have too much help. So I flew there.."
"Flew there?" Hermione interrupted again.
"On a thestral. And I saw that he and Voldemort were dueling. And Dumbledore was doing really well until Voldemort did something to his arm. And then he got hit with another curse, that brought him down. So I rushed in and tried to protect him. Voldemort got away. So I brought Dumbledore back here and we were "greeted" at the door by Snape. He was going to take points from me, but Dumbledore stopped him. So Snape sent Dumbledore to the hospital wing on a magic stretcher and sent me back here."
"I wonder why Voldemort didn't try to kill you too," Harry mused.
"Well he tried, but I stopped him."
"But surely he could have killed you if he wanted to." Roxie was shocked.
"Did you want him to kill me?"
"Of course not! I'm just curious. That's all. Curious as to why he didn't kill you."
"Well maybe…" Hermione began.
"I know why," Roxie cut her off. "He was waiting for you, Harry. He asked Dumbledore where you were and Dumbledore just told him that you were safe. I think you were the real target," Roxie finished giving Harry a look.
"Of course, neither can live while the other survives." Roxie gave him a questioning look. "Well there was this prophecy. I heard it last year…So either I have to kill him or he has to kill me," Harry finished.
"But then Dumbledore should have known that he can't kill Voldemort," Roxie suggested.
"So why did he try?" Harry thought aloud.
"It's a bit obvious isn't it?" Hermione spoke for the first time. Roxie and Harry both shook their heads. "He's trying to save you. He doesn't want you to have to face Voldemort. He wants to protect you by killing him himself." Roxie and Harry looked at her in shock. That is pretty logical. That seems like such a Dumbledore thing to do. "Now I'm off to bed. I want to go visit Ron tomorrow morning before classes." She waved to them and then walked up the stairs.
"She's got a point. We have to get up pretty early tomorrow." Harry stood up and kissed Roxie on the forehead. "I'm glad you're ok." She smiled at him and then watched him walk up the boys' staircase. Roxie sat for a while and then decided to go to bed also.
She opened her eyes to see light streaming in through the window. It silhouetted her roommate, who stood by the window, getting dressed. "Are you going to go down to the hospital wing?" Roxie asked.
Hermione gave a little jump. "You scared me. Yes, I'm meeting Harry and then we're going to go grab some toast from the Great Hall before we go down to the hospital wing."
"Hang on, I'm going with you." Roxie jumped out of bed and began to dress.
"You're going too?"
"Yeah," Roxie said as she pulled a shirt over her head.
"Oh it's just. You didn't really seem to get along too well with Ron. And I never really saw you and Ginny getting along what with the whole Harry thing, but if you want to…"
"I'm coming all right?" Moments later the two of them were waiting in the common room for Harry who arrived minutes later looking very tired. He gave Roxie a kiss and then did a double take, as if realizing for the first time who she was. He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. "Please don't start again, I'm going with you." Harry didn't argue with her and the three of them walked down to the Great Hall.
Only a few sleepy looking students sat at various tables. Most of them had books open in front of them, probably doing some last minute studying. Hermione ran to the Gryffindor table and grabbed a stack of toast. She rationed out the bread between the three of them and then they walked the pathway to the hospital.
Ron and Ginny were in the last two beds of the hospital wing. Ginny was sitting up in her bed, reading a magazine. Ron, however, seemed to be sleeping. Harry and Roxie pulled up chairs by Ginny's bed. Hermione walked over to Ron and gave him a quick peck. He woke up immediately. Hermione held his hand and the two of them started to talk. "So how are you feeling?" Harry asked Ginny.
"I'm fine except for this bloody headache." Roxie chuckled. The three of them sat and discussed the previous day's events for an hour before Hermione stood up.
"Time to go to class," she announced. She pecked Ron. "I'll be back later. Come on you two." The three of them started to walk out of the wing. As the passed the bed nearest the door the heard Madam Pomfrey talking to the patient.
"Yes I'll get her." The heard a rustle of curtains and then Madam Pomfrey appeared. "Headmaster Dumbledore would like to see you." Harry walked toward her. "Just Miss Barker. He made that very clear." Harry stopped and looked confused. Roxie didn't know what to do. Well he brought me to Dumbledore even when he didn't request me. Should I do the same for him? But Roxie was saved from having to decide when Hermione spoke.
"But we have class."
"He said that he would arrange so that Miss Barker would not be punished for missing any classes. And he would like to ask if the two of you would bring her assignments to her."
Hermione gave a Humphf and then turned to Harry. "Come on we're going to be late." Harry gave one final pleading look before he followed Hermione, rather reluctantly, out of the hospital wing. Roxie watched them go. I'll tell you what I can. Then she turned back to Madam Pomfrey who led her past the curtain. Dumbledore was propped up in the bed. An empty potion bottle sat on his bedside table. He was reading the Daily Prophet.
"Ah Miss Barker. I thought I heard you leaving. I would like to talk to you. Alone please Poppy." Madam Pomfrey gave him a disapproving look and then walked out of the cubicle, pulling the curtains shut behind her rather violently. "First off, I would like to thank you." Roxie flushed. "Without your help I wouldn't be here. Maybe a little worse for wear, but alive none the less. Secondly I would like to tell you that I think you should go ahead with the task." Roxie looked up at him. This wasn't the first time that she suspected he knew she was a Death Eater.
"Sir, I don't…"
"There's no need to deny it. I know Miss Barker." Roxie sat down in the chair near his bed. "Oh don't worry. I have put a charm around this cubicle. No one outside this curtain can hear us."
"So you know that I'm a…" Roxie couldn't say it.
"Yes, I know that you are a Death Eater. I do however believe that you aren't bad. You proved this by saving my life."
"And you know about the task?"
"Yes, and as I said before I think you should go ahead with the task. I have complete confidence in Harry and I believe he will triumph."
"But sir, what if…what if he doesn't? And then I have to live knowing that I…"
"Hopefully it will not come to that. It is your decision to make in the end, this is only one old man's advice." Roxie nodded. "Now, if you don't mind I believe Poppy will be coming in here soon to give me my medicine. You may go back to your common room as you are already excused from your first class." Roxie nodded. She stood up and, at the same moment, Madam Pomfrey yanked the curtains back. As Roxie was exiting she heard Dumbledore behind her. "I know you will make the right decision." Roxie nodded meekly and then walked out, pulling the curtain shut behind her. She heard voices from the other side of the curtain.
"What was that about?" Madam Pomfrey asked Dumbledore.
"Just a schoolwork problem. Nothing to worry about. I think I worked it out." Worked it out? There is no way to work this out. On the one hand I get killed. On the other hand… Roxie shuddered. She didn't want to finish that thought. She couldn't let that happen.