Chapter 11

Moving Forward

It had been a long night; there was no doubt about that. After returning to Hogwarts, Harry jumped in as Madam Pomfrey's assistant to help the injured. Together they worked on Tonks for nearly twenty minutes before the Order members started arriving. Bill and Fleur were first to arrive followed by Fred and George, Elphias Doge, and Hestia Jones. Harry and Madam Pomfrey were forced to separate with Harry taking on the more minor injuries. Everything was so chaotic that Harry had a difficult time knowing who was coming or going.

Between patients, Harry continuously checked on Tonks, hoping against hope that there would be some sign of improvement. After three blood replenishing potions, two stabilizers and multiple nutrient booster potions, Tonks had stabilized but had also fallen into a coma. All they could do now was wait and hope that her injuries hadn't left any permanent damage.

Hermione had come to help shortly after the Remus and Ron arrived, proving to be invaluable with her brewing skills. They had already run out of Calming Draughts and Pepperup Potion, two potions that Madam Pomfrey would undoubtedly need soon for the students. The Dreamless Sleep Potion supply was also running low forcing them to use other potions that would give them similar results.

Before Harry knew it, the sun was rising and there were no more patients to tend to. Everyone was either sleeping in a bed or had been sent home. Madam Pomfrey had retreated to her office and Remus was speaking with Professor McGonagall, leaving Harry to be the only one awake in the wing. Ron and Hermione were asleep in beds, having succumbed to their exhaustion an hour ago. Sirius and Kingsley had yet to return which was starting to worry Harry. What could they be possibly be doing?

Sore and tired, Harry collapsed in the chair at Tonks' bedside and took hold of her limp hand. It was so strange to see Tonks in a state lacking her perkiness and clumsiness. For the past seven months, Tonks had been such a positive presence in his life that Harry couldn't imagine his life without her, watching over him and poking fun at everything she could. It was because of her that Harry hadn't succumbed to his frustrations with everything in his life.

And I never thanked for any of it.

Staring at Tonks' pale face, Harry realized that there was quite a bit he took for granted in his life. Yes, he knew he was wavering towards the breaking point from time to time but he wasn't the only one. Sirius and Remus had taken on so much, most of it being the minor details that they never discussed. Kingsley had 'called in' so many favors to help and Harry had never thanked him for it. Professor McGonagall was basically putting Hogwarts at risk, just to help him out.

There were also his friends. Hermione was pushing herself into a similar state that she had been in during their third year with everything she had taken on but she never complained. Ron contributed in any way he could, never saying anything against the hours of research they had done, even though research was something everyone knew Ron hated. Both of them put up with so much, never complaining and never allowing Harry to give up.

I don't deserve them…any of them.

Harry let out a tired sigh as he closed his eyes and rested his heavy head on the edge of Tonks' bed. He so desperately wanted to try to heal Tonks but knew he would probably put himself in a coma from his own exhaustion and the strain from trying to find out what he had to heal. All of the scans had given him the same answer. Tonks' wounds were healed. There was no medical reason for her coma.

A hand rested on Harry's shoulder, causing him to jump and turn to see Sirius' tired face. Harry blinked repeatedly, trying to push the invading tiredness that had been plaguing him for the past few hours. Waves of exhaustion, frustration with a hint of pain poured off of Sirius, letting Harry know that his work wasn't finished. Rising to his feet, Harry gestured for Sirius to take the nearest available bed before moving to the potion cupboard to grab a few basic supplies. It only proved how tired Sirius was when he didn't protest. Questions can come later…perhaps after a few hours of rest.

Not a word was said between them as Harry patched Sirius up other than a request for Sirius to move in order to get access to some of the more severe cuts. After applying healing salve, Harry gave Sirius the necessary potions before leaving him behind the privacy screens to change into a pair of pajamas that a house elf had brought. When Harry returned, Sirius was sitting on the edge of the bed, rubbing his hands together. It was clear that Sirius had something he wanted to say but was unsure how to word it.

"Get some rest, Sirius," Harry said as he handed over the Sleeping Draught. "We can talk about everything later."

Sirius stared at Harry for a long moment before his eyes shifted to Tonks' bed. "How is she?" he asked in a rough voice.

"Tonks is in a coma, Sirius," Harry said with a shrug. "She was attacked by a vampire last night. I guess we should be grateful she's still alive." He handed over the Sleeping Draught and started cleaning up his work area. "Madam Pomfrey said she would contact St. Mungo's today to find out if there's anything else that can be done to help her."

Sirius nodded tiredly as his gaze returned to Harry. "How about you?" he asked with a frowned brow. "Has anyone taken a look at you?"

Harry bit back a wince as his scar throbbed slightly in pain and let out a long, calming breath. He really didn't need to deal with Voldemort's anger at the moment. "I'm fine, Sirius," Harry said honestly as he ushered Sirius into bed. "Madam Pomfrey insisted on casting a few charms before she put me to work. I was lucky. There were only a few minor cuts that were sealed with a couple of spells. As soon as Kingsley arrives and I check him over, I'll probably join the rest of you in dreamland."

Sirius let out a low groan as his head hit the pillow. "Don't worry about Kingsley," he said tiredly as Harry pulled up the bedcovers. "He was going to St. Mungo's after his meeting with Scrimgeour." Sirius shifted slightly and winced. "I would've liked to have been at that meeting. Scrimgeour never told us about vampires joining Voldemort, even if it was just a small clan."

Harry stilled at the revelation. That certainly would have been a useful bit of information to know before entering the snake's den. "Scrimgeour has a lot to answer to, Sirius," Harry agreed. "We'll talk more in a few hours. Take your potion and get some sleep." Sirius opened his mouth to protest. "Don't argue with your Healer or I'll be forced to call in my supervisor," Harry said with a smile.

Sirius scowled and took the potion. "You're cruel, do you know that?" he asked as his eyes slowly closed. "I should have known arranging those lessons with Poppy was a mistake."

Harry remained by Sirius' side until he was certain Sirius was asleep then moved to an empty bed and carefully removed his shirt. He had told the truth about the cuts. Those were already healed. It was the bruises and sore muscles that would take a while to heal. He didn't even remember being hit but the fight had happened so fast that Harry didn't remember the majority of it.

Pulling off his shoes was a chore, one that Harry was relieved to have completed in order to relax in the soft hospital bed. He needed sleep but all Harry could think about was how much needed to be done. The Horcrux needed to be destroyed, an assault team needed to be organized, Voldemort needed to be located, people needed to be trained to handle Nagini's destruction in case someone reached her first, Charlie needed to be told about Tonks, and his ever growing mountain of schoolwork needed to be completed.

There was also the aggravating pain from his scar, making it impossible for Harry to even consider sleep. Tossing and turning in bed was impossible without pain and a sleeping potion would only weaken his mental defenses. Groaning in frustration, Harry pulled himself out of bed, redressed and left the hospital wing for the Marauder Quarters. At least there he didn't have to worry about bothering anyone.

It was still in the early morning hours, too early for any students to be wandering the halls. Teachers would be roaming soon but nowhere near his destination. After all, everyone most likely assumed he would be in the hospital wing. Harry was hoping that by the time someone noticed his absence, his headache would be nothing but a memory.

The journey to the Marauder Quarters seemed to take longer than normal for some odd reason. When he finally entered the vacant Common Room, Harry collapsed into the nearest chair and buried his face in his hands. Anger and frustration tugged at him but Harry pushed them away. He wouldn't let the foreign emotions overwhelm him. He wouldn't let Voldemort in.

The burst of green flames from the fireplace made Harry jump. Quickly looking up, Harry relaxed slightly when he saw Moody's scarred flamed face, floating in the green flames. "Permission to enter, Potter," Moody growled.

Harry let out a sigh. Dealing with Malfoy was the last thing he needed at the moment. "Permission granted," he said reluctantly.

Moody's head vanished only to be replaced with Malfoy entering the room, tripping slightly although Malfoy would never admit to doing such a thing. Moody stepped through a second later, his arrival firm and precise. Harry rose to his feet, biting back a wince as his headache increased. The last thing he needed was to show pain in front of someone who would torment him for years about it.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry asked through his teeth. "It's early and I've been up all night."

Malfoy scowled as he brushed the soot off of his plain pants and shirt. "Is it done?" he asked bluntly.

Harry's eyes narrowed angrily. He really didn't have the patience to deal with Malfoy's attitude today of all days. "Sorry it's taking too long for you, Malfoy," he snapped. "We were a little preoccupied with Death Eaters and vampires last night."

Malfoy paled as Moody stepped forward. "Vampires?" he growled. "When did vampires enter the war?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders as he tried to rub some of the pain out of his scar. "Kingsley's getting the details from Scrimgeour," he answered. "Look, I don't mean to sound rude but it's been a very long night. I've spent most of the night tending to injuries in the hospital wing. Sirius should be awake in a few hours. He can tell you everything then."

Moody took a step closer and eyed Harry critically. "You're in pain, Potter," he stated. "Why aren't you being treated in the hospital wing?"

"Because there's nothing that can be done," Harry said dryly as he leaned against the arm of the nearest armchair. "My headache will last as long as Voldemort's angry for what happened last night." The pain intensified, forcing Harry to bite back a cry of pain and grab his forehead with both hands. Forceful fury overwhelmed the anger and frustration to a point that Harry didn't know what was what. Dizziness and nausea crept in, making it impossible to remain stationary. Harry felt his equilibrium slipping and would have collapsed if someone hadn't caught him.

Harry felt like he was trapped in a sea of pain, unable to do anything about it. He could feel unconsciousness slowly consuming him but before it did, Harry was hit with one frightening fact: Voldemort knew just how far Harry was in destroying the insurance Voldemort had in this war.

Voldemort's hatred of Harry Potter had just increased exponentially.

Muffled voices faded in and out with Harry's consciousness following suit. His headache was thankfully gone along with the soreness in his body. With effort, Harry slowly opened his eyes only to be completely overwhelmed by the bright sunlight. He let out a groan of annoyance as he pulled the bedcovers over his head. A low chuckle filled his ears, startling Harry out of his stubbornness. Quickly pulling the bedcovers away, Harry raised his head to see four blurry figures approaching. His head hit the pillow in resignation the moment he noticed Madam Pomfrey hurrying to his bedside. He really didn't want to hear her scolding right now.

A gentle hand rested on Harry's left shoulder. "How are you feeling, Harry?" Remus asked softly.

"Better, I guess," Harry answered with a shrug as he felt Madam Pomfrey's spell wash over him. "My head doesn't feel like it's going to explode anymore." Waves of relief mixed in with the concern and anxiety already circling the room. "How long was I out?" he asked curiously.

There was an uncomfortable silence before Sirius spoke up. "Nearly eight hours, Harry," he answered. "We actually just returned from destroying the crystal ball. I know you wanted to help but we thought it was best to destroy it as soon as possible. The 'Daily Prophet' gave a rather detailed report of what happened, including that we were there. Chances are that Voldemort knows what we were after—"

"—he does," Harry interrupted as he slowly sat up. "Voldemort knows everything and he wasn't too happy."

A tense silence filled the air as the hand on Harry's shoulder tightened slightly. Harry took the opportunity to grab his glasses from the bedside table and slide them on to see Sirius sitting down at the foot of the bed with a tired look on his face, Kingsley stood off to the side, his face void of emotion as always, Madam Pomfrey took the opportunity to walk over to the potion's cupboard to grab a few supplies, and Remus tried to remain passive but there was no denying the anger swelling around him.

"All right," Kingsley said calmly. "What is the worst case scenario here? Is Voldemort going to simply tighten security on his snake or is he going to go out and make more Horcruxes? If the latter is the case then we need to consider taking the offensive immediately."

"We're not ready for that, Kingsley," Remus countered. "For us to even consider such a strike, we need to organize a large enough strike team to be able to take on Death Eaters, giants, werewolves, and now vampires. We are going to have only one chance at this and I would prefer for that chance to not be a suicide mission."

"I agree," Sirius said as he rose to his feet. "We can't afford to start making stupid mistakes. All we can do until the inquiry is complete is organize an attack plan and calculate how many fighters we need."

Harry now knew that he was definitely missing something. "What inquiry?" he asked.

Sirius, Remus and Kingsely shared a look, making it obvious that the 'inquiry' was associated with the Ministry. 'The Minister has reluctantly agreed to perform an internal inquiry in the Auror Department to why last night transpired the way it had," Kingsley said at last. "It is too much of a coincidence that the one time we include the Ministry is the one time the Death Eaters are one step ahead of us."

It was a logical conclusion and the most likely explanation. This certainly won't improve the Ministry's image. "Does Scrimgeour know about Tonks?" Harry asked softly as his eyes narrowed in anger. "Does he know what happened because someone couldn't keep their mouth shut?"

"He knows that she was injured," Sirius grumbled. "He just doesn't know how severe. We don't even know how severe her injuries are yet. Specialists from St. Mungo's were here a few hours ago but we won't know the results of all of the tests for at least a few days. We moved her into a private room for now."

"Can I see her?" Harry asked as his gaze shifted over to the closed door at the end of the wing. Sirius and Remus shared a concerned look and Harry knew why. They most likely assumed that Harry would try to heal Tonks, putting himself into a coma.

Madam Pomprey returned at that moment and immediately started handing Harry potion after potion. After a quick examination, she reluctantly allowed Harry to leave provided that he promise to take it easy for at least the next few days. Harry agreed even though he had no intention of resting while others began working on the next step. He owed it to Tonks to do everything in his power to end this war as soon as possible.

The moment Harry stepped out of the hospital wing he was immediately bombarded by waves of eagerness and curiosity. All conversation had ceased as everyone stared at Harry with issues of the 'Daily Prophet' in their hands. Harry kept his gaze forward, appearing to ignore the attention while his mind furiously worked to figure out why people were staring at him. Just how detailed was the report in the 'Daily Prophet'. Had they mentioned him?

Why do I even ask? Of course they mentioned me. "How bad is it?" Harry asked Sirius quietly.

Sirius shot a glare at a group of students as they passed; his irritation swirling around him like a tornado. "Bad enough," he muttered. "You survived a duel against a vampire with only minor injuries, Harry. Vampires are well known for their viciousness and speed in battle. Normally, humans don't last more than a few minutes against a vampire much less nearly defeat one."

That would be the case. After all, when had Harry ever been normal? Truthfully, Harry really didn't remember much of the duel. He had relied on his senses and instincts, nothing more. "Please don't tell me they've thought up another hyphenated name to call me," Harry pleaded.

"All right," Sirius said with a nod. "I won't tell you."

Harry scowled. "That's not funny."

Sirius shrugged his shoulders good-naturedly as he grinned at Harry. "Can you blame me for being proud of my little 'Defender of Diagon Alley'?" he asked innocently, earning a glare from Harry. Sirius' smile faded into a serious look. "Would you rather I tell you how upset I am that you disregarded orders last night, Harry?"

Harry remained silent as they reached the Marauder Quarters. He wasn't going to apologize for making what he felt was the right decision. There was no way he would have been able to go back to Hogwarts and simply wait for everyone to return. Sirius and Remus had trained him to defend himself. What was the point of the training if he didn't put it to use?

The topic wasn't brought up again although it was clear that Sirius hadn't moved past the issue. It didn't matter when Remus had pointed out that it was because of Harry that the Death Eaters hadn't completely overwhelmed him and Ron. It didn't matter when Kingsley had pointed out that Tonks was still alive because of Harry's efforts. Sirius was so wrapped up in what could have happened that he didn't consider what had happened because of Harry's efforts.

It was difficult to concentrate with all of the whispers and stares coming Harry's way, especially when Charlie Weasley arrived from Romania to be at his girlfriend's bedside. The final diagnosis for Tonks was that there was no diagnosis. There was no medical reason to justify her coma. 'She'll wake up when she wakes up,' the Healers had said. All that they could do was give her potions to ensure that her body didn't waste away.

Harry, Sirius and Remus met with Scrimgeour early in the week to lay out the list of demands they had come up with. They refused to compromise which made Scrimgeour a very unhappy Minister. With the increase in Death Eater attacks, the Aurors were stretched thin as it was. Pulling 'trusted' Aurors away from their posts would leave several areas unprotected. Scrimgeour couldn't say too much, though, because the 'traitor' had indeed been one of 'his Aurors', a young Auror who talked to his girlfriend who then passed the information on to someone else. It was nothing more than a stupid mistake that had resulted in disastrous consequences.

With Tonks out of commission, Harry was 'assigned' a new bodyguard which happened to be his godfather. Having Sirius attempt to be his shadow made Harry miss Tonks all the more. Sirius tried. He really, really did. Discretion just wasn't high on Sirius' list of priorities. Sirius also didn't bother hiding his opinions, especially when they were around whispering students.

Calculating a strategic strike on Voldemort's base of operations was extremely difficult with the lack of information they had. Malfoy had offered what information he could but the truth was that there was too much that was unknown. They needed information that only one person could provide. As much as Harry hated to admit it, they needed Snape's help. He would be able to tell them what they were up against as far as numbers were concerned along with anything that Voldemort had planned.

With Sirius and Remus' reluctant approval, Harry wrote down a meeting time and place on the back of Snape's letter only to have the word 'Done' appear a few hours later. They would meet a few days in Muggle London in the basement of the hospital Harry had worked for a short time a year and a half ago. Harry had every intention of using his knowledge of the building to his advantage. He wasn't about to let Snape get the upper hand again. The man had too much to answer to no matter how much faith Dumbledore had vowed Snape had.

The days passed quickly and before Harry knew it, he was gathered with Sirius, Remus and Kingsley in Professor McGonagall's office to floo to Black Manor. Ron and Hermione had wanted to come along but Remus quickly pointed out that having too many people come would certainly attract unwanted attention. Truthfully, Remus knew that this meeting would be extremely difficult. Harry had yet to tell Sirius about Snape's 'mistake' and could only blame himself for his own cowardice. The opportunity to tell Sirius that the person he already believe to be a traitor was the one who had passed half of the Prophecy to Voldemort never presented itself and probably never would.

Especially when it became clear that they would need Snape's help to win this war.

Sirius, Remus and Kingsley followed Harry's lead after flooing to Black Manor. Harry had given them the location of the hospital in order to Apparate. Upon appearing at the hospital, Harry entered one of the Maintenance Entrances and took the stairs down two flights. Sirius and Remus closely followed Harry while Kingsley started patrolling around the building for any sign of 'magical' activity. Sirius and Remus surveyed the entire basement and even cast a few select spells that would prevent any dangerous spell casting.

They had just finished when Kingsley informed them over their earpieces that Snape had arrived and had entered the building. Sirius and Remus immediately moved into position with their wands at the ready. Reaching out with his senses, Harry searched for a foreign presence and halted when he reached a mixture of impatience mixed with a slight hint of uneasiness. He filed that bit of information away for later when Snape finally came into sight.

For a long moment, no one did anything. Snape sneered at Sirius and Remus before his gaze settled on Harry. "Call back you pets, Potter," Snape spat. "They weren't part of the arrangement."

Remus flicked his wand a few times and Snape before he glanced over his shoulder and nodded at Harry who returned the gesture. Snape wasn't carrying any magical objects except for his wand. "You'll have your meeting, Severus," Remus growled, "but we will be nearby. If you do anything—"

"—you'll use me as your next chew toy," Snape interrupted coolly. "I'm trembling, Lupin."

Remus bared his teeth angrily. "Give me one reason," he snarled, "just one."

Sirius quickly stepped in and pulled Remus away, allowing Snape to follow Harry into the small boiler room. As soon as Snape entered the room, Harry closed the door and removed his earpiece. Closing his hand into a fist, Harry pulled his hand back, stepped forward as Snape turned around and slammed his fist right into Snape's long, crooked nose. Snape spun and stumbled backwards as Harry prepared for another strike.

It probably hadn't been the smartest move for Harry to make but it certainly made him feel better. Now he just had to make it through the rest of the meeting without giving into the urge to do it again.

A/N: Sorry for the delay. Real life always seems to interfere.