Author's Notes: Why are so many people worried that I wont finish this story? ;) I will, I promise. At least, I will finish Part 1 within the next few month or two, if not weeks, exams notwithstanding. Part 1 will be a substantial and stand alone bit of the story line, and enough to not make me feel guilty if I stop paying attention to this story for a while.
Rise of a Dark Prince
Part 1
CHAPTER 5
It was a sunny winter morning and Mort and Neville were playing around in their Animagus forms. The eagle swooped on the wolf as the land animal tried to pounce on the winged predator. The eagle swerved and the wolf missed, but landed on the ground flawlessly. In a swift and effortless motion, the wolf leapt up again, when suddenly the eagle's sharp sight caught a glimpse of a man limping towards them, and Mort soared away to land next to Severus Snape.
"How was the raid?" Mort asked with trepidation. It had been nearly a year since the disastrous day when Mort followed the Dark Lord, and since then he had become the epitome of obedience and discipline.
"Follow me," Snape said curtly, ignoring the startled look on the face of the youth. He led Mort out of the manor, followed by Neville. They walked briskly towards the Death Retreat. Loud noises were audible from within and Mort felt bile rising in his stomach. He knew what that meant.
"The Dark Lord is not pleased with me lately, and my interference here will not be taken kindly by the more… crass… of his followers," Snape said neutrally though Mort detected a hint of expertly concealed fury. "The new attack in Hogsmeade was a success. The staff of Hogwarts managed to prevent any significant damage, but several foolish students followed Jake Potter to try and fight on their own. Some were taken prisoners. They are within."
Nodding, Mort asked, "Who all are there?"
"The Lestrange brothers, Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, the Crow brothers, Crouch, Flint," Snape muttered.
"Nagini," Mort hissed after a curt nod, "Follow me." And he entered.
It was an absolute ruckus that met his sight. The stench of sweat and wine mingled with the vomit from some of the prisoners sickened Mort but he kept a cool expression. He narrowed his eyes at the sight of several semi-naked girls, several of whom were his age or less. His eyes glinted at the sight of a redhead whose face he instantly recognized, and his fury multiplied tenfold. His presence not yet noticed, he calmly summoned the wands of the Death Eaters who were involved in torture of a more personal nature.
"Lord Apprentice," Flint observed Mort first, from atop a pretty Oriental girl, and called out in sudden fear. Instantly, all the Death Eaters turned to Mort. The Lestrange brothers whipped out their wands and pointed it at the Apprentice.
Mort looked disdainfully at them and said icily, "The prisoners will come with me."
"Now look here, these are the spoils of battle and you have no right to deny us our due," Rabastan Lestrange snapped angrily, patting one of the prisoners. "We are the ones who risk our lives for the Dark Lord in battle. Our comforts are well earned."
"Well said, brother," Rodolphus nodded and gazed at Mort sourly. "Leave us be if you know what's good for you."
With a glint of fury, Mort hissed,"Nagini! Bind him!" The Death Eaters froze in place as the Dark Lord's familiar came in sight and coiled around the man who defied the Apprentice.
"Does anyone else dare question my authority?" he asked harshly in a manner much similar to the Dark Lord, and getting no response, went on, "If any of you have a problem with what I am doing, then go to the Dark Lord," and then he turned to the girls. "Finite!" he said quietly and their binds were off. He turned to the Death Eaters and seeing no reaction, nodded.
"Follow me!" was all he said to the girls as he turned and stalked out of the cave. Neville was waiting anxiously but Snape had disappeared. Mort knew the Potions Master couldn't reveal himself in front of so many students, so he led them to the stone chamber that was his personal dwelling place.
The Dark Lord would not let him free them, he knew that, at least not all of them. There would be instant revolt among his supporters if some of them were denied their rightful 'spoils' as they called it. The students, not surprisingly, were nearly all girls save one tiny boy, and Mort noticed they were as scared of him as they seemed to be of the Death Eaters. He led them to the cold stony chamber and sat on his usual seat, like a judge passing sentence on prisoners. The girls all stood huddled together with lowered heads as if awaiting a death sentence.
"You're the Dark Apprentice!" the petite redhead snapped at him. Despite the situation, Mort almost smiled at her, but then halted at her tone. Ginny was looking at him in anger and hatred. Her eyes were fueled with the pain of betrayal, and Mort couldn't bear to hold her gaze.
He sighed. "What are your names?" he asked authoritatively. "Start from the left, next to Ginny," he stated, pointing to a frightened bushy haired girl standing next to the redhead.
"Hermione Granger," she managed to utter without raising her eyes.
Granger. His eyes widened and suddenly he recognized the girl he had met three years ago in Diagon Alley and then at the Ministry Gala. Mort sighed. The girl was muggleborn. She would stand no chance for mercy.
"Ch-Cho Ch-Chang," the Oriental girl whispered amidst tears. The bruises and marks on her body were visible even from a distance. She was pretty enough to expect the most torture, and the worst, among all those present. Mort shook his head again.
The names continued. Susan Bones was next and Mort raised an eyebrow. Her aunt was a powerful political figure. That could bode trouble. Katie Bell. Padma Patil. Romilda Vane. And finally, the boy, Dennis Creevey.
Mort sat quietly for a few seconds, drumming on the arm-rest of his chair and in deep thought. Shaking his head, he finally stood up and raised his wand. The girls all flinched in fear, but Mort simply said, "Episkey!" and cast a minor healing charm on each of them.
"I wont lie to you," he began. "You are all prisoners of war. By rights, the Death Eaters have full claim over you. I will try to convince the Dark Lord to release you but I'm afraid it will be of no use."
"If you really want to help us," Ginny snapped, "then why don't you let us go now?"
Mort shook his head. "You will not last two minutes out of this chamber. In case you haven't noticed, you are in Death Eater Headquarters. Inside here, you are in my domain and none save the Dark Lord can enter. Outside, you will find several layers of sentries. There is no escape. The best you can hope is for me to keep you here long enough for some rescue party to come looking for you. In the confusion, I might be able to slip you past."
"You are one of them! Why should we trust you?" Ginny snapped angrily.
"Because there is no one else," Mort snapped back. "Look, in case you haven't noticed, I'm trying to help you all here. I don't know how much longer we have before…"
He was interrupted by a sharp voice. "Mortimer!" it bellowed, and the Dark Lord walked in angrily. Mort instantly got up and bowed before his Master.
"Do you want to put a revolt in my hands?" he snapped in full fury and Mort drew back slightly. "You have created a stir among my followers. You know I am against such activities as much as you, but I cannot keep denying them what they fight for."
"Then you have forgotten what you are fighting for," Mort hissed back sharply, and added bitingly, "Master."
Ignoring the sharp intake of breath from the Dark Lord, he continued, "Where is pureblood honor in molesting and torturing underage witches? Your followers do not seek to create a harmonious magical society! They wish to enslave it! Just like you!" Then he felt the wind knocked out of him as the Dark Lord's hand crashed against his face. The Dark Lord had never struck him physically before.
"Crucio!"
Mort fell to the ground and twitched for several long minutes but refused to give his Master the satisfaction of his screams. Sweat and blood clouding his vision, and he barely made out the voice of his perky redhead friend cry in anguish, "Stop! Please stop!"
The Dark Lord ended the curse and followed with a healing charm, "Episkey!" He waited for Mort to stand up.
"Forgive me, Master," Mort said shortly. "I forgot my place."
The Dark Lord stayed silent for several minutes, glaring at his Apprentice, and then at the girls who were standing completely still, with fear and shock. Finally, he said, "I apologize as well, Apprentice. What would you have me do?"
Mort glanced at Ginny and said, "You once gave me a boon and I asked for her life. Since then I have never asked for anything else, Master. I now ask for all their lives."
The Dark Lord shook his head. "I cannot allow this. My men will not accept it any longer. You must return their prisoners."
"Your men are nothing more than depraved and mindless goons, enslaved by their pleasure-seeking ways," Mort responded coldly. "They will turn on you the moment it enters their thick skulls that the society you seek to create has no place for the likes of them."
"And yet they are my men. They fight and bleed for me. They walk to battle with the knowledge that they might not come back. Several of their comrades died today. This is their recompense. If they do not have it they will no longer walk to battle." He held up his hand to stop Mort from speaking and beckoned him to follow him out of the chamber. "I have decided. Follow me."
"Colloportus!" the Dark Lord locked the entrance to the chamber and led him to the courtyard where half the Death Eaters instantly raised their wands at the boy and started shouting.
"Silence!" the Dark Lord said loudly, his voice piercing the din of noises and continued, "I have decided. My Apprentice desires those girls for himself. I have decided he will duel five of you, my faithful Death Eaters, at the same time. Should he win, then he will choose three of the prisoners he most desires. But believe me, should he win, I will be most displeased with those of you who lost."
Back in the stone chamber, Neville looked at the girls with a confused look. Cho was weeping audibly, crouched on the floor, and though her companions tried to console her, their words had no effect. Then seeing all their open wounds, he called out, "Cricket!"
With a pop, the house elf appeared. "What can Cricket do for Master Neville?" Then looking around, she saw the huddled girls and her eyes widened.
"Do what you can for them," he said quietly. "Healing potions, plasters, baths, clothes, food. See to it." Then he walked to the far corner and with his wand, drew the rune Mort had taught him on the mirror. He needed to know what was happening outside, and did not notice that some of the girls had also turned their attention to the mirror on hearing the sound coming from it.
"Rodolphus, choose four of your companions and come forward," the Dark Lord snapped and strode to his throne. "The rest of you clear the space. Lucius, erect a duel ring! Bella, get out of my way!" he hissed, pushing the woman aside.
Neville recoiled at the anger and animosity in the Dark Lord's face when he pushed Bellatrix. "Be gentle with her, you… you…" he shouted, and then slumped to the floor as realization struck him about Mort's task. "Five on one… no…"
"He's fighting for us, isn't he?" a voice came from behind him and Neville turned sharply to see Ginny looking with mixed emotions at the mirror. Next to her Hermione stood with a confused expression, which cleared immediately.
"Diagon Alley!" she said slowly. "With Malfoy… Mortimer and Neville."
Neville nodded without interest, turning his attention back to the duel. All six were inside. Mort was pacing the circle with a stony expression. Neville narrowed his eyes. "Rodolphus, Rabastan, Nott, Crouch, Flint… for Heaven's Sake! You've got to be kidding!" he complained loudly, as Hermione and Ginny crouched next to him.
Mort however, could not hear his friend and his attention was solely fixed on his opponents. The Dark Lord didn't intend for him to win although he gave him a fair opportunity. Mort was under no illusion. The last time he had dueled so many Death Eaters was when they were drunk and underestimated his skills. This time there would be no quarters. He would be up against some of the Dark Lord's fiercest warriors, angered by his actions. He chanced a glance at Snape, recognizing his physique behind the white mask. The man no movement save a small flick of his wrists, his usual sign for increasing speed. Mort nodded. Speed would be key in this duel.
He fixed his attention on Rodolphus, who he realized would be the first to attack him, and waited for Lucius Malfoy to blow a horn. The signal of the start. Instantly, Mort felt three stunners and two cruciatus flying towards him, and seeing no other way, dodged the stunners by accepting a cruciatus. His second cruciatus in less than half an hour, he fell to the floor twitching in agony but making no sound.
When the curse was lifted, he jumped up ignoring the pain in his body and shot several curses wildly, "Stupefy! Expelliarmus! Stupefy! Diffindo! Reducto!" He didn't aim of them specifically, only seeking to make his opponents back off a bit.
"Crucio!" Rabastan yelled and Mort shuddered at the intensity of the curse he had just experienced a minute ago as he ducked out of range, shooting his own curse in parseltongue, "Serpensaura!"
A silver vapor spread from his wand and covered the Death Eater, incapacitating him from further part in the duel.
The remaining four were enraged and renewed their attack on him with vigor. Mort erected a shield which held most of the ordinary curses and dodged the unforgivables as best as he could. Fortunately, none of the Death Eaters threw the killing curse, having no desire to anger the Dark Lord by killing his Apprentice.
Mort however, didn't have faith in them to hold the Killing Curse back for too long. He drew a complex rune in mid-air, as he kept his shield in place. The rune opened the storage rift and he summoned his extra wand from within.
"Diffindo!" Nott yelled and his curse broke past Mort's shield. The boy saw with wide eyes as the jet of light rushed to him and jumped. But the curse hit his lower leg and he felt a searing pain as he fell on his knees. Trying to get up, he stumbled. His left leg was weakened.
From his place on the ground, he waved both his wands simultaneously. "Serpensortia! Attack them! Bite them!" he called out angrily. Two menacing snakes, a cobra and a swamp adder flew to Nott and Crouch. Nott managed to banish the cobra in time but Crouch was less fortunate. The adder bit him and he jumped out of the ring, looking for an antidote to the venom. Mort smirked. Two down.
But he was still on his knees while his opponents were fully mobile. They took advantage of this by sending a rapid volley of cruciatus, which couldn't be stopped by Mort's shield. The boy writhed in pain for more than five minutes but when he regained his senses, bloody and sore, he smirked again. The foolish Death Eaters were more intent on causing him pain then winning the duel. Seeing no better option, he transformed into his Animagus form and flew straight towards Nott.
The Death Eater looked in surprise as a giant eagle charged at him and was unable to concentrate properly. His spells, resultantly, missed their mark and the eagle kept coming closer. He took a few steps back but the eagle was faster and collided at his face with tremendous speed, making several deep gashes with his talons. Nott dropped his wand, covering his face in his hands, trying to shield himself from the attack of the eagle and immediately, Mort transformed, kicking the Death Eater's wand away, stunned him simultaneously.
He felt two curses rushing towards him and jumped up, transforming into his eagle form again and flying wildly, not providing a single target to his remaining two opponents. Finally, he reached a relatively safer position as the two Death Eaters paused for breath and transformed back. "Stupefy! Incendio!" he sent rushing towards them but their shields blocked his curses.
"Serpensaura!" he hissed and sent the silver mist of serpent venom towards Rodolphus who levitated himself up and jumped afar. He had learnt from the past.
"Crucio!" the Death Eater yelled just as his partner shouted, "Avada Kedavra!"
With two unforgivables headed towards him, Mort transformed himself with his metamorphmagus skill. He shortened his height and narrowly missed the green jet of light. Then, he increased his height and transformed to a splitting image of the Dark Lord.
"You dare attack me, Flint!" he hissed in a serpentine voice, resembling his Master. The young Death Eater grimaced and lost his footing, startled by the sudden appearance of the Dark Lord. Mort didn't need a second chance and sent a stunner that made contact. Once again, it came down to Mort and Rodolphus. Both walked in circles, waiting for the other to make the first move. But the damage had been done, and the Apprentice limped and dragged his body in pain while the Death Eater was in perfect condition and gloating.
Ginny stared at the mirror in horror. "He's hurt!"
"What do you expect," Neville hissed sharply. "He's fighting Death Eaters. If there's anything those idiots want more than you and your friends right now, it is to hurt Mort."
"Why?" Ginny asked in bemusement and with sudden vehemence at the betrayal she felt with the revelation that her friend was actually the Dark Apprentice. "Isn't he one of them as well! Aren't you!"
Neville looked at her with a raised eyebrow. With a biting tone, he snapped, "Do not presume to know anything about me or my brother. We are nothing like those fools who would be raping you right now." He turned his attention back at the mirror, and couldn't help but cry out on seeing Mort lie on the ground, surrounded in a pool of crimson, his wand in the hands of his opponent.
Your wand is your life. Lose it and you are dead.
"No!" Neville jumped up.
Hermione looked aghast at the horrible image in the mirror and turned her face away. Her eyes caught the agony in Neville's face and before she could stop herself, her hands reached out and touched his shoulder in comfort.
Mort was indeed in a terrible condition. He had lost his wand and was lying face down, immersed in his own blood. Two cutting curses had hit him, one on his right shoulder and the other grazed past his abdomen. The pain mingled with the rising din of cheers from the Death Eaters as Rodolphus raised his hand in acknowledgement. But Mort wasn't done.
Clenching his teeth and with the barest movement without so much as lifting his head, he drew a figure with his right index finger on the pool of blood, a complex and intricate rune intended for the most desperate of circumstances. Rodolphus was barely ten feet away when Mort suddenly raised his head. The Death Eater stopped on his tracks and the shouting stopped.
When the Blue Fire blood rune was completed, the pool of blood around the diagram sizzled with heat and darkened in color and then there was a flash of light. All the blood on the ground had turned into a deep dark blue metallic liquid, and a small ball shot out of the rune, a small sphere of blue electric fire, inches from Mort's face. The Apprentice glared at his adversary in fury and with no movement at all, willed the ball of flames towards him.
Rodolphus stared wide eyed and ducked, the blue flames singeing his hair and scalp. He let out an agonizing yell at the pain. It was many times more intense than the cruciatus. And it wasn't over. A second ball had risen from the pool of blood before the fallen Apprentice as he stared at the Death Eater.
The Death Eater sneered, and flicked his wand, yelling, "Avada Ke…" the sphere of electricity came straight at him and before he could move, his wand was burnt. He looked around searchingly and located Flint's wand nearby and ran to pick it up. Turning, he recoiled in fear.
Mort was no longer lying on the floor. The heat and power of the Blue Fire had charged his blood temporarily and given him enough strength to get up. He wasn't alone. Four blue ominous balls whirled around him, spinning in perfect coordination, as if protecting the boy.
"Yield or you will know how it feels to have your heart burnt to cinders!" Mort hissed menacingly. "You might kill me, but the Blue Fire will get you as well - first your eyes, then your nose, and then your heart! Yield!" He raised his hand and one of the balls came within his grasp, looming a feet in front of his palm, hovering straight and vertical.
The Death Eater knew he was beaten. With a cry of outrage, he threw the wand and walked out of the duel ring. There was complete silence as he left and all eyes were fixed on the Apprentice, standing resolutely despite his injuries, the four balls continuing to revolve around him. No one dared to open their mouths. They had witnessed power unlike any imaginable. The Apprentice had shown his worth, and his wrath.
Mort picked up his two wands and walked to his Master. He bowed, without dispelling the four balls that charged his blood and kept him on his feet. With a blank expression, he said, "I have won, Master."
The Dark Lord regarded him with a strange expression which Mort couldn't place. A combination of anger mixed with a hint of sadness and fear shrouded in pride. "You have, Apprentice," the Dark Lord said quietly. "You may choose the three girls you most want." Then in a tone fraught with danger, he continued, "If any of them should disappear, I will personally hold you responsible. You will not like it."
Nodding, Mort turned and walked back to the chamber, bloody and bruised but with the vigor provided by the raging inferno around him. He didn't falter once or spare a second glance back as he reached the entrance and opened the door. Entering, he saw the awe and concern in Neville's face and to his surprise, tears. Neville was leaning against Hermione, with Ginny on the floor nearby, her face wet and red. The rest of the girls weren't in sight.
"Cricket!" he called. Instantly, Cricket appeared.
"Master Mort, you is hurt," the house elf wailed in dismay. "Let Cricket get some potions for you…"
"Cricket," Mort interrupted her with a wave of his hand. "Later. Where are the other girls?"
"Cricket saw they were in pain and took them to the inner chambers to heal and bathe. Cricket didn't do wrong?" the house elf asked in fear.
"No Cricket," Mort said kindly. "You did fine. Bring the girls out in five minutes. I will call you when I want dinner." The house elf disappeared with a pop, leaving Mort alone with Neville and the two girls.
"You are hurt," a voice called out and Mort turned to see that Ginny had approached him. Neville stared at him from a distance, having lost his ability to talk or move. The girl approached him cautiously and sat next to him on the floor, keeping a safe distance from the balls of fire.
Mort looked at her sadly. "I'm sorry for not…"
"Hush," the girl said. "Not now."
Mort tried smiling but failed. "Tell me," he said quietly in a hoarse whisper, "If only three of you could be saved… who should they be?"
The girl looked away, and for a long time there was silence. Then she spoke quietly, "Hermione, Cho and Dennis Creevey."
"Why them?" Mort asked curiously. "Why not you?"
The girl stared at the floor and spoke in a quiet voice, "Hermione's the most brilliant witch in Hogwarts. It would be a shame for her to die or become insane from torture. Cho's the most delicate among us. She has already suffered enough. And… D-Dennis is the youngest. I… I… It would be cowardly of me to ask for my own life before those of my friends'."
"Ginny… Ginny Weasley, my beautiful friend," Mort muttered, savoring her name. "You would not last an hour. There are many out there who would have you just to dishonor the Weasley name. It wont be like the Slytherin House anymore. Not even Malfoy and Snape would be able to save you." He turned to her and asked, "If you had a choice, to die tonight after being tortured relentlessly, or to live a prisoner in these chambers however indefinitely, what would you choose?"
"I… I don't know," the girl responded, confused by her own answer. "I should… I would have said I'd rather die than be a prisoner," then she looked into the boy's haunting emerald eyes. "But now I don't know." Despite the situation, the two seemed to draw in closer and closer until, they could hear the sound of the other's breath clearly. The balls of fire had backed away and were whirling a few feet above their heads. Mort leant down, mesmerized by the girl's pink lips and… sprang apart on hearing footsteps in the distance. He sighed as the rest of the girls appeared and arrayed themselves as before. The Dark Lord appeared soon after, followed by Rodolphus Lestrange.
Mort stood up and called out, "Granger, Chang and Weasley, stay. The rest of you follow the Dark Lord." Turning to the Dark Lord, he said emotionlessly, "You would be well served in knowing that one of them is related to Amelia Bones and two belong to prominent pureblood families." He didn't keep his gaze fixed on his Master and barely registered his quiet words, "I will be sending Severus, Apprentice," as he turned to Neville who was still staring at him from the distance. Mort understood what the look on his face meant. Neville knew how close he had come to losing his brother.
As footsteps receded in the distance, Mort gazed vacantly into space. Ginny touched his cheek tenderly, not caring about the bloody mess. "You tried," she said calmly, and walked to her other friends.
"What now?" the brown haired girl asked fearfully.
"You are to stay here within these chambers. If you leave, you will be seen and killed, or worse. If you stay, you will receive clean clothes, sufficient food and reading material. You will not be given a wand but you can make potions under supervision. If you wish, you can learn much in my company," he said slowly, his strength oozing out rapidly. He panted heavily. "Go… now... All of you… You don't w-want to see this. C-Cricket!" He gasped as the house elf arrived. "G-Get S-Sever-rus," and he released the Blue Fire.
Instantly, his vision clouded and his head filled with unimaginable pain. "AAARGHH!" he shouted ceaselessly, thrashing violently, and then he fainted.
---------
Mort stirred. Opening his eyes, he saw Ginny looking at him from the side of his bed where he was rested. Then the feeling came back to his muscles and he groaned in pain.
"Here, drink this," the redhead picked a vial of potion from the bedside table. "Professor Snape said this will relieve you of pain but not to give you until you woke up." She helped the boy get up a bit and tilted the vial at his lips. Seeing him grimace in pain, she gave him her hand to clutch on to.
Mort dragged his body and rested his head against her abdomen and panted.
"Does it hurt?" the girl asked in concern.
Mort nodded, blinking back tears. He knew it would. The Dark Lord had warned him, Snape had warned him. The blood runes always took much more than they gave. He knew it, and he knew he had no other option.
"I'm here, Mort," Ginny said softly, moving her fingers through the boy's hair. "For as long as you need me." Those were the last words he heard as his consciousness drifted away to oblivion, his face feeling the warmth of the girl's body.
When Mort woke, he was surprised to find Ginny still in the same position. She was asleep, but evidently uncomfortable. She hadn't moved at all. He dragged his body away and got up. He was still in pain but he could bear it now.
Gently, he moved Ginny to a comfortable position and lowered her body. Pulling the covers over her, he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. He felt a sudden urge to kiss her again but he restrained himself. He walked to the wardrobe and pulled out a clean set of white robes and went to the bath.
Before he shut the door, he saw a huddled figure on the floor. It was Cho and she was still crying.
Sighing, Mort walked to the weeping Oriental girl and sat next to her. She gazed at him in fear and shrank back. Mort moved a bit closer and said softly, "Look, I want you to know. Nobody in my chamber will touch you without your permission." The girl stared back disbelievingly and shouted, "Go away!" and Mort threw his hands back in despair. Every fiber of his body was in fire with pain, and he didn't have an ounce of patience left.
"How do I convince you? Listen, if I wanted to rape you, I wouldn't have waited so long. You don't like it but you're staying here. That's the way it's going to be until someone comes to rescue you. So you might as well stop fearing me."
Cho shrank further back in fear and started sobbing even louder.
"Class, Mort," the voice of Draco Malfoy came sarcastically from behind. "Did you really expect that to work?"
"Draco, I could do with some help and less sarcasm," Mort gasped out in pain. "I need a bath desperately. The smell of blood is making me nauseous. There are three girls in here who need comforting. There are others outside who are beyond any help. And I have no idea what to do."
"You can start with the bath," Draco suggested helpfully, walking to the Asian girl. He pulled the white robes from Mort's hands and said, "You don't need these," and placed them around the girl. Then he talked to her in whispers for a few minutes, and to Mort's surprise, she stood up with Draco's help and the two of them walked out.
Nearly half an hour later, Mort emerged in clean robes and saw a strange sight. The table had been enlarged and all the others were sitting around it. There were several loaves of bread and cold meat on the table, and a jug of pumpkin juice.
Mort nodded approvingly. He didn't think any of them would be able to stomach something more substantial right then. He took his place next to Ginny and tore a chunk of the bread. Before he could eat, he felt the redhead's hand on his free hand, and he turned to her.
She opened her mouth and said, "We all said some nasty things, Mort. We're sorry…"
"Hush," Mort whispered hoarsely, squeezing her hand. "Just eat."
After the meal, Mort felt fatigued once again and walked to his chamber, helped by Ginny. She helped him get to the bed just as he had helped her a while ago. But to his great surprise, instead of leaving him there, she climbed in next to him, and sat upright with Mort's head resting against her as before.
"You don't h-have to," Mort gasped out. "I'm f-f-fine..."
"Hush," Ginny interrupted, stroking his hair tenderly once again. "Just sleep." And then she started humming. Mort recognized the song. It was the same soft melody they had danced to several years ago at the Ministry Gala. His lips curled in a smile and his eyes closed once again as he drifted off to sleep in Ginny's arms.