Chapter 8: Aftermath

o0O0o

Silence reigned in the ruins of the infirmary, protested only by the droplets of water descending upon those within. Dumbledore stood, his visage ancient and tired, hair turning to thick strands of wet hair as rain poured through the shattered roof. Harry lay prone, unconscious from the near meltdown of his core. Hermione stared, shocked. Somewhere nearby the warden of the hospital wing was waking up.

From the doorway looked in over a hundred students, confusion and shock engraved in their faces. Finally, a pair of redheads pushed through the crowd, followed by Luna and Neville.

"Harry? Professor, what happened here?" a twin said, shocked into seriousness.

"Come with me. Minerva, Newton, you two as well." the man said, gathering the boy in his arms. "Take hold of Fawkes' tail feather," he instructed, exhaustion written on him, and beckoned Hermione from the bed. She stood, eyes wide and looking for all the vocabulary she knew utterly wordless.

The small group took hold of the Phoenix and flash flamed away.

"Albus, what happened? How is Hermione here?" Minerva said frantically, observing Harry's limp form being placed on a couch. Drying charms soon cured their clothes of dampness.

"Harry saved Hermione's life. I've never seen anything like it, his core began to run away, and it nearly incinerated him. If it had completed its course it could have obliterated the castle, I believe."

"It would have what?!" Hermione shrieked from Harry's side as the others stared, horrified.

"You heard me correctly," the aged man affirmed, "And my sanity is intact. After today I am convinced of a theory I've been developing. Now, if I am to share this theory with you it mustn't leave this company of people. I implore you, what I am about to impart regards the future of our world and the safety of Harry.

All those present nodded, dedicated to the wellbeing of their friend and student.

"Alright. I believe Harry is of druid descent," Dumbledore claimed to the shock of McGonagall.

"The power he knows not? Is that what you believe it is?"

"Indeed, Minerva."

"Could someone explain what any of that means?" the twins implored, confusion showing on their faces.

"Druids were the original inhabitants of Britannica, though little is known of their culture. When Rome reached the isles they destroyed the druids, mentioning only their magical strength - druids were much stronger wizards than the Romans were. Rumors persist that each druid had a special power, something unique to them, but nobody knows for sure what that means." the headmaster described.

"The Sorting Hat told me about the druids," Luna admitted, "I assumed he was joking."

"Ms Lovegood, would you mind explaining what he said to you?" Minerva asked.

"I'm looking for a certain type of magic for a project; the Sorting Hat seemed to be my best chance of learning about it. He claims that Hogwarts is 6,000 years old, built by the Druidic Civilisation long before Romans even existed. Apparently, the entire island of Britannica was shaped by them. Our perception of history is vastly warped from his point of view; I asked him to teach us History of Magic."

"Fawkes, would you get the hat for me? I have a feeling he will be helpful here." Dumbledore begged, the bird flaming through space and returning with a rather disgruntled hat.

"What do you need me for? So help me Godric if you ask me about soul enchantments…"

"No, Hat, it was I who sent for you. I need you to tell us about Druid Civilisation and Harry's status as a possible druid." Dumbledore informed the wrinkled cone.

"Er, if I may be so bold, I think I may be of some assistance here. You see, in my travels, I've come across some who claim to be druids, oral tradition has been passed down over time," Professor Scamander finally spoke up.

The Sorting Hat eyed him critically, before remembering him, "Ah, yes, Newton Scamander… Quite a brilliant student, but no drive for anything other than beasts. Yes, I think you may be of some use. To the matter at brim, Harry Potter is one of the strongest wizards I have seen in many a year. Stronger even than you, Albus, or the Dark Lord Voldemort,"

"I believe it is due to his mother's status as a sleeping druid, her line was of squib descent as much of Britain is today. Through sheer luck her ancestry was almost a quarter druidic, and the Potters are a historically druidic family. Harry's genetic makeup is about half druidic, but it appears his mother's protection manifested in his soul, causing him to be almost fully druidic. His green eyes are unnaturally vivid, a result of the magic in him." the Hat explained, drawing an unnecessary breath before launching into another verse of education.

"Druids have always had unique powers, though whether this is caused by their extraordinarily small numbers or something else is unknown. Either way, Harry's power appears to manifest in multiple ways. His magical core has been growing steadily, where most children fluctuate. His rate of growth is much faster as well. This has made his core larger than his classmates' cores by a significant margin, though his latent magic is even higher than that. I theorise that it is only due to his abuse as a child," the Hat glared at Minerva, who gasped and sent a withering glare at Albus before looking with sadness upon Harry.

"As I was saying, I believe his abuse as a child has led him to be less powerful than he otherwise would be. His latent magical core, for those who don't understand, that's the size of your potential core, is not only growing but already many times larger than his normal core. Another manifestation appears to be that his magical core grows with magic use. Not by a large margin, but there would have been a noticeable increase in his power around the end of the third year. I sensed the presence of over a score of dementors, which were assaulted by his magic shortly afterwards."

"Two marks stand out against his soul. A mark of Dragonfire and one of death, from what I understand the death mark was from the attack on him by Voldemort." the Hat finished.

The gathered people stared at Harry. If not for the pained expression on his face, one could mistake him for a peacefully sleeping teen.

"Well," Newt stated, "None of what I heard from the people I met contradicts that. Now that we understand more about his heritage and power, what does this have to do with the incident in the infirmary?"

Dumbledore stroked his beard for a moment, popping a lemon drop into his mouth. "The situation no longer seems quite as pressing as it was a moment ago. It appears that Harry's core is simply recovering, the magical burst from him-"

The Sorting Hat's screech took them by surprise, Neville fell over and Fawkes flapped into the air, shrieking at the hat, no doubt threatening it with unravelment and incineration. "You mean to tell me that the burst of magic I felt was from him, and solely him?!"

"Indeed," the Headmaster said, regaining his composure, "And had I not managed to stop it, both of his cores would have melted down and probably taken down the wards along with most of the castle itself."

"How did this happen?! Tell me!"

Dumbledore sighed, "Well, I may as well. I don't believe I've explained the situation quite yet as it is. Hermione was stabbed late last night, by one Draco Malfoy. He poisoned the blade and is currently awaiting trial in a ministry cell. Her heart stopped beating and her breathing stopped," Hermione paled at that revelation, "And Mr Potter didn't accept it. I believe he somehow called on his entire core, trapping her soul within her body and not only banishing the toxin but restarting her heart and boosting her life force."

The Hat remained silent, so the warlock continued, "I was in my office when a wave of magic swept outwards from the infirmary, I must admit I was confused and didn't act until a bolt of lightning struck the wing and I knew something was terribly wrong. Fawkes brought me there and I stabilised his core, which was rapidly melting down. I believe it would have escaped the confines of his body and soul, incinerating him and everything in the general vicinity."

"You say his entire core was melting down? Both latent and developed?" the Hat said gravely as the others listened intently.

"Indeed."

"Then you are correct in your assumption that it would have destroyed the castle. How long was the span between the event starting and you arriving?"

"No more than 15 seconds."

"In that case, his core is likely significantly drained. With the druid trait he has, I wouldn't be surprised if he overpowers spells upon waking. Place me on his head now." the Hat demanded, and it was done.

"Yes, yes… Almost his entire core," the hat muttered, "If what I sense is true, he may experience an extremely significant boost of power. His latent magical core is growing quite rapidly and his developing core is regenerating rather swiftly on top of its normal growth. It looks like it will take him a week or so to recover fully, and at the rate he's growing… By Merlin, his core could triple in size!"

The room was once again shocked.

"Just how powerful is that?" Hermione questioned, breaking out of her stupor.

"Well, not on the scale of Merlin, but that would make him probably the strongest wizard alive. He may have issues controlling it all. I suggest taking him somewhere safe to obliterate; otherwise, he might damage things you'd rather went intact."

Needless to say, jaws hung open at the hat's statement.

o0O0o

Hermione's hand fingered the necklace Harry had given her two months prior. She was seriously worried about him. The Hat had told them that he'd be fine within a week, but that would give him very little time to practice controlling his magic. He might injure himself or worse in the task.

She was also internally conflicted about her brush with death. In her memories, she could remember someone coming to take her away, but no details. There was an immensely bright light in front of her, and the person was leading her to it, but then a bolt of lightning hit it and everything went black. Wondering about the light did no good, as the memory was extremely foggy and frail.

Draco was also a conundrum for her. He'd always been a thorn in her side, but never quite murderous. His father's death had hit him hard, but even then she thought it would take him longer to devolve into madness. Currently, he was in a cell in Azkaban, and from what she'd heard he'd been raving like a lunatic. He got along extremely well with his aunt Bellatrix, apparently.

It worried her that he'd snapped so soon. Was it possible that other students might come after her as well? If Draco, the richest, pettiest snake there was could turn murderous would the others attack as well?

Worrying did no good, so when Cedric Diggory had offered to help raise the school's outlook on Harry she grabbed the opportunity with both hands. If they could make him out to be a nice guy, it would make the spawn of the Death Eaters even more hesitant to do anything drastic. It would isolate them even further from the rest of the houses, which isn't a very tactical move.

Only time would tell, and only time now could soothe her anxiety.

o0O0o

Cedric Diggory was a nice guy, generally accepted to be the best Hufflepuff had to offer. He was an excellent physical specimen and a powerful mage, easily capable of completing his courses with outstanding grades. With all of that in mind, he'd garnered quite a bit of school-wide respect that grew exponentially once the school's champion was announced.

However, being in Hufflepuff, he was an honest person. It felt bad that Harry was being disrespected so much despite his hard life.

"God, that Potter really messed things up, didn't he?" Zacharias Smith chattered, sitting in the corner next to a visibly uncomfortable Ernie MacMillan. Cedric rolled his eyes, Hufflepuff was tight-knit and loyal like siblings. However, that went with the issues that came with actual siblings, namely the annoyances you get from them.

"Zach, be respectful." he called from his armchair.

"Well, I'm right, aren't I? He practically annihilated the hospital wing AND he's lying about entering the tournament. Remember the whole deal with the troll in my first year, and the Quirrell problem? And in the second year, there was a basilisk? And last year, Professor Lupin turned out to be a werewolf! Oh, and he's been attacked by dementors! Trouble follows him like a lost puppy."

"Well, I can't argue with the fact that troubles dogs him, but remember that he charged into the bathroom to save his friend, Quirrell died because of Voldemort-"

"So he claims-"

"- Harry killed the basilisk too and saved another student-"

"So he CLAIMS-"

"-and last year, not only did he fight off the dementors, but he survived an encounter with Sirius Black! He's done more for this school than you have, certainly! Oh, and did you know that he lives with muggles? He probably didn't even know about the magical world before-"

"Preposterous."

"-he came to Hogwarts! Do you not notice that every year he comes back from break with more bruises and weight loss? I'm certain that he's got a hard enough as it is without you making it harder for him."

"I don't like him, Ced, and that's that."

"Zach, you're being ridiculous. Harry may have lied about entering the tournament, but why would you be so mad about that?" Ernie cut in, tired of watching the argument.

"Because it's dishonest, dangerous, dumb, AND he didn't share the knowledge of how to do it with anyone else!"

"You didn't even want to be in the tournament! It's super dangerous! I recall you saying you'd run back home to your mother if you were somehow chosen! Listen, I'm sure he's plenty scared of the tournament. He's probably wishing he didn't enter."

"Yeah, he might be scared, but he made Cedric not have as good of a chance of winning! Sorry, Ced."

"Actually, you've got a point. I mean, he's got more battle experience than any of us do. If he really did all that he says he did then he's got a rather impressive set of skills. Besides, what could possibly be so dangerous in the tournament that Harry Potter couldn't beat it?" Ernie pondered.

"I dunno, maybe dragons?" Zach proposed.

"Dragons. Dragons! Oh dear Merlin, if they've got dragons for the first task…" Cedric worried.

Hannah Abbott stared at the trio. "You're all ridiculous."

Cedric laughed as the other two gaped. "Oi!"

"One second you hate him, the next you think he's some sort of god! I swear, the magical world is completely bipolar when it comes to him."

Cedric doubled over with laughter, the entire common room staring at him now. "I'm sorry, it's just that you're completely right. Every year they swing back and forth from, 'Harry is our saviour!' to, 'Harry Potter: The Next Dark Lord?' Well, I for one have gotten exhausted from all the swinging," the unfortunate phrasing led to drinks being spewed, but Cedric didn't stop, "and I want us all to support Harry, or respect him at the very least."

o0O0o

"Hermione?" a timid voice said, the tired girl turning to look at the visitor.

"Ginny? What're you doing here?" Hermione asked softly, exhausted.

"I came to see Harry. It's been rough, you know. In Gryffindor. The place just isn't the same without you there."

Hermione sighed, "Is it really? I'd think it'd be much happier without us. They were the ones who-"

"No, you don't understand!"

"Really, I don't understand? Is that so? Then inform me, enlightened one," Hermione said, quietly infuriated, "How is it that I don't understand when I'm one of the people they actually kicked out? Your house is supposed to be your family when you're away from home, and what an utterly worthless family they turned out to be! Five days Harry has been dead to the world and nobody has visited except the ones who left with him."

Ginny was shaking. "I'm sorry, I just-" she turned around and fled the infirmary, sobbing. A pang of remorse twinged in her heart but she wasn't in the mood to apologize.

In the bathroom down the hall, Ginny washed her face but it wouldn't stop the shaking. She knew Hermione was right and that she was hurting because Harry was hurt.

As she looked in the mirror, she was filled with resolve. Ron would be getting an earful that night.

o0O0o

Ron Weasley was a rough time of it. His twin brothers were relentless in their pranking, angry at him for his thick skull and senseless comments. The girl he liked was with a guy who used to be his best friend.

His feelings were conflicted. On one hand, he thought Harry had lied about entering the tournament. He had also started dating Hermione! Mates just didn't do that to each other. That made him so angry he couldn't see - or think - straight.

On the other hand, though… Harry had nearly sacrificed himself to save her life. Ron wouldn't have been able to do so. When he really thought about it, it really took a ridiculous amount of love to sacrifice yourself for someone else. He hadn't seen it, but rumour was Harry had invoked some ancient magic to stop Death itself. If Harry was willing to go to such great lengths for Hermione, perhaps Ron could try to be friends again. It was the least he could do for someone who had been, or maybe still was, his brother in all but blood.

It also helped that Ginny had given him an earful that night about not visiting Harry. That girl could be intimidating sometimes.

o0O0o

'Dear Luna Lovegood,

As Harry's godfather, I'm required to do everything I can to help him. I don't currently have access to the Black Library, but I'm working on it. I think that your idea bears some merit, and reminds me of a similar project me and my friends worked on while we were in school. Ask Harry and Hermione to take a closer look at the Marauder's Map for some clues on how to build something that can read a soul.

For a third year, I'm surprised you know anything at all about soul runes. They can be pretty dark. Scratch that, most of their uses are extremely dark, darker than almost anyone is willing to tread.

When I get access to the library, I'll arrange for Harry to pick some books up from me.

P.S. Ask Harry how he's doing for me, would you? Respond quickly. I've got nothing to do, what with the hunt for me. I'm deathly bored out here.

Luna was quick to write back, asking a few questions about his personal knowledge of things that could be helpful.

She leaned back, sighing. Stress had clouded her mind for the past few days, Harry had shown signs of healing but her mind wouldn't rest until he was awake. In her mind, he'd taken a Guardian role - kind of like an elder brother.

o0O0o

Five days. Five days had passed since Harry had opened his eyes, and a little part of Hermione broke down every time she thought about it. The irrational fear that he'd never wake up nipped at her heels every time she saw him. She'd picked up his classes so they didn't lose out on anything, but he'd need to be caught up.

On the upside, his fever had all but disappeared. From what Madam Pomfrey could safely tell, his core was at normal capacity and rapidly growing. They'd both noticed things shifting in the infirmary, sometimes even bits of the infirmary healing. The scars of his actions were still not entirely healed, volatile magic residue had coated nearly every surface in the room. Slowly, it faded, but the areas where it was thicker had some oddities.

Hermione was extremely interested in the nature of the residue, and were it not for the explosive volatility if it, she would certainly have taken samples of it. She'd like to do some experiments and research into magic to see if she could develop, say, a potion to cure magical exhaustion using magic residue.

Perhaps the oddest was Snape, he had been acting even more snappish than normal. Rumors had gone around the school about him being livid with his house, to the point where a few studious Ravenclaws had measured a number of points taken and given by him and found that only Gryffindor had a higher point loss from him than Slytherin. He seemed to be favouring the Ravenclaws, though they admitted that might have been due to their own bias; they could collect more data for themselves, and they gained most of their points from answering questions.

The worried girl didn't spend too much time dwelling on the distressed teacher, simply chalking it up to Draco's insanity and subsequent imprisonment. She didn't enjoy thinking about Draco, it made her mind hurt - being killed and brought back to life just didn't happen, and yet here she was. It made her queasy.

o0O0o

Harry's brain hurt. The light was too bright, the bed was too scratchy, and something in his chest felt like an overinflated balloon. His toes were cold and his hands were hot, with his nose somewhere between.

Trying to speak made him realize the awful taste in his mouth, one of nutrient potions and hydration potions that only made his mouth drier.

A/N: I'm not certain I'm happy with this chapter again. I wrote more but still I'm uncertain. Chapter 9 will be up tomorrow.