Nope I still own nothing but a ancient computer, the plot of this story and the charactors that you didn't know before you started reading this tale! I promise to return Harry... sometime! ;)

Chapter Ninety-four

Devastated

She was too numb to do anything but stare at the swirling mass in the Pensive as her mind staggered under the weight of what she had just found out. It didn't seem real. How could Dumbledore keep something like this from them? How could he talk to them all this time and know something like that?

Woodenly, Taylor took her wand and scooped the memories up and put them back into the vial and put the stopper back on. She put the Pensive back into the cupboard and closed the door. A cabinet caught her eye and she noticed that it was filled with similar vials. Reaching up she put the vial on the top shelf and turning, left the office.

She walked slowly, unseeing as she traveled through the castle, going up stairs and down. If she passed people, she didn't remember it nor whether she spoke to them or if they spoke to her.

Inside she felt as if her whole world had crumbled around her. She had been clinging to the one hope, that after everything, that she would somehow be able to save her brother from the ultimate sacrifice. She had no idea how long she walked before a hand stopped her and she looked up at the face.

"Taylor? What's the matter?" the voice asked concerned.

Taylor just shook her head.

"You're shaking. Did something happen? Did someone attack you?"

Taylor just shook her head again. She didn't know if she could talk. Everything seemed to be happening at the end of a long tunnel.

"Taylor, please. Just say something." The voice pleaded.

The tunnel seemed to be getting longer as she shook her head again.

"Taylor!"

The Hufflepuff cried fearfully as the witch's knees buckled and she fell. He caught her before she hit the floor and lifted the unconscious witch into his arms.

He'd been having breakfast in the Great Hall when Sally-Anne came in and told him that she had just passed Taylor and she had looked glassy eyed and barely acknowledged her. He had thought first of just ignoring the Hufflepuff witch but then decided that he had better go investigate, if only for his own peace of mind. He had found the Gryffindor witch easily enough and had called out to her and not gotten an answer. Not unusual for the last couple of weeks but he had walked past her and turned to look at her over his shoulder. The sight of her blank face had stopped him cold. She had walked right past him as he spoke her name but it was like she didn't even hear him. He'd hurried around her and put his hand on her shoulder to stop her. The blank look in her glassy eyes told him that this wasn't just some mere avoidance tactic of hers.

Looking down at the witch in his arms he could see her face was deathly white. Not sure what was wrong with her, he started for the Hospital Wing. He wasn't that far from it and made it there in less than five minutes. The witch in his arms had yet to stir and the longer she remained unconscious the more worried he became.

When he reached the hospital door it was open and he walked in and the nurse came out of her office.

"Mr. Hunter? What happened?"

"I don't know. She just passed out." The Head Boy said in a worried tone as he followed the nurse to a bed and laid the witch down. He instantly missed the feel of his witch in his arms, after over two weeks of her absence from them, but he stood up and watched as the nurse passed her wand over the unconscious witch.

After a moment the nurse said, "She seems to be in shock. Do you know what happened?"

"Shock? No, I don't know. I just found her wondering around in a sort of daze. She never said anything, she just passed out." The Head Boy informed the nurse.

Madame Pomfrey pursed her lips as she stared down at the witch on the bed. Normally she wouldn't hesitate to revive someone from shock but with this particular witch, she found herself unsure. Deciding to wait for a little longer she summoned a blanket and laid it over her, then performed a warming spell.

"I need to make up a potion. I'll only be a few minutes. Will you stay with Miss Porter please. I hesitate to leave her alone. If something should happen just give a shout." Pomfrey said in a brisk tone before she headed for her office.

The Head Boy nodded and sat down on the edge of the bed. The color was still missing from his witch's face, and when he brushed the hair off her forehead he noticed it was cool to the touch. He picked up her hand and held it, and it too was cool. Bringing it to his lips he kissed it tenderly. He could see thin scars on her hand from who knew when and the small calluses from the things she did. It was a bittersweet moment. On the one hand he relished this stolen moment with her. On the other, his heart ached because he knew when she woke up she would probably drive him away again.

It had been right here over two weeks ago when she had come in and told him that she had made a mistake and that she didn't love him anymore. Even in his shock he could see that she was lying, she was a terrible liar. Pomfrey had actually bound him in the bed and hadn't let him out until that night. He'd gone searching for her but it had been two days before he could finally corner her and she had refused to speak to him and he had ended up shouting at her. They hadn't said barely a civil word to each other since. Not that he seen her all that often. He suspected that she was avoiding him.

The nurse came out then carrying a cup of smoking potion. "It's a pepper up potion. I used the last of the batch I had brewed a couple of days ago before exams were finished." She explained as she approached. Setting the potion on the bedside table, the nurse passed her wand over the still unconscious witch and muttering more to herself then anything, "She's in shock but even at that she should have started to come around by now… unless…"

At that moment the underage witch's eyes began to flutter and after a few moments opened.

"Miss Porter, welcome back. How are you feeling?" The nurse asked in a professional tone.

"Where am I…? How did I get here?"

"Mr. Hunter carried you here. Do you remember what happened?"

The Head Boy watched as the witch looked around, obviously bewildered. Even when her eyes landed on him, there wasn't that closed guarded expression she had worn the last two and a half weeks.

"What happened…?" Her voice was even a little bewildered, then it was like watching a blind close as memories flooded her eyes. They closed before he could see and when they opened again they were guarded and hostile. "I'm fine Madame Pomfrey. I… was stunned by an over zealous firstie. I'm fine now."

The nurse narrowed her eyes at the witch. She didn't believe one word the witch said but she couldn't disprove it either. "Here. I want you to drink this," At the witch's hesitation she exclaimed, "Oh for goodness sakes! It's only a pepper up potion. Now drink that and I'll check you over in a few minutes. If you are fine then you may go."

The Gryffindor witch drank the goblet of potion down in one long swallow and, avoiding looking at the Hufflepuff that sat on the edge of her bed, she waited impatiently for the nurse to check her over again so she could go.

The nurse waited as the color slowly returned to the witch's face and, though she was still a little pale, Pomfrey passed her wand slowly over her and other than the fading effects of shock, could find nothing wrong. Sighing, she said, "I will release you on one condition. I want you to go to the Great Hall and get some breakfast with Mr. Hunter."

Taylor stared at the nurse for a full ten seconds before she decided that the quickest way out of here was just to agree. "Alright." She sat up and swung her legs off the bed. Coming to her feet she felt the world spin a little before it steadied. She saw the nurse's eyebrows come together and she thought she'd best get while the getting was good.

Concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other, she said a quick thank you and headed out the door. She could hear the Hufflepuff walking behind her and decided she couldn't be that ungrateful, even if she didn't particularly appreciate being taken to the nurse.

"Thank you, for ahh… helping me."

For a moment Taylor thought he wasn't going to answer, not that she would blame him. She hadn't exactly been nice to him this past little while. It had been hard on her too, though at least she could tell herself it was for the best.

"I don't imagine you are going to tell me what happened, are you?" the voice was clipped and hard.

She shook her head as she walked along in front of him. The temptation to lean on him for support was so strong she had to actually concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other. This was something she was going to have to somehow manage on her own. The magnitude of it settled on her shoulders and made them physically sag, as her heart started to hammer in her chest again. Her brother, the only member of her family she had left, was a Horcrux. To make sure Voldemort never came back, all the Horcruxes had to be destroyed… her steps faltered and she felt her chest constrict so hard she could hardly draw in a breath.

The Hufflepuff stopped when the witch did and he was about to ask her what was wrong when he heard her gasping for air. In two strides he was in front of her as she bent over double and put her hands on her knees to steady herself. He could see she was struggling to breath but he had no idea why. Worry filled him as he asked, "Are you alright? Maybe I should take you back to the Hospital."

Taylor shook her head. That's the last place she wanted to be as she tried to come to grips with what she had found out.

"Dammit Taylor either you start telling me what in the hell is going on or…"

The anger in his voice was what she needed to push herself up straight and ask breathlessly, "Or what? Take more – points from – Gryffindor? Or give – me de-tention?"

"Look witch!" the Head Boy said in a low warning tone.

Finally able to draw a full breath she took several before she gave him a dirty look and, stepping around him, headed down the corridor once more.

"Oh no, you don't! You are going to give me an answer if I have to follow you all the way up to your room tonight!" The Hufflepuff said angrily, as he quickly caught up with her and fell in step beside the witch.

Taylor was glad of the distraction for a few minutes and was actually starting to work up a bit of temper when they came to the stairs and as he swung down she headed up.

"Just where do you think you are going?"

"I don't know about you but I'm going to my common room." Taylor answered in a clipped tone.

"Pomfrey told you to go get something to eat! With me!"

"Huh. Is that what she said? Must have been a bunch of Nargles…" Taylor let the sentence trail off as the Head Boy uttered a very un-Head Boyish string of oaths.

She made it up the flight of stairs and just started up the next when she happened to look up and saw her brother, Ginny, Ron and Hermione walking down the moving stairs still two floors up, talking and laughing. Her chest constricted so fast that she couldn't even finish exhaling. They hadn't seen her yet and she turned blindly to go back down and ran into the Hufflepuff. Panic set in and she wheeled away from him and started to run up the stairs. She could hear her brother laughing and she couldn't breathe. The closer she came to the top of the stairs the more the edges of her vision blurred until everything went black again.

The Head Boy had been surprised when his witch ran into him and he had thought she was going to lay into him again, but she turned fast and ran up the steps. He caught sight of Potter and the others and he thought she was running up to them. He noticed though as she got closer to the top of the stairs that she seemed to be staggering. Adrenaline shot through him as he realized she was about to pass out again.

"Taylor!" The name tore from his throat as he sprang up the steps two at a time and reached her just as the staircase moved and caught her before she took a header off the top step. Afraid he might over balance on the moving staircase he dropped down to one knee as he leaned against the railing holding her tightly in his arms, cradled against his chest.

He heard the yells coming from the other Gryffindors but for a moment he ignored them as he looked down at the witch in his arms. He noticed her face had gone white again and she was completely limp in his arms.

"Bloody Hell! What happened?" Weasley's voice demanded a second later as the staircase stopped moving and the Gryffindors reached him.

"I don't know, I was hoping you could tell me!"

"What do you mean?" Potter demanded as the Hufflepuff stood and stepped off the stairs into a corridor.

"I mean this is the second time she has passed out! What in the hell has happened anyway?" The Head Boy demanded in a hard voice.

"Passed out?" Potter said bewildered.

"Greg, calm down. Now tell us what happened." Hermione said in a firm no nonsense voice.

Quickly the Head Boy told them about finding the Gryffindor witch wandering in a daze and then her passing out and taking her to see Pomfrey.

"Maybe we should take her there again…" Ginny said quietly as she looked at her limp friend in the Head Boy's arms.

Taylor could hear voices around her and the deep rumble right next to her ear. Slowly she opened her eyes and faces swam in front of them. She knew she was in the Hufflepuff's arms. It wasn't just the rumble of his voice, it was the innate sense of safety that always surrounded her whenever she was in his arms.

"Hey," the deep voice rumbled in her ear, "do you know where you are?"

Taylor blinked and looked around, her mind sluggish. She could see her brother's green eyes peering down at her with a worried expression, that expression copied on the other faces. She was about to ask what happened when Dumbledore's voice echoed in her head and she felt her chest constrict painfully.

"Hey, take it easy. You're safe. No one is going to hurt you." The Hufflepuff said gently when he saw his witch's face lose what little color it had regained and start to breathe shallowly.

Taylor closed her eyes as she tried to concentrate on just breathing. The reassurance, however unintentional it was given, helped her to smooth out her breathing and she opened her eyes again better prepared this time for the pain.

"Are you all right? What happened?" her brother asked. If she had been thinking clearer she might have wondered at her brother's complacency in letting the Hufflepuff hold her when she had spent the last couple of weeks saying that she didn't like him anymore. As it was, she leaned on the Head Boy drawing strength in his warm embrace.

It was a few long moments before she could find her voice, "I'll be okay in a few minutes." Her voice sounded rather weak even in her own ears.

"What happened? Were you attacked?" Hermione asked concerned.

Taylor shook her head, "I'll be…"

The Hufflepuff interrupted her. "You've passed out twice in the last hour and couldn't breathe once. You are not fine."

"Maybe we should take her so Pomfrey can look…" Ron began concerned.

"No!" Taylor cried and began to struggle but the Hufflepuff's arms tightened and held her fast.

"Okay, settle down. I get it. You don't want to go to the Hospital." The Head Boy said in a tight voice.

"How about we go up to our common room? On a nice day like this it will be empty." Hermione suggested. She glanced around. If they stayed here much longer an auror was sure to pass by and she was quite sure Taylor didn't want anyone else knowing about whatever was wrong.

Taylor nodded and the Hufflepuff started towards the stairs.

"I can walk."

"I'm tired of catching you. It's just easier to carry you." The Hufflepuff said firmly.

"As I recall no one mentioned anything about you being invited!" Taylor snapped, getting angry at his highhanded attitude, because it was better than thinking about the other thing.

"I already told you witch, you are going to tell me what is going on before I leave!"

Harry glanced at Hermione and then Ginny, as his sister and the Head Boy continued to argue as they headed for Gryffindor Tower.

Hermione said quietly, "For all her complaining, she isn't trying to get down."

Harry noted that as well. Either his sister was very weak and couldn't struggle or she was putting up a token fight only.

When they reached the Fat Lady, Hermione gave the password and the group filed into the empty common room and sat on the sofas. The Hufflepuff sitting in his usual one and putting the Gryffindor witch down beside him.

Taylor knew she had to get away from the Hufflepuff because it felt too right to be in his arms and feel safe again. Pushing up off the sofa she began to pace as five pairs of eyes watched her. She could feel the crushing weight once again and worked hard to get through it.

"Okay Taylor, what gives? What is going on?" Harry asked as he watched his sister's agitated pacing.

Taylor racked her brain trying to think of something, anything to say. Anything but the truth. Her breath was coming in shorter and shorter breaths until she was nearly gasping for air once again.

The Hufflepuff was on his feet and stepped in front of her, and she had to bend over once again.

"This is what happened before." Greg said as he helped steady his witch. "Something happened. I'd say she is having anxiety attacks. It would explain the passing out too. Well the second time. Pomfrey said she was in shock when I took her to the Hospital."

"Shock?" Hermione asked, "But people don't go into shock unless there is some sort of trauma, and she obviously isn't hurt or Pomfrey would have found it."

"There's also emotional shock," Ginny said, "If a person receives a big enough emotional blow it can cause the body to go into shock. It would explain the anxiety attacks as well."

"I'm right – here – you know." Taylor was able to gasp out.

"Yeah, and on the verge of passing out again." The Hufflepuff said as he pulled out his wand and conjured a small paper bag. "Here breath into this, it will help." He helped her hold the bag to her face and after a few moments his witch was breathing more easily. "One of my cousins has anxiety attacks." He said by way of explanation.

"Okay so what now?" Ron asked.

"First you are going to come over here and sit down," the Hufflepuff said firmly as he practically carried his witch to the sofa and sat her down. "Now you need to start talking. What has happened?"

Taylor shook her head.

"Is it something that happened last night?" Shake.

"Is it something that happened this morning?" Nod.

"Did somebody get hurt? Or killed?" Shake.

"Is it about somebody in this room?"

Taylor clamped the bag over her mouth as her chest constricted and darkness crowded around the edges of her vision.

"Just breathe, slower, that's it. Slower, easy breaths," the Head Boy's voice was firm but soft as he coaxed her until her breathing returned to normal.

Harry watched as his sister sagged against the Hufflepuff and doubted that she even realized that she was doing it. He didn't know if anyone else had noticed but he had. His sister had looked everywhere but at him. Whatever had happened, he was almost positive it was about him, and to cause her such distress it couldn't be good.

"Where did you go this morning?" Hermione asked, perplexed by her friend's extremely uncharacteristic show of weakness. It wasn't like Taylor to let something control her like this, especially to this point. Even when they had been captured and tortured, she had been strong and just as strong afterward, beating the fear of the darkness and helping her to as well. So what could possibly be so much worse than that?

Ginny started up an easy conversation with Hermione and soon the group was talking about everyday things, like the weather and what professional quidditch team was the best this year.

Harry joined in the conversation as he kept a close eye on his sister. Her color was starting to come back and she was starting to nod here and there in the conversation, but she still avoided looking at him, though he caught the Hufflepuff starring questioningly at him a few times.

He knew whatever had happened, his sister wasn't about to tell him here. So he decided to take matters into his own hands. "Taylor," his voice was low but firm as he addressed her and waited for her to look at him. It took a long while. When she finally looked up at him, he could see fear in her eyes, and pain, and for a second he almost reconsidered. "We need to talk." He glanced at Ron and saw his best mate nod slightly. He'd keep the other two girls here at least.

The Head Boy felt a jolt of anger mixed equally with jealousy as he heard the commanding tone in Potter's voice. How could he expect his witch to talk to him. Him! When whatever was causing her to have these attacks was connected with Potter?

"Look Potter whatever you need to talk about can…" The Hufflepuff began aggressively as he stood. He wasn't going to let the other wizard bully his witch into anything.

Harry cut him off, "Look Hunter I'd tread lightly if I were you! As I recall Taylor broke up with you over two weeks ago!" Harry felt the old prick of aggravation that he usually had when the Hufflepuff stuck his nose in business where he shouldn't be.

Taylor stood as well and put a hand on the Head Boy's arm to quiet him. She knew she somehow had to tell her brother… her heart started to hammer at the mere thought. She had to, so that they could come up with a way to save him. She knew though that there was absolutely no way she could say it in front of the others, even if it was something her brother would want them to know. Her voice was far from steady but she meant the words nonetheless. "Hunter, Harry is right. I need to talk to him. You shouldn't even be here…" In her mind she knew she had to push the Head Boy away. She had all too easily allowed herself to lean on him for the past hour or so. Her shredded heart gave a painful twist but her mind overruled it as she stepped away from him. Right now she needed her mind, not her heart.

She had felt him flinch at her words and knew they hurt him, and she didn't have the courage to look up at him as she felt her brother move beside her and lead her out of the common room.

Watching his witch walk away with Potter was incredibly painful. The common room was silent as the portal closed off behind them.

A/N I Know I am evil! Another cliff hanger! I am sorry! But I promise to post another chapter on Monday or Tuesday! So what did you think? Poor Taylor! And what about Greg... I have to admit I really enjoyed writting this chapter! :) Hope you enjoyed it!

I was remiss in saying a HUGE THANK YOU! In the last chapter when I seen that I have reached the 200 reviews mark! THANK YOU to all of you who have left a review! And those of you who review all the time... Thank you just isn't enough. Cyber cookies to all of you! :D

A HUGE thank you to barbc, my beta as well who has been so great correcting all these chapters! You are the best girl!

Well until next time, cytpotter.