Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.
A/N: Thanks to Eminnis for beta-ing this story.
Chapter Eighteen
Bathilda's Secret
"Bathilda's Secret," Draco read.
"Does that mean that she does have the sword?" Fred asked looking surprised.
"I would think not," Dumbledore frowned, he would not have entrusted her with the sword, and he was sure he wasn't going to like where this led. At his words, it seemed like several people got tense, not looking forward to what was going to happen either.
Hermione says there is someone there, someone watching us:
"Not good," Molly muttered.
"But it's okay Mrs. Weasley … we don't look like ourselves so we should be okay," Harry informed her, but that didn't seem to make Molly relax at all.
Mentions the graveyard was supposed to be haunted, but he heard a rustle and saw dislodge snow and ghost could not move snow:
"Nor make a rustling noise," Charlie added. "But I'm sure it was just some kind of animal," he added when he noticed how worried his mum seemed to be getting. This didn't do anything to make her relax though, she had already learned from this book that there was no time that danger couldn't pop up to surprise them.
Mentions Harry wasn't as sanguine as he had pretended when reassuring Hermione:
"Which means you didn't fool me and I'm pretty worried right now," Hermione said to Harry.
"I had to try didn't I," Harry shrugged.
Hermione asks how are you going to find Bathilda's house:
"That's a good question," Bill said, "you really should have tried to find that out before you got to the town."
"Well, it's not like we had any information with us that would tell us exactly where she lives," Hermione grumbled, feeling slighted by Bill's comment.
"That's true but seeing as she could live in any of the houses in this town … it's going to be difficult for you to find her," Bill continued.
Mentions the next moment he sped up, dragging Hermione along with him, she slipped a little on the ice:
"Thanks a lot Harry," Hermione grumbled playfully.
"Sorry," Harry chuckled.
"I'm just curious what's got you moving so quickly," Ron said.
"Harry must have seen his cottage," Remus said gravely. "It really stands out once you can see it."
Mentions the Fidelius Charm must have died with James and Lily:
That statement seemed to cause most of the people in the room to bow their heads and the smile Harry had a second ago was wiped from his face.
Mentions Harry grasped the gate, not to open it, but simply so he'd feel some part of the house:
"Er … why?" Fred questioned.
"Don't know," Harry shrugged, he was looking at his hands, "I suppose I just wanted to feel some part of the cottage that must have been a happy home for me."
Harry felt Hermione and Ginny both squeeze his hand as he said this, and Molly whimpered. They all felt sympathy for the boy that was deprived of a happy home life.
After the message on the sign ending with as a reminder of the violence that tore apart their family:
"It seems like a stupid way to remember something like that," Draco commented under his breath and was about to continue reading when Harry said, "Perhaps … it's definitely not something I'm looking forward to seeing."
"I thought you wanted to see this place," Ron said, turning to look at his friend.
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to be depressed as soon as I see it," Harry grimaced. "Standing there and seeing what the horrible thing that happen there," he trailed off and several people shivered at his comments.
Mentions there were others scribbles in the sign, some were their names and others had left messages:
"I can't believe how rude some people are!" Molly said indignantly, her voice was thick with the tears she shed thinking about how hard this must be for Harry to deal with.
"I'm sure they were just trying to show Harry some support," Arthur said soothingly to calm her down.
Mentions that a woman came to a halt a few yards from them and stood there:
"I don't like the sound of this at all," Molly fretted and Arthur was holding her tightly to him.
"Come on, it's a little old lady, I doubt they have anything to be afraid of," Fred rolled his eyes.
"I wouldn't say that," Ginny said darkly, "you should never judge anyone by the way they look."
"She's right," Bill said. "I've seen many people and creatures pretend to be helpless … lulling you into a false sense of security before …."
"But I'm sure that's not the case right now," Fleur interrupted him and when he looked at her frowning, Fleur nodded her head towards Molly, who was now looking very pale.
"That's right, I'm sure it's just Bagshot," Bill said. "I mean she is an old lady after all."
Mentions that Harry had the strangest feeling that she knew they were there and who they were:
This didn't go well in the room at all. For everyone was unnerved by this.
"How could she know you're there if you have the Cloak on?" Molly asked desperately hoping that someone would have a good explanation for this.
"Maybe the footprints," Bill supplied doubtfully and it did little to appease his mum.
"How would she know who you were?" Sirius was the one to ask this time.
"Er … this might have been the thing in the graveyard that made the noise," Ron muttered and everyone got more tense at that.
George got up and punched Ron in the arm.
"Ow … what the hell?" Ron grumbled.
"I said I owed you a punch," George shrugged. "I figured I use it now when you're being a tactless git." He then turned to take his seat by his twin, and he smirked when he noticed he accomplish what he set out to do … there where a few people in the room that look like they were almost about to smile … it was all he could really hope for.
Mentions that Harry could think of many reasons not to obey the summons, but he suspected who she was:
"I don't care who you think this woman is, do not go with her!" Molly practically shouted and prayed that Hermione had more sense than to follow this strange woman, for it looked like Harry didn't.
Mentions even her ability to sense them suggested some Dumbledore-ish power:
Everyone looked at Dumbledore, hoping that he would have some kind of answer for this, but the old man didn't say anything. His expression was grave, and he was worried just like everyone else about what was going on here. However, he was well aware that Bathilda didn't have any extraordinary power and he knew this didn't bode well for the old witch … nor Harry and Hermione.
After Harry says are you Bathilda the figure nodded and beckoned again:
"Why doesn't she speak?" Tonks questioned, looking at the book suspiciously.
"Maybe she's not able to," Charlie answered doubtfully.
Mentions that Harry raised his eyebrows, Hermione gave a tiny, nervous nod:
"NO!" Molly groaned.
"This is the reason we came here … to see Bagshot," Hermione mumbled, for she was feeling it would be best if they just left the village right away.
Mentions her eyes were thick with cataracts and Harry wondered whether she could make him out at all:
"If she can't see at all … than how did she know that you were there?" Tonks asked with trepidation.
There was no answer for that.
Mentions Harry became aware of the locket against his skin ending with did it know that the thing that would destroy it was near:
Everyone seemed to want to hope that was the truth, but they felt too wary of the situation to believe it. Dumbledore, however, was coming to a very dark conclusion, though he couldn't be sure, he felt he might know what might be happening, a thought that chilled even his bones.
Hermione says I'm not sure about this:
"Definitely not sure about this," Hermione corrected her book self as she grew more apprehensive with each passing sentence.
Harry says I knew she wasn't all there, Muriel called her 'gaga':
"Not all there is different than creepy as all hell," Fred pointed out, and though his tone was playful, he too looked worried about this.
Bathilda says come:
"So, she can speak," Tonks muttered to herself.
Mentions Hermione jumped and clutched Harry's arm:
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows at this and noted that it went with the theory he had come up with.
Mentions Harry's nose detected, something like meat gone bad:
"Argh!" Sirius made a face; he knew that smell for it seemed like it was always present when he was in Azkaban either because people would stop eating or there were times that they would die and be left there for days. That smell had made it difficult for him to stay in his dog form for too long when it got particularly bad.
Mentions that Bathilda seemed to forget about magic because she was lighting all of the candles by hand:
"That's odd," Remus mumbled to himself, having met the woman a few times when he came to visit the Potters, she didn't seem to be acting at all like she did then. Of course, that made him nervous, but the fact that she wouldn't just light the candles magically unnerved him more than anything else. She was raised as a witch after all, and it wouldn't be something she would just forget.
Mentions the photograph near the back of the collection caught his eye, and he snatched it up:
Dumbledore stiffened at the mention of this in a very different way than he had been a moment ago. He could imagine what picture Harry would find interesting on the chest and he wasn't looking forward to hearing about that.
Mentions it was the golden-haired, merry-face thief:
"No way!" several people said.
"Of course, that's why the thief seemed familiar to you," Bill said, "it's because you saw it in that book about Du … er …." he stopped there looking warily at Dumbledore, who was now holding the bridge of his nose.
After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence Draco started to read again.
Harry asks Miss Bagshot who is this:
Everyone tried their best not to look at Dumbledore, but they were dying to know who it was.
"So, who was it?" Draco asked, for he didn't really care about being the one to ask the difficult question.
"I'm sure the book will say soon enough," Dumbledore said in a hollow tone.
"Just read Malfoy," Ginny commanded, for it looked like the pale boy was going to stall until Dumbledore explained himself fully.
Mentions Bathilda looked up at his voice and the Horcrux beat faster upon his chest:
"I don't like the sound of that," Molly groaned, though she had no idea what it might mean.
Harry asks this man, do you know him, what's he called:
"You are insistent, Harry, aren't you," George said.
"I've been obsessed over this man for months, of course I want to know who he is," Harry said.
Mentions that Bathilda merely looked vague and Harry wondered how Skeeter unlocked her memories:
"Maybe whatever she did to get Bathilda's memories is the reason why Bathilda is acting so strangely, now," Remus said in a hopeful voice that sounded more like he was trying to convince himself of this fact.
Mentions Bathilda gesture, pointing to him, then herself, then to the ceiling:
"She's gone back to gesturing again?" Tonks muttered, confused.
Mentions when Hermione moved, Bathilda shook her head and pointed at Harry and then herself:
"She doesn't want Hermione to go …." Ron said. "I don't like this … you shouldn't split up."
"That's rich coming …." Ginny started, glaring at her brother.
"He's right, you shouldn't split up," Percy said, "if this is a trap the closer you are together the better."
Harry says maybe Dumbledore told her to give the sword to me, and only to me:
"I would not have given her the sword," Dumbledore said in a soft voice that he had to struggle to keep even.
"So, you don't think that you would have wanted us to go here at all?" Harry found himself asking as several of the people groaned at what Dumbledore had just said.
"The only reason why I would want you to go to Bathilda is because she could have told you about the symbol if you were to show it to her," Dumbledore frowned. "Though I'm not sure I would have wanted you to go there at all, she would have some ideas about what that means."
"And what does it mean?" Harry asked.
Dumbledore closed his eyes painfully and said, "I would prefer not to speak about that now, but I am sure that it will be in the book soon enough."
Hermione asks do you really think she knows who you are:
"Yes," nearly everyone said, and their tones were all grave.
Mentions that Bathilda had moved close to him when it was dark and he hadn't heard her approach:
"She was laboring a second ago … how can she have move that quickly all of a sudden?" Charlie questioned, but no one had an answer to that.
Bathilda says you are Potter:
"And now she's speaking again," Tonks said shivering, it didn't make sense why she didn't speak downstairs. What was so different about now that made the old lady speak. The only thing she could come up with was that Harry was alone now, but that didn't make sense unless … she paled at her thought, hoping like hell that she was wrong.
Mentions that Harry felt the Horcrux beating fast, faster than his own heart:
"What the hell does that mean?" Sirius asked, his tone was fearful. "Dumbledore said the sword wouldn't be there … why is the Horcrux reacting so much?"
At these words, Tonks paled farther, and several people joined her, the sense of foreboding increasing with every word now.
Mentions that Harry's scar prickled and then he felt a leap of joy and spoke in a high, cold voice, hold him:
"Damnit!"
"Crap!"
"GET OUT OF THERE!"
The yells came from all around the room so no one could be sure who said what, but that mattered little to them. They all realized to a certain extent what was happening and knew that Harry was in danger.
Mentions Harry swayed and then the dark room seemed to close around him again and he didn't know what happened:
"Get out of there!" several people commanded again.
"Don't you realize what this means?" Severus said, who hadn't been paying attention to this chapter much as he thought of the past. He was, however, aroused from his thoughts with the mention of Harry's scar hurting. "The Dark Lord knows you're there!"
Harry scowled at this, feeling slightly angry at the question, none of these people understood how confusing it was for him when a vision overtook him like this. However, he was mostly feeling fear, for he knew Snape was right, and that they had to get out of there as fast as they could.
Harry says have you got anything for me:
"No! She doesn't! Get the bloody hell out of there!" Ginny shouted anxiously.
Mentions Harry didn't want to look away from her:
"Don't … don't take your eyes off of her," Tonks advise, and several people shivered at her warning.
Mentions for an instant he looked away, his eyes for a sword hilt, a ruby:
"Harry," Hermione groaned, why couldn't he get that the sword wasn't there? Why didn't he know how much danger he was in?
Mentions that he saw the old body collapsing and the great snake pouring from the place where her neck had been:
The disgust was clear in Draco's voice as he read this and he, just like everyone else in the room looked sick at hearing the description. Though several of them have come to the conclusions that the snake was there (and indeed inside of Bathilda) none of them could stand hearing this part.
"I think I'm going to be sick," Percy said, and he was indeed looking very green.
"How is that possible … how did it get … the body moving," Bill said, looking like he too was going to be sick, and grew sicker the longer he spoke.
"I can guess, but I'm not sure that now is the best time to discuss this," Dumbledore sighed, feeling sorry for the old lady that he was once relatively close to.
"That's true … we need to know how Harry gets out of here," Arthur said and everyone seemed to agree with that sentiment.
Mentions the snake struck as he raised his wand, the force of the bite to his forearm sent his wand spinning towards the ceiling:
"IT BIT YOU!" several people exclaimed.
"But the snake is poisonous," Molly added, squeezing her husband closer to her; the bandages around his torso was proof of that.
"She has control over the venom that she releases," Dumbledore said, "I don't believe that she would want to poison Harry at this point."
Mentions that the powerful blow from the tail knocked the breath out of him:
Several people flinched as Draco read this in his cold voice. He found it odd that he didn't really like reading about Harry being tossed around … that he was actually hoping that Harry got out of this … it was very odd indeed.
Mentions from below he heard Hermione call Harry:
"You have to get up there … save him!" Ron said tensely, not really wanting Hermione anywhere near that snake, but of course he couldn't stand Harry being attacked either. Damnit, why couldn't his book self be there? They needed him!
"I will," Hermione nodded her head determinedly.
Mentions Harry felt a heavy smooth mass smashed him to the floor:
"It's … sitting on you," Remus groaned, there was no way that Harry would be able to get the snake off him … not on his own at least.
Mentions a metal heart was beating outside his chest, then he was flying without need of broomstick:
"Now's not really the time to have a vision Harry," Ginny groaned worriedly.
"I don't exactly get to choose when I have visions Ginny," Harry sighed.
"Sorry … I just …." Ginny started to say.
"I know, never mind," Harry said.
Mentions that Harry's foot slipped on a pencil-like something – his wand:
"Good … pick it up and get the hell out of there!" Sirius demanded. "Voldemort is on his way!"
He bent and snatched it up, but now the room was full of the snake,
"Er … what does that even mean?" Fred asked but Draco didn't pause to hear what he said.
Mentions Hermione was nowhere to be seen and for a moment Harry thought the worst:
Ron's whole body shivered at that, and Hermione squeezed his hand. She also noticed that Harry was squeezing her other hand, seeming to be hurt by this thought too.
Harry says he's coming, Hermione, he's coming:
There were more screams, the words 'get out of there' were repeated hundreds of times by most of the people in the room.
Mentions that Harry jumped over the bed and seized the dark shape he knew to be Hermione and she shrieked with pain as he pulled her across the bed:
"What are you doing?" Ron asked, not liking the shriek of pain.
"Don't know, but I sure hope it's getting the hell out of there," Harry said, looking pale.
Mentions Hermione casted a spell that ricocheted off the mirror and Harry felt the heat of it sear the back of his hand:
Hermione groaned again, though she didn't know how bad this was yet.
Mentions pulling Hermione with him, Harry leapt from bed to broken dressing table and then straight out the window:
"You jumped out the window!" Molly said.
"Er … it's got to be better than being in that house with the snake …." Harry said shakily.
Mentions her scream reverberating through the night as they twisted in midair:
"Oh, thank Merlin … you got out of there!" several people exclaimed, and everyone relaxed, having no idea that the hardest part of this chapter for several of the people wasn't over yet.
Mentions two children dressed as pumpkins waddling:
"Oh Merlin," Sirius said shivering, he knew immediately what was going to happen. He leaned over and held his head in his hands. Remus knew too what was going on and put an arm on Sirius's back, in support and trying to get his own comfort at the same time. Tonks silently wrapped her arms around Remus, holding him as tightly as she could to her.
Harry looked at them and it clicked in his head what was coming. He leaned back in the couch he was sitting on trying not to think of the voices he heard in third year whenever Dementors came near him. Ginny leaned back too, resting her head on his shoulder, squeezing his hand slightly.
Severus, however, was having a difficult time trying to keep his mask up. It had already slipped in the last chapter … it was bad enough hearing about her tombstone … but this … he didn't think he could stand it … and yet his feet were rooted to the spot as Draco continued to read.
Vision mentions he had waited for this, he had hoped for it:
By the end of this paragraph, everyone was shivering. It was chilling to hear how this madman thought.
Vision mentions beneath the robe he fingered the handle of his wand:
"No!" Molly moaned, fearing for the child safety … the innocent boy had done nothing and yet Voldemort would vanquish him without feeling the least bit guilty … he was a monster.
Vision mentions one simple movement and the child would never reach his mother, but unnecessary:
Several people let out a sigh of relief, but obviously that didn't last long for they knew Voldemort's next victims were not going to get away.
Vision mentions his destination was in sight at last, the Fidelius Charm broken, though they didn't know it:
"Damn stupid rat," Sirius said weakly, there were tears in his eyes, but he wasn't really thinking about Peter's betrayal, but his own stupidity that led to this. He felt Remus's hand squeeze his shoulder, the hand was shaking, but it was there … Remus was hurting too, but he was still supporting him.
Vision mentions the tall black-haired making puffs of colored smoke and the child was laughing and trying to catch the smoke:
This had all the girls in tears as they could clearly picture this scene in front of them. The boys were all close to tears too as they looked at Harry, who was looking at the floor, tears in his eyes. The scene was marred by Voldemort's presents and yet it was a memory none the least that show he was happy with his parents … that he was laughing with his parents.
Vision mentions James came sprinting into the hall, it was easy, he hadn't even picked up his wand:
Everyone winched at that, the room had grown deathly chilled as they listened to the cold, distant voice of Draco.
James says Lily, take Harry and go, it's him, go, run, I'll hold him off:
Hold him off, Severus scoffed in his head, knowing that would have been pointless even if Potter had his wand. However, he couldn't stop his scornful thoughts for thinking that if Potter had a wand that Lily might really have had a chance … maybe she could have …
Avada Kedavra:
Harry, Sirius and Remus all shuddered violently as they heard this. Remus leaned down to hold his only remaining childhood friend … his brother … in a hug and Tonks wrapped her arms around them. Harry was dimly aware that both Ginny and Hermione were hugging him, but his mind was growing numb with all that was happening … he could hear his dad's voice echo in his head … Voldemort's curses …
Vision mentions but as long as she was sensible, she, at least, had nothing to fear:
Draco paused there for a second and wasn't the only one that found this to be an odd statement, but he continued reading soon after that.
Vision mentions he listened to her attempts to barricade herself, she had no wand upon her either:
Severus groaned at that, causing several people to look at him and there was nothing he could do … there was no trying to hind it … no denying that he was hurt. No hiding the pain he was feeling.
No one questioned him though … it wasn't time for that now.
Vision mentions that Lily threw her arms wide, as if this would help, as if shielding him from sight she hoped to be chosen instead:
Tears where now falling freely down Severus face as he thought, always had to be brave … to do the right thing …
Lily says not Harry, please not Harry:
Harry didn't even hear Draco read this … no, he could hear his mum screaming and Voldemort answering her.
Voldemort says stand aside, you silly girl, stand aside, now:
"Why is he letting her stand aside?" Charlie muttered, unable to stop himself. No one was able to answer him … no one was willing to try to think of a reason why he would do this.
Vision mentions he could have forced her away, but it seemed more prudent to finish them off:
And just like that … that it would have been more prudent Lily was killed! Severus thought savagely. Why couldn't you have just left her alone? Why did she have to be the one to die? He should have done more … he should have tried to stop this monster. Why did he have to take Lily away?
There wasn't a dry eye left in the room, even Draco's eyes were brimming with tears, though he fought them off. It wasn't like he cared if this Muggle-born witch died or not … it was just, he was able to see his mum in her place … He knew his mum surely would have saved him and he couldn't imagine the pain Potter was going through now knowing that this was the way things had happened.
Harry's eyes were no longer blank as he looked at his hands that were being held by Ginny and Hermione. He couldn't stand it, sitting hearing again how his parents were killed, with all the little details this time as it was from the murderer's point of view. The carelessness of it all. How it could have been avoided. He felt his anger boil in him. He shot up so fast that Hermione and Ginny nearly fell out of the couch as he got up. He walked across the room not knowing what the hell he was doing … where he was going … how he was feeling? He paced the room for a second and no one made a move to stop him … either because they were too distraught or too shocked by his behavior, it mattered little.
"Damnit!" he shouted, punching the wall hard as he walked by it and then continued pacing. "Why the hell did he have to go after us?" he shouted bitterly, punching the wall again as he passed it. He turned his back on the wall and by the time he turned around again Sirius was now standing there, his tear-stained face looking remorseful and guilty.
"It's my fault Harry …." Sirius said, "I'm the reason … so you can punch me …."
Harry just looked at his godfather, his anger vanishing almost as quickly as it had appeared. He shook his head … this wasn't Sirius's fault; he would never believe that. Sirius took a step towards Harry and pulled his godson into a firm hug … clinging to him just as much as Harry was.
"It's my fault," Severus said a few minutes later. His voice was barely over a whisper, but it had everyone looking at him. He looked directly at Harry and for once his eyes didn't look cold and hateful. They were sad and filled with a pain that was kin to his own. "I'm the reason he came after you …."
"YOU!" Sirius growled, fury and pain mixing in one, but he couldn't move because Harry was still holding on to him.
"I don't understand!" Harry said his body was feeling numb again and he was now clinging to Sirius to keep himself standing. "What do you mean?"
"I …." Severus started but no words came to him.
Dumbledore looked at Severus intently and when his Potion Master nodded his head, he said, "Severus was the one that told Voldemort about the prophecy … the one I told you about …."
"I know," Harry said harshly, feeling the anger build in him.
"He is also the reason why we knew that Voldemort chose you Harry, and that you needed to go into hiding," Dumbledore continued.
"And you think that makes up for it," Sirius said glaring at Severus, hating him more in that moment than he ever had, finally having a real reason to dislike the greasy git. But Severus turn his gaze on him, and Sirius knew that Severus had realized there was no making up for this ever … just like him, Severus had made a mistake that had ended up killing Lily and James.
"Severus has been working as my spy ever since Voldemort had decided to go after you …." Dumbledore started to say.
"I don't get it," Harry said looking at Dumbledore briefly before looking back at Severus, the pain in the black-haired man's eyes was hard to look at and that confused him more than anything. "You hate my dad … you've told me enough times about what an arrogant prat he was for me to see that … why the hell would you want to save him … and my mum …." Severus flinched there and Harry knew in that instant that his mum was the key to this somehow. "What? What does this have to do with my mum?"
"L-lily …." Severus choked over the words because it was the first time, he was saying it out loud in a long time … maybe years … maybe even fifteen. " … Evans was my best friend …."
There was gasping around the room, for nearly everyone was shocked. Harry felt his jaw drop as he stared at Severus like he's never seen the man before. And this was true enough, he never seen this man that was crying and admitting to care about another person before.
"I … what …?" Harry said feeling numb again, how could Snape … the man that had tortured him for nearly five years … have been best friends with his mum?
"You're the reason why the Dark Lord was going to let her go," Draco said, finding the silence that had filled the room after Severus's statement very uncomfortable.
"Yes," Severus admitted shamefully.
Harry just looked at Severus, not able to say anything, not able to process what this all meant. All he knew was that he was alive today because his mum had a choice whether to protect him or not, and the reason she had that choice was because of Severus.
"I think we've had enough of talking for now, maybe we should keep reading," Fred said as another long and uncomfortable silence filled the room, and Draco shrugged and started reading again.
Vision mentions he looked at the intruder's face with bright interest, perhaps thinking it was his father making more pretty light and his mother would pop up:
Harry's face crumble at Voldemort's thoughts, at his own reaction to his mum's death … not understanding then what had happened, but knowing now that he was always going to feel pain over this.
"Oh Harry," Molly said and got out of her seat, which of course she's been wanting to do since the start of this chapter and went to pull Harry into a hug. This was the same kind of hug she had given him after the final task last summer.
It felt wrong to Harry, for he didn't want someone else's mother hugging him, he wanted his own … and yet it felt right, for he knew that Molly really had accepted him as a son … and that she was … she was the closest thing he will ever have to a mother.
"Just let it out Harry," Molly said soothingly.
Draco started reading again.
Vision mentions he didn't like it crying, he had never been able to stomach the small ones whining in the orphanage:
"Then that might be the way to defeat Voldemort," Fred said, using the name for the first time, well at least not while reading. "Get hundreds of crying babies and drive him insane."
"He's already insane … I don't think that will work," George said and they both force themselves to laugh … a haunting sound right now, but they had to try.
Avada Kedavra!:
There were hiss of indignation, and Hermione shuddered thinking of the baby … of Harry being cursed like that. Ron wrapped his arms around her, but she could feel that he was trembling too … it was just as hard for him to hear this. She then looked at Ginny who was looking as pale as a ghost and extended a hand to her. As soon as she made contact with her friend, Ginny leaned into her, burying her tear-stained face into Hermione's open embrace.
Hermione says do you feel all right and Harry lied and says yes:
"I'll never b-believe that," Hermione said in a weak and shaky voice that was barely more than a whisper.
"I know," Harry answered in a watery and pained voice, and yet when he opened his eyes to look at her, seeing that she was holding Ginny and Ron was holding the both of them, he felt something. A wave of emotion that was akin to gratitude. He had just heard how he lost one family, but he was looking at another family … the one that he had found on his owned and he vowed never to lose any of them. He looked around the room and he knew the same could be said about them all, except for Draco and Severus … he wasn't really sure about them yet. Especially Severus … he had no idea what he was going to do with the information he had just learned.
Hermione says you've been shouting and moaning and things:
Ron squeezed Hermione tighter to him as she shuddered at that … he knew better than anyone what Harry looked like during one of his episodes … it was just a few days ago after all, that Harry had been trashing in his bed only to wake up to say Ron's dad was bitten by a snake … the very snake that Harry had just faced. Still, he knew Harry had to be worse after this … and how hard it would be on Hermione to watch that.
Harry says you were right, he knew I'd go back:
"Hermione is always right," Fred said, "maybe you should remember that next time Hermione and listen to yourself."
"I'll keep that in mind," Hermione said in a thick voice.
Harry says she didn't want to talk in front of you, because it was Parseltongue:
"Oh …." someone said, though no one could see who it was exactly, evidently whoever that was hadn't realized that point until this moment.
Mentions he remembered the snake coming out of Bathilda's neck, Hermione didn't need to know the details:
"No … I really don't," Hermione grimaces.
"I wish you could have spared us all the details too," Charlie muttered.
Harry says it wasn't supposed to kill me, just keep me their till You-Know-Who came:
"You know Potter, you would have been dead already if the Dark Lord didn't think he had to be the one to kill you," Draco observed. "That was rather foolish of him … to allow you to have so many opportunities to escape."
"Thanks Malfoy," Harry said rolling his eyes.
Mentions the holly and phoenix wand was nearly severed in two:
"No!" Harry groaned; he couldn't imagine his wand being damaged like that … he couldn't imagine losing his wand.
Harry says mend it, please:
"That's impossible, Harry," Hermione said softly.
"Not impossible, but improbable," Dumbledore corrected.
"I don't understand … a wand that badly damaged can't be repaired," Hermione said, looking confused.
Dumbledore didn't answer, but just smiled politely at her.
Hermione says I'm so sorry, I think it was me I cast a Blasting Curse and it rebounded and it must have hit:
"It's not your fault Hermione," Harry said looking at his friend in her eyes and she sighed, obviously blaming herself.
Hermione says I don't think we're going to be able to, remember Ron:
No one notice the smile on Dumbledore's face at this sentence.
Mentions how was he supposed to find himself a new wand:
"Oh crap …." Sirius realized much too late. "You've only got one wand between the two of you …."
"We'll survive somehow," Harry sighed, but things were starting to look really glum.
Mentions desiring nothing more than to get away from her:
"So, you do blame me," Hermione sighed.
"Of course not," Harry rolled his eyes, and got up from the spot he had been sitting in with Molly still holding him, and walked over to the couch with his friends, they moved to make room for him, and Harry wrapped an arm around Hermione. "I just need some time by myself."
"Okay," Hermione rested her head on his shoulder.
"That was the end of the chapter," Draco said. "So, who's going to read now?"
"Er … I think it might do some good if we all take a break for a little while," McGonagall said, looking at the trio and Ginny on the couch and then Sirius and Remus (and Tonks) in the corner of the room and Severus, who looked as miserable as he had just after the war had ended.
"That's a good idea," Molly said and that's what they did.