Disclaimer: All charcters and world concepts are property of J.K. Rowling

Disclaimer: This is not the work of CNG25 but that of Lilausty, originally published on harrypotterfanfiction-dot-com.

Chapter 30: Counting the Cost

By the time they reached the hospital wing, Harry's shakes had gotten worse. Ginny couldn't keep him on his feet alone, so Ron gave him a shoulder to lean on. Opening the door, they quickly realised that they were not the first to arrive.

Madam Pomfrey was literally running from bed to bed, yelling out orders to Professors Tonks and Slughorn who were rifling through the potion cabinets. All the beds were filled, and some of the less critically wounded had sat themselves down on the floor.

Moans of pain wafted through the air and Harry automatically winced. Sitting himself by the door, he looked at Ginny, "Go and get me the potion, then we can help Madam Pomfrey."

She nodded and moved quickly towards Tonks who was looking stressed. After a few heated words with the Professor, Ginny wrenched open the door of the cabinet and scanned the contents. Grabbing a small vial towards the bottom she hurried back to Harry. "I don't think this is as good a quality as the one old snakey could make, but it is the only one that she stocks."

He nodded and downed it quickly, not even grimacing at the unpleasant taste. Concentrating on quelling his heaving stomach, Harry was relieved to find the effects of the curse lessened. Breathing heavily, he clambered to his feet and turned to Ron and Hermione, "Can you two heal at all?"

Receiving shakes he frowned, "Alright then, can you go and talk to the wounded and sort them based upon their severity of injuries. Ginny and I can deal with those low and moderate, leaving Madam Pomfrey with the most severe."

Hermione and Ron nodded, quickly separating and moving through the wounded. Harry gave Ginny a quick hug before they too split up started to heal the wounded as best they could.

Seeing them healing the students, Madam Pomfrey came rushing over, "What do you think you are doing! You will cause more damage if you try and heal them inappropriately!"

Harry didn't respond, merely casting a sealing charm over Dean's chest which had a nasty gash across it. Seeing the perfect cast, the healer stumbled to a halt, "H-How did you…?"

Looking up wearily Harry responded, "Ginny and I have been taking healing training over the past few months. I especially seem to have a knack for it. Do not worry, we know what we are doing and we will only be healing those with non-life threatening injuries."

She stared at him for a moment before gratefulness flashed over her face and she nodded once. Turning on her heels abruptly she rushed back over to a thrashing student who was being held down by several of his peers.

For the next few hours Harry and Ginny worked tirelessly to heal the wounded from the battle. Many familiar faces flashed before his eyes, most with grateful expressions. The noise in the hospital wing had decreased and suddenly, Harry realised that the majority of people had left.

The door to the infirmary swung open once more and in staggered Remus, carrying a bleeding and unconscious Neville. Instantly, Harry and Ginny rushed over, Madam Pomfrey not far behind. She took Neville while the two teens tended to Remus.

Unfocussed eyes gazed at Harry and he quickly waved his wand to see what was wrong with his father's friend. Ginny whispered, "He has a broken rib that is putting pressure on his lung. I am not yet at the stage where I can heal such a delicate injury."

Harry nodded, "I can though, snakey showed me what to do about a month ago. You'll need to hold him though, this is going to really hurt." She grimaced in understanding and held the wounded man's shoulders tightly.

Harry pointed his wand at the offending rib and with a great deal of concentration whispered, "Ribbinfius!" there was a crack and Remus's body jerked of its own accord, his cry of pain renting the air.

After a few seconds of heavy breathing, the former DADA teacher refocussed his eyes upon Harry. He gave a relieved smile and whispered, "Harry! I am pleased to see you are ok."

Harry smiled back, "So am I, you on the other hand are still injured. We need to get you onto a bed if there is one free. I have put your rib back in place, but you have other wounds that need tending."

Grimacing, Remus replied, "The floor is good. I don't really want to move."

Ginny laughed "Tough, I think Madam Pomfrey would have our heads if we left you down here. Don't worry, we'll levitate you so there is minimal jarring."

Nodding in reluctant acceptance he lay his head back down. Together, Harry and Ginny gently levitated him to the nearest bed that was empty. Once they had him settled he turned startled eyes upon them, "Neville! I was carrying him, is he ok?"

Sharing a concerned look with Ginny, Harry shook his head, "I don't know, we haven't heard. But Madam Pomfrey was looking after him so I am sure he will be fine."

Remus relaxed back into the bed, but his face was still troubled, "He saved my life. Took a liquefying curse for me. I managed to halt its progress, but he was still unconscious by the time I got him to the school."

Harry sighed, "Neville is far braver and more selfless then most people give him credit for. What he did for you doesn't surprise me."

Remus nodded, closing his eyes briefly. After a moment he smiled, "I am impressed with you healing abilities. I never knew that you were so advanced in the arts of bone-readjustment."

Harry grinned back, "You'll find I am full of surprises nowadays." He looked at the tired face of his friend, "Sleep Remus, you really need it."

He nodded and within moments was unconscious. Hermione and Ron wandered over, the latter asking, "Has anyone else come in?"

Ginny shook her head, "No, I think we have seen all of the injured now. We had to send those with minor scrapes and cuts back to their dorms simply because we were too busy. And of course we haven't seen the dead yet, I guess McGonagall wanted to take them somewhere else."

The sombre though caused them all to lower their heads in sorrow. Harry was still feeling the slight effects of the cruciatus curse and he was completely drained from healing so many people. Hermione could see that he was exhausted and she gave him a concerned look, "Harry, you and Ginny go and see the others, we'll cover for you. You have done enough, and I think you have pushed yourself beyond even what you can handle."

He didn't bother arguing, merely nodding his head in acceptance. Saying a quiet farewell, Ginny wrapped her arm around him and led him out of the hospital wing. They walked as quickly as they were able to Phoenix's Nest, remembering that three of the founders were also injured.

The first thing Harry saw was Fawkes in a deep sleep, obviously recuperating from expending so much energy flashing multiple times and producing healing tears. The sound of footsteps made them raise their heads; Helga entered the lounge and nearly jumped back a pace at seeing the two teens.

Rushing forward to embrace them gently she whispered, "Thank goodness you are ok! I didn't expect to see you for quite some time."

Harry gave her a wan smile, "We're fine, we actually came to see if you needed any help. Salazar was wounded pretty badly so I wasn't sure if he was able to heal the others."

She nodded, "He managed to set Rowena's shoulder and heal several burns on her leg, but he promptly passed out. I have done what I could for them, but I am not a healer. Godric particularly worries me, he hasn't regained consciousness yet."

Harry found himself moving forward, and into the adjacent room where Rowena was watching over the male founders. She looked up and gave a pained smile, "Hey you two, you took your time."

Ginny snorted, moving over to her, "Have all of your injuries been healed?"

The female founder shrugged, "Well enough, my shoulder is still sore so I think the bones haven't been fully re-joined."

Ginny nodded and proceeded to finish the healing. Harry moved straight away to Godric and waved his wand over him to find out what was wrong. Wincing he informed them, "He has a nasty concussion, three broken ribs and a broken ankle. I can fix the ribs and ankle, but the concussion worries me. There is a fairly good chance that he has swelling in the brain and I don't trust myself to try and fix that."

Sighing he moved over to Salazar and repeated the same procedure, "His arm has been completely shattered but I think I can heal it. His magical reserves are also very low." Harry was unsure if he could heal such a badly damaged arm, but knowing that time was of the essence he concentrated hard and started to realign the pieces.

Once he was satisfied that they were in the correct position, he cast a bone joining spell causing them to stick together to form a single bone again. He looked at Helga, "Can you please get me a pepper up potion? Something tells me he is going to need it." She nodded and disappeared through the door, reappearing moments later with the potion.

Ginny, who had finished healing Rowena moved to Godric, "Did you want me to heal his broken ankle? It is just one more thing that you don't have to worry about."

Harry nodded gratefully, before enevervating Salazar. The snake founder's eyes shot open and he tried to sit up. Harry placed a calming hand on his shoulder, "Easy there, take it slow. You are healed, but you shouldn't push it."

He nodded and slowly sat up, his back slumped with exhaustion. Harry smiled and passed him the vial, "Drink that. I need your help with Godric, and I don't want you falling asleep part way through."

Salazar shot a worried look at the other male founder before snatching the drink and swallowing it in a single gulp. Steam burst out of his ears and his entire body seemed to visibly brighten. Forcing his body to stand up he made his way over to Godric.

Ginny looked up and smiled, "I have done what I can, but I wasn't game enough to try and heal the ribs."

Harry nodded and turned to Salazar, "He has three broken ribs which shouldn't be too hard to heal. But I am much more concerned about the concussion."

The snake founder frowned, "I'll take care of it, you fix his ribs." He pulled out his wand and pointed it at Godric's head, muttering softly under his breath.

Harry tore his gaze away and focussed his attention on Gryffindor's chest. What would normally have been quite a simple spell he found to be quite difficult simply because he was so exhausted. Re-setting Salazar's shattered arm had taken more out of him then he had expected and he was already worn out from the battle.

However, after a few minutes, he stepped back, pleased with his healing. Salazar likewise nodded in satisfaction before waking Godric up.

With a groan, Godric opened his eyes, squinting up at the concerned faces peering down at him. Helga had gone and retrieved another pepper up potion which she passed to him. After drinking it muttered, "Why does my head feel like it got trodden on by a horse?"

Helping him sit up Harry grinned, "You don't remember?"

Frowning he replied, "I remember Fawkes flashing in, Rowena shouting about an attack. We got disguised so that no one would know our faces and then Fawkes flashed all four of us to you."

Salazar nodded, "Good, don't try to hard though, your head is still recovering. I was shocked to learn that you actually have a brain in there!"

The lion founder gave a sarcastic 'ha ha'

Rowena looked at Harry, "Since we came in partly through the battle, can you please explain what happened?"

Sitting down heavily he nodded, proceeding to tell them what had happened up until the point where they appeared. He sighed, "I can't believe that I was defeated so quickly and easily. I didn't have a chance, he was just too fast. Even trying to slow down time wasn't enough to even the odds up."

Salazar snorted, "Don't feel disappointed Harry. After all, we too were unprepared. Even with Godric and Rowena attacking Voldemort, he still managed to defeat one of them."

Rowena nodded, "Yes, I do not think that we will be underestimating the enemy from now on. He was every bit as powerful as you had told us. I guess that we just didn't understand because we had never seen him before.

Ginny grinned, "At least his chief lieutenant is dead." She inclined her head to Helga who smirked.

Harry nodded solemnly, "Yes, my godfather as well as countless other people are now avenged. She can never again wreck terror upon the land. You have my gratitude for ridding us of her Helga."

The founder smiled, "Oh trust me, I did it for purely selfish reasons. I don't take kindly to anyone calling me chubby! The last person who did ended up a eunuch!"

All the males winced and Ginny giggled, "Did he end up singing soprano?"

She shook her head, "No, unfortunately he was a man of importance so I was forced to pay substantial recompense. Still, I got great satisfaction out of it, he was a womanizer and a bastard. I lost track of the number of grateful looks that the women around him gave me."

Harry frowned, "You didn't get into too much trouble did you?"

Salazar snorted, "Anyone that wanted to take revenge on her had to go through us three to even get to her. Apparently we can be quite intimidating because after the first assassin got routed, no one was game enough tot take up the contract."

Ginny's eyes went wide, "Assassins? As in he was going to have you killed?"

Helga shrugged, "It is a common occurrence during our times. Life and Death go hand in hand, and murder is a form of entertainment. And let's face it; I did deprive him of his alibility to produce an heir."

Godric sighed, "You two better return to the common room. There are going to be a lot of scared children that need reassuring that you are ok. After all, they did see you fighting with Voldemort. The younger ones especially are going to be pretty shaken up."

Harry nodded in agreement and tugged on Ginny's hand, he looked at the Founders, "We may not come tonight, we may stay with the Gryffindors. I don't think many people are going to be sleeping tonight."

Helga gave a sad smile, "That's fine, we aren't in any shape to teach tonight anyway."

Giving a wave goodbye, they left the Nest and made their way back to the common room. The Fat Lady was sobbing softly and didn't even wait to for them to give the password, merely swinging forward and admitting them. It was a sombre mood inside, with many students holding each other, crying.

Spotting Hermione and Ron, they made their way over and softly sat down. Hermione's eyes were red, the day's events obviously catching up with her. She gave a weak smile, "hey, we didn't expect to see you tonight."

Harry nodded, "The others thought it best if we stay here, if only to reassure the others students."

Ron looked concerned, "Are they alright? I mean they were injured as well."

Ginny shrugged, "We patched them up though Snakey will probably force feed Roarer some more potions before the night is out. He had a nasty concussion and swelling in the brain."

"What about Flighty?" Hermione asked.

Harry shook his head, "She wasn't too badly hurt, just some burns and a wounded shoulder that was fixed pretty quickly. She'll be fine by tomorrow."

Colin entered the common room over looking quite forlorn. Taking pity on him, Harry called him over and sat him down with them. It was obvious that he was still in shock, but Harry did not think that it was enough to send him back to the hospital wing.

"Colin? How is Dennis?" Ginny asked gently.

He turned stunned eyes to her, "He'll live, but Madam Pomfrey doesn't know if they will be able to save his arm. It got pretty smashed up. It may be easier to amputate and replace it with a magical one."

Harry immediately thought of Wormtail's silver hand and winced, "Oh I am so sorry to hear that. I was so proud of you today, both of you. You fought so well, with great courage in the face of so many enemies." Seeing that many of the DA had turned to listen to him he raised his voice, "You all did. I am so sorry that battle had to come upon us so quickly. I had hoped that the war could be postponed for as long as possible, but apparently Voldemort is lacking in the patience department."

Seamus gave a wan smile, "Harry, we all knew what we were getting into when we signed up with you. I just think that most of us weren't prepared for the violence of battle. I can see now why you chose to fight though, I saw a Death Eater cut down one of the women of Hogsmede as she ran to find her child. Such evil has no place in this world, so I sent him straight to hell!"

Mutters of agreement and similar stories ran around the room and Ginny gave a sad smile, "While it doesn't please me to hear that you are willing to kill, simply because I know how hard it is, I am encouraged to know that there are people who are going to fight for what they believe in, and that our chances of winning this war just went through the roof!"

The portrait opened again and to the shock of many of the Gryffindors, Luna stumbled in. Her face was downcast and her eyes were red. Ginny immediately got up and swept her into an embrace, before leading her to a sofa and sitting her down.

Hermione gasped, "Neville! Luna please don't tell us…?"

The pale haired girl shook her head, "N-No he is still alive. But barely…Madam Pomfrey sent me away, she said I needed to rest. I didn't want to leave him there, but she gave me no choice."

Harry felt the blood drain from his face, "What are his chances?"

Luna shook her head again, "Fifty-fifty at this stage. She reckons that if he makes it through the night then there is a much higher chance of him surviving. Remus managed to stop the curse before it reached his heart, but it did touch his lungs so he is having trouble breathing on his own."

She looked up and stared straight into Harry's eyes, "Could Snakey do anything? After all, he said that his strength was in healing not war."

Harry sighed, "I do not think so Luna. Madam Pomfrey is extremely proficient at her job. If she cannot help him, I doubt very much that he could. Besides, he isn't in great shape himself, he over exerted himself today, his magical reserves are very low."

She nodded and lowered her head again in acceptance. Ginny stroked her head, "Stay here with us tonight, don't go back to Ravenclaw tower. No one here will tell the teachers, you should be among your friends."

Luna sighed and shook her head, her face already composing itself, "No, I should go, if only to reassure the Ravenclaws. I have no doubt that Terry is trying to soothe some of the terrified individuals, but he will need help."

She stood up to leave, several people giving her hugs which she responded hesitantly. She almost made it to the portrait before turning back, "Oh, Professor McGonagall has called a full school meeting tomorrow at breakfast. She wants everyone that can attend to make it. She told me as she was leaving the infirmary."

They others gave nods of understanding and she left. Harry sighed, "What is the bet that the meeting is to go through the lists of the dead?"

Ginny nodded, "No bet taken, that is exactly what it will be about." She looked around, "Does anyone know of someone missing? Who hasn't been accounted for?"

Hermione shook her head, "We already took a census. Unfortunately, because so many people were in the hospital wing in separate rooms and we weren't allowed in to see them, we do not know who is there and who is not."

Ron spoke up, "However, at this stage, the people that are not here are, Neville, Dean, Euan, Dennis, Richard Parvati and Orla."

Harry nodded, "Ok, well we know that Neville and Dennis are alive. I treated Dean and Ginny treated Orla. The others I don't know about."

Lavender whispered her eyes swelling with tears, "I saw Parvati, but I couldn't tell if she was alive or not." Seamus wrapped his arm around her, his own face downcast. The mood in the common room was extremely sombre, and as the hours past, many tears were shed.

No one felt like going to bed, knowing that the horrors of the day would plague them in their subconscious. Harry and Ginny did their best to keep spirits up, but they found it hard when their own were floundering.

After a while, some of the younger students dropped off to sleep, either in chairs or on the floor. However, many woke up sweating and crying out in fear. Instantly, the older students pounced on them, awakening them and holding them as tears flowed freely once again.

As the sky started to lighten, signifying dawn's approach, the common room stirred, some students staggering off towards the showers, others talking quietly amongst themselves. Harry and Ginny looked blearily at each other, their bodies' berating them for not taking better care of them.

The sixth and seventh years as well as the prefects managed to round up the younger grades and got them into some semblance of order before walking them to the great hall. Harry was not surprised to see most of the teachers already there. Slytherin had yet to arrive, but most of the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were seated at their tables, conversing quietly to each other.

Silently sliding into their seats Harry and Ginny took comfort in each other's presence as they waited for the rest of the school to arrive.

They were not waiting long, and once silence had fallen over the hall, McGonagall wearily got to her feet, sorrow etched into every line upon her face. She looked over the students before starting, her voice hoarse and tired. "Thank you all for coming this morning. It grieves me that I must hold this assembly." She broke off, glancing down the table at the teachers.

Obviously bracing herself she continued, "I am not going to explain what happened yesterday, for you all know what occurred. What I will speak of is the incredible courage that many of you showed, in facing the enemy and defending the weak, the helpless and the innocent. Rarely have I been as honoured as I was yesterday, to fight next to you."

Tears started to appear in her eyes, but she forced herself to continue, "I am horrified and grief-stricken that children fight in battles that are not meant for them. Fellow students lost their lives yesterday, as well as many other people, and countless more suffered grievous injuries."

Struggling to continue she locked gazes with Tonks, who had slammed a mask of emotionless control over her face. She gave a nearly imperceptible nod and stood up, replacing the Headmistress at the front of the dais. In a clear but sorrowful voice she started to proclaim those that lost their lives, starting with the people of Hogsmede and running through the list.

Harry was saddened to hear several names that were familiar to him including Mundungus Fletcher, Rosmerta the owner of the Three Broomsticks, Dawlish the Auror and Professor Sinstra, teacher of Astronomy.

Moving on to the lists of students, Tonks struggled to maintain her composure as the listening students started to break down, hearing the names of friends they would never again laugh with. In total 14 students lost their lives, including three of the DA. Hufflepuff was the worst off, losing 8 of the students including Sally Anne Perkes a seventh year and Rose Zeller and fourth year, both in the DA.

Dennis, who had insisted on being present at the assembly, broke down completely when he heard Euan Abercrombi's name. He had taken the third year under his wing after seeing him so terrified during his first year and they had formed a great friendship.

Harry felt tears rolling down his own cheeks as he stared straight ahead, not seeing anything. He refused to feel guilty, refused to feel any semblance of responsibility. Their deaths restored purely upon the Death Eaters that killed them and their master, Tom bloody Riddle.

He felt Ginny's trembling body next to him, and he hugged her harder, looking deep into her brown eyes. Instead of grief, he saw great anger and determination and knew that she at least, had not given up on the fight. Looking around, he wondered how many of the students would be willing to fight, now that they knew the cost.

The Gryffindors had already reaffirmed their vow, but the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were not known for their bravery. He honestly didn't know if they would be willing to fight anymore.

Tonks finished speaking and sat down quickly, obviously unable to keep her mask up any longer. McGonagall nodded her thanks and looked at the student assembly once more. Her voice steadied slightly she began again, "Classes of course will be cancelled for the rest of the week. Please inform your parents that you are ok. If any of you wish, or your parents wish, to pull you out of school, the train will leave on Saturday morning guarded by as many of the ministry aurors as is feasibly possible."

She locked on eyes with Harry momentarily before breaking contact and concluding, "Thank you all for coming, and please, mourn your friends, do not forget them, but do not allow their passing to break your spirits! It is not what they would want."

With that she dismissed the assembly. Sobbing students broke for the doors, many heading straight for the owlry. Others wandered the corridors, as if lost, or perhaps looking for someone.

Harry and Ginny took Ron and Hermione to Phoenix's Nest for the first time, and showed them how to access the room. As they entered, they saw the founder sitting in their usual spots, engaging in an extremely serious conversation. Helga gave a sad smile and immediately hugged each of them, whispering comforting words in their ears.

Ron was a little surprised by this, but returned the hug none-the-less, Hermione just looked grateful. Godric spoke up, "How bad were the results?"

Ginny shook her head, "Bad, fourteen students, twenty townsfolk, A professor, three Order members and an Auror. That doesn't include those that are still in a serious condition in hospital."

Rowena sighed, "Anyone in the DA?"

Harry nodded, "Three, two from Hufflepuff and one from Gryffindor."

Helga hiccupped slightly when she heard that two were from her own house, but didn't say anything. Godric put a comforting hand on her shoulder before turning back to the teens, "I must say how proud I was of you yesterday. All of you, you fought so well."

Harry shook his head, "It came upon us so quickly, we weren't prepared. I didn't even have my spare wand! I was so blind, I didn't think that Voldemort would attack Hogsmede twice, that he would leave it alone since he had already tried to attack us earlier in the year."

Feeling a fire ignite in his chest at the thought off all the people that had died, he banged his fist on the table and snarled, "Enough is enough! I am sick and tired of playing to his timetable. From now on, we make the rules! I don't care if we haven't destroyed his horcruxes yet. We can still take out his support base. His followers are what makes him strong, we take those away, we take away his ability to instil fear in the population."

Rowena spoke up, "Well said Harry, and I think everyone here agrees with you. Although speaking of the horcruxes…." She gave a rather satisfied smirk at the other three founders, "I do believe we will be able to track one of them down now."

Hermione looked shocked, "What? How?"

Ginny gasped, "Of course! You cut him, you got his blood!"

Rowena nodded and produced a little vial containing the red substance, "I am afraid there is only enough in here to be able to track down a single horcrux, but it is a place to start."

Harry gave a feral grin, "So how long do you think it will be before you can track it then?"

She shrugged, "Depends on how difficult it is to manipulate the potion so that it picks up a piece of a soul. It will be especially difficult since I will then have to transfer the tracker to my wand."

Hermione gasped, "Is that even possible? I mean, tracking spells are notoriously unreliable, and to manipulate such a complex potion is considered foolhardy. The slightest mistake and you could cause a catastrophe!"

Giving the younger woman a grin Rowena replied, "Ah Hermione, it warms my heart to hear such intelligent words coming from one so young."

Blushing with pleasure, she grinned back. Harry snorted, "And as far as the problems Herm, if they can't do it, no one can!"

Salazar rolled his eyes, "I'm not sure your confidence is well placed, but thank you none-the-less." He stood up, wincing slightly as he did so.

Harry looked worried, "What is wrong? Did I not set your arm right? It was very badly shattered, I wasn't sure if I could do it."

The snake founder waved away his concern, "No, you did a fine job, I couldn't have done it better in fact. But any injury as severe as that takes time to fully heal." He gave Rowena a mock bow, "Come my lady, if we are to track a madman, I would prefer to do it sooner rather then later."

She rolled her eyes at him, but obediently got to her feet and followed him out of the lounge.

Harry stared into the fire, "Right Tom, prepare to meet your doom."