Daisy Potter and You-Know-Poo's Return (Book 4, Harry Potter ff)

Chapter 24 - Dreamless

I came to as I was being carried up to Dumbledore's office, swaying in somebody's arms. My shoulder was throbbing in a kind of dull ache now, and my head was pounding. I blinked away the blurriness in my vision to see that it was Fred that was carrying me, white-faced, George and Terry beside him. Harry and Cedric were talking urgently to Dumbledore. Snape was dragging Floppy along by his arm, as he was loudly protesting. McGonagall was following behind.

"You can't prove I did this!" Floppy screeched. "It was a Portkey! I just happened to touch it at the same time those dweebs did -"

"Did you fuck." Fred snarled, but McGonagall shot him a look.

Dumbledore halted inside McGonagall's office and everyone else did the same. He stared down at Floppy for a moment with disgust in his face. Then he raised his wand and ropes flew out of it, ropes which twisted themselves around Floppy, binding him tightly as the prat protested.

Dumbledore turned to Professor McGonagall. "Minerva, could I ask you to stand guard here while I take Daisy upstairs?"

"Of course." McGonagall said. She looked slightly nauseous, as though she had just watched someone being sick. However, when she drew out her wand and pointed it at Floppy, her hand was quite steady.

"Severus, could you take the rest of the students to their families?"

Snape nodded silently.

"Daisy?" Dumbledore said gently.

I blinked up at him from Fred's arms. Dumbledore gripped my arm, helping me out of Fred's hold, and took me out into the dark corridor again.

"I want you to come up to my office first." He said quietly as we headed up the passageway. "Sirius is waiting for you there, Daisy. Your classmates' families are waiting for them elsewhere. They were contacted immediately once we found out that you were taken."

I nodded. A kind of numbness and a sense of complete unreality were upon me, but I didn't care; I was even glad of it. I didn't want to have to think about anything that had happened since I had first touched Amy's eagle only a few hours ago. I didn't want to have to examine the memories, fresh and sharp as photographs, which kept flashing across my mind. Floppy, with his evil little smirk. Riddle, twirling his wand in his fingers before he uttered the Cruciatus Curse. Amy... dead... Amy, asking to be returned to her parents...

"Professor," I mumbled, "where are Mr and Mrs Rolfing?"

"They are with Professor Flitwick." Dumbledore said. His voice, which had been so calm throughout, shook very slightly for the first time. "He was Head of Amy's house, and knew her best."

We had reached the stone gargoyle. Dumbledore gave the password, it sprang aside, and we went up the moving spiral staircase to the oak door. Dumbledore pushed it open.

Sirius was standing there. His face was white and gaunt as it had been when he had escaped Azkaban. In one swift movement, he had crossed the room. "Daisy, are you all right? I knew it - I knew something like this - what happened?"

His hands shook as he helped me into a chair in front of the desk.

"What happened?" He asked, more urgently.

Dumbledore began to tell Sirius about Floppy, but I was only half listening. I was so tired. Every bone in my body was aching, I wanted nothing more than to sit here, undisturbed, for hours and hours, until I fell asleep, and I didn't have to think or feel anymore.

There was a soft rush of wings. Fawkes the phoenix had left his perch, flown across the office, and landed on my knee.

"'Lo, Fawkes." I said quietly. I stroked the phoenix's beautiful scarlet and gold plumage. Fawkes blinked peacefully up at me. There was something comforting about his warm weight.