Butterfly Effect ; H. Potter

118. fawkes' lament.

"C'mere, Harry ..."

"No."

"You can' stay here, Harry ... come on, now ..."

"No."

He did not want to leave Dumbledore's side, he did not want to move anywhere. Hagrid's hand on his shoulder was trembling. Then another voice said, "Harry, come."

A much smaller and warmer hand had enclosed his and was pulling him upwards. He obeyed its pressure without really thinking about it. Only as he walked blindly back through the crowd did he realise, from a trace of flowery scent on the air, that it was Antheia who was leading him back into the castle. Incomprehensible voices battered him, sobs and shouts and wails stabbed the night, but Harry and Antheia walked on, back up the steps into the Entrance Hall: faces swam on the edges of Harry's vision, people were peering at him, whispering, wondering, and

Gryffindor rubies glistened on the floor like drops of blood as they made their way towards the marble staircase.

"Have you seen Remus?" Harry muttered slowly.

"I haven't actually," said Antheia anxiously. "McGonagall called me to the Hospital Wing for something 'important', though ..."

Fear stirred in Harry's chest again: he had forgotten the inert figures he had left behind.

"Antheia, who else is dead?"

"Don't worry, none of us."

"But the Dark Mark – Malfoy said he stepped over a body –"

"He stepped over Bill, but it's all right, he's alive."

There was something in her voice, however, that Harry knew boded ill.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure ... he's a bit of a mess, that's all. Greyback attacked him. Madam Pomfrey says he won't – won't look the same any more ..." Antheia's voice trembled a little. "We don't really know what the after-effects will be – I mean, Greyback being a werewolf, but not transformed at the time."

"But the others ... there were other bodies on the ground ..."

"Neville's in the hospital wing, but Madam Pomfrey thinks he'll make a full recovery, and Professor Flitwick was knocked out, but he's all right, just a bit shaky. He insisted on going off to look after the Ravenclaws. And a Death Eater's dead, he got hit by a Killing Curse the huge blond one was firing off everywhere – Harry, if we hadn't had your Felix Felicis, I think we'd all have been killed, but everything seemed to just miss us –"

They had reached the hospital wing: pushing open the doors, Harry saw Neville lying, apparently asleep, in a bed near the door. Ron, Hermione, Luna, Ginny, and Tonks were gathered around another bed near the far end of the ward. At the sound of the doors opening, they all looked up. Hermione ran to Harry and hugged him.

"Are you all right, Harry?"

"I'm fine ..."

"Did you ... I mean - does Antheia know?" asked Hermione, her voice merely a whisper. Antheia's eyes filled with fear.

"What d'you mean?" she demanded.

"Antheia, I'm sorry, I wish there was something we could do ..." said Hermione, starting to cry. "But we found him like this ..."

Hermione dragged Antheia along to a bed next to Tonks where Lupin lay silently.

"He's been petrified?" asked Antheia, taking out her wand.

"No, Antheia," said Tonks, looking up at Antheia with tears lining her eyes. "A Death Eater got to him and he's ..."

Tonks didn't have to finish for Antheia to understand what had happened. The room went silent, all awaiting Antheia's reaction. Hermione had already wrapped her arms around Antheia tightly.