Harry Potter: 19 Years Later

Chapter 36: The Cause Of The Fire

Albus didn't know what came over him exactly. He just knew that he needed to find Holly. Was she alright? Was she ill again? He needed to know.

He sprinted faster than he ever could away from the Quidditch field and through the grassy trail that led back to the school grounds. Albus remembered Rose saying that the nurse and Neville had carried Holly off to safety away from the school. Where could they be? Albus kept running, trying to ignore how badly he was wheezing because of his congested chest and stuffy nose. Running around outside in the chilly air wasn't great for a chest cold. 

When Albus neared Hagrid's hut, he spotted Hagrid and Fang, his old Boarhound companion, standing outside. Maybe Hagrid knew something about where Holly was.

"Albus!" Hagrid greeted as Albus ran over to him. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be over at the Quidditch field with the other students?"

Albus took a minute to catch his breath. "Hagrid, do you know what happened to Holly?"

Fang padded over to Albus and began sniffing his leg, then let out a deep growl. It was like the canine didn't know him.

"Fang, quit yer growlin'! You've known Albus here since he was a first year!" Hagrid scolded, making Fang grunt and walk back over to Hagrid's side. Then he replied to Albus's question, "Er, the nurse, Professor Slughorn, and Holly's father are inside tending to her." He gestured behind him at his home. Albus could hear faint voices through the open window.

"Can I go inside and see her?" Albus asked, his heart thumping in his chest.

Hagrid sighed. "I suppose I can let you inside for a few minutes." Then he went over to his door and knocked twice, waiting for a reply. "Now, Holly is unconscious at the moment so don't be alarmed at her condition."

Albus nodded and let Hagrid lead him inside his small home. The single room was cluttered with various items, but it was still cozy and homey. Then Albus's eyes landed on the people situated at the far side of the room. Professor Longbottom, Professor Slughorn, and the nurse, named Madame Carmine, were huddled around a cot, which Albus knew contained Holly, speaking in hushed voices. When they noticed that Hagrid and Albus had entered the room, they stopped speaking. 

They each wore worried expressions on their faces.

"Um hello, Albus," Professor Longbottom said, nodding his head. He looked really distressed. "I take it that you're here to see Holly?"

Albus gulped and nodded. Then Professor Longbottom gestured for him to come over to the cot, where Holly laid there peacefully, her long brown hair sprawled over the pillow in waves. She was unnaturally pale, but at least she didn't look dead. Madame Carmine had placed a cold cloth on her forehead, and still continued to dab the cloth on her face. Holly simply looked like she was sleeping.

"Do you know exactly what happened to her?" Albus asked, staring at Holly like he was in a trance.

"Well, according to Rose Weasley," said Professor Longbottom. "She wasn't feeling well, then suddenly she collapsed and that's when the fire started. I don't know how that's possible, though."

"I was the first adult to arrive to tend to her," added Professor Slughorn. "And when I arrived, her eyes were a strange shade of green and her face was white. I checked to see if she was either poisoned or cursed, but it didn't appear."

"She doesn't have any illness of any kind either," said Madame Carmine. "She's perfectly healthy. I'm afraid that I can't tell you what exactly happened to her."

Albus stared at the three adults before him, clearly confused. None of them knew what was wrong with Holly. If she was okay, then why did she collapse earlier and was unconscious now? This didn't make any sense. None of it did.

I knew my girlfriend was complicated, but not this complicated, Albus thought.

"Well, don't know think it's kind of strange that right as Holly fainted, the fire in the kitchens and Hufflepuff common room started?" Albus questioned.

Everyone stared at him curiously. Then Professor Longbottom replied, "What are you saying, Albus?"

"I'm saying, what if Holly caused the fire?" Albus knew this sounded crazy, but deep down he had a feeling it was true.

"You mean she caused it magically?" Professor Slughorn asked. 

"Possibly," Albus replied. "Magic messes up sometimes, right?"

"Yes, but Holly is fifteen years old," Madame Carmine said. "She should have control over her magic."

She had a point there.

Suddenly, Holly whimpered in her sleep. Everyone's eyes landed on her, and they watched intently to see if she'd wake up. Holly mumbled various inaudible phrases before her body twitched slightly and her eyes popped open. Albus froze, and so did everyone else. Holly's eyes darted around, and she was clearly confused.

"A-Albus?" Holly mumbled, her eyes squinting in confusion as she looked at Albus. "Where am I?"

"We're in Hagrid's hut, darling," Professor Longbottom replied to his daughter, clearly relieved she was awake.

Holly tried sitting up, but Madame Carmine stopped her and made her lay back down. Albus smiled a bit when Holly's bottom lip stuck out in protest.

"How are you feeling, Holly?" Madame Carmine asked, putting her hand to Holly's forehead.

"My head's a little woozy and my hands feel all tingly, but I'm okay," Holly replied. 

"Do you remember at all what happened before you collapsed?" Albus couldn't help but ask her.

"Albus, Holly needs rest. We can ask her questions when she feels a bit better," suggested Professor Longbottom.

"Daddy, I'm fine," Holly protested. Then she turned to Albus and said, "The details are a bit fuzzy but I do remember not feeling well as me and Rose were about to leave the Great Hall. Then I fell to my knees and was about to black out when I took notice of the torches hanging on the ceiling. For some curious reason, I was really interested in the fire. That's all I remember. Strange, isn't it?"

"Very," Albus said, suddenly feeling his throat tightening. 

The last thing Holly saw before she fainted was the fire in the torches. The fire. Albus's guess was that seconds later, the kitchens and the Hufflepuff common room burst into flames. Why those particular areas, he didn't know. But Albus didn't want to believe any of what he was thinking.

Holly really did accidentally start the fire.

~ ~ ~

Well, this is getting interesting, isn't it? ;)

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for reading! Don't forget to vote and comment please!