The Family that Chooses You

Chapter 101: Empty

"He's not here," Katie said, looking up from beneath the bed.

"I found his cloak," Alicia said, clutching the shimmering fabric.  "He isn't hiding invisible somewhere."

They looked around the empty dormitory.  Everyone else was still at the Halloween Feast and still would be for hours yet.  The girls had felt something was off, however.  A hastily scrawled note from Harry told them that he had to be somewhere during the feast, that he was with a few professors and Sirius.  That should have reassured them.

It did not.

It was Halloween after all.  The one day that seemed to always be awful for Harry.  If it were any other day, they would not have bothered looking for him but because it was Halloween, because the way Harry had been since school started, the feeling from the note, they were concerned.  They were worried.

Katie and Alicia descended the stairs, finding Angelina and Hermione waiting in the common room.  "Any luck?" Angelina asked without hope.

"No, he wasn't there," Katie said.

The portrait door opened and they looked at it eagerly, but their faces fell when it was the twins and Ron.

"Normally I'd be offended if people looked disappointed to see me," Fred said, "but in this case I'm a bit disappointed to see you lot without him, so I guess it's mutual."

"We checked the Infirmary, the Library, and the owlery."  Ron counted off on his fingers.  "Nothing."

Hermione sighed.  "Look, this is your last Halloween Feast," she said to the four seventh years, "you guys should go back.  We can keep looking."

George snorted.  "Like we care about that.  We've had plenty.  This is more important."

"I just wish we had some idea," Angelina muttered.  "An idea of what he was doing or where he was."

Ron snapped his fingers and ran up the stairs, ignoring the questioning looks.  After a few moments he came running back down holding folded parchment.  He spread it open over the table.

"Hey, good idea Ron," the twins praised.

"What's this?"  Alicia's eyes opened as Ron spread the parchment out onto the table.  "Oh, is this the map thing?"

"Yeah, this should help us find him."  Ron held up his wand.  "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."  He tapped the center of the map.  Ink seemed to pour from his wand tip, drawing out the castle until the entire map was done.  The great hall was filled with names and dots.

"Right, let's find him," Fred said as he leaned over the map.

The seven of them pored over the map, eyes searching.

"Found him!" Hermione shouted, pointing at a tiny dot named Harry Potter.

"Good eye," Alicia said, patting her shoulder.  "Now let's go get our boy...wait.  That's right outside the common room."

The door swung open and they turned to stare.  Harry stumbled in, eyes open but not seeing.

"Oh thank good-" Katie said as she ran to him.  Her relief became fear as she saw his appearance, her voice became a shriek.  "Harry!  What happened!"  She saw the mess that was his right hand, long pieces of mirror sticking out.  Blood continued to run slowly down his fingertips, down the jagged edges of glass.

"Rabbit!"  Angelina did not like the look of emptiness in his face.  He saw them but it was not like he was registering anything.  "Are you okay?"

"Bloody hell," Alicia cursed as she looked at Harry's hand.  "Katie, can you heal this?"