What If? Year 2

Chapter 38

"Dad!" I cry, sitting up and throwing my arms open for him. I am in his arms within moments. My head is up by his and leaning on his shoulder. My legs wrap around his waist as tears leak into his shirt. 
"It's alright, Golds. I'm here, love. You're safe, flower." He kisses my head and bounces me softly. 
"Hey, James!" Sirius shouts from outside the door, "We should probably... oh." He stands outside the door and stares at us. 
"Sirius, please go check on Harry and then get some staff to help you with a search. I'm... I've gotta stay here." 
"Obviously, James. I'll get it done." Dad continues to rub my back and mumble soft comforts to me. 
"I'll come with you, Black," Snape says, "I found Marigold and know where he was last seen." 
"And I'm not leaving the two of you without supervision," McGonagall cuts in before Sirius has time to make a comment. She walks with the two scowling men. 
"I'll leave you two alone. Goldie, you're okay to leave whenever, but you don't have to." 
"T-thank you." Dad combs my hair with his fingers and sits down on a bed. I press my ear into his chest and listen to his heartbeat. I feel my heart start to match his, and the shaking starts to decrease. 
"There we go, flower," he whispers, calmly, "it's all okay. You're safe. I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you." I just lay on him and he mumbles comfort to me. 
"It was my f-fault," I whisper, "I d-deserved this." Dad lifts my chin softly and makes me look up at him. 
"No, you didn't deserve this. Why would you say that?" 
"I left D-Dumbledore's office," I tell him, "Professor McGonagall told Harry and I n-not to l-leave and I l-left." 
"Why did you, leave? You're not one to ignore what you're told." 
"H-harry...Harry and I got into a bit of a spat, so I l-left." 
"What were you arguing about?" My face gets hot and I look away from him. 
"It was stupid. It doesn't matter." 
"Are you two alright now?" 
"N-no, we were j-just gonna keep arguing if I stayed and I c-couldn't stay to just stay and bicker with him all night." Dad moves my hair out of my face and makes me look up at him again. 
"I'll go talk with him later." 
"N-no, it's okay. We need to work through this without parental intervention. It was a st-tupid argument anyways. Not worth your time." 
"Alright," he says, "you should try to get come sleep. I won't leave until you wake up." 
"O-okay." I shift a little and Dad grabs a blanket and covers me in that and his arms. 

I open my eyes into the spirit realm. Mari and Regulus are both sitting in the bed beside mine. 
"You were right, Mari... James Potter's turned into a softy." Mari laughs.
"You were like that with every child you came across," she tells him, "maybe without the cuddling." I giggle and Regulus's face turns pink. 
"Have they found him?" I ask, quietly, "Pettigrew... have they found him?" 
"No one's seen him since he attacked you," Regulus says, sadly, "I tried to follow him, but he disappeared in the darkness." 
"Are you alright, Golds?" Mari asks, as I get up from the bed. 
"A little shaken, but overall alright, I think." Regulus and Mari nod. 
"Harry's really upset. He thinks that he sent you to your death." I sigh. 
"Well, I'm not dead... so he's technically wrong." 
"What he said to you was horrible, but you aren't gonna just let him suffer." 
"No... but Dad said I should get some sleep, so that's what I'm doing." Mari gives me a look and I smirk. 
"Just don't be a prick when you get up, alright?" 
"Alright... Can we go do something?" 
"We can go check on your brother." I groan.
"Or you could sleep like a normal person." 
"Fine, but Harry better actually be upset. If he's all giggles with his friends I'm going to wander without you." We walk to the Great Hall. Hagrid and Flitwick are standing guard at the doors. 
"Poor Marigold," Hagrid sighs, "it seems like the poor girl is followed by tragedy." 
"Such a bright girl too," Flitwick adds, "I'm sure she'll come around." We walk in and immediately spot Harry and Sirius. Harry is pacing and Sirius is sitting down on the floor with his head in his hands. 
"Please sit down," Sirius sighs, "I promise you that Goldie is just fine. She's not upset with you. She's your sister, she loves you. Please just sit down, Harry." 
"But, Uncle Sirius... You don't understand. I'm her brother. Her big brother... and I've gotten her hurt. She could have died and it's my fault. And I said some absolutely horrible things to her. She must hate me. I feel horrible, Uncle Sirius." 
"Well, you obviously didn't mean the things you said, or else you wouldn't be this upset." 
"Then why did I say them?" 
"It was in a moment of anger, Harry. Everybody had those moments." Harry sits down on his mat with a thud. 
"She just let me say them too. I screamed at her and she just sat there and took it... like she deserved it." 
"Why don't you just try to get some sleep?" Sirius asks, calmly, "you'll see her in the morning." 
"I don't think I can sleep." 
"Just try... you're more tired than you think." Harry lays down and I turn away from him. 
"I'm gonna actually sleep some. I'll see you both later." 
"Sleep well, Golds." 

My collar bone and nose are back to bleeding. Tears collect in my eyes as someone presses on my collar bone. 
"This is what you get from not dying the first time." I get presses up against a wall and more blood spills from my chest. My wrists fly to the wall and get held there by invisible ties. 
"Goldie!" Dad shouts, running out from the shadows. He gets stopped by an invisible force, just in front of me. 
"Dad?" I scream, "No! GO!" A green light flashes before he even has time to heed my screams. New screams mix with mine as Evie runs to Dad's side. 
"Dad!" 
"NO!" Another light, this one brighter than the first, knocks Evie straight down besides Dad. My screams only amplify as Ara and Mum run in with their wands raised. 
"Tricky, tricky, tricky," Pettigrew sneers, "but not tricky enough." One flash of green is soon paired with a red one. The lights are gone and in place of it is Ara forces up against the wall and screaming. 
"Help me, Goldie!" 
"I can't... Ara, NO!" Her screams multiply in my ears as she disappears and Harry appears. 
"This is all your fault," he says, pushing Dad's body with his foot, "if you had just stayed where you belonged." One last scream echoes as Harry stares at me with Ara's body in his arms. 
"All yours..." A single flash of green before he's limp too. 
"NO!"
"Goldie?"
"NO, No, no, no... no...no...no...no......." 
"Goldie!"