What If? Year 2

Chapter 39

"Goldie! Flower, it's me!" I fall out of the bed, kicking and screaming. 
"No!" I shout, my entire body shaking. 
"Goldie," Dad says, calmly shaking my arms, "Goldie, you're okay. Goldie, it's me, I'm right here." I stop screaming and try to take a couple deep breaths. 
"Dad..." I whisper, "you... you aren't dead are you?" 
"What? No, flower... what are you talking about?" I open my eyes and Dad is leaning over me, his hair a complete mess like it always is in the morning. I look around the room, praying that Regulus and Mari weren't hiding in the corner. I grab him and he picks me up. 
"You're alive," I whispers, "oh, Dad... thank Merlin!" He tightens his grip on me and kisses my forehead. 
"Yep, I'm alive. You're alive... No one's dead." He rubs my back and moves around the room. McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey run into the hospital wing. 
"We heard screaming," Madam Pomfrey says, "Are you two alright?" 
"We're alright," Dad answers, "I think Golds had a nightmare, but I'm not sure exactly what it was about... I have a guess." 
"Well, when you're ready, breakfast is ready in the Great Hall," Madam Pomfrey says, "but you can stay in here as long as you'd like, Goldie." I nod to her and tighten my grip around my dad. 
"I'll pop in, in a minute," he tells them, "with or without Goldie here." They both nod and go back to the Great Hall. He tries to set me down, but I tighten around him.
"Don't... please." 
"Wanna talk about it?" 
"Everybody d-died," I whimper, "you, Evie... Mum... Ara... Harry. And it was all my fault." 
"How so?" 
"You were trying to save me," I continue, "but it was impossible and I was useless. You couldn't get to me and I couldn't warn you fast enough. Evie found you and then, well..." Dad cuts me off with a finger on my mouth. 
"I get it," he says, "why don't you stay in here and I'll bring you some breakfast." 
"D-don't leave me alone, please," I cry, "I... I can't be alone, please." Dad sits down on the bed with me on top of him. 
"You've gotta eat, flower," he says, "why don't I go get someone to come in here and sit with you? I'm sure Ara or Hermione would come sit with you." I nod, sadly, letting him go and getting up out of bed. 
"I'll come with," I tell him, "I'll come eat, but then... I don't know what after that. I've got homework." 
"I think you might be able to get an extension on those assignments." 
"Some of it is still make up work," I add, sadness dripping from my lips, "I've got to get it done or else I'll be backed up for the rest of the semester." 
"Well, the semester is almost over. I'm sure you'll be okay. I believe in you." 
"Thanks Dad." 

I walk behind Dad, with my hand tightly gripped in his. Students gawk at him, and he smiles to some, but keeps the small talk to a minimum from my sake. Harry sees him and he runs up to us. 
"Is she alright?" he asks, "Is Goldie alright? Dad, it was all my fault... we got into a spat and I said some horrible things to her and then she left and..." 
"Harry."
"I should have gone after her, but I was so angry with her that for a moment, I didn't care if..." 
"Harry."
"But then I came to my senses and started to go after her. Then I realize that there was no where I was gonna be able to find her before Pettigrew or one of the teachers. I was just so.." 
"Harry!" This time it was me, stepping out from behind Dad.
"Goldie!" he shouts, snapping out of his thoughts, "you're okay! Or at least, I think you are. Are you alright? I'm so sorry, Goldie. I shouldn't have said any of those things. They weren't true, I don't know where they even came from." 
"Harry, it's fine," I say, "I forgive you, Harry." He scoops me up and squeezes me tightly. 
"Thank you, thank you, thank you." I giggle and ruffle his hair. He spins me around before setting me down. 
"You're an idiot, you know," Ara says, literally appearing behind me, "you can't let me have one week of peace, can you." 
"Sorry, Ara," I tell her, "I wasn't thinking straight." 
"Obviously," she scolds, "That seems to be a common thread when you are faced with a safe option and a stupid dangerous options." 
"Don't be to hard, Ara," Harry says, coming to my aid, "I deserve part of the blame, if not all of it." She turns to him and glares. 
"You need to learn to watch you mouth. I would not have forgiven so easily. I'm not going to put all the blame on you because someone still made a stupid decision. But I guess it's good to know that the two of you cannot make life threatening decisions together, because you'll stress each other into making the wrong one!" She stares at the both of us for a while and then pulls me into a hug. 
"There it is," Harry mumbles, leaving the two of us for his friends. 
"Are you alright?" she asks, holding me at an arms length and looking my up and down. 
"Yeah... I'm all good." She grabs my face and looks at it. 
"Did he do something to you nose?" she asks, her eyes turning red. 
"Um... yeah, but Madam Pomfrey fixed it." 
"And your collar bone?" 
"I'm fine, Ara..." She looks me in the eyes, and I barely keep her eyes in mine. Her eyes turn back to a bluish silver before breaking the eye contact for me. 
"Come eat with us," she says, "Cedric was up all night, worrying of course, so we sent him off to bed with the help of Micah and Tricia. I'm sure he'll come find you after quidditch practice or something." 
"When's his quidditch practice?" 
"How the bloody hell am I supposed to know? I'm not his girlfriend." 
"Oh, shove off. I thought maybe he said something." She smiles and winks at me. 
"It's right before lunch. He's gonna clean up and then you two are going for a nice lunch date." I smile at her and shake my head. 
"You're crazy, Ara." 
"I know... but you love me."