Time Astral | Sirius Black

56|| The Lament of Death

A lot of time had passed when Sirius and Alasia made their way to the hospital wing. The former refused to let go of her hand. 

Though she insisted he hurry up and she'll be right behind, the overprotective husband claimed he'd rather die.

"You're a tad too dramatic sometimes, Padfoot." Alasia had a faint smile on her lips but her heart thundered just as it had before she'd stepped in Hogwarts. 

A sense of foreboding however not as bad as earlier, still present. 

A heated conversation was going on when the two of them entered the halls where the rest were gathered. A few of them noticed and looked up but continued the talk. 

"But he wasn't bitten at the full moon," said Ron, who was gazing down into his brother's face as though he could somehow force him to mend just by staring. His brother, Bill whose face Alasia realised was so badly bruised it looked grotesque. "Greyback hadn't transformed, so surely Bill won't be a — a real — ?" 

"No, I don't think that Bill will be a true werewolf," said Remus, "but that does not mean that there won't be some contamination. Those are cursed wounds. They are unlikely ever to heal fully, and — and Bill might have some wolfish characteristics from now on." 

"Dumbledore might know something that'd work, though," Ron said."Where is he? Bill fought those maniacs on Dumbledore's orders, Dumbledore owes him, he can't leave him in this state —" 

"Ron — Dumbledore's dead," said Ginny. 

Alasia looked towards her husband, an uncertain gleam in her eye, there was no idea where to go from here.

"No!" Remus suddenly stepped back, looked wildly from Ginny to Harry, as though hoping the latter might contradict her, but when Harry did not, Lupin collapsed into a chair beside Bill's bed, his hands over his face. And at last his eyes — so tired and weary — went to Alasia. 

"He's gone, Remus."

"He can't be!" He stood up again, denial on his scarred face. "Allie — He — The school. . ."

"The school will be taken care of, Moony." She gave him the tiniest smile, the only one she could muster. Sirius didn't leave her hand at all, not for a single second. "But he no longer lives."

Remus sat down, a blank look in his eyes and though Alasia couldn't share his grief, had never known a side of Dumbledore that was kind — she felt deeply for her closest friend. 

"How did he die?" whispered Tonks. "How did it happen?" 

"Snape killed him," said Harry. "I was there, I saw it, Alasia saw it. We arrived back at Astronomy Tower because that's where the Mark was. . . . Dumbledore was ill, he was weak, but I think he realized it was a trap when we heard footsteps running up the stairs. He immobilized me, I couldn't do anything — and then Malfoy came through the door and disarmed him —"

 Hermione clapped her hands to her mouth and Ron groaned. Luna's mouth trembled. Remus remained silent but looked towards Sirius and Alasia for confirmation. 

"— more Death Eaters arrived — and then Snape — and Snape did it. The Avada Kedavra." Harry couldn't go on.

Madam Pomfrey burst into tears. Nobody paid her any attention except Ginny, who whispered, "Shh! Listen!" Gulping, Madam Pomfrey pressed her fingers to her mouth, her eyes wide.

 Somewhere out in the darkness, a phoenix was singing in a wayAlasia had never heard before: a stricken lament of terrible beauty. It felt like a long time later that the hospital door opened again and Professor McGonagall entered the ward. Like all the rest, she bore marks of the recent battle: There were grazes on her face and her robes were ripped.