Song Of The Guardians

Working It All Out

House-elves transported the Harbingers back to Malfoy Manor. Once there, Minerva summoned Madam Pomfrey to come and assess the situation and Lucius sent a patronus to the Sirens. The mediwitch was furious over not being informed of what was going on. She agreed to examine the Harbingers but demanded to be given a full explanation immediately after.

The Sirens arrived through the floo, looking pale and frightened. Draco, Neville and George reassured them and ushered them to their bedrooms to rest. The others would alert them when David and Andy were awake.

Severus passed out vials of healing potion to the other Harbingers. He knew that most of them had been ignoring injuries in favor of caring for David and Andy. Once Hermione had finished her potion, Severus pulled her into his arms with a heavy sigh. His wife was a glorious sight in battle, but it left Severus a nervous wreck. At that moment, he was holding her close and pressing kisses to her face and hair, as if reassuring himself that she was alright. Hermione seemed to understand. She gave his hand a squeeze, pulling him down for a loving kiss.

When Poppy came back downstairs, she looked a bit tired but her expression was one of determination. Minerva was given the task of filling the mediwitch in on what had been going on, so Severus and Hermione went upstairs to keep an eye on the patients. A room had been prepared with two beds and a well stocked cabinet full of potions. As they entered the room, Andy was waking up. He sat up with Hermione's help, his muscles aching. Suddenly his eyes widened and he jerked to look around. In the next bed, was David.

Andy shuddered at the memory of watching David get stabbed. Wide fearful eyes. David's lifeblood rushing from his body. The gasping, rattling breaths from a body that was unable to hold in air. The crushing fear he had seen on Hermione's face.

Andy squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath, fighting down nausea. He'd been attracted to David for a long time, and he'd always thought that he was quite self aware and knew his own mind. The pain of hiding his affection to avoid damaging a friendship, was nothing to the utter agony of watching David's life slip away. In a moment, he completely understood why Severus had used his own soul to heal Hermione. That kind of love defies logic. That kind of love was about devotion and sacrifice. That was how Severus felt about Hermione. That was how Andy felt about David.

Andy opened his eyes when he felt a hand on his face. Hermione was looking down at him, her eyes bright with unshed tears. "If you ever scare me like that again, I'll kill you," she told him, her voice catching with emotion.

Andy sighed, sitting up slowly and then pulling her close for a hug. He held her for a long moment, allowing her to calm him. When she pulled back, he carefully shifted and got off the bed slowly. Severus moved a bit closer, ready to catch him if he stumbled.

Once he was upright, Andy took a few cautious steps across the room and found that he had gained enough strength to keep him steady on his feet. His eyes drifted to David and his throat tightened uncomfortably. For a moment, he looked remarkably calm, but then suddenly he was shaking. "I was so sure he was gone," Andy said, closing his eyes again. "For a moment, I wanted to die too. I just can't stand the thought of losing him."

Hermione ran to his side and grabbed his hand, kissing his fingers. "He'll be alright," she told him. Andy nodded but turned away from her. He pressed his hands to the wall and leaned forward, his forehead resting against the wall.

Behind him, David was opening his eyes. His vision was still a bit blurry, but he could see someone standing near his bed. He recognized the dark hair as belonging to Severus. Before Severus could ask his how he was feeling, David blurted out "Where's Andy? Is he alright?"

Andy turned around, resting his back against the wall, afraid he'd fall over without the support. One hand crept up to cover his mouth, preventing a sob from escaping him.