The Other Potter

Chapter 65

Classes were cancelled and all students were currently sitting inside the great hall will the majority of the teaching staff. Nobody spoke, hardly anybody ate, everybody was thinking about what had happened at the Quidditch math the day prior.

Anne-Marie and Brandon were sat together at the Gryffindor table listening to the Aurors running around outside the great hall, search and rescue parties reporting to their supervisor after the successful rescue of three young boys; Seamus, Dean, and Jimmy.

It had been complete chaos when Ann-Marie and Brandon had stumbled out of the forest together, the look of complete surprise of Hagrid's face would have been comical if not for the circumstance. The Aurors had already arrived and been sent out by that point and the information provided by Ann-Marie and Brandon had several patronus charms being sent out with changes of orders and their new location.

Following their quick explanation of what happened and where they had been kept captive the two were sent for showers and medical treatment before being send to join almost every other student in the great hall. The interrogation they received from an angry Blaise wasn't exactly a planned thing but everybody had to have known that was going to happen.

So now they sat in the quiet great hall, lost in thought and drowning in their guilt from not having been fast enough.

The great hall was usually filled with the sound of a hundred children talking and laughing while the hospital wing was kept calm and quiet by an impeccable Madam Pomfrey. Today however, the atmosphere of these two locations seemed to be flipped around. While the once loud great hall was quiet enough to hear a pin drop, the normal quiet library had been turned into a loud, buzzing, room of chaos.

With Seamus, Dean, and Jimmy all receiving treatment from being subjected to the cruciatus curse, and demanding to join in the search, and Ginny lying unconscious after being found in the forbidden forest by Hagrid at the bottom of a small cliff; the hospital wing had been turned into a makeshift base.

Dumbledore, McGonagall, Hagrid, Snape, and Rufus Scrimgeour were huddled around a table full of maps of the forbidden forest with either Aurors or patronus charms appearing routinely to update their progress, or lack thereof in the search for one 'Sarah Peterson'.

Mr and Mrs Weasley were seated with Ron besides Ginny while Seamus, Dean, and Jimmy's family were with them too. Both Ann-Marie's father and Brandon's mother and father were aurors out searching for the only student unaccounted for. Harry was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, head in his hands fighting tears as he hoped and prayed for his sister's safe return, questioning if this was his punishment for breaking her trust and going to Snape with Blaise to see her worst memory. Hermione stood by him with a hand on his shoulder trying her best to comfort him, Neither Dumbledore or McGonagall letting either of them out of their sight. Strangely, Blaise had taken a seat beside a still unconscious Ritchie Coote, best friend to his little sister, While Theodore and Draco stood beside him unsure of what to do. Nobody prepared for what was to come.

"What are you doing Blaise?" Draco asked unsure looking on worried as his best friend held Ritchie's left hand between both of his own. "We should be over with Snape and the others" Draco added sharing a look with Theo, wondering what to do.

"Helps me feel close to her somehow" Blaise replied sounding hollow. "He always makes everything better for her" Blaise said with more emotion in his voice, "Maybe he can do the same for me" Blaise added never taking his eyes of Ritchie's face.

"Okay" Theo started "But this really isn't helping" Theo added quietly glancing from Blaise to the group of adults in charge and back again. "What exactly would you like me to do?" Blaise asked with hollowness seeping back into his words.

"I can't do anything" Blaise spoke before either Draco or Theo could reply. "I was there, and I couldn't do anything" Blaise added this time with a twinge of anger. "You were there so you'd know Theo" Blaise continued gripping tighter to Ritchie's hand "I failed her" Blaise added and Theodore having had enough Gripped Blaise by the back of his shirt lifting him up and knocking his chair away forcing him to stand and look at him. The commotion of the chair hitting the floor was somewhat lost in all the noise of the hospital however, a few people turned to look before focusing back on their tasks.

"You did the best you could" Theo said strongly looking Blaise straight in the eye "We all did" Theo added before stepping back a little to give Blaise some space sharing another look with Draco. "I'm her brother" Blaise uttered still standing but reverting his eyes back to Ritchie. "So is Potter" Draco replied beginning to get frustrated with the situation, they should be over with Dumbledore and the Aurors looking for her.

"It's different" Blaise replied still not looking at them. "How?" Theodore asked, who knew that once question would break the dam and push Blaise over the edge.

"Because she was looking at me" Blaise snapped finally looking at Theodore and Draco with all the emotions he was feeling seeping into his voice "She wasn't looking at Harry. She wasn't looking for Malfoy. She was looking at me, she was scared and she was looking at me to make it better and I didn't do that. I couldn't do that. I couldn't do anything and now she's gone, who knows where. Who knows if she's even alive right now" Blaise vented unable to control the words tumbling out of his mouth or the level of sound they were said at drawing the attention of most in the room.

"I should have done something, I should have been with her. From the moment I heard I had a sister I knew I loved her. I knew that I would do anything in this world to protect her and I failed" "Blaise" Theodore tried to interject but Blaise was on a role and there was no stopping him now.

"I've done nothing but fail, I failed in getting her out of Snape's detention, I failed her when she fell into the frozen lake, I failed in protecting her against flint, and in the Slytherin/Gryffindor Quidditch game, and with the stupid list. I failed when she almost fell into a trap and almost got her heart ripped out, I failed in transfiguration when I let that thing taunt her and almost get squashed by a god damn chandelier. I failed when I refused to accept how much Ritchie fucking Coote meant to her and didn't take him being in here seriously, I failed when I went to Snape and demanded he show me the memory of the worst night in her entire life even though I knew she wouldn't want me too, I failed when she begged me to believe that her kiss with Jack was only because of a dare and I didn't believe her" Blaise yelled completely manic and breaking down. Completely unaware of his friends, and Snape, and Dumbledore trying to calm him down as well as every eye in the room on him. "And when she was standing there looking at me completely terrified, I failed her again because I couldn't do a god damned thing" Blaise added letting all the anger dissipate leaving only guilt and grief sounding completely raw.

"We both did" Harry said having moved from his chair to stand on the opposite side of Ritchie looking at Blaise both of them with tears in their eyes and on their cheeks. "We both failed" Harry said again trying to convey how much he was feeling everything Blaise was saying.

Anything anybody was going to say next was put on hold when a still unconscious Ritchie Coote began coughing and convulsing and water came flooding out of his mouth. All at once everyone who had stopped to look at Blaise Zabini's meltdown was back in action as Dumbledore and Snape ushered Blaise, Theodore, Draco, and Harry away from Ritchie's bed to allow Madam Pomfrey to do her job while McGonagall grabbed hold of one of his hands.

"What the hell is going on?" Jimmy asked looking on in horror as Ritchie convulsed and more water was coughed up "This doesn't make sense" Blaise added as Madam Pomfrey and one of her nurses attempted to hold him down while everyone looked on in fear.

The entire episode lasted less than twenty seconds and Ritchie was quiet and peaceful again, as if nothing had happened.

"This has something to do with Sarah" Blaise said glaring at Snape "I know it does" He added glancing back to Ritchie as everyone looked around unsure of what to do.