Aria Ashborn and the Half-Blood Prince (A Harry Potter fanfiction)

Chapter 19: The White Tomb

Harry and Aria stayed like this for what seemed like an hour but in actuality was around ten minutes. Professor Sprout had started to dismiss students back to bed and Hagrid, with the saddest expression Aria had ever seen on his face, was nearing the body. Aria knew that it was time for Harry to go.

"Harry, come on." she whispered.

"No." he shook his head.

"Harry, we have to go." she said again and he allowed her to help him stand up, "Come on." Aria led Harry away from the crowd and towards an empty corridor and they began to walk slowly towards the Common Room. Aria didn't know where else to take him. She didn't think either of them would be able to handle going back up to the seventh floor to see who was alive and who wasn't. Harry had stopped crying and just walked, hand in hand, with Aria. She would've loved to know what he was thinking.

(^^stop music if playing)

"Luna, where is everyone?" Aria asked as Luna Lovegood, with a few bruises on her arm and cheek, approached them.

"In the hospital wing." she said with a small smile, "I've been told to come and fetch you." Aria nodded and began to follow her.

"Who else is dead?" asked Harry quietly.

"None of us." said Luna, "Neville is hurt and Ron's brother got attacked." Harry perked up.

"Bill? Fred? George? Charlie?" Harry guessed, hoping one of the names would ring a bell.

"I think his name is Bill." said Luna. Aria rubbed Harry's arm comfortingly as they went into the hospital wing. Immediately, Hermione had her arms around both of them. There was a cut on her lip, but other than that, she seemed to be unharmed.

"Harry! Aria!" she cried. Aria could take in the sight from over Hermione's shoulder. Neville was lying asleep in one of the beds and Bill was asleep in another. Bill, however, was almost unrecognizable. His face was blood red with scrapes and bites. Madam Pomfrey was leaned over him, dabbing his wounds with an acid green colored liquid on a cloth. Ron and Ginny sat next to his bed. Lupin and Tonks were sitting on the bed opposite him and McGonagall stood near the door, trembling.

"Are you alright?" Lupin jumped up when he saw Harry and Aria. Hermione let them go and went to stand by Luna.

"What's happened to Bill?" Harry asked, ignoring Lupin's question.

"He was attacked by Greyback," Ginny said, "but he wasn't transformed at the time. We don't really know what the after effects will be.." She looked to Lupin with uncertainty.

"I don't think that Bill will be a true werewolf, but it's hard to say," said Lupin, "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."

Ron perked up, "Maybe Dumbledore knows something that'll heal him. We could ask him-"

"Ron..." Aria stopped him. The sad look on her face and her trembling lip caused all attention to fall to her. She took a deep breath, "Dumbledore's dead."

"No-" stuttered Lupin, "that cannot be possible-that's-"

"I saw it with my own eyes." Harry said, grasping Aria's hand tighter as he spoke, "We arrived back at the Astronomy Tower when we saw the Dark Mark...but it was a trap. I was under the invisibility cloak and Dumbledore immobilized me. I couldn't do anything. Snape killed him. The Avada Kedavra."