A Forbidden Love

Chapter Eleven: Sectumsempra

The next day, Dumbledore had the same conversation with Harry as he did with Meg, however, he didn't tell Harry about what Meg told him about Voldemort's Horcruxes. That same day, Harry tried to pull on Slughorn the same act that young Tom Riddle did over fifty years ago. To Harry's dismay, it didn't work for his benefit. That night, while in the Gryffindor common room, Harry discussed with Meg how he could try to convince Slughorn how to admit his deepest darkest secret. "Harry, did you honestly expect to walk up to old Sluggy and ask him about his deepest darkest secret? You know, I'm surprised the Daily Prophet hasn't called you the dim one." "Nice." "You are going to have to persuade him somehow. Now, you've made it even harder. I'm going to bed." "Meg, I think Malfoy's leaving the castle. Every now and then he disappears off the map." "That's impossible. No one can leave the castle these days. The map's wrong." "The map is never wrong!" "Goodnight, Harry." Harry didn't believe her in the slightest way. When went up to his dorm to go to bed, but once he walked in, he saw something rather unusual. Ron was sitting by one of the windows staring at the moon looking like he got drunk and or laid. He acknowledged Harry's presence. "It's beautiful isn't it, the moon?" Harry was befuddled, "Divine." Harry then saw all the open chocolate wrappers all over his bed and the floor. "Had a little late night snack, did we?" Ron defended himself, "It was on the bed the box. I just thought I would try one." "Or twenty." "I can't stop thinking about her, Harry." "You know, for a while, I thought she was beginning to annoy you." "She could never annoy me! I think I love her." "Brilliant." "Do you think she knows I exist?" "I bloody well hope so, she's been snogging you for three months." "Snogging...who are you talking about?" "Who are you talking about?" "Ramilda, of course, Ramilda Vane." "Okay, very funny." Harry's remark came out somewhat sarcastically to Ron, so while Harry was picking up the wrappers, Ron threw the empty box at Harry and began to protest. "It's no joke! I'M IN LOVE WITH HER!" "Alright, fine, you're in love with her. Have you actually met her?" "No...could you introduce me?" After Ron finished his sentence, he went back and sat down in front of the window, while Harry investigated the card on his bed. He saw that it was from Ramilda Vane, but it was for him, not Ron. He then lied to Ron about taking him to meet Ramilda Vane, when he really took him to Slughorn. While at Slughorn's office, Ron got poisoned accidentally by a Meade meant for Dumbledore. Harry knew exactly who gave Slughorn the bottle of Meade. 

The next morning, Harry, Hermione, Meg, and Ginny were all in the Hospital Wing visiting Ron. After about five minutes, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, Professor Slughorn, and Dumbledore came to the Hospital Wing to investigate. Dumbledore congratulated Harry, "Quick thinking on your part, Harry, using a Bezor. You should be very proud of your student, Horace." Slughorn was in his own world, "Hmm? Oh, yes, very proud." McGonagall pointed out the obvious, "I think we agree, Potter's actions were heroic, but the question is, why were they necessary?" Dumbledore agreed, "Why indeed?" He walked over to Slughorn, "This appears to be a gift, Horace. You don't remember who gave you this bottle? Which has remarkable hints of licorice and cherry, butt not polluted with poison?" Dumbledore handed the bottle to Snape, and Slughorn defended himself. "Actually, I was planning to give it as a gift myself." "To whom I might ask?" "To you, Headmaster." Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape all exchanged eye contact. To break the tension, Lavender Brown came running into the Hospital Wing screaming, "WHERE IS HE? WHERE IS MY WON WON? HAS HE BEEN ASKING FOR ME?" She saw Hermione, "What's she doing here?" Hermione stood up for herself, "I might ask you the same question." "I happen to be his girlfriend." "I happen to be his...friend." "Don't make me laugh! You haven't spoken for weeks! I supposed you want me to break up with him now suddenly, he's all interesting!" "HE'S BEEN POISONED, YOU DAFT DIMBO! AND FOR THE RECORD, I'VE ALWAYS FOUND HIM INTERESTING!" Ron began to stir, but Lavender wasn't catching the hint. "There, see? He senses my presence. Don't worry, Won Won, I'm here. I'm here." To everyone's surprise, Ron uttered Hermione's name, and Lavender left crying. Dumbledore broke the silence and the tension, "Oh to be young, and to feel love's keen sting." Meg replied, "Amen!" "C'mon everybody, Mr. Weasley is well tended." Everyone began to file out of the Hospital Wing, and Meg, Harry, and Ginny exchanged eye contact. Meg said what they were all thinking, "About time, don't you think?" Hermione smirked at her friends and remained by Ron's side. 

Meanwhile, Draco walked to the Vanishing Cabinet to see if the plan was going to work after all. He grabbed one of the birds from a cage nearby and took it with him. He removed the tarp from the cabinet and placed the bird inside it. He said the incantation and it disappeared, however, when it returned, it was dead. He didn't just see a dead bird, he saw Meg's dead body in the same position as his dreams and Slughorn's party. Upon seeing this in front of him, he began to sob. He knew he wasn't going to succeed in this task because he knew he wasn't a killer. 

A few hours later, the Fantastic Four were reunited at lunch, and Ron began asking questions. "Tell me how I broke up with Lavender again." Hermione, Harry, and Meg all exchanged eye contact, and Hermione explained awkwardly. "Well, she came to visit you in the hospital, and you talked. I don't believe it was a particularly long conversation." Ron replied, "Don't get me wrong, I'm bloody thrilled to be short of her, it's just, she seems a bit put out." They all four turned around and looked at a pissed off Lavender. Hermione continued, "You say, you don't remember anything from that night? Anything, at all?" "There is something...but it can't be. I was completely boggled wasn't I?" Hermione laughed, "Right...boggled." The group went silent for a few minutes. Harry read the Potions book he had all year and the other three ate their food. Suddenly, Katie Bell and her friends passed the four, and Hermione made Harry go after her. Meanwhile, Meg, Hermione, and Ron all conversed about what was to happen next. Ron pointed out Draco walking into the Great Hall to Meg, "Ex-boyfriend...ten 'o clock!" "He knows how I feel, besides, he doesn't even know I'm here, and we're keeping it that way." Suddenly, Harry began running towards the door, and Meg took notice quickly. "Where's he going?" She got up to go after him, but Hermione protested, "Meg, wait!" "Don't eat my sandwich!" She maintained a distance between the two, but it was rather difficult. Draco ran straight for Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, took off his outer vest, turned on the water, and washed his face. While he was doing all of this, he was struggling to catch his breath and began to cry again. At this point, both of his eyes were very bloodshot, he had bags under his eyes, his skin was very pale, and his hair was more blonde than before. Harry walked into the bathroom and stared at the broken shell of Draco Malfoy, but he didn't see that, he saw a man who hurt the girl he had always loved and cared about. Now was the time for revenge. "I know what you did, Malfoy! You hexed her, didn't you?" He was talking about Katie Bell, but that didn't detour from his mission to avenge Meg's love and pride. Instead of talking back, Draco shot a spell at Harry, and the two began to duel in the bathroom. Meg tried to keep a distance, but she quickly ended up outside the door of the bathroom watching the two boys duel. The boys came to a draw, but Harry shot a spell at Draco that not even Meg would use against Voldemort...Sectumsempra. Meg witnessed the act, and she screamed, "Harry! What have you done?" She ran to where Harry was standing, and she saw something that she would only see in her worst nightmares. Draco was flat on the wet bathroom floor panting for breath, blood was pouring rapidly from his body, and he was crying even more. Meg knelt by his side and tried to stop the blood, she also screamed at Harry. "HARRY, I'LL KILL YOU!" Harry ran out of fear, and Meg cast a spell on Draco's body to clot the blood so she could get him back to the dorm. Luckily for the couple, Blaise heard the commotion and helped Meg get Draco on the couch. He locked the door, and Meg began taking off Draco's clothes to see the wounds. "Blaise, in my bag in Pansy's dresser, there is a bottle labeled Essence of Dittany." Blaise did as he was told, but he was scared for Draco's life. "Open the bottle and get some of the liquid in the dispenser." "Meg, his chest." "I KNOW JUST DO IT!"  He did as she told him, and it worked. The wounds clotted and Draco was breathing properly. Meg got her trainer bag from Pansy's nightstand and began to sew the wounds back, and wrapped the wounds on his arms. However, when she touched the dark mark on his left forearm, her fingers felt a burning sensation. That hadn't happened when he first got it, but she took it as a sign that the task was to happen within a few days. While Meg was cleaning and fixing his wounds, Draco woke up and was shocked to see her sitting next to him. "You came back?" "Of course I came back. What did you think, I was going to sit back and watch as the love of my life does a task that we both know is impossible? No way!" Draco laughed at her reaction, but reminded her of a sobering fact. "The task is tomorrow night." "I know, and I'm going to be here to support you and get you ready." Draco smiled, but he disagreed. "I want you to be safe. I don't want you getting in the middle of this." "Hate to break it to you, but I'm already in the middle of this." She kissed the love of her life and went back to the Gryffindor dorm to get her stuff to move back into the Slytherin dorm.