The Paths We Take

Chapter 8- Conflicting Emotions

Chapter 8- Conflicting Emotions

Thursday, May 6th, 1999

"How is he?" Narcissa questioned as she and Professor McGonagall entered the large black and grey bedroom Ron and Harry had chosen for their sleeping arrangements and closed the door gently behind her.

"He's perspiring more fluids than we can put in" Molly replied with concern dripping on every word as she sat on the edge of the bed the raven-haired boy was laying on. His eyes were closed but beads of sweat riddled his forehead as his body soaked the sheets under him. "Cooling charms aren't working, and he has a fever that refuses to break. I-I don't understand. D-did something go wrong? I thought we did everything right...Did-did I mess up?" she inquired with a crack in her voice as she tried to stay strong for the boy she had practically raised since he was twelve.

"It wasn't the ritual, Molly" Narcissa claimed in an almost whisper. "You did everything right." She and Molly may have had many differences on how they viewed things in life, but they were both mothers, and she understood the overwhelming grief the redhead was feeling. There wasn't a bone in her body that didn't empathize with the woman doing her best to hold herself together in front of everyone. And for the first time since Narcissa had known the elder Weasley, she felt pity for the mother who didn't have all the answers. "We found something..." she stated with a deep sigh while moving to stand nervously at the end of the bed. "A few things, actually..."

"What do you mean?" Robert asked while gliding his fingers through his dark brown hair before anyone else in the room had a chance to speak. "What did you find?"

Ten sets of worried eyes looked to the former Slytherin Queen while McGonagall lowered her head and calmly crossed her hands in front of her.

"Well..." the elder Malfoy began "Minerva and I looked at the blood Potter coughed up. T-there were strange black clots so...we used a spell to analyze them..."

"Just tell us, Narcissa" Arthur exhaled as he awaited the bad news he knew was coming.

"It was volcanic ash" she responded as she glanced around at the confused faces surrounding her.

"I-I don't understand" Elizabeth stated with a hand to her chest.

"Neither do we" McGonagall chimed in. "The only thing that makes sense...is that Mr. Potter was possibly in an era where a volcano erupted. Which means-"

"Our children" Molly whispered with a quivering lip.

"Oh, God" Elizabeth muttered while clasping the hand resting on her chest, over her mouth. "Hermione..."

Robert pulled his wife into his arms and held her as Arthur placed a hand gently on Molly's shoulder.

"There is good news though" the blonde mother quickly proclaimed when the room almost burst into hysterics. "However, it's not the best...They're in London, but-"

"London?" Theo questioned with a perplexed expression. "If they're in London, then that means their okay, right? Right, Mrs. Malfoy?"

"It would seem so, but we won't know until Mr. Potter is better and can tell us what happened" McGonagall uttered softly.

"I'm confused..." Pansy spoke with a raised hand and a scrunched brow. "The closest active volcano to London is Mount Vesuvius, but that's just over a thousand miles away in Italy and it's last eruption was in 1944. How could Potter be anywhere near it? Did he not end up in the same area as everyone else?"

"We don't know" the headmistress answered with a deep sigh. "Again, Ms. Parkinson, we won't know anything until Mr. Potter wakes up. I have sent an emergent Owl to Madam Pomfrey. Hopefully she can help the boy with his predicament. If not...we'll have to call St. Mungo's and issue a report, which I would rather not do. I don't want this getting out. We have also floo'd Bethany Woodrow in as well to see if she can help in anyway. She won't arrive however, until after her shift ends at the museum."