Fan Fiction ❯ Buy Some Time: A Life for a Life ❯ Good Mourning ( Chapter 2 )

A/n: We discover who died... Bwahahaha! Harry? Bellatrix? Dumbledore? Neville? Mad-eye? Or maybe Sirius or Lupin... Or both! *Evil cackle* (Lemme know if there is anything I fuck up, k? I know it's still Harry focused, but it'll change in the next chapter. And I'm hoping to make my chapters longer. R & R)

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There were mingled cries of shock and dismay as the light not only swallowed Bellatrix but split and devoured another as well. A few of the conscious death eaters let out cries of joy, while some were still transfixed by the body of their comrade. The people of the order stared in horror at the body of the most unlikely person.

They hadn't considered that Dumbledore could've been victimized by that spell...

As the flurry of motion began, some going to check on the three unconscious males by the dais some going to the injured or to Dumbledore, there was a very quiet noise drifting in the background. A whispered sound that nobody heard. Then suddenly the few death eaters who were still conscious jerked their heads around and ceased struggling against the magical ropes that bound them. There was soft laughter resonating through the room.

Moody was trying to revive Tonks. Kingsley was checking Sirius and Lupin for injuries. Soon Tonks had reawakened and was hoisting Harry into a standing position.

"He's only fainted from exertion. An energy renewal spell will perk him right up." Moody gave a wave of his wand and a good shake and Harry was groaning and staring up into his mismatched eyes. "There we go. That's a good lad. Hope you're proud of yourself Potter. Stupid, careless boy."

"Erm...wha happen? Where am I?" He asked groggily, blinking to clear his vision

"You're in the same place as when you passed out." Moody clapped a hand against Harry's ear and kept talking while Harry rubbed the abused hearing organ, "I hope you're ruddy well happy with yourself!"

Save for Mad-eye's low grumbling there was a morbid silence echoing through the room. Kingsley had conjured stretchers and bewitched them to hover a foot or two off the ground so the wounded could be taken care of and the injure carted out of there. Harry's memory began working again as he saw Tonks looking in silent mourning at Dumbledore, who's face and upper body had been covered by her cloak. His face went pale. He thought perhaps Dumbledore had been killed in the battle after he'd passed out. He looked towards the body of Bellatrix, a look of surprise in her eyes, her maniacal smirk still fastened in her lips-nobody had bothered to throw a cloak over her body.

He began to trudge out of the room, ignoring the stares he was catching from those who'd seen his attack on Bellatrix. Death eaters were being bound left and right as Harry left the room. His eyes trained ahead he walked listlessly. In the brain room he ignored Luna and Ginny as they begged and begged to know what had happened before turning worriedly and darting into the room themselves. Ron was still giggling and laughing off and on beside Hermione, who was slowly beginning to stir. He trudged all the way back up to the atrium and sat himself down in front of the gold fountain.

He slumped, sprawling across the floor with his head resting on the side of the fountain. He let the sound of water splashing into the pool soothe his frantically shaking nerves. He willed away the intense worries and fears about the trouble he'd be in. He slowly drifted into an exhausted sleep. Perfect...

~*~*~

"I think we're through here. Someone get the min-" A loud scream broke through Kingsley's words

Moody and Tonks both apparated to the source of the scream, which seemed to be the atrium. Moody spat a stream of curses worthy of a sailor when he caught sight of the cloak. He and Tonks simultaneously shouted stun spells followed by the body bind and silencio and the rope spell, all in rapid succession. Light sprung from their wands like confetti and ropes followed close behind, latching onto the cackling wizard.

Voldemort seemed oblivious to the spells as he stood above the writhing boy and cackled, "The old fool is dead and now Harry Potter will be too! Nothing can stop me now! You will all regret your births soon!" With a triumphant cackle he uttered the one spell that would make his life perfect, "AVADA... KEDAVRA! So long Harry Potter! I'll meet you in the underworld!"

Moody let a out a feral snarl as Harry's screams of anguish fell silent. It was strange, seeing how the spell affected the boy who lived. Tonks clung to a desperate hope that Harry would resist. Would survive like he had before. She almost cried for joy. Harry's eyes had fluttered open. But she was held frozen and silent by the strange look he had. As others came into the atrium they to were frozen in place by the look on his face. Even Voldemort had stopped his banshee-like shrieks of laughter to stare at Harry.

His green eyes were luminescent, casting a strange glow across his own face. His hair was ruffling slightly in a non-existent breeze. He sat up, and then was lifted as if someone had hoisted him up from behind. As his feet settled on the ground his mouth opened and an eerie voice spoke.

"Voldemort. Is that a promise?" came the haunted sound as the boy lifted his wand and aimed it at him. The dark lord laughed, "I'm glad you're happy. You can die a happy man. There was a part of that prophecy you failed to recall...

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches.... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... And either must die at the hands of each other for neither can live while the other survives...but neither can die without the other beside... The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies....

"I bet you forgot that part..." The eerie voice continued, "But you know now... Goodbye Voldemort..." A burst of green light exploded from Harry's wand and swallowed Voldemort

He screamed a horrible shrieking caw, like a crow that was being roasted alive. Harry was engulfed in the strange light as well and his mournful cry joined with Voldemort's. The others stared in wide-eyed shock as the two slowly crumpled to the ground and the light died away, taking the horrible noise with them. Everyone stood numb in the silence, they didn't dare move. It was only when the minister and his entourage arrived that they finally shook from their stupor.

It was a long night. St. Mungo's was busy most of it taking care of those injured at the ministry. Harry, Dumbledore, and Voldemort's deaths were already being crammed into the morning edition of the prophet. The Order of the Phoenix all gathered at St. Mungo's to mourn the losses and try to cheer up the battle veterans. Hermione sat beside Ron and cried for a good hour on his shoulder. Molly Weasley sat in the hall with Bill and sobbed harshly just as long as Hermione. Andromeda Tonks stood beside her daughter and gently rubbed her back while she whimpered and sniffled into her mothers cloak. IT was a morbid night; even Moody seemed miserable. And in the back of their minds, they all dreaded the reaction Sirius would give when he awoke. A very long night it was.

~*~*~

He groaned...or tried to. It came out as a strangled exhalation. He tried to open his eyes, but the lids felt so heavy he gave up after only one try. His ears were ringing slightly, but his hearing seemed to be functioning. He was warm, and was lying on what he assumed was a bed. There was a blanket draped across him, or perhaps someone's cloak. He strained his ears to listen, confused and wondering what had happened.

"I don't know! I can't pry him off!" Came the exasperated voice of a female, "I tried everything. I even used my blasted wand! We had three orderlies in here pulling and he just refuses to let go! He isn't even conscious!!!"

"Keep your voice down woman!" Came a scratchy, growling voice on his left, "Wake him up then, if he won't let go. Once he comes to his senses I'm sure-"

The aggravated woman interrupted, "We're not permitted to treat any condition until he lets go. We have to ruddy well figure out what's wrong with the both of them before we start blasting spells and pouring potions down them! And I can't examine either of them until he detaches himself!"

His hearing, which was getting better and better, tuned in to a hushed voice on his right, "For heaven's sake, you call yourself a healer! Stop shouting! There are people sleeping in here, you know. Hermione just finally went to sleep. Poor girl's been crying half the night and you're going to wake her up."

The woman he assumed was a healer gave an odd grunt and stomped away. He heard more voices around him, murmuring and whispering. Occasionally someone touched a hand to his forehead or shook the something that had been thrown across him. He had mistook it for a heavy cloak, but as his senses became sharper he noted that it had too much mass to be anything like that. He groaned again, managing this time to choke out a noise something like a whimper and a grunt combined. There was silence around him.

He recognized the woman from before who'd chastised the healer for shouting, "He's waking up, Arthur!" It was Molly Weasley's voice, "Sirius is waking up!"

"Bout time. Lazy bum only took a small knock to the head. Barely enough to take him down for so long..." Growled Moody from his left

He groaned again, shifting and dragging his hand to cover his eyes. He at last opened his eyes and peered out from between his fingers at the blurry shapes of at least half the Order. As soon as his vision cleared he looked down to see Remus lying on him, his arms locked firmly around his chest. He looked around as more people came by to greet him.

He noted that a few were missing, "Ron and the twins are getting food, Hermione is sleeping, and Tonks went with her mother and Kingsley to settle a few things with the ministry. Mundungus, get off him!!"

Mundungus had flung a big, drunken hug on him, but quickly retreated in fear of Molly. Sirius was still looking around, "Where's Dumbledore...? Molly, is Harry alright? Where's Harry? Harry?!" He got more frantic the more people avoided his gaze; He sat bolt upright, "Where's Harry?! Harry!"

"Sirius..." Arthur Weasley said softly, "Harry and Dumbledore... Died..."

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^.^ there we go, chapter two. I'd like to thank Padfoot-loves-moony. My first reviewer! Woohoo! *Hands over a giant Hershey bar* Thanks a lot. And please dun hurt me for killing them...

>.>

<.<

It had to happen...