The Heirs of Dreams

Chapter Thirteen

Harry looked from the bubbling potion in Ginny's cauldron and to Zora and Draco. He had been struggling to keep his eyes open for the past hour as the potions simmered and were stirred again. His eyes were closed, but he was certainly awake, making comments about the smells every few minutes. All had learned to ignore him by this point. And then came the silence. They had been locked in this room for what seemed like an eternity. The smells and the cramped space had gotten the better of their tempers and all had silently decided that it was best to keep quiet rather than taking their annoyances out on each other.

"Shh!" Zora hissed from Draco's side, although Harry couldn't tell why she had shushed them...no one had spoken for the past thirty minutes at least.

Harry concentrated and he heard it. Footsteps. Heavy and yielding from the potions classroom just outside the door.

"It's them," she commented, "it's the Death Eaters."

"One hour...until...the...Au...Aurors come," Draco breathed heavily, but somehow managed to smirk.

"What are we going to do?" Ginny whispered to Harry.

"Maybe if we're quiet we won't have to do anything," Ron whispered as he watched the handle on the door. "It's almost six now...maybe they've been here a while and the Aurors are close by?" he commented as he looked at Harry's watch still wrapped around his wrist.

"Almost six?" Draco muttered from the floor.

The footsteps eased closer and closer to the storage room door. Ron tugged at Ginny's arm and set her behind him and Harry next to Draco. Zora took the potions and pulled them to the back as well. She took a cup from the shelves and filled it with the healing potion. She tapped the cup at Harry's shoulder and placed it carefully in his hands. He took it without thought and drained it, the still hot liquid snaking down his throat. He felt its immediate affects, a slight burning in his arm and the soothing of several sore muscles he hadn't had time to acknowledge were sore.

Harry gazed around the room; there were no weapons except Draco's blood stained dragon dagger lying at their feet. He took the dagger in his right hand and stepped towards the door. He chose to wait for the attacker to open the door first, so not to give away their secret spot in case the attacker had not known they were there.

The minute dragged with tense anticipation. Harry simply stood with his forehead and back covered in sweat. He could hear the heavy breathing of fear all around him. He felt Hermione's hot and nervous breath so close to his back, with Ginny just beside her. He tried not to think of how many were waiting out there for him and how little he was armed. A small knife to protect six people seemed awfully unfair, it was barely enough to defend one.

Harry saw that the knob of the door was turning slowly. He tightened his grip on the knife and raised it above his head, preparing to drive it at the attacker before he or she had a chance to take them over. He felt Hermione and Ron step back a step, giving him room. The door creaked open. Harry pushed it open more to give him the advantage and lunged at the attacker. A spell filled his ears and suddenly he was frozen in his tracks, his right hand above his head with the knife pointed at the attacker and his feet in mid step as he lunged.

"I had a feeling you would see violence as necessary to defend yourself," a harsh and familiar voice echoed in his mind.

"Severus!" rang from the back of the storage room.

A flash of raven hair zoomed past Harry's body as Zora ran at lightening speed. She had her arms wrapped around Snape and his face appeared to be a combination of pain and glee.

"Been looking for you lot all morning," Snape continued although he was still in a tight embrace with Zora. "I must say...not a bad choice for accommodations."

Zora finally stepped back and let him take a breath.

"How did you know we were here?" she asked.

"Death Eaters came in through the Gryffindor Dormitories...and set off the alarm. Fortunately, they only had time to look in the common rooms and the Room of Requirement. They were just making their way to the Astronomy Towers and here when the Aurors got in," Snape explained as he watched Hermione and Ginny step out of the cramped space.

"Draco? Did he...?" Snape asked as he turned to Zora.

"He's in there...sleeping," she added quickly as he stepped inside.

Moments later he emerged from the small room with Draco draped over his shoulder. He held out his wand to the dungeon door and said "Accio Stretcher". The stretched zoomed quickly through the dungeon to Snape's side, hovering waist high from the stone floor. He placed Draco's body upon it as gently as he could. Draco's face was completely white and his eyes were locked closed.

"Reverse Incantium," Harry heard somewhere to his left, the spell had paralyzed his head so that he could not turn to see who was standing there.

Harry fell to the floor with a loud thud, unprepared to continue his initial running. A moment later he heard a similar thud and saw Ron lying on the ground, wincing in pain from the sudden impact with the hard stone floor.

"Ms. Granger, your notice of expulsion has been retracted, and may I say you preformed a fine job on the break of my seal," Dumbledore said with a kind twinkle in his eye as he nodded his head in Hermione's direction.

Hermione smiled a little, but her face was completely pale, from exhaustion or left over fear Harry could not tell.

"And it appears Harry has had a bit of a run in himself," Dumbledore said as he examined Harry's forearm. "Once we have settled you all in at St. Mungo's...I think we had better have a talk or two about tonight. Until then, I suggest you all keep quiet about it. The papers have a way of turning things around, but I assume you all know that from experience."

"I suggest we get going, Hagrid's carriages are waiting for us," Snape commented as he began to walk out of the room, guiding Draco on the stretcher just in front of him.

Zora followed him, with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny trailing slowly behind her.

"Professor? Did you know tonight was going to happen?" Harry asked quietly once he saw Ginny's read hair disappear through the doorway.

"I suggest you follow the others, Harry," Dumbledore replied with a smile, "we will talk once you're settled."

Harry felt a twinge of anger towards the old headmaster for an instant before pure exhaustion finally took over. It had been an eventful night to say the least, he would have to wait for answers...but that no longer bothered him as much as it should have.

He let out a sigh and caught up with Ron's flaming red hair a few hallways away.

"C'mon Potter and Weasley, don't dawdle," Snape called once he noticed Harry had rejoined the group.

"Why is it," Ron began from Harry's side, "that everyone gets 'Ms.' And 'Mr.' and first names and all...and we still get 'Potter and Weasley'?"

"I don't know, maybe you should ask him later on," Harry replied with a smile.

"By later on I hope I'm sleeping, do you know how hard it is to get a good night's sleep with this mess going on? First I had to worry about you and Hermione, now my sister..." Ron trailed on and on until they had reached the Great Hall. Their voices echoed in the emptiness. The Great Hall was filled with early sunlight but void of much else. There were no laughing students running around, no happy conversations; even the enchanted ceiling looked bleak and unappealing. They stepped outside into the warm comfortable sunshine, the "horseless" carriages waiting for them. Harry shuddered at the sight of those black creatures in front of the carriages. He wished he couldn't see them, but of course that was impossible. He had seen more than his fair share of death.

"Potter," Snape was calling his attention, "go with Ms. Weasley in that carriage," he said as he pointed to the third carriage.

Ron was climbing into the second one with Hermione and Zora while Snape occupied the first with Draco. Harry nodded his head and climbed into the third carriage.

Her eyes were barely open as she rested her head on the back of the carriage. She yawned and rubbed one of her eyes. Once Harry was settled, Ginny's head was resting on Harry's shoulder, threatening to drift off into sleep.

"I think Draco's a little more sick than Zora was letting on," Ginny whispered as the carriage began to move, the "invisible" creature pulling them with all his strength.

"What makes you say that?" Harry asked as he closed his eyes and rested his heavy head against the back of the carriage and enjoying the gentle rocking motion.

"I can see the thestrals," Ginny replied before closing her eyes.

Harry looked at her red head. She wasn't joking; her gaze was fixed on the creature's mane as it walked in a gentle rhythm. Out of more instinct than decision, Harry placed his arm around Ginny's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her, noting the bare ice cold skin under his fingers. He wondered momentarily how long she had been this cold in that nightgown and not given a hint of complaint. She snuggled into his shoulder and looked up to his face. She raised a hand to his cheek and gently pulled his mouth to hers. The kiss was brief but momentous none the less. Harry felt his body warm for the first time all night. Ginny pulled herself from his lips and settled her head once again on his shoulder. He tightened his hold around her a bit as the carriage moved forward. They remained linked until the arrived at the hospital.

Harry could barely remember much else of the day. They were brought to a closed section of the hospital where no other patients were kept. There were ten rooms in all, five on each side of the hall. Each one of them was given a room and had one of two Aurors on constant watch just outside their doors.

After a few days of pure rest, Dumbledore finally entered Harry's room.

"Good morning, Harry, feeling better?" Dumbledore asked as he dragged a chair quietly across the tiled floor.

"Just fine, sir," Harry replied with a nod as he adjusted his glasses on his face.

"I have a few questions, if you don't mind. I have spoken with Ms. Birk and Ms. Weasley, but I would like your tale as well, if you will?"

"Of course, professor," Harry replied.

"Tell me what happened...why were you in the castle?" Dumbledore asked.

"It couldn't really be helped," Harry explained, "Draco came and told us...err, Ron and I that is, well he told us Zora and Ginny were gone and that we had to help him rescue them. He told Ron to go into this room with all of my potions and my cloak. After that I went into a room and...I blacked out, I guess someone hit me because when I woke up my head was sore. I...I had a dream though, about Zora's mum, Lara. It was so real..."

"Tell me more about that dream, Harry," Dumbledore said curiously. "How did you know it was Lara?"

"Well," Harry remembered, "she told me...and I saw her picture around school. She...she told me she was Zora's mother and asked about her."

"Would you call it a dream...or do you think it was a vision?"

"Well...I can't be sure really. I thought it was real while it was happening and all, but it's not really possible. Zora's mum's dead...she didn't look like a ghost. So it had to be a dream."

"Harry, I'm going to ask you to do something for me...do not tell Ms. Birk you had that dream. She's quite emotional when it comes to her mother, and I fear she may get herself into a hint of trouble over it. Do you understand?"

"What sort of trouble could she get herself into?"

"Don't worry about that now, Harry? What happened after the dream exactly?"

"Well, I woke up and these demons came and took me to the throne room. I had to fight Draco, Zora told me there was a deal made with these demons for descendant blood of a fatal wound. He needed one of us to get injured badly and the deal would be sealed or we'd all die...he, Zora, and I that is...and I think a few other Death Eaters, but I'm not sure about that. He cut my arm," Harry said as he looked at his forearm, the scar had already faded. "He said I wasn't honorable enough and had me taken away. Ron got me out of the room...and I went to get Zora and Ginny. I used a potion Ginny gave me last Christmas and..."

"That's just fine Harry, I believe Zora has given me the rest. She and Draco had their own battle where she injured him, and so on and so forth and now we're all here," Dumbledore continued with a smile.

"Professor?" Harry stepped in.

"Yes?" Dumbledore smiled with a nod.

"It's about Ginny...will he try to get to her again? I mean...kidnap her, or...anything else again?"

"He's a stubborn man, he may...then again he can find other girls who are far more willing to participate than she, although the young Ms. Weasley has a bit of a benefit to him."

"What's that?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore smiled before continuing, "You will discover soon enough that the use of Ginny in such a way would be catastrophic to those he wishes to harm most."

Harry could feel his cheeks were slightly red. Even the Dark Lord knew of his crush.

"To be on the safer side...I think we can assume that Voldemort's involvement with you and MS. Weasley too is far from over," Dumbledore said as his eyes twinkled at Harry.

**

Zora stepped into the hospital room. Severus sat at Draco's side in a chair. His head was tilted down as he read a book, his wand clasped in his right hand.

"Boo!" she called into the silent room.

Severus leapt from his chair and pointed the wand at her nose.

"That's no way to greet your powerless godchild, such violence!" Zora smiled.

Severus sighed and lowered his wand.

"How's the hand?" he asked as he settled back in the chair.

"Fine, I guess," Zora said as she eyed her knuckles.

"Maybe you'll think before you go plowing it into marble walls next time?" Severus said as he placed his book on the night table next to Draco's bed.

"Hopefully I won't have to see those walls again," she replied softly. "How is he?" she asked as she laid her eyes on Draco.

"Better than yesterday...I think," Severus replied. "Good thing you gave him the potion, it saved his life."

"Yeah...I know," Zora replied quietly. "I had to give it to Ginny it was so complicated."

"Perhaps you should have paid more attention in my class...why do you think I gave you the bloody thing to study during lecture? Designed for you two specifically...that's how it was to work originally. Harry survives and wounds Draco with the poison tip, you administer the potion just before he crossed over completely...happy ending for all. Deals end and the prophecy continues."

"I know...I dreamt it last night," Zora replied.

"Retaining your dreams again?" Severus asked curiously.

"It's been a week...the powers are coming back a little like everyone else's," Zora smiled.

"Good to hear," Severus returned her happy smile, although once again it did not fit in with the rest of his demeanor. "Another week and he'll be up and you two can start preparing for school again."

"I don't think a week will be enough," Zora smiled as her heart began to pound and she averted her eyes to the tiled floor of the small hospital room.

"He was closer to the edge than we thought?" Severus asked as he looked at Draco's face.

"No...no less than me," Zora replied slowly and carefully.

"But you...you were..." Severus stammered. Zora slowly nodded her head and rose her eyes to meet Severus'.

"I had to tell you," she replied with a nervous smile, "like you said, I was supposed to bring him back...I did."

"He was never supposed to cross when you gave it to him! You knew the consequences with your own experience and still you gave it to him?" Severus asked, a hint of anger lingering deep in his voice.

"I had to! He was lying there in my arms and he told me he was going to die and then he closed his eyes. I felt like I was going to die with him...I had to do something. I know what you meant when you said I'd understand one day. I had the power to bring him back...so I did. And I know he'll hate me when he wakes up, but maybe that's for the better."

"It was six wasn't it?" Severus asked as he scratched his greasy hair.

"Yeah, I think so," Zora replied.

"Well, that explains a few things...why you three didn't die. If none of you crossed, you all would at six. He made a sacrifice...and oh boy he's going to be angry when he finds out he's still alive. You do know that when he wakes...he won't be the same? The spell will have broken and he truly will have hate for you, honest hate," Severus replied.

"I know...can't wait," Zora chuckled slightly.