Redemption

Chapter Eleven

**

"This is interesting news, Milliardo," Albus replied after a brief pause. "Thank you for confiding in me. You are welcome to stay as long as need be. I'm sure something can be arranged to explain your presence here."

Just then, the door flew open, and Ginny Weasley tore inside, desperately trying to speak through her panting breaths. "Headmaster... Remus...Professor Lupin, he's-he's tried to...to-" The girl broke down in tears, still trying to convey her message through wracking sobs.

Dumbledore drew her into his arms and stroked her hair lightly. "Take your time, Miss Weasley."

Once the sobs had calmed a little, she stepped back and looked up into the headmaster's face.

"Professor Lupin... he tried to commit suicide, sir." Once she finally got the statement out, fresh tears began to flow.

"Milliardo, please take Ms. Weasley to the Hospital Ward, and send Madame Pomfrey to the Defense Against the Dark Arts office at once."

**

Harry and Ginny had arranged a surprise for Remus. They had collected some food from the all too willing house elves in the kitchens and the remaining butterbeers hidden in various places around Gryffindor Tower. Hiding under the invisibility cloak, they were on their way to the Defense Against the Dark Arts office with armfuls of party gear.

Harry had managed to shake off Ron and Hermione. He knew that they would have wanted to be there for Lupin as well, but he and Ginny thought it was important to do this themselves. So here they were at 9:00 at night, sneaking around Hogwarts, unseen and giggling as a packet of chips threatened to fall but was caught in Ginny's mouth.

They finally reached their destination, and Harry took most of the load, apart from a couple of bottles of butterbeer out of Ginny's arms and set it down on the floor. He knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Hoping Lupin wasn't asleep, he knocked again. "Remus? Are you there?"

"Go away," came the muffled reply.

"Remus?" he asked again, swinging the door open. "Oh my god..."

Behind him, Ginny gasped, and there was a loud crash as the bottles she was holding slipped to the floor.

"Ginny, go to Dumbledore, now! He'll know what to do!" Harry cried and rushed forward, taking the blood coated letter opener from Lupin's limp hand.

The professor looked up at him groggily. "Don't do this to me, Harry. I don't want to be the only one left," he cradled his dripping wrist in the untouched hand. "I don't want to be alone..."

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Ginny sprinted as hard as she could towards Dumbledore's office, frantically trying to remember the password, and screaming it out once she did. She raced up the staircase and flung open the door. Doubling over from the effort, she tried to get out the words through heavy panting, but there just wasn't enough air left in her lungs. It felt as though they would explode. "Headmaster... Remus...Professor Lupin, he's-he's tried to...to-" When she could finally talk, it was so hard to bring herself to say the words. Trying to speak it out loud made everything so much more real, and the tears began to flow freely, choking her as she still tried to communicate the horrible sight she and Harry had walked in on.

Dumbledore drew her into his arms and stroked her hair lightly. "Take your time Miss Weasley."

Finally after what seemed an eternity, she was able to stop crying long enough to tell Dumbledore what had happened. "Professor Lupin... he tried to commit suicide, sir." This brought fresh tears, and soon, she found herself being escorted to the hospital wing by the stranger.

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"Please, Remus, tell me what to do... How do I stop the blood?" Harry asked desperately, tears stinging in his eyes. Furiously, he wiped them away. Remus was NOT going to die. But the werewolf just sat there and shook his head, his lips sealed tightly. "Please..." He sank to the floor in front of the only living father figure he had left. "I need you... you can't die... please..." Harry looked around for something, anything that might ebb the flow, keep Remus alive long enough for Madame Pomfrey to heal him.

On Lupin's desk he saw a roll of Molly Moppet's Magical Mess Removal Handy Towels. "A-Accio handy towels," he cried feebly, holding out his wand. The towels wobbled a little but didn't come as he commanded. "Accio Handy Towels!" he screamed. This time they came flying straight at him, and only his seeker's reflexes saved him from being knocked over.

Harry tore several pieces from the roll and wrapped them around Lupin's arm. The professor protested weakly, but he didn't have the energy to do more.

"Good thinking, Harry," Dumbledore said as he entered the room.

"Is he going to be okay?" the boy asked, not taking his eyes off of Remus.

"I am afraid that I do not know. We will do all we can," the headmaster said quietly, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder. He pulled out his wand, aimed it at Lupin, and muttered a spell which caused him to slump to the floor. "He is sleeping, it will be easier to deal with him this way."

Harry rose to his feet and wrapped his arms around himself, backing away a little.

"Oh, Albus! Ginny Weasley was in a right state, and- oh dear. Oh my dear..." Madame Pomfrey rushed forward and conjured a stretcher in mid-air.

Dumbledore turned around, and stood in front of Harry, blocking his view. "Harry, I know this is hard for you, but I want you to go to the hospital wing and stay with Ginny Weasley. Try and get some sleep, but if you find no sanctuary there, then comfort each other as best as you can."

"But, sir-"

The old wizard shook his head. "No. No matter the out come, this is not something I wish for you to see."

"Yes sir," Harry answered dejectedly, unwilling to argue. "Please don't let him die..." he whispered as he back out of the door and ran through the corridors as fast as he could, breaking down halfway and falling upon his knees, sobbing.

That was when he heard the most unexpected voice behind him. "Do get up off of the floor, Mr. Potter. It really is most unbecoming."

Harry ignored the Potions master, and stayed exactly where he was, biting his lip in an effort to stop the tears. "I said-"

Snape grabbed Harry's arm, and then stopped in mid sentence, first surprised at the lack of resistance, and then shocked by the tears flowing freely over the boy's cheeks.

"Let me be," Harry croaked. "If you want to gloat, Remus is in his office. Careful, though. You might not want to get blood on your robes."

Snape froze, then as realization set in, he let Harry's arm drop, running towards the DADA office and growling "Damn fool of a half-breed!"

Leaning against the wall, Harry's eyes drifted closed, and he stood there shaking for a while before continuing towards the Hospital Wing and banishing Snape from his mind.