Harry Potter and the Scar of Fate

Chapter 5

Postern of Fate

When Harry opened his eyes, he was still lying on the ground. Hermione was bending over him. He realised that she had Enervated him. He looked around and saw Ginny lying dead, and Fred, George and Ron crying together and no sign of Draco.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Oh, Harry...Fred and George...and Ron...they killed Ginny...and you - you turned into the most fearful hound I've ever seen...Harry...oh Harry, you were the hound of Death!"

"What's that?"

"It is a kind of dog that appears just before Death arrives...it is the Grim...the real thing, not the phoney that Trelawney used to tell us about...you were terrible, Harry..." she whispered and put a finger on his forehead. He saw his image. An image of a huge black dog with flaming red eyes and an eerie green glow around the body. He shivered suddenly.

"Where's Draco?"

"He's gone to fetch help."

Harry stood up and went over to the brothers.

"Don't worry," he said quietly, "we'll tell them that I killed her."

"No, Harry. You've done enough for us as it is," said George.

"We don't want to put you in any more trouble," said Fred.

"She deserved it," said Ron, "maybe we did wrong, but my conscience is clean."

"You all don't understand," said Harry, "if you say you did it, you'll end up in Azkaban. If I say I did it, they won't do anything to me, except, maybe, expelling me. We'll tell them that she was about to kill Ron, and I lost my temper, which won't be untrue, anyway."

No one could disobey Harry when he commanded like that, not even his most outrageous demands. They nodded silently. Then they saw Draco approaching with Dumbledore, who looked very sombre.

Draco had told him everything as it happened. Dumbledore agreed with Harry, though. He said it would be far better if the twins were totally out of the picture. So the twins went away, saluting Harry.

Aurors soon arrived. Harry's version was related to them. One of them went to fetch Fudge. Fudge's eyes nearly popped out of his face on hearing everything.

"You've done a good thing to finish off a Death Eater, my boy," Fudge said, shaking his head, "now go back to school."

Harry noticed that Mr. Weasley had accompanied Fudge, and was looking very white. He shot Harry a glare full of hatred, just as they portkeyed back to Hogwarts.

The next morning, Harry received a horrible letter from Mrs. Weasley. He read it and went pale. It fell in the fire, which had suddenly sprung out of his plate. Ron had also received a letter from his mother. He, too, paled as he read it, and then rushed out of the Hall. Harry didn't even notice. Hermione looked at Ron's disappearing robes and Harry's pale face. Then she went off after Ron, sending Draco a glance and a nod in Harry's direction. Draco understood what she meant, but Kathy wouldn't let him go. It was only after Kathy left for class that Draco was able to go to Harry. His plate was still burning. The other Gryffindors were looking at him in awe. Several had asked him what was wrong, but he seemed to be lost in a reverie. Then the fire began to spread. In a few seconds, the Great Hall was ablaze. Dumbledore put out the fire immediately, and then approached Harry.

"Come to my office immediately, Harry, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," came the listless reply.

Draco had to drag Harry to Dumbledore's office. They sat there in silence for half an hour. Then Ron and Hermione arrived.

"I'm sorry, Harry, from my mother's side," whispered Ron, his voice hoarse. Harry turned a blank face towards him, not understanding anything. Ron's face was tear-streaked, so was Hermione's.

For an hour, they tried to bring Harry out of his shocked state, but in vain. Then suddenly, the door flew open and Mrs. Weasley rushed in, followed by her husband and the twins.

Molly Weasley ran straight to Harry.

"I'm so sorry, my child...Fred and George told me everything...you must never think that I really meant any of those terrible things I wrote to you...please forgive me, Harry...you've been a better son to me than my sons..." she cried, tears pouring down her face.

Harry's face was as blank as ever.

"Oh, Merlin! What have I done?" cried Mrs. Weasley. She caught Harry by the shoulders and shook him roughly.

"Listen to me, Harry. I didn't mean any of it. None of it. It was all false. All of it. I love you as one of my own sons. And I'm very sorry that I ever doubted you, my child. I beg your forgiveness, Harry."

This seemed to bring Harry back to his senses. A single tear rolled down his cheek. All was forgiven in a moment.