The Buddy System. *Updating In Process*

45. Criminals in Hero's Cloaks

"Oh—em..." The words caught awkwardly in my throat as I searched for somewhere to put my hands. "I had to go to St Mungo's—"

Heat crept up my neck as I spoke, my cheeks burning despite myself.

Before I could say anything more, Dean stepped in gently, his voice low but clear.

"She was badly injured," he said.

The room shifted.

There was an audible intake of breath from somewhere behind me, chairs creaking as people leaned forward. Kingsley's expression changed instantly — the warmth in his eyes sharpening into something far more serious.

I felt Draco turn toward me, his movement sudden. "You were?" he asked quietly, disbelief threading his voice.

I shrugged, forcing nonchalance where it didn't belong. "Yeah. But it wasn't anything serious," I said quickly. "The Healers fixed me up almost straight away."

That wasn't entirely true — and everyone in the room seemed to know it.

I stared at the floor, jaw tightening. It wasn't a memory I liked to revisit. Not ever. Not the pain. Not the fear. Not the feeling of being so close to not waking up at all.

Kingsley stared at me for a long moment, something raw flickering across his face.

"I was afraid..." he began, then stopped, as if choosing his words carefully. His voice softened.
"I was afraid you had been killed."

The room went very still.

"I searched for you after the battle," he continued. "Asked about you. When no one could tell me where you were... I feared the worst."

Before I could react, he stepped forward, his hands firm but gentle as he lifted me to my feet. I barely had time to gasp before he pulled me into a tight embrace — strong, protective, filled with something dangerously close to grief.

"I was so worried," he murmured.

When he released me, he didn't let go entirely. Instead, he turned me carefully so I was facing everyone in the room.

"This young lady," he said, his voice carrying now, steady and sure, "is the primary reason I am standing here today."

Every eye snapped to me.

"During the battle," Kingsley continued, "a Death Eater approached me from behind and cast a Killing Curse. I never saw it coming."

My stomach twisted.

"She did," he said.

My breath caught.

"She deflected the curse," he said simply. "Saved my life."

A murmur rippled through the room — disbelief, awe, horror — all tangled together.

"She shielded me," Kingsley went on, "and then extended that protection to others. She tried to save Remus as well."

My throat tightened painfully.

"But he ran from beneath her protection," Kingsley said quietly, "to find Nymphadora."

Silence fell like a weight.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, the words breaking free before I could stop them. I bit my lip hard, eyes dropping to the floor. "I really tried."

The image flashed unbidden — the flash of movement, the desperate choice, the moment it was already too late.

"I couldn't save him."