The woman in the mirror (Harry Potter fanfic)

Chapter 2.10 (The living statue)

Artemis stared deep into his emerald-green eyes. The same eyes...her eyes. "Do you know what spell gave you that scar, Harry? Do you know what really happened that night other than that your mother protected you and you survived?"

He shook his head, seemingly eager to know more. He sat up a little straighter in the bed. "I'm surprised they didn't tell you. It's not exactly a big secret. Avada Kedavra is probably the worst curse you could cast. Only wizards full of hatred will be able to perform it properly. You see Avada Kedavra is also called the Killing Curse. A bit of green light and you're dead before your body hits the ground. It leaves absolutely no trace." She paused, wetting the towel again.

"No one has ever survived it...not one...except you..." Artemis whispered. Harry gasped, his good arm immediately shooting towards his scar. "That's why you're so famous, Harry. What you did...it's considered to be impossible. Even Dumbledore himself doesn't know exactly how you survived."

A silence fell as Harry considered all of this, letting it sink in. "What has this got to do with your dreams?"

"You asked me if what I saw in the dream was a memory. It can't have been. Because in the dream, the green light hits me and my body freezes. I die in the dream, Harry. That's why it confuses me so much." She dabbed his forehead once again, softly stroking his scar with the cold water.

Harry took her hand in his and squeezed. "You'll figure it out eventually, Ara. You're one of the smartest persons I know. Someday, you'll go to sleep and find that the mystery is solved."

"Thanks, Harry." She grinned but doubted that he would be able to see it. Suddenly her head shot up. "Did you hear something?" Harry remained quiet as he strained his ears. There were footsteps coming down the passageway outside.

"Hide!" Harry whispered anxiously. He pointed at the space under his bed and she quickly slid under it. Harry rolled over, pretending to be asleep.

Dumbledore, himself, was backing into the room, wearing a long woolly dressing gown and a nightcap. He was carrying one end of what looked like a statue. Professor McGonagall appeared a second later, carrying its feet. Together, they heaved it onto a bed.

"Get Madam Pomfrey." Dumbledore whispered to Professor McGonagall and she hurried past the end of Harry's bed and out of sight.

They heard urgent voices and then Professor McGonagall swept back into view, closely followed by Madam Pomfrey, who was pulling a cardigan on over her nightdress. Artemis heard a sharp intake of breath.

"What happened?" Madam Pomfrey whispered to Dumbledore, bending over the statue on the bed.

"Another attack," said Dumbledore "Minerva found him on the stairs."

"There was a bunch of grapes next to him." Said Professor McGonagall. "We think he was trying to sneak up here to visit Potter."

Artemis crawled closer to the edge of the bed so she could look at the statue on the bed. A ray of moonlight lay across its staring face.

It was Colin Creevey.

His eyes were wide and his hands were stuck up in front of him, holding his camera. "Petrified?" Whispered Madame Pomfrey

"Yes," answered Professor McGonagall. "But I shudder to think...If Albus hadn't been on the way downstairs for hot chocolate...who knows what might have..." The three of them stared down at Colin. Then Dumbledore leaned forwards and wrenched the camera out of Colin's rigid grip.

"You don't think he managed to get a picture of his attacker?" Asked Professor McGonagall eagerly. Dumbledore didn't answer. He opened the back of the camera.