Put Your Curse In Reverse [Part 2]

Chapter 5 - Kaleidoscope

"What happened?! What's wrong? Where's James? Where's Lily? They weren't in their dorms. Why is there blood on your face, Aunt Ginny?"

She looked uncharacteristically young in her worry. She was wringing her hands. Her usual confident flame was dimmed to a flicker. Her hair was wrapped in a silk covering and her dressing gown was hastily tied. The entire school must've heard rumors by now. How did word spread so quickly?

"Al was attacked by Halloran Carrow," he said. She deserved to know. Albus's family deserved to know. "He's at St. Mungo's."

"What? Carrow in my year? Is Al okay, what happened, can I go with you?"

"No, I need you to stay. Let Louis, Hugo, and Rose know. Lily and James are with Gran."

"But—"

"We'll send for you and your cousins once he's...when he's..." Ginny broke off, her voice thick and wavering. Roxanne was horrified.

"Aunt Ginny? How bad is it?"

Harry found the strength to reach over and wrap an arm around Ginny.

"We'll send for you as soon as we can. Stay together," he told Roxanne.

He and Ginny stepped into the Floo. Harry's voice was shaking so much that he doubted they'd end up where they were meant to.

They didn't. They tumbled out into some poor elderly wizard's kitchen. He jumped, spilled half his mug of warm milk down his front, and had just barely begun stuttering 'H-Harry Potter?!' when Ginny apologized and Harry tried again. Finally, they spun into St. Mungo's. It was exceptionally busy for the late hour. Ginny stumbled over to the reception desk without even bothering for her dizziness to pass.

"Our son, Albus Potter, he—"

The receptionist immediately stood. She rounded around the desk and wrapped an arm around Ginny's shoulders.

"This way, Mrs. and Mr. Potter," she said, guiding Ginny towards the lifts. Harry briefly registered the fact that they were being personally escorted, but the reasons for such were too terrifying to consider. He trailed after them, his heart pounding and his nausea peaking once more. She brought them to the fourth floor. She walked them past the rooms dedicated to normal spell damage to a dark set of double-doors, leading to an area exclusively for Dark Magic. She pushed them open. There were five beds. The only one occupied was the one their son was in. His skin was unusually white and there were four healers grouped around him, including—

"Uncle Harry!" Victoire spun around, tears sparkling in her clear blue eyes, and flung herself into Harry's arms. He was too shocked to hug back. Ginny lifted his arms for him and wrapped them around their niece; he quickly tightened his hold.

"Victoire, is he okay?"

"We're doing all we can. He's lost so much blood. He was bleeding everywhere. We don't—we don't know what to do," Victoire admitted. Her voice tore near the end. Harry saw Ginny stumble from the corner of his eye, and when he glanced over, a young man with hair the color of freshly-dug earth caught her. Teddy hugged her fiercely, his eyes turning from Albus-green to Ginny-brown, his face ashen no matter which skin tone he shifted to.

"Weasley," another healer called quickly. Victoire stepped back from Harry, wiped at her eyes, and returned to the bed. She began siphoning blood with her wand like Pomfrey had been doing. Another healer was steadily administering what Harry recognized as Blood Replenishing potion. Another was waving their wand in a series of dizzying circles over Albus, murmuring words that made a multi-colored glow envelop him. The fourth was overseeing it all, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. She caught Harry's eye. She looked away.