Headstrong

Chapter 57

Harry was saved by Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape.

Moody had his wand pointed in Harry's face, ready to kill him, when there was a flash of light and the door of Moody's office was blasted apart. In stepped his teachers. McGonagall went straight to Harry.

"Come along, Potter." She whispered. "Come along, I'll take you to the Hospital Wing. You can stay with your sister."

"No." Dumbledore said sharply.

"Dumbledore, he ought to - look at him - he's been through enough tonight-"

"He will stay, Minerva, because he needs to understand. Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery. He needs to know who has put him through the ordeal he has suffered tonight, and why."

"Moody," Harry said in a state of disbelief, "How can it have been Moody?"

"This is not Alastor Moody." Dumbledore said quietly. "You have never known Alastor Moody. Amanda realized, and she told Remus when she came back from the Maze with you. We rushed right over."

"Amanda." Harry said, his mouth suddenly dry. "Is she ok? Will she be ok?"

Now all three teachers looked grave. "Amanda is in the Hospital Wing, Harry. She is severely injured." McGonagall said quietly. "She is in critical condition...and I'm sad to say that she may not make it."

Tears sprung to Harry's eyes. "Let's get this over with." He said quickly. "So then I can go to the Hospital Wing and sit with her. I want to be with her if she dies."

A little later, as Crouch finished his story, Harry spoke up. "What did you do to my sister?"

The man sneered. "Your sister meddled with my business. She came barging into my office, upset that I was teaching your year about the Unforgivable Curses. She saw me, when I had not taken my Polyjuice Potion. We dueled, and she won, knocking me temporarily unconscious. She immediately opened my trunk and discovered the real Alastor Moody. He must have sent her to you. As I came out from unconsciousness, I found her trying to figure out the lock I had placed on my door. I erased her memory. Later, when I killed my father, she saw me again, and once again we dueled, but this time I won, and erased her memory again."

He sneered again as he fell unconscious.

Dumbledore then took Harry to his office, where Sirius was. Harry then had to recount his story.

At the end, Harry said, "Professor Dumbledore, I have finished. Now can I please see my sister, if she really is on the verge of death?"

Sirius sent a sharp glance back to Dumbledore. "Amanda's dying?"

Dumbledore nodded slowly. "I'm afraid so."

The three hurried to the Hospital Wing. As they stepped inside, Mrs Weasley let out a muffled shriek and started to walk over to wrap Harry in a hug, but Dumbledore told them to give him a bit of space.

Harry slowly stepped forward as he saw Amanda on one of the beds. The Hospital Wing had been sectioned off for now, and Harry was glad it was only him and close friends who could see Amanda like this.

Harry knew that if Amanda hadn't jumped in front of that Curse then he would be the one laying there now.

It seemed that Healers had learnt a little from Muggle doctors, as Amanda was hooked up to a few machines. One gave her oxygen and another monitored her heartbeat, as then Madam Pomfrey could bustle around Amanda, putting healing potions on her wound and scraping away dry excess.

Amanda was on her stomach, wound to the air and her head was cushioned comfortably. Harry watched her heartbeat on the screen, glad for the comfort that she was alive.