Rory glances out of the window of the corridor she was in. There hanging in the sky above the school was the blazing green skull with a serpent tongue, the mark Death Eaters left behind whenever they had entered a building, wherever they had murdered.
"Look what we have here" She hears someone say as she spins around to see him stood directly behind her. A big, rangy man with matted grey hair and whiskers, his voice a rasping bark. The strong smell of dirt, sweat, and blood coming from him. His filthy hands had long yellowish nails. his sharp teeth bared in a grin. He grabs her wand and throws it before she even has a chance to cast a spell. "Oh dear looks like someone already beat me to it" He looks down at the scar on her neck as she takes a step back. She hears footsteps running toward them.
"Get away from her" Remus shouts running towards Rory with Bill.
"What do we have here. If it isn't Remus Lupin"
"Get away from her Greyback" Greyback smirks at Remus grabbing Rory before speaking.
"She means something to you doesn't she. Is this your goddaughter Lupin, Aurora Potter. I mean we were told not to hurt her but what he doesn't know. Your love for her is what's going to kill her, how do you feel"
"Don't hurt her. This is between me and you not her. Let her go" Remus pleads.
"Oh begging, not going to work I'm afraid, not when there are throats to be ripped out. Delicious, delicious" he sinks his teeth into Rory's neck and digs his claw like nails into her sides as she screams out in pain. Bill manages to pull him off of her whilst Remus catches her, slowly lowering her to the floor and placing a hand on her neck to stop the bleeding. She looks over at Bill and sees Greyback attack him as Bill falls to the ground his face covered in blood. She uses the last bit of her strength to throw Greyback off of Bill before she starts to lose consciousness. She sees someone running to Bill as she closes her eyes feeling tired.
"Rory stay awake. Rory come on baby I need you to keep your eyes open for me" She hears Remus begging her as he picks her up and starts to run to the hospital wing "Rory keep your eyes open. Concentrate on me"
"Moony" She says barely a whisper "I'm so tired"
"No No No Rory come on please stay awake. You're going to be fine" he runs through a door placing her down and placing his hand back on her neck.
"Poppy" She hears Tonks voice shout as Rory looks up at Remus, struggling to stay awake.
"Come on wolf stay with me" Remus begs.
"I'm sorry Moony" She whispers as she finally gives in to the tiredness.
"Aurora" is the last thing she hears before everything goes black.
"We're going to the hospital wing," Ginny said grabbing Harry.
"I'm not hurt," Harry told her.
"It's McGonagall's orders. Everyone's up there, Ron and Hermione and Lupin and everyone" Fear stirred in Harry's chest again.
"Ginny, who else is dead?"
"Don't worry, none of us."
"But the Dark Mark Malfoy said he stepped over a body"
"He stepped over Bill, but it's all right, he's alive." There was something in her voice, however, that Harry knew boded ill.
"Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure he's a bit of a mess, that's all. Greyback attacked him. Madam Pomfrey says he won't won't look the same anymore" Ginny's voice trembled a little. "We don't really know what the aftereffects will be I mean, Greyback being a werewolf, but not transformed at the time. But he wasn't the only one attacked by Greyback Harry, he got attacked after he pulled Greyback off of Rory"
"What" Harry takes off running to the hospital wing with Ginny behind him. Pushing open the doors, Harry saw Neville lying, apparently asleep, in a bed near the door. Ron, Hermione, Luna, Tonks, and Lupin were gathered around another 2 beds near the far end of the ward. At the sound of the doors opening, they all looked up. Hermione ran to Harry and hugged him; Lupin moved forward too, looking anxious.
"Are you all right, Harry?"
"I'm fine. Hows Rory and Bill?" Nobody answered. Harry looked over Hermione's shoulder and saw an unrecognizable face lying on Bill's pillow, so badly slashed and ripped that he looked grotesque. Madam Pomfrey was dabbing at his wounds with some harsh-smelling green ointment. His eyes then went to the bed beside him where he could see his sister unmoving, her neck already covered in the green ointment. Harry remembered how Snape had mended Malfoy's Sectumsempra wounds so easily with his wand.
"Can't you fix them with a charm or something?" he asked the matron.
"No charm will work on these," Madam Pomfrey said. "I've tried everything I know, but there is no cure for werewolf bites."
"But they weren't bitten at the full moon," Ron said, he was gazing down into his brother's face as though he could somehow force him to mend just by staring. "Greyback hadn't transformed, so surely Bill and Rory won't be a a real?" He looked uncertainly at Lupin.
"No, I don't think that they will be a true werewolf," Lupin said, "but that does not mean that there won't be some contamination. Those are cursed wounds. They are unlikely ever to heal fully, and and they might have some wolfish characteristics from now on."
"Does Charlie know" Harry asked looking at his sister as he walked over to her side.
"We've sent him a message" Tonks answered from beside Harry.
"Dumbledore might know something that'd work, though," Ron said. "Where is he? Bill fought those maniacs on Dumbledore's orders, Dumbledore owes him, he can't leave him in this state"
"Ron Dumbledore's dead," Ginny said.
"No!" Lupin looked wildly from Ginny to Harry, as though hoping the latter might contradict her, but when Harry did not, Lupin collapsed into a chair between Aurora and Bill's bed, his hands over his face. Harry had never seen Lupin lose control before; he felt as though he was intruding upon something private, indecent. He turned away and caught Ron's eye instead, exchanging in silence a look that confirmed what Ginny had said.
"How did he die?" whispered Tonks. "How did it happen?"
"Snape killed him," Harry told them. "I was there, I saw it. We arrived back on the Astronomy Tower because that's where the Mark was. Dumbledore was ill, he was weak, but I think he realized it was a trap when we heard footsteps running up the stairs. He immobilized me, I couldn't do anything, I was under the Invisibility Cloak and then Malfoy came through the door and disarmed him" Hermione clapped her hands to her mouth and Ron groaned. Luna's mouth trembled. "more Death Eaters arrived and then Snape and Snape did it. The Avada Kedavra." Harry couldn't go on. Madam Pomfrey burst into tears. Nobody paid her any attention except Ginny, who whispered,
"Shh! Listen!" Gulping, Madam Pomfrey pressed her fingers to her mouth, her eyes wide. Somewhere out in the darkness, a phoenix was singing in a way Harry had never heard before: a stricken lament of terrible beauty. And Harry felt, as he had felt about phoenix song before, that the music was inside him, not without: It was his own grief turned magically to song that echoed across the grounds and through the castle windows. How long they all stood there, listening, he did not know, nor why it seemed to ease their pain a little to listen to the sound of their mourning, but it felt like a long time later that the hospital door opened again and Professor McGonagall entered the ward. Like all the rest, she bore marks of the recent battle: There were grazes on her face and her robes were ripped.
"Molly and Arthur are on their way with Charlie," she said, and the spell of the music was broken: Everyone roused themselves as though coming out of trances, turning again to look at Bill and Aurora, or else to rub their own eyes, shake their heads. "Harry, what happened? According to Hagrid you were with Professor Dumbledore when he when it happened. He says Professor Snape was involved in some"
"Snape killed Dumbledore," Harry said. She stared at him for a moment, then swayed alarmingly; Madam Pomfrey, who seemed to have pulled herself together, ran forward, conjuring a chair from thin air, which she pushed under McGonagall.
"Snape," repeated McGonagall faintly, falling into the chair. "We all wondered but he trusted always Snape. I can't believe it"
"Snape was a highly accomplished Occlumens," Lupin said, his voice uncharacteristically harsh as he looked at Aurora beside him. "We always knew that."
"But Dumbledore swore he was on our side!" whispered Tonks. "I always thought Dumbledore must know something about Snape that we didn't."
"He always hinted that he had an ironclad reason for trusting Snape," muttered Professor McGonagall, now dabbing at the corners of her leaking eyes with a tartan-edged handkerchief. "I mean with Snape's history of course people were bound to wonder but Dumbledore told me explicitly that Snape's repentance was absolutely genuine. Wouldn't hear a word against him!"
"I'd love to know what Snape told him to convince him," Tonks said.
"I know," Harry said, and they all turned to look at him. "Snape passed Voldemort the information that made Voldemort hunt down my mum and dad. Then Snape told Dumbledore he hadn't realized what he was doing, he was really sorry he'd done it, sorry that they were dead." They all stared at him.
"And Dumbledore believed that?" Lupin said incredulously. "Dumbledore believed Snape was sorry James was dead? Snape hated James."
"And he didn't think my mother was worth a damn either," Harry said, "because she was Muggle-born 'Mudblood,' he called her." Nobody asked how Harry knew this. All of them seemed to be lost in horrified shock, trying to digest the monstrous truth of what had happened.
"This is all my fault," said Professor McGonagall suddenly. She looked disoriented, twisting her wet handkerchief in her hands. "My fault. I sent Filius to fetch Snape tonight, I actually sent for him to come and help us! If I hadn't alerted Snape to what was going on, he might never have joined forces with the Death Eaters. I don't think he knew they were there before Filius told him, I don't think he knew they were coming."
"It isn't your fault, Minerva," Lupin said firmly. "We all wanted more help, we were glad to think Snape was on his way."
"So when he arrived at the fight, he joined in on the Death Eaters' side?" asked Harry, who wanted every detail of Snape's duplicity and infamy, feverishly collecting more reasons to hate him, to swear vengeance.
"I don't know exactly how it happened," said Professor McGonagall distractedly. "It's all so confusing. Dumbledore had told us that he would be leaving the school for a few hours and that we were to patrol the corridors just in case. Remus, Aurora, Bill, and Nymphadora were to join us and so we patrolled. All seemed quiet. Every secret passageway out of the school was covered. We knew nobody could fly in. There were powerful enchantments on every entrance into the castle. I still don't know how the Death Eaters can possibly have entered."
"I do," Harry said, and he explained, briefly, about the pair of Vanishing Cabinets and the magical pathway they formed. "So they got in through the Room of Requirement." Almost against his will he glanced from Ron to Hermione, both of whom looked devastated.
"I messed up, Harry," Ron said bleakly. "We did like you told us: We checked the Marauder's Map and we couldn't see Malfoy on it, so we thought he must be in the Room of Requirement, so me, Ginny, and Neville went to keep watch on it but Malfoy got past us."
"He came out of the room about an hour after we started keeping watch," Ginny said. "He was on his own, clutching that awful shriveled arm"
"His Hand of Glory," Ron said. "Gives light only to the holder, remember?"
"Anyway," Ginny went on, "he must have been checking whether the coast was clear to let the Death Eaters out, because the moment he saw us he threw something into the air and it all went pitch-black"
"Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder," Ron said bitterly. "Fred and George's. I'm going to be having a word with them about who they let buy their products."
"We tried everything, Lumos, Incendio," Ginny said. "Nothing would penetrate the darkness; all we could do was grope our way out of the corridor again, and meanwhile we could hear people rushing past us. Obviously Malfoy could see because of that hand thing and was guiding them, but we didn't dare use any curses or anything in case we hit each other, and by the time we'd reached a corridor that was light, they'd gone."
"Luckily," said Lupin hoarsely, "Ron, Ginny, and Neville ran into us almost immediately and told us what had happened. We found the Death Eaters minutes later, heading in the direction of the Astronomy Tower. Malfoy obviously hadn't expected more people to be on the watch; he seemed to have exhausted his supply of Darkness Powder, at any rate. A fight broke out, they scattered and we gave chase. One of them, Gibbon, broke away and headed up the tower stairs"
"To set off the Mark?" asked Harry.
"He must have done, yes, they must have arranged that before they left the Room of Requirement," Lupin said. "But I don't think Gibbon liked the idea of waiting up there alone for Dumbledore, because he came running back downstairs to rejoin the fight and was hit by a Killing Curse that just missed me."
"So if Ron was watching the Room of Requirement with Ginny and Neville," Harry said, turning to Hermione, "were you?"
"Outside Snape's office, yes," whispered Hermione, her eyes sparkling with tears, "with Luna. We hung around for ages outside it and nothing happened. We didn't know what was going on upstairs, Ron had taken the map. It was nearly midnight when Professor Flitwick came sprinting down into the dungeons. He was shouting about Death Eaters in the castle, I don't think he really registered that Luna and I were there at all, he just burst his way into Snape's office and we heard him saying that Snape had to go back with him and help and then we heard a loud thump and Snape came hurtling out of his room and he saw us and and"
"What?" Harry urged her.
"I was so stupid, Harry!" Hermione said in a high-pitched whisper. "He said Professor Flitwick had collapsed and that we should go and take care of him while he while he went to help fight the Death Eaters" She covered her face in shame and continued to talk into her fingers, so that her voice was muffled. "We went into his office to see if we could help Professor Flitwick and found him unconscious on the floor and oh, it's so obvious now, Snape must have Stupefied Flitwick, but we didn't realize, Harry, we didn't realize, we just let Snape go!"
"It's not your fault," Lupin said firmly. "Hermione, had you not obeyed Snape and got out of the way, he probably would have killed you and Luna."
"So then he came upstairs," Harry said "and he found the place where you were all fighting"
"We were in trouble, we were losing," Tonks said in a low voice. "Gibbon was down, but the rest of the Death Eaters seemed ready to fight to the death. Neville had been hurt, Bill and Rory had both been savaged by Greyback. It was all dark curses flying everywhere. The Malfoy boy had vanished, he must have slipped past, up the stairs then more of them ran after him, but one of them blocked the stair behind them with some kind of curse. Neville ran at it and got thrown up into the air"
"None of us could break through," Ron said, "and that massive Death Eater was still firing off jinxes all over the place, they were bouncing off the walls and barely missing us"
"And then Snape was there," Tonks said, "and then he wasn't"
"I saw him running toward us, but that huge Death Eater's jinx just missed me right afterward and I ducked and lost track of things," Ginny said.
"I saw him run straight through the cursed barrier as though it wasn't there," Lupin said. "I tried to follow him, but was thrown back just like Neville."
"He must have known a spell we didn't," whispered McGonagall. "After all he was the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. I just assumed that he was in a hurry to chase after the Death Eaters who'd escaped up to the tower"
"He was," Harry said savagely, "but to help them, not to stop them and I'll bet you had to have a Dark Mark to get through that barrier so what happened when he came back down?"
"Well, the big Death Eater had just fired off a hex that caused half the ceiling to fall in, and also broke the curse blocking the stairs," Lupin said. "We all ran forward those of us who were still standing anyway and then Snape and the boy emerged out of the dust obviously, none of us attacked them"
"We just let them pass," Tonks said in a hollow voice. "We thought they were being chased by the Death Eaters and next thing, the other Death Eaters and Greyback were back and we were fighting again I thought I heard Snape shout something, but I don't know what"
"He shouted, 'It's over,' " Harry said. "He'd done what he'd meant to do." They all fell silent. Fawkes's lament was still echoing over the dark grounds outside. As the music reverberated upon the air, unbidden, unwelcome thoughts slunk into Harry's mind. Had they taken Dumbledore's body from the foot of the tower yet? What would happen to it next? Where would it rest? He clenched his fists tightly in his pockets. The doors of the hospital wing burst open, making them all jump: Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were striding up the ward, Charlie and Phoenix just behind them, her beautiful face terrified.
"Molly Arthur" Professor McGonagall said, jumping up and hurrying to greet them. "I am so sorry"
"Bill," whispered Mrs. Weasley, darting past Professor McGonagall as she caught sight of Bill's mangled face. "Oh, Bill !" Lupin and Tonks had got up hastily and retreated so that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley could get nearer to the bed. Mrs. Weasley bent over her son and pressed her lips to his bloody forehead just as her eyes spotted Rory in the bed next to Bill.
"You said Greyback attacked them?" Mr. Weasley asked Professor McGonagall distractedly as he watched Charlie grabbing Aurora's hand as tears fell down his face. "But he hadn't transformed? So what does that mean? What will happen to Bill and Rory?"
"We don't yet know," Professor McGonagall said, looking helplessly at Lupin.
"There will probably be some contamination, Arthur," Lupin said as Charlies eyes refused to leave Rory's face. "It is an odd case, possibly unique. We don't know what their behaviour might be like when they awaken" Mrs. Weasley took the nasty-smelling ointment from Madam Pomfrey and began dabbing at Bill's wounds. Madam Pomfrey moved on to Aurora next, dabbing the ointment on her neck as Charlie kept his eyes anywhere but on the damage done. Once she had done the neck she moved onto the claw marks on Aurora's sides.
"And Dumbledore" Mr. Weasley said. "Minerva, is it true. Is he really?" As Professor McGonagall nodded, Harry felt Ginny move beside him and looked at her.
"Dumbledore gone," whispered Mr. Weasley, but Mrs. Weasley had eyes only for her eldest son; she began to sob, tears falling onto Bill's mutilated face.
"Of course, it doesn't matter how he looks. It's not r-really important but he was a very handsome little b-boy always very handsome and he was g-going to be married!"
"And what do you mean" Phoenix said suddenly and loudly. "What do you mean, he was going to be married?' " Mrs. Weasley raised her tear-stained face, looking startled.
"Well only that"
"You think this changes anything about how I feel about Bill?"
"No, that's not what I"
"Because it doesn't"
"Well, yes, I'm sure," Mrs. Weasley said, "but I thought perhaps given how how he"
"I love Bill for who he is not how he looks and I'll do that" she added taing the ointment from her. Mrs. Weasley fell back against her husband and watched Phoenix mopping up Bill's wounds with a most curious expression upon her face.
"Our Great-Auntie Muriel," Mrs. Weasley said after a long pause, "has a very beautiful tiara goblin-made which I am sure I could persuade her to lend you for the wedding. She is very fond of Bill, you know, and it would look lovely with your hair."
"Thank you," Mrs Weasley wrapped Phoenix in a hug.
"You see!" said a strained voice. Tonks was glaring at Lupin. "She still wants to marry him, even though he's been bitten! She doesn't care!"
"It's different," Lupin said, barely moving his lips and looking suddenly tense. "Look at Rory that's my fault Tonks don't you understand that. Greyback did that to her to get at me because I love her, she's the closest thing I have to a daughter and he was aiming to kill her because of that. If it wasn't for Bill she would be dead"
"But I don't care, I don't care! It's not your fault" Tonks said, seizing the front of Lupin's robes and shaking them. "I've told you a million times" And the meaning of Tonks's Patronus and her mouse-coloured hair, and the reason she had come running to find Dumbledore when she had heard a rumour someone had been attacked by Greyback, all suddenly became clear to Harry; it had not been Sirius that Tonks had fallen in love with after all.
"And I've told you a million times," said Lupin, refusing to meet her eyes, staring at the floor, "that I am too old for you, too poor too dangerous just look at my goddaughter." Remus looks over at Rory, Charlies eye's meeting his.
"Don't blame yourself Remus, she won't" Charlie says looking back down at his wife.
"I've said all along you're taking a ridiculous line on this, Remus," Mrs. Weasley said.
"I am not being ridiculous," said Lupin steadily. "Tonks deserves somebody young and whole."
"But she wants you," Mr. Weasley said, with a small smile as he places a hand on Charlies shoulder. "And after all, Remus, young and whole men do not necessarily remain so." He gestured sadly at Bill.
"This is not the moment to discuss it," Lupin said, avoiding everybody's eyes as he looked around distractedly. "Dumbledore is dead"
"Dumbledore would have been happier than anybody to think that there was a little more love in the world," said Professor McGonagall curtly, just as the hospital doors opened again and Hagrid walked in. The little of his face that was not obscured by hair or beard was soaking and swollen; he was shaking with tears, a vast, spotted handkerchief in his hand.
"I've I've done it, Professor," he choked. "M-moved him. Professor Sprout's got the kids back in bed. Professor Flitwick's lyin' down, but he says he'll be all righ' in a jiffy, an' Professor Slughorn says the Ministry's bin informed."
"Thank you, Hagrid," said Professor McGonagall, standing up at once and turning to look at the group around Rory and Bill's beds.
"I shall have to see the Ministry when they get here. Hagrid, please tell the Heads of Houses Slughorn can represent Slytherin that I want to see them in my office forthwith. I would like you to join us too." As Hagrid nodded, turned, and shuffled out of the room again, she looked down at Harry. "Before I meet them I would like a quick word with you, Harry. If you'll come with me" Harry stood up and took one more look at his sister before murmuring
"See you in a bit" to Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, and followed Professor McGonagall back down the ward. Charlie stood and walked over to Lupin finally releasing Rory's hand.
"I'm so sorry Charlie" Lupin says before Charlie can even open his mouth. Charlie pulls Lupin into a hug.
"Remus it's not your fault. You were a kid when Greyback chose you as a target. It's not your fault that he attacked my wife, your goddaughter. He did that for his own sick pleasure. Did he know who she was when he first grabbed her, before you appeared" Lupin shakes his head "Exactly, he was going to hurt her either way and I'm glad you was there to save her after he did it with Bill"
"She saved Bill" Lupin says.
"What" Mrs Weasley turns shocked to look at Lupin.
"The last bit of strength she had she used to throw him off Bill" Charlie walks back over to his wife, taking a seat beside her again as he takes her hand, Mrs Weasley takes a seat beside him.
"Why is this the luck we have mum" Charlie says quietly as Mrs Weasley pulls him to her, both of them have tears falling down their faces along with most of the other people surrounding the two beds.
Bill and Rory remained under Madam Pomfrey's care. There scars were as bad as ever. In truth, Bill now bore a distinct resemblance to Mad-Eye Moody, though thankfully with both eyes and legs but in personality he seemed just the same as ever. All that appeared to have changed was that he now had a great liking for very rare steaks. Rory still hadn't woken up from the attack Charlie refusing to leave her side the whole time.