Ron and Ginny were in the process of being released by Madam Pomfrey when Harry and Charlie returned to the ward. Hermione was moved to the bed previously occupied by Ginny, which enabled the youngest Weasleys to sit between to the beds and wait patiently for the two girls to wake. Much to Madam Pomfrey’s concern, Hermione didn’t wake once that day, although she did twitch around dinnertime.
As promised, Healer Adelaide returned to Hogwarts later on in the evening, while Ron and Ginny were at dinner. The three males waiting for her were again ushered away from the bed while the healer re-examined Ellie. After twenty minutes she emerged from behind the screens that were hiding the young professor from view.
“No change at all. Both her heartbeat and her breathing are unsteady; in fact her breathing is far too shallow. I’m very, very sorry, but I don’t see any signs that she’ll recover,” she told them sorrowfully. Charlie leant forward and buried his head in his hands mournfully; he looked as though his world had ended. Remus was unconsciously holding his breath and Harry felt the tears forcing their way out of his eyes. She was going to die. He had lost another family member.
“Thank you for everything you’ve done; I know you have tried your very best,” Remus again shook the healer’s hand.
“I haven’t entirely given up yet. I’ll have Poppy keep giving her the potion to keep her heart rate up just to make sure, but it really doesn’t look very good. The best I can do is delay things a little. You might want to get the rest of her family in to say goodbye, for when the worst happens,” she suggested kindly.
“I’ll do that,” Remus nodded solemnly. Without any warning Charlie jumped out of his seat and disappeared from the hospital wing.
“Death can be very hard on older brothers,” Healer Adelaide said as she watched Charlie’s retreating figure.
“Charlie isn’t her brother,” Remus added in a confused manner.
“Isn’t he? I just assumed that because of the hair colour he was one of her family,”
“I’m her family,” Harry told her dejectedly. He pressed his fingertips into his closed eyelids in a desperate attempt to force his tears away but it didn’t work; they slipped out on to his cheeks but he was able to wipe them away before anyone could see.
“Charlie is her fiancée,” Remus informed her.
“The poor thing! To lose your wife before you’ve even had her is such a terrible tragedy. But then again it’s always a tragedy when it’s someone so young. That’s the only part of this job that ever really affects me.” She smiled mournfully at Remus before departing.
“I can’t believe she’s going to die.” Harry approached Ellie’s bed once more.
“She could pull through,” Remus said, in a voice that was more hopeful than his eyes. He couldn’t bear to be that close to her just yet so he didn’t move from his place on the other side of the room.
“But it doesn’t look likely. When are you going to accept that she’s gone?” Harry scolded. Remus’s constant denial of Ellie’s condition was beginning to irk him a little bit.
“She’ll live, Harry, just you wait and see. The Potters are notorious for doing the unexpected and impossible.” Remus tried to smile at him warmly but failed because the smile was small, filled with sadness and didn’t extend to his eyes.
“Why did she do it? Why didn’t she just stay where she was?” Harry threw himself into the nearest chair and laid his head down on her bed sheets. The coolness of the cotton was refreshing against his warm and anguished skin.
“Have you ever heard of Aristotle?” Remus asked him as he took a few steps closer. Seeing his charge in such distress drove him from his own sadness and towards the need to comfort the young man.
“I don’t think so.”
“He was a philosopher, scientist and physician in Ancient Greece. Ellie is rather fond of his work much like her mother was. Jane always had her nose in a book and would be reading about someone’s take on the world. Anyway, when we started up the Order, we held a toast and Jane quoted Aristotle; ‘The wise man does not expose himself needlessly to danger, since there are few things for which he cares sufficiently; but he is wiling, in great crises, to give even his life “ knowing that under certain conditions it is not worthwhile to live.’ Jane certainly believed it and Ellie does as well. From her point of view, it would not be worthwhile to live in a world without you and so she was wiling to sacrifice herself.”
“I’ll never get to know her properly now.” Harry couldn’t bear to look at Remus’s sympathetic face. He knew that this was his fault and he didn’t want to be told otherwise. He absent-mindedly fiddled with a small crinkle in the sheet that lay across his cousin.
“What makes you think that you don’t already?” Remus asked as he finally made his way into the chair that was on the other side of the bed.
“Well, I don’t really know anything about her really…”
“All you need to know is that she loved you and that you loved her, there is nothing else matters.” Precious little made Remus prouder than relaying the wisdoms that his precious goddaughter had imparted to him. It was hard to distinguish who had taught who more during the course of their relationship. As her godfather it had been Remus’s responsibility to teach her about the important things in life, but somehow he couldn’t help the feeling that she had helped him more than he had helped her.
“I didn’t know enough about her to love her.” Harry had known her for less than a year and been aware of her status as his cousin for less than half of that. How could he possibly have come to love her in that short space of time?
“You must have, otherwise she couldn’t have done what she did. Sacrifice only requires two things, Harry: strength and courage. Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage “ Lao Tzu, another of Ellie’s favourites.” He smiled at his goddaughter with sadness that went beyond all words.
“But she loved Charlie and he loved her. Maybe that’s what gave her those things.”
“There is not a single doubt in my mind that she loves Charlie and that he loves her; but she didn’t jump in front of Charlie. I daresay that she would but all the same she didn’t. She stood in front of you; she sacrificed herself for you because she loves you,” Remus said emphatically.
“I don’t know why. All I ever do is get people killed,” Harry grumbled.
“You do not. You have a certain ability, Harry. I’m not really sure what it is, but it endears you to people. They can’t spend time with you and not love you, and with love comes a duty, a duty to ensure that you live. Have you heard the phrase ‘If you love someone, let them go’?”
“Yeah,” Harry tried to hide his confusion.
“Well sacrifice works along the same lines; if you love someone deeply enough then you would die for them. Not because you want to die but because you want them to live, that is why Ellie took the blow for you and it’s why Sirius went to the Department of Mysteries. The best way to repay them for that is to go on living and to be happy. That is all that has ever mattered to them and to your parents.”
“What if she does…die?” he struggled to say the words.
“Then we can rest assured that she will be happy. Her mother and father have been waiting to meet her again and see how wonderfully their little girl turned out. Your dad will hold a party in her honour and thank her graciously for saving his son. Lily will be positively beside herself and Sirius will be begging your mum and Ellie to start a ‘We saved Harry Potter’ club,” Remus laughed emptily at his own vision while even Harry allowed himself a smile. “But she’s not going to die, not here and not now. She is going to die an old woman at home in her bed, most probably surrounded by legions of red-haired grandchildren. Isn’t that right, Ellie?” He leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. “I’m going to go and see Molly; she wanted to know how everything was going. I won’t be gone more than twenty minutes.” Harry waved him off and settled back into his seat to wait for Ron and Ginny.
They returned only five minutes before Remus, who was red-eyed. “Molly is distraught; Arthur is trying to comfort her.” He gave his eyes a cautious rub and sat down next to Ron.
“Why is she so upset?” Ron asked. Remus looked at Harry questioningly but the young wizard just shook his head; he hadn’t been able to find the words to tell his friends that Ellie wasn’t going to live.
“The healer from St. Mungo’s came back earlier,” Remus told the two red-haired teenagers. “She doesn’t think it’s likely that Ellie will recover.” Ron gulped and looked down at Ellie’s pale face. Ginny held her breath for a moment before the sobs overcame her. She buried her face in Harry’s shoulder and for the second time in less than six months her tears were so heavy that they soon soaked through his robes. They sat in silence for hours until the light padding of feet disturbed the uneasy air. Harry’s eyes shifted from his cousin to the hospital doorway where Professor Dumbledore now stood with a look of great misery adorning his features.
“Good evening, everyone. Mr. and Ms. Weasley, you look thoroughly tired. Might I suggest that you go up to your dormitory and get a proper night’s rest? I am aware that sleeping in a hospital bed can be extremely difficult.” Ron and Ginny politely obeyed, said goodbye, and left for bed. “Remus, I have asked Mr. Filch to make up the spare bedroom in my quarters for you, should you wish to get some rest as well,” Dumbledore added to the other man.
“Thank you, Professor, but although Ellie is of age now she is still my goddaughter and I am Harry’s guardian so anything that you would like to say shall be said in my presence.” The sting in Remus’s voice took Harry by surprise. He was surveying the headmaster with a very hard look that rather confused Harry.
“I understand. Harry, last year when you asked me to tell you the truth I was not entirely honest with you for reasons that I assume are obvious to you now,” Dumbledore waved his hand over Ellie. “But now the time is right to tell you more…”
A/N: Do you hate me and my evil cliff-hangers yet? No. Oh well I’ve still got a couple of chapters up my sleeve so I’ve got time to put it right!
Thank you again to the marvellous Magical Maeve and the awesome Ashley!
Next up is…The Second Prohpecy.