Dumbledore arrived in the Hospital Wing to find it empty. He stuffed the Portkey into the pocket of his robes, removed his wand, and levitated the still-unconscious Harry gently into a bed. The headmaster then rushed to find Madame Pomfrey. When the pair arrived back at Harry’s bedside, the matron immediately went to work examining the boy as Dumbledore looked on.
“How long was he held under the curse?” Madame Pomfrey asked without looking up.
“I’m not sure. Most likely between five and ten minutes,” the professor answered quietly.
“Five!” she breathed. “He’s lucky to be alive after that…” she murmured before taking various potions from a nearby cabinet and tipping each one down Harry’s throat. At that moment, Remus Lupin entered the Hospital Wing with Ron and Hermione floating on stretchers, Neville and Luna supporting a limping Ginny, and Mad-Eye Moody helping Kingsley Shacklebolt.
“Goodness, what happened to you all?” Madame Pomfrey practically screeched.
“Just a little of your time, Poppy,” Lupin said shortly. Harry was hidden from view, keeping the party unaware of his presence. “Dumbledore,” he continued after helping to shift Ron into a bed, “what happened to Harry? Did you find him?”
“He is, I am afraid, already here,” Dumbledore replied, stepping aside to give the others a better look.
Lupin suppressed a gasp with great difficulty. The figure lying in the bed was hardly the boy he had seen less than an hour earlier. Harry lay perfectly still, pale as a ghost, and his breathing uneven and shallow. His eyes looked sunken in and his face gaunt, as if he had lost a lot of weight in the last few hours.
“What happened?” Lupin whispered, unable to take his eyes off of his best friend’s son.
“He had been placed under the Cruciatus curse by the time I found him. For how long, I do not know,” the headmaster said as calmly as possible.
“No!” Neville gasped, Madame Pomfrey having fixed his nose. “Professor,” he stammered, “he… he won’t be like… like my…”
“I’m afraid,” the old wizard interrupted gently, “we are not entirely sure. I do not believe Mr. Potter was under the curse long enough to sustain the kind of damage that your parents suffered.” Neville let out a breath that he did not even know he had been holding. “However, I’m sure there will be a few after-effects of the curse after he awakes.” He turned to look at Lupin, who had not spoken since seeing Harry. “Remus?”
Distantly, Remus heard his name being called. However, he paid it no mind; his full attention was on Harry.
He started to remember things that he hadn’t thought about in what seemed like ages. He remembered seeing Harry for the first time since the boy had been a baby. His first thought had been just how much Harry resembled James and how he had Lily’s eyes. While the thirteen-year-old wizard had been burdened already, he had handled it amazingly well. Harry had still been able to talk, laugh, and enjoy being with his friends after all that he had gone through.
Then, Remus had had to leave him again. He would never forget the look on Harry’s face when he had told the boy that he was resigning. Harry had been so hurt, so upset. But Remus had assured him that they would meet again; a promise that he had been only too eager to keep.
He remembered getting the Daily Prophet one morning and seeing that Harry had been chosen to compete in the Triwizard Tournament. He had been scared for his friend’s son and kept a close watch on any articles about the tasks. And then Sirius had shown up on his front step, saying that Harry had been kidnapped, Cedric Diggory murdered, and Voldemort returned to his body. Sirius had related the whole story to Remus, and the werewolf knew that Harry would never be the same after the experience.
He had been right. When the Advance Guard had stood in the hall of number four, Privet Drive as Harry descended the stairs, he could see it in Harry’s eyes. They were somehow dimmer; haunted. He felt truly sorry for the boy.
But he realized for the first time, that night when Harry had almost gone through the veil after Sirius, just how much he really cared for Harry. He had come to know the boy better and felt as if he was his, Remus’s, own son in some ways. As much as he saw James, Lily, and Sirius in the fifteen-year-old, he also saw some of himself.
Now, to see him in this state, he couldn’t help but be afraid. What if Harry never woke up? What if he had a side effect similar to that of Frank and Alice Longbottom? Only tonight, Remus had lost his other best friend. He knew with unwavering certainty that if he lost Harry too, he would not be able to go on.
“Remus?” Dumbledore’s gentle voice shook the werewolf out of his reverie.
“Yes, Professor?” he replied, barely trusting his voice.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, Professor.”
“I’m sure that he will be fine.”
“I hope you’re right.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few hours later, Ron and Hermione had woken up and Dumbledore had related to them what had happened to their friend. At hearing the news that they would not know Harry’s fate until he woke, Hermione burst into tears and Ron became, if it were possible, even paler. Ginny and Neville refused to speak, but became lost in their own thoughts. Luna was even quiet, not humming her usual tune of “Weasley is Our King.” Kingsley and Mad-Eye had departed to check in on Tonks, who had been sent to St. Mungo’s, after being healed themselves.
Remus stayed by Harry’s bedside, watching the young wizard sleep. Dumbledore had gone to his office, leaving strict instructions for Madame Pomfrey to inform him if Harry awoke. He had suggested that Remus get some rest, but it was in vain. Like all of Harry’s friends, it was as if the werewolf weren’t even in the room.
So, with the exception of a stray cough or sneeze, the Hospital Wing was quiet. That is, until Harry stirred slightly around nightfall. This gave Remus, Madame Pomfrey, and Neville confidence that Harry would not be in a coma because of the blasted curse.
“Maybe he’ll wake up soon,” Hermione observed softly.
“He’ll be fine,” Ron said fiercely. “He has to be…”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next day, Ginny’s ankle stronger and Ron and Hermione on the way to recovery, the five teenagers joined Remus in chairs next to Harry’s bed. They sat in silence for a while and Luna, Ginny, and Neville had dozed off. Ron and Hermione were speaking softly as they, like Remus, continued to watch their best friend. And then, quite suddenly, Harry’s eyes fluttered.
“I think he’s going to wake up,” Hermione whispered anxiously.
The three straightened in their seats and watched as Harry’s eyes slowly opened and he let out a small groan of pain. He sat up slowly as his eyes adjusted to the dim lights of the Hospital Wing.
“Harry, mate?” Ron said quietly. “You alright?”
Harry jumped, looking at the people gathered around him. And then,
“Who are you?”
Cruciatus Cursed by Moony 62442
Chapter Notes: Hello again! Here is chapter two and I hope you enjoy it. As always, none of the recognizable stuff is mine… it’s Jo’s… darn… Anyway, please review and now, on with the story!