A/N: I know that I promised to update sooner, but I've been very busy at work and my computer monitor also decided to die when I finally had the time to post the chapter. To make the long story short, I was lucky enough to get five days of vacation and I was finally able to replace the stupid monitor.
Hope you guys will like this chapter. It was quite difficult to write. Hehe. Enjoy:)
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I don't have a lot of time to write.
Chapter Thirteen: The Tempest
5:56 am
"Potter," Draco greeted with a confused look when he cracked the door open. An obviously sleep-deprived Harry Potter was standing outside. "I thought—"
"Is she still here?" he asked brusquely, pushing the door open and inviting himself in.
"Of course," Draco said, resisting the urge to make a snide remark as he closed the door. "You said you'll pick her up."
"Something happened last night," Harry said grimly. He paused and looked at Hermione. "I'm afraid you should stay here for a while, Hermione."
A dozen of assumptions spun around inside her head, and before she could even voice out her concerns, Harry raised a restraining hand.
"Don't worry. Your parents are safe," he said calmly. He ran a hand through his messy black hair and sighed before looking toward Draco. "It's actually your friends, Malfoy. Some of them were killed last night."
8:35 pm
She had been staring at her horrible reflection on the mirror for the past hour. Had the mirror not been unbreakable, she would have broken it into pieces with her own bare hands. All she wanted then was to vanish from the face of the earth.
Pansy Parkinson was having a rather peaceful and quiet day before it happened. Her mother had finally convinced her to go back to her flat and to go out after almost a week of locking herself inside her parents' house. She had shopped for clothes, shoes, and some books. She had also watched a movie, and at the end of the day, decided to eat dinner at this Muggle Italian restaurant which Daphne recommended.
He was the last person she expected to see there. She was just thinking about owling him when she caught a glimpse of his face. Right then and there she wanted to forget about everything—just wanted to swallow her pride, walk over to that table and talk to him. That was until she saw whom he was with.
She didn't know why she had to act so stupidly then, and she hated herself for it. The first thing that came to her mind was to leave the restaurant, which she really shouldn't have done. Jealousy got the best of her, and now she was paying the price.
Pansy suppressed a sob and wiped a stray tear with the back of her hand, smearing her pale face with black streaks from her mascara.
She went straight to her flat after that. She needed to be alone. She needed a dark and secluded place where she could simply disappear.
I wish I could just fade away... disappear...
"Be careful with what you wish for..."
Fresh tears flowed down her pale cheeks when she was reminded of what Draco used to say whenever she wished for something that she might eventually regret. After Ron saw her crying, however, she wanted that wish to come true. She wondered what he thought those tears meant.
"Nox."
Pansy's room was enveloped in darkness as the only source of light there was extinguished. She stared into the mirror where her reflection was reduced into a pallid mask, with dark hollows for eyes. She blinked and watched as another black tear flowed down the mask.
If you couldn't see me, I'd rather disappear.
She was about to light her wand once again when an owl flew through her open window and dropped a note onto her lap. It flew out of the room as quickly as it came.
"Lumos."
She didn't even recognize her voice. It sounded as if it came from another person. The note was definitely not from Ron. She quickly opened it and saw that the hastily written note was from Millicent.
Run away, Pansy! They're after us.
Before the message even sank in, a sudden crash resounded from outside her room. She willed herself to move, but she simply sat there in front of her dresser, her right hand tightly clutching her wand and her left hand holding what was possibly her friend's last warning.
She heard footsteps approaching and knew to whom they belonged to before they even blasted her door open. She just sat there and watched their reflection on the mirror. Four men entered the room, and unlike before, they dared not hide their faces.
"Pansy," Lucius Malfoy greeted with a sneer. "It's been a while."
She simply stared. She knew what was coming.
"You know too well what we do with traitors."
She closed her eyes and accepted her fate.
"Be careful with what you wish for..."
There was a blinding flash of green, a scream, and then darkness.
6:07 am
An ominous stillness enveloped the room after Harry's announcement. Draco felt as though the floor they were standing on had collapsed and he was falling into a dark abyss. What Potter had said cannot be possible. His friends... the brother and sister he never had. He looked helplessly at Hermione and back again at Harry.
"B—but how? That—that's impossible!"
After he found out that his father had escaped Azkaban, he had done the necessary actions to protect Tom and Tracy. He even went as far as modifying their memories so that whoever would try to look into them would see a fake face on Drake Patterson.
Harry looked puzzled at first and then realised what Malfoy was thinking of.
"No! The Muggles are safe, Malfoy," he said quickly in assurance. Harry walked over to the sofa and sat there before pulling a copy of The Daily Prophet from his pocket and handing it to Draco and Hermione.
Draco need not read the whole article to see who the Death Eaters had killed. The pictures of those who died were printed on the front page.
"They're after the traitors, as you can see," Harry said. "That's why I thought it would be better if Hermione would stay here for a while. She's the only one who can tell where you're located."
Draco continued to stare at the faces on the newspaper. He was not even able to talk to them for the last time. He didn't even know if they knew what happened to him. His anger towards his father and the Death Eaters, much more toward himself, intensified. He was such a coward.
His thoughts were interrupted when Hermione suddenly held his free hand. For a while, they even forgot that Harry was there, watching them. Draco looked at her pale face. She didn't need to say those words of comfort and reassurance. What her eyes said was enough for him. He smiled weakly and gave her hand a squeeze.
Harry had to clear his throat loudly to remind them of his presence. He looked away from their entwined hands and stood up from the sofa. He could talk to Malfoy about that later.
"I have to see how the others are doing," he said as he hurriedly crossed the room to get to the door. He had promised Ginny that he would to back to the Burrow after warning Malfoy. "I'll be back with news."
8:03 pm
"It's tomorrow, Milli," Vincent Crabbe told his wife.
Millicent looked up from the vest she was knitting. At first she was puzzled by Vincent's statement, but when she finally figured out what was significant about the following day, she threw him a worried glance.
"It's been three years," he continued when she didn't say anything.
"Do you... are you ready to visit him?" Millicent asked worriedly.
"I don't know," he answered with a shrug. "But I can try."
Millicent watched her husband for a while. Maybe he's ready.
"Let's leave early. Malcolm can stay with Mum tonight until tomorrow afternoon," she said as she put her knitting aside. "It'll be better so we won't be bothering her early tomorrow morning."
She was about to stand up and prepare their son's things when Vincent caught her hand. She looked back at him in surprise, but he only smiled at her.
"Thank you."
Millicent knew how important this was for Vincent. Three years ago, Vincent was forced to kill Gregory Goyle, who was one of the Slytherins who chose to follow Voldemort. He blamed himself for Greg's death even though he just defended himself from the crazed Death Eater that his friend had become. The nightmares that plagued him had stopped a year ago, but he had not been to Greg's grave. Millicent thought that after being able to go there, he might finally be able to move on.
"Are you sure you can manage?" Vincent asked later on as he handed her the bag containing Malcolm's things. The child was already asleep.
Millicent nodded.
"I won't be long," she said. After Vincent gave her and Malcolm a hug, she Disapparated.
While waiting for her to come back, Vincent tried to contact their other friends through Floo to tell them about Greg's death anniversary the following day. He was not able to contact Blaise, Pansy, nor Daphne. All of them were not yet home. He was about to try and contact Blaise again when he heard a crack from the kitchen. That must be Milli.
As soon as he got into the kitchen, however, the lights in the house suddenly went out and three other men Apparated into his house. Before he could even take his wand out, one of them threw him against the wall and bound him there with ropes. The unmasked Death Eaters lit their wands and the one nearest to him, summoned his wand out of him. It was his father.
"F-father—"
"Don't you dare call me that, Traitor," the elder Crabbe said and then he spat on his son's face. "My true son died fighting for the Dark Lord. Goyle should have been here to punish you, but he was killed by your lot."
Vincent was about to say something, but Dolohov suddenly cast the Cruciatus curse on him. The pain was unbearable, but he didn't really care if he died there. He was more worried about Millicent. She would be back soon.
"Where's your wife, Traitor?" Macnair asked, jabbing Vincent hard on the chest with his wand. "Not going to answer are you? Crucio!"
Millicent Apparated back to their room at that moment. Vincent's screams of pain drowned out the sound of her Apparition. She realised that the Death Eaters had come. She scribbled a quick note to her mother, telling her to go to a safe place with Malcolm. She also wrote one for Pansy, telling her to run away. She knew how much Pansy was hated for being the first one to help the Order of the Phoenix. She opened the window for the owl, and she knew then that the Death Eaters downstairs had heard her.
"Take care of the bitch," Lucius Malfoy told Dolohov. He wanted to finish this as soon as possible. They still had Parkinson to take care of.
"NO! No, just kill me... DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!" Vincent called out to Dolohov who started to walk up the stairs. "Milli, run away! NOW!"
Millicent heard Vincent screaming again before Dolohov got inside their room. She tried to Stun him, but he was able to dodge the spell.
"Think you can get me with that? Expelliarmus!" After he had successfully disarmed her, he broke her wand into two and threw it into the darkness. "Traitors like you don't even need that."
Now wandless, Millicent could not do anything as Dolohov roughly dragged her downstairs. She only wished her son was safe and that Pansy got her message.
"This is taking so long," Malfoy drawled when Millicent was brought into the room and shoved next to her husband. "Kill them now."
Millicent saw the first Killing Curse directed towards her. She closed her eyes and held her husband's hand. The next moment, she was gone.
Vincent continued to hold on to her hand. This is probably it. He looked at his father first, whose wand was directed at him.
"Any last words?" he heard Macnair asked as the ropes binding him disappeared.
"I'm sorry, Father," he murmured as though they were the only ones in the room. "I'm sorry if I disappointed you because I did the right thing."
"Why you—" His father's face scrunched up in rage. Despite this, Vincent only gave him a serene look. After a few seconds of hesitation, however, his hatred towards his defiant son took control over him. "Avada Kedavra!"
He closed his eyes against the glare of green. He would probably see him again. He could finally ask for forgiveness for what he had done. His wife would also be there, holding his hand. As for his son and his other friends, time would come and they would all be reunited.
He fell next to his wife after he was hit by the curse. He was still holding her hand, and in death, his face was serene. He had finally moved on.
8:13 pm
"He's not here," Dolohov said after they had searched Zabini's place. He looked at Crabbe and sneered. "Maybe we should try your son's place first."
Crabbe looked angrily at Dolohov, but before he could even retort, Malfoy stopped them.
"We can go back for Zabini later," he said, his eyes roaming around Blaise Zabini's room. They had just been from Daphne Greengrass' flat, and she was not home either. He was about to command the others to leave when a brilliant idea struck him.
"We could use this against her," he said with a delighted smile. "We could make her watch a fake memory of his bloody death."
"Sounds good," Crabbe said, but he was still glaring at Dolohov.
"Yes, it would work. We would need another detour, but it would work," Lucius said loudly to himself. "She'd feel so guilty; we don't need to dirty our hands with her disgusting blood."
"What do you mean?" Macnair asked with a puzzled expression.
Lucius glanced at Macnair and then turned his attention to a framed picture of five Hogwarts students on Blaise's nightstand.
"She'd kill herself," he answered with a smirk.
9:00 pm
Pansy opened her eyes and found herself inside her room. She was lying facedown on the floor, and when she tried to raise her head, she felt that her left cheek was wet.
Blood...
A puzzled expression crossed her face, but before she could even try to find out what was going on, severe pain coursed through her body. Unthinking, she screamed out his name for help, but it was no use. She was alone and helpless against them. When the bout of pain ended, she looked up and saw Lucius Malfoy staring at her menacingly.
"Think it would be quick and easy, didn't you?" he jeered. "I'm afraid you don't deserve it."
Pansy opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out.
"It was all because of your brainwashing that many of the Slytherins turned against us," he continued in a dangerously calm tone. "Now it was because of you that all of them died painful deaths."
Pansy tried to raise herself from the floor, but Dolohov stamped on her head. She gasped in pain and started crying again.
"You lie," she said, trying her best to keep her voice steady. She knew that Blaise was somewhere safe that night. She had talked to him that morning.
Lucius let out a bloodcurdling laugh.
"You could see for yourself."
He kicked her on the side and forcefully turned her over to face him. Despite the tears, she still had that defiant look on her face, which he knew would soon disappear.
She tried her best to keep him out of his mind, but she was powerless against him. Lucius started to force the memories into her, and one by one she watched them die.
She watched Milli and Vincent being tortured in their house. Vincent asked them to let his family go, but the Death Eaters simply laughed at his plea for mercy. She raised her hand, which she realised was Lucius Malfoy's, and killed Millicent. The instant her friend dropped dead on the floor, she heard the baby crying upstairs...
"No," she whispered in terror. Milli was still able to warn her. The baby must have been safe.
"Oh, yes," Crabbe spat out. "That little monster was too noisy, so Macnair finished him."
Rage reigned inside of her when she heard Crabbe casually talk about his own grandson's death.
"You monster!" she shrieked. "That was you grandson!"
Crabbe's face contorted in rage. He grabbed a handful of Pansy's hair and forcefully pulled her head closer to his.
"My family died in the war, you bitch," he bit out. "All of them died then because of you."
She was about to say something when another memory was forced into her mind.
Daphne was being tortured by Lucius, and in a way, by Pansy who was looking through his eyes. Daphne was able to remove the ropes binding her and run to the door; however, Lucius caught her by the hair, pulled her across the room and pushed her out of the open window. Pansy was forced to watch her friend as she fell into the darkness, a look of terror in her face, her eyes...
Blaise was lying on the floor of his room, his face almost unrecognizable because of the long and deep gashes she knew the Death Eaters had caused. There were more on his body, and blood was all over the place. She felt so sick, but try as she might, she just could not close her eyes, not even for a second. She painfully watched as she raised her wand and she uttered a curse, causing the wounds to open up and pour out more of his blood on the floor...
"Make it stop!" Pansy screeched. "Make it stop!"
The Death Eaters all laughed at her.
"But I was just starting, Parkinson," Lucius said, smiling maniacally.
Try as she might, she could not push him out of her mind and the memories continued to come to her.
Draco was lying on the stone floor and bathing in his own blood. She was laughing in triumph and when she looked down, she saw Draco looking up to her, his eyes dull and unseeing...
She saw everything from Lucius's point-of-view. It was as if she was the one who caused them harm, killed them brutally. Guilt ate away her hope and her will to live. Her wand was lying on the floor to her right, only a few feet from her hand, but she lost the will to summon it and defend herself. She looked up and through the haze of tears and remorse, she saw Lucius slowly counting his fingers. He paused when he got to "six."
"Ah," he uttered in slight surprise. Pansy didn't miss the inhuman glint in his eyes. "There's another one left. I know you wouldn't want to miss this one."
8:30 pm
"Well, you can tell him to go home," Ginny whispered loud enough for Ron to hear. She had had enough of him going to the Burrow just to brood and affect the mood of everyone around him.
Harry looked hesitantly at Ron, who was seated in a far corner in the sitting room, and then at Ginny, who was seated beside him in the sofa and staring daggers into her brother's head.
"This is also his home, Gin," Harry whispered back. "Do you want to—"
"For the love of Merlin, Ronald, just talk to her!" Ginny suddenly exclaimed when Ron started to pace around the room.
"How do you suggest would I do that?" Ron asked with a scowl. He had had enough of her pestering him every time he went to the Burrow to clear his mind.
Harry sighed and stood up from the sofa. He had had enough of them fighting every time he went to the Burrow to see Ginny.
"Do you want me to call your mother to fix this?" he asked sarcastically. Mrs. Weasley was just in the other room, but ever since this vicious cycle started, she never tried to interfere.
"There is no need for that." Ginny stood up from the sofa and stomped out of the room.
The two men waited for the resounding bang when she shut the door to her room upstairs. That was how it always ended. At least for that night.
"I'm getting tired of this," Harry said wearily. "Just go talk to her. Don't tell me you're scared to get hexed by Parkinson."
Ron stared out of the window. He was. Apparently, Harry had never seen her when she was very angry.
"I'll do that if you can get your arse upstairs and calm her down," he said in a challenging tone.
Harry pondered about this. If that was all it took to get him to do it...
"Alright," he said with a shrug. "I'll even get her back here, if you want."
"Deal."
"Deal."
As soon as Harry left the room, Ron collapsed into the couch where he was seated a while ago. There was a lot of stuff going around his head, especially after what happened in the restaurant. He wondered what caused her to run away like that. Was it something he did?
His thoughts were disturbed when he heard them walking back to the sitting room. Harry walked back in with Ginny, who was holding his arm.
"You were going somewhere else, right?" Ginny asked with a smile when Ron didn't stir in his seat.
"Cheaters," Ron said, scowling as he stood up and made his way out of the sitting room.
Harry and Ginny glanced at each other behind Ron's back and smirked. Mrs. Weasley had just left the kitchen when Ron, followed by Harry and Ginny, walked out of the sitting room.
"Bring this to her," she said casually, shoving a package into her son's arms. "And do not forget to ask her to come over to dinner next weekend."
Ron stared at her in surprise and then turned around to glare at his best friend and his sister.
"Go now, before that gets cold," Ginny said with a sly grin. "Or do we have to push you out of the house?"
Ron rolled his eyes and left, making sure he had slammed the door as forcefully as he could.
"Do you think he'll finally get to ask her out this time?" Harry asked, breaking the silence which followed his brother-in-law's departure.
Ginny looked at Harry and Mrs. Weasley and chuckled.
"I don't think so. Maybe next week."
9:30 pm
Who else was left?
Apparently, her parents were against the decisions she made then. They did suffer for it, of course, but due to the fact that they weren't totally involved with the Death Eaters, it wasn't hard for them to escape imprisonment in Azkaban.
Who else was left?
Draco, whom she thought was safe, was already gone. She thought Hermione had done things to protect him. Unfortunately, she had failed. With an inkling of hatred towards her, she even thought it was possible that they stopped protecting him after they got what they wanted. She knew Harry and his friends were not the type of people to do that, but she could not help feeling that way towards Hermione after what happened in the restaurant.
"Do you want to see it now?" Lucius asked, disrupting her thoughts. He was obviously not asking for permission, because the moment he finished the question, he forced another memory into Pansy's mind.
Ron was walking down a familiar street. To Pansy's horror, she realized that he was on his way to her place. He carefully held a package in one hand as he muttered nervously to himself. She felt herself drift towards him as three other hooded figures appeared around him. In a flash, he dropped the package and took out his wand. She could see the worry etched on his face and felt remorse for thinking that he was selfish and that he never cared about her. At first he was able to defend himself, but soon, having four powerful opponents seemed too much for him. She pointed her wand at his back, and the orange flash, which burst out of his wand, caused a deep slash which ran across his back, from his left shoulder to his right waist. Blood copiously flowed from the wound, and the pain forced him down to his knees. After just a few moments, however, he stood up again and continued to fight...
"No!" Pansy screamed out, as she tried to push Lucius away from her head. "This isn't real."
"What is this then?"
A necklace she had given Ron during the war dangled from Lucius's long, pale fingers. She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut. She felt a movement beside her and realised that Lucius crouched down beside her and held the necklace closer to her face.
"You could inspect it yourself."
He forced Pansy to sit up and threw the silver necklace into her bloodstained hands. Pansy didn't need to inspect it closely to know that it was the real necklace. She held it tight as her tears mingled with her blood and his. This was just too much...
Lucius smirked and reached inside his robes. He took out a small silver dagger and threw it in front of her. Pansy heard the faint thud of the metal on the carpeted floor. The dagger glinted from the light of Macnair and Crabbe's wands. She stared at it long and hard.
"I'll be leaving you with that," Lucius said. "You know how to use it."
Her free hand reached out towards the weapon. The cool metal against her skin felt good. She clutched the dagger's hilt, where a serpent's head was engraved. She held it up to her face and continued to stare at it.
"We should go now," Dolohov said. They have to really deal with the other traitors they haven't killed.
Lucius nodded in consent. They all walked out of the room, leaving Pansy alone in the darkness.
It was the only way to disappear...
Still holding the necklace, her other hand came in contact with the dagger's handle. The tears had stopped to flow. It was her only option so far, now that they were all gone. She held the dagger in front of her and aimed the blade towards her chest.
9:55 pm
"Harry, what's wrong?" Ginny asked worriedly as she followed Harry, who hurriedly ran downstairs. He received an owl from someone and then suddenly stormed out of her old room in the Burrow.
"Mrs. Bulstrode will be Apparating here with Malcolm Crabbe and Daphne Greengrass," he explained absently.
Mrs. Weasley was awakened by the commotion and went out of her room to see what was happening. She heard Harry's hasty explanation and followed Ginny and Harry to the door.
"Was there an attack?" she asked worriedly.
Harry nodded, his face grim.
"Stay here alright?" he said, to Ginny especially. "I'll go and check on Zabini. He was supposed to be in the Ministry with Seamus and Zacharias. After that, I'll check if Ron got to Pansy on time."
"Be careful, Harry," Mrs. Weasley said, putting an arm around Ginny's shoulders. "Do get back as soon as you can."
"I will," he said with a nod. He held Ginny's hand and quickly released it before she could pull him back and stop him.
Ginny watched him turn his back on her and walk out of the house. Soon, she heard him Disapparate.
"Come, Ginny," Mr. Weasley said pulling her daughter away from the door before she could even forget what they were supposed to do. "We have work to do."
9:45 pm
Ron decided to Apparate in an alley, a few blocks from Pansy's place. That way, he could compose himself and think before he faced her. It was also a way to postpone meeting her.
He went to his place first when he realised that he was not wearing the necklace she gave him. She sometimes got irritated when she discovered that he was not wearing it, and this was not really the time to further infuriate her. After almost half an hour of looking for it, he found the necklace on the kitchen counter though he was sure he left it in his room the previous night. He found that odd, but decided not to dwell on the matter. He had other pressing concerns at the moment.
He looked up at the clear sky and was about to walk on when he saw, in glaring contrast to the darkness, the Dark Mark. It glowed in the sky just above the building where Pansy's flat was. The people who were still outdoors that night noticed it too. They all started to run away or Disapparate from that place.
Ron Disapparated from the streets and Apparated just outside her door. His heart was hammering hard against his chest, especially when he saw that her door was blasted open. He didn't think twice and stormed into her flat.
"Pansy! Pansy, where are you?"
He flung aside the package he was holding and turned on all the lights inside her flat. He scanned the living room and the kitchen as he continued to call out her name.
"Pansy! Pansy, answer—" He stopped short as soon as he flung her bedroom door open.
She was lying unconscious on the floor, blood flowing from the wound on her chest. A bloodstained dagger was on her right hand, and he saw that she was clutching a silver chain on her left hand. Ron ran to her side and was partly relieved when he saw that she was still breathing.
"Pansy, Pansy wake up." He shook her gently and took out his wand to levitate the dagger out of her hand.
Her eyes fluttered open and when they came to focus on his face, he smiled though tears were actually flowing down his cheeks.
"Pans, I'll get you to St. Mungo's. Just hold on—"
He stopped when he saw recognition, shock, and then remorse in her eyes. She was about to say something, but he placed a finger on his lips.
"We'll—we'll talk later," he said as he scooped up her frail figure.
"Ron—"
"Hold on, okay? Hold on."
He Apparated to the lobby of St. Mungo's and rushed to the first Healer he saw.
"I need help! Quick!"
The Healer, Penelope Clearwater, turned to him in shock and saw Pansy. With a wave of her wand, a stretcher appeared in front of them. Ron set her down on it. She had lost consciousness again and her face had turned paler.
"I'm sorry, but you have to stay here, Weasley," Penelope said as the stretcher was pushed down a hallway towards the emergency room.
"B—but—" His refusal was drowned out when Penelope turned her back on him and ran towards the room.
He decided to owl her parents and Harry about it. He quickly made his way towards the area in the lobby where he could send owls, and when he was about to scribble a note, he realised that his hands were shaking terribly. They were stained with her blood.
He clenched his fists and tried to write the note again, but his vision was blurred by tears. He knew he could lose her, and he may not be given a chance to make up for his mistakes. He placed the tip of the quill on the parchment and tried to move his hand to write, but the tip stayed there, the ink stain spreading on the parchment, like the blood stain in front of her dress...
He cursed loudly and willed his hand to write, but the sorrow and guilt in his heart overcame him. He collapsed into the floor in distress and wept for her.
3:00 am
Ron opened his eyes and found himself in an unfamiliar bed.
Where am I?
The last thing he could remember was... Pansy, the hospital, Death Eaters...
He abruptly sat up from the bed only to receive a very painful headache in his haste. He groaned, collapsed back into the bed and closed his eyes. He must have passed out in the lobby.
He heard Harry's voice from outside the room. He couldn't be wrong; his mother and Ginny surely had been left behind in the Burrow where they would be safe. He cleared his parched throat and tried to call Harry. He needed to know what had happened to her
He had called his friend a couple of times, but Harry didn't seem to hear him. He tried to stand up from the bed, slowly this time, though he felt a bit lightheaded. He opened the door and found Harry talking with Blaise Zabini. He was telling him that Daphne Greengrass, Malcolm Crabbe and Mrs. Bulstrode were safe in the Burrow. When Ron emerged from the room, both men looked towards him in surprise.
"Good thing you're awake, mate," Harry said after a pause.
Ron nodded absently to him and then looked at Zabini.
"Weasley," he said with a curt nod as a greeting.
"Zabini."
Ron clenched his fists as anger rose inside him. Zabini was safe and unscathed. Part of him wanted to smack the Slytherin so hard in the face to wipe off his composed façade. But then again, he thought bitterly to himself, he was just being stupid. The person he really wanted to hurt was himself and he was just diverting his frustrations and anger towards others.
"How is she?" Ron asked, relaxing a bit when he realised he was scowling at Zabini.
He didn't miss the worried look Harry directed towards Zabini.
"Do not lie to me," he added in a threatening voice.
Harry sighed and faced his friend. In a matter of hours, it seemed as though he aged a great deal.
"We still don't know, Ron, but the Healers are doing their best to save her," he answered. "The dagger was poisoned, making it harder for them to heal her wound."
"How about the Death Eaters?" he asked again, leaning on the wall beside him for support.
"Finnigan, Smith and I were actually in Azkaban," Blaise answered coolly. "We tried to get information out of Theo, and last night, we had been successful."
Ron turned to Harry. He didn't really wish to talk with Zabini at that moment.
"There are only four Death Eaters on the loose now," he said rather wearily, although in a way it was good news. "The others made a surprise attack last night and were able to capture all but the four who caused all the chaos last night."
"Macnair, Crabbe, Dolohov, and Malfoy," Blaise answered before Ron could ask again.
Ron wanted to glare at him and tell him to sod off, but a Healer suddenly called their attention. Despite the bout of dizziness which overcame him then, he got to the Healer first.
"How is she?" he demanded even before Penelope Clearwater could say a word.
"Well, we were successful in sealing the wound, but she's still under observation because of the poison," she answered with a weak smile. "She had been transferred to a private room. Her parents are already there with her."
"You mean..."
"It means that even though she's still unconscious at the moment, she can go back home in a few days, granting that everything goes well."
Ron let out a sigh of relief and smiled.
"Can we go see her now?" Ron heard Blaise ask. He glanced at him and frowned.
"Yes," Penelope answered. "Her room's just down the hall. If you don't have any more questions, I'd better get going. It's been a long night."
The three men thanked her, and together, they walked down the hall to see Pansy.
"Where's Granger, by the way?" Blaise asked, now that their worries were lessened.
Ron also gave Harry a quizzical look. He totally forgot about her after all that had happened.
"She's home. I decided not to bother her tonight," Harry answered, casting a knowing look at Ron, which Blaise didn't seem to notice. "I already sent Tonks to check on her."
Ron was about to ask him another question, but he saw the Parkinsons walk out of a room. As if on cue, Blaise went ahead of them and greeted the couple for Harry and Ron in order to prevent what could possibly be another awkward moment.
Ron decided not to listen to their conversation and as much as possible, tried to make them think that he wasn't there with them. He knew that Pansy's parents were not very happy with the choices she made, and being on good terms with Ron was one of them. After Mr. and Mrs. Parkinson excused themselves so they could talk to the Healer, the redhead was finally able to release the breath he didn't realise he was holding.
Blaise opened the door to the room and they all quietly entered. Pansy was still unconscious, and her face was as white as the sheets. Ron approached her carefully, as if he was afraid that a sudden movement would awaken her.
"Ron," Harry suddenly whispered after a few moments. Ron turned to him and saw a hint of a teasing smile on his lips. "Blaise and I just have something to talk about outside. You can stay here with her until the Parkinsons come back."
Ron just nodded though he was quite irritated, especially when he saw that Blaise also had the same teasing smile directed towards him.
When they had left, Ron sat on the only chair standing near the bed. He reached out a hand and held hers. Despite the paleness of her features, her hand was warm, and that offered him comfort—a sign of life, indicating that she would be alright.
"You gave me such a fright out there, Pans," he croaked.
When he least expected it, her eyes slowly fluttered open. At that moment, Ron didn't know which one to do first—cry, laugh, call the others, thank every deity in existence, scold her, or hug her. His heart threatened to break his chest open, and tears started to well up his eyes. Pansy, on the other hand, simply stared at him with a frown on her face. She blinked and narrowed her eyes at him.
"You look bloody horrible," she said, her voice hoarse.
"How are you feeling? Do you... do you need anything? I—your parents, they just went out to talk to the Healer and—"
"I'm thirsty."
"Oh."
He shook his head, and through the haze of giddiness, tried to pour her a glass of water from the pitcher standing on the bedside table. He helped her to sit up on the bed, and quickly handed her the glass of water, as if her life and his depended on it.
"How are you feeling?" he asked again after she had drunk two glassfuls of water.
"Fine, I guess," she said, leaning back on her pillow. "Maybe it's you I have to ask."
"You still hate me, don't you?" he said with a frown as he sunk back on the chair.
"Not more that I hate myself."
Ron raised an eyebrow at her. He should have called Blaise and Harry then, but he wanted to get to talk to her first.
"They tricked me into killing myself that easily," she said, answering his unspoken question.
Ron was a bit puzzled by what she had said but thought this was not the time to further ask her about those things. He then decided to hold her hand again, just because he felt that was the right thing to do at that moment.
"Let's not talk about that now," he said softly. "There'll be other days for us to bash ourselves for all that had happened. I'm just—I'm just so glad you're still here."
"I haven't forgotten what you've done." She looked down at her lap, but didn't try to wrench her hand away from his grasp.
"I know," he said with a chuckle. "But you haven't thrown me out of the window. That's a good sign, I guess."
"This room doesn't have windows, Weasley," she said flatly, chancing a glance towards his direction.
"Oh... uh, yeah."
They stayed there in long and awkward silence after that. She still didn't try to pull her hand away, and he continued to hold it, as if it was a way to keep her there. He couldn't afford to lose her again.
"Were they safe?" Pansy asked, breaking the silence.
"I, uh, I heard Harry tell Zabini that Greengrass, Mrs. Bulstrode and Crabbe's kid were safe," Ron answered, feeling quite stupid that he didn't dare ask Harry about that earlier.
"Blaise?"
"He's outside," he said, with a bit of irritation in his voice. "Do you want to talk to him?"
Ron stood up to leave, but she held his hand tightly.
"Later," she said rather weakly. "Just stay here."
Ron sat down on the chair again. Try as he might, he couldn't erase the triumphant smile on his face.
Take that, Zabini.
"What are you smiling about?" Pansy asked amusedly.
"I can tell you, but you have to promise me something first."
She didn't like the sly expression on his face. It wasn't normal for him.
"What's that?"
"Don't you ever do that again," he said seriously. "You gave me quite a scare."
"You deserved it."
"Maybe... yeah, maybe I did."
Pansy pulled her hand away from his and crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"So what were you smiling about?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"I was just... happy that everything's back to normal," he said, smiling stupidly.
Pansy glared at him. She knew there was more to that smile.
"Where's Hermione, by the way?" she asked and her heart sank when she remembered what happened in the restaurant.
"With Malfoy, I guess," he answered with a shrug.
"Draco?"
"I told you before, right? You just wouldn't listen," he said with an annoyed expression. "I couldn't tell you where he is, though."
Neither would I want to.
Pansy felt worse about herself then. Whatever happened to her then and all the trouble she caused everyone was all because of her weakness. Ron noticed the change in her demeanor.
"You must be tired," he said worriedly. He shouldn't have forced her to talk. "You should be resting. Let's talk again when you're feeling better."
She shook her head and started to cry. Ron hesitantly walked closer to her. He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her hands away from her face. Pansy watched as he took one of her hands and placed something on her palm. It was another handkerchief.
She stared at it for a while and looked up at his face. He smiled and brushed a tear from her left cheek.
"Stop crying now. It'll be—"
He was cut short when Pansy suddenly threw her arms around his neck and embraced him. He wrapped his arms around her and planted a kiss on top of her head. It did took him long to realise it, but all he knew at that moment was that he couldn't live without her.
"Ron?"
"Hmm?" He pulled back and looked at her face.
"I've forgiven you already," she said, brushing his bangs away from his eyes. Ron was about to sigh in relief, but she suddenly scowled at him. "But you still owe me one."
"Just that?" he asked, a self-assured smile on his face.
Pansy nodded.
"As soon as you get out of here, then," he suggested. "And this time, I won't forget."
"You promise?"
"I promise."
Ron stared deep into her dark green eyes. He suddenly felt an urge to kiss her and she didn't seem to object when leaned closer to her. He was about to close his eyes when the door was suddenly flung open.
"Ron! Oh... uh, sorry, mate." Harry flushed and gave them an apologetic look. "I... um, just tell me when you're done." He hurriedly left the room and closed the door behind him.
"I'll kill him for that," Ron muttered, but his irritation melted away when he heard her laugh.
"Maybe you're needed out there," she said as a tinge of pink crept up her pale cheeks. "I'll just see you later."
"Yeah, maybe you also needed to rest," he agreed as he stood up from the bed. "I'll see you later."
Pansy nodded and stared at him one more time before she closed her eyes. Ron also watched her for a while before he walked to the door. He looked back at her again before he opened the door and smiled to himself.
The tempest had ended for now. The future seemed brighter.
A/N: 104 reviews! Wee! I never thought I'd get that much and even more reviews for a story. I want to thank every single person who read the story and those who took the time to leave a review. Those reviews, no matter how short, helped me a lot in writing this story. Hope you guys will continue to stick with me through this journey though updates won't be as quick as before. Just a few more chapters to go. :)
Of course, I wouldn't forget my beta, Edenvirg who still decided to help me even though she had a lot of stuff to do in school. Thank you SO much!
Hopefully, I could update again in November after I finish my assignment for the dmhgficexchange at LJ. Till the next chapter, guys!