Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 92: Hope
"We have to go back!" Tonks shouted as soon as her feet landed on the ground.
Fawkes had left them on a large grassy field. It was late at night and very dark, so not much could be seen.
"We can't do that." Dumbledore's voice made him sound physically and mentally exhausted. "If we do, then his sacrifice would have been for naught."
Tonks narrowed her eyes, looking at the white bundle the Headmaster was still holding. "Is he that important? More important than all our lives?" She knew he was the Boy-Who-Lived, but at this moment, her anger took over.
Dumbledore sighed in defeat. He knew there was nothing he could say at this point that would make her feel better. "Go to the Order's Headquarters. The remaining members should be arriving soon. We'll talk more about this by then. Right now… time is of the essence."
"Where are we? Why did Fawkes bring us to the middle of nowhere?" Tonks asked.
"This is not the middle of nowhere. We are right in front of the Weasley household," Dumbledore told her.
"What?! Where?" Tonks shifted her eyes from side to side, unable to find their unique house.
"You cannot see it because you haven't been added to their wards. In fact, if you tried to enter without permission… You would likely die. Which is why I cannot take you inside," Dumbledore explained.
Tonks got startled. "Since when do the Weasleys have such protections? That sounds like something the Malfoys would have in their house."
"Harry made them." A hint of pride was reflected in his expression. "Now, you best go. Standing out in the open is not good." The Headmaster secured Harry and brought him inside.
Tonks saw them disappear the moment they crossed the boundary of the wards.
Everyone still inside the house got alerted the moment they entered, and before Dumbledore could reach the door, it opened.
Charlie poked his head outside. "Oh, it's you, Headmaster. What… what is that?" His eyes went to the figure of Harry, but he could only see a large white bundle.
"Help me bring him inside. My old bones are already at their limit," Dumbledore requested.
"Of course, let me." Charlie stored his wand and grabbed Harry like a sack of potatoes. "Whoa, you were carrying this by yourself? It's very heavy. Almost feels like… wait, you said 'him?'" he asked while walking into the living room.
Ron, Ginny, Hermione, and the twins were already there, waiting to find out what had happened.
"What's that?" Ron asked.
"It doesn't look like a present," George pointed out.
"And it's a bit late for that anyway," Fred added.
"That looks like… a person." Ginny's eyes were locked on the bundle hanging on Charlie's shoulder.
"That looks like a mummy," Hermione pointed out.
"Place him on the couch for now," Dumbledore instructed. "Where are your parents?"
"They already left," Ginny said. "They went to that meeting of the Order, as you told them."
"Bill left with them," Ron added.
Dumbledore nodded, approaching the table and pulling a chair to sit down. "Oh, of course. Th—"
"Ahh! This is a person!" Charlie realized when he placed Harry on his back and could finally see his face. The rest of his body was wrapped with those conjured bandages, making his face the only visible part.
"That's Harry!" Ginny gasped, rushing to his side. "What happened?!"
"Harry?!" Hermione cried.
"Is he dead?!" Ron exclaimed.
"Now… calm down. Harry is not dead," Dumbledore said. "Listen to m—"
"He looks dead," George noted.
"He is completely pale… does he have a pulse?" Fred asked.
"How did he die?" Ron asked next.
"Let me check!" Hermione got closer.
"He is not dead!" Ginny shouted. "I can feel his pulse… I think…" She had her hand where his neck should be.
"We need to take these things off… what is that?" Hermione touched the bandages.
"Listen to me!" Dumbledore enhanced his voice with his magic, making it sound ten times louder and startling everyone.
The Headmaster took a deep breath. "A lot has happened, and there is much you need to know. But for the time being, I will tell you that Harry is alive. I am the one who placed those bandages on him. It is a potent charm that will prevent his condition from worsening… it's keeping him in a sort of frozen state."
"His condition? What are you talking about?" Hermione asked. "Harry is not sick."
"Oh no…" Ginny had a terrible feeling and just now realized that Harry was missing something crucial. "Where is V?"
Dumbledore shook his head in defeat. "He lost him… to Voldemort."
"He lost the hat?" Hermione sounded confused as to why this was important.
"Who cares about the hat? He went to fight You-Know-Who? Without us?" Ron looked offended for having been left behind.
"These bandages…" Ginny said. "It's so he doesn't turn into an Obscurus, right?"
Dumbledore stared at Ginny. "He told you everything?"
"An Obscurus?!" Hermione exclaimed.
"What's that?" Ron looked confused.
"Headmaster… I think we are all a bit lost right now." Charlie glanced at his sister. "And only Ginny seems to understand what's happening."
"That's…" Ginny sounded conflicted. Harry had shared his secrets with her, and it didn't feel right to talk about it without his permission.
"Harry was doing his best to protect you all. His wish was to finish this war by himself, before it could escalate further." Dumbledore glanced at Ginny. "But that did not go according to his plan. Everyone in here deserves to know the truth of what Harry has gone through and…"
"You want me to tell them everything?" Ginny asked.
"Everything relevant, yes. This will now affect them all." Dumbledore stood up. "Right now, I need to go for a few hours. I will leave Harry here, in your care." He was staring directly at Ginny as he said this.
It was his belief that this girl may be the only chance they had to bring Harry back. Now that V is gone, his mind will need a new anchor, and she was the only one he had truly trusted with his secrets. Which is why he was leaving him here.
Right now, Harry was truly their only hope.
A.N: - Remember to comment, vote, and/or leave a review if you have the time. Those things help me a lot and I would really appreciate it.
You can Support me on P@treon if you like and get 20 advanced chapters. You can also find characters images to view for free in Collections/Time Images
-patreon.com/Kriogenix
For donations and commissions, go to ko-fi.com/kriogenix