The Last Year

Searching

  Ginny's heart was beating hard, she was breathing hard, and her fingers were raw and bleeding. She was searching through the rubble desperately. 

  "C'mon, c'mon, they've got to be around here somewhere!"

  She picked up a large stone and threw it to the side. There was something red another few feet under the rubble, she was terrified of what that was.

  Suddenly, Neville's voice came from about 100 meters away, "I've got something! It's them!"

 Ginny, Luna, and Neville all began pulling up the debris. After a few minutes of heavy lifting, they came to a small area where the wall had not fallen completely on the area but instead around. As it turns out, one large stone and one wooden beam had managed to coincidentally fall to where they could shield an unconscious Hermione. 

    "Hurry, get her out of there!" Ginny urged. 

  Neville and Ginny carefully crawled into the pit of rubble and together picked Hermione's body up. Luna helped them pull her up. Once all three were out, Luna cast a floating charm on Hermione and guided her to the Great Hall so that Madam Pomfrey could begin caring for her. 

  Ron passed Luna as he ran to Ginny and Neville. 

  "You found them?" He asked tiredly.

  "Yes, well we've found Hermione, where have you been?"

  "Sorry, I was coming to look when McGonagall pulled me aside to help them send a couple of the more serious cases to St. Mungos. I came as fast as I could when I heard the shouting."

  "Okay, Harry has to be right around here. Come on, let's find him." 

  Neville, Ron, and Ginny once again started picking through the dust and bricks looking for Harry. After what seemed like hours, Ron noticed a hand. 

  "Guys!"

  Hagrid reached down and picked up a beam. Once Hagrid moved it, there was Harry. The whole right side of his body was under one of the walls that had collapsed. He was alive, but barely, and also unconscious. Hagrid was able to move a majority of the wall, and the other three helped pull Harry's body out from under the rest. Hagrid was forced to once again carry Harry's limp body to the Castle. 

  They entered a small room adjacent to the Great Hall and found where the bed they had used for Hermione. They found another bed and put it next to her, laying Harry down on the bed. Madam Pomfrey soon came over to diagnose Harry and Hermione. She waved her wand and Hermione woke up. She almost jumped out of bed in terror, immediately shouting in pain and grabbing her ankle. 

  "Here, here, young lady. I have a small potion for you, drink it. It will help you calm down and keep you from going into shock. Let me see here..... mhm, you have a broken ankle and a slight concussion, but overall not too bad. Oh yes, I can see where Voldemort's curse hit you, it's going to leave a bruise though. Hm, that's odd. A direct hit like that should have killed you."

  The color drained from Hermione's face, "I should be dead?"

  "Well, yes, but you're not. I don't know how you're alive, but let's just be glad you are. I'll go and brew up a mending potion that will fix that ankle and then we will get started on Mr. Potter."

  Hermione already looked overwhelmed, but she looked over to Harry, and all the color that she had managed to regain drained once again. "Harry? Harry?" She looked desperately at Ron, "Is he okay? What's wrong with him?"

  "Well, we don't know yet, we're waiting on Madam Pomfrey, but it's not good. What do you remember?"

 "I remember... Harry got knocked out and I started fighting. I stepped on Harry's foot and broke my ankle and Voldemort cursed me. After that, it's a blur."

  "Harry woke up and fought again. Their spells collided and Harry won, but their spells combined and exploded, sending you and Harry through the air. The explosion caused the courtyard walls and one wall of Hogwarts itself to collapse and the wall fell on you guys. We've been searching for hours."

  Hermione looked at Harry's crushed body. He had given himself to save them, twice.

 Madam Pomfrey came back in and handed Hermione a flask with a weird-looking potion inside. 

  "Drink this. It won't be pleasant and it won't work immediately, but give it a few hours and you'll be fine. Let's take a look at Mr. Potter. Where did you find him?"

  "We found him under the south wall, the whole right side of his body was wedged under the debris."

  "Oh dear," She began waving her wand up and down Harry as if scanning him. "Oh my, lots of damage. What, what's that? Oh no."

  "What?" Hermione, Ron, and Ginny asked in unison.

  Madam Pomfrey didn't respond. She ran to her office and began yelling into her fireplace. "I need the emergency healers right now! Code Red, life or death situation!"

  Right on cue, three wizards in green robes burst out of the flames. They brought a portable screen with them and placed it between Harry and ushered everyone else out, including Hermione and her rolling hospital bed. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Hagrid were left standing outside the room wondering what had just happened. 

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This is the first chapter of my sequel The Last Year. If you haven't read my first book, Promise Me, I highly recommend it as it gives the backstory to this book. 

I look forward to continuing this story!

Chapter 2 will release Wednesday!

Until Next Time,

-JRich