Change the Future

HBP 21

Rory wakes to the bright lights of the hospital wing a few days after the attack. She notices Bill sat up in the bed beside mine looking down at a book. He glances over at her.

"Rory, thank god you're finally awake" She slowly sits up wincing at the pain. She looks at Bill properly and notice his face.

"I'm so sorry Bill" She says, her voice quiet.

"She called him Bill" Marlene looks at her shocked.

"Why are you sorry, it's not your fault and don't call me Bill you never call me that" He gives her a small smirk before wincing.

"If I hadn't been there, you wouldn't have had to pull him off of me and you wouldn't have got attacked" She puts her head in her hands.

"Hey Rory look at me" She looks up and sees him smiling slightly at her "You're my little sister and that's not just because you're married to my brother, I'd protect you from anything just like you protected my brother a few years ago, if it wasn't for you he might not be here right now" he pats the bed next to him for her to sit beside him as she does he puts his arm around her shoulder pulling her into him gently. They stay like that for a while not saying anything, her head on his shoulder until Charlie walks in.

"Nova" Bill lets her go so Charlie can hug her. "I was so scared, stop doing that to me" He smiles but the pain in his eyes is obvious as he helps her back to her bed and sits beside her, wrapping his arms around her.

"I'm sorry" She tells him as she look down at her hands.

"No, don't be sorry" Charlie gently places a finger under her chin, lifting her head slightly to face him "You have nothing to be sorry for"

"I do though, it's my fault Bill got attacked. If I had just been paying attention to what was around me"

"I told you not to call me Bill, it is not your fault Aurora as I already told you" Bill said from his bed.

"Nova" Charlie starts but she cuts him off not wanting to talk about it anymore.

"Where's Moony"

"He's been visiting you daily, he was here earlier" She nods as she rests her head on Charlies shoulder.

"It wasn't your fault, you know that don't you" Charlie whispers to her as she nods slightly.

The day of Dumbledores funeral arrived. Charlie had an arm around Rorys waist helping support her as they walked beside Bill who was also being supported by Fleur. An extraordinary assortment of people had already settled into half of the chairs; shabby and smart, old and young. Most Rory didn't recognize, but a few she did, including members of the Order of the Phoenix: Kingsley Shacklebolt, Mad-Eye Moody, Tonks, her hair miraculously returned to vividest pink, Remus, with whom she seemed to be holding hands, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, followed by Fred and George, who were wearing jackets of black dragon skin. Then there was Madame Maxime, who took up two and a half chairs on her own; Tom, the landlord of the Leaky Cauldron in London; Arabella Figg, the hairy bass player from the Wizarding group the Weird Sisters; Ernie Prang, driver of the Knight Bus; Madam Malkin, of the robe shop in Diagon Alley; and some people whom they merely knew by sight, such as the barman of the Hog's Head and the witch who pushed the trolley on the Hogwarts Express. The castle ghosts were there too, barely visible in the bright sunlight, discernible only when they moved, shimmering insubstantially on the gleaming air. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny filed into seats at the end of a row beside the lake. People were whispering to each other; it sounded like a breeze in the grass, but the birdsong was louder by far. The crowd continued to swell, Neville being helped into a seat by Luna. Neville and Luna alone of the D.A. had responded to Hermione's summons the night that Dumbledore had died. Cornelius Fudge walked past toward the front rows, his expression miserable, twirling his green bowler hat as usual, next came Rita Skeeter, who had a notebook clutched in her red-taloned hand, and then, with a jolt of fury, Dolores Umbridge, an unconvincing expression of grief upon her toadlike face, a black velvet bow set atop her iron-coloured curls. At the sight of the centaur Firenze, who was standing like a sentinel near the water's edge, she gave a start and scurried hastily into a seat a good distance away.

"Why the hells Umbridge there" Sirius asks.

The staff was seated at last. Scrimgeour was looking grave and dignified in the front row with Professor McGonagall. Music could be heard, it was strange, otherworldly music, it was the merpeople in the lake. Hagrid was walking slowly up the aisle between the chairs. He was crying quite silently, his face gleaming with tears, and in his arms, wrapped in purple velvet spangled with golden stars, was what Harry knew to be Dumbledore's body. Hagrid placed the body carefully upon the table before he retreated down the aisle, blowing his nose with loud trumpeting noises that drew scandalized looks from some, including, Dolores Umbridge. Rory leaned into Charlie, who still had his arm around her waist as she looked across at Harry, he gave her a small smile. The music stopped, and he turned to face the front again. A little tufty-haired man in plain black robes had got to his feet and stood now in front of Dumbledore's body. They couldn't hear what he was saying. Odd words floated back to them over the hundreds of heads. "Nobility of spirit" "intellectual contribution" "greatness of heart" It did not mean very much. It had little to do with Dumbledore. There was a soft splashing noise to his left and he saw that the merpeople had broken the surface to listen too. As the little man in black droned on there was movement among the trees. The centaurs had come to pay their respects too. They did not move into the open but Rory saw them and she noticed Harry looking to, they were standing quite still, half hidden in shadow, watching the wizards, their bows hanging at their sides. The little man in black had stopped speaking at last and resumed his seat. Then several people screamed. Bright, white flames had erupted around Dumbledore's body and the table upon which it lay: Higher and higher they rose, obscuring the body. White smoke spiralled into the air and made strange shapes, the next second the fire had vanished. In its place was a white marble tomb, encasing Dumbledore's body and the table on which he had rested. There were a few more cries of shock as a shower of arrows soared through the air, but they fell far short of the crowd. It was the centaurs' tribute: They then turned tail and disappeared back into the cool trees. Likewise, the merpeople sank slowly back into the green water and were lost from view. People slowly started to get up and leave as Charlie helped Rory. Remus walked over to them and pulled her into a gentle hug.

"Hey Wolf" He whispered into her hair as he kissed her head.

"Hey Moony" He pulled away and smiled at her "Charlie told me about your little chat where you blamed yourself"

"I wasn't alone in the self blame though was I" He gestures to Bill who was now stood the other side of Rory with Fleur. 

"You two are so similar with the guilt" James smiles at his friend and daughter.

"That's the end of that year. I'm afraid the next year's going to be a lot worse" Hermione tells everyone removing the disc.