The Princess of Light

Chapter 5.35 (Out of the fire)

"I'm not going....I don't need the hospital wing...I don't want..." He was gibbering as he tried to pull away from Professor Tofty, who was looking at Harry with much conern after helping him out into the Entrance Hall with all the students around them staring.

"I'm - I'm fine, sir," Harry stammered, wiping the sweat from his face. "Really...I just fell asleep...had a nightmare..."

"Pressure of examinations!" Said the old wizard sympathetically, patting Harry shakily on the shoulder. "It happens, young man, it happens! Now, a cooling drink of water, and perhaps you will be ready to return to the Great Hall? The examination is nearly over, but you may be able to round off your last answer nicely?"

"Yes," said Harry wildly, "I mean....no....I've done - done as much as I can, I think...."

"Very well, very well," said the old wizard gently. "I shall go and collect your examination paper and I suggest that you go and have a nice lie down."

"I'll do that." Said Harry, nodding vigorously. "Thanks very much."

The second that the old man's heels disappeared over the treshold into the Great Hall, Harry ran up the marble staircase, hurtled along the corridors so fast the portraits he passe muttered reproaches, up more flighta of stairs, and finally burst like a hurricane through the double doors of the hospital wing, causing Madam Pomfrey - who had been spooning some bright blue liquid into Montague's open mouth - to shriek in alarm.

"Potter, what do you think you're doing?"

"I need to see Professor McGonagall." Gasped Harry, the breath tearing his lungs. "Now...it's urgent!"

"She's not here, Potter," said Madam Pomfrey sadly. "She was transferred to St Mungo's this morning. Four Stunning Spells straight to the chest at her age? It's a wonder they didn't kill her."

"She's...gone?" Said Harry, shocked.

The bell rang just outside the dormitory and he heard the usual distant rumbling of students starting to flood out into the corridors above and below him. He remained quite still, looking at Madam Pomfrey. Terror was rising inside him.

There was nobody left to tell what he'd seen. Dumbledore had gone. Hagrid had gone, but he had always expected Professor McGonagall to be there, irascible and inflexible, perhaps, but always dependably, solidly present...

"I don't wonder you're shocked, Potter." Said Madam Pomfrey, with a kind of fierce approval in her face. "As if one of them could have Stunned Minerva McGonagall face-on by daylight! Cowardice, that's what it was...despicable cowardice...if I wasn't worried what would happen to you students without me, I'd resign in protest."

"Yes," said Harry blankly.

He strode from the hospital wing into the teeming corridor where he stood, buffeted by the crowd, panic expanding inside him like poison gas so that his head swam and he could not think what to do...

Aurora hurried towards him. She didn't bother looking him over, or asking him if he was OK. She simply said, "Who is it?" As if she knew exactly what Harry had seen.

"It's Sirius." Harry found his voice was shaking, as were his knees. He moved towards the wall and leaned aganst it. "Voldemort's with him in the Department of Mysteries, trying to get him to take whatever Voldemort wants. Sirius keeps refusing and- and-"

"Voldemort's torturing him?" Aurora guessed, her voice ice-cold and her face devoid of any emotion.

"How are we going to get there?" He asked her.

"Get there?" Said Aurora.

"Get to the Department of Mysteries, so we can rescue Sirius!" Harry said loudly.