Out of the Shadows (A Harry Potter Fan Fiction)

Chapter 28- Passing Time (Ava)

Chapter 28 (Ava)

Sometimes, I wondered if the things that I saw in Hogwarts were worse than my experiences in Malfoy Manor. I wondered if I'd rather go back there and be tortured again, mentally and physically, than have to see students as young as eleven being tortured for fun by the Carrows. As the weeks passed on, the situation within Hogwarts was becoming worse. The Carrows were frustrated at their lack of progress in finding out who had raided the potions cupboard, and they were taking out on everyone that they could lay their hands on. We were lucky we had raided the supplies, because we needed as many healing potions as we could get.

Before, attacks had been happening perhaps two or three times a week. Now, it was two or three times a day.

The number of students staying in the Room of Requirement overnight had increased, although the room seemed to have grown in size and had plenty of space for the new students. There was always at least one student who woke up in the middle of the night with nightmares. Sometimes, I didn't sleep for a whole night. Somehow, every day I thought it couldn't get worse- I hoped it wouldn't get any worse. Every day, it did.

Now, I was crouched over a first year who had huge gashes across her chest and neck. Her breathing was laboured, and she was coughing up blood. Throughout the room, there were various other first years in the same situation. Seamus, Neville and Ginny were scattered around the room trying their best to heal the students. Ginny and Neville didn't know the spells as well as Seamus and I did, so they were mostly stemming the bleeding or cleaning the wounds.

I passed my wand across the girl's chest, and the skin began to knit back together slowly. Her breathing became less laboured, and I called Ginny over to help the girl sit up and clean her clothes. I moved onto another student, and gasped when I saw that he had a large gash across his cheek. His body was vibrating with sobs- he was clearly trying hard not to show that he was in pain. I reached out and brushed my finger against his cheek.

"The pain will be gone soon. And there's no shame in crying, Andrew. You're being very brave."

A moment later, I began to heal the wound. Slowly, his sobbing subsided and he fell against me. I rubbed his back gently and waved at Neville.

"Can I have some dittany over here?"

He nodded quickly, and a moment later he was crouching down beside me.

"Ava, you should really get some rest. You were up late last night and now tonight. I'm sure we have this under control."

I shook my head quickly as I prepared the dittany, my arm still wrapped around Andrew, "Neville, these students are my priority. I can't just leave them to suffer."

"You must be exhausted, and-" He stopped, and I looked at him pointedly, willing him to continue, "Well, it's just... the other night I heard you having a nightmare while you were sleeping. I know that seeing the students like this is getting to you, I know you're scared-"

"Scared?" I hissed, "Of course I'm scared, Neville! Every day I'm scared that a student is going to turn up and that I'm not going to be able to help someone. I'm scared that they're going to die, and I'll be responsible for it!"

Neville fell silent, and I watched him for a moment, "Once I know that these students are fine, Neville, I will have a rest. Until then, I'm doing no such thing."

He opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it and instead got up to help Seamus with another student.

Half an hour later, the first years were resting in one corner of the room, drinking potion for the pain and another to help them go to sleep. As I retreated from them, Andrew looked up at me and murmured, "Thank you, Ava."