The Dream Trilogy Book One: To Dwell On Dreams (A Harry Potter FanFiction)

Chapter Thirty Nine

Chapter Image by the incredible Visenya at The Dark Arts

Chapter Song: Stop Crying Your Heart Out by Oasis

***

Chapter Thirty Nine

"S-Seamus?" Parvati croaked, hands shaking, lip trembling. "Seamus?" 

Harry reached numbly over to her with his good hand, covered in grime and blood. "Parvati," he whispered, fingers fumbling on the material of her coat. Her face broke, and she crumpled onto Seamus' lifeless body sobbing.  

"No," she cried, inconsolable. "No, Seamus - Seamus wake up, come back!" She pawed at him, gripping handfuls of rain-drenched shirt, the blood already washing away into the ground. "No, no, no, no, no..." Her whole body was vibrating with grief, her face buried into her unknowing friend, his eyes staring at the rain. 

Horror crept up in Harry like bile. His insides tore against themselves as furious anger and hopelessness clamoured to get out, to erupt out into the sodden night and snatch Seamus back from the blackness that had taken him.  

He couldn't be gone, he just couldn't. 

Sarah dropped to her knees as something terrible and broken escaped her throat. She nuzzled her head under Harry's arm, howling into his clothes, and even though the pain from his broken arm was incredible, he let her. 

He couldn't move, he was too afraid to. If he moved, if he unfroze, then it would be real. He wanted to cling onto this moment as long as the world would let him. He couldn't be dead, not Seamus, he was so full of life, so vibrant. But here he was, empty. A shell. 

Draco stood up and away, backing up towards Blaise, who was watching on silently, letting the rain run down her face and neck, soaking her clothes, dripping from her short sword. Her mouth was a tight line, her eyes unblinking. Draco stood shoulder to shoulder with her, and the ball of sunshine, ever faithful, hung still between them, sizzling in the downpour. 

Hermione was rocking back and forth by Harry's side, crying for the boy she'd only just met. Crying at the cruelty of it all. How many more children had given their lives in the battle inside? Harry found himself wondering. How many other bright lights had been snuffed out. 

The rain pelted into the trees, running in rivets down the trunks, sliding along the ground, mixing with the dirt under Harry's knees, plastering his hair to his bloody forehead. With great effort, he slowly leaned over, and closed Seamus' eyes. Despite the deluge hammering down on their heads, Harry could still feel the hot tears creeping from his eyes and into the edges of his mouth. 

Movement from down the path snapped him from his reverie in an instant, jerking him to his feet, hand snatching for his wand. Draco and Blaise were around and armed no more than a second later.  

"Harry Potter?" A voice cried as two figures became more and more visible. "Harry is that you?" 

"Who's there!" he shouted as the two figures got bigger. "Don't come any closer!" He pulled Sarah behind him and Hermione whipped out her wand too. Parvati clutched fearfully at Seamus' body, as if they were threatening to hurt him further. What if they were Death Eaters, still fighting for their dead master?  

They'd have to get through Harry first. 

A short, portly man with a walrus moustache and a younger gangly man skidded to a slippery halt in front of them, wands raised defensively. "It's okay" cried the gangly one, swiping light brown hair from his face. "We're with the Ministry, Alistair Moody sent us to find you!"

***

Harry let his vision wander numbly around the auditorium as the Healer did her work. He'd been dried off magically by Mad Eyed Moody (the real one, Harry reminded himself, not the imposter he'd known last year). His rucksack and coat had been returned to him by a Ministry official from beside the body of Bellatrix, and he now had the coat draped over his shoulders as his cuts, bruises and bones were being seen to.