Muggle | 𝐹𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑊𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑙𝑒𝑦

Chapter 145

I kept looking at everyone, but they all seemed speechless. "Well?" I demanded, my heartbeat speeding up.

        "I-I haven't seen him since we got here," said Lupin. Although seeing the look of horror on my face, he continued, "But I'm sure he's fine."

       "I'll go look for him," I said, trying to leave the hospital wing, but Lupin stopped me.

       "You can't leave the castle," he said. "It's McGonagall's order."

      "Look, it's not just about finding Sirius," I said firmly. "A woman has been hurt. I didn't know her but she saved my life. I need to make sure she's all right."

        "Listen, McGonagall wants all the students inside," he tried to reason. "We're still not sure if all the Death Eaters are gone. You can't go out there on your own. I'm sure McGonagall would take care of everything."

At the sound of footsteps entering the hospital wing, we all turned around and looked up, seeing Harry walk inside with Ginny.

Hermione ran to Harry and hugged him; Lupin moved forward too, looking anxious.

"Are you all right, Harry?" Lupin asked.

"I'm fine... How's Bill?"

Nobody answered. Harry looked over Hermione's shoulder and his eyes got filled with worry as he saw Bill. Madam Pomfrey was dabbing at his wounds with some harsh-smelling green ointment.

"Can't you fix them with a charm or something?" he asked her.

"No charm will work on these," said Madam Pomfrey. "I've tried everything I know, but there is no cure for werewolf bites."

"But he wasn't bitten at the full moon," said Ron, gazing down into his brother's face. "Greyback hadn't transformed, so surely Bill won't be a — a real — ?" He looked uncertainly at Lupin.

"No, I don't think that Bill will be a true werewolf," said Lupin, "but that does not mean that there won't be some contamination. Those are cursed wounds. They are unlikely ever to heal fully, and — and Bill might have some wolfish characteristics from now on."

"Dumbledore might know something that'd work, though," Ron said. "Where is he? Bill fought those maniacs on Dumbledore's orders, Dumbledore owes him, he can't leave him in this state —"

"Ron — Dumbledore's dead," said Ginny. The room fell silent as everyone gaped at those words.

"No!" Lupin looked wildly from Ginny to Harry, as though hoping that someone would deny it.

But when no one did, Lupin collapsed into a chair beside Bill's bed, his hands over his face.

"How did he die?" whispered Tonks. "How did it happen?"

"Snape killed him," said Harry. "I was there, I saw it. We arrived back on the Astronomy Tower because that's where the Mark was... Dumbledore was ill, he was weak, but I think he realized it was a trap when we heard footsteps running up the stairs. He immobilized me, I couldn't do anything, I was under the Invisibility Cloak — and then Malfoy came through the door and disarmed him —"

Hermione clapped her hands to her mouth and Ron groaned. Luna's mouth was trembling as Madam Pomfrey started sobbing.

"— more Death Eaters arrived — and then Snape — and Snape did it. The Avada Kedavra." Harry couldn't go on.

Soon, we started hearing a beautiful music. Looking out of the window, we saw a phoenix flying away. It sounded magical, and we all stared outside, as if enchanted by it.