Coward
Traitor
Pathetic
Amaryllis Potter tried valiantly to keep such negative thoughts away, tried everything she could think of, but it was to no avail. Once more she sat in the medical ward, once more she stared down at an unconscious member of her family.
How many times? How many times had this happened? How many times was it going to happen? The end of last school year had been bad enough with Harriet, but when Riddle carried Harry up, unconscious and barely breathing, she thought her world would end.
If one of her siblings didn't recover it would break her, if neither did, she wouldn't survive either. From her left a subtle shifting reminded the redhead that her sister was okay. That she had recovered from the petrification.
But that had left Harry, injured and near-death all to protect them. Now, once again, they were in the same situation. Once more the world wasn't right because he shouldn't be here, they shouldn't be here.
In less than six months she had failed again, she had walked away when he needed help. To hell with the difference in their skill levels, with his own incredible abilities and her own, merely average, ones. She should have stayed, should have watched his back and protected him.
Instead, she had walked away with Harriet, making an excuse of protecting her and the others as justification.
"What are we going to do?" A voice inquired softly, a voice she knew all too well along with the pain etched into it. "We have to… there must be something…"
Even Harriet seemed to be at a loss for words, but she understood. They both felt helpless, and maybe they were, but they still needed to try.
****
Slytherin house was in an odd state, certainly not one that any of the members could ever recall having experienced before. There was still an air of uncertainty, a feeling of mistrust and blame that hovered between every student. None, save for the first years, could forget the previous events, the division, the accusations, the fear.
Now though something had unexpectedly united them, Harry Potter.
He was the reason the other houses now looked at them with respect and awe, the reason so many had shifted dynamic and view towards the 'House of the Cunning'. Even Gryffindor, with their unspoken rivalry, were less antagonistic.
Some, naturally, basked in the attention, seeking to derive as much favor as possible before it ran out, others bid their time, waiting for the perfect opportunity.
As for their thoughts concerning the boy himself, it was a massive shift from the previous year. In the first he had been an enigma to be mostly ignored or criticized, even after rumors flew concerning his apprenticeship towards their Head of House.
The previous year had pushed those feelings lower. With fear and concern around every corner few would choose the side of Riddle and Potter, that is until the final weeks when the truth was revealed, and even more rumors circulated.
With a summer to catch bearings, converse with adults, and verify facts many were prepared to shift their views and actions towards the wizard.
Then the train had been attacked, and none could continue denying his actions to protect them and the other students.
Suddenly, all those crazy stories and rumors didn't seem as such. If he had been able to wield magical flames of enough strength to repel dozens of werewolves, then surely, he could have defeated an adult in a one-on-one duel.
For one person, however, the recent events on reaffirmed both her beliefs in Harry and dissatisfaction with the rest of her classmates. Pandora Malfoy's eyes narrowed in barely concealed annoyance as a group of fifth year students whispered to each other, her future husband's name audible, if just barely.
Perhaps it was admiration, perhaps it was envy and jealousy, maybe even a tad of ill placed overprotectiveness, more than likely just an unhealthy dose of lust. Regardless, it pissed her off. These same girls would have sneered and insulted him mere months prior but now they were acting as if he was special to them.
They were nothing, no more than pathetic wastes of time and breath. Harry wouldn't have glanced in their direction had it not been to protect hundreds of students, a sacrifice he shouldn't have needed to make.
He had been, once again, harmed only this time there was no obvious culprit she could direct her wrath towards. Could she hate the Lycans? Yes, and she did obviously, but they were barely above animals in such states, hardly the type to create an intricate plan of attack.
No, there was something else going on, something behind the scenes, and if said something had a name and had been involved in the injury of her future fiancé then she would endeavor to make their existence as painful as possible.
Still, with everything that had occurred word would be spreading back to those with actual power and influence soon enough. While she knew none of the students at Hogwarts posed any threat to her position, with Harry by her side, the matter of their parents was a different one entirely.
Especially if her own mother was still being stubborn about the situation. But perhaps this would change her mind as well. Once Narcissa heard of what had happened, and Harry's actions, she would be forced to face the truth, that such a wizard was perfect for future husband to her heiress.
****
Vague warnings, that was all she had been told. Her alternate, older, self hadn't wanted to disclose too much, hadn't wanted to risk changing anything for the worse or having someone hurt that wouldn't have been otherwise.
Thus, things had been kept short and simple. Something bad happened their first year, involving Ginny and a book, something bad also happened every other year it seemed as well.
But Harry almost killed? No, that had certainly never been mentioned. She knew that the older Luna and Harry had been close, best friends perhaps, so shouldn't she have mentioned something more? A bigger hint, a whisper about maybe how to stop what was coming?
It was mostly silence from the other end though, and silence didn't help them, certainly not while Harry was lying unconscious in the ward, not after he had almost killed himself protecting them, not while…
A hand grabbed her arm and pulled, almost dragging her into a nearby, empty, classroom. It was only after she had shaken herself free of the cobwebs that she noticed Ginny standing in front of her. The redhead was nervous, scared, worried, and more.
"I know we talked about this." Her best friend began, "I know you said it was important, that it wasn't your secret to tell, I know that you told me to have patience and that it was a secret."
Luna nodded slowly, waiting for the Weasley to finish her rant.
Ginny trailed off her face scrunched up in the way the blonde knew meant she was trying to figure out the right words. "Harry could have… we could have… Luna, what is going on?"
She knew it would come to this, knew her friend would ask eventually, but the problem is it wasn't her secret to tell. If Harry wanted to let her in on the secret, then he could, but it was his secret, not hers.
"You should ask him, when he wakes up." It was obvious the redhead knew who she referred to as indicated by the huff and silent 'I don't really like your answer or waiting.' "Ginny, this is important, but it is for Harry to tell, not me."
"And the…" the more excitable girl waved her arms about, "attack!? He could have been seriously hurt Luna! If it is about what happened, then…"
But the Lovegood heiress was quick to interrupt, "It isn't, at least I don't think it is connected."
"Then what is…"
"Ask him."
"But…"
"Ask him" the blonde practically demanded, earning a wince and a slight nod of acceptance from her friend.
_________________________
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