Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and Whatnot

The doors to the hospital wing opened and Ginny came in, pulling Harry along who looked to be in a state of shock. Hermione ran up and hugged him.

“Are you all right, Harry?”

“I’m fine…How’s Bill?”

Nobody answered. I glanced back down at his gashed face.

“Can’t you fix them with a charm or something?” Harry asked Madam Pomfrey.

“No charm will work on these. I’ve tried everything I know, but there is no cure for werewolf bites.”

“But he wasn’t bitten at the full moon,” Ron said, still staring at his brother’s face as if he could fix it by just staring, “Greyback hadn’t transformed, so surely Bill won’t be a – a real - ?”

He looked uncertaintly 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” said Ron. “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.

“No!” said Lupin, looking wildly to Harry.

When Harry did not contradict her, Lupin sank into a chair, putting his hands over his face. Tears came to my eyes, thinking of Dumbledore, the greatest wizard any of us had ever known, dead. How was that possible? Wasn’t he already like 400 years old? I’d always thought of him as immortal, eternal.

“How did he die?” asked Tonks quietly. “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 – “

My hand flew over my mouth. Malfoy? Shit. We let him through. We could've stopped him.

“ – more Death Eaters arrived – and then Snape – and Snape did it. The Avada Kedavra.”

Harry stopped and Madam Pomfrey burst into tears.

“Shh! Listen!” Ginny whispered.

We all got quiet. Somewhere out on the grounds, a phoenix was singing. But it felt more like the music was inside me, rather than outside. It was like all our sorrow and grief in musical form. Every emotion being sung. Hearing our sorrow, though, actually lessened the pain of it just a little. I don’t know how long we stood there, listening, but it was Professor McGonagall bursting through the double doors that woke us up again.

“Molly and Arthur are on their way” she said.

Then, she questioned Harry about what happened. He told his story, then asked for ours.

After hearing what happened with Snape and everything, it was so obvious to us how we could’ve prevented it all. But we trusted Snape like Dumbledore had. We trusted Snape because Dumbledore had.

“ – and next thing, the other Death Eaters and Greyback were back and we were fighting again – I thought I heard Snape shout something, but I don’t know what – “ Tonks was saying.

“He shouted, ‘It’s over,’” Harry said. “He’d done what he’d meant to do.”

We all fell silent, hearing the phoenix’s lament still going outside.

It was a few more minutes before Mr. and Mrs. Weasley came striding through the doors, Fleur behind them looking terrified, and Fred and George behind her looking grim.

We all moved away from Bill’s bed to let them through.

“Oh, Bill!” Mrs. Weasley cried, seeing her son’s face.

She bent over, pressing her lips to his bloody forehead. Mr. Weasley stood looking sadly over Bill, and Fred and George’s expressions hadn’t changed since they’d walked in. They glanced at each other, then back down at their brother.

They moved away as Mrs. Weasley took the ointment from Madam Pomfrey and began dabbing it on Bill’s wounds. George’s gaze flickered up and met mine.

He came and wrapped his arms around me. I hugged him back, tightly, glad to have something solid and familiar to hold on to. He was always comforting, no matter what the situation.

“Are you alright?” he whispered into my hair.

I nodded, “I’m fine”

He kissed the top of my head, then turned to look back at Bill and the rest of his family, arms still around me.

“Of course, it doesn’t matter how he looks,” Mrs. Weasley was sobbing, “It’s not r-really important…but he was a very handsome little b-boy…always very handsome…and he was g-going to be married!”

“And what do you mean by zat?” said Fleur, very loudly all of a sudden, I almost cringed away from the sound. “What do you mean, ‘’e was going to be married?’”

Mrs. Weasley looked up, startled, tears still running down her cheeks, “Well – only that – “

“You theenk Bill will not wish to marry me anymore?” she demanded. “You theenk, because of these bites, he will not love me?”

“No that’s not what I – “

“Because ‘e will! It would take more than a werewolf to stop Bill loving me!”

“Well, yes, I’m sure, but I thought perhaps – given how – how he – “

“You thought I would not weesh to marry him? Or per’aps, you hoped? What do I care how he looks? I am good-looking enough for the both of us, I theenk! All these scars show is zat my husband is brave! And I shall do zat!”

She pushed Mrs. Weasley aside, grabbing the ointment from her. Mrs. Weasley just fell back upon her husband, an unreadable expression on her face. Nobody said anything, we were all waiting to see what would happen next.

“Our Great-Auntie Muriel,” said Mrs. Weasley after a long pause, “has a very beautiful tiara – goblin-made – which I am sure I could persuade her to lend you for the wedding. She is very fond of Bill, you know, and it would look lovely with your hair.”

“Thank you,” Fleur said stiffly. “I am sure zat would be lovely.”

But then, without seeing how it happened, both of them were crying and hugging each other. Startled, I looked up at George who also looked confused. Nobody seemed to know what had happened.

“You see!” said Tonks suddenly, glaring at Lupin. “She still wants to marry him, even though he’s been bitten! She doesn’t care!”

“It’s different,” said Lupin, looking tense. “Bill will not be a full werewolf. The cases are completely – “

“But I don’t care either, I don’t care!” Tonks shook the front of Lupin’s robes. “I’ve told you a million times”

Suddenly, I wanted to laugh. Tonks had never been in love with Sirius, as Harry had thought, I knew she hadn’t. It was Lupin she’d fallen in love with. How had I missed that? They would be adorable together, absolutely perfect. I smiled and looked up at George, who was smiling slightly also.

“And I’ve told you a million times,” said Lupin, staring at the floor, “that I am too old for you, too poor…too dangerous…”

“I’ve said all along you’re taking a ridiculous line on this, Remus,” said Mrs. Weasley.

“I am not being ridiculous,” said Lupin. “Tonks deserves somebody young and whole”

“But she wants you,” said Mr. Weasley with a small smile. “And after all, Remus, young and whole men do not necessarily remain so”

He gestured sadly to Bill.

“This is…not the moment to discuss it,” said Lupin, still avoiding everybody’s eyes. “Dumbledore is dead…”

“Dumbledore would have been happier than anybody to think that there was a little more love in the world,” said Professor McGonagall curtly.

She was certainly right about that. What had he been telling Harry all these years? The only power Voldemort didn’t have was love, and that is what will eventually destroy him.