章 424: [Untitled]
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"I can't believe it!" Harry flinched when he felt the cold balm touch his chest and hissed when Poppy Pomfrey rubbed it over the bruise. "There isn't a remedy for bruises caused by Killing curses," said the Matron in an utterly done tone as her expert hands applied the balm, it still hurt nevertheless. "Do you know why? Because people don't require bruise balms after they're hit with it. They usually end up dead and don't have to worry about it!"
The snarky tone of Poppy's voice made Harry flinch more than the bruise.
"How did He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named even get you out of the castle?" she asked. Harry had been brought into the hospital wing just a few moments before by Dumbledore, who had told her Harry's condition before bolting out. Many professors knew he was missing from the castle, but they didn't know how he had been taken out. And he hadn't opened his mouth yet.
He turned and saw Lily and Ivy sitting beside his bedside; both of them looked tired, worried, and yet relieved. "Harry, if you're feeling anything wrong, please tell Madam Pomfrey; don't hold anything back; even the smallest of problems can worsen into terrible issues later," said Lily with a heavy worry in her voice.
"I'm fine—" he cleared his throat when his voice cracked "— I'm fine, mum. Except for the bruise, I don't feel anything wrong with me. . . Can I get a mirror," he asked.
Lily looked confused but conjured a hand mirror for him anyway. Harry pushed his fringes up and stared at the scar that had always been with him since the fateful day. "It. . It's less red than usual," he uttered.
"It is?" said Lily.
Harry nodded. No one knew his scar better than he did. He looked at it every day in the mirror while setting his hair so that he could hide it and checked on it a couple times every day to make sure that people would have one less reason to stare at him.
"It's gone, mum, it's gone," he looked at Lily and could feel his eyes blur, "it's really gone," he said before his throat caught up again. "He hit me with a Killing curse, and instead of me, he killed it. He killed it by his own hands." Before he knew it, he was sobbing in Lily's arms, hearing her whispering in his ears as she rocked him back and forth gently.
"How did Voldemort get you out of Hogwarts?" asked Lily.
Harry gathered his thoughts as he rubbed his eyes. Even though he had just gone through it, and every moment was burned in his mind, he needed a few moments to put everything into words. But before Harry could even start, Ivy said, "He took you out, didn't he? He came in, took you out, and gave you to him," Harry could sense a wave of anger simmering just under the surface, and he knew nothing was going to stop it except a barefaced lie. Which wasn't going to stand when Dumbledore returned.
He could only nod.
"Bastard!" she yelled, and everything around them rattled. Madam Pomfrey's healer bag even floated for a moment before falling back on the bed, tipping over for the vials to drop on the floor.
"Ivy!" Lily was shocked at the sudden outburst of accidental magic.
"I knew it, I knew it, I shouldn't have trusted him," she said furiously, but there were already tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Ivy, it's okay," Harry couldn't believe he was speaking for him. "It was the only way Voldemort could be made vulnerable. He has the rest of the Horcruxes; we just need to destroy them, and then Dumbledore can kill Voldemort."
"Ivy, Harry, what are you talking about?" asked Lily, frowning.
Harry stared at Ivy, trying to see if she would tell her. But she didn't even look up at him, staring down at her feet with her hair acting as a veil.
"Invisible Vigilante was the one who brought me back to the castle," that much was evident from the way he asked for Dumbledore— just like Voldemort had transmitted his voice, "but he was also the one who took me out to Voldemort."
Harry couldn't feel what Lily was feeling just by looking at the expression on her face.
"And?" she looked towards Ivy. What he said didn't warrant Ivy's reaction.
". . . Invisible Vigilante's real identity—"
"Poppy!"
Dumbledore's voice filed the hospital wing. Harry and others couldn't see Dumbledore because of the curtains, but they heard the flurry of footsteps until he appeared in their view. Everything was chaos. Harry saw Dumbledore wave his hand, and the curtains beside their bed were pulled aside, and a stretcher floated behind— he saw a flash of black before Poppy and Dumbledore had unloaded the stretcher on the bed.
It was then that he was able to get a good look. Poppy and Dumbledore stood in his sight, but he could see between them at a body dressed in black.
"Harry!" called Lily when Harry got up from his bed.
He walked to the bed beside him, stood in front of him, and stared with wide eyes at Quinn lying on his bed, his eyes closed, with a hole in his clothes over his shoulder and chest where the skin looked like it was about to fall off. Quinn's chest heaved erratically, his face was twisted in agony, he was kicking his feet, and his fists were clutching the sheets.
"Dumbledore, what is this?" asked Poppy as she waved her wand over the wound. "Why is Quinn like this?! What happened to him?!" Her movements while professional; her expressions were terribly painted in worry as she looked over Quinn.
"Voldemort hit him with a dark curse. I need you to keep him stable while I brew him an alchemic potion. This is serious, Poppy, you can't let his condition worsen, or we might lose him."
"Why is dressed like—"
"Not now," said Dumbledore in a firm voice, "keep him stable." He walked away and gave Harry a brief look as he passed him by; Dumbledore's eyes trailed towards his scar all the while he was looking at him.
Harry followed Dumbledore with his but froze when he saw Ivy standing right beside him. She was staring at Quinn with unblinking, wide eyes.
"Ivy," he reached out to her shoulder and was jolted when he felt her shaking. He called her again, but she didn't respond and continued to tremble. Then she suddenly pushed his hand aside and abruptly walked deep into the hospital wing. Harry continued to call out to her and followed her, but she didn't even turn. "Ivy, what—!!!" He entered Madam Pomfrey's office, where Ivy had walked, and found her sitting alone, shrinking into herself.
"It's too much," she barely whispered with her head in her palms. "Why. . . Why is this happening? I thought I lost you. . . now I'm about to lose him."
"You're not going to lose him. Dumbledore said he's brewing a potion. Quinn's going to be fine."
A loud scream filled with pain sounded out outside. It was Quinn. Harry cursed the timing; it was the worst possible moment for him to scream.
Ivy began to mutter 'No's repeatedly. "I-I haven't s-seen him like this ever."
Harry felt his stomach drop. She was spiraling, and he didn't know what to do. But he had to do something; he had to say something. "Ivy—"
"Quinn, what are you doing?!" Poppy's voice rang outside.
Ivy immediately got up and rushed outside, with Harry following after. Outside they saw Quinn on his feet; he had walked to the middle of the room. Lily and Poppy stood in front of him, trying to stop him, but he continued to take slow steps forward, and maybe because he was injured, neither Poppy nor Lily were physically moving him back to bed.
"L-Let. . . me. . . go," said Quinn, his words barely making it out of his mouth.
"Are you mad?!" yelled Poppy. "Get back on that bed! You're in condition to be standing!"
"'m. . . fine."
"No, you're not!"
Quinn took another step forward, but it looked like his legs gave out because he was suddenly leaning to the side. Harry saw a rush of red flash past, and the next second, Ivy was standing beside Quinn, supporting him before he could fall. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"Ivy," said Quinn, his voice now cracking.
". . . What are you doing," said Ivy; she wasn't looking at him. "You're causing everyone trouble."
"Sorry," he uttered, "I need. . . your 'elp."
". . . What do you need?"
"Ivy!" exclaimed Poppy in deep disapproval, but she was ignored.
"I. . . need you. . . to put. . . me in. . . Great Lake," said Quinn.
There was silence in the hospital wing. All the commotion which was creating the noise suddenly died with Quinn's words. Ivy, who had looked resolute about helping Quinn, looked confused and doubtful. "Put you in the Great Lake?" she repeated to confirm.
Quinn nodded.
"Why?"
"I need. . . water. Put. . . me. . . in water."
"Why?"
Quinn frowned and stared at Ivy, but she remained unperturbed. "Water will. . . heal me," he said.
"I can heal you," Poppy interjected; the Matron looked angrier whenever anyone spoke. "I think the curse is affecting his thinking; let's get him back to the bed."
". . . Ivy, please," said Quinn.
Ivy studied Quinn for a moment, ignoring Lily and Poppy, who were trying to persuade her to lead Quinn to the bed. "I'll do it," she said firmly. "How do you want me to take you?"
"Stretcher." Ivy conjured a stretcher beside Quinn and gently laid him down on the stretcher.
"I can't let you pass," said Poppy, pointing her wand; even Lily brandished her wand, her eyes studied both Ivy and Quinn.
"Madam. . . Pomfrey," said Quinn, his body twitched and ticked as he spoke. "I. . . won'. . . die. I. . . promise. Tea time. . . next week?"
Poppy looked conflicted. She didn't lower her wand and frowned as a storm of emotions passed through her face. Quinn continued to look at her, and it was clear he was struggling to keep his face free from pain. She lowered her wand and just looked away. Quinn turned his gaze to Lily but then lowered it, looking away.
"Mum," said Ivy, "if we don't hurt, his condition will continue to worsen."
"I can't—"
Harry cut Lily off by saying, "Let them go, mum. He knows what he is doing. He'll be fine."
Ivy levitated the stretcher and passed Lily by as the mother watched with conflicting emotions on her face. She turned to Harry and demanded, "You need to explain. . . everything. . . now."
Harry sighed. All he wanted to do now was to go sleep, but he knew that wasn't going to happen.
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Ivy and Quinn arrived on the bank of the Great Lake. Even with everything going on, the Lake and the water in it were serene, painting the sky on its surface.
"What now? Do you want me to put it in the water?" asked Ivy.
Quinn weakly raised his hand and patted his chest. The fabric on the Noir suit shrunk, and in a couple seconds, the black suit had turned into a triangular patch on Quinn's chest, leaving him in his underwear.
"Just. . . in case. . . give. . . it to. . . Dumbledore," he said. "Horcrux. . . inside."
"What-What do you mean just in case?!" Ivy, who had knelt down, stood up and eyed the Lake critically.
The stretcher suddenly moved on its own without Ivy's prompting and descended into the water.
"I'll be. . . back," said Quinn with half-lidded eyes. "'m. . . sorry, for. . . Harry." He went into the water right after the sentence ended.
Ivy continued to watch the water and when it calmed down, she muttered,
"Coward."
If Quinn could listen, he would've wholeheartedly agreed.
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Quinn West - MC - In the worst condition of his life.
FictionOnlyReader - Author - Soon, it all ends.
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