Loss and Gain

Loss and Gain

By Apollo Gryffin

*****

For a few seconds Voldemort was visible only as a dark, rippling, faceless figure, shimmering and indistinct upon the plinth, clearly struggling to throw off the suffocating mass -

Then he was gone, and the water fell with a crash back into its pool, slopping wildly over the sides, drenching the polished floor.

"MASTER!" screamed Bellatrix.

Sure it was over, sure Voldemort had decided to flee, Harry made to run out from behind his statue guard, but Dumbledore bellowed, "Stay where you are, Harry!"

For the first time, Dumbledore sounded frightened. Harry could not see why. The hall was quite empty but for themselves, the sobbing Bellatrix still trapped under her statue, and the tiny baby Fawkes croaking feebly on the floor -

And then Harry's scar burst open. He knew he was dead: it was pain beyond imagining, pain past endurance -

He was gone from the hall, he was locked in the coils of a creature with red eyes, so tightly bound that Harry did not know where his body ended and the creature's began. They were fused together, bound by pain, and there was no escape -

And when the creature spoke, it used Harry's mouth, so that in his agony he felt his jaw move....

"Kill me now, Dumbledore...."

Blinded and dying, every part of him screaming for release, Harry felt the creature use him again....

"If death is nothing, Dumbledore, kill the boy...."

Let the pain stop, thought Harry. Let him kill us.... End it, Dumbledore....Death is nothing compared to this....

And I'll see Sirius again....

And as Harry's heart filled with emotion, the creature's coils loosened, the pain was gone, Harry was lying facedown on the floor, his glasses gone, shivering as though he lay upon ice, not wood....

Chapter 1

Then he stopped shivering. A long twisting cut ran out from under his ear and across his jaw through and under his chin, from where he had hit a sharp edge on the statue as he fell. He lay there completely still except for the shallow breath he was drawing. He'd gone blank, and would remain that way for some time. As dead to the world as if death had truly claimed him.

Voldemort grabbed Bellatrix and Dissaperated, leaving the Atrium deserted except for Dumbledore, Fawkes, and the arriving Aurors. Dumbledore walked over to Harry and kneeled beside him, placed his hands on Harry's neck to feel for a pulse. Then he breathed a deep sigh. Just then Cornelius Fudge arrived.

*****

Ron lay in his hospital bed feeling sorry for himself. Last night Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, Neville, and he'd gone to the Ministry of Magic. He woke up a few hours before, but was yet to get to talk to anyone. He'd not seen Madam Pomfrey or anyone else for that matter.

Hermione was lying in the bed next to his own, still unconscious. He hoped she would be okay. He wondered where Harry was, and dread settled over him. Maybe Harry isn't in here because he is dead? a nasty voice in his head spoke up. Ron quickly quelled the thought, Harry couldn't be dead. Ron couldn't allow himself to think like that.

Suddenly, Professor Dumbledore swept majestically in through the double doors at the end of the ward. He was wearing royal purple robes, which swept behind him and gave off the illusion he was floating. As he drew nearer to Ron's bed, Ron noticed the grim expression on his face. Ron had never seen Dumbledore look this grim, and he didn't like it one bit. Suddenly he wasn't sure if he wanted to know the fate of his friends. He wasn't sure if he would be able to bear anyone of his friends' deaths.

Dumbledore stopped beside Hermione's bed and seeing that she was still unconscious he moved his gaze to Ron.

"Mr. Weasley, it is good to see you are awake. How are you feeling? I need to speak with you in my office as soon as possible," Dumbledore said glancing around the room at the curtained beds which other patients must have occupied. "Miss Granger, of course, would come too in the usual course of events, but I can see she will be unable."

Sensing his chance to find out what was going on and what had happened last night after (did this really happen?) a brain had attacked him, Ron quickly spoke up. "I feel fine, Sir. I can come now."

"Alright, I will be back in ten minutes. Your clothing is on that chair," he said indicating to the spindly wood chair that was sitting beside his bed. "I would suggest being careful dressing. Poppy has already attended to your wounds but I would guess they are probably still sore."

He swept back out of the ward as Ron got out of bed and closed the curtains around his area. He changed quickly, being careful to not to hurt his bandaged arms and chest. His head ached slightly and he was reminded of the time he'd taken one of George's bludgers to the head, but his head was nothing though compared to the fire in his arms and chest. It felt like his chest was raw on the inside and it hurt horribly to breath. His arms felt like they had been twisted off by Grawp and carelessly sewed back on. After dressing Ron dropped back onto the bed gasping air through his inflamed chest.

He sat there watching the ward move slowly and dizzily about, hoping Harry was okay. Of course he was worried about the others as well, but Harry was his best friend and the main target of every dark wizard or witch on the face of the planet.

As Ron sat there brooding over the fate of Harry, Dumbledore reentered the ward. Ron did not look up until Dumbledore was directly in front of him.

"Let us go, Mr. Weasley," he said. Ron stood up quickly and felt the room rushing around him, but steadied himself just as Dumbledore flicked his wand and conjured an ornately carved walking stick. Without a word he handed it to Ron who accepted it gratefully. Dumbledore started walking up the ward, slower then normally, as to let Ron keep up with him.

Ron followed Professor Dumbledore through the familiar passages to the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to his office. By the time they got in front of the gargoyle and Dumbledore gave the password, Ron felt as though he might collapse from fatigue even with the help of the walking stick. Ron had never been gladder of the moving staircase as they ascended to Dumbledore's office.

Panting, Ron lurched into Dumbledore's office and sat down in a chair near Dumbledore's desk. As he slid into the seat his knees unlocked and he doubted he would be able to get up for awhile. Iridescent waves of light streamed through the windows and swam before his eyes. Dumbledore seated himself in the large chair behind his desk; he started to speak and then stopped, seeming to reconsider. Finally he tried again.

"Mr. Weasley," he said in the same flat voice, "After you were incapacitated last night at the Ministry, several events transpired that you need to be aware of." Ron sat up straight in his chair ignoring the throbbing sensation in his head and the burning in his chest. All of that had become of minimal importance compared to this. Ron wanted to ask Dumbledore to get to the point; were Harry and everyone else okay? He knew that Dumbledore would tell him, but he knew that Dumbledore would tell him what he needed to know in time. He wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Dumbledore proceeded to tell Ron about the battle in the room with the dais and Sirius's demise. Ron was stunned by the fact that Sirius was gone. Harry must be feeling so awful right now, he thought to himself, and then he remembered that he still didn't know if Harry had survived last night. Dumbledore moved onto the duel in the Atrium explaining how Voldemort had showed up and possessed Harry, something that shocked him deeply. Possessed? How could that have happened? He shuddered at the thought of Voldemort being near, but having that monster inside him, that would be much worse.

"Voldemort left Harry then," Dumbledore was concluding. "The stress the possession took on Harry's brain was immense, imitating a severe head injury in its affects. Harry is in a coma. As bad as that in it self seems, I do not believe Harry will ever wake up. The damage was too severe. If he does ever wake up he will be too brain damaged to lead a normal life,"

Ron was stunned. He had thought Harry would either be okay or dead, a coma was not what he had expected to hear. A coma, which according to Dumbledore would eventually be fatal. It didn't matter that Harry was the boy-that-lived, because even if he continued to live he would never speak or do anything but lie in a bed ever again.

Ron knew it would be difficult to continue, but he had to do it -for Harry's sake and hope that maybe one day he would wake up and be the way he used to. Ron figured he was still in shock, and that he couldn't comprehend yet what this meant for him and Hermione.

*****

The days passed quickly enough for Ronald Weasley. First it had only been a few days since Harry had gone into a coma, then it became a few weeks, and then a few months. After a while Ron found himself and Hermione disconnecting from Harry; it was as though Harry had been a vague childhood memory you only see clearly in dreams. He found himself thinking of memories with Harry enough, but not truly of Harry.

Ron felt guilty about Harry. He knew it wasn't his fault, but it seemed that everything always went wrong for his friend. He had been jealous of Harry at times, but it made him feel awful now. He wished he had been a better friend to Harry. He didn't tell anyone about this, deep down he knew it was just a way of dealing with his emotions.

Voldemort gained power. More and more Muggles disappeared or were killed each month, a slow increase, but with worrying steadiness. Yet, Ron found himself a lot less worried about the world outside of Hogwarts now that nobody was actively trying to kill Harry. His interests became Quidditch, school life, and relationships. He barely thought about Voldemort, because he felt he couldn't do anything about it anyway.

All of Harry's other acquaintances went on with their lives. Hagrid had been teary for days after the night at the Ministry, but eventually he too let it go. As did Remus, who had no one left after Sirius died. The grieving process is a mysterious thing.

Dumbledore was still trying to fight Voldemort, even though if Trelawney's first prophecy had been correct it wouldn't matter -the magical world's only hope was lying comatose in a bed at St. Mungo's. After some time Harry began to pull into a fetal position. The lightning bolt scar on his forehead faded and disappeared. The scar across his jaw from his fall at the Ministry was still standing as much as ever, a red twisting line across his jaw and chin.

While most medical conditions could be fixed by magic, the atrophying of muscles and tissues was a science magical people rarely had to deal with. Most wizards that got into accidents similar to Harry's died soon afterward. The magic in a wizard seems to protect itself by shutting down and then the magic leaves the person and transfers to another object or human being. This did not happen with Harry, so Muggle techniques were employed on his behalf. He was exercised regularly by a physical therapist.

Ron and Hermione were still very close friends. They were not more than friends though. Ron just couldn't see it happening. He went out with a few girls, nothing really serious -he just liked being around friendly people. Hermione, he felt, had a harder time dealing with the whole ordeal than he did, and he suspected that she had wanted to be more than just friends with Harry for some time. Eventually she got over it.

During Ron and Hermione's seventh year at Hogwarts, Dumbledore had Harry transferred to a Muggle hospital in London. The magical world was too dangerous of a place for Harry to be in; a month after he was moved, St. Mungo's was attacked by Death Eaters. The Aurors managed to secure St. Mungo's again, and capture a few Death Eaters (Bellatrix Lestrange and Augustus Rookwood). The battle took two days. Eventually the Aurors managed to oust the Death Eaters by surrounding the building a using the simple, but effective confundus charm on them. Many Healers were still killed in the attack.

Harry was checked up on by an Order member once a week, but stayed mainly forgotten. Voldemort had started attacking every few days now, and the casualties were growing at an alarming rate. Hermione had decided to become an Auror. Ron thought this was her way to get revenge for Harry. Ron had to everyone's surprise decided against trying to play professional Quidditch, and decided to work for the Department of Experimental Charms.

Hermione was cramming for N.E.W.T.s day and night during seventh year. A few days before leaving school, Hermione received her notification she had been accepted for Auror training. Ron had been too wrapped up with the new girl he'd started going out with. He knew that she was the one. A seventh year Hufflepuff, her name was Renée Bridges, and Ron thought she was wonderful.

On the eve of leaving school Ron was awake, looking out the dormitory window and thinking about his future, with Renée and the job he'd been offered at the Experimental Charms Department. He was looking forward to his life after school, but couldn't stop the thought of Harry from entering his mind. His comatose friend in a Muggle hospital somewhere, he'd not spoken to for almost exactly two years. Harry, who's only future consisted of lying in a bed until he finally stopped breathing and his soul might finally end its stay in limbo.

Ron felt a wave of sadness then. As much as he wanted his adult life to begin, he felt a sorrow he could not get rid of. Ron shivered a little in his light pajamas. He was ending the period of his life in which he had known Harry, and he hated the feeling. He was being pulled between two frames of mind. He wanted to start his life, and he wanted to stay and wait for Harry.

The next day he managed to banish the thought as he celebrated with everyone else. He only thought of Harry once, when Professor Dumbledore was announcing the graduates and left a space in between Patil and Quincy.

A month later Ron started his new job, and he was too busy to think much about Harry. Hermione was busy with Auror training and a new boyfriend, Matthew Zeller who was also training to be an Auror. Ron andHermione ate lunch together once a week, but they rarely, if ever, spoke about Harry. Hermione would tell Ron about training and about Matthew, and Ron talked about work and Renée.

In May of the next year Ron proposed to Renée, and they married in October. Ron was happier then he had ever been before with his new wife. It had been over three years since Harry went into a coma. Voldemort was still gaining power; and it was unsafe to go anywhere alone.

That December, Hermione and Matthew tied the knot on the grounds of Hogwarts. It was a huge wedding, and everyone had a great time. Once again Ron thought of Harry. What would Harry think if he woke up and found that his two best friends were married and had jobs? Harry had gone so long ago Ron couldn't come up with an answer. He thought he knew how Harry would react, but he hadn't spoken to Harry in so long how could he be sure?

The next month Ron was promoted to Head of his Department, and he was very busy with Renée and his job. That same month Voldemort attempted to attack Hogwarts. Hermione and Matt were called to the scene with the rest of the Aurors. Hogwarts was successfully defended, but it was an indicator of how much power Voldemort was gaining.

Ron and Renée were deeply affected by the attack, Ron always felt Hogwarts was the safest place in the wizarding world, and then Death Eaters had attacked it and almost succeeded in taking it over. Ron felt more unsafe then ever. He was afraid his wife might be killed, or Hermione or Matt might be killed in the line of duty.

In February of that same year, Hermione announced she and Matt were going to be parents. Ron was happy for Hermione and Matt. After growing up with such a large family, Ron wasn't excited to start a family of his own yet. Ron's job was soaring, and he was being considered as a representative to the International Committee of Charms.

On October 22^nd, Ron and Renée's first anniversary, Davis Granger Zeller was born. Hermione had confessed to Ron she felt as though she had betrayed Harry somehow. She couldn't explain it, and neither could Ron, but he understood it exactly.

Life went on from there. Ron and Renée lived in a flat in London, and Hermione and Matt in a suburb of London.

Over the next two years Voldemort gained more power. Hermione retired from being an Auror because she was afraid both she and Matt would be killed in the line of duty and leave Davis alone. She has secretly told Ron that she had thought about Harry when she decided it. She said she thought of how Harry didn't remember his parents, and didn't want that for Davis.

It was over five years since the night at the Ministry of Magic, and most people hadn't thought of Harry Potter in years. The boy-who-lived was now the boy who was forgotten.