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Author: Cygnus Crux Story: Mind War Rating: Teens Setting: AU Status: Completed Reviews: 1 Words: 241,407
"Ginny!" Ron screamed. Despite Wolfe's warning, Ginny's move had still come unexpectedly. This couldn't be happening. He couldn't allow his little sister to die like that — and with that thought — he drew his wand faster than he'd ever managed before — faster than all the other Rangers had — as he rushed to the opening. "Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted, hoping against hope that it would work at this range. But to no avail, for his hands and voice were shaking. Neither the wand movement nor the incantation had been done properly. Horrified, Ron cursed his own incompetence and inability to save his sister, helplessly looking on as she fell down. Then, inexplicably, she began to slow until she was drifting down like a feather. She collapsed onto the rocky bottom as she settled to earth. "Brilliant long distance incantation," Matt Kelly said. "On a moving target, too." "It wasn't me!" Ron muttered. It really hadn't been his doing. He knew for certain that his own charm had failed. "Must've been Lieutenant Montoya." "It couldn't have been. I didn't see him perform any incantation, and he doesn't have the kind of power to do this by eye contact or gestures alone," Commander Nomvete said. Then she looked at Wolfe. "But you do!" "It wasn't me," Wolfe answered. "I could have done it, but not now,"—he wiped some blood still seeping from his nose away with his sleeve —"I have too much of a headache!" "Then who?" Ron wondered. "Cirilo?" "Didn't even see your sister jump," Matt said, shaking his head. "Maybe it was Ginny's own magic." "Why would that happen, if she'd been trying to commit suicide?" Wolfe frowned. "It doesn't make any sense." "Maybe she changed her mind at the last instant," Hermione offered. "I bet she knows that Harry wouldn't have wanted her to end her own life like that." That had to be it, then. "I guess you're right." Ron nodded. He looked on as Ginny crawled to Harry's body and pulled the bloody sheet off. It was a mess. Even from his vantage point, Ron could see the blood oozing out of Harry's mouth and nose. His body was completely broken. But Ginny didn't care about the blood. She just cradled Harry's head and talked. Montoya, who had been trying to comfort Cirilo Roverano, walked over to Ginny and tried to pull her away from Harry's body. But she wouldn't budge, and drew her wand threateningly, causing Montoya to raise his hands and back off. When Ginny turned her attention back to Harry, Montoya drew his wand and stunned her. "Retrieve the body," Nomvete said sadly. "And someone fly the Cruiser back in here. I don't think Roverano can do it right now. I have to tell Irina to make sure that no one saw, or will remember this entrance to the Citadel." She turned and left. "Captain Yee, we need another levitation disc to take us down and bring Ginny back up here." Wolfe said. "I will go get one," the wispy-thin Chinese witch said. "I will fly the Cruiser back also." "All right," —Wolfe looked around —"Ron, Hermione, are you two going down to get Harry? I know how much you're hurting right now. You've just lost a brother…If you're not up to it—" "Yeah, I'll go!" Ron whispered, throwing his arm around Hermione, who was nodding silently too. "Are you sure?" he asked her, since she wasn't looking very well. From what he could tell, she wasn't far from shock. Maybe it would be better from someone else to go down with him, rather than risk Hermione falling apart while they were down there. "Positive," Hermione answered, and the determination in her voice reassured Ron. Ron, Hermione and Wolfe stepped onto a levitation disc that was being steered by Captain Yee. Then she took them down to where the body was lying. Ron took a deep breath. Seeing Harry up close was going to be very hard, but it was something he had to do. Hermione seemed to know what he was thinking, and gripped his hand tighter. In contrast to his icy cold hands, hers were warm. The warmth gave him strength to shoulder the burdens that were about to come, and clarity of thought despite the emotional anguish he was in. He'd have to write letters to his family, the only real family Harry had ever known. And he'd have to write to Professor Lupin and his brand new wife, Rosmerta. He'd have to prepare for the consequences of Harry's death becoming public. But worst of all, he had to do something about Ginny, who was obviously maddened by grief. Montoya must have stunned her for a reason, after all. They reached their destination at the base of the cliff, and Montoya walked up to them. "Mr Weasley, Miss Granger…I'm sorry. He was gone when I got here. But at least he didn't suffer." Ron clenched his fists. He didn't suffer? Of course he'd suffered. He'd got his heart torn out and thrown into his face. Ron slowly exhaled. It wasn't Lieutenant Montoya's fault, and even though he was angry at Ginny, he knew it wasn't her fault either. He guessed the saying was true. Fate really was a cruel and fickle bitch. Harry had lived a charmed life in the face of danger, only to die in the most freakish of accidents. Perhaps that was how the balance was kept in the universe. It made him wonder how long he still had to live. After all, he'd enjoyed similar luck in his life, and that very same morning Hermione had consented to marry him. He wondered how much credit he had left at the universal bank of luck. He and Hermione crouched down next to Harry's body. Hermione's hand trembled as she drew her wand. She closed her eyes and muttered a spell that caused a stream of water to shoot from her wand. The water washed over Harry's face and rinsed away most of the blood. Then she took a clean corner of the sheet and dried off his face. "Why did you have to leave us, Harry?" she sobbed quietly. "It won't be the same without you." "I wanted you to be my Guardian," Ron said. "And Ginny was supposed to be Hermione's Maiden." He had to swallow away a lump in his throat before he could continue to speak. "Funny, how things turn out, don't they? There I was, thinking that we'd be playing chess together as old men, with our grandchildren playing at our feet. Silly, isn't it? I mean, Rangers often die in the line of duty. I always thought that — if one of us were to die — we'd die doing our duty and making a difference. I never thought it would end like this." He sniffed and wiped away the tears that were rolling down his cheeks. Then he forced his lips into a trembling smile. "I never told you this before…I thought it would be too mushy and all that. I guess Hermione was right, I'm too macho. I guess it's too late now, but I hope you can still hear me. I love you, mate. Just having you around made me and my family very happy." His throat completely closed up, and he couldn't talk anymore. "I love you too, Harry," Hermione said quietly. "I owe you so much." She bent down and kissed his forehead. "We'll never forget you, and say hi to Mr Weasley, Fred, Sirius and the others, all right?" "Goodbye, Harry! You wouldn't mind if we name our firstborn after you, would you?" Hermione uttered what could be identified as a sobbing giggle. "Even if it's a girl?" "Right, it could be a girl. Harriet? Sounds a bit lame, though. Maybe we should keep it as a middle name." Someone cleared his throat behind them. It was Wolfe, his face a mask of control once more. If he was affected by Harry's tragic death, he certainly didn't show it. "We have to go back up." With a gesture, he magically pulled the sheet back over Harry's face. Then he levitated Harry onto the disc, leaving behind the drying blood at the base of the cliff. "What was wrong with Ginny?" Ron asked, suddenly remembering that Lieutenant Montoya had stunned Ginny. "Why did Lieutenant Montoya stun her?" "He told me that Ginny thought she'd heard Harry's voice. She thought he was still alive." He shook his head and looked up at the other levitation disc, that was taking Montoya, Roverano and the unconscious Ginny back into the Citadel. "This must be really hard on her" — Wolfe hesitated, unsure whether or not should continue —"and I fear for her life. She may not recover from this. Despite what you might think, given their final moments together, I believe Ginny and Harry were linked much more deeply than most couples are…Deeper than most couples should be linked. Now that he's gone, there's a good chance that she will follow. And there is nothing any of us can do about it." Ron fought the panic that was rising inside of him. He couldn't lose Ginny too, because that would kill his mum for sure. It would be a terrible blow to the family. He looked at Wolfe. "I assume the training mission I was supposed to go on will be scrapped?" "Yeah. I think we're all going to get a break to mourn. You want to be with Ginny, to try to save her?" "Harry wouldn't have wanted her to kill herself over him. Someone has to tell her that when she wakes up." "Do you think your grandfather could arrange for the Weasleys to come to Concordia without having to wait six months first?" Hermione asked. "He's not here," Wolfe said. "I've been told that there was something urgent in Libya that demanded his personal attention. But getting the Weasleys in won't be a problem. The Order of Illumination has an agreement with the Concordian Combine about allowing mourning relatives into the city." Ron sighed. "I'd best get started writing letters." "I'll help," Hermione offered. "At least one of you should be with Ginny when she wakes up," Wolfe suggested. "She won't wake up for a while, though. She'll be asleep for the next four hours, Montoya has seen to it. Do you think you'll have all your letters done by then?" Ron nodded. "Yeah. One letter should do it for my whole family. I'll send it to Bill, so he can break the news to Mum gently. I don't want Mum to get the letter while she's alone at the Burrow. Who knows what could happen? "Percy will relay the news to the Ministry of Magic, and the only other person I have to send a letter to is Professor Lupin. He could tell Professor McGonagall and the Hogwarts staff." "All right. But could you please put off sending the letters until Ginny wakes up?" "Why?" "Even though this is clearly an accident, we still have to investigate," Wolfe said. "A formal report has to be written. I don't see the sense either," Wolfe said quickly, seeing the sour look Ron was giving him, "but it has to be done." The Cruiser hummed to life and began to ascend. "We really have to go back up now." They stepped onto the disc and it carried them up and back into the Citadel. "You two try to get some rest," Wolfe said. "I'll take Harry's remains to the morgue. Hopefully, I'll see you in four hours. Everything should be fixed by then." "It's really sweet of him to do all this," Hermione said, sliding her arms around Ron's waist and resting her head against his chest. "He wants to save us the grief." Ron nodded. "But he hardly seems affected by any of this. How does he do it? How can he remain so cool?" "That's just part of his nature. Some things never change," Hermione answered as he backed away a step and took his hand. "Come on, we have a lot to do." Ron nodded again. "I wish I didn't have to. This is hard enough as it is. What am I going to write?" "We'll work something out together, Ron," she said, standing on her toes. He bent down and kissed her on the lips, realising just how lucky he was to have her, as his lips touched hers. Despite her sometimes cold and analytical attitude, she managed to be very warm and comforting when he needed her to be. She was his rock! * Draco swallowed and took a few deep breaths in an effort to calm down. He nervously checked the state of his robes, the nicest set. After all, most of his current companions had little use for cleanliness, let alone fashion. He hated having to spend most of his time underground with the scum of the Earth surrounding him, and making jokes about his condition. Draco trembled with fury as he remembered. He would get the Weasleys for that. He would make them pay! After casting one last glance in the mirror, he left his cramped room and headed deeper underground, towards the large golden doors behind which She resided. Having proven his worth by quickly establishing a new network of spies in the British Isles, Draco had quickly risen through the ranks. He was now second in command of the all wizards in Anastasiou's organisation, and he only answered to Anastasiou, Von Brandenburg and Paula Rheinhart. He had no idea why the Mistress had sent for him. Even though She was considered to be the maximum authority in the organisation, it was Anastasiou who ran things. Apparently, the day-to-day goings on were beneath Her. He reached Her chamber, and the Dark Trolls parted to allow him to enter. The doors opened by themselves, giving him his first glimpse of the inside of the chamber. It was huge, and decorated with all sorts of fine art and furniture. Draco wasn't sure whether the room's proportions were natural or magically enhanced, but he was leaning towards the latter. The door closed behind him, trapping him inside the room. He searched for his superiors, but he couldn't find them. A feeling of unease settled over him. Why was he here? The sound of someone moving in water caught his attention. He saw the bath, not unlike the one in the Prefect's bathroom at Hogwarts, only bigger and much more luxurious. She was doing the backstroke, and Draco got an eyeful of her charms as they broke through the surface of the water. He had never seen her before, only heard tales about her beauty. Even those stories didn't do her justice however, and she certainly would have evoked a physical reaction from him, had he still possessed that particular part of his anatomy. They hadn't been able to restore it, and again his anger surged as he silently vowed to get his revenge on the Weasleys. "Right on time, Mr Malfoy," she said, climbing out of her bath and revealing herself to him in all her glory. She was simply perfect, like a Veela. "Do you like what you see?" Malfoy quickly averted her eyes and got down on one knee. "I-I apologise, but I just wasn't ready for such a vision of b-beauty," he stammered. He immediately berated himself for his answer, but to his relief she found it amusing. Her melodious and hypnotic laughter rang through the chamber. "A very bold and true answer, Mr Malfoy…May I call you Draco?" "Of course, my Lady." "I am well aware of my beauty," she continued. "I acquired it when I attempted to take a Veela's immortality, not that I was considered ugly before that. But it failed, for I ended up with all the Veela powers, except immortality. It greatly extended my lifespan, though. I kept looking for means to gain immortality, but I kept finding means of extending life. I realised that only spirit beings, like Veela and Tengu, were unaffected by the passage of time and that their immortality could not be taken from them. I gave up on the quest for true immortality." She gestured, and a large towel floated over to her. She began to dry herself off. "I take it you must be wondering why you are here?" Draco nodded mutely. "Because I require your assistance. Athanasios Anastasiou is very capable, but not very trustworthy. Am I right to assume that he is very disappointed with me?" "Uh, well—" "Do not fear for reprisals. What we discuss now will not leave this room. I can also assure you that he is not listening in." Draco had no choice but to trust Her, and his instincts. "Yes, he is disappointed, my Lady." "He expected me to use my powers on the battlefield, like a foot-soldier, didn't he?" "More like a doomsday weapon, my Lady." "How I detest violence." She yawned, strolling over to her huge bed and sliding onto the satiny sheets. She still wasn't wearing anything. "I only fight to protect myself and my interests. Trying to build an empire in the classical sense is impossible. Many Muggles have tried, but in the end the others banded against them to defeat the common enemy. "Only my body was trapped in that crystal, but my mind was not. It could project my essence anywhere I wanted, and see empires rise and fall." Draco listened patiently, waiting for her to get to the point. "Of course, I still haven't told you what I need you for, did I?" Draco shook his head. "I need you to be my eyes and ears. I need my own seeds within this organisation as a means to check on Athanasios and his undead brood. You are not my first recruit for this task. There are others, and you will all unwittingly watch each other. That way I would know if one of you were to get out of line. Would you do that for me, Draco?" "Of course, my Lady," Draco said. It wasn't as if he had much choice anyway. She flashed him a beautiful smile. "Do you expect me to believe that you'd serve me without expecting a reward? Honestly, I have been around for a long time." Draco blushed. "Some sort of reward would be nice. It instils loyalty as well." Voldemort had used death as a penalty for failure. While this had certainly been motivating, it had hardly inspired loyalty, and in the end one of his servants betrayed his location to Potter. "Again, true words." She beckoned him over. "Come on over here and give me your wand. Hopefully what I am about to do will convince you of my intentions." Draco reluctantly walked over to her and handed over his wand. "I heard about your unfortunate injury. Remove your trousers and underwear." Draco's eyes widened. "Excuse me?" "You heard me, Draco." Draco fumbled with his belt and lowered his trousers and underpants, his face burning with shame as he saw her eyes settle on the urination aide Yamato had outfitted him with. She pointed the wand at the damaged area and narrowed her eyes. Her body began to glow and her long, silver hair stood on end. Then there was a flash, and a rush of warmth in his loins. He looked down…He was whole again. "How…H-how did you d-do this?" "Magic," she said simply. "I-I…Thank you!" "What I have given I can also take away," she said. "That will be part of the price you'll pay if you betray me." "My Lady, I would never betray you!" Again She laughed. "I have asked around before deciding to summon you, Draco. You would betray anybody if it suited your purposes. But don't worry" —she smiled reassuringly as Draco's face drained of all colour upon hearing her remark—"I won't give you any reason to betray me." Draco looked down again. "Will I be able to—" "I restored the shape and function. You have complete feeling as well, but you still won't be able to reproduce, for there are limits to even my powers." Then she frowned and pursed her lips, observing him critically. "Not very impressive, are you? I guess you'll have to do, though." Draco blinked. "Do what?" "Hmmm, I thought you'd be smarter than this," she teased. "Do you think I always prance around naked? I have selected you to keep me company when I need it. You're a far better alternative than the other wizards here." Her intentions finally became clear to Draco, and his reaction was immediate, despite her earlier comments about his suitability. "It's not the size of the broomstick, it's the skill of the flyer," he said defensively. She smiled. "I'm glad to see it is once again in working order." She grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him onto the bed. "Now show me how you wizards do it in this twenty-first century!" * Ginny was about to wake up, so Hermione and Ron went to the medical wing to be by her side when she finally did so. They found Lilia and Gudrun sitting on either side of her bed, each holding her hand. The duo had adopted Ginny as their little sister, and Gavin Carey had caused the other male Rangers to refer to them as Morrigan triplets. Hermione had to admit that it was a bit spooky. Ginny had red hair, once again long and thick, since Lilia had rubbed extra-strength hair-growth cream on her head after healing the cuts in her scalp. Gudrun's natural hair colour was a darker shade of blonde and Lilia's a very dark brown, nearly black. Thus the three main stereotypical hair-colours were represented. Ginny was pure-blooded, while Lilia had one Muggle parent and Gudrun was Muggle-born. Then there was the fact that the male Rangers saw them as the bane of all men. A shiver ran down her spine as Hermione realised how close her thoughts came to the truth. In a very indirect way, Ginny had caused Harry's death. She wasn't guilty of killing him, like Ron had accused her of doing in the angry outburst shortly after Harry's death, but her words had caused him so much grief that he didn't see where he was going. And unless Ginny could detach herself from Harry, she would soon join him in death. She would simply waste away. "How is she?" Ron asked. Hermione knew him well enough to know exactly what he was thinking by the look on his face. He was still feeling very guilty about his outburst earlier, which, they both knew, may have driven Ginny to her attempted suicide. "I don't understand," Lilia said. "We gave her some natural sedatives before countering the stunner, to keep her unconscious. But they don't seem to work very well. She's still troubled." Her sleep was indeed uneasy. Her face was sweaty and her brow furrowed, and her head rolled from side to side on the pillow. Lilia gently wiped her face and neck with a towel. She's called for Harry a few times," Gudrun said. "It's a bad dream…she talked about Tom. She told me about her first year at school." she added quietly Hermione had never seen the Icelandic witch look so depressed. She had obviously grown quite attached to Ginny over the last few months. Occasionally, she wiped away tears with the back of her free hand. Then she released Ginny's hand and got up. "Excuse me…call me when she wakes up." Ron nodded and took her seat, reaching out to take Ginny's hand. Gudrun hurried past Hermione, covering her face with her hands. Hermione heard her stifle a sniff, which truly brought out her curiosity. She followed Gudrun out of the small room and found her leaning against the wall, weeping softly. "Gudrun, what's wrong?" "W-Wolfe told me what m-might happen to Ginny." Gudrun pulled a dirty rag out of her pocket and blew her nose. "You're wondering why it bothers me so much." It was more of a statement than a question. Hermione nodded. "I know she's your friend, but you haven't really known her that long." It was odd, really. Hermione knew that she should have been much more upset over Ginny's condition. But maybe the fact that she hadn't given up on Ginny yet kept her going. She knew that Ginny would do anything for Harry. If they could convince her that Harry would have wanted her to get on with her life, she'd be all right. Gudrun stared at a blank spot on the opposite wall as she began to tell her tale. "When I was fifteen, I took my little sister to the hot-springs. My parents thought that I'd look after her properly and that she'd be safe with me, since I was a witch. She drowned when I wasn't looking… I was too busy looking at a boy I had a crush on." Gudrun's voice had gone ice-cold. "By the time I noticed and went to find her, it was too late. I tried to use some spells to revive her, in public, and there was a big riot over that at the Ministry. Some pure-bloods wanted to snap my wand in two for that, but there was this witch who stood up for me. It was Irina…Captain Kovalenko, but I didn't know that at that point. I found out years later. "My sister had red hair, and she looked a little like Ginny. She would have been Ginny's age now." Hermione was dumbfounded. She'd never known that about Gudrun. It certainly explained a few things. "I'm sorry." "It's all right," Gudrun said. "It's just that seeing Ginny like that…" "I understand. But don't give up on Ginny yet. She's a fighter. With us by her side, she may yet pull through." "Do you think so?" "Yes!" Hermione said, although she wished she were half as confident as she appeared. "I'll be there for Ginny," Gudrun said. "I won't let her down." "Auntie Hermione!" a child's voice squealed. Auntie Hermione…Ron had used that name as a joke a few weeks ago, but little Charlie had called her that ever since. He broke away from his mother, who was accompanied by Galatea, and stormed at Hermione Hermione bent down and picked the boy up, twirling him around. "Charlie, what are you doing here?" "Auntie Tea brought me here to see Auntie Ginny. Is she sick?" Hermione handed him back to his mother. Jasmine never left her son alone, but this was not the time or place for a child. "Yes, Aunt Ginny is sick." "What's wrong with her?" Hermione thought about it before answering. "She has a broken heart." "Is that like having a broken arm? I broke my arm last week, remember? But Auntie Ginny fixed me right up. You can fix her heart, can't you, Auntie Hermione?" Hermione had to fight back the tears and swallow several times to remove the lump in her throat. "I…we'll see!" "Don't cry, Auntie Hermione. Everything will be all right, you'll see. Mummy says that if you wish for something hard enough, it will come true someday." Hermione wished she shared his youthful innocence and optimism. She put on her brave face. "You're right, Charlie. Everything will be all right." More footsteps announced the approach of Lieutenant Montoya and Commander Nomvete. This meant that Ginny would wake up at any moment. "Jasmine, good to see you!" Commander Nomvete said warmly. "Will you be needing any help with your move?" "Where are you moving to?" Hermione asked. "Here!" Jasmine said, frowning. "Why?" "Kainda Kuwahsa disappeared without a trace in the Congo, yesterday," Commander Nomvete said. Hermione frowned. She knew that name from somewhere, but the total recognition eluded her. The other Mind Reader, besides Hitomi Ito and my family," Jasmine clarified. "We've been watching her as closely as possible to try and keep her safe. We had actually wanted her to go into hiding after Ito's disappearance, but the local Minister for Magic wouldn't have it. He's been paying her lots of gold to sniff out his political opponents. She had trouble parting with her source of income as well, and we couldn't really force her, so we settled for monitoring her. She may have dropped out of sight on her own accord, but we're not taking any chances. Jasmine and Charlie will remain at the Citadel until the matter is resolved." It was a sensible precaution. "I reckon it's a good idea." "Mummy!" Charlie complained. "Do we have to stay here? I told Ariel that we'd play gobstones tomorrow." "Your girlfriend will have to wait," Jasmine smiled. "I'll call her mum and tell her that we can't come over tomorrow." "She is not my girlfriend!" Charlie protested. "She's just okay, for a girl!" "Of course, dear," his mother said. "Hermione, Gudrun, Ginny's waking up!" they heard Ron shout. That was everybody's cue to crowd into the room. Lilia stepped aside to allow Hermione to be next to Ginny, while she stood further away at the foot of the bed with Gudrun. Galatea, Charlie, Jasmine and Commander Nomvete stood at the far wall, while Montoya stood next to Hermione, so he could give Ginny a check-up. Ginny slowly opened her eyes. "Harry?" she groaned. "Where is Harry?" An uncomfortable silence reigned for a good thirty seconds, before Ron spoke. He was clearly reluctant to do so, still bothered by his uncontrolled emotional outburst. "Ginny…I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I had no right to says those things to you. I know you didn't mean to say those things to Harry…I didn't mean to say the things I said to you either. I had no right to tell you off for what happened between you and Harry, when the same thing was happening between you and me. What I'm saying is — I understand why you were angry with Harry like that, and I shouldn't have been angry with you and accused you of all those things because of it. I mean, if it weren't for what I did after I got cursed by accident, Harry wouldn't have run away from us, and the two of you would never have grown apart in the first place…" Ron was being very careful with his words, and Hermione was quite shocked to hear all this. In the past few hours, she'd got a distinctive feeling that Ron somehow blamed himself for Harry and Ginny's falling out. But she'd had no idea that Ron's guilt covered things that went so far back, and she certainly hadn't expected him to open up in front of all these people. But perhaps it was all for the better. Ginny, however, seemed to hear none of his words. She just looked past Ron at Lieutenant Montoya and asked again, "Where's Harry?" Ron swallowed. "Ginny…Harry's gone." Ginny shook her head vehemently. "That's not true. He's not dead. I can feel it in my heart." "Gin, we all saw him, remember? You saw him first!" "He told me everything would be all right!" Ginny said. "I heard him! It was real!" She began to shake. "Harry told me everything would be all right!" "I'm sure he did, Ginny," Ron said carefully. "He'd want you to be strong and live your life to the fullest, even if he wasn't around." "No!" Ginny shouted fiercely. "You don't understand. He's not dead!" "Ginny, don't be like this." Hermione decided to try a different approach and relieve Ron of some of the pressure. "Ginny, why do you think Harry is still alive?" "I told you already, I can feel it. The fall didn't kill him. He wasn't dead. Lieutenant Montoya was wrong. A fall like that couldn't kill Harry." Hermione bit her lip. Under normal circumstances, Ginny would have been right. Harry's magic would have saved him somehow. But like Wolfe had said, if a wizard didn't feel like living anymore, the inner magic wouldn't save him. But she couldn't throw this into Ginny's face now. She couldn't tell Ginny that her last words to Harry had been the reason that his magic hadn't saved him. Ginny was obviously on the brink of insanity right now, and Hermione didn't want to push her over the edge. But she had no idea what to say. "I'm not crazy!" Ginny snapped. "Stop staring at me as if I'm someone who's escaped from St Mungo's mental ward!" "Harry will always live on in your heart," Lilia said soothingly, "but he's gone now. Please, Ginny. Harry wouldn't want you to do this to yourself." "Lilia's right, Ginny," another person said. "Let's hope it never comes to that, though!" Jasmine grabbed Charlie tighter and backed away into a corner of the room, her mouth hanging open with shock. Commander Nomvete's knees gave out, but Galatea caught her just in time, preventing her from hitting the floor. Harry smiled timidly. "I don't look half bad for a dead man, do I?" "I-imp-possible!" Montoya stammered. "It wasn't easy!"—Wolfe said, appearing behind Harry—"but far from impossible."
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