Chapter Text
"You have always been a hero to me." Tanita's words echoed in my head as I made my final decision.
With trembling fingers I gripped the door handle in our mindspace, I just had to do it. Now or never. With one last look back, I pulled open the door and walked through.
Blackness enveloped me and it was as if my mind and body were swirling through a wild storm and finally coming together again.
I blinked, the glare hurt my eyes and it took me a moment to clearly see the hospital room around me.
But I was back, I had found my way into my body and it looked like I hadn't suffered any damage. Well, at least not mentally, because suddenly every inch of my body hurt.
My leg welcomed me with the greatest pain and when I carefully stood up and looked down at it, horror gripped me. What had happened to me?
I frantically ran my fingers through my hair and…oh by Merlin’s beard…where was my hair? My beautiful waves were gone.
I felt sick and before I could make another sound, I vomited over the side of the bed.
"Oh Lord! What happened here?”
The man's voice sounded familiar. He now ran to me, removed the mishap with a wave of his magic wand and stood me up again with a firm grip.
I blinked and recognized Hippocrates Smethwyck. The healer who, strangely enough, was always there when one of us was in St. Mungo's.
"You...are...I.." a relentless cough overtook me and I couldn't continue speaking.
“Keep it slow. Here drink.” Smethwyck handed me a glass and I drank long sips.
"Thank you very much. My voice is a little rusty,” I croaked, wiping my mouth.
“Of course it is. You were unresponsive for months. How are you doing?"
“I'm...fine, I think. Months?" I looked at him confused.
“Actually, more than a year,” Smethwyck admitted sheepishly and looked at me sympathetically.
“A year!” I shouted and wanted to jump up, but the sharp pain in my leg threw me back onto the bed.
“Take it easy, Mister Lockhart. You were very badly injured.” the healer tried to calm me down.
“What happened to my leg? Why does it look like that? And what about my hair?” I just couldn’t remember and felt panic rising inside me.
Smethwyck put his arm on my shoulder in a friendly manner and explained in detail how he had tried to save my leg and that my hair was cursed.
“You will need a crutch for the rest of your life. But it could have been much worse. Now that you woke up, I'll practice walking with you. After such a long time it will take a lot of strength and magic tinctures to make you mobile again,” he explained finally and handed me a bottle with a yellow liquid.
I downed the bitter medicine and shook myself. It was only now, as I looked around the room, that I recognized the other patients and how run down everything seemed.
Smethwyck followed my gaze and nodded sadly.
“The Death Eaters have taken over the hospital. I tried my best to protect them all. But we are closely guarded.”
“Don’t worry, good man. Now I'm awake and I'm telling you we'll find a way out." I tried my bright smile, but I felt too weak and leaden fatigue overwhelmed me. Then I fell into a dreamless sleep.
Over the next few weeks, Hippocrates Smethwyck helped me regain mobility in my legs. Bed rest had caused my muscles to atrophy and sapped all my strength.
It took countless hours of hard work and endless muscle-building potions to get me to the right level. But I didn't give up, I had to keep going. For Tanita and William. I wasn't allowed to show any weakness.
And over time, my old strength had almost returned. I was able to walk surprisingly well with the crutch and completed numerous laps in the hallways to the enthusiastic clapping of Hippocrates.
I would have liked to immediately set out to save Tanita, but I had to wait. The right time had not yet come.
Together with Hippocrates, I forged the perfect escape plan and developed it over the course of months. But this was overturned when the whole of St. Mungo was suddenly invaded by a crowd of Death Eaters.
“They have come to destroy us once and for all!” shouted Smethwyck, peering out of the glass station door.
“Then now is the moment. It looks like the decision will be made today. Jasper!”
With a pop my old faithful house elf appeared and looked at me with teary eyes.
"Young Master! You are well! I feared the worst,” Jasper hugged my waist with a deep sob.
“Weeds don’t go away,” I answered, also feeling a lump in my throat.
Then I cleared my throat. “Jasper, you have to get these people here to safety. As soon as possible."
I pointed to the ten or so other patients in the ward and Jasper nodded. Then he took two of them each by the hand and disappeared.
Less than ten minutes passed and finally only Smethwyck and I were left.
“You should go too,” I said to the healer, but he shook his head.
"It's out of the question. And please say Hippocrates. I think formalities are now superfluous.”
“Then please, Gilderoy.” I smiled, flashing my teeth.
At that moment, Jasper appeared one last time.
“Young master, everyone is safe. And I have something else for you.” He held out his hand to me and I recognized my wand.
“Where did you get that from?” I asked puzzled and took it.
"From the cottage that you and Master William were taken from..." he swallowed and looked down.
"I understand. Jasper, please go to Tanita now and tell her we are coming to save her. She should stay in Malfoy Manor.”
The house elf bowed slightly and disappeared.
"Well then. Now it’s time to go into battle.” I looked resolutely at Hippocrates and he also nodded in agreement.
Then we ran, we blew open the door of the closed ward and the Death Eater in front of it flew two meters through the air. We relentlessly shot spells and curses at the attackers.
They fought back twice as hard and in a careless moment an explosion of sharp shards of glass hit me in the face. I felt my skin split and warm blood cover me.
“Let me do this!” Hippocrates pulled me behind the registration desk. There he drew small circles over my wounds with his wand and the blood flow stopped.
“That should hold. But you will have some unsightly scars. The cuts are damn deep,” he explained and I dabbed myself with my sleeve.
"Great. No hair, no flawless face, just half a leg. Luckily Tanita didn't marry me because of my looks." I grumbled and with a sideways glance at the astonished Hippocrates, I burst out laughing.
Just as we made our way out of the auditorium and threw the last of the Death Eaters to the ground, Jasper appeared again.
“Young master! I'm supposed to tell you...the young miss...she left for Hogwarts with Master Black." he shouted and at those words I whirled around in panic.
“That’s typical again. Of course she won’t stay safe.”
“Do you want to follow her?” Hippocrates looked at me thoughtfully and I nodded.
Then we disapparated and reappeared in front of the castle not a second later. I wavered slightly, oh how much I hated Apparating.
“Gilderoy! There!"
Hippocrates tugged on my sleeve and pointed to the parapet above the Hogwarts boathouse. There, pressed against the stone wall, stood Tanita and directly in front of her was Fenrir Greyback.
Sheer anger seized me at the sight of this monster and I dashed without thinking. Leaning on my crutch, my legs shaking, I ran up the path toward the stone platform.
Once at the top I saw Greyback's massive back and how he was snuggled up against Tanita. Her whole body was shaking and tears were streaming down her face.
Suddenly I was transported back to the dark alley of Hogsmeade. Back when I was thirteen years old. But now I had more courage in my bones and knew exactly what I had to do.
This dirty asshole would immediately wish he had never touched my Tanita. He would pay for all the suffering. Right now! I gripped my wand even tighter and in a thunderous voice I roared:
“Get your dirty hands off her!”