A Thousand Shades of Grey

Diagon Alley, London, England
Thump, thump, thump…
…get down!
...Alastair…Kingsley…
….thump, thump, thump…
…mum he can’t lose more…
…Tonks…NYMPHADORA! We need help…
…Bugger, he’s hurt…
…thump, thump, fwhooom…
…it’s his side…
...get down everyone!
…THUMP…
…got em…
…oh blimey his side’s awful…
….Ginny…
…go… fight…
… Joy stay down…
…craaaaaaack, swhooom….
…Hermione behind you!!!...
…NO!

Harry’s eyes flew open as a blood-curdling scream pulled him back into consciousness. For a moment he was completely disoriented, unsure even which way was up, he tasted the metallic tang of blood in his mouth and felt an intense pain in his side and his hand. As his eyes focused he saw the unmistakeable red hair of Ginny right above him, her face held a look of abject horror as she fired off a barrage of spells at an unseen foe. She turned around frantically and looked down at Harry.
“Harry, o thank Merlin you’re awake! No, don’t get up, you’ve lost too much blood!” Ginny said pushing him down as he tried to sit up, she then twisted back around and fired off a bludgeoning spell out the window. “We need to get out of here, we’re surrounded by Death Eaters—“
The rest of her sentence was lost as a huge explosion rocked the remains of Flourish and Blotts, wood and mortar rained down on them as huge cracks began to form on the walls and ceiling. Harry’s ears were ringing from the concussion and he felt like he could barely sit upright, but he knew that they needed to get out of the building soon or else the Death Eater’s spells were going to collapse the building on top of them.
“Ginny we have to go!” Tonks cried shoving a cabinet aside to get to them.
“Harry can’t move, he’s lost too much blood, even with the blood restoring potion I gave him.”
Harry groaned, upset that once again it was him who was deciding people’s course of action, he placing people in danger. “Don’t worry I can get up, honestly it’s not that bad.” He said as he pushed up with his arms to get up off the ground. He immediately felt a bolt of pain run up his whole left arm and he looked down at his hand thinking he’d cut his hand on some of the glass from the window.
What he saw knocked the wind out of him. His left pinkie finger was nowhere to be seen, everything above the second knuckle was gone. He looked up at Ginny in shock.
“Harry there’s nothing we can do about it right now, we need to leave right now while we still can. Come on Tonks and I’ll help you,” Ginny said taking Harry’s hands in hers to hide the cut.
Harry stood up wincing at the pain from the gash on his side and his hand. Supporting himself on a collapsed bookshelf he drew his wand and nodded to Tonks and Ginny.
“We’re going to head out the back way, hopefully we can sneak around before they realize what we’ve done. Molly and Hermione have already gotten Joy out so we’re on our own. The Aurors are on their way so soon there will be a full on war if it keeps up like this. Now on my mark we need to cross the room; fire off as many spells as you can to keep them pinned down okay?” Tonks shouted over the spell fire. After seeing they understood what she said she shouted, “NOW!” and they all ran out from behind the cover into the middle of the crumbling shop.
The Death Eaters had obviously seen their attempt at escape because the spell fire increased dramatically; red and green lights were bouncing all over the shop. Tonks and Ginny were supporting Harry in-between them as they both fired off spells into the crowd.
Harry tried to throw up defensive shields around them but couldn’t seem to focus enough because they simply fell apart moments after he created them.
They were nearly to the back door when they heard a scream that made their stomachs turn.
“Hermione—” Harry whispered in horror as he stopped moving, searching for the location of the scream.
“Harry we need to go, we can’t—“
“You two get out of here, I can get out through the side door, that’s how I got in here.” Without another word Harry let go of Tonks and Ginny and started to work his way as quickly as he could through the rubble to get to the front of the store again. He heard a cackle from outside and another scream from Hermione. Harry had now completely forgotten about his own injury and started to run through the debris ignoring the shouts from Ginny and Tonks to get back.
He threw a chair out of one of the aisles and jogged to the window nearest it drawing his wand as he reached the sill.
“Crucio!” Bellatrix shrieked delightedly at Hermione who was laying in a fetal position at her feet. She screamed in pain as the spell hit her, tears rolling down her face. “Oh come now, don’t faint yet Mudblood, the fun is just beginning to start.” Bellatrix cooed in a bastardized version of a mother comforting her child, as she raised her wand once again over Hermione.
“NO!” Harry shouted loud enough for Bellatrix to hear him over the fighting, she turned around smiling.
“Now didn’t I tell you he’d come Mudblood? He’s too noble for his own good,” Bellatrix kicked Hermione aside as she approached Harry. “You have tormented my master for too long! I will be honoured above--”
“Difindo!” Harry cried, not waiting for her to raise her own wand knowing if he did she would certainly kill him.
Bellatrix managed to throw up a shield and the spell flew off at an angle hitting another Death Eater in the back causing him to crumple. She kicked Hermione once again laughing as she did it.
“DON’T TOUCH HER AGAIN! Difractura!” Harry shouted, desperately trying to stop Bellatrix.
She once again threw up a shield and the powerful cutting hex ricocheted off and hit the roof of the store. Harry heard a loud crack as the hex split one of the main roof beams in two. He looked up and saw that the ceiling was beginning to sag as the roof began to collapse in on its self.
Bellatrix smiled and pointed her wand at the roof. “Confringo!”
Harry groaned as the rest of the beam snapped and the roof began to collapse. He knew he’d have to go out through the window because the roof was collapsing too quickly for him to go the other way, so diving through the window he threw a leg-locking curse at Bellatrix.
“Avada Kedavra!” she shouted side stepping Harry’s curse. The green spell hurled towards Harry.
He knew shields wouldn’t work so instead he dropped to the ground and rolled, narrowly missing the killing curse. He stood up and tried to position himself between Bellatrix and the now unconscious Hermione.
“Oh how cute, wittle Potter trying to protect his wittle Mudblood girlfriend,” Bellatrix taunted as she cast another killing curse.
Harry dodged this one also, crying out as he rolled onto his side with the massive gash in it. “Difindo!” Harry shouted, not bothering to get up this time.
The spell shot at Bellatrix but she didn’t seem to notice it immediately because it was so low. At the last minute she tried to throw up a shield but the spell shattered it and clipped her ankle. She staggered for a moment but didn’t seem overly hurt by the spell, she just smiled and yelled “CRUCIO!” The familiar overwhelming pain filled Harry, every fibre of his body seemed to be yanked apart. He screamed as the pain shot to his scar, his eyes rolled up into his head as Bellatrix continue to hold the curse. He had never been under the Cruciatus curse for so long; Harry felt his consciousness sliding away from him.
Finally, mercifully, she stopped. Bellatrix kicked Harry’s wand away and stepped over him towards Hermione who was still writhing on the ground, “You think that’s going to stop me Potter, a little paper cut? It’s going to take more than that to kill me! I think it’s time you learned a lesson, say goodbye to your little Mudblood bitch Potter. Avada Kedav—“
But the rest of the curse never left her mouth. Stunned, she turned to face Harry who was lying on the ground with his hand outstretched towards her. Bellatrix didn’t say a word; instead she just groped at her pelvis as a large red spot was slowly spreading across her clothes. “How?” she asked in shock as she dropped to her knees in front of Harry and Hermione
Harry struggled up to his feet and picked up his wand, “I guess your beloved Dark Lord never told you about wandless magic.”
Bellatrix showed a look of confusion and then fell backwards, her life slowly draining away from her.
Harry rushed over to Hermione’s side, making sure to duck the still ongoing spell fire. “Hermione, come on now. Can you get up? We need to go, there are too many of them for us to keep fighting.”
Hermione cracked her eyes open but seemed to be staring past him, “Harry…”
“There we go, stay awake Hermione. Come on we need to get out of here, I’ll help you,” he said propping her up on the ground.
“Harry…Harry…your back…behind…” she muttered still looking off in the distance. Harry spun around to face Rudolpho Lestrange coming right at them with his wand drawn. Harry scrambled frantically for his own wand as he stood up to face him but he knew it was too late; the mad man had just laid eyes on his wife’s dead body and now had a look of savage fury etched on his face. He was about to curse Harry when there came a shout from behind Harry’s back.
“Primamfractra!” the voice shouted, and a spell whizzed past Harry so quickly he felt a strong burst of wind follow it. The curse hit Rudolpho square in the chest and the tall Death Eater collapsed instantly to the ground, not even uttering a gasp as he fell down next to his wife.
Harry looked for his unexpected saviour and saw Ron and Mr. Ollivander running towards them with their wands drawn, ready to fight anyone else who appeared.
Ron reached them first although Ollivander was right behind him despite his age. He dropped to his knees at Hermione’s side and lifted her head up.
“Come on Hermione, wake up, wake up. Don’t worry it’s over, we got them, we’ll get you back to headquarters right now. Come on ‘Mione, please be okay…” Ron whimpered as he brushed her hair away from her face.
“Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, we must not loiter with such dark forces about. Help Miss Granger stand and we’ll head back to my shop, you may use the floo there. Quickly now, before we are spotted!” Ollivander said between breaths.
Harry and Ron helped Hermione up as she tried to overcome the effects of the Cruciatus curse. She was shaking uncontrollably and almost seemed to be in another place altogether, but she did seem to at least be able to walk under her own power with some support. The group moved as quickly as they could from building to building, working to avoid the open spaces and the edge of the continuing battle between the Death Eaters and Aurors.
The progress was tedious, both Harry and Hermione were moving very slowly due to their wounds, and the debris everywhere made it difficult to move in a single direction. Finally though they managed to reach Ollivander’s shop on the other side of Diagon Alley.
The old man threw the door open, muttering under his breath. “Quick, back here, come now in the workshop! Take some floo powder each of you and get away quickly. Don’t worry about me, I’ve fought things much more dangerous than Death Eaters.” The old man said urging them to leave quickly as explosions went off nearby sending stacks of wands tumbling off their shelves.
Ron took Hermione in his arms and stepped into the hearth, a moment later they were gone.
“Mr. Ollivander thank you, for everything. You saved my life out there…”
“Yes, yes, now hurry up quickly Mr. Potter!” The old man said waving the boy over to the fire as he continued to glance out the windows. Harry abided and took a handful of floo, “12 Grimmauld Place!” He shouted and a second later he was sent flying back to Headquarters.

Grimmauld Place, London, England
Harry landed with a thud in the study of Headquarters. His vision swam in and out as the combination of dizzying floo travel and loss of blood finally compounded on each other. Every pore of his body screamed in pain as he lifted himself up off the hearth and began to walk.
“Harry, thank Merlin you’re back!” he heard Molly exclaim, although all he could see now were indistinct blobs of colour; stumbling out of the fireplace he began to feel the enclosing blackness surround him. As Molly’s arms wrapped around him in a hug his eyes closed and he was lost to the blissful darkness.

Harry shifted uncomfortably in his bed, trying once again, to shield his eyes from the annoying blinking light off in the distance. All he wanted was to sleep for a little while longer. He pulled the covers over his face hoping to shield it that way but the light persisted, blinking inexorably on…off…on…off. He turned his head the other way, hoping that if he couldn’t shut it off he could at least avoid it; yet there it was on the other side of the bed blinking on and off. He groaned, his mind told him that he was exhausted and it wanted nothing more than to sleep for hours, maybe even days; but there it was this little light, ceaselessly interfering with his desire. He pulled a pillow over his head not really caring about the level of discomfort that caused just wanting to avoid the light. Somehow it was still there, blinking, as if in a cruel joke it seemed like the light was winking at him.
Now I really am losing it, a light winking at me? Tom should remember this as a form of torture. Harry scoffed at his own thought, finally tossing the pillow aside in frustration and sitting up in the bed. He groped for his glasses and wand on the table but strangely his glasses weren’t there, nor was his wand; in fact the whole table was missing. Confused Harry stood up onto a cold stone floor searching for anything familiar besides the bed, the only other thing in the space was the relentless little light.
Harry marched over to where the light was blinking frustrated that this annoying little beacon was stopping him from getting the sleep he deserved. As he approached it the light seemed to grow in intensity, each flash temporarily blinded him because of the rapid switch from dark to light.
“Harry, please wake up…”
Harry turned around looking for the person calling his name, nothing else seemed to be in the room; it was just him and the light.
“Harry, wake up mate!”
The room seemed to shake a little with the voice, and the light started to blink more rapidly in his hand, filling the room with an almost constant light now. Small cracks seemed to be forming on the floor all around him, and from each crack shown more light.
“Harry!”
Now huge chunks were crumbling into dust all around him, huge spots of light were shining in all around him. Harry reached for the little beacon in front of him but it was too far away now as the floor fell apart. Soon the intensity of the light began to dim and Harry was able to make out various shapes and blobs that told him he was standing in the master bedroom once again.
“Harry, come on, you need to wake up now, you’re sleep walking!” Harry heard Ginny exclaim and felt her grab hold of his arm as she tried to steer him back to the bed.
“Don’t worry Ginny, I’m up, don’t feel too good though. Why does my whole body feel like it was smashed against a brick wall?”
Ginny jumped back in surprise when she heard Harry speak at first but then grabbed him in a tight hug, “Harry, you almost gave me a heart attack. You need to sit down at least; the reason you feel like that is because you’ve been through quite a lot. Do you remember any of it?” She asked cautiously as she led him to the edge of the bed and handed him his glasses.
Harry closed his eyes as he recalled the fight with Bellatrix, duelling with Rudolpho…and Hermione lying there on the ground. “Where’s Hermione? Is she alright, did Bellatrix hurt her?” He said suddenly breaking the silence.
“She’s fine Harry, Tonks and Madam Pomfrey are taking care of her right now, she’s unconscious still. Her body’s shut down to try and stop itself from feeling the pain of her injuries. She went through a lot but Madam Pomfrey thinks she’ll be back to normal in a few days.”
“They won’t let us in there still because they want to make sure she’s stable or something.” Ron said grumpily as he sat down next to Harry, “You saved her life mate, you fought Bellatrix to save her… I guess it’s not the first time though.”
“I killed her Ron, I killed Bellatrix…It wasn’t an accident either…” Harry paused as he took hold of Ginny’s hand, “... at least I don’t think it was… I mean I wanted to kill her…but I knew I shouldn’t…she was just there and I—“
“Shhh…” Ginny said stopping Harry from speaking any more, “come on of course you didn’t do anything wrong. Bellatrix was just as evil as Tom Harry, you can’t—“
“But that’s the problem Ginny! I killed someone, how does that make me any different than Voldemort or Bellatrix? It’s not like the dementors are going to care whether or not I meant it or not.” Harry said angrily, “You might as well call Fudge up right now and tell him that you’ve got a murderer, it’d save…”
“HARRY JAMES POTTER!” Ginny yelled, causing both Harry and Ron to jump in surprise, “I cannot begin to tell you how frustrating you can be sometimes. War isn’t good versus evil, didn’t you know that? Dumbledore is right, it’s not light against dark, black against white. War is a thousand shades of grey. Just because you killed someone in self-defence does not make you like Voldemort, if anything it makes you less like him. You stood up to fight against someone who was much more skilled than you to help protect your friend from being killed, I doubt Tom’s even thought of calling someone a friend let alone willingly put himself in danger to protect a one. What you did was out of love not hate, that is what makes it different.”
Harry looked up at Ginny, brushing a tear off his face.
“Thanks Ginny…” he said hugging her, “you really are a feisty one you know that?”
He then looked over at Ron who just smiled, “You’re part of the family too Harry, you need to know us red heads have a temper” he teased.
“That’s what I’ve been told, anyways it had to be done and I figured the sooner the better, you don’t need to worry about things that are out of your control. Now that that’s out of the way would you mind telling us what exactly you were doing sleep walking Mr. Potter?”
Harry shrugged, “dunno, I was having a weird dream about a light that kept blinking on and off. Then I started to hear you two talking to me and I woke up. How long have I been out anyway?”
“You’ve been asleep all day, it’s nearly night time. You passed out after you flooed back from Ollivander’s.”
“Good thing it was afterwards or else you would have gone flipping around the floo until you popped out somewhere. Imagine showing up at Malfoy’s unconscious,” Ron said laughing. Harry started to laugh but stopped groaning in pain.
“Ow. Guess I can’t laugh right now, hurts too much.”
“Harry you were really hurt by whatever curse Lestrange used, you lost a lot of blood and the cut is too deep to heal magically, not to mention the Cruciatus curse. Madam Pomfrey said that she can do a little bit of work but most of it will have to heal by itself, there is a potion though so you wont have too bad of a scar there though,” Ginny paused trying to find the right words to continue, “…Harry we can’t do anything about your finger, even if we could have found it we couldn’t have put it back on. She’s already healed where it was cut off but you can’t really do anything else.”
Harry looked down at his hand where there was now a bandage on his left pinkie finger and pulled it off with building anxiety. Ginny was right about it being healed, in fact it looked as if it had been like that for his whole life, the noticeable thing however was that he was missing the entire tip of his finger. He bent it experimentally examining it from every side, finally he sighed and put the bandage back on, “I guess there isn’t anything I can do about it, I’ll have to remember to stun Rudolpho next time I see him though. Does look a bit odd, wonder if it’ll bollix my Quidditch game?”
Ginny smiled, “you’re really handling this well, I thought you were going to go nutters when you figured out. How does it feel, does it hurt at all?”
“Not too much, though it still feels a bit like I still have my finger there. My side is what really hurts, just breathing stings,” Harry started to pull up his shirt to look at the cut but Ginny stopped him, “what, I just want to see how deep it is, maybe I can try healing it.”
“Harry Madam Pomfrey told me not to let you undo the bandages until tomorrow. It took us a long time to stop the bleeding and right now you need every drop you have, the potion still hasn’t taken complete effect.”
“Yes ma’am!” Harry said sticking his tongue out at her.
“Good to see your sense of humour is still there, but I bet you won’t like this next thing. Madam Pomfrey also told me to give you this potion when you woke up; it’s supposed to start to heal the gash and reattach the ligaments where they were torn on your finger,” Ginny said picking up a small vial and waving it in front of his face teasingly.
“Oh come on, I thought I was safe from the infirmary when I was away from Hogwarts. Yecch, tastes like owl droppings.” Harry said gagging on the amber liquid.
“Wait you’re not finished you need to take this sleeping potion. I know, I know, but you’re not even supposed to be out of bed right now let alone sleep walking,” Ginny handed him the other vial then pushed Ron off the bed and pulled the blankets back.
Harry downed the vial in one swallow and grimaced, “this one’s even worse than owl droppings.” He crawled back into bed already feeling his eyelids getting heavier as the potion began to take effect, “Hey Ron.”
“Yeah mate?”
“Don’t sit around my room any more you should be in Hermione’s room, I have Ginny the Healer taking care of me. Trust me she’ll need a friendly face and someone to talk to when she wakes up.” Harry said stifling a yawn, “Sorry bout that.”
“Your sure you’re okay?”
Harry nodded his head as he sunk back into the bed, “just tell her I said I’m glad she’s okay.”
Ron headed out to try and get into Hermione’s room. Ginny sat in the chair next to the bed where Harry had fallen asleep, and began to work on her History of Magic essay that had been assigned for summer work.