Chapter 385 - 386: Every sin has been accounted for

After Noctis left, Madam Pomfrey immediately stepped forward to examine Harry’s injuries.

When she saw his severed finger, her brows furrowed deeply.

"This is a wound caused by Dark Arts," she said gravely. "A particularly vicious kind. I’m sorry, Mr Potter, but without the specific counter-curse, I cannot regrow it."

Her words silenced everyone around them.

Ron’s mouth fell open, while Hermione covered her mouth with one hand, her eyes instantly filling with tears.

Harry, however, was unexpectedly calm.

He looked down at his right hand, which had stopped bleeding and was now missing an index finger.

"It’s all right, Madam Pomfrey."

He even managed to force a smile.

"If losing one finger is all it takes to finish Voldemort for good, then it’s the most worthwhile trade I could make."

Hermione opened her mouth but said nothing.

Harry looked up and asked, "Professor Greengrass must have killed Voldemort, don’t you think?"

His optimism made Professor McGonagall turn her head away, while Snape’s expression became complicated.

Finally, at Dumbledore’s signal, Madam Pomfrey gave Harry some sedatives and nutrient potions before settling him into a bed in the innermost part of the Hospital Wing.

When Harry finally lay down on the soft, clean bed, an enormous wave of exhaustion swept over him, yet he simply could not fall asleep.

Ron and Hermione sat beside the bed. Dumbledore pulled up a chair and sat down, while Professor McGonagall and Snape stood at the foot of the bed.

Everyone’s attention was fixed on Harry.

"So, Harry," Dumbledore said gently, "if you’re willing, and if you feel clear-headed enough, could you tell us exactly what happened after you were taken away?"

Harry took a deep breath, nodded, and began recounting his incredible experience.

He started from the moment Barty Crouch Jr. took him to the graveyard in Little Hangleton, describing how Voldemort had grotesquely "resided" within Nagini and how Wormtail had helped perform the horrific resurrection ritual.

"...Then he used my blood," Harry said, his voice slightly hoarse, "to complete the ritual and create a new body for himself."

As Harry described how Voldemort summoned the Death Eaters and displayed his power before them, Ron’s face grew almost as pale as Harry’s, while Hermione tightly clutched the bedsheets.

"Just when I thought it was all over," Harry continued, his eyes lighting up, "Professor Greengrass appeared. He was disguised as a Death Eater and had been standing right there among them!"

He described in detail how Sagres confronted Voldemort, then sent him away by some unknown means, and how Noctis caught him in the night sky.

"I never knew Noctis was that powerful!"

Dumbledore said with some surprise, "That is no ordinary ability, to grow to such an enormous size..."

Harry’s account was nearing its end.

"The last thing I saw before I left was Professor Greengrass raising a wall of fire with magic and trapping all the Death Eaters, including Voldemort, inside."

Harry’s voice trembled slightly.

"I don’t know what happened after that. Noctis took me away..."

The ward fell silent, save for the slightly heavy breathing of those present.

"So," Dumbledore began slowly, his gaze unusually sharp behind his half-moon spectacles, "Sagres chose to face Voldemort and all of his Death Eaters alone?"

Harry nodded vigorously.

"They were all surrounded by the wall of fire."

Ron murmured in awe, "No help? Professor Greengrass shouldn’t need help, I suppose. I mean... one person against You-Know-Who and all those Death Eaters. That’s incredible..."

"Professor Greengrass can certainly do it," Hermione whispered, tears glistening in her eyes. "He saved you, Harry."

Harry lay on the bed, feeling the drowsiness from the medication slowly beginning to take hold.

"Yes, Hermione," he murmured softly. "He saved me again."

Before closing his eyes and falling into a deep sleep, he seemed to see once more the pale flames rising in that graveyard and the figure standing within them...

As Harry finally succumbed to the effects of the medication, the doors of the Hospital Wing were suddenly pushed open.

A dust-covered Sirius stood in the doorway. His black robes were still damp with the night’s dew, his long black hair was dishevelled, and anxiety burned in his grey eyes.

"Harry!"

He practically rushed to the bedside. Only after confirming that his godson was breathing steadily did the tension in his shoulders ease slightly.

Madam Pomfrey hurried over and lowered her voice.

"Mr Black, he only just fell asleep. He’s been through something terrible..."

"I heard."

Sirius’s voice was hoarse. He sat down gently in the chair beside the bed, his gaze never leaving Harry’s face.

"Alastor... no, the impostor took him away. Dumbledore already told me most of what happened."

His fingers trembled slightly as he gently touched Harry’s bandaged right hand, a flash of pain crossing his eyes.

"What happened to his hand?"

"A cutting wound caused by Dark Arts," Madam Pomfrey explained softly. "It cannot be regrown."

Sirius’s jaw tightened, but he quickly brought his emotions under control.

"What about that bastard? Barty Crouch Jr.?"

"We don’t know."

Madam Pomfrey’s voice carried a faint tremor.

"Professor Greengrass hasn’t returned yet."

Just then, Harry stirred uneasily in his sleep and slowly opened his eyes.

The moment he saw the figure beside his bed, he instantly became fully awake.

"Sirius!"

"Hey, kid."

Sirius forced a smile and took Harry’s uninjured hand.

"I heard you had quite an eventful night."

Over the next hour, Harry recounted the entire experience in detail once again, this time with Sirius sitting beside him and gripping his hand tightly.

When Harry described Voldemort’s resurrection, Sirius’s grip involuntarily tightened. When he spoke of Sagres suddenly appearing among the Death Eaters, Sirius raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Outside the window, the first rays of dawn had already begun to pierce the darkness.

At that moment, the door to the Hospital Wing was gently pushed open once more.

Sagres stood in the doorway, his black robes still intact, though there was a trace of exhaustion on his face.

His gaze first fell on Harry. He gave a slight nod before turning towards Dumbledore and the others who had come to visit him.

"It’s over."

His voice was slightly hoarse.

"Every sin has been accounted for. Not one of them remains."

The entire Hospital Wing fell silent.

Everyone stared at the man who had single-handedly wiped out the Dark Lord and his followers, momentarily unable to speak.

Harry struggled to sit up, looked directly into Sagres’s eyes, and spoke with complete sincerity.

"Professor... you saved me once again... I don’t know how I should thank you.."

"You’ll never have to." Sagres gave a slight shake.

"Your courage was impressive. Focus on recovering."

___

o(*≧▽≦)ツ💫 Read up to 12+ Chapters in advance on Patreon/DarkDevil1