you guys are going to make me cry.

you all are so supportive and loving readers, it's so amazing.

i adore reading your comments, it makes my day.

30k reads. i can't even believe it. i remember when i was celebrating 700 reads.

i love you guys.

enjoy the next chapter!!

-

Madame Pomfrey handed Isabel a juice box and walked back to her medicine cabinet.

Ron followed her over, "How did she test?"

"She has some toxins in her blood stream, singed vocal chords, and a minor head injury." Madame Pomfrey said, "I'm going to have to keep her here for a bit."

"Singed vocal chords?"

"Yes, the poison burned her throat and vocal chords pretty well, she won't be able to speak for roughly a week."

Ron nodded and looked over toward Isabel's bed.

She was sitting silently sipping on the juice box. She looked so tired.

Just then Hermione came back into the room with some clothes she left to get for Isabel to change into.

Isabel whispered, "Thanks" and walked into the bathroom to get a shower and change.

Ron turned to Hermione but she already turned to leave, her face stained with tears.

Isabel looked at herself in the mirror, but her reflection didn't register in her head.

She wasn't supposed to be alive.

-

"Burned it," Harry said.

"You promise?" Hermione asked, adjusting her position on Isabel's hospital bed.

Harry smiled, "Yes Hermione, I pinky promise that I burned the potions book."

Isabel cracked a smile, she always made him pinky promise.

"Thank Merlin that devilish book is gone for good," Hermione sighed.

There was a lull in the conversation and Ron just sighed.

Hermione smirked, "Alright Weasley, what's on your mind?"

Ron smiled, "I'm just really happy your alive, Isabel,"

Isabel looked taken aback. She simply nodded and looked down.

"Aren't you?" Ron asked Isabel.

Isabel breathed in sharply as everyone watched her.

She scrunched up her face, "Are you really asking the girl who tried to kill herself if she's happy to be alive?" Isabel croaked out, every word causing her pain.

Hermione looker at her lap and cried, unable to control her emotions.

"We want you here," Harry said quietly.

Isabel looked at him straight in the eyes for the first time in three days, for the first time since they kissed.

"You don't understand," She said, not breaking eye contact, her voice getting louder with each word, "He will kill me when he finds me, and then he will kill you too."

Ron butted in, "We can fight them Isabel, we won't let Hayden hurt you,"

Isabel started crying, "I know,"

Hermione touched her arm, "On Christmas break, the night the Burrow burned down. What happened between you and him?"

Isabel clenched her hands into fists, digging her fingernails into her palms.

She started to speak softly, her voice raw, eyes closed, "He gave me a prophesy."

Harry grabbed her hand, urging her on. She looked up at him, eyes welled with tears.

"He told me that he and Voldemort and all the Death Eaters were coming to Hogwarts and there will be war."

She paused and chose her words carefully.

"I will be killed in the fight and then Harry, and the fighting will stop. Everyone else, you Ron and Hermione, will be enslaved to Voldemort."

Ron stood up and backed away, "He said that?"

"There will be war in the home of stone,
The four will fight where they were shown,
The girl of chaos drops on the floor,
The Boy who Lives won't live anymore,
The other two will live in darkness apart,
Voldemort's reign will now start."

Silence fell over the room.

No one dared to speak, no one knew what to say.

Was that it?

Is that what their future held?

Harry carefully wrapped his arms around Isabel and held her softly.

"No matter what happens," Harry whispered to her, "We'll give them one hell of a fight,"

-

Four days and approximately 29 juice boxes later, Isabel was released from Madame Pomfrey's care.

She had regular checkups scheduled and very overprotective friends monitoring her every move, yet she had never felt more free.

The four friends laughed as they ran through the empty corridors early Sunday morning.

Their laughter was cut off Ron literally ran into Professor Slughorn.

Ron mumbled a "sorry" as he retreated back from the baffled teacher.

Harry gave Slughorn a small wave, put Slughorn pretended he didn't see him and walked right past them.

Hermione giggled, "Still no luck with Slughorn?"

Then a lightbulb went off in Harry's head, "Luck!"

-

"and then he gave me the memory!" Harry recounted the night to his friends the next morning over breakfast.

"Wow," Ron said through his mouthful of eggs.

Hermione elbowed him as if to say, 'No talking while chewing.'

Harry smiled, "And can you believe he knew my mom?"

Isabel smirked at him, "Harry, I think every professor in this school somehow knew your mom,"

Harry sarcastically scrunched his face up at her.

"So what was in the memory?" Hermione asked.

Harry looked around the room, checking to see if it was safe to tell them.

"Voldemort split his soul and made horcruxes." Harry whispered.

"Horcrusha-whatnows?" Ron said, trying to decipher Harry's words.

Hermione butted in, "A horcrux is an object in which a person has concealed part of their soul. And they can only make the horcrux by killing someone else."

"So you just have to find Voldemort's horcrux, destroy it, and then we can beat him?" Ron said.

Harry nodded, "Yes, but there's one problem,"

"That is?" Isabel asked.

"Voldemort made seven horcruxes."

Ron slumped in his seat, "We just can not catch a bloody break with this guy."

"We already have two," Harry informed them, "And I'm going with Dumbledore today to find another one."

Isabel raised an eyebrow at him to which he copied her with a sarcastic smile.

"That sounds dangerous," Hermione said, uncertainly.

Harry smirked as he stood to leave, "Since when has anything I've ever done been safe?"

•••