“Is he going to be alright?” asked Ginny to Madam Pomfrey.  She, Mika, Ron, Snape, Hermione, and Dumbledore were all in the Hospital Wing.  McGonagall had taken the boy Niamh had called Tyls to Dumbledore’s office and was holding him there while the rest of them waited for an assessment of Harry’s wounds.

Madam Pomfrey nodded but there was a sad look in her eyes that only Mika caught.

“There’s something else, isn’t there?” he said.

Madam Pomfrey gave him a sad look then turned to address all of them.

“Harry must have fallen down the steps.  Or perhaps if that boy used some charm to open the doors, Harry was hit by it.  His left leg was broken but it was only a small fracture and is healing nicely.  A few ribs were snapped as well and very nearly punctured his lung but didn’t, thank Merlin.  His head is an entirely different matter…”

“What do you mean, Poppy?” said Dumbledore.

Madam Pomfrey sighed and said, “He must have hit the marble pretty hard.  There was a compound fracture in his skull but it is slowly healing with help.”  She took a deep breath and added something that made everyone in the room gasp.

“He’s also in a coma.”

“A coma!” bellowed Ron in disbelief.

Madam Pomfrey nodded solemnly and Hermione let out a sob into Ron’s shoulder, who hugged her.

“For how long?” croaked Severus, his dark eyes on the pale, still form of his son.

“I don’t know,” admitted Madam Pomfrey.  “You never know with coma victims.  It could be a few days, a week – months.”

“Months!” cried Ginny in a half-shriek.  Mika placed a restrained hand on her shoulder but she shrugged him off.

Madam Pomfrey nodded and looked at Harry.

“Maybe even more.”

“Oh God,” gasped Severus, sinking into a chair.  He looked up at Madam Pomfrey and asked, “Could he…could he die?”

“It is possible.”  Gasps went up.  “But doubtable (sighs filled the room).  Harry is a very strong-willed boy.  I have no doubt that he will come back to us.”

Five voices sighed in relief as a sixth said, “We can do nothing more here.  I suggest that the four of you return to your dorms and get some rest.  Severus, would you come with me?  Poppy, you will call me immediately if there is any change in Harry’s condition.”

“Of course, Albus.”

Dumbledore nodded and left the infirmary followed reluctantly by Snape, who cast one very open, sad look at his son before his mask slid over his face and he was gone.  Ron pulled Hermione away and led her out of the room, his expression worried and taught.

Mika and Ginny stood alone by Harry’s bed now, as Madam Pomfrey had disappeared into her office.  The redhead suddenly burst into tears and threw herself into Mika’s arms.  The white-haired boy hugged her close, his dark eyes focused on the still form of their friend.

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

Harry felt like he was floating on warm air.  His eyes were closed and he felt so very tired…

Then he heard something hit the ground behind him and a grunt of pain.

“William, you idiot,” snarled an unfamiliar feminine voice.  “You’re going to wake him!”

“Well, excuse me for being such a damn klutz, Glenda,” growled a male voice.  “What’s a kid doing here anyway?”

“Children can come here as readily as we did,” purred another feminine voice.

“It ain’t right s’all I’m saying, ‘Tany,” stated Williem in a softer tone.  “Give him a roll over here, Lars.  Let’s get a look at ‘is face.”

“Gently!” warned the woman Glenda as rough hands grabbed Harry and rolled him into his back.

“He’s so young,” breathed the woman William had called ‘Tany.

“Couldn’t be more than fifteen,” said a deep bass voice, which had to be the guy Lars.

“Poor kid,” murmured Glenda.

A hand probed at his head and opened one eye, sanding a shaft of light into it.  Harry flinched away from it and someone laughed.

“Well,” remarked William, “that proves he’s alive and not just some Avada Kedavra victim.”

“Don’t even mention that damned curse,” spat ‘Tany.  “Most of us are here because of it.”

“Sorry.  Forgot how touché you are.”

Knowing he wasn’t going to sleep with these people chatting in his ears, Harry blearily opened his eyes and blinked a few times.

“I think he’s waking up,” said Lars.

Harry blinked again then scrambled backwards when a square, blond beared and haired, blue-eyed face was thrust into his own and said, “How ya doin’, kid?”

“Surprised,” answered Harry, eyes darting from the twenty-year-old crouched in front of him to a dark-haired woman of thirty or so sitting to his right.  Another woman, blond-haired with odd golden eyes, sat behind her and a large man, who looked to be half-giant like Hagrid, sat to his left.

The dark-haired woman frowned and asked, “Are you alright.”

Harry nodded then felt his ribs and head.  The golden-eyed woman laughed – a sound like bells – and said, “All pains disappear here, luv.”

“Where’s here?” asked Harry.

“Limbo, kid,” grunted the blond-bearded young man, dropping out of his crouch into Indian style.  “Otherwise known as the Avada Kedavra Shelter, home to that oh-so-wonderful curse’s victims.”

“Not to mention wizards and witches who are coma victims like Lars here,” said the golden-eyed woman.  “And I suppose you too.”  She then smiled and added, “I’m Brittany, by the way.  Call me ‘Tany.”

“Glenda,” said the dark-haired woman.

“William,” said Blond Beard.  “And that big lug there’s Lars.  He doesn’t talk much.”

“Pleasure.  I’m Harry.”

Four eyes met and Harry said, “What?”

Glenda turned toward him and said, “You wouldn’t happen to be Harry Potter, would you?”

“Yeah,” answered Harry, annoyed.  “Why?”

“Are you sure?” asked ‘Tany, a smile on her face.

Harry looked at them oddly then said, “That a trick question or something?”

‘Tany smirked.

“May-be.”

“Am I supposed to be someone specific?”

“We were told to keep an eye out for someone,” confessed William.

“A boy named Harry,” added ‘Tany.

“Who had two names,” continued Glenda.

“One the world knew him by,” said William.

“And the other that only he might know,” finished Lars in a soft voice.

Harry eyes the four of them suspiciously for a minute then muttered, “What the hell,” and said loudly, “Harold Jamison Snape.”

William blinked as ‘Tany let out a whoop of joy and yelled, “You owe me a Galleon, ‘Liam!  I said the next person to come in would be him!”

Glenda shook her head at the two them smiled warmly at Harry.

“So you’re really him.  We’ve heard so much about you, Harry.  Very few have come to us since Voldemort was disposed but there are some.  And they’ve told us all about you.”

“Especially that Quirrell fellow,” said ‘Tany.  “Odd chap.  He had a definite number done on him.  All disoriented after he got hit with the Killing Curse.”

“Quirrell’s here?” gasped Harry.

“Victim of Avada Kedavra, wasn’t he?” said William.

Harry nodded.

“There you go.”

“Ignore him,” advised Glenda.  “You need to go see your mother.”

Harry throat tightened and he breathed, “My…my mum’s – here?”

“Well,” said ‘Tany,” not here specifically.  But she is here in limbo.  Where do you think we learned that name of yours?”

“Where is she?” demanded Harry, heart pounding.  He could actually see his mother, talk to her…

As he got to his feet, Glenda pulled him back down.

“Easy, Harry,” she said when he turned a glare on her.  “It takes a little time to get adjust to this place.”

“Plus it’s a long way from here to where your mom is,” said William.  “Its not blank space up here.  Its an actually world with mountains and streams – the works.”

“So how long will it take to reach her?” asked Harry, forcing his tense muscles to relax.

‘Tany, William, and Glenda all looked at each other.  Lars looked at them, then said in his soft voice, “Months.”

“Months!” exclaimed Harry.  “I’ll miss all of school!”

“And that’s a bad thing?” quipped William.

“And my friends!” cried Harry, not hearing him.  “Oh Slytherin’s serpent, this is a mess.”

He let his head sink into his hands and Lars patted him reassuringly on the shoulder with one large hand.