Albus Dumbledore was usually never rendered speechless but when he walked into the potions classroom that what happened to him exactly. It took but a moment to survey the room, and he could see blood everywhere. Yet as he studied the children they all seemed to be ok, stave for one in particular; Draco Malfoy. The young Slytherin was sitting on the floor staring blankly at the wall; and shivering.

His knees were to his chest and he was rocking back in forth, he looked to be in shock. He wondered curiously why Mr. Longbottom had put a robe around his shoulder and was offering comfort. His heart went out to the child and he quickly sent a patronus to Poppy to prepare her. He turned his head when he heard his name and got the shock of his lifetime.

Severus was holding a limp and bloody Harry Potter in his arms. He glanced to the left to see Delores staring unblinking at the ceiling and he knew without a doubt she was dead. He didn’t know what happened here and it didn’t seem like anyone would be talking anytime soon. All this took less than a minute for him before he was reactivating the floo.

“Everyone who is not injured please make your way to the infirmary. Severus and I will see to it that Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter will get there immediately. Close the door on your way out, it will be spelled shut until a time for when I need to return here. Go NOW!” He said firmly when it seemed like no one was moving. He picked up the blonde child who face was as white as a sheet and had dried tear track running down his cheeks.  He walked towards Severus and just gestured to the man to go first. After Severus disappeared in the flames he followed in after him.

Neville was the first one to stand up when his Headmaster and Professor left, and he gently lifted up Pansy who was still crying on the floor. He didn’t feel like talking, at the moment he wasn’t sure if his voice even worked. He looked at his classmates once more before nodding with his head as he exited the classroom. He could hear them all following him silently, Professor Snape would be proud.

 No one made a sound except for the occasional sniffle as they made that long trek to the hospital room. Neville had no words as he led the group, this felt like a surreal dream of some sorts. He wished that this was all a dream, but he knew it wasn’t. He didn’t know how to feel at that moment, and judging by everyone’s expression they didn’t either. It seemed like Dumbledore had opened their classroom first because they didn’t meet anyone on the way there.

The castle was eerie, maybe it was just him though. He opened the door to the infirmary and he could see Madame Pomprey along with about a dozen medi-witches and wizards who were jumping from the two beds between them. He walked towards a bed, not wanting to see Harry or Draco and laid Pansy on it. He didn’t know what to do, but that didn’t matter when Pansy pulled his arm for him to stay. He sat on her bed and held her hand and still said nothing. The rest of the class stayed the same, silent but they were watching their brains unable to comprehend what just happened.

Everyone else quietly took their seats wherever they could, no one paying attention to houses. They kept their gazes away from the beds across from them, not wanting to see anything else at that point. The infirmary was loud and no one was paying any attention to them, but they still said not a word.

Ron was numbly holding Hermione’s hand, he felt so detached from his body. He could see himself sitting on the bed tears silently falling from his eyes. How was this possible? He could see above the whole infirmary, it was like he was flying without a broom. He was quickly brought back down to earth when he heard his Professor’s terrified voice. As he tried to focus on what was being said, the sound suddenly turned off and Headmaster Dumbledore was standing in front of them.

Severus was rocking agitatedly in his chair while the healers worked on his students. Draco had yet to speak a single word. The healers couldn’t determine when he would come out of his shocked state. He didn’t even seem to be in his body at the moment, he wasn’t responding to anything. Harry was another story all together, though Harry had held on like he asked the news was still very grim.  

He had passed out the moment Severus had landed into the infirmary; and lapsed into a coma. Albus’s phoenix had donated a few tears but the child still only had a 60% chance of ever waking up again, but he had to believe. This child had beaten the odds so many times, and he hoped he would be able to pull through just one more time.

He could see Albus talking to his class but he couldn’t be bothered to pay attention as he watched the two boys fight for their lives. How had no one noticed how close Harry had been to the edge? Why was the child constantly overlooked; was it because of his status? He knew had he not let his hatred blind him he would have seen. He had never felt more ashamed of himself then at that moment.

 Because of his negligence a woman was dead, and two boys with bright futures of ahead of themselves might follow her. Though Draco wasn’t shot, but his body had gone into severe shock and Severus knew that could be just as dangerous.

It was irony really, the boy often bragged about becoming a death eater, but when faced with the possibility of death he couldn’t handle it. He couldn’t blame either of them though, they were only children. He was brought back to the present when a small beeping was heard. His heart leaped into his throat as they tried to revive Harry again.

As soon as the healers focused their attention on the Gryffindor, it seemed like Draco suddenly gasped out of nowhere a minute later and soon they were struggling to bring them both back. He couldn’t lose them; he would gladly take their place. They hadn’t even had the chance to live yet. His breathing got heavy and the vision in the corners of his eyes got blurry and black spots started coming in. He sat down in the chair, trying to calm himself down, trying to find his collected mask. But gazing at the dying children on the bed, he couldn’t do anything but stare.

Albus was gently trying to pry the information about what happened in the potions classroom but no one was talking. They were all eerily quiet, which wouldn’t be such a shock but given the nature of the two house he was on edge. He noticed that they seemed to gaze at Mr. Longbottom every now and then. He knew the boy possessed a power but he was always so shy. What in the heck had happened in there to make the children look to him as a leader?

“Mr. Longbottom, Neville? Can you tell me what happened in potions class today?” He asked softly.

“He’ll be sent away if he lives,” Neville said hoarsely.

“Who will be Neville?” Albus asked kindly.

“Harry,” he muttered almost inaudibly.

“You’re telling me, Harry did this?” Albus asked, shock marring his tone.

Neville nodded, his throat still felt incredibly dry to keep talking. He looked at the Headmaster closely, hoping the man would come up with a plan to keep this from the press. Though no one at the moment spoke, that didn’t mean that they would keep their silence for long. Though they were all getting along for the moment, they were still Slytherins; Slytherins who had parents that wanted Harry alive or dead.

Albus glanced over his shoulder for a second before turning back to the children who were looking at him with their sad eyes. He had a plan that was crazy he knew but it would protect all that were involved until he could figure out how to keep Harry safe from the ministry. What he was about to suggest wasn’t technically legal, since you were required to have parental consent to do it on a minor.

 He couldn’t afford that at the moment, not when time was of the essence. He still needed to go into the potions classroom and discard Delores’s body, and find a way to cover up her death until the time came where he could reveal it. This was going to be a tangled web of lies, and unless he wanted to get caught in it, he had to be careful.

“Here’s what we’re gonna do, what happened in that room must not be made public.” He said calmly, expecting and outcry from the Slytherin’s mostly but there was none. He wondered if they were still in shock, he still didn’t know what happened in that room, only that Harry was the cause of it.

“What do you want us to do? Are we gonna take an oath?” Theodore Nott said from his position on the floor.

“If you would all be willing, I can however obliviate you if you wish it.” Albus said gently.

“No I want to remember this, I deserve this guilt. We should have never teased him so much. He can’t help that his parents are dead, we caused this so we will live with the consequences.” Pansy said with so much clarity in her voice, Albus had to wonder yet again what had happened in that classroom.

He could see the rest of the students both Gryffindor and Slytherin alike all nod their heads in agreement to her words.

“Alright repeat after me,” Albus said before he started the oath.

He made it as tight as he could, so that no one could release anything from it. He knew that some wizard’s oath had loopholes, but he made sure that this one was airtight. They would all know what happened, but they would not be able to talk about it unless they were in the presence of another who already knew the secret. Because it would be so simple for someone to eavesdrop, they would also not be able to say a word if there was a chance of someone overhearing. It was very difficult to do that oath with so many people, but not a problem for Albus Dumbledore.

There was a bright white glow that surrounded them all for a moment, before it disappeared and they knew that it had gone through. He could see some of the children looking behind him towards the boys and he waved his wand and closed the curtains to block their view.

“I don’t want to give you anymore nightmares,” Albus said kindly as he took a seat.

“We understand, but can you update us on how Harry and Draco are doing?” Hermione asked softly.

“I will child, as long as one of you can tell me what exactly happened in that classroom.” Albus replied.

“Harry just had enough,” Ron answered neutrally.

“What did he have enough of?” Albus asked dread running through his body.

“Of everything,” Seamus replied, his tone full of regret.