The two quickly rushed to his aid, managing to down one of the remaining attackers. The last Death Eater seemed to realize that he was the only one left, for he stopped his attack. Instead, he reached inside his cloak and screamed out "Activate." The field that was littered with Death Eaters was now empty but for the two Order members standing ten feet off from the stranger.
"Shit!" Harry eloquently screamed in frustration. He dropped to his knees and punched the ground. Then he seemed to remember his injuries for he clutched his left arm with his right hand, while his left hand went to his right leg.
"Easy there," Minerva soothed, stepping towards him. "Looks like you got cut up there a bit. Let us take a look at that for you."
Harry's head snapped up and he seemed to notice their close proximity for the first time. "There are about ten Death Eaters hidden in alleyways throughout the town. I vanished their portkeys, so they should still be there. I need to go," he told them as he rose shakily to his feet.
McGonagall stepped closer to him and held out her hand in a calming gesture. "Wait. You're in no condition to go running off on your own. Let us take a look at your injuries first. We owe you at least that much for saving us back there. Where did you learn to fight like that?"
"I'm sorry," Harry said, shaking his head. "But I need to go. I'm glad you're alright." He disapparated with a crack.
He reappeared back at his regular apparation point on the outskirts of Hogsmeade. He held his right hand over his left shoulder and began healing his arm. The only thing he had ever healed before were small cuts, scrapes, and bruises. He had never attempted to heal a wound like this before. He just hoped that he was able to do so.
A soft blue glow emitted at the top of the gash. It slowly began to spread down the rest of his arm as Harry guided the healing spell. As it traveled down, Harry noticed that it was closing the wound. It wasn't perfect, leaving a scar in its tracks, but it was enough to get by for now. After a minute he had completely closed the wound on his arm, and he shifted his attention to his leg. After another minute or so, that wound had also closed.
Both wounds were scarred, and it was noticeable that he had been in an attack, but he would worry about that later. For now, he needed to get back to Hogwarts before anybody noticed his absence. He transformed into an owl and took to the sky. His night vision was vastly improved in owl form, and he could clearly see Hogwarts castle in the distance. He noticed that his left wing was a little tender, and his right leg ached a bit. His wounds in human form must transfer over to his owl form, he mused.
It only took him a few minutes to reach the castle. He landed in the owlery. After a brief greeting with Hedwig, he landed and changed back into his human form. He dug his invisibility cloak out of his trunk and slipped it on. He made his way to his office to change out of his bloody clothes before making his way to the Gryffindor common room.
He didn't run into anybody on his trek, for which he was grateful. When he reached his office, he pulled his trunk back out and stepped inside. He went into the bathroom and stripped out of his clothes. He jumped into the shower to wash himself off. If anybody besides Ginny was still awake, it wouldn't do for them to see him all sweaty and dirty. Besides, he didn't exactly want to sleep in all that filth. Despite how relaxing it felt for his sore and tired body, he tried to keep his shower quick because he didn't want to keep Ginny waiting. He knew she'd still be awake in the common room waiting to make sure he made it back alright.
Several minutes after entering the shower, Harry was reluctantly toweling himself off. He threw on his school uniform and reverted his appearance back to normal before exiting the trunk. He shrunk it down and returned it to his pocket before exiting his office for the Gryffindor common room. His leg and arm were still aching, forcing him to concentrate on his movements. He made sure that he didn't walk with a noticeable limp just in case anybody saw him. And he didn't want to worry Ginny when she saw him.
He made it to the Fat Lady's portrait without interruptions and quickly crawled inside. It was late, but not so late that it would be unheard of to see somebody awake, so Harry was not sure what to expect when he entered. He was hoping it would be deserted, but he wasn't counting on it. He could just imagine Hermione sitting there waiting for him to return so that she could set in on him. But as luck would have it, only one person inhabited the room, and she was sitting in front of the fire, staring at the portrait hole.
When Harry climbed through, she shot up out of her chair and ran toward him. She threw her arms around him, and Harry couldn't hold back the wince that escaped him as she squeezed against his injured left arm. He hoped that she didn't notice, but he was disappointed.
She pulled back sharply. "Are you okay?" she whispered frantically, eyeing him searchingly, eyes darting from his eyes to his arm. "Are you hurt? Do you need to go to the Hospital Wing? What happened?"
Harry held up a finger to her lips to quiet her. It did the trick. As soon as his finger touched her lips she stopped in her tracks and froze noticeably. "Shhh. I'm okay. Let's sit down, and I'll tell you what happened. But let's make it quick because I'm exhausted."
She gingerly took his right arm and led him to a cough in front of the fireplace. A small fire was still going in the grate, but it wouldn't be long until it was reduced to only glowing embers. It was still enough that he could feel the warmth radiating from it. Once they were settled she spoke, "What happened?"
....
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