White Heather for Protection

Matters of the Mind

The moment was broken when Heather recalled the reason for their urgency in the first place. Inexplicably, disappointment reigned in her mind when she left for Grimmauld Place while Professor Snape went to hand the potion to Dumbledore.

The nagging sense of an opportunity lost hung over her head the whole way.

~~~

Just as Heather started to nod off against Hadrian's shoulder, the fireplace flared green. She startled awake, watching blearily as Mrs Weasley stepped through, Dumbledore following a while after. She stifled a yawn guiltily at the dark circles under her friends' eyes. She hadn't meant to fall asleep, but all that dashing about must have worn her out.

Through the crack in the curtains, she noted that dawn had broken. She estimated that it had been an hour since the antivenin was completed. Enough time for it to have acted, especially with the runes in play.

Heather scrutinised Mrs Weasley, noting the ease in her shoulders and light in her eyes with immense relief. While she had been reasonably confident about the potion working, she had had no clue whether she and Professor Snape made it in time or not.

The Weasley children in the room swarmed their mother, pelting her with questions. Hadrian and Heather hung back awkwardly, watching the family come together in shared tears and joy at the (relatively) good news. Mrs Weasley wouldn't have that though, clucking her tongue in exasperation and pulling them into the group hug.

She gripped Rian's hand tightly, snuggling deeper into the hug and enjoying the warmth of family.

The mood in the house was markedly higher during breakfast. They would be visiting Mr Weasley at the hospital after this, and that was enough to help Heather stave off sleep. It had been a struggle for them all to wait for opening hours at St Mungo's to start before making their way, but they managed adequately, if not graciously.

Because there were so many of them (Fred, George, Ginny, Hadrian, Heather, Mrs Weasley, Sirius and Remus) they decided to floo there directly rather than risk gaining attention by going out into the muggle world in such a large group.

When they were finally let into the ward room after flying through the hoops that were hospital bureaucracy, Heather and her brother once again stood back to let their friends reunite with their father. Mr Weasley looked rather robust for a man who had been mortally injured only hours before. In a strange twist of fate, she thanked Salazar (how fitting that expression was now) for the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets.

Heather drifted over to the healer's report at the foot of the bed, perusing it. She paled rapidly at the messily-written notes. Severe haemorrhaging leading to hypovolemic shock, crushed trachea, bilateral renal failure, peripheral tissue necrosis. Yet, Mr Weasley looked mostly well but for the bandage around his neck and a slight bit of paleness! It was a wonder how much magic could heal.

Administering the antivenin had stopped the necrosis from spreading and allowed the wound to clot properly. Before that, the healers had been struggling to prevent Mr Weasley from bleeding out. The venom was apparently a potent anticoagulant as well.

She quickly shut the file, putting it out of view. She hoped none of the others read this. They didn't need to know exactly how close the man had been to death.

~~~

Unfortunately, they couldn't stay at the hospital for long, and they were quickly ushered back to Grimmauld Place. Now that the immediate danger was over, Heather began to wonder about the entire situation. Hadrian had explained to the anxious Weasley children exactly what had happened while waiting for the news. She was perplexed by his words. A vision, he had called it. To her knowledge, Hadrian had shown no signs of being a Seer. If he truly had the gift, visions would have manifested at an early age.