ivy | s. black ✓

36 | OVER MY HEAD

YOU WERE GONE.

IVY FELT NUMB AS SHE SLOWLY WOKE UP — numb was the only way to describe it with how much pain potion was given to her. It hurt to peel her eyes open, but she managed it nonetheless, flinching at the bright light above her. She blinked a few more times before looking to her left when she realized she was in the hospital wing.

The next thing she realized was that Sirius was sitting to her right, his head down on the cot as he slept in an uncomfortable-looking position. At the foot of her bed was Harry, who was knocked out as well despite the sun coming through the window. It was midday, but they'd been up all night worrying about her.

Slowly, Ivy raised a hand to tap Sirius and wake him up, only to stop when she saw thin cuts on her hand that were still healing. She knew they'd fade to scars and then disappear completely, but not for a long time. And based on the pain she'd felt in the graveyard, she didn't need a mirror to know that they covered her whole body.

Though her eyes were watering, she still woke Sirius up, wanting to speak with him — wanting to make sure Harry was okay without waking the exhausted boy. Harry was, after all, a heavy sleeper and would remain asleep so long as they whispered.

"Siri," she murmured, running her fingertips over his cheek.

In an instant, Sirius was awake, striking grey eyes landing on her. And when he saw that she was conscious, he let out the biggest relieved sigh of his life before scooting close, wrapping his larger hand around hers.

"How are you feeling, Darling? Are you in pain? I'll get Madam—"

When he got up to move, she used all her strength — which wasn't much at the moment — to keep him in place. "Please, don't leave," she begged, her voice trembling from lack of use. "Don't leave, Siri."

"I won't," he promised, bringing her hand to his mouth to kiss her knuckles. "Val told us what happened in the graveyard."

"Is - is Cedric okay?" she asked, fearing the worst.

"He's two cots down, and Val is three — Madam Pomfrey said some nonsense about not putting you next to each other. Said neither of you would get any rest. And you can see Harry for yourself. Everyone made it out okay."

"Good," she said, still feeling a bit numb. "That's good."

"What happened to you, Ivy?" he asked her, knowing he couldn't skirt around it. "You - you were gone."

Ivy shook her head, a tear falling down her cheek. She didn't want to think about what she'd been through. "It was awful," she said before choking on a sob. "They used the Cruciatus Curse so many times. An - and they'd tell me that Harry was already dead. I was so scared."

Sirius moved closer and ran his fingers through her hair, undoing the knots gently. "You're safe now," he whispered, his lips hovering over her forehead.