As the Stars Drift By

The War pt.1

Cynthia pulled a small bottle off of the nearby cart. She applied several drops of a silvery-green looking substance onto Thea's wounds. Green smoke puffed up from where each drop hit. Thea watched some of the shallower wounds on her leg stitch themselves back together. The deeper wounds merely coagulated and scabbed over. The nurse, when she was done, wrapped Thea's leg up once more.

"There," Cynthia smiled. "That should do it. Is anything else hurting?" Thea shook her head no. She couldn't feel any other pain at the moment.

"That's good to hear. I'll continue to administer essence of dittany regularly for your leg and other injuries. More numbing spells can be used too, as needed. But try not to move your leg at all, if you can. Any movement may reagitate the wounds.

"I'll send the Healer-in-Charge in here as well, in just a bit, to talk with you both. Just fetch one of us nurses if you need us," Cynthia nodded to Sirius as she walked out. Sirius sagged with relief into the chair at Thea's bedside.

"Sirius, what happened?" Thea croaked again. Her voice gained some of its strength back but it remained scratchy. She raised a hand to her throat, frowning.

"Here, I'll get you some water," Sirius said. Using his wand he filled a nearby cup up, passing it over to Thea. She could barely hold the cup, her hand was shaky and unsteady. Sirius helped her to drink -for which Thea was grateful. The coolness of the water was refreshing and revitalizing. Upon drinking it, Thea realized just how parched she really was. With Sirius' help she drank three more cups in quick succession.

Thea wiped her mouth as she finished, asking her question again. "What happened?"

"I..." Sirius sighed. "I don't know how much you remember." He reached out to take Thea's hand. He held it, between his own two, as though he was praying.

Thea frowned again. "I don't remember -how I got here or...or what happened. It's all just....blank"

"The Healer-in-Charge will be able to explain it better. But I can tell you how you got here. Do you want me to tell you, Thee?"

"Please."

"We -well James' parents- found you on their front porch. You were unconscious, but you had serious wounds. Fleamont and Euphemia took you here first, to get you immediate help. James and I followed right after them. That was on the 20th -9 days ago. You've been asleep ever since."

9 days. No, that couldn't be right. She'd been asleep for 9 days? Her mind and body rejected the information. How could she just lose 9 days without even realizing it?

"9 days?" She whispered, confusion lacing her tone. Her brow furrowed as she tried to reconcile her blank memories with the present moment. "No...I...that's not right. It can't be."

Sirius' expression flooded with sadness as he watched Thea struggle to process what he had told her. Thea fought against her own mind, briefly. Again, the more she tried to remember, the more her mind began to hurt -like sharp pricks and the beginnings of a headache. Why could she not remember? Sirius kept holding her hand, watching as she furrowed her brows and kept frowning.

A knock resounded on the door and a man in lime-green robes entered the room. Thea didn't recognize him one bit. Was this another face she had forgotten? Trying to place him in her memory only made her head hurt more.

"Right then, Ms. Black, I'm the Healer-in-Charge, Wyatt Grouse. I'll be in charge of your care plan while you're here at St. Mungo's and I'll be consulting both you and your brother to ensure that you get the best care possible and recover well.

"Now I've got some more difficult news, but for the sake of informing you of your own condition and for ensuring you understand your care plan, I have to tell you this.