A New Dawn at Hogwarts

Chapter Thirty-Three: Changes Must Be Made

Aurora did not wake again until early the next evening. When she opened her eyes, she found herself completely alone, the Hospital Wing bathed in the somber red light from the setting sun.

She struggled to sit up, then realized she needed to get to the bathroom, and soon. Thinking that she'd better not chance waiting on someone to show up, she threw the covers off and swung her legs over the bed.

As her feet landed on the floor, a wave of dizziness hit her, and the floor rushed up to meet her as her knees gave way. She lay there, breathless, until the room ceased spinning, and then shakily reached up to grasp the bed frame to hoist herself up.

As she got to her feet, she heard the door at the opposite end of the room open, and she turned to see who it was, only to collapse once again. From her vantage point, she could only see two pairs of shoes rushing towards her. As a pair of strong arms lifted her from the ground, a rough voice she instantly recognized spoke.

"What are you doing?" her father hissed as he laid her back into her bed and began to check her for injuries.

"I'm fine," she managed to protest. He seemed to have reached the same conclusion as he perched on the edge of her bed and eyed her reproachfully.

"You could have been hurt, Ra," Steven chided as he sat on her other side.

"But -"

"Where did you think you were going?" her father asked, the concern in his eyes belying the rough tone of his voice.

"Bathroom."

"Oh. Yes, well -" He cleared his throat as his face slowly tinged with pink. He looked over at Steven before reaching down and lifting her from the bed again. They walked to the facility in silence, Aurora all the while thinking of how embarrassed she would be if he decided to come into the stall with her. To her great relief, he set her down just inside the door. "Furcillo," he muttered. To her surprise, he let go and turned away.

She felt as though there was a strong arm continuing to hold her up, and as she tentatively began walking towards the nearest stall, she was pleasantly surprised to find that she didn't fall onto her face. When she had finished, she walked slowly back to where her father was waiting.

"Thanks," she muttered, slightly embarrassed by the entire incident.

"Would you like to keep the spell intact? It's powerful enough to allow you to walk back to the ward, albeit a bit slowly." She looked up at him as she shook her head.

"No, I'm already a little worn out," she said.

"Cado." As he spoke the word, the invisible hand which had supported her gave way, to be replaced by her father's own capable hands. He lifted her again, and she put her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder. She hadn't exactly lied when she told him she was tired, but this was the real reason she hadn't wanted to walk. This was the closest she'd ever been to him.

All too soon, they reached the ward, and he set her back onto her bed. Aurora let go of his neck reluctantly, then settled herself back against the pillows, noticing that while they'd been gone, quite a few others had arrived. Professor Dumbledore was standing next to Madam Pomfrey near her medicine cabinet, Professor McGonagall stood at the foot of Aurora's bed, and Professor Flitwick was standing on a chair beside Professor McGonagall. Steven and Malichi were seated in their chairs beside her bed, and her father took the other seat as Dumbledore spoke.

"Aurora, we realize that you have been through a great ordeal, but if you feel up to it, we must ask you some questions."

"Okay."