laconic • t.nott ✓

20 ➺ healing

「 HEALING 」

IT WAS DARK. MUCH TOO dark for Theo to see anything, to register what was going on around him. The pain radiating from his stomach has lessened although it stung when he tried to move. Someone moved over him, around him, fumbling. He heard heavy breaths but he couldn't see anyone. When he tried to call out, his throat protested and all that came out was a wheezy breath.

Maybe he was dead.

He couldn't be. He still felt pain. Shouldn't death be the end to all pain, all suffering? Theo couldn't say. He has never been dead before.

He heard a voice. It's okay, it said, breathless. You're okay. You'll be fine.

Who was speaking? Theo tried calling out again, but a fresh wave of pain overcame him and he lost all sensation.

Theo woke up. It took several minutes for him to gain focus and when he did, he found himself sprawled on the ground, covered in a blanket. No, not a blanket. It was his jacket, laid protectively over him.

"Blaise?" he managed to say before he was taken over by a series of painful coughs. He clutched his stomach as he doubled over and felt something thick and warm wrapped around his waist. He heard shuffling next to him.

"No. Not Blaise." The voice was familiar. A pair of hands gripped him around the shoulders and pushed him down on the ground again. His head met a pillow - no, it was much too hard to be a pillow. But Theo didn't have the energy to turn his head to see what it was, so he turned toward the person who was tending to him instead. "Stay down. You need to let the wound rest."

"Finnigan?" he spluttered, finally recognising the face looming over him. He looked tired, or maybe it was the lack of light that made him look so. "What's going on?"

Seamus Finnigan crawled close to him and sat, folding his legs under him. "The Carrows had a right doze over you."

"I thought you had gone. How did you find me?"

"I was almost gone. Then I heard voices rising and realised that maybe it wouldn't be a good idea to leave you alone with them." He paused and peered at Theo. "You said they wouldn't give you trouble if you told them you were searching for culprits. What happened to that?" His voice was accusatory, like Theo should have known better than to not lie to the Carrows. Well, he was right.

"I didn't tell them that," he said, looking at the ceiling. It was stone, cracked and caved in several places. He realised he had never looked at any of the ceilings before.

Seamus was silent. It took Theo a few seconds to realise that he was waiting for him to continue, to elaborate. He shifted around to face Seamus, groaning as he did so.

"I asked them Where did you keep Luna." He realised he sounded sheepish, embarrassed. The feeling intensified when Seamus stared at him incredulously. He held up his hands defensively. "It was stupid, I know. I should have just gone with you."

Seamus was laughing. "I can't believe you did that! What, did you expect them to tell you where they kept her?"

"Of course not," Theo protested. "I suppose I was feeling rebellious."

Seamus continued to laugh. Even though it was at his expense, Theo felt a rush of affection toward his companion. Seamus had absolutely no reason to help him. He could have gone back to the safety of his dormitory and no one would have batted an eye. It felt good to hear him laugh so heartily. It must have been a terribly long time since either of them had laughed like that.

Theo removed his jacket from over his body and peered down at his stomach. He was shirtless. A strip of white cloth was attached to what must be the cut on the side of his stomach with adhesive paper. On his chest were two angry spots, swollen and red. They were covered in a sort of yellowish, glistening liquid. Beside him on the floor were half a dozen vials of potion. He looked at Seamus, who has stopped laughing and was fiddling with the sleeves of his shirt.