O, CURSED CHILD. ﹙ harry potter ﹚

𝐂𝐗𝐈 ━━ Salt and The Sea

However, in the few moments it took for Ron to give a low groan and Elara to start crawling toward him, she realized that this was not the Forbidden Forest: The trees looked younger, they were more widely spaced, the ground clearer.

She met Hermione, also on her hands and knees, at Ron's head. The moment Elara's eyes fell upon Ron, all other concerns fled her mind, for blood drenched the whole of Ron's left side and his face stood out, grayish-white, against the leaf-strewn earth. The Polyjuice Potion was wearing off now: Ron was halfway between Cattermole and himself in appearance, his hair turning redder and redder as his face drained of the little color it had left.

"What's happened?" groaned Harry, an arm tossed over his eyes.

"Ron's splinched," said Hermione timidly.

Elara's fingers already busy at Ron's sleeve, where the blood was wettest and darkest. Harry and Hermione watched, horrified, as Elara tore open Ron's shirt. Elara ignored her insides crawling unpleasantly as she laid bare Ron's upper arm, where a great chunk of flesh was missing, scooped cleanly away as though by a knife.

"Harry, quickly, in Hermione's bag, there's a small bottle labeled 'Essence of Dittany' —"

"Bag — right —"

Harry sped to the place where Hermione had landed, seized the tiny beaded bag, and thrust his hand inside it.  As Harry was searching, Elara quickly metamorphosed her hair into a messy topknot and focused on cleaning the wound best she can. 

"Quickly!" 

"Accio Dittany!"

Harry hastened back to Elara, Hermione, and Ron, whose eyes were now half-closed, strips of white eyeball all that were visible between his lids.

"He's fainted," grunted Elara, who shook her hands nervously before taking the bottle from Harry.

She wrenched the stopper off the little bottle, took it and poured three drops of thepotion onto the bleeding wound. A loud groan of pain escaped Ron.

"Elara, you're hurting him!" cried Hermione, hands shaking.

"Hey, Hermione," said Elara sharply, "Why don't you go put up enchantments?"

Hermione opened her mouth to argue, but decided against it, as Elara's gaze was dangerous.

Greenish smoke billowed upward and when it had cleared, the bleeding had stopped. The wound now looked several days old; new skin stretched over what had just been open flesh.

"Wow," said Harry.

"I'm going to have to cauterize the wound before I set him completely right."

"How — "

Harry's question seemed to be answered for him, as Elara hiked up her skirt and unsceathed the knife that was strapped to her thigh.

"Do you always have a knife on you?"

"Yes."

Elara clenched her free fist and opened it to find a dancing flame. She held the silver dagger over the red and orange light until the edges of the weapon were slightly red. Not wanting to watch Ron's flesh boil, Elara closed her eyes tight as she lay the flat edge on his upper arm.

The sizzling sound sickened Elara to her stomach, and Ron's groan didn't help. Ignoring the nausea, she cast her knife aside and reached for her wand.

"Vulnera Sanentur."

A brilliant light appeared underneath the new patch of skin. Exhausted, Elara fell back and lay upwards, staring at the forest canopy.

"You're brilliant, you know that," said Harry breathily, the adrenaline still coursing through him.