New Year came and Lyra spent it at the hospital while her husband went to a New Years' party. She tended to vary degree burns from screaming victims of Death Eaters. A wizard housing complex was caught on fire because rumors of muggle-borns being housed there spread.
Lyra sat with a nine-year-old girl who had all her arms bandaged and had extensive treatment on her back. She was one of the victims with the worst damage. Lyra read her a story from The Tales of Beedle the Bard.
"D-do you believe in the Deathly Hallows?" The girl asked with a strained voice.
Lyra closed the book and sighed in thought. "I think every story holds some truth to it. I heard a rumor in school that a student owned the cloak of invisibility and that Dumbledore had the Elder Wand. Do you believe in them?"
She shrugged weakly. "My mum said it's all shite."
Lyra stifled a laugh, making the girl smile for the first time since her visit. "You didn't answer the question."
"I believe it." She admitted. "I'd like to have the Resurrection stone. I'd like to see my granddad again."
"I think your granddad is still with you, even without the stone. People who die aren't really gone, you know. I believe there's more than meets the eye."
"You believe in an afterlife." The girl clarified.
Lyra nodded her head. "I hope so at least."
"Do you believe in Hell?" The girl asked. "Do you think Death Eaters will go there?"
Lyra bit her lip. "I think those who do great evil will have karma."
Their conversation ended shortly after. Lyra was moved to check on the other patients. It seemed like morning never came. It was a slow night that made Lyra forget all about New Year's Eve or day.
When she arrived home it was slightly after six. The flat was still and was very much asleep. She entered the bedroom to find her husband snoring as he lay in bed fully clothed, shoes and all. She shook her head and at least removed his shoes for him. She eventually laid her head down and tried to sleep. It was hard to rest after such a rough night.
It seemed to be a pattern, Lyra spent more time at the hospital than ever before. More victims of Death Eaters came in too and more died on the table.
Louisa and Eddy had both lost a patient and it was a sad day indeed. Lyra found herself drifting off to sleep in bloody robes as she sat in the sterile corridors.
It grew to less time in the classroom and more time in the hospital itself. She was rushing around gathering potions, helping hold hysterical patients down, and trying to clean blood out of the way for the healers working hastily to save lives.
Lyra started to get used to blood, she got used to wearing it. Going home with a spot she missed was almost expected. George couldn't understand what she had to go through daily. He didn't see the war she did. He'd pour her a glass of wine when she was stuck in her thoughts more than normal.
They sat in the kitchen late one night. She drained her second glass. She had just taken a shower, washing the grime off her body.
"It's never a case of if a person will die, it's when. It's always when. And tonight was then." Lyra told George. "An older man, Hugh Walters. Bellatrix got him. Slit his throat and left him for dead. But someone took him to St. Mungo's. I helped Healer Sallow tend to his injury. It was healed but he lost too much blood and was already on the brink of death. We meant to do a blood transfusion but he died before I could even grab the equipment."
"Fucking hell, Harp." He ran his fingers through his disheveled hair. "We should go on a holiday. Just me and you when this is over. Maybe a date to the head healers as well."
She let out a dry laugh. "I'm getting used to it, George. Isn't that sad? I no longer cry when a patient dies. It's sad, but I can't cry. I have other people to worry about. That old man had no one to mourn him and that hurts more."
"Any sign of your uncle?" He changed the subject.
She shook her head. "No, not since Christmas. Aunt Andromeda thinks he's in Lithuania or something."
"I hope he is for all of our sake."
"Me too,"
February rolled around and Lyra found a bouquet of roses waiting for her while she was at work. Lyra opened the card to see it was from her "dashing husband". She kept them by the front desks to lighten up the place, but she kept a rose to put in her pocket.
A few others got roses and cards. Even some patients. Lyra gave a few flowers to the younger ones who were healing from burns.
She obviously went home to make love to her husband but only to wake up early and start her day.
March was upon them in a blink of an eye and Lyra found her last month as a trainee become more hectic with long and brutal tests. On top of that, Lyra had a job to do.
There seemed to be no time to study. But Lyra tried her best to make it through.
Lyra was walking down a corridor when there was shouting behind her. She quickly looked behind her to see Louisa running at full speed.
"Lyra! Lyra! Come quick!" Louisa exclaimed. "cone to the fourth floor! Quickly!"
Lyra broke into a sprint behind Louisa, following her to the stupid lift that seemed to have gone too slowly and made too many stops. When they made it to the floor, they ran down the hall to hear shouting, Healer Sallow was hollering.
"Where is Malfoy!" He shouted haughtily.
Lyra ran into the room to only scream, it was her uncle. "Uncle Ted!" She screeched as she found her uncle on a bed, badly beaten and wounded. He was almost unrecognizable. His hair was more gray, he was thinner than before. He had more wrinkles as well. From the skin she could see, it was ashen.
"Come!" Sallow shouted. Lyra approached her mentor's side with a racing heart and rising tears she was forced to blink back. She couldn't let them spill. She has work to do. "Get the Blood-Replenishing Potion and an antiseptic! Go!"
"Yes, sir!" Lyra ran out of the room and ran into the storage unit to grab the potions before running back and handing them to Healer Sallow. She watched as he had to force it down her uncle's throat with a tube. The poor man was nearly unresponsive. He occasionally groaned and gave shallow breaths. "Hold on, Uncle. Hold on."
"Ted!" She heard her aunt shout.
Lyra turned around to see her very pregnant cousin and aunt coming in like a bull in a china shop, knocking healers and trainees out of the way. Lyra quickly blocks them from entering the room.
"You must go back to the waiting room on the ground floor," Lyra ordered sternly.
"That's my dad!" Tonks shouted.
"Yes, and we are doing all we can. You can't be in here. We are tending to his wounds, we can't do that with distraction. It's best to wait." Lyra said calmly. She's done this all before to worried family members.
Aunt Andromeda looked at Lyra with sad eyes, but she understood. The woman nodded her head. "Alright. P-please bring my husband home to me."
"We are doing all we can, Aunt Andromeda." Andromeda grabbed her feisty daughter and dragged her from the room. Lyra turned back to helping take care of her Uncle. "Do you think we can heal him?" She whispered to Sallow.
"His injuries are extreme. But we can only try." Sallow replied. "Come Healer- Miss Malfoy. Test him for dark curses."
"Yes, sir." Lyra quickly waved her wand over her uncle and scanned him. "there is some residue of dark magic but I think I can cleanse him." She worked steadily and without hesitation. Her and Sallow we're soon leading the operation. When he was cleansed, Lyra waited for what to do next. But as she watched him grow paler despite the Blood-Replenishing Potion, she didn't feel confident.
An hour passed of tending to her Uncle. But he remained unresponsive. He had more serious brain damage than she had initially thought. She wiped her eyes quickly as they escaped.
His eyes were open and he looked around the room, but there was no life behind them.
"Brain damage. He won't be the same. No matter what we do he won't be able to feed himself, bath or walk. He won't speak and I'm afraid I don't think he even has the mental capacity to even register who he is or who any of you are."
"W-What do we do, sir?" Lyra asked as she felt her throat restrict. She was going to cry.
She watched his Adam's apple bob. "Ask the family if they'd like us to give him a swift death or think of permanent housing, either here or bring him home with a medi-witch."
"So, give them a very hard choice." She croaked.
"I'm afraid so." He clasped her on the shoulder and gave it a small squeeze. "You may say your goodbyes while I tell the family." He left her and soon others followed.
Lyra walked up her Uncle and brushed his hair back. "Hi, Uncle. It's me Lyra. I love you and I've missed you. I know I will see you again. I know I will. So this isn't goodbye. Just a see you later." Her eyes stung with rising tears. They slipped over and spilled over her pink cheeks. "I'll see you later, Uncle Teddy." She kissed his forehead and analyzed every inch of his face to put into memory. "Thank you for everything. Thank you for taking me in." She took a step back and when her sobbing aunt and cousin entered, she knew they needed time to say their goodbyes. She drew a shaky breath in the corridor. She sobbed as quietly as possible.
8:41 PM, Edward Tonks was euthanized.