The curse that Snape hit Evalyn with kept her unconscious for several days. She missed Dumbledore's funeral. Sirius stayed by her side almost all of the time. The only exceptions were to shower and use the bathroom which Remus and Regulus forced on him. Harry would come to visit occasionally, each time with an apology.
Hushed voices rang in her ears.
"Did you know that the locket wasn't in the cave?" Harry accused Regulus.
The former Slytherin crossed his arms and glared at him. "I told Dumbledore it wasn't there anymore. Do not blame me if he did not listen. I told him I had it in my possession when I died, but when I came back it was gone."
"You sent him to that cave! You knew he would go there anyways! Maybe you are still working for them!"
"Lads shut your mouths or take it else where." Sirius ran a tired hand down his face. His leg bounced anxiously. To him, it felt like everyone was on edge with Evalyn not around.
"You daft twat, I vowed on my life to not betray the Order. I wouldn't be here if I was working for them. Like I said, it's not my fault he didn't want to listen."
"Then where are you hiding it?!"
"Merlin you really are just like your father. Lily was always the one with the brains." Regulus grumbled. "As I've said, I don't know where it's at, Kreacher told me it was stolen and he has been searching for it. Do you honestly think I want to hold on to something like that?!"
Evalyn's eyes fluttered open, going unnoticed by the three men. Her hand found the crumpled note that Harry had previously thrown at Regulus. She opened it up and read over it. A snort escaped her lips, causing all three to whip their heads in her direction. "What's with the dramatics Reg? Did you carry a quill set and parchment into that cave with you? Did you write it before or after drinking the potion?"
3 sets of eyes just stared at her in disbelief. "Are you serious E?" Harry snickered at Reggie's question. She smiled, although it was a pained one.
"No, last time I checked, I was his wife." Next to her, Sirius started tearing up.
He cleared his throat and looked to the other two men. "Leave."
Regulus scoffed and rolled his eyes. He sent his brother a crude gesture on his way out of the room. "I'll be back to check on her later." Harry followed after him after sending the couple a sad smile.
When the two left, Evalyn finally cracked. She was holding it in to not worry everyone, but she felt safe with Sirius. Tears streamed down her face from both pain and heartbreak. He climbed into the bed next to her and pulled her gently into his chest. Her torso was bruised completely, and there was a set of scars added onto her previous ones on her shoulder. Mentally, her brain felt like it was spinning. Whatever Snape hit her with made her body feel like she was stomped on by a troll. Sirius' hand brushed through her hair. He silently cried, using his free hand to wipe the tears before they fell onto her head. "He knew what would happen Pads. Dumbledore knew he was going to die that night. He basically told me to lead the bloody Order." She whispered. Panic and anxiety consumed her. Her hands gripped at his shirt and he tightened his hold on her to bring her the feeling of safety. "And poor Draco." Sirius clenched his jaw, clearly unhappy with the path the young heir took. "He didn't want to do this. He said he would kill him if he didn't."
Evalyn tried to sit up, but a shot of pain flew through her abdomen. Sirius guided her back to her original position. "Merlin what spell did Snape hit me with?"
"I might actually kill him next time I see him. The bloody coward hasn't shown his face since that night." Sirius growled out.
"Oh hush Siri, it was a duel. I knew the risks when I chose to not use my full magic. He is an excellent duelist."
Sirius was angry at this point. He slid a hand underneath her chin, guiding her face to look at his. His eyes stared into hers with an intense look. "You don't understand Lynnie." Her eyebrows shot up in confusion. "I could have lost you because you were trying to be respectful. You were giving him the benefit of the doubt which I get. I love that about you. But we are at war, people won't always play by the rules. I can't lose you. If I do, I would tear this entire world apart. And imagine how Harry would have felt? Another person sacrificing themselves by pushing him out of the way. Right in front of his own eyes." His thumb brushed away a tear that rolled down her cheek.
She sighed and hung her head in guilt. "You're right. I made a mistake and I was being reckless. I'm sorry love."
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Don't be sorry Lynnie. I'm just glad you are here with me."
"Can we get a healer now? My ribs feel like they are on fire." Sirius shot up, he completely forgot about the pain she could have been in. Without a word he ran out, coming back only a minute later with a healer in tow. The wizard gave Evalyn some potions and helped her sit up. "Could you please send my boys back in here before they go insane?" He gave her a warm smile and agreed.
The door to the room opened up, revealing three people instead of two. Remus tiredly stood in between Regulus and Harry who looked like they had been children being reprimanded. The werewolf dragged the two in, giving them one last glare as a warning to knock off the fighting. He was the first to hug Evalyn, his eyes lingering on the new werewolf scars. Regulus hugged her next, and pressed a kiss to her temple before sitting next to her. Harry lingered closer to the door, feeling awful for putting her in this situation. She looked at him with her arms open. "Harold if you don't get over here I will give you a real reason to be worried." He trudged over and wrapped his arms around her. "It's not your fault Harry, I promise." She whispered into his shoulder. "I knew what I was doing when I started fighting him." He nodded and let out a sigh. After, he sat in a chair next to Remus. Sirius carefully combed through her curls from behind her, plaiting the strands much like the way James used to. "Stop staring at me like I'm broken boys. I'm alright." Regulus rolled his eyes again and murmured something under her breath.
She reached for his hand and squeezed it gently. Her eyes met Remus' who was still looking at her scars. "When's the wedding Remmy?"
He finally cracked a smile. "Soon, we've actually been waiting for you to wake up. Someone decided to get some extra beauty sleep for their role as best woman." Evalyn's eyes widened in surprise and she pointed to herself. The werewolf nodded, while Sirius pouted from behind her.
"Not fair, I've known you longer." He whined.
"Why me? I thought you would have picked Pads too."
Remus shrugged, "Don't let him fool you, he's officiating the wedding."
"I can do both!" He grumbled as he tied off Evalyn's braid with a small ribbon. Regulus grabbed it from his hands and adjusted it so the bow was perfect. After an hour of chatting and laughing, Remus decided to take Harry back home. Sirius had left to grab the remaining trio some food.
Evalyn laid back in the bed, scooting over to make room for Regulus. He laid down next to her, pulling the covers over them. "I thought you were gone. And it would have been my fault. I told you to go with them." His voice was a sad whisper. They both stared up at the ceiling with identical frowns. Her hand found his and gave it another squeeze.
"You'll always have me Reggie. And don't you ever think it was your fault. I am a grown woman who can make her own decisions. I chose to go there to help them. I chose to fly back to Hogwarts to fight against the death eaters. I chose to pick a fight with Snape. And I chose to push Harry out of the way." The man she saw as his brother coughed to hide the fact that he was on the verge of crying. Evalyn decided to move closer to him and wrapped an arm around him. He finally let out a sob as he held onto her.
"Also why in Helga Hufflepuff's name did you go to that cave without me?!" She lightly slapped his chest.
A smile broke out on his face through his tears "I am a grown man who can make his own choices?" The two laughed and she rolled her eyes.
"You twat, you were still a child."
Sirius had several bags of food with him when he returned. He couldn't decide what Evalyn would want for her first meal back, so he just got all of her favorites. He kicked the door that was cracked, open and he nearly dropped all of the food. Instead of getting to eat all of the delicious smelling food with his wife and brother, the two were sprawled out on the bed snoring. Evalyn's hand covered Regulus' face and he was dangling halfway off the bed, pulling the covers off of the witch to hog to himself. He used his wand to send the food into the fridge before taking a seat in the chair near the bed. Although he pouted at the two hogging the bed, his heart was happy. So rather than waking them up, he decided to fall asleep in the uncomfortable chair next to them.