CH.37
"Sirina? Rina!" Sirius voice calls, "oh god, Rem... what do we do?"
"I... I don't know..." I hear his footsteps on the creaking floorboards, but can't will my eyes to open. "We can't bring her back... not like this. Not at all, really. Umbridge would know she's snuck out, and it would ruin everything."
"Remus, she's ill... and possibly hurt." Sirius' voice sounded angry, not any way I'd like to hear him.
"I know that!" Remus snaps back.
My eyes won't open- but I can feel my throat clearing out just a bit. I try to cough, but neither of them hear it.
"If only Molly was still here..." Remus says, now closer to me.
"Anyone." Sirius adds, he now sounds sad. "Did she say anything before about what might be wrong?"
Nothing comes from Remus, but I assume he shook his head, because after a pause Sirius sighed in defeat. I hear the floor creaking as they both stand up and away from my limp body.
Emiliani begin shooting frantically. As if trying to help. She knew she'd be needed today. That's why she came, she knew something was wrong.
Remus hushes her.
"So, what could be wrong with Sirina?" He sighs. "What was wrong? Symptoms, Sirius..."
"Err, she wasn't feeling well..."
"Sirius!"
"Okay, okay... eh, she had an upset stomach, throwing up, no appetite..." there was a lengthy pause, then Sirius continued as I began trying to move my toes and fingers. "Her eyes looked a little weird... bigger almost..."
"Her memory was a little off earlier too, and she's been acting off today...." pause, then a gasp. "Do you think she could have been hurt? By the willow?"
Silence.
"Remember how many times you lot were hit in the head by her branches?" Remus continued. It hit me. What's wrong, I mean, not the willow. I had a concussion. It only made sense. From when I fell.
I fight until my eyes flutter open, but I still couldn't find strength to move properly.
Emiliani began hooting, and flapping her wings. Noticing I was awake.
"We can owl Harry, have him come take her back to the castle!" Sirius announces grandly.
In a moment plenty of thoughts whirred through my head. No. He would ask too many questions. He would blame Draco. I would never be left alone again.
"Ri?" Sirius dropped to his knees beside me, "did you say something?" He helped me sit up, "no?"
Did I say that? "Don't owl Harry..."
"Sirina... someone has to come get you." Remus sighs.
I shake my head. "Get me outside the willow..." I didn't want to tell the, what I was actually thinking. "I'll owl someone from there. Don't worry, they won't ask..."
"You're not owling Severus." Remus says sharply. There goes that idea.
"Please. I don't want Harry to worry." I plead, leaning against Sirius for support.
"No. Someone else." Sirius says, tightening his grip a little.
I close my eyes, and take a deep breath. "I'll owl Draco." Lee was also an option, but he would tell the twins- or they would find out before I had the chance to tell them myself.
"What?!" Remus shakes his head. "You're mad."
"Remus, please." I sigh, "he's really not so bad... and he'll understand. I won't tell him anything. Just get me outside of the willow."
"Are you sure?" Sirius asks, "can't you tell your brother?"
I shake my head. "I'll tell him later, he's too hot headed. I would never make it back to the castle."
Without any further permission, I grab a scrap of parchment from the table and messily scribble onto it,
Help. Whomping Willow, now. Rose.
Emi flew and gently sat on my lap, rubbing her soft head against my cheek for a moment, then gripping my note in her beak. She stopped, and looked at me with her head tilted.
"Draco... thanks Emi." She flew directly out the window. "There's that. Now get me outside."
Sirius and Remus each took a side and lifted me up. Honestly, one could have done it- but they both wanted to help. They got me to the exit before I stopped them.
"Sirius stay here." I wrapped my arms around him. "It's too dangerous. I love you." I kissed his cheek, then he kissed mine.
"I love you so much." He smiled down at me for a moment, "I can't wait to be a proper family. The three of us- me, you and Harry." He chuckled, "and of course Remus."
I hugged him one more time before going back to Remus to have him carry me through the willows branches and onto the lawn. He hugged me, and kissed my head. "We'll be in touch."
I nod.
He did what I did, enchanted a stick to hit the knob then went back inside. I caught a glimpse of Sirius and waved to him. He blew me a kiss. The entrance was closed before I could throw one back.
Within seconds Draco arrived, on his broomstick. He landed sloppily a few feet away and ran to me. "Rose? What's wrong?" He was out of breath, and his hair a mess. And a pretty large gash in his hand. He caught me looking and hid it behind himself, "bloody owl."
"I... uh... I actually hit my head pretty hard earlier." I admit, looking away. "I had a bit of a blackout... I need you to take me to the hospital."
He sighs, leaning forward with his hands on his knees to catch his breath. "The entire way here I was reciting defensive spells in my head. This is such a relief. I hought you were in danger."
I shake my head and stand up, stumbling slightly- but he catches my arms. "I'm a bit dizzy..."
"Alright, come on." He slowly leads me back toward the castle, wrapping an arm around my waist as a stumble sideways. He stops at his broom at looks at me, I nod. He climbs on first, then I behind him- holding on rather tightly.
He kicks off and flies back to the castle, slower than I know he can. Probably because he was being more careful with injured little me on the back.
"Hey, Draco..." I say quietly, toward his ear from behind him, "when we get there... let me do the talking- okay?" I was going to do this carefully and meticulously so that Draco didn't get any of the blame. Okay, really, I was just going to say I was studying too close to the willow.
Draco nodded his understanding.
We landed near the castle, but not too close, and walked the rest of the way. I was afraid of someone seeing me with Draco and his arm around my waist, but it was necessary at this moment in time. He was probably worried about the same thing, honestly.
"Thank you..." I say quietly as we enter the castle, "for coming to help me..."
"Of course." He made a face, as if offended. "Why wouldn't I?"
"Dunno..." I shrug.
"But, if I may... why didn't you ask Harry? Or a Weasley?"
"I.. well..." I hesitated, trying to find the right words, or a way around the truth. "You were there, I didn't have to explain."
"Right." He nods, smirking a little.
"Don't get the wrong impression here, kid."
"Oh no, not at all."
I wanted to act mad, but he was currently supporting most of my weight and carrying me to safety. It didn't seem right not be mad at him at this moment.
We remained silent until in the hospital. Pomfrey immediately came to us. "What now, Malfoy? Stub your toe?"
I chuckled a little, "actually, I bumped my head. Rose Evans, ma'am." I admit, averting her attention to me. "Suspect it's a concussion."
"Okay, let's get you to a bed." She leads us to an empty one in the far corner. Draco takes me there, and helps me into it.
Pomfrey comes to me with various potions, having me drink bits of all of them. "Concussions are really nothing around here, dear." She tells me, under the impression that I'm muggle born. "If these don't work, we'll have to try a bone repair, in case of a crack in your skull, but you should be up at out in a few days. A week max."
Draco nods, sitting by my bed.
"Do you want me to make him leave?" She asks, nodding toward Draco.
"No, he's alright." I laugh lightly, swallowing the last potion, "thank you."
"Okay, now you rest, dear." She smiles sweetly at me, "I just have to contact your guardian and head of house."
"Remus Lupin and Professor McGonagall," I inform her, just in case.
"I've got it all, don't you fret." She scurries away, leaving me alone with Draco.
"You should try to sleep," Draco says, laughing a little and my obviousness in trying not to fall asleep.
I shake my head.
"Rose, she literally gave you a sleeping potion." He lifts the bottle.
"Fine..." I sigh, curling under the blankets. "You don't have to stay here. I'm okay now."
"I've got nowhere better to be."
"It's supper time." I yawn, "go eat. I'll still" -yawn- "be here later." And with that my eyes drift closed.
~*~
"You have to let us in!" Harry's voice was coming from somewhere in the room, waking me up.
"I can't." Madam Pomfrey answers, "not without Miss Evans permission I'm afraid- she's fine. Don't worry." I hear her sigh, "just waiting for her to wake up."
Sighing, I swing my legs off the bed to go and greet them.
"Morning."
I jump, seeing Draco seated beside my bed.
"I had your permission." He shrugs. I look around, seeing that I'm now in a room made from curtain room dividers. "The potions weren't working, you were a bit more of an urgent case... how are you feeling?"
"Tired." I rub my eyes, moving to stand up. Draco jumps to his feet, gripping my arm. "What are you doing?"
"You haven't walked in a while..." I stare blankly and he pushes me back to sitting, and sits beside me. "That day, when you hit your head... did anything else happen? You were by the willow..."
"Yeah..." I frown, "I had a little trouble getting--" I stop myself, "I was studying and just drifted too close to the willow... it hit me. But I was fine, honest."
"You had what muggles would call Second Impact Sydrome." He tells me softly, "they took you to St. Mungos for a while for rehabilitation."
"But--"
"Your memory was wiped of the entire process, for your own mental stability." He pauses, looking at me, "it's been three weeks."
"I want to see Harry." I stand, not waiting for him to follow at all. I ran out, a little ditsy on my feet, and jumped onto Harry.
"Oh, you're awake. Wonderful." Madam Pomfrey pulls me away from Harry. "I should explain."
I shake my head, hugging Harry again. I felt him shaking slightly and looked up to see his tear wetted face. He looked down at my face for a moment before hugging me again.
I laugh a little, "everyone must be so worried..."
"Yeah," he nods, forcing a slight smile, "we can't lose you."
"Was everyone kept updated? Did they know what was going on?"
"Lupin was with you nearly everyday..." he looks down at me with confusion.
"Oh. Good." I sigh, smiling.
"Wait... three weeks..." I frown, thinking about the dates, "but what about taking my--"
"You were excused from your OWL's." he tells me, "your professors all decided you would do well and didn't need them. McGonagall pushed it."
"So, the end feast.."
"Passed." He sighs, "we're going home today."
"Home..." I nod. "Are you--"
"The Dursley's." He shrugs, "I do believe you're going to spend a lot of your summer with the Weasley's."
"But what about..." madam Pomfrey was still there and I was afraid to say anything.
Harry shook his head. "We'll talk when you can come back to the tower..." He then looks up at Pomfrey, "is she free to leave?"
"Well, yes I suppose... let me collect her items." She turns to leave, but Draco comes out of my little room with a bag. "Oh, thank you Malfoy."
"He was allowed?!" Harry snaps.
"Yes, he brought Rose in here..." she explains, half-heartedly, "and before falling asleep the first time, Rose told him he could come back to see her."
"For the record, I would have said the same for you, Harry..." I assure him. "Let's just go. I'm ready to go home..."
Harry nods, tosses an arm around me and leads me out.
"Harry, I love you... but we're too clo–"
"Umbridge is gone, it's okay." He tightens his grasp on me.
We walked in silence to the tower. Something was wrong. There's something he isn't telling me.
AN
2/16- hi friends. So sorry. Here's a chap. Message me if you need me, I'll probably reply to comments too. Xoxoxoxoxoxo I love you all, happy belated Valentine's Day.