George’s P.O.V ;)
Fred and I got home from work at seven tonight, yes we got a job working and Gamble and Japes Wizarding Joke shop, located in the South Side, Diagon Alley, until we felt that we had enough experience that we could open up our own shop. Anyway when we got home from work, Dad was just leaving on some important Order business that apparently Fred and I could join.
“Mum, why can’t you tell us what it is about?” Fred pleaded with her for, what had to be, the tenth time. Much to her irritation and to my own amusement, it was always fun watching Mum get mad at Fred. It seemed that Fred was going to win this one.
“Ugh fine, fine, fine, but neither of you two are going anywhere. Sit down.” She demanded, with both complied quickly, forcing her to continue. “Harry, your brother, Hermione, Ginny, Ariella along with some other students broke into the Department of Mysteries this evening, your father believes that Death Eaters will be there as well.” Mum explained, as she sighed, finally putting her knitting needles down, obviously worried.
“Would they be that stupid?” I asked. “The Death Eaters, I mean. They would reveal themselves in the Ministry, the very place that could send them to Azkaban.” I said, obviously they wouldn’t be that thick.
“They want something that only Harry can get and it’s in that department, so yes they would be that stupid George, but they wouldn’t be careless. Oh no. They would try and make it so that no one survived to tell Fudge their identities.” Mum said, causing my heart to fall. I should be with Ari; I should be with all of them. If they died and I wasn’t there I’d be devastated.
We sat around the kitchen table in silence for hours, none of us made a move to go to sleep, even though we were all tired. Finally Dad came bursting through the door, and looked at us all sadly.
“They’re all alive.” He said, causing us all to breathe a sigh of relief. That was until he added the next bit. “For now.” We all looked at him waiting for him to continue, when he didn’t Fred took matters into his own hands.
“What do you mean for now! Dad? What happened?” Fred demanded, ever the hot headed one. Deep down I think I knew. Just from the way Dad looked at me sadly.
“Ari, she’s… um, well… she’s at St. Mungo’s.” Dad said, his voice getting caught in his throat as he said it. No doubt wishing that there were something he could do to help her.
“Arthur what happened?” She gasped, tears springing to her eyes, already preparing herself for the worst. Ever since Fred and I had befriended Ari in our first year, mum has thought of her as a daughter, she could ask her thinks that Ginny wasn’t old enough to understand yet. It was truly touching how mum took to her so quickly.
“She was bitten by one of the Death Eaters, luckily it wasn’t a were bite. But she was injected by some sort of poison, which Remus couldn’t identify only Moody was. She’s fighting for her life right now. George… I’m so sorry.” He said placing a heavy hand on my shoulder, but I couldn’t feel it. I wasn’t here, not really, I was with her spiritually. If she died it would be like loosing a part of my soul.
“I have to go.” I said, calmly. I walked to the door slowly; surprised that no one stopped me. I think they knew that I needed this; I needed to be with her. I would always be with her; because I… well I loved her.
“Molly, her screams, they were terrifying. They were the worst screams I’ve ever heard, I’m sure the cruciatus curse would have been kinder to her. I know she’s a strong girl, but I’m not sure she can survive this.” I heard my father say before I closed the door behind me and walked away from my house. When I got to our land boundaries, as I crossed over into the long grass I aparated to an alley just alongside the hospital. I quickly rushed in, not caring that I probably looked half mad. “Where’s Ariella Tonks! Where is she?” I demanded, yelling at the poor girl who was on reception.
“Fifth floor.” She muttered, terrified and probably thinking that she shouldn’t have told me. But before she could stop me I was running up the stairs to reach the floor. When I reached the fifth level I headed towards the desk, but was intercepted by Remus.
“George, it’s good you’re here. She’s not allowed to see anyone, the Healers are working their hardest to try and extract the poison before it reaches her heart. It’s already shut down most of her vital organs though and they’re not sure she’ll make a full recovery, or even if she will ever wake up again.” He said sadly, looking at me with eyes full of sorrow. “Of course, I’m not supposed to know any of this but you know Tonks, can’t keep anything quiet.” He said, chuckling slightly. I shot him a murderous look, now was not the time for laughing.
“Where is Tonks?” I asked around a closed throat, I could feel the tears threatening to spill over. But I refused to give in, I had to be strong I just had to. I could tell that this affected Remus, he looked ill himself in fact and I knew that Tonks would be distraught. Someone had to be strong for me, and that someone had to be me.
“She’s stood just outside, watching what they’re doing. Just walk down that corridor and you will see her.” He said nodding his head in the direction I should go in. As quickly as I could, without alerting too much attention, I ran down the corridor until I spotted some purple hair that kept on change quickly as her emotions ran wild.
“Tonks, what’s going on? When can I see her?” I demanded as I close enough so that I wouldn’t have to shout. She looked at me, her eyes streaming with tears. She was obviously out of control as her appearance kept on changing, not stopping on one for more than a second.
“I don’t, they won’t tell me anything. No one has come out of that room for hours, nurse’s keep on going in with new medical tools. George it’s horrible, it all is. Her screams at the ministry were frightening... they almost drove me mad. I’m glad you’re here though, she would have wanted you here.” She said, before sobs took over.
“Hey, listen to me. She’s going to be alright, she has to be.” I said fiercely as I clutched onto Tonks’ arm. We stood there in silence for what must have been hours, yet it felt like days, until someone finally emerged, a head healer if his badge was anything to go by.
“How is she? Can we see her?” Tonks asked, pouncing on the man before he could get a breathe in. He looked at me suspiciously, as if to say that he couldn’t speak whilst I was around. “It’s alright, he’s in love with her.” Tonks explained to the healer, who didn’t seem convinced but nevertheless he started to explain the situation.
“Well we had to drain nearly all of her blood as it had been poisoned, then we gave her a blood transfusion. Which her body for some unknown reason rejected, and then we… well we had to drain her again to retry the process with clean blood. Luckily her body accepted it. It took us a while to stabilise her, but she is stable for now, there are still some tests that we need to run to make sure that it wasn’t just this poison that was in her system. Now is a waiting game to see if she survives this night, if she does we will retest tomorrow and then if it all comes back clear she will be free to leave when she wakes up and is feeling better. She’s unconscious, but one of you can go in and sit with her.” The healer said before he hurried down the ward, ordering one of the young nurses to get him a strong coffee and to call his wife to tell her that he had an emergency.
“George you go in.” Tonks said, smiling slightly at me. She’d stopped rapidly changing her appearance yet she still looked upset.
“No you go, you’re family.” I said, as though it would justify my reason for not going in. Truthfully, I didn’t want to go in and see Ari looking like a corpse; it would be too close to loosing her.
“No George I insist. You know as well as I do that she thinks of you as more than family. She knows I am here; I was there when she lost consciousness. She needs you George.” She said, urging me to go through the door. “I need to go talk to Remus, tell him the news. He would want to know.” She said smiling sadly.
I watched Tonks as she left down the hall. I didn’t go in immediately, I just stared at the door, hoping that I would wake up in a few minutes and this would all have been a nightmare. I would be in my bed at the Burrow, Ari would be packing her trunk for summer and then in a few hours she would be standing beside me at Kings Cross Station, smiling up at me. Unfortunately this wasn’t a dream this was reality. I took a deep breath before I pushed the door open and entered the room that smelt of blood and death. It was time that I faced the reality.
Ariella just laid there, her hair splayed out over a pillow, a tube down her throat, presumably supplying her lungs with oxygen. She was deathly pale, yet still as beautiful as ever. I went over to the seat next to her bed, never taking my eyes off of her, afraid that if I did she would disappear. I clutched her cold hand in my own, and then it happened. I let myself go to the emotions that had been clouding my head ever since I heard. But for the first time that evening, I cried.