Barnaby didn't throw up on the knight bus, but the journey did take it's toll on him. He was sore and sick; he tried his best not to let Sarah see how fragile he was, but he could hardly even stand without her support.
He was glad when Sarah managed to get him to Penny's and into a bed. His vision had been fading in and out ever since they left St. Mungo's, and it took no time at all for him to pass out. When he awoke, the fumes of what smelt like shepherd's pie reached his nostrils.
He breathed in heavily, then made to hop from the bed and head into the kitchen. Mid-hop, his body remembered it wasn't working properly. As soon as his feet touched the floor, his knees buckled and he crumpled to the floor.
"Oww."
The door opened.
"Barnaby!" Penny rushed to his side to help him sit up, but she had little success getting down to the floor thanks to her pregnant belly. "Ugh! Talbot! Come help! Barnaby's fallen out of bed."
Talbott entered and he and Penny helped Barnaby back into the bed. "You alright, mate?" he asked. "What happened?"
"I forgot I'm too useless to walk into the kitchen, that's what happened," Barnaby fumed. He was embarrassed for his friends to see him like this. How was Sarah going to let him back into her life now? Would she take off again and leave him to be nursed by Penny forever? "Where's Sarah?" he asked.
"She's gone," said Talbott.
"What?!"
"She received a message from Dumbledore," said Penny quickly, placing a hand on his chest to keep him in bed. "She said she'd be back for dinner."
"It's about ready," said Talbott with a sigh. Barnaby noticed how weary he looked. "You hungry?"
Of course, he was hungry. He looked through the open doorway to the kitchen. It may as well have been in Romania.
"Why don't we all eat in here?" Penny suggested.
Barnaby was in a much better mood once Penny helped prop him up in bed with extra pillows and handed him a plate of steaming shepherd's pie. It was the best thing he'd ever tasted. Talbott had levitated in the coffee table and he and Penny sat around it in chairs. They ate while Penny chatted about this and that. His mood further improved when he heard footsteps on the landing, accompanied by Sarah's voice.
"Only me," she called.
"We're in here," said Penny.
Sarah stepped in and smiled to see Barnaby up and eating. "Feeling better?"
"Loads," he said. "Penny is the best healer ever."
"The potions I've got won't be nearly as effective as whatever treatments they were giving you at St. Mungo's," said Penny fretfully. "But I'm doing everything I can."
"Forget the potions, this is the best shepherd's pie I've ever had," he said. He took another large mouthful.
"Still no sign of Diego?" Sarah asked.
"Hasn't been here," said Talbott. At Sarah's groan, he added, "You don't think the Death Eaters have picked him up?"
"I think Diego's smart enough to stay out of their path," said Sarah, though she seemed doubtful. "But if we don't find him soon, we'll just have to leave without him."
"Leave?" asked Penny. "You can't go now. Barnaby needs to stay put."
Barnaby searched Sarah's eyes for any sign that she was going to leave him behind again, but Sarah was looking at Penny guiltily. "I'm so sorry, Penny. I dragged the both of you into this."
"What do you mean?" Penny asked. Her hands rested on her belly.
Talbott looked grim. "The Death Eaters are after us, aren't they?"
Penny gasped. "Because they know we've been helping you?"
"Merula's joined them," said Sarah. "She'll have told them everything they want to know about me and Diego, including who our friends are. Dumbledore reckons they'll check here soon enough."
"Wait a minute," said Barnaby. "Merula's joined the Death Eaters?" He sat his plate down. "We've gotta go get her."
"Barnaby," Sarah began, but they all froze at the sound of feet on the stairs.
Talbott and Sarah pulled out their wands and exited, Talbott closing the door behind him. Barnaby's heart ached to see Sarah face another threat without him, and to know that if the intruder found them in here there would be nothing he could do to help Penny.
"It's alright," called Talbot after a moment. "Diego's here."
Barnaby relaxed and Penny let out a sigh as Talbott joined them, followed by Sarah and Diego, both of whom seemed highly annoyed.
"I just don't understand why you can't tell us where you've been," said Sarah.
"It's personal," said Diego through gritted teeth. "Blimey, it's not like we're married, Sarah. I don't have to tell you everything."
Sarah fumed. "No, but when you disappear for several hours and offer no explanation, how am I supposed to know you didn't go make a bargain with the Death Eaters?"
"You honestly think I would join the Death Eaters? I just took the cruciatus curse from the Death Eaters so you could have him back!" He pointed at Barnaby.
"Why don't we go pack our things?" said Penny hurriedly to Talbott. "We'll need to leave as soon as possible, right Sarah?"
"Right," said Sarah. Penny pulled Talbott from the room as Sarah added, "Though I still don't know if I can trust Diego to go with us."
"I'm not a bleeding Death Eater!" he shouted. "What do you want me to do, take some veritiserum? I'm sure Penny's got some around here somewhere."
"Stop it!" Barnaby yelled. He had closed his eyes and clamped his hands over his ears. He'd always hated it when his friends fought; it reminded him of being a kid back at home, but now it was worse.
The harsh voices split his head in two like his parents' curses had done. He'd tried not relive what had happened in that cellar, but now, most of it came rushing back to him, plunged into his skull like an icy knife. The endless pain, torture, and attempts to crack open his mind...
Sarah was able to pull him out of his memories and into the present. She had joined him on the bed, holding him and whispering apologies and the he would be alright.
He opened his eyes, but he refused to look at either of them, embarrassed.
"Go tell Penny Barnaby needs more of that potion," Sarah said to Diego. "We need him to be as strong as possible when we disapparate."
Diego left, and Sarah pulled him close to her again. "I'm so sorry Barnaby," she said. "For everything."
"I didn't tell them anything," he said, breathing heavily. "They wanted to know who you were, but I promise I didn't tell them."
It seemed important that she knew this. He'd been as weak and vulnerable as Dumbledore and the others thought he'd be, but he'd at least done that much right.
"Thank you," she said. She rubbed his back and his breathing slowed.
"I love you," he said, before even thinking about it.
Sarah pulled away and opened her mouth to respond, but she was interrupted by Penny coming to give Barnaby another dose of potion.