The hushed tones barely carried from the kitchen into the hallway, where the three young men had their ears pressed to the other side of the wooden door. All three looked worried, through their faces varied from general concern to pure rage.
The first – James Potter – merely looked mildly upset, his handsome face twisted into a small frown, as he struggled to hear the verdict from the kitchen.
The second, a boy by the name of Remus Lupin, looked sad. His sandy hair continually fell down to cover his sallow eyes, and he would flip it backwards to reveal the dismayed look that covered his face.
It was the third, the stunningly attractive Sirius Black, whose face was contorted into one of pure rage, as he alternated between pressing his ear to the door with his friends, and storming up and down the hallway in a fit of rage.
"Sirius, if you could-" James Potter began, giving his friend a worried glance, but he stopped talking when his dark haired friend turned his stormy grey eyes upon him, giving him a horrifying glare. Sirius gave a short exhale of breath as he turned on his heel as he approached the door, only to turn around and walk back down the hallway, his angry heels grinding the expensive carpet into the old, wooden floors.
James Potter and Remus Lupin exchanged concerned glances as soon his back was turned, but Remus gave a small shake of his head when James opened his mouth once more. He gestured to the door with a small shake of his head, and both boys pressed their ears to the cool wood once more.
"You cannot tell them what happened to her! It goes against every shred of confidentially that I provide as a healer!" whispered a feminine voice, one that happened to belong to James' mother, Elizabeth Potter.
"They deserve to know, Beth," murmured the other, the headmaster of the boys' school, the famous Albus Dumbledore.
"They have no right to her information, they are her peers!"
"All the more reason to tell them of what is going on in the world," said the professor, his voice calm and relaxed; through the seriousness of the situation was lost on neither the eavesdropping boys, nor on Mrs. Potter.
Sirius turned once more and began another loop of the hallway.
"Albus, you cannot just release the poor dear to the boys in such a way," Mrs. Potter began once more. James could imagine the professor holding up his hand to stop her, just as he often did to James.
"It hardly matters regardless, as we both know they are listening at the door," said Dumbledore, and James and Remus hardly had time to pull themselves back from the door before it swung open to reveal the matriarch of the Potter family. She was wearing a simple blue dress with a white apron, red splotches littered across the front of her body.
"James," she sighed, closing her eyes briefly as she looked at the two young men who sat on the floor in front of her. James seemed less worried about his mother's concern over his eavesdropping, and instead stood up to his full height – a head taller than his mother, and gave her a sad glance.
"S'that blood?"
Elizabeth Potter gave him a once over, her glance looking from his feet to his face, before offering him a quick nod.
"Why don't you three join us," said Professor Dumbledore from inside the spacious kitchen, as Sirius approached the door. The three boys exchanged a quick look, but then filed one after another into the room and sat down at the large table in the center. Mrs. Potter gave a look down the hallway, before closing the door and following the three inside and took one of the remaining chairs and heavily lowered herself down.
There was a tense silence as James looked expectantly at his mother, and Remus looked between the two adults and Sirius looked down as he clenched and unclenched his fists.
"Mum?" James finally prompted, looking at his mother's sad face. Mrs. Potter gave Dumbledore a small glare before her mouth opened and she began to talk.
"I know you three saw her brought in, and you three should know that I do not feel comfortable with disclosing her full condition to you, but the girl you three saw today-"
Sirius finally spoke up for the first time since the unconscious, bloody girl was brought through the Potter's living room that morning.
"Roseanna Rowle."
Mrs. Potter gave Sirius a concerned glance, but seemed to shake it off and continue.
"Yes, Sirius," Mrs. Potter took a deep inhale before finishing her thought, "Unfortunately, Miss Rowle has suffered extensive injuries, but she will be staying here for the remainder of the summer, until all four of you go back for your seventh year at Hogwarts. I need your word – your word, James Potter – that the three of you will be on your absolute best behavior around her once she wakes up." Mrs. Potter looked over the three boys, especially her own son, who had looked like he was about to protest during her small tirade.
Sirius gave a sharp nod, while Remus and James both uttered small words of agreement to the woman, who gave them a small smile before looking to the older man who sat beside her.
"Will she be staying here then?" asked Remus, giving the adults a reassuring smile to make sure they knew that he would ensure his friends good behavior.
Mrs. Potter and Professor Dumbledore exchanged a small glance, before both adults nodded their heads in unison.
"What about her family? I know her brother graduated last year, but he's always been… protective over her," James said, glancing between the two adults, "Do he just not care?"
Professor Dumbledore's lips turned down into a frown at the mention of the injured girl's family. James glanced at Sirius, but back to professor as he began to talk.
"We have reason to believe," Dumbledore began, before giving a small cough and stroking his beard, "that her family got her into this situation. She is underage, however, she is a ward of Hogwarts, and I will release her when I see fit."
"But –" James began, but was interrupted by his mother.
"James, we don't know who put her in such a state. Despite her father's blood purity, someone set out to harm this young girl. We cannot just turn her out when she is in such a state, do I make myself clear?"
The boys all nodded.
"I assume the three of you have assumptions as to what happened to her?" the professor questioned the young men, who all gave their agreement once more.
"Death Eaters, sir?" asked Remus Lupin sadly.
Dumbledore gave the sandy haired boy a gentle smile and a nod, before Sirius spoke up once more.
"It was them, wasn't it Professor?" he attempted to verify, his voice full of pain and hurt.
"Sirius," the man began sadly, as he reached down to gently scratch at his long, white beard, alerting the boys to how uncomfortable he truly was, "We believe it was, however, we can never truly be sure."
Sirius blinked slowly, before his whole body tensed and he slammed his fists on the table, causing everyone besides his headmaster to flinch in their chairs.
"I saw their crest on her arm, Professor," he said evenly, though his eyes were two chips of grey steel, "There is no need to lie to my face."
"I am not attempting to hide anything, but I am still unsure of who exactly inflicted such damage upon your classmate," replied the professor, the laughter gone from his voice.
"Does it matter?" demanded Sirius, his voice finally raising from the deathly calm tone he had used earlier in the day, "Any of them would have put her in that state because she's got weak blood."
Dumbledore gave a small tilt of his head to acknowledge the truth of the statement, but seemed to have no response for the young man who sat before him. James and Remus exchanged an uncomfortable glance as the five of them sat in silence until Mrs. Potter cleared her throat.
"I should get back to her and finish her care before she wakes up," the woman said quietly, pushing her chair back from the table and beginning to walk towards the door.
James, Remus and Dumbledore all nodded, but there was a loud scrape of wood against the floor as Sirius pushed his chair back from the table and stood as well. He stood in silence, feeling the eyes upon him before Dumbledore cleared his throat to prompt the teenager.
"Can I help?" came Sirius' unexpectedly broken voice. Mrs. Potter's face fell into a sad, kind smile and she beckoned her had to the younger man, who bowed his head and followed her from the room. James and Remus exchanged glances, before they both shoved their chairs back to follow the pair down the hallway, leaving Professor Dumbledore to return downstairs and show himself out of the Potter Mansion.
"Her wounds are extensive," Mrs. Potter was saying as Remus and James caught up to the two. Sirius gave his two friends a glance, but no words were exchanged between the group of friends as they all set off down the hallway towards the East Wing of the house.
"As I was saying," Mrs. Potter continued, "I've healed most of the external wounds. Some, however, cannot be healed with magic, and we will have to see how she is faring when she wakes up before I decide what potions to give her."
"Which ones can't be healed?" asked Remus, ever the studious one, "most wounds inflicted with magic should respond to magic, it's a basic Reciprocal Rule."
Mrs. Potter gave the sandy-haired boy a brief smile, "To every rule there is an exception. The Reciprocal Rules do not include spells done with certain types of Dark Magic, as well as some spells when done with evil intent."
"So someone was trying to do this?" James whispered, confirming what they boys were thinking aloud.
The four walked in silence for a brief moment, until Mrs. Potter turned to face the three young men in front of the door to the largest guest room on the East Wing of the mansion. Sirius raised an eyebrow, knowing that his schoolmate was housed inside, and also knowing that this door led to the room he most often used to stay in when he visited the Potters as a guest. When he had officially moved in after his fifth year, Mr. and Mrs. Potter had given him the room across the hall, as it was "only fair that any son of theirs got his own room, not merely a guest room."
"Remus, I know you were planning to stay in this guest room, but-"
The man gave the older woman a quick smile, "Obviously it's fine, I'm sure Peter and I will be just fine in other rooms. This is the best room to treat her in, I understand."
Mrs. Potter gave him an appreciative smile, before addressing all three of the boys once more.
"She's very hurt, and I don't know the extent of the damage, she may be surprised to see you when she wakes up, and if that's the case just get out, understand? You need to listen to everything I say, and-"
"Mum," James interrupted, stepping forward to embrace the frantic woman and place a kiss on her forehead, "You're brilliant and we trust you. Besides, she's a year below us; she doesn't know us very well, and I doubt she'd even recognize us at first."
James held his mother for a second longer before taking a small step back to stand with his friends. Mrs. Potter gave him a grateful look before reaching up to stroke her son's cheek with her hand.
"I'm so proud of you, of all three of you," she whispered, shaking her head as if to rid it of the gloomy thoughts, "you're all turning into such wonderful, kind, young men."
And with that, she sniffled once more; then turned on her heel and pushed the door open.
Sirius was surprised by how small the girl in the bed seemed. Long, dirty blonde hair was spread across the brown sheets, which rose and fell slowly with her long deep breaths. Her entire body was tucked beneath the heavy comforter, and her pale, bruised face was the only visible part of her. A red stain was slowly spreading from the girl in the bed, and that seemed to spur Mrs. Potter into healer mode.
"Come, we've got to clean the sheets, James, that will be your job. Basic cleaning spells only. Remus, I need you to fetch bandages from the closet, and fill a bucket with warm water and get a cloth to go with it. Sirius, come help me change her bandages, as I doubt I'll be able to close the wound until she wakes up."
Mrs. Potter strolled forward to the bed, yanking back the comforter to assess the damage, as the boys sprung into action, with Remus rushing into the adjoining washroom, and James pulling out his wand. Sirius walked up to the bed and gave Mrs. Potter a questioning look as she vanished the bandages on the wound just as Remus dumped a pile of more onto the bed.
"Hold one onto the wound, Sirius," commanded Mrs. Potter, as she ran her wand up and down the girl's body.
Sirius scanned for the wound, as blood seemed to be everywhere. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally found the source, a long gash on her stomach, the slash through both skin and also the flimsy white tank top that the girl had on. He quickly grabbed a bandage and pressed it on her stomach over her shirt as Mrs. Potter began to wipe down the blood that was all over her body.
"James, blood replenishing potion, above the sink," Mrs. Potter demanded, and James scurried into the washroom, his face pale.
"Press harder, Sirius," Mrs. Potter requested, as she began to wrap bandages around his hands. She worked quickly and efficiently, despite the three boys looking on and the blood continuing to soak through the bandages.
"James, force the potion down her throat," Mrs. Potter said, hardly looking up from her work, "Remus, hold her head back."
As James and Remus moved to Roseanna's head to deliver the potion, Mrs. Potter looked to Sirius expectantly.
"I'm going to need you to help me lift her slightly so that I can wrap the bandage all the way around her."
Sirius nodded, and brought his hands from the still bleeding wound to around the girl's tiny waist, where he helped pull her back off of the bed as Mrs. Potter pulled the bandage around the girl over and over. After what felt like an eternity, Mrs. Potter stepped back, and gestured for Sirius to do the same.
"James, will you clean the sheets once more?" she asked, as she waved her wand to check Roseanna's pulse and breathing.
James nodded quickly, and waved his wand a couple time to preform basic cleaning and vanishing spells, which left Roseanna looking pale and frail once more.
Sirius went to pull the sheets up over her, pulling the now clean t-shirt back down over her taunt stomach, and reaching down past her feet to pull the blanket up. He was able to ignore most of the bruises with a heavy heart as he pulled the blanket up, but when he got to her arms he hesitated.
"Don't," Remus warned quietly, but Sirius ignored his friend, instead turning over the small arm so that her left wrist was facing up. Sirius traced his finger down the myriad of bruises, until he got to the one that concerned him the most – an injury that appeared to be a burn. Sirius pulled her arm closer to his face until he was sure that he was making out the mark correctly. He could feel everyone's eyes on him as he became completely sure of what the wound was.
"Is it…?" asked James, giving Sirius a pitiful look.
Sirius' face hardened and he gave the room a curt nod, "I'd recognize that crest anywhere, after all, I lived under it for fifteen years."
Remus stepped forward to place a hand upon Sirius' back, "Just because your family crest is there, doesn't mean that your brother was involved," Remus said, voicing Sirius' biggest fear.
"That's the problem," Sirius responded, his voice perfectly controlled, "is that is exactly what that means."
"Sirius-" began Mrs. Potter, but Sirius shook his head, replaced the pale arm back on the bed, and pulled the blanket up to Roseanna's neck.
"I don't want to talk about it," he spat, heavily sinking into one of the chairs that surrounded the bed and trying to force the image from his mind. A tanned hand came up to shield his eyes, and he rested his forehead behind his fingers, while the other three occupants in the room exchanged uncomfortable glances.
"Padfoot…" James began, but was stopped as the sheets on the bed stirred.
All four pairs of eyes snapped to the girl as she moaned, her head tossing to the side as her mouth opened slightly and she seemed to gasp for air. Mrs. Potter bustled towards Roseanna's head and lined up different potions, while the three boys merely looked on in various stages of horror and shock.
"It's alright," murmured Mrs. Potter, running and hand along the blonde's head as she stirred, "you're safe now."
Two piercing blue eyes shot open at the sound of Mrs. Potter's voice, and suddenly, a piercing scream rang out through the room.