Harry and Andromeda appeared in London a block away from the entrance to St. Mungo's. Andromeda had overshot their destination in her haste. Harry's arms burned as he focused on keeping Narcissa in his arms and her head still. The once bright pink feather boa had turned deep red. Harry's grip on the boa was slipping due to the blood coating his hands. He wiped his palms on his jeans not caring whether they stained.
"Let me try something," Andromeda proposed. She walked behind Harry and pushed up the bloody boa with her gloved fingertip. She carefully moved the bloodied stands of Narcissa's blonde hair so she could assess the damage. A piece of the brass door knocker had pierced her scalp. Andromeda resisted the urge to gag at the sight and smell of the blood pouring out of her sister's head. "Sceller et guérir cette blessure immédiatement," she whispered waving her hands around Narcissa's head.
More blood gushed out of Narcissa's head, which clearly was not her intention. She untied her scarf wrapped it around her head, applying more pressure to the wound. They took off for the Muggle clothing store in a sprint.
They arrived outside Purge and Dowse, Ltd a few minutes later, their faces flushed and their breathing labored.
"Which one is it?" Andromeda asked frantically, her eyes scanning the mannequins lined up in the shop window.
"I have no idea!" Harry exclaimed. "I haven't been here in a while! Try them all!"
Andromeda started at the left-hand side of the window telling the mannequin their reason for wishing entry. None of the mannequins responded. Andromeda pounded the brick wall in frustration.
During this time, Narcissa had gone in and out of consciousness. A steam of French would tumble from her lips when she was conscious. Harry had absolutely no idea what she was saying. He did not want to alert Andromeda either since he needed her to focus on gaining entry.
"Oh mon dieu, ma tête fait si mal. Qu'est-il arrivé à moi? Aidez-moi, Harry!" she exclaimed. She stirred in Harry's arms, her head thrashing back and forth. Her slender hands grasped the Gryffindor scarf tied around his neck dragging his face closer to her. "S'il vous plaît!"
"Narcissa, I don't understand what you are saying. You need to stop moving and stay calm," Harry begged. Narcissa's eyes closed and her body went limp in his arms. Andromeda tried to gain access through another mannequin. She failed.
"Où suis-je? Où allons-nous? Que faisons-nous?" she demanded, her bright blue eyes widening. Her grasp on Harry's scarf tightened. It was becoming harder for Harry to breathe as the scarf tightened around his neck. Unfortunately, he couldn't pry her hands away for fear of dropping her and making her head injury worse.
"Narcissa, vous frappez votre tête très mal. Nous sommes à Londres et nous vous emmenons à l'hôpital!" Andromeda responded turning to face her sister.
"Oh, ok…" Narcissa replied. Her head started to fall back, but Harry steadied it with his hand. She released Harry's scarf. He took large gulps of air as he steadied himself, attempting to regain his focus. He moved to the mannequin in the middle while Andromeda continued to talk to Narcissa. He repeated their request, hoping that the mannequin could see the bloodied woman in his arms. The mannequin nodded allowing them to walk through the window and into the reception area of St. Mungo's. Andromeda threw her cloak over Narcissa's face. She definitely did not want or need the media to find out what happened.
Harry and Andromeda barreled their way through the throng of people who filled the reception area. Most quickly moved upon seeing the bloodied fabric tied around Narcissa's head. Of course, there were some gawkers. They approached a line of people waiting to speak to the Welcome Witch. Harry was able to convince them to let them go to the front of the line.
"I hope she will be alright," an elderly woman said placing a withered hand on Harry's bicep.
"Is she your wife?" the elderly gentleman beside her asked.
"No… she's someone I care about very much," Harry quietly confessed to the gentleman hoping Andromeda had not overheard him. Luckily, Andromeda was too busy arguing with the Welcome Witch.
"Madam, I must know her name so I can admit her," the Welcome Witch snarled, trying to mask her growing annoyance. "It's part of the procedures and policies listed here," she added pointing a grubby finger at the faded placard next to her. Andromeda opened her mouth to reply, but changed her mind and shot a look at Harry instead. Harry nodded. They really could not afford to waste any more time. Andromeda bent over and whispered it into the Welcome Witch's ear. Her eyes widened, her mouth dropped open and she quickly placed a hand over it as not to attract any more attention to the injured woman. She instructed them to take Narcissa to the Fourth Floor.
The Healers took Narcissa into a room and hooked her up to a ventilator and heart rate monitor. Healer Rutherford Poke ran a series of diagnostic tests over Narcissa. Luckily, her heart was intact. Her head was the only problem. He called Healer Jones and instructed him to take Narcissa to the radiology department for a CT scan and an MRI. In the meantime, he questioned Harry and Andromeda on what happened to Narcissa.
"Purple?" he inquired. He cocked an eyebrow two as he stroked his bearded chin. "Are you positive it was purple?"
"Absolutely. I saw it," Harry stressed, growing frustrated since Healer Poke did not seem to believe their story.
"It was purple. I also saw it," Andromeda confirmed. Healer Poke nodded and pushed his horn-rimmed eyeglasses up the bridge of his pointy nose. They sat in silence before he asked Healer Miriam Strout to prepare a room for Narcissa on the Janus Thickey Ward if they could not figure out what was wrong with her. Harry and Andromeda were upset with the Healer's dismissive attitude toward Narcissa's situation. It was almost as if he had already given up on her.
Healer Jones returned a few minutes later with Narcissa's radiology images in his hand. He handed them to Healer Poke who put them on a screen for interpretation.
"She has an extradural haematoma," Healer Poke muttered shaking his head in disbelief. "It's small, but we need to operate on it right away. Jones, prepare her for surgery. Have Healer Williams get a hold of Healer Shepherd from the States. He'll have to perform it since no one here can!"
"Surgery?" Andromeda asked, her mouth dropped open and the blood drained from her face.
"Yes. Surgery," Healer Poke stressed thrusting consent forms for the procedure into Andromeda's hands. "Do you know if she has a DNR form?"
"No, what is that?"
"It is a form stating that she would not like us to resuscitate her if her heart stops beating during surgery. Also, does she have a lasting power of attorney?"
"I don't know!" Andromeda cried, tears forming in her eyes. "Do I have to answer these questions before she can have the surgery? Just do whatever you need to do to save my sister!" She slumped forward in her chair, her head in her hands. Harry stepped closer to Andromeda, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Andy, you need to sign the forms so she can have the surgery," Harry began, the pen Healer Poke offered to him. "We can find out the other information later." Andromeda nodded, wiped away the tears with the back of her hand and managed to steady her shaking hands enough to sign the forms.
"Thank you," Healer Poke said pocketing the forms. "Unfortunately, we cannot let you watch the surgery. You will have to wait in the waiting room," Healer Poke called over his shoulder as he and Healer Jones started moving Narcissa's bed out of the room.
Harry and Andromeda sat quietly as they watched the two men disappear out of view. Truthfully, Harry had no intention on watching the surgery, but Andromeda had other ideas.
"I have to watch!" Andromeda declared rising up from her chair. "I can't just leave her in there alone!"
"Andy, you heard the Healer. We can't! I'll wait with you," Harry offered.
They argued for a while before Harry caved into Andromeda's incessant demands. They decided to make themselves invisible. It would be too difficult to get Polyjuice and two employees to impersonate. Also, the Polyjuice would only buy them an hour. Narcissa's procedure sounded complex and they assumed it would take more time. As for waiting, they figured that they would look like they had been in the waiting room the entire time if they were back when the procedure finished. Or, they could just admit to having left the stressful environment of the hospital in favor for drinks at the closest pub.
"Oh, no! James, Albus and Lily are still at Molly's!" Harry exclaimed as they made their way to the operating room.
"I'll talk to her," Andromeda called over her shoulder as she ran toward the hospital's exit.
A few minutes later, Andromeda was banging at the door to the Burrow not caring whether she disturbed any of the residents. Molly appeared a few seconds later wiping her hands her faded floral apron.
"What's wrong, Andy?" she questioned observing the distraught woman.
"Harry and Narcissa are at St. Mungo's, she hit her head and needs surgery," Andromeda said not pausing for breath between her statements.
"Harry and WHO?" Molly asked, her eyes widening as she allowed Andromeda to enter her home.
"Harry and Narcissa," Andromeda replied. "That's not the point, Molly. They're going to operate on Cissy soon. Do you mind watching Harry's children overnight? He insisted on being there with me while I watch."
"Ok, go and keep me updated. We'll keep them here for as long as need be," Molly said pulling her close friend into a tight embrace. With that, Andromeda took off for St. Mungo's. She hoped that she had not missed the start of the procedure.
She took a seat next to Harry who immediately thrust a cup of tea in her hands. They watched as Healer Shepherd tipped a small dose of Draught of Living Death into Narcissa's mouth. The draught, more powerful than Muggle anesthesia, would make sure that she did not wake during the procedure. Harry's heart dropped as he watched strands of Narcissa's beautiful blonde hair tumble to the ground exposing the pale flesh of her scalp. Healer Shepherd cleaned the area and marked an "X" over one spot.
Harry and Andromeda watched in horror as Healer Shepherd picked up a drill from the small table containing various surgical tools. The buzz from the drill filled the small room. Andromeda grabbed Harry's hand as the healer drilled a small hole into Narcissa's head.
"We need to relieve any pressure from her brain and drain any blood," Healer Shepherd said, handing the drill to Healer Poke who set it down on the table. "We may need to enlarge the hole if we can't remove it all. After that, we'll remove the piece of the door knocker. We don't want to remove it too quickly since she may bleed out. Then, we'll look for any tears or abnormal brain tissue, which we'll repair and remove if we find them."
Healers Jones and Williams nodded and allowed Healer Shepherd to continue his work. Harry's stomach was in knots as he watched blood flow freely from Narcissa's head into a small metal, kidney-shaped bowl. A purple fluid poured out of Narcissa's head mixed with the blood. The Healers caught as much of the purple fluid as they could. They would run tests on it after the surgery.
"Gently, Poke, only pull when I say so," Healer Shepherd instructed as Healer Poke placed wrapped his fingertips around the door knocker. "Be ready with the suction Jones! You need to suck it all up and get it all out! On the count of three... three… two… one… Pull!"
Blood splattered on the blue sheet covering Narcissa's body as they pulled out the piece of brass lodged into her skull. The piece was quickly placed into another metal bowl. Harry and Andromeda's heads jerked up at the strange sound erupting from the heart rate monitor beside the operating table.
"Shite! Her heart's not beating!" Jones exclaimed as he dropped the suction. He immediately began performing CPR on Narcissa.
Andromeda's grip on Harry's hand tightened, her knuckles turning white. Tears fell down her face as she stared straight ahead at the monitor, desperately hoping that Narcissa's heart would beat again. Harry could not believe the situation unfolding before him. He could not believe that an hour ago, he was conversing with a woman who was full of life. Now, she was fighting for hers. He grimaced as Andromeda's nails dug into his palm. He held his breath and prayed to every deity he knew.
"Ok, she's back!" Jones exclaimed triumphantly a few minutes later. The air in the operating room eased. "Come on, Ms. Black. You cannot go out like this. You're a Black. You are strong and you are a fighter. You need to pull through," Jones urged.
"She has a tear here," Healer Shepherd said pointing to a spot on her brain. Harry gagged a bit as he stared at her brain matter covered in dark red blood. The image appeared on the monitor in front of the Healers. They observed it for a while as they planned their course of action. The terms they used went over Harry and Andromeda's heads.
Their hands remained intertwined as they watched the Healers work on Narcissa. He could hear Andromeda's heavy breathing. He longed to comfort her, but he kept his eyes focused on Narcissa. The Healers were making good progress, but that, as they saw earlier, did not mean anything. Their eyes remained on the heart rate monitor. The steady beating of her heart provided them some comfort.
The seconds turned to minutes, each one more stressful than the last. It seemed to take longer that it should.
"Stop! Hands down! I've got it. Jones, close her up. She's going to make it," Healer Shepherd said, a wide smile on his face. A collective sigh filled the room. Healers Jones and Williams looked extremely relieved to hear the good news. They started closing her.
"She made it! Oh, thank goodness!" Andromeda exclaimed. Tears flowed down her pale face and a smile graced her lips. Harry turned to face her, his hand still knotted with hers. He nodded and gave her a small smile.
Harry leaned forward until his face was mere inches from hers. The light in the room bounced off the flecks of gold mixed in the depths of her dark brown eyes. She stepped forward closing the distance between them. Her warm breath, which smelled of peppermint tea, ghosted against his lips. He surged forward capturing her pale pink lips with his. The kiss started soft and chaste and grew gradually. He brushed his tongue over her bottom teeth begging for entrance into her mouth. She complied allowing her tongue to swirl against his. He ran his hands through wavy light brown locks as her hand slipped under his shirt and her nails raked his back.
And, then it was over.
They pulled away from each other. Harry's face was bright red. He felt so ashamed and he could not look at her. Andromeda mumbled something about needing to get to the waiting room and took off before Harry could respond.
Narcissa had been asleep for three days after the surgery. The Healers kept close watch on her progress and were happy to report that she had healed well. They expected her to make a full recovery. As for side effects, they mentioned that she might experience memory loss and seizures. They planned to approach those issues later. For now, they wanted her to wake up.
And, on the fourth day, she did.
Her blue eyes fluttered for a moment adjusting to the bright light in the room. She glanced down to see a green and silver tartan blanket covering her chest, a red and gold scarf around her neck and her slender, pale hand clutching Harry's olive-toned one. Her hospital gown was a soft silk instead of stiff cotton. Most likely Andromeda's handiwork, she thought attempting to sit up. The back of her head was pounding and it felt as if an angry hoard of Hippogriffs had trampled all over her body.
"Hi there, Cissy," Andromeda greeted warmly, gently squeezing Narcissa's other hand. Narcissa gave her sister a soft smile. Andromeda poured her a cup of water and tipped it up to her chapped lips. Narcissa chugged a few cups before attempting to respond.
"What happened?" she whispered hoarsely.
Andromeda excused herself deciding to fetch the Healers. Truthfully, she still felt embarrassed over what occurred with Harry four days earlier. Harry could not look at either woman. But, now, he had to. He slowly brought his eyes to Narcissa's and started telling her what happened.
"I almost died?" Narcissa repeated, her mouth slightly agape, once he got to the most terrifying part of her ordeal. Her mouth dropped open slightly and her grip on Harry's hand tightened. He nodded and continued on with the story.
Earlier that afternoon, Lucius Malfoy had returned to Wiltshire after a successful business trip in Florence with his cohorts. He rubbed elbows with the right people. Investors in his latest business venture would, no doubt, be popping out of the woodwork very soon. He sauntered up the long driveway, his immaculate and expensive black silk cloak billowing in the wind and his lavish walking stick tapping the gravel. He waved his hand over the wrought iron gates and entered his domain.
"Shite, Yax! What are you doing here?" Lucius yelled, jumping at the sight of the blonde man seated in his study.
"Have you looked at the Prophet?" Yaxley inquired taking a long sip of the Firewhisky in his crystal tumbler.
"Of course not. Unlike you, I actually work for a living. I have no time to sit around reading the papers. Besides, the Prophet is a load of rubbish," Lucius declared pouring himself a glass of scotch.
"Well, Potter, your ex and her Blood Traitor sister are at St. Mungo's. She had surgery four days ago."
"Harry and WHO?" Lucius demanded slamming his glass of scotch. The glass shattered and the amber liquid trickled down the desk.
"Harry, the Blood Traitor..." Yaxley repeated sighing loudly.
"Harry and WHO?" Lucius roared pounding the desk.
"Harry and Narcissa!" Yaxley yelled.
Andromeda had returned with the Healers who conducted a few more tests before ordering Narcissa to rest. The three sat quietly and discussed the events after the meeting to see if they noticed anything out of the ordinary. They came up with nothing.
The door opened revealing a tall man carrying an obnoxiously large bouquet of flowers. The flowers blocked his face and strands of platinum blonde hair peeked over the top of the bouquet. Andromeda groaned and immediately left the room. She wanted nothing to do with the pompous prat. Harry made an effort to leave, but Narcissa squeezed his hand a few times, her eyes begging him to stay. He swallowed hard and remained seated.
Lucius attempted to set the bouquet on the small table beside Narcissa's bed. The bottom of the vase was too large and did not fit. In addition, the room was already filled with flowers from the twins and Narcissa's employees. Harry suppressed his laughter as he watched Lucius attempt to force the flowers to fit. He gave up a few minutes later, setting them on the empty chair beside her bed.
"These accommodations are absolutely dreadful," Lucius stated. His nose scrunched and his upper lip curling into a frown. "I shall speak to the Healers to get you a larger room. This is what happens when you have the filth looking after you," he added casting a dark glance at Harry. Harry's other hand curled into a fist and he desperately wanted to pummel Lucius' arrogant face. Clearly, Lucius did not understand that his ex-wife wanted nothing to do with him.
"Cissa, I heard what happened," Lucius said softening his tone. Narcissa's eyes remained on her lap. "I would like a word with you in private… please," he begged cocking his head toward Harry. Her lips pursed and she refused to look at him.
"Narcissa?"
"Harry can stay," she said crossing her arms over her chest.
Lucius tripped over his words trying to come up with the proper retort. His cool grey eyes bore into Harry's and for a second, it looked as if he was going to hit him. Lucius stepped away from Narcissa and picked up the flowers. He chucked them into the rubbish bin and slammed the door beside him.
"Sorry about that," Narcissa apologized a faint blush coloring her pale cheeks. She avoided Harry's gaze and focused on her lap. "Do you want this back?" she asked fingering his soft scarf.
"It's alright. Keep it. It looks good on you… though it clashes with that awful blanket," Harry responded lightly. He made an effort to change it, but she caught his wrist. Her cool touch sent shivers down his spine. He eventually cleared his throat and she let go. Luckily, Andromeda burst into the room a few seconds later and pulled Harry out into the hallway.
"Harry, that purple liquid was a potion and they have no idea what it is! I managed to swipe a sample!" she said producing a small vial from her robes.
With that, the two set off for the person they hoped would have the answers. A few minutes later, they appeared outside the gates of Hogwarts.
"A potion? That is preposterous!" Potions Professor Hermione Granger exclaimed brushing away a sweaty chestnut curl from her forehead. She swirled the liquid around the vial trying to observe its properties in movement. She waved her wand pausing the progress of the potion bubbling in her cauldron.
"Do you know what this means?" Andromeda asked pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Someone is obviously up to no good. But why target Narcissa?"
"It could have been for Harry... or me..." Andromeda replied shaking her head. Hermione's eyes widened and she demanded that Andromeda and Harry meet her in her chambers later that evening so they could research the potion.
Meanwhile, Harry set off for the person he hoped would have some answers. He banged on the door, his anxiety rising as he paced back and forth.
"Harry!" Hagrid exclaimed happily enveloping Harry in his large arms. Fang jumped off the floor and padded over to Harry, his tail wagging happily. He stood in front of Harry, his drool covering Harry's shoes. Hagrid was overcome with emotions upon seeing Harry, as it had been several years.
"So, it's true?" Hagrid inquired pointing to a Prophet article about Harry's marriage problems. Harry nodded. Hagrid pushed a plate of rock cakes and a mug of tea toward Harry.
"Yes, but Hagrid, that's not what I'm here for," Harry began. "Has anything unusual happened in the Forbidden Forest?" He discretely ripped off a piece of his rock cake and fed it to Fang. Fang licked Harry's hand in appreciation. Harry shuddered and wiped his hand on his jeans. Hagrid's eyes squinted as he ran his fingers through his beard.
"Firenze said something was wrong with Mosag," Hagrid said thoughtfully his eyes searching Harry's face. "He said she seemed upset…like someone had violated her or something."
"I need to go!" Harry exclaimed noticing the time. "Thank you, Hagrid! I'll be back soon!" he called over his shoulder as he sprinted up the small hill leading to the castle.
A few hours later, Harry's eyelids were beginning to droop and a severe headache was forming at the back of his head. Andromeda also looked like she was struggling though she did a better job pretending to stay engaged. She discretely covered a yawn with her hand. Hermione, on the other hand, was full of energy, quoting things from various tomes and jotting down notes. Harry felt like he was back in his second year observing Hermione conduct research on the Chamber of Secrets. As before, he tried to help her, but research had never been his forte. He much preferred a more hands-on approach.
"I've got it!" Hermione shouted triumphantly startling Harry and Andromeda. Harry lifted his head from his book, wiped the drool off the corners of his mouth and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Look here," she said thrusting a musty tome under Harry's nose. He choked on the dust emanating from the tome and coughed loudly. A picture of an Acromantula, oddly similar to the ones in the Forbidden Forest, stared back at him.
"The venom, when taken from a living Acromantula is extremely deadly as it is almost impossible to obtain. The venom, when mixed with certain ingredients produces a deadly toxin, which can kill when combined with the right force… and… blood type," Hermione read, her mouth dropping open.
"Blood type?" Andromeda repeated, her eyes widening.
"I think Narcissa survived because she is a Pureblood," Hermione opined, dropping her voice into a whisper.
Harry slammed his fist on the desk in frustration. He feared that something like this would happen. Someone was attempting more discrete methods at mass destruction. Granted, what happened to Narcissa was not discrete. But, maybe it was a warning sign.
Without warning, he took off for the Forbidden Forest in search of Mosag. He sprinted through the forest, leaping over downed tree branches and fallen leaves. Along the way, he passed a small colony of thestrals who looked oddly calm. He shuddered still not quite over being able to see the beasts.
"Harry!" a booming voice called. He turned around and found Firenze staring at him.
"Have you seen Mosag?" Harry asked jogging over to the Centaur.
"Yes, she's in there," Firenze replied pointing to a small cave a few yards away. "But, Harry, be careful. She has been in a bad mood for the past week," Firenze stressed. Harry nodded, took a deep breath and turned toward her hiding spot.