Sirius wasn't asleep for long. It only took thirty minutes before he was screaming torture, clutching at his chest and withering on the couch in pain. I broke a vial of the Healing Potion in shock, wincing when a large chunk of glass cut me on the thumb.
"Gemma, get that Numbing drought!" Andromeda had began to do a series of silencing charms around the apartment. The last thing we needed were muggle police showing up.
I only needed to let it turned violet before it was finished. I tried to will it to go faster, my hands shaking as Sirius's screams reached a new level. I felt useless as I stared at the dark blue liquid as it bubbled, as if taunting me with its slowness. It was impossible to block out his screams.
"Gemma!" Andromeda barked.
"I-I can't make it go faster!" I nearly cried at the pressure. Why couldn't I have finished this earlier? I tugged at my hair; the potion was slowly turning purple but not quite violet.
One more second...
"Just take a deep breath, Gemma."
The drought was finished. With unsteady hands I hurriedly filled a vial and ran to Sirius's side. He was rolling back and forth, curled in on himself, with his eyes closed. It was like he couldn't hear me when I called his name repeatedly. I touched his arm tentatively and it was the worst thing I could've done.
He lashed out, hitting me in the face. Andromeda shouted something and then he wasn't moving: a body bind. I took my chance and pried his jaw open - he had been grinding his teeth together - and made sure that he swallowed every last drop of the drought.
I fell back as his screams began to die into whimpers and then silence. My heart was pounding hard against my chest, my ears ringing. I didn't know I was bleeding until Andromeda was turning my head to face her.
"Your lip is bleeding, dear."
I blindly wiped at it and winced at the sting. She grabbed a vial of the Healing potion and used a rag to dab the clear paste onto my bottom lip. There was no pain as grey smoke rose from my wound. Andromeda leaned back to inspect it before nodding, "Perfect."
I felt like I had taken the drought. I sat on the floor as Andromeda moved to take off Sirius's shirt. How could a mother do this to her child? Whatever curse that vile woman (how could I call her his mother after this?) had used on him had left a poison in his body - or so Andromeda had explained to me. The Numbing Drought would last a day or two and allow her to withdraw the poison and heal his wounds without him feeling a thing.
Thank Merlin because I wouldn't be able to handle another screaming Sirius. I don't think Sirius could put up with another round of that pain either.
"Gemma," Andromeda was inspecting a nasty gash below Sirius's collarbone. It made me sick to see what she had done to him. "I need to wet the rag with the potion and when you see the blood turn bright red immediately dab it. Do you understand?"
I shakily nodded and crawled so I was beside her. Andromeda traced her wand over the wound and muttered words under her breath. The words sounded foreign and had a musical tone to it, like she was singing a lullaby. Black puss oozed out of the cut and I gagged, wanting nothing more than to turn away. The black disappeared and red flowed out. I gently dabbed at the cut.
Grey smoke raised like from my lip but this time it made a hissing noise. I looked at Andromeda, panicked that I had made a mistake, but she encouraged me to keep going. Once the smoke evaporated I lifted the rag to see that cut completely gone. There wasn't even a scar.
We continued to do this for the twelve other cuts on his torso. When we finished with a cut the healed skin would turn a healthy pink color, a good sign according to Andromeda. We had healed the last wound just as the sky began to darken.
"I'll clean up. You go take a shower," She said tiredly, wiping at her brow. The spell must've taken a lot out of her. When I stood to leave she grabbed my wrist, giving me a soft smile. "You did well, Gemma."
I nodded stiffly and headed to the bathroom. It was easy to keep thoughts of Sirius out of my head as I wiped at the black on my finger nails; it had gotten on my hand as did his blood. When I realized this I couldn't hold back my urge to puke.
Was this war? I knew that Death Eaters were attacking people but I had just thought that they killed them. What about the ones who had made it out? Were they cursed like Sirius? And all the kids I went to school with; did they have to put up with their parents bigoted views and punishment? It made my head ache.
I stared at my reflection; my nose was still crooked. I was the same as I had been in the morning yet I felt like I had aged years. Did a Healer do this constantly? And the Aurors, did they go through this pain?
Ted was home when I came out of my bedroom. Sirius was still asleep, the blanket pulled to his neck. Ted had bought pizza for us to eat.
"How was your day?" He asked. "It looks like he slept all day."
I didn't want to remember what happened today, let alone talk about it. Andromeda shared my idea, "Oh, it was fine. He did."
"Good, good. Andy, you'll never believe what I did today. I was such a fool, I had tripped in front of my boss and spilled his coffee all over his shirt! I'm such a klutz."
I spent the next day by Sirius. I did the rest of my Transfiguration and Charms essays. It was the most productive I had been all summer. I had even made Andromeda breakfast, which she had been grateful for.
All we could do was wait for Sirius to wake up.
"Ugh, fuck."
Sirius rolled over and held his head between his hands. I jumped in shock and spun to stare incredulously at him. He looked tons better than the last time he had been awake; the dark circles beneath his eyes were gone, he had color in his cheeks, and he managed to sit up without wincing.
"Language." I said without thinking.
He looked down at me and I realized just how close I was. I had sat on the floor with my back against the couch, my head only inches away from his chest.
"All you have to say to me is 'language'? After my near death experience I don't get a love confession or anything?" He joked.
I laughed before shaking my head, "I'm more into the nerdy type, sorry."
"So she can joke."
"Did you think I couldn't?" I asked, slightly hurt.
"Just surprised is all."
I stared at him, trying to read his face, but he gave me a goofy grin before raising his arms over his head and stretching. I turned back around and called for Andromeda.
"Is everything okay?" She asked worriedly. Then she caught sight of Sirius sitting up and smiled happily. "Oh good! Here, Gemma made breakfast," She levitated a plate to him. "And after you eat you can take a shower. Then back onto the couch."
"How long am I stuck on couch arrest?" He then laughed. "Get it, like house arrest?"
I snickered, "So he can make bad jokes."
He looked scandalized and Andromeda chuckled, "Just for the rest of the week, Sirius. Then you go back to James's."
Sirius made sure to tap me on the head as he stood - albeit wobbly - and I scowled up at him. While he took a shower, Andromeda had me make lunch and she grabbed more pillows and blankets for Sirius. It was a relief to see him looking better. Yesterday, I had had my doubts about whether he would come out of this unscathed. It had been brutal to see, I could only imagine what he had felt.
It definitely made the house feel less suffocating now that he was walking and trying to make jokes.
Sirius made the week go by faster than usual.
We spent the mornings together talking and doing homework here and there. I had actually finished my summer homework weeks before school starter - that was a first. I usually did it all the week before the first day.
Sirius was a joker who hated to be waited on. Although he was usually laid back and I could talk to him like I would to my best friends, he had a very short temper. Whenever Andromeda and I tried to help him or coddled him he'd lash out. I understood that he didn't like it but even he must know that there were somethings he couldn't do so soon after recovering.
Andromeda had tried to explain it to him, "You can't push your body like this, Sirius. It could have long lasting-"
"I'm not a baby! I can do things by myself." And that's how it went.
Ted didn't like Sirius being around the house. We all knew that by "house" he meant me. When Ted came home from work he'd ask me to come shopping with him or make me clean my room, anything to get me out of the living room. Andromeda found it funny so she didn't help and instead offered up chores for me to do.
The traitor.
It wasn't like I liked Sirius. He was funny and all but I'd seen him around his friends. He wasn't a nice person to everyone. All though I tried to keep the thought away, I wondered if he was only talking to me because he had to. There was no way to tell if he actually liked my friendship and I wasn't going to ask.
The only way to find out was on the first day of school. I dreaded the day.
"Is anyone there?" Sirius knocked on my head. I scowled and slapped at his hand.
"Abusive much?"
He shrugged, "You dozed out for a second there. Thought I bored you."
"You did."
He didn't look amused, "I thought Hufflepuffs were supposed to be friendly."
"It's because I'm spending too much time with you." I huffed. I wasn't in the mood to talk anymore, not after I thought about what would happen between us. I had no doubt that I wouldn't speak to Sirius after he left.
"That's not a bad thing! I've been told that I am an amazing person by many." He boasted.
"Okay."
He pouted and once again hit me on the back of the head. I tried to convince myself that once he left I wouldn't miss him. I doubt he'd think much of me anyway, not with his Marauder friends waiting for him.
I woke up Monday morning to find Sirius gone.
