Disclaimer: Don't own Dumbledore or any of J.K.R's characters. There, let's get on with it. Hehe, you know I'm getting into the story when I'm updating this fast. Yea for angst! For some reason, it's so much more fun to write…I hope I'm not repeating myself too much.
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Madame Galen shoved everyone out of her way as she ran towards the still form on the floor, her breath coming out in clouds from the freezing cold of the room. It was Olivia, her eyes frozen open, lying stiffly on the floor. "She's under the Bind!" Madame Galen called out. She pointed her wand at the fallen student, and muttered the countercurse. Instantly, Olivia's entire body relaxed, and her eyes fell shut. Madame Galen placed her hand on Olivia's neck while Professor Dippet and Dumbledore waited anxiously behind her, Robert holding back a sobbing Millie, who was fighting tooth and nail to get to her friend.
Madame Galen sighed in relief. She turned to the group, and announced, "She's alive, and she's just unconscious. Once we get some fluid and food in her, I think she'll be fine. However, we need to get her to the hospital wing immediately. I'll take her, while you two," she nodded at Professor Dumbledore and Headmaster Dippet, "take care of that one." She inclined her head towards Darcy, who stood looking completely stunned. Dumbledore had already conjured a stretcher and lifted Olivia to it, when Madame Galen suddenly turned around and took a closer look at Darcy. Her eyes widened as she beckoned for Professor Dippet to step closer. Millie saw the old nurse whisper in the Headmaster's ear, who started at the words, and looked shocked. "Miss Thurston, you'd better come along to the hospital wing as well," said Madame Galen, to Robert and Millie's great surprise. "I want to take a look at you. Follow me, please."
Darcy nodded woodenly, and she obediently followed the old nurse, Professor Dippet staying close on her heels. Professor Dumbledore looked at the two remaining students for a moment. "I think that the two of you had better return to your common rooms. A teacher will come and give you an update when we have one. Millie, you may inform the other girls about these developments. Then, I think it would be best if you both got some sleep; Olivia will be fine, so there is nothing to keep you from resting. There will be no classes today. Everyone needs some sleep."
Millie and Robert nodded, and then began to walk towards their common rooms; the entrances were on the same floor, but were separated by a hallway. Robert walked Millie to her door, where Cerebus took up his place again. Millie turned to Robert and said, "Thanks for helping us, Robert. Will you be all right?"
He nodded. "I'll be fine. You should do what Professor Dumbledore said, and get some sleep. Is there someone in there that can help you out? I don't want you to be alone." Millie nodded her answer, thinking of her worried dorm mates. They would make sure that she would be all right, especially the motherly Mattie. "Then I'll see you later. Bye, Millie." He strode away, clearly lost in thought.
Robert entered his own common room, where he found the whole of Gryffindor House assembled, waiting for some news. "What's going on, Rob? Have they found her? Is she all right? Tell us!" All of the voices speaking at once confused him, so he held up a hand, and the noise died down to a still silence.
"We've found her, and she's going to be ok. She's in the hospital wing right now, being treated for dehydration and mild starvation. She was unconscious when we found her. Professor Dumbledore says that there won't be any classes today, and that we should all just get some sleep." He turned away, ignoring all other questions as he headed up for his dormitory, where his four poster bed waited. Without even undressing, he sank beneath the covers, and fell into a deep sleep, but it wasn't deep enough to keep away the dreams that reminded him that his girlfriend had tried to kill his little sister.
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A few hours later, Olivia found herself struggling to wake up. All that she could sense was the warmth about her, which was a good sign. She didn't seem to be lying on a stone floor any longer. Next, she recognized that everything was dark, but not because she was in the silent room, but because her eyes were closed. She must have been rescued! But her eyes still felt like they were made of the same stone as the floor she had been lying on, and she fought to open them.
Finally, emerald eyes fluttered open, and she found Madame Galen looking down on her. The old nurse sighed in relief when she saw Olivia looked at her, and she brushed a tendril of gray hair away from her face that had strayed for from usual gray braids. "There you are, lovey. How do you feel?"
Olivia slowly shook her head, not in answer, but to try and clear away her bleary thoughts. Finally, she spoke. "I'm very tired…and sore. What happened? The last thing I remember was being in that room and I couldn't get away…I couldn't…" She looked up at Madame Galen, her face creased with confusion.
Madame Galen sat down beside her patient, and took Olivia's hand in her own. "Livie, my dear, we were finally able to get to you. You were under the Full-Body Bind, and the Room of Requirement had been enchanted to keep you there unless someone thought just the right words. We were eventually able to get through, and found you behind an iron door, unconscious and stiff. I've been working on you for about an hour now. You were severely dehydrated, and you needed some calories desperately. You're sore from all those hours of being in the same position, unable to move."
Nodding her head, Olivia looked sharply up at Madame Galen. "How long was I in there? How were you able to find me?"
The elderly nurse pursed her lips. "You went missing on Saturday night, and this is Monday evening. As to finding you, Professor Dumbledore realized that Darcy probably knew what had happened to you, and Professor Dippet forced her to help us get to you. We had already searched all over the castle numerous times, as well as the grounds, the forest, and Hogsmeade with no success. However, we got a break when Millie and Cerebus tracked you to the Room of Requirement with Professor Dumbledore."
Memories flooded Olivia's mind, as she remembered those icy blue eyes staring from the shadows, of the hard landing on the cold, stone floor. Her own frustration at not being able to free herself, to get away….
Suddenly, she found that she was very, very angry. Once again she had been manipulated, and it was becoming very old. No one should have the right to be so cruel to others, no one! Her fury built inside her, until she burst out passionately, "I hope that she gets punished for this, and she would richly deserve it! She attacked me! I could have died! What was she thinking?"
Rather than looking surprised at Olivia's unusual behavior, Madame Galen looked like she pitied the student before her. "I don't blame you for being angry, dear. This isn't the first time that someone has hurt you, and after a while, it becomes hard to take. However, I don't think that Miss Thurston was thinking. I have reason to believe that she has been either placed under the Imperius Curse, or has been Confunded. She's over there." Madame Galen pointed towards a bed near the end of the room. There, Olivia beheld the slender form of Darcy, who was pacing back and forth and muttering to herself. "Professor Dumbledore has gone to fetch Professor Merrythought, who has some experience in these matters. If my suspicions are correct, Darcy will not be punished. Rather, we will be searching for your true attacker."
Olivia felt like she was one of the Jordan brothers' Flubber Blubbers that had been popped and then stuck to the floor. Her anger seeped out of her, leaving her feeling empty…and strangely alone. She turned her face towards the wall with the little energy she had left, so that she couldn't see Madame Galen, couldn't see those kind eyes that looked so compassionately at her.
Olivia's thoughts were whirling inside her, and she couldn't control the noise of them. So, was she now supposed to forgive Darcy? To forgive the person who had put her through such torments? Why was it she who was always tested? It hadn't been easy to move on from Professor Emelius' attacks. Still, with the help of her friends and family, somehow she had survived, and moved on. Now, though….it was different. She couldn't forgive, not again.
Madame Galen looked down at her pupil, who was almost shaking with rage and confusion. The tremors built, as Olivia's fears came into play as well. Her shoulders shook as she began to cry dry, hacking sobs that threatened to rip her chest apart. The elderly nurse looked at the young witch in alarm, and then swiftly leaned over, and picked Olivia right up in her arms. The small girl found herself cushioned in Madame Galen's lap, with comfortable arms holding her close.
In that moment, Olivia's mind cleared as she sobbed against Madame Galen's shoulder. This mess wasn't Darcy's fault, any more than it was her own. Anger still burned within her, but now it was placed towards the person who had really put her through this. And now, for the first time, she sincerely acknowledged to herself what had truly made this experience a living hell. It had been the total loss of control, of some sort of foothold in the world. It had been finding out that there were some tasks that were beyond her, tasks which she couldn't do. In school, she never had trouble with spells or incantations, excepting those that dealt with ice. Even in Professor Dumbledore's private lessons, she was learning things that weren't taught until fourth or fifth year, and she was mastering them. Quidditch came fairly naturally to her, and while she still had to work very hard, she had always managed to attain her goals if she put true effort into it. In this predicament, she had given everything she had, and it hadn't been enough.
That, in itself, was terrifying.
Madame Galen began to rock Olivia back and forth, and then she began to whisper softly. "Oh, lovey, my own sweet Olivia. I know that you're angry, and afraid. You feel like you're always the one put under trial. I understand that, and believe me; I don't blame you for your anger. What needs to happen now, in this moment, is for you to accept what happened. You did your best, I know that, but you must forgive yourself for not being enough. You're so young; you're not to blame for what you couldn't do. What matters now is that you're safe, and that Darcy may be released from a prison not that much unlike the one that we rescued you from. If she's been Imperiused, Olivia, it's her mind that's been hidden away into a dark, cold room. And in some ways, that can be worse than your body. She hasn't had a voice, which I'm sure you can sympathize with. Can you not?" Madame Galen looked deep into Olivia's eyes, as the girl's swollen eyes and face came away from the shoulder that had hid them.
Slowly, Olivia nodded her head in agreement, remembering the years that she been a mute, remembering the helplessness that the condition had sometimes brought her. Hoarsely, she whispered, "If she's been put under an enchantment, can you help her?"
Nodding vehemently, Madame Galen said, "Yes, we can. By tomorrow, you should both be able to return to your dormitories, and hopefully whoever or whatever put you both through this will be caught. Does that comfort you?"
Olivia considered the question for a while, resting her head against the nurse's chest. "Yes, just because I don't want him to do the same things to other people. It's like what Professor Dumbledore told me last year-the cycle of violence can't be allowed to continue. And my being angry and hurt isn't going to help matters."
"No, it won't. All that will do is make you bitter, and bitterness can be like a poison, Olivia. It can eat away at you, and rot your soul to its core. Don't submit to it, dear. Learn from this experience; allow it to teach you. Then let it go." Olivia nodded, and hesitantly placed her thin little hand into Madame Galen's soft, wrinkled one. They sat silently like that for a long while, until Professors Dippet, Dumbledore, and Merrythought entered the room.
All of the teachers stopped abruptly at the door, taking in the tender sight of Madame Galen holding her student to herself. Looking up, Madame Galen saw them all watching her. She swiftly looked down, and saw that Olivia hadn't noticed the entrance of the faculty. She was leaning on Madame Galen like a small child at rest, and her eyes were half closed. Motioning at the teachers to back away for a moment so that they wouldn't startle the patient, Madame Galen placed a quick kiss on Olivia's head. "Come along, dear, I must see to Miss Thurston."
Olivia nodded, and with Madame Galen's help, was placed back into her bed and was covered up with warm blankets. The faculty, taking this as their cue, entered the room for the second time, acting like they hadn't seen the warm scene a moment before. Professors Dippet and Dumbledore came immediately to Olivia's bedside, while Professor Merrythought stepped towards Darcy, looking grim and determined.
"Miss Price, it is so good to see you awake. You look much better. How are you feeling?" The headmaster asked solicitously.
Her voice was low and soft when she answered. "I'm very tired, sir, but I think just a little rest will cure me. Thank you both for looking for me so diligently. I know it can't have been an easy few days for you."
Dippet shook his head in amazement at Olivia's maturity. She found herself feeling immeasurably grateful that he hadn't been there to witness her earlier reaction. She couldn't hide her distress from Professor Dumbledore, though. He, who knew her so well, would undoubtedly see her swollen eyes, and immediately know that she had been upset. He took her hand in his own, and his kind blue eyes twinkled down at her. He didn't say anything, but Olivia found herself listened to his body language, rather than anything he could have said. It spoke of his relief in her recovery, and his hope that everything would soon be resolved. She found herself smiling softly at him, her first smile since last Saturday, when she had played in the Quidditch game. It was healing, and she found herself truly contented for the first time since her rescue. Dumbledore watched as her heavy eyes closed, and she passed into a deep and restorative sleep, his hand still holding hers. He stood for a moment, unwilling to sever the cathartic connection between the two of them, but the moment was broken when Professor Merrythought called to him.
"Albus, Headmaster, I need to speak with you both for a moment, please." Professor Merrythought motioned for them to join her outside in the hall, while Madame Galen went to care for an increasingly agitated Darcy. The three adults stood in a circle, and Galatea said, "Well, there's no doubt in my mind that the girl has been placed under the Imperius Curse."
The Headmaster looked startled. "If she has been Imperiused, what made her tell us where Olivia was hidden? Would she be able to divulge that information?"
Dumbledore answered slowly, "She would be able to give the information under two circumstances. The first would be that she had begun to fight the curse, and was able to speak somewhat from her own heart, even though her words seemed spiteful and angry. Or, she could have been told to reveal the information by her tormentor. Is that correct, Galatea?"
She nodded. "The first order of business is to break the curse. The second will be to find out where she was cursed, when, and by whom. Then our next steps will be clearer."
"Undoubtedly," said the Headmaster, looking old. "What are we coming to, when a student is nearly killed by another, who has been placed under one of the Unforgivable Curses?" Dumbledore looked with concern on Armando Dippet; the man suddenly looked aged, and very frail. Albus found himself speaking in a brisk, cheerful tone.
"I will notify the Ministry officials of this new development, Headmaster. They will need to observe the curse being broken, will they not?"
Dippet started at Dumbledore's question, and answered absentmindedly, "Yes, yes, you do that, Albus. They will need to see that Darcy was not acting under own power for themselves, or they will press charges." Dumbledore bowed quickly, and then left. Dippet turned to Professor Merrythought. "Galatea, you will be able to break the curse?"
"Yes, Headmaster. I have done it before, and the countercurse will not be difficult to perform. I'll just need to grab my spectacles and my diary; it has all my notes inside it. I'll need it for this"
"Then prepare yourself to break the curse when the Ministry officials arrive. I will be in the hospital wing." Turning, he strode back into the hospital wing, while Professor Merrythought went towards her office.
When the Headmaster stepped back into the hospital wing, he found that both patients were asleep. Madame Galen hurried forward, saying softly, "Darcy was becoming uneasy-I think she's starting to fight against the Imperius Curse on her own. It is the curse, correct, sir?" Dippet nodded in affirmation, and the old nurse continued. "I thought it best for Miss Thurston to be asleep. We don't want her fighting or hurting anyone. I've seen these curses broken before, and it's always much more pleasant if the subject is unconscious."
Dippet nodded, then asked, "How is Olivia doing, Nightingale? What do you think of the case?"
She shrugged. "I've fixed her dehydration and mild starvation, Headmaster. She's still very tired, so sleep's the best thing for her now. She was pretty upset earlier. I've never seen her like that before."
The Headmaster sighed, looking old again. "We can't expect any less from her, Nightingale. While she is remarkably mature for her age, emotional damage is highly likely in response to such an event. What was her reaction? Was she afraid?"
"Her first reaction wasn't fear, sir, which surprised me." Madame Galen said slowly. "It was pure, unadulterated rage. I've never seen Olivia angry like that before, and I wasn't completely expecting it. However, once I got over my shock, I found that I wasn't too surprised at her anger. This isn't the first time she's been assaulted, and I think it's getting harder for her to take. But I've always found that anger isn't the base emotion. Fear almost always fuels rage, and once I was able to calm her down, she was shaking with fear. I think what scared her most was the fact that she couldn't do anything to help herself. Always before, she's been able to fight, to come up with some sort of solution if she worked hard enough. Finding that she couldn't do anything in this instance was the real problem."
"Understandable, completely understandable." Dippet said. "What should be done, do you think?"
She was quiet for a moment, thinking. Then she said, "I think having a nice, quiet Christmas would be a wonderful first step. She needs to get away from the school, get away from the stress, and be given the time to evaluate this experience-and herself."
"I'll write to her guardian, then, and tell him what's happened, and inform him of your recommendations. However, from my own standpoint, I'd rather she stayed here for Christmas. Whoever Imperiused Miss Thurston was trying to get to Olivia, and the girl would be much safer here, at the school. Perhaps I can convince the Ministry to provide some security for her guardian's home. I'll speak to them. Ah, Galatea," he said as Professor Merrythought came striding in, looking deadly serious. "Once Albus and Ministry representatives arrive, you can begin. Do you feel prepared?"
"Yes, of course, sir." The professor answered shortly. She looked
unwilling to break her concentration on the task ahead. Dumbledore
came in almost immediately after that, followed by a Ministry
official. He was extremely thin, and seemed to be more even more
nervous than he was skinny.
"Good evening, Headmaster. I am
Roger Wise, and I am an official representative for the Ministry.
Your Transfiguration teacher gave me to understand that a student has
been cursed?"
"Yes, Mr. Wise, the victim is Miss Darcy Thurston." Professor Dippet pointed towards Darcy's motionless form. "We believe her to be under the Imperius Curse."
"The Imperius Curse?" The young man said waveringly, as he ran slender fingers through his mousy brown hair. "Oh, dear, dear, they didn't tell me it was that serious. Do we know who cursed her?"
"I'm afraid not, but we believe that the attackers intended victim was not Miss Thurston, but this young lady here," his hand waved towards Olivia, her red hair spilling over the white pillow, her cheeks still pinched from her ordeal "This is Miss Olivia Price. We believe that on Saturday night, Miss Thurston, while under the Imperius Curse, attacked Olivia, placed her under the Full Body Bind, and hid her in the Room of Requirement, hoping that the girl would not be found until after her death. We were unable to find Miss Price until this morning, when the Ravenclaw watch dog led us to her; however, we could not get to her until late this afternoon, when we were able to retrieve the information from Darcy. It was at that time that Madame Galen here recognized some classic symptoms of the Imperius Curse, which our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher confirmed. We are ready to perform the countercurse; we just need you to witness it so that you can confirm that Miss Thurston was not acting under her own willpower."
Mr. Wise nodded hesitantly, clearly not trusting his voice. He shuffled forward towards Darcy's bed, not seeing Madame Galen roll her eyes at him behind his back. Professor Dumbledore, seeing her gesture of annoyance, chuckled deeply once, which he quickly turned into a cough. He looked sideways at Madame Galen, who was grinning broadly at him. His blue eyes twinkled in reply.
Professor Merrythought stepped towards Darcy's bed in a business-like manner, where she lifted her wand, and brought it down in a hard, firm down thrust, while crying out, "Imperia relashio!"
A loud bang suddenly filled the air, which awakened Olivia. She jerked bolt upright in her bed, and looked in horror across the room, where she saw the teachers and nurse standing around Darcy's bed, along with another man that she didn't know; the man appeared to be cowering away from the bed, and Olivia heard him squeaking in fear. The older girl was writhing on the sheets, and her light blue eyes were rolling around in her head. Suddenly, her tremors and convulsions stopped, and the slender girl lay quiet on the bed. Olivia put a hand over her mouth while Madame Galen rushed to Darcy's side, and put a firm hand on her shoulder. "Darcy, wake up! Come on, girl, wake up!"
Darcy stirred, then slowly opened her eyes, looking in bewilderment at the people assembled around her bed. "Professor Dumbledore? Headmaster? What happened? Where are my parents?"
Madame Galen spoke gently. "Dear, you're at Hogwarts, in the hospital wing. What do you remember?"
The black haired girl looked about her in complete confusion. "Why,
I remember being in Germany, with my family. We were in the Black
Forest. I don't remember anything after that, except for a really
weird dream."
"What did you dream, Miss Thurston?"
Professor Dippet asked quickly.
She gazed up at him. "Nothing but a lot of foolishness, sir. Something about being cruel to Robert, and locking some poor kid in a dark room. But," she laughed, "all that can't have happened. It was just a dream, nothing more..." Suddenly, she caught sight of Olivia in the bed across the room; the young witch was looking horrified as tears spilled down her pale cheeks. "I-I don't understand. That's the girl in my dream! I can't have done all those things; I would never do any of it! I…I didn't, did I?" She looked up at the elderly nurse hovering over her, who lowered her gray head, choked up.
Professor Dumbledore's warm voice filled the room. "You didn't technically do any of it, my dear, but those things did happen. We believe that you were placed under the Imperius Curse. It is imperative that we discover who did that to you. Do you truly remember nothing? Think back to Germany, to your trip. What happened?"
Darcy was crying hard, but through her sobs, she waveringly said, "We were in the Black Forest, and Mother and Father went off to look at some trees with my little brother, Timmy. I didn't want to see the trees, so I stayed behind at our picnic site. Mother and Father told me to be careful, that there were erklings in the forest. I had my wand out, but I wasn't really paying attention. All of a sudden, I heard this really beautiful music coming from somewhere, and I followed it. Then, I came into a clearing, and I saw something…a dark shape ahead of me. I can't remember anything after that. Nothing at all, sir, I swear it."
Dippet shook his head. "Thank you, Darcy; you have told us exactly what we needed to know." Darcy just cried harder. Madame Galen placed a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder, and she calmed a little. "Rest assured that we by no means hold you responsible for any of these proceedings. It is not your fault. You will stay in the hospital wing as long as Madame Galen thinks necessary, and when you have been released, we will reevaluate things then. I'm exceedingly sorry that you were put through this horrid ordeal, and I promise you that I and the Ministry will do everything in our power to bring your attacker to justice." Patting Darcy on her arm, he quietly left the room, Mr. Wise following close behind in his wake. Professor Merrythought left as well, looking exhausted.
Madame Galen went up to the nearly hysterical girl with a goblet in her hand, and said softly, "Dear, I'm going to give you this potion, and it will help you sleep for a time. I promise you that everything will look brighter after a good sleep." She handed Darcy the goblet, who took it woodenly, but then looked up at the elderly nurse.
"How will it look better? I'm responsible for nearly getting a little girl killed; how can I live with that?" Madame Galen took the goblet back from Darcy, who was trembling too hard now to hold it steady. Darcy put her head down on her pillow, and sobbed.
Olivia couldn't bear this. Swinging her legs off her bed, she slowly and hesitantly got to her feet. Then, inch by inch, she crept across the hospital wing, clutching tables and bed frames for support along her way. Madame Galen had her back towards the other patient, and didn't hear Olivia's approach because of Darcy's sobs. The nurse gasped when she saw Olivia taking a wobbling step that brought her into eyeshot. "Olivia, what are you doing out of bed?" She rushed to take Olivia's arm and put her back to bed, but the young witch put a cautionary hand on Madame Galen's shoulder.
Then, with the nurse's support, she took one more step, which placed her right next to Darcy. She sat down on the edge of Darcy's bed, and placed a trembling hand on the older girl's heaving back.
Darcy twisted in surprise as this gentle touch, a contact so gentle that she almost didn't feel it. She saw a small, frail witch sitting next to her, red hair blazing around the delicate face like fire, and her emerald eyes glistening brightly. Darcy started at the sight, and began to sob still harder. Olivia leaned down, and put her face close to Darcy's.
She spoke softly at first, but her voice began to grow stronger with each word that she said. "Darcy, you mustn't blame yourself. This isn't your fault, any more than it was mine because I couldn't escape. You've been horribly used, and I feel for you. I was terribly angry with you at first, but I know now that it isn't you or even me that I should be angry with; we should both blame the real person responsible, the one that did this to us. Please, Darcy, don't blame yourself. I forgive you, fully and freely."
Darcy turned, her face swollen, and threw her arms around Olivia. The two girls hugged, and swayed back and forth within the comfort of each other's arms. Madame Galen stood back, and watched with tears flowing down her wrinkled face, unchecked. Finally, both girls seemed to have cried themselves dry, and pulled back, sniffling and even laughing a bit at the sight of each other's wet faces. Madame Galen stepped forward, and waving her wand, three steaming mugs of hot chocolate appeared on Darcy's bedside table. Each witch took one, and slowly, conversation began to break out; they didn't speak of dark matters, but of the coming holiday. Christmas was on its way, the ultimate time of birth and renewal, and in that special time, they wished to find their own fresh starts.
