It felt like days had passed when I opened my eyes to the dark ward. My entire body was groaning in pain; every muscle, every bone and joint. My hand immediately went to my side, where my body seemed to hurt the most, and felt the tender tissue on my torso. It was tightly wrapped in bandages.

"I'm surprised you're awake already," said a soft female voice. I turned to the opposite side of the bed and saw a healer entering the ward. She flicked her wand at the lamps mounted on the wall. Light filled the room, casting new shadows in hidden corners.

"Why?" I asked dryly. "Can you tell me about my husband, the man I came in with?"

"He's still being worked on," she replied calmly as she stood next to my bed. "You've only been here for a few hours. I've been sent in to tell you to go home and get some rest."

"Are you crazy? I can't go home…not when Gabriel is…" My voice faded and I laid back on the bed with an exacerbated sigh. My heart was pounding in my chest as the healer tried to calm me.

"Ms. Coleman," she said gently. I looked up at her dark brown almond shaped eyes. She took my hand with her pale one and gave it a firm squeeze. "I'm sure your husband will be fine. Professor Dumbledore is here, waiting to speak to you."

"Thank you," I whispered politely. "You can let Dumbledore in."

The healer nodded and pulled away from me. I sat up slowly in the bed as she exited the ward, holding the door open to allow Albus Dumbledore in. He appeared to glide in because of his long maroon robes. He bowed his head as he took a seat next to my bed.

"How are you feeling, Cadence?"

"I don't know," I responded. "Gabriel is…he might…I don't know."

"Gabriel is being taken care of. However, your daughter has sent me so many owls requesting information I'm afraid that someone will discover where headquarters is."

I frowned. "You think I should go home as well?"

"Just to talk to Carrigan."

"I don't know what I'll say to her. I don't even know what's wrong with Gabriel—"

"He has extensive internal damage to his organs and they're repairing his eardrums."

I sighed with discomfort and looked away from Dumbledore. He took my hand quickly and squeezed it. "Carrigan is not just worried about Gabriel. She is worried about you as well. I suggest you go home to comfort her, put her worries at ease as much as you can and then return here."

I glanced at Dumbledore. "Persephone had a vision of Gabriel's death…and I'm afraid I'm pregnant."

Dumbledore was silent for a moment. He folded his hands on his lap and peered at me over his half-moon glasses.

"What are the chances you'll carry the child to term, if you are in fact pregnant?"

"I won't," I shook my head. "And if by some miracle I do, I will be left to raise a possible monster alone."

"I doubt your child would be a monster."

"I doubt Braven thought Haiden would turn into a foreseeing Death Eater."

"This stress and worry is not good for your body, Cadence. Ease your mind. Worrying does not help the problem; it does not provide a solution. Go home and tell Carrigan what Gabriel's status is. When he is better you can deal with the possible pregnancy."

"What if he dies while I'm gone?" my voice could barely say the words because they hurt so badly. The idea that I may never see Gabriel's smiling face and color-changing eyes again terrified me, and to say it aloud made it all the more real.

"He could die now and you wouldn't know it until you got back," Dumbledore said sadly. It was a horrible thing to say, but I understood his point.

"How many letters has Carrigan sent?"

Dumbledore reached into his robes and pulled out a thick stack of letters. He laid them on the bed and I frowned deeply. Carrigan must have sent a letter every twenty minutes. There were at least twenty of them on the bed. I frowned deeply and shook my head while delicately picking up one of the letters.

"I need to go to Number Twelve," I said with mild annoyance before looking up at Dumbledore. He gave me a weak smile.

"I will remain here while you go attend to your daughter," he said. "Gabriel and I will be waiting when you return."

I started to get out of the bed, moving slowly because my body ached and my side pinched in pain. Dumbledore stood up as I stood on the opposite side of the bed. I adjusted the white tee shirt the healers had changed me into and sighed loudly while I paused and held my torso.

"Cadence? Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yea," I replied easily. "I'll be back."

I didn't give Dumbledore a second glance before Apparating straight from the ward. Apparation was not the wisest form of travel. When my feet hit the ground in Grimmauld Place, my stomach rolled and ached more painfully. The only reason I didn't throw up again was because I had vomited everything out of my stomach when Gabriel and I arrived at St. Mungo's. I sighed as I mounted the steps to Number Twelve and quietly pushed opened the front door. It was dark and quiet in the entrance of the house. I shivered as the eerie chill of the house settled into my bones. There was a faint flickering light coming from the basement kitchen, which didn't surprise me. If anyone was awake they would be sitting in the kitchen.

I was not surprised to find Carrigan awake in the kitchen waiting for me. It was about five in the morning when I arrived, she would have been up about to go for a run even if worry had not kept her up all night. Sirius and Remus were sitting in the kitchen with her, which did surprise me. I didn't think Sirius, of all people, would be sitting up worried about Gabriel Quintin. But as I studied him and Carrigan, I realized that is worry was probably not for Gabriel but for Carrigan and perhaps me.

Sirius sat right next to his daughter holding her hand as she leaned on his shoulder with red tear-stained eyes. Remus stood on the opposite side of the table pouring tea into cups; no doubt it was not the first pot of tea made that morning. All eyes turned to me when I descended into the kitchen.

"Mom!" Carrigan said jumping up when I entered the kitchen, the floorboards of the stairs squeaking under my feet. She dashed across the room into my arms. Her messy brown curls flew behind her as she moved to me. She clung to me, as if she thought I had also been seriously injured in the explosion and was close to death. Sirius stood up and waited for us next to the table. I frowned at his worried expression.

"Are you alright?" Carrigan questioned pulling away. "We've been worried sick! And no one would tell us what was going on! For all we knew you could have been dead!"

"Now you know how we felt yesterday when you ran off," I whispered with a frank smile.

Carrigan gave me a hard look as she crossed her arms over her small chest. She was staring at me intently with her father's eyes. I couldn't help but smile at her. She uncrossed her arms only long enough to throw her brown locks over her shoulder. Sirius stepped forward and placed his hands on Carrigan's shoulders lightly. He was smiling at me with wicked wild eyes that matched his daughter's perfectly.

"We've already had that discussion," he replied. "Good of you to teach her a lesson."

I laughed lightly. "It was not intentional."

"Lessons never are," Carrigan said. "How is Gabriel? Moody didn't say much when he stopped by, only that you had to take him to St. Mungo's."

"Let your mother sit down, Carri," Sirius said softly once he kissed her forehead. I raised my eyebrows at him with some surprise. They had made up quickly, putting the argument from earlier in the day behind them.

"Would you like some tea, Cadence?" Remus asked as I moved to the table and sat down slowly. I moved limberly, with hesitation and awkwardness. Once I was sitting, Remus placed a cup of tea in front of me. "Anything to eat?"

"No thank you," I whispered.

"Please, how is Gabriel?" Carrigan asked again as she sat down next to me. Her eyes were pleading to know how her godfather was doing.

I sighed as I looked from Sirius to Carrigan's worried eyes. "He's fine."

"Fine?" she questioned impatiently. "What does that mean? He's going to make it right?"

"They don't know yet," I whispered sadly.

"What?" The answer did not satisfy Carrigan. "How can they not know?"

"Carrigan," I said her name softly as I turned away. I picked up the cup of tea and drank it slowly so I wouldn't have to answer her. I was scared to repeat everything Dumbledore had told me. Saying the words out loud made it all the more real. The fact that Gabriel may not survive terrified me, and I wasn't sure I wanted to strike that fear in Carrigan when she was obviously already afraid. "He was in the room where the bomb, or whatever set off the explosion, was. He couldn't move when I found him. He was thrown away from the explosion. He's lucky he wasn't incinerated. He has extensive internal damage and they think he's lost his hearing. They only know that he is fine because he is still alive. That's all the answers I have right now."

"Cadence."

It was Sirius who spoke, surprising me again. "Go to him," he said once I turned to look at him. "Go and wait with him. We will be fine here."

"No we won't!" Carrigan stammered as her eyes filled with tears again. "I won't. Persephone's prophecy can't be true. It just can't."

I reached across the table and snatched Carrigan's hands into mine. I squeezed them tightly as I peered into her eyes. Her lip quivered as tears welled into her eyes. I stood up and pulled her out of her chair into my arms. She began to sob against my chest, making my eyes fill with tears. I brushed her hair in an attempt to calm her.

"Carrigan," I said her name softly. "Everyone must die at some point. If it is Gabriel's time we will carry on. But let's not worry about that yet. We have to stay strong so that he can get better. He will get better."

Sirius was looking at me with doubtful, sad eyes. I bit my bottom lip as I continued to hold my thirteen year old daughter. The fear that pumped inside of me was not just for Gabriel, but for Carrigan. If it was Gabriel's time, if he was going to die, I was afraid it would break her. She would never come back from that.

"I'm going to head back to St. Mungo's," I whispered in her ear.

"Can I come with you?"

"No," I shook my head. "Not yet. As soon as Gabriel is ready to see people I will send a message for Benjamin to bring you."

Carrigan frowned up at me and there was a hint of anger in her blue eyes, but it didn't phase me.

"Alright," she replied, despite the desire I knew she had to argue.

"Get some rest," I whispered before kissing her forehead. Carrigan didn't say a word as she walked out of the kitchen. Once she had disappeared I looked up at Sirius.

"Is it worse then you said?" he asked.

"Everything I said was true," I replied. "I just tried not to make sound as bad as it is."

"How bad is the internal damage?" asked Remus.

"I-I don't know," I said honestly as I returned to my seat and put my head in my hands. "Dumbledore just told me there was internal damage."

"He's a strong man," Sirius said as he rubbed my shoulders to comfort me. "I'm sure he'll pull through."

"Except that Persephone had a prophecy that he would die before the summer is over."

"Not all of her prophecies come true."

"I hope this one doesn't," I said quickly. "If Gabriel dies that means I'm pregnant. And I can't have another child."

Neither man said a word to my ambiguous comment. I looked between the both of them, they looked slightly uncomfortable.

"I physically cannot," I whispered, hoping to ease their discomfort. "But I don't think I can emotionally handle it either."

"You're not seventeen anymore, Cadence. You've raised a wonderful daughter. I'm sure you could raise another child," Remus said with encouragement.

"Not Gabriel's child," I shook my head. "The child would be too powerful."

Sirius frowned. "If you are, we will work it out. You are not alone, Cadence. You never have been."

I forced a smile at Sirius. It was sweet of him to say such things, but to me they were just words with no meaning. I had been alone for sometime when I was with him. Sirius didn't know it, but he often made me feel very alone, even now. I would never say these things out loud because I didn't want to hurt him anymore then I already had, but it was true. Nothing Sirius Black could say would ever comfort my pain.

I thanked him politely and stood up from the table. Before I returned to St. Mungo's I wanted to change my clothing. The white tee shirt was starting to itch and irritate my skin. I lumbered up the stairs slowly, dragging my fingertips against the wall as my mind wondered and worried. When I reached the top landing, I paused outside of Benjamin's bedroom door. Sirius was kind enough to give him his own room away from the Weasley boys. I knocked gently on the door and patiently waited as Benjamin fumbled around in the room. I had no doubt woken him.

"Cadence," he said with surprise when he opened the bedroom door. He stood before me in a pajama pants and a man's tank top. His Mohawk was longer now, and messy from sleeping. "How did everything go?"

"Not well," I said very slowly. "Gabriel is still at St. Mungo's and I am about to return there. Carrigan…" My voice faded for a moment as I looked away from Benjamin's crystal blue eyes. He didn't say anything while he studied me with calm, patient eyes. I looked back up at him with a sigh. "She is not doing well. I just sent her back to bed, but she has been up all night worrying. Please, keep an eye on her. She probably won't want to train today, but she should. She needs to be distracted."

"I understand," Benjamin nodded. "It's very bad?"

"It's not good," I whispered. I patted his shoulder before turning away and moving down the hall to my bedroom. I closed the door tightly behind me before I pulled off the white tee shirt. I stripped down, wanting to put all fresh clothes on. I needed to get the bloody, dirty pants off me. I pulled new clothing out from the dresser and set it on the bed.

As I moved to the bed, my foot knocked against Gabriel's workbag. The bag fell over onto the wood floor and file folders came spilling out of it. I sighed with annoyance as I bent down and began to pick up the folders. I returned the freed papers to their folders, and as I made to shove the folders back in the bag something loose fell from the pile. I looked at it closely as I put the folders away, then picked it up. It was a photograph of Gabriel and I. I was wrapped completely in his arms, my eyes closed as he kissed my forehead. I smiled weakly as I moved back to the bed to sit down. My skin shivered with uneasiness as the photo reminded me of everything that was a stake that night, as if I didn't know already.

The photo was nearly a year old, it had been taken (probably by Carrigan) when I was pregnant. My hands were resting on the large bulge of my pregnant belly. The sight made tears well up in my eyes. Words could not describe the fear that pulsed through me like my own blood. I wasn't sure what I was more afraid of—Gabriel dying, or being pregnant again. But I knew that if I was pregnant, I wouldn't be able to do it without Gabriel. No words, not from Sirius or anyone else, would be able to repair the damage in my heart if Gabriel died. Of course, I wouldn't be alone, but just because I was surrounded by people didn't mean I wasn't lonely. Gabriel was the somebody who didn't make me feel lonely. He had been a part of my life for so long, I wasn't sure how I could live without him, even though I knew I would have to.

I wiped the tears from my cheeks and stood up, placing the photo on the bedside table. I dressed quickly in blue jeans and a loose fitting black sweater. I snatched up the photo and stuck it in my back pocket as I made my way for the door. It was time to return to St. Mungo's and face the fact that the next time I returned to Grimmauld Place I could be a widow.