Curación
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I merely claim Chanda and other characters I make as well as plot ideas, etc.
Summary: Chanda Duquore. Her name means fierce. But the only thing fierce about her, are all the tears she has cried. When her parents die, she moves in with her Grandmother. She's hoping for a fresh start and a happy life. But her new life encounters Harry Potter who finds this muggle will become the world to him. But with Voldemort breathing down Harry's back, that can't happen... right?
Words to know:
Curación - Healing
¡Por supuesto¡Magia! - Of course! Magic!
¡Venga en! - Come on!
A cocoon of darkness surrounds me. I feel nothing. No pain, no thoughts, nothing; just complete and utter emptiness. Such a drastic difference from something before... A sense of foreboding envelops me; like I'm supposed to remember something important. It pierces my very soul and yet I don't understand it. Then it's slipping from my mind as I desperately try to grasp at it. I sigh, defeated, and let it slip away. What's the use? Slowly I sink further into the darkness, my eyes sealed shut forever... The strange sensation still there, just dulled over by darkness.
I suppose time passes, but it's impossible to tell. My body and mind are paralyzed and I stay wrapped up in nothing and everything for forever and a second. Too soon... or is it too late...? heat begins to flare up around me. My body is on fire and it hurts so much! I cry out and try to squirm away from the flames but it's useless, the emptiness that once protected me is now my captor, keeping me a prisoner in a world of darkness and pain.
Just as suddenly as the flames appeared, they're sucked away and a vacuum of cold is left. Instead of a soothing coldness, it's biting, ripping, stabbing into my fragile body. I scream in pain until I can make no more noise. My eyes beg to burst open but they remain stubbornly shut. Then, the coldness subsides and I just lay there, silent tears coursing down my face, eyes sealed shut. But my body and brain are no longer paralyzed. My mind registers that I'm laying down on a cool surface on my back. It's slowly picking up speed, shooting questions off like fireworks, but I have no answers and the darkness is unforgiving and silent.
Time passes again, I try and focus on my shaky breathing, trying to force my body to obey my brain and sit up. That same strange piercing thought resurfaces, but it's impossible to understand what it means. It's useless to try and decipher it and the sense of nothingness pervades my mind again, calming me down and slowly paralyzing everything again.
"What's the use? That thing is dangerous. Stay here..." the darkness purrs to my soul.
That strange sensation of being pierced intensifies and it's hard to breathe.
"I've been sleeping too long... I'm needed..." the thought says quietly yet with such confidence.
"By whom? You're just a silly little girl; you aren't needed by anyone... But here you can be at peace forever..." the darkness purrs back, cloaking me further in its sweet embrace.
Peace sounds like a nice idea...
"...But Harry needs you... Chanda..."
And just like that, millions of images come screaming through my head, a thousand thoughts rip through the aftermath. My back arches off the floor and my eyes snap open, unseeing. Then, my body crumples, my eyes slide shut. A different kind of darkness seeps into my mind, enveloping me inside and out.
For the first time since this living nightmare began, I sleep.
I slowly become conscious once again. I squeeze my eyes shut, afraid that when I open them, I won't see anything but darkness. Slowly my brain begins to register that I'm on a different surface than the dark place I was in. It's... a bed. My eyes fly open to look upon a wooden ceiling. I sit up so quickly and frantically look about me, my eyes big as saucers.
I'm in a simple room with a bed, dresser, curtained window, and three doors. My heart begins to slow down and a sigh of relief whooshes out of my mouth. I'm not in that dark place anymore. I'm no longer trapped. I collapse back onto the bed in relief.
And then, my thoughts start whirring. I sit up quickly again and pull my shirt up a bit and touch my stomach. Nothing. Looking down, I'm extremely confused to see absolutely nothing. There's no blood, no gash, no bandages, no pain. Nothing that would indicate that I had been hit with a horrible spell. I run my tongue between my teeth. No wound there either. But I remember biting it hard and making it bleed!
"¡Por supuesto¡Magia!" I exclaim, snapping my fingers.
How silly of me to forget that I'm being taken care of by witches and wizards. More like how idiotic... I roll my eyes and pull the covers off me, about to slide off the bed. I shiver violently and quickly dive back under the covers onto my stomach, my nose the only thing sticking out. While this may seem like an overreaction, I frankly don't care. I revel in the warmth for awhile until I deem it safe enough to venture outside.
I twist and sit up, the covers pooling in my lap, keeping me warm. I don't understand why I'm so cold. Or even, where am I? I look around the room but it gives me no clues. I sigh and move to leave the bed once more. It's inevitable I suppose. My feet touch the floor and spikes of coldness needle into my skin. I pull them up quickly and take one more sweep around the room. There on the dresser is my bag of stuff. I take a deep breathe and step out of bed, meaning to run over to the dresser quickly. Only problem is, my legs give out.
I fall to the floor and grab onto the side of the bed for support. My heart is pounding, my legs shaking. I don't understand. Why am I so weak? I suppose it has to do with the spell but shouldn't I have been cured of that...? I frown and slowly pull myself up. Despite the freezing needles attacking my feet I walk slowly over to the dresser so I don't take anymore, slightly painful, falls.
Once seated warmly, I pull out some sweatpants, socks, shoes, and a sweatshirt. I look down at what I'm wearing, a simple t-shirt and jeans. Still on the bed, I somehow manage to undress and redress without falling off the bed. I step onto the floor with confidence this time, but I keep my hand on the bed post for support.
I walk slowly over to the door and twist the knob. I stick my head out of the door and see nothing; just an empty hallway with no life or sounds. Biting my lip I step out cautiously and slowly tread down the long hallway. It's pretty dark. I gaze from side to side, but I see no one nor hear anything. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I do not like this house.
I begin to walk faster and my legs promptly give out. I stumble to the ground and land painfully on my knees and hands.
"Ow..."
I'm panting so hard, like I've just ran a marathon, my heart speeding along. I slowly get up and stumble into the wall, using it to hold myself up. Even slower this time I take off down the hall, not sure where I'm going, aimlessly wandering in a wizard's home. Probably not the smartest thing to do considering my current condition. Ah well. I'm not the brightest muggle when it comes to self-preservation.
I reach the end of the hallway and stumble into a banister.
"¡Venga en!" I exclaim.
There's like, a million zillion steps! How am I going to get down there without killing myself?! I sigh and face the stairs. They're certainly not any more inviting than the hallway I just came from. I look back and swear I see eyes at the very end. Shivering I take off down the stairs as quickly as I can without killing myself. Not an easy task mind you.
Flight after flight of stairs. I reach the end, gasping for breathe and crumple at the base of the steps. I press a hand to my heart, it's beating so fast I swear it's going to burst out of my chest. Resting my head against the banister I slowly calm my body down. My eyes flutter open eventually and I gaze around in mild interest.
I'm in what looks to be the main hallway. It's slightly narrow, with grisly pictures on the wall glaring down at - wait, what? My eyes widen as I realize that the pictures are moving! I wonder if they can -
"Oh dear, they've let a muggle in house."
"I'm not sure what's worse: muggles or mudbloods..."
"Mudbloods obviously, the filthy creatures, stealing our magic..."
"I disagree, at least they can perform it. Unlike muggles, they're worthless."
Ugh, where's the off button on these things?
"You're all just angry we invented electricity before you did." I mutter and use the banister and what looks to be an elephant's leg, in the shape of an umbrella holder, to push myself up.
They look at me like I've got two heads.
I stick out my tongue.
"Watch it or I'll get my muggle germs on you."
They all grimace and talk in hushed voices. Well, at least I can't understand them now.
I drag my body down the hallway. I'm just so tired, but for some reason, I have a feeling that this is where I need to go. A wistful sigh escapes my lips as I approach another set of steps.
"Oh what I wouldn't give for an escalator..."
I start on down the stairs but my foot catches on the rug or something and I go tumbling head first down the stairs.
Lovely.
I let out a shriek of fear and pain as I tumble painfully down the flight of steps. I land, on my back, cracking my head off the ground. I moan in pain and watch as the bright pin pricks of lights slowly fade from my vision. Vaguely I hear people scrambling from somewhere nearby. I groan and sit up, cradling my head in my hands, as it explodes in pain.
"Chanda?!" someone yells and I feel arms encircle me. I groan and cover my ears as an explosion of noise surrounds me.
"Chanda, what are you doing out of your bed and on the floor? Are you alright?" Harry asks, whispering in my ear, his breathe tickling my neck. I get goose bumps all over and I lean back into his warm embrace.
He gently pulls me up, but my legs give out. I'm so sore, I whimper as he accidentally applies pressure to my sensitive and bruised covered body. He picks me up and cradles me in his arms, like a husband carrying his bride through their new home. He begins to walk and my brain shuts down a little.
Soon I feel myself back in a bed and soft voices. My eyes flutter open to see that same wooden ceiling. I sigh and try to sit up, but someone pushes me back down.
"Chanda please lay down, you've been through a lot and I don't want you to hurt yourself." Harry quietly pleads.
His face swims into vision. I reach my hand and touch his cheek. "Are you okay?" I whisper, terrified he's been hurt in my absence.
What if that last attack on us hurt him?! I try to sit up again and Harry sighs. Instead of pushing me back down, he helps me to sit up and I lean against him. I snuggle into his side as his arms slips around my waist.
"I'm fine. Not a scratch on me." he mutters angrily.
A sigh of relief whooshes out of me. Harry just looks sullen, though I'm not sure why. He's not hurt, that's all that matters to me right now...
"You shouldn't have gotten out of bed. You really scared me." he chastises me.
I shrug and wince a little. No more shrugging Chanda.
"So... what happened?" I ask timidly, not sure if I want to know. I remember the vast emptiness I experienced earlier and I shudder and move closer to him. I don't ever want to go back to that place.
Harry's hold around me tightens as well. I feel a little nudge in my mind and I open up to it, only to be immersed in Harry's memories...
"CHANDA!! No, no!" Harry screams, holding me close.
The scarred man quickly instructs Harry to put me down. He complies and a quick spell is muttered that stops the bleeding. In a mad rush, everyone grabs someone else and they all begin to disparate. The scene shifts quickly.
I'm now lying in a bed, with a nurse-ish looking woman bustling about.
"I've healed her wounds but I've never seen this kind of spell before. Her body is having spasms of pain but her mind is unreachable. She's retreated inside herself, as a sort of shield from the immense pain she's going through."
"Isn't that good though, Madame Pomfrey?" Harry asks quickly, his eyes never leaving my prone figure.
"No. By retreating inside her mind, she will have forgotten everything except pain. It's like all her known memories are of the pain she's experiencing now."
The scene shifts again. Now I'm thrashing about, screeching in pain.
"I don't understand! This fever is magical! I've never seen a spell like this before!" Madame Pomfrey shouts over my screams to an older man.
The scene shifts for yet another time. I'm again thrashing around and screaming.
"We've finally defeated her fever and now this! I don't know if she'll make it."
The scene shifts for the last time.
"I've done all I could. She's retreated so far in herself that I'm not sure if she has the will to live anymore. I'm sorry Harry."
Harry sits down by my still form. Madame Pomfrey leaves and Harry sits down beside me, gently stroking my hair.
"Please... you have to live... If you die, then... then I don't know what I'll do. I-I need you Chanda... The world needs you. Don't give up, please! I-I... I love you..." he whispers, tears escaping from clenched eyes.
Suddenly, my back arches off the floor, my mouth open in a silent scream. My eyes open and they leak tears. Just as suddenly, I slump back down to the bed. My breathing starts to become more regular and for the first time, I appear to be sleeping. Harry sits next to me, shocked and then he lays his head on my chest. A couple tears escaping.
"Please be okay Chanda..."
Just as suddenly as I'm thrown into the memory, it fades just as quickly and I'm seemingly back in Harry's arms. He rests his head on top of mine.
"I almost lost you." he murmurs.
"Well, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." I mumble, blushing.
He holds me close and we share a delicious moment of silence in each other's company.
I am soooo sorry for the long wait you have all endured! I had to get out college applications, finish my graduation project, and be worked to death. Please let me know if anyone is OCC. I worked hard on this chapter and I'm pleased with how it came out. I realize this chapter barely moved but I know you needed an explanation of what happened. The story should start picking up. Thank you for reading!
Aly
