Audrey woke up. She felt absolutely terrible. She stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom. The echoing of thunder shook the room. When she reached the bathroom, Audrey looked up into the mirror. The way she was feeling was nothing compared to what she looked like.
Her face was gaunt, almost looking as if she hadn't seen the sunlight in years. Her eyes were bloodshot and red. She bent down and turned on the faucet and began to splash cold water onto her face, hoping that if she cleared her mind, all of this would go away. Unfortunately, it did not.
It was a Saturday, so Audrey did not have to teach.
Maybe I should go down to Madam Pomfrey…
She clumsily slipped on a gown and her usual robe. Her vision was blurry, so she was thankful that she only had to go down one flight of stairs to the Hospital Wing.
Audrey trudged down the corridor that led to the Grand Staircase. With every step, her vision grew worse. When she reached the Staircase, she didn't bother to even grab a hold onto the banister. Her pace had now increased to almost a run.
All of a sudden, her heel had come into contact with a trick stair. Audrey immediately slipped and felt herself rushing forward.
Her blurry vision was now darkening and just before she had fallen into a total unconsciousness, the side of her head had come into contact with a sharp blow.
Audrey felt a warm light come into contact with her close eyelids. Forcing them open, she saw that a large window had been draped open, with golden sunlight falling into the room. It seemed to be much different from the stormy weather that she had last awoken to.
She positioned herself onto her elbows and raised herself up to look around. She was in the Hospital Wing. Audrey looked down and saw that she was dressed not in her previous attire, but instead a white wife beater, a pair of flannel bottoms. Much to her surprise, she wasn't cold at all; not because of the warm quilt that was draped over her, but instead, it was because of the two large fireplaces that had fires blazing in their hearth.
Just as she was examining the large room, she saw that Madam Pomfrey was now hurrying toward her with a bowl full of steaming liquid.
"Come now, Professor, try to sit all the way up," she told Audrey as she set down the bowl on the bedside table and raised her up by the elbows.
A moment later, she produced a cloth and began to soak it in the steaming liquid, which had started to turn the material a lilac.
"W-What happened?" was all that Audrey could say.
"You seemed to have fallen down a set of stairs. Professor Lupin found you and brought you here," Madam Pomfrey answered as she squeezed out the excess liquid from the rag. She was now bringing it towards Audrey's temple.
"I thought it was rain…Ahh!" she was cut off by a sudden stinging that had erupted from the side of her head.
Madam Pomfrey had brought the cloth back down into the bowl. Blood seemed to be drenching the purple stains.
"That was yesterday. You've been knocked out since yesterday morning," she answered casually.
"When can I leave?" That was the first thing that was on Audrey's mind.
"Not today, I'm afraid. I might have to keep you until around the middle of the week."
"But…I have classes…I can't…"
"Don't worry, dear, I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will have it all taken care of."
Audrey slumped back down into the pillows. After Madam Pomfrey finished her procedure, she just tried to go back to sleep, though she found herself that she couldn't.
The day had passed uneventfully, besides the fact that Professor Dumbledore had informed her that she would have Professor Snape and Professor Vector would be alternating days of substituting her classes until she would be out of hospital.
After a small dinner of bread and broth, Audrey rubbed the side of her head, where a small patch of bandages had replaced the wound. A light sprinkle of a mixture between ice and rain had tarnished the welcoming sunlight that was earlier present.
At seven o'clock, Audrey heard the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws make their way to their tower common rooms. A few of the students had stopped by to see her, including Hermione Granger. She seemed quite keen on getting her teacher back as soon as possible. Audrey assured her that she will be back soon enough.
A while after Hermione had left, Madam Pomfrey informed her that Severus Snape was outside the ward, waiting for Madam Pomfrey's approval to visit. When she had left to open the door for him, Audrey immediately sank into the pillows and turned on her side with her back toward the openness of the Hospital Wing, hoping that if he found her asleep, he would leave.
Knowing Severus, he would make her feel much worse than what she was already feeling.
When the door had been opened and then shut, she shut her eyes, hoping that it would make her sleep. She heard a pair of footsteps approach her bed.
"Oh, well she was awake when I had come to check on her. Poor dear, must be exhausted," she heard Madam Pomfrey say. She could see their shadows on the wall through her eyelashes. "I'll allow you a few minutes, though, Professor. She might even stir."
Audrey heard footsteps leave her side of the ward and Madam Pomfrey's office door had opened and then closed. She had guessed that looming over her was none of then dear Severus Snape. Judging by his shadow that was cast on the wall, he hadn't moved from where he stood. Suddenly, he glided to the foot of her bed.
This had made Audrey a bit nervous.
"Professor Burke?" he inquired in his usual hushed tone.
Audrey didn't answer, hoping it would send him away. But unfortunately for her, he did not leave.
Suddenly, he began to speak.
Severus looked at the woman in the bed before him. For a moment, he thought back to when he had heard the news that she had fallen down the stairs. He had cursed himself, because he recalled what he had last said to her.
"Well then next time you happen to stumble on a stair, I'll be sure to continue on my merry way."
Suddenly, an urge had overcome him. And then, out of nowhere, he began to speak.
"Listen, Audrey, I know that you are indisposed of, but I am only going to say this once," his throat began to tighten up a bit. He continued. "I just wanted to get this out of the way. What I wanted to say was…" And then he stopped himself.
Why was he doing this? What would this prove, saying something like this to someone who was barely conscious?
He glanced down at her still body. Then, he turned away and began to walk towards the door of the Hospital Wing.
Suddenly, a familiar voice had stopped him in his tracks.
"What did you wish to tell me, Professor?"
A/N - Thank you so much for being patient on my temporary hiatus! Ooh, cliffhanger, I know! But I knew that I had to get you readers coming back for more. :-)