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"Auntie Ginny, where's Mummy?" Mia moaned and buried herself deeper into the big, fluffy comforter.
Ginny moved Mia's hair out of her face. "She's with your dad. She'll be back soon."
"Daddy?" Mia asked.
Ginny rubbed Mia's back. "He'll be home soon, too," she promised wildly.
"I want my mum," Mia sniffled, desperately trying not to cry.
"Rose!" a voice called downstairs. Ginny heard the rustling of coats and her daughter's voice coaxing Cassie and Kate onto the couch to watch some TV. "Rose!" she called again.
"I'll be right back," Ginny murmured to Mia and kissed her gently on the forehead. She remembered when James, Al, and Lily had the dragon pox. It was a nightmare. She'd never really understood her mum when she'd said that the thing she hated most was when her kids were sick because she felt completely helpless. When Ginny's kids had first gotten sick, she'd realized what Molly had meant.
"Hi, Mum, what're you doing here?" Lily asked as Ginny arrived downstairs.
Ginny checked to make sure that Cassie and Kate were thoroughly enraptured by the television and gestured for Lily to follow her into the kitchen.
"Where's Rose?" Lily asked. More like demanded.
Ginny sighed. "She's at St. Mungo's. Your dad contacted me and said that Scorpius was injured. I don't know what happened," she added as she saw what her daughter was about to ask.
Lily squirmed. "Do you know anything?"
Ginny shook her head and leaned back against the counter, trying not to bite her lip with worry. "No."
"Rose must be out of her mind with worry," Lily said. "Should we go over there? Bring her some food, bring the girls, something?"
"I don't know if she'd want the girls over there. And Mia has the dragon pox anyways."
Lily nodded and was quiet for a moment. "Should we be making the news travel through the family grapevine or do we want to keep it quiet because it was on a 'top-secret auror mission' kind of thing?"
"I have no idea. Your dad didn't say much of anything, whatsoever. Most likely we need to keep it under wraps."
Lily nodded again and sighed. "Poor, Rose. I'm going to go sit with Mia for awhile, you can go if you like; Cassie and Kate are all set for awhile."
"I'll stay," Ginny brushed a hand over Lily's head and moved her hair out of her face while smiling warmly. Lily wondered how her mother could always be comforting even at the most horrible times as Ginny went over to sit with the two younger girls.
Lily went upstairs and snuggled under the comforters with Mia. "Hey, honey, how're you doing?"
"Mhmm," Mia mumbled and curled up closer to Lily. Lily wrapped her arms around the girl and rubbed her back gently.
"Just go to sleep, I'll stay with you," Lily whispered.
Mia nodded and sunk into a deep slumber.
Ron's patronus had freaked Hermione out. Just "Scorpius is hurt, at St. Mungo's." You'd think that after so many years of them knowing each other he'd have known better than to just give that information, Hermione fumed.
She stepped into the St. Mungo's waiting room on the fourth floor and saw her husband sitting down on one of the uncomfortable couches, looking nervous. Hermione sat down next to him and patted his knee. "How is he?"
Ron leaned over and hugged her tightly, breathing in her scent. "I missed you."
"I missed you, too," Hermione said and kissed him briefly. "How is he?" she repeated.
Ron shook his head. "We're not really sure. Hit with a curse worse than the Cruciatus."
Hermione's breath caught. She remembered all too well the Cruciatus at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange. "Will he be alright?"
"The curse broke every bone in his body," Ron's voice shook. "The healer said that this curse feels like every bone in your body is shattering, plus the usual feeling of the Cruciatus. He's healing, but at a rate without magic. Rose is in there with him."
Hermione nodded and squeezed Ron's hand. "He'll be alright."
"How do you know?" his voice rasped.
"Because, he's Scorpius. He'd overcome anything if it meant being with Rose and his daughters."
Ron nodded without any real conviction.
"Did you contact Draco and Astoria, yet?"
"Yeah. But they're in France and there's no way for them to get back until later tonight." Ron sighed. "They must be going mental."
"Yes, they probably are. How's Rose?"
"Catatonic."
Hermione nodded. "I'll go and see her. I'll be right back."
"Rose?" Hermione said; she gently rested a hand on her daughter's shoulder.
Rose looked up at her mum. "Hi," she mumbled.
"How is he?"
"Unconscious. That's what they're most worried about." Rose's voice was shaky. Hermione wondered how she was even speaking if she was, as Ron had described her, catatonic. "The healer came back in a few hours ago and said that his bones are starting to respond to the Skele-Gro, but the longer he stays unconscious, the more likely it is that he won't – won't…wake up." Rose's voice choked up at the end.
Hermione rubbed Rose back and Rose almost had a fleeting smile at where she must have learned it from. Everyone in the family did it. Rose wondered if they'd all learned it from Molly.
Hermione remembered vividly seeing her own husband lying pallid on a hospital bed in St. Mungo's. She and Ginny were experts when it came to pacing in St. Mungo's hallways waiting for their husbands to heal.
Rose gripped Scorpius's hand tighter. A startled, frightened scream left her mouth as she felt his fingers twitch.
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