"Look, I already told you: I feel fine."
Cedric hovered over Avery, constantly checking for a fever and forcing her to drink water. While she appreciated the concern, she really was fine. She'd fainted before, but she'd gotten a nice rest, and now all she wanted to do was get out of there. She hated being confined to one space, and the hospital wing reminded her of when she had broken her arm, and that was most definitely not a nice experience.
"And I told you: you just fainted a little while ago, so obviously something is wrong."
"I just got a bit overwhelmed. I'm fine now, so don't sweat it."
"Don't sweat it? Don't sweat it? That's it, you're grounded."
"Grounded? What is this about grounding? You can't ground me!"
"Don't worry, Avery; I'll break you out," Fred offered as he came up to them.
"Freddy!" she cried happily, her face lighting up at his appearance. "You've come to save me!"
"Mostly I came to give you a birthday present."
"And what's that?"
He placed a knitted hat on her head and tugged it down a bit, gazing at her fondly. She looked up, trying in vain to see what it was.
"I asked my mum to make it," he admitted. "When I tried to knit it… well let's just say George's pinky has a nice little blanket."
"Thank you so much! I love it!"
"Oh, and also, Madame Pomfrey says you're free to go."
"Ha!" She gave Cedric a pointed look. "Thank you, Mr. Weasley. I appreciate your help."
"Anytime, Princess."
She got up from her bed, only to plop down in the seat beside Alle's. She draped her blanket over her legs and settled in comfortably.
"Now what are you doing?" Cedric asked.
"Yeah, I thought you wanted to leave?" Fred added.
"Leave that bed, yeah. But I'm not going to leave her. I don't want her to be alone in here any longer than she has to. So from the moment visiting hours start to the moment they end, I will be here, keeping her company."
"You're insane. What about classes?" Cedric reminded her.
"Well I… I'll figure something out."
"Idiot," Fred muttered before shrugging. "Do what you want, little one. I'll be back to escort you to dinner."
"What, you're just going to allow her to do this?"
"You really think we can stop her?"
The two bickered back and forth as they left, allowing Avery to sit in peace. She leant back and closed her eyes, letting her senses wader, taking in everything around her. No one besides Professor Trelawney knew about her gift, mostly because Trelawney was afraid she'd be targeted to create prophesies and whatnot. That part was less than pleasant. She never knew what her premonitions meant, and half the time she misinterpreted them anyway. However, she enjoyed this part. Being able to see the world in a different light, seeing the auras surrounding everything, the little wisps of magic drifting through the air. It was calming in a way no one else could understand.
She focused sadly on Alle, her usual bright aura trapped inside a prison of stone, much like the other petrified victims. It was terrifying to see her cousin that way; she had never seen anything like it.
"What a way to spend a birthday, eh?" she asked Alle quietly. Avery froze when she saw Alle's light jump a bit, as if answering her question. "You… you can hear me?" It moved again, this time filling Avery with hope. "I'll be right back. I just need to go to the library, okay?"
She knew how she could help Alle while they waited for Sprouts's mandrake's to mature, but she would require some muggle books.