-Jayde's POV-

I slowly start to sense myself being pulled back to consciousness. I begin to feel the bed beneath me, the pillow under my head, and someone's light touch on my left hand. The moment I begin to feel these more pleasant things, however, I also begin to feel a dull ache that spreads over my entire body. I'm confused by this at first, so I slowly begin to open my eyelids, ready to observe the scene around me and find out what's going on and why I'm in pain.

When my eyes are fully open, the first thing they land on is the white ceiling above me, and once that's come fully into focus I look down to see where I am. I'm pleased to find that I'm at home in bed, and once I've observed that, I turn my head to the left slightly, eager to find out who's holding my hand, though a part of me already knows the answer.

I feel that something's horribly wrong the moment my eyes land on Draco and the position he's in: he's got a chair pulled up next to the side of the bed and he's sitting in it, but his top half is leaned over onto the bed next to me, his head resting on his arms, which are folded in front of him. His right hand extends just far enough to lightly touch the fingers of my left hand, his head is turned to the right, facing me, and though his eyes are closed, the severe line his eyebrows make let me know he was troubled when he fell asleep. His position reminds me of how someone might sit if their loved one were in the hospital, and this puzzles me greatly; although I felt that something was off the moment I woke up, I can't seem to figure out exactly what's wrong.

My memory comes rushing back to me only a moment later, however, for as I continue to stare at Draco's handsome but worried features, my eyes land on his left hand and the ring resting on the third finger, and that sight sends a wave of both exciting and painful realizations crashing down upon me. The fact that Draco and I are married now passes through my mind first, but it's quickly followed by thoughts and images of the wedding and Greyback, running for our lives, arguing with Draco, and many other things that fill me with anxiety. I sit bolt upright in the bed, curious and terrified, and the moment I do so, I wish I hadn't, for the dull ache covering my whole body becomes a sharp pain as I move.

I wince loudly and tears quickly form in the corners of my eyes, so I sit still for a moment, hoping that if I just stop moving the pain will subside a bit, and thankfully, it does. I'm even more befuddled now at this sharp onset of pain because I have no idea what happened to cause it, but I'm less concerned with how the pain happened than I am with what happened with Greyback.

I look down at Draco, who is somehow still sleeping despite my sudden movement and outburst, and I desperately want to wake him to ask him the million questions that are flowing through my mind at the moment. I consider it for a bit, however, because I know he needs his rest and don't want to disturb him. I realize though, that if Draco's sleeping in a chair at my side like this, instead of in the bed with me, it's probably because he's very worried about me. And, if that's the case, he'll want me to wake him. So, gently, I reach over and shake his shoulder lightly, and call his name very softly.

The only response I get is a mumbled "Hmm?", he doesn't even open his eyes.

"Draco, wake up," I say, a little more loudly.

This time, I get absolutely no response, and I start to think he might have fallen back asleep. I think about just letting him continue to rest, but my worry gets the better of me; I have to know what happened after the wedding, how I got here, and why I'm in so much pain. So, feeling a bit guilty, but determined, I quickly say, "Draco, please wake up. I don't know what happened, I'm so confused and scared." My throat grows tight as I say these words, and tears threaten to make their way from my eyes once more.

My husband's eyes fly open the moment I finish speaking, and they're filled with both joy and concern. He stares into my eyes for a moment and, without moving, says "You're awake" barely louder than a whisper, almost as though he doesn't believe what he's saying.

When I answer "yes" in response, however, he sits up rapidly, as though he's just snapped out of some trance. He jumps out of the chair and takes a seat on the bed beside me instead.

As he's easing himself onto the bed, Draco leans forward and kisses my forehead sweetly, and then takes my left hand into his own and kisses it as well. I smile briefly at his loving gestures, but then immediately try to return to my task of asking Draco what's happened. Draco, however, has questions of his own, and he speaks before I get a chance to.

"How are you feeling, love?" he asks with furrowed eyebrows.

"I'm in a bit of pain," I reply, "But I'll manage. But I'd really like to know what-"

I'm unable to complete my sentence, because upon hearing me mention the word 'pain', Draco flies into protective husband mode.

"Pain? What sort of pain?" he asks. "What's hurting, baby?"

"I'm a bit achy all over, actually," I reply, "But I'll be fine. But I really want to know what happen-"

"I'll go and fetch my father, he'll bring you a pain potion," Draco interrupts again. Then, much to my dismay he quickly stands up and begins making his way from the room.

I completely understand Draco's concern, and I love him for it, but I also feel slightly frustrated at him for jumping up so quickly and not answering any of the questions that are weighing heavily on my mind. So, just as he extends his hand to turn the bedroom doorknob, I sigh his name in an exasperated tone.

Hearing my tone causes Draco to stop and turn on his heel immediately, before turning to his right to look back at me. "Yes, love?" he asks, confusion evident on his face and in his voice.

Now having his full attention, I quickly say "I want to know what happened" in a voice that's much more shaky than I intended for it to be.

Draco's eyebrows furrow even further, and concern makes its way into his expression yet again. "You mean, you don't remember anything?" he asks slowly.

"I remember the wedding, I remember Greyback and his friends interrupting," I reply. "And I remember giving Skylar to Harry, and going to face Greyback, but nothing after that. I don't know what happened to Greyback, or how I got back inside, or why I'm in so much pain."

When I finish speaking, Draco looks down at the floor for a moment as though he's considering something. But, just a few seconds later, he slowly makes his way back over to the bedside and gently takes a seat beside me once more. "Well," he begins, "You used your powers to fight off Greyback. You formed a huge lightning bolt that struck the both of you."

My eyes widen in response. I take a moment to absorb what Draco's just told me, and then I quietly say, "Well, that explains where the pain came from."

At hearing the word 'pain' again, Draco insists that I let him go to his father for a pain potion, but I stop him once more, for another question has just popped into my mind and I feel I have to know the answer immediately.

"What happened to Greyback?" I ask. "Did the bolt stun him long enough for someone to capture him? Did he escape?"

A blank stare is the only response I receive from my husband, and it gives me a strong sense of foreboding. I'm not sure I actually want to hear the answer, but I have to know, so I repeat my question. "Draco, what happened to Greyback?" I inquire again.

I can tell by the look in Draco's eyes that he doesn't want to tell me, but I look straight at him, trying my best to let him know that I'm not giving up until I get the answer. Seeming to sense that, he finally speaks. "He's… um… he died, love," he says, almost apologetically.

I inhale sharply at his words and immediately begin to wonder if I've fallen into a nightmare, for surely what my husband has just told me can't be real. I'm no longer able to look Draco in the eyes, and instead resort to staring down at the blanket covering me, opening and closing my mouth several times in rapid succession, trying my best to figure out what to say, or what to even think at this piece of news.

Draco, noticing my struggle, places his hand on top of mine supportively. "It's all right, darling," he says softly.

I, however, think this news is far from 'all right'. I look back up at him, my eyes filled with tears, and with a panic-filled voice, say, "All Right? It's not 'all right', Draco, he's dead! I… I killed him! I'm a murderer! I've murdered my own uncle!"

The horror-struck, terrified part of me could go on like this for ages, but Draco doesn't allow it to. Instead, with a firm voice, he interrupts my frantic rambling. "NO, Jayde, do NOT do that to yourself. I won't let you," he says with determination.

Now feeling confused myself, I reply, "You won't let me do what?"

"Blame yourself," he responds. "That fiend has threatened you, me, and Skylar more than once. He and his friends ruined our wedding and attacked us and our friends and family. You aren't a murderer, you didn't kill anyone in cold blood. You stood up to him, you did what you had to do to protect everyone and you damn near killed yourself in the process. I will not let you feel bad about this, do you hear me?"

I notice Draco becoming more and more passionate as he speaks, and by the time he's finished his jaw is firmly set and his chest is moving up and down sharply with each breath he takes; he's clearly very upset about this.

I start to feel bad for stirring up such a reaction inside of him, and though I still feel very guilty and upset, I open my mouth to thank him for trying to calm me. Before even one sound escapes my throat, however, I notice tears beginning to well up in his beautiful grey eyes, and seeing him clearly in so much pain causes me to lose all previous trains of thought. "Baby, what's wrong?" I ask, staring up at him in bewilderment and concern.

"I thought… I thought you were gone," he says in a small voice. My heart seems to drop out of my chest when he says this, and then it completely breaks when I see a single tear begin to make its way down his cheek. After a moment of pained silence, he continues. "You were so still, you weren't breathing. I thought I'd lost you forever." And then, without warning, Draco leans over and takes me into his arms, holding me tightly.

I can't imagine what Draco must have being going through while I've been asleep, and though I cherish my husband's embrace and want nothing more than to comfort him when he's obviously in so much pain, the movement of him pulling my body close to his sends a sharp physical pain shooting all over my body once more, and this time it's so painful that it causes me to cry out loudly. Upon hearing my cry, Draco immediately loosens his grip on me and sits back, gazing at my face with curious, tear-streaked eyes.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he asks, unable to mask the slight edge of panic in his voice. "Is it the pain? Are you hurting?" Though I don't want to worry him, I can't lie, so I merely nod my head in response, and within mere seconds Draco has jumped off the bed and flung open our bedroom door, disappearing through it.

As I sit staring at the door waiting for Draco's form to reappear through it, I begin trying to sort out my memories of our wedding day, along with the information Draco's just given me. My mind automatically wanders to Greyback, and an overwhelming sense of guilt and grief begins to build inside me. My eyes quickly fill with water and I feel completely inundated by my emotions, but before the first of my tears get the chance to fall, the bedroom door is flung open more widely as two blurry, rapidly-moving figures make their way to my bedside, each of them calling my name frantically. I'm a little taken back and frightened by all the sudden movement and noise, but once they've stopped moving and I can see their faces clearly, I'm immensely relieved: the two blurry figures are none other than Narcissa and Mrs. McGreggor.

Both ladies reach me at the exact same time, and they're both immediately all over me, sobbing while kissing my cheeks and the top of my head, telling me how worried they've been, thanking Merlin that I'm awake, and pulling me into warm embraces. Their embraces, however, make me wince with pain once more, and as soon as they realize this, they both release me and sit back, so as not to cause me any more pain. Mrs. McGreggor asks where I'm hurting, and when I tell her that it's basically my whole body, Narcissa tells me not to worry, that Lucius has gone down to his potions room for a dose of a pain-relieving potion while Draco has gone to fetch Snape and the Healers from St. Mungo's.

Almost as though he were summoned by Narcissa's call, Lucius appears only seconds later, looking tired and disheveled, but frantic. He immediately makes his way over to the right side of the bed and extends a phial-laden hand towards me, instructing me to tilt my head back and drink up the potion. I do as I'm told and down the green liquid in one gulp, to which Lucius responds, "There's a good girl". "Good", however, is not a word that should never be used referring to that potion, for the taste is absolutely disgusting and it causes me to gag immediately after swallowing it. Lucius has apparently anticipated this, however, and he hands me a glass of Pumpkin Juice to drink to eliminate the foul taste.

When I've downed the entire glass of Pumpkin Juice, I hand the empty glass back to Lucius, and it's then that I notice that all of my pain is completely gone – it's as though the potion literally washed it away from head to toe as it traveled through my body. I say "Oh!" loudly and Lucius asks me if the potion has helped, to which I respond "Yes, very much". My father-in-law opens his mouth as though preparing to ask me another question, but before any more words leave his mouth, our attention is called to the bedroom door once more as Mrs. Taylor and another woman in Healer's robes step inside, followed immediately by Draco and Professor Snape.

The two Healers and Potions Master immediately ask Narcissa, Draco, Lucius and Mrs. McGreggor to leave the room so that they can examine me, but each of them puts up a fight – none of them want to leave my side, and honestly, I don't want them to leave my side, either. Mrs. Taylor, however, insists that she needs space and quiet to be able to examine me properly, and after a bit more hesitation and reluctance, they finally leave the room.

The moment the bedroom door is closed behind them, all three of the remaining people in the room set to work on me. Without asking me any questions, or even speaking one word to me, they immediately begin waving their wands and muttering spells, as well as examining my arms, face, eyes and back. All their poking and prodding makes me feel very nervous, and I seriously consider simply asking them what they're doing, but the looks of concern and concentration on their faces make me reconsider.

I sit there in uncomfortable silence for quite a while, only catching bits and pieces of the conversation the trio is having, and grow more confused by the second. Nevertheless, I continue to let them work undisturbed, and eventually all their wand-waving and muttering dies down. I assume they've completed their examination and are ready to tell me the results, and Professor Snape confirms this when he walks over to the bedroom door and opens it, telling the others that they can now re-enter the room.

Draco and Mrs. McGreggor make their way back over to my side the second they're back in the room, while Lucius and Narcissa opt for standing at the end of the bed, holding on to one another. They automatically settle their eyes on Mrs. Taylor, clearly waiting for whatever news she may have, and she doesn't make them wait long for it.

"You're to keep giving her the pain potion as needed, and I'll be sending over an ointment for you to apply to the scar on her back, it should fade considerably, if not completely," she informs them. I raise my eyebrows in confusion at the mention of the scar on my back, but say nothing.

"She's to take it easy and rest absolutely as much as possible at least until she's able to function without the pain medication – in fact, it would be best if she stayed in bed," Mrs. Taylor continues. Everyone in the room remains fixated on her every word as she speaks, and I notice Draco, Lucius and Narcissa nodding their heads out of the corner of my eye.

Seconds later, Professor Snape clears his throat, indicating that it's his turn to speak. When he begins, he turns to look me directly in the eyes, and being directly addressed like this for the first time since Draco fetched everyone earlier makes me realize that what he's about to say must be vitally important.

"Jayde," he begins, "Under no circumstances are you to attempt to use your Nimbimagus abilities while you are recovering, not even to practice. Your body is simply too weak at the moment and doing so could potentially cause major damage. You'll have to keep your powers and emotions under control for at least the next two weeks."

I nod to indicate my understanding of what he's just said, and then he turns his gaze over to Lucius, who is still standing at the foot of the bed with Narcissa. "She'll need to be given extra doses of the Nimbimagus potion every day, just in case. A dose every 6 hours would be ideal".

I'm unable to stop the words, "Every six hours?" from bursting out of my lips with incredulity when I hear the rapid increase in my daily dose of Nimbimagus potion, and hearing this causes Snape to sharply turn his gaze back to me.

"Yes, every six hours," he repeats flatly. "You very nearly killed yourself with your powers. I'm serious, you can not use them at all for at least two weeks."

I'm rather shocked by this reaction and immediately furrow my eyebrows and look down at the bed around me, feeling confused and embarrassed, among other things. Mrs. Taylor apparently notices this and takes a few steps closer towards me, gently placing a hand under my chin and lifting my face so that I'm gazing up into her kind eyes.

"Don't feel like we're scolding you, Jayde," she says, seeming to read my thoughts. "What you did was a very brave thing, and I think we're all a little in awe of you right now. But we're all also feeling incredibly worried and extremely protective because we almost lost you. Okay?"

I nod my head in response and Mrs. Taylor smiles down at me, and then she releases her hand from my chin and says she's got to get back to St. Mungo's. She, the other Healer, and Professor Snape all begin gathering the supplies they'd used earlier. They all make their exits rather quickly after that, while reminding everyone of their instructions and insisting that if there's any change in my condition, they contact them straight away.

After their departure, Narcissa, Lucius, and Mrs. McGreggor remain in the bedroom talking to me for a while, and through this conversation I'm able to learn a few new details about what happened after the wedding, including the two days I was unconscious. Eventually, though, fatigue gets the best of everyone and they decide to go back to bed for now, stating that we can talk more in the morning.

Mrs. McGreggor and Draco both sleep in chairs sitting at my bedside that night, Draco reaching out and holding my left hand while Mrs. McGreggor on the other side holds my right. As they doze, I lay there wide awake staring at the ceiling, a million images of my fallen uncle flashing before my eyes.