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Three figures were crouched behind a low brick wall that faced a dark and moulding alleyway. Thick clouds of rain rolled across the sky, threatening to let a wall of rain loose on those below but it didn't bother them.
They were so close...
"When do you think he's going to turn up?" One of the Death Eaters asked, his voice sounding like the crack of a whip. The other merely shrugged, checking the coast as they withdrew their wands. Their backs were pressed against the alleyway's wall, hoping that they wouldn't stick out among the dirty bricks if a pair of eyes was to pass.
Giselle, Alastor and Emmeline were silent, staring at the sky as they listened to the conversation of the Death Eaters a few feet away. Giselle glanced at Alastor who was pointing towards the floor then to the other wall as if asking whether it would be better if they tried to move closer but Giselle shook her head as Emmeline was still too busy jotting down the conversation.
The crack of apparation echoed across the space between the Order members and the Death Eaters and Emmeline stopped writing. She looked up at Alastor and Giselle from beneath her hood, mouthing, "We need one more piece of information before we can go."
Giselle nodded and turned to Alastor. She pointed towards the other wall and Alastor nodded, adjusting his cloak before dashing to the other group of shadows that were temporarily their allies. Giselle followed suit, using the sparse seconds to look at the Death Eaters and she suddenly realised who the new addition to the masked group was. She fell below the wall and felt her fists clench. Biting her lower lip hard, she watched as Emmeline sat silently behind the other wall, listening closely to the vital conversation.
"The timings have changed. The Dark Lord no longer wants the retrieval to happen this year. He says that something else needs to take place first before any action is necessary, but he has requested for Crouch's presence during the meeting," Severus Snape muttered and Giselle held her breath.
"Crouch? Why does he need the boy? He's just a kid," Rowle spat but Giselle heard the sounds of strained scuffles.
"Are you questioning the Dark Lord's loyalty?" Rosier asked his voice deep and deadly. Rowle cursed and retracted his last statement. Giselle looked over to Emmeline who had hidden the notes and quill. She gave her and Alastor a thumb up before moving away from the wall. Giselle revealed her wand, gripping it tightly as Alastor positioned himself for the worst. The sound of Emmeline's disapparation would alert them immediately that they were there.
It was timed perfectly. During the split second of Emmeline's disappearance, Alastor shot up and stunned Rowle, the red spark hitting him square in the face. Giselle dashed over to where Emmeline was and deflected the multiple spells that were aimed for her head. She pulled Rowle closer, performing a quick memory charm before shoving him out of the way. She jumped up and attempted to disarm Rosier but he ducked, scraping his face across the wall.
"Go, now!" Alastor roared at Giselle as he fought the masked man who Giselle knew was Severus into a corner but she couldn't. Rosier had launched himself on top of Giselle, grabbing her ankle with his vice-like hand.
"No!" She shouted, abandoning her wand and punching him hard in the eye as his mask slipped off. He yelped in pain, loosening her grip. She yanked her foot out of his hand and watched as Alastor disapparated since he knew Giselle was able to escape. She quickly got to her feet and grabbed her wand, about to turn on the spot when something hit her hard.
Giselle gasped and stumbled to the floor, holding her stomach whilst the fires from the spell spread from her abdomen like slippery eels. She tried to defend herself as Rosier approached, clearly proud of the damage he had caused but he froze, his face stuck as if the wind had changed. He fell forwards onto his face, as stiff as a plank of wood, and Giselle stared.
She watched as Severus limped over, removing the silver mask from his face. His dark eyes were creased as he stared down at Giselle and she gazed up, still taken aback from his appearance.
"Severus," She whispered and he bent down towards her. She flinched away from him but he simply held out a single hand. Debating what it signified, Giselle waited but her stomach burned, pain reacting like poison on her insides. She cried, holding her body tightly as she lay on the dirty floor.
"I'm not going to hurt you, I promise," He mumbled, taking Giselle's hand and pulling her gingerly to her feet. She winced and pinched her front harder, hoping the pain would lessen quickly. Severus readjusted her cloak and sighed, glancing at the Death Eaters on the floor.
"Get out of here, go to St Mungos," He grumbled, replacing the mask on his face. Giselle frowned and picked up her wand. "What?"
"Now!" He ordered and Giselle span on the spot. She felt the pressure press against her just as the heap of dark mass that was Evan Rosier stirred but she was gone.
Bright white and the smell of cleaning potions hit Giselle as she arrived in the waiting room of St Mungos. Healers in lime green rushed about, speaking softly to injured wizards and witches who had various cases of injuries. Still wincing in pain, Giselle approached the lift and headed to the floor labelledFourth Floor – Spell Damage.
It took Giselle no longer than five minutes to be seen by one of the Healers who had led her into a private room. He asked her to take a seat as he produced many potions and lotions that would heal her in no time.
"I believe you are Cecelia Crouch's niece, Giselle Crouch?" The Healer asked and Giselle nodded, concentrating purely on not throwing up, "My name is Bastian Hawkins, the Healer-in-charge of Spell Damage and everything you say is strictly confidential. Please explain the injuries."
Giselle stared at the blonde man and knew that she should lie anyway; every Order member lied whenever they were visiting St Mungos.
"I was hit in the stomach by somebody but it was a non-verbal spell so I have no idea what they've done," she gasped, removing her hands from her stomach. Bastian cut the fabric of her clothing and inspected her stomach, prodding it lightly with his wand. There was a deep blue web of bruises across her stomach, connecting in various spots or breaking off altogether. Sighing, Bastian applied a dark red paste to the bruising that turned the bruise from deep blue to pink.
"Drink this," He told her, giving her a tiny phial full of purple liquid. Giselle uncorked the phial and drank the potion and it felt like she had swallowed a whole ice cube. Shivering, she smiled as the pain disappeared instantly.
"Are you feeling better?" The Healer asked and Giselle nodded. "Thank you," She said with a smile and the Healer nodded.
"All I need now is a blood sample to check if the blood has left any long-term damage." He took Giselle's arm and nipped her skin with a strange, small clip. The clip flashed red and beeped. The Healer placed the clip on his desk and smiled.
"If there are any problems, we shall contact you," Bastian informed and Giselle nodded, repairing her clothes with a mere flick of her wand.
"How serious would the results have to be for you to contact me?" She asked; slightly worried of the constant wait for her results but the Healer shook his head.
"Don't worry, the more dire the results, the sooner you'll hear," Bastian replied before wishing Giselle a pleasant evening. She left his room and wandered down the hall, thinking about whether Sirius would be home or not. She barely pressed the button on the lift when she heard her name being called.
"Giselle?"
For a split second, Giselle wondered who it could be and she guessed her aunt Cecelia. Smiling, Giselle turned to find the owner of the voice but she was soon faced towards Bastian Hawkins again. He stared at her for a while and Giselle noticed the crease between his eyebrows. She knew her nose was wrinkled and she couldn't stop the sudden rush of nerves that settled in her stomach.
"Yes?" She asked slowly, approaching the Healer with caution. He sighed and took her arm, gently leading her back to his office.
"I'm afraid I have something to tell you," He admitted as they reached his office once again. Giselle's stomach dropped as he closed the door behind her.
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