I do not own the Harry Potter series or any of its characters. They belong to J.K Rowling.
The Rothern Legacy
Chapter 36 – A Matter of Time
"Her lungs" stated Severus as he stood beside the bed that Rachel had been placed on in the infirmary with his wand out and hovering above her unconscious body. Madame Pomphrey cast the injured teen a frantic look as blood continued to spill out from her mouth. The school nurse had experience with treating injuries, some of the worst imaginable and an extensive knowledge that was unrivalled of medicinal potions but this...this curse she could not cure.
Snape, however, was skilled not only in Potions but in the Dark Arts and his input was the only reason Rachel was still alive. He would analyse the effects of the curse through magic, watching the slow deterioration of her organs and telling Pomphrey when to administer a particular potion to heal the damage, even if it was only a temporary fix it kept Rachel alive and gave them more time to find a solution. The doors to the infirmary opened as Professor Dumbledore strode towards the three.
"How is she Severus?" he asked as he came to a stop next to Snape, his eyes concerned as he looked at Rachel's unconscious form.
"The girl has been struck with the Organ Damaging curse, if we can keep her organs from suffering the brunt of the curse then there is a chance that she will survive at least the two hours the curse remains in effect. However, her heart is the most troubling factor for it has already been damaged and if the curse reaches it then she will die" Dumbledore listened silently to Snape's explanation. The greasy haired Potions Master continued to analyze the curse.
"But you will be able to save her Severus?" he asked. Snape glanced up at Madame Pomphrey before looking at Dumbledore and giving him a solemn, but a confirming nod. The Headmaster felt relief at the news that one of his favourite students would be alright.
"Who would cast the Organ Damaging curse? Especially on a child" murmured Pomphrey sadly as she stood at the unconscious teens beside.
Yes. Who indeed thought Dumbledore before departing the infirmary with a worried look on his face.
Fleur glanced at Hermione as they sat within Dumbledore's office; McGonagall had questioned the two teens on how they had come across Rachel and the elderly professor hadn't been pleased with Fleur's answer and she had immediately turned to her favourite pupil to scold Hermione for her complete disregard for her own safety.
Though the Transfiguration Professor thought better of it as she observed the young brunette. Hermione was teetering on the edge of a full emotional breakdown and the last thing the Professor wanted to be responsible for was pushing her over the edge.
And so she left the two girls alone inside the Headmaster's office. Fleur observed Hermione silently from the corner of her eye and her heart went out to the bushy haired brunette. She could see that Hermione was trying to be strong, trying to keep the tears at bay. Fleur opened her mouth to say something comforting but found that no words were forthcoming so she quickly closed her mouth.
What do you say to someone when their girlfriend was lying hurt in an infirmary and there was nothing they could do to help? What could you say that would help them?
Suddenly, Dumbledore strode into his office and immediately attracted the attention of the two girls. Hermione was on her feet and walking towards his desk as the elderly Headmaster sat himself down in his seat.
"Professor what's happening? Is Rachel alright?" Fleur rested her hand on top of Hermione's shoulder in a gesture of comfort but Hermione only had eyes for Dumbledore. The Headmaster sighed before speaking.
"Rachel is currently under the influence of the Organ Defectum curse. Do either of you know of the curse?" upon receiving confused expression and shakes of the head Dumbledore continued.
"The curse is a vicious one. It burns away at the internal organs until they stop functioning all together. But luckily with the combined efforts of Professor Snape and Madame Pomphrey, Rachel should recover"
A heavy sigh of relief escaped from Hermione at the news that Rachel was going to be alright. It felt as if the world had been lifted from her shoulders and breathing was made easier. A soft, relieved smile formed on her face as she closed her eyes.
"You will be able to see her within a few hours Miss Granger. But first I need to ask you both if you saw anything that could be linked to the attack on Rachel" Hermione's eyes opened and immediately the memory of the two cloaked individuals sprang into her mind.
"Professor both I and 'Ermione saw two men in ze woods shortly before we found Rachel." Dumbledore's eyes widened by a fraction and he lent forward in his seat slightly.
"Did you manage to see what they looked like?" he asked. Both Hermione and Fleur shook their heads. Another sigh escaped from Dumbledore.
"What you did...going off alone to look for Rachel was incredibly foolhardy, you do realise that don't you?" Fleur nodded while a soft smile formed on Hermione's face.
"Rachel would've done the same if it had been one of us" she stated quietly. A smile formed on Dumbledore's face.
"Yes she would have done. An exceptional young woman is Rachel Rothern and I hope she makes a fast recovery. After all, Hogwarts wouldn't feel quite the same without her" Looking at the two girls he grew thoughtful.
"Anyway back to your dormitory Miss Granger and your carriage Miss Delacour. I believe that today has been a particularly stressful one and you could both do with a bit of rest" Both girls nodded before departing from the office.
The next few days were stressful and passed slowly for Rachel. Her body was incredibly weak and she suffered numerous pains in her torso from the damage her organs had taken from the curse. Waking up hadn't been a joyful experience. The moment she had opened her eyes she had been greeted with Professor Snape and that alone had been a frightening thing to wake up to but the pain...at first she couldn't breathe properly and she had panicked before being forced to take a sleeping potion.
She wanted to get up. She wanted to see her friends but more importantly she wanted to see Hermione. But Madame Pomphrey had refused to let her leave until she was certain that she had created a stronger version of Rachel's heart medication. Unfortunately, the two professors had been unsuccessful in keeping the curse away from her heart and now it was weaker.
It was depressing. Lying alone in the hospital wing, her body aching with every breath she took. Luckily the pain wouldn't last much longer according to Professor Snape but that did little to help when she was the one finding it difficult to breathe properly. Apparently, Madame Pomphrey forbade anyone from visiting Rachel which made her time even more depressing. So she spent most of her time either cringing in pain, asleep or trying different potions that would help her heal quicker.
Waking up slowly, Rachel blinked a few times before reality came crashing back. Once she regained her senses the first thing she noticed was a warm object encompassing her hand. Looking down at her limb a smile stretched itself across her face as she observed Hermione sleeping on a chair next to her bed.
Merlin it was so good to see her and Rachel's smile widened as she realized that Hermione was breaking Pomphrey's strict no visitor's policy just to see her. Granted it was the middle of the night and Pomphrey and Snape were in bed so it made it an easier thing to do but the gesture was still incredibly sweet.
A small frown formed on Rachel's face as she noticed the dark rings underneath Hermione's closed eyes. She hated it when the brunette stopped looking after herself properly. Shifting upwards, Rachel attempted to sit upright. The process was noticeably easier and Rachel was thankful that the pain had been reduced to minor aches inside her body.
Obviously her movements hadn't been silent enough and quietly Hermione opened her eyes and looked up at her. Hermione stared up at Rachel before sitting up slowly. The raven haired Rothern was slightly concerned about the brunette's reaction. Her face was void of any emotion as she looked at her and it worried her.
That was before Hermione in one swift movement wrapped her arms around Rachel's neck and gave her the mother of all kisses. Fireworks went off in her stomach and Rachel's arms quickly found themselves wrapped around Hermione's waist. Not being able to support her torso upright Rachel slowly pulled back and used one of her arms as a crutch to support her body.
"I can get use to waking up to that" whispered Rachel softly as she stroked Hermione's side with her fingers. Hermione shook her head with a small smile on her face before she grew serious. Rachel hated watching Hermione's smile fade from her face, she much preferred a smiling Hermione to a serious one who was probably about to lose her temper with her.
"How are you feeling?" asked Hermione. Rachel suddenly became quite interested where her fingers were stroking.
"I've had worse pain I'll admit..." she had to tell her the truth. She had promised her she would. "...but my chest hurts still" Hermione nodded before smiling softly and pressing her hand against Rachel's cheek, forcing her to look at her.
"I'm just glad your alright. I couldn't wait a moment longer to see you. Snape and Madame Pomphrey had banned us all from trying to see you the other day and I was worried that you..." trailing off Hermione shook her head to dispel the horrible thoughts that had been running through her head.
"But you're okay...right?" Rachel released a sigh.
"I'll live...I'll still be able to play Quidditch and kiss you..." that gained a small smile from the brunette
"Can we talk properly when I'm out of here. Right now I just want to hold you" the brunette looked at her with a curious stare before relenting into a charming smile.
A few minutes later Rachel and Hermione were laying next to each other on the bed. Their arms wrapped around each other contently. Rachel knew that she would have to tell Hermione about her now worse heart condition eventually but right now she just wanted a bit of peace with her girlfriend before she fucked it all up again.