1O4
"I…love you too, Ollie."
Ollie's eyes, which had been closed, immediately flew open at the sound of his friend's sweet, shy, and quiet voice wafting to his ears. It…she was…she was alive. It couldn't be. She had been so lifeless, so cold, pale as the shrouded figure of Death itself. This…this had to be a dream. A cruel dream. Another damn trick of the Forest.
Ollie blinked. "S—say again, Norah? Can you…can you hear me? you're alive, oh thank Merlin! Can you hear me?" he demanded.
"Y—yes. I—I can…hear you…" she whispered hoarsely. She squirmed in his grip as he slowly raised his free hand and made to bring to one of her still too ghostly white cheeks. She had lost a lot of blood and needed a Healer's care. Ollie could hardly believe it.
That all Ollie was seeing nothing than his own distraught mind collapsing in on itself. Yet, how on earth could it? Her sky-blue eyes, still half-lidded, as if lacking the strength to open fully, flickered slowly between his outstretched hand and his face.
She moved!
"Oh, thank Merlin!" he breathed, burying his face in her hair.
And while her eyes were barely open and covered by some hazy cloud, whether it be exhaustion or pain (likely a combination of the two) they still contained just a brief flicker of light.
Some small amount of sassiness and wit remained in those eerily haunting brilliant azure eyes of hers.
"I'm proud of you," she whispered, a wry little smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "I thought maybe you'd…not made it."
The sound she made was barely audible, and had he not been hanging onto her every movement; he would have never heard her speak such sweet words.
Her voice came out as scratchy and hoarse, cracking horribly as she tried to speak further. Ollie's blue eyes widened in shock.
This only solidified what his mind was already barely trying to accept. His beloved friend was alive. Norah was not dead, after all, she was here in his arms, with him.
A choked half sob, a half gasp of awe tore from his chest, wracking his form in a wave of relief and joy. Renewed tears began to flow down his face.
Slowly, as if in a dream, Ollie took his raised hand and gently pressed his palm to her cheek.
It was not cold as it had been not a moment ago, some warmth had returned to her skin. Her eyes, at that moment, misted over and began to close, a small shuttering breath escaping her as she did so.
A wave of panic suddenly hit him at her reaction to his touch and he felt ice flood his veins instantly.
"No! Norah. Don't go to sleep! Stay awake for me, Jameson, can you stay awake?" He carefully shifted her in his arms, bringing her upper body towards him, cradling her left hand in his own hand, bringing it up to rest against his cheek.
He carefully settled her against his shoulder and the crook of his arm, allowing her to lean against him for support while also letting her sit somewhat upright. He gently gave her a firm shake.
Nothing to cause any unnecessary pain, but enough to rouse her from drowsiness.
"Open your eyes! Don't go to sleep! You—you have to stay awake, Norah!"
Instantly, her eyes reopened, yet they still could not manage to open fully. Ollie realized in that horrible moment that although Norah was not yet gone, she was fading.
She barely had any strength left, hardly enough to keep her eyes open let alone try and speak to him.
Risking a quick glance, he scanned her for her injuries, remembering that she had been dealt several hard blows.
Her left wrist was broken in two places. There was a shallow, long cut on the other side of her neck, just above her collarbone.
There was also a slightly deeper gash on her cheek, though not as open as the one upon her neck and several bruises marred her delicate ghostly white skin on her arms.
Yet, none of these could compare to the injury on her leg. The burn from where she'd fallen into the fires.
The ripped, burnt flesh. By Merlin's beard, what he had done! If only he had caught her...
Ollie dared not unravel the makeshift bandage that was clearly binding the wound and preventing it from seeping festering blood.
Despite this, the crucial life essence had seeped through and stained the already red fabric of the bandage a deep, dark crimson.
He knew not how deep the wound went or its width, but what he did know was that removing that bandage was out of the question right now. Doing so would surely result in massive blood loss, and…he couldn't bring himself to think further.
He needed help. Ollie needed someone else's help. If he didn't find a solution fast, she was truly going to…Again, he feared the word that came into his thoughts, but he pushed his fear away. He needed to get a grip on his emotions or else he was going to cause her to panic, and that wasn't going to help her heal.
"Norah?" he whispered gently, his voice far too low, and trying to keep the fear out of his tone. "Norah? Hey, Jameson? Can you hear me?"
The young blonde She-Wolf lifted her head ever so slightly so that her half-open, misty blue eyes that had grayed, resembled the last ashes of a deadly wildfire, smoke on the breeze, were gazing up at him.
She offered him a tiny nod, yet he could see the sheer amount of effort it took for her to do so.
She nearly had little to no strength left in her at all. Swallowing the lump forming in the back of his throat, Ollie nodded stiffly back and sucked in a deep breath that pained his lungs.
"Don't," he pleaded shakily, his voice cracking in the process. He inwardly flinched; his voice sounded far too desperate. "Don't do that. Please."
"Don't do what?" she whispered, wincing at the harshness of his tone, how rough and coarse her friend's voice sounded as he spoke to her.
"Don't go to sleep, you stay with me, damn it," he commanded harshly, his voice coarse and gruff. "Fight it." Giving himself a shake to steel his nerves, Ollie raised his head and looked around.
He saw no sign of Mr. Scamander or Snape or anybody else that was close to the Forbidden Forest. Charlie! Ollie looked wildly to the left and right, cursing himself, remembering Charlie had vanished.
His best friend was absent, but that was more a relief than anything else. He knew that he could not do this on his own. Where was more help? Ollie feared that if he tried to move Norah any more than he already had, he would end up causing more harm than good.
And then, it hit him squarely in the chest, the one who could help.
"Remus." The one Ollie could trust above all else to help Norah.
He would have some idea of what to do for her.
Anything Ollie was incapable of doing; Remus Lupin had proven that he could. Ollie looked down at Norah (who was still resting limply against his shoulder, still fighting to keep her eyes open and stay awake.) He reached up a finger and gently stroked her cheek, not caring that her blood stained the interior of his palm, brushing a wisp of stray blonde hair back behind her ear.
"Norah?" he asked softly, his voice just a little bit stronger this time.
"Mmm," she mumbled incoherently, keeping her eyes still closed.
"I need you to stay awake, Norah. For me. Nod if you understand."
She blinked, recognition and awareness returning to her eyes, which instantly sought his own. She blinked again, this time much more slowly, and exhaled heavily. "Yes, I hear you," she breathed, her voice still hoarse and weak.
Ollie felt his heart give a painful lurch at the sound. It resembled nothing like her beautiful, gentle tones. However, he took the hand that rested against her cheek and threaded it through her blonde tresses, trying to give her as much comfort as he was able.
At the sudden and unexpected action, Norah opened her eyes once more and this time, they were a bit wider than before. Wide and full of affection. Her expression softened a little bit. A tiny ghost of a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. At her gentle expression, he felt his heart hitch again, but this was a different feeling than the ones from before.
He began to feel an immense sense of relief, that she was alive. That while this was entirely his fault, what had happened to her, there was the small flickering ember flame of hope that welled in his chest that Norah might one day forgive him for not being fast enough.
Yet, as Ollie opened his mouth to speak, Norah's eyes suddenly flew wide open and a deep, pain-ridden cry tore from her lips.
Her body gave a hard shudder, her eyes glazed over as she clenched her eyes tightly shut, shielding them from his view. She cried out and released a small groan and turned her head to the side, eyes clenched tightly shut and teeth ground in the effort to keep in her scream of pain. Whatever amount of pain she was in, it was clearly too taxing and far too much.
His eyes widened in shock as her cheek fell against his shoulder and her body tensed as a wave of pain hit.
"Norah? What's wrong?" Ollie immediately forwent any amount of calm. Instead, raw panic hit him faster than ever before, and this time, he did not hesitate. The arm that was supporting her shoulders tightened instantaneously while his other shot underneath her knees, gripping her lower thigh tightly as if to ground himself.
"No! No, no, don't…don't go to sleep!"
She was still conscious, he could tell, though her breathing had quickened, and her eyes moved rapidly from under their lids, which were squeezed tightly as if to somehow bar away whatever pains she felt. Norah was in far too much pain for him to help and he was far too panicked and emotionally compromised to be of any use. He didn't know what to do.
What could he do? There had to be something…
Suddenly, Ollie felt that Norah needed to be set upon something stable. Holding her like he was, was probably causing her wounds to flex and become agitated and inflamed. For all he knew, he had rubbed an injury the wrong way and had caused the bout of pain that Norah was now desperately trying to fight off with all her strength.
With the utmost care, he gently lowered her to the forest floor, making sure that he was mindful of her injuries.
Once she was settled, he made to pull away, yet as he did so, one of Norah's hands caught hold of two of his fingers on his right hand, refusing to let go. His hand was far too large for hers, so two fingers were about as much as she could wrap her hand around, yet her grip was stronger than he had anticipated, almost as strong as a man's.
He winced slightly as they tightened further upon his fingers, feeling the amount of pain she must be in for her to inflict such strength.
Ollie lifted his free hand to her brow and wiped away the beads of sweat that were accumulating there. Her face, which had regained a bit of color, was pale again, but thankfully, not as white as she had been before. She kept her eyes clenched tightly shut, in far too much pain to open them and look at him.
Small tears began to flow from the corners of her eyes. His heart gave another painful lurch at the sight of Norah in so much physical and emotional agony. She was suffering so greatly, yet there was nothing within his power to stop this. He couldn't stop his own tears from escaping as a sob of his own escaped past his lips.
Despair began to take hold of him completely. It was hopeless! There was nothing he could do for her, and he hated this! His friend and new love, now that he had gotten fully over Tonks, was fading right before his eyes and he could not seem to be able to keep himself calm enough to aid her. It would have been better if she had passed before now, to not suffer like this.
This was agony for her! What had he done to her?!
All of this was all his fault. If he could have caught her, this would not be happening to her.
He bent over her, trying so hard to get his voice to work, to speak words of comfort to her to ease her pain, yet nothing but choked sobs and tears came forth. His voice would not come to him.
So, he continued to stroke her hair gently, wanting nothing more than to pick her up and hold her in his arms and never let her go, but there was the simple matter of any broken bones she might have, and he worried that if he tried, it would do more harm than good for Norah.
The last thing he wanted to do right now was caused even more pain and damage than he had already done. Until he got her to St. Mungo's, neither of them would know the true extent of the damage.
Then it dawned on him. Something he had forgotten, and he could hear the forgotten person's thoughts, swearing wildly inside his mind. Remus, oh thank Merlin! Ollie thought, breathing a sigh of relief, feeling like he might burst into tears. Help had come for him. Norah was saved! Mustering every bit of strength and control he could manage; he lifted his head towards the edge of the woods wherever Remus had Apparated to and shouted desperately at the top of his lungs.
"REMUS!" he roared. He needed help, and fast, or Norah wouldn't live.
His shaking hand found its way to the curve of her waist and settled there. Just last night, he'd dreamed of his friend on a cold snowy morning in the woods near the Forbidden Forest. Norah was standing before him, with her hair a lovely shade of white-blonde against the ghostly dead trees, vibrant against the pristine white snow. Ollie could remember calling out to her once, twice, a third time, and then the young werewolf turned slightly at the waist, a honey-sweet dazzlingly white smile etched on her lips.
His friend had such a sweet smile, Ollie was sure no other held such a smile in this world.
The way Norah's lips lifted upward. The way her one dimple crinkled. The way her teeth are perfectly aligned. The warm glow her happiness gives. Her smile was every bit the ray of sunshine he'd always known it to be.
There was something about the way Norah smiled; the way butterflies seemed to escape from the pit of her stomach and the way the sun had somehow toppled down from the sky and made a home right there in her pure and gentle heart.
Norah Jameson had the kind of soft smile that made him feel happy to be alive and just that little bit more human. In his dream, she greeted him without language, no need to speak, for her eyes communicated a worthy enough story of their love without her having to utter a single word, and she outstretched her hand for him to take, waiting as he outstretched his own hand to take hers, reaching…
But…but oh, Merlin Beard… Ollie blinked, forcing his mind to return to his harsh reality and his grip on his friend's fading form tightened even more. He clenched his eyes shut and blinked back briny tears.
…What have I done?
Less than five minutes after Apparating onto Hogwarts soil near the edge of the Forbidden Forest, right where Tonks had told him they would be, Remus practically felt his ears perk up at the sound of Tonks's best friend calling his name so desperately, his normally reserved and quiet tones laced to the brim with fear and trepidation, and the second he'd arrived on Hogwarts Grounds, near the edge of the Forbidden Forest where Tonks told him to go, he felt his posture stiffen and become rigid as he stood up straighter instantly.
He could practically feel his face drain of color, the shock clear on his face.
Remus needed no mirror to see it.
"Ollie," he murmured. Remus felt himself launch into a fully-fledged sprint towards the southwest side of the Forbidden Forest. The plea from Ollie Brennan came a second time, desperate, terrified.
The blood drained from Remus's face and before he was even aware of making a conscious decision, his legs pounded furiously on the uneven muddy track, his ears straining for more sounds, more clues where it had come from. Remus had no bloody clue as to what to do when he got there, just that he had to get there, and fast, or else Ollie and Norah were in danger.
Remus finally found them in the forest clearing, just where he'd met the pair of them the first night in the Forbidden Forest when they'd set out to get Umbridge back and was met with a sight that very nearly sent him spiraling into a fully-fledged breakdown, tears, and all, himself.
But… Norah is alive, he thought and breathed an audible sigh of relief. Her breast rose and fell heavily, and every once in a while, her body would give off a twitch, and her eyelids fluttered, and she seemed to be wholly focused and intent on keeping her gaze fixated on poor Lupin.
She would occasionally let out a moan or a gasp of pain, that was the next thing Remus noticed, and it hit him squarely in the chest, as though he'd been hit by a Knockback Jinx that the Wolf was still alive.
Immediately, he bolted forward and knelt at Ollie's side, lowering his body into a crouch at Norah Jameson's free side not currently clutched in a tight embrace by Ollie, and it was only when Remus craned his neck forward for a better look at her pain-racked form did Remus truly get a good look at poor Mr. Brennan's physical state.
Merlin's Beard… he thought and swore under his breath angrily.
Ollie was pale, paler than he'd ever seen his wife's best friend, and Remus could not help but wonder if poor Ollie was about to pass out or become physically sick with worry. His black hair seemed to create such a contrast against his ashen, clammy skin, and dried tear tracts could be seen on his cheeks.
His hand not currently clutching onto Norah's, whose own hand was wrapped so tightly around his like a lifeline, was trembling like mad and curled into a fist to prevent himself from striking out at something (most likely himself, if Remus knew Ollie Brennan) in anger. It was a bloody miracle that Norah had managed to survive such a vicious mauling.
Merlin save her, he thought and ground his teeth in anger at her condition. The wound on her leg appeared to be the one that would prove to be the most problematic at healing, and would have otherwise proven fatal to Muggles, but not her.
Though the simple fact remained that, if they did not get her medical attention, and fast, there was a slim chance she wouldn't survive. Remus quickly returned his attention towards his wife's friend, whose eyelids had fluttered open and she offered him a weak smile in return, and he attempted to return it, though he could feel his cheeks' reluctance to be molded falsely. They simply were not having any part of it now.
"It's all right. You're safe now. Tonks sent me here. She…had a dream that you two needed help, told me where to find you both. I—I don't quite understand how this is possible, Mr. Brennan, but it doesn't matter now. What does matter is you both are hurt. I'm here to help. We need to get you to St. Mungo's, Norah, Ollie," Remus spoke quietly, more to Norah than Ollie. "Y—you're going to be all right, Norah. I promise."
Her eyes remained tightly squeezed shut, and it was very possible that Norah Jameson could no longer hear anything by the amount of physical pain, the agony that she must be suffering at this very moment!
It was true that Norah was still alive, but only just. It was a Merlin-damned bloody miracle that the young blonde werewolf, as resilient and tough as she was, had managed to survive this long, considering her injuries and the severe extent of how badly off Norah was in at this time. The only one of those that was more or less a mortal wound, was the one on her right side, her ribcage.
Claw markings, he thought, repressing a growl of frustration and horror as he got a close enough look.
She was clearly fading. Lupin had seen enough wounds caused by Greyback and other wolves in his lifetime to be able to tell the hard truth. Yet, there was a slim chance perhaps he and Professor Snape could still save her.
If they acted fast enough and got her to a place of healing, that was. They could not delay for too much longer. Lupin was forced out of the dark swirling vortex of his thoughts as Ollie's broken voice reached his eardrums, forcing him to look at him.
"C—can you…save her?" he pleaded, blinking back a fresh wave of tears, causing poor Remus's stomach to churn violently in its pit at the shattered, broken request of Dora's best friend. He was not a Healer.
He could do minimal help, but he could not mend flesh, fix broken bones behind anything of his basic level of skill set. They needed Snape. Remus bit the wall of his cheek, not wanting to give Dora's friend false hope, but also did not want to lie to the younger man to his face.
"Ollie," he began hesitantly and sorrowfully, lowering his gaze to Norah's violently convulsing form, noticing Ollie's ironclad grip on the blonde werewolf's waist. He could not bear to look Brennan in his blue eyes currently glistening with tears that threatened to escape from his lids.
To meet his eyes and see the fear and disappointment within them. To allow him to see how when Norah needed help the most, there was very little he could do aside from perhaps mend her broken wrist.
"I'm not a Healer. I don't think I have it within my abilities to save her, but Professor Snape can," he murmured, straightening his posture, waving his wand and producing a non-corporeal Patronus, sending the burst of white light towards the now-ruined estate of the Hogwarts Castle.
Ollie nodded mutely, his fingers curling into a protective vice grip, clinging to Norah's waist as though the young blonde She-Wolf were his lifeline upon which he had chosen to hang the last shreds of his sanity on.
For all Remus knew of this situation and what he was feeling, he had. He froze when he heard Dora's best friend speak in an angered tone.
"I—I did this to her. I'm a monster. Master Crouch was right. I'm only good at taking lives, spilling blood, not saving anyone. I—I didn't save you, Norah." Ollie kept his head bowed, afraid to see Dora's husband's reaction, and if Norah's eyes were still open, the young woman who held his heart and kept it safe. Or at least, he hoped.
They still had to have that unpleasant conversation, but hopefully, another time, when she was fully recovered. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut, not wanting to meet Lupin's gaze, though the older wizard had other ideas in mind, as his strong hand reached out and firmly cupped his chin, forcing him to raise his head and open his eyes and look to its owner, staring Remus Lupin dead in the eyes.
"That is not true, Mr. Brennan," Lupin answered, his tone clipped, his words harsh, but not necessarily unkind. "You are not a monster. You're a man, and it is time you started treating yourself as such. You are capable of much more than death and destruction. You saved her life."
"It didn't make any difference!" he exploded bitterly, turning his head away from Remus, not wanting to look into those glistening brown orbs of incredulity and disappointment any longer than he had to. "She—she's dying because I—I didn't catch her, Remus!" Ollie yelled bitterly.
"Didn't make any difference?! Ollie, it made all the difference in the world," Remus frowned, his brows coming together in a quandary. "If it weren't for you, Norah would have no reason to continue to live, Ollie."
"H—hey, jackasses," interrupted a barely audible and clearly hoarse voice that sounded like it had inhaled too much smoke from the fires that still ravaged and burned, though they were dwindling now, which was a good thing. "N—not v—very n—nice to talk about me wh—when I'm right in front of you. B—but I—I'm not d—dead yet, Ollie…"
Both Remus and Ollie swiveled their heads down to regard the owner of the voice. Norah Jameson's piercing pools of blue were barely open, yet a hint of their glimmering mischievousness could still be seen.
What was supposed to come across as a smile turned into a pained and twisted grimace as a tiny smirk tugged at the corner of her cracked and bleeding lips.
Though some of her hardened exteriors had broken through her haze of pain and agony as Norah Jameson opened her eyes. Tears pooled and pricked at the corner of her eyelids, stinging, and blurring her vision, though Norah either didn't seem to notice or if she did, paid them no mind.
"Y—you didn't think…y—you could…get rid of me that easily, did you, kid?" she whispered hoarsely, smiling at Ollie.
Lupin nodded quickly, tearing his gaze away from the blonde werewolf who had become a dear friend to not just him, but to Dora as well, as a doe Patronus soared through the sky and Snape's voice filled the air beside the three of them, saying in his usual droll baritone that he would meet them at a designated place of Remus's choosing, wherever he believed Miss Jameson would be able to recover and heal adequately.
"Wh—where are we g—going?" Norah asked weakly, squeezing her eyes shut and biting down on her bottom lip hard enough to bleed as Ollie, as gingerly as the man could, lifted her limp form in his arms bridal style, not protesting as he adjusted her in his hold, allowing her head to rest against the crook of his elbow. "Where…are we...go…Ollie?" she whispered.
She was fading, and fast, no longer able to speak in full, coherent sentences, her lids flickering.
Ollie looked towards Remus for confirmation, a panic-stricken look in his brilliant blue eyes, his tears spent for now. Lupin felt a muscle in his jaw twitch, holding out his arm for Ollie to take.
Though, as Remus Disapparated via Side-Along Apparition with the two of them in tow, and he reflected over the way the two had looked at each other, he could not help the thoughts that swirled in his exhausted mind.
One thing's for certain. Give it a few weeks after she's healed and they will both either be madly in love with each other, or Norah will have killed Ollie.
Lupin felt a faint ghost of a smile tug at his lips at that thought. Remus did not even have to think about where he was taking them.
He was taking them where he knew they belonged, where they would be safe, a quiet, secluded place where Norah could be allowed to heal.
He was taking them home.
