January 6, 1998
At Providence Hospital, people moved hurriedly back and forth, barely giving the man waiting at the counter a second glance, not seeming to care how extravagantly he had decided to dress that morning before rushing there. He knew the poor girl was somewhere in that huge building, because the voice her patronus had emitted, brittle and low, had told him so.
And he had felt frustration and relief at the same time, knowing where she was but foreseeing that if she hadn't returned to school on her own it was because her condition would be deplorable.
They had been looking for her since Christmas, when she had made the terrible decision to run away from school like a criminal. How the only girl they had to watch over had escaped was one of the questions he asked himself repeatedly, questioning the teaching staff for the first time in years.
But, for his part, he also knew first-hand the reputation that not only she carried but her family in general. From either side it was a bit of "act first, think later".
His last option, non-magical hospitals, actually seemed like the most logical of all the options someone clever like her would choose. The problem was the kind of treatment the non-maj could give to a magical wound.
The nurse led him to the room, and Agilbert Fontaine felt a sense of calm fill him when he found the girl in a bed, eyes closed and lying quietly for what seemed like months. She looked terribly haggard, but calm, honey-coloured hair scattered over her pillow.
"Yes, that's my niece. Could I have a closer look? What is wrong with her?"
The nurse took several seconds to look at the man, as if doubting his word.
"She was found on the main avenue yesterday, with a laceration in her lower abdomen, but we couldn't determine exactly why. She doesn't seem to have suffered brain damage, and the wound is healing perfectly, although she is still receiving blood transfusions due to the blood loss. She has been losing and regaining consciousness but seemed quite disturbed, so If possible, I should have her case assessed by a psychologist before leaving. There were no traces of drugs or alcohol in her blood, either, nor of any kind of imposed violence if you know what I mean."
Splinching, then; Fontaine thought. It was the most logical reason, even for an excellent witch, long-distance apparitions could have that effect and were extremely risky.
For someone approaching seventeen, apparitions were more of a pain than a joy, and though he tried to teach the students that under no circumstances should they do it over long distances, he was sure the young girl wouldn't have thought twice about it if necessary. Had she appeared two, three, four times? or had she just risked herself on an all or none move?
Now, Fontaine would have to find a way to force her to sit and wait for the end of the war. At least hopefully it wouldn't be like the first time he had had her sit in his office, trying to explain the chaos that had broken out in Britain and why under no circumstances was she going to be able to go there for the summer.
The moment Dumbledore died he knew that the young witch would not be able to leave the castle, or anywhere safe in the United States. The girl's parents had been clear from the beginning, she was staying out; and yet they had targeted her with the Fidelius Charm.
"All right, I'll leave you to be with her."
Agilbert had to wait for the nurse to leave before undoing the protective guard placed on the door. Juliette, it seemed, continued to have her moments of lucidity.
Thorfin, who seemed at ease with the future, materialised above his owner.