Chapter 17-
Ten minutes passed, and then twenty, and even more Pike decided that
something wasn't right, and that somebody needed to do the same. Airykkaa
looked the same way. Before she could take a step toward the bed, Pike
held his arm out to block her path, "No, I'll go." he said as he felt a
horrible knot form in his stomach.
Airykkaa nodded, feeling the same anxiety. Pike stepped forward and
slowly walked forward towards the bed. As he rounded the corner he looked
at the other side of the curtains. He felt bile rise in his throat when he
saw a huge spray of blood across the curtain. "MADAME POMFREY!" he
screamed as he opened the curtains to find Lee laying in a pool of his own
blood.
When Madame Pomfrey arrived she screamed. Pike knew that she would
not be able to lift lees weight on her of, concentrating his power, he
raised lee off the floor, his mind dragging lee into the air, and landing
him on a bed next to Estelle's. Madame Pomfrey scrambled with antiseptic
fluids and then after pouring them over the massive gashes in his wrists,
used her wand to heal them a bit.
Airykkaa, knowing her way around the infirmary, scrambled for gauzes,
while Willow readied a needle. Pike held Lee's still bleeding wrists, to
stop more of the blood from being lost. Madame Pomfrey quickly had the
wounds stitched closed again, but she was not sure if he had lost too much
blood or not.
Airykkaa took out a mop and water, and began to scrub the blood off
of the floors, and the house elves came to take the sheets away, and taking
the mop from her, and finishing her work. She collapsed beside the puddle
of blood in tears. 'No,' she thought, 'It cannot end for them like this.'
as she looked over toward the bedd with lee laying on it. She felt a tiny
hand rest on her shoulder, and she looked over to see it. She smiled when
she saw Winky, a house elf who had been fired by Mr. Crouch two years
previously.
Airykkaa turned towards Estelle's bed, in which several house elves
were now scrambling madly to get more curtains up. "Winky, do you have any
wartsb..." she started, but stopped herself as she noticed Estelle had
regained some color. 'God, no!' she thought, 'She cannot lose him like
this!' and fresh tears sprang to her eyes. She felt a larger hand rest on
her other shoulder, and turned to see Dumbledore helping her off of the
floor. Airykkaa had not noticed that the blood had spread across the
floor, and now the right side of her robe was soaked in it.
"Come, come." he said, calmly and gently as he helped lift her. She
was emotionally exhausted and felt weak.
She nodded dumbly and got to her feet, not noting the blood dripping
from her robe until Winky tapped her leg, and asked for the robe and
pointed to the blood. "Winky will make sure it's cleaned she will." Winky
said enthusiastically as Airykkaa turned a sickly shade of green and took
the robe off. Winky snatched the robe up, and sprinted toward the launders
quarters.
Twenty minutes later the infirmary was once again spotless, having
the bloody sheets and curtains removed and the house elves scrubbing the
floors again to the shining beauty they had been earlier. Was now sitting
at a small table with Willow, grumbling at being made to eat at a time like
this, while Willow piled heaps of food onto her plate.
"What?" Willow asked, "A girl's gotta eat!" she finished, grinning
with confusion at Airykkaa's reaction.
"Nothing!" Airykkaa playfully growled as her fork stabbed at a
sausage and began to slowly nibble at it.
Willow stared hesitantly at Airykkaa's plate, which was heaped with
food that she knew Airykkaa wouldn't touch. "You gonna eat those
potatoes?" she asked quietly.
Airykkaa couldn't help but burst into laughter, and she pushed her
plate toward Willow. "If you eat the sausage I'll kill you." was all she
said, and Willow smiled and nodded, knowing sausage was Airykkaa's
favorite.
Although Airykkaa didn't eat much, the meal was cheerful, thanks
largely in part to Willow. Pike can finished off Airykkaa's plate, seeing
how she refused to eat anything but the few small sausage patties, and it
seemed as Lee and Estelle were both going to be okay. They would both be
in the infirmary and out of classes for about a week after they woke up,
but they would be fine none-the-less.
Pike had suggested they keep the curtains up, he didn't think either
of the duo would want people gawking at them all day. Madame Pomfrey
obliged and kept them up, agreeing that they were both too unpredictable at
others actions. The night crept on and soon Pike was feeling totally
exhausted... he hadn't slept the night before either. He tried to remember
why he hadn't slept, and thought himself for it. but then he remembered...
Eden.
