Chapter Five
Ripped Apart
Lex paced the downstairs kitchen for what felt like hours. She didn't know what to do; she didn't know whom to turn to. She was terrified. She flopped down the couch and looked at the ground. She had sent their owl, Adrian, for help. It seemed like it had been forever since the people broke in, but in reality it had only been a half an hour.
Lex stood up to go check on her brother when suddenly there was a loud knock on the door. She checked and saw it was only Warren Granger, a kindly old man, who lived next door. Lex pulled open the door and knew that he was in fact a wizard and an employee of St. Mungo's hospital. Before she could even say a word, he bolted up the stairs to where Gavin was lying. She heard the sobs of Jillian as well as well as Warren telling her to go downstairs and try to calm down. She descended the stairs, very slowly and looked at Lex. Her jaw dropped as she stared at Lex.
"What?" she asked.
Jillian snatched a mirror off the wall and held it up to Lex's face.
Her reflection was terrifying and at first she didn't recognize herself. Crimson blood was splattered on her face as well as seeping from a large gash above her right eye. She seemed to have broken her nose because her entire upper lip was covered with blood and large black circles were forming under her eyes. She dropped the mirror and it shattered on the floor. Lex stumbled backwards and realized how dizzy she felt and Jillian helped her sit on the couch. The room began to swim and suddenly it all went black.
It was a cool summer day in a large grassy meadow out in the country. There wasn't a house for miles and Lex looked around. She was a little girl again, only five years old, running and playing with her brother in the field like she often would. She felt so carefree, so young. As she looked up into the sun she felt a strong pain on her head and she opened her eyes.
She was in a room painted all white lying in a bed that she had never seen before. The room was filled with beds that lined each wall, and in several sat people, bandaged and bruised and what not, but looking very comfortable non-the-less. Lex looked down at her hands and noticed they were bandaged and she realized that she could only see out of her left eye. Her nose hurt terribly and had something white on it. She looked around and suddenly came to a realization. She was in St. Mungo's.
She looked around, frantic with worry.
Where was Gavin? What had happened to him? Was he okay?
She began to panic, looking all around the room until finally a nurse came over and tended to her.
"Ms. Malfoy, are you all right?" she asked.
"My brother, Gavin Malfoy, is he here?" Lex asked, "Is he okay?"
She gave her and kind smile and nodded.
"Why yes, he's perfectly fine," said the nurse.
"Where is he?" she asked, sounding a little panicked.
"He's behind that curtain," the nurse said, pointing to the curtain just next to Lex's bed.
Lex moved to get out of the bed but the nurse pushed her back.
"I'm afraid I can't allow you to do that, Ms. Malfoy," she said, "You're in rough shape."
Lex leaned back and felt her head swim. She felt terrible and blinked several times. The nurse shook her head and walked away. Lex kept watching the curtain next to her bed. She wanted to go over and talk to Gavin, tell him everything, see how he was. But the more she sat there the worse her body ached and the worse she felt.
The day dragged on and finally around 9 o'clock that night several people arrived to visit. Jillian and brought Griffen along and he gave Lex a picture of her and him playing in the field. She smiled and gave him a hug and they began to talk, until they bother wandered over behind the curtain of Gavin's bed and left Lex alone. As she sat, starring at the picture she heard footsteps and looked up. An elderly man with long white hair stood there, smiling at her over his half-moon glasses.
"Good evening, Alexia," he said, his voice warm and soothing.
"Albus, what are you doing here?" she asked as he sat down in the chair near the bed.
"Coming to see how you and your brother are doing," he said, "By the looks of it, you took quite a beating last night."
Lex nodded. Her head was beginning to throb.
"How's Gavin?" she asked, although someone had already told her.
"He is pretty beat up," he said, "Had a few jinxes put on him but he should be fine in a few days. But that's not what I'm here to talk about, Alexia."
She looked up at him. He had a serious look on his face.
"According to your brother, the women who attacked you two were after you," said Dumbledore, who pushed his glasses up on his nose.
"How did he know that?" she asked, looking confused.
"They told him," he said, "Slightly an error on their part, but very helpful to us."
"So, I'm in danger." Lex said, sounding more like she was stating it than actually asking.
Dumbledore looked at her, his eyes looking very remorseful and his hand clutching the bed beneath him. He nodded slowly.
"You are no longer safe staying with you brother," he said, "Nor at Hogwarts."
"I'm not going back to Hogwarts anyway," she said, sounding bitter, "I got the boot the last day of term."
Dumbledore looked at her in a way she had never seen him look at anyone. It was a strange look, a mix of fear, disbelief and wonder.
"You were fired?" he asked, sounding slightly calm.
Lex nodded.
"Well, it is no longer my school and I cannot make judgments on what Headmistress Sully wishes to do," he said.
"Go ahead," said Lex, bitterly, "She's turning the school upside down. It's going straight to hell."
Dumbledore smiled slightly and then readjusted himself.
"But, like I was saying," he continued, "You aren't safe with your brother anymore. We need to find you new quarters."
"Like with a friend?" she asked, "I could stay with Breena . . ."
Dumbledore shook his head and silenced her.
"It's not that easy, Alexia," he said, "There are many people out there right now who are out to get you, and we do not know who they are."
"So you're saying I have to live alone," she asked her voice lowering.
Dumbledore nodded and Lex's stomach dropped. She would have to live alone, no friends, no family, no nothing. This was her worst fear. She looked back at Dumbledore who looked at her kindly.
"But I can tell some people where you are. You won't be cut off completely," he said smiling, "I promise you that."
Lex gave a grave smile. She wasn't happy, in fact she was quite pissed. This wasn't what she wanted right now, nor what she needed.
That night she sat up late in her bed, thinking and writing down her thoughts in a small book. She frowned and heard a voice to her right. Gavin sat up in bed and looked over at her. He had pushed the curtain aside and smiled at her.
"Hey squirt," he said, his voice was harsh and raspy.
She nearly burst into tears when she saw him. He had large white gauze on his nose and several bandages on his face. He had dark black rings under his eyes and he looked very sick. Lex carefully stood up and hugged her brother, tears running silently down her face. She held him carefully, scared she might hurt him more.
He pushed away slightly and looked at her.
"Do you know?" he croaked.
"Know what?" she asked.
"That you have to live . . .alone," Gavin said, stumbling over the words.
Lex froze. She fell back on her bed and nodded, looking at her feet. Gavin gave her a look that Lex knew, a look of great pity. She hated that look; it made her feet so useless.
"I'll be fine," Lex muttered, "Don't worry about it."
Gavin gave a grim smile and nodded.
"I know you will be," he muttered.
Three days passed before Dumbledore returned to St. Mungo's. Today was the day that Lex was going home, well, going to her new home. Gavin had to stay for another week, but Dumbledore expressed to both of them the urgency of her moving away. So that morning, Lex slowly dressed herself and said good- bye to her brother and her and Dumbledore left. They took the muggle bus, and Lex was surprised to see Dumbledore was wearing muggle pants and a long jacket. She laughed slightly, but knew he had his reasons.
On the bus ride Dumbledore explained a few things to her. The house she would be living in was very small and furnished, although only the essentials were there, and she was in a neighborhood that was very quiet. She seemed fine with all the rules, until he told her that she could not tell anyone where she was living.
"Why not?' she asked, "I mean can't you just do a concealing spell so that no one would be able to know I was there unless you told them?"
Dumbledore nodded.
"I have used that, but there are ways to get around it," he said, "We do not know who our enemies are, Alexia, we do not know who we can trust fully."
He looked down.
"I realize that this is a big step, but you must understand that it is for your own safety."
Lex nodded, she was beginning to like this idea less and less.
Lex paced the downstairs kitchen for what felt like hours. She didn't know what to do; she didn't know whom to turn to. She was terrified. She flopped down the couch and looked at the ground. She had sent their owl, Adrian, for help. It seemed like it had been forever since the people broke in, but in reality it had only been a half an hour.
Lex stood up to go check on her brother when suddenly there was a loud knock on the door. She checked and saw it was only Warren Granger, a kindly old man, who lived next door. Lex pulled open the door and knew that he was in fact a wizard and an employee of St. Mungo's hospital. Before she could even say a word, he bolted up the stairs to where Gavin was lying. She heard the sobs of Jillian as well as well as Warren telling her to go downstairs and try to calm down. She descended the stairs, very slowly and looked at Lex. Her jaw dropped as she stared at Lex.
"What?" she asked.
Jillian snatched a mirror off the wall and held it up to Lex's face.
Her reflection was terrifying and at first she didn't recognize herself. Crimson blood was splattered on her face as well as seeping from a large gash above her right eye. She seemed to have broken her nose because her entire upper lip was covered with blood and large black circles were forming under her eyes. She dropped the mirror and it shattered on the floor. Lex stumbled backwards and realized how dizzy she felt and Jillian helped her sit on the couch. The room began to swim and suddenly it all went black.
It was a cool summer day in a large grassy meadow out in the country. There wasn't a house for miles and Lex looked around. She was a little girl again, only five years old, running and playing with her brother in the field like she often would. She felt so carefree, so young. As she looked up into the sun she felt a strong pain on her head and she opened her eyes.
She was in a room painted all white lying in a bed that she had never seen before. The room was filled with beds that lined each wall, and in several sat people, bandaged and bruised and what not, but looking very comfortable non-the-less. Lex looked down at her hands and noticed they were bandaged and she realized that she could only see out of her left eye. Her nose hurt terribly and had something white on it. She looked around and suddenly came to a realization. She was in St. Mungo's.
She looked around, frantic with worry.
Where was Gavin? What had happened to him? Was he okay?
She began to panic, looking all around the room until finally a nurse came over and tended to her.
"Ms. Malfoy, are you all right?" she asked.
"My brother, Gavin Malfoy, is he here?" Lex asked, "Is he okay?"
She gave her and kind smile and nodded.
"Why yes, he's perfectly fine," said the nurse.
"Where is he?" she asked, sounding a little panicked.
"He's behind that curtain," the nurse said, pointing to the curtain just next to Lex's bed.
Lex moved to get out of the bed but the nurse pushed her back.
"I'm afraid I can't allow you to do that, Ms. Malfoy," she said, "You're in rough shape."
Lex leaned back and felt her head swim. She felt terrible and blinked several times. The nurse shook her head and walked away. Lex kept watching the curtain next to her bed. She wanted to go over and talk to Gavin, tell him everything, see how he was. But the more she sat there the worse her body ached and the worse she felt.
The day dragged on and finally around 9 o'clock that night several people arrived to visit. Jillian and brought Griffen along and he gave Lex a picture of her and him playing in the field. She smiled and gave him a hug and they began to talk, until they bother wandered over behind the curtain of Gavin's bed and left Lex alone. As she sat, starring at the picture she heard footsteps and looked up. An elderly man with long white hair stood there, smiling at her over his half-moon glasses.
"Good evening, Alexia," he said, his voice warm and soothing.
"Albus, what are you doing here?" she asked as he sat down in the chair near the bed.
"Coming to see how you and your brother are doing," he said, "By the looks of it, you took quite a beating last night."
Lex nodded. Her head was beginning to throb.
"How's Gavin?" she asked, although someone had already told her.
"He is pretty beat up," he said, "Had a few jinxes put on him but he should be fine in a few days. But that's not what I'm here to talk about, Alexia."
She looked up at him. He had a serious look on his face.
"According to your brother, the women who attacked you two were after you," said Dumbledore, who pushed his glasses up on his nose.
"How did he know that?" she asked, looking confused.
"They told him," he said, "Slightly an error on their part, but very helpful to us."
"So, I'm in danger." Lex said, sounding more like she was stating it than actually asking.
Dumbledore looked at her, his eyes looking very remorseful and his hand clutching the bed beneath him. He nodded slowly.
"You are no longer safe staying with you brother," he said, "Nor at Hogwarts."
"I'm not going back to Hogwarts anyway," she said, sounding bitter, "I got the boot the last day of term."
Dumbledore looked at her in a way she had never seen him look at anyone. It was a strange look, a mix of fear, disbelief and wonder.
"You were fired?" he asked, sounding slightly calm.
Lex nodded.
"Well, it is no longer my school and I cannot make judgments on what Headmistress Sully wishes to do," he said.
"Go ahead," said Lex, bitterly, "She's turning the school upside down. It's going straight to hell."
Dumbledore smiled slightly and then readjusted himself.
"But, like I was saying," he continued, "You aren't safe with your brother anymore. We need to find you new quarters."
"Like with a friend?" she asked, "I could stay with Breena . . ."
Dumbledore shook his head and silenced her.
"It's not that easy, Alexia," he said, "There are many people out there right now who are out to get you, and we do not know who they are."
"So you're saying I have to live alone," she asked her voice lowering.
Dumbledore nodded and Lex's stomach dropped. She would have to live alone, no friends, no family, no nothing. This was her worst fear. She looked back at Dumbledore who looked at her kindly.
"But I can tell some people where you are. You won't be cut off completely," he said smiling, "I promise you that."
Lex gave a grave smile. She wasn't happy, in fact she was quite pissed. This wasn't what she wanted right now, nor what she needed.
That night she sat up late in her bed, thinking and writing down her thoughts in a small book. She frowned and heard a voice to her right. Gavin sat up in bed and looked over at her. He had pushed the curtain aside and smiled at her.
"Hey squirt," he said, his voice was harsh and raspy.
She nearly burst into tears when she saw him. He had large white gauze on his nose and several bandages on his face. He had dark black rings under his eyes and he looked very sick. Lex carefully stood up and hugged her brother, tears running silently down her face. She held him carefully, scared she might hurt him more.
He pushed away slightly and looked at her.
"Do you know?" he croaked.
"Know what?" she asked.
"That you have to live . . .alone," Gavin said, stumbling over the words.
Lex froze. She fell back on her bed and nodded, looking at her feet. Gavin gave her a look that Lex knew, a look of great pity. She hated that look; it made her feet so useless.
"I'll be fine," Lex muttered, "Don't worry about it."
Gavin gave a grim smile and nodded.
"I know you will be," he muttered.
Three days passed before Dumbledore returned to St. Mungo's. Today was the day that Lex was going home, well, going to her new home. Gavin had to stay for another week, but Dumbledore expressed to both of them the urgency of her moving away. So that morning, Lex slowly dressed herself and said good- bye to her brother and her and Dumbledore left. They took the muggle bus, and Lex was surprised to see Dumbledore was wearing muggle pants and a long jacket. She laughed slightly, but knew he had his reasons.
On the bus ride Dumbledore explained a few things to her. The house she would be living in was very small and furnished, although only the essentials were there, and she was in a neighborhood that was very quiet. She seemed fine with all the rules, until he told her that she could not tell anyone where she was living.
"Why not?' she asked, "I mean can't you just do a concealing spell so that no one would be able to know I was there unless you told them?"
Dumbledore nodded.
"I have used that, but there are ways to get around it," he said, "We do not know who our enemies are, Alexia, we do not know who we can trust fully."
He looked down.
"I realize that this is a big step, but you must understand that it is for your own safety."
Lex nodded, she was beginning to like this idea less and less.