Chapter 5

As he approached me I tried fiercely to scream nothing came out of my mouth although my throat throbbed from the soundless yelling.

"Now, now Beth, nothing to be concerned about. It'll be quite quick my dear." Healer Presley levitated me to my bed. I started to cry again. "Oho Beth, there is no need to cry. Wipe those… that pretty cheek."

I struggled on the bed and found myself stuck. I couldn't move. My hands were glued to my sides, and my legs were stuck together. I started to panic and breath funny. I heard shuffling to my right but couldn't see the doorway.

"I heard some screaming Healer Presley, do you need anything?" Cute nurse Judy had walked in.

"Well as a matter a fact I do, this young lady here has just had a panic attack you see, and I think there," he lowered is voice, "is something wrong with her mind. Could you get the calming potion please? And maybe a sleeping one as well."

"Of course Healer." More footsteps.

"Now Beth, this won't hurt a bit I promise, and once Judy gets back, you can take those potions like a good girl, and then you won't even know what happened." Healer Presley leaned his ugly face over top of mine and smiled. My eyes rolled in my head. I wanted to run and get away from this creep.

I heard more footsteps.

"Oh, sorry Healer Presley, we came to see Beth, but if she…" a male voice came from the doorway.

"Now, now children, Beth has had a little panic attack that's all. I'm afraid I've had to silence her until she stops screaming. I need you to leave." Healer Presley patted my shoulder as if I was six years old.

"Oh," said a voice I knew to be Hermione's. "Oh, okay. Well, we're leaving now, but we'll be back later tonight to see her. Can you tell her that when she's calm? I don't know if you can hear me Beth, but we'll be back all right? Get well!"

I could hear Ron dragging her out of the room, and it was silent once again.

"Some nice friends you have young lady. Very nice. You're lucky—ah! Nurse Judy. Come quick my dear nurse, she's starting to hyperventilate now." More scuffling and then someone propped me up. "Well since you are unable to drink yourself Beth, I'm going to do it for you alright? This might hurt a squeeze."

I looked around for anybody. I prayed someone would come into my room and I wished I could wipe my cheeks. Nurse Judy pried open my mouth and tilted my head back. I'm afraid I could do nothing to stop her and the sad thing was, she thought she was helping and doing something right. Healer Presley seemed completely oblivious to the fact that he was lying to one of his assistants, and also seemed to think that he was doing the correct thing by going against my will.

As the calming potion went into my mouth I felt my whole body relax. It was as if someone had dropped me into a warm bath. I started to breath normally.

"That's a girl," Healer Presley muttered. "One more Beth and then it'll be all over, nice and quick."

"What are you doing?" a voice came from the door. "I need to know what you're doing!"

I knew that voice right away. Remus had come to save me from myself, and everybody else.

"Now Mr. Lupin, I need you to leave the room. This is a medical procedure. Please don't make me call security." His attention torn away from me, I started to panic again. It was if I had forgotten and then remembered. My eyes started to roll again, and I began to gasp and drool.

"No. What are you doing sir?" I heard footsteps. "Why is she—why can't she breath? Have you petrified her?" His voice sounded outraged. Fight him Remus!

"Mr. Lupin, you must leave. You've got her all wound up again. We've just calmed her and I can't overdose her on it, or she could fall into a more permanent sleep." I choked on my own spit and the nurse, who seemed shocked by the doctor's threat, dropped me back onto my pillows. I started to cough through a frozen mouth.

Remus muttered a quick spell, and I immediately pulled myself into a ball, coughing and spitting. I still couldn't talk, but movement was enough.

I heard the door squeak open and looked up. Four other people in lime green robes entered the room. I laid my head back down and tried to control the coughs that were now racking my body and causing me to vibrate. I saw blood on my pillow and then everything went into a familiar murky darkness.

§

"Beth, I know you can hear me, I need you to open your eyes."

I groaned. Why was someone yelling at me? I opened my eyes. Remus was sitting beside the bed holding my hand.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know he would do that Beth, I'm so sorry." I heard a sniffle from the other side of me, and Hermione looked down on me.

"He said it was a panic attack Beth! And I believed him!" She burst into tears.

"S'all right," I muttered. "Stop crying—please. I'm fine, really." I propped myself up on my elbows and instantly there were four hands propelling me upwards. In three seconds I was sitting up against fluffed pillows.

I looked around. Harry was sitting beside Remus, his face grim and large purple bags under his eyes. Standing beside him were the twins and a tall man with a face that seemed to have been mauled at one point. He had a ponytail and was dressed in all black. I assumed him to be Bill. Beside him were Molly and her husband and to my right were Hermione and Ron. Hermione was sniffling and Ron looked thoroughly dejected. A girl a little older than me was asleep at the back of the room on the couch. Her hair was red, and I guessed this to be Ginny Weasley.

"How're you feeling Beth?" asked Molly.

"I'm fine. Really, it's nothing," I assured the mother of so many. " A little tired maybe, but I'm fine."

"We want to take you home."

This statement shocked me. It came from my left, and Harry had focused his attention on the floor.

"I have a big house, and everyone's living in it right now. The Weasley's, and Remus, and a couple people you haven't met yet. And I know, I mean it's alright if you don't want to explain because, well just because." He looked up at me in synch with everyone else. The girl on the couch was awake now and had wandered towards the end of my bed. She glared at me almost angrily. All except her seemed to be waiting on my answer.

I didn't know what these people had done to get me out of this hospital without a guardian, and I didn't want to know. They were offering me something I couldn't refuse. A home.

"I'd like that."

§

We left for Harry's manor three days later. I had received a new healer who had given all my potions to Mrs. Weasley who was to administer them accordingly. Harry had been discharged before I had, but they all came and visited me anyways. Ginny Weasley, whom seemed to dislike me for some reason, had loaned me some of her older clothing because I didn't have any, and because her mother had said so. Arthur Weasley, Molly's husband, was quite nice, although slightly jittery.

When we left the hospital I was given a cane as well, so Harry and I slowed down the group with our pace. There were ministry cars sitting out front the building, supplied by Rufus Scrimgeour himself. Harry snorted at the sound of his name and we crawled into the roomy vehicles. The ride there was quiet, so I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the back of the car.

When we got there, I was amazed at the vast size of the house. Someone had carried my things in, and we walked through the front door as quietly as possible. I had been informed that there was a portrait on the wall that tends to scream when awoken. I didn't get any more information than that because when I asked whom it was, only silent gazes met my eyes.

"C'mon Beth, I'll take you to your room. We're all on the same floor; Harry, Ron, Ginny and me I mean. All Ron's brother's are on the floor above us, and the adults and remaining members of the order are above that. Roughly anyways, sometimes they switch around. The kitchen is in the basement, and there are living rooms and stuff like that scattered throughout." Hermione took my hand and led me toward the staircase.

We climbed up a flight of stairs slowly. I took breaks every three steps, puffing heavily. We reached the landing gradually, and the first thing I noticed was the darkness. The walls, doors and everything else were just dark. Another staircase was to my left, and four doors placed evenly around the circular landing.

"Ginny and I sleep in the same room, and Harry and Ron sleep separately just because they could I suppose," she shrugged her shoulders, "but Harry's let Ron move in with him into the bigger room, and you get the room in the middle. It's a little small, but it'll work." We walked forwards and she opened the door for me.

My room was a shade of emerald green with three thin windows placed high on the far wall. It was a skinny room, and quite long. A closet rested along the right side of the room, and a double bed sat along the left. A dresser was assembled along the same wall as the door we entered through. It was the ceiling that amazed me though. It appeared to be round, like a dome shape, but when I blinked, it changed into something that resembled the sky.

"It changes," explained Hermione, "To suit you. Ron got the dome, but I suppose you like the sky? All the bedrooms have been bewitched to do that. It was Harry's idea."

I nodded. "It's very cool. Thank you." I smiled genuinely and limped over to my bed. The bedspread was white and the head and footboard were made of a black iron, and appeared to be covered by thousands of snakes. Fakes ones, but snakes none-the-less.

"The bathroom's farthest on right. The girls get the bottom drawer for all our stuff, and the guys get the top. Are you okay?" asked Hermione. Her blue jeans and black sweater made her appear so tiny. She was only older than me by a few years, but she was not a big girl. She put her wrist to her chest and came and sat beside me on my bed.

"If you ever need to talk, everyone here is—well anyone is willing to listen. We're all family here. I moved away from my parents last year and came here. My parents could never understand you see," she looked away, "they're both muggles. They're dentists." She laughed. "While I was out fighting and training for war they thought I was just learning and getting a first class education. It's hard for them to truly comprehend what happened a month ago. So I'm just saying it's okay to talk about it." She sighed. "Harry won't, and Ron will only tell me. The older guys are quiet, but I know Bill is hurt. Fred and George have their own place you know. And don't mind Ginny. She's upset… I mean. Well I'll tell you later."

I listened gently as she talked. She seemed to need to; it was as if she needed to prove a point. She mumbled quietly for a good ten minutes and then turned to look out the door.

"Look at me, boring you with facts about life. I'm starting to sound like my mother."

"It's alright. I don't mind," I said. "It's nice to know what's going on." For a moment her eyes brightened as if she thought I was going to pour my heart out. When I didn't continue she gave me a sad smile and got up and left. Still dressed I lay on top of my blankets and went for a nap.