Did anyone say update?
Your wish is my command!
„What are you doing here?" James asked his brother-in-law, not entirely understanding what the Muggle wanted here. He made him uneasy. It was Friday evening, and this visit hadn't been planned. The beefy man, with an ominous brown folder in his hand, had interrupted a joyful evening with drinks, snacks and board games, that had the Marauders brought together again. Well, at least what was left of them. It was a way of relaxation for Alexander after his hard schoolwork and his extensive training with Dumbledore, who occasionally stayed for a round to observe his pupil during the first round of the first game.
Vernon composed himself and turned towards his ginger sister-in-law. "I came to talk about Harriet with you."
"Why?" She asked with suspicion in her voice. Vernon wasn't known for his fondness of wizarding folk and yet here he was. A long way from Surrey, in their house on a Friday evening. Dumbledore straightened in his seat, as did the rest of the Marauders, while Alexander quickly snuck a card from the table.
"Harriet is getting agitated about having to return here in the summer holidays, and it has reached a point which can't be ignored any longer." He explained calmly.
"Young man, what exactly do you mean with 'she is getting agitated'?" Dumbledore inquired, taking a cautious sip from his teacup.
"Well, as you probably are all aware, Harriet tends to overthink everything. And I when I say everything, then I mean it. Once a thought strikes, she can't let go of it. That's why she already has lost quite a lot of sleep over her fear of returning here. Considering the fiasco of last summer, I'd say those fears are well-founded."
"Sorry, but that fiasco is Harriet's fault and her fault alone. She was the one who decided that terrorizing unsuspecting children and our party guests were acceptable. We had to deal with the aftermaths for months." James argued, crossing his arms. "It nearly ostracised us from the Wizarding world."
Vernon's moustache twitched, his hands clenched, but he swore that he would not lose his temper. After all, he had come here for a purpose, and he would not compromise his long journey by losing his cool.
"When was the last time you ever said something positive about your own daughter? When did you ever acknowledge her hard work? When was the last time you gave her a birthday present? You are so thick that you can't see the trees in the woods. Did the situation escalate last summer? Definitely. But it is absolutely understandable as you are neglecting your duty as parents when it comes to your daughter."
"We are neglecting our duty?!" Lily defended herself jumping up. "She can go to that fancy school,…)
"On a scholarship, yes." Vernon nodded, stopping her in his tracks. "Well, technically she has a very demanding patron, who pays for that scholarship, but that's another story. What I'm saying is that I will not allow another repeat of last year, and I will certainly not allow my niece's heart to be shattered again during summer. You have no idea what that does to her." His voice did rise a bit, but after another breath, he was able to get his simmering anger back under control.
"Mr Dursley, thank you for voicing your concern." Dumbledore calmly inclined his head. "But I believe that you came with the intention to propose a solution to this issue."
"Of course, I did, or do you think that I drove all this way for nothing." He shook his head. "As you are clearly having no interest whatsoever in your daughter, and my niece has grown into a close family member, I want you to relinquish your parental rights to Petunia and me. We want to adopt her to make her a permanent member of our family." He started opening the folder. "I have the paperwork with me. All you have to do is sign this, and we can start the adoption proceedings. You will have to appear in the family court for a formal hearing, but it's nothing to be worried about." With slightly trembling hands he put the now open folder down and pulled out a pen from his jacket, praying that this would work.
"You can't be serious!" Lily shook her head, leaning back, crossing her arms. "She is my daughter. Adoption, for the reason you suggest, isn't proper in the Wizarding World. It might probably have worked before the whole birthday fiasco, but now everybody knows that she is our daughter. She's stuck with us."
"I don't give a damn about what you consider proper or not. What I do care about is the physical and psychological well fare of my niece and this unresolved issue is detrimental to her development." Vernon hissed with barely contained disdain. "At least to the correct thing and let your daughter go."
"I'm afraid that this won't be possible. Mr Dursley." Dumbledore calmly answered for the Potters. "Alexander and Harriet are magical twins. The blood wards of this estate can only remain this strong to protect the family as long as she comes back home for at least one month to recharge them. The family's safety depends on this. Another issue that you have overlooked is that Harriet is a talented young witch who will need to attend Hogwarts."
"Well, then you just have to live with this. Harriet stays with us. Besides, she doesn't WANT to attend your magical school. That she has made clear to us time and time again." Vernon thundered angrily finally losing his temper. Those Wizards could screw themselves. "There isn't a book in your precious library that she hasn't memorized yet, and she has a constant stream of books that get lend to her from another wiz … aham.. families. Considering that she gave you a run for your money using her least favourite godfather's wand, I'd wager that she could easily pass your exams."
"Hey, that was my wand, she took." Sirius objected vehemently but was shut up by Remus.
"I'm sorry to say, but I have to agree with Mr Dursley." He cut in after some contemplation. "You are so focused on protecting Alexander that you miss Harriet's suffering. I did tell you that the escalation last summer was a cry for help."
"So, you are siding with him against us?!" James called out, but Remus sighed heavily.
"James, could you, just this once, stop seeing things black or white? You made me Harriet's godfather as well. I did promise to do everything in my power to protect her from harm. So, far I have failed spectacularly on that front. Harriet was miserable here. She craved for your love that she never received after Who-know-who's disappearance. If we neglect just one child in favour of the other, then we are no better than the people we are fighting against."
"Beautifully said," Dumbledore said with a kind smile.
"I wasn't finished yet, Professor," Remus told him crisply. "Harriet deserves some happiness, and I do remember seeing the photos of her in the Dursley's home. She was beaming with happiness. You owe her that."
"Thank you." Vernon nodded thanks towards him. He had expected that Remus might have taken his side. Harriet did like the man after all.
"That is all very well, but it does not resolve Harriet's duty to protect her brother. A month is all we ask for." Dumbledore pointed out.
"She is almost eight years old. She has NO duty besides learning and being a child." Vernon bit back. "For you, a month might be nothing, for Harriet, it's everything. A month away from all her studies and her friends only stalls her progress."
"As you said. She also needs time to be a child. So, this one month can be used to let her be a child." Dumbledore suggested.
"Petunia and I are letting her be a child. We make sure that her life doesn't only consist of studying and training. When she was here you severely neglected her."
"WE NEGLECTED HER?" James jumped up balling his fists. "She has her room upstairs, which is cleaned every day. There's food in the kitchen, an entire library and she can go to that precious school. That is not neglect."
Vernon shook his head. "What are they teaching you in that magical school to create unable airheads out of you? You are emotionally neglecting her and that is damaging to her psychological well-being. I at least make an effort in reading about child development. You know there are a few books, that might widen your horizon."
James tried to rush forward in anger but was held back by Sirius. Dumbledore stood as well. "That's enough young man. May I have a word in private with you?" he asked the beefy man.
"No, old man." He riposted. "With all due respect, I simply don't trust you."
"That is perfectly understandable." Dumbledore inclined his head with a smile. "But I believe things need to calm down a bit until we can continue this discussion."
Vernon balled his fists. "My dispute is not with you, but with my in-laws. And as I do have to drive back today, I want to get this over with."
"Of course." Dumbledore agreed good-heartedly, stepping closer to him. He moved his hand in front of Vernon's face who tensed. "You will forget and let go of any plans to adopt Harriet Thea Athena Potter."
"I will forget and let go of any plans to adopt Harriet Thea Athena Potter." He repeated monotonously with glassy eyes.
"You will forget that you came here tonight," Dumbledore ordered and the Muggle repeated it again and left.
The old wizard sat back down again. Normally, he didn't like imposing his will onto others like that. Especially, when they were strong-willed like Mr Dursley. But Alexander was the future. He had to protect him, and the wards needed to be charged and the only person able to do this was Harriet Potter. And he wanted to keep a closer eye on her anyway. And he also would need to keep a closer look at Remus, whose gaze had just changed from a surprised one to an angry one.
It was eerily silent in the emperor's private meditation chamber. His apprentice still hadn't been able to deal with the ever-elusive Kiffar Master in the Outer Rim. It seemed that he had more tricks up their sleeve than anticipated. But Quinlan Vos hadn't exactly been a regular Jedi. His brush with the dark side must have given him insights into this part of the Force which now helped him evade the hunter. According to his sources, this former Master had cost Vader one of his suits. But his apprentice always travelled with a second one. He had full confidence that the Kiffar would soon fall to Vader's blade. If there was one thing he could count on, then it was that his apprentice never gave up his pursuit of his enemies. Yet the Kiffar also posed a different hazard. One that could cross the emperor's very own plans if the Force decided to fight him again. Voss could cross paths with the Force disturbance. The intriguing force disturbance he had detected weeks back had been challenging to locate, and the Force certainly had put up a fight to protect her whereabouts. He still was unable to identify her exact location no matter how hard he tried, but he had narrowed it down to somewhere in the Outer Rim Territories. Once or twice, he had detected it flare-up, which had eventually helped him to narrow it down to the Outer Rim Territories. Considering the fact that she had been on Coruscant's surface close to the heart of the imperial centre he suspected that the individual was hiding among his imperial ranks already. Fifteen fleets were currently operating in the systems he suspected her to be, six of which had had personal that had been at the imperial centre in the correct time frame and were now in the Outer Rim. That were too many people to plough through. He had only been able to connect with that individual once by sheer luck. She had been terrified, yet mastered masking her presence somehow, fighting his attempts to locate her, which told him that she was somewhat trained, but he didn't know to what extent and by whom. It couldn't have been a weak Jedi or a Nightsister otherwise he would have already found her as he knew all their pathetic tricks. The Force had shown him the dark outline of a faceless young female wearing an imperial naval uniform but unfortunately not her rank. She had potential. Huge potential. Potential that he wanted to have in his grasp before any other trained Force user could get his claws onto her. He had hoped for a few more slips of her powers, but to his dismay there were none. So, she had to have better control than his current apprentice, or she was getting better at controlling them. But that could imply that she had somebody tutoring her already and that implication was the most dangerous of all.
She sluggishly followed the tense conversation between Thrawn, Governor Pryce and Agent Kallus as she was standing stiffly next to the sitting Chiss. Her head was pounding mercilessly, cold shivers were running down her aching back and she swore that she could detect smoke in her nostrils, but there was none. She wished that she could return to her quarters at the Chimera and curl down at her cot and sleep it all away. It seemed that she had caught a cold or a virus somewhere and her body was fighting it off. Pryce arrogant high voice started to seriously grate on her nerves as it didn't make her headache any better. Kallus and Thrawn's deep calm voices were a balm next to the governor's voice.
"I do not see how your personal visit to Ryloth should help our Rebel Problem in the Lothal Sector?" Pryce argued and Harry winced at the high pitches of her voice earning her another side-glance from Agent Kallus. The blue-skinned Commander had informed the governor minutes earlier that he would depart to the Ryloth sector, much to the protest of that irritating woman. Agent Kallus, however, had had a strange gleam in his eyes for a heartbeat, that she couldn't place. She had sensed his determination but couldn't place it. A second later it was gone, and Harry wondered if she had just imagined it like the inexistent smoke right now.
"The Ryloth sector is not our responsibility." She beseeched him and Harry wondered how that woman had been able to become governor if she wasn't able to see the whole picture. Rumour had it that she had Tarkin's favour.
"Hera Syndulla is from the Ryloth sector." Kallus cut in. "The Phoenix Squadron has worked with the Rebel Cell from Ryloth before, so it is possible that they are working more closely together. Considering that Cham Syndulla escaped from the confrontation with our elite task force and hasn't been caught yet and his family home in the Tann Province is still intact, they might be using it to smuggle weapons through it."
"As of yet, the entire province hasn't been able to be taken over by the empire." Thrawn acknowledged with a nod. "No matter how hard they tried which gives me the perfect opportunity to conduct an experiment to test a theory on the Rebels behaviour."
"An experiment?" Kallus enquired with open curiosity. "What kind of experiment?" Harry had to give him credit, as she could pick up on his slightly rising anxiety. He wasn't as calm as he appeared to be. His outward appearance showed nothing of his inner turmoil. Does he worry?! Followed by a touch of shame? Harry reminded herself to change her gaze towards Pryce again or she might appear creepy to Kallus if her gaze lingered too long at him. Does Kallus have a Twi'lek lover on Ryloth? It could certainly explain his unease. He might worry about her or him? She certainly wouldn't put it past him. After all, she had heard the rumours of the raunchy Twi'lek healing baths on Ryloth were primarily frequented by male imperials nowadays.
"Not to worry, Agent Kallus," Thrawn replied evenly. "Merely, a behaviouristic experiment to test my theory on our Rebels behaviour." Harry frowned. How had Thrawn seen that Kallus had been worried? Had she not felt it, then she would never have detected his concern, or had she been too preoccupied with her pounding head that she had missed a micro-expression?
"You want to take over this province without taking your capital ship with you?" Pryce shook her head.
"I won't need a Star Destroyer to take the province," Thrawn assured her calmly.
"No, I will merely assist Captain Slawin to reach this goal while, the sevenths fleet under Commander Faro's watchful command will remain at Lothal at your disposal," Thrawn informed her and Harry shuddered at the idea that Pryce had the entire fleet at her disposal. The last thing they needed was another Batonn incident.
Luckily, Faro was the no-nonsense Fleet Commander under Thrawn who had his full confidence. So, any big casualties should be kept to a minimum.
"Hr'ae qoututlnidae qoaue chojachê huti tuxêi qoaue lêatluni hêou Pryce huae chaxêtlieeajae" (=You disapprove of my decision to leave my fleet at Pryce's disposal.) Thrawn stated in Minnisiat with smoothly modulated voice as they made their way to the hangar bay.
Her Minnisiat was still a bit shaky and whenever the vocabulary failed her, she tended to switch into Sy Bisti. The Chiss beside her had suggested continuing her lesson on the flight back to his capital ship. She was finally going back to the Chimera for a few hours and even though she had never thought it possible to think like that, her quarters had become some sort of sanctuary to her, but now to wrap her sluggish mind and her tongue around the words and the unfamiliar grammar when all she wanted was some sleep wasn't ideal to her.
"Qoae fwnochae hr'ae hêu'qou xêjae tue hêoxêi huti maie, Xêasêinie (=I believe you already know the answer to that, Sir.)" She told him flatly. "Pryce hoxêma hu hesei- fwtuxêie ahm…(=Pryce is a first class…) … Fwaue zunuxêi psychopath xêalsazae hosê Qoassaxêauma? (=What does psychopath mean in Minnisiat?)" she enquired.
"Tl'xêafwitlumie" Thrawn supplied patiently.
"Tl'xêafwitlumie" she repeated trying to wrap her mind around the word.
"No, Tl'xêafwitlumie" Thrawn corrected her pronunciation.
After a few more false starts she finally managed it. That language would be the death of her. And he had told her that only when she'd mastered this one, would he introduce her to Cheung. His native tongue.
"Fwuêe hoti fwaue Qoae tl'ihruxêi hr'achê maue qouttlnifwxêa'qoue, zêae hoxêma mema hodtalo maie lêae tl'ihruxêi fwufieeie husimmêe Batonn hizajae xêou zêae mêottlae lêasê haslo. Fwaou tue zin'qoie Nolusmie, Ryder Azadi hoxêma xêos'qoihrue xêeni tue hottuxêi lêae qouêe chaxêxêtlojalo nou huti tl'tae chnuxêmafwi qooeeeni huti fwutlmae tasê noou. Puni lêasê maie hoxêma tl'onxêisie."
(="And from what I could see so far, it is entirely possible that she could cause another Batonn situation if it helps her case. As the former Governor, Ryder Azadi is still on the loose she might resort to more drastic measures to catch him again. For her that's personal.")
Thrawn regarded her calmly with a side glance before he focused his attention on the shuttle ramp they were entering. "Hodti." (=Perhaps)
With the ramp closing and the shuttle departing he continued: "Pryce hoxêma fwiszacho'qoue maie lêae mêuhralo qouttlnifwxêa'qoou chou Batonn fwuêe lêae qouêe hoxêma chofwxêmnue. Xêochê lêae hoxêma husfwufie xêjae chou sou seni qoaue xêexêtlofwma, xêochê maie chou Fwitisoti Yularen. Hesei maue hifwueeuêêie xêeni lêasê hidxêonhrae qouêe hutlonae hifwueeie. Hu xêofweschie hesei moxêmu'qoosma zunazêi xêexêtlofwmo'qou."
(=Pryce is confident that she got away with Batonn and she might be right. But she is also aware of not only my suspicion but that of Colonel Yularen. One such incident on her watch might appear accidental. A second one would become suspicious.")
He lectured her while Harry shortly closed her eyes trying to block out the pounding of her head. But she couldn't keep her grin at bay at Thrawn's statement. "With all due respect, but I believe you are giving Pryce too much credit." She switched back to basic.
"Am I now?" Thrawn asked with slight amusement in his voice also falling back into Basic.
"Yes." Harry told him. "Pryce got away with it once and as per your orders I'm still trying to find a way to prove it, but she won't think about it as much as you do. She is more straightforward. Got away with it once, she gets away with it again. Especially, with Tarkin as her patron. As long as Lothal supplies the Empire with whatever it needs, she is untouchable. That's politics in action for you."
"Mh, I see." He told her, still a hint of amusement in his voice. "Lt. Commander Vanto briefed you well on matters of politics."
"Tae qouêe mêuhr'o chani qoae maie tue qouttilafwue tudiniêe chou xêuzêi hoxêma hu hosdelêuÿê chou hu Achilles fwutfwusie puni hr'ae." She told him.
(=He may have told me that the illogical workings of politics are a bit of an Achilles heel for you.)
"Achilles heel?" Thrawn asked her.
"Hu Achilles fwutfwusie hoxêma hu qoutzinmoja hosê xêtlamou paeêe xêetloni zinmojie, fwaei tl'ihruxêi fwischefwae huti zutolo. Che'qou tue qoamitilaue chohrosê mensae xêasê huti hu zaeeafwi vulnerability, idiomatic hutechie huti hutae hojie hufie hojie maie tl'ihruxêi fwischefwae huti zutolo hoxêma fwi'qoesê." She explained.
(=An Achilles heel is a weakness in spite of overall strength, which can lead to downfall. While the mythological origin refers to a physical vulnerability, idiomatic references to other attributes or qualities that can lead to downfall are common.)
"Can'russ'ah." Thrawn murmured sending shivers down her back or perhaps it was just the fever rising. "I shall endeavour to remember that."
Harry frowned. The word had sounded so natural to Thrawn. Had that been a Cheung word? It had to be.
"What does 'Can'russ'ah' mean?" she inquired hoping not to butcher the pronunciation. "That was a word from your mother tongue, wasn't it?"
"Indeed." Thrawn acknowledged. "It means 'fascinating'."
"Speaking of fascinating." Harry changed the topic. "Did you come to a decision about the expedition to Bahryn. I mean Agent Kallus, reports are usually quite detailed, but the one about this moon stands out due to its vagueness and as Admiral Konstantine never recovered the escape pod. So, there might be some things that just slipped under the radar."
"Admittedly, I did not yet have much time to ponder about it." he told her smoothly and Harry winced. After all she had suggested it on a whim after he had informed her that he had waived her shore leave for the next five years. It had seemed like a good idea to go on a mission to prove herself to him. But it seemed that he had seen right through it. She should have used a less obvious approach.
"Bahryn is not a priority at the moment." He told her calmly. "Even though I do recognize its appeal to you. Yet, you are currently not in any condition to see such a mission through. As soon as we land you are ordered to report and to be confined to the Med Bay until the Chief Medical officer clears you."
She mentally scoffed. What she had wanted right now had been her cot in her quarters, not the Med Bay, but knowing Thrawn she wouldn't get out of this. And his absence could give her an opportunity to suggest a mission to Bahryn to Faro. Perhaps she was more inclined to allow it. Ideally taking Longbottom's squad with her. Three wizards were better than one. But all of that went out of the window if she was 'confined' to the Med Bay. She mentally growled. Thrawn's request for her to go to the Med Bay was perfectly reasonable. The last thing he needed was the outbreak of an illness on his Star Destroyer, and yet…
Stepping across uneven rubble, meandering through masses of people in search of medi-witch or healers taking a look at his son wasn't easy. Scorpius was writhing in his grasp begging him to get him away of here. Smoke was in the air, people were screaming for other people, commands were shouted over his head. In other words, it was chaotic. Something bad had happened here in St. Mungo's. His parents also had unsuccessfully returned from their search for the two healers familiar with their familiar history informing him about a new triage system that St. Mungos had just implemented to treat everybody. He needed help for Scorpius. He couldn't lose him as well. Aurors! Tonks! Perhaps she could help. He called out to her and luckily got her attention.
"What in Merlin's name are you doing here?!" she enquired shouting at him over the blazing noise.
"Scorpius has a fever and I need somebody to take a look at him. I don't want him to … you know like his mother." He tried to explain hoarsely.
Tonks regarded her with pity in her eyes. "There is no way that any healer is free to take a look at him right now. We are still trying to find people who survived the blaze."
His heart sunk. A blaze! In St. Mungos?! Tonks snapped her fingers in front of his face to get his attention. "Ok, look. Does Scorpius display the same symptoms as Astoria?" she asked staring him in his eyes and he shook his head.
"No, Astoria never had any fever."
"Is there anyone else he had contact with besides you, your parents or my family?" she asked, and he shook his head again.
"Well, then take him to a Muggle hospital. Teddy was complaining about soreness and slight fever a few days ago, but luckily, he is vaccinated against influenza. Scorpius isn't, am I right." She put her head to the side.
He had no idea what she meant about vaccination, so he shook his head again.
"He probably caught the virus when he came borrowing Teddy's encyclopaedia. Take him to a Muggle hospital." She ordered him. "Empire or not, they can help him."
"But we don't know any Muggle hospital." Lucius cut in sneering at the idea of taking his grandson to a Muggle facility.
Tonks sighed dramatically. "Alright, take him to the University Hospital of Wales, Heath Park Way in Cardiff. They are fantastic. Saved Teddy's godmother. Now, if you excuse me, I've work to do. Good Luck." With that, she turned around and quickly followed other Aurors into the building.
She was floating. Well, she knew that she wasn't really floating, but it did feel like it. Whatever the Chief Medical officer had hit her with was strong. She currently felt no pain which was good, but he was happy to finally have a mystery that he was eager to solve. They had no clue whatsoever what the source of her fever was. She didn't carry any virus in her blood system, no bacteria, which could cause her current symptoms. He had then proceeded to test her for toxins which had also come back negative. She had been forced to slip out of her uniform and was now lying in medical scrubs in a medical cot. When the chief medical officer had detected her jewellery under her uniform, he had told her to put it away, yet she had refused. It protected her from discovery from that dark entity that was searching for her and she had no desire to be detected. This darkness felt malicious, dangerous and all-consuming and she knew she didn't have the strength right now to fend it off. After a few tests, he had luckily relented and let her wear her necklace murmuring something about religious nutcases under his breath. Well, he wasn't that far off. After all her necklace spotted the same symbol as her wristband. For some in the Wizarding World, the symbol was as important as other religious symbols. She, however, would make sure that the things it stood for would die with her. They were her charge, her inheritance. Her brother and everyone else might think that she destroyed it after duelling against him, but unfortunately even she had not managed to do it. She was its master now and there was nothing she could do about it, besides making sure that nobody else would ever get their hands on these three things. And she didn't want to use any of the three things as they made her sick using them. The three brothers, she had summoned in her desperation back then had assured her that they would lose their power once she had died without them falling into other hands.
There was a familiar voice in her close vicinity. It seemed that the Chief Medical officer reported his initial findings to Thrawn. She mentally groaned. Why? Ok, yes, he was her superior, but she felt a bit like under the looking glass. He was already studying her notebooks; her drawings and it did unnerve her. Did he have access to her social media accounts as well? They were practically a digital book and… she drifted off…
"Get me out of here!" She heard somebody whimper. The voice sounded like… Scorpius. Was he in pain?! She tensed. The urge to look for him was strong. Haze was surrounding her. A fog that burned her lungs. She coughed.
"Help me!" came from somewhere behind her. She spun around. Couldn't see. She wanted to protect him. She needed to protect him.
"Scorpius!" she called out to him. Debris lying on the foggy ground nearly dripped her up, but she managed to stay on foot. The smell of burned rubber, smoke and oil were invading her senses. Sirens could be heard from all around her together with the terrified screams of the outlines and shades of people around her.
"Scorpius" She called out again spinning around, squinting her eyes. He needed protection. Her heart ached at that thought. It felt as if it was trying to jump out of her chest. Where was he?
"Mama!" she heard Scorpius cry out for her again and her heart almost burst. "He was trying to reach his mother. Astoria. His mother was dead. Why he was connecting with her was a mystery to him, but she couldn't stop the overwhelming love that was spreading through her entire body. Every fibre of her body was trying to find him, protect him and tell him that all would be fine. Somehow magic was trying to connect him to her. She had a familiar nagging sensation in the back of her mind, but she ignored it. He needed her help. She wished that she could take his pain away.
"Scorpius!" she called out to him again. More forcefully this time." There the fog became lighter and she could spot the familiar boy, who seemed relieved when he spotted her. He looked exhausted, but his smile grew when he locked his gaze with her. Quickly she stretched out her hands to take them, to reassure him and…
She woke up with a jolt, breathing hard, trying to sit up, the scrubs clinging to her body. Had she been sweating that much? Was her fever gone? A cold hand was pushing her back down.
"She is definitely not simulating." She heard the Chief Medic's voice but was too weak to open her eyes.
"And you still don't know what's causing it?" that was Thrawn's voice, yet with the vibrating sound accompanying it, she assumed that he was already been on his way to Ryloth.
"Negative, Sir. My best guess is some sort of allergy, but as of now, I can't confirm it, Sir."
She knew that it wasn't an allergy. She had no idea how she knew but she did. She drifted off again while the conversation continued at the periphery of her awareness.
Looking forward to your comments!