River started to use the charm on as many students she could systematically go from her sister in the far corner towards the centre. Soon after, she started, she heard McGonagall, Flitwick, and Slughorn voices raised in alarm their exact words lost to her. She saw someone with brown hair streaking past in the corner of her eye. She ignored it and focused on her task.
She was on her third student when what was happening dawned on the rest of the student body, and panic broke loss. She was only dimly aware of the screaming that filled the room. She started to feel tired and feared that she would slip up. It was getting harder and harder to concentrate, and she knew that every second counted. The poison was fast working, and soon it would be too late for them. She was losing track of time as she went from student to student. She realized that any moment now she would begin to encounter people that were too far gone to save. She let that fact spur her pace.
She started to encounter students that showed that their skin of bluer. River knew from experience that it was not long after that their lips took on a black aspect and they died. She began to shake so badly that she needed to stop for a second and take a deep breath before she could continue. She steeled herself, and as River was going on to the next student she ran into someone, and they both fell.
They both hit the ground hard and was momentarily stunned. Their gaze met, and River realized that she had run into Hermione Granger. They looked at each other for a moment before hurriedly got up and locked behind the other person. When they saw that the students behind the other were treated, they together looked further behind Granger were the teacher was finishing the last student. River sat down feeling completely drained.
She watched as Granger went to Professor Flitwick, and together they created a shimmering dome over the students. She looked around it seemed that the prefects had things under control and had gathered the students on the other side of the hall. River found Rosie still in her seat, slumped down. River felt the panic rising again until She got closer and, to her relief, saw that her face was still her natural complexion. She walked up to Rosie and examined her and saw that she seemed unconscious but otherwise unharmed. She remembered that if there were too many strong emotions like fear, she would be overwhelmed.
She breathed more comfortably and looked over to the Slytherin students. She knew that they were far from out of danger. The poison could relatively easily be delayed but cured it was an entirely different matter. She did not even know if it was possible, but she had to hope.
Then River heard a bang, and the student in front of the entrance were flying out of the way of a white-faced Madam Pomphrey as she joined the others. River sat next to Rosie and watched as Madam Pomphrey was informed about the situation.
Madam Pomphrey listed as she surveyed the students she was pointed to River as she sat beside Rosie. McGonagall nodded and said in a magically magnified voice, "everyone that can perform the body-slowing charm remains here. The rest of you return to your common rooms. The prefects are in charge". River and two more students from the crowd joined the rest. Before the students even had time to leave, McGonagall continued, "we need to get them all to St Mungo's. They need to extract the poison a bit at a time until it is small enough for them to survive it."
River felt relief that they already had a plan of action. Still, it was neutralized by the worried expression of the headmistress.
The headmistress sent a couple of teachers ahead and, with the rest, started to prep the students for transportation. The body-slowing charm only lasted for an hour, so River, Luna, and the two newcomers had the assignment to refreshing the charm.
They made the students levitate in a line to the outside of the school. The trip was aery as they silently followed the procession of the students to the edge of the school in silence. The evening was chill and she wished that she had a jacked. She walked beside her sister as the procession made its way towards the outside. She was spared this moment from the charge of refreshing the charm and held her sister's cold hands in her which was strangely reassuring as the coldness was a part of the char so that she knew that it worked. If it was not working, her sister would be feverishly hot.
McGonagall must had spread the word for meeting them at the edge of the school grounds were the rest of the teachers as well as people from Hogsmeade. There was a constant pop as more people arrived at the edge of the grounds. When the precision reached the outside of the charm that prevented apperation. The single line of students divided into several and people would cast the body-slowing charm on the fist row then others used sidelong apparition to get them to the hospital. Her job was to make sure that the student furthers away had their charm refreshed.
River felt empty as the repetitive task of refreshing the charm now when everybody was out of imminent danger. She felt a bit of panic as they removed her sister but forced herself to remain calm. There were nurses from the hospital that took the people that knew appriation one at the time to the place which had been prepared for them. So that they knew where they should aim there apperation. There was a worried look on Grangers' faces when she reappeared before she took a deep breath and took a student and twisted and was gone. There was a constant pop as more people were showing up, and the old ones were reappearing the ones that knew the charm help her in as they took small brakes from transporting people.
It where not a great idea to transport sick people this way but it was necessary in this case. She felt worried that it would worsen her sister's condition. The longer she was awey from her the closer she felt to she felt to tears. She managed to keep her composition until when it was finely her turn. As the last of the students had been transported. A wizard an inch shorter, then her with black heir walked towards her, and without even a word, they locked arms. She felt the man's arm, twist then suddenly there where the familiar feeling of apperation as darkness enclosed everywhere and she felt pressed from all directions. Suddenly she was in an enormous hall that reminded her of a giant bunker. River would never have guest that this was a part of St Magnus.
There were several nurses with grim expressions that were moving along the students and examine them in turn. When they finished with the examination, there was a slight relief on their faces. The head nurse turned to the crowd," It looks like you were fast enough so that they will if we are lucky all survive." She looked at them with a grim expression "we will divide you into groups. You will together refresh the charm". "We will have a set of nurses as well, but most of us will focus on extracting the poison. It is an exhausting prosses, so we will need to rest often and then we will help a bit in refreshing the charm. But for the most part, you will have the primary responsibility in keeping them alive for long enough for us to extract enough of the poison.
The groups were River, Luna Lovegood and Harmonie Granger, The Hufflepuff which name was Sebastian Foster and Flitwick Slughorn, and the Gryffindor students. They were given a short speech on the importance of their task and if that failed in keeping the charm up, they would die.
After fifteen minutes of refreshing the charm they were given a small brake as Slughorn and some nurses had prepared potion they would help them stay focus and spare their voices. It was as she drank the red liquid from one of this bottes as her mind made a connection that it had been too occupied to do before and it almost made her lose the charm she was casting. This had been their message had meant with this is your final warning. she felt a rage build inside her,. This had not been a warning, but an attempt of mass murder had they no idea what kind of poison they had been using. It was lucky that she had the first period so that she had to consecrate on what she was doing.
The nurses did not exaggerate when they said that extracting the poison would be exhausting for them. There were several steps to the prosses. The first part was that they cast a charm over the person. Then they put their wand on their target and, with great effort, drew the wand back and pulled something out of their bodies on the tip of their wands then put it into a bottle. They were not able to do more than three before almost collapsing. They were pushing themselves to the utmost limits. Which told River of the seriousness and that these people could die if they screwed up their part.
They got more of the potion so that their throats would not hurt. They had a brief diner where they all were to overwhelm to make much of a conservation. The important of their job did not remove the extremely repetitive nature, and they had to keep in mind what was at stake for them to not let the repetition dull their concentration.
After what felt like forever it was time to switch teams, they headed to a rest zone that was set aside for them. It was several rows of Sleeping bags with a bathroom close by. Next to the Sleeping bags there were potions. They were instructed that this was sleep potions that would give them six hours of sleep, which was probably necessary for them to sleep at all. River was sure that she would not be able to sleep otherwise. They all gulped the potion at almost the same time. Immediately after she drank the potion, she realised that this potion did not remove dreams. Which as much dreed as her tired mind could muster, she was unable to not resist the potions effect and she fell into a world of nightmares.
Her first dream was a suppressed memory. The memory itself was not of anything dire it was just connected with a lot of painful ones, so it had been suppressed as collateral damage. She was her present self trapped in the body of her former self and felt her thought and emotions as echoes. She was not free to move as she pleased as and was restricted by her former self. She was in her cage. The walls were with one exception made of glass. There was also her bed made from a soft stone with charm; it was comfortable. There was also an orb that removed filth from the area.
The significant about this memory was the arrivals of new test subjects. There were three, two men and one woman she could not remember their features so she thought that they died in some painful way. They all had smiles on their faces and floated towards their cages. They were all under some sort of Cher charm. With them looking so glad, she suspected it was the woman's doing. Her name escaped her as it connected to so many painful memories. By her feeling towards them, she figured that this was not too long ago as it did not seem to be a big surprise. She could see her former self-thinking if they had already turned or if they were test doll for some other test to see if they could weaponize the curse. It sent shivers down her spine. She wondered if they had escaped with her or if they were dead. Then came a man also obscured as her mins was unable to remember him as he was as well connected to many painful memories. He took out three devises that looked like different coloured bottles. He made them drink and then noted which one had taken which bottle. He turned to the woman "Now we wait and see if we have more luck with this potion" The woman shook her head "I doubt it, still if you manage to realise your experiment and are able to turn them into werewolves with this potion. It will be a great step forward in our plans."
Then her second dream began. This dream was less visual. There was something silver coming out of her eyes and mouth. Then the taste of blood and a sound that shook the world. Finely there was an empty void of complete silence. She woke up with a start and managed not to scream.
As she did, she could see Hermione and Luna doing the same. She felt oddly refreshed even though she had those nightmares. They had a brief breakfast when they left the rest area. They meet with a sight shocked River right outside their ret zone where the minster of magic. "Kinsley," Hermione burst out with grin that was responded in kind by the mister, "Hermione good to see you" He turned would, you girls, mind if I talk to her in privet" River shook her head. Luna simply said, "not at all," and they walked away. When she looked over to the treatment area, she saw that they had reinforcements from government employers and other civilians. She also noticed that people were helping the nurses with the excavation of the poison. For the first time, she felt hopeful a feeling that disappeared as she realized that not all the Slytherins was there. Panic rose up as she scanned rge rows as she searched for her sister and when she found her, she felt most of the panic drain away.
A nurse came towards them. River was too afraid to ask as she feared the answer. It was Luna that asked with a uncharacteristic worried tone," there seem to be some students missing where are they?" The nurse gave them a tired but comforting smile, and said, "most of them had an only small amount of poison in their system, and it is already completely removed from their bodies" She was unsure if her voice would hold "most?" The nurse's smile turned sober "two have complications as the charm was not probably reapplied, so they got worse and had to get into intensive care. Their life is at the moment out of danger" she must have read their expression "do not worry. It was someone after you or it would have should much earlier," they all sighed out of relief. River looked around to see If there where someone from the other team close by, not seeing them, she relaxed. The nurse continued "we have placed additional indicators that shows how long the charm have left so that this will not be repeated." She pointed at a blue square around a above a student's head that was turning black as the charm expired. The square was floating in the air above the student. Hermione returned a while after, and she and Luna had a whispering conservation. Then Luna retold what the nurse had said to Hermione, and she saw the same relief she had felt. She even checked to see if there where someone from the other team around with an expression if embarrassment that she imagen had closely resembled her own.
It felt weird for her to do something that she had done herself. It made her seem more human, which she now realized that she had not truly considered her. She had not to time to further ponder what she exactly thought she was as it was time to go back to work. They drank their small potion as well as a sort of energy potion Slughorn had made. She felt truly alive, and she had a more exceptional ability to focus. She understood why this potion was banned from tests. It was also something that was not healthy to use for extended periods of time, but It was critical to focus on the task at hand. They went through the same movements as they had last night. But they were now more focused as they with more clarity knew the cost of failure.
They continued the routine until it was time for lunch. It was a merciful hour as the minister Wizards arrival had altered their timetable, so they had time to take a breather. The first thing she did was to excuse herself from the rest and go to see Andrew.
She found him after he had just said goodbye to a patient. When his eyes met hers, she could see his worry, "there you are, how your sister? How are you feeling?" She was about to say okay but knew that he would see right thought it. "I am dealing with it. My sister is still in the danger zone. But the reason I came here is that I did not have a dreamless potion last night, and I remembered something." He managed to lock booth interested and considered at the same time, not an easy feat to accomplish. "She retold the memory she had experience the night before and he made some notes on a pad and nodded. "you did tell us that one of the scientist's area of study was infection and that his project was to create a weapon that could create werewolf outside the full mone. As the person that died at the Battle of Hogwarts, I doubt there any real danger" He smiled "thank you for the information. Still, you should rest your sister and all her Slytherin comrades need you at full strength" she smiled back, wondering if she had overacted as she headed back to the bunker.
She found Hermione and Luna eating. They beckoned her to join them. She paid little attention to the food as she assumed anything they served at a hospital was healthy. Seeing the other girls' expression they both thought it tasted delicious. a short while after she had joined them, Granger said, "I think people have gotten overwhelmed with all that have happened so I do not think anyone have said this yet but it was good reflexes and decision making on your part. There probably wold have ben fatalities if you had not acted without any hesitation" "Thanks," River muttered, she was blushing. Hermione continued "Did you see, hear or sense anything strange before the attack?" "no, should I " River said slowly. Hermione seemed to consider her words carefully. "I do not want to seem rude, but there is a rumour going about that the experience you endured might have given you" She paused briefly "certain abilities." No nothing I am aware of". River answered stiffly. She let the answer hang in the air for a moment before elaborating. "The experience did not give me anything. It only took awry. The reason I was able to identify the poison was one of the Deatheater was interested in the healing properties of the werewolf transformation." Hermione looked confused, "healing properties" River cuntinued"when a werewolf transforms the act of transforming can heal almost any wound, cure practically any poison. The rescuers wanted to try to use that to create something that could cure anything, so he experimented a lot with different poisons." The silence came back.
River was stricken with a sudden thought, and as much as she wanted to ask it for its own sake, she also wanted desperately to fill the awkward silence. "if you do not mind me asking what kind of man was Lupin?" Hermione looked confused; then, a sad smile spread across her face. "He was much like he was as a teacher. I am sure you remember. "Now it was Rivers turn to have a sad smile. I would not know as I never had the pleasure my first defence against the dark arts was the death eater." Hermione looked surprised, "you are fifteen?" "This was a reaction she was used to," "so" Lona Lovegood timed in "you're a giant in your class" River nodded. "Hermione still looked at her in disbelief how are you able to cast such advised charm." River mode dimed a bit, and she briefly thought about lying but could not come up with a convincing one. "They did more than just werewolf experiments. You can only do the experiments on a werewolf once a month. Unless you are trying to come up with something to force people or make it so that they can control their transformation." She saw that both looked concerned, "do not worry as far as I know no experiment subsided" they did not seem overly relived. She realized that she probably opened the door to something they probably did not know existed or wanted to.
"Anyway, one of the things they wanted to test was an alternative method of learning, The exact method is still locked inside my head, but some of the things stuck. I am sure that there was much more they tried to see if I would remember, but I do not have access to those memories. She was starting to regret her honesty, as it did not seem to help. They were salient as they absorbed the information, "so," River said as she was desperate to feel the silence with something "how did you know the charm?" Harmonie said, " I learned it as a preparation for the journey I took last year." Luna was smiling broadly" the reason I know it is simple; it is my mother's charm, so of course, I am had to learn it." Hermione looked impressed. "I see that probably why it is not so well know even though it is a potent charm." It so new, and wizards have an annoying habit of treating any charm or potion that is not hundreds of years old to not worth teaching. Going back to your original question.
Lupin was a teacher true and through. His focus when we were in our third-year was magical creatures and how to survive them. He was not perfect, but in the end, no one is. Still, he taught us much more than any other defence against the dark arts teacher." She described several lessons and even their final exam and what her Bogort had transformed into.
Still our newest professor, is starting to become the second favourite professor." "oh, which one is your current number two then? " Luna asked it took a second for Hermione to answer, "I want to say professor Snape. Still, as a teacher, I think that he was less then desirable if you were not wearing green." She pondered "professor Lovegood was a complete fraud and tried to erase my friends' memories, Proffer Quirrell as a teacher where okay and he was the vessel of Voldemort." River winced at she mention the name"Umbrage was probably the worst as a teacher as we had to form our own club to learn anything that year " "Oh yes but we should we not count harry then as he basically took over as our defence against the dark arts teacher. "Oh yes, if you count Harry, I think I would put him as second, but if not, I think that I have to go to fake Madeye as he did a good job teaching us even if he only did it as a cover. Even if some of it was on the grey side of the law,"
River remembered fake moody "as a first-year, I thought he was terrifying, and he did have a bizarre laugh." "I never heard him laugh; it had to be something very amusing as Moody was not famous for laughing, and Crowler junior was always sure to keep up appearances. "
Before she could tell about that embracing thing, their conservation was interrupted by a nurse that was barely able to stay on her feet. That is was their turn to reinforce the Charms.
With the ministry helping with both the relativizing the charm and removing the poison, the number of students that they were taking care of was steadily decreasing. The system that did use that they took the youngest with the least amount of poison in their system first which the logical way as if there were any mistakes on their part or if it took too long as the charm would not slow down the poison forever. It would lead them to a slow death and the younger people where, the easier they would succumb. This meant that her sister would be one of the last people to have the poison eliminated from their system. She wanted to protest and try to make it so that they made an exception for her, but she could not bring herself to do it. How could she live with herself if by her decision someone died because she convinces them to prioritize her sister was? She had to respect the knowledge of the sisters and hope that her sister was strong enough. The one thing that keep her going was that the nurse had said that with luck, they could all survive.
She noticed a development that people were following the people performing the charm. she realized that they were training up more people. She wondered if she was going to get any training or if they were going to replace her. Both of her assumptions were wrong. The new blood did allow her and the others to take more of a break. They seemed to be reluctant to have the "newbies" go by themselves too much, and they wisely did not assign her to teach anyone. She was happy they did not replace her with another, which would have made her feel like she was not able to do anything for her sister. which she did not know if she would be able to handle.
There was more, and more of the children brought out to recover in another part of the hospital. Still, the poison was progressing in the others. The nurses seemed to be at their wit's end. She realized that her hope was a foolish one that there was no way for the nurses to be able to cure all of them and it was almost partly her fault that her sister might be the last one as she had been the first charmed when only the first symptoms had been relived. On her break, she went to the bathroom and wept. Her hope that eventually her sister would be cured had been almost destroyed. Her only hope was that they had Hermonie Granger and surely she thought. Granger had to come up with a plan. She would just haft to believe in her. She had been one of the people that had defeated he who should not be named alongside Harry and Ron.
She walked to the others with a desperate hope that she clung with all her might to or else River felt like she would go insane. They ate silently. River refusing to look at Hermione as her mind was to fragile at the moment, and anything except complete confidence in Grangers expression she felt would break her. She started to pay less and less attention on what was going around her and she just ate, worked and slept. This went on for three days. At this point, there were no nurses or minsters left standing. They were all recovering. She was starting to lose the glimmer of hope she had started with as most of their patients now shoved the second stage of the poisoning the black lips. She knew that if it reached the third stage that the pupils disappeared, and would be too late. There were people that tried to get her in conservation and even Andrew pay her a visit a couple of times but they soon left her alone as they noticed that she was not paying any attention. The only thing that made her react was a comment from Andrew that she might feel better if she took a day of. She exploded and almost roared at him but managed to keep her voice only a bit higher then a conservational tone. He took everting in stride squeezed her shoulder and said that "I thought that was the only way for you to listen to me if you need to take care of yourself and trust in us adults that we will do anything in our power to help your sister" That made river feel better for a little while then the desperation made her put up the same berries again
It was around lunch on the fifth day since the poisoning a sound that could not exist erupted in the bunker. she looked up after performing the charm on a boy with pale blond hair. She saw that the Everyone was cheering a collection of nine women and five men that came from the entrance to the bunker with hurried steps. The man with orange heir that was leading them had with a grin on his face and said with obvious glee . "The first delegation has arrived". There was only one thought was crossing Rivers mind her sister was going to live. She was almost brought to tears right there and then but was able to hold herself of enough so that she was able to continue working. The head nurse went to them on shaky legs, but persevering and told them who they should be prioritising first they Immediately. She was relieved of the duty to rest shortly after they arrived. She, Hermione, and Luna took a seat and before the break-even when over five more wizards and three witches arrived. River then broke down and started to cry as she was now free from work for the moment "welcome back from the dead," Luna said "thanks" River said after she recovered a bit embarrassed. "I first thot it was a Nemarua had bitten you, but considering" she pointed at where her sister lay still not showing the sign of the black lips. Hermione's voice where a bit nervous "did no one inform you that there where delegations from all over Europe coming here to help?" River could feel herself flush" probably, I have not paid attention on what people have said the last couple of days." Hermione nodded, "well, now the worst is behind us. Three more delegations are coming," River felt like a great wait of her shoulders and it was with a soring in her step she returned to work.