Thursday, August 5th 1999

Minerva sat, leaning forward, with her elbows resting on her thighs and her head in her hands. It had been over a month now and still no antidote. Tensions were at an all time high and only getting higher the longer they went with no cure. Though Daniel and Nina had made up and were on good terms again finally, other couples were still having problems. More screaming matches broke out in the Hospital Wing that Pomfrey had to deal with. One had gotten so bad that Raj had actually gotten up to help calm the two parents down. Thankfully they listened to him, Madam Pomfrey was very grateful. People were beginning to lose hope that their children would ever wake up. Minerva was beginning to lose hope.

"Just wake up, please Lucy! Just wake up!" Minerva said, rocking back and forth a little in her chair. "Why won't you wake up?! I need you to wake up!"

Isobel put an arm around her. "Shh... it's okay. She'll wake up."

"When?!" Minerva exclaimed loudly, pulling away from her mother quickly and getting up. "When, Mother?! It's been over a month and still they've made no progress whatsoever! How can you be so sure she'll wake up at all?!"

"Minerva, please calm -"

"Don't tell me to calm down! I'm sick of everyone telling me to calm down and to not worry! I'm worried!" Minerva yelled.

Isobel stood up quickly and pulled the curtains around Lucy's bed so no one else couldn't hear their conversation. Minerva didn't care though. She knew that a lot of these parents were turning to her for reassurance but she couldn't take it anymore. A lot of people at Hogwarts looked up to her, maybe because she had been their teacher, maybe because she was close with Dumbledore, maybe because she was high up in the Order. Whatever it was, they put a lot of pressure on her to be okay for them. Pressure that she couldn't take anymore. She couldn't be prim and proper anymore. She couldn't put on a brave face for them anymore. She had to let herself feel her own emotions.

"Minerva, I know it's hard but she will get better. She will," Isobel said. "She has too."

"Why does she have to?" Minerva asked angrily. "The universe doesn't care how we feel. God doesn't give a shit about us."

"Minerva -"

"He doesn't. If he did do you think we'd be in this mess to begin with?!" she yelled. "Lucy doesn't have to do anything. We want her to get better. That doesn't mean that's she's going to... she might... she might... never wake up... she... I..."

Tears streamed down her face and Minerva looked away quickly. Isobel sighed and walked over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. Minerva moved away again. She walked up to the bed and sat down by Lucy's head. She looked at her tiny daughter in the bed. The burnt skin, the black marks, the red scars. Minerva wrapped her arms around Lucy and pulled her close to her, hugging her tightly. She looked up at her mother.

"Please... just give me some time alone with my baby."

Isobel stared at her for a second before nodding and leaving Minerva alone with Lucy still in her arms. As soon as the curtain closed behind her, Minerva moved so that she was more comfortable on the bed. She laid Lucy down in her lap and held her close. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she did her best to wipe them away

"Oh, darling," she whispered, pushing her hair back. Lucy's hair was still in all it's tiny braids that Amelia, Minerva and Raj had done. The beads made sound when they moved and hit each other. "I'm trying, Lucy. I'm trying really hard to keep believing but it's been so long and I'm so tired. I need you to wake up. I need you to open your eyes and talk to me. I need to hear your voice. You were my hope, Lucy, I told you you were and I wasn't lying. If you don't... if you don't make it... I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't know how I'm going to hope."

Minerva sat there for a long time, whispering softly as she rocked Lucy in her arms. Finally the curtains opened again. Minerva looked up to see Daniel walk through.

"Is that really a good idea?" he asked, looking at his stepmother rocking Lucy back and forth.

"I just wanted to hold her," Minerva whispered, not looking at him. She looked down at Lucy instead. "Who knows if I'll ever get to do it again."

Daniel sighed and walked over to the bed. He sat down opposite her and looked down at Lucy too. He waited a second before holding out his arms for her. Minerva gave him a little smile and moved Lucy into his arms.

"I'm sorry," Daniel said suddenly, looking down at Lucy and not at Minerva.

"About what?" Minerva asked.

"For saying horrible things to you. I've said a lot this last six week and it was stupid and I shouldn't have said it," he said, looking up at her again. "And I never apologized. I'm sorry."

Minerva smiled at him. "That's alright. It's been a very stressful summer," she said. "We've both been under a lot of pressure. I'm not angry at you."

"It's just... I already forgave you. I shouldn't be bringing it up again," Daniel said with a shake of his head. "It's stupid. You've apologized and I accepted your apology. It should be over now. I shouldn't bring it up."

"It's okay, Daniel. Really," she said, reaching out and putting a hand on his arm.

"I wish he was here," Daniel whispered. "He would know what to do. What to say to make us feel better."

"He would," Minerva said with a sigh. "I wish he was here too."

"I'm also sorry for not being there when it happened," Daniel mumbled, looking back down at Lucy.

"It's not your fault."

"She asked me to come down and play with her but I said no," he said. "I said that I was tired and that I didn't want to play right now. If I had just gone down with her... I could have stopped them from playing with that stupid box. I could have prevented this."

"It's not your fault, Daniel. Hogwarts is supposed to be a place where children can play without having to worry about stuff like this," she said. "Neither of us thought twice about letting her go to play alone."

"Not now though."

"No, I'll make sure there's always someone with her from now on," Minerva said softly, reaching out and caressing Lucy's cheek a little. She looked at Lucy again, sighed and shook her head.

"Isobel told me what you said," Daniel said.

Minerva sighed again. "She shouldn't have."

"That's what people kept saying when Dad was sick too. That he had to get better," he said. "He had to get better. He had kids. He had to get better. Then he didn't. And I was so angry because he had to get better. Everyone said so."

"Oh, Daniel."

"I don't know if this is that different than before," he continued. "Everyone keeps saying it is but I don't know. I do know that hope is hard though. I know that life's unfair. I know that things happen that suck for stupid reasons like this war. But we don't give up. Collins don't give up. I know that no matter where Lucy is in there, she's not giving up so we shouldn't either."

Minerva smiled a little. "You're right," she whispered. "Collins don't give up."

"Dad survived in the hospital for a lot longer than the doctors thought he would after the lung transplant didn't work," he said softly. "He didn't give up. He kept fight. Even if it took so much out of him to do so."

Minerva sighed. "I really am trying not to give up hope, Daniel," she said softly. "I really am."

"I know," he said. "Me too."

...

"Are you starting to lose hope too?" Amelia asked softly as she took a sip of her tea. It was a little after dinner and she and Raj were sitting outside on the front steps of Hogwarts. The cool night air helping them clear their head after being stuck in that stuffy, tense, Hospital Wing.

Raj sighed and shook his head. "I'm not allowed to give up hope."

Amelia gave him a look. "And why not?"

"Because both Daniel and Minerva are starting to so I have to keep hoping. For them. For Lucy. We can't all give up," he said.

"You are allowed to feel how you feel, Raj. No matter how they may feel."

"No, you don't understand. It's different when it's just you," he said. "It's different when all you have to worry about is yourself. When you start having to worry about children it gets more difficult."

"I worry about them too," Amelia said with a frown. "I don't just worry about myself."

"I know. That's not what I'm saying," he said, not looking at her. "It's just different. That's all."

Amelia sighed. She looked away too. "I remember," she said, a little smile appearing on her face, "you telling Jay and Minerva when she was pregnant with Lucy that you never wanted to be in their position. You never wanted children."

Raj smiled a little too. "I didn't," he said. "Then I got them anyway. Not that I regret it, of course. I love them all."

"Daniel, Lucy and Nina are great kids."

"They are."

"And they are very lucky to have you."

"I'm lucky to have them too," he said. "I hope Lucy wakes up soon. I don't know how much longer we can all keep on like this."

"Me too."

...

Minerva blinked a couple times and looked around. It was very dark. She was still sitting by Lucy's bedside in an uncomfortable chair. She must of fallen asleep but she wasn't exactly sure what had woke her now. She looked around and saw the others fast asleep now as well in their own chairs and smiled a little bit. Lucy had a lot of people staying with her and waiting for her to get better.

Minerva had glanced around Lucy's bed when suddenly something caught her eye. She quickly turned back and saw a man standing in the corner of the curtain. He gave her a little smile and ran his fingers through his messy black hair. His grey eyes shone in the dark.

"I'm still dreaming," Minerva whispered.

"Maybe," Jay said, giving her a crooked smile as he walked up closer to the bed. He looked at Lucy and his smile faded away. "Oh, Kitten."

"You're not real," Minerva said, rubbing her eyes and trying to make herself wake up. She couldn't do this. She couldn't talk to him. It hurt too much.

"I'm glad Daniel and Nina are still together," he said, ignoring her and looking over at his son with a smile. "I told him to keep her around. She's a good one."

"Jay... is this... are you real?" Minerva asked, tears filling her eyes.

He looked over at her and gave her a little smile. "Does it matter?"

She stared at him. He walked closer to her, around Amelia and Raj, until he was right between her and the bed. She reached out and touched his chest. She expected the fingers to go right through but they stopped. She felt the cotton of his dress shirt, the hardness of his abs, the warmth of his body. The tears over flowed from her cheeks as she stood up quickly and hugged him tightly. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her as well.

"I'm so so sorry," Minerva whispered into his chest. "This is all my fault! If I had just been there! If I had known! I could have... done something! Saved you!"

"It's alright, my love," he said with a smile. She looked up at him and he cupped her cheeks with his hands, wiping her tears away. "What happened, happened. It doesn't matter now. What matters is you are here. Here for Daniel and Lucy."

"So much that did," she muttered. "All I've done by coming back is put them in more danger. We haven't been back to Collins Mansion in a whole year because the Death Eaters found out about them. Daniel and Nina have to hide out in Canterbury and Lucy and I don't get to see them very often. Raj absolutely hated me for a while, he's come around now thankfully, and now... now Lucy's... Lucy's like this."

"This is not your fault. None of those things are your fault," Jay said softly. "I'd bet everything I have that even though all this has happened, Daniel and Lucy are still so glad that you came home."

"I needed them. I'm afraid my selfishness has put them in danger."

He laughed. "How selfish of you for wanting to be there for your children."

This made Minerva smile a little. She reached up and caressed his cheek. It felt so real. She felt the stubble of his beard, the warmth of his skin. She leaned up and kissed his lips. It had been so long. So long since she had gotten to do that. Much too long. He smiled into the kiss and ran his fingers through her hair.

When they finally pulled away, Jay helped Minerva back into her chair before moving closer to the bed and putting a hand on Lucy's cheeks. "She's breathing."

"She is," Minerva said. "Barely."

"But she is," Jay said, looking back at her. "We've been here before. It worked out then. Why wouldn't it work out now?"

"It's different now," Minerva whispered. "I was younger then. There was no war. You were here. It was easier to hope."

Jay gave her a little smile. He pulled over an empty chair that Minerva hadn't noticed before and sat down in front of her. "I recall you having trouble then as well," he said, taking her hand, "and I told you that you were the one that was supposed to have faith, not me."

"I believe you called me Mrs. daughter and sister of Reverends," she said with a small smile. "Not the most sensitive thing to say to a worried mothers whose daughter is fighting for life in a hospital, I must say."

He smiled his adorable crooked smile and Minerva shook her head. "You've always had more faith than me, Jay," she said softly. "You've always had more faith in the world, in people, in things turning out alright in the end than I did. Nothing has changed, the only difference now is there isn't anyone here to stop me from spiraling into a pit of despair."

"Look around, Min," Jay said, "all the people that were there then are here now. You have so many people to talk to. To stop you."

Minerva felt the tears in her eyes and she shook her head. "I don't want to talk to them," she whispered. "I want to talk to you. You're the only one who could ever make me feel better. You're the only one who ever knew how."

"They'll learn. Just like I did. If you let them."

"You didn't learn. You just knew."

"You don't think I had to learn the art of Minerva McGonagall?" he asked with a laugh. "You are a complicated, real person. It takes time to know you. It took me time, maybe less than others but still time."

Minerva smiled a little bit. "I guess it always just felt like you were perfect," she said. "You are very good at learning on the job."

"So are you," he said with a smile. He looked back at Lucy and he sighed. "Back at St. Mary's you asked me how I could be so confident that things would get better and I will tell you now what I told you then. I have faith in our daughter. She is strong, I know she is, and she's going to fight this. I believe she will."

"I'm not giving up on Lucy," Minerva whispered. "I'm never going to give up on her."

"That's good to hear," he said. "Take it from me. Never bet against Lucy Collins. I lost a hundred quid that way."

"You bet against your own daughter?" Minerva asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"It was more of Raj telling me I owed him a hundred quid than an actual bet," he said with a laugh. "It was after yet another call from a very frustrated teacher about Lucy not doing her homework. Raj told me that some children with higher IQs sometimes get mistaken for having learning disabilities because their work is not challenging enough to hold their attention. I said I would take her to a child psychologist to see what was going on and he said that if Lucy was bumped up in school I would owe him a hundred pounds."

"And she was," Minerva said with a smile.

"Five whole years," Jay said proudly. "Best hundred pounds I've ever lost."

Minerva laughed. She shook her head and looked over at Raj. "He has done so much for us," she said. "And he's still doing so much more."

"I know," Jay said, looking back at Raj too with a smile. "He's a great man. I am so thankful that I had the pleasure of knowing him. He took care of them from the very beginning. Never even asked him to. He just stepped up. I will forever be indebted to him."

"I appreciate everything he's done," Minerva said. "I don't know what we would have done without him. He does so much for us. Lucy and Daniel both love him so much."

"I'm glad that you two are getting along with each other again as well," he said with a knowing smile.

"I am too," she said. "It wasn't a great time when we were at odds with one another. I called him an asshole on multiple occasions. He accused me of trying to take Lucy and Daniel away from him. It was not great."

"No," Jay said. "I'm also glad that he knows about magic now. You know how much it killed me not being able to tell him!"

"I know," Minerva said. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. It wasn't even the only secret. Magic, S.H.I.E.L.D., probably other things," he mumbled. "I really let him down."

"No, you didn't," she said. "He loves you and he understands why you had to keep some things from him. He's an adult. He understands how complicated things are and he doesn't blame you for them."

"I hope not."

"He doesn't."

There was silence for a little while before Jay smiled again. "Him and Amelia, huh?"

"Won't be long now, I'm sure," Minerva said with a small smile. "They just need to talk to each other, that's all."

"We've been saying that for ages."

"Yes, but now it's different," she informed her husband. "Now he acknowledges his feelings. I don't think he'll be able to hide them now for very much longer."

"What are we talking? Days? Months? Years?" Jay asked. "I need a timeline."

Minerva laughed. "I would say months. I would prefer days but I don't think that's realistic," she said. "Who knows. They've been coming here every night to see Lucy. If Lucy stays like this for much longer it might happen sooner."

"Who did her hair?" he asked, pointing at Lucy's braids.

"Amelia started and then Raj and I helped," she said with a smile. "She taught him. It was actually quite cute to watch them."

He smiled. "I was always rubbish at doing her hair," he said. "You should have taught me before you left so I could have actually done it for her. She was always a little sad about not being able to do her hair up in nice hairstyles like the other girls at school."

Minerva sighed. "There are a lot of things I should have done."

He gave her hand a little squeeze. "I love you."

She looked at him and smiled. "I love you too," she said. "I miss you so much."

"I miss -"

Suddenly he was cut off and Minerva felt her body shake. She felt him let go of her hand and when she opened her eyes she saw that the Hospital Wing was brightly lit by sunshine coming through the windows and the curtain had been pulled away from around Lucy's bed. Jay was nowhere to be seen and there was no empty chair in front of her or around her. She looked beside her and saw Amelia was shaking her shoulder. She smiled at Minerva and Minerva felt so much anger towards her friend. How dare she wake her up. How dare she take her away from him.

"Good morning," Amelia said, much too cheerfully. "You wanted me to wake you up before I headed out, remember?"

"Oh, right," Minerva said, sounding a lot grumpier than she had intended.

"It's still quite early," Amelia said with a frown. "I'm sure your work can wait if you would rather sleep a little longer."

"No, it's fine," she muttered. It was ruined. She wasn't getting back to that. She knew it. "How's she? Has her condition changed?"

Amelia looked back at the bed and shook her head sadly. "No," she said with a sigh. "Still the same as yesterday. I'm going to go back home so I can get ready for work, okay? I'll see you tonight."

Minerva nodded. "Alright," she said, straightening up a bit and looking over at Lucy in her bed. "Stay safe, Amelia."

"Always," she said with a smile, before heading out.

Minerva looked around at the others who were still asleep around her. She sighed, pulled her chair up closer to Lucy and took her hand. "I have faith in you. I may have doubted before but not anymore," she whispered. "I have faith in you, Lucy Marie Collins. You are strong, I know you are, and you are going to fight this. I believe you will."

Minerva couldn't be sure if it was lack of sleep, her mental state just not being what it used to be, or her just completely imagining it, but she was sure that for a second, just a second, she felt Lucy give her hand a faint little squeeze. Whether it was real or imagined, it made her happy. Whether it was real or not, it felt real and that's all that mattered right now.

Tuesday, August 10th 1999

"I did it!" Horace exclaimed, bursting in through the Hospital Wing doors carrying two large vials in his hand. He raced towards Pomfrey's desk.

Minerva looked over at him, eyes widening, and jumped up immediately. She ran over to the desk as well. Minerva was very aware of all the eyes on them when she made it to the desk and said, "You - you found an antidote?!"

"I did," he said proudly with a bright smile on his face as if he weren't right now standing in a room filled with children who had been unconscious for nearly two months. "It was just a matter of determining that there were Elder leaves in the poison. Once that was confirmed I -"

Pomfrey snatched the vials out of his hand quickly, having no time to listen to his silly story, and held them up to the light, inspecting them. "These will wake them up?"

"The red one will heal their lungs and wake them up and the purple is for the burns," he said. "I doubt they'll be ready to get up and leave as soon as the potion is administered, they will need time for the red potion to fix up their lungs completely, but they will be awake which is a -"

Pomfrey didn't need to hear anymore. She flicked her wand and each vial was poured evenly into nine different cups. She directed her Healers to take the potions to each child. Minerva followed the Healer assigned to Lucy back to the bed and watched tentatively as the healer pulled out a large needle. She sucked up of the purple potion with the syringe first and took Lucy's arm. Gently she poked the needle into one of Lucy's veins and pushed down on the syringe. Minerva watched the potion take effect almost instantly. The burns on Lucy's face and arms slowly got absorbed back into her skin. The red roughness disappeared, leaving nothing but soft caramel skin. A smile crept to Minerva's face. It was working! Slughorn's potions were working!

The Healer removed the needle and threw it in the rubbish bin before pulling out another and repeating the process with the red potion. They all held their breath as the potion went into Lucy's system. Nothing happened for a long time. Minerva looked around the room and saw that everyone was experiencing the same disappointment. After the fast action of the first potion they had expected much of the same from the second. Isobel gripped her chair tightly. Nina bit her lip and took Daniel's hand. He gave it a little squeeze. Everyone had become dead silent as they waited to see if the potion took an effect.

Suddenly they heard a cough from the other side of the room. Everyone turned to see one of the boys in the coma open his eyes and cough violently before settling down and giving his parents a weak smile. His parents cried and hugged him. Then another child went off and then another and another. Finally Minerva heard the Lucy's voice. She turned around and saw Lucy turned slightly, coughing up black smoke. The Healer jumped out of the way quickly as not to be stampeded over by Minerva as she rushed to Lucy's side.

"Lucy, my darling! Oh you're alright!" Minerva exclaimed, tears filling her eyes as she pulled her daughter into a hug. Lucy groaned a little and Minerva let her go immediately. "I'm sorry. Does it hurt? Where does it hurt?"

Lucy blinked a couple times, letting her eyes adjust to the light, and looked around frantically. She felt dazed and confused. Tears had welled up in her eyes but she wasn't sure why. Her chest felt like it was on fire and she couldn't remember anything after she had been playing cards with Tonks. She tried to lift her hand up to her face but it felt really heavy and sore. Every breath hurt and her skin was tingling.

"What happened? Where am I?" she said in a raspy, groggy voice, not registering any of the lights and sounds in the room. Her eyes were still adjusting and coming into focus. Slowly the faces of the people around her unblurred and she saw Minerva, Isobel, Daniel and Nina. They were all looking down at her with concern.

"You're in the Hospital Wing, sweetheart," Isobel said. "You're at Hogwarts. Don't worry, you're safe."

Daniel walked closer to the bed and kneeled down so they were face to face. He took her hand and gave her a little smile. "Something happened and we had to bring you here," he said softly, "but you're okay now. You don't have to worry."

"We're so glad you're awake, sweetheart," Minerva said, putting a hand on her cheek gently.

"Yeah, you had us worried for a bit there," Nina said with a small smile and tears in her eyes. "You've been asleep for a long time."

"How long?"Lucy asked, looking up at her mother.

"Almost seven weeks," Minerva replied.

"Seven weeks!" Lucy exclaimed before having another coughing fit.

"Careful, just relax," Isobel said. "You're still recovering. Try not to overexert yourself, love."

When she recovered from her coughing fit she slowly said, "Seven weeks is a long time."

"You're kind of like Sleeping Beauty," Nina said, trying to make Lucy feel better.

This made Lucy smile. "I'm like Princess Aurora!"

"Yes," Nina said with a smile.

She thought about this for a second before her smile faded away and she made a face. "Oh gross, no one kissed me did they?"

Everyone laughed. Minerva smiled, taking this as a sign that Lucy was quickly improving. She shook her head. "No, no one kissed you, but... now I think I'm going to."

She leaned down and kissed Lucy's cheek. Lucy made a face and pulled away a little which made her groan in pain again. Minerva stopped and pulled away.

"Where does it hurt?" Minerva asked with a frown.

"Everywhere," Lucy muttered.

Minerva sighed. "It'll be alright. They'll give you some potions and you'll be good as new in no time, love," she said. She looked over at Isobel, Daniel and Nina. "I'm going to go talk to Poppy quickly."

They nodded and she gave Lucy one last kiss on the head before heading over to where Pomfrey and Slughorn were standing. Dumbledore had also now joined them. He gave her a small smile.

"Everything seems in order," he said, looking around the room and watching families hug their now awaken children. "How long before they will be good as new?"

"A couple of weeks, I would say," Slughorn replied heartily. "I'll bring up some more of the Pulmosanitatem Potion. If they take a dose every day they should be all better by the end of the month."

"Wonderful," Dumbledore said.

Minerva sighed. Lucy wouldn't be out till the end of the month. She thanked Slughorn for his work, talked with Dumbledore and Pomfrey for a bit before walking back to Lucy's bed. Lucy was listening to Isobel, Nina and Daniel filling her in on everything she missed while she was in her coma.

Minerva sat back down in her chair and said, "Alright, you'll have to take a potion everyday but soon enough you'll be good as new and ready to get out of here."

Lucy nodded.

They sat there talking for a while before the Hospital Wing doors opened again and in walked Raj. He walked over towards the bed and when he saw Lucy his eyes widened and a huge smile came across his face.

"You're awake!" he exclaimed, coming over to the bed and giving her a hug. She giggled a little as he kissed her cheek.

When he pulled away she wiped her cheek with her hand and said, "your beard is bigger now. It tickles."

He laughed and pulled up a chair. "So, I missed a lot it seems."

"Horace brought up the antidote a little earlier today," Isobel said with a smile. "Oh, Lucy, did you know Raj helped do your hair like that?"

Lucy felt the braids in her hair and shook her head. "No way," she said. "Uncle Raj doesn't know how to do braids."

"Hey, I'll have you know -"

"Amelia taught him," Nina said with a laugh.

"Oh, that makes more sense," Lucy said with a laugh. The laugh ended in a coughing fit and Lucy frowned.

"It'll get better, don't worry," Minerva said softly, putting a hand on her arm.

Lucy looked away. She looked at her bedside table that was still littered with cards, stuffed animals, and colourful flowers. She pointed at a small light brown bear. "Mum said you got that for me," she said, looking back at her uncle. "Thank you."

"Of course," Raj said with a smile. "You know, Anne's been calling asking me about you."

"Really?"

"Yes, I've told her that you weren't feeling well but thankfully now you're okay," Raj said. "I'll let her know that you're better."

"Can I see her?" Lucy asked, looking over at Minerva.

"You'll be out of here before school starts. You'll be able to see her then," Minerva said.

"Oh," Lucy mumbled.

"Uncle Raj and Amelia have been coming by every night to see you, you know Lucy," Daniel said. "And Isobel came up from Edinburgh to stay with us while you were sick."

"We all just wanted to make sure you're okay, my love," Isobel said with a smile. She pulled her chair closer to the bed and reached out for her.

Lucy took her hand. "I'm glad you're here."

Isobel smiled. She leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm glad I'm here too."

After a little while Amelia arrived too. She saw Lucy on the bed and smiled, dropped her things and raced over to her. She gave her a hug and kiss.

"I'm so glad you're okay, my darling," she said. "Aren't you good at giving us a scare."

Lucy smiled and hugged her back. Amelia sat down in a chair as well and Lucy looked around at everyone around her bed. There were a lot of people here to make sure she was okay. It made her happy to know that she had so many people around her who wanted to keep her safe.

They had dinner around Lucy's bed like usual, her being awake this time definitely made the experience much better. Soon it got very late and Minerva sent Daniel and Nina to go to sleep in their bedroom. She told Isobel to take her bed, still worried about her mother sleeping in these uncomfortable chairs every night. They put up a little bit of a fight but eventually agreed and left. Minerva tried to get Amelia and Raj to go home as well but they weren't budging, wanting to stay here with Lucy. Lucy told them that she would be fine and that they could come back tomorrow after work. Finally they also agreed, said their goodbyes and walked out of the Hospital Wing, Amelia offering to Apparate Raj home as well.

Lucy was still awake. She looked around the Hospital Wing quickly before Minerva pulled the curtains around her bed to give them a little privacy. She saw a lot of kids still awake as well, talking to their parents and just not wanting to go to sleep. All of them probably thinking along the same lines as her.

Minerva pulled the curtains around them and sat back down in her chair. She gave Lucy a small smile and whispered, "It's getting quite late. Everyone is asleep. You should try to get some rest too."

"I'm not tired," Lucy whispered back. "I've been sleeping for like two months. I'm not tired."

Minerva gave her a small smile and took her hand. "You should try though. Sleep will help you get better faster."

Lucy took a painful deep breath, tears filling her eyes again. She looked down at her hand in Minerva's and whispered, "but what if I don't wake up again?"

Minerva sighed and gave her gave hand a little squeeze. "That won't happen, darling," she said reassuringly. "I promise."

"How do you know?" she asked, looking up at Minerva. Tears rolled down her cheeks now. Minerva sighed, pulled her chair closer and cupped Lucy's cheeks in her hand, wiping the tears away.

"It's okay, my love," Minerva whispered. "I know it's not going to happen because we all worked very hard to make sure it won't. Professor Slughorn made a potion that fixed you right up so you don't have to worry anymore. Tomorrow morning the sun is going to shine in through that window right there and you'll wake up to see me right here, okay?"

Lucy nodded, putting her hand on her mother's. "Okay," she said. Minerva smiled and helped her get into bed, pulling the blanket up around her. "Don't leave."

"Never," Minerva reassured her.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight, love," Minerva whispered, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

...

"She's awake," Raj said with a smile as they walked through warm Hogwarts grounds. They had made it to the Great Lake and Raj stopped to look over the water.

"She's awake," Amelia said happily, nodding her head. She stopped beside him and looked up at the starry sky. "Thank god."

Raj looked over at her and smiled. "You were worried."

"And you weren't?" she asked, turning to face him and raising an eyebrow.

"Nope," he said, turning to face her too.

"Not at all?"

"Not even a little bit," he said, moving a little closer. "Never bet against Lucy Collins, I always say. That girl's stronger than anyone I've ever met."

Amelia smiled and nodded again. She looked up at Raj. They were standing quite close together now. "She's really something," she said quietly. "And so are you. You have to be quite strong not to give up hope like that."

"Eh, it was nothing."

"No, it was something."

Raj smiled and shook his head. He looked away and watched the light of the moon dance across the lake. "In times like these," he said softly, "it's easier to hope when you have amazing people around you that make you want to hope for something better."

"Something better for all of us," Amelia said with a small smile. "For everyone here at Hogwarts. That would be nice."

"This summer has been long but it's over," Raj said. "We can relax a little. Even if it's not much, it's still something."

"It's definitely something."

"Amelia?"

"Yes?"

Raj took a deep breath. "I love you."

She looked up at him with wide eyes. "You - what?"

"I love you," he said, looking down at her and giving her a smile. "I'm not good at this whole love thing and I've never really had a long term relationship but I know that I love you. I know that I miss you when you're not around and I love talking to you on the phone every night. I love the way you laugh. The way you can find the positives in almost every situation. I love how you make me want to be a better person. I love the way you make me believe that there's something better for all of us. I don't need to hope when I'm with you. I just know."

Amelia smiled, leaned up, cupped her hands around his cheeks and pulled him into a kiss. This caught him by surprise but he regained composure and reached up to run his fingers through her hair. He wrapped his other arm around her waist and pulled her closer. She smiled into the kiss.

For the first time in a very long time everything felt still. The whole world felt calm. The crickets chirped around them and the stars twinkled in the sky. The moon shone like a spotlight, illuminating just the two of them. It felt real. It felt right. It felt like home.

They pulled away and Amelia kept one of her hands on his cheek. She smiled at him and whispered, "I love you too. So much."

He smiled. "Let's go out Friday night," he said. "Just the two of us. A real date."

"That sounds lovely," she said with a smile.

"No fast food this time," Raj said. "Real food. A real nice sit down restaurant."

"I'll be fine with anything as long as I'm with you," Amelia said with a smile. She moved closer and hugged his chest. He wrapped his arms around her tightly. This is where they belonged. This is where they fit.

...

Days past and Lucy and the others started getting a lot better. It no longer hurt every time they tried to breath and they didn't feel sore everywhere anymore so movement was easier. They still had to remain in the Hospital Wing however as Madam Pomfrey wanted to keep an eye on them and wanted to make sure they took their potions.

Lucy had been frightened to go back to sleep the first couple of days but after a while she started feeling more comfortable again. In talking with Andromeda and some of the other parents, Minerva found that the other children affected by the attack had also felt the same way. As they took their potions and they began to feel better though they all began to feel safe and happy again.

Neither of them remembered exactly what happened. Trevor Kilian could not say for sure where he had found the package so was not much help when Minerva and Dumbledore tried to get some useful information out of him. Even though they had not been able to get more information, Minerva was a little glad that the children didn't remember what happened. It made their mental recovery quicker. They always felt safe here at Hogwarts, even if their parents and a lot of other adults were having their doubts.

Tensions had lessened since the children awoke. There were still murmurs of doubt and a couple of fights between couples here and there but nowhere near as bad as it used to be. A little less than two weeks into August Molly Weasley gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Ginevra. The new baby seemed to lift the spirits of everyone at Hogwarts. Arthur brought his daughter over for Lucy to meet and Lucy did her best to not show how uncomfortable she was with this baby girl laying in her lap.

Lucy celebrated her eighth birthday in the Hospital Wing a couple days later. Minerva was a little sad that she had to celebrate it while laying in a hospital cot but Lucy didn't seem too concerned about it. Remus stopped by to say happy birthday and gave her a stuffed teddy bear that Lucy loved. Charlie and Bill gave her cards that they made and Molly gave her a maroon sweater with a gold L on the front that she had knitted for her. Ted carried Tonks over so the two girls could see each other for the first time since the incident. Amelia and Raj were there to celebrate as well. They had cake and ice cream. Lucy had a great birthday, even if she did have to spend it in the Hospital Wing.

Raj and Amelia went out for dinner a lot and spent a lot more time together. Minerva and Isobel were starting to have their suspicions but neither said anything. Finally the day came when Raj and Amelia decided it was time to tell Minerva and everyone else that they were now together. They prepared themselves for the 'I told you so's, which turned out to be a good plan as there were a lot of those. From Minerva, from Isobel, from Daniel. Either way it was nice for them to tell everyone and be more open about their relationship. Minerva gave them both a very excited hug, Daniel told them it was about time, and Isobel and Nina were so happy. Lucy was very happy too. She told them that she knew they liked each other too. Apparently Minerva had told her. This revelation earned Minerva a nasty look from Amelia which only made Minerva laugh.

"You're right, you're right, you're all right," Raj said, a huge smile on his face and an arm around Amelia's shoulders. "I've loved her a long time and I should have told her a long time ago. I know but all that matters now is that we're together and that I've been treating her to some very nice restaurants."

"Well, I would sure hope so," Isobel said. "You better be treating my daughter as well as she deserves."

Amelia smiled, walked over, and took Isobel's hands. "You know the only reason I've been friends with Minerva so long is because of you, don't you?"

Minerva gave her a look but Isobel laughed and gave Amelia's hands a little squeeze. "You will always be my daughter," she said with a smile, "even if you don't want to be friends with Minerva anymore."

"Oh, excellent!" Amelia said with a laugh. Minerva gave her another look and Amelia shook her head. "No, if you're not around then who's going to annoy me about going after one man or another."

"I've only annoyed you about the one," Minerva said, motioning her head to Raj. "I am honestly the person who has been working the hardest to make this happen. You two should really be thanking me."

Raj laughed and sat down in his chair bedside Minerva. "Thank you, Min," he said, "for knocking some sense into me."

"It must have been hard to get it though that thick skull," Daniel said with a laugh, earning himself a look from Raj.

"Oh, it was," Minerva said with a laugh.

"Well, I'm really glad you two finally got together," Nina said happily. "You're very good for each other."

"I'm glad too!" Lucy said with a smile. "You can appreciate Aunty Amelia's love the way she deserves."

"Thank you, Lucy," Raj said with a smile. "Thank you, Nina."

"Now, enough about us," Amelia said, pulling away from Isobel and sitting down on the bed next to Lucy. She put an arm around her and pulled her close. "I want to hear about your day, love. What did you do today? How are you feeling?"

Lucy smiled and hugged her Aunty Amelia. "I'm good! I'm getting better!" she said happily. "I think I'll get to leave soon!"

"We were able to go for a walk today," Minerva said with a smile.

"And I didn't have a coughing fit!" Lucy said.

"That's wonderful!" Amelia said.

Lucy told her all about her day. She had gone for a walk through the castle with Minerva and Isobel and played some more games with Daniel and Nina. She was getting a lot happier now that she could move around a bit more without having trouble breathing or getting chest pains. Everyone was very glad to see how quickly she and the other children were improving.

About a week before September Daniel and Nina had to leave for Canterbury. They apologized profusely to Lucy for having to leave but Lucy just laughed and told them it was okay. She told them to have a good year, gave them a hug. Isobel had decided to go back to Edinburgh to be with Malcolm and the others. She said goodbye to Lucy, apologizing as well, before they headed out. She Apparated Daniel and Nina to Canterbury first before Apparating back to Edinburgh herself.

A couple of days after Isobel, Daniel and Nina left, Lucy and the other children were discharged from the Hospital Wing. It didn't take too long after that for them to go back to their normal, energetic selves. Before the school year started they were back running around, shouting and playing with the other children. The noise level of Hogwarts seemed to increase exponentially but Minerva didn't mind. She was just happy all the children were healthy and happy. That's all that mattered.

Soon school started up again and Lucy had started her ninth year. She was so excited to see Anne again. Remus was standing by Minerva's office door waiting for Lucy so he could Apparate them to her school in Rochester. Lucy was standing with her mother kneeling in front of her, hugging her tightly.

"I'm so sorry you didn't get to see Anne at all this summer, darling," Minerva said with a sigh. "I'm sorry you didn't really get a summer at all."

"That's okay," she said with a smile. "I'll see Anne today!"

"Yes," Minerva said with a smile. "Tell her I say hi and you can blame me if she asks why you two didn't get to see each other over the summer."

Lucy laughed. "Okay!"

"Have a nice day, darling. I'll see you tonight," Minerva said, giving her a quick kiss and getting up off the ground.

"Bye, Mum!" Lucy said, running over to Remus who gave her a smile.

"Goodbye, Lucy. Goodbye, Remus. Thank you again," Minerva said.

"Of course," he said, giving her a little salute. Lucy waved and they walked out of the office, closing the door behind them. Minerva smiled, picked up her things and headed down to her own classroom.

Author's Note:

It's happened! It's happened! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review telling me what you think!