Cliffhangers and plot twists… I love them too much for my own good ;) Just wanted to give y'all a heads up that spring semester has started and I work almost every day (plus I now work out daily too), so updates are going to be less frequent but whenever I can finish chapters between my crazy busy schedule. I love this story and can't wait to finish it, but I felt it fair to warn my readers that I've gotta take care of myself before I can take care of this story. I promise I WILL see it through to the end and will update as often as possible. Y'all are the BEST! Enjoy xoxo
"You're joking." I said flatly. "Remus wouldn't do something that rash."
Lily bit her lip. "I'm not joking. Come on, James and Sirius are with him now. Let's go!"
"She's in no condition to leave this room, let alone her bed!" Sean retorted angrily. "Look at her!"
"I'm scarred, not dead." I snapped, easing my way out of bed. I almost fell over. I would have if not for Sean, who jumped to his feet and grabbed me.
"You need to stay here. Let the staff take care of this." Sean said firmly.
I glared at him. "I'll crawl to him if I have to. Now either you help me or let Lily walk me."
Sean looked mutinous, but instead he draped his jacket over me and helped me hobble out into the hallway. Lily lead the way, throwing a frantic look over her shoulder every few steps.
"Lily, go on ahead without us." I told her in exasperation. "Talk to Remus. Don't let him be an idiot. Use a Cushioning Charm if he jumps."
"Amber!" Lily said, shocked. "Do you think he'll actually do it?"
"Who knows?" I muttered, wincing and clutching at my aching ribs. "Just talk to him. You know him as well as I do."
"Alright." Lily gave us one last furtive look and fled up the stairs to the roof.
"You sure you want to go all the way up there?" Sean asked, concerned.
"Don't ask me again." I warned. Every step was agony. I gripped both Sean and the wall for support. It was as if my legs had forgotten how to walk. Each movement sent shooting pains up my left leg into my hip. Gritting my teeth, I set my resolve on reaching the roof ledge, where Remus was contemplating on whether or not he should end his life.
"Amber, let me carry you." Sean offered as a team of healers passed by, en route to a different emergency.
"I can do this." I hissed through my teeth. Sweat poured down my face and my back; I could feel the effort of movement in every muscle. Sean swore and caught me up in his arms, hurrying up the flight of stairs to the roof.
"Sean!" I protested, humiliated.
"I'd rather get to Remus before my hair goes gray." Sean replied tartly. On the roof, there were two healers, Peter, James, Sirius, and Lily. My heart dropped into my stomach when I saw Remus.
He was sitting at the top of the bell tower, another twenty feet above us. He was perched precariously on the ledge of the windows in the tower, his legs dangling. There was nothing beneath him and the busy London street below but open air - over seventy feet of it. My palms were slick with sweat, and a powerful wave of dizziness swept over me. I fought my body's overwhelming desire to faint and forced myself to remain conscious. Remus needed me.
"Remus!" Sean shouted. "What the hell are you doing? Come down from there!"
"Shut up, Locke!" Sirius snarled. Remus pretended that he couldn't hear us. He kicked one leg, his face utterly forlorn.
"I have to get up there. I have to talk to him." I said stubbornly as I tried to climb down from Sean's arms.
"The hell you will." Sean snapped. "You can barely walk. You can't get up there."
"And you're going to stop me?" I challenged.
"Easily." Sean said hotly. "You don't have a wand and you're beyond weak from your coma. From what he did to you." His eyes were like gray flames, seething and terrible. I stared up at him, coldness spiraling into my stomach.
"You want him to jump, don't you?" I accused softly.
A muscle jerked in his cheek. "At least he'd pay retribution for what he's done to you. A few broken bones, a month-long coma…"
"Get away from me, Sean." I hissed, stumbling towards the other Marauders. I was so angry with him that I didn't even want to be within breathing space of him. The pain was so intense in my left leg that tears were forming in my eyes. The hot, sharp pains were shooting up into my hip and my foot.
"You should be in bed." James said, his face pale and drawn. "You can't help him in your condition."
"He would do the same for me." I told him flatly. "How'd he get up there?"
"Well, tomorrow's the full moon." Sirius said in a quiet voice. "You know how the moon gives him stronger powers. He has more animal-like qualities, including agility. He climbed up."
I blinked, remembering my birthday last year when he had scaled the Ferris wheel easily, as if it had been a short ladder. My hands clenched into fists at my side.
"How do we help him?" I asked bleakly. "Someone needs to talk him down."
"You've talked to him enough." James sighed, rubbing his face in an uncharacteristic show of melancholy. "It's not your fault that he's up there, Amber, but I think whatever you told him before Locke showed up pushed him over the edge. He's been on the edge for awhile, and I think this was just a little too much for him to handle."
A sick feeling of guilt swept over me. "I didn't tell him anything bad." I insisted. "Please, let me talk to him."
"No." Sirius said this time, his jaw set. "I think we should hex him. Either Stun him or Petrify him. Then we'll use a Summoning Charm or a Cushioning Charm, depending on if we can catch him or not. Then…"
He trailed off. All of were watching with stunned expressions as a flame-haired girl floated gently up into the air like a balloon. Lily alighted easily on the ledge beside Remus. She began to talk to him in low, quiet tones that we couldn't hear from our vantage point. Remus burst into tears and sagged against her. Lily put her arm around him comfortingly, drawing him away from the ledge and into the safety of the bell tower. As I watched them, I felt a familiar but shocking emotion run through me.
"They look good together, don't they?" Sean asked quietly, standing beside me, looking up at the bell tower where they had disappeared into to talk.
I fought the unpleasant jolt of jealousy in my gut. "They're just good friends. Like me and Remus are."
"Exactly." Sean said. His gaze slid over to James, who was staring up at Lily and Remus with the same mixed expression of resentment and relief.
Cold and weak, I shivered as I looked away from Remus and Lily. Clearly, they had a lot to talk about, and it would take them a long time to sort everything out. I didn't care what they talked about, as long as they both got down safely eventually. I knew that as long as Lily was there, Remus would be alright. She was kind, sensible, and smart. Most of all, she was understanding. Remus would find solace in speaking with her.
"He's in good hands." Sirius said approvingly. "Come on, Lionheart, you look dead on your feet. Back to bed."
"Yeah," I said dully, unable to stop picturing Remus and Lily sitting together so intimately. What right did I have to feel jealous, especially after what I'd just done with Sean? After what Remus and I had talked about? Besides, Remus and Lily were just friends. Really good friends.
But a niggling doubt kept at me. Remus had broken up with Zoey, according to Lily, who had told me during my bath last night. Now that Remus and Lily were both single, maybe they'd fall for each other. Maybe that way, all of us could be happy. Lily was the kindest, bravest person I knew. Remus was my best friend. Wouldn't they be a perfect match? Shouldn't that make me happy?
So why am I so unhappy? I thought in despair as I turned to Sean, resigned.
"Take me back to my room, please," I asked dully. A good draught of mandragora and long sleep would help alleviate the steady ache in my leg. My whole body felt used, spent, contaminated. I was injured, still in recovery, my body nearly destroyed by two werewolves.
And tomorrow night, we'd know for sure just how contaminated I was.
The day of the first full moon since the attack heralded my first physical therapy session. The same blonde-haired healer came into my room, and I realized where I had seen her before.
"You're Stella White." I said aloud as she came into my room with a tray of food.
"I am." She said, raising a brow.
"I thought you were a student at Hogwarts." I said uncertainly.
"I am. I graduate next spring. I'm in the preparatory program for healers. I want to be a healer when I finish school, so I'm starting early." She placed the tray of food down on my small bedside table. There was a bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon, a fruit cup, and a goblet of a smoking potion.
"What's that?" I asked, glancing into the cup. The sinister-looking purple liquid made me nervous.
"That'll help your muscles heal and grow." She told me matter-of-factly. "Normally, we can use potions like Skel-E-Grow to help regrow bones or Muscle Milk to help muscles, or even essence of Dittany. However, they don't work on cursed wounds like werewolf bites and scratches, so we have to do it the long way. That potion has lots of vitamins and minerals. It isn't Muscle Milk, but it'll help you recover faster."
I made a face as I drank a mouthful of potion. "It tastes like sour milk."
"It could be worse. At least it's not chunky." Stella quipped as she busied herself around the room, adjusting pillows on the couch and double-checking the bathroom. "You'll be working with Healer Francis for an hour today. Doctor Hastings assigned her to your case. You'll be undergoing physiological therapy and then tonight, you'll be placed under intensive watch in a containment ward."
I forced down the rest of the potion, trying not to think on her words too much. But I knew that in just a few hours, I would be tied down and restrained and have blood work taken. For all I knew, I was just hours away from becoming a monster.
Aren't you already a monster? A dark voice whispered in my ear. Didn't you kill Angelina? Didn't you break Remus' heart? Who are you to call a werewolf a monster?
I shuddered. I ate the rest of my breakfast in silence while Stella laid out an outfit for me. It was a loose gray t-shirt and baggy black pants. She helped me dress. I avoided looking into the mirror. I didn't want to see my scarred body again.
"I look homeless." I said bluntly as I shook out the folds of baggy clothes. I tied my long hair into a half-hearted ponytail. I didn't have the strength or inclination to fix it into something more presentable.
"You're not here to win a beauty contest." Stella reminded me. "You're here to heal and get better. Those clothes will give your skin breathing room and give your muscles plenty of space to stretch. Come on, I'll help you walk."
"What, no wheelchair?" I asked, trying to lighten the oppressively heavy atmosphere.
Stella raised a thin blonde brow. "If you'd prefer that…"
"No, no, this is fine." I told her quickly. Stella guided me down the hallway as I gripped the railing for support. By the time we made it to the therapy room, I was out of breath and trembling with fatigue. I sat down heavily on a soft sofa, wiping at my damp brow.
Stella handed me a goblet of water. My eyes traveled around the room. It looked like a Muggle gym. There were exercise and medicine balls, dumbbells, kettlebells, mats, treadmills, and odd-looking metal machines that resembled torture devices.
"Good morning." A cheery voice said from the open doorway. "Or, should I say, good afternoon. You slept clean through the morning."
I watched the black-haired healer enter the room. She was older than Mum, around Professor Smith's age. Her hair was tied back into a bun, and her lined face was kind. In spite of myself, I began to relax a little.
"Healer Francis might look sweet, but her therapy is anything but sweet." Stella warned me, as if she could read my thoughts. "You're in for a trip back in time to the Dark Ages."
"Stella," Healer Francis chided, "that's a horrible way to put a patient at ease."
"At least she's honest." I mumbled.
Stella handed her a clipboard. Healer Francis flipped through it a few times. Then she sighed and gave me a tight smile.
"I'll be honest with you: this is going to be painful. Sometimes it will be bearable, and other times you'll think you can't go any further. I promise that whatever you feel now is going to help you." she said brightly as Stella left the room. "It'll be a long journey to recovery, but you're going to be alright. The first step is always the hardest one."
"Somehow I don't feel very reassured." I told her, filled with misgivings. My eyes caught the evil-looking machines again and gulped. "I thought medieval torture devices were banned?"
Healer Francis laughed. "Relax, Amber. I know what I'm doing. Trust me. We'll start with some stretching before we move onto machines. Lie down, please."
The next hour was nothing short of torture. Healer Francis tried to be gentle, but it didn't matter. My body was in full defense mode, and after a month of doing nothing but sleeping off a deadly werewolf attack, it was in no mood to cooperate. I was reduced to tears of pain and mortification, drenched in my own sweat as we worked in slow, tedious circuits around the room. She didn't push me beyond what I could endure, but when the hour was finally up, I burst into ragged sobs of pain and fear. She had pushed me to my breaking point, and all I could see was the two werewolves tearing at my flesh, fighting over my torn and shredded body on the forest floor.
"It's alright!" Healer Francis reassured me, handing me a tissue. "I know this is hard, sweetie, but it'll only get easier for you."
I couldn't answer. I felt like I was going to be sick. I could feel their putrid breath on my neck, smell the dirt and blood. I was going to die.
The door opened. There was a gasp and then I felt arms wrap around me. The familiar scent of baking bread and sunlight made me cry even harder. It was Mum.
"What did you do to her?" Mum demanded, her arms still around me protectively.
"Mrs. Harkstone, this is all part of the recovery process. I have to bring her back to her room now."
"You've done quite enough!" Mum snapped. "There, there, darling… it's alright. She won't do that to you again."
"Yes, she will." Doctor Hastings' voice sounded from behind her. He sounded stern and cold. "I know this is painful for you to see, Mrs. Harkstone, but this is the fastest and best way for your daughter to recover."
"But look at her!" Mum protested. "She's a train wreck! How can you honestly justify yourselves? Are we really so barbaric that we can't find a better way to heal her?"
"Mrs. Harkstone," Doctor Hastings said patiently, "her case is unique. We know what we're doing. You need to trust us."
"I'm her mother." Mum shot back. "I know what's best for her."
"You are blinded by your instinctive maternal desire to protect your child." Doctor Hastings replied calmly. "In the short-term, what you are doing will protect her. But in the long-term, it will make her life much harder and much more painful. You have to let us work."
Trembling, Mum helped me rise to my feet. I was so exhausted I would have fallen right back to the floor if she hadn't been there to support me. In my heart, I knew what the healers were saying was true: that this intensive physiological therapy was the best way for me to heal. But the sweat, tears, and blood made it very hard for me to believe them just then.
"Come on." Stella said gently, emerging from behind Doctor Hastings, "let's get you a nice hot soak in the tub before tonight."
"Will my friends come to visit?" I asked in a small voice.
"Not tonight." Doctor Hastings said gently. "You won't have any visitors other than family until later."
Later. Meaning when they deemed me 'safe'.
Not long after the bath, the sunlight streaming in through the windows faded. Sunset was not far away. I tried to blame my trembling and fatigue on the brutal healing session, but I knew it was more than that. The memory of the werewolves wasn't scaring me anymore. A disturbing excitement rushed in my bloodstream, tingling into my toes and fingers. Something was coming. Something life-giving and terrifying. Something that affected those two werewolves too.
I prayed that it wasn't what I thought it was.
"We'll be here." Mum promised me, as she and Stella led me down the hall once more. We passed the room where I had endured the hour of painful therapy. "Your father and I will be here with you through all of this."
"Mum," I said in a tone of forced calm, "I really don't want you here." I didn't want them to see what I might become.
"Darling, we love you." Mum said, her eyes sparkling. "Your father's on his way from the Ministry. We'll be with you every step of the way."
"Mum, please." I begged her. "I can handle this, alright?"
But Mum's determined expression told me that no matter what I did or asked, she and Dad wouldn't leave me. Not now. As much as the thought comforted me, it also made me incredibly nervous. Would they still want me as their daughter, if I became a werewolf? Would they accept me for what I might be, even if it meant it would change everything?
"We're here." Stella said quietly as we entered the room. Mum waited outside. The room looked ordinary enough. The only object inside was a straight-backed wooden chair. The walls were bare, with no windows. There was a single pane of glass along one wall, but I couldn't see past it.
"One-way mirror. The people behind it can see you, but you can't see them. It's for observation purposes." Stella explained as she gestured for me to sit down. I did. To my horror, chains emerged like snakes from the holes in the chair, clinking ominously. They didn't bind me, but clinked threateningly as I shifted uncomfortably, my pulse racing.
"What's going to happen to me?" I asked as Stella dabbed a small amount of alcohol on the inside of my elbow. "What are you doing?"
"I'm sorry, Amber, but we're going to need to take some blood, once you've… once the moon has risen."
"Oh." I said, looking away. There was a small brown water stain on the ceiling. I decided to study it.
"You're going to be just fine." Stella reassured me. "It'll all be over by sunrise."
I swallowed hard. My heart was pounding like a war drum, painful and loud. Instinctively, I wished that Remus and Lily were here. But I knew they couldn't be. Remus was facing his own inner demon, while Lily was ensconced in the safety outside of the room I was quarantined.
"It won't be long now." Stella said softly, looking at a small pocket watch she produced from her robes.
"Is anyone behind that mirror?" I asked, glancing at it.
"A few Healers." She told me. "And your parents."
"Great." I muttered. "Is this going to be some kind of show? Entertainment? Are they going to charge an admission fee to see me?"
"Amber…"
"Do they really all have to be there 'observing'? Just watching me? Like I'm some kind of freak? Like this is some kind of show? I hate this! I HATE IT!"
The abrupt surge of fierce anger was so powerful that I actually snarled. It sounded just like Remus when he had snarled at me in the Shack. I clapped a hand over my mouth, like I'd just slipped out a disgusting swear word.
Stella's face didn't change. She took my pulse, which was racing faster than ever.
"Five minutes until moonrise." Stella said quietly.
"How long will you stay?" I asked her, beads of sweat breaking out on my brow. The adrenaline was pumping so hard into my veins that I couldn't sit still anymore. "A few minutes? An hour?"
"Until the end." She said simply. Her kindness and graceful manner reminded me so much of Virginia that I had to bite back a sob. My emotions were roiling inside of me, like a pot of water about to blow its lid. I struggled against the rising tide of power and confusion storming inside of me.
A few minutes passed. Then, without warning, I was on fire.
It was pure agony. This was different than being attacked by a werewolf, different than enduring physical therapy. It was as if my very flesh were melting away in a hot, blazing fire. My muscles and my bones were surely going to turn to ashes.
I buckled over, but the chains shot out of their slots and wrapped me like a giant snake, binding me in place. I struggled against the restraints, but they held.
I gasped for breath, screaming when I had enough air to do so. The pain was beyond endurance. I yearned for black oblivion, for the dark waters of unconsciouness, but it was like a new spirit was inside of me. Wild, untameable, feeding on nothing but passion and bloodlust.
But before I could die from the pain, it was over. Just as quickly as it had come upon me, the pain departed. Now, I was left with a surging, electrifying flood of energy, and I felt strangely in control now. I let out a long, deep sigh, my head hanging over onto my chest.
There was a long beat of silence. Then, a tentative voice asked, "Amber? Amber, can you hear me? Can you talk?"
I looked up slowly. The fear in Stella's face was so palpable that I was salivating. I wanted to bite her. I wanted to eat her. I wanted to kill!
No! I thought hotly, objecting to the gruesome plot. She's a human. She's human, like me. I can't eat people.
But I'm not human. Not quite. Not anymore.
"Can you speak?" Stella prompted, a wand in one hand, an empty syringe in the other. "How do you feel?"
I looked down at my body. I was trembling with the power rushing through my veins. I was still human, but I did not feel it. My hands were different. My fingernails had sharpened into cruel claws. My canine teeth protruded from my mouth just like The Master's did. My hair felt longer, even wilder than normal. With each breath I took, I could smell everything. Stella's perfume. The stench of her fear. I could even scent my parents in the next room, along with the permeating odor of bleach and strong disinfectant that filled the pores of the hospital. There were more smells, thousands of them, tens of thousands, ranging from good to bad. I breathed in deeply, closing my eyes, tasting them on my tongue.
"Amber, if you can understand me, nod your head twice."
I grinned up at Stella. "I can understand you perfectly." My voice was rougher, rasping. Animalistic.
Stella blanched. "Can you speak English?"
"Why don't you untie me and we'll find out." I told her slyly. In my head, I was already planning on where and how to attack her. The neck would provide the most blood. I could already feel her warm blood gushing like melted butter into my mouth and down my throat.
STOP. I thought furiously. You are NOT a monster! NOT a monster!
"Don't untie me." I groaned, fighting against the blackness inside of me. It was there, just like a second soul. It was wild, untameable, fierce, and focused on only one thing: food. And blood.
"Would you like something to eat?" Stella asked, as if she could read my mind.
"Meat. Raw."
"I'll see if I can find some for you. Beef, chicken, pork? Which do you prefer?"
"Anything. I don't care. Just let it look at the oven in terror and then bring it out to me! Alive. No sides, no appetizers. Just blood."
Even as the words came pouring out of my mouth, I felt revulsion fill me. It was like there was something inside of me, a dark presence fighting for control of my mind and body. I struggled, writhing in the chair as the chains bit into my skin.
"I'm going to take some blood." Stella warned, her wand out. "I hope I don't have to Stun you."
"You can try." I sneered.
Cautiously, Stella came closer. She inserted the needle into the swabbed area of my elbow. I struggled, wanting to rip at her, but unable to because of the chains.
When the syringe was filled with red liquid - my own blood - she withdrew from the room. The frightening heat returned in full measure, but it didn't burn me like last time. This time I felt so charged, so powerful, that I let out a howl that echoed back and forth in the empty room. I wanted to see the moon.
"Let me out!" I bellowed, nails digging into the chair. "LET ME OUT!"
The hours dragged on. I fought in vain to be free of the chains holding me. I wanted to run through the trees. I wanted to howl at the moon. I felt the desire to chase and pursue filling every vessel, every nerve in my body. I had come so close to death, but now, I only felt life. Overpowering and terrifying. I could see my reflection the mirror. My eyes were no longer brown. They were yellow, with black cat-like slits for pupils. The scars were more prominent than ever. But I was still humanoid. No fur, no tail, no ears. Just me. Just a monster.
Howling in rage and frustration, After what felt like an eternity, the burning fire began to recede. A moment later, I went limp in the chained chair, filled with a strange sense of loss. The door opened, and Doctor Hastings stepped inside. He crossed the room, and when I didn't move, he pressed his thumb and forefinger over my wrist. He nodded and a team of healers entered, unchaining me and dragging my limp body down the hall. I couldn't even raise my head. Whatever force had taken over me had drained away, leaving only my weakness behind.
"Rest now," Doctor Hastings said quietly. "When you awaken, you'll know the truth concerning your condition. Then we…"
I didn't hear the rest of his words. I was already under.
The smell of bacon drew me back into awareness. Doctor Hastings sat in a chair across from me, a plate of bacon, eggs, and toast beside him. He wasn't smiling.
"How are you feeling today?" he asked, a clipboard tucked against his chest.
"Like I did something terrible last night. But I can't remember." I admitted, pulling myself into a sitting position. My body still ached, the pain my leg sharp. But I felt a curious sensation of well-being, as if I had visited a spa the day before.
"Your blood work came back about an hour ago." Doctor Hastings went on. "Your parents are coming up with your sister."
My heart leapt at his words. "Naomi's coming?"
"She is. You've looked better, but I daresay what happened to you last night may have proven to be beneficial to your healing."
I tried to recall what had happened, but it was a fog. Frowning, I looked at the healer in question.
"What exactly happened last night?" I pressed. "What… did I hurt anybody?"
"Thankfully, no. But had you not been properly restrained, I doubt you would be so fortunate."
"Can my friends come to see me now?" I asked pleadingly. I wanted James and Sirius to make me laugh. I wanted Lily to tell me Remus was alright.
REMUS!
"Is he okay?" I blurted, trembling. "Is Remus Lupin okay?"
"He is. He was very upset with himself yesterday, but your friend Lily Evans was able to convince him to come down from the ledge. He was treated and kept overnight as you were. Unlike you, he became a fully-fledged werewolf."
Stella entered the room, clearing her throat. "Her family is here. Shall I send them in?"
"Not yet." Doctor Hastings replied. "Give me another ten minutes with her."
Stella nodded and handed him a piece of paper wordlessly. After she left, Doctor Hastings turned his attention back onto me.
"Do you want the good news first, or the bad news?"
"Bad." I replied, mouth dry.
Doctor Hastings sighed heavily. "Unfortunately, you have been contaminated by lycanthropy. For the rest of your life, every month during the full moon, you will experience wolf-like symptoms. Your scars will not go away, and you will continue to need extensive therapy to regain your health, especially your left leg."
"So that's the bad news." I surmised.
"Yes." the doctor said. "The good news is that you are not completely a werewolf. Though you are contaminated and bitten, you are not a fully-fledged werewolf."
"How can that be?" I demanded. "How is that possible? How can I be infected but not a werewolf? How that does even work?"
"Your blood work revealed more than just werewolf saliva. Your blood also contained traces of doxy venom. I'm presuming you were bitten by a doxy just before you were bitten by a werewolf."
The doxie nest. I thought wildly. That one doxie bit me. On the arm.
I touched the small mark on my forearm, as if I could cover it up and make it go away.
"The venom from the doxie acted as a barrier between your blood and the werewolf saliva. It counteracted many of the factors that the lycanthropy would have implemented. Instead of binding to your DNA, the doxie venom and the werewolf toxin attacked each other. And once the phoenix tears were administered, it immediately killed the foreign poisons from both creatures. So, even though some of the werewolf toxin infected you, it didn't have the chance to complete the contamination. The doxie that bit you most likely protected you from becoming like your friend Remus Lupin."
I stared at him blankly. "So, you mean that I'm not a werewolf."
"By definition, no, you are not a werewolf. But you were bitten. And by extension, you are still infected. It's an extremely rare case. I've never seen anything like this before."
I touched the necklace on chest. Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Come in." Doctor Hastings called over his shoulder.
"Amber's parents and sister are here, sir," Stella said.
"Send them in. Don't worry, I've already explained the situation to them. There will be no need for me to rehash it."
"Thank you." was all I could say. He traded places with my family. Naomi squealed and made a beeline for my bed. She launched herself onto the cot and burrowed against me, quivering.
"Naomi!" Mum scolded. "You can't just jump onto your sister! She was just in a coma yesterday, for Merlin's sake!"
"Lena." Dad soothed. "Leave them be."
I snuggled Naomi closer, brushing her hair back. "I'm alright, Naomi. See? I'm alive. I'm alright."
Naomi drew back, her green eyes full of tears. "You look awful!"
"Naomi!" Mum exclaimed. "Where are your manners? How dare you tell your sister that?"
"At least she's honest." I said, smiling weakly. "How have you been, Ny?"
"I've missed you so much!" Naomi burst out. "You were supposed to come home from school and then have the whole summer with me! We were going to be together and catch frogs and make turtles fly and…"
I listened to her flood of words while Mum and Dad busied themselves around the room. Even though it had been nearly four years since her death, Virginia's absence was obvious. It was as if we were a car missing a wheel. It just wouldn't run properly, or at all, without her.
"I thought you were dead." Naomi went on, her small, round face full of anguish. "Mum and Dad said you were really hurt. Really, really bad! Like that one time I ate a wasp and had to come here. Remember that? I was so little and I thought I was gonna die! But you didn't. You're still here. I wish Virginia was here. I wish she had lived. I'm so glad you're alive, Amber. I don't know how I would have gone on without another sister."
Biting my lip, I exchanged a heavy look with my parents. Dad looked like he was carved from stone. Mum's own eyes were overflowing. Virginia was a forbidden subject in our family; her ghost haunted all of us, Mum in particular. I had clearly heard her voice in my head when I had duelled Folsom, but perhaps that had been my own imagination, driven to hysteria due to the graveness of the circumstance. But for Naomi to bring her up again brought a fresh wave of pain.
"I'm okay." I told Naomi, wanting to braid her hair. "I'd never leave you, little duck."
"Good." Naomi pressed herself closer. "If you died, we wouldn't have a cynic in the family anymore."
"Oh, really?" I laughed. "Who told you that?"
"Daddy and Mummy."
"Oh, brilliant." Now the four of us were laughing again, though Mum looked like she was trying very hard not to break down into tears.
"Your wand was broken, right?" Naomi asked sheepishly.
"Yeah." I muttered, a fresh pang of grief stabbing deep. "It's broken."
"That's okay. You can come buy a new wand with me in a few years. I start at Hogwarts in two whole years!"
"I know. I'll bet you'll be a Hufflepuff. Like everyone else in our family."
"No! I want to be a Gryffindor. The house of the brave!"
"I don't know," I said lightly, ruffling her dark hair. "You'd make a pretty good Hufflepuff. You're so sweet and charming, blurting out names to bed-ridden people like 'cynic'."
"Hey, I'm just stating the facts." Naomi said matter-of-factly. "But does this mean we get to buy you a new wand?"
"I guess so." I said sadly. I didn't want to replace the wand. I wanted it back. The ash and phoenix wand had been my first wand, a part of me. Losing it had been like losing a beloved first pet.
"Pardon the interruption," Stella called from the doorway. "But you have more visitors."
My heart leapt. "Is it Remus and Lily? Is Sean here?"
"No. It's Professor Albus Dumbledore and Willow Smith."
"Let them in." Dad said. A moment later my teachers came into the room. Professor Smith was wearing her customary long black robes, her hair tied up away from her scarred face. Professor Dumbledore was wearing deep blue robes spangled with white stars, a pointed hat on his silver hair. His long beard glittered in the light of the candles.
"Good day to you." Professor Dumbledore said to all of us. He shook hands with Dad and embraced my mother, who still looked like she was struggling very hard not to cry. She looked like she had just swallowed a lemon.
"Are you Professor Dumbledore?" Naomi asked excitedly. "Can you take me early? I'm nine years old, but I promise I'm smart and I'll work. Oh, please, please! Let me come to Hogwarts this fall!"
"Hush, Naomi." Mum admonished, mortified. "I'm so sorry, Headmaster. I don't know where she gets that chattering mouth of hers. She has no filter."
"I have a guess." Dad rumbled, and Mum blushed. Professor Dumbledore chuckled. "In the right time, young one, you may come to school. But not yet."
"Awwwww." Naomi folded her arms, pouting.
"Professor…" I began, but words failed me. Where could I begin? After everything that had happened, what could I say? Closing my mouth, I lowered my head.
"Ah, yes." Professor Dumbledore intoned. I watched him and Professor Smith walk to my bed. Naomi scooted over to give them more room. Professor Smith held a small cigar box in one hand.
"I believe that you and I will have a talk at some point." Dumbledore said quietly, so that only I could hear him. "But right now is not that time."
"Why aren't you out there catching the bastard who did this to my daughter?" Dad said loudly. The anger in his voice surprised me. I had only ever heard him use that steely tone of voice once in my life, on me, when he was drunk a few weeks after Virginia's death.
"I beg your pardon?" Professor Smith said, raising her eyebrows.
"You knew that these monsters were out there." Dad went on, his green eyes flashing dangerously. "You knew Folsom and Greyback were on You-Know-Who's side. You knew they were going to come after Amber."
"Dad, please." I pleaded, but he ignored me, his furious gaze fixed on Dumbledore.
"We had no way of knowing that they were going to attack her last month." Dumbledore replied calmly.
"You're Head of the Order." Dad spat. "You know everything."
There was a long, awkward silence. Before Dumbledore could speak, Dad swept on:
"You knew everything, including the fact that Folsom escaped his imprisonment last year. You knew Greyback was running around unchecked, creating more werewolves."
"Folsom escaped? He was captured?" I asked, but no one answered me.
Dumbledore looked straight at Dad. "We confirmed that Lord Voldemort was behind all of this. He ordered Folsom and Greyback to apprehend Amber. They were not supposed to harm her."
"But she is!" Dad raged. "Look at her! She'll never have a normal life. How will she marry? How will she ever have children or a husband? How can she even play Quidditch?"
"I manage quite well." Professor Smith said darkly, a warning in her voice. Dad ignored this too.
"Where is Folsom and Greyback?" He said loudly. "How come they're still loose?!"
"Every effort is being made to hunt down both of them." Dumbledore responded calmly. He hadn't raised his voice once, unlike Dad, who was growing louder and redder in the face each time he opened his mouth. "Believe me, they won't be free for long."
"I'd believe you if you were still out there, searching, instead of standing here telling us how sorry you are." Dad spat. "You're the one who defeated Grindelwald, for Merlin's sake! What's so difficult about a vampire and a werewolf?"
"I am here for a much more personal reason." Dumbledore informed him. "Willow, please open the box."
The room went silent as Willow nodded once. She gave Dad a glare that would have withered an oak tree. The silence was deafening as she slowly opened the wooden lid, revealing the two broken halves of my wand. It was like a coffin for my fallen wand.
Tears filled my eyes now. Numb, I reached out and touched the crimson, gold, and sapphire colors of the exposed phoenix feather. I felt nothing. No tingle of recognition, no response whatsoever. My wand was dead.
"I believe this was the wand snapped by Greyback?" Dumbledore asked me politely.
"Yes." I confirmed, heart twisting inside of me. The tiniest of fibers were holding the broken wand together. It was pathetic, yet it gave me a small flare of hope. "Is there anyway to fix it?"
Dumbledore looked at me squarely. His half-moon spectacles reflected the light of the candles, and again I had the feeling that he knew things - significant things - that he was withholding from me.
"There's one way to find out." the Headmaster said gravely. "Willow, would you please bring forth the holly wood?"
Professor Smith drew a smooth, shiny brown length of slender wood. It was nearly a foot long.
"Unfortunately, the ash wood in the dead wand cannot be resurrected. It's been broken cleanly in two, and the magic is gone permanently." Dumbledore informed me. "However, the core feather retains signs of life and is still connected, even if barely intact. Allow me to attempt to revive the wand."
Holding my breath, hardly daring to hope, Dumbledore placed the broken ash wand in my outstretched hands. Professor Smith gently placed the holly alongside it. Dumbledore drew out his wand from the folds in his starry robes and tapped the touching holly wood and broken ash wand.
"Reparo."
There a click! A flash of gold sparks emitted from my hands, but they weren't hot. I watched in amazement as the grayish ash wood vanished, and for a fleeting moment, the phoenix tail feather was exposed and naked. Then it was encased in the blinking of an eye within the holly wood. I stared at it, stunned.
"You'll want to bring that to Mr. Ollivander, to ensure it will work properly. It'll need to be registered as well." Dumbledore said, his blue eyes twinkling. "But why don't you give it a try anyway?"
I pointed the new holly wand at the empty goblet on my bedside table. "Aguamenti."
The goblet filled to the brim with clear water. I wiped away the dampness on my cheek, the despair and guilt of last night melting away into a flood of relieved joy.
"It appears that it worked." Dumbledore said happily. "Congratulations, Amber."
"I don't believe it." Mum whispered. Dad and Naomi were speechless.
"Where did you get the holly wood?" I asked, waving the wand around in wonder. It felt just like the ash wand had. Familiar, comfortable, reliable. Self-aware.
"The wood was supplied by a holly tree in Godric's Hollow, in the cemetery." Willow told me. "It was growing near the gravesite of Sapphira Peverell."
I blinked, sweat gathering in my palms. I looked slowly between Dumbledore and Willow. I so badly wanted to ask about Sapphira Peverell, about Lord Voldemort, about The Master. About Folsom and Willow's ties to all of this. From the looks of consternation in their gazes, I knew now wasn't the time to ask questions. And it wouldn't be any time soon, either.
"I couldn't possibly have a wand too, could I?" Naomi asked Professor Dumbledore coquettishly, batting her eyelashes.
"Not until you are old enough for school." Dumbledore told her. "But all in due time. Now is the time for rest and recovery. We've kept you long enough from your family as it is."
"Professor," I began somewhat desperately, "can't you-"
"No, Amber, I am afraid my stance has not changed." said Professor Dumbledore. Mum, Dad, and Naomi all looked very confused. Willow alone knew what I was asking, and her pursed lips answered my question.
"You'll need to recover from your experience." Dumbledore went on. "If you are unable to come to school by the first of September, Willow here will serve as your tutor once more until you are well enough to go back to Hogwarts. You should receive your list of school supplies and your official welcome-back letter sometime next month. In the meantime, rest." And you WILL have you answers eventually. Be patient. His voice was in my mind, and he winked as I stared at him, nonplussed.
"We'd better be off." Willow said. "I've got a vampire and a werewolf to track down. Alastor will want to speak with you too, Professor Dumbledore."
"Yes, I suppose he will." said Dumbledore. "Good day to you all. Please pardon me for the interruption, Lena, Walter. It was lovely to meet you, Naomi."
Dad gave a stiff nod. Mum was more appreciative and gave him another hug. Naomi waved happily as the two departed.
"That's so cool, Amber!" Naomi gushed as she gazed lovingly at my wand. "I didn't know broken wands could be fixed."
"Neither did I." I confessed, marveling at the beauty of it.
"Dumbledore is capable of great things." Mum said reverently. "He's the greatest wizard of our time."
"Maybe," Dad said shortly. "Maybe not."
The four of us talked well into the afternoon. It wasn't until there was a knock at the door that there was a stop in the conversation. Stella was back, along with Doctor Hastings.
"Time for another healing session!" Stella said cheerfully, while I glowered at my goblet full of water.
"Can I come?" Naomi chirped.
"I don't think that's a good idea." I told her. "I'm going to be making a lot of noise and saying some vulgar things. Things that are on the Do-Not-Say list."
"Like Voldemort?" Naomi piped, earning a collective wince from the room.
"Naomi Rose Harkstone, where on earth did you learn these words?" Mum demanded. "Honestly, child. You're worse than Amber was when she was your age."
"But Mum!" Naomi whined.
"She can come if she really wants." I told her in defeat. "But don't say I didn't warn you, Ny. Promise you won't complain."
"I promise!" She said, green eyes shining.
"A word, Mr. and Mrs. Harkstone?" Doctor Hastings prompted as we left the room.
"I can't believe Dumbledore made you a new wand!" Naomi went on as we made our way slowly down the hallway. "Where's your friends? I like Lily. And Remus is nice, too!"
A lump formed in my throat the mention of their names. "They're busy, Ny. They know I'm trying to get better."
"If your healing session goes well, we might even let you go home today." said Stella. "Depending on what Healer Francis says."
"Oh, I hope so!" Naomi said excitedly. "It'll be so good to have you home. My heart hurts when you aren't there."
The healing session proved to be just as painful as the previous one. This time I didn't hold back from swearing. Naomi blushed and gasped at my colorful vocabulary. I had picked up many new words and phrases from James and Sirius in the past four years.
"I don't think Mummy will want to know what you've been saying." Naomi mumbled as we made our way back to my room. My entire body was hot and shivery, but it was a good pain. I knew that in spite of how bad it felt, it was going to make me stronger.
"Oh!" Naomi exclaimed as we reached my room. "You've got a visitor!"
Standing just outside of the room was a black-haired girl with red glasses. She was clutching an old, worn book to her chest.
"Zoey MacDonald." I said, a strange sense of foreboding filling my chest. "What are you doing here? What's that in your arms?"
Zoey's gaze skittered away. "I wanted to say thank you… for saving my life in the Forest last month."
"You're welcome, I guess?" I replied, frowning. "Is that a book?"
"Yes." Zoey sounded odd. Frightened, even. She wouldn't look at me in the face. I realized how much different I must look, covered in scars, and felt the heat rush into my face.
"Well…" I trailed off awkwardly.
"Hey, Zoey!" Naomi chirped. "Did you know that Amber loves Remus?"
I stared down at my littlest sister, horrified. "NAOMI!"
Zoey turned dark red. "No, I didn't know that. Here, just take this. I've got to go." She shoved the book into my hands and swept away, her heels clacking down on the floor like gunshots.
"Nice going, Naomi." I muttered. "Now she thinks I'm a monster and a homewrecker."
"All I did was tell the truth." Naomi said defensively. "What's that?"
"I don't know." I looked down upon the faded leather cover. It had a strangely familiar pattern on the front, a leaf-shape with feathers sprouting from the sides, just like a Snitch.
It was the book that Minnie had given to me. It was the book that had been stolen from me in Ravenclaw Tower.