As it was brought to my attention, you guys all kind of agree that Elyse hasn't been given much love in the last few chapters. For all those that felt that way, I hope that this makes up for it.
Elyse was sitting against the propped up pillows, working on some of the homework she had missed the last week of school. Madame Pomfrey had refused to let neither she nor Ursula out of the hospital wing until she deemed them in perfect health. Elyse would have laughed if she could make a sound. Perfect health? She was a mute and Ursula couldn't see. Yep, they were the epitome of perfect health.
The days were absolutely horrible to go through. Not only did her throat constantly feel like she needed to cough but she couldn't communicate with her best friend only one bed away. When Elyse heard all the words Ursula spoke to her the first day, but she couldn't respond. Dejected, Ursula had given up after five minutes. Now the room was so barren and quiet. It was maddening.
Only when her friends and family were there was she able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. When she first woke up, she saw her mother, father, and two little brothers sitting around her bed. Jack had a toy airplane he was playing with, making a 'vroooom' sound while he 'flew' the plane around him. Sean snuggled against his mother's shoulder while she held him securely at his hip. His bright blue eyes lit up when he saw her eyes open the first time.
"'Weesie!" He shouted happily with a giggle. He clapped his hands together and smiled at her, showing off his teeth that had come in. The three-year old had obviously not forgotten who his sister was even though he rarely saw her during the year.
It had been a joyous reunion. They had stayed by her side the entire day until Dumbledore came to take them to special chambers they had prepared for the family so they could stay an extra day before they had to leave.
When that day came, Elyse felt tears prickle in the corners of her eyes. She was now confined to a hospital bed and she couldn't even communicate with her best friend lying only a few feet away from her.
She was just about to hall sleep on a Friday night when the gang walked in. She watched as they all walked closer and closer to the beds. They all looked relaxed and in perfect health. They had been allowed to go outside to enjoy the first nice day in March. Jealously sprang up in her chest as she took in their slightly tanner skin and light summer robes. It was technically their fault that she was stuck there anyway.
Sirius walked over to her with an easy smile on his face with his hair falling into his eyes with natural grace.
"You are every bloke's dream right now." He said as he settled in the chair next to her bed.
She raised an eyebrow, asking the silent question.
He smirked, "A girl that can't talk back."
His response was an extremely rude hand gesture that sent him into a fit of laughter. His barking (because that it what it sounded like to Elyse) echoed off the infirmary walls. Ursula spoke up from the bed across from her, "Shut up you stupid sod."
"You love me," Sirius said, stilling laughing. He reached over and messed up the top of Elyse's curly red hair. She slapped his hand away and looked crossly at him. She crossed her arms across her chest and glared at him.
He looked down condescendingly, "What is this? James, I think she's giving me the silent treatment!" He whined to his best friend. "Make her stop!"
James walked over and mock examined her. He pretended to be a healer, poking her ticklish sides and tapping her knee under the blankets. He notably ignored her death glare. Carrying an extremely somber expression on his face, he put his hand on Sirius's shoulder.
"I'm sorry Sir, we have determined that she is indeed giving you the silent treatment."
"I knew it!" Sirius fake sobbed before covering his face his hands as his shoulders shook with 'sobs'. James wrapped an arm around his friend. "I promise you we will do everything we can for her, but it looks bad."
Ben and Remus were getting their homework out to help the two girls while James and Sirius made a scene of themselves. Ben walked over to Ursula and started to explain the DADA work they had while Remus made his way over towards Elyse.
"James, could you move?" He asked.
James looked up from the chair he occupied. He smiled up at him, with a cocky smile.
"I don't want to."
Remus sighed. With James, it was always a battle.
"Just move."
"No."
"Please?"
"I don't want to." James seemed to be having fun with this game. Elyse was getting a headache just listening him being so defiant. If only she could talk right now…
"Come on James, move," Remus practically begged him.
James leaned back in the chair and ran his hand through his hair, "I don't think so Moony."
"James, just get up," Sirius spoke up from the other side of the bed.
Making a spectacular show, James slowly pushed himself out of the chair. He entertained himself until it was his turn to teach Ursula what she missed in Transfiguration while Sirius waited to do the same for Elyse. It was a perfect system that the second year Gryffindors worked out. Remus and Ben would teach DADA, James and Sirius reviewed what they learned Transfiguration, Lily would explain the lessons in Potions and History of Magic, Alice and Marlene explained the new theory in Charms, and Peter would get Herbology and Astronomy. The system had been working the last week, ever since the girls woke up.
The boys were gone about two hours later with Ursula and Elyse understanding DADA more they had the entire year and them restraining the need to throw James and Sirius out the windows. They simple would not stop messing around, even when they were trying to teach their friends the school work so they wouldn't fail. In all honesty, they were very lucky that Elyse and Ursula good at Transfiguration without their help.
It was the next Monday morning they were released from the infirmary.
Madame Pomfrey looked down at Elyse with her strict eyes, "Miss O'Brian, you can leave. Normally, a teacher would escort you back to the tower, but under these circumstances…" she trailed off.
The question was literally on the tip of her tongue but she couldn't ask it. After a week of not talking, Elyse could barely handle it. She wanted to tell her family that she loved them and she would be alright. She wanted to yell at the boys and blame them for this but then immediately tell them that she didn't mean it. She wanted to ask Lily what the heck they were doing in Potions because she barely understood it. But most of all, she wanted to talk to her best friend.
Ursula was sitting across from her, her eyes blankly staring in front of her. The bandages had been removed from her eyes three days ago but she was still as blind as a bat. It wasn't obvious that there was something wrong with her eyes from a distance but the second you got close to her you could still see grey smoke in her pupils. Her silver eyes had almost returned to normal (Madame Pomfrey had assured that they would go back) but they were still eerie to look at.
"Get along now. Please be careful getting back to the Tower."
Silently, Ursula held tightly to Elyse arm as she led them across the castle. Ursula would stumble here and there, not expecting staircases or slightly bumps in the ancient stone castle floor. When the Fat Lady saw them, she let them in without the password. The common room was empty. Elyse found this extremely weird, considering most of the sixth and seventh year students always bragged spending their free time in there.
None the less, Elyse led her friend up the stairs and into their dorm. Elyse looked at the room that had not been changed since her departure to the infirmary. Her bed was spotless, all traces of the blood she coughed up were gone from her comforter and pillows.
"Elyse?" Ursula asked into the silent room.
Elyse looked over and saw tears swimming Ursula's eyes as she carefully sat down her bed and turned to look in the direction that she knew Elyse's bed to be.
"I know you can't respond, but I think we're going to get through this." She said softly.
Even if Elyse could talk, she doubted that she would have had a response to her statement. Right now, she didn't think she was going to get through this. It was maddening. She wanted to scream, yell, shout, cry but none of it was possible.
Ursula, knowing her best friend as well she did, spoke again, "I swear Elyse, we are going to get through this. I don't think I could spend the rest of my life not being able to talk to you, you're my best friend."
Elyse got up from her bed and practically tackled Ursula under her in a hug. She could feel Ursula's tears hitting her shoulder and she knew that her tears were doing the same. They sat like that for about ten minutes, two best friends holding each other, unable to communicate.
Suddenly, there was the sound of a stampede of Hippogriffs running up the stairs. The door burst open and Elyse saw Lily, Alice, and Marlene's ecstatic faces.
"You're back!" Marlene shouted and dove onto the bed to join the hug. Ursula laughed at hugged her. Once the girls hugged the living daylights out of each other, Elyse couldn't help but wonder about their overly excited faces. She didn't have to wait long.
"This day keeps on getting better and better! First Avery and now you two are back!" Alice giggled happily at the end of her sentence and she danced to her bed.
"What happened in Avery's class?" Ursula asked the question for both Elyse and herself.
Lily's eyes darkened a bit before started to explain, "Today in class, he made a reference to you two getting really sick. I didn't hear what he said, but Black just about exploded. He ran forward to hit Professor Avery when Ben pulled him back. Sirius fell forward and ended up grabbing onto Avery's arm."
Marlene took over the story.
"There must have been a tear on his sleeve already because the whole thing came off. So Sirius is lying on the ground at this point and James gets up and we think it's to help Sirius off the ground. But then someone screamed."
Now Alice finished the story.
"James cast a bounding hex at Avery. Ben and Remus sent two more sets of ropes to tie him up. He had the Dark Mark on his arm! Some kids ran to get McGonagall and she sent for the headmaster. Dumbledore fired him on the spot with the whole class watching and called some Aurors to take Avery away. It was wicked!"
Elyse's and Ursula's eyes had widened to the eyes of saucers.
"He was Death Eater?" Ursula asked in shock.
The three girls nodded enthusiastically.
"It was moving. I've never seen anything so creepy looking." Marlene shuddered as she thought about the memory.
"Who is going to teach that class now?" Ursula asked. They still had half a term left and they needed to have a teacher for the remaining time.
Lily shrugged, "I don't know. This just happened a few hours ago. Everyone's out by the Black Lake talking about it."
Ursula groaned and leaned back against the headboard and crossed her arms as she huffed, "I wish we could have seen it."
Elyse couldn't have agreed more.
I realize that Elyse sounds a little bitter in this chapter and little more sarcastic and mean but she is a 13 year old kid who knows that she might never be able to talk again. She's a bit bitter about the whole ordeal because a) she hasn't had time to accept it and b) she can't really talk about it, can she? So if you found her a little OOC, that's why.
Just so everyone knows, I think this book is only going to have one more chapter before it ends. If there is anything that you want to happen or anything cleared up before we go into the later years, please feel free to let me know.
Last thing and this is probably the most important one. I want to know your opinions on what patronus/animagus Elyse should have. I have already chosen an animal for Ursula and Ben but I am coming up with a blank as to what to make Elyse. So if you would like to suggest anything, please, please feel free. Also if you want, suggest some for Ursula and Ben. I more pretty sure on what I picked for them but if someone has a better idea, I am all for it. I want to have an idea by the end of the next school year so I would like some ideas now. Thanks.
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