Disclaimer: Once again, not mine.
A/N: Uh… not much to say. It's super short, but at least it's an update. I'm currently suffering another bout of writer's block, so bear with me. Happy 4th of July to all of us American people:) Cheers!
Keira's POV
I poke my head into Aria's bedroom early the next morning. She's still sleeping in basically the same position Harry and I left her in last night. Her breathing is heavy, and her forehead is drenched in sweat. Despite this, she's shivering uncontrollably. I go over to her side and lay my hand against her forehead. She's burning up. Sighing, I wipe her sweaty hair out of her face. Poor girl.
"Mummy?"
I turn around to see Abby standing there curiously, peering into the room inquisitively. I smile at her and gesture for her to come in.
"Is she okay?" Abby asks, her face screwing up in concern as she peeks over the edge of Aria's bedside.
"She's sick," I say quietly. "But she'll be better soon."
"Is Daddy sick too?" Abby asks somewhat accusingly. I smile at her tone.
"Yes, sweetheart, Daddy's sick too," I tell her, picking her up. She frowns.
"I don't want Daddy to be sick," she tells me. Fighting back a laugh, I smile at her.
"I know, sweetie. I don't want Daddy sick either. He'll be better soon too though, I promise," I say. I lay my hand against Aria's cheeks and forehead again before I leave the room.
I carry Abby downstairs and into the kitchen, where I'm surprised to see Harry, cooking breakfast for a very impatient-looking Henry in his high chair. I set Abby down and walk over to Harry.
"You're here early," I say with a yawn. He smiles at me.
"I figured you'd want to sleep in," he says, dishing eggs onto two plates for Henry and Abby. I smile gratefully.
"Thank you," I say, taking the plates for him. "So what's Ginny up to today?" I ask conversationally, handing Abby two forks. She sits at the table and hands Henry his green plastic fork, even dishing up his first mouthful for him. I smile at how helpful she's trying to be.
"I think she's taking the kids and going to the Burrow for the day," Harry says, starting up a few more eggs and a pan of bacon. Suddenly two very sleepy-looking boys appear at the bottom of the staircase. I smile at them as they plop down at the table.
"Do I smell bacon?" Jake asks sleepily. His hair is sticking up in odd tufts all over his head, and his eyes are barely open.
"Sure do," Harry says, flipping the bacon over in the pan. Sean yawns noisily.
"Smells good," he says.
"Is it still raining, Mummy?" Abby asks suddenly. I glance out the window at the light blue sky.
"No, sweetheart. It looks like it's going to be a very nice day," I tell her. She smiles.
"Can we go swimming?"
"You'll have to ask Jake and Sean. They're taking care of you and Henry today," I say, taking four more plates down from the cupboard.
"What?" the boys say in unison. They're pretty awake now. I sigh.
"You two need to watch Henry and Abby today. Harry and I will be busy taking care of Aria and your dad," I inform them, handing them each a plate of bacon and eggs. They take it, looking resentful.
"Why can't you take care of Aria and Dad, and Harry can watch the little kids?" Sean grumbles.
"You are being very ungrateful," I tell him, sitting down across from him with my breakfast. He just mutters something inaudible and shoves a forkful of eggs into his mouth.
"Sean, it's only for a few days. Just until we can get your dad back up on his feet, okay? Besides, Abby and Henry love it when you play with them. They don't see enough of their big brother," Harry says sternly. Sean rolls his eyes.
"Fine, I'll watch them," he grumbles. I smile at him gratefully.
"Good. I'm going to see if I can get Ron to eat something," Harry says, dishing up a plate of eggs. "Keira, you should make some soup or something for Aria. She needs food," he adds, pausing at the bottom of the stairs. I nod and go over to the stove to start some chicken noodle soup.
Behind me I hear chairs scraping the floor. I turn to see Jake and Sean standing up, gathering the plates and glasses and taking them to the sink. I smile at them.
"Thank you, boys," I say, waving my wand so the dishes will start washing. They just nod, and each takes one of the little kids before disappearing upstairs. The kitchen seems so quiet without anyone in it. I sigh and take the soup off the stove, pouring some in a bowl for Aria. I hope she's awake…
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Harry's POV
Ron glares at me as I walk in. He opens his mouth to say something – probably that he's really not sick and really doesn't need to stay in bed and that Aria really needs him today – but all that comes out is a long, hacking cough that makes him double over on the bed, clutching his chest with a grimace on his face.
"You can just forget whatever you were about to say," I tell him, handing him his plate and a fork. He sighs and leans back against his pillows.
"Thanks," he mutters, taking a bite of the eggs.
"No problem, mate," I say with a grin. Ron gives me a look, but I ignore it. I just chuckle at him.
"How's Aria?" he asks hoarsely between bites. I shrug.
"Dunno. Keira's been taking care of her." He chokes on his eggs.
"Wh-what?" he sputters, eggs spilling out of his mouth in a very unappetizing way.
"Keira is taking care of Aria," I say slowly so he'll get it. He stares at me in shock.
"Wh-why?" he stutters.
"Because she feels responsible for what happened to her, and now she wants to help make it better," I say sternly. Ron just stares.
"I've got to get out of this bed," he mutters, starting to swing his legs over the side of the bed. I shove him back into his pillows.
"You are not getting out of that bed until you are well," I tell him, glaring at him.
"I feel fine!" he insists. He starts to get up again, only to be consumed by another coughing fit. I give him a look and he lies back down reluctantly. Footsteps outside the room cause us both to look toward the door.
"Hey," Keira says quietly, sticking her head in as she passes by. She smiles at Ron, who just looks at her coolly. She sighs and comes into the room.
"Ron, please," she begs, sitting down on the bed next to him. He eyes the soup in her hand curiously. "It's for Aria," she says dismissively.
"How is she?" he asks at last, his voice barely more than a rough whisper. He clears his throat loudly.
"She's still asleep. And she has a fever. I was just going up to see if she was awake yet and if she'd eat some soup," she says with a sigh.
Ron nods agreeably. "Good, good," he murmurs, sighing and leaning further into his pillows. He lets his eyelids droop. "So tired," he mutters softly. Keira smiles and gets up quietly, leaving the room just as quickly as she'd come.
I get up as well, taking Ron's nearly empty plate with me. Looks like I get to help Keira with Aria now. First though, I need to get these dirty dishes off to the sink. And there are probably some clean ones sitting, waiting to be put away by now. With a sigh, I head off to work. So much for summer vacation.
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Keira's POV
Aria is looking slightly less asleep by the time I get to her room, but she's not awake. She's tossing and turning in her bed, an unhappy grimace playing over her soft features. Every few seconds she lets out a very disconcerting sound, somewhere between a whimper and a groan.
"Aria," I whisper, laying my hand on her shoulder and shaking her gently. She tears away from my grip, crying out loudly.
"Aria, wake up," I say a bit more loudly. "You're having a bad dream. Please wake up." I shake her again. She sits bolt upright very suddenly, gasping for breath, her eyes wide open. I back away quickly.
She looks at me, but it doesn't seem like she registers who I am. She sinks back into her bed and lies there staring at me, sweat still beading her brow heavily.
"Aria?" I ask, moving to her bedside. She doesn't react. Her eyes flick over to me, watching me, but not recognizing me. "I brought you some soup," I tell her gently, handing her the bowl. She doesn't move.
"You need to eat, sweetheart," I tell her. She blinks and screws up her face as she focuses on mine. "Please eat," I beg quietly, still holding out the soup. Very slowly she reaches out with shaking hands. She can barely grasp the bowl. I guide the bowl onto her lap. Once its resting there somewhat safely, I conjure a tray for her to eat on, and set the bowl on top of it. Aria struggles to sit up.
I help her get back into an upright position and rearrange the pillows behind her. She gives me a look that clearly tells me she didn't need help and reaches out to take the spoon. Her hand is shaking so violently that hardly any of the soup on the spoon actually makes it to her mouth, but I don't offer my help. She doesn't seem to want it, if the tiny looks she's giving me are any indication.
I smile at her and start moving about the room, cleaning things up while she eats. I feel her eyes watching me, but I ignore it. I tidy up her bookshelf, which has her school books lying haphazardly on the wooden shelves. I pick up some dirty clothes I somehow missed last night and throw them into the hamper.
From behind me I hear a sigh, and I look back. Aria is lying back against the pillows, looking exhausted, her soup only half gone.
"Are you done?" I ask softly. She opens her eyes just far enough to actually see me, and nods very slowly. "I'll just get this out of your way then," I tell her, picking up the tray. She nods again, sinking further into the pillows.
"Thank you," I hear very softly, almost inaudibly, as I leave. I smile as I walk down the stairs.
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Harry's POV
Keira walks into the living room and sits down on the couch next to me with a sigh. I smile at her, and she smiles back somewhat wearily.
"This is going to be harder than I thought," she says.
"Is it really that bad taking care of Aria?" I ask, surprised. The girl was half dead last night, how can she be such a problem?
"No. But I just wish Ron was up and around to help out. Aria's still mad at me. I mean, she can barely speak, and she's hardly conscious, but the looks that girl can convey gets the message across loud and clear: 'Keira, I hate you'," she mutters bitterly.
"Oh, Keira," I sigh. "She doesn't hate you," I insist. Keira just gives me a look. "She doesn't," I insist.
"Oh, really," she says, raising her eyebrows at me in disbelief.
"Really," I tell her. "She's just … it's hard. What she's going through. I mean, I know you've heard it all before, but, it's hard to lose a parent. And Aria and her mum were so close… I just think you're trying too hard," I tell her.
She sighs. "Then what am I supposed to do?" she asks. "Just ignore the girl? I can't do that, Harry."
"No, of course not. Just … let her know that if she ever needs you, you're there, but without invading her space. Just let her be herself, and before you know it, she'll open up to you. You just have to be her friend," I say.
Keira looks at me and sighs. "This is getting us nowhere. How about if we work together and try to get those ugly sheets off of Aria's bed instead? They're driving me crazy," she says with a smile. I laugh and stand up.
"Sounds good. Let me run home real quick. Ginny just bought some new bedding for one of the guest rooms, but it's too small for the bed, so she was going to return it. I'm sure she hasn't taken it back yet. We can use it for Aria's room," I say. Keira bites her lip uncertainly. She and Ron have always had a big problem with accepting any kind of gifts from Ginny and me.
"It's no big deal," I assure her. "It's just plain bedding. Nothing special," I insist. She sighs.
"Fine. Go get it. Hurry back. I'll be in Aria's room," she says, getting up and heading toward the stairs. I nod at her back and apparate.
A/N: Sorry it's so terribly short! I'm suffering from a horrible case of writer's block at the moment, so this is all. Sorry!