(Disclaimer: I own or claim none of J.K. Rowling's work or characters, the only character that I claim is Marie.)
Author's Note: Sorry that I haven't updated in a while, I've been busy with my other story. I'll update this one as much as I can, but I'm still working out the rest of the plot for it. I'm taking a bit of a creative license with things here and changing up quite a bit. While Marie is indeed in the past, she will only be there for roughly three years, before returning. Hang in there and bear with me as I get this story worked out and take the time to give it justice. See the end of this chapter for the eventual relationships of the characters, many are AU and will be explained and explored in later chapters. There will be some surprises along the way.
Wishes
Chapter 3
Marie whimpered in her sleep. Nightmares and images of the deaths of her family plagued her mind. She tossed and turned restlessly throughout the night. The others woke off and on, taking turns watching over her while she slept. Each of them was exhausted from the ritual, but they were quickly recovering their strength. They soon found that not only was their knowledge shared with Marie, but also with each other. Old family spells and magic was now commonly shared between them and Marie. A bond between them had created, an alliance for the sake of the small girl now tossing and turning in her bed.
Madam Pomfrey continually checked her young charges throughout the night. Just past midnight the door to the Hospital Wing creaked open, but there was no one visibly there. Footsteps echoed in the hall, causing the boys to sit in their beds and reach for their wands. James Potter, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew appeared seemingly out of nowhere. The patients still held their wands pointed at the four, and stood protectively near where Marie was sleeping fitfully in her bed.
Holding his hands up in front of himself Sirius stepped forward. "Easy, we just wanted to check on her. When we heard that you were all still in here we knew that something was going on. Are you alright Reg?" he asked quietly.
The younger boy regarded his brother carefully, lowering his wand he nodded. Sirius made his way to his brother's side and pulled him into an awkward man hug. The others watched the interaction with varying ranges of emotions and reactions. The others lowered their wands, but still remained in front of where Marie was tossing and turning in her bed.
"Who is she?" James asked quietly.
Gideon and Fabian looked at the others before nodded slowly. "We can tell you, but you'll have to swear an oath not to tell a soul about it," Fabian told them more seriously than they had ever heard.
The Marauders looked at each other and nodded in response. They regarded the Slytherins present suspiciously, but as the tale was told to them their views changed. When they had heard what each of them had done for the mysterious young girl, they knew that they could be trusted. As they listened to the ritual performed and the protection they offered to Marie, they regarded the Slytherins in a different light. They sat and talked quietly well into the early hours of the morning, glancing at Marie every so often as they helplessly listened to her whimpering.
James watched as the small girl slept, he and his friends had come to an understanding and truce with the Slytherins. They now understood where they stood and what they believed and while they didn't agree with all of it, they could at least respect their thoughts and beliefs. After what they had seen happen on the ceiling of the Hall and in the Hall, they knew that Marie was special and needed to be protected.
Sirius sat on the edge of his brother's bed and listened as he explained that he had given Marie the protection of the Black family. Sirius was stunned as he learned that the small girl was now protected by five of the most well-known and prominent families in the Pureblood circles. He watched as James and his other Marauder friends observed the sleeping girl and he knew that they too would add their protection to her when she awoke.
Marie gasped and sat up in the bed. Her eyes were wide as her body trembled. Tears were pouring down her face as she let her shuddering breaths slow. Looking around she noticed that there were four more young men in the room now. She clutched at the blanket and grasped it tightly even as tremors shook her petite frame.
Antonio knelt next to her bed and took on of her hands in his own. "You're safe now. Do you remember where you are and who we are?"
She nodded, "I had hoped it was a bad dream, but I remember. Who are they?" she asked pointing at the unfamiliar faces.
The Marauders introduced themselves, and then stunning Marie even more, they offered the protection of their own families. She felt the medallion around her neck warm and watched as three new family crests appeared. Touching the silver disc with shaking fingers, she thanked them quietly. Knowledge swirled around her mind; etiquette, codes of conduct, ancient rituals, and family magics and spells. Furrowing her brow, she knew that what they had done and offered her was something that she would never forget. They honored her and made her feel safe. She vowed to do the same for them and be there for them come what may.
"I wanted to thank you, for what you've done," Marie began quietly. "I know that some of you have gone against your family. I'm honored that you would protect me that way. I know that I don't understand all of it and I will need some help along the way, but I will do my best."
Lucius let his façade fall briefly and a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he nodded in acknowledgement. The other Slytherins smiled in recognition and nodded to her as well. The Prewetts grinned openly at her and gave a bow. She smiled and laughed slightly in response.
"So what happens now?" she asked quietly. "I have no family. I have nothing and no means to get by. I have no home, I have nothing."
Antonio squeezed her hand gently, "You're welcome to stay with my family in Italy. My Nona would welcome you and accept you as one of our own. She'd take you in, no questions asked."
A voice interrupted their conversation, "It may not come to that or be necessary," Dumbledore interrupted. "I have some people that I would like to introduce you to Miss Stone."
A couple stepped into the room and regarded her sadly. "Mom! Dad!" James exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
"Professor Dumbledore contacted us late last night and said that there will be trouble brewing for you Marie. We've come to formally offer to take you in and bring you into our family, though I see that James has already done part of it," Charlus Potter said indicating the necklace around her neck.
Dorea and Charlus Potter introduced themselves and told Marie and the others that they were politically and publically providing support for Marie. It was completely up to her if she chose to stay with them, or they were perfectly accepting and understanding that she may want to stay elsewhere. Marie nodded in understanding and thanked them. She knew that there was a storm brewing and that the people aligning themselves with her could be dangerous to them and their families.
Antonio listened to the Potters and understood what they were doing. Internally he was seething that Dumbledore would step in and have a prominent Light family offer to be guardians for Marie. He would need to contact his own family posthaste. They were historically Neutral, but he had turned the tide and forced their hand a bit. The other Slytherins were just as offended by Dumbledore's machinations. Even the Prewetts were silently disturbed by the maneuvering of the professor, even if he meant well.
Marie was feeling an inner turmoil. She was now irrevocably linked to the six young men who had performed the ritual with her the night before. She felt their offense and anger, which caused her own back to go up a bit. For some reason, she didn't fully trust this deceptively pleasant old man. There was just something about him, about his aura that bothered her a bit.
Shifting slightly in the bed she regarded the people in the Hospital Wing cautiously. "I thank you for your offer and appreciate what it means. I feel that I should weigh all of my options and decisions carefully before I make a final decision."
Dorea smiled kindly at her, "Of course dear, a wise decision."
"Now Marie," Dumbledore tried to sway her, "I feel as though you should accept the offer. The Ministry will not be held off indefinitely and the Potters are a well-respected family."
"I understand Professor, however I feel that it would be in my best interests to have other options. Should things get bad enough the Zabini family offer me an escape out of the country and political climbs here," Marie told him firmly. "I will not turn my back on any help offered, nor will I turn away those that have stood by me."
Professor Dumbledore straightened and a strained smiled donned his face. The twinkle in his eye went flat, before his face went blank of all expression. He nodded once before taking his leave and heading out of the Hospital Wing.
The group watched him leave with varying ranges of shock on their faces. "Bloody Hell Marie! You just told off Dumbledore!" Sirius said in shock.
James smacked him on the back of the head and turned to his parents. They regarded the young woman with amusement in their eyes. After swearing oaths of secrecy, they were told her full story, which is why they agreed to take her in if she wished. Their respect for the young woman had grown in observing her, especially Dorea who had come from the Black family. Yes, this girl would do just fine in their world. She would help guide her as best she could.
"Whatever you feel more comfortable with Marie," Dorea told her. "Our offer still stands and we are offering to become some of your Guardians, but where you choose to live is just that, your choice."
Marie smiled tiredly at the older woman. "Thank you. I appreciate your offer. I'll need Guardians and all the help that I can get while I'm here. I need to eventually find a way home, to my own time. For some reason I don't fully trust or feel like I can trust Dumbledore. I don't like being moved around like a chess piece."
Dorea snorted in a very unladylike way. "Oh I do like you."
"I'm not saying that I won't fight for what's right. But in the end it will be my choice to do so, not because anyone is forcing me to do it. I will fight against evil, but there are a few things that you should know," she told them quietly. "When the ritual ended last night, my still bleeding hands hit the stone floor of the castle within the ritual circle. Something happened and the castle responded. The knowledge and power of the ages passed through the very stone into me. Ancient magics were unlocked and it's given me different views on things. While there is good versus evil and dark versus light, in the end there is magic and power, and there is the intent behind it. The castle has a magic all its own and was created by the Elemental magic of the Founders. I seem to have some of those powers myself."
"Elemental?" Lucius whispered in shock.
"You're an Elemental at fourteen?" Rabastan asked in disbelief.
Matching gray eyes met and nodded. "Well you certainly don't do things in halves," Regulus said slightly amused.
"Politically aligning yourself with one side or the other could have long reaching repercussions," Gideon stated.
"By remaining Neutral, you could branch both sides and walk through the circles of the upper crust more easily," Fabian finished.
Charlus nodded, "They are right. We still keep the offer on the table, and will keep it there. In fact we can push forward to legally become some of your Guardians and help to provide for you, but accepting the offer of Mr. Zabini, you will be able to reach out to the other side."
"My dear," Dorea said taking the young woman's hand. "You have the chance to bring in people from both sides because you have a unique understanding of things due to the ritual performed."
The elder woman turned to young Regulus and smiled, "You've done the Black family proud and will help bring the family back to what it once was."
"Aunt Dorea," the young man began, "I, well we will be expected to do what we do not want to. They expect us to accept and bow to him."
She nodded grimly, her lips thinning out in displeasure. "I know, but you will not be alone," she said while looked around the room at all of the young men present. "None of you will be alone. If you ever need a place to go, our home will be open to you."
Marie watched the exchange and felt the young men who had helped her the night before relax. She was beginning to realize that there was more going on here than she first anticipated and she needed answers. Catching the eye of Antonio, "I need to know everything."
Her words silenced everyone present. Charlus conjured chairs for himself and his wife. Once his lady was seated he himself and the other males seated themselves and settled in for what would be a very long and emotional discussion. They all talked to her of the history of Darkness within the United Kingdom and continent over the past few centuries. They talked of Grindelwald and his past history with Dumbledore. They talked of the Dark Lord, Voldemort and his subtle rise to power over the years. Blood purity and the issue of muggleborns was also discussed. Many of them came from prominent and Pureblood families. They had long histories and ancient pasts. Muggleborns threatened their way of life and their culture because they didn't understand it. They entered their world, ignorant and demanded changes rather than trying to understand. It was the main bone of contention within the Pureblood families and their disdain for muggleborns.
Marie listened and filed away the information for further investigation. "I'm going to have to plan and prepare for what is to come. I need to set up an account with Gringott's and begin investing. I don't know how long I will be here, but I will need to network and set up for the end game when I am returned to my own time."
"What do you mean Marie?" Remus asked curiously.
"I'm going to begin gathering my allies now. I'm going to be the one to reach across the drawn lines and set up a report with others. In this room alone are five young men who will be expected to follow the Dark. They won't be given a choice and have to take the Mark. However, to counter that I'm going to set up my own group and recon as much as I can while I'm here. We can use the information they could provide to give as much warning to the people involved as possible."
"That would surely be a death sentence to us!" Lucius exclaimed.
"Easy, my friend," Marie urged him to calm. "I know that it will be dangerous. I know what I will be asking you, but what I'm asking you to do is to maintain your honor and dignity while reluctantly in the service of that imposter. To give you and others a chance to help the innocents that will be targeted."
The Slytherins sat straighter and nodded in thought. Yes, honor, duty, and dignity were all important to them. Though they didn't have a choice about taking the Mark, they had a choice about what they did while they had it. Was it worth the risk? It was something that they would have to think about.
Charlus had left to Madam Pomfrey's office, where they spoke in hushed tones as he told her that he needed to use her Floo to make fire calls to others that needed to be there. She tried to protest, but he explained that it was only a matter of time before the Minister and his lackeys returned to take Marie. He told her that he needed to contact a few more prominent allies and have them here as soon as possible.
Within the hour Antonio's father Franco was present, along with one of their distant cousins from Bulgaria. Lady Augusta Longbottom had been called in by Charlus, she brought with her Dowager Lady Prewett, who greeted her grandsons warmly. Alphard Black stepped through the fireplace and dusted off the soot from his expensive robes. He met his nephews with a grin and kissed his cousin Dorea's cheek, while shaking Charlus's hand. Pleasantries and greetings were exchanged before the discussion turned serious. Oaths were sworn and everything that had happened the night before was explained. They all listened carefully and observed the young woman and young men before them. Once they heard everything they agreed to offer their own protections and alliances with the group. Marie's medallion grew warm as the Longbottom and Krum crests joined the others.s
Charlus and the others hashed out a tentative plan and agreement among them to all become joint Guardians of the young woman. Charlus contacted his barrister and had the necessary paperwork drawn up and brought through for them all to sign. Once everything was explained to Marie and she had them agree that there would be no marriage contracts forced on her or set up for her ever, she signed with a Blood Quill. Madam Pomfrey signed as a witness and the group sat talking and waiting.
Sometime later they were interrupted from their discussion when a commotion was outside the doors of the Hospital Wing. Dumbledore entered with the Ministry officials that had been there the night before. The new group stopped short seeing the people that were assembled in the Hospital Wing and they proceeded with caution. The Minister pasted on his political face and smiled warmly at the adults present. Dumbledore looked a bit put out at the new development but kept his feelings to himself.
"Well this is a pleasant surprise!" Minister Benjamin Blishwick said with a smile that didn't meet his eyes. He nodded to Alphard and Dorea, his distant cousins from his mother's side of the family. He was silently seething that the chit had somehow assembled such a large group of allies in such a short amount of time. "I've come on behalf of the Ministry to escort the young lady to have a few tests and questions cleared up."
"Absolutely not!" Lady Longbottom tersely cut him off. "The girl clearly needs rest. I'll not stand for it. She is under the protection of my House and most of those here. You'll not be taking her anywhere. She will only answer your questions in the presence of those here and our team of barristers and you most certainly will not be running any sort of tests on her."
"Now see here Lady Longbottom, you've got to understand my hands are tied," the Minister said in frustration. "The magical backlash from her appearance shattered some of our monitoring devices. We need answers!"
"Pardon me sir," Marie spoke tiredly. "I don't believe that we've been introduced. I'm Marie Stone. With the permission and leave of my Guardians, I'll be willing to allow Madam Pomfrey to run any tests you feel necessary. I'm not looking to harm anyone. I just want answers, peace, and the chance to complete my education."
"See now there's a polite girl," Blishwick beamed. "We need Madam Pomfrey to test your magical levels."
"Sir, I'm not sure what that means exactly, but you should know that I'm an Elemental," Marie told him.
"Elemental?" he asked astonished. "I was under the impression that you're a muggleborn. How is that even possible?"
Marie looked down at her hand in her lap. Her cheeks flamed in anger and embarrassment. How dare this pompous, ignorant, bigot of a man make assumptions?
"I was under the impression that magic was magic sir, regardless of one's parents,'' she stated in a cold voice.
"Of course," he tried to cajole her. "You're right magic is magic. Now, those tests."
Marie, though recovering, was put through the ringer. By the end she was shaking and exhausted, but the results were astounding. The magical dicta-quill recorded her magical levels at her already being a Sorceress. It was explained that most common magical being were at the level of Witch or Wizard. The next level was Mage with High Mage being above that. Above that was Sorcerer or Sorceress and above that was High or Grand Sorcerer or Sorceress. Merlin was a Grand Sorcerer, while Dumbledore was a High Mage, borderline Sorcerer.
"Well, we at the Ministry could use you," Blishwick began, but was quickly cut off.
"Oh, I don't think so Minister. You'll not be using an underage child for anything," Dumbledore cut in. "She's a student, and though she is an orphan, her Guardians will not allow such a thing to happen. I'm sure when she's older there could be some sort of agreement or understanding, but until such a time it will not be possible."
"Come now Dumbledore, we need all the help that we can get," Blishwick bolstered.
"I am in agreement with Dumbledore, as I believe are the rest of us," Charlus spoke up. He handed over a copy of the Guardianship documents to both Dumbledore and Blishwick. "As you can see, our young charge will be well looked after and protected. Should there be some sort of agreement between you and young Marie, we'll be the ones negotiating it and going over each minute detail."
"And how many people will die before she comes of age?" Blishwick demanded.
Marie immediately felt ill. She couldn't in good conscience let others die while she was able to do something to help. Her Guardians observed her carefully and knew what she was thinking. If she was seriously thinking of helping then they would need to have their barristers draw up a magically and legally binding contract between Marie and the Ministry.
"Perhaps when she's sixteen we can begin discussions, but at fourteen she is far too young to carry such a burden Ben," Alphard said in a quiet, but stern voice.
"Yes, of course you're right. Fourteen is far too young," the Minister reassessed.
Dumbledore watched the byplay and filed away the goings on to make plans later. An Elemental Sorceress at fourteen? It was unheard of, and the situation would have to be watched carefully. She would need to be guided to the Lighter side of the war and be surrounded by the Light families. He was suspicious of the presence of the obviously Dark families present in the Hospital Wing with the girl.
Marie's younger male friends and allies watched her quietly. They were stunned by her test results, but they could see that she was tiring and shaky. It had been a rough twenty four hours for the young woman. The Prewett twins each took one of her arms and gently led her back to the bed that she would be staying in. They tucked her in and nodded to the others. They all retreated to their beds, the Marauders caught on a stood to formally take their leave and return to their Common Room.
Marie's Guardians took the hint and ushered the Minister and his officials from the room. They had all been persuaded to take Oaths of secrecy to protect Marie and the information regarding her. It was done with the hint that an agreement could be reached when Marie was sixteen. The group left the recovering patients in the Hospital Wing and shut the door behind them.
"Thank you," Marie said sleepily from the bed. "It looks like I'll be very busy in the coming years while here. I'm glad that you stepped in when you did. I think I would have fallen asleep where I was standing."
Regulus grinned at her from his own bed, "Marie I think you did just fine on your own. You behaved like quite the little lady and comported yourself in a manner that any Pureblood family would be proud of."
The other nodded, their mouths twitching in amusement as she pulled a face. "I remember the lessons from my mother and the 'buzzards' when I was younger."
"The buzzards?" Gideon asked with a laugh. "Oh, this I have to hear."
Her face clouded and her eyes filled with tears. "They were my aunts or honorary aunts. My mother's family was a bit well off and prim and proper about things. My father's family also came from money, but they were more relaxed in their expectations and protocol."
"I think perhaps we ought to investigate and research your family history a bit more Marie to see what we can dig up," Lucius said cautiously.
Marie nodded and yawned hugely. "Well, I think I'm going to get some rest, wake me if anyone else comes in."
The young men agreed and rested while talking quietly among each other. They were keeping watch over the young woman. Their very nature was urging them to guard her. After hearing about her background and knowing her powers, she would play a key role in the year to come in fighting the Darkness that was now spreading throughout their world. They already vowed to protect her in any way that they could, but they all vowed to stand with her and help her along the way.
Soon they had all fallen asleep and the day turned to night. The Marauders had joined them some time after dinner to keep watch over Marie. The mixed group talked quietly among themselves as Madam Pomfrey bustled in and ordered dinner to be brought in by the house elves. She sighed when she saw that the Marauders had joined them, but smiled as she watched the young men stand guard over the young woman. The poor girl had been through so much in such a short period of time. She checked Marie's core levels and made sure that she wasn't comfortable and returned to her office, leaving the door cracked.
"So," James began awkwardly as they all began eating. "It looks like we're all going to be seeing a lot of each other in the future. Perhaps we ought to get to know one another a bit so that it will be a bit less awkward?"
The others nodded and they began talking about their views on the war that was brewing. The Marauders heard earlier the views that their Slytherin counterparts had, and much like the Prewetts they didn't necessarily agree with it, they could understand where they were coming from. Each of them coming from Pureblood backgrounds knew the traditions and values that their families placed on them. The values of duty, honor, chivalry, and gentlemanly behavior were deeply instilled in each of them. Even though the Gryffindor boys were a bit more relaxed, they still behaved in a manner that would not bring shame to their family names. Sirius, though he was distancing himself from his family's darker beliefs, still comported himself in a way that befitted his role as heir to his House when the situation required.
The Marauders liked to joke around and have fun, but they knew that they each had roles to fulfill in the future. It was perhaps the seriousness of the roles that awaited them that made them behave in such a mischievous and playful manner. While most of the males in the room were considered ladies men, they treated young women and girls with respect. Casual flirting was one thing. They however, did not do anything untoward in regards to young ladies lest they wanted to find themselves married or bonded to anyone.
Marie stirred a while after the food was brought in. She accepted a tray over her lap and began to quietly eat the soup and bread that was provided. Sipping a warm and soothing cup of tea, she listened to the males chatting quietly among themselves. She shifted in her bed, getting more comfortable leaning on the pillows that were propping her up.
Madam Pomfrey made her way towards Marie's bedside with a tray of potions. Marie's face contorted in disgust when she caught a whiff of the concoctions on the tray. She looked at the tray in horror when she realized that the nurse expected her to actually consume the foul smelling liquids.
"You don't seriously expect me to choke those down do you?" Marie asked incredulously.
"Of course you're going to drink them," Madam Pomfrey replied in an exasperated huff.
Gagging and choking, Marie forced down the lumpy and disgusting tasting potions. Tears burned in her eyes as she tried not to throw up from the horrible taste in her mouth. Clamping a hand over her mouth, she shut her eyes tightly and willed herself not to get sick from them. She could still feel them bubbling hotly in her stomach, even as she began to feel better.
At first the males in the room laughed at her reaction, but seeing her struggle they sobered quickly. Regulus and Rabastan made their way to her side and gently rubbed her back while encouraging her and telling her that it would be alright. They could feel her shoulders trembling and her body shuddering against the reaction to consuming the potions. They all realized that she was unfamiliar with potions and felt bad for the poor girl.
"Oh God that was terrible," she gasped once she was certain she wasn't going to be sick. "How can you stomach those?" she asked weakly.
"You'll get used to them over time," Regulus assured her with a slight grin tugging at his lips. "I take it you don't take potions when you're ill or injured?"
"No, we had medications and sure some of them don't taste great, but that was positively foul!" she told them, which led to a discussion of the differences in the way that she grew up as a Muggle and how they grew up as part of the Wizarding world.
The young wizards marveled at some of the things that Marie was telling them. It was astonishing to them to know that people could communicate instantly with a telephone. They listened as she told them of the current and future technology that would be developing in the Muggle world. It made many of the proud Purebloods to reevaluate how they perceived the Muggles that they often thought were so inferior to them. They especially stopped short when Marie explained to them the differences in warfare and weapons that the Muggles used and had at their disposal. The very idea that people had at their disposal a weapon that could drop them dead from over a dozen meters away, was terrifying. They were horrified to hear about the end of World War II and the atomic weapons that Muggle scientists had developed.
Marie asked for a writing utensil and some paper. She looked at the quill and inkwell a little unsure and awkwardly held the quill. Once she got the hang of it, she began scribbling away a general outline or plan for what she wanted to accomplish and establish over the next few years. Her first item was taken care of as the Potters and others who signed to be her Guardians said they'd set up and account and give her some funds to get her started. Each of the other families all promised to contribute to her funds and help get her established in their world. Next on her list was to get clothing and supplies for schooling and everyday life. She wrote down training and conditioning that she wanted to do. She made note to invest in some of the technologies that were going to be coming out and growing in the coming years. At the end of the page she wrote to check her family history, and made note to have the Goblins preform an Inheritance and Ancestral Ritual on her.
The others asked to see her list and nodded, while adding their own input as it went. The Prewetts and James told her that their mothers would probably volunteer to take her shopping for her clothing. They all agreed that they would help her in training and asked to train with her in the Muggle defenses and weapons. The group decided that they would all help Marie, and work within their school Houses to gauge their members and their views. They would begin discreetly networking and planning ahead. While they would be on the same side, it was decided that it would be safer for the Slytherins to keep their distance from the Gryffindors publically. They would use their upbringing as gentlemen to explain their care for Marie.
Once they had decided on a plan the young men shook hands and prepared to depart. Sirius hugged his younger brother tightly and the two bent their heads together whispering quietly. Marie would be staying in the Hospital Wing, but the others decided that they needed to depart in order to maintain their cover and not cause trouble within their Houses. Marie would be sorted in the coming days and they made plans to meet back in the Hospital Wing so that they could make plans and begin their training together.
Marie sat quietly in the bed and lost herself in her thoughts. She fought against the memories of the horror that she had survived. Tears began to silently fall down her cheeks as she thought of her family. She vowed to make it right and figure out how and why it happened. She vowed to prevent it and to make it better.
Madam Pomfrey found her sitting on her bed with her knees drawn to her chest, crying quietly. The nurse went to her side and held the young woman, rocking her gently. She soothed the girl and rocked her until she felt her calm.
"Do you want to talk about it Marie?" Madam Pomfrey asked gently.
Marie shook her head, sniffling sadly. "No, there's nothing that I can say that will change it or make it better. I'm alone and they're all gone and dead. Somehow it's my fault if that man is to be believed."
"It's not your fault, no matter what he said," the nurse assured her. "And you're not alone. We'll make sure that you're looked after and cared for. Pureblood families take their oaths and responsibilities very seriously. You have nothing to worry about child. I myself will do whatever I can to help you as well, now tuck in. I'll be taking you to the Hogsmeade Village to get you some of the basic essentials and some clothes in the morning, so you'd best get some rest."
Marie let herself be tucked in. "Could you stay until I fall asleep? I feel foolish asking, but I don't like feeling so alone."
"Let me get a book and some tea and I'll keep you company," Madam Pomfrey said with a smile.
The Mediwitch returned with a book tucked under her arm and summonsed a chair near the bed. A house elf popped in with a tray of steaming tea and popped back out quickly. The Mediwitch settled her patient in for the night and then sat comfortably in the chair reading in the flickering light of the candles. Marie drifted slowly to sleep, feeling safe knowing that she wasn't completely alone.
Madam Pomfrey read for quite some time to make sure that Marie would be settled and comfortable for the evening. Once she was certain that Marie was sleeping soundly she made her way back to her office and adjoining rooms. She left the door cracked open and settled in for the night.
Madam Pomfrey was awoken by a piercing bloodcurdling scream. The terror and pain in that voice had her reaching for her wand and running for the room where Marie was staying, fully expecting to have to fend off some sort of attacker. She was relieved and heartbroken to find that Marie was trashing around in her sleep, convulsing as if under the torture curse. She went to the girl and tried to wake her, but to no avail.
The Mediwitch summoned a house elf and told them to get Professor McGonagall. The stern looking woman entered the Wing still dressed in her night clothes with a robe hastily wrapped around her. Her hair was loose from its normal severe bun and she had her wand at ready, unsure of what she'd find. Seeing the Mediwitch struggling with the thrashing girl she rushed to help. A house elf handed Madam Pomfrey a potion from the cabinet and they forced it down Marie's throat, working her throat to make her swallow. Once she had consumed it they felt the girl relax and drift off into a deeper sleep.
"My word!" Minerva exclaimed. "The poor girl!"
"I'll be staying here for the rest of the night I think, I won't sleep knowing that she may wake up terrified or in pain," Pomfrey stated tiredly.
"Do you want company? Will you need further assistance?" McGonagall asked.
"I should be fine now that she's taken the calming drought," the nurse responded.
The professor took her leave and returned to her rooms. With a sigh, the school nurse settled into the bed next to her patient. It would be a very long night of watching over the tortured child. Her blood boiled knowing what the girl had been through. Finally, she herself drifted off to sleep and slept soundly.