Aurora hated hiding from people, yet that was exactly what she was doing. The morning after her outburst saw her sending Winky to do the health check ups on the Lestranges. She used what Winky brought back to her in addition to the results of last nights scans to cobble together a treatment plan that would see both Lestranges as healthy as she could make them before they left.
Unfortunately after the second day she learned she couldn't hide anymore. Rabastan had had a bad reaction to one the potions and Winky couldn't figure out why. So Aurora had to come herself. He was curled into his side clutching his stomach. She did several diagnostic charms and had to sigh sometimes the best way to tell was just to feel for yourself. Aurora summoned her healers gloves removed her cloak and outer robes and sat down on the bed beside her patient. Gently, she reached out and pulled Rabastan until he was laying on his back. Than lifted his night shirt so she could see for herself, running her hands up his side and around his stomach. "You know usually I have to at least buy diner first." he wheezed.
"Not pretty enough for the girls to invite you to diner huh?" She asked mostly to distract while she figured out what that knot was.
"Nah I was plenty pretty," He coughed "Just too much of a jackass to make the pretty worth it."
"That sounds like someone's told you that before." She ran a few more spells over the spot.
"Yep." He laughed. "For a mudblood she was gorgeous. I could see why others were always so obsessed with her."
Aurora gave him an extra hard jab with her wand getting rid of the knot and fixing him up.
"Ouch, Fucking woman." He screamed as he sat up. "You did that on purpose." Rabastan accused her as moved around testing for pain. "Hey thanks." He shot her a crooked smile.
"If you don't stop flirting with her, I'm going to tell her mom on you." Rodolphus threatened very amused, from where he'd been watching them. To her surprise Rabastan blushed.
"Hush you." Rabastan threw a pillow at his brother. "So what's the verdict?" He asked turning back to her.
"You have blood poisoning" She told him. "I didn't catch it the first time around because the Rot causes similar readings and symptoms. I'm fairly sure it's from your teeth."
"What do we do now?" Rabastan asked.
"First thing to do here is start a potions regime to clear your blood, I'll remove all your teeth, then we'll flush out the infection from your mouth." He was looking frightened again so she gentled her tone and tried to reassure him. "Once we're sure your blood is clean and all the infection is gone we can try to regrow your teeth. So long as there are no other complications it should be ok."
"I'm going to check on your brother to make sure I didn't miss the same problem with him than we'll start treatment." It was a good thing she thought to check; for Rodolphus also had several bad and infected teeth, although his had yet to cause blood poisoning it was still serious enough to warrant treatment. She ignored both of the men for the most part as she worked; figuring the sooner she was done the sooner she could leave to reassure Caellum that everything was going to be alright.
In the two days that the Lestrange brothers had been here Caellum had gone from afraid to angry to grief stricken despair so often that she'd contemplated forcing him to take a calming draft more than once. She had coaxed him into doing his homework and working in the greenhouses to occupy his mind but so far nothing had done the trick. Aurora figured he was also grieving for parents he'd never known and now didn't know what he was supposed to think or do about it, what with his birth father being the same house as him for the first since he was small. It probably didn't help any that the last time he'd seen any of the Lestranges he'd been 'Neville' and his parents had been trying to kill him.
The entire time leading up to the funeral was stressful for everyone Aurora hid her sorrow better than the others mostly because she was used to hiding herself behind a mask. Also she had Caellum's father and brother abscond in her tender care. She took great delight in the fact she could heal most of their bodies of everything that physically ailed them only at the expense of forgoing any pain killers. She had invented with Cassiopeia's help and expertise; a potion to help reset a chaotic magical core, so that the process she'd needed to use for Sirius would not be needed except in the most extreme cases. She administered the potion to Rodolphus first and as soon as his core was ready she used her own magic to guide it back into it's correct place. Rabastan's magic took more time both to maneuver into place and to set. He'd only been nineteen when he'd been imprisoned, neither his body nor his magic had been finished growing. The damage he'd incurred in prison would have been insurmountable in a hospital constricted by legalities.
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Caellum straightened out his robes fixed his tie and hair one last time using the hall mirror, before taking a big breath and opening the doors to allow in the guest who would be attending the funeral. Most who came were scholars who'd either enjoyed learning from the old man, working with him or both. He and his two Black cousins greeted them as they came leading them to the back where they had opened the double doors into an exotic ball room whose entire back wall opened up into the private gardens. That area had been Rolland's favorite; hence the funeral being held there. The Lestranges hadn't hosted a formal event for close to twenty years now so for some of the kids and grandchildren being forced to tag along this would be the first time they had laid eyes on the castle or its grounds. Every inch was impressive and gleaming for the occasion. Pictures, portraits, news articles, and other paraphernalia depicting events all through out Rolland's life littered the walls and had been set up on stands along with mourning wreaths and flower arrangements.
Caellum Stood rigid for the speeches and stiffly but correctly completed his part for the public rights. His two favorite cousins by his side. He had admittedly found the way others reacted to Aurora Persephone Slytherin Black being introduced to them as amusing. Margose Black, had acted the perfect socialite and hostess distracting others from either staring at Aurora or bothering the grieving Caellum by engaging in small talk about themselves and using the gleaned information to send them in the direction that would see them best occupied.
At the end of the night they said goodbye to all the guest, took a small moment to steady themselves for what would come next. The Lestrange brothers met them at the casket when they came back. Together the three Lestrange men used their wands to lift the coffin and take it to the family mausoleum, where the deceased man's body would be given his family's blessing during the final rights, than cremated. Past the cremation chamber was where the bodies were stored were rows of empty and filled shelves each carefully decorated and labeled. The whole structure was laid out in the formation of the family tree. Rolland's ashes were placed into a decorated urn that sat in exactly Rolland's place on their family tree.
Caellum didn't stick around to speak to his family, choosing instead to say good night and retire to his suit. Maggie too said her goodbyes. "I'm spending the night at dad's house. Tell Cael I'll see him at school next week." Aurora had nodded in agreement as she watched the other girl leave.
"And you two?" Aurora asked the Lestranges. "will you be going back to your master and the whore?"
"Yes. We've been away long enough as it is." Rabastan answered. Rodolphus had sighed but remained quiet. "Do you have any other messages for us to pass on?"
"No, I've nothing more to say to him, you will share your memories?" She asked already knowing the answer. They both nodded in affirmative. "Don't forget to have the whore decontaminated. Please do try to stick to the meal plans and exercise regime we formulated for you." With that she saw herself out.
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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and make no money off of this work.
To my readers I apologize for taking so long. I had trouble with this chapter for whatever reason. However I will soon be introducing the rest of the Slytherin family.
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The man known as Voldemort sat back from his pensive frowning. Rabastan had dumped his memories into it as soon as he had arrived. He had also fled. Voldemort had known then that he would not like what he would see. He'd been right. Still he forced himself to watch it all to the very bitter end.