Caught within a flurry of colors, spinning, falling, pain. Moving in out of the unknown. Reaching light and feeling sharp shots. Retreating back into the depths of nothingness.
How many times she move in and out, Aly didn't know. Each time she found the light, things became more and more pronounced. Something touching her, something or someone making noise, a cold hand, someone talking. Whether it was day or night, mattered little to her. The more she could recognize, the more pain she felt. The more pain she felt, the quicker she fell back to unconsciousness.
XxXxX
Aly had many very real dreams, so vivid they could have been real. One dream had her dad in it, standing at the foot of her bed. McGonagall was there too.
"Never thought I'd have to see this again," Dumbledore told McGonagall sounding defeated.
"I never really realized just how much she looked like Patricia," McGonagall commented.
With a sigh, Dumbledore agreed. "Patricia would be so heart broken. Why didn't I keep this from happening to her? I couldn't save Patricia, but Aly, Aly I could've protected."
"This is not your fault," McGonagall pressed. "It was an accident. It could've happened to anyone."
"But it didn't happen to just anyone."
The other dream she remembered involved McGonagall, plus the addition of Sirius and Logan.
The two boys were arguing loudly. "This was not an accident!" Sirius yelled. "You've left so many marks on Aly it isn't even funny."
"That is not true!" Logan bellowed back. "If I did leave any marks it was out of clumsiness and nothing else."
"You are such a liar!" Sirius barked.
"Enough from the both of you," McGonagall snapped. "We will just have to look into this further. Until then, both of you are banned from this hospital wing."
"What?!"
"No!"
"Leave. Now," McGonagall had ordered.
The most vivid of Aly's dreams involved her actually outside of the hospital wing. She dreamed that she had gotten up out of bed, moved through the quiet castle, and found her way into Sirius' bed. He had been shocked to see her at first, but gratefully wrapped his arms around her and let her drift off to sleep.
She had finally found the light the morning after that dream. She opened her eyes and sunshine hit them. She blinked into it but did not close her eyes. It felt nice and warm on her face. She looked over to the front of the hospital wing and saw all her past dream visitors arguing with one another. Lily was also there and all the attention seemed to be on her.
"Lily, tell them about all the terrible things Sirius has said and done to Aly over the years," Logan egged her on.
Lily stood looking terrified.
"Tell them about the bruises she suddenly kept getting when she started dating Logan," Sirius pushed.
"Enough," Dumbledore stated. He was pinching between the bridge of his nose. "Miss Evans, could you please provide any information you know about either of these two boys that would make them a suspect in this situation."
"I,I,I,I, I don't know," Lily shook her head violently. "I know that, uh, one time, last year, Aly was bleeding and she told me Sirius had done it." She lowered her head.
"See!" Logan exclaimed.
"Hang on," Sirius said calmly. "When was this?"
"I don't remember," Lily mumbled.
"It's okay," Sirius told her gently touching her shoulder. "Just think."
Lily's face crunched up in concentration. "It was cold. So, November, I think."
"Hogsmeade weekend?" Sirius asked.
"Yes!" Lily said glad he helped her remember. She lowered her voice and repeated, "Yeah. That was when it was."
"Was she bleeding from the head and nose?" Sirius asked.
Lily shook her head quickly.
"That was all Logan's doing," Sirius said turning to face him angrily.
"Lily said you did it," Logan said cockily, crossing his arms.
The two stared at each other. "Lily," Dumbledore said, "Which was it?"
"I don't know. Aly just told me it was Sirius who upset her. I figured that was why," Lily explained.
"She was upset because of me. She had just told me we couldn't be friends anymore," Sirius explained.
"Why did she say that?" McGonagall asked.
"Cause she was dating this jerk," Sirius said bitterly.
"What is this 'was' stuff?" Logan asked.
"You aren't dating her anymore," Sirius snapped.
"We're working things out," Logan lied.
"You are not," Sirius argued.
"Really? If we could ask her, I'm sure she would agree," Logan told him, smirk on his face.
"Oh, really?" Sirius chuckled. "Then why did she crawl into bed with me last night?" He raised his eyebrows.
Everyone fell silent.
"She did not. You're just making things up now," Logan said, his composure slipping.
"Am not," Sirius said defensively.
"You are too," Logan said.
"Not," Aly heard her own voice ring out.
"Aly!" Lily screeched and came running over to her.
Aly hadn't meant to make her presence known until the right time. "Are you alright? Oh gosh, can you remember anything? The nurse said you might not. What's my name? What's your name? How many fingers am I holding up?"
"Lily, let her breathe," Sirius said smiling at the commotion Lily was causing over Aly.
Logan was skeptically surveying her. Her father looked in awe of her alertness. McGonagall was smiling, clearly relieved.
"You said something," her father said.
"I did crawl into Sirius' bed last night. At least, I think I did," Aly said.
"See, it may not have really happened," Logan said.
"I thought I just dreamed it up, but apparently, since Sirius remembers it as well, it must've really happened," she looked at him. Her brows furrowed and he answered her unasked question.
"I brought you back before the nurse could notice you had left," he explained.
"What happened on the stairs, Aly?" McGonagall asked looking excited by the question. Apparently, they had all been eagerly awaiting an answer, except for Logan, as they all looked at her with excitement in their eyes.
"How long have I been out?" Aly asked instead of answering the question.
"Six days," Lily supplied quickly.
Six days. She had just missed six days of her life. Because of Logan. She let out a loud sigh and grasped at her chest. Pain had shot through her in a twisting agony.
The nurse took that as her cue to shuffle over. "Let us let her get back to sleep," she said. "She can answer all your question once she's rested up."
Logan and Sirius both looked pleased by this, for different reasons Aly was sure, but the other three looked let down.
"Headmaster," the nurse said, indicating that he should take over.
"Yes, yes. You're very right. Come along, everyone. Let's let Aly sleep." They all move towards the door except for Sirius. "Mr. Black," Dumbledore said in a stern voice.
"He can stay," Aly said happily.
"I'm giving you a healing potion for your broken bones, dear," the nurse said. "It'll put you right to sleep."
Sirius shrugged. "I can wait til she wakes up."
Aly smiled gratefully as Sirius stretched out on the bed next to hers. Lily looked at Professor McGonagall who in turn looked to the Headmaster.
"Albus," it sounded more like a warning than just a statement.
"Aly, I'm not sure if that's a good idea," Dumbledore warned his only daughter.
"I might just go looking for him in my sleep if he's not here," Aly told him.
Dumbledore nodded and said to McGonagall, "If it's what she wants," he said with a unsure shrug. The nurse came running over as Dumbledore beckoned her with a bend of his long finger. "Watch him. Closely."
She nodded furiously.
He sent a glance back at them as he left. Sirius had pulled out a comic book from somewhere and had it opened up.
The nurse was tending to Aly who took the potion she offered willingly.
He pulled the hospital wing door shut behind him with an uneasy feeling in his chest.
XxXxX
"Sir, he's got her brainwashed!" Logan exclaimed. They had all made their way to the Headmaster's office. "You've got to do something."
"Brainwashed?" Dumbledore asked.
"Look at the way she clings to him," Logan explained. "That's not normal. Why else would she be so needy of him? I'd check her for potions or some other sort of dark magic."
Dumbledore processed this. "We can't rule anything out," he finally said.
"Weren't you the one with her on the stairs?" Lily asked.
Logan turned to look at her, his face dark and angry. He said nothing.
Lily seemed to shrink, but continued, "Cause I'm trying to understand how this could be Sirius' fault if he was in the Great Hall eating dinner when it happened."
Dumbledore's eyebrows moved. "You saw him there?"
"I ate with him and the other three idiots who are always with him," Lily said. "And you were at the top of the staircase when it happened."
McGonagall turned an unsure eye on Logan, who responded with, "She was looking for you."
Lily seemed taken aback. "I didn't know that," she stated, turning red.
Logan smirked at the response he got.
Dumbledore held up his hands. "Sirius is now accounted for. I will look into what you have suggested, Logan. Until then, let us all keep an extra close eye on Aly."
XxXxX
When Aly opened her eyes, it was dark. Her ribs felt very stiff. She turned to look at the bed Sirius had occupied when she fell asleep. Sure enough, he was still there. He was curled up in a ball on his side. Aly noticed a string tied to his index finger that extended across the space between their two beds with the other end attached to her finger.
She moved her hand and his hand tugged and he jumped right up. He looked disoriented and upon seeing her awake tried to move to her side. He was still in a sleepy state and toppled forward onto the edge of her bed.
"Sorry," he mumbled, straightening out.
She was smiling, trying not to laugh, unsure of how her ribs would feel.
"It's okay," she told him.
"How are you?" he asked taking her hand and removing the string.
"Fine," she said watching his work. "What's with the string?"
"So you could wake me up," he told her.
"What if I simply rolled over?"
"That's be a welcomed awakening. You haven't move since she gave you that potion." He was studying her face.
"How bad is it?" she asked wondering how beat up she must look. His face gave nothing away.
"Not too bad. Or, well, not as bad as it had been anyways." He gently moved her hair back from out of her eyes.
"He's trying to blame you?" Aly asked, recalling what she had heard earlier.
Sirius simply shrugged.
"I won't let him get away with it," she assured him.
"I'm not worried about that. I'm just glad you woke up," he told her. "Everyone has been going nuts with you in here. James has made it his mission to take down the whole Hufflepuff house as punishment."
"Via Quidditch, I hope," Aly joked.
Sirius smiled and said, "Hopefully."
They sat quietly for a moment. "I should never have let you go alone," Sirius suddenly whispered. This had obviously been something that was weighing on his mind.
"It's not your fault," Aly said taking his hand. "No one saw this happening. I don't think Logan even did."
"So he did do it?" he asked quietly but angrily.
Aly nodded. "He's not a bad person, Sirius," she pressed. "He just has anger issues. He would never have intentionally pushed me down the stairs. We were fighting. Things happen."
He stood, but she clung to his hand. "Don't. Please."
He stood for a second, breathing heavy. "Sirius," she tugged on him.
He moved back closer but still hovered over her.
"I'm going to keep him away from you," he assured her.
"Thank you," she said quickly and changed the subject, "How's Lily?"
Sirius smiled. "More worried about you than herself, I'm sure."
Aly closed her eyes.
"What's wrong?"
He was right next to her face. If she turned, her nose would be touching his.
"Aly, tell me." His voice was soft and soothing.
"I just...how did this happen? How many lives did I disrupt?"
"No one's lives where disrupted, Aly." She turned to look at him, her nose moving across his cheek. "Don't be so mellow dramatic," he whispered as they moved closer together in a familiar stance.
A light streamed into the room. Sirius stood up quickly, whispering, "Damn," as Aly twisted her mouth in frustration.
The nurse came walking over to them. "She's awake," Sirius told her before she reached them.
"I'm going to do a quick exam," the nurse said briskly, pulling a curtain quickly around her and Aly.
Aly lifted her arms and coughed and followed the nurse's general directions. "He told you to keep him away from me, didn't he?" Aly whispered to the nurse as she pressed on her back.
The nurse paused for a moment in her movements, but said nothing as she started again.
"I know he did. Why?"
She instructed her to sit back.
"Sirius has never touched me. You've seen what Logan has done to me."
The nurse pulled the curtain back. "Take these potions," she instructed. She looked at Sirius, "They'll put her to sleep again. Make sure she takes them when she's ready."
She walked away from a smiling Aly.
"What was that all about?" Sirius asked.
"Nothing," Aly said with a smile at him. "Now tell me, what I've missed."
XxXxX
Sirius talked until the red streaks of the morning could be seen out the windows. "Take your medicine," Sirius instructed her.
"Why?" Aly asked, pouting.
"Because," he said playfully, "I want to get in a cat nap before I have to go to class. I don't have an excused absence."
"True," Aly agreed. "Will you bring me my homework later on?"
"Really? An excused absence and you want your homework?"
"Yes, please." She smiled at him.
He winked and made his way towards to door.
"You'll come back after class right?" she called out.
He looked over his shoulder and said, "Of course."
XxXxX
"How are you feeling?" her father asked.
"I'm good," Aly said. She was sitting all the way up with little discomfort. Sirius had brought her homework, and she had ushered him off to eat dinner with the Marauders. "I'm monopolizing your time!" she insisted as she shooed him.
"They'll probably all come back with me," he warned.
She had merely sent him on his way. She didn't find it to be threat. She wanted to see the other boys.
Her father walked around to come sit on the edge of her bed.
"Do you want to talk about what happened?" Dumbledore asked.
"No," Aly said plainly.
He didn't seem put off by this remark. "Okay. Can you please tell me what happened?"
She sighed and put down her quill. "What do you want to know?"
"Just tell me what you remember," he edged.
"I was talking to Amos about Lily. Me and Logan had an argument. And I feel down the stairs."
"Did he push you?" Dumbledore ask.
Aly hesitated, then said simply, "No. It was an accident."
"Are you sure?" he pushed. "After all the commotion that's been caused over you it seems that there must be more to this than just simply an accident."
She frowned at him. "I'm positive."
"Logan seems convinced that --"
"Wait." Aly's head began to spin. "You're still on terms with Logan?"
Her father simply blinked.
Aly shook her head. "God, be more dense, Dad." Then it dawned on her, "You think Sirius had something to do with this. Well, he didn't."
Dumbledore could sense the shift towards anger in his daughter. "Aly," he tried to calm her as well as explain himself, "A lot of this started once you started spending time with Black."
"Headmaster," the nurse interrupted.
He rose to converse with her. Aly was still fuming over the injustice to Sirius, but did still pick up on what they were saying.
"Are you sure?" her father asked.
"Positive. Completely clean, except for the potions I've given her."
Aly's eyes narrowed. They had potion tested her. She grit her teeth.
"Please leave," Aly said angrily.
He turned, his face showed hurt. He obviously picked up on her tone. "What's wrong?"
Aly merely stared at him.
"Please leave," she said again, but he didn't move.
The hospital wing door opened, and the nurse rushed forward. "No visitors right now. The headmaster is talking to his daughter."
Aly heard Sirius' voice, and her face softened.
Dumbledore saw this change happen right before his eyes. "It's alright. Mr. Black can come in," he announced, watching Aly.
She shifted towards the door in anticipation. Dumbledore's chest tightened as he saw her eyes sparkle as Sirius came into view.
"Hello, sir. I didn't mean to interrupt anything. I can wait. It's no problem."
Dumbledore shook his head. "It's quite alright, Mr. Black." He looked at his daughter and said, "She would obviously prefer to have you here."
With that, he gave a small nod and left.
"What was that all about?" Sirius asked watching the headmaster go.
Aly merely huffed and crossed her arms as she watched the slender figure that was her father leave.
"What?" he asked as he turned and saw her face scrunched up in anger.
"He thinks you're the reason why I fell," Aly told him.
Sirius frowned down at her, but then touched her under the chin. "Stop making that face. It just might get stuck that way. And that would be a waste of such a perfectly good face." He was teasing her.
"I'm just so mad. My life sucks."
He nodded and said, "I can see why falling down a flight of stairs would make it seem like your life sucks, but I don't think that that's necessarily true."
She looked at him, "What do I have to look forward to? I'm gonna fail charms now cause I've missed so much work I'll never catch up. Everyone is going to be watching me so closely that I won't be able to sneeze without someone harping to my dad about it. Logan's still Mr. Perfect, and everyone still loves him. And you're . . ."
"Still public enemy number one," he supplied.
"Yeah," she said with a sad shrug.
"It'll all be okay, Als," he told her. "Just keep your chin up."
She pushed out her lower lip.
"Al-eee!" Sirius whined playfully. "Stop being sad!"
She smiled at him.
"I will help you with charms," he informed her. "And your dad has always watched you closely. I just don't think you realize how close. And there's nothing you can do about it if he wants bump up his security on you. As for," he shook his head, "him, I think you need to make perfectly sure your dad knows what you really want."
"They think you're using magic to keep me close," Aly told him with an apologetic look.
He shrugged, and told her, "Whatever. I don't care what they think. You and I both know the truth."
Aly sent him a playfully glance and asked, "And what is that, Mr. Black?"
Sirius returned the look and said, "If it's anyone keeping the two of us together, it's you."
"Oh really?"
"Yea. No man, boy, or beast can help himself when you use such a weapon as your charm."
Aly threw back her head and laughed, as Sirius settled onto the edge of the bed across from her.