my muse deserted me...

"Daddy, what's a coma?" Jeffrey asked, looking up at his stunned father. He didn't hear the question, gaping at the healer. He glanced back at his daughter, lying peacefully in the hospital bed. Slowly, Blaise walked over to her, taking her hand and sitting down in a chair. He'd almost missed the chair entirely, out of tune with his surroundings.

True, she looked dead asleep, and her breathing was being kept stable by a tube inserted through her nose and down her windpipe. A cord trailing out from beneath her shirt was connected to a heart monitor, and an iv was stuck in her left forearm, taped down so that it would stay put.

Kathryn kneeled down to Jeffrey so that she was eye-level with him, turning his head to her.

"Jeffrey, your sister… is going to be asleep for a while, ok?" She started. Draco glanced down at the two, admiring Kathryn for taking the matter into her hands. He figured it was due to her experiences at the orphanage.

"Oh, ok. Well, that's ok. I can talk to her when she wakes up, then!" He said chirpily. Kathryn smiled and shook her head sadly. Being five, he wouldn't quite understand. He turned away to take his brother's hand, but she stopped him and turned him to her again.

"She… won't wake up for a while, Jeffrey. She may be asleep for… days. Weeks, even." She explained, staring Jeffrey in the eye, hoping that he could understand a little better. Jeffrey blinked as her words sunk in.

Jeffrey began to cry, worried that he wouldn't be able to talk to his sister again, fearing that it would be forever. Kathryn sighed pitifully at him and scooped him into a hug, patting the back of his head.

"She'll be ok, Jeffrey. We'll work hard to make sure that she's ok." She muttered, speaking for everyone, she hoped. Severus knelt down too, and Jeffrey turned to him. Severus picked him up slowly, still hurting from the fight. It showed on his face, and Draco offered to take Jeffrey from him. Severus shook his head.

Kathryn looked at the family, and nodded slowly. They needed a minute to themselves, she decided. She turned and began to walk away, stopping to look back at them.

"I'm going to the library. Need to look up a few things." She announced, continuing on her way to the old library, mulling things around in her head. There was much to be done, in so short a time.

"Did she hit her head?" Draco asked, curious as to how it could have happened. The nurse shook her head no.

"There's a few strains and bruises, but other than that, her physical body is perfectly fine. I'd like to have a professional from St. Mungo's come to examine her, if you're alright with that?" She asked. Draco and Blaise readily nodded. Anything would help. Jeffrey squirmed in Severus' arms, and he put him back down. Jeffrey rushed to Sheeva's bed and hugged her as she came to.

"Mommy!" He cried, bawling into her arms. She smiled, and sat up weakly, kissing his forehead and pulling him into her lap. She grimaced as he bumped her chest. It was still healing, and incredibly sore. She looked around, smiling at Severus and Draco and Blaise.

She saw Joseph in the bed across from her, and sighed, then looked around for the other two.

"Where are Kalas and Zakkari?" She asked, worried. Severus blinked. That was their names.

"They're… dead, Mom. That guy, he used your sword to kill the one that didn't use any weapons. I don't know what happened to the other guy. I got knocked out." Severus explained. Sheeva looked at him, and nodded slowly.

"I told them to retreat if they needed to. Artis had a wife and kids. Kalas was seeing someone. Zakkari was just a boy, no older than you, Severus." She murmured, her eyes filling with tears. Severus looked behind him at Joseph, still asleep. He probably would be for a while, considering the beating he'd taken.

"The guy with the bow knocked him out and sent him inside." Severus stated, motioning to Joseph with a shake of his head. Sheeva nodded slowly, a thought coming to her. She wouldn't disclose it, but a conversation with Zakkari and herself made more sense to her now.

"I see."

She turned her head to the sound of a steady beeping, and her eyes widened as she saw Nayeli's condition. She snapped her head back at her family, demanding an explanation. Severus sat down, preparing himself to explain even more.

"There was a spell in that book that you gave Headmaster Longbottom. We… tried to use it, and I screwed up on the last sign, but Nayeli completed it. She was able to take control of that man, and—

-She did not!" Sheeva barked, almost pleadingly. He looked at her, astonished. She began to sob, hiding her head in shame.

"I wrote that it was forbidden, for a reason!" She scolded, lying back against the pillow in exhaustion.

"What was it, mother?" He asked sternly, upset. She calmed herself down, and stared at the ceiling for a few minutes.

"I was not expecting you two to get that far through. I was hoping to teach you when… if… I got back. Is he dead?" She asked. Slowly, Draco and Blaise nodded.

"I'm confused by it, but I'm guessing that she took over and stabbed herself with his sword." Blaise stated. She looked at him.

"She drove it through?" She asked. Draco and Blaise nodded again, and then took her hands. Sheeva stared at the foot of the bed in dismay and grief. She lost herself, stuck with her thoughts. Her hands ceased to grab Draco or Blaise's, and she didn't feel Jeffrey sitting in her lap. She couldn't see Severus, staring at her, fear in his emerald eyes.

She's gone. It's done. My Nayeli… my dear, sweet Nayeli…

Tears fell from the corners of her eyes, and she let them, not bothering to wipe them away.

Jeffrey shook her.

"Mommy, you're scaring me." Jeffrey whispered softly. Severus nodded and sat down on the bed next to them.

"You're scaring us all. What's going on?" He asked. Sheeva slowly turned her head to look at him, her face paled and pain in her eyes.

"Your sister's spirit is gone. She can't come back, Severus. I created this technique, knowing that only I could use it. I cannot die. But you, Severus, even though you are my child, you will die too." She muttered sadly. Severus could only stare back at his mother, frozen. Draco and Blaise cried out at her statement, Draco in fear and Blaise in anger.

"No! There's got to be a… a perk, something! She… she wasn't in control when the bastard died, we killed him ourselves! Her spirit's still alive! It's got to be!" Blaise hissed, his eyes red and puffy, gripping the quilt so that he didn't hurt anyone else. Sheeva closed her eyes, her heart breaking.

When she didn't respond, Blaise stood sharply and rushed out, racing down the steps and to the man's body. It'd been moved, the sword taken out and set aside. The body was leaning against the wall. Blaise shook it.

"Nayeli, if you're there, please, show it. Say something. Do something. Come on, you rebel!" He pleaded, stopping when nothing happened. The onlookers were staring at him as though he were crazy.

He gave up trying and leaned himself against the wall, sobbing into his hands.

Kathryn stared at the door in the back of the library, thinking. Every disarming charm that she'd thought of wouldn't dispel the ward, and she was growing frustrated. She yelled and hurled a book at it out of anger.

She sat herself down on the floor and crossed her arms, thinking. She'd said that she'd be researching, but she wanted to see if there was something that this mirror could do. Maybe, it could show her the answer, and save her all the reading. The book that she'd thrown was thrown back at her a few seconds later, and she covered her head with her hands to protect it.

This was nothing new, but she'd forgotten about this peculiar aspect of the ward in her anger.

She growled, and headed for the medical section of the library, scanning among the many books. When she didn't find one specifically for the nervous system, she sighed, and grabbed the first five off of the shelf at the bottom. She'd have to do this the hard way.

She curled herself up in a chair and began to read, skimming through the table of contents to help narrow down her search. When Severus got out of the hospital, she'd ask him for help, as well as Draco, thinking that there might be a potion to help speed the process recovering whatever nerve damage Nayeli had suffered.

Severus. Her lips tingled at the thought of his name, remembering the way that he'd kissed her outside of the hospital wing. It sent a jolt everywhere down her body.

She shook her head to clear it, and went back to reading, finding her determination once more. She'd read the whole damn library if she had to. Hell, she'd sneak her way into the restricted section. She smirked at the thought. Goody little two-shoes, sneaking into the restricted section for the sake of her friend. Yup, that was justified well enough.

Yeah... nothing more to say. we all have our days of "durr".