"Why is she being so mean to me?" Victoria asked Charlie as they walked into the hospital. Charlie didn't respond until after they had checked her in and were waiting on a Healer to see them.
"I really don't know." Her older brother replied. "To tell you the truth Tori, I've never even seen her act like this before. I know that she wasn't the biggest fan of you being sorted into Slytherin, but I thought that it was something she would just shrug off eventually, you know? But to have her lash out at you like this, it just isn't like her at all. Maybe it's just her trying to hide her worry."
"But Charlie, she's been acting like this all year! She's not even sending me letters anymore, the only letters that I get from home now are from Dad and Ginny, and the times that she does write me, it's not like she asks me how I'm doing, or how my classes are going, she just tells me about the things that are going on at home and to give the boys her love. She really does think that I'm going to turn out like Bellatrix and Rodolphus."
"Tori, you couldn't be the furthest thing from them." Charlie pulled her into a hug. "You're the sweetest girl that I've ever met."
"But Charlie, just look at the things that I did when I was enticed with just a little bit of power."
"I wouldn't say that you were enticed exactly, more like brainwashed."
Victoria let out a scoff. "Yeah, sure. Because I was 'brainwashed', two of my closest friends were seriously hurt, and it's because of something that I did."
"Do you know that for sure? I mean, you don't remember anything, right?"
"Who else could have done it, Charlie?"
"Well, yeah, but it wasn't really you, was it? It was whatever spirit was in that ring."
Victoria looked at Charlie in confusion. "Spirit?"
"Well, an object as powerful as that has to have something manifesting in it. And people's spirits can attach to certain objects that had sentimental or otherwise important value to them. After they die, sometimes that attachment stays, and they don't fully move on to the afterlife. You get what I'm saying?"
"You know what I think, Charlie? I think that you're watching too many Muggle paranormal documentaries."
"Tori, come on, I'm being serious!"
"So am I. Isn't this stretching things just a little bit?"
Charlie sighed dramatically. "You literally go to school with ghosts, yet you don't believe in this?"
"That's something different Charlie…isn't it?"
"Not really. I mean, those ghosts were just attached to a certain place instead of a certain object."
Victoria had to admit that he was starting to make a little bit of sense. "Okay, so say that there was a spirit or whatever in this ring, wouldn't it have to be like super powerful?"
Charlie nodded his head. "Spirits like that are rare, but they do exist. If the person that died had enough hatred or anger, then that would manifest into a very powerful and vengeful spirit."
"Victoria Lestrange?" A nurse came into the stark white waiting room. "We have a Healer that can see you now."
Victoria nodded, and she got up out of her seat, following the nurse into a room, with her brother walking right behind her.
"Please have a seat, you'll be helped shortly."
About ten minutes later, a Healer who identified herself as Felicity DeSantos walked in. She had dark brown hair that went to her shoulders, and her bright blue eyes were filled with kindness and compassion.
"Miss Lestrange? Your headmaster told me a bit about your situation while he was still here."
"He left?"
"He had business to attend to at the school, but he said for me to assure you that he would return to visit if you got admitted into the hospital. Now, let's take a look and see exactly what we're dealing with, hm?"
Felicity waved her wand over Victoria's head. "Good news, there isn't much damage to you neurologically. There is a little bit though. You may have some short-term memory loss, moments where your mind goes blank, things like that. I would like to keep you overnight for observation though, just to make sure that we don't miss anything, alright?"
Victoria silently nodded her head. She didn't really want to spend the night in the hospital, but she knew that she didn't have a choice in the matter. "What about my friends? Blaise and Quincy? Are they going to be alright?"
"I'm not their Healer, so I don't know offhand, but I'll ask around and see what I can find out. You two just sit tight while I go and get a room ready for you, alright?"
Arthur walked in just a few minutes after the Healer had left. "Your Healer explained things to me." He sat as he stood in the corner of the room. "If you want, I can grab you dinner from somewhere, and anything else that you might need."
"Where's Mum?"
He seemed hesitant to answer. "Well…she went home."
"She didn't even stay?" Charlie asked, the exasperation was obvious in his tone.
"No. Oh, and she also said to tell you that she's making your favorite for dinner."
"Well, it's too bad that I'm not going to be there to eat it. I'm going to make sure that at least someone is here for Victoria, since her own mother can't be bothered."
"Victoria?" Felicity popped her head back in. "Your room is ready. Gentlemen, I'm going to ask you to stay here until I get her settled in her room."
Charlie waited to speak again until Felicity had left with Victoria. "How could you just let Mum say those things to Victoria?"
"Charlie, you need to try and calm down-"
"No!" Charlie shouted, his face starting to turn red with rage. "This is bullshit, Dad! Mum is treating her like complete garbage! Tori is her kid too, and she's not even giving a damn about her! Do you not see how messed up that is?!"
Arthur held up his hands in an attempt to try and get his second eldest son to calm down. "Look. I agree with you that maybe your mother acted a bit harshly, but you have to try and see where she's coming from. Two children almost died-"
"And that's Victoria's fault?! It's not like she knew that was going to happen, Dad. I mean, for God's sake, she's only eleven, she's not some dark monster!" His hands were clenched into fists, and he took a deep breath, slowly unclenching them. "I think that you should go, before I wind up doing something."
"Charlie-"
"Please just go, Dad. I'm going to stay here with Victoria, I'll keep you and Mum updated on her condition, although I doubt that she's going to care."
Arthur let out a heavy sigh of defeat, and he nodded his head before slowly trudging out of the room.
Charlie sank into a chair, running his hands through his fiery hair.
About fifteen minutes later, Felicity walked in. "She's all set if you want to see her now. Everything okay in here?"
"Yeah, just dealing with some family stuff." Charlie stood up, putting his hands in his pockets as he followed Felicity out of the room.
"Ah, I understand that. Merlin only knows that I had my share of family drama. But I wouldn't worry, things will turn around for you, they did for me."
"If you don't mind me asking…what did you have to deal with?"
"My family has generations of Curse-Breakers, so naturally everyone thought that I would be one as well. Needless to say that some of my family were rather sour when I took the healing route. Stayed like that for quite a few years actually."
"So what changed?"
"Well, my uncle fell deathly ill, and when I was able to pull him back from the brink, they magically began to think that maybe having a Healer in the family wasn't so bad after all, although those feelings became a little bit more genuine when they saw how happy I was in my work. I wouldn't worry Mr. Weasley, every family goes through things, but if your family is a tight-knit one, then things will resolve themselves eventually. Now, you follow that hallway, make a left, and your sister is in Room 501."
"Thanks…for both the advice and for helping my sister."
"It's what I do, Mr. Weasley. She sent him a smile before walking back down the hall, and Charlie grinned goofily to himself before turning and walking into his sister's room. Felicity was a one-of-a-kind woman indeed.