A/N: I'm back! I had to work up the motivation to pick this little guy up again since it didn't gain much traction, but hey. It happens. That doesn't mean I don't want to leave it unfinished so here I am!
And yes, I realize this is much more detailed and darker compared to the game, BUT I like to push things to a more realistic level and appeal to a more mature audience so here it is. I hope you enjoy!
Year 7 - The Decline
Time. It no longer held its meaning like it once did. Days, hours, minutes, seconds. All meaningless. No, time was only measured by breath. The rise and fall of a chest- his chest. Proof that he was still alive. Still fighting. Arah clung to the ragged sound of his lungs, struggling for life.
132 breaths. She counted. In. Out. 133 breaths...
"Hey." Chiara stepped into the hospital room- causing Arah to lose count.
"Hey," she said distracted, starting over... 1 breath. In. Out.
"How's he doing?" Chiara asked, sitting on the sofa next to her. Arah risked looking away from her brother, glancing at Chiara's own weary expression, noticing the dark bags that weighed heavily under her eyes- likely matching her very own.
"He's alive." Arah sighed.
If one could even call it that. More than half his body was wrapped in gauze- blood and pus already seeping through the freshly changed bandages. His condition was unchanging- possibly even worst. Arah couldn't tell. His breathing was sporadic- a pause here and there- causing a brief moment of panic before his chest would once again lift- the wheeze of an inhale that sounded just as painful as the labored exhale. But it was better than the silence.
Arah had become obsessed with watching over her brother - refusing to leave his side. She denied sleep- sipping from a Wide Eye potion that Jae had smuggled for her to help stay awake and make sure he was alright. It was the least she could do. She read book after book and wrestled through every possible scenario that could have caused these uncurable wounds. If only she knew...
"...Arah, when is the last time you've eaten? You haven't even touched the treacle tart Jae brought you earlier." Chiara asked, concern thick in her motherly tone.
Arah peered over her shoulder at the untouched food on the table- she hadn't even realized it was there. "Not hungry." She shrugged.
Chiara laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You really need to take care of yourself. You haven't eaten or slept in almost two days."
It had been two days? Huh. She must have lost track. Yet, they weren't any closer to solving this mystery. Chiara's gaze shifted towards the near-empty Wide Eye potion. She reached over Arah, snatching the vile and smelling it's contents.
"WideEye potion? Don't tell me you have been drinking this to avoid getting rest." Chiara accused. "You do realize how completely irresponsible that is? This potion does not - cannot replace sleep your body desperately needs."
Arah sat in silence, avoiding her disappointed gaze.
"It's dangerous, Arah. Your behavior can become sporadic- impulsive even. Please tell me you will stop."
"You don't look the most chipper, yourself ." Arah forced a smile in an attempt to deflect the attention away from herself. "It's not even a full moon yet."
Chiara leaned back, closing her eyes for a moment. "Yeah, well. I can't get much sleep anyway when it's right around the corner. So I figured might as well make myself useful and do more research on your brother's injuries."
"And?" Arah straightened- a waver of hope flickered.
"Nothing." Chiara slumped in defeat, raking a hand over her tired face. A silence set between them as they observed Jacob- minds far from quiet as they continued to wrestle for answers.
"He's getting worst, Chiara. The Burn-Healing paste isn't even working..." Arah's voice wavered.
"I just can't make any sense of it...Are you sure there isn't anything at all you might know?" Chiara looked at Arah, desperation in her eyes. "I know 'R' is long gone, but it makes no sense why trouble always seems to find you two. Something isn't connecting... "
Arah felt a pang of guilt. The thing was...R was very much alive and well...and growing in numbers. It was this information she had decided to keep from her friends for their own safety...but now? Maybe it was time to finally tell them the truth. If it meant being one step closer to helping Jacob- she would do anything.
"I... I have something I need to tell you."
"What is it?" Chiara asked, hopeful that it was a possible lead to uncovering Jacob's mystery illness.
"'R' is still active, Chiara." Arah admitted.
"What?" she stammered.
"Mad-Eye and I have been investigating them for some time now. We suspect they have infiltrated the Ministry of Magic. Jacob was hunting down members and trying to uncover information behind what they were after."
Chiara blinked. "Why didn't you say anything before?"
"I tried, but nobody wanted to listen!" Arah felt her temper rise, recalling the time her friends had brushed her off when she tried approaching the subject. She took a deep breath- realizing her exhaustion was starting to get the better of her. "Besides, I realized it was probably for the best. I was trying to protect everyone in the Circle of Khanna. I didn't want to see anyone else get hurt because of 'R'."
Chiara was silent for a moment, clearly processing the news and taking it all in.
"I understand. I know a thing or two about keeping secrets to keep others safe." She nodded to herself, "But that doesn't change the fact that I'm sorry you had to keep this to yourself for so long. What matters is we know now and can support you in this."
"Thanks." Arah smiled wearily, grateful to have a friend like Chiara. "It does feel good to finally get that off my chest." an airy laugh escaped but died before leaving her throat.
"I need to head back to school to make some...preparations." Chiara cleared her throat. "With the full moon coming up soon, and all."
"Right. I can't believe it's already that time of month."
"Speaking of which- if you happen to see Jae, will you tell him I went back to school? He was actually helping me gather some final supplies..."
"Jae?" Arah blinked- "Does...does he know?"
"Merlin, no. But he really can be quite helpful. He's kind enough not to ask why a girl might be in need of some wolfsbane... And he really is a lovely cook." Chiara wondered aloud. Arah lifted a brow. "Oh, sod off." Chiara nudged her arm, blushing. "Send an owl if anything changes, yeah?"
Arah nodded, forcing her lips into a smile. "I will."
"He's going to be alright, Arah. You have to believe that." Chiara wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Arah swallowed back the tears that threatened to bubble up and managed a nod.
"Would you be sure to tell the others what I shared with you?'
"Of course. Take care of yourself, Arah. I mean it."
"You too, Chiara."
And just like that, Arah was left alone with her thoughts and the breaths of her brother. In. Out.
Dusk settled and the stars began to twinkle behind wispy clouds. The moonlight peered through the bay window as Arah rubbed her heavy eyes. She had just finished reading Magick Moste Evile, which proved to be completely and utterly helpless.
"Damn it!" Arah cursed angrily, discarding the book to the side with the piles of other useless books. Frustration in the form of tears began to spill from her eyes as she gripped her forehead.
"I'm trying, Jacob. I'm trying" She wept quietly. She was so tired.
A MediWizard entered the dark room as Arah dried her face quickly. They nodded to one another curtly as he began to work in silence, doing his routine check over Jacob. The man's face fell as he unwrapped the bandages- surveying the unchanging wounds. Arah had to look away- the burns too severe and gruesome for her to stomach. Jacob's breathing labored as the man worked quietly on him. A heavy sigh escaped the MediWizard as he finished, scribbling a few things in his clipboard.
"Well?" Arah stood, moving closer to Jacob's side. "Anything?"
"I'm sorry Ms. Annon, nothing new to report." The MediWizard shook his head somberly, grabbing his clipboard and leaving the two of them alone again.
Arah groaned, slumping down on the creaky chair next to Jacob's bedside. Discomfort shadowed his features as he slept. Arah held his uninjured hand and rested her head on the bed, wishing nothing more than to be able to talk to him again. About anything.
"Do you remember after Dad left, how I used to sneak in your bedroom at night and you would read to me The Tales of Beedle the Bard under our blanket fort? I'll never forget how you used all these silly voices when reading 'Babbity Rabbity'." Arah laughed to herself. "You always took such good care of me."
Hot tears began to slowly trickle down her nose. "Then you were gone and I was so lost... Mum was too. For years. But we managed somehow- the two of us." She sniffled, wiping her face. "And then... and then I found you- I had my big brother back." She smiled to herself. "But you want to know what the funniest part is? I didn't realize how badly I have missed you until now."
His face remained unchanging. A silliness begin to settle over her as if she had just been talking to herself this entire time. She laughed coldly. "You probably can't even hear me... But if you could, I guess I just wanted to say that - "
The sounds of muffled voices in the hallway distracted Arah as she listened intently. The conversation sounded terse- urgent even. She pulled away from her brother, walking quietly to the closed door, pressing her ear against the cool wood.
"You're not listening to me, Miriam." The Mediwizard hushed. "We must figure this out soon."
"I understand the gravity of this situation entirely, Burke," Miriam responded gently. "But we must keep calm and collected in order for us to think clearly. We have some of our best MediWizards researching. How much time do you think we have?"
"He is declining. Quickly."
Arah's stomach dropped as she continued to eavesdrop- realizing they must be discussing Jacob.
"How much time?" She repeated.
"We're lucky if we have a day. The boy will die if we don't find a treatment soon."
Arah clutched her mouth to keep her from crying out as she stumbled away from the door. Her heart raced as she processed the dire condition he was in. Her brother had a day, maybe even hours to live. And what had she done about it? Nothing. Just sat for two days, a blubbering mess, reading books and feeling sorry for herself.
No more. A determination ignited within her- she refused to allow this preventable loss to happen. She glanced over at the WideEye potion...contemplating what Chiara had warned her about. But they were out of time. What choice did she have? The sounds of Jacob's raspy breaths rattled in agreement as she grabbed the potion, swallowing the last of the bitter liquid. The energy rushed warmly through her veins- a fire radiated within her, intensifying every emotion - every thought.
But where to begin? If only she could read his mind... But wait. She could, couldn't she? She had never tried to read the mind of someone unconscious before, but she had to at least try. Chiara's voice rang in her head- warning her of the unknowns, the dangers of exploring the mind of someone in such crisis. But it didn't matter, Arah waved the thought away carelessly. She would do whatever was needed to save her brother.
She approached Jacob and gripped his hand.
"I'm going to fix this, Jake. I promise. Whatever it takes." She whispered, before grazing her fingers over his temple.
Leglimens.
An immense fiery pain covered her skin as if flames had engulfed her. She held her breath to keep from screaming out as she growled through the agony- flickers of images danced in her head. Blackness. An old ancient-looking parchment. Pain. More blackness. Strange foreign buildings. Blackness. Pain. She didn't know how much longer she could hang on until there it was. A familiar face- Mundungus Fletcher.
Arah gasped trying to catch her breath as she untethered from his mind- skin still prickling from the pain, now slick with sweat. But at least she knew exactly where she would go to next. She grabbed her cloak, throwing the hood over her head.
It was time for a trip to Nocturn Ally.
A/N; Shiz is about to get real. Please leave a review to let me know what you think!