Her whole body ached. Pain radiated all along her limbs.
Panic jolted through her when she realised that she'd tried to open her eyes but still couldn't see!
She clenched her fingers and could feel the roughness of a cotton blanket under them.
Something touched her fingers and she tried to jerk her hand back reflexively but encountered a problem; she managed to move her fingers out of the way and her hand moved a little but was unable to move her arm at all. Something touched her fingers again, more determined this time and she felt another hand encase her own. She felt fingers curl around and a thumb rub gently backwards and forwards along the back of her hand.. Someone was there! She curled her fingers to put a bit of pressure on the hand holding hers and felt that hand squeeze back.
The panic settled and she fell asleep once more.
When next Harriet woke, she was feeling slightly less sore. She opened her eyes to a bright light and had to blink a few times before she could make out anything nearby. She was in a large room with three other beds although only one other was occupied. A woman wearing odd lime coloured robes and a long lime coloured pointed hat was checking on the person in the other bed. Harriet looked to her right and saw Nance, curled up in a large comfortable looking arm chair. Her movement attracted the attention of the robed woman who walked towards her, quickly crossing the room to stand beside her bed. The woman withdrew a stick from the sleeve of her robe and waved it around in the air above Harriet. As she wove the stick around in an elaborate pattern, small sparks or lights appeared to drift down from its tip. Harriet jerked back when one of the sparks touched down on her arm, expecting it to hurt and burn her. There was a slight prickling sensation, but it was in no way painful. The woman let out a frustrated sounding hum and squinted sternly at Harriet.
"Drink this!" She demanded as she produced a strange shaped, cork-stoppered bottle from a pocket in her robes. In seemingly one movement she had unstoppered the bottle and placed it to Harriet's lips.
Obediently Harriet drank the sludgy green contents and spluttered at the foul taste, it was horrid and reminded her of some of the food the Dursley's had once given her when the refrigerator had stopped working.
"Better to give it to the girl than for it to take up room in the bin," she recalled Uncle Vernon saying.
It seemed to both burn and freeze her throat as it went down and sent a shudder up her spine. The robed woman arched an eyebrow at her, possibly expecting some commentary on the taste, but Harriet kept her mouth shut. She hummed again in a surprised tone
Once the effects of the concoction had dissipated, Harriets recollection of the Dursley's caught up to her current surroundings and she looked around with a start, wide eyed and fearful.
"It's alright lassy," the woman in green said, significantly more kindly than her previous words, "the monsters that did that to you won't be coming within two feet of you or they'll be off to Azkaban if I have anything to say about it. You're safe here."
Their noise appeared to have woken Nance, who was blinking away the sleep.
"Besides," the woman added as she gestured towards Nance, "even if I didn't have anything to say about it, I'd wager that they'd have to fight their way past that one there."
The woman walked back to check on her other patient as Nance scooted forward to the edge of Harriet's bed and took Harriet's hand in her own, "Harriet," she asked, "I'm so so sorry, If I had known this would happen I would never have let you go back home. I would have kidnapped you myself If I had to."
Harriet was a little surprised by Nance's reaction. It was far from the first time that she had awoken from a prolonged unconsciousness, but the first time she had awoken to anybody nearby and actually caring about her well-being.
"What… How?" Harriet croaked out with a cough, her voice rough but surprisingly not sore.
"The police went around to your aunt and uncle's house to do a check up like I told you," Nance explained, "apparently when they questioned your uncle he denied that you lived there. They searched through your house and were just about to leave when the WPC decided to open the one door they hadn't looked in yet. They took your aunt and uncle into custody and social services came to collect your cousin. They rang me to ask me some more questions and then I floo'd my father to let him know. He arranged for the mediwitches to collect you from the Royal Surrey County Hospital and bring you back here, to 's. You've been asleep for a few days now, healing up from… everything. The mediwitch, Matron Syme has done a wonderful job fixing you up. Meanwhile, father has been working behind the scenes to ensure that you can go and live with him. His plans are almost complete and require just a few more things once you are well enough to leave."
Nance was worried that talking about Harriet's injuries would bring back traumatic memories and grew increasingly worried that Harriet seemed to gloss over them as if they were nothing. But when she mentioned her father's plans, Harriet's face lit up in the biggest and most hopeful smile she had ever seen before in her life.
"Really?" Harriet asked excitedly, "I get to live with Daphne? I don't have to go back to the Dursley's? Forever?"
"I really hope so," Nance said, "that's what we are all working towards. Thankfully, nobody here knows who you are yet. We owe Matron Syme our thanks for that, she was an old classmate of Father's."
"No need for thanks," Matron Syme said from across the room, "your father is helping me with a problem of my own."
Nance and Harriet shared a look and Nance shrugged, "well, in any case, nobody knows who you are so that increases our chances of the adoption going through. Honestly, I'm just glad you're okay… or will be okay."
Harriet squeezed Nance's hand and a memory resurfaced.
"I woke up," Harriet said slowly, "and I couldn't see. Someone held my hand."
"That was me," Nance replied, "you had bandages over your face and I didn't want you thinking that you were alone here."
"Thank you," Harriet said with a yawn.
"You're welcome," Nance answered and leaned forward to give Harriet a kiss on the forehead as her eyes closed.
Harriet was already asleep when Nance added, "it was the least I could do."
Harriet stayed in 's for another two days to rest and recuperate. Every time she opened her eyes, Nance was there. The morning after she first woke Nance fed her from a huge breakfast plate that had everything she had been learning to cook for the Dursleys; eggs, toast, bacon, baked beans, tomatoes and garlic buttered mushrooms. The mere smell of the food made her mouth water. She could barely fit in a small mouthful of each before she became full. Matron Syme waved her stick over the plate and said something strange in a different language and an hour later when Harriet felt a little hungry again the mouthful of beans were still hot and the sauce was still thin and runny! Breakfast took about four goes like this and she still hadn't finished it when a house elf appeared carrying lunch.
Harriet didn't really notice when her ward-mate had left, but it was some time during the second day while she was having a nap.
On the second day, Hew and Daphne appeared just after Harriet had finished her lunch. Hew mostly spoke to Nance, which Harriet didn't mind because that allowed her and Daphne the opportunity to talk. Harriet explained, as much as she could, the goings on around the ward she was temporarily residing in.
When Hew and Nance left the room to talk for a few minutes, Daphne took the opportunity to ask, "Harriet? Is Nance your sister?"
"Uh... no," Harriet replied, looking at Daphne in confusion, "she's your sister."
"No, she's not," Daphne answered, putting her hands on her hips, "Astoria is my sister."
"Hew is your father?" Harriet asked and Daphne nodded.
"Hew is Nance's father," Harriet continued, "doesn't that make her your sister too?"
"Oh," Daphne whispered, "yes, it would."
"I wish I had a sister," Harriet said, noticing that Daphne had deflated a little and looked a bit pensive, "if your father adopts me, will that make us sisters?"
Daphne smiled a little, "yes, depending upon what sort of adoption it is, I think it does."
Daphne smiled a little at Harriet, "I would like that."
Harriet returned the smile, "I would like that too."
When Hew and Nance returned, Daphne was sitting on the bed beside Harriet and the two were playing a clapping game that Harriet had observed other girls at her school playing. Matron Syme was watching from her desk with a sly smile on her face.
"Well then girls," Hew said once Harriet and Daphne had successfully completed their game, "I think it's time for us all to go."
"Oh," Harriet said sadly, "well… thank you for visiting."
"No Harriet," Nance said with a smile, "he said time for all of us to go."
Harriet's spirits suddenly lifted and she looked between Nance, Hew and Daphne (who was looking just as happy as her.)
Hew produced a carpet bag that Harriet had not noticed and said with a smile, "I've brought some clothes for you to get changed into. I'm sure Daphne and Nance will be happy to help you with all of that and I'll wait for you just outside."
While Harriet was putting her tights on, Daphne and Nance were setting aside the other articles of clothing on the bed next to her.
"Nance?" Daphne asked tentatively.
"Yes?" Nance responded, holding up and admiring the dress that she was holding.
"How do you know my father?"
"Uh…" Nance stalled, "he… he hasn't told you yet?"
Daphne didn't say anything, but just stared at the older woman. After a moment the nurse let out a sigh and her shoulders slumped.
"He's my father," Nance admitted, "your mother isn't my mother though. Mine died about ten years ago, when everybody came to the conclusion that I'm a squib. So we're half-sisters."
Suddenly Daphne was blinking away tears and hugging herself tightly to Nance's waist, who awkwardly hugged her and stroked her hair.
At the first stroke, Daphne stiffened and after the second she scooted back and dried her tears on a small white handkerchief.
She lifted her head and brushed a stray hair out of her eyes and busied herself helping Harriet get dressed, after a few moments so did Nance.
As the other two girls exited the ward, Matron Syme came over and told Harriet, "you're all healed up now Harriet, physically at least. I hope that there will be no more cause for you to return to my care."
"Yes Matron," Hariet promised, "and thank you."
Things were tense between Nance and Hew when Harriet exited the ward, but she didn't pay the situation much mind.
"There's one place we need to get you to right away Harriet," Hew said, "Gringott's Wizarding Bank."
AUTHORS NOTES:
Thanks for the author follow/favourite Yuu igdrasil!
Thanks for the story follow/favourite: SalixStaffofIce, Ninjadragoncat, deafdragonrider, NiiChan, pyrokyle, loccicube, AliceIvyRose, stargate-sg1sg1
Archer1Eye: Level of torture: fixed. For now. I like the idea that muggles are just naturally distrustful or wary of wizarding folk and for children that carries over to wizarding children being bullied and not having any friends at a normal school. I can't remember the author I first read who penned that Idea, but I'm a bit of a fan. It would also explain why Hermione is so… annoying and stuck up to begin with, that she just tries too hard at things because she was never close to any other kids in the muggle world. But hope…. Hope is now shining brightly!