Chapter Text
"They're over there. I think they were hurt while on an errand for me but they won't say. Fell asleep about twenty minutes ago. Was about to offer them a room here tonight and owl their guardian but I suppose you could get them back to the castle just as easily."
A deep voice murmured their thanks. You slowly woke up and had no idea where you were or why you were in so much pain. Sensing something in your proximity, your adrenaline spiked and you quickly sat up, wand in hand.
Professor Sharp stood a few paces away, keeping still so as not to trigger you further. "Easy now." He said, taking in your tense posture and wand at the ready. "No one is here to harm you. Do you know where you are?"
You took in your surroundings and realized what had happened. Embarrassed, you stowed your wand and looked back to Sharp. "The Three Broomsticks. I'd only meant to rest a moment before-"
"Where are you hurt?" The potions master interrupted. So taken aback by the non sequitur, you stared blankly at him.
"Sir?"
"I don't believe I stuttered." Sharp replied coolly. "I received an owl from a colleague in town who said that 'despite a student drinking one of his "strongest healing potions" they still looked terrible. If anything, they seemed to get worse'."
Pippin.
"Naturally, that plus the late hour led me to the conclusion as to which student he was referring to." He continued. "While I'm relieved to find you here instead of in a ditch or poacher camp somewhere, the question still remains. What happened, and where are you hurt?"
"Not here please." You said, cutting your eyes towards Sirona. She was kind and could be trusted, but she ran a tap house. Secrets and rumors ran rampant here and you didn't want her to overhear.
Fortunately, the former Auror picked up on what you were suggesting. "After you." He gestured towards the door.
You knew this was a test but you couldn't see any other options. Besides, you were going to have to get back to the castle at some point. Schooling your features as best you could, you stood, and hobbled to the door. Once outside, your leg buckled under you and you prepared for the extra bruises from the cobbles below. A firm grip on your elbow stopped your descent and hauled you back up.
"Come on, almost there."
If you had been more lucid, you might have appreciated the irony of someone with a leg injury supporting another person with their own leg injury, but as it was, your mind decided that it was tired of your abuse and you began to fade again.
You clearly lost time as the ensuing moments made no sense. A flash of green. A curse? Reality spun around you. Hands, guiding hands. You were no longer outside. Questions. You hoped they weren't posed to you as you had no idea what had been said. No longer standing, you found yourself on a soft surface. A pleasant warmth swept over you and you tried to chase that warmth into sleep but a glass with cool liquid was pressed to your mouth. Taking a few swallows, you coughed as it very much was not water but something that tasted icy.
Your vision cleared up and you found yourself propped up on a bed in the Hospital Wing. Madam Blainey was beside you and Sharp stood at the end of the bed, looking on.
"There you are. How are you feeling?" The healer asked, gauging your pupil reaction and other vitals.
"And why in Merlin's name were you walking around on a broken ankle?" Sharp interjected.
You blanched at the tone and Blainey responded to it immediately. "I'll thank you to keep your voice down in my ward, Aesop, or I'll have to ask you to leave."
The former Auror clenched his jaw but said nothing further. Instead he waited for you to fumble your way through an excuse, get lightly reprimanded by the healer, and take the correct potions to aid your recovery. The moment the two of you were alone however, he gave you a look that clearly said 'well?'
"I was exploring a cave." You started, giving the same excuse you had minutes earlier. "But there may have been a troll inside?"
Sharp pulled a nearby chair over and sighed. "Only you. Only you could be tracking down letters and end up fighting a troll."
"Technically my second one." You pointed out unhelpfully. Sharp gave you a dry look.
"Which is two too many. The bigger issue here is that these villagers are sending a child to run dangerous errands for them and said child is willing to do these tasks. Not only that, but you don't ask for an adult's help. It's a miracle you made it back in one piece." He sighed again and wearily rubbed his forehead.
"At this point I'm considering keeping you in detention for the rest of the year, just so I can guarantee someone has an eye on you, but I just know you'd still manage to find danger between lessons."
You opened your mouth to protest but were surprised by a yawn instead. After the events of today, you were completely drained. The icy potion from earlier that had helped to perk you back up seemed to be short lasting and now the fatigue was dragging you down again. At least the pain had settled into a dull ache, you thought to yourself as you sat yourself further upright to try and wake up.
Naturally Sharp saw what you were doing and put a restraining hand on your shoulder. "Lay back down, you're done for the day. You've done more than your share of adventuring." Under his breath he said "I'm going to insist your mentor put a tracking spell on you." His actions belied his words as he helped you pull the blanket up further.
"I'm not sure where Eleazar is, but there is a very unpleasant owl for him upon his return."
You snickered deliriously and settled deeper into the pillows. As you were nearly asleep you saw Sharp smooth down the wrinkles in your blanket. It was times like these you were glad to see the more human side to the usually aloof man. You wished you didn't need to be injured to witness them, but you cherished them all the same. The darkness dragged you down and this time, you allowed it, knowing you were safe to do so and that you needed to rest up for whatever adventure came next.