ONLY WIMPS USE CRUTCHES
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Her head throbbed in pain unlike any other. While it was far from the first time she had been knocked out cold, this time it felt like somebody was hitting her repeatedly. Opening her eyes, something that should be a natural movement, felt near impossible. Seraphina's eyelids felt heavy like stones. Managing to open her eyes a millimetre, they closed again. The lightness of the room only caused further pain behind her eyes.
Minutes or hours could have passed before she eventually managed to open her eyes. She attempted to raise her left arm to protect herself from the light, only for it to ache painfully as well. In fact, almost everything hurt at that moment.
"Madam Pomfrey, she is awake!"
The voice was vaguely familiar but at the moment she could barely string two thoughts together, too occupied with trying to remember how she had gotten there.
"Here you go, dear." Someone, likely Madam Pomfrey, helped Seraphina sit up for long enough to drink whatever potion she was given. Not prepared, she coughed a little before swallowing the remainder of it. Almost immediately, the pain in her head decreased enough for it to not feel as if she was about to pass out from the pain – again.
This time, she successfully opened her eyes, blinking a few times to adjust to the light. Her vision seemed a bit unfocused at first until it focused enough to make out the figure standing by the foot of the bed. "Reggie, what-"
The question could not even leave her lips before Regulus pulled her into a hug. Their position was a bit awkward, due to how Seraphina laid down and didn't really have the strength in her arms. "Don't you dare scare me like that again. I thought I'd lost you."
"Mr. Black! Don't crush my patient!" Madam Pomfrey chastised him, forcing Regulus back. Quickly, his normal demeanour returned and he straightened his back, hands locked behind him as he stood beside the bed.
"Miss. Weasley, you gave us all a fright there," Madam Pomfrey told her.
"What happened?" Sera asked, reaching up to feel a bandage wrapped around her head. She tried to prop herself up on her shoulders.
"A cracked skull, a dislocated knee and shoulder, and a broken wrist," Madam Pomfrey, pushing her back against his pillows. All at once, it came back to her.
The game...
Arguing with Rosier...
And then a blinding pain...
"But it's nothing to worry about - the danger is all over now. I mended it all at once, but I'm keeping you in overnight - at least. I will make the decision to discharge you in the morning. Until then you shouldn't overexert yourself."
"Would it fall under the heading of 'overexertion' if I killed Rosier," Seraphina grumbled as she tried to sit up again.
Madam Pomfrey pushed her back firmly, "Yes, it would. You will remain here, in this bed, until I discharge you." With that said, she bustled back into her office.
Turning her head to look at Regulus, Sera sighed, "We lost, didn't we?" The light grimace on his face told her all she needed to know. "How much."
"The final score was two-hundred and ninety to fifty," Regulus said, sounding apologetic. "With one Chaser down and no Keeper, we didn't stand much of a chance."
"Brilliant. Just brilliant," Seraphina muttered, staring up at the ceiling. The potion Madam Pomfrey gave her did wonders for her headache. Her recently mended skull still ached a little when she moved, and she was tender, but at least it didn't hurt to think anymore.
Her eyes caught the clear blue sky outside. A strong contrast to the stormy clouds that covered the sky during the game, "How long was I out for?"
"Around a day," Regulus explained, eyes downcast. "I really – I thought you would die. There was so much blood and you just looked so – well – broken."
"It takes a little more to kill me," she joked. "Speaking of trying to kill me – what happened to Rosier?"
"He has to serve detention for two months," Regulus explained with a scoff.
"Good to know that's what my life is worth," Seraphina snorted bitterly.
"Professor Slughorn called the entire team into his office to ask us about what happened," Regulus confessed, sitting down on the edge of her bed.
"And what did you tell him?" Seraphina asked.
"Nothing," Regulus said. "But I think you should–"
"It won't change anything," Seraphina told him as she clumsily sat up to lean against the headboard. "You know that as well as I do."
Pursing his lips into a thin line, Regulus observed her for a few seconds. "I still think you should report it – but it's your choice and I will respect that. As will Avery and Pucey."
"Thank you." Just thinking about it made Seraphina feel sick and the last thing she wanted was for everyone to find out about what happened.
. • ⚯͛ • .
"Now listen carefully to me, Miss. Weasley," Madam Pomfrey said the next day as Sera sat on her bed, wearing her uniform, the bandage no longer surrounding her head. "If your head starts to hurt again or–"
"I feel any other symptoms that make me feel like I am dying, I will come back," Seraphina finished, having heard the same thing at least three times already. It took a lot to convince the healer that she felt good enough to return to classes.
"Don't worry, Madam Pomfrey, we will watch her like hawks," Avery assured her.
"But we should go now," Pucey announced, offering a hand for her to take. "Unless we wish to be late for class."
Seraphina allowed him to help her stand. Avery carried both her bag and his as they made their way out of the Hospital Wing. Not until the doors closed and they were out of sight from the older woman did Seraphina visibly wince from the pain in her knee.
"Regulus told you to ask for crutches," Pucey pointed out. The Fifth Year had been forced to leave earlier, to make it to his own class, leaving the two older boys in charge of her well-being.
"Only wimps use crutches," Seraphina scoffed. "They are clumsy and make you look like an idiot."
"And limping around like an old woman with a hip injury doesn't?" Avery deadpanned.
"Knee injury," Seraphina grumbled. They walked painfully slowly and gained quite a bit of attention from everyone they passed in the hallway – although, that could also have been because they had all almost seen her die two days earlier.
"If we keep up this pace, we will reach McGonagall's classroom by the time class is over," Avery pointed out.
"No one is stopping you from walking ahead," Seraphina told him just as they reached the staircase that led down to the ground floor. Taking one step at the time, leaning against the wall, it probably would have taken less time to simply sit down and scoot down.
"That's it," Pucey grumbled with impatience, taking his bag off his shoulder and pushing it against Avery's chest. "Hold this."
"I'm not a pack donkey," Avery told him, even though he did sling the bag over his shoulder, now carrying all of their bags.
"I will carry you," Pucey told her.
"No, I actually think limping like an old lady is more dignified," Seraphina said, attempting to take another step down the stairs only for Pucey to block her path.
"I don't care. Crawling would go faster than this," Pucey told her. "It wouldn't even be the first time I-"
"Do spare me the details of your shag," Avery shuddered in disgust.
Grumbling under her breath, Seraphina swallowed her non-existent pride and jumped up on Pucey's back. It was a bit easier since he stood two steps below her, but it still hurt a bit to jump up. His hands locked under her thighs and for a second, images of Rosier flashed before her eyes, making her tense.
"Are you okay?" Pucey asked worriedly.
"Yes, it's nothing," Seraphina told him. The tension didn't leave her body but she tried to focus on anything else.
. • ⚯͛ • .
Sirius half-heartedly listened to the conversation his best mates were having with the girls as they waited for Transfiguration class to begin. Dark circles were prominent under his grey eyes – he had not slept much during the past two nights since Sera's accident. The times he visited the Hospital Wing since then, she had been unconscious and despite Madam Pomfrey's assurance that she'd be okay, he couldn't accept it until he saw it himself.
Out of his peripheral vision, he saw something red and his attention turned fully to the door. His breath was knocked out of him at the sight of her there – alive. Instead of lying on the bed, eyes closed with a bandage wrapped around her head, she was very much awake. Too focused on Seraphina, it took Sirius a while to realise that she was currently given a piggy-back ride by Timothy Pucey.
Before his brain could spiral and awaken the green monster inside, Professor McGonagall entered the classroom, successfully silencing everyone and making them take their seats - she didn't even have to say anything – her mere presence was enough.
The lesson began but Sirius had problems concentrating. Every other second, he'd glance over at Seraphina. In the beginning of class she took notes but after a while she stopped doing that. Instead she was staring blankly into space or whispering with the two boys on each side of her.
Half an hour into McGonagall's class, the professor also seemed to notice how the trio weren't paying attention because she asked, "Miss. Weasley, Mr. Pucey, Mr. Avery, is there anything you'd like to share with the rest of the class."
All eyes turned to the trio. "Well," Avery began, "Sera started to get a headache and then she said that she was feeling a little nauseous. So I told her that if she felt the need to vomit, she should aim either forwards or to the left, so she doesn't throw up on me. Then Pucey called me an insensitive tosser and Sera said that just because I asked her not to, she'd purposefully aim at me if she felt the need to - you know - vomit."
"If you are feeling unwell, Miss. Weasley, perhaps you should let Madam Pomfrey examine you," McGonagall told the red haired girl.
"No, there's nothing to worry about Professor McGonagall. I apologise for disturbing your lesson," Seraphina forced a smile.
"Mhm," McGonagall said, clearly not believing a word Sera said when she claimed to be okay. "If it gets worse, you will be excused." Then she returned to teaching the class. Transfiguration was the sort of subject that Sirius never had much problems with.
Even now when half the class looked at McGonagall like she was speaking Gobbledegook, he didn't have to put much effort into completing the tasks. He'd be lying if he said it didn't bring him a little satisfaction every time Evans raised her hand, asking the professor to repeat the instructions, since she repeatedly had called him an idiot over the years.
Sure, he behaved like an idiot most of the time - but at least he wasn't dumb.
When class was over, McGonagall reminded all of them of their homework. Everyone was packing up their books when she added, "Miss. Weasley, may I have a word with you?"
Sirius lingered, taking a bit longer to make sure that he could catch Seraphina before leaving. Unfortunately, his friends seemed to have the same idea so in the end they all just remained by their desks, waiting for Seraphina to finish speaking with McGonagall.
The two only exchanged a few quick words and then Seraphina limped away. "Sephy," Remus called, smiling nervously at her. When she turned her attention to him, he continued, "I just wanted to say that I'm glad you are okay. You gave us all a fright then."
"So I have been told repeatedly," Seraphina smiled forcefully. "In the future I will try to avoid getting hit in the head by the Beater's bat. It really wasn't worth the pain." She looked between the Gryffindors, "I was told you all visited me in the Hospital Wing - thank you for that."
"Of course we'd visit you," James said.
"Anyways, thank you," Seraphina told them. "Now I must go, I have a meeting with Professor Dumbledore."
"Do you need any of us to walk with you?" Lily offered with a kind smile.
"No, it's okay, but thank you for offering," Seraphina said. "Pucey and Avery has already promised to make sure I don't die today."