Venom & Virtue

chapter 63

Time in St Mungo's went by painfully slow over the next few days.

There was no one to talk to apart from the healer that attended to me regularly, her cheery presence a nice break from the torment of my cyclical thoughts about Draco.

After realising he'd sacrificed his own safety the moment he'd given me the ring, I'd grown even more concerned about his well-being, awaiting news anxiously with each passing hour.

It didn't come until three days later, in the form of a visit from Pansy, Luna, Adrian and Terence on the dreary afternoon of Thursday.

I'd repeatedly reassured Adrian and Terence that I was fine despite my hospitalised condition, relaying the entire story of what had happened and answering any questions they had.

Adrian, for the most part, seemed impressed, apparently thinking it was significantly badass of me to throw myself into the thick of it.

Meanwhile, Terence had been more reserved in comparison, their concern evident as I skimmed over the account of Bellatrix's torture.

And then, Pansy revealed that Draco had come out of the coma and was doing as well as he could be, the news a huge relief to the worried thoughts churning around my brain.

Once again, Luna had to convince me I should stay the full time in St Mungo's, insisting that rushing my recovery wouldn't help anything, which I eventually agreed to begrudgingly.

And so they'd left me in peace again, wishing me well as they returned to Hogwarts by portkey.

The only guaranteed highlight of each day was getting the newest Daily Prophet, my hungry eyes devouring each article, absorbing any updates about the Ministry situation that I could.

So far, 10 members of The Pura had been given the Dementors kiss, a significant number of others being locked away with them in Azkaban.

The worst part of every article was when they referred to the families that had been attached to each criminal, speculating if the children had been wise to it, or if the partners helped plan the coup.

There were photos occasionally from inside the courtrooms, the bright flash of the bulb exposing across the faces of the family as they heard the verdicts.

I recognised many of them from when we'd been trapped in the dungeons together, my sympathy soaring whilst I read how the press tried to paint them as equally evil parties.

It seemed obvious to me that they were just as much victims as anyone, perhaps even more so considering the fact that they'd been betrayed by those closest to them.

Eventually, Friday morning rolled around, the latest newspaper gripped in my hands as I read about the trials from the day before.

I was busily absorbed in the inky words when I felt a presence, looking up and concealing surprise as I found Dumbledore standing at my bedside.

He looked the same as usual, dusty grey robes, an impossibly long beard, thin-framed glasses resting at the tip of his nose, and a bemused expression that told you he knew something you didn't.

I folded the newspaper, laying it in my lap as I looked up at him.

"This is a surprise..." I offered, unsure exactly what to say to the Hogwarts headmaster now that we were one on one for the first time.

"Good," he replied simply, his tone warm.

He placed himself down carefully in the chair beside the bed, his manner oddly casual considering the circumstances.

The blue twinkle of his eyes travelled around the perimeters of my hospital bay, their aged wisdom taking in our surroundings as he seemed to contemplate something, before turning back to me.