antebellum [t. riddle]

xxxiii.

22 december 1944
tw: graphic depictions of gruesome injuries and blood

it was just past midnight when sicaria was hastily awoken from her slumber. 

a loud crack made her shoot up out of the bed, and she heard frantic cries coming from the center of the room. she summoned her wand and her heart was pounding from the adrenaline. 

"lumos," she had to squint her eyes to adjust the light. 

she released a shuddering breath when she realized that it was just a house elf.

it was the same one that had the bloody bandages during dinner. it seemed to be trying to speak but was overcome with hyperventilation and anxious sobs. sicaria's heartrate peaked again. "miss edwards is needing to wake up and coming with bailey! mister rosier is hurt and bailey thinking miss edwards is helping him!"

"what?" sicaria said in her sleepy daze, shooting from her bed. the elf ran to her side and grabbed her hand, yanking sicaria toward the door with a force that shouldn't be able to come from such a small being.

oh god. 

oh god. 

i should've given them the spells.

"miss edwards must hurry! miss edwards is grabbing baileys hand now." the elf grabbed her hand and before she could even respond, they apparated onto the edge of the grounds in the moonlight. malfoy was sitting on the grass, clutching his leg, lestrange standing over riddle and nott who were huddled over rosier on the ground.

"bailey i asked you to get jerry, not sicaria!" malfoy hissed. 

"bailey is trying to help! bailey knows jerry cannot save mister rosier!"

their voices barely registered. all she could focus on was rosier's body, writhing on the ground. his eyes were rolled back in his head and both nott and riddle were rapidly casting over his body. he had a deep chunk of his shoulder taken out, which was bleeding profusely on the ground. at the end of that same arm, it looked like starting at his fingertips, the veins in his hands were starting to turn black. he was screaming so hard that she swore he must have been damaging his vocal chords.

"oh my god," she clutched her hand to her heart at the sight. 

she didn't spare a glance at the other four, all she could think about was how badly she had to save him. 

or else she'd never forgive herself. 

calm down, she thought. you can't help him if you aren't calm. 

she moved to him quickly and dropped to her knees as she fought to slow herself down. 

occlude, occlude, occlude.

she waved her wand over his body and muttered to herself, pulling up a diagnostic. she also cast a stabilizing charm on him to counteract the convulsing he was doing on the ground. his body stilled and she took a deep breath.

he had lost 15% of his blood volume. his body temperature was six degrees below normal. his respiration rate was low, but his heartrate seemed normal.

"blood replenishing potion." sicaria said, barely able to think over the sound of the elf's theatrics. "dittany." 

adonis had ceased screaming, but continued to let out anguished groans and whimpers. his skin was pale, and he was cold and clammy to the touch. she didn't warn him before she cast a sanitation charm over the gash in his shoulder (it burned like hell); she doubted he was lucid enough to understand her caution anyway. he let out a sharp groan as she did so.