Chocolate and Cigarettes

Chapter 46 - Not Alone

Jen, James, and Sirius were running in the Hallways of St. Mungo's. The only word in their head was run. Run before it was too late.

McGonagall hadn't said how bad it was but they weren't taking any risks. It was their parents it was about. At that moment nothing mattered anymore. Not their last year, the parties, revenge plans, boyfriends determined to ruin one's mood... they just wanted their parents.

Just after running down yet again another corridor, they saw a healer they knew very well. It was kind of the family's healer as it was their aunt Matilda.

When Matilda saw them, she immediately stopped looking over whatever papers it was she had been looking at and looked at them with a sad smile.

"Aunt Tilda?" James breathed out.

"What- Are- You- Doing- Here?" Jen asked in between breaths.

She was terribly out of shape and she definitely needed to correct that later. How would she beat Death Eaters if she couldn't even run a few floors up?

"I am the one that diagnosed your parents." She explained.

"So it is true." Sirius spoke for the first time. "They do have Dragon Pox."

She nodded.

"Yes."

At that word, Jen's world seemed to crumble. Everything started to blur and her ears started ringing. Yes. Her parents had been diagnosed with Dragon Pox. The sentence seemed to keep being played in her head in repeat.

"Euphemia and Fleamont are both on the same stage." Matilda continued explaining.

Jen looked at her brother and saw him completely stuck. It looked like he couldn't move not was he listening. It was too hard to face to him and judging by Sirius's reaction and stiffness, he too was frozen. So there she was, playing her role as a big sister again. She pushed her sufferance aside and forced her mouth to form words.

"Which is?"

There was a sad smile again.

"The second one."

"What does that mean?" Jen asked eyebrows furrowed.

Matilda cleared her troth.

"It means that with the right medication, potions, and spells they have a chance of survival."

But Jen sensed there was something her aunt was not saying.

Something was not being said.

"But?" She pressed.

Matilda sighed yet again.

"If they have not shown any sign of recovery by mid-august, all we can do is make their sufferance disappear."

She felt James stumble back and she caught him alongside Sirius.

The next words she said, she had to force them out.

"My parents will die won't they?" She said, her voice as steady as she could and yet failing miserably. "Because they're old."

Matilda's lack of response and her look was enough.

She knew about Dragon Pox. They had studied it in potions. There was a cure but that would not change much. They were both too old for it to actually work or do any good. The medication, potions, and spells were their only shot. Until mid-august. They had until mid-august.

"Can we see them?" She asked.

Without any response, Matilda showed the three of them the private room both of them shared.