A Soulmate's Love

Chapter 62 - Late Introductions

George's Perspective

Fred and Lee were both admiring the piles of bags that had been delivered to Althea's room, as well as the flat screen tv that was in the common room, taking up the entire wall due to its grandeur. While she was making her coffee, she seemed to be elsewhere, but I overlooked such a thing as she always was. 

I only started suspecting something was off when the boys called her name multiple times, only getting a minimal answer from her after Lee had to shout her name. She leaned back slowly on the countertop, sipped her coffee, and watched the boys look at the gifts with a soft smile, but something about her was dull. Althea was like the sharpest knife in a collection, brilliant and cold, with a razor-edge. However, all of her actions were slowed, soft, and uncalculated - the complete opposite of her usual state. 

While they spoke, and she 'listened', I watched her, waiting for a response, sign, or symptom to surface that would explain what the fuck was off about her. And then there it was. Her eyes fluttered closed and she gravitated forwards, catching herself before we could all notice. But I did; I always would when it came to her. 

Tuning in through the link, I knew something to be terribly wrong. "Guys, get the fuck out," I commanded the two oblivious dimwits while I kept watching her worriedly, not caring if it was harsh or hurt their feelings. She didn't even respond to the arguments they posed, or me pushing them out, she simply looked down at her coffee, slightly swaying side to side. 

I don't know what was going on, but she was getting paler by the second, and something about her eyes... I could feel this growing pain in my chest as if something within me was detaching itself, shrinking, diminishing. "Darling," I called from in front of her, yet she barely responded, keeping her head down as if it were too heavy for her to lift. Even alone, with the boys gone, she was closed off. Making her look up to me, I could look at her eyes and be aghast to see the change within them: Her pupils were pinpoint, eyes open at half-mast, and the worst was that the rich, dark brown that they once were had faded. It wasn't a lighter shade of brown, the color had quite literally disappeared, leaving a translucent shade of brown. It was almost like the color of her eyes had been drained, along with the rich brown of her skin and hair. She had faded.

"Look at me," I commanded urgently as her eyes seemed to be floating, unfocused on any particular object. Her response could only further my worries - slowed and indeliberate. She quickly followed by attempting to take another sip of that damned coffee, but I took it out of her hands, noticing her disorientation at the action. Her mind was elsewhere as she stared forwards, looking through me. English no longer left her lips, replaced by the beautiful French language I would have paid more attention to had I not been so frantic to get her attention. 

And in an instant, she was gone. Her pale brown eyes rolled to the back of her head, her chestnut skin now translucent enough to see the system of blood vessels flowing beneath, and in catching her before she could hit the ground, she seemed lighter. Althea fainted on occasion, although this time differed completely from the other times.

In urgency, I carried her bridal style to the medical wing, praying that a simple deduction could be drawn from her despairing state. There had to be an explanation. She had been eating more regularly than in the past, had been sleeping over 3 hours a night now, and hadn't consumed any substances whatsoever. 

Arriving, I hurriedly called for Madame Pomfrey, and as she caught sight of Althea, the patient with some of the worst injuries she's ever seen, her eyes widened in alarm and she quickly jumped into action. It seemed as if she knew exactly what to do to get Althea back in good health as she swiftly administered medicine and some other medical supplies I wasn't knowledgeable in. The weird thing, however, was that she also dialed for Dumbledore. Maybe that was just protocol... Nothing bad has happened to Althea. Nothing bad enough that would deserve Dumbledore to consult with. No. She was totally ok.