Act I: I Can't Believe I'm Doing This

Part 17

Cissa helps me to my feet, already reaching for her wand. "We need to get you treated, and we need to get back to the Manor."

"We may not be able to go back tonight, as much as I would like to." I wince as I stand - there's still some piece of the tree in my side, aching, sapping. A twisted thorn that feels the same as the tree's magic. "This is definitely serious. Can you get in touch with Andromeda?" It hurts, burns like too-cold air, and I doubt it'll stay so mild for long.

"Of course. Give me just a moment." I trudge towards the couch as Cissa gathers her mind. She calls "Expecto Patronum!" as I collapse onto it, grateful for a soft surface to rest on, and I see her Patronus for the first time - a small bird that I think is some kind of jay, but it's hard to be sure when it's made of silvery magic. "Take this message to Andromeda Tonks. Please, come to Hermione's flat posthaste. There is an emergency." Her voice is incredibly level and calm, though I doubt she's any less shaken than I.

After her Patronus flies through my window - much to the dismay of Minny, who lets her displeasure be known quite loudly - Cissa comes to sit next to me. "How is your side?"

"Not great, admittedly. There are definitely still pieces in the wound. Breathing hurts." It feels like the tree hit me between two ribs, and breathing out is grinding the wood between my bones. "But it's not the worst I've had." I leave out the part where I feel like it's draining me. That's still too unsettling to say out loud.

"Andie should be here soon." She says it like a plea, despite the danger being past.

I'm half-asleep by the time the snap of Apparition breaks the air of my flat mere minutes later. I can tell that I shouldn't be this tired. This is the kind of exhaustion you only get when your body needs to recover. Yet, from a wound so small, I shouldn't be in such poor health. "Andie! Oh, thank Merlin." I hear Narcissa stand up and walk over to wherever Andromeda is.

"You said there was an emergency?" Andromeda's voice is serious, clearly focused on whatever emergency she's conjured in her mind. I can hear two sets of footsteps walking closer to me, then a hand immediately jumping to my side. "This... doesn't look too bad." She sounds relieved, thankfully. "A few quick spells and she'll be right as rain."

Andromeda rolls my shirt up over the wound, and I can feel as the pieces of wood are removed. "Cissy... please tell me this isn't what I think it is."

"How else were we supposed to get her into the property, Andie?" I can feel an immediate improvement, and I know I was never really in any danger - even someone untrained could've done this, if needed. "She has to come into the building with me for us to research together."

"I'm right here," I manage, now that I no longer feel like I'm being weighed down with lead. "And Cissa is right, I needed to get in. Still do, probably, but hopefully the other wards don't fight back." I silently hope that Cissa understands that I'm choosing to not tell Andromeda about whatever - or whoever - was trapped inside by the main perimeter ward. No need to cause her unnecessary stress.

Andromeda's hand stills on my side for a moment, tense - she's probably trying to rein in her temper. She knows that we went into this willingly, and she knows we won't stop. "Right. Well, I guess I should start staying up later - in case someone needs me to patch them up again." It's more help than she offered last time. That's... something.

"Thanks, Andromeda." I wince as she closes the wound - I'm sure she could've done that painlessly. "Hopefully we'll be fine. We're both capable witches."

She looks at me, unimpressed, from where she kneels on the floor in front of me. "And yet..."

"Thank you, Andie." Cissa is probably just stopping Andromeda from scolding us further. "Should we look out for anything else regarding the wound?"