September 13, 1976
"She lost a lot of blood." I heard someone clearly whispering once my head stopped hurting for a few seconds to make out their words as I awoke.
"Poor girl." The other person in the room responded.
"Indeed."
"What has happened to the person who did this? Tell me they haven't gotten away with it."
"He didn't. His fate is still being discussed, but the majority of the Professors are leaning to expulsion and sending him to Azkaban so he learns his lesson."
"What do you think should be done to the boy?" They asked the other person, slowly thinking of their words.
"I'm not one to punish students as harshly as what some of the teachers wish for the boy, but I agree that he should not be in this school any longer, nor should he ever get near Elpis again. The poor girl has already been through so much. Merlin, she deserves a peaceful school year at least once." I heard them sigh while I finally closed my eyes. "I wish I could do more for her."
"Minerva. You have been a great teacher, towards everyone of your students. Don't think that you have failed them. He was an exception. You are not responsible for every living soul in this school."
"I couldn't stop him before and I couldn't stop Evan either." Minnie stated.
"It's no matter now. The most important thing is that she was found in time. Who knows what would've happened if he was too late."
"I dread to even think about it."
"He was shaking when he brought her here. I don't think I've ever seen him so rattled. None of them. They all waited outside the entire day."
"I feel for them dearly. They are all really close. I'm glad James was there to save her." I can hear her smiling tone."
At the sound of his name I felt myself flinch, even though I couldn't see it, they must've because they stopped talking after.
"Is she awake?" Minnie asked.
I felt a warm hand covering my forehead as my eyes remained closed, feeling the relief of the warmth.
"The poor dear is shivering. I'll get some more water and a new clothe for her. Let them in for me?" Madam Pomfrey requests.
I don't know what Minnie said next because I began to fall back to sleep reluctantly before I could hear her response.
———————
A warm hand covers mines fully as if letting go of me for even a second would break me while a cool clothe is patted over my forehead, cooling me down.
With my mind beginning to calm down after a while, I slowly open my eyes to see a soft-smiling James looking at me with such adoration.
"Hey sleeping beauty, finally awake huh?" He asks softly.
I've become a bit of a hopeless romantic in the last 2 months.
The main reason is James, always on my side when I need him as well as being there for me when I didn't know I needed him until it was too late to ask.
James began humming softly while brushing a piece of my hair that fell down. The calm nature soothing the headache encroaching within me.
"How long have I been asleep?" I wonder out loud.
He gives me a small smile. "Three days."
"Three days?" I exclaim, suddenly sitting up at the shock, an equally shocked James catching me once I sat up. "That can't be. That must mean I missed the competition."
"The competition is not as important as your health Belle." He tells me, setting me properly upright with the pillows behind me.
"We both know that if the headmaster had the chance, he would go through with the competition before even giving me a glance." James and I chuckle at my joke before I suddenly stop with a horrid coughing fit.
Immediately, James brings me a cup of water as the coughing dies down.
"I'm sorry I didn't get there sooner." He apologizes, fluffing up another pillow in front of me and avoiding my eyes. All in the same while, he still managed to smile while I drank the water he handed me.
His sudden confession causes me to almost spit out the water. "Don't say that." I grab his hand, flinching a bit with the wound on my arm, stopping his continuous fluffing.
"Listen because I hate to repeat myself on this matter." I sternly begin, directing his attention towards me in place of the pillow. "I'm glad you got to me at all. Who knows what would've happened if you had gotten there at all. So thank you James."
I kiss his cheek as tears begin to fall down on it. Someone who knew nothing about what happened would think that he had been the one to go through what I had. I chuckled a bit to myself while pulling him closer to me.
A heart as opening as James would feel what I felt with his entire soul, if not more.
"Please tell me if anyone ever bothers you. I swear on my whole name and being that I'll always have your back or else the world can curse me if I don't." He mumbles while burying his head on my shoulder, playing with my hair.
I smile while holding his free hand. "If the world ends up cursing you, I'll take it in your place. Besides, you would never betray me."
"As if I would ever let you sacrifice yourself." He proudly states.
I scoff. "What makes you think I can't outsmart you?"
"The fact that I would fight like hell to get back to you. There's no way to escape me now that we're together." He playfully grins, lifting his head to meet my eyes.
"I would never choose to leave you."
"So would I."
"That's cute and all, but I'm going to hurl if you continue." A voice confesses.
"Ri!" I smile when my eyes lays it's sights on Sirius. "Glad to see you too."
He chuckled while walking closer with Peter behind them.
"He acts as if he's not all lovey dovey with Remus as well. Ignore him." Peter tells me, placing a basket on the table in front of my bed with Sirius.
Sirius coughs at Peter's jab at him. "Hold up! That is not true at all! Peter!" Sirius begins to chase Peter around the infirmary as he runs away from him, laughing.
"Is this supposed to make me feel better?" I whisper to James.
"Who knows? Is it working though?" He asks hopefully.
I laugh.
"A thousand percent."
"Then yes. It is." He smiles. "Mission accomplished team!" He stands up to announce, running around with the two.
James eventually catches up to Sirius who has Peter in a tackle, dragging them out of the room.
"It's good to see you up!" Sirius shouts out just as the door closes on them.
I get my own few minutes of silence before James comes back with a sorry look. I was initially confused until I saw the group of people trailing behind him and chuckled.
It was safe to say that they had waited for a while because the moment they saw me up and not asleep on the bed, they ran towards me with a smile.
We talked for a while.
Pandora was clutched next to my side with Robin on the other while I chatted with the others until I got another headache and James ushered everyone out of the door.
My room has been surrounded by gifts for a while. James has been trying to showcase them to me to see which one I wanted to try out.
I picked the basket with food from Peter and Regulus. I didn't get to see him, Pandora brought it along with her when she brought her own baskets of crystals which she immediately placed a bracelet on my non-injured wrist.
After a few more minutes of chatting with James, I went to sleep, my headache getting so bad that I could not pay attention to our conversation. He stayed by my side that night, holding my hand as I fell asleep.
Who knows how long he's been next to my side for?
I sure didn't and, yet, he stayed from the moment my eyes closed to the moment the moon rose.
YOU ARE READING
Beyond Hope
Fanfiction(On hold) This is my story. My name is Elpis L. LaBelle. Everything written in here is my story. Don't read it before July 31, 1998. As Sirius would like to say, siriusly. The contents of this journal is to remain only between those who have read it...
