Talk To Me (Albus Dumbledore x OC)

9 - There's Always Time

Several minutes had passed at which point Aurora had begun to gingerly attempt to clean up some of the dried blood from around the gaping hole, wincing every time she got too close. Though the incessant bleeding had stopped, a vile-looking liquid was still steadily being produced from the wound itself, threatening to stain her trousers as it soaked through the cotton vest-top. Just as she'd managed to clear one small patch, panicked voices and thundering feet gained on her and she drew back quickly to hide herself, Newt storming through the door without hesitation and scouring the room for his sister.

A guise of horror altered his facial expression from angry to afraid at the sight of her. She looked to Dumbledore for help or guidance - he'd asked if she trusted him, but now she wasn't so sure this had been the right call. As the girl opened her mouth to speak, Newt stepped forward and awkwardly enveloped her in a careful embrace, avoiding her left arm entirely. As he pulled away, a tear rolled down her cheek - she was exhausted.

"I didn't know what to do-"

"What did you think I was going to say?" he asked, a hint of distress in his tone as he looked at her incredulously. "Why didn't you tell me? I had to hear it from him first," Newt motioned to Dumbledore standing quietly in front of the closed door.

"There was too much to do, there was no time-"

Her brother was now rifling through his case in search of some items but cut her off before she could finish babbling. "There's always time," One final stare before he motioned Albus over to them. "I'll need your help to hold her down,"

"What?" she asked in alarm. "Newt, I am capable of sitting still for five minutes."

"It won't be enough," He rolled his sleeves up having collected handfuls of potions and ointments.

Albus gained on the pair sceptically, watching as Newt pushed his sister to sit down on the bed. "I can handle the pain," she pleaded.

The older Scamander was drawing up a syringe full of thick, green liquid, the needle cap held between teeth as his eyes found hers, offering only a quick glance in response to her appeal for restraint before returning to his task. Aurora's face grew cold - if Newt thought this would hurt then it obviously wasn't just going to be a sting. He motioned for Albus to sit alongside his sister whilst collecting another item from his briefcase.

Dumbledore sat next to the injured woman and placed his right arm above her left shoulder to hold around the back of her neck, careful to avoid the wounded appendage and enclosed her into his body - an awkward, angled hug to anyone looking on without context. He moved her right arm to wrap around his torso, catching it with his elbow to pin it to his side, preventing her from using the limb or withdrawing from the grasp which left just her chin to rest against his shoulder. Had this been under different circumstances she may have been grateful for the comfort, but the strength Albus was already using to hold her here was unsettling, no-less when Newt reappeared in her line of sight with a piece of cloth to bite into, eyes never quite meeting. Her whole body began to rattle as she trembled, anticipation doing nothing to calm her mind.

Then there was fire.

It erupted in bursts of searing jabs as Newt injected the serum directly into the wound on her back, the sensation burning so quickly that she almost had no time to comprehend the pain which followed. The heat burned her entire body - trailing from her spine, along her shoulders and towards her neck - it felt as though it had been scorching for an eternity and would never end. Her muscles objected, every thought conveying their desperate escape from this assault as she attempted to free herself from Albus' restraint, fingers digging into his coat for something to ground herself with.