Courage

-97-

Book: Courage
Chapter 97
Word Count: 5012

Layla struggled to raise herself out of the debris of metal and leather that surrounded her. She tried to stand but fell once again.

"Layla, are you alright?" Harry reached for her hand and helped her to her feet. "Can you walk?"

"I don't know, I think I broke my ankle," said Layla, not being able to put any weight on it. "Where's Hagrid?"

"Over here," said Harry, helping Layla over to the great dark mass on the ground that was Hagrid.
"Hagrid? Hagrid. talk to us—"

But the dark mass did not stir.

"Who's there? Is it Potter? Are you Harry Potter?"

"They've crashed, Ted! Crashed in the garden!"

The voice of a man and then a woman was heard. Layla's head was swimming.

"Is she alright? Does she need help?"

The woman came into view, a concerned motherly look spread across her features as she assessed Layla.

"Here, dears, come inside. We'll get you fixed up, hon," the woman spoke, taking Layla from Harry and helping her enter the small house. "Ted! Wake up Hagrid, please, and bring him inside! Come along, dears..."

As Harry sat down on the couch, Layla was instructed to take a seat on the small stool and raise her ankle, wincing as she did so.

"Yes, that's a break right there. Not to worry, I know just the trick," the woman grinned kindly, whipping out her wand and aiming it at Layla's ankle. "This might sting just a bit. Episkey!"

A loud snapping sound was heard as Layla's bones snapped back into place. Layla bit her lip to stop herself from yelling out in pain.

"Motherf— a bit?!"

"All healed," said the woman happily, pocketing her wand once again. Layla stood up cautiously and slowly put her foot on the ground, finding out that she could in fact walk perfectly fine now.

"Where's Hagrid?"

"Come along," the woman led Layla over to where Harry sat. The man also living in the home, Ted, was sat with him. "I should go check on Hagrid now." The woman left.

"I'm Ted, by the way, Ted Tonks," the man said to Layla. "Dora's father."

"You're Tonks' father?" asked Layla. "Oh, I'm Layla. Layla Lupin."

"The daughter of the man who has my daughter so smitten. It's a pleasure," Ted smiled. "What happened, anyway? Something go wrong with the bike? Arthur Weasley overstretch himself again, him and his Muggle contraptions?"

"No," said Harry. "Death Eaters, loads of them — we were chased—"

"Death eaters?" said Ted sharply. "What d'you mean, Death Eaters? I thought they didn't know you were being moved tonight, I thought—"

"They knew," said Harry.

Ted Tonks looked up at the ceiling as though he could see through to the sky above.

"Well, we know our protective charms hold, then, don't we? They shouldn't be able to get within a hundred yards of the place in any direction."

The door suddenly opened and Hagrid squeezed through it, his face covered in mud and blood, limping a little but miraculously alive.

"Harry! Layla!" Knocking over two delicate tables and an aspidistra, he covered the floor between them in two strides and pulled both Layla and Harry into a hug. "Blimey, how did yeh two get out o' that? I thought we were all goners."