Determination

LX: Climax

July 1995

Harry stared at her lying still in the hospital bed. It's been over a month now since she used the last of her strength to bring Sirius back, and though Harry is grateful, he really wishes she would wake up. Ever since finding out she was his mother, Harry has wanted nothing more than to spend time with her. He knows she doesn't remember; he really doesn't even care about that. He just wants her awake, wants to get to know her, wants to be here with her. He looks over to Sirius, who, just as he, has been sitting here by the woman's side ever since they brought her. She hasn't woken once. The staff at St. Mungo's has been working tirelessly to fix her up. The first few weeks were the hardest. Meae had come in completely battered and covered in blood from head to toe. The healers cleaned her by hand to identify where the worst of her wounds were, saying they didn't want to use magic and accidentally make it worse before they knew what they were dealing with. There had been open and infected lashings along her back, which Harry knew to be done with the fire whip, that seemed to be the worst of the physical damage. 

Remus and Sirius had dragged him away when the healers had said they needed to strip and wash her. Harry was sickened upon reentering to see her hooked up to many packs of blood replenishing potion and something the healers assured was to help her nutrition. Remus and Sirius had looked ill upon seeing her like this as well.  She had been frail when they first brought her, and the first few healing sessions had made her body shake uncontrollably. Harry remembers yelling at the healers through his tears, thinking they had done something wrong, that they were hurting her. Sirius had held him in his arms and tried his best to quiet and calm him so the healers could do their job. Harry had felt the tears the man shed fall into his hair. 

It's now been over a month since they brought her, she's been through nine healing sessions, and after the fifth, she stopped shaking. (Seizures, they told him they were.) Plenty of people from the Order had come to visit at that time. Hermione had come and cried over her for a day as she talked about the previous school year and the arithmancy curriculum, and studying for O.W.L.s. Apparently, Meae had helped her with the homework. The twins had come on their own and brought some of their favorite products, including a new one they had thought up for her. (It was a candy that turned the eater's hair a different shade based on the color of the candy.) Ron and Ginny had both come with their parents. Mr. Weasley had brought her a multitude of Rubber ducks in as many colors as he could find and placed them all over the room, 'to cheer her when she woke up,' he said. Harry thinks Mrs. Weasley just wouldn't allow any more in the house with them. Mrs. Weasley was inconsolable the first day she visited; she cried and held the hand of the woman in the bed. She spoke of all the times her brother Gideon had talked about her when he was still in school, and when they fought in the Order together. This one made Harry slightly uncomfortable, knowing what he did. He didn't want to hear about some other man being in love with his mum... though he couldn't fault Mrs. Weasley, seeing as no one knew. 

Today was another day Mrs. Weasley was staying to visit the girl. She had brought her knitting and was talking away to Sirius and Harry about how Ginny had seemed to take up Fred and George's mantle this summer and had been terrorizing Ron. 

"Harry," he heard. 

Harry turned from the conversation to see Remus standing at the edge of the bed and looking at him sadly. Remus smiled gently at him. 

"We need to talk."

"What is it?" Harry asked. 

Remsu seemed to hesitate in his answer, quickly looking between Mrs. Weasley and Sirius. 

"You go on, dears," She said sweetly, "I'll stay here with Miss Night and keep her company."

Sirius took in a breath as he started to look defiant. "I'm not leaving her."