Some Badgers like Snakes

Jacob

We sat side by side, Elle was leaning against me, her head resting on my shoulders. I could smell her hair, and at the risk of sounding creepy, I loved it. She smelled like strawberries and warm vanilla. Her body moved up and down with every shaky breath. Even though I wasn't looking at her, and could barely see in the dark of the tower's alcove, I knew her eyes were still puffy from crying. She'd released so much emotion on to me I didn't know how to react. Although, to be completely fair, I'd done the same to her, if not worse. I couldn't believe how much I'd unloaded on her, out of nowhere! I'd honestly brought her down here with the intention of possibly having a romantic moment. I'd been planning on asking her out, on a real date. Instead I'd told her my deepest insecurities and darkest secrets.
Seems about right.
We sat in silence, fingers laced together, just being together. I could have, and trust me I would have, stayed there forever had I not realized,
"Wait! What time is it? We've already missed dinner!" I jumped up, stopping only to help Elle steady herself in my absence. I think she cursed.
"We're not supposed to be out too long after dinner, especially not out at the quidditch pitch with mysterious guys." She groaned, picking herself up off the ground and heading towards the stairs.
I smiled. Mysterious boys. I was mysterious now. I would have teased her but I knew she was right. Being out late was not good, especially with a girl nobody knew, from a different house, alone, after dark. Genius move Jacob.
I ran after her, trying to keep up as she bounded down the rickety wooden steps.
"Elle, wait up! You'll never find your way back in the dark! You have to be careful!" I called after her.
She reminded me of a famous muggle story I'd once heard, about a princess running from a prince. She reminded me of that girl, Cinderella, running down the palace stairs towards an alternative that held absolutely no attraction.
I could hear her quick footsteps echoing through the tower, the wood creaking in protest.
"Elle, slow down! I'm sorry for worrying you, it's really not that big of a deal." I yelled.
I heard a loud snap and a shriek.
"ELLE!" I screamed in panic as I darted down the stairs.
"Jacob! Jacob, help!" She was crying and her pain soaked voice reverberated off the walls. The already small tower seemed to be closing in on me when I bounded down the last steps.
Elle was lying in the middle of the staircase, bent down and screaming bloody murder.
"What happened?! What's wrong!?" I demanded, fearing her answer.
"My leg, it's stuck! It hurts, Jacob!" Hot tears were streaming down her face, her face was twisted in pain.
I knelt down, brushing aside her billowy black school robes to see what had happened.
Stuck inside the step, Elle's lower leg was trapped by splinters of rotted wood.
"I-I was running, and it snapped, my, my foot it- it went through. Oh God it hurts!" She choked breathlessly through sobs.
The wood was clearly piercing the skin tightly, she'd be lucky if it hadn't drawn any blood already, I didn't know how to get it out.
"Stay still. You'll be fine. I'm here. Everything's going to be okay." I assured her, trying to keep my voice calm and steady.
I pulled my wand out of my pocket, thanking the stars that I'd thought to keep it on my person for tryouts. I racked my brain for some kind of spell to help. There had to be something.
"Umm... Reducio leg!"I tried hopelessly, pointing at her trapped leg. Please work, please work, please work. It was a stretch, this kind of spell wasn't necessarily designed for large body parts, but no matter how "ambitious" it was, I had to try.
To my delight, her leg managed to slowly shrink. Not by much, but just enough to pull her leg out of the hole. I lifted it out gently, proud to say there were only a few small cuts and scrapes on her calve. Her ankle was a different story.
It was twisted at an odd angle. Her crying got louder when she saw it.
I suddenly understood her pained screams, if it hurt half as bad as it looked, I'd be screaming too. Without thinking I scooped her up in both my arms and started running down the last two sets of stairs. Her head was tucked into my chest, her body was limp, she was crying and muttering to herself. I wasn't the strongest guy, so running through a foresty type path carrying a teenage girl was not exactly easy. Still the fact that I was able to make it was enough. I threw open the hospital wing doors, Elle's arm slung over my shoulders as she half hopped half was dragged after me. Madam Pomfrey rushed over with a start as I placed Elle on the closest bed and helped her lie down. Her ankle was already turning a nauseating purplish colour.
"What happened?" Madam Pomfrey asked, inspecting Elle's ankle.
She pushed on it lightly and Elle sat up and howled in pain. Pomfrey stopped and Elle flopped back down and continued moaning.
"She was watching quidditch tryouts, she came down the stairs from the bleachers and there was a crash, and the board split and her foot got trapped, and I used a reducio charm to shrink her leg, and her ankle is all messed up, and she was screaming, and I don't know what to do." I rambled, my voice shaking more and more with every word.
Pomfrey looked at Elle's disproportionate leg and back at me. The look on her face said that the story didn't quite check out but she didn't bother to question me. She got straight to work instead.
"It's definitely 'messed up' that's for sure. I'd say broken, but I'll have to be sure." She pulled out her wand and waved it over Elle's leg.
"I can mend bones on my sleep, you needn't worry, dear." She placed a comforting hand on my shoulder before turning back to Elle. She looked as if she were guiding a needle and thread through simple stitching as she fixed Elle's ankle. Elle winced, biting down on her lip but not crying out. I instinctively reached for her hand and she took it gratefully.
"There, quite simple. She may be a little disoriented, and I suggest not walking in it for at least a day but other than that you're all better." Madam Pomfrey smiled at both of us and walked away. She came back with a washcloth that actually magically washed away the scrapes on Elle's leg.
"Thank you." I said solemnly as she finished.
"Thank you, your quick thinking helped your girlfriend's condition quite a bit. I've never seen a reducio work on a witch or wizard for something much larger than teeth or nails, good job." She patted me on the back.
I blushed, "Thank you. But actually, were just friends, she's not my girlfriend." I stuttered.
She smiled, "Oh I'm sorry dear. Your friend then." She left it at that and walked off to attend to another patient.
I strode over to Elle's bedside, wiping a thin sheen of sweat off of her forehead with the cloth.
She smiled up at me weakly.
"Hey, Jake."She whispered.
She'd never called me that. Jake, I kind of liked it. My face fell,
"I'm sorry Elle. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have been with you in the tower." I looked down at how frail she looked, her tears and cries of pain echoing in my mind, it was my fault.
She laughed, a soft tinkling sound, "Do you seriously still blame yourself for stuff like this? I thought we had a resonating talk."
I grinned sheepishly.
"How's your ankle?" I asked quietly.
She shrugged, "Its been better."
I laughed. Only Elle would make a joke while laying in a hospital bed with a broken ankle.
"You're kind of ridiculous, you know that?" I chuckled.
She grinned, "I'm vaguely aware,yes." We both laughed.
"Sorry honey, I need you to decide, you can either stay here until tomorrow, or we can get you a pair of crutches and you can go to your dorm and around the castle." Madam Pomfrey interrupted.
"Crutches please." Elle smiled brightly. Pomfrey rushed off to fulfill her request coming back a few moments later with a pair of old wooden crutches.
"There you go, hun." She said handing them to me and helping Elle out of bed. I helped Elle to her feet, well foot, and handed her her crutches.
"Thanks." She said to the both of us.
We started to walk out when Pomfrey called after her.
"Wait, Elisabeth! Dear, I need you to sign those out." She held out a roll of parchment and a quill.
Elle stopped cold.
She turned around slowly and hobbled towards Pomfrey, a fake smile, it was really more of a grimace, plastered to her face.
My jaw hit the ground.
"Elisabeth?!" I whispered in confusion as we left the hospital wing.
She swivelled herself around to face me, shooting me a death stare.
"Not. One. Word!" She threatened icily and pushed on ahead of me.
I smiled as I watched her go.
Glad to watch the last hour fade away into nothing but a bad memory.