Esmerelda Black (A Harry Potter Fanfic )

St. Mungo's

I woke up to agonising screams.

"Bella?" I asked," Bella? Do you hear that?"

"N-no..." she slurred, still half asleep," what... what are you on 'bout...?"

I shot out if bed and ran down to the common room.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"R-Remus... he... he's injured," said a first year.

"Where is he?" I asked, my throat dry.

"In St. Mungo's."

"It's that bad?" Bellatrix exclaimed, finally awake.

The others nodded.

James, Sirius and Peter stood speechless.

"C'mon," Bellatrix said," let's go to the headmaster."

"Bella..."

She was still in the long, black slinky dress that she wore to bed. I was also in my night clothes, but they were... modest.

Cursing under her breath she ran up the stairs and changed.

"Who... who screamed?" I asked, summoning my cloak.

"What?" Peter asked.

"No one screamed, Elda," James said slowly.

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My heart dropped to my stomach when I saw him.

"R... Remus?" I said in a hoarse whisper.

We had been allowed to go to St. Mungo's to visit him, with Bella pursuading the headmaster.

He was lying limply in the bed, three long gashes across him face and one on his throat and his arm was bandaged.

I heard Bella's sharp inhale as she held my hand.

"Is he... alright?" I asked the healer.

"Well... Yes... but he'll have some permanent damage," she answered.

"Like?"

"Scarring. And some brain damage," was the answer.

I stuck out my chin and looked at the ceiling, trying not to cry.

Bella wrapped an arm around me and blinked. She also wanted to break down in tears, I could tell, but she was strong enough not to.

I looked down at my friend. The others were crowded around him, looking distraught.

Anger replaced my sorrow. Who had done this? Why? Why was that... stupid nurse so casual about this?

I glanced at her. She had a silly smirk on her face. She was watching me.

Instinctively, I pulled my wand out of my hair, which was in a messy bun.

I narrow my eyes at her. What was that spell I read about? An Unforgivable Curse... the Cruciatus Curse...

"Crucio!" I hiss, not really aiming.

Someone shrieked, falling to the ground.

I snickered, tears pouring down my face, as someone else grabbed me from behind.

A woman  muttered something and everything went black.

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"Miss Black?"

I opened my eyes, feeling like a weight was on my chest. I was in the infermery.

It was a teacher I didn't recognise.

"Oh," she said," you're awake."

"What... what happened...?" I asked, trying to sit up.

"It's... a long story," she answered," you'll know soon enough."

She gently pushed me back onto my pillow by the shoulders and I involuntarily let out a yelp.

She looked shocked.

"Sorry," she muttered, looking confused," can I..."

She gingerly peeled back the shoulder of my hospital gown, revealing the gash on my shoulder from Mother's beating over the holidays.

"What happened here, Miss Black?"

"I... I'm not sure," I answered," I must have bumped something."

"Mmm..." she raised her eyebrows.

"Go back to sleep," she said," people will come to visit you later."

I lay back in bed as the woman left.

My head pounding, I glanced to my left and saw something that made me sit up straight.

Bella lay there, unconcious.