BREATHE - Marlene McKinnon ✔️

SIX.

• • • •
chapter six, hospital wing
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ARIA HAD NO idea how much time passed until Potter and Marlene were at her side. All she could feel was pain and wetness on her cheeks.

"Aria, oh my Merlin. What happened?" They don't even force her up from the ball she rolled herself into.

"My knee," she sobbed. True enough, it was already starting to swell. At the moment, it didn't look too bad, but Aria's reaction to the pain was nothing like how it looked.

"Let's get her to Madam Pomfrey," someone commented. Potter hauled her up bridal style. It wasn't a very good picture. A sobbing girl in his arms as he rushed to the castle, many students and Professor McGonagall following.

Aria couldn't be sure of anything going on around her. All she could focus on was her knee hurting and her body shaking. She didn't know when she was in the hospital wing, but she felt herself being placed on a bed.

"Out! Everyone out!" Marlene, Potter, and Professor McGonagall were the only ones who stayed. Aria knew that Kate and Lucy were right by the door, ready to go in in a second. "What happened?"

"I— I don't know. Peyton caught the snitch and then I looked down and Aria was on the ground crying." Potter stuttered out, if she wasn't in so much pain, Aria might've laughed. "She said it was her knee."

Madam Pomfrey gingerly touched her knee. Taking off some of her pads, they were able to clearly see her it. Aria wished she didn't. It had swelled like a balloon and looked awful. There were several grimaces, even on Professor McGonagall's face.

"How does it feel?"

"Like hell." Potter started pacing, his face the definition of oh shit oh shit oh shit. Aria thought about comforting him, should she be a good person. "But not the bad kind?"

Well, that went well.

"I assume you were pushed off your broom. Did you hear a pop when you landed?" She wanted to lie, she heard nothing. Her knee is fine. Just give her two minutes and she'll be walking around.

"I could hear it where I was standing." Aria sent Marlene a glare, she hoped that Marlene could feel the toxic Aria is sending down her lungs. The poison spreading to her veins from snitching.

Madam Pomfrey starts shifting her knee around, seeing how much range of movement it has. "These types of injuries are not very common here, but I've heard of them. They are common in other sports in the muggle world." Madam Pomfrey took out her wand and whispered a spell. After a few seconds, she put it aside. "Alright. You have teared your ACL. It's a ligament in your knee. Even if I connect it, it will still need lots of time to heal, just like if you had surgery in the muggle world."

"Connect the ligament. If that's what will make my knee heal faster, connect the ligament."

Madam Pomfrey turned to Professor McGonagall, an eyebrow raised in question. "Wait on it. I will contact her parents. Help with the pain."

Madam Pomfrey nodded and McGonagall was off. Marlene gave Aria her hand, not even wincing at Aria's bone breaking grip.

Torn ligament.

Panic rose in her chest. She didn't want to cry anymore, but tears filled the red rims. This wasn't how this year was supposed to be.

It wasn't supposed to go like this.

• • • •

Professor McGonagall returned an hour later after talking with Aria's father. Apparently, he was incredibly worried and if it wasn't for Hogwarts not allowing muggles there, he would've been by her side in a second.

Lucy and Kate were allowed in to see her. They talked, kept her distracted and provided company. Potter left a couple of times throughout the hour. Whether it was to the team, tell Lily and the guys what's going on, and to get Aria some food. Marlene stayed in the hospital wing the entire time. Not always by Aria's side, but close enough that she was in seeing distance.

Marlene's silence could be seen as unnerving but Aria found it nice. She wasn't trying to distract her, nor was she coddling. Aria wasn't completely sure what Marlene was doing, but she appreciated it. She left Aria no room to start sobbing her eyes out and kept her together. That's all Aria needed.

"You will feel some pain, but it should mostly just be a weird feeling. After I connect them, you will be on crutches and such for a few weeks. These crutches have been charmed to levitate you over stairs so you don't have to go up every single one. There is a specialist coming two times a week for you to see to start working your knee. Now, stay incredibly still."

The feeling was more weird than anything. She could feel movement in her knee coming today, connecting. She looked over to Marlene, held out her hand, and smiled when Marlene took it.