Recovered Ivory [1]

Fifteen

The world was muffled around me, the only thing I was truly aware of was how hot I was. It felt like my entire body was on fire, but I supposed I must have been laying in the sun. It would explain why the world seemed bright behind my eye lids. I groaned and tried to lift one of my hands to shield my eyes. However, it felt like it was weighed down to the bed. I tried to yank it away, but it only seemed to be exerting more pressure against my hand. 

"Iv, calm down." I recognized the voice as Draco's, but I was a little confused as to what was going on.

"Draco?" I murmured, struggling to open my eyes. I couldn't remember where I was, and I couldn't understand what was going on. Maybe I was at the Malfoy Manor. That would explain Draco, but what happened to the rest of the school year?

"Iv, come on, open your eyes." This was a female voice, and I was able to pin it as Hermione. Yeah, definitely wasn't at Malfoy Manor; Hermione wouldn't be allowed to step one foot inside. 

"What's going on?" I said, but it came out pretty slurred. I struggled to open my eyes again, this time getting them open just a little. It was enough to see where I was. "Why am I in the hospital wing?"

"You don't remember?" Hermione asked, coming into my line of sight, looking worried. 

"No, should I?" I muttered, realizing why I couldn't lift my hand. One was pinned to my left side with medical tape and the other was clutched in Draco's hand. "Can I have my hand, Draco?"

"Yeah, sorry," he said, letting go. I gingerly brought the hand to my face and rubbed my eyes, clearing them of the last bits of hazziness. "Ivy?"

"What happened?" I asked, again, glancing at both of them. I looked down at myself, trying to get a better idea of why I was there. I wasn't wearing a hospital gown, which made it even more confusing that Draco was allowed to be there. My entire torso was wrapped in gauze and nothing else. "Why haven't I been healed?"

Hermione and Draco shared a look, neither appearing to want to tell me what really happened. Finally, after a few moments, it was Hermione who spoke. "Lupin scratched you pretty badly. If it hadn't been for Snape, you probably would have bled to death."

"Lupin?" I asked, screwing up my face in confusion. "But..." I trailed off, images entering my mind in a rush. Running to Hagrid's hut. Following everyone to the Shrieking Shack where Sirius Black had been waiting. Peter Petegrew. Learning I'd had a step-father. Hearing Sirius' words to Harry. Seeing the full moon. Trying to keep Lupin from the others. "Oh god."

"I think she remembers," Draco sighed, watching my face. "Madam Pomfrey couldn't heal the scratches because they were made by a werewolf. She even had to call in a doctor from St. Mungo's to over see. Because of the claws, there's only so much they can do."

"I won't become a werewolf now, will I?" I asked, my voice coming out higher then I intended. 

"You most certainly will not," Madam Pomfrey said, coming around the curtain to glare at Hermione and Draco. "You two, out, now."

"But--" Draco tried, but he was silenced by one of her award winning scary looks. 

"You two may come back after dinner to visit her," she said, pointing towards the door. "I need to tend to her and the last thing I need is a distraction."

"We'll be back, Iv," Hermione promised, though she looked slightly worried about something. She had probably wanted to tell me what the official story was before any teacher got to me, but I couldn't be bothered to care at the moment. 

Once Draco and Hermione were out of the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey helped me sit up fully. She began to peel off my bandages, and I let out a low hiss as they tugged on the gashes. Hermione wasn't joking about how bad it had been. They were deep, and they were surely going to scar. There were only four of them, stretching from my right shoulder, all the way across to my left wrist, which was why it was strapped to my side. They hadn't wanted me to move it much while I slept. They spread over quite a bit of my chest.