Streams || Collection of Short Stories

curse wound - james potter

My feet carried me away, far away. Blurred visions of trees and vegetation pass by, seeing as I had not one moment to spare. My beating heart pounded against my rib cage, ringing in my ears. However, other noises filled my senses. Angered, frantic shouts emitted from behind me, along with the crunch of leaves under the feet of my enemy. They possessed speed I no longer obtained. Days of running on low sleep and energy came haunting my senses, failing me in a time of desperate need. My lungs too ached in a pained betrayal.

The noise grew louder, closer. I risk a glance behind me and observe a bulky man raise a wand in my direction; other men similar to himself following suit. I turn to face forward, and quickly access my situation, and how to escape the threatening wizards not far behind me. A cluster of pine trees enters my peripheral vision. Pushing past the protest of my body, I quicken my sprints and dash toward the cluster. No possible way the men would be able to edge between these particular trees. They grew abnormally close together, leaving little to none spacing.

Entering between the pines I hear one final word shouted in my direction followed by a crash. "Diffindo!" A sharp pain sliced along my side, inducing me to lose my footing and tumble along the forest floor. Stifling a yell of agony, I turn toward the other side of the trees to take notice of any movement. No branches move, but the men's voices radiate clearing through the now silent air.

"You idiot! You let her get away!" "I thought you had it under control?" "I did!" "Yeah, until he tripped." "Well what about the spell? Did you kill her?" "Well...I was aiming for her heart." "Did you hit the target or not," the lead man growled. "Yes! She wouldn't be silent if I didn't; would she?" "Let's just get lout of here and report to the Dark Lord." The bulky men amble off, crunching leaves as they depart with huffs.

I breathe a sigh of relief before applying my attention to the throbbing pain in my side. A slash made in my shirt unveiled a deep gushing wound, exactly above my hip. I barely touch the gash, and immediately hiss in pain. Picking myself up slightly, I prop my weight against a nearby tree. The wound's bleeding trickled down as a fountain of never-ending. I lift my now torn shirt with one hand, and with the other, I begin ripping. I use the slash created in the side as a starting point. Taking the newly formed strip of fabric, I cautiously warp it around my torso in order to cover the wound. I wince upon contact, but push through. I repeat the process once more to ensure my own safety until further assistance. I inspect my handiwork before nodding in approval, and slowly but surely standing.

"I need to find the others..." James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter. We became separated when the men ambushed us this morning. The thought of the aftermath of war, being separated from friends, left a rather bitter, unpleasant taste in my mouth. War seemed the furthest aspect of reality from my lifespan. Pleasant, prankster days were behind me; death, violence, and the opposing threat of the world in danger loomed over my head. I thrust the ideas from my current mindset, and set to work on how to exactly find my fellow marauders. At that moment, I sensed four voices through my ears. Four distinct voices I will never forget till the end of my days, and well into infinite. I faintly smiled, and, holding my delicate side, propped myself further up the oak.

Two boys with raven black hair, one with brown, and the other sandy blonde, appeared within close range, heads poked out through tree branches. "Hello, you gits. Miss me?" The four faced me immediately with wands raised. Then their expressions softened as they beheld my tattered appearance.

" Y/N!" James bolted straight for me before wrapping up my smaller figure into his outstretched arms. I grimaced by the close contact, but remained silent to not ruin the moment. However, James, with a visible frown plastered onto his face, pulled away, examining my frame. "Y/N, are you alright? What happened?" "James," Remus shouted while pointing in the direction of my side followed by a gasped from both Sirius and Peter, more so Peter. James' eyes fell onto my poorly bandaged wounds, eyes growing wide. "Merlin's beard." The feeling in my knees lessened before I began sinking. James immediately reacted by embracing me, watchful as to not make contact with my gash. James' eyes harden as he hoists my weight into his arms bridal style. "Remus!"

He quickly brought my figure in the direction of the other men. Remus rummaged through his pack as James eyed me closely, a tight grip on my damaged body. Sirius began to search his old pack as well, determined to help in any way possible. Peter took in my appearance with saddened eyes, while a hint of guilt bubbled to the surface. I wanted to tell him my wound and state weren't his fault, that he could rest assured I'd be fine. However, with quick blood loss follows loss of your conscience.

"Stay with us, Y/N. We're gonna fix you right up, okay? But you gotta stay awake" "J-James..." "Remus what's taking so long?!" "I'm looking for my- found it!" Remus pulls out a small bottle, containing a fluid. "Well, what is it Remus? If you couldn't tell by James' face, Y/N isn't doing too swell!" "Its essence of dittany. Now James, carefully lean her against this tree." James nodded before gradually lowering me down, and propping me up against the pine. But even after he stopped holding me, he grasped my hand with anxious eyes. "Sirius I need you to cut off these make shift bandages with your pocket knife." "On it." Sirius plucked up his pocket knife from his pack, and squatted to carefully slice off my bloodied bandages.

Remus uncorked the bottle before hovering it above my gashing wound, and tipping its contents onto my skin. I felt slight stinging, then relief flooded my entire body as a green smoke billowed upward. I eye my once bloodied gnash, now replaced by a long scar running along my side. I no longer felt pain, but soreness replaced it, and the drowsiness still remained, beckoning my body to shut down for slumber.

All four males released a breathe they previously held, the worry of my life now eased. Everyone reacted differently, however. Sirius, dragged his hands down his face while shaking his head in disbelief. Then he plopped down on the ground, stretching out exasperated. Remus smiled contently, glad his prepared self came in handy once more. He corked the bottle, containing the rest of the dittany, setting it aside in case another similar fate befalls anyone else. Peter slightly smiled; his eyes still emitting the feelings of sadness and guilt. James by far was the most ecstatic marauder. He beamed as he let go of my hand to instead embrace my figure. His warmth beckoning me further to sleep.

"James, I'm exhausted." James shifted to allow himself to properly hold onto me, with my pounding head under his chin. He gave me a light squeeze before breathing out contently. "Of course you are after that. Get some sleep, okay? I'll be right here watching over you." And with those words I drifted off to a peaceful slumber.