Everlasting ⁂ Harry Potter [1]

Chapter Forty One

Gwen occupied her usual space, her chair, as always, positioned in the aisle between Oliver and Liv's bed. Wide awake and unable to sleep, her eyes scanned through the Hospital Wing, the light of the moon crashing through the windows and casting shadows on almost every surface. By now, so many of the beds were occupied by the poor petrified students. The numbers continued to grow, with Hermione and Penelope Clearwater being the last to be taken into the Wing. Even though her mother kept reassuring Gwen that the cure will be made and they'd all be okay, Gwen couldn't quell her worry. She doubted she'd be able to let go of it until the moment she finally saw Oli and Liv back on their feet and moving around.

She was missing them more than she thought possible. With months having passed since Oli was petrified, and Liv only a couple of weeks later, every day seemed so odd without them. And Gwen was having a bit of a harder time dealing with it all than the others were. Not to say they didn't miss their friends just as much as she did. However, with Oliver, Liv and Cedric being the three who she spent the majority of her time in Hogwarts, Gwen felt the absence of the two almost every moment she didn't spend her time within the walls of the Hospital Wing.

The silence around her was suddenly broken as the sound of the Hospital Wing door opening behind her spread through the room. However, Gwen didn't jump in surprise. She didn't even have to look over at it to know who had walked in. Gwen had grown accustomed to the fact that on most nights which she herself spent in the Hospital Wing, very often she had company. She wasn't sure whether George was there on the nights she wasn't, as well, she had never really asked. Most of their time was spent in silence anyways.

When he first started showing up, Gwen expected George to be talking constantly, and as a result get them in trouble. However, soon enough he proved her wrong, never really pushing her to talk to him. It was almost as if he was there to be silent support, but Gwen knew better than to believe that. After all, he was probably there just because he himself was worried about his friends. Not about her. She looked up at him, sending him a small smile as she usually did once he dragged over another chair and sat on the opposite side of Oli's bed, letting the silence envelop them again once he settled down in his seat. Gwen's eyes then turned back to her brother.

For the longest time, the debate on whether the Petrified students were aware of their surroundings had been one of the most frequently discussed topics amongst the student body. Even those who didn't have friends in the Hospital Wing often waged their own opinion on the subject. And while Gwen herself couldn't be sure, a part of her actually hoped they weren't aware.

While during her visits, Gwen usually remained quiet, only announcing when she came and left to Oli and Liv, tonight something felt different. She let out a small sigh, her eyes moving away from Oliver and back to George only to find his already focused on her.

"You okay?" George couldn't help but ask, curious to know what was on her mind. He always was.

"I hope they can't hear us or see us." Gwen shared honestly, momentarily surprising even herself. She wasn't sure why she was talking to George about it, but after so long of keeping it to herself, she needed to get some things off her chest.