The Long Lost Weasley

Chapter 4

"Harry!" Ron squeaked. 

As the bruised and burnt boy came limping along with the search crew, Ron sat up in excitement, waking a certain sleeping girl in the process.

He slowed down once he realized he had jolted her to life. . .but it was no use now, she was waking. Her eyes slowly fluttered and drifted, but she managed to get a good grip on reality as her squinted eyes landed on Harry and his arm around Hermione as he shivered his way over to the clean ground.

"Harry?" she mumbled, sitting up for herself. Her voice was groggy and exhausted as if she hadn't slept in days. . .knowing Briella. . .she probably hadn't.

"I'm ok, don't worry -" said Harry in return, grunting as he moved his other leg, "-sorry to wake you."

She sputtered a tired, raspy cough, then opened her eyes fully. Soon enough, her questions were piling in fast, "Are you alright? Are you hurt? Why are you limping? Have you burnt yourself? I know just the spell to fix it. Did you see who set the tents on fire? How did you escape? Are you sure you're alright?"

Harry and many of the others chuckled as she shakily stood to her feet and dusted her clothing. The grass had never felt that good, she thought to herself.

"I'm quite alright. . .brilliant actually!" he smiled. But as he sat to the ground, he grumbled and winced in pain, everyone crowded to his side in concern.

"What hurts?" Arthur questioned, bending to mend Harry's pain. He continued disgruntled wheezes until he was fully rested on the ground, panting and shaking from the exhaustion.

"My knee stings a bit-" he informed, rubbing it firmly under his hand, "-I fell trying to hide from that man I saw, it's probably just a scratch."

"Just a scratch?" Bri blurted, hurriedly rolling his pants to see his reddened and deeply bruised kneecap, "-it must be a dislocation. You mustn't walk on it, it's being held together now just by your ligaments, which will tear and strain if you move too much. It's a wonder you got here how you did-" her eyes drifted over to Hermione seriously, "-if Hermione hadn't helped you walk, the situation may have been much worse."

Hermione flashed a satisfied smile as Bri continued with her own diagnosis.

"See how it's swelling?" she pointed, "-faster than a black eye. It'll be the size of your knuckle, and more if you put too much pressure on it."

Harry huffed and stared at her in wonderment, "And how do you know all of this?"

She looked up from his knee for the first time in nearly a minute, seeing all of them gawking at her with mouths dangling open and eyes wide in surprise.

"I've read a few books. . ." she mentioned quietly, ". . .but that doesn't matter now. You'll have to have this repositioned, and I don't think I have the skill to qualify for that."

"So what should we do?" Arthur asked, "-you know more than any of us, I'm sure."

Her eyes scanned them all quickly, "The knee should relocate itself. . .I think. . .we should make him a brace of some sort, to keep it still, then he will need to be carried or flown back to the Burrow. . .I'm sure it will have relocated by then. The pain will be terrible, especially when you move, Harry. When I tell you to be still, I'm not lying. . .it will be extremely painful and agonizing, but I may be able to help with that."

"Really?" Harry blurted, "How?"

Bri slowly smiled and reached into her back pocket. Out pricked a long, dark wand, pointed into the air merrily, "Well, we use magic, of course."

(the next morning, at the Burrow)

Bri dreamed all night of Harry's dislocated knee. She dreamed of how Fred and George carried him on their backs, alternating every hour. Ron had tried his best, but he never managed to keep him on quite well.