Sad Return

[Wesley St. Clare]

Wesley could barely see by the time he made it back up to the hospital wing with Sabrina's body. It was a long, slow walk, as he was weighed down with her body. He could have cast a feather-light spell on her to make it easier to carry her, but he wanted to feel the weight of her, to remember how she had been when she was alive. No matter what anyone else said, Wesley felt certain that this had been his fault. He should have told Sabrina and Natalie that he was still alive. After he had survived Greta's attack, he should have come for the girls, told them he was alive, and taken them both out of the country, where they would be safe from lunatics like Craven and Weiss. Instead, he'd spent months in hiding and had blindly just let things run their course.

As he entered the hospital wing, he walked to the nearest bed, and placed his daughter on it. Then he cast a charm to keep her preserved, then put a sheet over her. Then, and only then, did he allow himself to collapse on the floor by her bed and break down in tears.

[Voltaire Rothschild]

Voltaire walked into the Hospital wing with Rori still at his side, steering her toward a seat. Stiffly he walked over toward Wesley and put an arm around him. "I'm sorry...I didn't move fast enough." he said his voice losing the hard tone he had since he had seen Sabrina fall.

[Wesley St. Clare]

Wesley was a bit surprised by Voltaire's sympathy, but he didn't comment. He looked up at him and wiped his eyes. "It wasn't your fault," he said in a low voice. "She shouldn't have been there.... we didn't even know she was there." He looked at her, now covered with a sheet. "She was always so stubborn..." He shook his head. "Go on and see to your wife. I think I heard a baby crying a minute ago from the back room." He didn't want to admit it, but he felt jealous of Voltaire... he had just gained a child, while Wesley had just lost one.

[Voltaire Rothschild]

Voltaire let a tear slid out of his eye and he nodded, he gave him a pat and then left to see how Isabella was doing.

[Rori Logan]

Rori took a seat in one of the chairs nearby. She was going to follow Voltaire to see Isabella, but decided not to, because she was going to let them have some time by themselves. Rori curled up in the chair, staring off into space.

[Alastor Domino]

Alastor walked into the Hospital Wing, still carrying Natalie. He walked over to Wesley.

"You and Natalie should be together right now." He told him quietly.

[Wesley St. Clare]

Wesley looked up at Alastor through blurry, tear-filled eyes, and nodded slowly. He couldn't do anything for Sabrina now, but he could still be there for Natalie. He reached over and took Sabrina's limp hand in his and brought it to his lips. "Goodbye, my sweet Sabrina," he whispered. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you." Then he laid her hand back down on the bed and arranged the sheet over it again. With a heavy sigh, he stood up and took Natalie from Alastor's arms. "Hush," he said softly. "I'm here now."

[Natalie St. Clare]

Natalie clung to her father desperately. She had stopped crying, but now was feeling weak and tired. It had been a long, horrible day, and she had no energy left. She had got her father back, but she had lost her sister. Why couldn't she have them both? Why did Sabrina have to die? It wasn't fair.

[Zander Smith]

Zander walked into the hospital wing, still carrying Athena. She was barely conscious as he laid her down on one of the beds. He stopped and looked over at Wesley, Natalie, and Alastor, but didn't say anything. He knew there was nothing he could say that would help. So he quietly walked past and went to look for Madam Pomfrey, so she could check Athena and make sure she was OK.

[Alastor Domino]

Alastor saw Zander come in with Athena, after Wesley took Natalie. He walked over to where Zander had laid her and sat down beside her. He hoped that she would be okay.

[Athena "V" Smith-Calloway]

Athena gave a slight spasm after a shockwave of pain shot through her. She let out a soft gasp, then opened her weakly. Everything was blurry, but she could vaguely make out Alastor's face. It took every bit of effort she had to lift her hand and grab on to his.

[Madam Poppy Pomfrey]

Madam Pomfrey rushed into the room, with Zander right behind her, and walked over to Athena to try and do whatever she could to help her. First she did a scan to see if there were any internal injuries that had resulted from the curse. Then, when she was sure that there were none, she took out a potion. "OK I need her to drink this. Can you help me lift her up?" she said to Alastor.

[Alastor Domino]

"Sure." Alastor said gently putting his hands underneath her head and back. He lifted her up very gingerly so that he wouldn't hurt her.

[Wesley St. Clare]

Wesley carried Natalie over to one of the beds and tried to get her to lie down, but she refused to let go of him. Tears filling his eyes, he ended up lying down next to her and holding her.

[Natalie St. Clare]

Natalie curled up next to her father, unable to do anything but cling to him. She closed her eyes, but all she could see was the horrible moment when the death eater had murdered her sister. It was as if it was on a repeating, slow-motion loop in her head. She had seen it before, in her visions, but seeing it actually happen in front of her eyes was much worse. She didn't think she would ever forget it as long as she lived.

[Wesley St. Clare]

Wesley looked at his little girl, tears filling his eyes again. She had been through so much, lost so much, in such a short time. It wasn't fair. Silently he vowed to himself that he was not going to fail her. He would do whatever was necessary to keep her safe, and to make things better for her. He wanted her to have a normal childhood, as much as she possibly could. But was it already too late?

[Madam Poppy Pomfrey]

alastorshacklebolt said:

"Sure." Alastor said gently putting his hands underneath her head and back. He lifted her up very gingerly so that he wouldn't hurt her.

Madam Pomfrey put the potion to Athena's lips and helped her to drink it down. Once the flask was empty, she vanished it away. "OK, you can lay her back down now," she said.

[Alastor Domino]

Alastor nodded. He lightly lowered Athena back down to the bed. He looked at her worriedly. He didn't want to lose another loved one.

[Madam Poppy Pomfrey]

Madam Pomfrey then murmured an incantation and waved her wand over Athena. After a moment, she finished and she smiled at Alastor. "OK, she's resting comfortably now. I think she's going to be OK. She may have some occasional twinges, but she's going to be fine. She just needs some sleep now."

[Alastor Domino]

"Thank you." Alastor said smiling a little bit. He sat down beside her bed and slowly nodded off.