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Asteria's eyes twitched; she was feeling a weird sensation. It started at her fingertips.. they felt warm. A bit too warm for her liking.
It was strange since she hadn't felt anything in a long time.
The burning sensation slowly climbed up her fingers, through her wrists and arms, collecting all the way to her chest. She tried to clutch her aching heart, but she couldn't move.
She couldn't breathe either. Her nose didn't seem to do it's work. It was as if she was underwater all of a sudden.. voices muffled and surroundings dark.
Oh lord.. she thought. Not another one of those nightmares, please.
The magnified voices ringing in her ears terrified her. She could hear the quietest of breaths.. the rustle of a gentle breeze.. even the blood flowing through her own veins.
Suddenly, a blinding light tore through the darkness. She was grateful for a while, but it kept on brightening until it felt unbearable.
Her body was on fire. She needed to breathe.
And she did..
Ria sat up in her place, drenched in sweat, panting for air. Her vision was too bright for a few seconds, but then it settled. Her eyes roamed around the room.
The hospital wing..
She hid her face in the palm of her hands, almost wanting to cry. She couldn't stop shaking of fear.
"Miss. Edwards.." A sigh came from the entrance of the hospital wing. Dumbledore stood there, gently smiling at her. He wasn't alone; he came with Madam Pomfrey, Professor Sprout, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape trailing behind him.
"I am glad to see you well and awake." They walked closer to her bed. "How are you feeling?" He asked.
"Warm.." she quietly answered. "It's too warm. Can I.." she croaked out. "Can I have some water, please?" She asked.
McGonagall almost immediately made her way to the water jug in the room and fetched a glass of it for her. Ria pushed the blanket off her body before gulping the drink. She needed to cool down.
McGonagall then placed her palm against her forehead. "She's burning with fever. Pomfrey?"
The matron nodded. "I'll take care of her, Professor." She made her way towards the cabinet of medicines.
"May I ask.. what was the last thing you remember?" This time, it was Severus who asked the question.
Ria thought back upon it, and a certain redhead came rushing to her mind.
"I was on my way back to the Dungeons. I stopped to talk to Sir Nicholas, and then through his ghost, I saw bright yellow eyes."
It wasn't a lie. She had just left some parts behind.
