Beneath Her Skin

Chapter Four

Alastriona, Draco and Blaise were found by Adelaide Zabini in the early hours of the morning at the edge of the forest.

The sky was still dark but the birds had woken up and were chirping as if nothing had happened the night before. 

Adelaide Zabini ran over to her son as soon as she laid eyes on him.

"Blaise!" She cried out. She ran, nearly tripped and pulled her exhausted child into her arms. "Tell me you're okay!" She demanded, she pulled back and checked him over, "Are you hurt?"

He shook his head, "I'm fine, mother." But as she stepped back he pulled her back, insisting on another hug. 

Behind Adelaide, Theo and Darcy stood, overwhelmed at the site of their friends, they ran over. Darcy gasped when she saw the cut on Alastriona's forehead, which looked worse than it was due to all the blood smudged around her face- her poor attempts to wipe it away. 

Theo grabbed her shoulders after he'd hugged her fiercely, "Did someone hurt you?" He growled out, ready to hurt anyone who hurt his little Hufflepuff friend.

But Alastriona smiled and Theo relaxed, the tension leaving his body. "I tripped, stumbled in the crowd." She reassured her friends. The trip was a blur to her, she couldn't really remember anything from before Blaise had found her, just the panic ensuing around her and the smell of smoke. 

Adelaide kissed the top of Blaise's head before she checked on Draco and Alastriona. Her eyes widened at Alastriona's blood stained face, and then her eyes went down to the girls feet, which were swollen and looked as though they'd been dipped in blood. "Your uncle is going to kill me." She mumbled. 

All the others looked down at her feet as well, Blaise was shocked, "Why didn't you tell me? I would've carried you!" 

Adelaide saw the guilt swirling in the girls dark eyes and stepped forward, "Let Blaise carry you back to the tent, dear." They all looked surprised at that idea, "It's okay, the fire didn't damage the tent and we can't get a Portkey out of here until morning. I'll fix you up at the tent, dear." Adelaide smiled briefly at Alastriona before turning away and leading the kids to the tent. "Draco you can come home with us and then take the floo to your house, okay?" 

Draco nodded and walked beside Blaise. Blaise effortlessly carried Alastriona on his back, wary of touching her damaged feet, he didn't want to hurt her. 

Darcy stood on Blaise's other side and she looked up at her best friend, "It was so scary, one minute we were all together and then the next we couldn't see anyone. Theo and I were carried away in the crowd, we walked fro so long, trying to look for everyone else but everything was so chaotic." Alastriona nodded in agreement as Darcy recapped her version of the night. "Who were those people? In the hoods and cloaks."

"Death Eaters." The words came out of Alastriona's lips before she could catch them.

She tucked her head into Blaise's shoulder and closed her eyes. Darcy didn't ask anything else. 

Blaise was gently patting Theo's back, he was hunched over the toilet in the tent, unable to hold the contents of his stomach in.

When Alastriona had flopped down on the couch, skin pale, dark shadows under her endless brown eyes and eyebrows creased from pain, Theo had sat right by her and took her hand in his, promising to sit by her sided while Adelaide took care of her feet. Then Adelaide told Alastriona to put her feet on the coffee table. She did. Theo ran into the bathroom and hasn't come out. 

Darcy was gently wiping Alastriona's face, at Adelaide's instruction, cleaning her friend of dirt and blood.

Draco was on Alastriona's other side, holding one of her hands in both of his.

He was wracked with guilt, he knew somehow that his father was involved with the events of the night and that meant he was involved in hurting Alastriona, the thought made him clench his jaw. 

Now that Alastriona was finally sitting down and the adrenaline had worn off, she felt the pain. The swelling of her toes from being crushed under people's feet, the stings on the souls of her feet from being cut by scattered and broken things left lying around the campsites in the panic. She could feel the heat of the blood dripping down her feet.

Adelaide was gently cleaning around all the tiny minuscule wounds, a light sweat forming on her brow from concentration. Despite her natural talent at healing, this was something else all together and she was worried she wouldn't be able to heal her properly. "Alastriona, dear," the girl looked up, tears in her eyes that she refused to let fall, "I'm going to have to take you to St Mungos."

"W— what?" Alastriona stuttered and shook her head, Darcy pulled away from cleaning it, "I— Please, I don't want to go—" She begged.

Adelaide wouldn't hear it though. "I'm going to take you, you need proper care or you could get an infection." She nodded at the others before standing up. "Say your goodbyes." Was all she said before going to the bathroom, likely to tell Blaise and Theo the news and check that Theo was no longer sick. 

Darcy put a smile on her face, "It'll be okay, Alastriona, they'll get you fixed up nice and quick and then I'll be waiting for you at home." Darcy smiled and hugged her friend from the side, she got up as Blaise and Theo stepped around the couch, Theo was careful not to even glance at his friends feet. 

Theo cleared his throat and sat beside her, he pulled her into him and hugged her gently but tightly, he smelt like mint. "You'll be all right, Little Red, back on your tiny feet in no time." Alastriona choked out a laugh at that, Theo grinned and stood up. "We'll go do our school shopping together, meet up with Dawn and drink butterbeer at the Leaky Cauldron."

Theo's optimism was contagious and Alastriona smiled broadly, "Okay, guess I'll have to get back on my feet then." 

Draco squeezed her hands and leant over and kissed the top of her head, "We'll see you soon." Alastriona smiled tiredly at him and nodded. 

Blaise sat gingerly next to her and Alastriona could see the guilt on his face, "Thank you, for keeping me safe, Blaise." When he opened his mouth to protest she stopped him with a hug, "Imagine how much worse I would've been if you hadn't found me." She whispered so only he could hear her.

Blaise didn't even want to think of it, those people would've just kept walking over her, crushing her with their feet without even realising it, he was sure he'd have nightmares tonight of what could've happened to Little Alastriona Breen. 

Adelaide Zabini came back and stood in front of Alastriona, she looked around at the other kids, "Do not leave this tent until I get back." They all nodded, they were going to listen to her forever and never doubt her words, she'd protected all of them last night.

Adelaide helped Alastriona stand, Adelaide taking most of the weight, she glanced one last time at her son, "Don't get into any trouble in the next five minutes." He nodded.

She apparated out of the tent with Alastriona in her arms.