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TWELVE.
BELLA AWOKE alone, and shudderingly cold. Her dirty clothes were covered in snow, and she figured that such weather began while she was unconscious; she had no recollection of the snow falling before she was hit over the head.
Wincing as she put a cold, snow-covered hand upon her head, she stared wide-eyed at her fingers when fresh blood became present on them. Gazing confusedly at her surroundings as her vision had faltered, she squinted through the darkness and managed to make out a mass of trees. "The Forbidden Forest," she whispered in realisation.
Beginning to trudge along the forest floor, darkened leaves crunched underneath her shoes as she walked - holding her head with her hand as an unpleasant pounding sensation surfaced through her skull. Through the trees she saw light, squinting at the sudden change of weather where the sun glistened upon the snow, melting it slowly.
She gasped in delight when a wooden mast came into her view; a mast belonging to the Durmstrang ship.
Arabella travelled further, attempting to ignore the sensation of the blood flowing from her head. She just wanted to get to the ship. She wanted to get to Viktor.
She stumbled along the wooden dock, knocking on the door that was now familiar to her. A Durmstrang student answered, of whom she didn't recognise, but his eyes became shocked and wide when he saw the bleeding, shivering and snow-covered girl."Viktor! Ela tuk!" He called, and although she didn't understand the Bulgarian, his language became clearer as to what he had said when Viktor approached him - standing beside his Durmstrang friend in the doorway.
"Bella," he choked out in shock at the sight of the Ravenclaw in front of him. "What happened to you?" He questioned, taking off his fur coat and wrapping it around her shoulders when he noticed her body shivering from the cold.
She said nothing, pulling him suddenly into a hug with her head upon his shoulder. He returned the grasp, holding her tightly despite being taken aback from the abrupt embrace. The other Durmstrang boy - who was seemingly younger than Viktor and still standing beside him - shuffled his feet awkwardly as they hugged, finally releasing each other when a tear began to fall down Arabella's cold cheek.
Viktor gave her a sympathetic look, wiping away the tear with his thumb and cupping her face in his hands. "Tell me what happened." He demanded, gesturing for the snow-covered girl to follow him inside the cabins of the ship. She obeyed with a nod and passed through the doorway, staring in awe when she noticed they had clearly used the Undetectable Extension Charm inside; she expected the rooms to be very small and consisting of only the essentials (she figured that there was not much use for anything else on a boat), but was pleasantly surprised when an array of rooms were presented in front of her.
