I'm Dead

Conversations

'Rose?'

'Rosie?'

'Rosie-Posie Roly-Poly?'

'Shut up, James.'

'Rose, you're awake!'

'No, I'm talking in my sleep.'

'No, you're not.'

'Well, obviously not, James!' A bleary-eyed Rose tried to sit up on… the couch? 'Where am I? What happened?'

'You collapsed in the kitchen, remember, Rose?' Al was sitting on the armrest by Rose's head, peering down at her. 'You collapsed because you… lost too much blood.'

'Lost too much blood?' Rose repeated, trying to sit up again. She settled herself awkwardly on the old couch. 'Why would I lose too much blood? What did I do?'

'You don't remember?' Al paled. The whole thing had been awful, he didn't want to have to explain it all again.

'No. At least, not yet… what happened?' Rose looked round at the other people in the room. Scorpius was knelt beside her, looking rather stiff, as if he'd been there a long time without moving. Lily was sat on the armrest at the other end of the couch, by her feet, and Hugo was sat on the floor leaning against the couch. Everybody else – Teddy, Victoire, James, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred and George – was scattered around the room. 'How long was I out?'

'The whole night,' Lily replied. 'It's just gone midday.'

It was then that Rose finally noticed the bandage wrapped tightly around her hand, making it impossible for her to move her fingers. 'Oh,' she murmured, remembering finally. Al nodded, looking sick again. Rose managed a weak smile. 'It wasn't that horrific, was it?'

'It kind of was,' Hugo grimaced. 'Scorpius found you just after you collapsed, then Mum and Grandma came, and Aunt Ginny. They managed to… sort you out, mostly, between them, but you… you wouldn't stop… wouldn't stop bleeding…' Rose could see quite clearly how troubled Hugo was by his face, and realised how helpless he must have felt, seeing his sister like that, but not being able to do anything… 'Rose, honestly, I'm so glad you're alright.'

'Course I am, Hugo,' Rose said softly, unable to speak very strongly. 'I'm sorry. I shouldn't have stabbed myself with that fork. Clumsy old me.'

'It wasn't your fault, it was mine,' Hermione said. She looked quite relieved that Rose was awake. 'I should have gotten Mrs Weasley quicker. I had no idea what was happening to you…'

'It's nobody's fault,' Scorpius said stiffly. His eyes never left Rose's face. 'We don't know what's happening, but it isn't because of us.'

'What – what do you mean?' Rose asked. 'You don't know what's happening?'

Hugo sighed. 'Rose – remember when James hit Lily at the end of the Quidditch game a few days ago?'

'Accidentally,' James put in.

'Whatever,' Hugo frowned. 'Point is, James really didn't hit her very hard, at all. And yet… she was still bleeding, a lot.'

'And the night you got a nosebleed,' Ron said to Hugo. 'That wasn't just a nosebleed, was it?'

Hugo shook his head. 'No. That was much worse than a normal nosebleed.'

'Oh,' Rose gasped, catching on. 'The bleeding. It's part of the curse.'

'Yes,' Victoire said quietly. 'And what's even scarier is that so far, the bleeding's been caused by something. Lily getting hit, Hugo getting a nosebleed, you with the fork. We don't know how long it is until… until the bleeding starts for no reason.'