Winter's Rose ▫️T. Lupin

▫️ Nine

Rose had a throbbing headache. And it wasn't from the sound coming a few ways away from her.

With her eyes closed, she let out a small groan. She felt like her body was weighing down on the place she was in - a bed, if she were to judge by the way it felt beneath her - and at first, she found it hard to move her limbs. She first managed to move her fingers, then, her legs, just slightly. With yet another groan and fighting the throbbing headache, she opened her eyes.

Rose was in a room with white walls. She'd been there enough times to not even need to look around her to know she was in the Hospital Wing. There was chatter coming from somewhere close but out of the room, and she could tell by the lighting it was dark outside. Perhaps it was time for dinner. She could hear the rain falling rapidly against the castle's walls and she let out yet another groan as she remembered the day's events. It seemed like that storm had finally caught up to them.

"Do you generally fall from your broomstick so bravely during a match?"

Rose gasped and jumped in her bed, only to groan as that movement only brought her pain. She felt like crying as she squeezed her eyes shut, and she didn't even need to look to know who the person that had spoken up was.

"Curse you, Lupin," she gritted out through the pain, "I've told you not to startle me like that."

"It didn't seem like you'd be paying any attention to me for a while, sorry."

With another small groan, she opened her eyes to see him sitting at a chair beside her bed, his Transfiguration textbook at hand. He didn't even glance at her as he read on. "Do you have a habit of groaning or something?"

"I promise you, the moment I'm not in pain I'm going to tackle you to the ground-"

"Yeah, watch out, you might just trip over nothing." She glared at him as he finally lowered his textbook and she was rather confused to see him smiling. "You've been unconcious for a few hours. Dinner just ended."

"Wonderful," she grumbled, "in pain, hungry and in your company. What more should I ask for?"

"A few pointers on your attitude?" He only shrugged at her glare, his smile never leaving his lips. "I'm just saying."

"You're the last person I'd like to see waking up after an injury from Quidditch."

"That's harsh."

"Did we win?"

"Yeah, he did catch the Snitch," he nodded, closing his book. "You know, your teammates were really worried. Madam Pomfrey didn't let them stay though, also, you were unconcious. Your friends tried to see you and so did Thomas but Madam Pomfrey was adamant."

Slowly, Rose closed her eyes as she tried to ignore her headache. "Why did she let you stay?"

"She wanted to go to dinner and needed someone to take care of the patients. She let go of all of those who were conscious and left me here instead. Being Head Boy has some perks. This isn't one of them, I'm afraid. I'd rather have dinner with my friends than stay here, studying Transfiguration and making sure the unconcious patients don't sleepwalk or something."

Despite herself, Rose couldn't help but smile at his whining. "You know, that almost sounded like an attempt at a joke."

"Should I be honoured or something?"

Rose shook her head slowly with a small sigh. "Where's my broom?"

"In the locker room."

"That's a relief," she mumbled as she opened her eyes once more. "I'm quite touched you stayed to watch over me."