Tenebrous ❆ Sirius Black [2]

Chapter Twenty Six

Nadia's heart was beating out of her chest as she and Eloise apparated to the Potters' house. It was a surprise she didn't splinch herself as she was quite distracted and in a rush to find out what was going on. What made her worry even more was when she saw a motorcycle parked in front of the home.

"Nadia, I just want you to know; you're not here as my trainee, but as a family member." Eloise set her hand on the girl's shoulder with a sympathetic look on her face. Unsure of what was waiting for them inside, she was aware that Nadia may not be of much help, and she wanted the girl to know that it was not something that was expected of her at this time.

"Thank you." Nadia mumbled absentmindedly, her eyes not leaving the door of the house. She worried on what she may face on the other side. However, both Eloise and Nadia soon sprang into action as the door opened since the people waiting inside heard the sounds of their arrival.

Lily was the one to open the door for them, surprised as she spotted Nadia coming towards her. They hadn't called her yet and were waiting on a Healer to tell them what was even going on in the first place before they worried her and pulled her away from her job. However, Lily still felt some relief upon seeing the Russian, knowing well enough that it would provide Sirius with some comfort having her here.

"Lily! What's going on?" Nadia questioned as she rushed to the door, allowing Lily to pull her into her arms for a hug before she let out a heavy sigh preparing to reply. Even though she knew she had almost no clear answers to give.

"It's Euphemia and Fleamont. We're not really sure what's wrong. This morning they just locked themselves in their room, and haven't let us go inside ever since." Lily explained once the two pulled away.

"Did they call for a Healer or did you?" Eloise asked from beside Nadia wanting to know as much as she could about what it was she was dealing with here.

"It was them." Lily looked towards the blonde, remembering her from that night when all of the Order spent hours at St. Mungo's. "Their room is up the stairs, the first door to you right. Do you need us to show you?" Lily questioned politely, wanting Eloise to get to Euphemia and Fleamont as soon as possible so all this could be resolved.

"No it's alright." Eloise said as she made her way into the house and started to follow Lily's directions. Leaving the two women alone, Lily closed the door behind Nadia as she made her way into the house.

"James and Sirius are in the living room, come on." Lily said quietly and they made their way down the hall. In the living room, James sat on the sofa, his elbows leaning on his knees as he held his head in his hands. Unlike him, Sirius continued to pace up and down the length of the room. Both were letting their worries and nerves show openly as they waited for any news or developments. As soon as Sirius saw her, he stopped his pacing and instead rushed towards her, letting Nadia envelop him in her arms as he buried his head in the crook of her neck.

"It's gonna be okay. Whatever it is, we'll help them." Nadia whispered reassuringly, hoping that she wasn't giving him false hope. She could feel the tremble of his shoulders and held him tighter, her eyes going to James over his shoulder. By now Lily was back beside him, speaking similar words of comfort as she tried to ease his nerves. The two women shared a wary look, knowing they had no clue whether things would actually be alright.

Nadia and Sirius moved to take a seat in one of the armchairs, Nadia remaining by his side by sitting down on one of the armrests, her arm resting around his shoulders as he leaned into her side. The living room remained completely silent as they waited for Eloise and her diagnosis. And the woman came downstairs surprisingly soon. Four eyes turned to her questioningly, all holding traces of hope which made Eloise's heart grow heavy.

While she loved what she did and enjoyed her job, this was a part Eloise always hated. Giving the bad news to the loved ones and the family of her patients. She wished she could say something positive, say something that would give him hope. However, there wasn't. She knew it from the moment she entered the bedroom and saw Euphemia and Fleamont in their bed. There was no way to save them. And so while she didn't know how to start, the look on her face already spoke volumes.

"There's nothing you can do, is there?" James was the first to voice what was on everyone's mind as they looked at the blonde. His voice weak and riddles with sorrow, cracking as Eloise shook her head. These were his parents, his mum and dad, and there was nothing he could do to help them anymore. And so James' heart broke.

"I am so sorry." Eloise said gently, wishing she could do more.

"What is it? What's wrong with them?" Sirius asked, refusing to give up hope until he knew. Maybe there could be a way, maybe they could find something.

"Dragon Pox." Eloise spoke gravely. They needed to know this, they needed to know that going in that room would be too dangerous for any of them. If they did, they too could catch the disease. A disease for which there was no cure; something all four of them were aware of.

"How... How long?" James choked out, doing his best to maintain his composure, at least for a little bit longer. But even then, he couldn't manage to get the whole question out. How long would his parents have before the disease killed them?

"They have a couple of days left, at best." Eloise informed and that was enough to make James crack on the outside as much as he was on the inside by now. Lily pulled him into her arms and let him cry, understanding fully well the pain he must be experiencing at this time. Nadia's eyes turned to Sirius, but unlike James his expression remained blank.

"Sirius?" She called his name questioningly, wondering what was going through his mind at this point.

"Excuse me." He spoke briskly, his voice stoic as he jumped from his seat and walked out of the living room, making his way past Eloise and leaving to be alone.

"If there's anything any of you need, feel free to call me. I'm sorry there's not more I could do." Eloise said, ready to make her way back to the hospital. She had done her job and all that she could. Bidding them goodbye she started to make her way back to the front door, and after a moment's thought, Nadia chose to rush after her before she went on to find Sirius.

"Eloise!" She called after the witch once she ran through the front door, hoping to stop her before she disapparated. Luckily she managed, and hearing her name Eloise was quick to turn around and give Nadia a questioning look. "There has to be something we can do? Something we can try?" Nadia questioned fiercely, refusing to just give up.

"Nadia you know this disease doesn't have a cure." Eloise spoke sadly. There had been many attempts by many wizards throughout history to find a solution. And while some had gotten close, such as Gunhilda de Gorsemoor, who got close to finding it, but in the end her remedies proved futile. There was no cure known to wizards anywhere in the world.

"I've read about it alright? Dragon Pox is similar to the Muggle Smallpox. Muggles managed to cure Smallpox and eradicate it. We have to try too. Maybe there could be something in the Smallpox cure that wizards haven't thought of before." Nadia ranted, hoping that Eloise would be willing to listen to her. So far she had mentioned none of her ideas and experiments mixing wizard and Muggle medicine, but if there was any time to bring it up, this was it. Eloise looked at her for a couple of moments before letting out a small sigh.

"You'll have whatever you need at your disposal, and I'll help you if you need me." Eloise finally uttered, bringing a small smile to Nadia's face. "But please, don't get your hopes up too much. Even if there is something that can be done, I doubt we'll be able to do it in time." Eloise reminded her, but to Nadia, knowing that she had a chance to try at least was enough for now.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." Nadia spoke gratefully, and Eloise gave her a small nod. It was unorthodox to give such a big task to a trainee, but Eloise was aware that Nadia's skills exceeded that of a beginner. Merlin, she knew more than some other Healers and Mediwitches knew. Eloise knew Nadia would give it her all to find something; anything. And it was true. Nadia was willing to work day and night if need be. She wouldn't give up on hope as long as there was even a sliver of it left.

Published: 25th October, 2019