The Hidden One

broken backs

Rose woke up with a gasp and then a groan. She couldn't open her eyes to see where she was, but she guessed that she was still in the hospital wing. The pain was almost unbearable, causing her to let out a whine.

"Rosie?"

Rose let out another whine as she heard her dad's voice.

"Oh, my baby," Sirius cried as he started petting her head, making sure to avoid the spot where she had hit on the wall.

"She's back?" Marlene gasped.

Rose let out a small shh at the voices, which were making her headache grow.

"Poppy, she's back!" James yelled, apparently not hearing Rose's request. Rose let out another whine as she felt tears leave her eyes. She still felt as if she was not completely in control of her body.

"Don't move, sweetie," Marlene said through her tears when she saw Rose twitch some.

"Here, help her drink this and then I'll need to wrap up her head and back," Madam Pomfrey instructed. Rose let out a yell when she felt her body be lifted into a sitting position. She immediately started sobbing at the pain.

"I'm so sorry, Rosie," Sirius cried softly. "We have to. You're gonna be all better."

Rose squeezed her eyes shut even more and coughed when a potion was poured down her throat.

"Good job," Sirius said softly. "We're gonna wrap you up now, ok?"

Rose was able to barely nod her head, the pain restricting her from doing much.

"Here we go," Madam Pomfrey said with a sigh. Rose immediately reached out and grabbed her father's hand as the wraps went around her back.

"Good job, Rosie," Marlene whispered. Rose reached out with her free hand and grabbed her mother's hand.

"Now for her head," Madam Pomfrey said. Rose let out small sobs as the wraps went around her head as well. The pain was different than the torture curse, but just as strong.

"All done, Rosie," Sirius said softly as he guided Rose to lay down again.

"Can you open your eyes for us? We turned the lights off so they won't hurt your eyes," Marlene said. Rose used all the energy she had to slowly open her eyes. The hospital wing was completely dark except for a few candles.

"Merlin!" Marlene gasped.

"What?" Sirius asked, panic coating his voice.

"Her eyes were completely black...they're back to normal now," Marlene answered. Rose remember Death's eyes were also completely black. Sirius could see the look in Rose's eyes and decided to change the topic.

"Can we let others come say hi, Rosie?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah," Rose croaked out, wincing at the pain it caused her. Marlene nodded and opened the curtain some.

"Hey, Rosie," Remus whispered as he came and sat next to her bed. James, Lily, Cedric, Regulus, Tonks, Hermione, Ron and Neville all squeezed their way into Rose's little cubicle to say hi.

"How long was I gone?" Rose asked.

"About 12 hours." Sirius said shakily.

"Scared us all," James said.

"Sorry," Rose mumbled. The potion seemed to be working, causing Rose to let out a content sigh as the pain in her back and head decreased.

"It's not your fault, Rosie," Marlene assured her.