dursley [h. g.]

••dursley•• || arise

Kendra stood, her legs shivering under her like a newborn fawn's. Her arm was clutched tightly onto Jessie's, the northern woman who was her nurse while she was in hospital. She was due to get out today. But first, Kendra had to prove that she could walk enough that she could be moved back to her home and put on bed rest there. Harry had come to visit a few times when he wasn't lurking in garden beds trying to listen to the news or walking up and down the street. He couldn't tell her all of what she had missed while comatose, but they did have a small celebration for her fifteenth birthday party, even though it had almost happened a month ago.

She took a step, even though her legs shuddered. She resisted the urge to clench her jaw- it hadn't exactly gone well for her last time. "You're doin' absolutely lovely, hen," Jessie said, unphased by Kendra's iron grip. Shakily, with most of her weight leaning on Jessie, Kendra took her first step. She let out a grunt as her left leg collapsed under her and she gripped Jessie's arm to steady herself.

"Sorry," Kendra whispered, holding in her groan.

"Take your time, you just need to make it five paces and then you can get out of this bloody place," Jessie smiled encouragingly at Kendra, who brought her left left to follow her right leg, as shaky as her right had been. Her right leg led the next step, and the step after, each one more confident until she had made it the full five paces, straight into the wheelchair.

"Wow," Kendra sighed, sinking into the wheelchair slowly, trying not to collapse. "Who knew walking was so hard?"

"Love, you were in a coma for a month. Walking wasn't going to be easy," Jessie said, smiling. "Now, I'll page downstairs to get your parents up here and release you proper so you can get on with your life."

Jessie went over to the phone in the corner of the room, dialed a four digit number and spoke softly into the receiver. "Right, come on hot wheels, to the lift."

Kendra laughed before she groaned and clutched her chest and groaned. Jessie tsked as she rolled Kendra into the lift. There was silence as the life binged and the doors closed. The lift went down in silence before the doors binged again, opening on the lobby level. They went through a pair of double doors and there Kendra saw her mother waiting with Harry.

"Mrs. Dursley?" Jessie asked when she spotted them. Petunia nodded sharply, terrified that someone would recognize her but worried for her daughter all the same. "You'll have done all the outpatient paperwork, then?" Petunia nodded again. "D'you want me help taking her to your car?" Petunia shook her head and jerked her head to Harry, who moved to stand behind Kendra's wheelchair. He looked a little sour, as though the drive to the hospital with Petunia had already been sour enough and the prospect of the drive back wasn't any more exciting. Jessie waved to Kendra as Harry began to roll her out the door.

"How are you feeling?" Petunia asked, her voice sounding quite strange, as though she wasn't quite sure how to feel.

"Tired," Kendra mumbled. "Sore. Alive."

"We'll be home soon and you can rest then," Petunia replied, glancing back at Kendra and attempting to cover up her grief-twisted expression. She unlocked the back seat and opened the boot before jerking her head at Harry again, as though she couldn't bring herself to ask him. Gently, Harry wrapped an arm around Kendra's waist and one under her thighs. She carefully wrapped her arms around Harry's neck as he lifted her out of the chair and into the car seat. He folded the wheelchair up and put it in the boot of the car before closing both doors and climbing in next to Kendra.

Twenty minutes later, Kendra was back in her own bed with Harry's help. The lights were off in the room, all the curtains drawn despite the fact that it was only half past noon. Petunia had been worried about the migraines again and had forbid the lights from coming on for the next two days at least. Harry closed the door and sat on his bed, staring up at his cousin.