Azalea Evans °Marauders Era°

Chapter 8 - Deadly

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Sirius and Azalea were walking in the courtyard, Sirius afraid that any minute she would pass out. She had been complaining all day of the pain, so he was secretly taking her to Madam Clara. He knew that she didn't want to see the middle aged witch again, but she had to if she wanted to get better.

The full moon had been the night before and it had exhausted Azalea to the extreme, her movements sluggish and lazy throughout the day. Sirius could remember hearing her screams turning into howls, remembered watching his best friend change so painfully. He also remembered the day that they first found out about the poison that entered her blood stream. That was an awful day for him, too.

~~>~~>

Madam Clara took over immediately, feeling her throat and forehead quickly. "She has a fever," she noticed, "But she has goosebumps like she is cold and she is shaking." Sirius watched nervously as he pulled on the ends of his hair, his eyes flashing with anger at whoever had done such a thing to her. He was overwhelmed with sympathy for his best friend.

"She says she was poisoned," he told her, "So I am pretty sure that is a result of poison, which I have already told you about. Why aren't you doing something? Do something!"

"Calm down, Mr.Black," Madam Clara said strictly, "It isn't like I was the one who poisoned her! Don't be so angry!"

"Don't be so angry," he questioned, "Someone bloody poisoned her and you want me to not be so angry?"

"Glad you understand," she told him as she continued to nurse Azalea. Sirius growled at the woman and sat on the bed, holding Azalea's hand in his.

"I think she was right, Mr.Black. About being poisoned, I mean. I will have to take some blood samples to make sure, though. This could be deadly."

"Deadly," Lily whimpered, "Please don't say things like that!"

"But it's true," Madam Clara said sadly, "Poison is a dangerous thing. Some can take only minutes to kick in, others years. It can sit dormant until activated. Well, wizard ones, anyway. I don't know how far muggles have gotten with that yet."

Lily blinked away the tears that threatened to fall, not even allowing herself to think about what it would be like without Azalea around. She knew it would be the most dreadful thing she had felt so far. Azalea was her twin, and there was something so special between them. That warm, happy feeling would leave with Azalea. Sirius winced as a needle was placed in a vein on Azalea's arm, blood filling the tube. Madam Clara set the needle aside and handed Sirius a small cotton ball.

"Hold that on the bleeding spot until it stops bleeding," she instructed.

"There's black in her blood," Lily noticed, her voice shaking. Sirius looked and saw that Lily was right.

"Why does she have black blood," she asked.

"That's just more proof," the woman sighed, "I'll have to send this to Saint Mugos. Otherwise, we can't find out exactly what kind of poison it is."

"How long will that take," Sirius asked, "We can't wait long if what you said is true about poison. It could start reacting any minute!"

"It has already started reacting," Madam Clara whispered, "Everyone has noticed her absence and rudeness lately. That's an effect of this poison, I believe. Earlier you said she was saying things. Was she having visions?" Sirius and Lily were both shocked. They hadn't thought visions had anything to do with it.

"But she wasn't that way with me," Sirius objected, "That can't be why she was acting that way!"

"Oh, dear, it is. She must have been able to control it enough for you. Or maybe it was just too hard for her," Madam Clara smiled before walking to her office. Sirius looked down at Azalea and laughed happily.