Ellenor’s face comes into focus on my left, tired and worried, her unstraightened hair a mass of blonde knotted on top of her head.
“Oh, thank God you’re awake,” she whispers, dragging her chair closer and brushing loose strands from my forehead.
I try to speak, but my mouth is dry, my throat raw. She follows my gaze to a jug of water and pours it into a paper cup. I take a few slow sips from the straw.
“Where are we, exactly?” I rasp, the syllables catching.
“Canterbury,” she says. “Kent and Canterbury Hospital. There was no emergency department in Whitstable.”
“You…brought me to a Muggle Hospital?”
“The very best.” A grim smile. “Do you need some time, or are you ready for the status report?”
“Ready,” I whisper, bracing myself.
As Ellenor fires off the bad news, I’m grateful she isn’t sugarcoating it. I’d rather take the hit all at once.
“Your foot is pretty swollen. They’ll take X-rays soon to check if it’s a break. It’s in an emergency splint for now.” She pulls back the sheet, revealing my leg encased in bright orange padding with thick blue straps. “It has to stay elevated as much as possible.”
I eye the foam wedge propping up my leg. “Great.”
She tucks the sheet back over it, her voice softening. “You were really cold when we found you. Mild hypothermia. Then you got a fever overnight, so they put you on fluids and something to help you sleep. It’s two o’clock now. You’ve been out for most of the day.” A tight, shaky smile. “They said rest was the best thing for you, but they don’t want to delay the X-ray much longer.”
I nod feebly as she presses the buzzer and tells the nurse I’m ready for radiology.
No one comes immediately, and Ellenor covers her mouth to stifle a yawn. For a moment, she just looks…spent.
I shift slightly, feel the tug of the cannula taped to the back of my hand. Carefully, with slow, clumsy fingers, I lift my hand and rub the sleep from my eyes.
She squeezes my other hand. “You scared me, you know.”
“I’m sorry. For everything,” I add, remembering our fight.
“Don’t be sorry. I pushed your buttons too. Although we missed the studio tour.”
It takes a moment for her words to land. To remember what day it is.
“Today’s your birthday.”
“Yep. We could be sipping real butterbeer and flying broomsticks through movie sets right now.”
“Oh no. I’m so sorry—”
She holds up a hand. “Lily. You’re in the freaking hospital. There’s no need to apologise. Just focus on getting better, okay?”
“Yes, but…”
“There’ll be time for grovelling later, I promise. Besides, the studio will keep,” she adds sagely. “Hogwarts will always be there to welcome us home.”
I give a tiny nod and close my eyes. Everything feels distant. Like I’m underwater, trying to piece together what happened, but it’s all in the wrong order.
Then it comes rushing back: the slipway, the water, the fall, the pain.
“Brandon?” I ask suddenly.
Ellenor nods to my right. “He’s there, of course—hasn’t left your side. He’s basically a golden retriever crossed with a German shepherd.”
I follow her gaze, slowly turning my head. He’s slumped in a hospital chair in the corner, coat folded under his head, long legs awkwardly bent. His mouth is slack in sleep, his face pale. Exhausted, jaw shadowed with stubble.
