Personal Quarters

"Memory alteration me thinks." Ciaran murmured, glancing up to see his uncle's reaction. The older man had unshed tears sparkling in his eyes.

"So much pain...maybe she erased the memories herself, Kaira." Horatio suggested. "I might."

Kiara rubbed her temple and whipped away tears that escaped her eyes.

"Perhaps, but to willingly forget her own child ever existed..." sighing Kiara leaned back in her seat.

"I couldn't... but I could see her doing it though"

"Its ridiculous all this pain because of the damn purging.... whoes ever bright idea that was is no better then dear Voldie going against the muggle borns. All because of blood and the sins of the family it seems. What happened with the aurors is just...."

Getting up Kiara went of to a window over looking the pitch, "Its not fair.. when someone would punished for doing the obvious right thing....."

Sighing she turned around "Eglantine still brought up the issue someone coming after her, and we still are not any closer to figuring out who it is" she said quietly.

Ciaran leaned back in his chair. "Maybe one of them wasn't killed?" he suggested.

"Kiara?" Eglantine stated softly, leaning against the doorpost of the bedroom. Her entire front of her dress was soaked with blood and she looked as if the only thing holding her up was a failing levitation charm and luck.

"You shouldn't be up, my dear." Horatio exclaimed, hurrying to scoop her up in his arms. She didn't even protest.

Kiara rushed over to Horatio's side as he supported Eglantine.

"What is it Eglantine?" she asked as she motioned for Horatio to guide her back into the bed room.

"Horatio is right Eglantine you shouldn't be up" she asked, vioce full you concern.

"Explain...I need to explain..." she muttered. Her head lolled to the side and Horatio kicked the door the rest of the way open to go in. "Kiara. Ciaran helped." she whispered as Horatio laid her down.

Kiara sighed "We know Eglantine, its alright, get some more rest hmm" She said gently as she cast a cleaning spell on Eglantines dress removing the blood. from it.

"Let us worry about it alright?' as she summond another blanket for Eglantine.

"And if I die?" Eglantine whispered. Horatio gave her a glare laced with the deadliest of looks.
"You are not going to die, sweetbriar. Not today...not next year. I will not let you." His voice held a steel like edge. "Understand?" he asked, smoothing her slightly messed hair. Eglantine nodded, "Yes, Professor McKevin." she sounded strangely amused.

Kiara noticing the exchange and the steal in Horatio's Voice, it seemed to reenfoced her own dersire to make sure Eglantine get well again.

Placing her hand Horatio's shoulder she squeezed and whispered over to Eglantine "I won't let you either Eglantine you hear you just can't bring make me a member your family and then leave me. To many people have done to date I won't let you follow their lead you got it."

Then reaching over she held Eglantine's hand and secretly channled some of her energy to Eglantine.

"You are to get well again, I will make sure of it" she said, there was not steeliness to her voice like Horatio's, she it firmly and it had no shortage of love in her voice.

Then she got up and walked over to a cabnet by her night stand, taking out a dark blue vile, she walked back. "This should help with the internal bleeding" she said.

"Now get some rest, we can talk later when you are feeling better hmm?"

Turning back to Horatio she said quietly " I am going to call Juria"

Walking over to the fire place she put some flew powder in and called to the infirmary.

"Juria"

(continued in infirmary)

"Good idea." Horatio muttered, watching Eglantine as she drifted off to sleep. Leaning down, he kissed her forehead. "Beidh an bhanaltra anseo gan mhoill." ((The nurse will be here soon))

Juria got the message and went to the Quarters, when she got there the sight that she saw was Eglantine sleeping. She quickly ran in and looked at them,

"What happened?"

She said quickly, trying to know how she could help.

Kiara sighed when Juria entered the room.

"Its Eglantine Juria, she said she fell again and she started coughing up blood, could you check her? Please" she said worriedly.

Almost on cue, Eglantine opened her eyes and attempted to sit up. However, Horatio, beginning to get to know the professor, had bound her to the bed by means of a simple binding charm.

"I am fine, Juria. You did not have to come." she insisted weakly. The last thing she wanted was Juria doing tests, which would reveal that the injuries to her ribs were too severe to have been from a fall...

Kiara rolled her eyes "Eglantine remember who are in the room with.... You and I are entirely to similar. I practicaly learned the "I am fine, but really not" thing from you. Hence it doesn't work on me anymore then it does when I do it to you" she quipped.

Looking to Juria she said "Don't believe her for a millisecond Juria" she said seriously.

Juria nodded and already knew that most people said that they were fine when they were not. Juria used it all the time, so it was simple logic that made it seem that the Professor was actually hurt. Seeing the worried look on Kiara's face Juria said, without asking for permission,

"I’m going to do a quick diagnose on you... Kiara can you please tell me what happened?"

Juria listened as she wordlessly said the spell so that all of Eglantine’s problems were shown before her eyes only.

Eglantine cast a nonverbal spell on herself, ignoring the drain on her energy levels. Juria's spell showed bruising that could be from a fall and slight internal bleeding which was only a fraction of the truth... she was not about to reveal exactly what had happened.

Kiara nodded "We were just talking and she started coughing, I gave her water but then she started coughing up blood. We gave her potions and she feel asleep, then she came out will even more blood on her dress.. she said she fell while trying to walk. She had a lot of trouble breathing to, I had to inject a potion in to her blood stream to help get enough oxygen. That potion should still be effect Juria" said Kiara worriedly as she explained.

To her self Eglantines injuries sounded to sever to be from a simple fall, but she wasn't a doctor.

Juria's spell just showed slight bruising and a small amount of internal bleeding but nothing severe to be coughing up blood. Raising her eyebrow a bit, wondering if the Professor put a spell to cover it up she thought to herself, "Eglantine are you hiding anything?"

Juria was worried that if the professor had hid anything from her that it might manifest and then get even worse than it would be now. Turning to Kiara and keeping a low voice so that only Kiara would be able to hear she whispered,

"I think the professor is not showing me everything... the diagnosis seems that she is just bruised and with slight internal bleeding, nothing that would be severe. You are her friend Kiara... do you think you can get her to say what really happened?"

Juria was worried, with the evidence that Kiara had told her she thought it might be something that would need extreme attention. It is always not good to keep things from doctors, even if you are a wizard or witch.

Eglantine closed her eyes, reaching into her pocket, fingers curling around Excessum's smoothly engraved surface. Magical energy leapt up her arm and she coughed violently as the energy overloaded her tired frame. Her hand slid from her pocket and she wiped away a small bit of blood.

Kiara sighed and looked over at Eglantine, she wouldn't put it past Eglantine to make Juria see something false.. She had done it her self once or twice, she didn't get away with it for long, it got worse.

Then she turned around and said to everyone in the room.

"Alright everyone out, I need to speak with Eglantine alone if you don't mind please" she asked, although it may have been more of a request then anything.

Juria smiled and nodded quickly then exited, hoping that Kiara would be able to get the truth of the matter.

Horatio and Ciaran both exited the room, looking slightly worried. Eglantine swallowed, now she was expected to confess to Kiara. Closing her eyes she awaited the questions.

Kiara sighed, "Eglantine you and I both know you more then just bruising and a little internal bleeding..... you are more injured then you are letting on. There is a reason you are hiding it...."

Kiara paused.

"What really happened Eglantine? this wasn't from a fall or you would have said something sooner..."

She opened her eyes. "Kiara..." she almost began her prepared lie. The younger woman might even have believed her... but Eglantine decided to reveal the truth.

"I was attacked. There were crucios, I believe and several other spells." she sighed. "He was there out of nowhere. I defended myself, blocked his attacks after the first volley and was able to defeat him. He ran away and I was hurt too badly to pursue him. Then Horatio came to get me for our walk and I cast a glamour, and went out. Not long after we went to assist you in the forest...I was almost certain he had attacked you, but thankfully he hadn't. I was able to contain the bleeding and the injuries until this morning..." she finished, her voice sounding strangely hollow as if all that she had stated was unimportant and meaningless. She didn't want Kiara to know how close she had come to killing her assailant, how easy it would have been. Two words that cut through any shield...

She turned her head to watch Kiara's face. "I hate you to worry. And you were injured yourself, are still injured." she added.

Kiara bit her lip, and shook her head. When would it end? she was always getting hurt and hiding because of her and because she had been hurt around the same time.

"I have afew sore mussles Eglantine nothing more. You on the other hand are severly injured and in need of medical help. Help that Juria can give you if you let her. I won't lecture you on not tell us any of this, probably because I would have done the same." she said. Then a certain fire entered her eyes at the thought of who darned attack her firend so severly.

"Now who was it that attacked you? we got to make sure he can't harm you again or anyone else" she said.

Eglantine shook her head. "I do not want anyone else to know, Kiara. Not Horatio, not Ciaran and not Juria. Please!" her voice lost its hollow sound as she pleaded. "He killed my father and if he knows that I tell anyone about him, all of Hogwarts will be at risk. As the Head of Gryffindor and a professor here, I cannot endanger the students or the staff. Please say my injuries are minor and let me treat them on my own. It is best this way..." Her green eyes held a look of simple determination. Although only stubborn in moments of bad health, Eglantine knew how to get her way when she needed to.