Coral

Joy and Sorrow



Then a woman said, "Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow."



And he answered:



Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.



And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.



And how else can it be?



The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.--Kahil Gibran









Resume---







When Eloise at last managed to disentangle herself from Edward's Floo, and it's intricate wards, subsequently overturning a brass statue of Venus, she paused to listen, and 'feel' the air. Being only one of four persons designated to use the Floo, and one the people responsible for some of the inner wards, she too could feel that something within the house was not quite right.





The wards had been tampered with! A chill ran up her spine. Who in this world was powerful enough to unlock wards that she and Edward had set? She took up her robe hem and began trying to negotiate the room.She had never been in the study before. It was heavily curtained, decorated in dark colors, and had massive furniture, all of which seemed to possess out-curving legs and arms. She cursed to herself as she tripped over the claw-foot desk leg.



Pausing, to see if that noise had brought any response, she prayed that Amanda would have the sense not to barge in and investigate herself. She heard then the sound of the front door being opened. Hurrying to the study door, she opened it and continued into the Library. She was almost to the door leading into the parlor when she heard Stella come through the Floo behind her.





She beckoned her urgently,and Stella was somewhat less than stealthy as she hurried through the dimly lit room.





" Did you...?" Eloise mouthed.





Stella nodded, understanding the vague question.





" He can't use the Ministry's Floo." she mouthed back, and shrugged at Eloise's look of disbelief.





" Where would Amanda be?" she whispered.





Stella considered a moment, closing her eyes as thought feeling for her daughter's aura.





" Upstairs."





" Edward?"





" Winter went."





The all too familiar sound of a hex being cast reverberated throughout the house, followed by Amanda voicing a deflection spell. They hurried, tripping over the unfamiliar furnishings. Stella, in her eagerness to get through to her daughter, stepped on Eloise's hem, and delayed them as they both tripped.





The next sound was the horrible sound of something rolling down the stairs over their heads. They both leapt to their feet and forgetting stealth, rushed out through the parlor, and into the foyer. Eloise, older, and more honed, quickly assessed the situation.





Amanda, crumpled at the bottom of the stairs, her dress torn and pulled over her knees, both of which were carpet burned and bleeding. One leg was tucked beneath her crookedly, the other was resting on the third step. Her forehead was against the newel post, a trickle of blood coming oozing from the corner of her mouth. Another puddle of blood was forming under her hair, and the hand that they could see, the one thrown outwards and twisted, showed the ragged bloody places where her fingernails had been.





Over her, Polly...POLLY, stood, pointing with wand in hand and a blank, stunned expression across her lax, colorless face.





Stunning spell. Eloise recognized it as one that Amanda had struck her with during their dueling practices. It was a temporary charm, and before she had time to fully take note of it, Polly had already begun shaking it off. She opened her mouth, but Eloise was faster.





" Accio wand" she demanded. Stella had shot around her and skidded across the floor on her knees to Amanda's side.





" Don't touch her!" Eloise barked. " We don't know how badly she is hurt."





Polly made to bolt for the front door, but it was futile. Eloise blasted her with in the back, causing the other woman to fall flat on her stomach and skid to across the polished floor. She snapped a binding charm on her and reinforced it with a petrifying charm.





" Hope it hurt!" she declared.





As soon as Giles found an accessible Floo, he could take care of her. Polly! Why Polly? she wanted to ask. But more important was helping Amanda.





She rushed to her niece's side, and knelt as well, carefully lifting the that looked to be the least injured. She might be broken and bruised, but Amanda's pulse was still strong.





" Here, Stella...stop that sobbing, she needs for you to be clear-headed. Take her hand, gently. She is still alive. "





" Oh, my baby..." Stella moaned. " We were right here...we could have stopped her if I hadn't tripped us! It's my fault!"





" No. That's foolishness. It's Polly's doing. Now just hold her. There. I...can't risk any spells, not even to stop the bleeding. I just don't know how badly she is injured. "





They shared a significant look over the unconscious girl's head.





" Sing to her...hum, anything. She most likely can't hear you, but if she can, it might comfort her. I am going to Floo the hospital."





Stella nodded, and began as best she could, to sing. It was easier to hum though, so she lay down on her side, stroking the hair above Amanda's ear, and humming softly. Her elbow was resting in the sticky puddle of blood, the coppery smell flooded her senses and made her want to gag. She watched closely the halting pattern of Amanda's breathing, afraid that if she looked away, or even blinked, it might cease and Amanda would be lost.





Eloise returned in a moment, and nodded to he that everything was taken care of. Then not knowing what else to do, she knelt again and gently pulled the hem of Amanda's skirt down for modesties sake, knowing she would not want anyone, not even them, to see her in that state.





She too tried to hum, but her voice was cracked with rage and anxiety. Stella's with tears she didn't dare shed. They waited.





***





It took Winter a long time to find Edward. He and one of the Hogwarts' professors, an elderly woman with a pipe clutched tightly in her teeth, had walked a great way back into the Forbidden Forest that surrounded the school. Since Winter could not Apparate into the actual grounds, she had to do quite a bit of running, only to find that Edward was nowhere to be found. The rest of the school was empty-- deserted for the summer holiday.





Winter didn't dare go into the Forest by herself. It had been many years since she had been on the school grounds, and then it had not been as a student. She had never been in the forest and suspected it to be quite large and the rumors about it being treacherous to be true. Why else would it be forbidden?





She thought to call out, but decided that would not be welcome. She had no idea what was occurring with the others. They had received a note from Amanda saying that she felt that something was wrong in the house, and wanted one of them to come spend the day with her. Winter brushed it off as being mostly jitters. Being pregnant did strange things to a lady, perhaps she was just bored and seeking some company.





However Eloise had been adamant that she find Edward, just in case...Luckily Amanda had explained why she was alone on a Sunday, and where he had gone.



She had just enough time to catch her breath from her run, when she heard voices. Peering into the dimness of the trees, she could just make out the two figures.

Edward, quite keenly, caught sight of her before she had time to call out, and from his expression, she knew she would not have to beg him to lend an ear. Before she could even begin to explain, he had clutched her arms and shaken her slightly, demanding to know what was the matter.





She had barely finished explaining the note, before he was running toward the gates, leaving her behind. With a sigh, Winter hiked up the hem of her robes, and followed, leaving the bewildered professor holding the sack of unclaimed unicorn hair.





Edward ran through the gate and Disapparated without slowing down. Winter had to stop first, and take a quick breath before she Apparated right to the front stoop of Edward's house, only just managing to avoid toppling into him as he blasted open the front door. There was brief stand-off of wands, as he startled the people huddled within. As soon as each party had recognized the other, the wands were lowered.





By that time, Amanda had already been transported to St. Mungo's, Stella at her side. Edward did not even know that she was injured.





He saw only Eloise, Giles Barkwater, two men he did not know, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Polly, who was slumped in a chair, mouth open, and eyes glazed.





" Oh, Edward!" Eloise stated...and he saw from her expression that she was terrified. What could possibly terrify Eloise Rookwood? The very idea made his blood run cold.





" What is going on here?" he demanded softly.





" There was an attack." blurted one of the men that he did not know.





Edward ignored him, and remained focused on Eloise, who nodded slightly.





" Polly..." she began, wringing her hands; an uncharacteristic gesture.





" Polly? Did someone attack Polly? Where is Amanda?"





" No...I mean, Polly attacked Amanda. We don't know why, she hasn't come around--"





" That is because you used un-necessary spells to detain her!" the other stranger snapped.





" I didn't use half of the ones I thought she deserved!" Eloise shouted, taking a lunging step toward the man. He stumbled backwards in surprise.





Edward caught her arm, and turned her toward him.





" Explain what happened..."





She told as much as she knew, for his benefit as well as Winter's. Winter stood with pale face, her knuckles clutched between her teeth.





" Amanda is at St. Mungo's." Eloise concluded. " Stella is with her, but they wouldn't let me go. I have to be questioned..." she seemed for a moment weak and forlorn. " I am so sorry, Edward...I just did not arrive in time."



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