Chapter 445 - Groan

Rowan awoke with a pained m.o.a.n as she reached up to clutch her aching shoulder. Blinking through watery eyes she sees the bed curtains as Madam Pomfrey enters with a potion in hand. "It was a rather deep wound and will leave a scar. I'm sorry, dear," Madam Pomfrey said. "But the pain will be gone by the end of today."

Holding out the potion, Madam Pomfrey adds, "Now drink your potion, it'll numb the pain. Your muscles are healing nicely but whenever tendons are served, they tend to be the most painful as they're connecting again. That and your shoulder bone that was nicked is still healing itself."

Rowan happily accepted the foul-smelling potion and gulped it down. She didn't even grimace at the appalling taste. She sighed in relief as the potion instantly began to work and the pain began to tamper off.

Madam Pomfrey says, "I'll bring a light breakfast right over. Your grandfather and brother are in the next beds over. They'll no doubt want to speak to you now that you're awake."

Severus threw himself at Rowan, but Reginald caught him with one hand. "Your sister is still in pain and recovering, Severus, behave yourself," Reginald sternly said as Severus visibly wilted before them.

"Curl up on the other side," Rowan said as she patted her unhurt right side. Severus happily climbed onto the bed and sat on the edge of the bed quietly watching her unable to hide his worry and relief.

"Worrywort," Rowan snickered at seeing the dark eye shadows under her twin brothers' eyes that denoted his lack of sleep.

"Last night I was reading a fascination potions volume, if you must know, and simply lost track of time," Severus growled truthfully, but didn't defend himself more stoutly like he usually would in the face of such a teasing jest from his twin.

"Mm, how convenient," Rowan drily said as she glanced around. "Where's Aunt Georgine?"

"Georgine is sitting down with the headmaster," Reginald replied as he took a seat on the side of the bed. "She is to be the new replacement for the unfortunate Professor Lye."

"Really?" Rowan looked rather intrigued, while Severus looked rather off put by the whole entire idea. How could he possibly have ever imagined Aunt Georgine as his professor? The very thought filled him with shivers of horror!

"What time is it?" Rowan asked as she glanced at the bright sunlight streaming through the infirmary windows.

"It's roughly more or less ten in the morning," Reginald replied as he calmly studied his granddaughter. "And how are you feeling this morning?" His dark eyes fierce and sharp searching for any signs of lies.

"Much better, thank you," Rowan muttered. "But I'm starving, where's Madam Pomfrey with the food."

"It's always about food with you, isn't it?" Severus grumbled. "Figures, you'd inherit Helga's appetite."

"And you inherited Godric's rashness," Rowan countered back, before adding privately to herself, "And the perpetual Gryffindor habit of wearing your heart on your sleeve."

"Touché," Severus curtly acknowledged the truth of that statement.

Luckily, before the conversation can continue Madam Pomfrey footsteps can be heard announcing her presence. She strides down the length of the infirmary carrying a tray that holds a plate of plate of crepes and pancakes with a touch of whipped cream, strawberries, and syrup. Something soft and sweet that was a treat, but not overly heavy on the stomach.

Coming to a halt in front of her patient, Madam Pomfrey carefully sets the tray onto Rowan's lap and gives a stern warning, "Now Mis Prince only eat until you feel full, do not overly eat!"

Turning to Reginald Prince, Madam Pomfrey inclines her head in apology for the terrible fiasco that had occurred last inside of her infirmary. "A private word, Mr. Prince, if you please," Madam Pomfrey said as she gestured to her nearby office within the infirmary.

Reginald flashes a glance at his granddaughter, before glancing at his grandson in stern warning, before rising to his feet and saying," Please lead the way, madam." After closing the bed curtain around her patient's bed, Madam Pomfrey quickly leads Reginald to her office in order to properly apologize to him and give him a more detailed report on Rowan Prince's present condition and recovery progress.

Rowan doesn't much pay attention to Madam Pomfrey's lecture nor to her grandfather departing with infirmary matron, and instead hungrily begins to eat. She had a bit of trouble cutting up her soft food thanks to the shooting pain of agony in her left shoulder every time she moved her arm. Taking pity on his twin sister, Severus without any word takes the fork and knife from her and cuts up her food.

"Thanks," Rowan happily muttered before chewing on the delicious goodness, after Severus had returned her fork to her to eat with.

"So, when's the award ceremony?" Rowan asked with a mouthful of food.

"Later today," Severus snorted in obvious displeasure. "Despite everything that has occurred, Igor Karkaroff did in fact return first with the cup, and therefore is the champion of the Triwizard Tournament. It should have been rightly presented to you, Rowan instead!"

"I did not want such a dubious honor to begin with," Rowan truthfully said with a shudder. And then pointedly glanced at Severus as if to say, "You should know better than anyone exactly who is to blame for this mess!"

Severus has the grace to look guilty for a brief second, before a smirk flashes on his face. "But believe me no one is pleased about it except for Karkaroff. Even his headmaster seems to be ashamed including the rest of the Durmstrang students that are avoiding him. Trust me, he won himself no favors," Severus explained with a smirk.

"That and Pizarro has been planning to react the event from Karkaroff's first year during the Triwizard Tournament. Everyone is pretending that they know nothing about her plans including Professor Slughorn," Severus perversely add, before shivering with dread. "But she's somehow managed to convince Terry to aid her in plotting."

Rowan violently shivers and then winces in pain as that jarred her aching left shoulder. Trying not to whimper, she grunts, "Well that is rather disturbing imagine. But hopefully those two won't go to far." Yeah right...It was Terry, they were talking about.

Changing the subject, Rowan takes another bit of food, and mumbles, "So, grandfather lay out your punishment yet?"

Severus wilts and winces as he confesses, "I'm pretty sure, I'm grounded. And I'm to be worked to the bone like a slave, or at least that's what Aunt Georgine said."

"Mm, we'll he won't beat you or starve you. So, you'll live."

"Yeah, I will."

"Anyone stop by yet?"

"Most of our friends and a few others as well. Last night's attack didn't get around, and everyone still thinks it was a prank with the Triwizard cup. Professor Dumbledore and the rest of the professors haven't bothered to correct them nor will they, I think. Aunt Georgine said that they're trying to keep everything under wraps for the moment, and that Professor Lye has been declared dead from a heart attack."

"I suppose that's the best course of action really. No sense in causing panic among the students and parents."

"I know, but I can't believe that Aunt Georgine will be here next year," Severus sulkily said as he crossed his arms over his chest in an unruly fashion.

"She's not that bad," Rowan mumbled. "And besides, she'll keep you on your toes."

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of," Severus grumbled as Rowan licked her plate clean. "Ew, that's disgusting."

"I was starving, I had a very long night," Rowan huffed as she put the tray to the side and wiped her face clean.

Severus looks away and clears his throat. "Sorry, I should have never entered your name into the Triwizard Cup in the first place. It was utterly foolish of me."

"Like I said before actions speak louder than words," Rowan glanced at him as she ruffled his hair. "Just don't ever do that again."

Severus leans into the caress, before pulling away with blotchy red spots on his face. "Anyway, Grandfather said, I'm to stick next to you, come wind or snow."

"Ha ha ha, very funny," Rowan grumbled as she fluffed the pillow behind her, before finding another comfortable position again.

Not long after their friends began to trickle in to visit her. Rowan got plenty of sweets which she happily ate until Severus hid them away from her. Apparently too many sweets were bad for her. As if she hadn't seen him eating a third of her sweets right alongside her.

Though Severus had a very interesting reaction, when Barret Boone stopped by. The entire period Severus glared at Rowan's boyfriend. Thankfully, Barrett was merely brief and left before Severus pulled out his wand and hexed him. And knowing Severus, Rowan was certain he would have.

For Severus was still in denial about his whole overprotective sister complex. But aye, it happens. It wasn't though Rowan was entirely innocent either. She'd slit the throat of anyone who harmed Severus. And if that wasn't scarier, she didn't know what was.