Finally Me ~

Chapter 47

**Scarlett’s POV**

I lean over Alex, waiting for Madame Pomfrey. Her blood is covering my hands and pooling on the floor. I want to put pressure on the wounds to stop the bleeding, but there are shards of glass sticking out from them and I don’t want to push them in further or try to pull them out in case I cause more damage.

“Alex, Alex, wake up,” I call, my hands hovering helplessly over her, “Alex!”

Her eyes open slightly and she lets out a long groan. I take her hand and give it a squeeze.

“Squeeze my hand,” I tell her, “keep holding it as tight as you can.”

I feel a slight increase of pressure, but nothing more.

“Alex, keep your eyes open,” I tell her, “keep looking at me!”

I hear footsteps coming up the stairs and Madame Pomfrey appears in front of me, her wand out.

“Move back,” she orders. I shuffle back a bit and watch as Madame Pomfrey rips Alex’s ragged clothes away and begins getting rid of the glass and blood. As the blood recedes I see what I haven’t seen before.

Alex’s skin is stretched tightly over her bones, so tightly I can count her ribs. She’s nothing but skin and bone, and not the natural kind of skinny, but a sick, unnatural skinny.

“Oh my!”

I hear McGonagall appear behind me, but I can’t tear my eyes away from Alex. All of a sudden it’s like a veil has been lifted from my eyes. Her cheek bones are too defined, her arms and legs too skinny, her eyes too large in her tiny face. She’s not much more than a skeleton.

“She’ll live,” Madame Pomfrey sighs, sitting back, “she didn’t lose too much blood. She just needs rest and, by the looks of it, a good meal.”

“Shall we move her to the Hospital Wing?” McGonagall asks, her voice low.

“I think that’s best,” Madame Pomfrey nods, holding her wand out.

“No,” I croak, “let me carry her to Fred. He can carry her up.”

I pick Alex up so that her head is against my shoulder and her knees bent over my arm and move towards the door, astonished by how light she is. It’s like carrying a child.

I can hear Fred stressing before I see him. Pacing back and forth while George leans against a wall, staring at his feet.

“Fred.”

My voice is small, but he hears and turns to me. The blood leaves his face as he moves over to me.

“Is she…” he touches her face softly and flinches.

“She’s going to be fine,” I tell him, “let’s take her to the hospital wing, then we all need to have a talk.”

I look over at George. He’s staring at Alex in shock.

“George, you need to get the others,” I tell him, “bring them back here.”

I look at Fred.

“Do you want to carry her?” I ask.

“I… I can’t,” he trembles, “I’m shaking…”

“Come on,” I tell him gently.

We follow McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey up to the Hospital Wing in silence. I lay Alex on the bed as gently as I can and turn to Fred. He’s facing away. I cross to a basin and wash the blood off my arms and hands then take Fred’s hand.

Back in the common room George has gathered all our friends. They’re sitting on the couches looking worried.

“What’s going on?” Angelina asks as soon as I walk in, “George said Alex had an accident or something. Is she okay?”

“She’s going to be fine,” I say, sitting down. George wraps his arm around my shoulders and I’m grateful of the support.

“I don’t know exactly what happened,” I tell them, “but I have a question for all of you. Have any of you seen Alex eat since term begun?”

“She’s been at every meal,” Felicity says. I shake my head slightly.

“Have you actually seen her eat?” I ask, staring at the carpet.

“No,” Alicia says, “I’ve only seen her drinking. Why, Scarlett? What’s going on?”

I take a deep breath and look up at them.

“Alex is sick,” I tell them, “I guess none of us have really noticed how much weight she’s lost, but I don’t think she’s eating.”

“You mean, she’s anorexic?” Felicity asks, paling. I nod and everyone breathes out heavily. Angelina looks at Fred then at me.

“What do we do?”