𝘀𝗸𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗸, charlie weasley

˗ˋ 27

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
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-: seventh year :-

── IN WHICH MCGONAGALL REPRIMANDS

. . .

Kaida had been brought a tray of dinner from the hall, delivered by a small house-elf that appeared with a pop, told her of the components of the meal in a squeaky voice before disappearing in the same way they came. She sat and ate her chicken, vegetables and mashed potatoes doused in hot gravy with a tray over her lap and her back pushed up against the newly fluffed pillows, letting Madam Pomfrey infuse her glass of pumpkin juice with the potion she created to ease her of her headache. 

The Phoenix girl was lucky enough to find the potion did just that, the ache in her mind disappearing significantly as well her control over her conciousness, remaining seated yet finding her attention wavering as she spooned strawberry ice cream into her mouth delivered by yet another house-elf and struggling to keep her bleary eyes open on her own as she waited for dinner to finish and her best friend to make true of his promise and return.

And the one thing Charlie was, if not a star Quidditch player and her best friend, was trustworthy. A mere five minutes after Madam Pomfrey had taken away her tray of empty dishware the Weasley boy appeared, all smiles and pots of bruise balm. 

"You look all but conked out." Charlie commented as he took a seat beside her curled up knees. "Did you give her a headache or a dreamless sleep potion, Poppy?" He called over his shoulder, similar mischief to what shone in Fred and George's eyes as they proposed their plans to beat up the person who did this to their brother's best friend.

"None of that now, Charles." Madam Pomfrey looked mildy humourous as she carried over a glass of water, a bottle of purple potion and a large tub of salve. "That is Dreamless Sleep, if you're having trouble, Miss Phoenix. As for now, Mr Weasley, would you please apply the salve to the bruises along your friend's side as I think her quite incapable at this moment."

"Not so wise words." Charlie replied, and the Hogwarts nurse watched exactly why; Kaida was suddenly wide awake and snatching the salve off of the table, pulling the sheets from her body and lifting the top half of the wing-issued pajamas and not evening wincing at the sight of the purple and green imprints there, scrubbing salve furiously over the areas. "Hey - idiot - you're only going to make it worse."

It was only at the point of Charlie's interruption that Kaida paused and felt the pain, her hand dropping and sighing as she passed the pot towards him, laying back down. Madam Pomfrey  didn't say anything but tutted and made her way back to the office, no doubt with instructions for later in the night after Charlie had completed such a task.

He did it with much more care than Kaida had done and soothed the new redness found from her extreme attempts to do it herself, and soon enough the bruises were covered in the witch-hazel scented balm and settling in mere minutes. As soon as the blankets were pulled over her and the lid to the salve, they were joined by yet someone else. 

"Kaida Phoenix, you are a foolish girl!" There was no one else who could own such a purposeful, Scottish-accented sentence but their head of house as she strode into the Hospital Wing. "Good, I see your gaggle of no doubt future relatives and friends have left for the evening... however seemed to have left you with one who certainly would encourage such a dangerous act."

"Professor!" Kaida was beginning to feel the weary affects of her potion once again, but certainly didn't stop herself from exclaiming so loudly. "We won - did we not?" 

"Yes, Miss Phoenix, we did. However what you did was such a stupid thing to do I can hardly believe someone of your intelligence deemed it necessary to win." 

"Professor. It is not a stupid thing to do, it was merely tactics." Kaida replied, just as snappily as her teacher. The Weasley beside her did not sat anything, knowing nothing good could come of his interruption. "I did what I needed to do to ensure that Charlie got the snitch without Flint attacking him and instead attacking me."

"And look where that got you. Sat in a bed with bandages around your head and bruises on your side. I cannot permit you to do such a dangerous act again." McGonagall placed her hands on her hips. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"It was merely tactics. But, yes, I suppose." Kaida replied all huffily, frowned as she stared down at her knees. "I apologise for giving everyone quite the fright." She added, a little more mellow.

"Good." McGonagall grazed her gaze over them. "Well, at least we did win. And you did set a new record for Gryffindor in the process, so not all is lost. But never again - you hear me? Never."

"I hear you." Kaida agreed, but the smile on her face said otherwise.

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a/n
i have a bill weasley
fic out if anyone is interested!