WHO: Terry & Regan Boot WHEN: after the Battle of Hogwarts WHERE: St Mungo's WHAT: Some backstory, Terry wakes up after the battle and talks to his sister. WARNINGS: Nah.
As consciousness slowly returned, Terry began to register just how bright everything was. He squeezed his eyes closed tighter as if that might block it out, but all that did was make his head hurt. Where was he? The last thing he remembered was looking up at the ceiling of the Great Hall.
Or what was left of it, in any case.
He remembered clutching Michael and Anthony like they might disappear at any moment. He remembered anyone with any knowledge of healing magic fussing over the injured, himself included. He remembered the bodies laid out, and how he felt like he was about to join them, the pain in his leg was so intense.
Someone was holding his hand. Terry tried to focus on that instead of on the way he couldn’t feel anything in one of his legs (he’d hurt it, hadn’t he? or had someone else?), and he slowly opened his eyes. The figure came into focus -- “Regan?”
The little she could gather from what happened at Hogwarts, Regan was horrified that she missed it, that she hadn’t been there for her brother, for his friends, but mostly for her brother. She’d finally found him. She didn’t get a lot of information about what happened, everything was in chaos, or controlled chaos as it seemed they’d be picking up the pieces now that the war was over. Was it though? Regan couldn’t help over thinking it.
Her eyes were shut as she was holding Terry’s hand, trying to stop her busy mind, when she heard his voice her eyes popped open and she forced a smile.
“Hey,” She said reaching her other hand up to his forehead for a moment. “About time you woke up.” She offered at an attempt at light hearted.
Though it made his head ache to smile, Terry found himself smiling anyway, beyond grateful to see a familiar face. He hadn’t been sure he’d ever see his family again. He hadn’t been sure he’d ever make it out of Hogwarts.
“How long’s it been?” he asked. “Feels like —” Terry’s voice caught in his throat. “Feels like it was just yesterday I was at school.”
Regan forced another smile. "Well, you were hurt," she started but didn't want to say too much. "You'll be okay!" She added quickly.
"You've been out a couple of days. You might want to prepare yourself for an attack hug when [sister_name] gets back." She warned. "She's getting food, something about if we eat your favourite food it'll wake you up faster."
“Oh.” His chest felt tight and full at the thought of their sister doing that for him, like his heart was about to explode out of his chest. If he’d been out for days -- well, surely he would have had some sort of nutrition, but not real food. He didn’t really feel hungry, but it might be nice. Especially with his sisters there.
“Is --” He knew what had happened to their father, in vague terms. The Carrows had announced it in front of his entire Charms class, much to the dismay of Professor Flitwick, but he knew the story the Carrows had told wasn’t the full story. They’d used it as an example of what might happen if someone didn’t follow the rules, and acted like his parents deserved what happened. He’d thought about his mother every day since then, and now? Now he was afraid to ask. “Is it really over?” he asked instead, voice cracking.
Regan didn't really know how to answer the question, she didn't know everything that had happened or was happening.
"The war?" She didn't so much as ask but stated to give herself time to gather her thoughts. Nodding, she added. "Yeah, the war is really over, we're just picking up the pieces now." Regan meant it as a society and didn't add that there were still some death eaters on the run that needed to be tracked down and that the school was a complete mess or the death count, which still wasn't finalized.
Terry nodded and swallowed -- or tried to, anyway. His throat was so dry. “Okay.” He nodded again. “Good. That’s -- that’s good.” He had to tear his gaze away from Regan before he started crying, and he looked up at the ceiling instead. “I wasn’t sure it would ever end.”
There were moments she wondered if the war would ever end herself, but there was no way it could go on forever. "It's over," she said instead of the number of other things running through her mind at that moment. "And you are going to be okay," she almost added that's what really matters but didn't knowing the loss they all already felt from the war.
While Terry didn’t feel okay, he knew Regan was right. His leg was numb and his heart ached, but he was alive. He was alive. That was a start.
“I’m --” His voice caught in his throat again. He wanted to say he was sorry for worrying them, sorry for causing trouble at school, sorry for putting his life on the line. But he wasn’t sorry. He’d do it all over again in a heartbeat if he had to. “Do you know if Michael’s okay? And Anthony?” There was a list long enough to fill a roll of parchment, but his two best friends were a part of him like no one else was.
She wanted to answer and tell him they were, but in truth she wasn’t completely sure, she’d been so focused on him and their sister, Gwen and well she hadn’t checked in better with his friends. “I think so,” she hadn’t heard their names among those that hadn’t made it, and she was reading that constantly.
There was an empty pit in the bottom of Terry’s stomach, growing larger with every moment he didn’t have confirmation that Michael and Anthony were okay. Terry knew he wouldn’t really be able to relax until he saw them again.
“Okay,” he said quietly nodding. “I’m sure … I’m sure they’re fine.”
“I can do some digging and see if I can find them,” Regan offered quickly, she knew she should have been looking for her siblings’ friends but well, she’d been too focused on him and making sure he was going to be okay.
Terry nodded again, even though too much motion made his head ache. “Okay.” He was aware that he had a tight grip on her hand, but he didn’t let go. If he let go, maybe none of this would be real. Maybe it would turn out to just be a dream he had while dozing in the Room of Requirement.
“Thank you,” he added, his voice hoarse with exhaustion and emotion. “I’m glad you’re here.”
Regan didn’t show any sign of moving her own hand from his, or that it might even hurt, honestly she didn’t care one way or the other. “I’ll make sure they are okay,” she confirmed, she could do that, it’d just be a matter of tracking them down and that couldn’t be too hard, even with the world as it was.