Of course, I know what the baby's name will be, as well. You'll just have to wait and see!

~~~~

It was like he'd taken a sword and slashed at my chest with it. Blood started soaking through my clothes, and I only distantly heard Ciara's scream. I'm pretty sure I fell backwards, though I was in too much pain to even pay attention to that.

As if through a fog, I heard Ciara yelling, "Are you insane? Were you trying to kill her?"

"You're the one who told me about that spell!" he argued.

"Curse! It's a curse! And when I told you about it, you promised you'd never use it!"

A new voice, Scorpius's, I thought, came through the arguing. "What's going on? Why was Adalyn—" His voice stopped for a minute, then he said, with a much lower voice, "What happened?"

No one answered.

"Tell me!" he shouted, obviously worried.

"Nico used Sectumsempra on her..."

"What?!"

I turned my head a bit and opened my eyes to see Scorpius on his knees next to me, looking completely unsure of what to do.

Nico glared at both Malfoys. "You can't tell me she didn't deserve it."

"How on earth did she deserve it? She could die!" Ciara yelled.

"Have fun with that." Nico shrugged and stomped out.

Scorpius got his wand out, his hand trembling. "Help me, Ciara."

She dropped to her knees next to him, her face white. "W-what do we do?"

"Vulnera Sanentur," Scorpius said. Ciara copied him.

I felt the pain slowly lessening, and I closed my eyes. Soon, I felt Scorpius and Ciara pulling me to my feet, and Scorpius quickly put my arm over his shoulders to support me.

"Help me get her to the hospital wing," he said coldly.

Ciara and Scorpius half helped, half carried me up several flights of stairs and down corridors. Finally I felt them set me down on something soft.

They must have stayed as Mrs. Longbottom worried over me. She commended Scorpius for his quick thinking, then gave me a few potions, telling them to be quiet so I could sleep. Then she bustled off, saying something about getting the headmaster.

I kept my eyes closed, and steadied my breathing. I was fine now. It was going to be okay.

"All right, what happened?" Scorpius asked. He must have thought I was asleep. I did my best to look the part.

"Scorpius, I didn't know he would do that. I didn't even know what he was doing—"

"Ciara, you realize that if she had died, you would have aided murder? What's wrong with you?"

There was a pause before Ciara answered, "I-I didn't know he was going to do that..."

"How did he even learn that spell?"

"Well... I was telling him that Professor Potter wasn't completely good, and I mentioned the spell and what happened with it, and he was really interested in it... But he promised he wouldn't use it..."

"How could you trust him to keep a promise like that? What else would you expect? It's Nico, Ciara. He's psychotic. I swear, he has no conscience. How could you help him with anything?"

"I didn't mean—"

"She's our cousin, Ciara!"

"I'm s-sorry..." Her voice was trembling now.

As far as I knew, Scorpius and Ciara had had a less than perfect relationship since they got to Hogwarts four years ago, but they'd never had anything like this happen. Based on what Scorpius said, they'd always been fairly close, even if neither didn't approve of the other one's choices of friends. Now, though, it seemed like Scorpius was finally done with his sister.

"Save it." He sighed. "I can't believe you."

I heard him get up and leave, followed by quiet crying. Ciara. I was tempted to open my eyes, but decided against it. Eventually, I heard footsteps and Pouri's low voice as he asked Ciara to come up to his office. A chair scraped against the floor, and I was alone. Within minutes, I'd drifted off to sleep.

~~~~

When I woke up, it was dark, but I could tell there were people surrounding me. I struggled to sit up, only to hear a quiet gasp and be gently pushed back down. "You're not strong enough to sit up," I heard Victoire whisper. Instantly, a wave of calm washed over me. My family was here.

"Are you all right?" Aunt Andromeda asked, taking my hand.

I smiled at her, my eyes adjusting to the gloom. "I think I'm okay."

"Do you remember what happened?" asked Teddy. "Ciara said she wasn't in the room for most of it."

"I'm sure she can tell us that later," Victoire scolded. She brushed the hair out of my face. "Don't think about that now, Astra."

"All right, fine." Teddy sighed, sitting back in his chair. "We're pressing charges, though. I don't even care if he's 'just a boy.' That was... Despicable. Something worse. I can't even describe it."

"I hate him," I whispered, shivering.

"Of course, dear," Aunt Andromeda said, rubbing my hand. "Don't worry about him right now."

"He'll most likely be expelled, anyway," Teddy said, smiling at me.

I glanced around. I loved having my family here, and I felt an overwhelming urge to cry for some reason. I didn't want to do that, so I changed the subject. "Is Albus here?"

"He's asleep. He and Wren and Marcus have been here for hours," Victoire told me. "We made them go sleep about an hour ago, or else they probably wouldn't have."

"Oh, okay." I smiled, suddenly feeling tired again. "I think... Maybe I should go to sleep too..."

"You need your rest," Aunt Andromeda agreed, squeezing my hand. I closed my eyes, and fell asleep almost at once.

~~~~

The next time I woke up, it was light outside, and opening my eyes to the bright world sent sparks of pain through my head. I groaned, closing my eyes again. "Make it dark..."

Someone must have closed the curtains in the window or something, because I could feel the light dimming. I opened my eyes again. It wasn't as bad. Blinking, I glanced around and took in Wren, Marcus, and Albus.

"You're awake!" Wren smiled.

"You've got a concussion," said Albus, his eyes wide.

"But Mrs. Longbottom says you'll be okay," Marcus clarified quickly.

"Do you feel okay?" Wren asked.

I frowned. "I think so. Except a headache..."

"Normal for a concussion. You're a lot more sensitive to light," Albus explained.

"Mrs. Longbottom said the symptoms should go away in a few weeks," Marcus added.

I nodded slowly. "Okay... Did Nico get expelled?"

The three glanced at each other uneasily. "Well... No," Albus answered at last. "Nico said he didn't know what the spell did, and he didn't mean to hurt you, and no one can prove otherwise."

"But Ciara told him what it did," I said.

"She said that," Albus agreed, "but it's her word against his. Pouri's really mad about it, but he can't do anything except punish Nico for bullying. Mrs. Tonks is pressing charges, though."

"Yeah. Teddy told me." I frowned. "What was the spell, anyway?"

"Sectumsempera," Wren said, shuddering. "It's an awful curse. I don't know why anyone would ever make it."

"Severus Snape made it," Albus said, scowling. "The person I'm named after."

"Your middle name is Severus?" Marcus asked, wincing sympathetically. "I am so sorry."

"Thanks." Albus shook his head. "Dad found the curse in his sixth year when he found Snape's old Potions book. He used it on Mr. Malfoy, but he didn't know what it did. Mr. Malfoy must've told Ciara and Scorpius at some point."

"And Ciara told that psychopath," Marcus said, shaking his head. "She's got to be an idiot to not know that he's mad."

"Or maybe she doesn't care," I said, glaring at my bedsheets. I saw Wren and Albus exchange a glance out of the corner of my eye.

"Ciara feels really bad, actually," Albus said after a moment. "She asked us to tell you."

"It takes more than feeling bad to make up for letting her friend almost kill me."

Marcus nodded in agreement, but Albus just sighed. "Okay, we'll just put that aside for now."

"For now," Wren agreed. "Anyway, you slept for a full thirty-six hours, until last night. Do you remember?"

I nodded. "Where's Teddy and Aunt Andromeda and Victoire?"

"Asleep. They've been here almost as long as we have."

At that moment, the door to the hospital wing burst open. Colette and James walked in, Colette with an armful of books, James with an armful of food. When they saw I was up, they both quickened their pace, James being careful not to spill anything off his tray. Colette dumped her books on the bed next to mine and plopped down next to Wren, grinning. "You're alive!"

"I would hope so," I said, laughing a bit.

"For a while, we didn't know if you would make it," Albus said seriously. "If Scorpius hadn't shown up..."

"Let's not think about that,"  Marcus said quickly, looking horrified.

James set his tray down carefully on the bed behind Marcus. "Why think about that when you can think about dinner?" He nudged Marcus in the side. "Mate, you know how much schoolwork you've missed today?"

"I hope Colin took good notes," Marcus said, frowning.

James shrugged. "I'm pretty sure I saw him dozing off in History of Magic, but maybe I was just dreaming."

Marcus winced, and I quickly changed the subject. "Colette, why'd you bring a small library?"

"Oh, that's Wren and Albus's schoolbooks. They cut classes today; can you believe it?"

"Shocking," I said drily. "I suppose you didn't?"

"Colette? Cut classes?" James chuckled. "I didn't know she went to classes anymore."

"I actually haven't skipped a class for several weeks," Colette said haughtily. "I haven't had any breakthroughs recently."

"What?" Marcus asked.

"Nothing," Colette said shortly. "Anyway, Haverna sends her love, Astra. Or perhaps loathing. Couldn't quite tell when she was growling it at me."

"Haha, very funny." James rolled his eyes. "Dad wants to know if you're well enough to talk to him, by the way, Astra."

"I... I guess so." I shrugged. "Why not?"

"Well, if you've got a headache or fatigue or irritability, as if that's not normal—"

"Hey!"

"—or anxiety or one of those others symptoms of a concussion, he said it could wait."

"I think I'm okay," I said.

"Perfect." James motioned to the food. "Eat up, kids, before it gets cold, and I'll go find Dad."

Marcus, Wren, and Albus each took a bowl of stew as Colette filled them in on what they'd missed during the day ("Nothing much, though Nico's been suspended for two weeks"). I wasn't hungry, and had a feeling that even if I was, Mrs. Longbottom would have something special for me, so I declined the fourth bowl Wren offered me.

After about ten minutes, Mr. Potter came in. He sent my friends off to rest, and sat down in one of the chairs next to my bed. "How are you feeling?"

"All right enough, I guess." I was feeling a bit tired, but my headache was slowly going away, so that was fine.

"Good." He smiled wearily. "Can you tell me what happened?"

I nodded, and launched into the story. For once, I didn't try to make myself seem innocent or place more blame on Ciara and Nico and Adalyn than was due. Nico had done something awful, and this was much more serious than our normal squabbles. I understood the gravity of the situation. Mr. Potter listened solemnly, occasionally asking a question where I'd left a detail out. Apparently, Ciara had told him the same story.

"Ciara told him what the spell did," I informed him when I'd reached the end of my tale.

"Yes, I'm aware." Mr. Potter frowned. "She told me."

"That was stupid of her."

"Yes, perhaps it was. She, at least, is very upset about it."

"Yeah, right," I said, frowning at the bed sheet.

"She is." Mr. Potter sighed. "I know the two of you don't get along, but she never wanted you hurt. She feels awful, Astra."

"Well, she can feel awful. That won't change anything."

"No, it won't, but neither will harboring resentment and bitterness for the rest of your life."

I avoided his gaze. "She deserves that."

Mr. Potter sighed. "Maybe she does. She's punished herself enough, though. She doesn't need you to do it, as well. Just think about that, all right?"

I nodded slowly, all the while resolving in my mind that I would never, ever, forgive Ciara Malfoy.

~~~~

Mrs. Longbottom confined me to the hospital wing for the next several days. The cuts on my chest hadn't fully healed, and she wanted to keep an eye on me until they did. Not to mention the fact that I had a concussion, which made me dizzy whenever I stood up and tired after about an hour of being awake.

Wren and Albus were let off classes to stay with me during the days. Marcus wasn't, no matter how much he argued, because it was his OWLs year and everything was "vitally important." Every free moment was spent with us, though.

The days would have dragged on terribly if I'd been alone. My family went home the next day, assured I would make a full recovery. Wren and Albus were the only ones left. However, on top of them, I had my fair share of visitors. Pip Dinggit and Elmer Poe came once, bearing flowers, chocolates, and a get-well card. Elmer swore his undying love, claiming it would follow me beyond the grave. Wren was the one who let him know that I was in absolutely no danger of dying.

Lily and Eviana came around several times, Lily swearing to make life Hell for Ciara and Adalyn and Nico, when he returned to school. I'd never seen her so mad at someone.

Fred also stopped by, bringing the all-school Quidditch team he'd formed with him. Poppy and Grant were horrified and Dom swore she'd get revenge for me, but Adriana, the quiet Slytherin, was the most surprising with her threat to throw Nico off the Astronomy Tower if he ever messed with me again. Fred brought the mood back up by only lamenting the fact that I couldn't play Quidditch for a few weeks, wrecking any chances he had of organizing another tournament this term.

The Dubois twins stopped in several times to fill me in on all the latest gossip they'd heard. They'd become friends with Lacy recently, and she had kept them very informed on what was happening in the social lives of everyone at Hogwarts. Apparently, what had happened in the dungeon was dominating the conversation of the rest of the castle.

Of course, they had other things to talk about, too. Françoise and Amélie seemed to understand that I didn't want to think about Nico, and talked for hours about France, and Étienne and Faith (apparently, they'd started going out together), and all the cute boys they'd noticed recently who might serve as a replacement if Marcus ever dropped dead. James rarely came up in the conversation, strangely enough. Colette told us that was because, after the second task and their "near death experience," the twins had decided to move on from petty squabbles and each had let the other "have him," making neither want him very much.

A few days after I'd woken up, Scorpius and Elcie came by. Of course, they'd visited before, when their parents had come to see how I was, but this time they were alone. Elcie plopped down on the edge of my bed. "Are you feeling better today?" she asked.

I nodded, smiling at my little cousin. "Great."

"Good," Scorpius said, more solemn than his sister. "When will they let you out?"

"Tomorrow or the next day," Albus answered promptly, which was good because I actually didn't have any idea.

"Ciara feels so bad," Elcie said, her eyes wide. "Really."

I glanced at Scorpius, but he just rolled his eyes. They hadn't made up yet. A part of me, the bitter part, was actually a little happy.

"She wants to talk to you, too," Elcie was saying.

"No. Definitely not."

"Why?" My cousin seemed surprised.

I frowned at her for a moment. How could I explain everything to an eleven-year-old? I settled on an easy answer. "It's complicated."

"Yeah," Scorpius said, nodding. "Ciara did something really bad, Elcie. Astra' not going to get over it overnight."

"Oh."

Scorpius quickly changed the subject, telling us about Luke and River's latest trick—enchanting all the suits of armor on the first and second floors so they started doing the tango. Apparently, they hadn't even gotten in trouble, though everyone knew who did it. I was glad to be able to think about something else for a while. My cousins stayed for several hours, talking about anything and everything not relating to Ciara, Adalyn, or Nico.

~~~~

I was finally released the next morning. My concussion symptoms had gone down a lot, and Mrs. Longbottom said that other than a few very bad headaches over the next few days, I would be just fine.

Classes weren't too bad, except when my he'd started hurting and I couldn't concentrate on anything else. Apparently, even Haverna was being flexible (forced, I presumed) and not making me make up every single thing I missed, but only the very important topics. Most of the other teachers simply assigned me a little extra reading and called it good.

Nico was still suspended, but only for a day or two more. I was dreading when he returned. I wasn't scared, really. I just didn't want to see him. At all. Bad memories, and all that.

A few times, Ciara tried to talk to me, but I ignored her or walked away. I wasn't going to forgive her. I wasn't even going to accept an apology. Not yet, at least. She could be miserable with guilt. Served her right. But I wasn't going to set her mind at ease any time soon.

Apparently, the details of what had happened were secret. No one really knew what had gone on, but everyone knew it was bad enough to land me in the hospital wing for a week and get Nico suspended for two. And that had to be very bad. People didn't just get suspended over nothing. I was pressed for details more than once, but refused to talk about it.

Finally, the day arrived, and Nico returned to school. He swaggered into the Great Hall, looking like he owned the place. When he caught my eye, he winked at me. I glared back, but Nico had already turned to Ciara.

Everyone was watching by now, and the Great Hall was almost eerily silent as Nico said something to Ciara. From across the Hall, I could only hear the sound of his voice, but not make out distinct words.

Ciara answered him without looking at him, and whatever she said made her glare at her. He let out a string of cussing at her. If she flinched, I couldn't see it from here. What she did do was stand up, whirl around, and cut him off, yelling, "Go away, Nico! Leave me alone! I hate you!"

Nico's shocked aura radiated around the Hall. Ciara calmly sat down, ignoring him now, and Nico took a few steps backwards. He regained his composure quickly, and walked down the Slytherin table to sit elsewhere. When he sat down, the third years nearby scooted farther away. Nico was shunned. Hopefully, for good.

~~~~

Question of the Day: Who was worse, Voldemort or Umbridge? Tell me why!

Vote and comment, friends! We're ten chapters out, now!

~Ellie