Chapter 134: Rest and Recovery

The second Apparition ended behind a stand of bare trees near Hogsmeade. Edward remained conscious long enough to recognize the path to the Whomping Willow. After that, the journey broke into pieces: Sirius supporting him beneath one shoulder, the secret passage pitching under his feet, damp earth against his palm when he stumbled, and the warped door of the Shrieking Shack opening ahead. 

Sirius lowered him onto a mattress they had placed there for planned meetings. The room smelled of old timber and dust, but the linen was clean. Edward tried to sit and discovered that the cut along his ribs objected to every movement. 

"Stay down," Sirius said. 

"We need to report." 

"We will. You are not holding the mirror with that hand." 

Edward looked at his left hand. The fingers trembled when he tried to close them. Sensation was returning after the curse, which was reassuring, but pain followed close behind. 

Sirius took the Two-way Mirror from Edward's pocket and spoke Dumbledore's name. The glass brightened almost at once. Dumbledore appeared without his usual smile, and the reflection of his office fire shone across his spectacles. 

"Sirius. Where is Edward?" 

Sirius angled the mirror toward the mattress. 

"In the Shack," Edward said. "Conscious. Cut at the ribs, hit at the shoulder, severe magical exhaustion. No bite." 

Dumbledore's gaze remained on him. "Did the brass signal activate?" 

"Yes. I broke it beside Ron. Then I left before help arrived." 

There was no useful way to soften the admission. Edward described the sequence from the moment Scabbers bit Ron through the blue fire in the clearing. He separated what he had seen from what he had assumed. Dolohov had gathered about twelve people. Fenrir had identified Edward by scent. Several wizards had tried to restrain or stun him. Dolohov had spoken of recruitment only after Sirius intervened. 

When Edward finished, Dumbledore asked Sirius for his account. Sirius reported his pursuit of Peter, the silver warning from the Vow, the lost trail, and the smoke that had drawn him toward the clearing. He did not excuse his own decision by pointing to Edward's. 

"Professor Flitwick reached Mr. Weasley within two minutes of the signal," Dumbledore said. "Madam Rosmerta treated the bite. Harry and Miss Granger are safe, and Mr. Weasley has returned to the castle. Your warning therefore served its purpose before you abandoned the plan." 

Edward accepted the rebuke in the order it was given. 

"Remain where you are," Dumbledore continued. "Remus will bring a restorative and examine the injuries. He will also inspect the passage for any sign that Peter used it. Do not leave until he arrives." 

"What about Dolohov?" Edward asked. 

"The Ministry will receive the location and the names you can support. They may find an empty clearing by the time they act, but a failed arrest is preferable to sending students after trained killers." 

The mirror darkened. 

Sirius set it on the floor and began cleaning the cut at Edward's side with water from a sealed bottle. His hands were steady now. The cloth came away red twice, then only pink. 

"No curse in the wound that I can detect," he said. "Remus will know better." 

Edward watched him tie the bandage. "You said Peter reached the trees. Did he transform where Ron could see?" 

"Not fully. He was a rat when he bit Ron and when he ran. But he chose a route, doubled back when I blocked it, and used a drainpipe no ordinary pet would have noticed. Harry and Hermione saw part of that." 

"Enough to question the story, not enough to prove the answer." 

"Exactly." 

Sirius sat against the opposite wall. Exhaustion hollowed his face, and a burn marked the cuff of his coat. Edward realized that Sirius had spent most of the afternoon running as a dog, fought several adult wizards, and completed two Side-Along Apparitions without rest. 

"You should drink something," Edward said. 

"So should you." 

They divided the water. 

The silence that followed was not comfortable, but neither of them tried to fill it with reassurance. Edward replayed his departure from Hogsmeade. The moment had not felt foolish. It had felt urgent, informed, and almost responsible. That was what made the error dangerous. 

Ash stirred beneath the memory of the fight. The partition offered flashes rather than words: Fenrir's claws, the tightening ring of wands, the desire to flood the clearing with enough fire that no threat could remain standing. Edward had taken the speed and refused most of the violence. The blue flame proved that refusal alone was not control. 

He pressed his right palm against the cool floor. "Ash wanted to burn through all of them." 

Sirius did not look shocked. "And what did you want?" 

"To escape. Then, for a few seconds, I wanted the same thing." 

"Ash is not a second person waiting to possess you," Sirius said. "It is a part of you that learned fear differently. Pretending its anger belongs to someone else would only make it harder to govern." 

Edward had heard the explanation before. Tonight it felt less theoretical. 

"I stopped the fire when you called me." 

"You did. You also created it after exhausting yourself in a fight you were ordered to avoid. Both facts belong in the account." 

Footsteps sounded in the passage. Sirius became a dog before the door opened, wand hidden beneath one paw. Lupin entered alone with a brown case and announced himself before crossing the threshold. 

Sirius resumed human form. 

"No movement behind me," Lupin said. "I checked every branch of the passage that can be reached from the school. If Peter entered, he left no trace I could distinguish from years of rats." 

He examined Edward's shoulder, ribs, eyes, and wand hand. The cutting curse had left a shallow wound. The shoulder would bruise badly, but no bone had broken. The greater concern was exhaustion and the strain of compressing so much heat through an unstable spell. 

"Drink this in three portions," Lupin said, handing him a standard restorative. "If you feel fever, numbness, or any urge to cast before morning, tell us. The last symptom may be the most alarming." 

Edward managed a tired smile. "Understood." 

Lupin inspected Sirius next and found a strained wrist. While he wrapped it, he summarized the search at Hogsmeade. Flitwick had found the broken signal, Ron's blood, and tracks leading toward the cottages. The red flare had been seen from the village, but by the time adult searchers reached the wood, concealment charms covered the route. 

"Dumbledore wants written statements from both of you tomorrow," Lupin said. "Not matching statements. Separate ones." 

"Good," Sirius replied. 

A sharp pop interrupted them. Kreacher appeared beside the cold hearth carrying folded robes, bread, pumpkin juice, blankets, and a small washbasin. His eyes found Edward's bandage, then Sirius's face. 

"Little Master is injured." 

"He is stable," Lupin said before blame could become a speech. "What he needs now is food and sleep." 

Kreacher placed the supplies with unusual care. "Kreacher brought only sealed food, as instructed. Kreacher also brought clean clothes and the blanket from Little Master's room." 

"Thank you," Edward said. 

The elf's ears lowered with relief. He turned on Sirius. "Master Sirius was supposed to protect him." 

"I was," Sirius said. "I failed to keep the plan, and so did Edward. We are going to tell the truth about both mistakes." 

The absence of an argument seemed to confuse Kreacher more than anger would have. He muttered about reckless Blacks while spreading the blanket over Edward. 

Lupin remained until Edward finished the first portion of the restorative. Before leaving, he sealed the passage from the school side and promised to return at dawn. Sirius took the chair near the door. Kreacher settled near the hearth after extracting a promise that someone would wake him if Edward's breathing changed. 

Edward ate half a slice of bread and drank slowly. His magic returned as a dull warmth rather than a rush. The room stopped tilting when he turned his head. 

He wrote three facts on a scrap of parchment before sleep overtook him: Dolohov's gathering was real. Peter had exposed deliberate intelligence while escaping. Blue fire could spread beyond Edward's intent when Ash and exhaustion met. 

None of those facts redeemed the chase. They only told him what the mistake had revealed.

The second Apparition ended behind a stand of bare trees near Hogsmeade. Edward remained conscious long enough to recognize the path to the Whomping Willow. After that, the journey broke into pieces: Sirius supporting him beneath one shoulder, the secret passage pitching under his feet, damp earth against his palm when he stumbled, and the warped door of the Shrieking Shack opening ahead. 

Sirius lowered him onto a mattress they had placed there for planned meetings. The room smelled of old timber and dust, but the linen was clean. Edward tried to sit and discovered that the cut along his ribs objected to every movement. 

"Stay down," Sirius said. 

"We need to report." 

"We will. You are not holding the mirror with that hand." 

Edward looked at his left hand. The fingers trembled when he tried to close them. Sensation was returning after the curse, which was reassuring, but pain followed close behind. 

Sirius took the Two-way Mirror from Edward's pocket and spoke Dumbledore's name. The glass brightened almost at once. Dumbledore appeared without his usual smile, and the reflection of his office fire shone across his spectacles. 

"Sirius. Where is Edward?" 

Sirius angled the mirror toward the mattress. 

"In the Shack," Edward said. "Conscious. Cut at the ribs, hit at the shoulder, severe magical exhaustion. No bite." 

Dumbledore's gaze remained on him. "Did the brass signal activate?" 

"Yes. I broke it beside Ron. Then I left before help arrived." 

There was no useful way to soften the admission. Edward described the sequence from the moment Scabbers bit Ron through the blue fire in the clearing. He separated what he had seen from what he had assumed. Dolohov had gathered about twelve people. Fenrir had identified Edward by scent. Several wizards had tried to restrain or stun him. Dolohov had spoken of recruitment only after Sirius intervened. 

When Edward finished, Dumbledore asked Sirius for his account. Sirius reported his pursuit of Peter, the silver warning from the Vow, the lost trail, and the smoke that had drawn him toward the clearing. He did not excuse his own decision by pointing to Edward's. 

"Professor Flitwick reached Mr. Weasley within two minutes of the signal," Dumbledore said. "Madam Rosmerta treated the bite. Harry and Miss Granger are safe, and Mr. Weasley has returned to the castle. Your warning therefore served its purpose before you abandoned the plan." 

Edward accepted the rebuke in the order it was given. 

"Remain where you are," Dumbledore continued. "Remus will bring a restorative and examine the injuries. He will also inspect the passage for any sign that Peter used it. Do not leave until he arrives." 

"What about Dolohov?" Edward asked. 

"The Ministry will receive the location and the names you can support. They may find an empty clearing by the time they act, but a failed arrest is preferable to sending students after trained killers." 

The mirror darkened. 

Sirius set it on the floor and began cleaning the cut at Edward's side with water from a sealed bottle. His hands were steady now. The cloth came away red twice, then only pink. 

"No curse in the wound that I can detect," he said. "Remus will know better." 

Edward watched him tie the bandage. "You said Peter reached the trees. Did he transform where Ron could see?" 

"Not fully. He was a rat when he bit Ron and when he ran. But he chose a route, doubled back when I blocked it, and used a drainpipe no ordinary pet would have noticed. Harry and Hermione saw part of that." 

"Enough to question the story, not enough to prove the answer." 

"Exactly." 

Sirius sat against the opposite wall. Exhaustion hollowed his face, and a burn marked the cuff of his coat. Edward realized that Sirius had spent most of the afternoon running as a dog, fought several adult wizards, and completed two Side-Along Apparitions without rest. 

"You should drink something," Edward said. 

"So should you." 

They divided the water. 

The silence that followed was not comfortable, but neither of them tried to fill it with reassurance. Edward replayed his departure from Hogsmeade. The moment had not felt foolish. It had felt urgent, informed, and almost responsible. That was what made the error dangerous. 

Ash stirred beneath the memory of the fight. The partition offered flashes rather than words: Fenrir's claws, the tightening ring of wands, the desire to flood the clearing with enough fire that no threat could remain standing. Edward had taken the speed and refused most of the violence. The blue flame proved that refusal alone was not control. 

He pressed his right palm against the cool floor. "Ash wanted to burn through all of them." 

Sirius did not look shocked. "And what did you want?" 

"To escape. Then, for a few seconds, I wanted the same thing." 

"Ash is not a second person waiting to possess you," Sirius said. "It is a part of you that learned fear differently. Pretending its anger belongs to someone else would only make it harder to govern." 

Edward had heard the explanation before. Tonight it felt less theoretical. 

"I stopped the fire when you called me." 

"You did. You also created it after exhausting yourself in a fight you were ordered to avoid. Both facts belong in the account." 

Footsteps sounded in the passage. Sirius became a dog before the door opened, wand hidden beneath one paw. Lupin entered alone with a brown case and announced himself before crossing the threshold. 

Sirius resumed human form. 

"No movement behind me," Lupin said. "I checked every branch of the passage that can be reached from the school. If Peter entered, he left no trace I could distinguish from years of rats." 

He examined Edward's shoulder, ribs, eyes, and wand hand. The cutting curse had left a shallow wound. The shoulder would bruise badly, but no bone had broken. The greater concern was exhaustion and the strain of compressing so much heat through an unstable spell. 

"Drink this in three portions," Lupin said, handing him a standard restorative. "If you feel fever, numbness, or any urge to cast before morning, tell us. The last symptom may be the most alarming." 

Edward managed a tired smile. "Understood." 

Lupin inspected Sirius next and found a strained wrist. While he wrapped it, he summarized the search at Hogsmeade. Flitwick had found the broken signal, Ron's blood, and tracks leading toward the cottages. The red flare had been seen from the village, but by the time adult searchers reached the wood, concealment charms covered the route. 

"Dumbledore wants written statements from both of you tomorrow," Lupin said. "Not matching statements. Separate ones." 

"Good," Sirius replied. 

A sharp pop interrupted them. Kreacher appeared beside the cold hearth carrying folded robes, bread, pumpkin juice, blankets, and a small washbasin. His eyes found Edward's bandage, then Sirius's face. 

"Little Master is injured." 

"He is stable," Lupin said before blame could become a speech. "What he needs now is food and sleep." 

Kreacher placed the supplies with unusual care. "Kreacher brought only sealed food, as instructed. Kreacher also brought clean clothes and the blanket from Little Master's room." 

"Thank you," Edward said. 

The elf's ears lowered with relief. He turned on Sirius. "Master Sirius was supposed to protect him." 

"I was," Sirius said. "I failed to keep the plan, and so did Edward. We are going to tell the truth about both mistakes." 

The absence of an argument seemed to confuse Kreacher more than anger would have. He muttered about reckless Blacks while spreading the blanket over Edward. 

Lupin remained until Edward finished the first portion of the restorative. Before leaving, he sealed the passage from the school side and promised to return at dawn. Sirius took the chair near the door. Kreacher settled near the hearth after extracting a promise that someone would wake him if Edward's breathing changed. 

Edward ate half a slice of bread and drank slowly. His magic returned as a dull warmth rather than a rush. The room stopped tilting when he turned his head. 

He wrote three facts on a scrap of parchment before sleep overtook him: Dolohov's gathering was real. Peter had exposed deliberate intelligence while escaping. Blue fire could spread beyond Edward's intent when Ash and exhaustion met. 

None of those facts redeemed the chase. They only told him what the mistake had revealed.