The bright sunlight streamed through the gaps in the poorly fitted blinds. Robert tried to sit up but was quickly pushed back down onto the bed and he quickly closed his eyes against the light. His head swam and he could feel the aching pain in his leg. Images kept flashing through his mind, of poor men being dragged to their deaths, torn apart by foul creatures, images of the shadowed trees as they had raced through, and those dark uncaring, unforgiving almost murderous eyes.
Robert peered through semi closed eye lids at his surroundings, he had no idea where the portkey had led them, but at least they were somewhere safe. Hell, he had no idea which continent they were on.
“ Where ...” he croaked, his throat was dry and he could barely mutter that simple word, he again tried to sit up, leaning on his elbows.
“Lie down,” a rough hand pushed his shoulders once again, Kristof’s face was nothing but a blur, but the man sported a large bandage wrapped around his head and a rather black swollen eye, “You need to rest and I don’t want you throwing up after that potion I just gave you. Your throat is going to feel like sandpaper for a while.”
“You forced a potion down my neck!” Robert tried to resist but didn’t have the energy, he didn’t like being helped, he always thought that people then had something over him, that they were superior than him and that he would always be in their debt.
“Well, it was either that or cut that leg of yours off,” Kristof said slapping the man’s leg, he wasn’t the caring kind, but he knew how to deal with a life and death situation. “I think you would like that leg of yours, have to keep those bloody kids of yours inline don’t you, don’t need them running circles around you.”
Robert winced as the burly man hit him, only drawing his attention to the pain that was pulsing up his leg. Realisation dawned on him and he could feel a tight knot in his stomach grow larger and larger and his heart began to race.
“Kristof...did...the bite?” Robert croaked harshly, Robert tried not to show the worry on his face, but he knew that this couldn’t be good either way.
“I don’t know exactly Robert,” the man didn’t meet his gaze and this only enforced the worries and questions that were racing through the man’s mind.
There was nothing he could do now, he needed to rest, at the best his leg would soon heal and he would be back to the way he was, the pig headed, arrogant care taker of Hogwarts that got along with no one and he was happy about it. He didn’t need people in his life, people just let you down or got in the way, Robert didn’t have the patience for people in general, although he did hold a couple of acquaintances, Kristof included.
“Lycas?” Robert’s eyes bore into the other mans in questioning, but the small shake of a head told him that there had been no sign of him and no sign of their payment either. He knew that it had been a stupid idea, but Robert needed the money and found that the ‘operation’ would have been a good way to get it off hand, behind the counter, without anyone blinking an eye lid.
But now he lay in the small room, a large wound on his leg, not knowing how bad it really was, without any sign of his payment coming through. It is at that point that Robert decided that no matter what happened, Lycas was going to pay for what he had allowed to happen. He was going to pay, Robert didn’t like being messed around, and at this rate he had nothing else to live for. This wound could be the end of his boring, lonely, arrogant life, but it was his life and Robert was happy living it the way it was.
“I’m going to find him Kristof, someone somewhere has to know where he is, and ARGHH!” Robert arched his back in pain; Kristof stood up beside him and looked down at his watch.
“That would be the potion kicking in then,” he moved to the other end of the bed and removed the dressing that covered the injury. If he didn’t then the skin and tissue wouldn’t heal properly and would include the bandage in the process of the healing.
Kristof was known for his potions; mainly his name was whispered among people gathered in small groups along Knockturn. His methods were, what you would call, experimental, but would often work a lot better than anything sold over the counter. However the side effects were what kept them on the black market; they would often cause a lot of pain, or sickness before actually healing the patient.
Kristof watched as the blackened skin around Robert’s wound began to change in colour, and new tissue began to take its place. It was a rather disgusting process to watch, and also a very painful one. What would normally take several weeks to heal properly was taking but a few mere minutes.
Robert groaned in pain, and wrestled with the pain in his bed, sweat dripped from his forehead and his hands were clenched in fists. He bit on his bottom lip, trying to block out the severe pain. He knew that it was probably necessary, and was slightly thankful for the help. He knew that faster that he was healed the faster he could get out on the streets and find the man responsible for all this mess. Responsible for Roberts injury, and responsible for the deaths of all those men that he had employed to help him. They had ventured on the mission, believing it would be a simple hit job, with little difficulty. ‘There and back’ he had told them, he hadn’t told them that they would have been fighting to their deaths.
Robert was fighting on the edge of consciousness, his head pounding and vision blurring. His whole body was shaking with the pain, but he continued to battle with it.
Bright light suddenly filled the room and Nicholas, the other man that had made it to the port key burst into the room.
“We have to move. NOW!” He began chucking a couple of things into a bag that lay on the floor.
“But he isn’t ready,” snapped Kristof turning his back to Robert, “He can’t cope with moving.”
“Well he’ll have to,” growled the tall man, zipping the bag up and drawing his want from his pocket. “I’m not staying either way, it seems our friends yells have drawn us some unwanted attention and I’m not sticking around to deal with it.” With that final statement the man disapparated, away from the trouble, leaving Kristof to deal with whatever trouble laid waiting for them.
“I’m fine,” Robert groaned as he sat himself up in the bed, swinging his leg over the side, “We need to go, so I will go. I don’t need to stay around here acting like a child, we need to get out of here and get things sorted. I don’t know what trouble lies in wait outside that door, but I know I have had enough of trouble to do me until next week at least.” He staggered to his face, pain etched across his face, he grabbed his torn trousers off the back of a chair and pulled them on, wincing with every movement. He reached into his pockets but came out empty handed; he gave Kristof a puzzled look and glanced around the room. “Where’s my wand?”
“I’m sorry, Robert, it took us all we had just to get you to the portkey,” he drew his own wand, “I don’t like this, but we have no choice, there is a chance of you splinching in your current condition, but I don’t know who is waiting for us down those stairs, and I don’t want to hand around to wait and find out.”
Robert growled low in his throat, he felt helpless without his wand, he had never been any good at wandless magic, never mind injuring his leg, this felt like he had lost his whole arm. He stumbled across the wooden floor and quickly grabbed a hold of Kristof’s arm and braced himself.
Pain shot through Robert’s leg as they landed in a back alley of Knockturn Alley, a man lay drunk at the end, well he was either drunk of dead, Robert preferred not to think of the latter. He had seen to many die over the past couple of days, death was not easy for anyone, no matter how many times you had to deal with it. Kristof leant Robert against a wall and crept to the open end of the alley. He glanced out and quickly withdrew as several aurors rushed past, he pinned himself to the wall and motioned for Robert to remain silent.
Robert glared at the man, “You just apparated us out here? Why not further away?” he growled in a low whisper, “You may aswell could have apparated us to the auror head quarters, saved them the journey?”
“Shut up,” he snapped in a whisper, “You are still recovering and I’m sorry but I can’t be bothered to deal with you splinching, it is bad enough you being bitten by that-”
“Oh I’m sorry for being such a hassle, you should have just left me to die, or worse,” Robert stumbled along the alleyway towards the opening. “Well thanks for all your help Kristof but I think I can take it from here, Robert then stepped out into Knockturn Alley to face the music.
