Same Fate PV | Ruthie G. Finished

Shuntbumps had actually been the first time she'd been knocked off her broom, but unlike Quidditch, there had been no one to save her. The feel of the knockback jinx hitting her straight in the chest was not dissimilar to the dodgeball she'd been hit with twice in early September, except the magical energy somehow felt tingly, like it was something of its own. Upon impact, she'd flung backwards like a diver and the Comet slipped right out from under her hands were ripped from the handle. As she fell, it was actually the Comet she prayed for, not herself. The new broom shattering was a thought she couldn't quite stomach. It hadn't even seen a Quidditch game as yet. Luckily, when she hit the ground, both girl and broom were in one piece.

Even Jorah had flown down to check on her before continuing on with play. She had simply insisted she was fine and that he should try to win. It was only when he'd left her side and flown back up to the others, that she tried to stand up and felt a shooting pain in her thigh. The spell had hit her in the chest, but she must have fallen awkwardly and sprained a muscle at best, broken something at worst. As she stretched down her leg to see if she could self-diagnosis the injury, she saw two more fall, both Slytherin girls. In fact, one was the one she had cast at by accident, the one who'd helped her at that disastrous ball: Thora. Her fall looked particularly nasty so it wasn't surprising when they ended up in the hospital wing.

Ruthie hadn't particularly wanted to attend the hospital wing, but the more the more she walked, the sharper the pain. So she acquiesced. But somewhere along the way, she lost her balance and blacked out. And that was how she ended up here, in a bed against her will. She had tried to sit up, but the pain in her leg seemed to shoot up to her abdomen. Pressing her head back against the pillow, she looked to either side, settling on the dresser beside her. It had a couple of bottles on it. She tried to read the labels, but they were fuzzy without her glasses.

Well, this sucked. A little fall, a wrong twist of a limb and she ended up here. What was she supposed to do in bed? Rest? Was that a thing people did? She didn't even have a book to pass the time. She was about to close her eyes to try and force herself into sleep when she heard a faint whisper call: "Sorry, Ruthie." Without moving her head, her eyes grazed as wide as view as they could, looking for the source. "Am I dead?" she asked quietly, half rhetorically. The half that wasn't rhetorical was serious, the result of the memories of the ball, where she'd nearly lost two housemates and teammates, one of which happened to be the closest thing she had to family in this school. Clearly, anything--including death--could happen within these walls.

Taking a breath, she pushed up on her elbows to sit up. Looking down the bed, she could make out a face at her side. It was either Thora or an angel who looked an awful lot like Thora. "Hey," she said her eyes adjusted to the light, "Some game, huh?" She didn't know the outcome--and she was curious about it--but at least she wasn't alone in falling. Hopefully Thora was okay. If she'd made it over here, she couldn't be completely blind from the spell Ru had sent her way at the start, and that was good.

Tag: @Thora Larkston

Tag: @Ruthie Greer

Thora plopped back on her own bed as Ruthie pushed herself up to a sitting position. Okay, so at least both girls were fine despite their nasty falls. "Yeah," she answered Ruthie, short and to the point. "I was kind of hoping I would stay on a little bit longer, but I guess not," the girl offered a small smile. She had met Ruthie already and the young Ravenclaw seemed like quite a companionable friend despite the horrible circumstances--two stabbings--they faced together. It was a wonder Thora wanted to get to know Ruthie more as she pretty much stayed away from anything social, the only person close to 'friend' at Hogwarts currently being a fellow second year Slytherin, Bridget Collins. 

Thora didn't really speak to anyone else, didn't really interact much--until this year. She had even attended the Masked Ball--which kept surfacing in her memory as it hadn't yet been a week since the traumatizing events that came with Hogwarts' latest social. Which brought her to meeting Ruthie. "Sorry for knocking you off your broom, by the way," Thora blushed pink. She knew it was just a game and it was kind of a mutual feeling for someone to hit you with spells--or worse--but Thora had the guiltiest conscience ever. She knew she needed to get this off her back while she could. 

"Calm down over there," the kind voice of the nurse floated over from a set of cabinets. Strolling over, the plump lady pronounced both girls fine with a couple casts of Episkey. "You two sweetie buns should still stay here just to make sure," she cautioned as she bustled away. If only the Masquerade Ball could've been solved as easily as Episkey.

What was she supposed to say? She didn't want to bring up the Masquerade Ball as that would surely bring up stimulating memories of blood, horrors, and more blood. It was a pity that was the only time they had met each other once before. Did they even have anything in common? A few moments of desperate racking brought Thora to only one conclusion. Quidditch. "Oh yeah, so I know you're on the Quidditch team, right? I'm pretty sure Slytherin's playing Ravenclaw next. What do you think about that?" She wasn't sure how Ruthie would respond as Ravenclaw had won their last match while Slytherin had lost. At least there was a point where their interests met. 

"Nobody really had that great a chance with Quinn out there," she replied as she heard Thora's wishful thinking that she would have stayed on longer. Ru loved sports so there was a part of her that agreed, but she also was not a fan of this whole individual sports thing. After all, that's why they had landed here--the entire point was to knock everyone else out. Still, the great half-giant had an advantage there none of the rest of them had. The Ravenclaw didn't know the outcome--she'd need to ask Shauna or Jorah--but she'd be very surprised if anyone other than Quinn had won.

As there snuck in a kind of silence, Ruthie took in the stale, muted colors of the hospital wing. Gods, she hated this place. The ball had landed both Dymph and Jorah here, and if it hadn't been for Thora--if it hadn't been for Thora, well, Ruthie would overcome with grief. And she'd blinded the girl in Shuntbumps. That was stupid, even if was an accident. She was recounting the event, when she heard Thora apologize. Her words were accompanied with a pink flush on her cheeks. "It's okay. I blinded you," Ruth replied, relaying a simple exchange of facts. Shuntbumps was just a game in a club. It really didn't matter.

But what Thora had done on the night of the masquerade ball, that mattered. That mattered a hell of a lot. And the reality was she hadn't really seen Thora since. Being in different years, they had different schedules, and it wasn't like she could cross her in the common room. Shuntbumps had been the first time she had seen her since that fateful night. Since they were clearing consciences, Ru seized the opportunity: "And I'm sorry I doubled your work bandaging Dymph at the ball. I didn't know what your charm would do or if it would work. But you were brilliant. Without you Dymph and Jorah..." Her voice trailed off. She didn't want to think about it. Nothing had so traumatized her in her entire life and she was still emotionally reeling from it.

The nurse scoured back and forth while suggesting they should stay here for a bit to rest even though they'd been healed with an easy Episkey. "Great," Ruthie said softly, "I hate this place." And she did. With only a few months at Hogwarts under her belt, she absolutely hated the hospital wing in light of the ball's events. At least she had Thora. Beyond her proficiency in Charms, Thora seemed like a nice girl, thoughtful and considerate. They'd made a great team and with time, she might even be a good friend.

As Ru's disappointment moved across her face, Thora tried to make conversation. Thankfully, she picked a topic that could remove any negative feeling from Ru's expression: Quidditch. Apparently, Thora was on the Slytherin team. "Yeah, Chaser. We are and I think you snakes better watch out," she said with a smile. No matter what happened, at least there was Quidditch. "What position do you play again?" she asked, curious. Ruthie imagined Thora was a fast flyer with how quickly she reached victims at the ball, but it'd be helpful to know more details.

Tag: @Thora Larkston

Tag: @Ruthie Greer

Ruthie brought up the painful subject of the Masquerade Ball, which was exactly what Thora had been hoping to avoid. She didn't mind the touchy topic much--to a certain extent, of course, as the girl had been deeply involved with its horrific events and didn't need it rehashed every which way. Besides, two stabbings had been the opposite of what anyone would've imagined the ball to be, so although Thora was fine relaying information, she shied away from the details.

"No, it's totally fine," the Slytherin tried to assure the younger blonde, blushing. It wasn't often she got complimented on her magic--much less hailed as the savior of people's lives--so it was a new introduction, something that Thora didn't know how to deal with gracefully. Thora knew that Dymphna and Jorah would have been unconscious in the Hospital Wing--or worse--had it not been for her. Just then, Ruthie voiced her exact thoughts before trailing off, evidently just as unwilling to face the two Ravenclaws' other possible fate.

Thinking back, it was incredible that Thora had even known the advanced spell. It had been thanks to her unquenchable thirst for knowledge, a sprained (or possibly broken) finger, and a free day at Summer Camp that she had learned the third year charm, reading ahead in her books, and proved it workable. Further, Thora had been overjoyed when it worked during the ball--and twice, for that matter--as her Extinguo, a simple first year spell, had totally failed and began another fire.

Lost for words, Thora crossed the several-feet space between the two beds and gave Ruthie an awkward side-hug. There was nothing to say, nothing else she could do. She couldn't say "It's okay" as trauma, physically and mentally, still had to be resolved. Besides, it wasn't her place to do so. She didn't know Ruthie very well--although the young Ravenclaw seemed like an amazing friend and she would like to sometime in the near future--and wasn't the best at comforting, especially given the complex situation at hand.

"I play Beater, although I'm just a second string," Thora said. She had so wanted a Chaser or maybe even Seeker spot on the team but had barely made it on in the position that fitted her the least--Beater. She was weak and wasn't very confident with the heavy Bludgers she would need to whack, but at least she was on the team. Thora was excited--and apprehensive--though, to play Ravenclaw. The two teams seemed like a good match--provided Dan spotted the Snitch at one point or another--and she wanted to see Ruthie play Chaser. She seemed like a pretty committed--and skilled--Quidditch player.

Making sure her wand was safely stowed in the inner pocket of her robes, Thora stood up. "I think I'm going to get going, then," the Slytherin said. "I guess--I'll see you at Quidditch," she said with a smile. There was no doubt Ruthie would follow her based on her earlier display of dislike for the bright yet cold Hospital Wing, but who knew? The girl might have changed her mind. As Thora stepped out of the Hospital Wing yet again and watched the wooden door close behind her, she sighed. Thora would really have liked to get to know Ruthie better, but then was not the time and place with other patients faceless NPCs and nurses watching with keen ears. If only they would see each other again...

Thora Larkston leaves thread unless she is stopped