"You can't do that! I brought her here!" I bellowed at the mad old bat who refused to allow me to follow Kirsten's stretcher through the emergency room's doors. She looked up at me sternly, not batting an eye even though I towered a foot above her.

"I'm sorry, Sir. You aren't permitted to see the patient at this time. Now take a seat before I have you thrown OUT!" the healer snapped back at me. I clenched my teeth and glanced at Ben, who looked pale, but had earlier complied with the healer's request and had sat shakily in one of the patterned seats in the waiting room, then buried his face in his hands. I looked back at the medi-witch who stared up at me, daring me to continue to challenge her authority. I glanced at the swinging doors behind her and back at her smug little face, then I quickly pushed past and darted through the double doors, ignoring her cry of outrage and Ben's voice calling, "James! What the hell are you doing? James!"

As I ran, I scanned the hallway for Room 13-B, the room that the healer had sent Kirsten's stretcher just before the tiny little medi-witch had blocked me from following. My head was on a swivel. I darted down the white hallway, dodging surprised healers as they bustled through the hospital and, upon seeing me, pressed themselves to the walls to prevent being knocked over.

7, 8, 9… keep going.

"Hey, you! Boy! Stop!" I turned to look behind me. Two, sour-faced, burley men were weaving between the path I had made. I breathed out heavily and rolled my eyes. Come on, really? I'm an auror, not some kid. I quickened my jog to a brisk run, ducked through a doorway leading to a stairwell and stood behind the door after letting it swing shut. The security wizards blew through the door and, as I expected them to, flew up the stairs. When they were safely out of earshot, I exited the stairwell and stepped back out into the hallway.

Just across from the stairs was 13-B. I took a deep breath and pushed the door open. The room was chaos. Healers were hurrying every which way, bursting through the door behind me. Two were trying to calm a hysterical little boy while a third performed diagnostic charms on him. Several healers surrounded another pallid figure, moaning in his own bed, coughing uncontrollably and snapping at the healers when one of them asked him a question or murmured something to write on his clipboard. I kept glancing about the chaos in the eerie, dimly lit room until my eyes locked onto her: Kirsten's limp hand hung slightly off of a bed. I saw glimpses of her chocolate brown hair between the healers as they darted to and from the room. One woman stood next to her in rich, white robes, barking orders at the other healers as she performed diagnostics and checked for a pulse.

I stood, shocked and frozen, next to the door. The chaos stunned me. I couldn't believe that my little sister's headstrong, stubborn, vivacious best friend lay there, pale and lifeless on a hospital bed. My senses returned and I tried to make my way to her bed, but weaving in between the shuffling healers was difficult. No sooner had I gained a foot of ground when a firm hand grabbed my upper arm and refused to yield. I whipped my head around to find the two security wizards behind me, one with a firm grip on my arm, directing me toward the door, the other, holding it open with an impatient scowl on his face.

"L-let go of me," I stammered as I turned back to Kirsten's bed. I had to make sure she was going to be ok. I needed to see her face.

"Sorry, kid. You aren't allowed back here," the one who had my arm said sympathetically.

"I'm not a kid! I'm an auror!" I argued as I stumbled toward the door. I had to see her face, "I brought her here! I'll leave in a second, I promise. Just let GO!" I desperately strained to see her through the scurrying healers, and when one of them drew the privacy curtains around her bed, I broke free of the wizard's grasp and lunged forward, but his companion already had my other arm. Together, the two men turned me toward the door and dragged me forward.

"No, Let GO! " I was panting by the time the door swung shut behind me. My eyes were wet with tears and I resignedly allowed myself to be directed back to the waiting room by the men.

"Sorry about your sister, kid," said one of the men. I refused to look at him, but mumbled fiercely to the floor,

"She's not my sister." The wizard wasn't offended by my tone, and continued to try to make conversation while we walked back to the lobby,

"Girlfriend?" he asked. I looked up at him, startled and stuttered,

"What? No. That's not- she isn't my. Friend. She's a friend," The man chuckled and directed his eyes back ahead of us.

After an agonizingly long walk, we arrived at the set of double doors that I had pushed through only ten minutes ago. I sheepishly ducked my head when I saw the short medi-witch glaring daggers at me from across the room. Thankfully, she didn't come over. Ben looked up from his hands when he saw me and at first, I thought he was going to tell me off, but instead, he grinned.

"You're barking, mate."

The bearded wizard escorting me reached into his belt and pulled out a pair of shiny, metal handcuffs with which he promptly clasped to the armrest of one of the waiting-chairs. He motioned for me to sit and I looked at him in disbelief.

"Oh, go on then. Sit. It's protocol, kid. Don't want you running off on us again." I started to argue but he quickly silenced me, "You want to stay here, don't you? So give me your wand and sit with us, or we have to throw you out."

I grudgingly sat in the chair designated for me and the bearded wizard secured the other handcuff to my wrist before he sat down to my right and snatched the Witch Weekly off the table in front of us, flipping through it idly. The other wizard sat to my left and stared at his clasped hands on his lap. I sighed exasperatedly, leaned back in my seat and glared at Ben when I heard an unmanly giggle escape him from the other side of the bearded security wizard.

After a half an hour, Ben had started pacing and one of my guards had fallen asleep. He proceeded to snore loudly right next to my ear and I rolled my eyes and groaned before turning as far away from him as I could. We sat there for days- well, it felt like days, but it was probably only an hour or so- before a rapid red blur came bursting through the door to the waiting room.

"Where is she?" my sister, Lily accosted the witch at the front desk, startling the poor woman despite her tiny stature. When she didn't receive a prompt answer, she scanned the room and her eyes stopped on Ben and I. She hurried toward us, barely pausing to look confused at the two, large, burly men seated on either side of me before accosting us in a similar way,

"Where's Kirsten? What happened? Is she ok? Answer me!" Even if I had had something to tell her, I wouldn't have been able to because as her fearful blue eyes searched mine for reassurance, the doors flew open again, and my mum and dad hurried through.

"Lily, dear. Stop yelling. This is a hospital," Mum whispered urgently, hurrying to silence her daughter. Unlike Lily, however, she was more concerned with the shiny, new accessory on my wrist. Her eyes narrowed and she whispered fiercely, looking every bit like Grandmum Weasley telling me off,

"James Sirius Potter! What on EARTH did you do?"