Post by ginger newts on Dec 18, 2004 23:00:06 GMT -5
I'm not in the mood to tell you where I got the idea for this fic, suffice it to say the idea of Albus having a heart attack wasn't mine.
A Full Recovery
“I didn’t mean to keep you so late, Minerva, perhaps we should finish this tomorrow,” Albus suggested, checking his watch. “I want to be sure you’re getting enough rest.”
Minerva rolled her eyes, “Albus it’s been three months, I’m fully recovered and perfectly capable of staying here until we finish this.”
The school year had started again a week ago and Albus and Minerva were currently in his office going over safety concerns. With the recent increase in Death Eater activity they wanted to make absolutely certain the school’s wards could not be breeched, but without realizing it Albus had kept her until well past midnight. Ever since the attack on Minerva in June he had worried and fussed about her health, it was driving her crazy and she wanted him to know that she was up to handling any duties he might give her. She was giving him an exasperated and defiant look that said she wasn’t going anywhere until they finished and Albus also recognized another emotion, he realized that if he sent her away she would feel useless and weak. He couldn’t be the one to crush her spirit, it was what he loved most about her.
“Alright, then, but we should try to finish quickly,” he relented.
“Albus, are you feeling alright tonight?” Minerva asked with concern. “You look a little pale.”
He would never admit it, but he had been feeling rather weak and tired this evening, he knew that the stress of his lifestyle would soon catch up with him but was hoping to make it to the weekend and then have a bit of a lie in on Sunday morning. “I’m fine, my dear,” he reassured her.
They resumed their discussion of how to strengthen the wards and Minerva took notes as they tried to work out a schedule for the various professors to take turns adding extra enchantments to the castle walls and the perimeter of the grounds. After about half an hour Albus began breathing heavily, practically gasping for air, he felt like he wasn’t getting any oxygen to his lungs at all when a sudden sharp pain hit his left arm. He grabbed his arm and his vision started to blur. He felt rather than saw Minerva rush to his side and he couldn’t understand what she was saying.
“Albus? Albus, what’s wrong?” Minerva was as close as she had ever been to panic. “Can you hear me?” She didn’t want to leave his side, but knew she had to get Poppy so she rushed to the fireplace and threw in a much larger handful of floo powder than necessary and yelled, “POPPY!”
A few moments passed and then the sleepy head of the school nurse appeared in the fireplace. “What is it?” she mumbled, somewhat annoyed at being woken up.
“It’s Albus, Poppy, I don’t know what’s wrong. Hurry!”
Minerva rushed back to Albus’ side to find him slumped over the desk. She was near tears as she leaned over to check his breathing and his pulse, he was alive but she could tell he was in pain by his ragged breathing. He seemed to be unconscious. Minerva pulled him into an upright position and loosened the collar of his robes, not wanting him to be choked by the restrictive fabric when his breathing was already so labored. A few moments later, Poppy emerged from the fire with a small bag of medical supplies she had gathered in case of any number of emergencies. Since Minerva didn’t know what the problem was she hadn’t been sure what to bring.
She approached the desk calmly and looked over her patient. Albus’ face was deathly white and drenched in sweat, his breathing was ragged, and he was slumped over, still as a stone. While Minerva hovered, looking more worried than Poppy had ever seen her, she cast a few diagnostic charms. She had been fairly certain what had happened from the moment she saw Albus but she had to confirm her diagnosis. Nodding, she turned back to Minerva.
“He’s had a heart attack,” Poppy said. “I need you to help me get him to the hospital wing in a minute.”
Before they could leave, the medi-witch had to cast the charms that would stabilize him enough for the movement. When she finished, she signaled to Minerva and conjured a stretcher beneath the headmaster. Poppy levitated the stretcher toward the hospital wing while Minerva walked beside it, holding Albus’s hand and guiding the stretcher by placing her other hand gently beneath it, under his back. They settled him on a bed and Poppy went into a flurry of activity, changing him into a hospital gown, giving him a potion to stabilize and heal his heart muscles and setting up the apparatus that would keep oxygen flowing into his lungs.
“He’ll be fine, Minerva,” she said when she finished. “He’ll probably wake up soon and he’ll be weak, but he will recover. It will just require a lot of rest.”
Minerva just nodded and looked at Albus, he looked so fragile and pale against the hospital bed with the oxygen mask covering most of his face. His eyes were closed, but she could still picture the sparkling blue pools she often felt she could drown in, she hoped to see life in those eyes again soon. Poppy left to go back to bed once she was sure Albus would be alright for the night and Minerva pulled up a chair by his bedside. She took one of his large hands in both of hers and stroked it gently, willing herself not to cry. ‘He’s going to be alright,’ she kept repeating over and over to herself like a mantra.
Albus woke up about an hour later and looked around in confusion, he felt awful and none of his muscles seemed to want to work. Moving his eyes to the right, he saw Minerva watching him with concern. “Minerva?” he asked in a hoarse voice. “What happened?”
She sniffed and looked at him sadly, “You had a heart attack while we were going over the plans to fortify the wards. Poppy says you’ll be fine, but you’ll need a lot of rest. I intend to make sure you listen to her orders, I’ll also be doing all your work until you recover.”
He reached over with his free hand and covered her hand that was still idly stroking his right. “What would I do without you?” he asked with a weak smile.
“Shh, don’t talk, rest,” she said. “There will be time to talk later.”
Minerva stayed by his bed until the sun rose and she realized she would need to address the school at breakfast. She rose quietly and brushed her lips across Albus’ forehead before leaving to dress for the day. As she dressed in her emerald green teaching robes and brushed out her hair before repining it into her usual bun Minerva caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she looked awful: her eyes were red and puffy both from crying and lack of sleep, her face was pale and drawn.
‘I look like someone died,’ she thought, causing her to fight back more tears when she realized that someone almost had. Someone she cared more for than she had ever cared for anyone in her life. Stopping that train of thought, Minerva splashed cold water on her face and made the long walk down to the Great Hall.
Most of the students and faculty were already seated when she arrived. She covered the distance to the head table quickly and then held up her arms for silence, her late entrance had called the attention of most of the room and luckily she didn’t have to work hard to get them to realize she had something to say.
“If I could have your attention please,” she called, standing between her chair and Albus’. “It is my unfortunate duty this morning to inform you that the headmaster was taken ill last night. He is currently in the hospital wing where Madam Pomfrey assures me he will make a full recovery, however this will require a great deal of rest and may take some time. In the meantime I will be the acting headmistress and no one is to disturb the headmaster unless he requests a meeting. I will keep you informed of his recovery and will pass on any messages you might wish to send him for a speedy recovery. Thank you, you may return to your breakfasts.”
A Full Recovery
“I didn’t mean to keep you so late, Minerva, perhaps we should finish this tomorrow,” Albus suggested, checking his watch. “I want to be sure you’re getting enough rest.”
Minerva rolled her eyes, “Albus it’s been three months, I’m fully recovered and perfectly capable of staying here until we finish this.”
The school year had started again a week ago and Albus and Minerva were currently in his office going over safety concerns. With the recent increase in Death Eater activity they wanted to make absolutely certain the school’s wards could not be breeched, but without realizing it Albus had kept her until well past midnight. Ever since the attack on Minerva in June he had worried and fussed about her health, it was driving her crazy and she wanted him to know that she was up to handling any duties he might give her. She was giving him an exasperated and defiant look that said she wasn’t going anywhere until they finished and Albus also recognized another emotion, he realized that if he sent her away she would feel useless and weak. He couldn’t be the one to crush her spirit, it was what he loved most about her.
“Alright, then, but we should try to finish quickly,” he relented.
“Albus, are you feeling alright tonight?” Minerva asked with concern. “You look a little pale.”
He would never admit it, but he had been feeling rather weak and tired this evening, he knew that the stress of his lifestyle would soon catch up with him but was hoping to make it to the weekend and then have a bit of a lie in on Sunday morning. “I’m fine, my dear,” he reassured her.
They resumed their discussion of how to strengthen the wards and Minerva took notes as they tried to work out a schedule for the various professors to take turns adding extra enchantments to the castle walls and the perimeter of the grounds. After about half an hour Albus began breathing heavily, practically gasping for air, he felt like he wasn’t getting any oxygen to his lungs at all when a sudden sharp pain hit his left arm. He grabbed his arm and his vision started to blur. He felt rather than saw Minerva rush to his side and he couldn’t understand what she was saying.
“Albus? Albus, what’s wrong?” Minerva was as close as she had ever been to panic. “Can you hear me?” She didn’t want to leave his side, but knew she had to get Poppy so she rushed to the fireplace and threw in a much larger handful of floo powder than necessary and yelled, “POPPY!”
A few moments passed and then the sleepy head of the school nurse appeared in the fireplace. “What is it?” she mumbled, somewhat annoyed at being woken up.
“It’s Albus, Poppy, I don’t know what’s wrong. Hurry!”
Minerva rushed back to Albus’ side to find him slumped over the desk. She was near tears as she leaned over to check his breathing and his pulse, he was alive but she could tell he was in pain by his ragged breathing. He seemed to be unconscious. Minerva pulled him into an upright position and loosened the collar of his robes, not wanting him to be choked by the restrictive fabric when his breathing was already so labored. A few moments later, Poppy emerged from the fire with a small bag of medical supplies she had gathered in case of any number of emergencies. Since Minerva didn’t know what the problem was she hadn’t been sure what to bring.
She approached the desk calmly and looked over her patient. Albus’ face was deathly white and drenched in sweat, his breathing was ragged, and he was slumped over, still as a stone. While Minerva hovered, looking more worried than Poppy had ever seen her, she cast a few diagnostic charms. She had been fairly certain what had happened from the moment she saw Albus but she had to confirm her diagnosis. Nodding, she turned back to Minerva.
“He’s had a heart attack,” Poppy said. “I need you to help me get him to the hospital wing in a minute.”
Before they could leave, the medi-witch had to cast the charms that would stabilize him enough for the movement. When she finished, she signaled to Minerva and conjured a stretcher beneath the headmaster. Poppy levitated the stretcher toward the hospital wing while Minerva walked beside it, holding Albus’s hand and guiding the stretcher by placing her other hand gently beneath it, under his back. They settled him on a bed and Poppy went into a flurry of activity, changing him into a hospital gown, giving him a potion to stabilize and heal his heart muscles and setting up the apparatus that would keep oxygen flowing into his lungs.
“He’ll be fine, Minerva,” she said when she finished. “He’ll probably wake up soon and he’ll be weak, but he will recover. It will just require a lot of rest.”
Minerva just nodded and looked at Albus, he looked so fragile and pale against the hospital bed with the oxygen mask covering most of his face. His eyes were closed, but she could still picture the sparkling blue pools she often felt she could drown in, she hoped to see life in those eyes again soon. Poppy left to go back to bed once she was sure Albus would be alright for the night and Minerva pulled up a chair by his bedside. She took one of his large hands in both of hers and stroked it gently, willing herself not to cry. ‘He’s going to be alright,’ she kept repeating over and over to herself like a mantra.
Albus woke up about an hour later and looked around in confusion, he felt awful and none of his muscles seemed to want to work. Moving his eyes to the right, he saw Minerva watching him with concern. “Minerva?” he asked in a hoarse voice. “What happened?”
She sniffed and looked at him sadly, “You had a heart attack while we were going over the plans to fortify the wards. Poppy says you’ll be fine, but you’ll need a lot of rest. I intend to make sure you listen to her orders, I’ll also be doing all your work until you recover.”
He reached over with his free hand and covered her hand that was still idly stroking his right. “What would I do without you?” he asked with a weak smile.
“Shh, don’t talk, rest,” she said. “There will be time to talk later.”
Minerva stayed by his bed until the sun rose and she realized she would need to address the school at breakfast. She rose quietly and brushed her lips across Albus’ forehead before leaving to dress for the day. As she dressed in her emerald green teaching robes and brushed out her hair before repining it into her usual bun Minerva caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she looked awful: her eyes were red and puffy both from crying and lack of sleep, her face was pale and drawn.
‘I look like someone died,’ she thought, causing her to fight back more tears when she realized that someone almost had. Someone she cared more for than she had ever cared for anyone in her life. Stopping that train of thought, Minerva splashed cold water on her face and made the long walk down to the Great Hall.
Most of the students and faculty were already seated when she arrived. She covered the distance to the head table quickly and then held up her arms for silence, her late entrance had called the attention of most of the room and luckily she didn’t have to work hard to get them to realize she had something to say.
“If I could have your attention please,” she called, standing between her chair and Albus’. “It is my unfortunate duty this morning to inform you that the headmaster was taken ill last night. He is currently in the hospital wing where Madam Pomfrey assures me he will make a full recovery, however this will require a great deal of rest and may take some time. In the meantime I will be the acting headmistress and no one is to disturb the headmaster unless he requests a meeting. I will keep you informed of his recovery and will pass on any messages you might wish to send him for a speedy recovery. Thank you, you may return to your breakfasts.”
;D.
