41

He reappeared on the steps of his manor and, as quickly as he could, disappeared inside; making sure that it was locked up securely. Several house elves appeared instantly and he immediately set them about fetching him the things he needed whilst he carried her upstairs. All that was necessary sat ready and waiting for him in the master suite as soon as he opened the door; a large jug of icy water, various potions and ointments, warm towels, a dish of warm water and some cloths.

With the air of someone handling something very fragile, he laid her on the soft cream sheets before tearing off his own cloak and armour. He was infinitely gentle as he removed her cloak and cast the ruined material aside, although careful to remove her pristine invisibility cloak and set it away carefully. Reaching across to the small table beside him, he uncorked a small crystal phial of a pale blue liquid and let a small amount trickle into her mouth. She gave a sharp gasp and her eyes snapped open, looking wildly round in panic and fear. She tried to sit up, her face contorting in pain as she moved, and fell back down again.

"Careful," he murmured, stroking her cheek gently to soothe her, "lie still." He smoothed her hair away from her face as her panicked breathing slowed.

"Hurts." She managed to say, screwing her face up against the overwhelming pain she could suddenly feel.

"I know," he planted a gentle kiss on her forehead; "just lie still and I'll sort it out. She nodded, her eyes welling with tears, biting down on her lip. Slowly and carefully, he slipped her boots off to reveal a badly bruised and swollen ankle. With infinite care, he slipped the stiff, blood-soaked denim of her jeans off her legs. Here she had several nasty gashes that had torn through the fabric. There wasn't much left of her top; ripped and charred at the edges with several large burn holes in the fabric. He pulled it over her head, making her cry out as it brushed against her burns. He could not fail to be impressed by the armour that he found beneath and was pleased that she had entertained the idea that extra protection might prove useful.

Her ankle looked well and truly broken; the bone just visible, pressing against her skin. He wasn't sure how long she had walked on it, but he was very glad for those sturdy boots she had been wearing as they had probably saved her from more damage. The cuts up her legs were not too drastic, although some were quite deep and had dirt stuck in them. He swept his gaze up past her torso, not yet wanting to contemplate the damage there, and looked at her usually beautiful face. At the moment, it was anything but. Her hair was dirty and matted with blood whilst a large, angry purple bruise covered her right cheekbone. Touching it gently, it felt slightly fractured beneath his fingers. There were a few cuts crisscrossing her face and neck and a small trickle of blood ran from her hairline, probably from when Bellatrix had sent her crashing into that fireplace.

Picking up his wand, he lightly tapped her ankle three times and, holding it gently, felt the bones mend and return to their normal alignment. Choosing another of the bottles, he gently massaged some thick green liquid into the swollen, bruised area.

"That should be fine within an hour." He told her, stroking her hand in a reassuring manner before turning his attention to her leg. She did cry out this time as he splashed a liberal amount of a yellow potion onto a cloth and set it to her wounds.

"Bloody hell!" she cursed through gritted teeth as he ran his wand across the lesions.

"It'll stop it scarring." He told her matter-of-factly as he rubbed some more of the liquid over the repaired skin. Quickly, the skin knitted together and, within five minutes; there was no sight that anything had ever been there. "Now, it gets more complicated." His face was concerned as he surveyed her torso. "Can you lie on your right side?"

"I think so." He helped her manoeuvre until she was facing the bedroom door. The skin of her left shoulder and upper arm was covered in shining red blisters and was oozing blood that ran in small rivulets onto the sheets.

"Put your hand here." He lifted her hand up until it was level with the pillow and surveyed the rest of the damage. Although protecting her, the dragon hide appeared to have, under the intense heat, melted to her skin. Carefully, he undid the laces at the back and checked how far he could actually take it off. He could freely remove about two inches worth of material without causing her serious pain.

"So it's that bad, is it?" She commented dryly, seeing the look on his face and grimacing in pain as his fingers ran over the burn. "Just get it off and be done."

"This is going to hurt."

"Never." She managed drawl sarcastically before gritting her teeth and twisting her hands into the bed sheets.

"On the count of three." He stood and got a firm grip on the material, setting his food on the edge of the bed for leverage. "One," she braced herself for the pain, "two."

He ripped it off on two. Her visceral scream could be heard throughout the entire house as dragon hide and skin came off as one. Her vision clouded and she slipped into blackness.