Chapter 53

He was nearly at the footpath that led to the bottom of the stone steps when, with an involuntary whimper, he finally collapsed onto his stomach in the snow. The thought of trying to climb those steps, and then, because it was the middle of the night, he would most likely have to make it up to the Hospital Wing on his own too. It was all just too much to even contemplate. Everyone else would be warmly tucked up in their beds, fast asleep, including his mate. And if his mate was asleep, then he wouldn't be able to detect Hu Yetao's distress once he entered the castle like he'd been able to before.

Hu Yetao closed his eyes with a sigh. He didn't think he was giving off distress signals anyway, he just felt tired.

He wasn't shivering at all anymore; in fact, he didn't even feel cold anymore, not even where his cheek was resting on top of the snow.

'Just a quick rest and then I'll be ready to move again,' he promised himself muzzily.

He lay there breathing slow and shallow, mind already drifting towards sleep, when he suddenly heard a noise like the clinking of champagne glasses.

His groggy mind supplied him with an image of the Wang's party guests coming to Hogwarts to continue the festivities. Maybe they wanted to see Oscar.

Hu Yetao smiled to himself and pried his frozen eyes open to look down the path that rounded the side of the school. There was a group of people merrily walking along, clinking glasses that sparkled in the reflected lights of the school.

He thought he'd better make some sort of noise or else they wouldn't know he was there. He didn't want to miss out when they went to find Oscar to continue the party.

He opened his mouth to call out but nothing happened. He tried a few more times before a raspy 'hey' finally made its way up through his hoarse throat.

He watched with satisfaction as the group of people seemed to pause and then began to slowly move towards him.

He blinked as the blob of party-goers approached and reformed into just one person; one tall person holding some wooden boxes which tinkled with the sound of rattling glass. Hu Yetao frowned, wondering where the others disappeared to.

"Hello? Is someone there?"

The voice sounded familiar but Hu Yetao's fuzzy brain couldn't identify it. He heard the sound of the box of tinkling glasses being shifted around and then set down in the snow. There was a moment of quiet before a bright Lumos suddenly lit up the whole area.

He stared at the wand light without even squinting at the brightness of it.

"Hu Yetao!" Panicked hands were suddenly on him, turning him over onto his back. "Oh shit, Hu Yetao? Hu Yetao?"

Now he was being shaken a little.

He wanted to reply but all that came out was a harsh, wet-sounding gurgle.

"Fuck."

It was Fu Sichao.

Hu Yetao couldn't help but groan a little as he was suddenly gathered up in the Alpha's arms and lifted. He felt so disoriented and had no idea what was going on, his head was spinning dizzily as Fu Sichao quickly carried him up the steps and into the school.

Hu Yetao inhaled sharply as Fu Sichao's body heat pressed against his frozen form; the sensation of his body beginning to thaw out was absolute agony. He closed his eyes with a muted moan and went limp in Fu Sichao's arms, hoping he would just pass out.

"Hang on Hu Yetao, please hang on," Fu Sichao muttered anxiously from above. "I'll get you to Chen Zihan and she'll fix you right up, and I'll get Oscar too…" he trailed off uncertainly, probably wondering where Hu Yetao's mate was and why he hadn't been with him in the first place.

Hu Yetao just grits his teeth and remained silent. Everything hurt; everything ached beyond belief, from the cold and the after-effects of the Cruciatus Cruse to his broken hand and slowly defrosting skin.

The sharp, pungent sting of antiseptic hit his nostrils and he knew they'd finally reached the infirmary.

Fu Sichao gently laid him out on a bed and went to fetch Chen Zihan. Within minutes, he heard the nurse standing over him, wand out, casting diagnostic spell after diagnostic spell.

He couldn't hear what they were saying to each other but it didn't matter, because after another minute he finally gratefully lost consciousness.

The first thing he became aware of again was the sensation of being cocooned in soothing warmth, like being submerged in the most perfect bath; where you are pleasantly, wonderfully warm but not too hot. He basked in the feeling for as long as possible, eyes closed, not allowing his brain to fully rouse. He didn't want to wake from this dream. Something was nagging at a tiny corner of his mind that made him shy away from complete awareness, something that he knew would not be pleasant once remembered.

Unfortunately, the tiny niggling reminder wouldn't let go and Hu Yetao frowned as it picked away at him until he could no longer ignore it. The soothing warmth was still there but it dawned on him that he should also feel achy and sore and… cold?

After that, it all slammed ruthlessly back into his head: his argument with Oscar, the party, the two men, Crucio, being tossed into the lake, and finally Fu Sichao carrying him barely conscious to the hospital wing…

He could feel his body beginning to tremble as he remembered the fear he'd felt; that feeling of absolute terror at being trapped under the ice and thinking that he was going to drown. He'd come close to death countless times in his life - and even truly did die on one occasion - but for some reason, this one was hitting him hard.

Perhaps because, for the first time in his life, he had more to lose.

He knew he couldn't ignore reality any longer and, with his mate on his mind, he dragged heavy eyes open.

He was still in the infirmary and it was silent and empty, save for himself and one occupied chair at his bedside.

"Hu Yetao."

He frowned at the sight of Oscar's exhausted face; drawn and paler than usual, with dark violet smudges under his eyes, as though he'd been awake for a week straight.

Hu Yetao opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out.

"Don't speak," Oscar cautioned, scraping his chair forward and reaching out to softly stroke his fingers down the side of Hu Yetao's neck. "You need to drink this first," he said before turning to lift a small vial off the bedside cabinet and then holding it to Hu Yetao's lips.

Hu Yetao eyed the yellow potion before obediently swallowing it. The cool liquid flowed down his throat and soothed away any lingering inflammation, leaving his throat clear and tingly in its wake. He watched as Oscar set the empty vial aside before turning back to him, looking as though he didn't quite know what to do with his hands.

It was then Hu Yetao noticed that his entire body was wrapped in a thick blanket which seemed to have a permanent warming charm woven into the fabric. That was why he felt as though he were lying in a bath of perfectly warmed water.

He cautiously cleared his throat before attempting to speak again. "Can you… can you free my arms please?" he asked in a raspy voice that didn't sound at all like himself.

"Of course." Oscar immediately grasped the top edge of the blanket and carefully untucked it before pulling it down and away, releasing Hu Yetao's upper body so that he could slide his arms out and lay them on top of the thick covering. He shivered a little at the sudden brush of cool air on his arms through the thin cotton hospital pajamas.

"Thanks," Hu Yetao responded quietly, then hesitantly added, "join me?"

Oscar looked surprised but didn't question him.