Absolution [Ms Evans]

[ethan]

It hurt. It bloody hurt! And Ethan wasn't the type of bloke who would just go around whining when he happened to bump into something extraordinarily solid. He was used to having bruises around. After all, Duelling training was nothing short than gruelling, and he had sort of grown immune to the pain some small incidents provoked. Which was why the intense pain in his left shoulder surprised him as much as it did. Quidditch season still hadn't begun, but that didn't mean that personal practices for Ethan hadn't. Considering the fact that his father wasn't aware of him being part of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team (Ethan had the slightest suspicion that if he knew, he would make him be banned almost on the spot), it was kind of difficult for him to keep in shape on top of a broom during the summer. His Quidditch gear was kept locked in a steel trunk under his bed, guarded with numerous of his best hexes and charms, and it wasn't until September first that those things ever came out to remove the dust from them and be packed precariously into Ehtan's trunk.

So of course that as soon as he had arrived at school and settled in, he had decided to take a few laps around the Quidditch Pitch, just to see if he was still in shape. And so it had been for a couple of weeks, with Ethan becoming more confident on himself as the days passed and the rustiness in his movements started to fade away. It was amazing how when one was up in the air, you could forget how very mortal you are. And then you turn stupid... Which had been the case. After thinking about the brilliant idea of managing to sneak into the storage room and set loose one bludger so he could whack it around as to blow off some steam, it was impossible not to go through with it. Impossible to him at least. To a guy who wasn't exactly in his five senses and had this fanatical grin as he opened up the box and not one but two bludgers sprang from their confines. He had managed to bat one away, but he hadn't had such luck with the other one. After all, there was a reason Quidditch gear and alertness was required at all times when around these dangerous and moving balls. Ethan didn't have either. The resounding crack would've made first years burst into tears. His howl, however, was uncompared to anything ever.

Ethan had been only vaguely aware of gathering an incompetent and stupidly staring crowd, the pain managing to make everything blurry and spinning. He had tried growling some instructions so someone could Levitate him toward the Hospital Wing, but nobody was intellectually capable of listening anymore, right? Because his precise, barked orders appeared to be translated into painful babbling from a semi-conscious wizard who had dared set loose two bludgers on himself. How he had ever managed to wake up in clean sheets and a sterile looking environs was beyond him. After passing out, one couldn't really remember much now, could they?

[Lily Evans]

Lily bit her nails anxiously, something she rarely did, as she stared at the unconscious or sleeping form of Ethan Cartier lying on the hospital bed. Her face was unnaturally pale and her hair looked a little bit wild, but Lily wasn't even thinking about petty little things such as her appearance. She was hoping that he would wake up soon, and although the nurse had said he would be absolutely fine after awhile, she couldn't help but be worried. After all, he was unconscious. And it made her sick to think what might have happened if that bludger had hit another part of his body, like his head. If that had happened, Ethan might not be in the Hospital Wing. He might be in a coffin. Lily shuddered and pushed that thought from her mind with a frown. As she watched Ethan's chest rising and falling, she thought back to the events of the past hour.

Before Ethan's "incident," Lily had been sitting in the common room by the fire, peacefully reading a new book her parents had sent her as sort of a start-of-term good-luck gift. There were several other people scattered around the common room, but there were also many out on the grounds enjoying the weekend. Because she was so immersed in her book, Lily only caught snatches of the sentence of the second year that came scurrying into the room, panting excitedly. "... Yeah, a Gryffindor... He's out on the Quidditch Pitch right now. Hit by a bludger!" When those words registered in Lily's brain, she dropped her book in shock and leapt to her feet. "Who?" she said sharply, hurrying over to the little second year, who looked quite terrified at being addressed by a seventh-year, and Head Girl nonetheless. "Who got hit by a bludger?"

As the second year tried to speak, Lily wanted to shake him. She had a strong feeling that he already knew what the name was going to be when it emerged from his lips. "E-Ethan Cartier." Damn. Lily was already climbing through the portrait hole, her wand in her hand. She ran through the castle, down, down, down seven floors until finally she was running across the grounds. There was a small crowd gathered around the Quidditch Pitch. Of course it had to be Ethan. It had to be either him, Potter, or Black, there were the Gryffindors that were most crazy about Quidditch. Lily hoped that somebody in that little crowd had the sense to get a teacher, but she didn't see any of them moving. She realized that they all looked very small. Most likely, all of them were young students that could only gawk at what had happened. Finally, she reached the spot, totally out of breath with a stitch in her side. She grabbed onto a nearby first year for support, and then dropped down to her knees next to the still figure on the ground. It was indeed Ethan, and he was unconscious. His left shoulder was bent at an odd angle, and she assumed that was where he had been hit by the bludger.

Thinking quickly, Lily had known that the best thing to do would be to get him to the hospital wing. Wingardium Leviosa, she muttered, although she was long past the point when she had to use verbal spells. Ethan's body rose up into the air, and without saying a word to any of the bystanders, Lily began to run back up to the castle, levitating Ethan in front of her. Luckily, she met Professor Dumbledore at the front doors. "Professor!" she gasped, relieved that she was in the presence of an adult, and even better, the Headmaster.

"Come on, up to the Hospital Wing," Dumbledore said, without wasting time, and he allowed Lily to lead the way up the stairs until finally they were at the Hospital Wing, and the school nurse was rushing towards them as Lily laid Ethan gently on a bed. And so here she was, sitting beside him about two hours later, hoping he would wake up. She knew that he would be fine, but it still scared her to think about what might have happened. With a sigh, Lily glanced at the clock, watching the seconds tick by.

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[ethan]

"Urghh." Yeah, he was groaning. Why did his head feel so fuzzy? It was as if there was cotton stuffed up his ears and into his brain. The faint buzzing wasn't helping either. He groaned again as he tried sitting up and only ended collapsing on the fluffy pillow on account of weakness. What...? "What the hell?" he slurred through the fuzziness, trying in vain to focus on something and praying to Merlin--or anyone that would listen--that the world would stop tilting just for a minute so he could collect himself. Where was he? Why was there this...sterile smell around him? What was going on?! Suddenly feeling frantic, Ethan managed to push his upper body off the soft mattress in order to look around, a slightly dazed expression settling on his face as recognition started to dawn on him.

"What am I doing in the Hospital Wing?" he asked to what he thought was an empty room, but a quick survey to his side noted the redhead by his bed. "Lily?" Instead of coming out like the exclamation he wanted it to be, it came out somewhat as a strangled question. Seriously, what was wrong with him. So far, it was obvious that he had been knocked out for quite a while. But he didn't remember much. How long had he been there. Blinking a couple of times, Ethan ran a hand through his already wild hair, only managing to make it stick out every which way. Truth be told, he wasn't a sight for sore eyes. He was deathly pale and his voice wasn't at its normal tone. It was squeaky and high-pitched, like the voice of a firstie. Frowning at that, Ethan cleared his throat and tried giving speech another shot. It just wouldn't do to sound like a teen who had barely hit puberty. Ethan was never good at handling embarrassment. Besides, he had other things to worry about. Like, trying to remember how he'd gotten there, for example. He was pretty sure the last time he'd been conscious he had been at the Quidditch pitch, trying to set loose some Bludgers. That hadn't gone real well, and he did remember a gawking crowd. After that...? His mind was drawing blanks.

"What am I doing here?" he asked sheepishly, though perhaps that wasn't the correct phrasing of it. How he'd gotten there would be more accurate in a question, but oh well, in between trying to stop his voice from squeaking and trying to keep himself upright, the way his words were phrased were of second importance. Gryffindor pride was just too big inside of him to be careless about these kinds of things. Though he wasn't sure if there was still some pride left after being exposed at the Pitch as the idiot wizard who had let two Bludgers on the loose. Great way to keep his reputation as a sensible person intact. Rolling his eyes heavenwards, he hoped Lily hadn't been the one to bring him here. That would just shatter him. Though...not really. He would just not be able to cope with the sure teasing that was to come out of it. Him the great Dueller and stuff, reduced to being dependant on the Head Girl. What a nice chance for blackmail. Oh well, he'd have to deal with that. Groaning again as the surprised haze started to pass and the pain started to settle in, Ethan laid back, shutting his eyes tightly, trying to block out the pain. "Bloody hell, what happened out there?" he said between groans. He was being a huge crybaby at the moment, but who cared? His pride was destroyed, he could blubber for all he cared.