Hope You're Alright

[Asaiah Murphy]

Instead of going back to the common room with the rest of the Slytherin Quidditch team, Asaiah decided to stop by the hospital wing to check up on his friend first. Tesla wasn't looking too well when she got disqualified for flying into the Slytherin seeker especially as she got hit by a second bludger moments before. Although Asaiah thought that Tesla's action was simply brilliant because he had not expected anything like that from his friend at all, he was worried that some of his teammates might think differently about it and seek retaliation for their injured seeker. The third year pushed the doors to the hospital wing open once he arrived and stepped inside the room. He immediately looked for his friend, hoping that she was recovering from her injury, though could not spot her. ''Tess?'' He called out, ignoring the others in the room as well as the nurses. He only cared about his friend at the moment.

 

[Tesla Wilde]

Tess was many things but a bully she was not so to have to be dragged into an office of a professor she didn't know when all she wanted to do was collapse into a hospital bed and cry about her pain was extremely unfair. She had already been disqualified from the game and felt it was unnecessary to add extra punishment. It was putting salt onto a wound but now she had to cut her Brightstone weekend short too just because the professors didn't care whether their students were bullied by mean Slytherins. With this thought in her head, feeding her anger to allow her to avoid the thought of her pain, she hadn't thought about the one Slytherin she could count on to be nice and decent to her. She certainly hadn't expected him to be there either so when the witch walked into the wing and she saw him she thought about giving him a huge hug if it weren't for her arm and how sore it was. She said quietly, "Asaiah?" She thought maybe he might be here for someone else as she had missed him calling her name or maybe he was sent by his team to say something nasty to her. Both would hurt but one was decidedly more painful so as she waited for his response and to be seen by a nurse she managed to feel tears in her eyes as her resolve was failing.

 

[Asaiah Murphy]

Asaiah checked every bed at least two times before he told himself that Tesla really wasn't in the hospital wing anymore. He turned around to leave, thinking that he had been too late to meet her at the wing. Asaiah was slightly disappointed with himself for being late because he really wanted to ask the Hufflepuff Chaser how she was doing after her first Quidditch match. He smiled widely when he saw the girl he was looking for standing a few meters away from him, immediately happy that he was not too late after all. ''Tess!'' the boy exclaimed whilst walking towards Tesla. He had almost hugged the girl if it wasn't for the state she was currently in. She looked like she needed to lay down for a moment. So rather than hugging the Hufflepuff, Asaiah opened his mouth. ''Are you OK? Oh man you were awesome out there!'' he said and then wondered whether she would get into trouble for flying into the Slytherin seeker. Surely the Head of House would understand that Tesla only did it so the bullying would stop.

 

[Tesla Wilde]

Having the familiar face look up at her with a smile made Tess feel silly for being on the verge of tears but in the same vein she could not help it as she was already past that point of no return with her emotions running so high. It was likely from coming down from adrenaline that made it so. She weakly smiled as he said that she had done a good job. She wasn't so sure but at least she had defended her captain, as emotional as he was. She admitted to her friend and supportive opponent, "I don't feel too great," and looked around for a bed to collapse into because at least then she could lay her sore head down on a pillow while she spoke to Asaiah. "But it was fun," Tess said, avoiding the subject of who won the game because she had a feeling she knew who did as Carlotta seemed to be entirely off her game. Just as she was about to comment on his game too she felt someone guide her away from him and to a sick bed where she felt so much smaller. Not just due to the size of the bed but because of her bruised pride.

 

[Asaiah Murphy]

As Tesla was guided to a bed Asaiah walked behind her and the nurse. ''You will be fine, Tess.'' he said with a reassuring smile on his dirty face. ''They're the best at this,'' Asaiah nodded at the nurse that was helping his friend. ''I'm talking out of experience.'' he told her while looking down at his right arm, remembering the immens pain he felt after the match against Ravenclaw ended and he made his way towards the hospital wing in his previous year. For a moment there was a part of him that wanted to get upset with the bullies on his team because it was mean and it might as well have been Alana getting emotional if they were playing like Hufflepuff was, but Asaiah didn't want to make things worst, especially not for Tesla, who had received another bludger for her action against Lestat. Asaiah's eyes followed everything while the nurse was busy fixing up his Hufflepuff friend and after a while said, ''I think I'm going to leave, you look like you could use some rest and me being here isn't going to do you much good.'' and with a smile Asaiah turned around to leave the bed.

 

[Tesla Wilde]

Tess smiled, feeling a little reassured by Asaiah, but immediately after regretted her complaint because he turned to leave and she sat up quickly. "Please stay," she asked in a quiet voice. She didn't know where the urge came from to ask this of him but she felt that she needed him there with her for whatever reason. Perhaps it was because she felt truly comfortable around him or maybe because he was the only person here who was genuinely her friend. Either way she wanted to be by his side. She knew that he probably was tired and wanted to go back to his common room but she hoped he would wait with her a little while longer.

 

[Asaiah Murphy]

Asaiah turned around to face his friend once more when Tesla asked him to stay and smiled. He wasn't completely sure if the nurses would let him so looked at the nurse attending her injuries first before walking back to his friend. He nodded his head when the man told him that she was under no circumstances allowed to leave her bed until she was all fixed up again and sat down in the chair next to the bed Tesla was in, smiling brightly at his friend. Even though Asaiah wanted the girl to get as much rest as was possible he wouldn't deny her request of him staying a little longer. "You want to talk about the match?" the Slytherin asked after the nurse left the two of them alone. He was curious to know what she thought of her first ever game for the Hufflepuff team and what exactly Lestat had said to the Hufflepuff captain that made Tesla fly into the boy as hard as she could.

 

[Tesla Wilde]

Tess smiled when Asaiah decided to stay with her and she relaxed into the bed, feeling a little more comfortable now. "Thanks, I've never been to the hospital before," she said, explaining why she was nervous. She supposed this was not technically a hospital either but it was close enough to the Chaser. She looked down as he mentioned the match, sure that he would be disappointed or upset with her too for acting out against the awful Slytherin player. "Are you mad at me? He was just so awful to Reuben, I couldn't take it," she said defensively, in one breath.

 

[Asaiah Murphy]

''I have been to the hospital once or twice,'' Asaiah said while rolling up his trousers to show Tesla one of the many scars on his legs. ''I should've stopped running around the forest the first time, but it's too much fun.'' He smiled at his friend. ''I would have done the same, so no, I'm not mad at you. In fact, I thought it was pretty damn cool that you did that.'' the Slytherin said with a wide grin on his dirty face. He was clearly impressed by Tesla's action back on the field, as he didn't expect his friend to do something like that in her first match. ''I don't think I'll ever get mad at you after what you did during the match.'' He told her.

 

[Tesla Wilde]

Tess looked at his scars and playfully rolled her eyes because she knew in any other circumstance this might seem like he was showing off but admittedly she was actually comforted by the fact that he had been to the hospital multiple times and had never had any problems. She couldn't even imagine what a normal hospital was like never mind a magical one. The girl smiled again, the tears in her eyes subsiding as he was able to put a genuine smile on her face and made her feel actually good about herself whereas Professor Stark had done just the opposite. "I'm glad to hear it," she said, adding bitterly. "Stupid Professor Stark said I was dangerous and could be kicked off the team if I do anything with a Slytherin again." She rolled her eyes, this time in frustration rather than humour. She still managed a grin despite herself when he said that he would never get mad at her. She supposed it was a bit shocking that she had done that if one did not know her bouts of anger and protectiveness. "You're honestly the only nice one in your house. How is that, Asaiah?" His friendship was one of the most cherished things she could have and it was just unfortunate that he was surrounded by bigots and bullies.

 

[Asaiah Murphy]

Asaiah felt like he was to blame for all of this happening to Tesla, as it was him who encouraged the Hufflepuff girl to try-out for her house team last year. ''Look,'' the Beater began, ''I know you did the right thing out there - And I am happy you did it - but this is Quidditch. You need to follow the rules, or make sure the referee does not see your action - I was lucky the ref wasn't paying attention to me when I hit the Ravenclaw captain with my bat last year. Please, just.. Just keep it in you till after the match, OK? I don't want to you get kicked off the team, you were the best one out there.'' Asaiah stared right at his friend while talking to her. Even though he agreed with her, he did not want Tesla to continue to do stunts like this if it meant that she was going to be kicked off the team. She was a skilled player for sure, specially since she was the only one who had managed to score a goal from the Hufflepuff team. The Slytherin shrugged his shoulders when she asked him why he'd been the only nice one in his house. ''I don't know,'' he said, feeling his cheeks turning red because of Tesla's comment. ''Mom and dad must have raised me properly.''

 

[Tesla Wilde]

Tess felt a little bad now as Asaiah seemed like he was disappointed in her but she still managed a smile as he told her that she was the best Hufflepuff on the team. She couldn't say that but considering all the politics going on without her team she felt that it meant that maybe she could be able to just play and get better. Slytherin was a good team as much as she hated it. She maybe wouldn't cheer for them but she would sure cheer on Asaiah in any future games he had against other houses. "No, seriously," she said, ignoring that he was blushing and how endearing it was. "Someone in your house thinks I'm a cannibal because I'm a 'mudblood'. I don't understand the correlation between the two but it does make you the kindest snake without a doubt," Tess rambled thanks to the potion that she was given moments earlier because it made her feel a bit light headed and loopy all of a sudden.

 

[Asaiah Murphy]

''That's horrible.'' Asaiah said when Tesla told him that someone thought that she was a cannibal because of her blood status, suddenly feeling ashamed of being sorted into Slytherin House. He had no problems with his housemates, but this was beyond him. How could they be so awful against other students was something the boy found hard to understand. Surely Asaiah was sorted into the wrong house by the Sorting Hat because he would never be that unkind to other people in his life, ever. ''I - I don't know what to say, Tess.'' he said shamefaced, anger slowly boiling up inside him when hearing that he was the kindest one without a doubt. He knew that there were friendly students in Slytherin but still, to hear that he was the nicest person she had met so far did something to him, even though he kind of liked to hear what she thought of him. Asaiah's gaze wandered away from his friend, looking down at his dirty boots, wondering what it would've been like if he had been sorted into Gryffindor or Hufflepuff instead.

 

[Tesla Wilde]

Tess shrugged the potion now making her feel happy about pretty much anything enough to think that it was a little funny. "It's ok, you don't have to because I'm going to eat you!" She threw herself into a fit of laughter before she moved her arm and became aware that she probably shouldn't be moving so hard. The Hufflepuff laid down further into the cushy hospital bed and something came over her, maybe it was gratitude that he was there and cared or maybe it was the potion but she subtly reached for his hand but didn't grab it. She just let her non-injured arm palm up so he could take it if he wanted. Although she did feel the full affects of the quick acting potion there was just a knot in the pit of her stomach as she waited for his response to her action.

 

[Asaiah Murphy]

It seemed that the potion she was given by the nurse had finally started to work, and Asaiah, however annoyed and ashamed he felt, couldn't help to grin when she said that she was going to eat him and then burst into laughter. ''You wouldn't like me raw,'' the Beater said jokingly, and laughed at his own stupid joke while shaking his head. A small smile appeared on his face when Tesla held the palm of her hand open so he could take it. Asaiah did not know how long she had to lie here but decided to stay with his friend until she was cleared from the hospital wing. Asaiah took her hand and without realising it started playing with the girl's fingers after awhile. ''Because I have no idea how much longer you will have to stay here, it might be a good idea if you go to sleep so you can rest up a bit,'' he suggested.

 

[Tesla Wilde]

Tess giggled at Asaiah, she couldn't imagine he would taste very good but still she furthered the joke by saying, "Maybe with some fava beans and a nice chianti."* Feeling pleased with her joke she made a slurping sound and laughed again until she settled down in the bed, feeling utterly relaxed with his hand holding hers and unafraid of what could happen in the hospital if she let her guard down. The girl nodded and closed her eyes, feeling at ease as their fingers gently played with each other until she fell asleep holding his hand. Not long after non-patients were dismissed from the hospital wing and Tess was treated so her arm was healed and any risk of concussion was gone.

*Click here, Clarice.

Finito.