How?

[Felix Garcia]

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Felix had seen a lot of things in his life but he didn't think he'd ever get beyond the moment he and Lucius had been sat in his office when someone had burst into the hospital wing.He with the other nurse had risen to his feet and gone through to the other room, ready to burst into action but it became clear that there wasn't much they could do, Felix stared at the blond boy as he placed obviously someone who was obviously very dear to him on the bed. It was clear that the boy lying on the bed was dead and the drops of water were a clear indication of what happened, he couldn't help but feel his heart break as the other boy just sat with him holding his hand, the robe wrapped around the dead boy could've only been his friend's. Of course, the boy laying on the bed was a well known character around the school, it pained him to think of what this would mean. But Felix now had a job, he quickly made his way to the office and wrote short notes to the headmistress the deputy head people and the head of houses, essentially all senior staff to inform them that a student had died and their presence was required in the hospital wing as soon as was humanly possible for them, he sent secondary notes to the rest of the teaching staff to inform them that a student had died and to look out for any student who might find out and be upset about it, they weren't required to be in the room, but he wouldn't stop anyone.

With that done, Felix let the notes go and walked back to main hospital wing, he was surprised that the other boy had left but he couldn't blame the boy, having to carry his dead friend up to the hospital wing, that couldn't be easy. Each step Felix took felt heavy, how could this happen? This was a school, it was supposed to be safe, and yet a boy lay dead. The poor kid's family would need to be informed, the school would need to be informed, they needed to explain what had happened. Felix stood at the edge of the bed, staring down at the still figure soaking the sheet they'd covered him with, he glanced at Lucius, "We should dry the body," Felix didn't know what good that would do, but he couldn't just sit and do nothing, just staring at the body, so he went to one of the hospital wing cupboards and took out a towel, returning to the body, and very carefully drying the body with the towel, he knew that he could just use magic but Felix didn't really want to, and he was careful to not remove the robe wrapped around him.
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[Sloane Halliwell]

Sloane had recieved the horrible note not long into her marking period. She'd actually set the note aside for several minutes before she looked at it and she'd then sat in silence for even longer. Sloane did not teach Avie, but she knew him from some of his antics. He'd been around, he was funny and cheered a lot of people up. Sloane knew that this was going to devastate a lot of people and she had to be ready for that when it happened. The tears were free flowing as she thought about it. She wasn't clear on what had happened, but she was going to find out, she just had to. This was unacceptable, a child, he was a child, seventeen, was he even seventeen yet? Sloane was horrified that she didn't even know that for sure. She needed to get out of her office and to the Hospital wing, that was the important thing. The more details she had the better she could comfort any that came to her. She loved her students, whether they were in her house or not. She didn't care for house boundaries, she only cared about whoever needed her help at the time.

Locking her office and wiping the tears that continued to fall, Sloane headed down to the Hospital Wing. She'd never expected that this would be a visit she would be making. So much hurt was happening in this school, Sloane wasn't sure what was happening anymore, it was all just so sudden. Avie was one of the people she would never have expected this from. She shook her head as she continued on and entered the hospital wing slowly. She found one of the nurses drying the body and she stepped closer to it. Squeaking slightly at the sight of the body that looked so much smaller than it used to. "Do-um, do you need a hand... With that?" She asked, moving to help him anyway.
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[Esme Lancaster]

Esme's heart pounded in her chest as she ran toward the third floor corridor, descending steps four at a time and shoving any student smaller than her out of her path. A boy carrying the limp body of another through the castle hadn't gone unnoticed, and word of it had travelled quickly. The same, unpleasant sinking feeling in her stomach from that morning had returned, the vivid nightmare pushed aside as the witch tried to get back to her day, distracting herself with thoughts of her plans for the afternoon, spent with Avie. But now, perhaps, she wouldn't get a chance to. She refused to believe it, even as the letters were sent out, as she saw one of the heads of houses pass her in the hall, as her cousin tried to explain to her what he'd been told. Not Avie.

Reaching the doors of the Hospital Wing, Esme slowed, finally able to catch her breath, trying now, desperately, to tell herself it was fine. It wasn't him. Or it was a practical joke, an awful, awful joke. Or they were simply mistaken, and he was fine. It was just someone who looked like him. The denial of the situation ran rampant through her mind, alternate scenarios, possible explanations, reasons why it couldn't be him. The double doors were opened, and she was greeted by the familiar white decor of the wing, a room she'd visited only recently, following yet another victory for her team. Another victory on Avie's behalf. With trembling hands, she closed the door behind her, letting it fall shut with a soft click, before, slowly, approaching the small group already present. Time halted to a standstill. The boy that lay on the bed was pale and lifeless, everything her best friend was not, could never be, but the closer she got to him, the harder it became to tell herself, to really convince herself, that it wasn't him. "No." She breathed, barely aware of the nurses present, her eyes on the body before her. She felt sick, the pit of her stomach dropped and her heart ached painfully, heavy with a mixture of overexertion and the slow, ever so slow realisation that was dawning on her. The truth was right in front of her, but even still, a small part of her continued to deny it. Tears pricked her eyes, and the girl gently reached out, her fingertips brushing the boy's cold skin. Nothing had felt more wrong. This was not what was supposed to happen. She could see the future. She should have known.

"I-it's, it's not. It's not him. Please." The girl shook her head, pulling her hand back and bringing it up to cover her mouth. With glassy eyes, she looked back up at the nurses, supposed healers of their kind, who stood there doing nothing about it. They weren't even trying. But there had to be something they could do. Anything. "You can heal him. He's..he's not gone, is he? He can be healed?" It was a stupid question - everything she'd been taught indicated that not even magic could bring back the dead, but she held on hope that there was some chance, a way to reverse this. There had to be a way.

 

[Monty Pendleton]

Monty was not strictly required in the hospital wing that day, but upon receiving a note informing him of the tragic news, he felt all but impelled to go. His questions demanded answers he knew he could not bear to hear, yet without which he would feel equally distressed for the not knowing. How? Why? Who? It was perhaps this last piece of information that Monty sought and feared the most, simultaneously. When he reached the third floor corridor and entered the wing, his complexion was pallid with the wretched anticipation.

It was quite clear at a glance, even with the body half shielded by several figures, that the student alluded to in the letter had been Avie Mitchell. Seeing him, Monty drew in a sharp, involuntary breath. He'd seen death before, but never in such an innocent form. The Slytherin was so pale, so fragile, yet so barely gone that there seemed every possibility he might spring suddenly from the bed and announce the entire thing a twisted joke. Struggling to maintain his composure, Monty inquired as to the cause of death, and then quietly slipped out before the arriving staff could overwhelm him. Only when he turned at the end of the hall did it occur to him that he might have prevented the whole thing, if only he had warned Avie against diving to the bottom of the lake. A sickness came over him, and he quickly found a bathroom to vomit. He might have prevented it. Of course, it was unlikely Avie would have heeded the warning, but he hadn't even tried. Searching for rocks had made Avie so happy that Monty hadn't had the heart to disallow it.

Shaking, Monty leant back against the cubicle door. He was being irrational; he couldn't have been the only professor who knew of the boy's hobby. Or was he? The Professor made a short whining sound, reproached even for thinking of himself under such circumstances. There were students out there about to be completely devastated; Monty had to pull himself together. He freshened himself and went back to the hospital wing, anticipating this would be the gathering point of those presently in most need of support. There he stood, exhibiting calm, whilst silently counting the beats of his heart like they were gifts mislabelled for him instead of Avie.

 

[Felix Garcia]

Felix was less than surprised with the arrival of the first head of house, he had partly removed the sheet which had covered the boy, allowing him to gently dry the water from the boy's still and cold face. Felix hadn't known the boy, but as he looked to the professor he knew that this wouldn't be a good time for those who'd known the boy, and much more than the loss of a student, of any person in a school like this would not be easy. At the offer, Felix couldn't help but shake his head, he knew that the help would normally be welcome, but there was a feeling inside Felix that he just had to do this, and he couldn't help but glance back down at the still body below his hands, "It's alright, I got this," he replied speaking far more softly than he would, it wasn't like he was going to wake the boy. Felix knew that the news of the boy's death would filter through the student body, most wouldn't know what had happened, but those who'd known the boy were sure to find out. He knew that the family needed to know as soon as was humanly possible, but he was sure that the headmistress would want to do that.

Felix stood up slightly at the arrival of a young girl placing the towel on the bedside table, who must've been about the boy's age, had clearly known him given the reaction, he couldn't help but feel sorry for her, to lose her friend, someone she had obviously been close to, and there was where the accusation was thrown at him, and he couldn't help but think of how right she should be. He couldn't fault the poor boy who'd brought him up to the hospital wing, already dead in his arms, sure if that boy had been faster maybe the boy who lay dead would've lived but no one could've known, "I'm sorry, it was too late," he began speaking softly to the angry girl, "There was nothing more we could by the time he was brought here," It was almost a second apology, "He's gone," Felix met the girl's gaze hoping that she would understand, magic could not bring back the dead, there was no spell for that, any attempts to save this boy's life would've been done in vain. Dispelling the water from inside his body wouldn't bring him back, not this late after it had happened. Felix didn't know what else to say and was almost glad when a second professor arrived and he was given the chance to look away from the girl, in a few short words explaining the situation, speaking quietly and then watched as the man left. Felix didn't know what else to do, there was like he'd said nothing he could do, he just stood his gaze shifting from the dead boy to the door where others would arrive, ready to explain the situation and help perhaps come up with a plan for dealing with the body.
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[Ava King]

As soon as Ava was alerted, she moved swiftly to the Hospital Wing. Her stomach had dropped and her heart was heavy, it was the worst news anyone could have wanted. Ava wanted to see the boy and find out what happened before she alerted his next of kin, but she knew how Hogwarts was with it's gossip so she had to do it quickly. And then, she'd have to let the school know as a whole, she'd prep the Professors in what to say and how to help. This was not an easy subject. Why Avie?
The Headmistress found herself in the Hospital Wing before she even knew what she was going to say. Ava made her way over to Avie and Felix, noting the others that were there. Having a student in the room wasn't the best, she knew others would like to see him, but she didn't want it to be in this state. She looked over at Sloane, and speaking gently she said, "Perhaps you'd like to accompany Miss Lancaster back to her dorm - or perhaps to Daniel Clairoux?" Ava knew Daniel would probably be quite busy until the end of term, and perhaps even for the next few years to come. She would wait for them to leave before she got her information from Felix.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Professor Kingsley had hoped to never see a note like the one that was on her desk. She'd read it through as what felt like a ball grew in her throat and goosebumps broke out all over her skin. She shook her head, though that changed none of the words written on the piece of parchment before her. Professor Kingsley had been in her lounge at the time and composed herself as best she could before heading through the Gryffindor common room where students were enjoying their time, ignorant to what had just transpired. Knowing it wouldn't last much longer, she did nothing to damage these precious moments for them, even forcing a smile as a first year greeted her. Memories of hearing that Rose Landers had died rose to the surface of her memories.

The woman made her way to the hospital, quietly sliding into the room, though she remained towards the front of it, far away from the body and out of the way. She could see Ava and one of the nurses further into the room, probably discussing Avie. Cyndi Kingsley leaned against a wall, her arms crossed tightly against her chest as she waited for further instruction. She'd been through this twice before on the school grounds, once as a student, and once as a very young professor, and this never got easier to deal with. And Avie had always appeared to be such a sweet, sweet boy. The professor wiped at a tear falling from her eye as she stood there.

 

[Jon Phillips]

The note Jon received both interrupted his thoughts and his coffee break with Eduardo, causing him to put his drink down after nearly choking so he could hightail it to the hospital wing. He wanted to see the damage for himself - if the words on the note were true and not some messed up, disgusting seventh year prank. Death should never be joked about, and Avie was one of his students. Throughout the years Jon had grown to know the boy, listening to his many ramblings about the rocks he collected in his spare time and he had even somewhat helped the kid learn to read. The idea that any harm had come to such an innocent boy caused Jon's heart to thump in his chest, memories of his own experiences with death flooding back to him as he ran, uncaring if his unusual, rushed behavior would cause more commotion among the students. Some of them already seemed have clued into the fact something was happening.

He arrived to the hospital wing after what seemed an eternity, halting his steps completely before he pushed the door open, walked in and saw everything for himself. His hand raised to cover his mouth as he slowly approached the hospital bed. The mere shock of it all caused Jon to freeze up entirely as he stared down at what was once was a boy so full of life. Jon couldn't believe what had happened, let alone the sight of Avie so cold and motionless. It made him want to vomit however he stayed frozen on the spot, for the sake of eventually finding out what had happened and so he could adjust to the idea that a boy he once taught was gone.​

 

[Sloane Halliwell]

Sloane looked up as more company entered and moved away as the nurse mentioned that he was okay to work on the boy on his own. Sloane could respect that, she wasn't sure she'd head been much help anyway. She looked down as one of the Older students, Esme Lancaster came to his side. No doubt she was a friend of Avie's from her reaction. Sloane felt very strongly that the poor girl should not be in here. She didn't need to see her friend like this and on request from Ava, Sloane tapped her on the shoulder softly. "Come on, Miss Lancaster. I don't think you should be here. I'll take you to either your common room or to the counsellor, which would you prefer?" She asked, trying not to crowd the girl in a room that already felt crowded.
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[Esme Lancaster]

Esme's hands curled and uncurled into fists as the nurse told her the one thing she didn't want to hear, to believe, that it was too late. Her shoulders trembled in barely restrained silence, a harsh mixture of grief and anger. Anger that no one had saved him in time, anger that no one had tried to, anger at herself for not seeing it before it was too late, anger that when they needed it most, even magic was failing them. But it was hearing those last two words from the man's mouth, the way his eyes met hers, that caused the tears pooling in her eyes to finally fall. It solidified the truth of the situation. He was gone. "No." The girl barely choked the word out, pleading quietly one last time. Delicately, she reached her hand out to Avie again, gently touching his skin and hoping she could feel some sort of warmth from him, wishing she could simply just hug him one final time and not have to let go. She didn't want to let go. Not Avie. Her fingertips brushed strands of damp hair from his face, barely listening as the Headmistress arrived and unaware of the others that had arrived and gathered around the bed, around his body. It wasn't until Sloane tapped her shoulder that she tore her eyes from Avie, rubbing away the tears staining her cheeks with the back of her sleeve as she finally turned from him. She didn't want to leave him, but she couldn't stand seeing him like that any longer. As she was led away, she shook her head in a silent no to the offer of speaking to the school's counselor. Not now. Talking to a stranger was the last thing she wanted to do. She needed to be alone, to process her friend's death. To come to terms with the truth.

 

[Felix Garcia]

Things seemed to be happening at once, he held the girl's gaze as long as she held his, and he couldn't help but feel even worse, the sorrow she had so plainly on the surface, loosing such a dear friend that everything seemed to melt away, the way she so delicately touched the body of her friend. Felix had to look away from her and he was thankful to see the headmistress, knowing that his part in all of this was almost over, because all he wanted was to go home and hold his daughter in his arms and wish for such a misfortune to ever befall her. The headmistresses words were clear, the young girl needed to leave before they could discuss anything, he didn't think she should stay much longer, it would do nothing to stare at the dead body of a friend, so lifeless, so cold. He agreed, she would be better off anywhere but here beside the boy. He noticed two more professors enter the room, and shot them both a sympathetic smile before focusing himself back on the situation directly in front of him. Watching the head of hufflepuff lead the grief-filled girl away from them all, it wasn't until she had left the room that he turned back to the headmistress, his eyes glancing briefly back at the body.

"The boy who brought Avie's body up from the lake, the head boy's twin, he said Avie was looking for rocks and drowned," Felix said carefully, since all they really knew were the few details, "I think from that we can assume that Avie's bubble head charm failed for some reason when he went diving for rocks and because of this he drowned," he told the headmistress plainly, in the muggle world, someone would've noticed sooner that the boy wasn't coming back up for air, he wouldn't have been able to go as far as he clearly had, if this boy's magic had been better, he might've lived. There were a lot of factors that might've helped prevent this death, "It's nothing more than a tragic accident," he told her, he didn't think anyone had a role in this boy's death, no one was to blame really. It was just an accident but an awful one considering it had cost the boy his life. Felix let out a long sigh, "I'm sorry," Felix couldn't help but repeat, waiting to see what the headmistress said, what instructions she might give, the boy's family needed informed as did the rest of the school, the boys belongings needed to be packed away. They had to be prepared for students who would need to talk to the counsellor, or the nurses or the head of house.
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