Carmilla paused as she sat down to dinner, eyeing the empty spot next to her on the bench. She craned her neck, looking towards the entrance of the Great Hall, her eyebrows pulling together in confusion. Laura was never late to dinner. Ever. Even on practice nights. If anything, it was Carmilla who would lose track of time in the library and be the one who was late, sneaking into the Great Hall twenty minutes after the food appeared and sinking into her seat quietly beside Laura. Carmilla picked up her fork tentatively, still eyeing the empty seat next to her.
“Hello, Carmilla,” A voice said cheerfully, settling down on Carmilla’s other side.
Carmilla looked over to find JP carefully placing roast chicken and boiled potatoes on his plate, and she nodded in greeting when he glanced at her again.
“Have you seen Laura?” She asked after a moment, her eyes flicking back to the empty spot beside her.
He looked up, his eyebrows furrowed. “No, I haven’t,” the Hufflepuff said, looking perplexed. “doesn’t she have practice tonight? Maybe it ran over,”
“Maybe,” Carmilla hummed, nodding a little.
A few minutes passed, and Carmilla was setting down her goblet of pumpkin juice as she looked towards the entrance of the Great Hall again. Perry and Kirsch, who's hair was looking a little soggy from the rain that was pattering against the windows, were walking in along with LaFontaine, but Laura was nowhere to be found. Carmilla’s gut twisted uncomfortably, and the worried look on Perry’s face wasn’t helping any.
“Where’s Laura?” She asked, the second the three of them sat down across from her.
Perry shot a nervous glance towards Kirsch before looking back to Carmilla, who was waiting rather impatiently for an answer with her eyebrows raised. “Well, um, she’s in the...hospital wing,” Perry said delicately, nervously spinning a ring that sat on he right middle finger.
“What?? Why??” Carmilla demanded, her fork clattering against her plate. “Is she okay??”
“A bludger slammed right into her during practice--” Kirsch began, but before he could finish, Camilla shot up from her seat and made her way towards the entrance of the Great Hall in a flurry of black and blue robes, leaving her dinner behind along with a tipped-over goblet of pumpkin juice, which Perry cleaned up with a huff and a wave of her wand.
Carmilla hurried through the corridors and up several flights of stairs, her mind racing. Perry and Kirsch didn’t seem too worried, but Carmilla couldn’t help the lurch in her stomach and the echoing, painful thuds in her chest at the thought of Laura getting hurt. Had she been thrown from her broom? Did she break a bone? Bones? The Ravenclaw knew Madame Pomfrey could fix just about anything, but Laura would still be in pain, and she hated the thought of that.
The Ravenclaw had just turned down the hall that led to the hospital wing when she heard a choked cry that sounded horribly like Laura. Carmilla broke into a run and skidded into the hospital wing, and was met with the sight of Laura laid out on a cot, her rain-dampened Quidditch sweater pushed up to expose her side, with her face screwed up in pain as Madame Pomfrey hovered over her with her wand out, shushing her gently.
“Laura?!” Carmilla called, running towards her.
Madame Pomfrey looked up at the sound of Carmilla’s voice, and her face softened. “She’s alright dear, she just seems to have broken a few ribs. Thankfully there was no one there confounded enough to try and remove her bones entirely,” She said, muttering that last bit darkly under her breath.
“Carm?” Laura asked, opening her eyes again and wincing as she took a breath.
“Hey,” Carmilla said gently, lacing her fingers with Laura’s as she brushed a few strands of damp, honey-brown hair from Laura’s forehead. “what happened? Kirsch said you got hit with a bludger?”
“Yeah--” Laura winced, and then relaxed a bit again. “it came out of nowhere and got me in the side...fell about ten feet, I think,”
“Merlin,” Carmilla breathed, shaking her head a little.
“Just once more, Hollis,” Madame Pomfrey said, looking up at Laura. Laura nodded and braced herself, squeezing Carmilla’s hand hard. “episkey,” Madame Pomfrey muttered, wincing a little as a crunching snap sounded around room, followed by another choked cry from the tiny seeker. Madame Pomfrey sighed and patted Laura’s leg. “That seems to be about it, Hollis. Well, for the bones, a least,” She tapped Laura’s sweater, and then her pants with her wand, drying them both with a simple charm.
Laura sighed in relief. “Great,” She said, running a hand down her face. “Carm, can you help me up? I’m starving, think there’s any dinner left?”
“Not so fast, Hollis,” Madame Pomfrey said, holding up a hand. “you’re not going anywhere,” Laura and Carmilla both looked up at her, confused. “I want to keep you here overnight, until at least tomorrow night to make sure that everything’s healing properly. You still have quite a bit of bruising,”
Laura’s eyes grew wide. “Tomorrow night?” She asked, her shoulders sinking. “But we have the match against Slytherin tomorrow, we’re already behind for the House Cup!”
“I’m sorry Miss Hollis, as much as I’d like to watch you wipe the smirk off of Mr. Luce’s face, I must insist that you rest. You’re not fit to play.” She said sternly, and then winced a little, glancing at Carmilla. “I’m sorry, Miss Karnstein, I know you two are related,”
Carmilla rolled her eyes and waved her hand dismissively. “Believe me, I’d like to watch Cupcake here crush my brother just as much as you would,”
“Ah. Well.” Madam Pomfey nodded. “I’m sorry, Hollis. You need time to heal. You are free to eat, however. I can send down to the kitchens for something for you two, or Miss Karnstein can go gather a plate for each of you from the Great Hall, whichever you prefer,” She patted Laura’s leg once more and then bustled off to her office to fetch an extra blanket for Laura, seeing as the hospital wing was still a little drafty at night, even in May.
Laura lay back down on the cot, blinking back a few frustrated tears as she tried to get comfortable. She’d been looking so forward to this match, not to mention it was Hufflepuff’s last match of the year, and now she’d be stuck in a hospital bed, listening to the faint cheers through the windows because she wasn’t quick enough to dodge a stupid bludger.
“Hey,” Carmilla said quietly, squeezing Laura’s hand gently.
Laura looked up at her. “Hey,” She said quietly. She looked down again, fidgeting a little with her sweater.
“Here,” Carmilla said quietly, tugging gently at the hem of Laura’s Quidditch sweater in a questioning manner. Laura nodded, and Carmilla proceeded to carefully pull it off her, pausing now and then when Laura winced.
Laura sighed once it was off, feeling a little better. she loved her sweater, and it was warm, but a little scratchy and much better suited for wearing during a match rather than wearing in bed. Underneath it she had a worn old green teeshirt on that she usually wore during practice, and from he neck hung the little snitch charm Carmilla had gotten her for her birthday during fourth year, before they’d gotten together. She still had her Quidditch pants on, but they were fairly comfortable, and she was too tired to try and get out of them at the moment.
“It’ll be alright,” Carmilla said softly, sitting down beside Laura.
“I know,” Laura sighed, looking down at their interlocked fingers. “I was just kind of looking forward to pounding your brother,” She mumbled somewhat sheepishly, looking up at Carmilla through her lashes.
Carmilla chuckled, running her thumb back and forth across Laura’s knuckles. “So was I. But you’ll get that chance again,”
“I suppose so,” Laura nodded.
“Hey, you’re hungry, right?” Carmilla asked, a few minutes of silence passing between the two.
“Starving,” Laura nodded, and then winced, having moved too enthusiastically. Her whole body was sore from her fall, even though she hadn’t fallen that far. She had some bruising on her side where the bludger had hit, and on her back and arms, and her neck was sore. A few scrapes dotted he face, but they’d scabbed over quickly. Madam Pomfrey would be taking care of those later on. “did you eat?” She asked.
Carmilla shook her head. “Dinner was just starting when I came up here,”
“Go eat,” Laura said, nudging Carmilla in the shoulder. “I can ask Madam Pomfrey to call for something from the kitchens,”
Carmilla rolled her eyes. “And what, leave you to eat up here by yourself? Don’t be stupid,” She said, the corner of her mouth turned up into a little smile. “I’ll be back in a few minutes,” She leaned over and dropped a gentle kiss on Laura’s lips, and then turned, leaving the hospital wing, her black and blue robes billowing around her.
------
It was getting late into the night when Madam Pomfrey finally kicked Carmilla out, ignoring protests from both students. After a few minutes of protesting and a stern, though not mean glare from Madam Pomfrey, Carmilla sighed and bade Laura goodnight, kissed her cheek, and reluctantly left for Ravenclaw Tower.
“You caught a good one, hmm?” Madam Pomfrey asked after Carmilla left, as she handed Laura a pair of blue and white striped pajama bottoms.
Laura looked up at her and blushed a little, unable to contain her grin. “Yeah, I did,”
------
Late the next morning, LaFontaine, JP, and Danny stopped by the hospital wing to visit Laura before the match. Perry and Kirsch were already down in the Hufflepuff locker rooms going over strategy with the team captain, Finnegan. LaFontaine assured Laura though that they sent their well wishes, and were thoroughly disappointed that Laura wouldn’t be joining them for the match.
“Where’s dark and broody?” Danny asked, looking around the hospital wing for the Ravenclaw. Danny, like LaFontaine and JP, was decked out in the Hufflepuff colors, face paint and all, courtesy of Laura and JP letting LaFontaine and Danny borrow some of their house clothing.
Laura rolled her eyes a little at the nickname. “I’m not sure. She stayed with me really late last night, maybe she overslept,”
LaFontaine grunted a little and shrugged. Their hair was suddenly flashing from black to yellow and back, making them look like a rather alarming bumblebee.
“It is only ten thirty,” JP chimed in.
“I wish you were playing, L,” LaFontaine sighed.
“Yeah, me too,” Danny said. “I think everyone was waiting to watch you pound Luce,”
Laura breathed out a small laugh. “I know, me too. I actually like most of their team, it’s just him I can’t stand. He’s always such a...raging bad person,” She scowled. “And he’s always terrible to Carm. Not that she can’t handle it, but still. And I just about perfected standing up on my broom!”
LaFontaine chuckled. “Yeah, he's about as pleasant as a dung beetle,” They looked up, hearing some noise coming from the pitch, and then looked to JP and Danny. “we better get going, the mach is about to start,” They said.
Laura’s shoulders sank a little, but she looked up when she felt a hand on her shoulder. “You sure you don’t want us to stay?” Danny asked.
“No, no, go, have fun,” Laura urged, attempting to shoo them away.
“We’ll tell you all about it, promise,” LaFontaine said as they headed towards the door.
“I’ll write down the commentary!” JP called, coaxing a grin from Laura.
“Thank you, guys, now go! Have fun!” Laura said, shaking her head in amusement.
------
Laura soon occupied herself with the book Carmilla had brought for her the night before, in the hopes of curing her boredom. It’d been a little while since her friends had left to attend the match, and Carmilla still had yet to show up. Laura figured she might have just overslept, it being Saturday and all. Still, she missed her, and she was having a hard time focusing on her book. She never did do the whole bed rest thing well. her father always had a hell of a time trying to keep her in bed when she was sick when she was younger.
“Hey, cupcake,”
Laura looked up from her book, a massive grin spreading across her face. “Carm! Merlin’s beard, I was getting so bored,” She sighed, setting her book down on her chest.
“Oh, so I’m just a form of entertainment, am I?” Carmilla said in mock hurt, setting a brown paper bag down on the bed and sitting down beside Laura. She was dressed in a faded The Weird Sisters shirt and a pair of black jeans, her loose curls unruly as ever.
Laura rolled her eyes. “No. It just gets really dull sitting up here by myself. Madam Pomfrey is down at the match.”
“I can imagine,” Carmilla murmured as she leaned forward towards Laura.
Laura couldn’t hold back a grin as their lips met, and she gladly took Carmilla’s bottom lip between her own, sucking gently as her fingers tangled in Carmilla’s loose, dark curls. Carmilla chuckled deep in her throat and nipped at Laura’s upper lip as she leaned forward even further so that she was hovering over Laura, though she was careful of the few bruises that still dotted Laura’s torso.
A few minutes later found Carmilla’s lips on Laura’s throat, and the Hufflepuff was suddenly very grateful that they were the only ones in the hospital wing.
“Carm,” Laura breathed, the tips of her ears burning.
“Hmm?” Carmilla hummed. The vibration of Carmilla’s voice against Laura’s throat was not helping whatsoever.
“Carm, if Madam Pomfrey comes back to find more bruises on me, she’d going to kill me,” Laura said, trying very hard to keep her breathing steady. “and then you.”
Carmilla pulled away after one lat bite, and rolled her eyes as she sat back. “Fine,” She sighed.
Laura bit back a laugh, shaking her head a little. “So where were you earlier?”
Carmilla looked up. “I was getting a few things.” She shrugged, and then paused. “did you think I went down to the match without you?” She asked, looking a little hurt.
“No! No, I just thought you might have slept in or something.” Laura shrugged smiling. “What were you getting?”
Carmilla smiled and started unloading what was in the bag she’d brought. “These,” She said, pulling out a bundle of chocolate chip cookies, half a dozen chocolate frogs, and a still-cold bottle of pumpkin juice.
“Carm, you are amazing, where did you get these?! I thought we finished all the ones we got in Hogsmede,” Laura grinned as she sat up, wincing a little in the process.
Carmilla quickly got up and helped her into a sitting position, and arranged a few pillows behind her. “I have my methods,” Carmilla smirked.
Laura caught Carmilla’s hand before she sat down again, and kissed her cheek, causing the Ravenclaw to blush. “Thanks, Carm,”
Carmilla nodded, and settled down next to her again. She reached for a chocolate frog and ripped it open, being careful to catch it before it hopped away, and bit the head off as she looked at the card. “Helga Hufflepuff, again,” She said through a mouthful of chocolate, and went to toss the card at the foot of Laura’s cot, but Laura stopped her before she could.
“I’ll take it if you don’t want it,” Laura said, plucking the card from Carmilla’s grasp.
“Cupcake, you have like a hundred Helga Hufflepuff cards,” Carmilla said, an amused smirk pulling at her lips. “you could wallpaper your room back home with them,”
Laura shrugged. “Call it house pride,”
Carmilla chuckled and handed a cookie to Laura, who gladly took it after placing the card down on her bedside table. Laura took a bite of her cookie and snuggled into Carmilla’s side, sighing contentedly.
“Hey, Carm?” Laura asked quietly.
“Hmm?” Carmilla hummed, looking down at Laura. She’d situated herself beside Laura, and was leaning against the pillows as well, with her arm wrapped around Laura and her feet up on the bed.
“Thanks for staying with me,” Laura sighed, her eyes closed and her head resting on Carmilla’s chest.
Carmilla smiled, her eyes soft as she looked down at Laura, her thumb swiping back and forth gently on Laura’s forearm. “No problem, cutie,”