Tortured within an inch of death (Ian)

Sydney groaned in pain as her eyes slowly fluttered open. She looked around her at the white room as the bright light hit her eyes. Where was she? The hospital wing? She tried to sit up but a voice told her not to, to lie back down.

Ian had heard from the attack on Sydney and worriedly made his way to the hospital wing to check up on her. When he found the right bed, he asked the mediwitch in a hushed voice if he could sit with the other Hufflepuff for a while and luckily she agreed, so he sat down next to the bed, looking thoughtfully at the sleeping girl when suddenly she opened her eyes. "Lie back down, Sydney. You have to rest." Ian quickly told her when she tried to sit up.

Sydney blinked and when her vision finally focused, she saw Ian sitting beside her. She furrowed her brows and cocked her head to the side, obviously confused, "Ian? What are you doing here? Where am I? What happened?" When he told her to lie back down, she did and her head stopped spinning.

Ian sighed and leaned forward, watching her closely, as she still seemed to be in pain from what had happened to her. "I don't know much, Sydney. Only what I heard from my friends. You have been attacked by a group of Slytherins, but no one will say who was part of it. They are probably all scared that something like that will happen to them as well." he told her quietly. Ian couldn't understand how anyone could just attack someone else for no reason. "Can't you remember anything?"

"I remember crying in the hallway. And someone coming up to me and trying to comfort me... Draco... It was Draco. i know that for a fact. I didnt know the other people." Sydney looked down at her fingers and whimpered when she saw one of her nails missing. "My nails..." She hid her face in Ians chest and tried not to cry. "I wanna go home, Ian. I wanna go home."

Ian growled in anger when he heard the other boy's name, still disliking him for being one of the boys who have kissed Sydney. "What were you doing with Draco again? You should know by now that he's no good. He only wants to play with you!" he was angry that she had trusted the Slytherin, but maybe it would also show her that she had to start realizing which people she could trust and which she couldn't trust.
"You can't go home, Sydney...and do you really want to go home now? Or do you just want to get away from here?" he asked her a bit more calmly. "I'm sure the teachers will take care that nothing like that will happene again."

"I wasnt with Draco by choice. He came up to me. He tried to comfort me... I dont know why I trusted him. I know I shouldnt have, Ian. I was stupid. Im sorry." She felt the tears fall and sniffled softly. "I know hes no good. I wasnt thinking." She sighed and looked up at him, "I just wanna get out of this hospital bed. But they wont let me leave yet."

Ian sighed and ran a hand through his hair, trying to calm his unsettled nerves a bit. He had been quite shaken up when he had heard about what had happened to Sydney and to hear that the boy she once kissed was behind it just made him more angry, but he knew that right now was not the time to argue about such things. "Can you remember anything else? I'm sure that the mediwitch will let you out as soon as you're healed, but at least in here you are safe." he tried to calm her down a bit.

"I remember a few other people. But I dont know their names." She shook her head and held it in her hands as she tried to remember. "I cant... Im trying but..." She lied back down and groaned in frustration. She hid her face in her pillow and tried to remember. "I dont remember much about it. Just the pain. So much pain." She broke down in tears.

Ian got up from his seat to sit down next to her on the bed, taking her hand into his own to give her at least some comfort. "It's okay, calm down, Sydney. You don't have to remember now, the most important thing is for you to get better and that all your injuries heal quickly." he said, making his voice sound gentle and warm to sooth her. He had not want to upset her with his questions.

Sydney smiled as Ian took her hand into his own. It helped her calm down a bit. She nuzzled against him and breathed in his calming scent and instantly relaxed. "You're right. Thank you for coming to see me. Why did you come to see me?" She raised an eyebrow and wondered if this was their first step towards rebuilding their relationship.

Ian chuckled softly and shook his head. "Why do you think?" he asked her, but answered right away. "I heard what happened and wanted to make sure that you would be okay. We're friends after all, right?" He did not really know if he could call them that, yet but they were on a good way to becoming close friends and if one day he could trust Sydney like he could trust his friends then maybe there could be more again.

"Pf course w are, green Eyes." Just then, her owl, Maleficent flew into the hospital wing and dropped a letter onto her lap. Sydneys eyes widened as she saw the address on the top of the envelope. "How did he know...?" She picked the letter up with shaking hands and opened it. She read the letter then screamed and threw it across the room.

Ian smiled warmly at her, though his expression turned more serious when an owl flew into the room, carrying a letter for her. "What...is it from your father?" he asked carefully, while she read the letter. He jumped and picked up the letter, not reading it, but keeping his eyes on her. "What does it say, Sydney?"

"Its from my dad... He wants me to come home..." She cried and hid her face in the pillow. "He's coming here if I dont go home." She couldnt go home. She would not go home. "What am I going to do?" She was shaking with fear and felt like she couldnt breathe. "Ian, Im scared."

Ian snorted and angrily shook his head. "Well that's not going to happen. Now that Professor Yaxley knows about everything, he can't take you away from here. She has told the Ministry about everything, remember? They will protect you." he told her, trying to calm the girl down as he could see how upset she was.

Sydney threw herself at Ian and wrapped her arms around him as she cried into his chest. "I dont wanna go with him! Please dont let him take me. Please, Green Eyes!" She couldnt stop crying at the thought of having to go home.

Ian put his arms around her shaking form and rubbed her back in soothing circles, holding her as she cried. "Hey, Sydney, it will be alright. I know you're scared, but I won't let him take you away, okay? I promise that he won't hurt you again." he told her, keeping his voice gentle and calm.

Ians calming voice soothed her and she felt herself relax. But she didnt move out of his embrace. She mumbled into his chest, "I miss you." He probably couldnt hear her so she took a chance, "I love you." She waited a few more minutes before pulling away from him. She looked into his eyes and wanted to kiss him so bad.

Ian sighed and rested his chin on her shoulder, looking thoughtfully at the wall behind her, as he thought about her words. He did not know whether he could already believe her words again even though he knew that she obviously cared a lot for him. Still, he was hesitant to get too close to her again right now and rather kept quiet. When she looked about to kiss him, Ian averted his face and looked at the letter he was still holding in his hand. "Why don't you write your father?" he suggested, an idea forming in his head. "You could tell him everything you ever wanted to say...like how scared you are of him and how he hurt you and why you wanted away from him?"

Sydney frowned as Ian moved away. She sighed and wiped her eyes. She longed for the day those lips would comfort her with more than just words. "No way. Writing to him would make it worse. Then he could possibly find out where it is I'm going to go to get away from him." She frowned again at not getting her kiss. She meant the words she said. She missed him. She loved him. She would never hurt her again. She would kill for just one more chance with him. She hoped he knew that.

Ian looked at her thoughtfully, pondering on her words for a few moments. "You don't have to send it to him, you know? I just think that I might help you if you write down everything that has been bothering or scaring you or what you hope will happen...things like that." he suggested, thinking of how his mother always kept a diary to "order her thoughts" as she called it.

"Possibly. It could help." She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder as she stared at the letter. Maybe if she stared long enough it would go away. But it didnt. It stayed there. She looked up at Ian and kissed his cheek quickly. "Thank you for all your help. Youre a great friend." She nuzzled against him and closed her eyes to try and relax. She just wanted to go back in time. Or erase the past. "Ian?"

"Alright, just think about it..." Ian nodded calmly and pulled out his wand, burning the letter, as he could see that it was upsetting her. "I hope you don't mind." he shot her a short smirk and then leaned back against the bed post with a sigh. "I'm always there for my friends. That's what friends are there for, right?" he said quietly, thinking of Mio, David, Rowan and Artemis. When Sydney said his name, he looked up at her. "Yes?"

Sydney couldnt take it anymore. She needed him. Before he could react, she uickly leaned up and kissed him. She knew she shouldnt be doing it, but she couldnt help herself. She craved his lips on hers. And it felt just as amazing as it had before. She smiled softly against his lips.