Awakening

Wade woke up.

His consciousness returned through a haze, and he felt as though he had had a very, very long dream. Even now, his eyelids were heavy as lead, while fragments of that endless dream churned through his mind.

Those scattered images had exhausted him so thoroughly that he almost did not want to wake up.

Soft, deliberately hushed voices drifted into his ears:

"Still not awake?"

Ferdinand's voice was slightly hoarse.

Then came the rustle of fabric. Fiona's reply was as soft as a sigh. "No."

"Go get some sleep. I'll watch over him," Ferdinand said.

Wade felt the mattress sink slightly as someone sat down beside him.

"I'll stay too... I'm not tired yet."

Fiona's cool fingertips gently brushed the hair from Wade's forehead.

At last, Wade struggled to open his eyes, as if laboriously rising to the surface from the Deep Sea. His parents' faces gradually came into focus.

Stubble had appeared along Ferdinand's jaw. He turned to get a cup of water from the cabinet, but Fiona, whose eyes were already red-rimmed, noticed Wade had awakened first. She drew in a sharp breath and instantly covered her mouth with one hand.

His father quickly turned around. The cup in his hand trembled, nearly slipping from his grasp.

After steadying himself, he reached the hand holding the cup toward Wade, then froze and set it down before ruffling Wade's hair.

"You're finally awake... you little brat!"

He complained hoarsely, "You slept far too long this time!"

His tone made it sound as though Wade had not gone face-to-face with the Wizarding World's most dangerous Dark Lord, exhausted his strength, and fallen unconscious, but had merely slept in.

Fiona gripped his hand tightly and asked anxiously, "How do you feel? Is anything uncomfortable? Are you hungry?"

"I'm