As I walked to the hospital wing to fetch Poppy for breakfast, I felt my head pound for the second day running. Personally, I think I am ill, but I don't want to be ill. Everyone makes a fuss over me and I hate the attention. I don't need taking care of, I can take care of myself. However, today was different. The headache was worse, and it was making me slightly dizzy, but it wasn't so bad.

I arrived at the hospital wing, and I felt kind of nauseous. The slight spin of the room had made me feel like that, I was sure of it. My stomach rolled at the thought of throwing up, and I wasn't going to let a little bit of dizziness get the better of me.
"Poppy, are you ready?" I called into the healers office.
"Yes, one second!" She shouted back.
I waited for about a minute, and then she came hurriedlyfrom the other side of the room.
"Okay, lets go!" She said cheerfully, and we both left to get to the great hall. I was wrapped in my own thoughts, and it surprised me that we were already entering the great hall. I walked up to the staff table, and it was quiet. Oh yes, it was the beginning of the winter holidays, most of the students were not in the castle.

"Minerva, are you going to eat anything?" Poppy asked me.
"Oh, um, yeah, sorry. I was thinking." Truth was, I didn't want to eat. My stomach was still rolling slightly, so I picked it up and ate it reluctantly. Finishing that, I wrapped my hands around a cup of tea.
"Cold in here, isn't it?" I asked Poppy.
"No, not really, Minerva." She replied, looking at me concerned.
"Oh." I gulped down my tea quickley, and shouldn't have. It only aggravated my rolling stomach to roll just that little bit faster, making me feel even worse.
"Minerva, are you feeling alright?" Poppy asked me.
"Yeah, why?" I asked.
"Well you look a bit pale."
"Do I?"
"Yes." She whipped her hand up to my forehead. "My gosh, Minerva! No wonder you felt cold! You are burning up! Let me take you with me to the hospital wing."
"No Poppy! I am fine!" After saying this, I couldn't have timed my violent shiver more perfectly.
"Well, obviously you are not fine!" She said while I winced as my headache kicked up a notch. "I am taking you with me whether you like it or not."
"Ugh." I said, partly to her and partly because of my stomach.

When she stood up to leave, I stood up with her, only to grab onto her arm as the dizziness reappeared.
"Minerva?" She said my name, concerned.
"Sorry, headache." I said. She started to walk as soon as I had taken my arm away from hers, but she stood close to me incase I needed her. I suddenly stopped walking, my stomach rolling worse than ever. I wrapped my arms around it, hoping to make the pain go away, but of course, it didn't. My dizziness also got worse, it made my vision darken around the edges, and I heard someone calling my name, but it was far away. Someone grabbed my arms but it was too late. My knees buckled.

As I came to, I realised that I was laying on a hard floor, obviously not the hospital wing. Someone was tapping my face.
"Minerva!" The voice said. Was it Poppy?
"Minerva?" This was someone else, with a much deeper voice. Albus?
I opened my eyes, to see that I had guessed correctly. Albus and Poppy were standing over me, and I was still in the great hall.
"Minerva? Are you okay?" Poppy asked me, worried.
"Er, yeah I think so. What happened?" I asked, trying to sit up, but Albus put his hand on my right shoulder and pushed me back down.
"Stay down Minerva." Albus said sternly.
"Im fine Albus!" I said, fighting his strength, but it was no use. He was too strong. My stomach once again rolled, but this time it made me gag.
"Do you want a bucket?" Poppy asked, going against Albus's instructions and sitting me up.
"No, no im fine." I said, putting my hand to my stomach.
"Your stomach hurts?" Albus asked.
"Yes, a bit." I told him.
"Should we take her to the hospital wing?" He whispered to Poppy, as the students that remained over the holidays were watching.
"Yes, I think so. She is in no way to work today." She replied.
"I told you! I am fine!" I said, but my stomach disagreed and emptied its contents all over Albus's robes. "Sorry." I pulled out my wand from my robes.
"No," He said and pushed my hand back. "Let me. Scourgify!" His robes were now clean.
"Can I at least walk to the hospital wing? I don't need a stretcher." I asked Poppy.
"I guess so. Just take it easy." She agreed.
"Okay." She and Albus both took on of my arms and helped me to my feet, and to steady me as another wave of dizziness came over me. I swayed slightly, so both of them tightened their grip.
"Are you sure you can walk?" Albus asked, concerned.
"Yes. Just hang on a second." I waited for the dizziness to pass, and it did. "Okay, lets go."

Fortunatly, we were close to the hospital wing. As soon as I arrived I scrambled on to the closest bed I could find, happy to be rid of the dizziness. Poppy came over to me and ran a diagnostic spell without my permission, and I glared at her.
"Sorry, but it was compulsary." She said.
"Still, you could have warned me." I replied, but then winced. The pain no longer came from my head, but came from my stomach.
"Ouch." I said and my arms covered my stomach.
"Oh. Stomach flu. And a temperature of 40.3 degrees!" Poppy said. "That is a very high fever. Since this is a muggle illness, I can not give you potions, I am sorry. We will have to let this run its course." She said, sympathetic.
"I think I am going to be sick." I managed to get out, before Albus's fast reactions preventing my stomach from emptying its contents onto my bed, but instead it landed into a bucket.
"Thank you Albus." I said, watching him clean the bucket. My headache had come back, but now I felt extremely tired. I closed my eyes, and I felt Albus's cool hand feel my forehead.
"Feels so cool." I said without thinking, before drifting into a fever induced slumber.

When I woke up, my headache had worsened. I don't know how much worse it could have gotten, but now it felt like someone had put a red hot wire to it.
"Minerva? How are you feeling?" Albus was there. "Bucket?" He asked as I couldn't get any words out. I nodded and I threw up.
"Ugh." I said, laying back down and putting my hand to my forehead.
"How are you feeling?" He asked me.
"Like I have been run over by a bus." I answered him.
"Sorry that I cannot do anything for you." He said gently.
"Could I have some water?"
"Yes." He handed me a glass and pointed his wand, murmuring 'aguamenti' into it.
"Thank you." I said, before he put the glass to my lips and helped me drink it slowly.
"Is that better?" He asked.
"Yes, a bit." I said, feeling a bit cooler. Poppy then came over, to put another diagnostic spell on me.
"Hmm." She said as she read the piece of parchment. "Your fever had gone up to 40.5, Minerva. However, your headache has now gone down a bit. Do you feel any better?"
"No. My stomach is worse, and I still feel dizzy." I replied to her question.
"You are still pale." She said as she looked into my eyes.
"Im going to be sick again." Albus held up the bucket for me once again. This was embarrassing, sitting here, throwing up infront of my collegues.
"I don't see why I keep doing this." I said after I was finished. "There can not be much left in my stomach can there?" My eyelids drooped unexpectedly on me.
"Sleep, my dear." Albus said to me. "Rest."
"Okay."

I was dreaming about my home. How I wished I could go back. I walked up to my front door, and turned the key. Stepping into my home gave me a wonderous feeling. But as I stepped in, something was wrong. It was warm. I walked into my kitchen to see that the stove was on fire. My home! My beloved home! I took a wet tea towel to try and stop the flames, but this made it spread to the cupboards.
"No! Not my home! Not my home!"
"Minerva! It is alright! You are safe at Hogwarts!" Someone said. But Im not alright! My home is on fire!
"Minerva!" It sounded like Albus.

My eyes snapped open so see that Albus and Poppy were stood over me.
"Minerva." Albus said, worried.
"What?" I asked confused. Where was my house?
"Minerva, you had a nightmare, probably caused but he fever." Poppy informed me.
"Oh." So my house wasn't on fire then? Albus saw my face suddenly go pale and saw me sit up, and he was ready. He put the bucket infront of me.
"Thank you Albus."
"No problem." He said, smiling at me.
"Minerva, your fever is still very high." She told me, concerned. "But continue to rest, and it should go down."
"Okay." I then realised something. "Albus, how long have I been asleep?"
"About eight hours."
"Surely you need to rest too?"
"Don't worry, I have slept while you have, Minerva." He said.
"Yes but that chair isn't very comfortable, is it?" I asked him.
"It is perfectly fine." He said, patting the chair as if it was an animal.
"Please don't let me keep you from being comfortable, Albus." I pleaded.
"Don't worry about me!" He said. "Just concentrate on your own well being. Now continue to rest, Minerva. You need it."
"Ugh. Fine." I said rubbing my forehead, and turned onto my side. I fell, yet again, into sleep.

Waking up, I knew I had been asleep for a long time. Albus was asleep next to me and Poppy was nowhere to be seen. I shifted into a more comfortable position, to find that my sudden movement had startled Albus.
"Sorry." I whispered to him.
"No worries." He said and felt my forehead. "Not as warm as you were yesterday."
"How long was I sleeping?" I asked him.
"Around 12 hours this time."
"Wow, really?" I said, with my eyes shut.
"Yes, you were very ill." He said, taking his hand away, and I opened my eyes.
"Well I feel better now. My stomach doesn't hurt really anymore, just aches a little bit."
"Thats good then." He said and smiled at me.
"Albus, please go and get some rest in your office." I said, taking in his appearance.
"No Minerva! I am perfectly fine right here."
"Albus. Do it. I know that you are tired."
"Minerva..."
"Albus. You have been here for me, and now that I am feeling better, please just sleep in your bed for a while, even if it is only for an hour. I will feel better when I know you are well rested. I will be sleeping so I won't even know that you were gone."
"Oh, well okay. I will wait here until you are asleep, and then I will go. Deal?" He said.
"Deal." I said, and closed my eyes so get some more rest, just for Albus's well being.

Waking up again, I notice that Albus is not sitting next to me. Good, maybe he is getting the rest he needs, i thought to myself.

Madam Pomfrey noticed that I was awake and she came to take my temperature again.
"Well, Minerva, your fever has gone down to 38.6, which is a great improvement." She told me and beamed.
"Where is Albus?" I asked, wanting to make sure.
"I convinced him to go to breakfast, as he had been calling house elves. I told him that he needed to go and see the other staff for a change."
"Good for him. I told him when I woke up before that he should rest in his own bed. He had been staying here all that time, so he needed rest of his own."
"Good." Was her reply. "I think that we can let you go tomorrow, if your fever goes back to normal. I will not let you go however if your stomach still hurts."
"No, I told Albus last night that it didn't hurt, it only ached slightly, and now it is the same."
"It just aches?"
"It just aches." I said repeating her.
"That is good then. I am glad you are feeling better." She said.
"Thank you."

Albus came back to the hospital wing ten minutes later.
"Minerva! Are you feeling better?" He asked me.
"Yes thank you Albus. Poppy is allowing me to go tomorrow if my temperature goes down to normal."
"That is great news!" He said and smiled his great smile.
"Yes." I said, smiling back at him.

The rest of the day, we sat talking about all sorts. He even got his personal house elf to get me some plain toast to see if my stomach would keep it down, which it did, and we played wizard chess. I won most of the games, but let him win one or two of them.

I was let out the next day, but was told to take it easy.