Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
Italics thoughts
Chapter Two
Where's All The White Gone
'Ow, why does my head hurt?' Hermione thought. 'I don't remember going to sleep. What happened? Why aren't I opening my eyes? And who the bloody hell is prodding me?'
"Padfoot, stop poking the broad! How would you like it if some stranger poked you about while you were unconscious?" The boy referred to as Padfoot stopped poking the girl in the bed, and turned to the boy talking to him.
"Well it depends on where they are poking me, besides who wouldn't want someone as handsome and as charming as me poking them!"
The black-haired boy whom Padfoot was talking to threw his head up in laughter and ended it with a "touché mate, touché!"
Just then a lady in white walked in the room unnoticed, "And just what do you think you four are up to?" Padfoot, the black-haired boy and two others all turned around to see the medi-witch standing at the entrance of the berth, with her hands on her hips, an eyebrow raised and a foot tapping. They knew that if they didn't have a good excuse, that it would be Friday nights with Madam Pomfrey for the next month, cleaning out medicinal viles.
"Good morning Poppy!" Padfoot happily said, standing up.
"And how are you on this fine morning?" the black-haired boy asked perkily.
"Oh... well I'm just peachy Mr. Potter." They could tell she was not amused.
Another one of the quartet now stood up and nervously laughed before saying, "well you see Poppy, Madam Pomfrey, we were just checking in to see if you needed any help, but you weren't here."
"So you felt it necessary to disturb my patients Mr. Lupin?"
"Uh? Prongs, Padfoot? You want to handle that one?"
Padfoot stood up and cleared his throat. "Well, as darling Remus here said, you weren't here, and then we saw this lovely little damsel here, and she seemed to be in distress, so we thought we would make her feel better."
"And just how were you going to do that?"
Mr. Potter now stood up, "don't you think our presence is enough to make anyone feel better?"
"Hmm," she stared them down with squinted eyes, and then gave in, "fine, but you have to leave now. And know that I have my eye on you four."
The unknown boy and Remus walked out smiling. Mr. Potter bowed graciously and Padfoot... Padfoot walked up to the medi-witch, took her hand, placed a sweet kiss on her fingers, and bowed before saying, "goodbye my sweet Poppy-flower, I hope we meet again soon, maybe under the-"
"Goodbye Mr. Black!"
"See ya!" and he ran off to join his snickering mates. After she saw the door shut, she shook her head, muttered something about boys and went to check on the patient the boys had been tending to.
"Who are you?" She asked out loud, as she propped the girls pillow up. "Well for one thing, you are very pretty. I can see why those boys chose to sit with you."
'Who the hell keeps pushing me about? And why the bloody hell am I laying here with my eyes shut when I'm wide awake?' Hermione thought.
'Maybe you aren't awake.' Her conscience stated.
'Yeah, okay. What, pray tell am I then? Dead? In a coma? Dreaming? What is it?'
"How the bloody hell should I know, I'm you. Just because I'm the conscience doesn't mean I know what's going on when you can't open your sodding eyes!'
'Piss off! Now let's see... I have to open my eyes...1...2...3... aaaaahhh! Aaaaaaaaah! Why isn't it working?'
'We're back to that again? Maybe you're in a –
'Don't you dare say it!' Hermione yelled in her mind, 'I am not in a coma! Nor am I dead! I am simply sleeping and I can't wake up.'
'Um... don't they have a name for that? Yeah, yeah, I think they call it a coma!'
'Oh shut up! I never asked for your opinion anyway!'
'Fine but don't come crying to me when you find out that I'm right and you're wrong.'
'One, a Granger doesn't cry, and two I am never wrong!'
'We'll see!'
'Wait what is that noise?'
'What noise? I don't –
"Shh, listen! Do you know who she is?' Hermione recognized the voice as Madam Pomfrey's. 'What is she talking about?'
"I'm afraid not Poppy," said the voice of the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. "I've checked everywhere and nobody knows anything about a missing student."
'Wow... a missing student? Here? That's odd.' Just then she felt a cold hand touch her cheek. Soon she head a voice, a voice to put to the hand. It was Madam Pomfrey again.
"It's too bad she's such a pretty lass."
'What?' Hermione asked, "Am I the missing student? But I can't be! I'm Hermione Granger, Head Girl! I can't be missing! I go to school here!'
"If only we had a name to put to that pretty face." Dumbledore said painstakingly.
'But you do! I'M HERMIONE GRANGER!' She yelled, although nobody could hear her. 'I have to get out of here! One more try. ARGH! MMMMMM – AAAAHHHHH!'
Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore heard a moan and then what seemed like a scream. It was the unknown girl lying in the hospital bed.
"Quick Albus hold her down!"
Dumbledore held her down as best he could. She had yet to open here eyes, but she was fidgeting all over the place, almost more than Albus could handle. Madam Pomfrey propped the girl's head up and her mouth open, then poured a green-ish potion inside.
"To calm her."
"I don't need to calm down! I need to get out of this!'
"Come on. Hello? Miss? Can you hear me?"
'Yes.' Hermione thought lacking enthusiasm this time.
"Can you open your eyes?"
'If I could we wouldn't be in this mess, now would we?'
"Ok Albus I think I have something that can bring her back. Stay here, and keep trying."
'Alright, we've been through this before! I can come back on my own thanks. Just give me some damn peace and quite!'
"Miss... miss can you hear me? Hello? It's ok, we'll take care of you." Dumbledore said as Madam Pomfrey ran out of the room.
'I don't need you to bloody take care of me, just give me some blimen time will ya!'
"Alright Albus, prop her head up." Madam Pomfrey said rushing back into the room carrying a vial with a purple liquid in it.
Hermione felt something pour down her throat and she had to force it down, either that or choke.
'Yuck! What the hell? I said I could do it myself! Jeeze no wonder times are bad, it's because nobody sodding listens anymore!
"OK, that should help her along, she should wake soon." Poppy said.
"Forgive me Poppy, but why didn't you give that to her earlier?"
"Because Albus," Madam Pomfrey started off annoyed at the fact that he didn't trust her prior judgment, "I did not know her status, she was immobile, I don't know anything about her, she could be allergic to one of the ingredients for all I know. Normally if she were a student I would have her parents permission to do a wand test and find out her stats, but seeming as I don't have those papers authorizing me to do that, I and the school could be sued for malpractice and invasion of privacy."
"And you can do all of that now?" he looked at her in disbelief.
"Oh for goodness sakes, Headmaster will you please step aside and let me, the medi-witch do her job. I know what I can and can not do thank you very much." She said as she pushed him to the side.
About twenty minutes later Hermione felt her eyes tingling. 'What's happening? Oh for god's sake will you just open! It's not that hard of a job you know, just open and close, open and close, preferably open. It's a natural occurrence that happens everyday... just open!' Suddenly she saw daylight. 'What just like that? I've been working my arse off for God knows how long and now... now you open? You really are the eyes of a woman.'
Hermione didn't say anything, she just looked around, until she notice something that she hadn't remember in her past visits to the hospital wing... the décor. It was colourful, four colours colourful, as in red, green, blue and yellow colourful.
"Since when?" Her words were confused, yet not completely pointless first words out of a coma. Still confused, Hermione saw a young-ish (late 30s, early 40s) medi-witch walk by. She had a striking resemblance to Madam Pomfrey, and she didn't even glance at Hermione. She wanted to clear her throat to get the medi-witches attention, but without thinking she asked, "Where's all the white gone?"
The lady clad in white stopped, looked over at Hermione, and gave a quick gasp before running to her side.
"Miss are you okay? How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine, more confused than anything. Who are you? Are you new, you look like someone I know only younger. And what do you mean, how do I feel? What happened? Why am I in the hospital wing, and for God's sake where is all the damn white gone?"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, now slow down missy, you don't need any more trauma on your hands. Now tell me what do you mean by where is all the white gone?"
"The white! As in the hospital wing that I was last in was all white. Where did it go?"
"Well, I can assure you that not all hospital wings are the same, where was the last hospital you were in?"
Hermione looked at her incredulously, "are you joking? Here at Hogwarts... where I go to school, where I have gone to school for the last seven years, where I am now Head Girl! Any of this ring a bell?" The medi-witch just gaped at her now. "Ok... where is Madam Pomfrey? I need to speak with her immediately!" Once again the nurse just looked at Hermione. "Well go on. Where is she?"
"Standing right in front of you," she answered, still with a look of shock on her face.
"What? No, that can't be. You are way too young to be Madam Pomfrey. You must be her niece or something. I'm talking about Poppy Pomfrey."
"I'm afraid that's me."
"What? But that can't be! How is that even possible? I just saw you two days ago! You can't be more than forty!"
"Thirty-eight actually."
"Are you sure there isn't another Poppy Pomfrey? There has to be! I mean unless you are taking a de-aging potion, but you of all people should know the disastrous side effects of those things!"
"No, I'm the only Poppy Pomfrey, and as far as I know I have never taken a de-aging potion, they are practically poison if you think about it."
"I know! Which is why none of this makes any sense! The last thing I can remember was working with the veil, and then I couldn't open my eyes."
"Wait, what did you say?"
"I couldn't open my eyes?"
"No, before that."
"Oh, I said the last thing that I can remember is that I was working with the veil." Hermione said trying to of why that was relevant. "Why do you ask?"
"Oh dear."
"What?" Hermione said, trying to understand what was going on.
"Um... Ms... I'm sorry, what is your name?"
"Granger, Hermione Granger," she said, not being able to believe that the nurse didn't know who she was, after all that was part of her job, to know the students. Besides if she really was Madam Pomfrey, than she should know exactly who she is.
"Ms. Granger, do you know what year it is?"
"Of course I do, 1998."
"Oh dear." The medi-witch or Madam Pomfrey went white.
"Now that is the second time you have said that. What's wrong?"
"Um... you stay right here! I have to get the Headmaster." She ran out of the room so fast, Hermione never had the time to ask her why.
Hermione lay there in confusion until Madam Pomfrey and another man came into the room. The two of them were in a hurry and were rushing straight towards her bed.
"Will someone please tell me what is going on here!"
"Wait, first of all can you tell me who this is?" The medi-witch asked, pointing at the bearded man standing next to her.
Hermione stared at the man who was somewhat elderly, and very familiar. "No, but I recognize you from somewhere." She squinted her eyes and gave a small chuckle, "why you almost look as if you're – never mind, that is simply impossible."
"I'm who miss?" The man asked. "As if I'm Headmaster Dumbledore?"
Hermione gasped and quickly looked at the man, "how did you know I was going to say that, I don't even know you! Who are you?"
The man took a deep breath and said, "Headmaster Dumbledore."
"What? What's going on here?" Hermione yelled as she stumbled to get out of bed.
"Be careful miss." Madam Pomfrey said as she helped her, "actually... were wondering the same thing, that is up until you told me what year it is."
"I don't see what 1998 has to do with me waking up in a hospital wing," she said shaking free from the nurse's grasp, "or the fact that I'm talking to two people whom I've never met, and who claim to be two people I do know... only... younger... oh – my – god! Did I? How? Oh my... what year is it?" she looked petrified, white, cold, and about ready to pass out.
The two adults answered in unison, "1978."
And once again... everything went black.
I hope you liked it... sorry it has been so long, I've been so busy with school, and I have a huge musical production in a week so I have mandatory rehearsal everyday for like four hours... after it's done I'll be able to write more... so anyways... I love you all... and for that I think I deserve reviews and lots of them! Dominique
