Harry Potter
And The
Tapestry of Fate
CHAPTER 2
St. Mungo's
Is he dead?"
"Don't ever say that!"
"Well, he looks dead! He doesn't even look like he's breathing at all –"
"Yeah, c'mon, it's been weeks…"
"Shut up, you two, will you?"
"Yeah, never lose hope –"
"Everyone, be quiet, I think he's coming to!" All the people hushed.
The room was deathly silent as Harry's heavy eyelids fluttered open. He cast a weary eye at his surroundings; a group of people were huddled around him, where he was on a soft bed, and all the people had fiery red hair.
His seeing was blurred, but he could recognize that hair anywhere, from miles away. "Leasweys?" he croaked. All his energy was totally drained, and his voice was slurred. His head still hurt, and he was very dizzy.
"He's awake!" Ginny Weasley squealed excitedly.
"That's too bad, she had fun watching you sleep," Ron muttered to Harry.
She hit him very hard in the arm. "Here, you'll need these," Ginny said, blushing bright red, handing him his glasses.
He put them on, and everything came into clearer focus. "Thanks. Hello everyone."
"Harry!" Mrs. Weasley said in delight, squeezing his hand.
Mr. Weasley put a hand on his shoulder. "Good to see you awake."
"Where am I?" he wondered.
"You're at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries," a very familiar lady replied. "I'm your doctor, Dr. Polly Pomfrey. Yes, I am related to Poppy, I'm her twin; she says that you come into the Infirmary all the time…
"So you've finally woken up. Quite a coma you were in there." The lady waved her hand, and a thermometer flew into Harry's mouth. "Ahhh…normal temperature. Well, you look fine for now, let me just go check some things and then we'll see if you're fit to leave. Just drink this and hold on, I need to check something…" She handed him a cup of bluish liquid and walked out of the room.
"Coma?" Harry said in astonishment, holding the cup out.
He looked around, and he was in a comfortable bed with crisp, white sheets. The room smelled clean, with a trace of anesthetics and medicines, and the walls were covered in white wallpaper. One side had a large moving mural of a medieval castle, a dragon in a moat, a princess screaming in its claws, a knight on a white horse, and an old wizard waving his wand. His bedside table was piled with flowers and chocolates from people he didn't even know; a very familiar situation.
"You've been out for weeks," Fred explained. George and he had a somewhat grumpy look on their faces.
"What's wrong?" he wondered, after he gulped down the potion. Luckily, it tasted pretty good, like blueberries.
Fred and George crossed their arms and looked away, Mrs. Weasley looked stern, but instructed him to drink the potion, and Ron mouthed, "Later," behind Mr. Weasley's back.
"What happened to me? Why am I here" Harry asked, immediately changing the subject.
"Why don't you tell us?" Mr. Weasley asked. "After Dumbledore approved of us taking you in for the rest of the holidays, we paid the Dursleys a little visit, not through Floo Powder, mind you. We found you lying on a bed unmoving; the Dursleys hadn't bothered to call a doctor, they feared they would see your abnormality, as they put it. According to them, you had looked in a mirror, because your scar was changing and glowing, then there was an evil laugh, and you seemed fine. Then after a while, you started to wobble and you fainted."
"Yeah, but how did I get to St. Mango's Hospitable for Magical My Ladies and In-Juries?"
"Cuckoo, cuckoo," Ron said, making a circular motion around his head, with his index finger sticking out.
"St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries," Mrs. Weasley said gently. "Ron – don't do that, he's in a bad state right now." Ron dropped his hand.
"So – what happened?" Mr. Weasley said eagerly.
"I – I –" Harry's head was spinning again.
"Yes?" Ron asked.
"I – I…I don't remember." He hung his head.
"Look, Harry needs some rest," Mrs. Weasley said. "Let's go into the cafeteria and get some lunch, shall we?" Everyone nodded unwillingly, and walked out the door.
"Hang on," Harry heard Ron say loudly from the outside corridor. "I think I left something in the room!"
"Honestly Ron, you're talking like your on a fellytone," George snickered.
"The jokes on you, George, it's a tellyphone," Ron said, snickering.
Fred laughed. "Actually, it's a telephone," he whispered, when Ron walked inside.
"Don't wait up for me!" he called over his shoulder.
"We weren't going to," George replied, as the Weasleys walked down the hall.
Ron came in and instantly rushed back to Harry's bed. "So, Harry, what's up?"
"I have no idea." He rubbed his scar instinctively. "I can't believe I forgot."
"Maybe Mum's right, you need some rest." They paused, looking at each other.
"Nah!" Ron laughed. "Anyway, Fred and George are so hot and bothered because Mum found their gold. You know, the one thousand Galleons you gave them? They had it stashed in their room, and Mum was cleaning the house. She kept it for herself and forbid them to ever start a joke shop in their life. At least we – oh, wait, I'm not supposed to tell."
"What?" Harry asked fervently.
"I can't." Ron put his hand over his mouth. "Mph mmmph mmmpphhhhing mmph-mmmmph-mmmphing."
"Huh?" Harry scratched his head.
"Mmumphing. See you later! I can't wait until you see our –" he shouted, clapped a hand to his mouth, and ran off.
Maybe Mrs. Weasley was right…he needed the rest to clear up his head. Perhaps he could remember why he passed out. He fluffed up his pillow, and after gazing at the moving mural on the wall for a while, he closed his eyes and went to sleep.
CRASH!!!
"What's that?" a panicky voice asked.
"I don't know. I think the window shattered. Or it was broken into… Shhh…hang on, be quiet," a worried, but calmer voice said. There was a faint, low hiss coming from somewhere. "Am I hearing things, or was that a snake?"
"Maybe both of us are?" the younger voice asked hopefully.
"Ha ha ha!" A deep, evil laugh bounced of the walls.
"Oh my god, who is it?" the younger voice asked shrilly. "Are we going to die?"
"No, be quiet, come on, let's get help –"
"Too late!" a low voice boomed loudly.
A high-pitched scream penetrated the night silence.
"Come on, let's get out of here!" the other girl cried.
The younger girl screamed even louder. "I can't! Help me! He's got me!"
"Who?"
"Who else?! Help me! Go get someone! Get help!"
"I've got her," the deep voice said. "And guess what – I'm going to kill her."
"You can't!"
"Well, too bad – because I am." A voice chuckled.
The older girl began pleading now. "No, please, don't! Take me instead; let her live! No – stop, don't do it! Stop it, please, take me – I beg you – don't – stop, no – don't do it – "
"Avada Kedavra!" A loud thump was heard, the body must have fell to the ground.
"NOOOOOOO!!!" The girl sobbed and shouted at the man hysterically. He made no comment, as she screamed, "Why didn't you take me? She didn't deserve to die! Why did you do it? How could you?" There was a pounding noise; she was slamming her fists on the floor.
That laugh, that familiar cackle…it got louder and louder and more booming…louder and louder…
Harry's ears were ringing, and his head hurt. He was breathing heavily, and he was sweating all over again. However, this time, he didn't scream. Good, because the Weasleys, back from lunch, were looking at him strangely. "Nightmare," he explained in a hoarse voice. His heart was still pounding way too fast, like he had just run a mile.
"What happened?" Ron asked. "What was it about? Do you remember?"
"I…– no." Why couldn't he remember? He knew it was horrifying, so why couldn't it stay in his memory for at least two seconds? "I have no idea," he said, sighing with disappointment. "So who was laughing?"
"Laughing?" Fred and George looked at each other quickly. "We weren't laughing," they said simultaneously.
Harry noticed that Percy had just arrived, and he had no idea that the twins had put some of Ginny's purple hairclips in his neat, recently cut, red hair. "Harry, so you're awake." He sounded solemn, and refused to take a few steps closer to Harry, like he was contagious.
Harry tried not to grin, but it was hard, so he looked past Percy, at the doorway. The door opened, and everyone's head swung to look at who entered.
Dr. Pomfrey was back, carrying a clipboard. "Well, Harry, good news, you're fine. The potion has taken effect, I'm sure? We have no idea what caused you to faint, but I remember reading an article in the Daily Prophet saying you fainted often, and Poppy said that too. Maybe it's some unknown disease, but it's not deadly, so you can go. Mr. Weasley, if you'd just sign the release form at the front desk…"
Mr. Weasley left with the doctor. Harry slowly got up out of the bed, but then he realized that his light blue robe had no back. He scrambled back into bed, as Ron, Fred, and George sniggered, and Ginny giggled.
A few minutes later, Dr. Pomfrey returned. She tossed Harry his normal clothes, and announced that Mr. Weasley was waiting for them outside. Everyone left the room when Harry changed back into his regular clothes, which was a relief, and then he gathered up his 'Get-Well, Harry!' cards and gifts, and then he walked out of the hospital room with great difficulty. With the presents in front of his eyes, he nearly bumped into an empty stretcher and ran into a nurse.
Harry was relieved and glad when he neared the double exit doors. He pushed it open very carefully, making sure not to drop anything. As he walked out of the hospital, he tripped on the sidewalk, accidentally dropping a few bouquets of flowers, and then an unexpected sight greeted his eyes.
* * *
A/N: Okay, why do I keep ending in cliffhangers? I guess it's to get you reading the sequels, but I know most of you won't, just like you won't review (grrr…). I know this title was stupid, but I suck at coming up with names.
Please, tell me what you think of this, okay? Oh, and it would help if you gave me some of your predictions or what you want to happen in the sequels, because I'm a bit lost and confused on what to write. This would help me greatly. And just for the record – who would like a Harry/Hermione (I'm not saying it's going to happen, I'm just curious!)?
Disclaimer: Chocolate chip cookies are yummy…Oh shut up, like anyone actually cares about the disclaimers! Fine then, to the one loser in the very back who does, these characters and places aren't mine, but you can't steal my ideas either! And Polly Pomfrey is mine (and if someone made her up before, then I haven't read it). Happy now?