I woke up in a comfortable bed in a hospital room. I knew it was a hospital room because, well, it's not that hard to tell. There's this distinct smell to it, and of course, the machines. But wait, there were no machines. That's odd.
Relief. Worry. Self-disappointment. And that settled it. I'm in the loony bin. I've finally gone over the edge. I have no explanation as to why those feelings just popped into my head. This disturbs me greatly.
I looked over to my right, and my parents are standing over my bed, faces twisted with worry. Their faces also show signs of relief and self-disappointment. What's going on here?!
Hello. Well, that's what I meant to say, but all that came out was, "Miggghmm." They smiled, glad to see that I was awake, and Mum reached out with one hand to feel my forehead, the other holding an orange. The smell of oranges suddenly overwhelmed me, and I promptly threw up and passed out again.
*
Whispers. Well, I think that's what they were aiming for, but God, they really need some practice. It's like they're yelling in my ear!
"Will she be able to survive this?" Mother.
"Oh, yes, of course. She'll just have heightened senses for about two weeks, and then she should go back to her normal self. That is, of course, except for one week every month, when she'll be a little more sensitive to things around her." Nurse, I suppose.
I hear the clicking of the nurse's heels as she walks out of the room, and I want to clamp my hands over my head. My parents continue "whispering."
"George, what will we do? There's no safe place for her to transform around here, and she's not safe at home anymore, anyway. You remember what I said earlier…"
"Yes, Ingrid, I remember." He says crisply. "And I forbid it. She'll be more likely to get hurt at that school than with us."
"She's sixteen."
"I'm quite aware of her age."
"Why don't we ask her," Mum said loudly (ouch). She knew exactly how to get what she wanted form my father. I think I got that trait from her. I opened one eye. They rushed over.
"Oh, love, did we wake you up?" False concern appeared on my mother's face.
Daddy rolled his eyes, and he said, "How are you feeling?"
I cleared my throat and said, "Oh, lovely, just peachy. I feel like running a marathon," I said sarcastically. I didn't mean to be so harsh; I was just testing my new skill. I wanted to see what kind of reaction I could get out of them. Surely, a bit of anger; however, all I felt was deep concern and worry.
"Juliet, we have some bad news. Do you remember what happened at all?"
"Up until the flash of red light, yeah," I said with a nod. I flinched when I remembered the stinging pain in my shoulder.
"Well, the man that attacked you, he, ah-" My mother broke off, unsure of how to continue. I could tell she was close to tears, anyway. Better not set her over the edge. I turned to my father for the answers.
"Juliet, he was a werewolf."
This simple statement may not have made sense to any other sixteen year old girl, but I knew better. My father had me read every book imaginable, and I remembered reading somewhere that if you were bitten by a werewolf, you would become one as well. I took this in stride.
"So, what you're saying is that I'm going to be a werewolf?" They nodded. Then they rushed to tell me that it was only for a week every month, and all my symptoms, and all the stuff I had heard while I was "sleeping." I zoned them out for a minute.
"I really think it would be safest if you went to Hogwarts." This sentence came out in a rush from my mother, and I could sense her nervousness. My father looked agitated, and I tried to smile.
"Mummy, of course you're right. You always know the best choice, even if you don't like it." Mum looked gratefully at me; she knew I had only said that for my father's benefit.
"Dad, you know Mum's right. I also think that I'm old enough now to be able to tell what to do in a tough situation and that you should have enough faith in me to make the right choice." I really think I should become a public speaker. I pretty much just lied through my teeth; choosing to go to Hogwarts wasn't a tough decision, actually, I could hardly contain my excitement.
I knew I would eventually get my way, so I decided to ask questions. "Where am I?"
"You're at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries," Mum answered quickly.
"That's a bit of a mouthful, isn't it?" I asked with a grin. Without waiting for a response, I asked, "what day is it?"
"It's Tuesday morning; you were out for about two nights." I groaned.
"Great. It's going to take me so much time to make up all the work I've missed."
My parents laughed. "Good old Juliet, just like you to find out you're now going to transform into a large beast once a month and you're worrying about schoolwork." My father said cheerfully.
Well, I hadn't thought of it that way. The thought of me painfully turning into a large, wolf-like creature once a month caused me to feel morbid. However, I kept it hidden; after all, I had all the time in the world to be morbid once my parents left. For now, though, I brought the topic back to Hogwarts.
"So, I know I'll have to go over the summer, and really cram in as much studies as I can to catch up with everyone in my year. What about school now? Can I just drop out, or pretend that I'm going to be home-schooled from now on? It would give me about two months of extra time to start reading all the text books. I-"
"Whoa, hold on a second, Juliet." My father put his hands up in a gesture that reminded me of someone trying to stop traffic. "You seem to be under the impression that I'm just about to let you run off to Hogwarts, and into a world you know nothing of."
"Daddy, of course, I'm not about to just run off to Hogwarts and into a world I know nothing about. I was planning on taking a train. Please, think sensibly." My parents couldn't resist. They dropped the worried looks, and we all burst out laughing.
