And here comes the next chapter that I wrote today. I hope it makes up for the big break – the original plan was to update every weekend. Thank you all who are interested in this story.

Hopefully you enjoy the next part!

What she woke up to a few hours later brought more of joy than Emma suspected it to. It seemed that the professors' visit had happened very early in the morning, probably about five o'clock. No wonder they put the girl back to sleep.

Just as the sun rays – first in a week - tickled her face and made her open her eyes slowly, she spotted something colourful standing by the bedside on the night table. After giving the object a more conscious and thorough look, Emma saw a medium-sized paper box of – seemingly – various sweets from the Honeydukes. There also stood a couple of folded notes next to that and a small yellow tulip in a transparent glass, probably a charmed one.

It was no wonder the whole school was already familiar with at least rumours about the accident that happened in the night to a certain Ravenclaw girl, seventh or sixth year, or so they said. They also said it was a prank arranged by Slytherins to get their revenge for something unclear that happened in the past. And they also said it was another Ravenclaw girl, jealous about the victim who had been often talking to her boyfriend. Some were even brave anough to claim there was a secret society of evil students forming within Hogwarts. But those who knew Emma – and there were, sadly, not very many of them – would rather learn it themselves.

And it seemed they had come to visit her before class and she was asleep at that time, so they only left the notes. Emma couldn't help but smile, though her eyes felt puffy and there was a tension to her body still, especially to her throat and lungs from the constant coughing the previous night. Before taking the note closest to her hand, the girl grabbed a glass of water and soaked a small towel in the cool liquid to refresh her face. Setting those aside, she could finally properly read the note.

Dear Emma!

I really do hope you are better now. You would never guess but yesterday we were not allowed any information about you! You did not come to class, which, well, is not like you at all. You did not come to neither breakfast nor dinner and you were not in the library either. I could not search for you in the girls' dormitory and no one knew what was with you. And only today during breakfast I heard Mrs Pomfrey talk to the headmaster about an accident that got you injured! I ran to Greta in an instant and we found May together and came here. I feel obliged to tell you this, but Greta and May only left you get-well wishes. I asked Mrs Pomfrey to let us visit you again this evening after dinner and she agreed. I hope you are awake by then and that they treat you right.

All the best,

Owen

With a smile Emma set the neatly written note in her lap and reached for the remaining two, grabbing them both at once and randomly picking the first one to read.

Emma!

Owen will be Owen, he wrote you in detail all that we had going on ever since you disappeared! I hope you are alright by the time you read my note. Please, tell Pomfrey to take extra care of you or else we storm in to nurse you ourselves. Get well soon!

Lots of love,

Greta

All that she expected to get from Greta was right there on a little blue card, written in a messy and almost a shaggy handwriting. Greta was a complete opposite of Emma in terms of social skills and the flexibility. Her very first friend, a person who had approached her in their first year in Hogwarts after one of the classes just to let her know she found Emma's bag "rather cool", which made Emma stand there silent and unable to take a compliment. Greta would be her shield throughout the following four years until she was introduced to Owen Gillard with whom she immediately fell in love.

Owen Gillard was also Emma's very first love as well. The well-behaved boy who had a habbit of feeling superior towards others in terms of his knowledge and general life wisdom, the boy who had a very strong sense of dignity but also cared for those around him even though he sometimes retreated into his private space to take a deep breath; the boy who found Emma not as plain as everyone else around did. She became his friend in their fourth year. That's when she began to blossom. Wishing to match his wisdom Emma found the passion of studying and reading and would spend nights talking to Owen about what he liked and she found equally interesting. It seemed they fitted together perfectly. But that was only Emma's assumption and when she finally introduced Greta to her beloved, everything changed.

She had seen them talk more than the girl reckoned acquaintances would. She had started to realise – usually being rather uneducated in relationship matters – that there was something serious forming between the two. And it reached the culmination in May of their fourth year at Hogwarts. Ever since the day Owen and Greta got together, Emma swore she would never fall in love again.

Reaching for the last note Emma didn't have to guess who was it from. The handwriting was petite.

Emmie,

I wish I could be there to help you. I hope you can get well soon. When Owen and Greta found me after breakfast I have already had a gut feeling there was something wrong. And they confirmed it. I will come with them after dinner. I'm looking forward to seeing you a lot. We're not allowed to bring you any food, but I managed to sneak in a few candies. Hopefully Pomfrey doesn't take them away.

Yours,

May

And there was May. May whom she had met once in the spells club the year before. May was quite unobtrusive even for a Hufflepuff, but she turned out to be one of the most complex people Emma has ever met in her life. They shared a similar point of view in most of the matters. It was Emma, though, who had the gift of wisdom; May, however hard she wouldn't try, she would fail very often. Emma sometimes thought that May looked up to her as if she was her mentor, but that role did not fit her or make her comfortable. May must have realised that for she loosened up a bit ever since and grew to be Emma's closest friend – however close Emma would allow people to get to her.

A loud thud of the entrance door pulled her out of her thoughts and a smile faded from the girl's face. When she raised her green eyes to see what caused the noise, Emma noticed something black disappearing in Mrs Pomfrey's office and immediately realised what, or rather who it was. She quickly slid down the pillow as if wanting to hide herself and watched inconspicuously for the moment he would leave, just to catch a glimpse of him.

After a while the two voices became clearer and louder, and finally both people left the office, stopping just outside the door.

"Severus, I can't allow you to do that," the female voice was unnaturally high and the witch sounded offended, as if Snape was questioning her abilities and methods. "The girl is under my care now, as the head nurse in this castle."

"I think that the headmaster made himself clear that we indeed need to proceed with investigation, Poppy," Severus' voice was different now, but certainly not as bitter and tormented as it was at the wake of the day. "I don't need her to even leave the hospital wing. I will bring it all here and it will take less than five minutes. I don't think I have to remind you that the headmaster's word is crucial."

Emma held her breath at the silence that fell upon the two.

"Fine."

Without further ado Severus Snape left the chamber and Emma saw Mrs Pomfrey heading towards her bed, a worried expression painting over her face.

"Miss Hawthorne," she said and the girl sat back up. "Professor Snape," she spoke his name with almost an anger, "will come back within ten minutes and he would like you to cooperate. I think he will ask you about the ingredients or whatever he will... I can't be sure for, obviously, he wasn't too profuse with his explanation. Anyway, please make sure to call me if you feel it's too much," the woman waited for Emma's confirmation and the girl only nodded.

And it finally got to her. Five minutes with Severus Snape's whole attention focused just on her.

As usually, thank you for reading and I do hope you leave a review!