**Lily**
My eyes fluttered open and I stared into bright lights. It took a few minutes for me to comprehend my surroundings- I was in the hospital wing. I ached all over and I felt like I was made of Jell-O. I turned left and I saw Zoey and Caleb holding hands. I turned right and saw Mark.
"Hey Lily," Mark said, a smile widening on his face.
"Hey," I said weakly.
"You did a great Shaposhnikova out there," he told me sincerely.
"Thanks. You did a great Tcachev," I told him.
"My posture was terrible," he mumbled.
"Are you kidding?" I practically screamed. "Your posture was better than most professionals!"
"I am a professional. But compared to professional professionals, it was not."
"Was too."
"Was not!"
"Was too!"
"Was not!"
"Was-"
"Was not. Now quit it because it's wearing me out," I told him, a stern look on my face.
"If you're getting tired, you should sleep. The poison might be-"
"Poison?" I asked. "What happened out there?"
"We were irritating the dragon, and well, you got a little too close. It snapped at your shoulder." He gestured to my bandaged shoulder. "Ms. Poferee tried to heal it best she can, but it will still be a few weeks until you can use that arm or hand again." I groaned. "Then you'll always have the scars, but it will be completely healed."
"Wait." I realized what no use of my left shoulder would mean. "That means…" I gasped in horror. "That means no gymnastics or Quidditch for at least a few weeks!"
He looked sad. "Yeah. Worst part is they put up a flyer yesterday for try-outs for Quidditch. Try-outs are in three days."
"How long have I been out for?" I panic shrieked.
"Uh…" he pondered my question, "A week or so. There is some kind of big announcement in the Great Hall tonight."
"Is there any way my shoulder could be healed faster?" I asked Mark, imagining my life without gymnastics or Quidditch for a few weeks. I have to admit, it wasn't a pretty picture.
"Well…" he started. "There is a way, but it would be excruciatingly painful. It would only take two days, which means no classes for two days, but you would be able to try out for Quidditch. It is up to you…"
"Have Madam Poferee do it!" I begged.
"I'll go get her…" he sauntered off to find her.
I looked around the room, and my eyes focused on Caleb and Zoey. Caleb was fast asleep in the bed still because of the strong stunning spell, but Zoey was wide awake, holding his hand and stroking his hair. Zoey was the happiest I've ever seen her in the five years I've known her. Caleb even seemed to be sleeping with a smile. Then I heard the clickety-click of Madam Poferee's shoes and I focused my attention on her.
"You want to speed up the healing process?" she asked me.
"Yes!"
"You do understand that this is a very painful process," she said.
"Yes…" my voice trailed off. "Just do it."
"Okay," Madam Poferee said. She created an incision with her wand right by the wounds the dragon had left. She then removed all the scabs with her wand and made the wounds just like when I had arrived in the Hospital Wing with them. She then poured a substance over all the cuts. The liquid seemed to catch fire when it reached my wounds and then headed straight towards my bones. I felt like I was being burned alive- without a wand to inactivate the fire. I screamed silently and Mark's eyes seemed to mirror my pain.