She awoke a few days later. She could no longer feel pain in her ankle but felt like her head was on fire. It was one of the most unpleasant feelings she had ever experienced.
Iris tried to sit up in the hospital bed, "Oh, dear, you must lie down. You are in no fit state to do anything." Madam Pomfrey's voice rang in her ears.
Iris groaned with exhaustion and lay back down in the bed. "How did I get here?" It sounded as if she had laryngitis; her voice was scratchy and barley there.
"Professor Snape found you. You got lucky; it could have been a lot worse. You could have been lying out there all night long. Now, here, you have to drink this." She was walking towards Iris with a glass of mystery liquid. She held up her head as Madam Pomfrey put the glass up to her mouth for her to drink. The elixir was tasteless but had a thick texture.
"What happened to me?" her throat was raw and irritated.
"Before Severus found you I have not a clue, but I do know, from what he told me, that you had collapsed from what seemed to be exhaustion from trying to get yourself to the castle. I have to admit, you made it farther than I would have, especially in the state that you were in." Madam Pomfrey was busying herself with other things as she talked.
"What time is it?" Iris frantically thought.
"It's only a quarter to nine, why?" she asked inquiringly, stopping what she was doing to look at Iris.
"I have to get to class." Iris was trying to think of all the things that she could have possibly missed already.
Madam Pomfrey laughed, "You have to stay here, at least till Monday. You are far too weak to do anything."
Iris let out a heavy sigh, "How long have I been here?"
"I would say since-lets see- you arrived Sunday night-you've been in here for-four or five days. Today is Friday."
Iris was clearly shocked by the information that she had just received, "Have I been asleep the whole time?"
Madam Pomfrey was changing the sheets and fluffing the pillows of one of the beds. "For the most part; now, it is time for you to rest."
She had started making her way to her office when she remembered something, "Oh and while you were asleep you had a few visitors; those two Weasley boys and Longbottom. Those Weasleys are really persistent; they came up here every chance they could get even if I wouldn't let them in. You've got some good friends there." then she disappeared behind the walls of her office.
Yes I do, thought Iris. She didn't feel like falling asleep just yet when she was just asleep for almost a week.
Iris took a look at the bedside tables that had been overflowing with gifts and cards. She looked over to Madam Pomfrey's office to see if there was any chance that she would emerge anytime soon. When it seemed clear, Iris propped herself up on her pillows.
In the middle of all the trinkets there was a vase full of flowers but when Iris looked for the card, she couldn't find one; that's strange, she thought.
Aside from that, Fred and George had made her cards, that included the traditional cheesy jokes and puns, and a box of Bernie Botts Every Flavor Beans, Neville had gotten her a box of chocolate frogs, Ginny gave her a card saying, 'Get Well Soon', and Luna had given her a issue of 'The Quibbler' that included an article about Nargles.
Iris's insides warmed immediately. It felt good to be cared about. She fell asleep with that happy thought in mind.