Chapter 37
I sort of get why they want to watch me sleep and figure out how to stop the walking but I don't see why I have to stay in bed all day - I'm missing lessons! Okay; I do feel like I've got a million kg weights on my legs when I try to move and my head is still a bit weird but surely I could go for a walk!
Harry hasn't been here since last night, I think he's trying to avoid me. Hermione bought my homework and my diary, Ron and the twins came in to say hello; Fred made a joke about Pomfrey drugging me which was very funny - unfortunately she heard so she made them all leave.
"Here you go, Miss Potter." Said Madam Pomfrey, laying a dinner tray on Eliza's bed table, Eliza shut her diary and attempted to sit up, she failed.
"Try and push with your arms." Instructed the matron with a kind voice. When Eliza managed it Madam Pomfrey rearranged her cushions and pulled the table over,
"Oh and Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall will be coming in after dinner to do your advanced transfiguration lesson." Eliza nodded and slowly began to pick at her food.
When she had finished eating she turned to her homework and began to make slow progress on her History of Magic essay, although the format of the lessons was beyond dull Eliza enjoyed the topic as a whole. It reminded her of the fantasy books she used to read in the muggle primary school.
"Ahh Eliza, apologies for interrupting your ..." Dumbledore looked at her parchment "...History of Magic studies."
Eliza smiled and put the parchment aside.
"I will just be observing this evening." He said calming taking a seat and looking at McGonagall as though expecting to learn along with Eliza.
"Right, let's see you vanish this mouse." Said McGonagall placing a small brown mouse on the table, Eliza pointed her wand at it and it vanished completely.
"Excellent, have you been practising?"
Eliza nodded and blushed slightly, she had vanished Biscuit the previous week and had spent a terrified half-an-hour trying to find her to reverse the charm.
"Well I think I would like to try..."
By the end of the lesson Eliza's head was full to the brim with incantations and complicated diagrams, McGonagall was thrilled by her progress.
"Before we leave we just want to talk to you about Sirius Black, Harry tells us that Mr Weasley has already spoken to you both, is that correct?" Eliza nodded to the Headmaster.
"Good, well in light of the events of recent days you may notice the teachers paying a bit more attention to you than usual, and you are absolutely forbidden from leaving the castle at night. If you wish to sketch during the day, then please stay within sight of Hagrid's cabin; agreed?"
Eliza nodded slightly put out; she had been working on a sketch of a tree near the edge of the boundary that was definitely out of sight of the cabin.
Eliza left the hospital wing on Wednesday morning feeling almost as good as new. Madam Pomfrey had told her that she was coming up with a plan to tackle the sleep-walking and that she would contact Eliza when she had had time to gather her notes and speak to Professor Snape about brewing the appropriate Potions.
"The lesson began ten minutes ago, Potter, so I think we'll make it ten points from Gryffindor. Sit down." Eliza looked at her brother, knowing he wasn't going to just sit down.
Eliza, Ron and Hermione had arrived to the Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson on time but Harry had been delayed by Oliver Wood. Professor Snape seemed to be waiting for Harry to ask where Professor Lupin was, no one else had dared.
"Where's Professor Lupin?" He asked, not moving towards his seat. Eliza was sure she saw Snape almost smile, probably delighted by how predictable Harry was.
"He says he is feeling too ill to teach today, I believe I told you to sit down?"
"What's wrong with him?" Harry persisted. As much as Eliza was still annoyed with Harry about his comment in the hospital wing, she really didn't want him to get in to trouble with Snape.
"Nothing life-threatening. Five more points to Gryffindor, and if I have to ask you to sit down again, it will be fifty." Harry sat down next to Ron, Hermione turned and rolled her eyes at Eliza who nodded in agreement.
"As I was saying before Potter interrupted, Professor Lupin has not left any record of the topics you have covered so far…"
"Please, sir, we've done Boggarts, Red Caps, Kappas and Grindylows, and we're about to start…"
"Be quiet, I did not ask for information. I was merely commenting on Professor Lupin's lack of organisation."
"He's the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had." Said Dean Thomas from behind Eliza.
Eliza didn't think this was much of a competition. Quirrel, apart from having Voldemort sticking out of the back of his head, had been terrified of his own subject and rarely even stuck to a lesson plan, and Lockhart was … Lockhart!
"You are easily satisfied. Lupin is hardly over-taxing you – I would expect first-years to be able to deal with Red Caps and Grindylows. Today we shall discuss…" Although Snape appeared to flick through the textbook and select a chapter at random, Eliza could see a small piece of parchment holding the page that he had selected, meaning he knew what he was going to teach them.
"…werewolves."
"But, sir, we're not supposed to do werewolves yet, we're due to start Hinkypunks…" Eliza wondered if Hermione was panicking because she hadn't read the chapter yet.
"Miss Granger. I was under the impression that I was taking this lesson, not you. And I am telling you to turn to page three hundred and ninety-four. All of you! Now!" Eliza rifled through her textbook and found the correct page.
There was a crudely drawn picture of a hairy man turning into a werewolf, an expression of agony on his face and a full moon shining behind him.
"Which of you can tell me how we distinguish between the werewolf and the true wolf?"
Hermione's hand nearly hit Eliza's ear as it was thrust into the air, Eliza shuffled her chair away from her friend as Snape looked around the class, looking at everyone except Hermione.
"Anyone? Are you telling me that Professor Lupin hasn't even taught you the basic distinction between…"
"We told you, we haven't got as far as werewolves yet, we're still on…" Snape interrupted Parvati's bored sounding observation.
"Silence! Well, well, well, I never thought I'd meet a third-year class who wouldn't recognise a werewolf when they saw one. I shall make a point of informing Professor Dumbledore…I'm sorry, Miss Potter, am I boring you?" Snape asked, turning to glare at Eliza.
She had tried to cover the yawn but clearly wasn't successful.
"Is there something you would like to say to the class? Would you rather be in another class?" He asked, glaring at her. She shook her head, not knowing that the entire class behind her was glaring back at Snape for her.
"You know Eliza's tired, sir, she only just got out of the hospital wing…" Began Neville, Eliza was amazed, he had never stood up to Snape before.
"Detention, Longbottom, and we'll have ten points from Gryffindor for Miss Potter's interruption. So, what is the difference between a werewolf and a true wolf?"
Hermione's hand rose but more slowly than usual, Eliza could feel tears burning at the back of her eyes, she felt terrible that Neville had got a detention for sticking up for her.
"Please, sir, the werewolf differs from the true wolf in several small ways. The snout of the werewolf…"
"That is the second time you have spoken out of turn, Miss Granger. Ten more points from Gryffindor for being an insufferable know-it-all." Hermione's hand dropped, her eyes were full of tears, Eliza found her knee under the table and gave it a supportive squeeze, Ron showed his support in another way.
"You asked us a question and she knows the answer! Why ask if you don't want to be told?" The silence in the class was palpable and Snape advance towards Ron slowly as the class waited, knowing that Snape was going to dish out punishment for Ron's defence of Hermione.
"Detention, Weasley. And if I ever hear you criticise the way I teach a class again, you will be very sorry indeed."
The rest of the class passed slowly, they made notes from the textbook as Snape moved amoung them checking their previous work. Eliza was noting how a werewolf changes during a full moon and it reminded her of a sketch she had made the previous night. She was not allowed out of the castle but she sat by the window in her dormitory until past one o'clock sketching the Quidditch pitch looking lonely beneath the full moon.
Everyone was very relieved when the bell rang.
"You will each write an essay, to be handed to me, on the ways to recognise and kill werewolves. I want two rolls of parchment on the subject, and I want them by Wednesday morning. It is time somebody took this class in hand. Weasley, Longbottom, stay behind, we need to arrange your detentions."