April 1946

All was quiet in the dormitory after Minerva had left. Irma resumed her reading, a thick Muggle book that Poppy had lent her from her and Minerva's own bookcase since Irma's mother would never let her own a Muggle book. Ro polished her broomstick, humming a quiet tune as she rubbed the handle down with wood glaze, and Poppy found herself a book to pass the time. They had spent most of the afternoon preparing for their fourth year exams so had earned their rest time while they waited for Minerva to get back.

A scratching at the door alerted them to Minerva's return, about an hour after she had left. Poppy let her book slide off her lap as she went to answer the door, looking down into the bright emerald eyes of Minerva the cat. Without so much as a mew she walked into the dormitory, though when Poppy watched her it seemed like was favouring one of her back paws over the other. It was only then that Poppy noticed the scratches across Minerva's back, hidden amongst the dark fur that was partially smeared in blood.

"Min, what happened?" asked Ro as Minerva changed back into her human form. Her injuries had transformed with her; there was a gash on her calf and the sock on the foot she'd been limping on was stained red. Poppy gasped slightly when Minerva turned to look at her, revealing blood on her shirt collar and a scratch across her face.

"You might say I've done something stupid," Minerva said, limping over to her bed and sitting down with a hiss of pain. "I ran right into Mrs Norris, so she went and attacked me. Thankfully Peggy Gilbert was patrolling nearby, if it weren't for her chasing her off I might not have got away." Poppy quickly unbuckled her shoe and pulled off her bloodied sock to reveal a pair of deep teeth marks either side of her ankle.

Ro let out a long whistle. "Merlin's beard, that cat's a brute. I reckon Augusta was right when she suggested she's actually a transfigured witch."

"Well she certainly had it in for you," Irma observed quietly from behind Poppy. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Poppy nodded, finding a clean handkerchief on top of her bedside cabinet and handing it to Irma. "Wrap this around her ankle and press down gently," she ordered, "I'm going to take a look at her face."

Once Minerva had taken her glasses off, Poppy sat down on the bed to get a better view of her face wound. The scratch was thin but long, carving through one eyebrow and missing her eye by the tiniest of margins before stretching across the bridge of her nose. Taking another handkerchief and her little bottle of Dittany, she dabbed on the potion and watched contentedly as the scratch faded to a faint red line. "That won't scar, but it'll take a day or two to fade completely."

Minerva sighed quietly, putting her glasses back on. "Professor Dumbledore's taking me to the Ministry tomorrow to sign the Animagus Registry. It might not go down too well if l've got a red line across my face."

"Well then you shouldn't have got into a fight with the caretaker's cat!" Poppy huffed sharply, before her tone softened. "No-one will notice unless they look carefully, and I'm sure one of the older girls has got some make-up you could borrow."

"At least you haven't broken your nose," Ro offered with a grin, "or you might never look the same again!"

Poppy sighed dramatically, pretending to throw her Dittany at Ro's head. It had been unanimously agreed that Ro's nose was now slightly crooked in the centre after it had been broken, despite Poppy's best attempts to fix it back to normal. "Well I'd like to see your attempt at getting a spell like that perfect the first time!"

Ro laughed, only causing Poppy to roll her eyes. "I'm only teasing, Pops," she said, nudging Poppy with her elbow, "if I were you I'd sort Min's foot out before Irma gets too covered in blood."

"Yes please," Irma said wryly, though there was enough concern in her voice that Poppy kneeled down beside her to take a look herself.

The handkerchief was soaked through, and when Irma removed it there was still blood oozing sluggishly from the two puncture wounds. "That's deeper than I thought," Poppy mused aloud, returning to her cabinet and shifting through her collection of glass bottles. "Would you mind cleaning that handkerchief Irma? Minerva, can you lie down on your bed and stick your leg in the air? It won't be dignified but it'll stop you losing too much blood."

"I think I left all my dignity at the door anyway," Minerva's voice grumbled behind her, bringing a smirk to Poppy's face.

At last Poppy found the bottle she was looking for; the violently purple potion that Madame Quinine had first shown her during the Battle. The Matron had explained that it was better than Dittany in treating wounds prone to infection, such as those caused by animals or left open for too long. Irma passed Poppy the freshly Tergeo'd handkerchief, smoking slightly but perfectly clean, which she doused in the purple potion. Poppy pressed it to Minerva's ankle, waited for the puff of lilac smoke that signaled the wound was clean, then aimed her wand and said "Inchide."

Minerva waggled her foot once the wound had closed over, and Poppy took her content smile to mean that it wasn't hurting her anymore. "Thank goodness for you," she laughed weakly; the transformation combined with her unexpected fight had obviously tired her out. "It's just my back now, and my leg."

"Alright, roll over then and I'll have a look." Minerva did as she was told, rolling onto her front where Poppy could already see a few faint red lines across the back of her blouse. After checking Minerva didn't mind, Poppy pushed up her blouse and quickly rubbed dittany along the scratches before finishing up with the shallow gash on her calf. "You're all done, how are you feeling?" asked Poppy.

Minerva nodded, stifling a yawn. "Just tired, that's all."

"I think we all need to go to bed," Ro pointed out, "it's way past curfew. And Min, you'll need to not be falling asleep when you go to the Ministry tomorrow!"

To Poppy's relief they were able to sleep in later than usual the next day, but even she was still feeling tired after their late night so she couldn't imagine how exhausted Minerva would be feeling. Poppy ended up accompanying Minerva and Professor Dumbledore to the Ministry, since the Professor had allowed Minerva to take one friend along with her. Both Ro and Irma had been the Ministry Headquarters already, so agreed it was only fair that Poppy went with her to see it first-hand.

When they first arrived by Floo into the Atrium, Poppy was amazed at just how big it was. It was hard to imagine that the entire building was tucked beneath London without any Muggles being the slightest bit aware, her included until 4 years beforehand. But when they took the elevator up to the second floor, the sight of the newly rebuilt offices reminded Poppy sharply of the attack just over a year ago that had devastated the Ministry and caused so many deaths. She recognised the Head of Magical Law Enforcement, Madame Wilhelmina Tuft, since she had been mentioned as seriously injured in the newspaper article that had first informed Poppy and Minerva about Aunt Felicity's death. Poppy didn't realise her hands were shaking until Minerva held them in her own and gave her a reassuring smile.

Once in Madame Tuft's office, Poppy watched as Minerva performed her transformation in front of Madame Tuft and a group of high-ranking officials from her Department. Then there was a great deal of paperwork, with Minerva signing the Animagus Registry using the fanciest quill Poppy had ever seen. After that, Poppy and everyone else in the room had to sign to say they had witnessed her transformation and could guarantee the information in the Registry was correct. With all the paperwork out of the way, Minerva shook about a dozen peoples' hands before she, Poppy and Professor Dumbledore returned to the Atrium and Floo'd back to Hogwarts.

Poppy had been hoping that with Minerva's Animagus training at an end, they would have a relatively quiet month or so to prepare for their fourth year exams. But she was proven wrong when the first Quidditch Final came around in early May. Ravenclaw were playing Slytherin, and it became clear very quickly that the Slytherin team were back at their old tricks.

Minerva and Ro were managing to look through one eye of Ro's Omnioculars each, muttering about fouls and other Quidditch-related things that Poppy didn't really understand, so Poppy was left to keep Irma and Millicent company at the handrail of the Stands. Irma was biting her lip and Millicent's knuckles had turned white as they watched Septima duck and turn between the Bludgers that the Slytherin Beaters were sending her way. Poppy was just starting to hope that she might end the game unscathed when her luck ran out; she was struck in the shoulder by a Bludger and sent careening off her broomstick down to the ground below.

The game was still going on so there was no way Poppy could get to her on the pitch, so she was forced to watch as Madame Quinine rushed onto the pitch and floated Septima away on a stretcher. The rest of the match forgotten even by Minerva and Ro, they all hurried up to the Hospital Wing and burst through the double doors. Septima was sat up in one of the beds, her right arm in a cloth sling, while Madame Quinine examined the shoulder from behind.

"Septima are you ok?" Millicent cried, breaking away from the rest of the group to join her closest friend. Poppy and the others weren't far behind, pulling up chairs to sit in a rough semi-circle around Septima.

Madame Quinine answered for her, not looking up from her examination. She'll be fine, but her collarbone was broken and her shoulder blade completely shattered. They're nasty things to heal, so she'll need to stay here for at least a few days."

Septima's face was a mask of pain, though she still managed an attempt at her usually jolly smile. "It hurts," she mumbled, sounding slightly drowsy.

Alarmed, Poppy glanced at Madame Quinine who chuckled at her worried expression. "I gave her a dose of opium draught to take the edge off the pain. It works quickly but can induce drowsiness, as you've noticed." She then cleared her throat loudly, drawing Septima's attention. "Miss Vector, I need you to take this potion for me. It's Skelegrow, which will help your bones to heal quickly."

Septima nodded, so Madame Quinine sat down next to her with one hand on her back and the other holding the glass to her lips. The first mouthful had her gagging, but after a great deal of whispered encouragement from the Matron she eventually managed the whole glassful. Poppy had never taken Skelegrow but she didn't need to in order to know how disgusting it was, just Septima's grim expression was enough.

"And now she just needs rest," Madame Quinine continued, "one of you can stay here with her, but I'm afraid the rest of you will have to go. I won't have you getting her all excited, she can do without that."

Poppy glanced between Millicent and Irma, unsure who would want to stay more. Although Irma was Septima's twin they had never been very close, while Millicent had been Septima's friend even before Poppy, Minerva and Ro had befriended them that Halloween night.

Millicent spoke first, breaking the slightly uncomfortable silence that had descended. "You can stay if you want, Irma, she's your sister after all."

"No, you stay. She'd prefer you here than me." Irma shook her head, and Millicent smiled gratefully.

After saying their goodbyes to Millicent and a barely conscious Septima, Poppy, Minerva, Ro and Irma left the Hospital Wing and went back to Gryffindor Tower. They could still here the game going on outside the window but Poppy and Irma weren't bothered about returning to watch the rest, so Minerva and Ro agreed they could miss it.

The rest of the afternoon was spent revising in Gryffindor Tower, forgetting lunch in the Great Hall in favour of munching their way through the collection of Honeydukes sweets they had left over from the last Hogsmeade trip. The fortnight of exams was almost upon them, meaning they had no choice but to go over their exam material until their minds ached. Poppy spent most of her time helping Ro out with her Potions work, since it was something she had always struggled with and Poppy found came naturally. As the day wore on it became harder and harder to focus, everyone's concentration lapsing as they progressed from the core subjects onto their elected ones.

"You know, I really don't envy you two right now," Ro said, looking pointedly at the Arithmancy charts spread over Minerva's bed, and Poppy had to agree with her. Minerva and Irma were both sitting cross-legged on the edge of the bed, frowning hard as they studied the ocean of numbers.

Irma sighed, pushing her hair out of her face. "I wouldn't. I don't know why I'm trying with this. It wasn't even my choice to take the subject."

Poppy gave her a sympathetic smile. "At least you can drop it as soon as you've got the O.W.L. No-one can force you to continue it at N.E.W.T. level."

"Perhaps not, but he'll definitely try to," Irma grumbled, and Poppy didn't need to ask to know who 'he' was. Irma's hatred of her father was not something she talked about often, but it was something everyone was very aware of. "I might just fail on purpose to get the point across."

"Don't think like that," Minerva said, putting a hand on Irma's knee, "I'm sure Professor Dippet or Professor Slughorn would talk to your father if he tried to make you continue in sixth year."

Ro shook her head, surprising Poppy. "No, I agree. There's no way you can take it for N.E.W.T. level unless you get at least Exceeds Expectations in your O.W.L., even if you wanted to. If you fail then there's nothing anyone can do to make you take it."

At the sight of Irma's thoughtful expression, Poppy and Minerva exchanged an uneasy glance. Although Poppy did see the sense in Ro's suggestion, from what she knew of Irma's father she wondered if deliberately failing her Arithmancy O.W.L. would cause more problems than it solved.

She was saved from voicing her thoughts by Ro's stomach rumbling loudly, and everyone started laughing. "I think it might be time for dinner," Ro said, "This revision lark is hungry work!"

"Pumpkin pasties might make a tasty lunch but they don't exactly keep you going for long!" Poppy pointed out with a grin.

Their joyful moods didn't last long once they arrived in the Great Hall though. No sooner had they sat down at the Gryffindor table and poured their pumpkin juice were they approached by Eileen Prince and Druella Rosier. Eileen didn't look entirely comfortable with the situation, hovering to the side of the table, while Druella looked quite at home as she leaned on it with her goblet in one hand.

"We saw what happened during the Quidditch match, Irma," Eileen started after swallowing nervously. "Will Septima be alright?"

Irma seemed to hesitate for a moment before answering. "She's badly injured, but Madame Quinine looked her over and she'll recover in a few days." Her gaze then switched to Druella who was less than a foot away from her; in a harsher voice she asked "Why do you want to know?"

Druella scoffed dramatically, slamming her goblet down on the table as she sat offensively close to Irma on the bench. "We're roommates, which means we should take an interest in things that affect you. And since your sister was injured, we felt we should enquire to how she was. No need to be quite so rude." She stood again, picked up her goblet, and flounced off towards the Slytherin with a call of "Come on, Eileen," over her shoulder.

A brief silence settled over the table as everyone watched them leave "That was weird," Ro said bluntly, the hint of a frown on her face. Poppy knew from that look that she'd been moments away from answering back to Druella before her exit.

"After sharing a dormitory with them for three and a half years, you tend to expect the unexpected." Irma shrugged, taking a long sip of her drink. She suddenly grimaced, putting her goblet down and rubbing the back of her hand over her mouth. "Don't drink the pumpkin juice, there's something wrong with it," she rasped, coughing a couple of times.

Poppy peered into her own goblet, scrutinising the colour of her own pumpkin juice. "It looks fine, but I'll take your word for it," she said with a frown. As Irma coughed again she asked "Do you need a glass of water?"

A disgusted expression on her face, Irma nodded quickly. Ro hastily filled up another goblet with water which Irma drank quickly, taking a couple of breaths when she was finished and wiping her face with her sleeve. "Better?" Ro asked.

Irma shrugged, still looking slightly repulsed. "A little,"

"Why don't you eat something, that might take the taste away," Minerva suggested.

Ro's stomach gave another timely rumble, so they wasted no time in dishing up and tucking in. Poppy kept an eye on Irma as they ate, noting with satisfaction that she was eating readily in between regular sips of water. But after 20 or so minutes she paused, letting her fork clatter to her plate and swallowing heavily.

"Awrigh' Ir'a?" Ro said around a mouthful of potatoes.

Irma pressed a hand lightly to her middle and inhaled deeply. "I'm fine," she said in a voice lacking conviction, staring straight ahead as if she was looking right through the table.

"Are you sure?" Poppy asked gently, "you're not looking too-"

Suddenly Irma was out of her seat, hands over her mouth, and sprinting for the door. Poppy looked over at Ro and Minerva, identical expressions of shock and concern on their faces, before getting up and following her more slowly. They were unsure which direction to take once outside the Great Hall, but the sound of a door banging lead them to the ground floor girls' bathroom.

"Irma?" Poppy called as they entered tentatively. She was answered by the sound of someone throwing up in one of the cubicles. Moving towards the door, Poppy knocked lightly and said "Irma, can I come in?"

Irma's voice gasped out "No!" before heaving again.

"Ro," Poppy said, watching the closed cubicle door with apprehension, "can you run up to the dormitory and fetch my bottle of anti-nausea draught? A spoon would be handy as well."

Ro left without responding, the sound of her footsteps running down the corridor fading out of earshot. Dismayed there was nothing else she could do until either Ro returned or Irma let her in, Poppy took to pacing up and down the bathroom with her hands clenched behind her back.

Finally after nearly 10 minutes of retching regularly, Irma opened her door and peered out. Poppy had to restrain a sign at the sight of her as she slowly left the cubicle, ashen-faced and trembling uncontrollably. She was clinging to the door for support until Poppy took her shaking hands and helped her sit down. "How are you doing?" she asked softly.

Irma let out a ragged groan, wrapping her arms tightly around her torso and hanging her head. Minerva joined them on the floor and put an arm around Irma's shoulders, letting her lean into her side. "It feels like my insides are in knots," she croaked hoarsely, giving a slight shudder.

The sound of the bathroom door being flung open and crashing into the tiled walls made everyone jump. Irma groaned again at the sudden noise, holding her head in her hands. "Ooh, sorry Irma," Ro apologised, plonking herself onto the floor besides Poppy and offering her a glass bottle and spoon. "Is this the right one?"

"Perfect, thanks," Poppy nodded, taking the potion from Ro and pouring out a spoonful. "Irma, are you alright to take this?"

Irma hummed groggily in response, shifting away from Minerva to let Poppy spoon the draught into her mouth. There were a few seconds of calm after she swallowed, before she was suddenly on her feet again and stumbling back into the cubicle. The door swung shut behind her, and more heaving sounds could be heard from within.

Poppy sighed, twisting the cap back onto her potion bottle. "Well, she's obviously not going to keep that down."

"It must have been the pumpkin juice, no-one else drunk any," Minerva mused aloud. "From our jug at least, maybe there was just something wrong with that."

Ro suddenly gasped, her wide eyes indicating a sudden flash of thought. "It might be," she started slowly, "or it might just have been Irma's cup." Before Poppy had a chance to find any sense in her vague words, Ro had taken a hold of her wrist. "Can you come with me? I might need your help."

"But Irma," Poppy objected, glancing back at her cubicle which had finally fallen silent.

"If she can't take any potions then there's a limit how you can help her," Minerva pointed out correctly, much to Poppy's chagrin. "Go with Ro, I'll look after her."

Seeing no way she could argue any further, Poppy allowed Ro to lead her back into the Great Hall. Although the Hall was mostly empty now all the plates were still on the tables, making it easy to find the space where they had been sitting not long beforehand. Ro took a fresh goblet from the middle of the table, filled it with pumpkin juice from their jug, and to Poppy' horror she downed it in one gulp.

"Ro!" she hissed, panic spiking in her chest, "what did you do that for?"

Shaking her head, Ro set the goblet back onto the table. "Completely normal, as I thought."

Poppy stared. "Ro, what are you talking about."

"Did it strike you as suspicious when Druella and Eileen came over?" Ro asked, and Poppy nodded. "Those excuses were codswallop. And why in Merlin's name would Druella bring her drink with her, unless she was planning to-"

"-to swap it with someone else's." Poppy finished for her. "So, do you think Druella put something in her own goblet then switched it with Irma's?"

Ro nodded gravely, her gaze travelling to where Irma's goblet stood over half full on the table. "But there's only one way to find out."

Poppy's mouth dropped open. "Ro, please tell me you're not thinking what I think you are. Who knows what she's put in there?"

"Whatever's in there only made Irma sick all over the place, it can't be that bad. And we can't get Druella into trouble for it unless it's proven," said Ro firmly. "Come on Pops, it won't be bad at all."

Poppy eyed Irma's goblet warily, then looked back at Ro. "Wouldn't it be better if you drank it so I can look after you afterwards?" she suggested.

"It did cross my mind, but like Min said, what can you do? If I can't stop being sick for long enough to choke down an anti-nausea draught then I'll just have to ride it out. And it'd be nicer if I wasn't doing it by myself." Ro fixed Poppy with a pleading stare, combined with a small smile that made Poppy laugh inwardly. "Do it for Irma?"

"I'm doing this for Irma," Poppy sighed, sure she would regret her decision very quickly.

Ro grabbed another goblet and poured enough of Irma's pumpkin juice in so that there was roughly the same amount in each cup. As she handed one goblet to Poppy and took the other for herself, they nervously looked each other in the eye.

Ro let out an uneasy breath. "Bottoms up!" she grinned, before they both drunk the contents of their goblets. Poppy instantly understood what Irma had meant about the foul taste, and they both clamoured for a glass of water to clear their throats.

"Now we just wait, I suppose." Ro said, sounding a great deal less confident than she had done before. "Should we, er, go up to the Hospital Wing in advance? We want to make a scene really."

Poppy couldn't help but laugh, shaking her head slightly. "I suppose so!"

They took a leisurely journey up the Grand Staircase, deciding not to check on Minerva and Irma in the bathroom in case Irma's condition made them regret their reckless move. It wasn't until they reached the third floor that Poppy began to feel slightly queasy, and a fresh wave of nerves set in.

"How are you feeling?" she asked Ro, still smiling though more out of apprehension than anything else.

Ro shrugged. "I've felt better," she admitted, "not looking forward to this part."

They kept walking up the stairs, then along the fourth floor corridor towards the Hospital Wing. Suddenly Poppy's stomach started jumping inside her, and the nasty taste in her throat intensified. She ground to a halt, and looked nervously at Ro who had also stopped in her tracks.

Ro was looking around, before her gaze settled on the bathroom just ahead of them. "Can we make it to the Hospital Wing?" she asked slowly, "or is this a bathroom job."

Poppy looked down the corridor, where she could see the Hospital Wing doors in the distance. She was about to suggest trying for the Hospital Wing before she gagged, wrapping her hands around her middle. "Bathroom!" she gasped, hurtling through the door and into the nearest cubicle just in time to throw up into the toilet bowl.

"I wish I hadn't had that dinner!" Ro's shaking voice floated over the cubicle wall. The thought of food made Poppy sick again, and she heard Ro do the same.

"Merlin's beard, what did you two do to yourselves?" If Poppy hadn't been busy being sick she might have danced for joy upon hearing Madame Quinine enter the bathroom. Two hands under her arms helped Poppy to her feet, and once she was steady the Matron went next door to give Ro a hand.

They were ushered into the Hospital Wing, where Millicent and Septima were sat up talking on one of the beds. Septima had changed out of her Quidditch robes into a comfortable-looking dress and her hair was down from its customary two plaits, though she still wore her arm in a sling. Madame Quinine sat them down on two chairs before disappearing into her office. "What happened to you two?" Millicent asked.

Hoping Ro would respond on their behalf, Poppy just held her head in her hands and tried to regulate her breathing. Her head was absolutely pounding, and she felt cold and clammy all over. Suddenly convinced she was about to be sick again, she clamped her hands over her mouth and accidentally elbowed Ro in the process.

"She needs a bucket!" Ro yelled, clearly getting the message. Madame Quinine burst out of her office holding two tin buckets, thrusting one quickly into Poppy's hands before giving the other to Ro. Poppy could just about hear Septima and Millicent's sounds of disgust as she heaved into her bucket, feeling utterly miserable.

"You know what, Mil?" said Ro hollowly from inside her bucket, "You really, really, don't want to know!"

Author's Note:
Holy Moly, long chapter.

Also hilariously grim chapter. Apologies to anyone who doesn't like sick. I got this idea from another book I've read recently, and thought it would be very fun to incorporate into the story. All lose ends will be tied up in the next chapter which follows on directly from this one. It's another fun one, and unless the word count gets unbelievably out of hand again it should mark the end of fourth year. So I didn't meet my goal of finishing fourth year by the end of the school holiday, but my new goal is to get it done by the fanfiction's one year anniversary. Which is in a month today. Scary stuff, huh?

I think the thing I love most about this chapter is Poppy's motherly nurturing skills. She's come so far in three and a half years- they all have, but this chapter shows her character growth especially. You can really see the makings of an amazing Mediwitch.

Anyone who's recently read my profile will know that I've been formally recruited by the Chudley Cannons in the Quidditch League Fanfiction Challenge! There's only three rounds left so it won't be a very long term thing, though hopefully I can make it onto a team at the beginning of the next season in 2017. So alongside this fic, there'll be a short story from me every other week for the next couple of months.

I can't think of anything else to say for the time being, so I'll leave it here. Good luck to everyone who's going back to school/college this week (which is most of Britain I think).