Ch 12 - What Goes Up...

"Alright, Black, you have the field for 10 minutes. No complaints. You're lucky you got anything more than five," Mary McGonagall said sternly when Sirius, Fei and Xiao met her on the Quidditch field at noon the next day. Fei had been in the stand before to watch the Slytherin try-outs but it was an altogether different view when she stood at the center on the grass. The goalposts looked as tall as mountains and she could only see the bottom of stands, which stood on tall wooden stilts.

"I see you brought an audience with you," Mary continued, eyeing Hagrid and Lily, who were standing on the sidelines waving cheerfully at them. James had come along as well as the other two boys that seem to be hanging around Sirius and James more often. The boys stood on the other side of Hagrid.

There was a strong family resemblance between the younger McGonagall and the professor, especially when in an authoritative role. She gave a quick nod to Madam Hooch, who stood next to her with her own broom in hand, "But Madam Hooch is here too to keep an eye out on you just in case."

Fei would've liked to correct Mary and tell her that Fei didn't need adult supervision - she and Xiao had flown together practically every day before she left Cathay. However, she only had 10 minutes and she did not want to waste any time.

"Thanks, Mary," Sirius said, "But why do we only get 10 minutes? You guys don't start practice until 1:00."

Mary's eyes flicked to Fei and Fei understood. "You don't want me to see the Gryffindor team."

"No offense," Mary said without batting an eye, "Just don't want you to slip out any information to Laughalot."

"I wouldn't even know what to tell him or even who he was," Fei said and then she looked to Madam Hooch, "May Xiao and I fly now?"

"Yes but don't go too fast or past the goalposts. Based on how you ride your broom, I'll admit, Lady Fei, that I am not confident in your skills when airborne." With that, Madam Hooch mounted her broom and shot up five feet into the air.

"Brooms are different. They can't think," Fei said to no one in particular and then climbed onto Xiao's back, rearranging her robes and sitting with a leg on either side of him. She was determined to show Madam Hooch how well Xiao could fly, even if it meant forgoing the more polite style of sitting.

"Let's go."

Without another word, Xiao took off into the air, Fei's hair flying behind her like a black streamer. They swept up high until Xiao was eye level to the tallest goal post and then plunged down sharply. Fei laughed but her voice was swept away by the wind. She opened her arms, using only her legs for balance, while Xiao went upwards and wove in and out of the goalposts. He then streaked directly across the field. Just when he was about to go through the tallest goalpost there, he looped suddenly backwards, sending Fei temporarily falling but then caught her just as quickly. She heard a shriek of horror, heavy clapping, and cheering, but she didn't pay any attention to it. She just wanted to focus on Xiao, this moment, and this feeling. For five glorious minutes, they danced across the skies. Then Fei leaned in closer to Xiao.

"Let's go get Sirius."

Xiao let out a trill and then they landed gracefully right in front of the boy, who was frowning at her.

"You have five more minutes, you know."

"I know! Climb on. Don't waste time," Fei said and swiftly knotted her hair into a tight bun. She used a quill to hold it all in place.

"I-Really?!" But he didn't wait for an answer. He didn't even need Xiao to lower himself as the bird did for Fei. He just pulled himself right up and got behind her, holding her tightly around the waist. He grinned like a madman to his friends, who had rushed onto the field.

"I didn't know we get turns. I want next!" James said.

Sirius smirked. "Sorry, mates. Get your own Cathayan royalty."

They flew up in the air, leaving behind the jeering and shouting that were swiftly drowned out by the rushing winds and Sirius' own joyous hollering, still clinging on to Fei. As Xiao maneuvered up and around the Quidditch field, Sirius got bolder and bolder and soon, he was grazing the front of the Quidditch stands with his outstretched hand and then flying without holding onto anything at all.

"This is the best feeling in the world!" he shouted.

Fei couldn't have agreed more. She closed her eyes and that's when it happened.

One second she was flying around with the wind in her face and the next, she was hurtling towards the ground. The world became a blur. Fei could not tell what was up and what was down, or even how close she was to impact. She couldn't even move her eyes. Her whole body felt like it had turned to stone and she was losing the feeling in her toes.

She heard Lily and Hagrid scream, "Fei!"

She landed with a heavy thud into Hagrid's arms. She was as rigid as a statue and her unblinking eyes stared upwards into his horrified and hairy face. The numbness was spreading up her legs, past her waist, and then she couldn't feel anything in her fingers.

"I go' yeh, Fei. Yer alrigh' now, yeh hear?"

But she couldn't nod or respond.

"It came from over there!" she heard James snarl.

Xiao's melodic trill washed over her like a warm bath and suddenly, she could move again. She sat up in Hagrid's arms just in time to see James and Sirius pull out their wands.

"And what do you think you'll be doing with those?" Madam Hooch shouted, still in the air. She soared over their heads towards the castle, "I'll go see if I can catch the culprit. Hagrid, take them back to the castle and get her to the hospital wing!"

Everything happened so fast that Fei's mind became a blur. People were shouting and screaming. Lily was crying while Xiao started to circle them overhead. They started to move very fast with her and Hagrid at the front. The shouting didn't stop. She couldn't tell whose voice was whose. It felt like she was in a dream or that she had somehow been engulfed in water. She didn't know when even she got to the hospital wing. She barely registered drinking a thick potion but she couldn't even tell how it tasted.

"Fei?! Fei!"

Sirius' face came into view and her eyes focused. He was kneeling over her and shaking her by the shoulders.

"Mr. Black!" Madam Pomfrey gasped, "Do not jostle her like that! Get off the bed immediately!"

Sirius did not budge but he did drop his hand from her arms. "FEI! Snap out of it!"

His dark grey eyes connected with hers and everything started to clear up. The blood had drained from his face and there was a wildness in his eyes. He was panicking.

"I'm...I'm okay," Fei said. and then she drew in a breath, "What happened?"

The panic lessened and it was replaced by worry. Finally, Sirius moved from the bed and Fei saw that Mary was sitting at the edge of the hospital bed next to her, with her head in her hands. Hagrid, Xiao, James and the other two boys stood around her. The other two boys had concerned looks on their faces while James looked furious.

"Wh-where's Lily?" Fei asked.

Sirius got off the bed but stood closely at her side. "She went to go find Professor Dumbledore," Sirius said which elicited a pained moan from Mary.

"He'll ge' ter the bottom o' this, Fei," Hagrid said. He gave her a weak smile and Fei could tell that he was just as shaken about what happened as she was.

"I'm okay, Hagrid," she said softly, "Thank you."

"They're never going to let me do field requests now...And oh! Merlin's beard! Does this mean Quidditch practice is cancelled? Ugh! Could today get any worse? The team is going to kill me."

"Perspective, Miss McGonagall," Madam Pomfrey said sharply, "Lady Fei could've actually been killed."

Fei gasped and looked between Xiao and Sirius. "Are you two okay? Did...did you guys fall too?"

Sirius shook his head while Xiao let out a low trill. "We were fine. I'm not sure what happened to you. You just went all rigid all of a sudden and fell like a rock."

James glowered. "Someone hexed you, Fei. I know it. Hit you with a body-binding spell or something."

The door slammed open and Severus came storming towards the bed. The glare on the Slytherin's faces only intensified when he saw the Gryffindors. James returned it threefold.

"What the hell are you doing here?" James asked.

"Confirming your most recent crime spree entails attempted murder," Severus snarled back. He swiftly moved to Fei's bedside, pushing Sirius out of the way. His features softened when he looked at her but his eyes were still cold and black. "What happened?"

"Just a bit of a shock," Madam Pomfrey said brisky.

Fei frowned. "Then...why did I drink a potion?"

"For your nerves, dear," Madam Pomfrey said but then she smiled, "If you can recall drinking a potion, then you are improving immensely already. You were very shaken when you were brought in. I didn't think you even heard a word I said."

"This is exactly why you should not affiliate yourself with-" Severus' eyes flitted to Madam Pomfrey and then back at Fei, "The likes of Black and Potter." He spat their names out like they left a nasty aftertaste.

"We weren't the one that attacked her, you tosser," Sirius growled.

Severus held out his arms out and gestured to the room. "And yet here we are."

James and Sirius both had to be held back by the other two boys.

"How do you think this is my fault?!" Sirius shouted. He was able to shrug off his friend, who was a lot shorter than him and easily overpowered. James, though, seemed to have some trouble shaking off the boy in loose robes. The boy might've been skinnier than James but he had a strong grip.

"Gentlemen! Gentlemen!" Madam Pomfrey said shrilly, "This is the hospital wing. Lady Fei needs her rest. If you cannot behave, I will have to ask you to leave."

Severus turned away from Fei and he smiled coolly at the boys. "Yes. You may go, Silliest. I can take it from here."

"Why are you here, Snivellus?! How did you know Fei was in the hospital wing?" James demanded.

"I have a right to be concerned with my friend," Severus hissed.

"Friend? Ha! That's a load of dragon dung," Sirius barked, "It's obvious you only tolerate Fei's existence because Lily likes her."

"She is my friend," Severus insisted.

"That's not very convincing, Severus," Sirius said and then his eyes narrowed. "Unless you came here because you were behind the hex."

"Believe me, Silliest, if I was to cast a hex, it would be on you or Potter," Severus replied and then turned to Fei, "Did you see who cast it?"

Fei shook her head. "I...I don't know. I closed my eyes. I didn't see anything. I-" She stopped. Now that she got a good look at Severus' face, she could see that it was etched with worry and that something else was nagging at him. "What's wrong?"

"He knows we suspect him and we're RIGHT!" Sirius shouted but Fei knew that to be false. She just knew it.

Severus pointed a finger at Sirius. "You are barking up the wrong tree if you think I was behind any of this!"

Something nasty was at the tip of Sirius' tongue. Fei could tell it but then, so could Madam Pomfrey.

"That's it! Out! Out! All of you!" she said and even shooed Mary off the bed, "Visiting hours are officially over. Good-bye! No, Hagrid. You can stay. "

But just when she was about to close the door on the students, Professor Dumbledore strode through with Lily and Madam Hooch behind him. Madam Pomfrey was so taken aback by the sudden entrance, she didn't even react when the people she was pushing out returned at Dumbledore's heels.

"Severus!" Lily gasped, "What are you doing here?"

Severus averted his gaze and he turned back to Fei. There was a faint blush to his cheeks and it hit Fei all at once. He was watching us...

"How are you, my dear?" Dumbledore asked, sitting on the edge of the bed where Mary was just moments before. Severus stepped to the side. Dumbledore took Fei's hands into his own and his blue eyes glittered with concern, "I heard you had yourself a bit of a fright."

"Go' knocked righ' ou' o' the sky, she did," Hagrid said, "Luckily, I managed to catch her 'fore she landed on her head."

"Xiao is a great flyer. This is not his fault. Please don't forbid us to fly," Fei said hurriedly and then she added before Dumbledore could say anything, "It's not Mary McGonagall's either so don't punish her or the Gryffindor Quidditch team for this."

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Notice she didn't jump to your defense, Black?"

"Why would she? I was a victim too," Sirius hissed.

Dumbledore raised a hand for silence but kept his attention on Fei. "I assure you, punishment is never my intention. I merely want to get to the bottom of it...but I'll ask you questions tomorrow. I only came here to make sure you are alright."

He got up to his feet after one more gentle pat on her hand. "But...as for the others, I would ask that you all join me in my office so you can recount what had happened. I have already heard Miss Evans' side of the story and Madam Hooch will be joining us shortly to share hers. Hagrid, that goes for you as well. Lady Fei, I will allow Xiao to stay by your side tonight but just this once. He should go back to Hagrid once Madam Pomfrey has deemed you well enough."

"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore," Fei said.

"I'd like to stay with Fei," Lily piped up.

"Likewise," Severus said with less eagerness.

Dumbledore gave them a smile of approval and then he herded everyone else out of the room. As the door closed behind him, Madam Pomfrey let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Peace at last!" Madam Pomfrey said, "I can hear myself think!"

Fei sank into the pillow. Madam Pomfrey was right. With everything quiet and still, Fei could finally organize her thoughts and figure out what happened. She wasn't the only one, of course.

Lily rushed to Fei's side. "Oh! It was awful! It happened so fast! It was a good thing Madam Hooch and Mary had their brooms. Are you okay?"

"It was a hex or a jinx of some sort. I saw it," Severus said softly and he looked out the window to avert the girls' eyes, "I...I came to check up on you because I just knew something bad was going to happen. I didn't get close enough to see you but I did hear Madam Hooch say to go to the hospital wing."

Fei blinked and she realized what had happened. "You thought it was Lily that got hurt. Madam Hooch flew off and said take her to the hospital wing. Not me."

"I did," Severus admitted without hesitation.

"Severus was worried about you too," Lily said hurriedly.

"I know. I saw it in his face. He was relieved that it wasn't you...but he was still concerned," Fei said and she looked to Severus, who went back to staring out the window.

"Oh. Don't be so stubborn," Lily scolded Severus, "It's okay to have a friend other than me."

"What did you see? The hex, that is," Fei asked.

Severus frowned. "A streak of yellow light, from high up in the sky"

"Yellow light?" Lily asked, "Is that how you can tell it was a hex?"

Severus shook his head. "No...if it was a curse, Fei's fate would've been more gruesome. It might just be a jinx or maybe even a stunning spell."

"James said it could've been a body binding hex," Fei replied and ignored the look of disdain on Severus' face, "I felt heavy...Like I had become stone. Is that what happens in a body binding hex?"

Severus, who was better and more knowledgeable at both Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts than Fei, frowned even more. "It sounds like a jinx that turns your body into a statue."

Lily gasped. "That's right. You...your whole body was turning greyish white. It spread from your feet upwards but when it was about to get to your head, Xiao called out to you and then it all went away."

Fei turned to the bird, who lowered his head to bump lightly against hers. She smiled. "Thank you, my friend."

She looked into Xiao's eyes and for a brief second, she thought she heard a soft voice whisper inside her head.

You are welcome, friend.