Hey everyone!
Welcome to level 10 of Jumanji... and yes I have decided to stick with that for the rest of the year before you ask. I had a lovely week away (and birthday) and now I feel creative again and I am hoping to write well again. October is the month when I want to get some good habits going and make the most of these last months of 2020 better than what has just been. Enjoy the update.
Stay safe.
Lots of love,
LM xxx
Hidden Child-Part 80:
Lyra had been in a deep sleep before a memory hit her but one that she'd been unable to remember… until now it appeared. Her eyes snapped open and she was rather thankful that the other girls in the dorm were asleep or else they would have no doubt been scared by the sudden alertness of her.
She rubbed her face, sweat droplets rested on her hand and she gasped for breath again. It had been a a couple of weeks since her parents had returned to the Manor and she'd been having headaches and flashes but nothing to worry about… yet tonight her dream felt different. She shivered and found her shoes and put them on before heading silently out of the dorm, hoping that Jasmine wouldn't stir, and she made her way to her godfather's office. It was in darkness causing her to shiver more. She began to make her way from the dungeons to the Entrance Hall. She had no idea what the time was and hoped that a Professor or Prefect was conducting a last patrol so she could ask them to take her to the Hospital Wing.
Lyra's vision began to blur more and she couldn't see for a moment. She began to sweat more and couldn't figure out where she was.
"Helena!" she called into the darkness, praying her ghost friend would hear her somehow. She didn't know who else she could have called in that moment in time. It was a slim chance that the Grey Lady would even hear her calling.
"Lyra?" came a voice that Lyra had never been so relieved to hear, "what's going on? You look pale… ghostly…" Helena said as she hovered at the same height Lyra was.
"I need the Hospital Wing… I don't know what's going on…" Lyra said as she shivered once more. Helena looked at her and knew that the Hospital Wing was the best place for Lyra. The ghost led the way to the Hospital Wing and made sure that Lyra was settled in and empty bed before hurrying off to find the Headmaster.
Lyra sat there and shivered before she sighed softly and wondered what to do before she heard footsteps and saw Dumbledore rush in, swiftly followed by Professors McGonagall and Snape. It was in that moment that the Hogwarts matron also appeared and began to check Lyra over.
"What happened Lyra?" Snape asked.
"I don't know. I was asleep and then things began to seep into my mind… things that I didn't know I remembered. One shook me awake and I woke up in a sweat and shivering. I tried to find someone but I couldn't," Lyra explained, "I called out for Helena and she came and led me here."
"When you say things that you didn't know you remembered…?" Dumbledore asked as the Transfiguration Professor sat on the bed with Lyra.
"I mean stuff that I really couldn't remember after Bellatrix tried to wipe my memories," Lyra said, "Severus… Prof…"
"You can call him Severus when no students are around," the Headmaster said quickly.
"…Severus knows that the headaches have largely gone away but there are little ones there," Lyra sighed.
Dumbledore remained silent fully aware that all eyes were on him. He had to think carefully before he looked.
"This can only mean one thing… and dare I say that I think a miracle could be happening," he said, a twinkle in his eye, "I think young Miss Malfoy's missing memories could be returning…"
"Could that be what is causing these headaches?" Snape asked, "they haven't been as strong and appear to be more in the morning after she's slept…"
Dumbledore nodded finally and looked.
"I'm pretty certain that Lyra could be regaining lost memories. The fact that her headaches appear to be stronger in the morning says to me that the memories are coming back," he said, "and whatever came back to her tonight was enough to wake her up and cause this sweating."
"Also a slight fever," Madam Pomfrey said, "but yes I'd have to agree with the Headmaster on this one. I'd also say that this could… should require an owl to her parents. Remember what happened the last time they were kept in the dark…"
"I shall send an owl to Lucius and Narcissa in the morning," Dumbledore said, "I think leave them tonight and I'll get an owl off before breakfast tomorrow and then no doubt they'll be here before the end of breakfast. Helena…"
"I can await them in your office and bring them here," the ghost said as she nodded, "until then I will remain here with Lyra. She's the only friend I have here."
"Also I would send an owl to Healer Jones. She will need to be present as well," the matron said, "that and she is the Malfoy family healer and would be summoned by the parents so might as well save them the bother and they can come straight here."
Dumbledore nodded before Madam Pomfrey hurried off and soon returned with a potion that would help to bring Lyra's temperature under control. She then began to press something cold to Lyra's head and the girl squeaked in shock before relaxing again.
"I would give her this as well," Snape said as he handed a vial of Dreamless Sleep Draught, "she needs this tonight," he said and the matron took it and Lyra was soon fast asleep.
"How can her memories be coming back? Bellatrix doesn't mess up like this…" McGonagall said.
"Unless it wasn't Bellatrix… Lyra is a miracle child herself and nothing would surprise me about this witch anymore," Dumbledore said, "Bellatrix also would have done a proper job wiping Lyra's memories. She wouldn't mess up a job as big as this."
"So someone Polyjuiced into Bellatrix Lestrange and failed to do a proper job?" McGonagall asked and the Headmaster nodded,
"That is something that I shall have to discuss with the Malfoys in the morning but yes. It appears that that is exactly what has happened. The only way Bellatrix could have succeeded was to wipe Lyra's memories but she couldn't have been in the open so she got someone to do it who didn't perform the spell correctly. Either way this is going to be an interesting conversation with the Malfoys. I will skip breakfast tomorrow and discuss it with them in my office first," he said. The professors then left Madam Pomfrey and Helena with Lyra, wondering how Lyra's memories were returning and who the minion was who failed in their task.
