~Author's Note: This chapter is kinda like chapter 3. In fact, it is. It has the same format, you know. More informative and sorta explains why this is this in future chapters. Draco may seem very quiet in this chapter. That's because I'll have him talk lots in later ones. (if I ever get there) Happy reading! Don't forget to R&R!
"Why do you think the Americans need 30 hours of rest?" Ron asked as he, Harry and Hermione made their way back to the common room. Much to Ron's dismay, they were going to finish their homework before playing Quidditch.
"If you think about," Hermione began thoughtfully. "If you had traveled here on airplane for 6000 miles either broken into intervals or straight through, I'd say an extra 4 hours because of jet-lag plus the regular 12 hours of sleep needed plus hours of extra sleep for body resting plus hours needed for treatment for wounds that I am pretty sure they got from that earthquake which could be lots of hours depending on how badly the wounds are so- yes, they need about 30 hours of rest." Ron and Harry stared at Hermione as if she was crazy.
"What do you think, Harry?" Ron asked after a pause of silence.
"I'm going with Hermione because I'm not sure what to think. What she said seems very probable if not accurate to me." He replied almost dumbly.
"Yeah, what Hermione said." Ron said.
"Peaches and cream," they chorused the password to the Fat Lady and enter the Gryffindor's common room.
Later that day, they were on the Quidditch field picking teams for the next game. Everyone who owned a broom played. Those who didn't own one took turns with someone who did. Everyone who wanted to play was on the field. To pick captains for the two team, Madam Hooch had all the 7th and 6th years stand in a circle and bewitched her broomstick to spin. It stopped and the ends pointed at George Weasley and Cho Chang. Madam Hooch allowed Cho to chose first since she is a girl.
"Fred Weasley," she said first. A bunch of ohhh's aroused from the crowd. Ron found it particularly funny that his twin brothers are on opposite teams.
"Angelina Johnson," George then said followed by more ohhh's. And it went like that. Madam Hooch had them picked each player by their years. When the 7th years were all picked, the 6th years were next to being picked. And it went like that all the way to the first years. Soon a game that included 58 students and a teacher began. Everyone was a Chaser, Keeper and Seeker all at the same time. The Bludgers were not being used due to the fact that there are too many students and anyone could be easily hurt.
There was lots of shouting to pass the Quaffle. Scoring was almost impossible because too many people were flying near the goal posts and it was almost impossible to fly without running into someone. There was only one Snitch and that was found easily against all the student's black robes. There were shouts and cheers of joy as each Snitch was caught. Lee Jordan did commentary rather than play. To make the game last longer, each team had to capture the Snitch 10 times before a game is over and another team is picked.
In the 5th game, there were fewer players since many went off to do homework or find something else to do because you can only play or watch Quidditch for so long without getting bored.
"Pass it here Ron!!" George shouted. Ron had the Quaffle and it wasn't too long before he was surrounded. He desperately passes the ball to another player on his team and broke free from the circle. Ron flew off to a clear area to wait for his heart to stop pounding.
"You okay Ron?" Ron looked up to see Harry flying towards him.
"Yeah I'm fine." He said hastily. His face was flush with red and his knuckles are white from grabbing his broomstick to hard.
"You know what?" Harry said unexpectedly.
"What?" Ron said with surprise.
"I would love to see Hermione on a broom!" Harry smiled.
"What a sight that would be!" They laugh silently to themselves, but Fred told them to concentrate on the game.
"It's just a game, Fred!" Ron shouted after his brother.
"It's a close game, Ron! Harry you must find the Snitch as quickly as possible." Fred said as he flew past again.
"Why? What's the score?" Harry inquired.
"It's tied!! 9-9!" At that Harry sped upwards and search quickly for any flashes of gold. Ron followed him and looked in the opposite direction.
"There it is Harry!" Ron shouted as he pointed towards the middle of the field. Sure enough, there it was, hovering near the bottom. Harry sped towards the middle of the field. Everyone in his path quickly got out of the way. There were shouts and cheers as Harry neared the Snitch. But something caught his eye. Draco Malfoy also saw the Snitch and went after it too.
"They're going to crash!!!" Angelina cried. It was nearly head to head. Harry put on a spurt of speed but so did Draco. Closer and closer they came. Some of the girls, who were too afraid to look, turned away. Hermione was in the stands shouting, yelling, jumping, and screaming something at Harry. No one heard except Neville Longbottom who was sitting next to her. Madam Hooch was trying to pull out her wand but had difficulty since she was on her broom and could only use one hand.
Closer and closer they flew to the Snitch. With one hand on the broom and another reaching forward, Harry sped as quickly as he can to the Snitch knowing well that Draco was trying to get it too. Harry's hand closed in around it but a sickening thud and crash happened before he could pull up. When he opened his eyes again, he was lying on the field with many eyes staring at him.
"Oh my god, he's still alive!" Someone said. His head throbbed and something warm was coming from his forehead. He reached up to touch it but someone's hand was already holding his head.
"Get up, Harry, Draco!" Madam Hooch said bitterly. Whoever's hand on his head grabbed his free arm and placed it on his head. Blood dripped down his face. Someone else handed him his glasses. They were broken into two pieces and the glass was missing. He put them into his pocket. Madam Hooch seized their arms and took them in towards the direction of the Hospital Wing. Harry glanced at Malfoy. He, too, was bleeding from one side of his head and was clutching his stomach. I must have poked him with my broom, Harry thought.
"Quidditch is over for today!" She shouted behind them. "Somebody put the Quaffle and Snitch away!" She half-pulled half-dragged them to the Hospital Wing while grumbling all the way.
"Madam Pomfrey won't like this at all." She said indignantly. Filch then came striding down the hall and wore an amused face.
"Oh dear!" He said most sarcastically as he walked by. "Try not to bleed on the floor! I just cleaned it this morning!" Finally they reached the door of the Hospital Wing, but to Harry's and Draco's surprise it was locked.
"She must have locked it." Madam Hooch said sullenly. Since she was holding onto Harry and Draco to make sure they don't fall over, (Draco was looking very pale) she knocked the door with her foot. Madam Pomfrey came to the door and looked at the boys very angrily.
"I can't believe you two!" Madam Pomfrey said feeling very annoyed as she opened the door for them. She let them in and directed them to sit on the beds furthest away from the Americans who were sleeping in the opposite corner.
"I can take it from here, Madam Hooch." Madam Pomfrey nodded to Madam Hooch and Madam Hooch left, and shut the door behind her. She slowly peeled Harry's hand away from his forehead. More blood dribbled down his face and onto his robe.
"A cut," she sighed. "Do you hurt anywhere else?"
"I feel very tired and my head is pounding a lot."
"Loss of blood and a headache." She proclaimed. "You are going to have stay until dinnertime for that." She replaced Harry's hand over his forehead. She moved on to Draco who sat on the bed next to Harry's. Carefully she pulled off his hand. Draco whimpered.
"Oh boy," she sighed even more heavily. "A gash instead of a cut, and a few of them too. What's all this glass doing in here?"
"That must be my glasses." Harry whispered as he pulled them out from his pocket. "It broke and still is."
"Thanks a lot Potter." Draco said crossly.
"Please, try to keep quiet! If you wake those kids," Madam Pomfrey said irritably as she pointed to the three sleeping lumps across the room, "I will have you out of here quicker than you can blink an eye! And without medical treatment!" There was a still silence as breathing can be heard from the Americans. Draco then made a motion of saying something but changed his mind.
"Do you hurt anywhere else dear?" she asked.
"Yes," he whined. "My head hurts, and my stomach hurts. And I think Potter's broom may have prodded something on the inside."
"Well you might need to stay overnight, but you are definitely staying over supper." She tiredly sighed. She went off to find the medical remedies for their treatments, but before she did, she warned them, "not a peep!"
There was moment of awkward silence. Harry didn't look at Draco, neither Draco look at him. Both were utterly annoyed with one another. Harry laid his glasses on his lap and with his free hand searched for his wand.
"What are you doing?" Draco whispered.
"I'm trying to fix my glasses." Harry angrily whispered back as he pulled out his wand. He tapped his glasses and they magically mended themselves back together. The glass pieces came from nowhere. All of a sudden, one of the three lumps stirred. It was the one closest to them. Harry and Draco froze as a bleached-hair boy sat up, glancing around him. His eyes fell on Harry and Draco.
Harry's heart raced; he didn't dare breathe. Draco on the other hand couldn't help but breathe rapidly. The bleached-hair boy's cold amber eyes stared at Harry and Draco. He looked at his other two friends and then returned to stare at Harry and Draco again. His face seemed to be asking if they were going to mean any harm to him or his friends. Deciding that they were harmless, the boy turned over and returned to sleep.
Both Harry and Draco let out sighs of relief as Madam Pomfrey returned with a couple of bottles and a few rolls of bandages. She had them change into hospital gowns behind closed curtains before applying the medication. She worked on Draco first, since he had more injuries than Harry. Taking his hand off his forehead, Harry could see a jagged gash. Blood was pouring out in a steadily fashion. Using her wand, Madam Promfrey cleaned the wound and carefully rubbed it with a cream.
"Oww!!" Draco wailed. But quickly clamped his bloody hand over his mouth. It was too late. Another person stirred- this time a red-haired boy popped up from underneath his covers. Madam Pomfrey gave a very crossed look at Draco before going to the boy.
"Everything is all right, dear," she said in the most motherly voice. The boy looked at her disbelieving with his hazy blue eyes. He took a glimpse at his two friends beside him. Draco made a whimpering sound, as his wound was open and exposed to the air. He should hold his wound close with his hand, Harry thought looking at Draco. The redhead looked at them and they froze at his gleaming blue eyes.
"Please go back to sleep dearie. Everything will be all right when you wake up." Madam Pomfrey said again. The boy stared at her and then looked back at Harry and Draco. Reluctantly he turned over and went back to sleep. Madam Pomfrey came striding back to where Harry and Draco sat. As she rubbed the cream on Draco's head, her face dared him to speak a sound. He didn't though Harry wanted him to get into trouble. She gave him a blue liquid to take, and instantly his wound healed.
"Lay in bed," she ordered him. He scrambled into the
bed he sat on and laid on his back looking at the ceiling. Madam Pomfrey went
to work on Harry. She gave him the same blue liquid for him to take. His
forehead healed instantly like Draco's. He lay in the bed next to Draco and
then drifted off to sleep.
When Harry woke up it was dark. He reached over the bedside and found his glasses on the table. His robes were cleaned and draped over the foot of his bed.
"You're awake now?" Madam Pomfrey whispered. Harry looked to his left and saw Madam Pomfrey making her way to him. He nodded as she checked his wound.
"How do you feel?" She asked as she checked for any further injuries.
"Mostly tired, but okay." He replied tiredly.
"Yes, the medication does that." She told him. "Your friends were banging on the door to see you earlier." She said rather crossly. Madam Pomfrey checked for his temperature and everything.
"Everyone has finish dinner already and in their common rooms. Professor Dumbledore will be in soon and you may go when you wish."
"What about Malfoy?" Harry inquired as he got off his bed. The room whirled for a moment then stopped.
"He'll be fine. Just needs a little extra sleep that's all." She actually smiled at him. Harry put his robes back on and walked queasily to the door.
"Maybe you shouldn't go," Madam Pomfrey said. But it was too late. The door banged opened and hit Harry squarely on the nose. He fell back in a heap as Professor Snape came in.
"Potter?" Snape said as he came in and shut the door behind him. "What are you doing here?"
"I can ask the same question to you, Severus!" Madam Pomfrey threw back at Snape. She helped Harry to his feet and told him to sit on the bed while she examined him again.
"Where's Headmaster Dumbledore?" Snape inquired as he strolled over to the Americans.
"Not here yet, Severus. And I would appreciate it if you would stay away from those poor children." Snape walked back to where Draco slept. Madam Pomfrey looked into Harry's dazed eyes and told him he is to stay over night. Harry sighed and took off his robes and climbed back into bed. His head pulsed as he turned over and closed his eyes. Madam Promfrey carefully took off his glasses and put them on the table beside him.
"Is there anything wrong with the Americans?" Snape asked.
"No of course there's nothing wrong with them." Madam Pomfrey snapped back at him. She was beginning to feel very annoyed with him. There was a quiet knock on the Hospital Wing door as Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall came in.
"Is everything all right here?" McGonagall asked when she saw Harry and Draco.
"It was just a Quidditch accident. They both went for the Snitch and crashed into one another." She said tiredly. "Is there something I can do for you Headmaster?"
"Yes, there is something you can do for me," he answered with a smile. "I would like the updates on our foreign friends." He, followed by Snape and McGonagall, walked quietly near the American kids. Dumbledore took the same stool and sat on it like earlier that day.
"Mostly they slept," she started to say.
"And?" Snape asked.
"Every now and then they would wake up, look around, made sure their friends are all right and then go back to sleep."
"Amazing," Dumbledore said.
"Ultra clairvoyant reception?" McGonagall asked startled.
"Yes and no," Madam Pomfrey answered. "The red-haired boy always wakes when there are loud noises and the bleached-hair boy always wake whenever the use of magic is taken place."
"What about the girl?" Snape asked sharply.
"She hasn't woken up at all."
"Not once?" McGonagall inquired amazingly. Madam Pomfrey shook her head.
"I wonder what she wakes up to." Snape said exaggeratingly.
"So do I Severus," Dumbledore said. "Is there anything else we should know?"
"Their wounds haven't healed at all, but the move and stir as if they were never there." They all looked at the three foreigners. A sharp knock on the door broke through the silence. They all looked up to see two figures standing outside. Madam Pomfrey went to answer the door. It was Hermione and Ron.
"Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley," she stressed. "I assure you that Mr. Potter is quite fine. He is sleeping now. I would appreciate it if you both would leave."
"Yes, but-" Hermione started as she noticed Snape, McGonagall and Dumbledore near the opposite end.
"No, buts. Please Miss Granger go to bed."
"What are you doing out of the your common room!" Snape shouted. McGonagall jumped up and sharply clamped his mouth with her hand. The red-haired boy jumped and sat up straight. He stared at everybody including Hermione and Ron in the doorway. He seemed to be undisturbed that Professor McGonagall had her hand around Snape's mouth.
"Please be quiet," he mumbled. "Some of us are trying to sleep."
"Go back to bed, child," Dumbledore said gently, "we're sorry that we woke you." The boy nodded and went back to sleep. A brief pause took place, as the boy's breathing became a steady rhythm. Professor McGonagall took her hand away from Snape's mouth.
"Severus!" McGonagall said accusingly. Madam Pomfrey quickly told Hermione and Ron to go back to the common room and they could see Harry in the morning before breakfast. She shut the door when Ron and Hermione's footstep died away. Her eyes were glaring at Snape.
"Severus, that was uncalled for," Dumbledore said sounding disappointed. "I am responsible for the these three well-being and I hope you will not do that again."
"I am terribly sorry, Headmaster," Snape said with his head hanging. "I will not disturb the Americans again." He sounded so desperately sorry that Harry who has been awake the whole time almost felt sorry for him.
"We will leave you now, Poppy," Dumbledore said as he stood up. "We'll be back in the morning."
~Author's Note: Oh, this chapter has lost something.
Yes, there will be more action when the Americans wake up. Umm…. yeah. The
disclaimer thingy- everything you recognize is J.K. Rowling's. The ultra
clairvoyant reception is something I made up. (Actually I'm quite proud of it.
It will be explain in greater details later on.) Having Draco and Harry crash
into each other and landing them in the hospital is kinda something you can't
claim so I'm not. Umm…I think that's it. Well just in case- anything that you
don't recognize is mine; anything that is definitely J.K. Rowling's is J.K.
Rowling's. And anything you don't have any idea about just tell me and I'll tell
you. Well laterz, .:~sweetangelgirl~:.