A/N: This chapter is nowhere near as interesting as the last. A lot of
sleeping. I apologize.
Rachel sat there for a long time afterward. She stared ahead, thoughts whirling through her mind. Finally exhaustion took over, and she fell into the bed, and into a deep slumber.
She awoke later, her throat seemingly on fire. Her head pounded. She suddenly remembed that she had taken her wand with her, and groped for it in her ruined robes. She found it, ok, but smudged with soot. Just then, Rachel heard a noise. A door was opening, and someone came in.
"Madame Pomfrey?" She heard Seamus' voice call out. "Madame Pomfrey? Are you here?"
Madame Pomfrey came out from a back room. She looked at Rachel for a moment, then turned to Seamus.
"Yes, Finnigan?"
"Well," Seamus looked uncomfortable. "Well, I, er–fell asleep in divination and cut myself on the edge of the table."
"Ooh!" Madame Pomfrey made a fed-up noise. "Turn your head." Seamus' head turned, and Madame Pomfrey raised her wand.
"JESUS!" Seamus exclaimed, and leaped forward. Madame Pomfrey, startled, shot something out of her wand. Rachel looked down and noticed a small puddle of ooze on the floor near Seamus, where she had been aiming for.
"What is it Finnigan?" Madame Pomfrey snapped. She was livid. Seamus turned so that he was facing Rachel straight on. There was a cut over his eye, but he didn't care. "Rach?" He said in a soft voice. "Rachel, is that you?"
Rachel nodded. Madame Pomfrey took Seamus' head, turned it, and healed his cut. She said, in a cold, yet controlled voice,
"Finnigan, you are healed. You are free to go."
"Bu–but what happened to her?"
"Finnigan! You can leave now!"
"Bu–"
"Good-bye!"
Seamus flailed hopelessly for a few moments, like a fish out of water before the nurse shoved him out the door.
"Sorry about that, Miss Jacobson." Madame Pomfrey looked apologetic. "I'm sure he didn't mean to create a scene."
Rachel tried to answer, but found she had lost all trace of her voice due to the mixture of thirst and smoke. She conjured herself a pad and quill, and wrote,
"Why did you make him leave?"
Madame Pomfrey looked flustered. "Well," she said finally, biting her lip, "you need your rest."
In response to that, Rachel just closed her eyes and fell back alseep.
It was late afternoon when she awoke again, yet the sun had not gone down. Rachel's throat was now beyond pain. She simply lay in bed and waited to slip back into sleep, but she heard a noise behind her.
"Shhh! I think she's asleep!"
"Is that really her? She looks so sooty."
"I guess the only way we would know would be if she said something."
"Well, Seamus said he saw her."
"I hope she wakes up soon. I don't know how much longer Fred and George can stall Madame Pomfrey."
Rachel opened one eye. Sure enough, standing over her were Ron, Harry and Hermione, with various shades of nervousness on their faces.
"She's awake!" Ron peered down at her.
"Well, she's awake now, you git. Probably woke her up." Harry leaned down. "Rachel? Is that you?"
Rachel reached for her quill and pad, sat up, and wrote,
"Yes, unfortunately."
"What happened? Hermione was very pale.
"I really don't want to talk about it." Rachel made the words very dark to emphasize them. "Why don't you ask Dumbledore."
"Not talk about it! Not talk about it!" Ron was red now, and looked like he was about to smack her.
"Stop that." Rachel wrote. "You sound like my dad."
"Her dad? I think the smoke addled her brains." Ron was peering at her again.
"RON!" Hermione smacked him. "How could you say that?"
"Sorry." Ron looked sheepish.
Hermione looked at Rachel. "You know, I was reading up on Yom Kipour, and you can break fast to take medicine."
"Yeah." Harry said. "I saw her read the book. You can just do it Rach, and I think you should. I–no–we really want you to. We don't want you to be in pain."
"I know I could if I wanted." Rachel scribbled hastily, "But I don't want too. Enough things have gone wrong today, and I don't know how breaking fast is going to help."
"You'd feel better."
"No, I wouldn't." Rachel was writing so fast it was nearly illegible. "I would feel even more awful, because I let Johann down."
"Johann?" Harry looked confused.
"Ask Dumbledore." Rachel had calmed down a bit now, but her head was pounding again.
At that moment, Madame Pomfrey came in. She looked around at the three students standing around Rachel, and asked them, in a smooth voice.
"Shouldn't you be in class?"
"Nope." Ron said, proudly. "We're done for the day."
"Well then, why don't you spend your free time somewhere else? This is a hospital wing, not a dance hall!" And she ushered them out. Rachel, being as she had little else to do, fell asleep again.
This time she was awoken by Madame Pomfrey.
"The sun is nearly down, dear. I'll have your medicine ready in but a moment."
Rachel propped herself up so she could see out a window. Sure enough, the sun was dipping steadily below the trees. A few minutes later, the nurse returned with a small bowl of potion, and a pear.
"I figured you would want something soft dear, and, after you've finished, you can go change. I'm keeping you here overnight just to make sure."
Rachel looked out the window for a while longer, just to make sure the sun had really set. Then she lifted the bowl and downed the potion inside it. At first she felt like she would throw up, then a soothing coolness settled over her, as if she was being washed out, from the inside, by cool water. She felt like she had to cough.
"Into the bowl dear." Madame Pomfrey said, then resumed the knitting she had been working on.
Rachel coughed, and a small, perfectly round, ball of soot fell into the bowl. Rachel smiled apologetically, then placed the bowl back on the tray. She ate the pear slowly, knowing that, if you ate too much food, or food that was too rich, or even if you just ate too fast, you might be sick. Her mother had taught her well. She finished the pear, and Madame Pomfrey collected the tray and handed her a warm flannel night gown.
"You can take a bath dear, then change into this. In the meanwhile, I'll clean up your bed." Madame Pomfrey helped her up, and into a bathroom. She drew the water, literally, by tapping her wand at the tub, and it was instantly filled with water. She set up a screen in front of the bath.
"I'll be back to collect you in a little while. In the mean time, don't forget to scrub behind your ears!"
The water in the tub was magic. Instead of turning black, it stayed clean and fresh smelling. It also dissolved all the soot and ash from Rachel without her having to scrub. She got out of the bath a little later, and was taken back to her bed. Madame Pomfrey fussed over the state of her robes.
"Ruined! Absolutely ruined!" But with that, she left, and let Rachel sleep once more.
Rachel sat there for a long time afterward. She stared ahead, thoughts whirling through her mind. Finally exhaustion took over, and she fell into the bed, and into a deep slumber.
She awoke later, her throat seemingly on fire. Her head pounded. She suddenly remembed that she had taken her wand with her, and groped for it in her ruined robes. She found it, ok, but smudged with soot. Just then, Rachel heard a noise. A door was opening, and someone came in.
"Madame Pomfrey?" She heard Seamus' voice call out. "Madame Pomfrey? Are you here?"
Madame Pomfrey came out from a back room. She looked at Rachel for a moment, then turned to Seamus.
"Yes, Finnigan?"
"Well," Seamus looked uncomfortable. "Well, I, er–fell asleep in divination and cut myself on the edge of the table."
"Ooh!" Madame Pomfrey made a fed-up noise. "Turn your head." Seamus' head turned, and Madame Pomfrey raised her wand.
"JESUS!" Seamus exclaimed, and leaped forward. Madame Pomfrey, startled, shot something out of her wand. Rachel looked down and noticed a small puddle of ooze on the floor near Seamus, where she had been aiming for.
"What is it Finnigan?" Madame Pomfrey snapped. She was livid. Seamus turned so that he was facing Rachel straight on. There was a cut over his eye, but he didn't care. "Rach?" He said in a soft voice. "Rachel, is that you?"
Rachel nodded. Madame Pomfrey took Seamus' head, turned it, and healed his cut. She said, in a cold, yet controlled voice,
"Finnigan, you are healed. You are free to go."
"Bu–but what happened to her?"
"Finnigan! You can leave now!"
"Bu–"
"Good-bye!"
Seamus flailed hopelessly for a few moments, like a fish out of water before the nurse shoved him out the door.
"Sorry about that, Miss Jacobson." Madame Pomfrey looked apologetic. "I'm sure he didn't mean to create a scene."
Rachel tried to answer, but found she had lost all trace of her voice due to the mixture of thirst and smoke. She conjured herself a pad and quill, and wrote,
"Why did you make him leave?"
Madame Pomfrey looked flustered. "Well," she said finally, biting her lip, "you need your rest."
In response to that, Rachel just closed her eyes and fell back alseep.
It was late afternoon when she awoke again, yet the sun had not gone down. Rachel's throat was now beyond pain. She simply lay in bed and waited to slip back into sleep, but she heard a noise behind her.
"Shhh! I think she's asleep!"
"Is that really her? She looks so sooty."
"I guess the only way we would know would be if she said something."
"Well, Seamus said he saw her."
"I hope she wakes up soon. I don't know how much longer Fred and George can stall Madame Pomfrey."
Rachel opened one eye. Sure enough, standing over her were Ron, Harry and Hermione, with various shades of nervousness on their faces.
"She's awake!" Ron peered down at her.
"Well, she's awake now, you git. Probably woke her up." Harry leaned down. "Rachel? Is that you?"
Rachel reached for her quill and pad, sat up, and wrote,
"Yes, unfortunately."
"What happened? Hermione was very pale.
"I really don't want to talk about it." Rachel made the words very dark to emphasize them. "Why don't you ask Dumbledore."
"Not talk about it! Not talk about it!" Ron was red now, and looked like he was about to smack her.
"Stop that." Rachel wrote. "You sound like my dad."
"Her dad? I think the smoke addled her brains." Ron was peering at her again.
"RON!" Hermione smacked him. "How could you say that?"
"Sorry." Ron looked sheepish.
Hermione looked at Rachel. "You know, I was reading up on Yom Kipour, and you can break fast to take medicine."
"Yeah." Harry said. "I saw her read the book. You can just do it Rach, and I think you should. I–no–we really want you to. We don't want you to be in pain."
"I know I could if I wanted." Rachel scribbled hastily, "But I don't want too. Enough things have gone wrong today, and I don't know how breaking fast is going to help."
"You'd feel better."
"No, I wouldn't." Rachel was writing so fast it was nearly illegible. "I would feel even more awful, because I let Johann down."
"Johann?" Harry looked confused.
"Ask Dumbledore." Rachel had calmed down a bit now, but her head was pounding again.
At that moment, Madame Pomfrey came in. She looked around at the three students standing around Rachel, and asked them, in a smooth voice.
"Shouldn't you be in class?"
"Nope." Ron said, proudly. "We're done for the day."
"Well then, why don't you spend your free time somewhere else? This is a hospital wing, not a dance hall!" And she ushered them out. Rachel, being as she had little else to do, fell asleep again.
This time she was awoken by Madame Pomfrey.
"The sun is nearly down, dear. I'll have your medicine ready in but a moment."
Rachel propped herself up so she could see out a window. Sure enough, the sun was dipping steadily below the trees. A few minutes later, the nurse returned with a small bowl of potion, and a pear.
"I figured you would want something soft dear, and, after you've finished, you can go change. I'm keeping you here overnight just to make sure."
Rachel looked out the window for a while longer, just to make sure the sun had really set. Then she lifted the bowl and downed the potion inside it. At first she felt like she would throw up, then a soothing coolness settled over her, as if she was being washed out, from the inside, by cool water. She felt like she had to cough.
"Into the bowl dear." Madame Pomfrey said, then resumed the knitting she had been working on.
Rachel coughed, and a small, perfectly round, ball of soot fell into the bowl. Rachel smiled apologetically, then placed the bowl back on the tray. She ate the pear slowly, knowing that, if you ate too much food, or food that was too rich, or even if you just ate too fast, you might be sick. Her mother had taught her well. She finished the pear, and Madame Pomfrey collected the tray and handed her a warm flannel night gown.
"You can take a bath dear, then change into this. In the meanwhile, I'll clean up your bed." Madame Pomfrey helped her up, and into a bathroom. She drew the water, literally, by tapping her wand at the tub, and it was instantly filled with water. She set up a screen in front of the bath.
"I'll be back to collect you in a little while. In the mean time, don't forget to scrub behind your ears!"
The water in the tub was magic. Instead of turning black, it stayed clean and fresh smelling. It also dissolved all the soot and ash from Rachel without her having to scrub. She got out of the bath a little later, and was taken back to her bed. Madame Pomfrey fussed over the state of her robes.
"Ruined! Absolutely ruined!" But with that, she left, and let Rachel sleep once more.
