Light and shadow

Ron and Harry already sat at the table but were listlessly chewing with their heads bent.

"What's the matter with you?" Hermione asked. "I thought you went to Hagrid and the pregnant unicorn. Is something wrong with the foal?"

Ron sighed: "No, everything is allright with the unicorn; Hagrid said it might be born in the next days. There are other bad news. Harry?"

Harry propped his elbows on the table and leaned his head on both hands, then he said: "I received an owl from my godfather. The Dark Mark has been seen several times, even in this region. The whole Ministry of Magic is in a flurry of excitement and prohibited the Daily Prophet from reporting about it because it could hinder the investigations. I had to tell Hagrid because..."

He paused. Ron continued: "His godfather fears that you-know-who could try to steal the foal because there are special energies inherent in the foal during its first five days. Hagrid immediately went to Dumbledore and I think they'll try to establish a pretty good protective magic. But no one feels really o.k. with that."

This upset even the trainees' stomachs. After a few bites they only wanted to go to bed and left the hall.

Neville called to them sadly: "Hey, done already? Won't we have a little chat?"

For the next day, Ene was assigned to Hagrid. Every break he hurried to the pregnant unicorn that waited at the edge of the forest for her time to come. He told Ene everything about unicorns and was happy she knew so much about horses. But Ene had never before experienced the birth of a foal. Hagrid explained that help was often needed when horses gave birth to a foal and the procedure wasn't easy as well with unicorns so one should better stay near for any eventualities. The unicorn herself seemed to believe it, otherwise it wouldn't have stayed at the edge of the woods and near Hagrid.

Meanwhile, Madam Pomfrey introduced Lil to the magical art of healing and showed her quite proud the semifinished drink Kalidasania which could heal speech disorders. Moreover, they fixed up some students with seemingly usual pains and aches: contusions and incised wounds from flying around objects, wounds and excrescences made by miscarried potions, sprains from risky flying performances and so on. Even Neville had to be doctored once for he had achieved to turn a shoelace into a viper – and the animal had bitten him immediately.

Lil wheedled some remainders of medicine for self-supply out of Madam Pomfrey: Subnaja herbage against toothaches, Kajeput oil against sprains and contusions, Redimecula tea leaves against headaches, Ventressa juice against bellyache and so on.

Then it came to Madam Pomfrey's mind that Lil was going to have lessons with Professor Sprout starting Wednesday, so she began to name her the medicinal properties of plants and fruits shown on a large illustration on the wall of the sick-room: "Well, see, Professor Sprout will only teach you how the plants will thrive best but I can tell you why they should thrive, I mean, what good we have from them. Look here, this is a Kajeput tree from which the oil is obtained. Here is a Krowdaw bush, its berries give a medicine against hypertension. This one is an Apiarist tree, its fruit is edible and very interesting for women 'cause if the tongue turns honey yellow a few hours after eating the woman is unmistakably pregnant. Now, this is Luetzeous dittander, a so called weed, but a decoction of its leaves dispels every cold. And here we have..." So it went on till dinner time.

On Tuesday Harry received another owl from his godfather. He had watched the Muggles' news and according to these some mediums, that are suprasensuous Muggles, had felt a concentration of evil exactly in the region of Hogwarts; of course, the Muggles didn't know about Hogwarts or Hogsmeade, but Sirius knew about their locations and so he was able to classify the report.

After breakfast, Ene hurried back to Hagrid's hut to feed some weird animals called stolidupps; Hagrid was too concerned about the unicorn and for that he had ordered Ene to care for these seemingly brain-poor animals. "They're as cute as Tribbles but even too dumb to find their feeding bowl," Ene said while leaving.

Today, Lil learned from Madam Pomfrey how to make a paste against psoriasis out of the pus of Bubotubes. Right in the middle of it Madam Pomfrey looked frowning through the great glass pane of the medicine room into the entrance room of the hospital wing. "Now, there is is girl again... Hello, Darling, are you sure I can't help you?"

A blonde girl, approximately of the sixth grade, fought shy of a decision, then looked up with fright and only said: "Oh, no, thank you!" Then she quickly left the hospital wing.

"Very odd!" Madam Pomfry said. "She was here two times last week but as I talk to her she's gone. Her name is Anna, but I never had a lot to do with her. Do you know her?"

Lil shook her head. "No, I cannot remember having talked to her."

Ene didn't show up for dinner, and Hagrid was also missing. The students who in the afternoon were taught by Hagrid, told that the lesson ended early for the foal was to be born. Harry and Ron agreed to meet Hagrid late that night.

Hermione wasn't pleased with that. "You're not allowed to leave school at night. Do you want to spoil your last year because you long to see a golden unicorn foal? You can leave the Protective Spell to Dumbledore, he knows what he is doing."

Ron looked at her almost pitiful. "Hermione, we cracked the spells around the Philosopher's Stone in our first year. And you-know-who would definitely try another one, you agree?"

Very softly Hermione said: "Just be careful!"

Ron gently squeezed her hand, and they looked at each other for a long time.

Harry looked over to Dumbledore at the teachers' table and murmured: "I hope he can protect the little unicorn."

"Oh, how cute!" an icecold voice came from the end of the table; there stood Malfoy with Crabbe and Goyle. "A couple holding hands, a funk worrying for a fresh unicorn, and...," he looked up and down Lil who had already stood up from the table, "and a trollop who doesn't know how to behave."

Crabbe and Goyle smirked. Lil was wearing a miniskirt and modest patterned stockings to which Malfoy's look seemed to be glued.

Hermione glanced at Lil sternly: "Keep calm, ignore him."

But Lil didn't ignore Malfoy at all. She put on a rather unnatural soft smile, placed one leg on a chair, and let her hands run along her leg; like hypnotized, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle follwed every single movement of her hands with their heads.

"Oh, Malfoy," Lil said with a saccharine voice, "don't you like what you see? Is it envy that I hear?"

Crabbe and Goyle seemed to be frozen and Malfoy swallowed hard before he was able to ask: "Envy?"

Lil gave him a pitiful look, walked over to him and pressed softly against him. "Yes, I know you don't dare to wear something like this and your two pet doggies don't have the shape for it."

With these words she let her forefinger run along his cheek and then left the hall straightaway. Malfoy and his chums were speechless but Ron threw himself on the table with laughter.

In a corner of the hall, Anna, the skinny blonde girl from the hospital wing, had watched the scene with stony face.

Late that night Lil heard Ene coming back. Lil stood up and walked over to Ene.

"How has it been?" she asked.

Ene looked all fagged out but she was beaming all over her face. "It was soooo great! But it took a long time, the foal wasn't born before midnight. When Hagrid could grab those tow little golden hoofs, it seemed that the whole forest was bathed in a golden light. And Hagrid didn't have to pull hard, it all seemed to work out easily. This cute little foal! Beautiful! We soon rubbed it off with straw and then the mother started to lick it clean. Hagrid and I just stood there and smiled, though it poured cats and dogs. We took care of everything the two might need the next time for they will be protected by a spell. Finally Dumbledore and McGonagall arrived and they sent me away. What a pity! But I'm sticky all over my body. My, did we sweat! Lil, please don't be cross with me for I'm giving you the bounce but I'm in urgent need for a shower and sleep, otherwise I won't survive tomorrow," Ene said.

Lil sighed: "Doesn't matter, it's dreadfully late. Good night, Ene!" Lil stood up and nearly got hit by the door which was slammed open by Ron.

"Gimme a hand!" he whispered.

Harry was half hanging on Ron; Lil went to them and put her arm under Harry's other shoulder and helped him to the chair.

Ron heaved: "Nobody must find us here!"

Ene wanted to close the door but she looked on the floor and beckoned Ron to come: "Well, then dry the floor with a spell or you're easy to follow!"

Ron pulled out his wand, pointed at the wet footmarks in the hallway and said: "Desertium!"

In an instant, the floor was dry again. Steps came near and Ene quickly closed the door.

"Kshsh," Ron hissed in the table's direction.

They were still as a mouse. They heard steps walking up and down in front of the door but then the steps grew ever more silent, and finally they heard a distant door clap shut.

"Phew, that was close," Ron moaned.

"Where do you feel pain?" asked Lil who stood beside Harry.

"My ankle, my left ankle. I twisted my ankle. But I think it's just wrenched," Harry said, and his face was distorted with pain.

"Show me, I can already distinguish between fracture and sprain," Lil said.

Harry lifted his leg a little and Lil took off shoe and sock – both soaking wet.

"Oh, yes!" Ron said, raised his wand again and dried Harry's and his own things.

Then Lil examined the ankle carefully – nevertheless the movements to and fro did hurt a lot and Harry breathed heavily through his squeezed teeth.

"No, it's not broken," Lil said, "but the ankle is already considerably swelling. It could be a sparin or a torn ligament. You should go to Madam Pomfrey at once."

"No, that's impossible!" Harry exclaimed in a flutter.

Ron agreed with him on this point: "If he shows up there, now it's crystal clear that WE have been outside. Filch is looking for the figures he saw just now. Harry, can you see it through till tomorrow?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, but I surely won't sleep. And I can't walk on my injured foot. How will I get to our tower?"

"Well, we throw the magic cloak about us and I'll support you, like I did before," Ron replied coolly.

"Oh, I want to see THAT dodge," Lil said dryly, "when you're supporting him and Harry is boisterously hopping through the building on one leg – hmhm, lemme gues, how long will it take Filch to catch you?"

"Damn! I didn't think about that!" Ron exclaimed.

After a while, Lil said: "I have a few things from Madam Pomfrey in my room because usually I get injuries like this one. I'll fetch the stuff."

"No, you all go over there, otherwise I'm gonna fall asleep on the table, sticky as I am," Ene objected and added: "Harry will manage those few steps and I really need my sleep or tomorrow Snape will tear me apart limb by limb if I'm not in best condition. Tomorrow? No, later, it's almost two o'clock. Please, go over!"

"Sure, I'll make it," Harry said and lifted himself from the chair. Ron and Lil supported him and Ene opened the door.

In the next room, Lil doctored Harry's ankle with the Kajeput oil and gave him a pain-killer.

"Lay down for a while, with a little luck the swelling won't increase so much and the pain-killer works better, then," Lil recommended and she and Ron helped Harry to the bed.

Then Ron and Lil drew the chairs near the bed and the three talked about what had happened outside.

Ron and Harry had slipped out to see if the foal's birth was going to be all right. They had searched the area for peculiarities and had also observed the sky in case the Dark Mark would show up. Luckily they hadn't seen the Dark Mark but a kind of black shadow floating throgh the trees, and then another one which had stayed near the ditch running to the school. "Those were definitely Death Eaters," Ron remarked. Both shadows then glided in the direction of the unicorn and Harry and Ron had followed them. But about hundred meters before the place where a golden unicorn had come into the world, it looked as if a lightning had struck the shadows. They had thrown themselves back and forth, had reared up, and then they had dashed directly towards Ron and Harry. In panic the two guys had fled, and jumping over the ditch Harry had slipped and twisted on the wet grass. He and Ron had laid at the edge of the ditch for a while and had seen how the shadows vanished southwards; seemingly they hadn't noticed the boys. Then Ron had supported Harry back to school and they both had soggily reached the doorway but Filch must have been on the lurk and had heard the portal clap shut. Three seconds later they had heard him rushing near, and in their need they had fled into Ene's room.

After all had been told, Harry wanted to try if he could walk better now – it was a complete washout because immediately tears welled up in his eyes.

"Won't work, Harry," Ron declined, "you better stay here for the night, I'll put a pillow under your blanket up there, and I'll pick you up early next morning and accompany you to the hospital wing. So no one will notice you haven't been in your bed. O.K.?"

Harry looked at Ron with eyes wide open: "Where should I sleep here, on two chairs? Then I'm really going to get me a fracture."

Lil frowned and said: "Nay, the bed is almost one and a half meters in width and none of us is that fat. If you sleep on this side, I'll take the other one. We won't get in each other's way. Or do you snore?"

Harry smiled: "No, but that's asking a bit too much."

"I can pretty well live with it," Lil told him, "and Ron as well. He's totally wiped-out. Do you think you'll make it to the tower unseen?"

"Sure, for I don't hobble and I'll take the Magic Cloak," Ron replied laughing. He went for the door and listened: "Seems to be quiet. Well then, till tomorrow!" and with this he slipped through the door.

Lil locked the door and asked: "Do you need anything, Harry?"

Harry smirked. "Yes, the bathroom. Wait..." He raised his wand and transformed the curtain rod into a ramshackle crutch. "I don't have to hop, then," he said. He limped into the bathroom and Lil laid herself dead tired down on the other side of the bed. She didn't even hear Harry coming back and laying himself down again.