Chapter nineteen

The Hospital Wing discussion

/

One look at pale, shaking Daria was all it took for Madame Pomfrey to reach for some potion and of course a pile of chocolate. The Gryffindor girl was slowly starting to recover from the terrifying experience, yet Angela helped her from the stretcher to bed. Then she glared at Snape.

"Would you please bring the Headmaster here, Professor?" she addressed him sarcastically.

If looks could kill, right at that moment Angela would be falling to the ground unconscious.

"I don't think the Headmaster would be interested in your outrageous lies, Rosier," snapped Snape icily.

At that moment, Ron, Harry and Angela jumped up like furious devils, but before any of them could retort, probably quite rudely, Hermione was fortunately ahead of them.

"These are no lies, sir," she said loudly but calmly, pushing Ron back to sit. "Daria is a clear proof of that. There were Dementors in the forest and…"

"No one asked for your opinion, Granger," Snape cut her off bluntly.

Madame rushed back to the bed and handed Daria a glass of some thick beige liquid.

"Severus, please, bring Professor Dumbledore," Poppy addressed him as she walked around. "He should know about this attack immediately."

Snape just blinked. Madame forced everyone to sit down and gave each of them a bowl with perhaps half a kilogram of chocolate.

"You're not leaving until the chocolate is gone, okay?" she ordered them sternly, trotting off with Daria's empty glass.

"How can you be sure they were attacked by Dementors, Madame?" Snape called after her slyly.

Madame Pomfrey stopped and looked at him as if he had gone mad.

"They show all the symptoms," she replied sternly and disappeared in the adjacent room.

Snape made a face, as if he had bitten into a lemon, shot them all a murderous look and stormed out of the infirmary with a loud slam of the door.

"Moron," six voices whispered at once.

Everyone looked at each other in astonishment and most of them chuckled. But then, they preferred to quickly return to their chocolate, and the rare moment of companionship was gone. Instead, stifling silence now reigned over the Hospital Wing.

Angela sat down on the windowsill with her bowl, Malfoy stretched out in a chair and put his feet up on the back of one of the beds, Hermione settled next to Daria on the bed, Ron leaned his back against her legs and Harry sat astride the chair with his elbows resting on the arm rest.

"It's very strange, isn't it?" said Hermione after a long period of silence, broken only by crunching of hard chocolate. "I seriously doubt Dementors are waiting for someone to stray into the forest so they can attack them."

"Quite right," agreed Ron. "That's utter nonsense."

"They must have known about us," Harry said quietly.

"Someone sent them on us," Hermione guessed. "But who?"

"Only we, Snape, and probably McGonagall knew about that punishment," Harry mused.

"We can cut out McGonagall, that´s for sure," assumed Daria.

"Yes, and the two of us too," Hermione responded.

"It certainly wasn't me or Ron," Harry added, glaring at Malfoy.

He flamboyantly ignored them and stuffed himself with his chocolate. Angela watched their conversation carefully the whole time. She looked at Harry now.

"Me neither," she said quietly and firmly.

Everyone but her turned to look at Malfoy.

"So… Who do we have left?" Ron said loudly.

Malfoy finally sat up straight. "If you think I'm crazy enough to send Dementors on myself, then you're definitely out of your mind," he stated dryly.

"Quite the opposite," snapped Harry. "Maybe they didn't really attack you. What if you had a deal with them? In order to nobody would suspect you to have anything to do with it."

Draco stood up, his eyes turning to hard stones.

"Now you've got it, Potter. You're a real thinker," he barked ironically.

Harry was also on his feet and shifted the chair between them aside.

"Then deny it," he urged. "Say it's not true."

Draco's fingers reached for his wand, but then he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked at Angela who appeared right next to him. They stared into each other's eyes wordlessly for a moment before Malfoy snorted and sat down on the bed behind him.

"You're not even worth an answer to me, Potter," he sneered.

Leave it alone, Harry. At least for now… Angela sent to Harry pleadingly.

Harry glared at her, but she did not flinch.

The door to the Hospital Wing flew open and the school headmaster walked majestically inside. All eyes turned to him. Snape was walking behind him with a murderous expression on his face.

"Are you all alright?" Dumbledore asked seriously.

The Gryffindors nodded.

"Fortunately, we're fine, Professor," Hermione said quietly.

"Where exactly did Dementors attack you?" Dumbledore turned to Malfoy and Daria.

No doubts or investigative questions. He simply trusted them and directly asked important things.

Daria looked at Malfoy, but he clearly had no answer.

"Quite near the edge of the forest, sir," she answered for both of them.

"How many were there?"

"Well…" Daria dug her nails into her palms and paled a bit as she remembered the dark figures. The encounter with them scared her much more than she could ever imagine. And she didn´t even have so bad memories in her past…

"About a dozen," Malfoy replied quietly.

Dumbledore frowned. For a moment, there was deafening silence in the infirmary. Then the Headmaster turned to Snape.

"Severus, do not send our students for detention outside the castle and especially not in the Forbidden Forest," he said coldly, his eyes sparkling.

"Of course, Headmaster," Snape replied flatly.

Dumbledore turned to Madame Pomfrey, who was just coming back in to make sure everyone was eating chocolate properly.

"Will everyone be able to go back to their dorms, Poppy?"

"Yes, Albus. At first, I thought to keep Miss Prescott here, but she looks fine, so it won't be necessary."

Daria lowered her eyes to the floor and tried her best to control the shaking of her hands. She felt like a coward now.

"Very well, I still have to arrange an investigation regarding these Dementors. Good night, then," said Dumbledore, walking away hastily.

Angela looked thoughtfully and indecisively at the closed door for a moment, then she jumped down from the windowsill and quickly headed toward it.

"Where do you think you're going?" Snape asked coldly.

"I'll be right back," Angela muttered reluctantly, not even turning to face him, the door slamming shut behind her.

Snape almost grit his teeth in anger, but controlled himself. He shot a murderous look at the students who were staring at him.

"Of course your detention for tomorrow stands, Mr Malfoy. Tell that to Rosier as well," he barked and turned to leave.

"Just a moment, sir."

Snape froze and his nostrils flared. He turned sharply to Potter who was standing behind him.

"Yes, Potter?" he asked dangerously.

Harry looked into his cockroach-like eyes for a moment, then bent down and picked up small bags from one of the beds.

"Here you go," he announced teasingly, handing them to him. "We didn't have time to collect more."

Snape yanked them out of his hand and stormed out of the infirmary so quickly that he did not even remember to deduct points for Harry´s insolence.

/

"Please wait a moment, Professor," Angela called after Dumbledore, who was already at the end of the corridor.

Dumbledore stopped and turned to face trotting Rosier surprised.

"Yes, Miss?" he asked mildly. "How can I help you?"

"I just, well… I need to talk to you, Professor," Angela got across her dry lips after a while. "Of course not right away, when you have some time… It´s important."

Dumbledore watched her thoughtfully for a moment, during which Angela felt like he was scanning her, and then smiled.

"Come to see me on Friday at eight. The password is Bouncy Balls."

"Thank you, Professor," Angela breathed out in relief.

/

Everyone had their bowls empty, when she returned to the Hospital Wing into tense silence. She stuffed the rest of her own inside and after a moment, Madam Pomfrey released them. She glanced at Harry before the group split into two parts.

In an hour in the Room.

Harry just nodded slightly.

/

Angela watched the impenetrable darkness behind the glass. She did not turn on any light inside. Every time she exhaled, a foggy ring formed on the cold window, which disappeared after a while. It was getting very cold outside.

She felt rather than heard that Harry appeared behind her.

"Who do you really think it was?" she asked quietly. "Who sent them?"

Harry was silent for a long time.

"Snape. I can't think of anyone else. If it wasn't Malfoy," he added, still in disbelief.

"But it really wasn't him," Angela said firmly.

"How can you be sure?"

She turned to face her boyfriend: "I know him better than you, Harry. He wouldn't do it. He almost got their kiss, didn't you see that?"

"I did," Harry replied, but certainly not with conviction.

"I think it was Snape too," Angela mused.

"Hmm, but we have no proof of that."

"No, we don't."

"How well do you know Malfoy, anyway?" Harry asked unexpectedly.

"Harry, please…" on Angela's forehead, a deep, upset line formed.

"Answer me," he urged. "I don't require that much."

Angela sighed: "Okay. It the past, I thought he was just an arrogant brat from a rich family. Then, thanks to his mother and my… aunt, whom Narcissa Malfoy knew well, we got to know each other a little better and became closer. After my aunt died, I moved in the Malfoy Manor. I have no other close relatives, and if they didn't take me in, I would have to go to an institution for minors... If you knew what his parents are like, maybe you would have understood him more…"

"And?"

"We're just friends," Angela stated coldly. "How many more times do I have to tell you that?"

"Sorry, don't be mad," Harry hugged her conciliatorily. "I just don't like seeing you with him, that's all."

She snuggled up to him. "Just ignore him," she murmured in his ear.

"If only it was so easy… Look, it's starting to snow. Somewhat early this year..."

Angela looked out the window, behind which tiny snowflakes were indeed falling. But not even Harry's arms could drive her dark, sad thoughts away. Not that night. She felt that Dementors´ attack was just a beginning…