CHAPTER EIGHT: Hospital Wing

Harry woke up with a start. He was briefly disoriented as he gazed around the dark, unfamiliar room. At first he didn't now where he was, but as his eyes adjusted to the dark, he soon noticed some familiar objects of the hospital wing.

He expelled a disgruntled sigh and stared at the ceiling. He has visited the hospital wing numerous times since he attended Hogwarts that the hospital wing felt like a second room to him already.

On the bed next to his somebody stirred, catching his attention. He turned to look at his roommate and gasped when he saw Mystyk sleeping on the bed next to his. She is sleeping on her side facing him. This gave Harry a full view of Mystyk Rydel's sleeping face. She looked very peaceful and angelic-like even while sleeping.

Could Hermoine be right? Does he have a big crush on Mystyk Rydel?

Sure she's by far the prettiest girl in all of Hogwarts. She's very nice too and always helpful. She has a sweet smile that often flash in his head every night whenever he closes his eyes. He thought he was going crazy at first, thinking way too much about the Slytherin girl who was hardly seen frolicking around the castle along with the other students.

Mystyk stirred in her sleep once again. Harry stiffened where he was.

Mystyk fluttered her eyes open, blinking rapidly at first when she awoke sleeping on a completely different bed. She let her eyes adjust to the dark, noticing that someone is watching her from the bed across from her. As soon as she could figure out the person lying on the bed beside hers, her smile slowly pulled into a welcoming smile.

"Hi Harry."

"H-hullo, Mystyk." Harry stammered.

Mystyk closed her eyes once again, her smile still plastered on her face, belatedly realizing that she just greeted a boy sleeping in same quarters as her! Her violet eyes fluttered open once again and stared wide-eyed at her roommate.

"Harry?"

Harry gave her a sheepish smile, "M-Mystyk." he nodded.

She quickly sat bolt up, clutching the blanket to her chin. "W-what are you doing here?"

"Hey, look, don't worry. We're--we're in the hospital wing." he told her.

"Hospital wing?" she echoed, looking around the unfamiliar place. "W-what are we doing here?"

"We must have passed out after what happened in the Great Hall." he shrugged, sitting up himself and leaning against headboard of the bed.

"Those ghosts!" Mystyk gasped, "W-why'd they do that?"

"I don't know." Harry shook his head, "They never acted that way before. It looks as though they were possessed or something."

"They sure were scary. I know Hogwarts ghosts are friendly, but last night...they scared the bejeepers out of me!"

"Me too. I can't believe Nearly-Headless Nick did what he just did, scooping me up like that and crunching my neck until I thought it would snap!" he touched his neck, flinching when he touched the spot where Nearly-Headless Nick strangled him.

"Mine too. And they never listened to Dumbledore."

"But I remember them saying something before they let us go." Harry mused, remembering what the ghosts said to the headmaster before they freed both himself and Mystyk from their death-grip.

Mystyk's forehead furrowed, trying to remember what was it she last heard the ghosts said before her mind went blank.

"I believe they said something about always getting what they want." she turned to Harry, watching his face contort into a frown as well.

"Yeah." he nodded, "Yeah, I think that's what they said too." he agreed.

"What does it mean?" she frowned.

"I don't know, Mystyk. It's the first time the ghosts did what they did last night." he repeated to her.

"Well, I sure hope that I'm not going to be at the receiving end the next time it happens." she touched her somewhat still sore neck, "I still value my life!"

"Yeah, me too."

~*~

Harry and Mystyk were released by Madam Pomfrey the following day, doing some last-minute spell to hide the bruise marks on their necks where the ghosts gripped them tightly. They remained silent all the way back to their respective houses, but at the Entrance Hall they were cornered by Ron and Hermoine who looked very much relieved when he saw them walking towards the stairs.

"You alright, Harry?" Ron was the first to speak, looking expectantly at his best friend.

Harry smiled his cute, boyish smile and nodded. "I'm alright. And you two?"

"Worried-sick about what has happened to you!" Hermoine let out a sigh of relief and crossed the space separating them. She didn't give much care to what others might think and quickly threw her arms around her best friend's neck, relieved to find him alive and kicking. "Thank God Dumbledore acted immediately and summoned two miniature twisters to break both your falls!" she pulled away from her friend and smiled at Mystyk, "Otherwise we wouldn't be standing here talking right now."

"Thank God he has good reflexes." Mystyk muttered, giving a feint smile to the dark haired girl and red headed boy. "Hi. I don't believe we've met. I'm Mystyk Rydel." she jerked out her hands to Ron and Hermoine's.

"We already know your name. I'm Ron Weasley. Nice to finally be properly introduced to you, Mystyk." Ron pumped her hand so hard unintentionally that it looked like it was almost being unscrewed from her shoulder. Harry was right. Up close Mystyk Rydel is truly one of the prettiest girls in all of Hogwarts. Even Cho Chang--Harry's former crush--doesn't stand a chance against Mystyk Rydel's exotic beauty.

Hermoine noticed that Ron looked bedazzled by the Slytherin girl. He wouldn't let go of her hand! She elbowed him aside and shook hands with Mystyk, "Hermoine Granger. Nice to meet you, Mystyk."

"Likewise." Mystyk smile, exchanging a brief handshake with the Gryffindor girl before turning to Harry, "Well, I think I better go back to my dormitory. I'm sure all my housemates are dying to hear some more gossip about what happened last night." she flicked her short mop of jet-black hair and smiled at Hermoine and Ron, "Again it was a pleasure meeting you two. Hope to talk to you again soon. I'll be starting to join your classes really soon."

"How soon?" Harry couldn't help asking, excitement lacing his tone and a quick glance at Hermoine's way told him he was quite obvious with his glee at hearing this tidbit of information.

"After Christmas. I am just catching up with this semester's stuff. Professor Dumbledore said that after the Christmas holiday I'll be able to join the rest of the fifth years in their classes." she looked meaningfully at Harry, Hermoine, Ron then back to Harry before adding, "I do hope I get to be in at least one class with the three of you. It'll be nice to have somebody I know a bit to sit with in class." she turned and waved at the three of them, "Bye!"

"Bye!" the trio echoed, waving after Mystyk's departing back.

Harry and Ron seemed bewitched by the Slytherin girl's charming smile that it took Hermoine a while to get them back to join her in the real world. She didn't waste time asking Harry what exactly happened the night before. She bombarded him with questions about Nearly-Headless Nick's attempt to kill him and so on. Harry told her as much as he could remember and know, but other than that, like the rest of the students at Hogwarts, they have no idea what prompted the ghosts to act that way the night before.

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~*~ okay, this chapter is kinda sucky as far as i'm concerned. i am trying to show Harry's attraction to Mystyk and how Mystyk affects the male population of Hogwarts with just a single smile. please read and review as always. i am thinking of what to write for the next chapter now...after this chapter i'm kinda stumped on as to how i'll proceed with the following chapter... ~*~