Chapter 7 : The Unwelcome Owl
The next morning, Harry went down to breakfast alone, hoping that everyone had calmed down a little since last night; Harry had noticed Cho having a rough time at the Ravenclaw table. Nobody took any notice of Harry as he walked in through the magnificent doors, but Harry saw that Cho was sitting by herself at the end of her table. He considered joining her there to keep her company but thought better of it as heads started to turn his way. He gave her a swift reasuring smile and hurridly took his place between Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table. As soon as he sat down Ron, who Harry had been ignoring since yesterday morning, turned to him.
"Look, Harry. About yesterday...," Ron began tentatively. "Forget it. It's OK," cut in Harry without even looking at his friend. "I just wanted to say..." "Forget it, OK?" Harry turned to Ron. "I know you didn't mean it like that. It just wasn't the right thing to say at that time," said Harry quietly. Ron gave Harry a weak smile, which he returned.
Just then, there was a sudden rush of movement over head. "Aah, mail's here," said Ron, glancing around for a sign of Pig. "You expecting something?" asked Harry. "No, not really," replied Ron. Harry gave his friend an odd look. Ron shrugged.
The Hall quietened down a little as people opened their packages and read their letters, but the relative quiet was suddenly broken by a sudden painful cry. Harry, along with everybody else, twisted around in his seat to see who had screamed. He was just scanning the Hufflepuff table when he felt two hands tightly grasp him on each arm. He looked, and gasped. "Cho!" cried Harry, and ran towards his girlfriend as fast as he could. "Cho, are you OK? What...?" "Pus," moaned Cho. "What?" "Pus, Harry. Pus". Harry stared at her blankly for a second before suddenly remembering. "Oh! Pus!" he said. "Bubotuber pus! Not to worry. Hermione got some last year. It'll be OK. Come on, I'll take you to the Hospital Wing". He pulled Cho up by her arm, carefully avoiding coming in contact with the pus himself, and lead her out of the Hall and up several flights of stairs to the Hospital.
"Ooh, you're a mess," said Madam Pomfrey as they entered the Hospital. "Pus, is it? Not to worry. I can fix that in a jiffy". She rummaged around in a cupboard and took out a bottle of purple liquid and a glass. As she was pouring the potion into the glass she suddenly said to Harry: "Your knack for getting injuries must be infectious, Potter. Sending Miss Chang into the Hospital Wing like this". Harry looked at her uneasily. She looked up and smiled at him. "I come here quite often anyway," said Cho quietly. "Oh, but not for a couple of years. Well, not until you met Potter that is". She smiled at Harry again. Cho drank the medicine in one go and shuddered. "Eurgh! That was horrible". "Well, what did you expect?" asked Madam Pomfrey with raised eyebrows. "Now, you'd better stay here and get some rest, Miss Chang. Potter, off you go. You'll be late for your first lesson". She put away the bottle of purple liquid and went back to her office, muttering something about Quidditch being a dangerous sport. "You'll be OK, Cho," said Harry gently to the girl in the bed. "Yes," she smiled. "I wonder who sent it though?" They both frowned. "I don't know," said Harry shaking his head sadly. "I really don't know".
Harry walked out of the Hospital Wing a minute later and walked right into Ron and Hermione. Judging by the way Ron had falled over when Harry opened the door, he had been standing with his ear pressed against it. Hermione was standing a few feet away with a half disapproving, half amused expression on her face.
"Err," said Ron awkwardly. "Is she OK?" "Do you really need to ask me that, Ron?" said Harry, grinning at him. Ron grinned back, and Harry saw Hermione shake her head with a small smile playing on her lips. With that, the three of them hurried along the corridor to Defence Against the Dark Arts.
The next morning, Harry went down to breakfast alone, hoping that everyone had calmed down a little since last night; Harry had noticed Cho having a rough time at the Ravenclaw table. Nobody took any notice of Harry as he walked in through the magnificent doors, but Harry saw that Cho was sitting by herself at the end of her table. He considered joining her there to keep her company but thought better of it as heads started to turn his way. He gave her a swift reasuring smile and hurridly took his place between Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table. As soon as he sat down Ron, who Harry had been ignoring since yesterday morning, turned to him.
"Look, Harry. About yesterday...," Ron began tentatively. "Forget it. It's OK," cut in Harry without even looking at his friend. "I just wanted to say..." "Forget it, OK?" Harry turned to Ron. "I know you didn't mean it like that. It just wasn't the right thing to say at that time," said Harry quietly. Ron gave Harry a weak smile, which he returned.
Just then, there was a sudden rush of movement over head. "Aah, mail's here," said Ron, glancing around for a sign of Pig. "You expecting something?" asked Harry. "No, not really," replied Ron. Harry gave his friend an odd look. Ron shrugged.
The Hall quietened down a little as people opened their packages and read their letters, but the relative quiet was suddenly broken by a sudden painful cry. Harry, along with everybody else, twisted around in his seat to see who had screamed. He was just scanning the Hufflepuff table when he felt two hands tightly grasp him on each arm. He looked, and gasped. "Cho!" cried Harry, and ran towards his girlfriend as fast as he could. "Cho, are you OK? What...?" "Pus," moaned Cho. "What?" "Pus, Harry. Pus". Harry stared at her blankly for a second before suddenly remembering. "Oh! Pus!" he said. "Bubotuber pus! Not to worry. Hermione got some last year. It'll be OK. Come on, I'll take you to the Hospital Wing". He pulled Cho up by her arm, carefully avoiding coming in contact with the pus himself, and lead her out of the Hall and up several flights of stairs to the Hospital.
"Ooh, you're a mess," said Madam Pomfrey as they entered the Hospital. "Pus, is it? Not to worry. I can fix that in a jiffy". She rummaged around in a cupboard and took out a bottle of purple liquid and a glass. As she was pouring the potion into the glass she suddenly said to Harry: "Your knack for getting injuries must be infectious, Potter. Sending Miss Chang into the Hospital Wing like this". Harry looked at her uneasily. She looked up and smiled at him. "I come here quite often anyway," said Cho quietly. "Oh, but not for a couple of years. Well, not until you met Potter that is". She smiled at Harry again. Cho drank the medicine in one go and shuddered. "Eurgh! That was horrible". "Well, what did you expect?" asked Madam Pomfrey with raised eyebrows. "Now, you'd better stay here and get some rest, Miss Chang. Potter, off you go. You'll be late for your first lesson". She put away the bottle of purple liquid and went back to her office, muttering something about Quidditch being a dangerous sport. "You'll be OK, Cho," said Harry gently to the girl in the bed. "Yes," she smiled. "I wonder who sent it though?" They both frowned. "I don't know," said Harry shaking his head sadly. "I really don't know".
Harry walked out of the Hospital Wing a minute later and walked right into Ron and Hermione. Judging by the way Ron had falled over when Harry opened the door, he had been standing with his ear pressed against it. Hermione was standing a few feet away with a half disapproving, half amused expression on her face.
"Err," said Ron awkwardly. "Is she OK?" "Do you really need to ask me that, Ron?" said Harry, grinning at him. Ron grinned back, and Harry saw Hermione shake her head with a small smile playing on her lips. With that, the three of them hurried along the corridor to Defence Against the Dark Arts.