-A/N: Hello, everyone. Becha thought I was dead, huh? I'm sorry it took so long, but I have
legitimate excuses! Excuses in the plural! Multiple excuses that aren't my usual "I had school
work!" I'll tell you in the author note at the end of the chapter. From now on I am trying to limit
myself to only one author note per chapter. Wait . . . no. . .from next chapter on because this is an
author note, isn't it? Well, catch ya on the flip side! (Cannot believe I just said . . .er . . . typed
that).
Oh yeah, one more thing. !!!!!!!PLEASE READ THIS!!!!!!! I have been looking and looking for
information on concussions and all I can find are symptoms. I know very little about them and I
heard some things along the line (couldn't tell you where) I found absolutely no information on
treatment so if anyone knows anything please tell me! I sorta made up what I have so I may have
to pretend that concussions on wizards are different than muggles but I don't want to cuz that's
just silly and I'm babbling and that's really sad considering I'm typing and I'll shut up or else the
author notes will be longer than the story. *breathe*
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I used to wish I did, but now, I don't. Think of all the
pressure J.K Rowling must be under. Writing all of those books, deadlines, trying to make each
book better than the last, hate mail from religious groups, relatively new fame, movies of your
books, raising a young daughter, interviews, articles, hardly any privacy, etc. You get the idea. I
do my best work under pressure, but still, that much might cause just a *teeny* amount of stress.
Maybe it's just me.
On with the show! Seriously this time!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
NORMAL
Chapter Six
The quartet arrived at Hogwarts to find it completely silent and apparently empty. It was rather
eerie, for they had only seen it filled to the brim with gabbing students and scolding professors.
They tumbled out of Dumbledore's fireplace one after another, Sirius clutching Harry protectively
as to not bump or jar his bruised limbs, and Remus with Harry's trunk still trailing behind him.
Seeing that Dumbledore was gone on his meeting with Fudge, Arabella led them in a single file to
the hospital wing.
When they reached their destination, Sirius burst through the doors and called out from habit
"Madame Pomfrey!" He didn't wait for an answer from the nurse, and in two large strides was
placing Harry gently on the nearest bed, careful not to hurt him.
"Madame Pomfrey is in Sweden. Some convention or something. She won't be back until
August." Remus informed them as Sirius pushed Harry onto his side, not wanting a repeat of what
happened in the hallway of number four. He pulled the clean, white sheets from another bed and
draped them over the unmoving form of his godson. He then pulled a chair up to the side of
Harry's bed, and sat there, watching the pale face for any signs of distress.
They stood in silence for a few minutes before Arabella decidid to speak up. "I know you won't
like this, Sirius, but I think it is in Harry's best interest that we take him to St. Mungo's. We can't
do anything for him here."
"What!?"
"I don't know that much about first aid or nursing and I *know* you don't know anything.
He needs care that we just can't give him here!"
"You are not taking him out of my sight! I won't allow it!" Sirius jumped up from his
chair, and rounded on the elderly witch.
"Right now he needs a doctor! Not his godfather! I know you love him, but what help will
that be if he chokes to death? Or gets an infection? He needs constant care, and you can't give him
that right now!"
"The hell I can't! If you take him to St. Mungo's, there really is nothing I can do for him."
His voice became quieter, his eyes pleading. "You can't ask that of me. I cannot see him at all if
you take him there. Please. I can't do that. He needs me, I know he does."
Remus watched the two argue, and even though he never thought it possible, he knew Sirius
was right. "Arabella, I believe you should listen to Sirius. Don't you remember what Dumbledore
said about the curse? Harry cannot be healed until the curse is off the Dursleys. No amount of
hospital care or qualified doctors will be able help him. It is probably best for Harry to stay here,
with people he trusts." He looked at Harry, who's only sign of life was the unsteady rise and fall of
his chest, and occasional coughing. "He must have been so scared." He said almost to himself. "I
think rightnow he needs his godfather more than anything."
Arabella looked back and forth between the two men, and seeing Remus's slight nod, and
Sirius's chin jut in triumph, sighed her defeat. "Alright, but I still think he needs a doctor. At least
one who could set his wrist and check for other problems."
"No problem. I am good friends with a retired doctor who used to work at St. Mungo's.
And, as an added bonus, he knows all about Sirius. I'm sure he'd be willing to help." Remus said.
Sirius, who had returned to his chair, asked "Dr. Rhymon?"
"Yep."
"Who is Dr. Rhymon? Why does he know about Sirius?"
"Dr. Rhymon has been our doctor since before we can remember. James and Peter's, too. He
delivered all four of us, and Harry as well. He specializes in pediatrics, but I have been seeing him
for my. . . er . . . *monthly problem* since I was bitten when I was a child. He's a great doctor,
even if he is rather old. I explained to him about Sirius's situation after a rather rough night about a
year ago, and he understood. He said that he always knew Sirius was a troublemaker, but he didn't
think him capable of killing anyone, especially his best friend."
"Well, okay, then. I guess that will work. How soon can you get him here?"
"He lives in Hogsmeade, so it won't be difficult to reach him, but if he's not at home I
don't know if there's anything we can do. Like I said, he's rather old, and has a tendency to become
a bit forgetful. Sometimes he has trouble remembering where he lives."
"What?! How is a doctor who can't even remember where he lives going to be of any
help? How old is he?"
"Well, I told you that he delivered us, and well, I wouldn't be surprised if he delivered
Dumbledore as well. But don't worry. He has his good days and his bad days, luckily the good
outnumber the bad." Remus watched Arabella with a smirk. If the circumstances were different,
he would have laughed at her impeccable impersonation of a goldfish.
She sighed heavily. "Just - just go. Just get a doctor. Whatever you can get is fine." Harry
began coughing heavily. Sirius patted his back. Arabella found a plastic bowl on the
bedside table and held it beneath Harry's chin. He was now semi-conscious, enough to spit out the
blood that was filling his mouth. Remus stared at the scene before him for several seconds before
Arabella turned back to him and yelled "Hurry, Remus!" He remembered that he was supposed to
be finding Dr. Rhymon, and raced to Madame Pomfrey's office to use her fireplace.
It was several minutes before Harry finished coughing, although he didn't cough up nearly
as much blood as he had before. He was now awake, staring blankly at Sirius and Arabella. His
eyes were unfocused, and Sirius didn't think that it was from his lack of glasses. They were
clouded and watery.
"Hey, junior. How you feeling?" He picked up Harry's left hand, first making sure that it
wasn't the burned and broken one.
Harry pushed his eyebrows together in thought. He seemed to be taking assessment of his
injuries, and finally came up with simply "Hurts."
"I know, buddy. Don't worry, you're going to be just fine. We are going to be right here
with you until you get better. I promise."
Harry licked his dry, cut lips. "Siri- who. . . that you? What . . .?"
Sirius looked up at Arabella, who was standing at the end of the bed, watching the
conversation. She had an idea. "Harry, Can you turn over on your stomach, please?"
He whimpered and buried the side of his face into the pillow. "Come on Harry, do what
she asks, please." Harry nodded, but made no move to turn. Sirius put his hands on his bony
shoulders and pushed him over slowly. He bit back a shocked cry when he saw the back of Harry's
head. There was a wound that he hadn't seen before. It looked to be a few days old, with dried
blood clotting in his hair. He didn't understand how he could have possibly missed such a wound
earlier, but then again, there had been more important matters to see to.
"That's what I thought," Said Arabella, biting her bottom lip. "Harry, how did you get this
wound on your head?" Harry mumbled something into the pillows. "What? I didn't hear you."
Harry turned his head to the side carefully and said "Dunno. . .can't remember. Who- who are
you. . . "
"Mrs. Figg, Harry." Harry closed his eyes and murmured incoherently, snuggling back into the
pillow. "Harry, are you tired?" He nodded once. "I'm sorry to have to ask this of you, but you
can't go to sleep. You have to stay awake, at least until the doctor gets here." He ignored her and
began drifting. She grabbed his shoulders, turned him back over, and said "Did you
hear me? You *cannot* go to sleep. Not now. Stay awake! Harry!" She slapped his cheek when
his eyes began closing.
Sirius watched in rising horror as the normally gentle witch shook and hit his injured godson.
He pulled her away from him and growled "What do you think you're doing? Did you decide he
wasn't hurt enough? He's been through a lot. Let him sleep!" He held her by her tightly by her
wrists, not trusting her to stop abusing Harry.
"No, Sirius! You don't understand! He can't go to sleep! I think he has a concussion."
He let go of her, and looked at Harry. "A what? Harry has a what? Is that some kind of
disease?" Arabella scowled at the lack of knowledge Sirius had about even basic first aid.
"A concussion. It is caused when there is severe trauma to the head. The brain is protected
from injury by the skull, right? It also has a fluid that acts like a cushion. When there is brain
injury, the soft tissue of the brain bounces off the hard skull. That can ruin nerve endings or break
blood vessels. It also causes bruising or even swelling of the brain, and results in amnesia,
confusion, disorientation, vision problems and loss of consciousness." She recited from memory.
Sirius gaped at her for a moment before speaking. "I thought you knew a *little* about first aid.
Did you memorize the manual or something? Try it once again, in English this time."
"I swear, once this is over, I am enrolling you in a first aid course. Alright, so a concussion
is basically a bad head injury that causes the brain to swell or bruise, got it? This explains Harry's
memory loss. A wound like that is almost defiantly a concussion."
"Okay, so why can't he sleep?"
"Because, if he does, he might never wake up. It's as simple as that. He could slip into a
coma - you know what a coma is, right? Good - and be a vegetable the rest of his life, or die."
"Oh." He sat down next to Harry's bed once more, an oddly calm look on his face. He leaned
in close to Harry's face, looking at the drooping eyelids, and took a deep breath. "HARRY WAKE
UP! YOU HAVE TO STAY UP!"
Harry almost jumped out of the bed at Sirius's yell. He yelped in pain and grabbed his ribs
as he lay back down. "DON"T YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT IT, HARRY JAMES POTTER!
YOU ARE STAYING AWAKE EVEN IF I HAVE TO SING THE ENTIRE CATS MUSICAL
RIGHT IN YOUR EAR!"
Arabella laughed behind her hand. "Cats, Padfoot?"
He blushed. "It was all I could think of."
"Well, to save Harry *and* I from an unnecessary torture, I have a better idea. I bet Poppy
has some pepper-upper potion in the store room. That will probably work better than Broadway
shows."
Sirius blushed even harder. "Good thinking. Although I could do 'The best of Andrew Lloyd
Webber. . .' "
Arabella went in the store room, and came out two minutes later, not only with a goblet of
potion, but also a roll of gauze and a small jar. She set the items down on the table and lifted the
goblet to Harry. Sirius held up Harry's head, careful to avoid the painful-looking wound, and
Arabella attempted to pour the potion down his throat. Harry objected at first, but once the awful
taste was overpowered by a new strength, he eagerly drank the entire cup.
Once Harry had finished, they sat him up, leaning his back against the pillows. Arabella
held up the jar and said at the questioning looks from her two companions "Burn ointment." She
took Harry's hand, careful not to hurt his broken wrist, and began rubbing the cool white cream
over Harry's throbbing burn. He tensed up as she rubbed over a particularly sensitive spot, and
automatically regretted it. Every nerve seemed to have a spasm of pain, and his lungs protested the
harsh breathing the pain caused, and choked him again.
When the episode passed, Arabella began wrapping the gauze around the burned flesh,
now gooey with the ointment.
Sirius looked around the room, needing something to do. He didn't know a thing about
medical care. Harry hadn't said a word since he had drank the potion, but Sirius could see the
emerald eyes were a bit clearer, if still confused looking as he watched his hand being covered. He
watched as Arabella wrapped Harry's hand, itching to do anything but sit there. "Is there anything
I can do?"
Arabella looked up at him and smiled, recognizing his need to be useful. "As a matter of
fact there is. Come here, finish wrapping his hand." Sirius switched places with her as she went
back to the store rooms. She came out with several rags and a brown bottle. She put them down
and waited until Sirius finished.
"Ok, this bottle is an antiseptic." She unscrewed the cap, and a strong smell of alcohol
filled the room. She then took a rag and held it to the mouth as she poured out some of the
contents. "Harry, this will hurt. It will sting for a few seconds, but after that is should go away.
This will help so the cuts don't get infected." She began tapping it on a cut on his arm, and he
hissed in pain, though he seemed- determined not to move and jar his ribs again.
She finished with one cut, and handed the bottle and rag to Sirius. "I trust you can finish. I
should owl Dumbledore, let him know we got Harry. I also think the Weasleys would like an
update."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
A/N: Hello again. Miss me? First I must give a million dollars and a bag of chips to Sailor
Capricorn. You were right! **blushing** I don't know how that happened. Pretty stupid mistake.
Good eye, though. I don't think anyone else has noticed, or if they had they didn't say anything.
(Now keep it quiet so no one else notices) * as everyone goes to my review page to see what I'm
talking about*
Yippee to my one-hundredth reviewer! Everyone repeat after me: Silverfish is awesome!
Thanks for helping me out there by pushing reviews into the triple digits! I'm speechless. I never
thought it would get so far so quickly! I have been telling myself that I'll be lucky if it reaches 100
by the time I'm done, and look! I love you people! *gives computer big hug*
Now on to my other excuses. Thanks to everyone who waited for not getting impatient with me
and writing me a nasty review saying if I don't update soon they are going to send me a virus like
some people do (who, me? *looks innocent*). First my dad and his friend decided
to install a CD burner in the computer. Well Frick and Frack, the technological geniuses, did
something screwy and messed up the computer. The Internet was inaccessible and the printer
wouldn't work. I typed out the whole chapter and then found that I couldn't save, either! I was a
little mad. Just a little. *smacks her father again* I'm getting over it. I had to wait a few days
before I could type again.
For those of you who live in Ohio and have noticed the . . .er . . .wonderful weather we've been
getting. . .(for those of you who don't know, it was snowing. In May. It didn't snow almost all
winter, and the second day of Spring, BANG! Snow!) Well there have been a lot of thunder and
lightening storms, plus tornado warnings. (I was about a hundred yards from an F3 tornado that
hit) As soon as it starts to rain, my parents are in here kicking me off the computer so it doesn't
crash. (Our house has a bad habit of getting hit by lightening)
The main reason I haven't posted was because of a close friend of mine. She was in a car accident
that was her fault (she wasn't drunk or anything, she just lost control of the car). She caused a four
car pileup that killed two people. She and her passenger, another friend of mine, lived, but they
were in comas for awhile. The passenger is ok, but my friend who caused the accident has brain
damage and is paralyzed. The doctors don't know yet if she is going to be able to walk again or
how serious the brain damage is. That is why I haven't really felt like writing about someone being
hurt for the last month or so. Please pray to whoever you believe in for her. Thanks.
On a happier note, school is out, exams are over and I should be able to post quicker! I'm going to
get a job, but that shouldn't be a problem because I usually write at night time. See y'all later!
~Avidia~
p.s. Sorry if there is anyone who asked to get an e-mail who may not have gotten one. I think I got
everyone who asked. If I didn't feel free to yell at me and I'll publicly apologize. But if any rotten
tomatoes come my way, I'm taking it back!
legitimate excuses! Excuses in the plural! Multiple excuses that aren't my usual "I had school
work!" I'll tell you in the author note at the end of the chapter. From now on I am trying to limit
myself to only one author note per chapter. Wait . . . no. . .from next chapter on because this is an
author note, isn't it? Well, catch ya on the flip side! (Cannot believe I just said . . .er . . . typed
that).
Oh yeah, one more thing. !!!!!!!PLEASE READ THIS!!!!!!! I have been looking and looking for
information on concussions and all I can find are symptoms. I know very little about them and I
heard some things along the line (couldn't tell you where) I found absolutely no information on
treatment so if anyone knows anything please tell me! I sorta made up what I have so I may have
to pretend that concussions on wizards are different than muggles but I don't want to cuz that's
just silly and I'm babbling and that's really sad considering I'm typing and I'll shut up or else the
author notes will be longer than the story. *breathe*
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I used to wish I did, but now, I don't. Think of all the
pressure J.K Rowling must be under. Writing all of those books, deadlines, trying to make each
book better than the last, hate mail from religious groups, relatively new fame, movies of your
books, raising a young daughter, interviews, articles, hardly any privacy, etc. You get the idea. I
do my best work under pressure, but still, that much might cause just a *teeny* amount of stress.
Maybe it's just me.
On with the show! Seriously this time!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
NORMAL
Chapter Six
The quartet arrived at Hogwarts to find it completely silent and apparently empty. It was rather
eerie, for they had only seen it filled to the brim with gabbing students and scolding professors.
They tumbled out of Dumbledore's fireplace one after another, Sirius clutching Harry protectively
as to not bump or jar his bruised limbs, and Remus with Harry's trunk still trailing behind him.
Seeing that Dumbledore was gone on his meeting with Fudge, Arabella led them in a single file to
the hospital wing.
When they reached their destination, Sirius burst through the doors and called out from habit
"Madame Pomfrey!" He didn't wait for an answer from the nurse, and in two large strides was
placing Harry gently on the nearest bed, careful not to hurt him.
"Madame Pomfrey is in Sweden. Some convention or something. She won't be back until
August." Remus informed them as Sirius pushed Harry onto his side, not wanting a repeat of what
happened in the hallway of number four. He pulled the clean, white sheets from another bed and
draped them over the unmoving form of his godson. He then pulled a chair up to the side of
Harry's bed, and sat there, watching the pale face for any signs of distress.
They stood in silence for a few minutes before Arabella decidid to speak up. "I know you won't
like this, Sirius, but I think it is in Harry's best interest that we take him to St. Mungo's. We can't
do anything for him here."
"What!?"
"I don't know that much about first aid or nursing and I *know* you don't know anything.
He needs care that we just can't give him here!"
"You are not taking him out of my sight! I won't allow it!" Sirius jumped up from his
chair, and rounded on the elderly witch.
"Right now he needs a doctor! Not his godfather! I know you love him, but what help will
that be if he chokes to death? Or gets an infection? He needs constant care, and you can't give him
that right now!"
"The hell I can't! If you take him to St. Mungo's, there really is nothing I can do for him."
His voice became quieter, his eyes pleading. "You can't ask that of me. I cannot see him at all if
you take him there. Please. I can't do that. He needs me, I know he does."
Remus watched the two argue, and even though he never thought it possible, he knew Sirius
was right. "Arabella, I believe you should listen to Sirius. Don't you remember what Dumbledore
said about the curse? Harry cannot be healed until the curse is off the Dursleys. No amount of
hospital care or qualified doctors will be able help him. It is probably best for Harry to stay here,
with people he trusts." He looked at Harry, who's only sign of life was the unsteady rise and fall of
his chest, and occasional coughing. "He must have been so scared." He said almost to himself. "I
think rightnow he needs his godfather more than anything."
Arabella looked back and forth between the two men, and seeing Remus's slight nod, and
Sirius's chin jut in triumph, sighed her defeat. "Alright, but I still think he needs a doctor. At least
one who could set his wrist and check for other problems."
"No problem. I am good friends with a retired doctor who used to work at St. Mungo's.
And, as an added bonus, he knows all about Sirius. I'm sure he'd be willing to help." Remus said.
Sirius, who had returned to his chair, asked "Dr. Rhymon?"
"Yep."
"Who is Dr. Rhymon? Why does he know about Sirius?"
"Dr. Rhymon has been our doctor since before we can remember. James and Peter's, too. He
delivered all four of us, and Harry as well. He specializes in pediatrics, but I have been seeing him
for my. . . er . . . *monthly problem* since I was bitten when I was a child. He's a great doctor,
even if he is rather old. I explained to him about Sirius's situation after a rather rough night about a
year ago, and he understood. He said that he always knew Sirius was a troublemaker, but he didn't
think him capable of killing anyone, especially his best friend."
"Well, okay, then. I guess that will work. How soon can you get him here?"
"He lives in Hogsmeade, so it won't be difficult to reach him, but if he's not at home I
don't know if there's anything we can do. Like I said, he's rather old, and has a tendency to become
a bit forgetful. Sometimes he has trouble remembering where he lives."
"What?! How is a doctor who can't even remember where he lives going to be of any
help? How old is he?"
"Well, I told you that he delivered us, and well, I wouldn't be surprised if he delivered
Dumbledore as well. But don't worry. He has his good days and his bad days, luckily the good
outnumber the bad." Remus watched Arabella with a smirk. If the circumstances were different,
he would have laughed at her impeccable impersonation of a goldfish.
She sighed heavily. "Just - just go. Just get a doctor. Whatever you can get is fine." Harry
began coughing heavily. Sirius patted his back. Arabella found a plastic bowl on the
bedside table and held it beneath Harry's chin. He was now semi-conscious, enough to spit out the
blood that was filling his mouth. Remus stared at the scene before him for several seconds before
Arabella turned back to him and yelled "Hurry, Remus!" He remembered that he was supposed to
be finding Dr. Rhymon, and raced to Madame Pomfrey's office to use her fireplace.
It was several minutes before Harry finished coughing, although he didn't cough up nearly
as much blood as he had before. He was now awake, staring blankly at Sirius and Arabella. His
eyes were unfocused, and Sirius didn't think that it was from his lack of glasses. They were
clouded and watery.
"Hey, junior. How you feeling?" He picked up Harry's left hand, first making sure that it
wasn't the burned and broken one.
Harry pushed his eyebrows together in thought. He seemed to be taking assessment of his
injuries, and finally came up with simply "Hurts."
"I know, buddy. Don't worry, you're going to be just fine. We are going to be right here
with you until you get better. I promise."
Harry licked his dry, cut lips. "Siri- who. . . that you? What . . .?"
Sirius looked up at Arabella, who was standing at the end of the bed, watching the
conversation. She had an idea. "Harry, Can you turn over on your stomach, please?"
He whimpered and buried the side of his face into the pillow. "Come on Harry, do what
she asks, please." Harry nodded, but made no move to turn. Sirius put his hands on his bony
shoulders and pushed him over slowly. He bit back a shocked cry when he saw the back of Harry's
head. There was a wound that he hadn't seen before. It looked to be a few days old, with dried
blood clotting in his hair. He didn't understand how he could have possibly missed such a wound
earlier, but then again, there had been more important matters to see to.
"That's what I thought," Said Arabella, biting her bottom lip. "Harry, how did you get this
wound on your head?" Harry mumbled something into the pillows. "What? I didn't hear you."
Harry turned his head to the side carefully and said "Dunno. . .can't remember. Who- who are
you. . . "
"Mrs. Figg, Harry." Harry closed his eyes and murmured incoherently, snuggling back into the
pillow. "Harry, are you tired?" He nodded once. "I'm sorry to have to ask this of you, but you
can't go to sleep. You have to stay awake, at least until the doctor gets here." He ignored her and
began drifting. She grabbed his shoulders, turned him back over, and said "Did you
hear me? You *cannot* go to sleep. Not now. Stay awake! Harry!" She slapped his cheek when
his eyes began closing.
Sirius watched in rising horror as the normally gentle witch shook and hit his injured godson.
He pulled her away from him and growled "What do you think you're doing? Did you decide he
wasn't hurt enough? He's been through a lot. Let him sleep!" He held her by her tightly by her
wrists, not trusting her to stop abusing Harry.
"No, Sirius! You don't understand! He can't go to sleep! I think he has a concussion."
He let go of her, and looked at Harry. "A what? Harry has a what? Is that some kind of
disease?" Arabella scowled at the lack of knowledge Sirius had about even basic first aid.
"A concussion. It is caused when there is severe trauma to the head. The brain is protected
from injury by the skull, right? It also has a fluid that acts like a cushion. When there is brain
injury, the soft tissue of the brain bounces off the hard skull. That can ruin nerve endings or break
blood vessels. It also causes bruising or even swelling of the brain, and results in amnesia,
confusion, disorientation, vision problems and loss of consciousness." She recited from memory.
Sirius gaped at her for a moment before speaking. "I thought you knew a *little* about first aid.
Did you memorize the manual or something? Try it once again, in English this time."
"I swear, once this is over, I am enrolling you in a first aid course. Alright, so a concussion
is basically a bad head injury that causes the brain to swell or bruise, got it? This explains Harry's
memory loss. A wound like that is almost defiantly a concussion."
"Okay, so why can't he sleep?"
"Because, if he does, he might never wake up. It's as simple as that. He could slip into a
coma - you know what a coma is, right? Good - and be a vegetable the rest of his life, or die."
"Oh." He sat down next to Harry's bed once more, an oddly calm look on his face. He leaned
in close to Harry's face, looking at the drooping eyelids, and took a deep breath. "HARRY WAKE
UP! YOU HAVE TO STAY UP!"
Harry almost jumped out of the bed at Sirius's yell. He yelped in pain and grabbed his ribs
as he lay back down. "DON"T YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT IT, HARRY JAMES POTTER!
YOU ARE STAYING AWAKE EVEN IF I HAVE TO SING THE ENTIRE CATS MUSICAL
RIGHT IN YOUR EAR!"
Arabella laughed behind her hand. "Cats, Padfoot?"
He blushed. "It was all I could think of."
"Well, to save Harry *and* I from an unnecessary torture, I have a better idea. I bet Poppy
has some pepper-upper potion in the store room. That will probably work better than Broadway
shows."
Sirius blushed even harder. "Good thinking. Although I could do 'The best of Andrew Lloyd
Webber. . .' "
Arabella went in the store room, and came out two minutes later, not only with a goblet of
potion, but also a roll of gauze and a small jar. She set the items down on the table and lifted the
goblet to Harry. Sirius held up Harry's head, careful to avoid the painful-looking wound, and
Arabella attempted to pour the potion down his throat. Harry objected at first, but once the awful
taste was overpowered by a new strength, he eagerly drank the entire cup.
Once Harry had finished, they sat him up, leaning his back against the pillows. Arabella
held up the jar and said at the questioning looks from her two companions "Burn ointment." She
took Harry's hand, careful not to hurt his broken wrist, and began rubbing the cool white cream
over Harry's throbbing burn. He tensed up as she rubbed over a particularly sensitive spot, and
automatically regretted it. Every nerve seemed to have a spasm of pain, and his lungs protested the
harsh breathing the pain caused, and choked him again.
When the episode passed, Arabella began wrapping the gauze around the burned flesh,
now gooey with the ointment.
Sirius looked around the room, needing something to do. He didn't know a thing about
medical care. Harry hadn't said a word since he had drank the potion, but Sirius could see the
emerald eyes were a bit clearer, if still confused looking as he watched his hand being covered. He
watched as Arabella wrapped Harry's hand, itching to do anything but sit there. "Is there anything
I can do?"
Arabella looked up at him and smiled, recognizing his need to be useful. "As a matter of
fact there is. Come here, finish wrapping his hand." Sirius switched places with her as she went
back to the store rooms. She came out with several rags and a brown bottle. She put them down
and waited until Sirius finished.
"Ok, this bottle is an antiseptic." She unscrewed the cap, and a strong smell of alcohol
filled the room. She then took a rag and held it to the mouth as she poured out some of the
contents. "Harry, this will hurt. It will sting for a few seconds, but after that is should go away.
This will help so the cuts don't get infected." She began tapping it on a cut on his arm, and he
hissed in pain, though he seemed- determined not to move and jar his ribs again.
She finished with one cut, and handed the bottle and rag to Sirius. "I trust you can finish. I
should owl Dumbledore, let him know we got Harry. I also think the Weasleys would like an
update."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
A/N: Hello again. Miss me? First I must give a million dollars and a bag of chips to Sailor
Capricorn. You were right! **blushing** I don't know how that happened. Pretty stupid mistake.
Good eye, though. I don't think anyone else has noticed, or if they had they didn't say anything.
(Now keep it quiet so no one else notices) * as everyone goes to my review page to see what I'm
talking about*
Yippee to my one-hundredth reviewer! Everyone repeat after me: Silverfish is awesome!
Thanks for helping me out there by pushing reviews into the triple digits! I'm speechless. I never
thought it would get so far so quickly! I have been telling myself that I'll be lucky if it reaches 100
by the time I'm done, and look! I love you people! *gives computer big hug*
Now on to my other excuses. Thanks to everyone who waited for not getting impatient with me
and writing me a nasty review saying if I don't update soon they are going to send me a virus like
some people do (who, me? *looks innocent*). First my dad and his friend decided
to install a CD burner in the computer. Well Frick and Frack, the technological geniuses, did
something screwy and messed up the computer. The Internet was inaccessible and the printer
wouldn't work. I typed out the whole chapter and then found that I couldn't save, either! I was a
little mad. Just a little. *smacks her father again* I'm getting over it. I had to wait a few days
before I could type again.
For those of you who live in Ohio and have noticed the . . .er . . .wonderful weather we've been
getting. . .(for those of you who don't know, it was snowing. In May. It didn't snow almost all
winter, and the second day of Spring, BANG! Snow!) Well there have been a lot of thunder and
lightening storms, plus tornado warnings. (I was about a hundred yards from an F3 tornado that
hit) As soon as it starts to rain, my parents are in here kicking me off the computer so it doesn't
crash. (Our house has a bad habit of getting hit by lightening)
The main reason I haven't posted was because of a close friend of mine. She was in a car accident
that was her fault (she wasn't drunk or anything, she just lost control of the car). She caused a four
car pileup that killed two people. She and her passenger, another friend of mine, lived, but they
were in comas for awhile. The passenger is ok, but my friend who caused the accident has brain
damage and is paralyzed. The doctors don't know yet if she is going to be able to walk again or
how serious the brain damage is. That is why I haven't really felt like writing about someone being
hurt for the last month or so. Please pray to whoever you believe in for her. Thanks.
On a happier note, school is out, exams are over and I should be able to post quicker! I'm going to
get a job, but that shouldn't be a problem because I usually write at night time. See y'all later!
~Avidia~
p.s. Sorry if there is anyone who asked to get an e-mail who may not have gotten one. I think I got
everyone who asked. If I didn't feel free to yell at me and I'll publicly apologize. But if any rotten
tomatoes come my way, I'm taking it back!