FEVER

Chapter 5: Realizing Reality

The library was empty, hungry students had gone down by droves to revitalize their strength and to talk and gossip about the latest events. Madam Pince didn't even notice Harry as he slipped past the double doors of the library (she was eating a sandwich sneakily and reading something from the Restricted Section seemingly so interesting that she didn't look up) and he quickly disappeared between bookshelves before she did and asked him why he wasn't at the Great Hall.

"Over here," Hermione's quiet voice alerted him to her presence two shelves behind. Her brown eyes caught him as he turned and saw her past dusty books. He nodded and made his way to where she was.

"You want lunch first?" he asked when he sat down beside her at a table in a secluded spot. Books littered the desk, her notebook full with untidy scribbling.

"No, do you?" she replied.

"No, I'm good," Harry's eyes wandered towards her notebook, trying to read the messy writing.

"Harry..." Hermione set down her quill and now leant back on her chair. "You do know that Dean's still at the Hospital Wing?"

"Yeah," said Harry. "Must be a bad case of flu."

"Madam Pomfrey discovered that he had been coughing up black stuff a lot, it's been increasing," said Hermione slowly.

"Black...stuff?"

Hermione turned big eyes to Harry. "And for the past week, other students had also been at the Infirmary, including Seamus and a few students from all houses. They are all coughing up those stuff."

Harry's heart thumped painfully onto his ribs. "Are you..."

"I think I may have started it all," Hermione started to cry again, pulling out her handkerchief and blowing her nose. "I...I thought it was just me...but it's spreading, I'm the reason all those students are at the Hospital Wing, missing lessons!"

Harry doubted they will be overly upset about missing lessons, but if what Hermione was saying was true...

"Dean told me that Madam Pomfrey was putting them all under isolation to make sure no one got it, but even though he said that she said she was certain it was no big deal, even I can tell that she's not so sure now." Hermione stowed her handkerchief again. "She's going to bring this matter up to Professor Dumbledore if so much as another student turns up."

"Are you feeling sick?" asked Harry.

"I am not feeling good, but other than coughing these up," she showed him her blackened handkerchief. "I'm surprisingly better off than the others. I'm afraid, Harry, I'm so scared."

Harry let her bury her head in his shoulder and he wrapped his arms around her, offering the only thing he could give; comfort.

"I-I've been missing too much lessons already," said Hermione. "The professors are bound to start noticing...I've been trying this whole week to find out about this...thing or whatever you want to call it, but there's nothing in this library that are even close to it."

Harry nodded silently.

"I think I may have to go down to Madam Pomfrey, if it's contagious, I think I have already been overly selfish in this week, I'm actually endangering you now," Hermione pushed Harry away suddenly.

"I don't mind," said Harry immediately. "That's what friends are for."

"To endanger?" Hermione smirked through her tears.

"To count on," corrected Harry.

Hermione smiled a feeble smile. "I promised Dean that I would help him find out about this, and I think I have failed miserably. You understand how I feel, don't you? I'm afraid this might be something lethal, I can't die now!"

"It's not," said Harry firmly. "No one's going to die. Professor Dumbledore is a great wizard, he'll have a cure for it."

"You sound very sure," said Hermione.

"I am," said Harry. "Don't worry, Hermione. Go to Madam Pomfrey, I'll take over your researching duties," he said, only half joking.

"It's good letting somebody else take over, I'm so tired right now," Hermione pulled out her handkerchief again.

"It's okay," answered Harry. "Everything will be alright."

"Right now, I'm really afraid I may have passed it on to you," said Hermione, twisting her hanky into a pretzel. "I am very sorry, Harry, but you are the only one I can count on."

"Are you forgetting about me?"

Harry and Hermione turned to see Ron's eyes peering at them over a few stack of books on the shelf.

"Ron!" Hermione looked accusingly at Harry.

"I didn't!" Harry protested.

"It's not his fault, I followed him up here," said Ron. "Throwing off Neville, don't worry."

"Ron..." Hermione started.

"No, don't say a thing," said Ron. "From the looks of it, it may be something small or something serious. Whatever it is, go and surrender yourself, let the strong men do the work."

"Very funny," said Hermione soberly but they could tell she was a bit moved.

"Don't worry about the infecting us problem," said Ron. "I'm glad you at least told someone about your problems than hiding yourself all day in the library. We are friends and as friends, we live together, we die together!"

Harry and Hermione blinked up at the sudden patriotism Ron seemed to display.

"Okay, minus the 'die' thing, but you get what I mean," said Ron. "Go on, Hermione, you look dead on your feet. Leave it to us, everything will turn out fine."

"Thank you," Hermione gave Harry and Ron crushing hugs. "I love you guys."

She began to make her way to the exit. "Oh, and Harry, Ron?"

"Yeah?" said Harry.

"Take notes for me, will you?"

* * * * * * *

"This is not right," said Sirius as all the professors gathered for a meeting past the students curfew. "No sickness involves coughing of black particles."

"Other than that, some are developing high fevers," Madam Pomfrey added. "I don't know what to give them other than the usual fever reducing potion."

"And I've been brewing those in a day more than I have ever brewed in a decade," grumbled Severus.

"The problem is, who did it originate from?" Minerva cut in. "Hogwarts definitely does not house this kind of virus. We never had this problem before this."

"It seems like first years were the first batch that started coming in," said Madam Pomfrey. "The first one was Dean Thomas from Gryffindor."

"Yeah, I was the one who sent him in," said Minerva.

"What had happened with the first years before they came to the castle?" asked Professor Flitwick.

"Nothing," said Remus. "Except that water incident with Harry and Hermione. Otherwise, nothing happened on the train that I know of."

"Going for a swim does not make you cough up black stuff," remarked Professor Sprout. "There must be something else."

They fell silent as the door opened and Professor Dumbledore stepped in, a severe look on his face. "It's dark magic."

"What?"

"Those particles the students keep coughing up, it contains a strong magic that can only be related to the dark sources," he replied. He went to his chair, professors moving aside to let him pass. "But nothing serious seems to be occurring, the symptoms are like the normal flu children would have every now and then."

"Who could have practiced dark magic here?" asked Minerva. "Every Hogwarts students history are carefully scanned before the letter of acceptation is extended."

"I don't know," said Dumbledore. "But for now, all of you professors, I want you to be alert, try not to go near students much. I can't afford to let you get sick either. The school will be in a mess if you are. Any signs of coughing, please send them immediately down to Madam Pomfrey."

"Should be a week's incubation period," informed Poppy. "Otherwise, they should be free. It really depends on how weak your system is. If you are strong, I doubt it will infect you."

"And please go around and try to find out about what may have happened, Poppy, maybe you could ask Mr. Thomas whether he did anything unusual to get this?" Dumbledore suggested. "The rest of you, please keep a very open eye."

* * * * * * *

A week later...

"It seems like there's some kind of incubation period," said Ron as they huddled in the secluded area where Hermione had been when she was researching. "Students are dropping like dead flies."

"I just wonder why we haven't got it yet," mumbled Harry who had jumped when June Wallace had collapsed beside him during Herbology.

"I definitely do not want to get it," shuddered Ron. "But it seems like they are taking it seriously. I heard that a classroom nearest the Hospital Wing had been transformed into a isolation center."

During the past week, it had only became clear that how fast the thing was spreading. You could at least expect one student dropping per lesson. The professors had became more jittery, and no wandering about was allowed after dinner. Curfew was reset to eight o'clock and everybody had to be back at their common rooms by then.

It was getting hard for Harry and Ron to continue setting up camp at the library. For now, they had checked out as many books seemingly relevant that they could and now retired in a far corner of the common room, surrounded by musty books and untidy notes.

Sirius had pulled Harry aside after one stressed Defense lesson and firmly proceeded to give him a long lecture about safety and health precautions. He had even offered to let Harry sleep in his room and to eat with him down at the kitchens, if not the Great Hall but Harry had declined. He was not entirely unhappy with his Godson's decision for that would have raised many unwanted questions and attention, but all the same, advised Harry not to sit near any students that may look weak.

Severus had even went as far to teach the class how to make a fever-reducing potion but it turned out that he had wanted them to help him make it. He walked the entire classroom as many times as possible, making sure that at least one potion was correct.

He then bottled Lavender, Harry, Ron, Draco, Millicent, Tracy, Pansy and Parvati's potions and told them to clean up before leaving the classroom with the potions, heading towards the Infirmary.

The number of students in one class were dwindling and it was now known to combine three houses together in some subjects. Although no one had come close to dying yet, the tense atmosphere radiating from the professors suggested that.

Neville hadn't been happy that Ron and Harry were seemingly avoiding him and feeling that they preferred the company of stinky books than him, was quite upset and spent more time talking to his toad then he to them. They felt bad and made a note to make up to him when all this was cleared up.

"You know what?" asked Ron.

"What?" Harry flipped a page.

"The thing I'm most afraid of is that you'll be next and I can't do this on my own," said Ron. "I may have to look for Neville's help, and the most helpful time he is, is when he's away."

Harry laughed. "Don't be silly. I think he could be if not much, some help. But I won't be sick...I hope."

"Very much hope," said Ron.

"And you too, that you won't be next," added Harry.

"Yup," said Ron.

And they sat in silence for half an hour.

"There's absolutely nothing here that can help!" said Ron slamming a book down. "It's like this is something new. I feel like we have let Hermione down."

Harry nodded slightly. "I know that feeling."

"We both know this is fruitless," said Ron.

"But we both know that we'll never stop searching," said Harry.

"Well, hope's always lurking around," said Ron. He got up and the same time a cry sounded at the corridor, then the familiar sound of the professors talking and then footsteps disappearing down the hallway. "There's another one. By the way things are going, you and I better hope that they find out what this is about soon."

* * * * * * *

Hermione suddenly sat up right on her bed, late in the night, sweating. She remembered now. When she was in the water, there had been this inky black cloud that had surrounded her. She had been too relieved when she had been saved, and seeing that nothing was wrong with her and that no one had mentioned that hey noticed it either, she had forgotten all about it.

"Black...it's black," she muttered. "It's in the water... Must be those waters..." She looked at the door, half the room away. "I must tell Harry."

She got up as softly as she could manage but before she could open the door, it opened by itself and Madam Pomfrey looked down at her with stern eyes.

"Where do you think you are going, Miss Granger? It's almost two thirty in the morning."

"I...uh...need to go to the bathroom," said Hermione weakly.

"Then come with me," said Madam Pomfrey. "You should just call for me next time," she said as she led Hermione towards the ladies.

"I didn't want to bother you," said Hermione lamely using the excuse practiced by thousands before her.

"No one's a bother," said Madam Pomfrey. "Now hurry up, you need your rest."

Hermione entered a cubicle and sank on the closed lid of the toilet. "How do I get to Harry and Ron?" she muttered. She looked around, desperate for inspiration. This was the ladies after all, Harry nor Ron would be here anyway.

"Hedwig..." she said suddenly. "Harry has an owl..." But how could she go to the Owlery? An idea hit her and she quickly flushed the toilet and then walked out, summoning all her willpower to squeeze tears from herself.

When Madam Pomfrey turned around at the sound of the bathroom door opening, she was greeted by a tearstained face of Hermione.

"Madam Pomfrey?" Hermione's lower lip trembled.

"What's the matter, sweetheart?" Madam Pomfrey bent down to wipe her tears away.

"I-I...am I going to die?" Hermione whispered, hoping she wasn't laying it on too thick.

"No! Don't be silly, girl," said Madam Pomfrey. "This is nothing serious, we'll figure it out."

"I...can I write to my parents?" Hermione asked.

"For what? You are going to be well, my dear," said Madam Pomfrey.

"Just...just in case, I don't want to go without saying goodbye," Hermione stammered.

Being a kind hearted person, Madam Pomfrey melted. "Oh, alright."

"Can we go to the Owlery?" Hermione asked, brightening up.

"Now?" The mediwitch sounded incredulous. "Why don't you do that tomorrow when you are well rested?"

"Please..." Hermione put on her most pleading look.

"Oh, fine," said Poppy. "A very quick trip. Very quick, mind you, Miss Granger."

Once at the Owlery, Hermione grabbed a piece of parchment, snagged a quill and wrote all she could write, her hand flying over the parchment with the speed of the fastest. Finishing, she rolled it up and ran over to the white snowy owl. Harry had shown them Hedwig earlier in the past month and now, she gently coaxed it down and tied the roll onto her right leg.

"Take this to Harry, your master," she whispered. "As fast as you can, right after I leave. Harry Potter. Okay, Hedwig?" Giving the owl a affectionate pat and coughing as she did so, she left with Madam Pomfrey.

When the humans was out of sight, Hedwig rose from her perch and dived out of the window. This was her first job and probably the easiest; she wasn't about to screw it up. She soared for a moment in the black velvety skies dotted with bright yellow stars then into the window she knew would bring her closer to her master.

* * * * * * *

"Do you think it's a good idea, letting Quidditch be carried on?" asked Minerva. "Almost half the school is sick. A whole floor had practically been roped off and turned into an Isolation."

"The students need something to help them relax," said Dumbledore. "Do them good to get out into the air for a moment, just enjoy themselves. We can't let this morbid idea of 'waiting-to-be-the-next' thing going. Life is going on for the healthy."

"As you wish, Headmaster," said Minerva. "But some sick students are on the Quidditch teams, where do we find replacements?"

"Let's not turn this into a fight to death, like they always seem to turn out to be," said Dumbledore. "This shall be a friendly match, no house points taken. We'll have another round of real Quidditch later when everybody's well."

"Well, it will certainly do them good to have some fun and friendly competition," admitted Minerva. "I'll post details up to find replacements for each houses whose players are down."

"Good," said Dumbledore. "Maybe in the process we'll find new talents."

"Okay, then, I'll get onto it in the morning. Good night, Professor."

"Good night, Minerva," said Dumbledore smiling.

* * * * * * *

Replies to Reviews from:

candidus-lupus-full Moon, FroBoy, lyss33, serebii, heather, mscs3, Ash of Mine, Invisible Child, Lily Skylo, athenakitty, MalletWielderofDoom -- Open your mailboxes! *you open it obediently then immediately drowns under the weight of 10 tons of chocolate*
kikyogirl021989 -- Thank you! Hope my review helped :)
krysalys73 -- Oh, so sad! Do you have another kitty now?
Lissy -- *cackles evilly* Like seeing him sick? Your wish is granted...in the next chapter.
Mornie Utulie, Mornie Alantie -- What's happening to Hermy? Well, nothing too serious, she wouldn't die!
Wiccan PussyKat -- *sits all alone, crying* Where's Wiccan PussyKat? Left me ALL ALONE...wah... *hears something skid in and brightens up* Wiccan PussyKat! Here you are! Lol. Aah! 2 days? That's pure hell! *hem, excuse the language* All huggy-kissy-let's-all-make-pink-frilly-cushions Sev? Haha, what a cute expression! Hmm....maybe so they'll find out one day? Let's see where my fingers leads me too! LOVE YOU!
Savoy Truffle -- Why? Dunno...you want him to? LOL.
jeangab057 -- Sigh. I know it doesn't. But I just have to put that in...
ChristinaLupin01442 -- Haha! Cute! *trots off to read Christina's stories*
EmeraldKatsEye -- Haha! Seems that everyone loves Harry's Parselmouth ability! Hmm...my opinion...meet the terrible twosome! That way, there'll be more humor! Right? Right...Oh no, Ron a jerk! *wails then stops abruptly* Oh well, at least Harry isn't a jerk. I'm sure your chapter will work out soon, happy typing! Slash fics? Oh dear, sad to say I'm not into slash, but I guess I could try, no? :) Express answers to your Quick Questions! I know for sure this will end on the tenth chapter, I've drafted them all and I'm working on fleshing out the details, I'm currently snailing on chapter eight. What day? Maybe in the next two weeks, I post a minimum of 3 chapters a week, yes? Up to Seventh year...I don't know, should I? More more! I love answering...or babbling *beam*

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