Chapter 21: - End of a tether
Dymphna led the group back up the stairs and across the corridor that they had fled down previously by now the touches on the walls where fading as they burnt themselves out and Lily wondered how long they had actually been wondering around the castle and she cursed herself for not having worn her wristwatch.
"If we take this corridor" Dymphna said referring to the map "Then we've gotta go past Six.... No Seven turn offs before we head down the eighth and directly to the infirmary"
"Are you sure?" Frank asked as he leaned on the wall for extra support
"Yes!" Dymphna snapped "I can read maps you know!"
"Right!" Lily said quickly cutting off any retort that may have been coming "I know we're all a little shook up but we'll be seeing Mi soon and I promise it'll all be worth it"
"Yeah" Alice said "she'll straighten it all out"
"I can't wait to see her face when we get there" Amy said excitedly "She'll be really surprised"
Lily hoped that Miriam would be surprised to see them but she also hoped that Miriam wanted to see them, and she especially hope that what Jedidiah had said was some sort of sick joke. Lily joined Alice to help support Frank as the group moved on.
"Four" Frank called as they passed another turn off,
"Shut up and count in your head" Dymphna said irritably over her shoulder as she and Amy led the group down the corridor
"Five!" Frank said belligerently
"Frank shut up!" Dymphna hissed again but this time through clenched teeth, Lily could tell that tempers where beginning to fray but either Frank hadn't noticed this or he no longer cared. The five friends had been walking down the corridor for what had seemed like an age and lily's legs where aching from all the running that they had done that evening, and even though Dymphna had promised that they where drawing ever nearer their destination it seemed like they'd never get to the infirmary.
"Six!" Frank called again as he hopped along being supported by Lily and Alice. Lily knew that the pain she felt must be nothing compared to that which Frank must have been feeling from his injured ankle, Lily could even feel Frank shudder from the shooting pain he got every time he hopped another step, and it was due to this that he was getting very irritable.
"Seven" Frank called out as they passed another turn off,
"Shut up Frank, for Merlin's sake shut up, you'll get us all caught!" Dymphna yelled at the top of her lungs. Frank had insisted on calling out all the turnings of the adjoining corridors as he passed, and even though they where all supposed to be keeping a low profile the wear of the night plus the lack of sleep and the revelations that the reason they hadn't seen their friend in several weeks was because she hadn't wanted to see them was taking it's toll. Lily however thought that it was a bit rich of Dymphna to start telling Frank to be quite considering that she and Amy had been talking all evening and that they hadn't seemed too concerned about getting caught then,
"You shut up!" Frank yelled back "I'm in pain here!"
"We're all in pain here" Lily heard Alice mutter as Frank still leaned on her
'Great' Lily thought 'dissension!' If they continued as they were Lily could feel that there wouldn't be five friends returning to Gryffindor tower tonight, because they would have probably all have fallen out, or if not Dymphna would be hauled off to Prison for murder and Lily, Amy and Alice would be have to be charged as accessories.
"This one's it!" Amy said excitedly as she pointed to the corridor to their left, the group hurried as fast as they could towards it Frank grimacing against the pain. They turned the corner of the adjourning corridor and stopped dead in their tracks.
"Well, well, well, what have we hear?" Said a dry grizzled voice,
"Eight!" Frank gulped as he, Lily, Alice, Dymphna and Amy looked up at the dark shadowy figure that towered over them; Argus Filch.
The skeletal form of Mrs Norris was winding her way around her master's legs as she glared at the five friends with her huge lamp like eyes,
"Isn't it enough that the headmaster gives you a free run of the castle during the day?" Filch asked grimly "You now what to wonder around at night", The friends didn't answer, and Mrs Norris meowed loudly,
"Yesss my preciousss" Filch said as though replying to his cat, but he was still staring at the students in front of him his eyes unmoving,
'He's gone mad!' Lily thought too herself, as the cat meowed again
"Yes I see it too, I'm guessing that's professor McGonagall's missing map?" filch said eyeing up Dymphna who was holding the map and she squeaked at the sudden thought of being singled out, "We'll see what the professor has to say about this" Filch said as he moved back down the corridor the first years had just come from.
The Lily, Frank, Alice, Dymphna and Amy just stood motionless as Filch moved passed them he seemed much more imposing at night then he had ever done during the day, Filch hadn't even told the five friends to follow him and Lily had the sudden urge to run away, back to Gryffindor tower but a loud hiss abruptly shook lily out of her thoughts as she noticed Mrs Norris standing in front of her, Amy gasped in fright and the five friends hurried off after Filch and their awaiting punishments.
They had been so close to the infirmary that Lily was sure she could have seen the double doors through the darkness behind filch, and instead of sitting on comfy hospital beds and talking to Miriam while they recouped the five friends where trudging back down the corridor they had just come from. Lily cursing herself as she and Alice still helped to support Frank, Why she hadn't told Frank and Dymphna to have been quiet? Why hadn't she decided to have called it a night after their near miss with Jedidiah and Ludo? What would happen to them now Lily didn't know and that scared her. They had broken into Professor McGonagall's office and had stolen her map and had also been found wondering around the school in the middle of the night, and then there was the fact that Jedidiah and Ludo had been up to something!
What if she and the others got stuck with the blame for that? And how would McGonagall react to finding out that they'd broken yet another school rule? And how would the house react to having more points being deducted!?! Lily felt sick inside it had seemed such a good plan, go to the infirmary and see Miriam, but now the more Lily thought about it the more it seemed so stupid.
The first years reluctantly followed Filch down a set of stairs and through a passage behind a tapestry, Lily and Alice still helping to support Frank, emerging from the tapestry Lily found herself in a corridor that she had never been down before, Filch led the group to a door which was flanked by two large ugly looking stone gargoyles,
"Wait here" Filch told them as he knocked on the door and entered closing it behind him, the plaque on the door read 'Staffroom'.
"Well, looks like we've got a herd of midnight mischief makers" said a gruff voice beside Lily, She span round quickly but the only thing that was next to her was one of the stone statues,
"Boy are they going to get it!" Chirped another voice from the other side of the door,
"Shut up!" Frank said irritably looking from one statue to the next,
"Oooooo" both of the statues chimed,
"What you been up to then?" The statue next to Lily asked causing her to jump again, she had only just got used to the idea that paintings and photos in the magical world could move and speak and the idea that statues also had wills of their own was still unnerving.
"Knocking the heads off annoying masonry" Frank snapped in reply to the statues question,
"Oooooo" Both of the statues chorused again before the realisation of Frank's words hit them "What?!"
"HELP!!!" cried the far statue "get it away from me! HELP!"
'Great!' Lily thought that was all they needed, adding the mental breakdown of sculptures to the list of other things they had done that night. The Gargoyle was still yelling when the door to the staffroom was pulled opened and a furious looking McGonagall was standing in the doorway, her lips narrowed as she eyed the first years and her eyes where practically slits as she scowled at them. Lily noticed that McGonagall was dressed in a red tartan dressing gown, and the hem of her nightdress could be seen below it just slightly covering the tartan slippers that she worn, Lily thought that it was extremely strange that McGonagall should be dressed for bed when she had been in the Staff room, but Lily was instantly brought back to the predicament in hand as professor McGonagall spoke,
"Will you be quite!" McGonagall raged at the still screaming statue which immediately fell silent "Thank you, now you five inside now" Amy reluctantly led the group into the staff room followed by Dymphna then Alice, Lily and Frank who was still being support by the two girls,
"Boy are you going to get it!" Lily heard the statue that she had been standing next to say as McGonagall closed the door. The staffroom was a long panelled room full of old mismatched chairs and tables, a huge roaring fire was situated at one end and at the other end tucked away into a corner was a old wooden wardrobe. McGonagall strode across the room and sat in a low armchair, wrapping her nightgown around herself as she sat, after awhile she spoke,
"Mr Filch informs me that you five where found wandering around the school" McGonagall said indicating Filch who was standing behind the group near the door.
As one the five first years nodded.
"Even though you are all aware of the expressed desires of the headmaster that you shouldn't leave your common rooms after curfew?"
Again they all inclined their heads.
"And even though I know for a fact that this is not the first time you have been caught out of bounds by a member of the faculty?" Lily heard Alice stifle a gasp and so had McGonagall, "Yes miss Potter I know all about your last midnight adventure and unlike the headmaster I am not tolerant of such behaviour from members of my house, do I make myself clear?"
Again all the first years nodded as one.
"Do you have anything to say for yourselves on this matter?" McGonagall said with a touch of finality in her voice but Amy didn't seem to take the hint,
"We only wanted to see Miriam, Professor, we've not seen her in ages!" Lily saw one of McGonagall's eyebrows raise slightly and her mouth slowly relaxed a little,
"I some times forget how hard it is for the friends of those who become ill" McGonagall said softly "but your desperation does not fully explain your actions" McGonagall said this last part as she held the map up in font of the first years, "This I believe belongs to me, explain" The first years all rushed to explain all at the same time,
"One at a time please" McGonagall said holding her hand up to stop them, "Mr Longbottom if you please" Frank sighed at being singled out and then reluctantly plunged into a brief account of what had happened. Lily noticed that Frank's version of events was slightly different to what had really happened; Frank shouldered all the blame for the disturbance in their Transfiguration class, saying that it was he that had sabotaged Peter's work when in actual fact it had been Remus. Frank also said that he was solely responsible for the theft of McGonagall's map and that the girls didn't know anything about it until he had told them, Frank also made it sound like the map was already marked with colour coordinated routes of Filch's beat he finally ended by saying that Dymphna was a poor map reader and that it was because of her that he had tripped down some stairs and had hurt his ankle. This gained Frank a stern look from Dymphna but Lily was thankful that she hadn't taken it any further.
"Then it was indeed a good thing that your destination was the infirmary" McGonagall said as she looked at the first years over her glasses, "Very well follow me please, thank your Argus that will be all"
"What no punishments?" Filch said in an usually shocked high voice
"I did not say that, I will personally ensure that each of them will receive a punishment but considering the nature of their crime I will not be ducting any house points, Good night Argus" The first years followed McGonagall out of the staff room and back through the tapestry they had came through, up yet more stairs and back down the corridor that they had been walking down when they had been caught by Filch, Lily was amazed to see that instead of taking the group back to Gryffindor tower professor McGonagall was in fact leading them to the infirmary. McGonagall pushed open the doors to reveal that even though it was well passed one am the infirmary was a bushel of activity.
The Infirmary was very dark but by the candle light the surrounded the only occupied bed Lily saw Madam Pomfrey mixing up a potion with a mortar and pestle, the potion smelt vile and Lily and the others gagged slightly as the smell hit her nostrils. Standing around the bed talking to Madam Pomfrey was professor Dumbledore and another Wizard whom Lily had never seen before. The other wizard was the same age as the headmaster but where Dumbledore was tall and thin the other man was slightly shorter and quite stout, and unlike Dumbledore the stranger was clean shaven and had snow white hair with bushy side-whiskers and was dressed in an elegant black three piece tail suit with a white waist coat and hung around his neck was a gold medallion that was attached to a red ribbon. Finally Lily's eyes fell onto the occupant of the bed, it was Miriam and she looked extremely board as the adults stood around her talking amongst themselves.
"Minerva?" the unknown wizard in a deep voice as he abruptly ended the conversation with the headmaster and Madam Pomfrey as he spotted the first years and their head of house at the door and he strode forwards, "I thought that we agreed that Mi didn't want any visitors?"
Now that Lily could see the wizards face it struck her that he cast a strong remembrance to Thaddeus and Jedidiah Artemis, Miriam's older brothers, he had Thaddeus' long nose and Jedidiah's strong jaw line, Lily suddenly realised that this must be Miriam's grandfather.
"Miss Artemis do you understand how much trouble your friends have got themselves into on your behalf?" Professor McGonagall said ignoring Miriam's grandfather as she strode past "Now you must stop this silliness immediately!"
"Minerva!" Miriam's grandfather growled once more in his deep commanding voice as Lily saw Miriam smile timidly at her friends,
"This is not the place for you two to start another argument" Madam Pomfrey said as she bustled over to the now arguing grandfather and professor,
"Poppy is in deed right Amadeus" Dumbledore said as he moved over to join the adults. Taking this opportunity the five friends headed over to Miriam's bedside,
"I'm so sorry" Miriam said softly shaking her head "I never meant for you to get into trouble"
"We know you didn't" Alice said finally leaving Frank's side as he flopped onto a near by bed "But why didn't you want us here?" Miriam sighed as the girls sat down on her bed
"It wasn't initially my idea," Miriam said her voice sounding weaker then what Lily had remembered "Madam Pomfrey didn't want me to have any visitors at first because she said I had to rest, but – well after that I – I just didn't feel like I wanted to see you guys"
"Why?" Lily asked a little shocked,
"I don't know I – I just felt sick with myself – it's not pleasant, having this – this – being me"
"I can smell!" Frank said pointing the potion madam Pomfrey had been making "What is it?"
"My medicine apparently" Miriam said in disgust "It actually tastes worse then it smells"
"Well as long as it makes you feel better that's all that matters" Alice said reassuringly
"Just as long as you don't come back smelling like it" Frank said laughing,
"Yeah" Miriam laughed dryly "That's if I come back! My parents are thinking of pulling me out of Hogwarts all together that's why my grandfather is here, Mother says that Hogwarts isn't safe for me but grandfather whats me to stay"
"We want you to stay! We also want you back!" Alice said in disbelief at what Miriam had just said
"We need you!" Frank said "This place is dull without you!"
"Dull?" Miriam said smiling slightly "After you get dragged in here by MG and you have a broken ankle and you're all dressed in thermal jumpers and its 1:30am!"
"Yeah well we had to amuse ourselves some how didn't we?" Frank said smiling broadly and the friends all laughed.
"I think the youngsters may have sorted this little problem out for us" Lily heard Dumbledore say as the adults turned to see the six friends laughing and joking
"Ah the joys of youth" Amadeus, Miriam's grandfather said as he beamed at the first years.
Dymphna led the group back up the stairs and across the corridor that they had fled down previously by now the touches on the walls where fading as they burnt themselves out and Lily wondered how long they had actually been wondering around the castle and she cursed herself for not having worn her wristwatch.
"If we take this corridor" Dymphna said referring to the map "Then we've gotta go past Six.... No Seven turn offs before we head down the eighth and directly to the infirmary"
"Are you sure?" Frank asked as he leaned on the wall for extra support
"Yes!" Dymphna snapped "I can read maps you know!"
"Right!" Lily said quickly cutting off any retort that may have been coming "I know we're all a little shook up but we'll be seeing Mi soon and I promise it'll all be worth it"
"Yeah" Alice said "she'll straighten it all out"
"I can't wait to see her face when we get there" Amy said excitedly "She'll be really surprised"
Lily hoped that Miriam would be surprised to see them but she also hoped that Miriam wanted to see them, and she especially hope that what Jedidiah had said was some sort of sick joke. Lily joined Alice to help support Frank as the group moved on.
"Four" Frank called as they passed another turn off,
"Shut up and count in your head" Dymphna said irritably over her shoulder as she and Amy led the group down the corridor
"Five!" Frank said belligerently
"Frank shut up!" Dymphna hissed again but this time through clenched teeth, Lily could tell that tempers where beginning to fray but either Frank hadn't noticed this or he no longer cared. The five friends had been walking down the corridor for what had seemed like an age and lily's legs where aching from all the running that they had done that evening, and even though Dymphna had promised that they where drawing ever nearer their destination it seemed like they'd never get to the infirmary.
"Six!" Frank called again as he hopped along being supported by Lily and Alice. Lily knew that the pain she felt must be nothing compared to that which Frank must have been feeling from his injured ankle, Lily could even feel Frank shudder from the shooting pain he got every time he hopped another step, and it was due to this that he was getting very irritable.
"Seven" Frank called out as they passed another turn off,
"Shut up Frank, for Merlin's sake shut up, you'll get us all caught!" Dymphna yelled at the top of her lungs. Frank had insisted on calling out all the turnings of the adjoining corridors as he passed, and even though they where all supposed to be keeping a low profile the wear of the night plus the lack of sleep and the revelations that the reason they hadn't seen their friend in several weeks was because she hadn't wanted to see them was taking it's toll. Lily however thought that it was a bit rich of Dymphna to start telling Frank to be quite considering that she and Amy had been talking all evening and that they hadn't seemed too concerned about getting caught then,
"You shut up!" Frank yelled back "I'm in pain here!"
"We're all in pain here" Lily heard Alice mutter as Frank still leaned on her
'Great' Lily thought 'dissension!' If they continued as they were Lily could feel that there wouldn't be five friends returning to Gryffindor tower tonight, because they would have probably all have fallen out, or if not Dymphna would be hauled off to Prison for murder and Lily, Amy and Alice would be have to be charged as accessories.
"This one's it!" Amy said excitedly as she pointed to the corridor to their left, the group hurried as fast as they could towards it Frank grimacing against the pain. They turned the corner of the adjourning corridor and stopped dead in their tracks.
"Well, well, well, what have we hear?" Said a dry grizzled voice,
"Eight!" Frank gulped as he, Lily, Alice, Dymphna and Amy looked up at the dark shadowy figure that towered over them; Argus Filch.
The skeletal form of Mrs Norris was winding her way around her master's legs as she glared at the five friends with her huge lamp like eyes,
"Isn't it enough that the headmaster gives you a free run of the castle during the day?" Filch asked grimly "You now what to wonder around at night", The friends didn't answer, and Mrs Norris meowed loudly,
"Yesss my preciousss" Filch said as though replying to his cat, but he was still staring at the students in front of him his eyes unmoving,
'He's gone mad!' Lily thought too herself, as the cat meowed again
"Yes I see it too, I'm guessing that's professor McGonagall's missing map?" filch said eyeing up Dymphna who was holding the map and she squeaked at the sudden thought of being singled out, "We'll see what the professor has to say about this" Filch said as he moved back down the corridor the first years had just come from.
The Lily, Frank, Alice, Dymphna and Amy just stood motionless as Filch moved passed them he seemed much more imposing at night then he had ever done during the day, Filch hadn't even told the five friends to follow him and Lily had the sudden urge to run away, back to Gryffindor tower but a loud hiss abruptly shook lily out of her thoughts as she noticed Mrs Norris standing in front of her, Amy gasped in fright and the five friends hurried off after Filch and their awaiting punishments.
They had been so close to the infirmary that Lily was sure she could have seen the double doors through the darkness behind filch, and instead of sitting on comfy hospital beds and talking to Miriam while they recouped the five friends where trudging back down the corridor they had just come from. Lily cursing herself as she and Alice still helped to support Frank, Why she hadn't told Frank and Dymphna to have been quiet? Why hadn't she decided to have called it a night after their near miss with Jedidiah and Ludo? What would happen to them now Lily didn't know and that scared her. They had broken into Professor McGonagall's office and had stolen her map and had also been found wondering around the school in the middle of the night, and then there was the fact that Jedidiah and Ludo had been up to something!
What if she and the others got stuck with the blame for that? And how would McGonagall react to finding out that they'd broken yet another school rule? And how would the house react to having more points being deducted!?! Lily felt sick inside it had seemed such a good plan, go to the infirmary and see Miriam, but now the more Lily thought about it the more it seemed so stupid.
The first years reluctantly followed Filch down a set of stairs and through a passage behind a tapestry, Lily and Alice still helping to support Frank, emerging from the tapestry Lily found herself in a corridor that she had never been down before, Filch led the group to a door which was flanked by two large ugly looking stone gargoyles,
"Wait here" Filch told them as he knocked on the door and entered closing it behind him, the plaque on the door read 'Staffroom'.
"Well, looks like we've got a herd of midnight mischief makers" said a gruff voice beside Lily, She span round quickly but the only thing that was next to her was one of the stone statues,
"Boy are they going to get it!" Chirped another voice from the other side of the door,
"Shut up!" Frank said irritably looking from one statue to the next,
"Oooooo" both of the statues chimed,
"What you been up to then?" The statue next to Lily asked causing her to jump again, she had only just got used to the idea that paintings and photos in the magical world could move and speak and the idea that statues also had wills of their own was still unnerving.
"Knocking the heads off annoying masonry" Frank snapped in reply to the statues question,
"Oooooo" Both of the statues chorused again before the realisation of Frank's words hit them "What?!"
"HELP!!!" cried the far statue "get it away from me! HELP!"
'Great!' Lily thought that was all they needed, adding the mental breakdown of sculptures to the list of other things they had done that night. The Gargoyle was still yelling when the door to the staffroom was pulled opened and a furious looking McGonagall was standing in the doorway, her lips narrowed as she eyed the first years and her eyes where practically slits as she scowled at them. Lily noticed that McGonagall was dressed in a red tartan dressing gown, and the hem of her nightdress could be seen below it just slightly covering the tartan slippers that she worn, Lily thought that it was extremely strange that McGonagall should be dressed for bed when she had been in the Staff room, but Lily was instantly brought back to the predicament in hand as professor McGonagall spoke,
"Will you be quite!" McGonagall raged at the still screaming statue which immediately fell silent "Thank you, now you five inside now" Amy reluctantly led the group into the staff room followed by Dymphna then Alice, Lily and Frank who was still being support by the two girls,
"Boy are you going to get it!" Lily heard the statue that she had been standing next to say as McGonagall closed the door. The staffroom was a long panelled room full of old mismatched chairs and tables, a huge roaring fire was situated at one end and at the other end tucked away into a corner was a old wooden wardrobe. McGonagall strode across the room and sat in a low armchair, wrapping her nightgown around herself as she sat, after awhile she spoke,
"Mr Filch informs me that you five where found wandering around the school" McGonagall said indicating Filch who was standing behind the group near the door.
As one the five first years nodded.
"Even though you are all aware of the expressed desires of the headmaster that you shouldn't leave your common rooms after curfew?"
Again they all inclined their heads.
"And even though I know for a fact that this is not the first time you have been caught out of bounds by a member of the faculty?" Lily heard Alice stifle a gasp and so had McGonagall, "Yes miss Potter I know all about your last midnight adventure and unlike the headmaster I am not tolerant of such behaviour from members of my house, do I make myself clear?"
Again all the first years nodded as one.
"Do you have anything to say for yourselves on this matter?" McGonagall said with a touch of finality in her voice but Amy didn't seem to take the hint,
"We only wanted to see Miriam, Professor, we've not seen her in ages!" Lily saw one of McGonagall's eyebrows raise slightly and her mouth slowly relaxed a little,
"I some times forget how hard it is for the friends of those who become ill" McGonagall said softly "but your desperation does not fully explain your actions" McGonagall said this last part as she held the map up in font of the first years, "This I believe belongs to me, explain" The first years all rushed to explain all at the same time,
"One at a time please" McGonagall said holding her hand up to stop them, "Mr Longbottom if you please" Frank sighed at being singled out and then reluctantly plunged into a brief account of what had happened. Lily noticed that Frank's version of events was slightly different to what had really happened; Frank shouldered all the blame for the disturbance in their Transfiguration class, saying that it was he that had sabotaged Peter's work when in actual fact it had been Remus. Frank also said that he was solely responsible for the theft of McGonagall's map and that the girls didn't know anything about it until he had told them, Frank also made it sound like the map was already marked with colour coordinated routes of Filch's beat he finally ended by saying that Dymphna was a poor map reader and that it was because of her that he had tripped down some stairs and had hurt his ankle. This gained Frank a stern look from Dymphna but Lily was thankful that she hadn't taken it any further.
"Then it was indeed a good thing that your destination was the infirmary" McGonagall said as she looked at the first years over her glasses, "Very well follow me please, thank your Argus that will be all"
"What no punishments?" Filch said in an usually shocked high voice
"I did not say that, I will personally ensure that each of them will receive a punishment but considering the nature of their crime I will not be ducting any house points, Good night Argus" The first years followed McGonagall out of the staff room and back through the tapestry they had came through, up yet more stairs and back down the corridor that they had been walking down when they had been caught by Filch, Lily was amazed to see that instead of taking the group back to Gryffindor tower professor McGonagall was in fact leading them to the infirmary. McGonagall pushed open the doors to reveal that even though it was well passed one am the infirmary was a bushel of activity.
The Infirmary was very dark but by the candle light the surrounded the only occupied bed Lily saw Madam Pomfrey mixing up a potion with a mortar and pestle, the potion smelt vile and Lily and the others gagged slightly as the smell hit her nostrils. Standing around the bed talking to Madam Pomfrey was professor Dumbledore and another Wizard whom Lily had never seen before. The other wizard was the same age as the headmaster but where Dumbledore was tall and thin the other man was slightly shorter and quite stout, and unlike Dumbledore the stranger was clean shaven and had snow white hair with bushy side-whiskers and was dressed in an elegant black three piece tail suit with a white waist coat and hung around his neck was a gold medallion that was attached to a red ribbon. Finally Lily's eyes fell onto the occupant of the bed, it was Miriam and she looked extremely board as the adults stood around her talking amongst themselves.
"Minerva?" the unknown wizard in a deep voice as he abruptly ended the conversation with the headmaster and Madam Pomfrey as he spotted the first years and their head of house at the door and he strode forwards, "I thought that we agreed that Mi didn't want any visitors?"
Now that Lily could see the wizards face it struck her that he cast a strong remembrance to Thaddeus and Jedidiah Artemis, Miriam's older brothers, he had Thaddeus' long nose and Jedidiah's strong jaw line, Lily suddenly realised that this must be Miriam's grandfather.
"Miss Artemis do you understand how much trouble your friends have got themselves into on your behalf?" Professor McGonagall said ignoring Miriam's grandfather as she strode past "Now you must stop this silliness immediately!"
"Minerva!" Miriam's grandfather growled once more in his deep commanding voice as Lily saw Miriam smile timidly at her friends,
"This is not the place for you two to start another argument" Madam Pomfrey said as she bustled over to the now arguing grandfather and professor,
"Poppy is in deed right Amadeus" Dumbledore said as he moved over to join the adults. Taking this opportunity the five friends headed over to Miriam's bedside,
"I'm so sorry" Miriam said softly shaking her head "I never meant for you to get into trouble"
"We know you didn't" Alice said finally leaving Frank's side as he flopped onto a near by bed "But why didn't you want us here?" Miriam sighed as the girls sat down on her bed
"It wasn't initially my idea," Miriam said her voice sounding weaker then what Lily had remembered "Madam Pomfrey didn't want me to have any visitors at first because she said I had to rest, but – well after that I – I just didn't feel like I wanted to see you guys"
"Why?" Lily asked a little shocked,
"I don't know I – I just felt sick with myself – it's not pleasant, having this – this – being me"
"I can smell!" Frank said pointing the potion madam Pomfrey had been making "What is it?"
"My medicine apparently" Miriam said in disgust "It actually tastes worse then it smells"
"Well as long as it makes you feel better that's all that matters" Alice said reassuringly
"Just as long as you don't come back smelling like it" Frank said laughing,
"Yeah" Miriam laughed dryly "That's if I come back! My parents are thinking of pulling me out of Hogwarts all together that's why my grandfather is here, Mother says that Hogwarts isn't safe for me but grandfather whats me to stay"
"We want you to stay! We also want you back!" Alice said in disbelief at what Miriam had just said
"We need you!" Frank said "This place is dull without you!"
"Dull?" Miriam said smiling slightly "After you get dragged in here by MG and you have a broken ankle and you're all dressed in thermal jumpers and its 1:30am!"
"Yeah well we had to amuse ourselves some how didn't we?" Frank said smiling broadly and the friends all laughed.
"I think the youngsters may have sorted this little problem out for us" Lily heard Dumbledore say as the adults turned to see the six friends laughing and joking
"Ah the joys of youth" Amadeus, Miriam's grandfather said as he beamed at the first years.
