AUTHOR'S NOTE I'm SO sorry I've been away for so long! School's been busy and this chapter was BAD for a very long time. One quick note: I know that Dumbledore would NEVER allow Michelle to not tell her parents, but that would lead into a whole long scene that wouldn't fit within the rest of the story, so I am taking creative license there.
DISCLAIMER I don't own JK Rowling's characters. Duh ;)
The end of winter turned to spring as the final snow melted and the air lost its bite. Michelle stayed in the hospital several weeks for observation.
As soon as the Weasleys had arrived in the hospital ward, Madam Pomfrey had taken one look at Michelle and put her straight to bed. Dumbledore and McGonagall arrived soon after. With moral support from the twins and Percy, Michelle confessed everything.
Only after speaking with Michelle at great lengths did they agree to let her stay at Hogwarts and to let her inform her family on her own terms. She was placed under a spell that she heard Professor Dumbledore call the specto mori. She later figured out that it was roughly equivalent to a Muggle suicide watch. Only the stigma of that made her realize how stupid she'd been and what could have really happened to her.
As head of Slytherin House, Professor Snape had been called in immediately after the girl was asleep. He listened to Dumbledore coolly before looking quickly at the bed, nodding, and sweeping out of the hospital ward, mumbling under his breath. Dumbledore refused to keep Michelle's other professors in the dark about her difficulties. From what Michelle had said, he thought it best to remove her from her dorm and the other Slytherin students while she recovered. Therefore, he also requested that her lessons be copied for her each week to study on her own. Finally, he agreed to lead any curious students to believe that nothing was amiss and that Michelle was merely ill with a bad flu.
The hospital wing grew very lonely with the spring sunshine pouring in the windows. Only two other students were in permanent residence in the ward: Colin, the shy boy with the camera whom Michelle had met when they'd first arrived, and a second year named Justin. Both had been petrified – victims of the school's mysterious attacker.
Percy came to visit Michelle occasionally, as did the twins. Often, George came by himself, bring her stolen sweets from the Great Hall and stories of his and Fred's antics to lift her spirits. He'd also bring daily gossip of Hogwarts and news about Diana and Oliver. They still hadn't been informed of what happened or brought to see Michelle.
Dumbledore himself came to visit the girl a few times a week. They talked at length about anything that came to Michelle's mind. He seemed please, that with Madam Pomfrey's help, Michelle seemed to be slowly recovering from her traumatic year.
It had been three weeks since Michelle's hospitalization the day that Dumbledore came to see her with more purpose in his eyes than during his previous visits.
"Michelle, I spoke with Oliver Wood yesterday."
Michelle felt her breath catch in her throat. She had been thinking about Diana almost obsessively since their fight. She was eager to hear any news about her sister.
"He happened to mention that your sister had received a letter from your mother and when she sought you out to share it, she failed to discover your whereabouts. Needless to say, your fellow Slytherins proved less than willing to help her."
Michelle's stunned silence seemed to decide something for the Headmaster.
"Would you like to see your sister again?"
As afraid as she was of revealing everything, more than anything Michelle wanted to see Diana again. "Yes Professor!"
He stood up. "I shall go fetch her myself. Should I bring Mr. Wood as well?"
"Oliver? I guess."
"Very well. Wait a few moments Michelle. I shall return shortly." Dumbledore left her bedside with an encouraging smile.
He was gone for about twenty minutes. During that time, a thousand scenarios played through her head, with a thousand more worried to go along. What if Diana still hated her? What it she and Oliver walked out of the hospital and refused to see her ever again?
That twenty minutes seemed like forever.
Finally, Diana and Oliver followed Dumbledore into the ward. Oliver had on his scarlet Quidditch robes and gear. He held Diana's hand as they gazed sadly at the petrified students. Diana's gaze finally fell on Michelle and she gasped in shock. She ran to her sister's bedside.
"Michelle! Oh God, are you all right? What are you doing here?"
"I'm sorry Diana," Michelle simply said.
"Sorry for what?" Oliver asked as he and Dumbledore joined Diana beside the bed.
"I apologize for being late, Michelle," Dumbledore said. "I had to fetch Mr. Wood from Quidditch practice and he was a bit reluctant to go." Oliver blushed as red as his robes.
Michelle didn't say anything. She just looked at Dumbledore, silently pleading with tear-filled eyes for him to explain everything. He nodded in understanding.
Dumbledore brought a chair over. "Please sit down, Oliver." Oliver did as he was told. Dumbledore continued. "What I must tell you will be very difficult for you both to hear. But what is most important is that Michelle is making progress towards recovery and that nothing of this sort will happen in the future." He glanced meaningfully at the girl.
Michelle avoided looking at Diana or Oliver as Dumbledore prepared to tell them the hard news. "Michelle has been through a great deal of pain this year. Because of this, she considered taking her own life."
The hospital wing was silent. Michelle finally looked at her sister, who was sitting still in shock. Tears poured down her face. Oliver also didn't move and Michelle was surprised to see a tear in his eye too.
It was a long time before Diana could say anything. "I'm sorry," she managed to whisper. "I'm so sorry!" Her voice broke as she gave into crying and hugged her little sister tightly.
"I thought you hated me! I thought that because of…" Michelle's voice trailed off.
"I could never hate you! You're my baby sister!" Diana took a moment to think and her heart broke at all she'd said to Michelle during the year. "I'm so sorry."
"Diana was only worried about you. She was so afraid that Malfoy would hurt you," Oliver added.
Diana frowned as Michelle physically cringed at Draco's name. "Michelle? There's something else, isn't there?"
Michelle nodded. "He…Draco," she said with great effort. "He…you had a right to be worried."
Diana's face filled with horror. "What do you mean?"
"This isn't the first time I've been in the hospital this year," Michelle replied in a timid voice.
Oliver jumped up, knocking the chair over. "He hurt you?" He was quiet for a moment, not quite believe it. "He hurt you? That bloody bastard!" he roared.
Dumbledore put a hand on Oliver's arm. "Please calm yourself, Oliver."
"Did you know about this, Professor?"
"Yes Oliver."
"YES!?"
"My dear boy, please sit back down and lower your voice. I may be Headmaster, but Madam Pomfrey has no qualms about throwing us out if we are disruptive."
Oliver sat back down, glaring at Dumbledore. Diana sat on Michelle's bed, hugging her little sister protectively. "Now I, like all of you, am very disturbed by Mr. Malfoy's abuse. However, the Malfoys are a powerful family in the Wizarding world. It would be very difficult to bring any action against Lucius Malfoy's son with no more proof than Michelle's word." Oliver started to protest again, but Dumbledore held up a hand and continued. "What I can do is keep an irritatingly close watch on the boy. Much as I had to do with…another student many years ago." He turned to Michelle. "I will not let Draco Malfoy hurt you again."
"I'll beat the coward bloody senseless if he tries!"
"Oliver," Dumbledore said in a warning tone.
"Sorry Professor," Oliver replied in a tone not sorry at all.
"All that matters now is that you're safe," Diana told Michelle.
"I'm safe," Michelle repeated. She yawned and the others took their cue to leave. But for the first time in weeks, Michelle fell asleep with a thousand worries plaguing her dreams.
Animefanatic 0 7 I know the last chapter was wicked short. This one and all to come (I think) are longer though.
Dark Angel66 I hope you like this one too…my betas and I worked long and hard on it to make it…well, not suck, lol.
Preciousonee Yes, for perhaps the one time in all of this story, the twins are deadly serious.