Chapter eight - The Dream At The Hospital Wing
Lia's first day as a student at Hogwarts was supposed to be exciting. She woke up early in the morning and got dressed. She opened her wardrobe and took out her black robe. She put it on and looked at herself in the mirror.
"Well, Miss Jones, this is it. Your first day as a witch." She told herself.
She looked at her schedule that Professor McGonagall had given her and saw that her first class was potions. She didn't know what kind of a teacher was Professor Snape, but judging from his behavior yesterday at lunch, she knew that it wasn't going to be easy with him. She took her bag and went to the Great Hall for breakfast. On her way she saw Harry. His hair was in a mess and he looked sleepy.
"Harry!" she called.
Harry turned to see who was calling him and he smiled when he saw his cousin. "Good morning Lia."
"Good morning. Thank God I met you. This place is so huge and I thought I was going to be lost in the corridors."
"Are you coming for breakfast?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, let's go. It's hard to remember the way through the castle at the beginning, but you'll learn." Harry said as they headed to the Great Hall.
"I hope so."
"So, what classes do you have today?"
"I have potions at eleven o'clock." Lia said.
"Snape, huh? Then you better be there on time." Harry said.
"He doesn't like being late?" Lia asked as they entered the Great Hall.
"I don't think that he likes anything other than to annoy me." Harry said as a matter-of-fact.
"Oh, so you're his favorite student." Lia smiled.
"Yeah, right."
They sat at the small table, which was located in the center of the Hall. Some of the teachers were there already having breakfast as well as Wolf and Virginia.
"Good morning." Lia said.
"Good morning Lia. How did you sleep?" Virginia asked.
"Fine I guess. I was so tired from the trip yesterday that I didn't feel how I slept."
"Can I have a word with you after breakfast, please?" Virginia asked.
"Yeah, sure." Lia replied, wondering what did Virginia want to talk about.
"Harry, do you know any place here where I can hunt?" Wolf asked in a low voice.
"Hunt? I don't think that hunting is allowed in Hogwarts. And the Forbidden Forest is a dangerous place to go. But we can ask Hagrid. He's the expert."
"Alright. Can we meet him after breakfast?"
"Yes, of course." Harry said as he helped himself with some bacon and eggs.
Wolf filled his plate with bacon and started to eat ravenously. Harry looked at him wondering about how could he eat so much and stay in a good form. With this amount of breakfast, he would soon become as huge as Hagrid.
"Mr. Wolf?"
"Just Wolf." Wolf said with a full mouth.
"Okay, Wolf. Er… I don't mean to insult or something, but… how could you eat all that? You're eating like a wolf!"
"I am a wolf in fact." Wolf said. "A half-wolf."
Harry's mouth dropped. "You are? Really?"
"Yes. And I'm not the only wolf in this place. I smelled one yesterday."
"You mean Remus. He's a werewolf." Harry said.
"I know. Werewolves have a different scent. And it doesn't seem that he has the instincts of a wolf."
"Well, he's a bitten werewolf."
"Ah, then that's the reason why he couldn't figure out that there was a wolf around. He needs some practice." Wolf said as he helped himself with another plate full of bacon.
"He hasn't been here yet, has he?" Harry asked.
"No. I didn't see him this morning."
"Well, full moon is after three days and maybe he's preparing for it."
"Cripes! How could I forget!" Wolf sounded worried. "Harry, we need to see Hagrid immediately. I need to know where I can spend the night of the full moon."
"Alright, let's go then." They both got up and went out.
Lia and Virginia finished their breakfast and walked out of the Great Hall.
"Listen, let's go to my room, we can be alone there, and no one will disturb." Lia said.
"Okay." Virginia replied and they went to Lia's room.
As they entered, Lia closed the door behind her and they sat on the armchairs in front of the fireplace.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" Lia asked.
"It's about my dream. You see, I am so concerned about what's going to happen. And I really hope that you will be able to help." Virginia said.
"But I don't know what is going to happen, and who is causing this trouble. How can I help?"
"I don't know yet. Maybe we will know something in time. I just hope we wouldn't have to wait for long. I don't want to spend the rest of my life in here." Virginia paused for a moment. "I wanted to know, have you met any kind of an evil person lately?"
"The last time I met anyone was on the day that my mom and boyfriend died. After that I lived alone, and I spent my days looking for jobs. But every job I took lasted a week or so. And I never had friends or other relatives. I found out about Harry only last Thursday."
"Really? How come you didn't know about him?" Virginia asked.
"Mom kept me away from this world."
"But why?"
"They say that she wanted to keep her marriage with my father. No one knew where she was, but on that day…" Lia lowered her head and couldn't continue.
"It's okay, let's just… change the subject." Virginia said. "I know how you feel."
"You do?"
"Well, yeah. My mother is dead too. Except that… I killed her."
Lia just stared at Virginia. How could she kill her own mother? She wondered.
"She was evil. She was the successor of the evil witch and wanted to kill Wendell. She turned him into a dog so she could take over his kingdom, and then take the other eight kingdoms as well. But we were able to save Wendell from being killed and we returned him to his human form. And when my mother tried to kill me, I took a poisoned comb out of her hair and hit her. She was dead instantly. I couldn't forgive myself. Until now I feel guilty about that, but the evil witch was controlling her and she was free only when she died. She couldn't even remember me when she first saw me."
"That must've been a hard thing to do." Lia said, feeling stupid. She didn't know what else to say.
"It was. But Wolf and dad helped me through it. They are always by my side." Virginia said.
"It's wonderful to be loved isn't it?" Lia put her hand on her chest. Her scar felt warm.
"Yes. The best feeling a person can know. You know, when I first met Wolf, I was scared of him. I couldn't trust him. But he proved himself to be a loyal person and he loves me more than anything."
Lia smiled. She remembered being loved once. John was loyal to her. He loved her and he never caused her pain. But John's memory caused her heart to ache. She couldn't breath and her scar was burning.
"Lia, are you alright?" Virginia sounded worried.
"Get… Remus. Next door."
"Okay." Virginia ran out of the room and knocked the next door.
"It's opened." Remus said from inside.
Virginia opened the door and went in. "It's Lia. Something's wrong."
Remus ran out and entered Lia's room. She was sitting on the couch, her eyes closed and her hand on her chest.
"Lia, can you hear me?" Remus held her hand. Lia opened her tearful eyes and looked at him.
"I don't… know what happened… I can't… breath… and it… hurts." She said between gasps for air.
"Alright, now don't talk. And try to stay calm. I'll get professor Dumbledore right now." He turned to Virginia. "Miss Lewis, will you please stay with her?"
"Sure." Virginia said.
Remus went to his room and took out a box that contained floo powder out of the drawer of his desk. He took some powder and threw it in the fire. "Professor Dumbledore's office." He said and the flames turned green. He knelt and put his head through the fire.
"Professor Dumbledore? Are you there?" Remus called and Dumbledore came at once.
"What is it Remus?"
"It's Lia. She can't breath and her scar hurts."
"I'll be there at once." Dumbledore said.
Remus pulled out his head and ran back to Lia's room.
"How is she?" he asked.
"The same. Breathing hard." Virginia replied.
"I'll take her to her bed." Remus carried Lia and put her on her bed. He pulled the covers over her and sat beside her. "You'll be fine Lia. Professor Dumbledore is on his way."
"What… time… is it?" Lia asked.
"Ten o'clock. Why do you ask?"
"I have… potions… at eleven."
"Well, that's a start. Potions as a first class on the first day. What were they thinking?"
Professor Dumbledore entered the room with Madam Pomfrey following him.
"How is she now?" Dumbledore asked.
"Still breathing hard." Remus replied.
"Could you please leave us alone?" Madam Pomfrey said.
"Sure Poppy." Dumbledore replied and they all left the room leaving Madam Pomfrey and Lia alone.
"Professor, Lia has potions in about an hour. I don't think that she'll be able to attend." Remus said.
"You're right Remus. But let's wait for Poppy to finish first. If she says that Lia can't go to class, I'll tell Severus that she won't attend today." Dumbledore replied.
"What happened to her?" Virginia asked.
"Miss Lewis, may I ask you what were you talking about before she felt like this?" Dumbledore asked.
"Well, we talked about our mothers and then about being loved." Virginia felt guilty. She thought that she has caused pain to Lia.
"Now I understand. Well, I better go and tell Poppy how it started." Dumbledore said and went back to Lia's room.
"Was it because of me?" Virginia asked.
"Oh, no." Remus replied. "You see, every time Lia feels love, or even think about it her scar start to hurt and it effects her heart."
"Oh my God. Isn't there any way to help her?"
"Unfortunately, the only way I see is to keep her thinking about hate. I don't like that idea, but it seems that she can't handle the good feelings. Voldemort has ruined her life." Remus said.
"There has to be a way to change that." Virginia said.
At that moment professor Dumbledore got out of the room. "Remus, could you please help Poppy to take Lia to the hospital wing? She has to spend the day there. I'll go and see Severus."
"Alright Professor." Remus replied.
Remus went to Lia's room to help Madam Pomfrey to take Lia to the hospital wing. Virginia went with them and Dumbledore went to the dungeons to see Snape.
O o O o O
Harry and Wolf went to see Hagrid. When they reached the cottage, they heard voices coming from behind the cottage and Harry decided to go and see what was going on.
Hagrid was there with the two dogs and a magical creature.
"Buckbeak!" Harry called and ran forward.
"Harry! Careful!" Hagrid called.
For a moment Harry forgot that he was supposed to bow before approaching. And at Hagrid's call, he stopped and took a bow in front of Buckbeak, who bowed back immediately. Harry smiled and went closer to him.
"Hello Buckbeak, I missed you." He patted the beak and then gave him a hug. "Hagrid, how did he come here?"
"Guess he was left alone outside. Good thing he came 'ere." Hagrid said.
Wolf stood away frightened at the sight of the creature. "What's that?" he asked.
"A Hippogriff." Hagrid said. "Wonderful creatures. Want to get closer?"
"I don't know. Isn't he dangerous?"
"Yer have ter bow. An' if he bows back, yer can go closer."
Wolf took a few steps forward and bowed to Buckbeak. He looked into Wolf's eyes for a moment and tilted his head to a side as to examine the person standing in front of him.
"Don't move now. He is checking yer." Hagrid said.
Finally Buckbeak bowed to Wolf, who sighed in relief and went closer. "Nice hippo." Wolf said.
"Don't forget to be nice to him. And don't try to insult him." Harry said. "You won't like the consequences."
"Okay." Wolf said. "Are there many of them here? I've never seen on in our kingdoms."
"They can't be found anywhere else." Hagrid said.
"Hagrid, Wolf wanted to talk to you about something." Harry said.
"Let's go inside." Hagrid said.
The three went into the cottage and Hagrid started to prepare some tea.
"So, 'ow can I help?" Hagrid asked.
"Hagrid, you know that I'm a half-wolf." Wolf said. "And the full moon is in three days. I was wondering if there was a place where I can spend the night hunting?"
"Hunting? If yer thinkin' 'bout the Forbidden Forest, then I'd keep away from there. It's dangerous."
"Then where else can I go? I don't want to hurt someone."
"Maybe Lupin can help. He knows such things better than I do. What happens at full moon ter you?"
"My wolf instincts rise and I can't control myself from doing everything that a wolf does. That includes hunting. I don't want to stay at the castle that night, because I might hurt someone. The only one I can't hurt is Virginia."
"Why?" Harry asked.
"Because she's my mate and she's carrying our cub."
"She's pregnant? But it doesn't show on her."
"That's because it's only been two weeks since she was pregnant." Wolf smiled.
"Oh." Harry nodded. "Well, at least someone is safe." He smiled.
"Yeah, I wouldn't like to think about hurting anyone. I won't forgive myself if I did so." Wolf said.
"Alright. You ask Lupin, and if he can't help, then I'll take yer ter the forest." Hagrid said.
"Thank you Hagrid." Wolf smiled and gave him a hug. "You're the best. Let's go and find Lupin, Harry." Wolf said and rushed out of the cottage.
"He's weird." Harry said.
"He's a half-wolf, they're supposed ter be weird." Hagrid said.
"Alright, I'll see you later Hagrid." Harry said and followed Wolf out of the cottage.
Harry led Wolf to Remus's room and for his surprise, Remus wasn't there.
"Where could he be?" Harry asked himself and suddenly he heard a small pop behind him. "Dobby!"
"Hello Harry Potter, Sir." Dobby said.
"How are you Dobby?"
"Dobby is fine Sir. But Miss Lia is not."
"What do you mean Dobby? What's wrong with her?" Harry asked.
"Miss Lia was hurt. Her scar hurts her."
"Where can we find her?" Wolf asked.
"Professor Dumbledore took Miss Lia to the hospital wing." Dobby said.
"I'm going there." Harry said and ran toward the hospital wing.
"I'm coming with you." Wolf said and turned to Dobby. "Thanks pal." The he ran after Harry.
Harry entered the hospital wing and searched the rooms. He found Lia surrounded by many people. He ignored them all and ran to her side.
"Lia, can you hear me?" he asked. But Lia didn't reply.
"Harry, she's asleep. Madam Pomfrey had given her a sleeping potion." Remus said.
Wolf came after a few moments panting. "This… boy… should… join… a racing… team. He's… fast!" he said between breaths.
"Wolf, you look awful!" Virginia said. "Sit down and try to keep your mouth shut so you can catch your breath."
Wolf nodded and sat on an empty bed.
"Professor, what will happen to her?" Harry turned to Dumbledore.
"I am not sure Harry. Voldemort has ruined her life. I am not sure how can we help her."
"If only there was a prophecy." Harry said.
"But there isn't. And if there was, Voldemort was going to do anything to get to it. He has marked her as well. But it seems that Emily's charm was stronger than anything else and no prophecy was written. I'm afraid Lia will have to find out about her destiny on her own."
Professor Snape entered the room. "Professor, how is she now?" he asked.
"She's sleeping Severus. I'm afraid she won't attend your class today at all. I was hoping that she could make it this afternoon, but Madam Pomfrey insisted that she stays here tonight."
"I understand professor." Snape replied. "I'll be in my office if you need me." He looked at Remus and nodded. Remus was supposed to go to Snape's office to get his wolfsbane potion.
"Alright Severus." Dumbledore said and Snape went to his office. Then Dumbledore turned to Remus. "Remus, will you please come to my office when you have some time?"
"Alright." Remus replied.
A few moments later Professor McGonagall came to the room. "I heard she was here. What happened?" she asked.
"It her heart. The scar is effecting on it badly." Remus said.
"Everyone out please. This young lady here needs to rest! And you are there whispering right into her ears!" Madam Pomfrey said.
Everyone got out of the room. Remus and Harry were the last to get out.
"I want to stay with her." Harry said.
"You won't help her with anything. She's deeply in sleep." Remus said. "Come on, let's go."
Harry walked with him silently. Wolf was waiting for them outside.
"Oh, I almost forgot!" Harry said when he saw Wolf. "Remus, Wolf wanted to ask you about the full moon."
"Oh really?" Remus raise an eyebrow. He didn't know that Wolf was actually a half-wolf.
"Yes." Wolf said and stepped closer. "I was wondering if you knew a place where I can spend the full moon night. I don't want to spend it here."
"Are you a werewolf?" Remus asked.
"A half-wolf. I have a wolf's instincts and a tail." Wolf said.
"You have a tail?!" Harry was surprised. "But how come I can't see it?"
"Because I'm hiding it. I think that people wouldn't like seeing a human with a tail wandering around, now would they?" Wolf said.
"Well, I guess not." Harry replied, turning pink.
"So, Mr. Lupin, can you help me?" Wolf said.
"Yes." Remus said. "Yes of course. Let's go to my office."
They walked through the long corridors and Harry decided to go to his dormitory. Wolf and Remus continued their way to the office. As they entered the office, Remus locked the door after him.
"Now. A place out of Hogwarts, right?" Remus asked.
"Yeah, I need to hunt." Wolf said.
"Well, you can't hunt around here. There aren't many animals that would be hunted. And I have a better solution. Snape prepares a potion for me to drink. How about using it? It will ease the transformation pain, and you can keep your head clear and control yourself."
"And would it be safe to stay in the school?"
"I don't think that extra caution is bad. I have a place where I go on these nights. If you want, I can show you the way. But, it's dangerous. You'll have to watch out for your head. I'm going there tonight for a short visit. Do you want to come?" Remus asked.
"Yes of course! I wouldn't want to hurt anyone here." Wolf said.
"Good, that's the spirit. Alright then, I'll meet you tonight at eleven near the Entrance Hall."
"Okay. Thank you so much!" Wolf said and shook Remus's hand. "You saved my bacon! I'll go and tell Virginia that everything is going to be fine."
"Alright, I'll meet you tonight." Remus said with a smile.
Wolf left the room and went to his dormitory, where he planned to order some food.
Remus headed to Dumbledore's office. He passed the stone gargoyle and knocked the door before entering.
"You needed to see me Professor?" Remus asked as he closed the door behind him.
"Yes Remus. Have a seat please." Dumbledore pointed to a chair in front of his desk.
Remus sat down and waited to the headmaster to speak.
"I heard that you are going to the Shrieking Shack tonight." Dumbledore asked.
"I am." Remus said.
"You will meet someone there. And I want you to keep it a secret."
"You're hiding someone at the Shrieking Shack Professor?" Remus asked. Dumbledore had never hidden anyone there before.
"Yes. I need you to take care of him and keep his secret. No one should know about him until the time comes."
"Alright professor. You can count on me."
"Thank you Remus. Now, about the full moon, did you talk to Wolf about it? I don't think that he knows this place, and I don't want him to cause panic around the school."
"I'll give him some wolfsbane, and I'll take him with me." Remus said.
"Will he be fine with you? Don't get me wrong Remus, but he doesn't transform into a wolf completely."
"He says that his wolf instincts rise, so that means that he would act like a wolf. So, I don't think that I'll harm him. Besides, we both are going to take wolfsbane."
"Alright, just be careful please."
"I will Professor. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go and see Severus."
"Yes, yes. Thank you for coming Remus."
Remus smiled and left the office. He headed to the dungeons to Snape's office. Snape gave him two bottles of wolfsbane and he took them with him to his room. He wondered about the person whom Dumbledore was hiding in the Shrieking Shack. Who was this guy? And what kind of a secret did he have? Remus was also concerned about Lia's health. It was the second time that she passed out because of her scar and this didn't mean good. Remus hoped that someday, someone would be able to help her to get rid of that feeling. Although, he knew that it was impossible as long as Voldemort was still alive.
O o O o O
Harry sat alone in the common room of the Gryffindor dormitory. He wanted to stay with Lia. She wasn't feeling good and he didn't want to leave her alone. What if Voldemort decided to pay her a visit? What if he sent a Death Eater? He had to be at the hospital wing. Harry went to his room and opened his trunk. He took out his invisibility cloak and went to back to the common room. He put the cloak on and went out.
The corridors were empty. Thankfully, there were no students around, and Filch was no where to be seen. Maybe he was on a vacation, too? Harry thought. He continued his way to the hospital wing and reached the room where Lia was. He opened the door slowly and entered, trying not to make any noises. He closed the door and headed to Lia's bed. She seemed to be asleep. He sat on a chair near the bed without taking the invisibility cloak off. What if Madam Pomfrey came in and saw him? It was better to stay invisible.
He looked at Lia for a while and held her hand, until he realized that his eyes were closing. He tried to stay awake, but couldn't manage. He was fast asleep.
Someone was crying. Harry saw himself in a place where he didn't recognize. There was a man lying on the ground and a girl kneeling beside him was crying. He knew who the dead man was, but in the same time he didn't recognize him. Though, his face seemed familiar. "Traitor." Harry heard himself saying. He looked at the girl and smiled. He held his wand high and prepared to strike. Then another woman came into view. She looked familiar.
"Expelliarmus!" the woman called and the wand flew out of Harry's hand into the air. While he jumped to catch his wand the woman turned to her daughter.
"Lia, go to the back yard. Get out of the house, now!"
"But mom… What about John? And you?" the girls said between sobs.
"I said go! I'll meet you later. Just go out, honey, now!" the woman said and the girl got up and ran to the door heading to the kitchen.
Harry reached for his wand and aimed it at the woman. "Crucio!" he said.
The woman fell on the ground, curled and wincing in pain. She managed to get up and shouted, "Protego!" a golden shield formed in front of her and her pain faded.
"Well, well. You seem to be learning, Emily. Too bad that you ran away with the mud-blood husband of yours." Harry heard himself saying as he walked to her. The woman was obviously still in pain, but not as strong as during the Cruciatus curse. "If you have accepted my offer seventeen years ago, non of this would've happened. You were supposed to become a queen. You would've ruled the world. But no. Instead, you chose a mud-blood for a husband. You are about to pay for it Emily. I never forget and that's why I never forgive." He aimed his wand at her again, "Crucio!"
"Tom! S-stop it!" Emily cried in pain.
Harry laughed. "Stop? No Emily, you deserve this!"
"Expelliarm… AAARGH!" Emily couldn't continue. The pain was unbearable.
He saw the girl turning back and watching them duel. He turned to her and aimed his wand at her. "Avada Kedavra!" he shouted and a green light flashed out of his wand and headed toward the girl.
Before he could notice, Emily jumped between them and threw herself over her daughter. They both fell on the ground, motionless.
Harry could feel his heart burn, his hands were trembling, and his whole body was in pain. "You'll pay for this!" he hissed while the pain reached his head. He felt himself falling through a tunnel where it was all black and nothing could be seen.
Harry woke up gasping for air. He looked at the windows and saw that it was still dark outside. Maybe it was only a couple of hours past midnight, he thought.
He was sweating and his scar was stinging. He noticed that he was in the hospital wing, sitting near Lia's bed. She was sweating too, but she didn't wake up. The look on her face told him that she was in pain.
He had just witnessed the murder of his aunt and Lia's boyfriend. He was the one to kill them both. No, he was seeing this through Voldemort's eyes. It was happening again, he was having the same kind of dreams. Last time, he witnessed the attack on Mr. Weasley through the eyes of a snake, and the second time he witnessed Sirius's torture, although that turned out to be a lie and at the end, it cost him Sirius's life.
Harry thought that he should tell Dumbledore about what he saw, but then, he remembered the occlumency classes with Snape. Dumbledore would tell him to restart those classes, and he didn't want to go through it again.
Harry didn't know what to do. He just sat there in his invisibility cloak and thought about finding someone he could trust his dream. If only Sirius was still alive, Harry would've written him about everything, but Sirius was dead. If he told Hagrid, he would tell him not to leave the castle without company. That left only one person: Remus Lupin. After all, he was Sirius's and his father's best friend. He could trust him.
He got up and picked up a towel from the little table beside the bed and wiped Lia's forehead. He pulled the bed cover over her and then, he lay back on his chair and closed his eyes. He would tell Remus about the dream in the morning.