Disclaimer: don't own anything!

Chapter Five: Loopholes and batties

The following hours Amy lay mostly awake, staring at the ceiling. She supposed that Madam Pomfrey wouldn't have let anyone near her even if she was threatened with death. The young witch thought about all she had heard since she had been brought to the hospital wing. About what had happened down in the forest, what Snape had said mostly. She still couldn't believe it, thought she had only imagined it. Snape had deep feelings for her. This could not be. Over her thoughts she must have fallen asleep, for when she opened her eyes night had nearly fallen outside and a dark shadow was hovering over her.

"Amy? Are you awake?" It was Severus Snape.

Amy nodded slowly as the young teacher sat softly down on the edge of her bed. She lifted her hand slightly and he took it into his own two hands.

"Amy… I'm…"

"It's ok," she interrupted him.

For a few minutes neither of them spoke. They just remained silent, staring into each other's eyes.

"What DO we do?" Amy asked desperately after some time.

Severus looked away. "There are several loopholes. The headmaster told me about them." During the next hour he explained everything to the girl Dumbledore had told him.

"Did you understand everything?" Snape stopped for some seconds and realized he was becoming slightly pink. "Not that I think you don't understand it. I mean… I didn't mean to sound as if…"

Amy lied her hand onto his knee and interrupted his speech. "I know, Severus. Don't you think about it."

Amy felt her eyelids drop. Though she had slept for what must have been nearly the whole afternoon, she felt as tired as if she had been awake for days and weeks. She fought hard to open her eyes again and her effort didn't escape the young teacher.

"Do you want to sleep again? Should I leave you to rest?"

"Yes. And no."

Snape lifted one eyebrow, one thing the young witch only knew too well and loved so much.

"Can't you stay until I'm asleep? I'm rather scared of my dreams. The memories flood my mind whenever I give them the chance."

Severus smiled. "Sure, dear." He stroked her head softly as she turned on her right side and finally closed her eyes.

The sun on her face awoke Amy the next morning. Somebody had drawn back the hangings around her bed and when she looked around, she saw the familiar shape of her father sitting in the chair next to her bed. Arthur Weasley seemed to be fast asleep himself, so his daughter sat up quietly and tried to softly touch his hand. Her father stirred and opened his eyes.

"Amy! You're awake!" He embraced her heartily and sat back in the chair where he straightened his slightly lopsided glasses. "How are you, dear? Oh no, that was a silly question."

"I'm fine, Dad."

"Are you really?"

"Well… no. But I'm better."

"Good. Good." Her father patted her shoulder and fell silent, but not for long. "Oh, I brought you something!"

"What is it?" Amy had always been very fond of her father's presents. His fondness of Muggles always got Amy a lot of funny things she liked to collect in a trunk in her room at her parent's house, the Burrow.

Mr Weasley gave her a big, strangely wrapped package. He must have wrapped it himself, Amy thought, he's never been good at this.

Her dad looked at her curiously. "Go on, open it! I hope you like it, I wasn't sure what to bring so I brought it all."

When Amy opened it two books fell into her lap, along with a funny plastic box, a sort of machine with earmuffs on a string attached to it and a little package of heavy little rolls. Amy looked at it in surprise. "What are they?"

"Oh, that's a cassette." He pointed at the small plastic box. "You open it and take the thing inside. Then you put it in the machine and put on the earmuffs. The rolls are called batties. Well, something like that anyway. You put them in the machine as well and then you push the biggest button and it plays music."

"Merlin's beard, where did you GET them?"

"Oh, they were jinxed! They made the listener fall asleep for over a week… They aren't anymore!" He added hastily when he saw the shocked look on his daughter's face. "Honestly, they're all right."

"Thanks, Dad." Amy looked at the two books. The first one was wound in leather and had golden letters on it, reading "William Shakespeare, Completed Works". The other read "Oxford Illustrated Encyclopaedia". "Cool, is that a Muggle Encyclopaedia?"

"Yes, it used to bite off fingers before we preformed the counter-jinx."

"Oh. And the other one?"

"That should be all right. Kingsley got it for me on a Muggle market. You know I don't understand Muggle money." Mr Weasley threw a glance at his wristwatch. "Oh dear, just look at the time! I'm sorry darling, but I must be back in the office right after lunch."

"It's ok, Dad. I'm happy you came to visit me."

"I'm really sorry, Amy."

"Never mind. Just give a kiss to my little ones."

Her father kissed her on the forehead and left the hospital wing. When he was gone, Amy opened the encyclopaedia and began to read. She had just found the small rolls her dad had called batties and identified them as batteries, when the door at the far end of the room opened again and Albus Dumbledore walked swiftly into the room.

"Good afternoon, Amy."

"Good afternoon, sir."

Dumbledore sat down on the chair Mr Weasley had sat on not even an hour ago. "I have good news for you. As Madam Pomfrey has told me this morning, you are as good as new and may leave the hospital wing tomorrow evening."

Amy looked up at the headmaster in surprise. "Oh, that's great. I was so hoping I could leave soon."

"I do understand you, Amy, but there are certain things I should warn you about. For one, as we have tried to keep secret what happened to you in the Forbidden Forest, of course, the whole school knows. Now, the students have been asked, not to confront you with all the rumours and speculations they have heard. But still people might want to ignore that."

Amy nodded slowly. She hadn't thought about the attack the whole morning and now memories started to come back.

"And, some pupils heard what you thought about Severus when you saw him. They may not know what he feels for you, but still some of them are sure to try and bully you. I ask you to stay calm. I know this is a lot to ask for. But I'm sure Severus told you about several loopholes."

Amy nodded again.

"Then you know why it is important to keep certain things to yourself. Now I think your brothers are looking forward to see you this evening after dinner. I see your father has provided you with some reading for the meantime. Ah yes, Shakespeare. I have a completed works myself. I recommend "Romeo and Juliet" if you like to read romances." The headmaster winked and left the hospital wing again.

Amy opened up the second book and started to read.