"That's it. That's fine. You're doing fine."
Daphne wanted to tell the mediwitch helping her out of bed to kindly shut her mouth and go away. It would be much easier to get up and walk a bit if she were alone, after all, without some healer spouting empty encouragement at her.
The truth was, though, when they'd removed the hex binding her legs, she'd gotten her first good look at them... And they were black and blue. Apparently they'd been a lot worse, but she asked the nurse on duty at the time not to describe it. They still didn't look very good, though. Not at all. And now this witch wouldn't let her keep them covered. "You have to start walking," she'd said. And so now, Daphne was struggling to her feet.
"Come on. Almost there."
"It hurts!" Daphne snapped. Though the mediwitch continued smiling sweetly, tugging on Daphne's hand. Finally, she was standing. Unsteadily, yes, but she was standing. The feeling of weakness was overpowering and annoying, but the healer looked thrilled.
"You're doing great. Go ahead and take a couple steps."
Daphne did, hissing in pain. "Just how many times did they break?" she asked, and while the question was rather rhetorical, she got a cheery answer.
"Oh, just seven." The witch led her forward, ignoring the stunned expression on the younger girl's face. "Three in the left, two in the right. We healed 'em up well, we did."
"Good, good," Daphne managed, leaning heavily against the nightstand. She was starting to appreciate the fact that Michael and McGonagall insisted she be left behind.
"I'm going to go get a proper robe for you," the witch went on to say, leaving the room before Daphne could get across one word of protest. Wonderful. Now she was stuck in the middle of nowhere, unable to get back to her bed. Maybe if she could just...
"Well. If it isn't Daphne Greengrass," came a rather stuffy voice from the door. Daphne turned toward the speaker, and she might have even smiled if she wasn't in so much pain.
"Ernie Macmillan," she said, trying to keep the pain out of her voice and throw a bored look onto her face. The former Prefect gave her a sort of smug grin and began to swagger into the room. Only, she realised he wasn't actually sauntering along... he was limping pretty badly. He sat down in a nearby chair, trying to act as though he wasn't winded by the effort, but she could tell. As for herself, she remained where she was because she wasn't going to even try to make the humiliating trek back to her bed in front of him. "What are you doing here?"
His pompous expression slid away, and he glanced around the room for a moment--which must have been satisfactorily empty--before speaking, "I came in with a few others. We were with Harry, but we got split up."
"Who all went with him?" Daphne asked. She'd been rather curious about this for some time now.
"Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood, Anthony Goldstein, Pansy Parkinson, Clare Rivers," he said, starting to count off his fingers, "Cho Chang, Dean Thomas, Zacharias, Susan, and me... But Susan and Zacharias came with me when Dean and Clare got hurt."
"Clare?" Daphne started forward, yelping when she put just a bit too much weight on her left leg. She noticed Ernie automatically stood to help, emitting a similar expression of pain as he did. After they stared at each other for a while, Ernie sat down.
"Don't worry. She's fine. Or, she will be anyway." He looked at his hands. Daphne decided she didn't really want to stand anymore, but there was still the fact that Ernie was still here. Despite everything that was going on - or maybe because of it - she still didn't want him seeing that she was in a state where she couldn't help herself.
He was absently rubbing at his knee, though, glancing up at her now and then. Daphne knew that he wanted her to ask about it, and even though she really wanted to know what happened to Clare and where she was in the hospital, she had a feeling that she wouldn't get any answers until she asked Ernie what was bothering him. Maybe he just needed to talk, and she happened to be a convenient outlet. "What happened to you?"
Ernie started to explain, but he was stopped by the arrival of Susan Bones, who had in her arms a rather large potted plant. Within it was a blueish green vine-like thing with the vague appearance of a Venus flytrap... Only this one moved once in a while, it's 'face' turning this way and that as it seemed to register sounds. The other Hufflepuff said nothing, and Ernie explained. "Some Death Eaters don't really fancy killing. Odd, I know. So they disable wizards in other ways. They took out my knee, and they stole Susan's voice. We can't get it back, either. It's not just a silencing charm."
Susan freed her hands by setting the plant on the floor in front of her, and she waved.
"Anyway," Ernie said. "What are you doing here?"
"I was in an accident," Daphne replied slowly, eyeing the plant in Susan's hands. "We--Finnigan, Terry Boot, Mackenzie Spinks, Hermione and I--"
"Hermione's alive!" Ernie exclaimed, nearly jumping up, except for the fact that the movement obviously was terribly painful.
"Yes, she is. She's with Professor Lupin right now... Everyone went with them except Michael and I."
"So Corner's still alive, too, then?"
"You didn't know?" Daphne replied, looking a little surprised.
"When you two didn't come back from your patrol, and then with the attack..." Ernie shook his head, but he looked apologetic.
"Is Anthony still alive?" Daphne asked after a moment.
Ernie nodded. "But continue your story."
She inwardly thanked whatever gods there might have been for that much. "We were looking up a charm to block the Imperius Curse in the Hogwarts library, but I wandered off, and basically Gryffindor Tower fell on me. What's with the plant?"
Susan and Ernie both looked at the plant, then at each other. Daphne got the distinct impression that the plant didn't look very amused. Of course, that really couldn't be, since plants, unlike people and animals, didn't have feelings. This one, however... Well, it seemed to have been listening to their conversation. In fact, it also winced when Daphne mentioned that the tower had fallen on her. She was sure of it.
"You do remember how we said that some of the Death Eaters are finding other ways to disable people," Ernie said, and Daphne nodded. "Well, they're quite fond of transfiguration, it seems. You know, turn someone into a frog so that they can't attack..."
The plant 'looked' at Ernie, which was odd because it had no eyes. It seemed to be rather upset.
"In any case... Well, you see..."
Susan elbowed him.
He sighed, nodding to the plant. "That's Clare."
Daphne stared openly at the plant who did, after a while of embarrassed silence, wave a leaf at her. "Clare...? Yeah... Uh. They trapped Professor McGonagall as a cat, too."
"Oh, but she got him good," Ernie continued almost proudly... And Daphne swore the plant that was Clare straightened a bit. "Apparently he didn't realize that Clare's poisonous like that. She bit him. Last we saw, he had these horrible purple splotches all over, but I think he'll be all right. It's too bad, too. Anyway, one of the healers told us to come see you. He told us you were making a restorative potion for someone else - I'll guess that's the professor - and... We'll need it for Clare."
"Of course," Daphne replied, looking at the plant, and wishing she could just get close enough to something to sit down. Her legs were starting to ache terribly, and she wasn't sure how much longer she would be able to hold herself up. Where were her nurses at a time like this? Wasn't this some sort of unnecessary risk leaving her stranded like this. However, at that moment, the mediwitch reappeared.
"Oh, you poor dear, having to stand like that! Let me help you get back in bed." And it was a testimony to how much Daphne did hurt that she allowed the nurse to help get her back up on the hospital bed. That done, Susan came over to sit in the chair Michael had previously occupied, holding Clare on her lap.
The nurse tsk'd to herself. "I forgot something, but I'll be right back."
"Professor McGonagall knew of a potion," Daphne said after a moment, figuring she might as well explain the circumstances. "But it involves werewolf saliva. Fortunately, we knew were to get some, so Michael is out doing that now."
"Alone?" Ernie said, eyes widening.
"Well, the Professor is with him."
Even Clare the plant seemed incredulous at this bit of information, and it all rather annoyed Daphne. Michael wasn't some sort of idiot, after all. It wasn't even the full moon yet, and so it should have been rather easy for him. Seeing her expression, Susan smiled apologetically and shook her head. Ernie didn't seem to notice this, instead pondering something else.
"Do you know where Potter went?" Daphne asked after a minute.
"No," Ernie replied quietly, almost sounding sad.
Daphne looked at Susan, who was shaking her head, and at Clare as well, who didn't seem to know anything, either. She never wanted to find Potter so much as she did now. For some reason, it seemed important that they get to him. She hated it when everything seemed impossible. The only hope they had now was that McGonagall would be able to find Dumbledore and Harry when she was back to herself. She stared for a while at the plant again, who looked back at her almost defiantly. Clare never was one to be easily embarrassed, though it had to be awfully difficult being a plant.
Remembering something, Daphne asked, "What happened to Thomas?"
"He got cut up a bit," Ernie replied. "It was that magic arrow charm. It's a good thing his attacker was a bad aim. I think Susan and I got out of there with the least of it. Parkinson suffered the Cruciatus Curse, but she said she didn't want to be in a hospital with a bunch of Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors. Maybe she would have come if she knew you were alive."
"Maybe," Daphne said. Honestly, that might not have been the case, since she and Pansy were never particularly close. Clare was, however, one of her best friends, and she'd love to be able to talk with her right now... Except for the fact that the conversation would be awfully one-sided.
The nurse returned then with her wand, and, despite Daphne's protests, locked her legs again. She claimed it was far more than enough exercise for now, and if she wanted to make a potion tomorrow, she'd have to rest up a couple hours before trying to walk again. The nurse then shooed Ernie and Susan out of the room... But Susan left Clare on the nightstand before she left.
After an uncomfortable silence, Daphne said, "...So."
The plant rustled slightly, but what that meant, Daphne couldn't even begin to say. Still, she felt sort of alienated sitting alone in the hospital, so even a one-sided conversation was better than nothing.
"How about I ask you yes or no questions, and if it's yes, you can shake your leaf once, and if it's no then twice?"
The plant shook its leaf once, so Daphne took that for acquiescence.
"So no one who went with Potter is dead, right?"
One shake.
"Did you find Draco?"
Two shakes.
"Weasley?"
Two shakes.
"I guess you must have gotten cut off from Potter at some point…"
One shake.
Daphne contemplated this for a moment. True they were in rough times, but it seemed a little severe for Potter to just leave anyone behind. Then again, it's possible that not everyone was able to accurately follow him from the beginning. Since Clare couldn't talk, she couldn't ask her what the circumstances were, but it seemed that time was getting shorter… If Potter really was leaving people behind.
"Do you know if Draco or Weasley are still alive?"
One shake.
ARGH! She'd sort of hoped it would be two, just because now she wanted to know the details which Clare, of course wouldn't be able to tell her. She'd have to think of a way to ask through questions to find out. Then again… There was something else she was a little concerned about, and since Clare had taken Divination… she might know a few things. Only that, too, required a certain amount of vocabulary that her friend-turned-plant could not achieve. She chewed on her bottom lip as she tried to decide what to ask next.
"So... They are alive," Daphne asked again, and Clare shook all of her leaves once. She was getting annoyed... Had the situation not been so dire, that almost would have been amusing. Apparently Clare didn't like repeating herself, even as a poisonous plant. "Maybe I should ask you more about this when you can talk. It'll just be another night."
One shake.
Again, the silence. There was just the smallest of rustling sounds as the plant looked around the hospital room. Daphne lowered herself down until she was prone again, folding her arms behind her head... Which still felt a little bruised. Turning a bit so she could still see Clare, she asked, "So, beside what happened, you're okay?"
One shake. And then the leaf gestured toward Daphne almost instantly. It was asking her the same question.
"My legs were broken," she explained. "But I should be fine."
The plant looked at her expectantly, but when Daphne didn't ask anymore questions, Clare looked almost disappointed. Then, if it was even possible for greenery to brighten, she did so. The leaf shook, not once or twice, but seven times. There was a break, then she shook it twelve times. Then once.
Seven... Twelve... Yes? No! One! Seven, Twelve, One! G-L-A. She was spelling something.
Four times. D.
She went on to spell 'Glad you're alive.'
Michael, Matthew, and McGonagall returned shortly after lunch while Daphne was napping. Given that it was Friday, they still had a little time before the full moon appeared. The mediwitches were off trying to secure a dosage of wolfsbane, because it would be far easier to extract saliva from a sleepy werewolf than from a wild awake and agitated one, even if it was a little boy. Matthew was carrying McGonagall around similar to the fashion he'd previously been holding his teddy. She seemed to be submitting to her fate at present, looking a little discontent, but not complaining. The boy cautiously sat at a chair beside Daphne's bed. A nurse had also given him a children's book to read, and so holding McGonagall on his lap, the boy opened the book and began perusing the brightly illustrated pages.
Michael sat down on the edge of the bed and brushed her hair aside, which woke her up. She blinked up at him uncertainly for a moment before smiling groggily. "Sorry, didn't mean to wake you up," he murmured, withdrawing his hand, and she tried to roll onto her side, only her legs were locked in place. She sighed irritably at that, resigning herself to her current position which was getting a bit uncomfortable. Michael seemed to take that as something directed at himself, and so he slipped off the bed and into the chair beside Matthew. "Nice plant," he muttered, glancing at the new edition to the room who seemed to bristle at the comment.
"Yeah… Er, well, I'll have to tell you about that in a minute, but first tell me how it went."
"It was fine. Emma said it would be good for him to get out… We've sort of promised to take him on a tour of Diagon Alley before returning him… Hope you don't mind."
"I want to get a canary cream," the boy piped up, not looking up from his book.
"So it went without a hitch?"
"Well, she wasn't too fond of the idea at first, but McGonagall explained it to her pretty well, and so she decided we could do it as long as we did her that one favour."
"That's not too bad," Daphne agreed, twisting a lock of her hair. She wasn't a big fan of kids, but if all they had to do was take him out for a single day… Well, that wasn't so bad at all, though it did assumably delay things a bit.
"Now, explain the plant."
She looked at Clare. Already, Daphne was learning a bit more about how to read her feelings, and she definitely didn't look happy. In fact, it seemed as if anyone went near her at that point in time, she'd reward them with a rather nasty bite. However, no one was near enough to the plant to suffer her wrath...
Again, Daphne sighed. "Ernie Macmillan and Susan Bones were here earlier. Brought the plant with them." The plant rustled again when Daphne mentioned it, though she didn't pay it any attention. Instead, she went on to explain what she'd heard about Potter and You-Know-Who, which actually wasn't very much, all things considered. Still, it was more than they knew before.
"Apparently," Daphne went on, "Some Death Eaters don't like killing things. So instead, they'll use transfiguration as a weapon. That plant is Clare Rivers."
Michael, Matthew, and McGonagall were staring at the plant, who was making a very valiant effort to stretch itself close enough to Daphne's bed so she could bite her. However, It was Matthew that got up and approached the plant first before anyone could stop him, with McGonagall trailing along at his heels. Michael reached out, but after an angry 'glare' from the plant, he drew back his hand.
Clare stared off with the little boy for a while before Matthew said, "It's okay, Clare Rivers. I'm here to help you."
Daphne was a bit amazed at the child's perception and his ability to calmly accept the supernatural even if he was a Muggle. He probably barely understood what happened to him every month as it was, and here he was, talking to a plant as if this were just a normal thing to do. After a while, Clare waved a leaf at him, which didn't really indicate much. Daphne tried to translate, though. "She says 'thanks.'"
"This is just getting weird," Michael muttered, rubbing at his temples as Matthew returned to his chair and his book. McGonagall leapt up onto his lap again. At least Clare seemed to be, for the moment, not as violent.
It was a few minutes later that the nurse returned and shooed everyone out of the room again, because it was time for Daphne to relearn how to walk.