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Chapter 20 – A Week Later

A tiny flash of light was slowly making its way down into the deep and dark ocean in which I currently existed. I slowly opened my eyes but closed them almost instantly, because the to me very sharp light was so dazzling.

I tried again, and was able to keep my eyes open for a little longer while before the light got too dazzling. After a few repetitions and blinks, I was able to keep my eyes open all the time.

I wasn't fully aware of where I was. I stared at something white for a little while, before I realized that it was the ceiling. You see, I couldn't think too heavily, because my head was aching like someone was using it as a gong. The pain came in waves, and I couldn't stop myself from moaning every time a flash of pain came rolling over me.

Although it hurt, I rolled my head to the side to get a clear view of the room. I was in the infirmary, which I actually suspected. But what surprised me was that all the usually empty beds were now busy. This is not an exaggeration; there was a person lying on every single bed.

I tried to recall what had happened, but out of what I remembered, I couldn't think of one single reason to why all these people should be in the infirmary. I wasn't really sure what had happened in reality and what hadn't; seeing as I very much suspected that some of what I thought had happened might had been dreams.

"Welcome back, Miss Malfoy", a female voice said.

Just her voice made several heavy waves of pain come over me, and I moaned quietly as I turned my head to where the voice had come from.

A middle-aged woman stood there, bending over me. She had red curly hair, rather short, and big brown eyes. I couldn't remember meeting her before, but as to the way she was dressed, I guessed she was a healer. If the infirmary by some strange reason was filled with hurt students, I suppose they'd need some extra staff there, wouldn't they?

"I'm Bella King", she said. "Healer."

"Oh", I said.

"You have been out for over a week."

"I what!?"

I can honestly say that I had never been in a coma or something similar before. It was a whole new and obviously not very enjoyable experience.

"What happened?" I said, gesturing towards the other students.

"I don't think you should worry your head with that right now. You've got a concussion."

"It hurts."

"I'll get you some Sleeping Draught."

She disappeared out of my view but returned shortly after with a bottle filled with a purple potion. I swallowed it all in four gulps and handed the now empty bottle back to Bella.

"Now get some rest", she said before leaving.

I sighed quietly before leaning back onto my pillow and closing my eyes.


I was stuck in the infirmary for two long weeks. I was told I should be lucky it wasn't worse, but I can't say I did enjoy my concussion, it kept me in a never ending (or that's what it felt like) state of pain, although it did seem to get better after a while. I asked for more Sleeping Draught, but was told they hadn't got any. Since there were so many students in there, they were out of some needed potions, which actually had the consequences that some students had to be cured in a muggle way.

Because of the big amount of students in the infirmary, some of them in a way worse condition than I was, visitors were not allowed. Okay, sure I was more social now than I had been a couple of years before, but I don't think I would have gotten that many visitors anyway. Madam Pomfrey and the healers did not allow much talking between the students in the room either, so it was kind of boring.

I caught sight of Luna, though, but she was in the opposite end of the room so we couldn't really communicate. I remembered having this weird dream – or maybe it had been reality, at the moment I couldn't really tell – that she somehow could talk to me into my brain or something. I actually tried it, but it didn't work. Anyway, she seemed to be doing somewhat okay.

In the bed next to me was Ron Weasley. I must say he looked awful, his left leg, his neck/shoulders and his left arm all wrapped in bandage. Plus, he had also one on his head, similar to mine.

I told you earlier that students weren't allowed to talk much. But that doesn't say we didn't. Especially at night, when sometimes neither Madam Pomfrey nor of the extra healers were there, the infirmary turned into a whispering gossip inferno, although we had to keep very quiet so that no one out in the corridor or something would hear us. However, seeing as they hadn't got enough Sleeping Draugt (and don't ask me why they just didn't make more, I don't know), there were loads of students awake during the nights.

However, my point is that I talked to Ron during the first night when I wasn't on Sleeping Draught. He was mumbling something to himself while staring miserably into the ceiling.

"Hey Ron", I said, "what are you saying?"

"Praying", he mumbled.

"I never thought you were very religious."

"I am now. If there's a god in this, he'll hear me."

Silence fell, and I concentrated hard, although it sent new waves of pain through my head, to discern what he was saying.

"Please, let her live", he mumbled, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

"Let who live, Ron?" I asked.

"Hermione, of course", he said, slightly irritated.

"What's up with her?"

"Don't you know? She's floating between life and death in this very moment. God I don't know what I'll do if-"

"She'll be alright", I said. "I'll pray too."

"Will you? Thanks. If there is a God in this inferno, he'll-"

But he was interrupted when the door suddenly was opened.

"I think I hear talking in here", Madam Pomfrey said. "You aren't supposed to talk."

So that was the end of our conversation, and I leaned back onto my pillow to try and get some sleep. Then, as students were released from the Hospital Wing, there was a rearranging of the students left, and Ron ended up a few beds away, and we could thereby not talk much more.

On my right was now some Hufflepuff first year; quiet girl, I don't even know her name. She left the infirmary shortly after and her bed was left empty.

On my left was a Ravenclaw boy, from the quidditch team, a beater. He never really bothered talking to me, so the rest of the stay in the Hospital Week ended up being very boring indeed.

But finally, Pomfrey and the healers believed I was well enough to go, and one morning I was simply walking out of there. It was time for breakfast, and I thereby went down into the Great Hall.

What first hit me was that it seemed so empty. The tables weren't even half-filled, and there weren't many students left in the Hospital Wing, so I wondered where the others might be. But I was given no time to think about that, since I was interrupted by a voice behind me.

"Tamara!" a bright voice exclaimed, causing a wave of pain, although smaller than before, to roll over my head as I turned around.

"Ginny", I said.

I must say I was quite surprised when she flung her arms around me and hugged me enthusiastically, but of course I hugged her back.

"I'm glad to see that you're back", she said as we walked towards the Gryffindor table and sat down.

"It's great to be back", I said.

"How are you feeling?"

I shrugged slightly – not too much, then my head would start aching again.

"Okay, I guess. How are you?"

"I guess I should be lucky", Ginny said. "I got away easily, but…" her voice faded away.

"Ginny, I… what happened, really?" I asked.

"Don't you know?"

"Well, I… I know a little, but not the whole story."

"Well, no one does. Dumbledore hasn't told us much."

"That professor… he had gone crazy. And there were Death Eaters here", I said, my voice shaking slightly just because of the memory.

"I don't know much about what happened to that Professor. Of course, there're a lot of rumours."

"He's Dumbledore's son", I said.

"You sure?" she said and made big eyes.

"I heard him saying it himself."

"This is getting weirder and weirder. As you said, there were Death Eaters here. I'm not exactly sure what their… let's say… mission was, but they set off after a lot of muggleborns, and some of them set after Harry."

I watched her intensively. "What happened to him? He didn't…" God, I could not say that word I was thinking of.

"No", Ginny said, calming. "But now… I don't think he's feeling very well physically. He never shows up to eat, and he doesn't talk to anyone."

"Oh."

"But", she said, and her voice began shaking, "some of the muggleborns…" she trailed off.

"They didn't…" I whispered. I just couldn't believe it. "Is that why it is so empty in here?"

"Partly, but even out of those students that are… left, there aren't many showing up to eat."

"I just can't believe…"

"The big question is; How did the Death Eaters get here?"

"They apparated", I said.

"Yeah I know, I saw them you know, and they did indeed apparate or something very similar to that."

"But how can you apparate inside Hogwarts anyway?"

"I have absolutely no idea. If they did get in, then… then Hogwarts is no longer safe."

"But you can't get in, that's the idea!"

"But they did, didn't they? This is all weird."

"Very weird indeed", I agreed.


Author's Note: Well, that will have to do. Hope you liked the chapter, and I look forward to your reviews (hint, hint!).

Have a lovely day,

Megafreak