Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except for my own. They are owned by J.K Rowling, and this fan fiction is written solely for entertainment.

Chapter 9: Recovery and Dumbledore's Message

There was a large throbbing in my head, or at least, I thought it was my head. I felt so weak all over. I couldn't feel my fingers. All I could see was black, a deep, never-ending blackness. Were my eyes closed? I tried to open them, but I couldn't. My eyelids stuck to my skin, refusing to move. I tried to move my lips. I could feel one touch the other. That meant something, right? I strained to move my tongue, and eventually after many attempts, I managed to lick my cracked lips. I could feel myself getting stronger, so I tried to open my eyes once again. The blurry light blinded me as if I'd never seen the sun in my life. I couldn't see much at first, but as I opened them wider, things became clearer.
I recognized the large room. I had seen it in the Harry Potter movies. It was the hospital wing. There were no other students in the beds, so I was alone. For a split second I had forgotten why I was in here, but I remembered just as Madame Pomphrey bustled into the room. She realized I was awake and hurried over to me, her rather large butt moving side-to-side with each movement of her legs.
"OH! Thank Merlin! I knew you'd wake up soon," she exclaimed. She bent over me and checked my strength or something, then handed me a cup with some sort of pale liquid. I reluctantly drank it, nearly spitting it out in horror. Madame Pomphrey sighed.
"Well, it'll make you feel better," leaving me with a goblet of water. She waddled around the corner.
"Ah, she's awake, you may see her now." I heard her say from around the corner. I drank a gulp of water as Kelsey, Lily, Alice and Cecily rounded around the corner. They gasped when they saw me sitting up and rushed to my bedside.
"Oh my god! You're awake!" Lily cried happily. I nodded. "I thought you'd never wake up! Like you'd be in a coma for the rest of your life!" Kelsey exclaimed. I squinted in a confused way. "What are you talking about? How long have I been asleep?" I asked. "Five days," Alice answered. My jaw dropped in shock. "I've been unconscious for FIVE DAYS?!" The other's nodded. I shook my head in disbelief, taking another gulp from my goblet. Then my mind wandered back to the dueling. Bellatrix.
"What happened after I fell?" I asked. Dora spoke up.
"There was a HUGE uproar! I'd never seen Dumbledore so angry in my whole life! And it was horrible! Bellatrix was just laughing! I swear, if Remus hadn't held them back, Sirius and James would have killed her!" she exclaimed. Kelsey was clenching her hands.
"You're teeth were gritted together and you were jerking around. It was so scary!" she described. I bit my lip, but smiled at how much my friends cared about me.
"What happened to Bella-" I started but Alice interrupted.
"Expelled," she said. "She won't becoming back," I nodded, relieved. Alice leaned over eagerly.
"What did the curse feel like?" she asked. The other's leaned in closer to hear. I winced from the memory.
"Like dying with no death. It felt like white-hot wires whipping me on every point of my body." The others shuddered as if they could feel it too. We suddenly heard an eruption of many loud voices and loud thumping through the hall, then the hospital wing door push open. We all turned as many Gryffindors hurried into the main room towards my bed.
"We heard you were awake!" a second year squeaked. I nodded politely. My, things travel fast, I thought to myself.

James and Sirius sat in McGonnagal's empty class room in detention after hexing a frog down a third year's throat. Sirius rapped his fingers impatiently on the desk while James leaned back in his chair, twirling his quill around. Suddenly, they heard several people running down the corridor. Scooting his chair out, Sirius yelled out to one of them,
"What's going on?" he asked loudly. The girl poked her head into the classroom, her eyes wide with excitement. She suddenly batted her eyelashes shyly and blushed at Sirius talking to her but whatever was going on was completely consuming her thoughts.

"It's Caroline! The girl who was hit by that curse last week! She's awake!" she exclaimed. James slammed back down on four legs.
"Awake?!"

The girl nodded.
"Practically the whole school's down there!" she said, running away to catch up with her friends. James turned to his best friend, whose jaw had dropped. After a silent moment, they pushed their chairs out of the way and sprinted around the corner towards the hospital wing.
"MOONY!" Sirius yelled, noticing Remus and Peter in the hall. Remus whirled around.
"What?" Sirius grabbed his arm.
"She's awake, let's go!" Remus ran after them, Peter trailing behind.

The people were streaming in, questions coming from this way and that. It was so overwhelming; I had to lean way back from all the people huddling around me. I was still in pain and the position was not very comfortable. I smiled largely and said "I'm doing fine" repeatedly so people would know. I heard the door slam again. Great, more people, I thought. Suddenly, I saw Sirius Black, James Potter, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew push their way from the front. I smiled weakly in relief it wasn't another first year I didn't know. Cecily grabbed Sirius' shirt so he wouldn't get sucked back into the crowd. James, Remus and Peter gripped the bed, so they wouldn't get sucked back either. I leaned my head away from a guy with horrible breath, and smiled as if I heard him. I glanced at Marauders and gestured a finger, to get closer so they could hear me. They leaned in as I yelled.
"Will you guys get them all out of here?!" I tried to say over the talking. They nodded and stood up. James got up on the edge of the bed.
"Do you mind?" he asked me. I shook my head, so he turned towards the crowd of people. Sirius whistled EXTREMELY loudly. Most everyone covered their ears and went completely silent.
"ALRIGHT! EVERYONE OUT! THIS BLOODY ROOM CAN'T HOLD MUCH MORE OF YOU! COME ON PEOPLE! SHE'LL BE BACK IN CLASS PROBABLY LATER THIS WEEK!" James shouted quite loudly. There were some quiet objections, but the room became emptier and emptier. Remus pushed stray students out the door and slammed it closed once everyone was out. I noticed Lily looking rather impressed by how James handled it, and I bit in a smile. I sighed, adjusting my weak arms and sitting more comfortably.
"Thank you," I said to them. I leaned forward, rubbing my temples from my now worse, throbbing headache. I groaned in pain, as I cracked the stiff joints in my back.
"When did you wake up?" James asked.
"Not that long ago," I answered through my hands that cupped my forehead. I groaned again.
"I swear that mad cow is out to get me," I said, referring to Bellatrix. Remus scoffed.
"I prefer drunken bitch, but that's just me." Sirius suggested. I laughed silently.
"None of this would have happened if I hadn't threatened her in Hogsmeade," I scolded. Remus raised his eyebrows.
"You threatened her?" he said as if I was mad.
"Hey, she was asking for it!" I said trying to get myself out of it, but I didn't care.
"Well, you won't get to threaten her for a while. She's been expelled," Sirius said, grinning slightly. "Probably have her wand snapped too.
"So I've heard," I replied. I took another sip from my water.
"When do you get out of here?" Alice asked. I shrugged.
"I am afraid that Caroline will have to stay in here for another night, possibly two." Came a voice from the other side of the room. We all turned to see Dumbledore walking over to us, eyes twinkling as always.
"I suggest you all make your way back to class. I would like to talk to Miss Lefave alone," he said. Obediently, they all walked towards the door.
"All of you, except Miss Jistel, please." He corrected. Kelsey turned around as the others hurried out the door. Kelsey nervously sat down in the chair next to my bed. Dumbledore smiled at me.
"I hope you are feeling better, Caroline. I apologize for not preventing this from happening," he said. I shook my head.
"It's not your fault, Professor, it's my-" I said, but he held his hand up.
"It is Bellatrix's fault only. It was her choice to bestow the dangerous curse upon you." He said. I nodded reluctantly, still convinced it was my own fault.
"But, that is not why I wanted to talk to the both of you," he said. He strolled back and forth nonchalantly, as he began,
"I realize that you have a secret that only the two of you know." He took out his wand and conjured up a green light.
"Do you remember when you said these words?" He flashed his wand at the green light, and suddenly two voices came out of the light:

"It would be so much fun! We could like, keep them from dying because we'd know what would happen in their life!"

"I wish they were all real. Life would be so much more appealing to me,"

"You ever wondered what Harry Potter's life would be like if his parents weren't killed?"

The voices repeated themselves and swirled until Dumbledore flashed his wand at it again, and the green light disappeared. Kelsey and I were speechless. Our jaws set.
"P-professor, how did you know that?" Kelsey squeaked. Dumbledore chuckled.
"This was your wish wasn't it? Get to live with 'Harry Potter's' parents? Go to Hogwarts?" How do you two think you got here?" I looked with disbelief at him.
"You sent us here?" He smiled and nodded.
"As you well know, the threat of Lord Voldemort is so strong, Hogwarts is one of the few safest places left. I happened to come across the your wish, I knew you were just who I needed. Two people who knew what would happen in future days. So, I planned that if you befriended the two people who would bare the one boy who would cause the downfall of Voldemort, you could attempt to change history and your wondering will be answered." Kelsey and I sat completely silent as Dumbledore continued.
"So, I sent one of my handy green mistifiers to send you here. I conjured a tricky and powerful memory spell to all wizards and witches that you two had been going to Hogwarts since you were 11 years old. That is why Alice knew who you both were."
"But, Professor, won't our parents at home notice we've been gone?" Dumbledore shook his head.
"Each year that passes here, will be one minute in your world. I planned for you both to be here until the day that Voldemort will have his downfall. Only you know that date, so when that day comes, you will go back to your world. You will not age, for if you did, then you would look mighty strange back home, eh?"
"So, it's going to feel like we've been here for years?" Kelsey asked. Dumbledore nodded.
"I want you to both understand that you have many lives on your shoulders. Including the future Potters." He said with a wink. "I can give as many instructions you ask for, but I warn you, it is difficult to change what has apparently already happened." With that, Dumbledore smiled at me.
"Get well, soon, my dear. Kelsey, head along to class, but remember; you must never let anyone know why you know so much about them, for it might alter their lives." Then he turned and walked out the door. Kelsey and I looked at each other stunned.
"I'll see you later, Caroline." She got up, but turned around eagerly.
"Oh my god!! I forgot to tell you! Yesterday, I got set up with Remus!" she exclaimed.
"NO!!!" I exclaimed excitedly. "WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO?!" Kelsey grinned, biting her lip.
"They told him I needed tutoring in Transfiguration, so I'm meeting him in the library before dinner, so keep your fingers crossed!" she said with joy. I laughed and crossed my fingers.
"Now, go! Go to class and come back and tell me what happened!" She smiled and hurried out of the room. I smiled to myself. Too cool, I thought. Blinking, I realized how tired all of this had made me, so I lay down and closed my eyes, hoping the excess would cease.

A/N: I hope you liked this chapter! Next chapter: Be prepared for a full moon ;-)