"Quite a nasty fall."
"Yes, from at least 70 feet up."
"It's a wonder he's not dead. Fell right on his neck."
"Yes. He's very lucky."
Harry had been listening to these voices for a while, but he didn't have enough energy to open his eyes and see who they were. He couldn't remember what had happened, but it wasn't sounding good.
"He certainly is an injury magnet. I see him in here at least twice a year with some kind of contusion."
"Yes, yes. Well I think it's best if we leave him alone now."
"I should let his friends in, but they won't understand."
"They've seen him injured hundreds of times. What makes this time any different?"
"Well, I'll just tell them to come back later. Let him rest for a bit."
The voices went away, and Harry was left alone. A fall from at least 70 feet up? Where could he have been when that happened? He tried to remember, but it hurt his head too much. He tried to push it out of his mind, but that didn't work either. Why would he have been 70 feet above the ground? Maybe he had jumped off of something... no that didn't make sense... Quidditch! Of course! That's the only time when he would have been up that high. Then everything that had happened started coming back... he had been bucked off of his broom right before he caught the snitch... Cho had caught the snitch... they'd lost... he'd lost. Then he remembered what the one voice had said. His friends wanted to come see him. It was probably Ron, wanting to strangle him. Harry didn't blame him. I'd want to strangle me too, he thought. Harry lied there for a little longer, and then he decided that he needed to get up. He couldn't lie there forever. After a few tries, Harry managed to force his eyes open. Everything was very blurry, partly because he didn't have his glasses on, and partly because of the pain in the back of his neck. He heard someone coming. The curtain flew up and Ginny stepped through.
"Geeze... they act like a funeral's going on. And all I wanted to do was come make sure you were alive." she said.
"I'm alive." Harry said. "I feel like I'm dead... but I'm still breathing."
"Yes. Well Hermione was so frantic that I told her I'd come see if you're alive. And you are, so she can stop freaking out."
"How bad did we lose?" Harry asked
"Lose?"
"The quidditch match. How bad did we lose?" he asked again
"We didn't."
"What? But I missed the snitch..."
"Yes, but Cho grabbed onto the back of your broom to flip you off. Blagging: that's a foul. And you falling caused a Ravenclaw chaser to swerve and touch the snitch, which is another foul. Only the seeker is allowed to touch the snitch. That chaser hit the keeper right as I scored. They fouled them for that too because the keeper was inside the goal. So really, after they subtracted all of those points, we won."
Harry wasn't really sure how to respond to that, but knowing that they won made him feel a little better. "Okay then... did someone get my broom?"
"Yep. Amanda put it back for you."
"Well that turned out better than the last time I fell off."
"Yep it did. Except that you were hurt worse this time."
"I seem to have this thing for falling on my head." Harry said. Ginny laughed.
"Well I should go tell Hermione that you're alive before she has a fit. I'll come back later to check on you." She smiled at him and left.

Later that day, Hermione came to see him. Harry didn't have his eyes open but he could tell it was her. She came over to his bed, stopped, and then turned around and left. Nice to see you too, Harry thought. About an hour later, Ginny came back. She must have thought that he was asleep, because she sat down in the chair next to his bed and didn't talk.
"Hi Ginny." he said.
"How'd you know it was me?" she asked
"The way you walk."
"What?"
"I could hear you walking." He opened his eyes and looked at her. "Everyone else shuffles their feet when they walk. So if there's no shuffling, I assume it's you."
"Oh." Harry noticed that she looked worried.
"What's wrong?"
She looked away from him. "Nothing."
"Come on, what is it?"
"It's nothing."
"Something's wrong." Ginny sighed. "Come on. You can tell me."
"Hermione told me not to."
"Why not?"
"She doesn't want you to worry."
"Too late."
"Harry, I just can't..." Harry could hear the bell ringing in the distance. "Oh shoot. I have to go. Sorry, I'll come back later." She got up and went running out of the hospital wing. Right, Harry thought. Well that made sense... He spotted the nurse running around between the beds.
"When do I get out of here?" he asked her.
"You'll be lucky if I let you go home this summer." she replied.
"I can't be hurt that bad."
"Oh really? Try to sit up then." Harry tried, but the pain in his shoulders and neck overcame him, and he gave up. "I rest my case." She said, and moved on to the next bed.
"But what about my classes?"
"The headmaster has already talked to your professors."
"But..."
"No buts. You're not leaving that bed until I tell you to." Harry sighed dramatically and put a pillow over his head. He had to get out of there... but how... He listened to the nurse shuffling around the room, and then into her office. Harry took the pillow off of his head and looked around.
"Potter." Harry heard. He turned his head and looked at Malfoy.
"What?"
"Watch out for Weasley." Harry gave him a confused look. "You know what I mean." Harry did understand, but why was Draco Malfoy, of all people, warning him?
"Yeah I do, but why do you care? You're on Voldemort's side anyway."
"I didn't choose to be. Now listen. Voldemort knows that you're hurt. He's gonna have Weasley jump you any day now. So watch yourself." Harry was still confused as to why Malfoy cared.
"Whatever." Harry said. Malfoy got up and snuck out of the hospital wing. What does he mean by he didn't choose to be? Harry thought. You're either for or against Voldemort. Maybe his dad made him... but still. Malfoy hated him so much that he'd probably throw a party the minute he was killed. So why was he warning him? The nurse came toward him, holding a small purple bottle.
"Drink this. You need some sleep." she said. Harry knew better than to argue. He took the potion and fell asleep before he could put the bottle down.

Harry walked down the hallway, and hit in a corner. McGonagall and Dumbledore were talking. He glanced out the window and saw that it was late at night.
"But Albus, he's been gone for four days." McGonagall said
"I know. I've sent Hagrid out to check the forest, and some members of the order are looking around Hogsmeade." Dumbledore replied.
"Do you think he could have done something drastic?"
"No. At least, not because of the quidditch match."
"He is a teenager. You know how emotional they get sometimes."
"Yes I know." Dumbledore said, McGonagall paused for a while.
"Albus... you don't think he'd..."
"No." Dumbledore answered, as if he knew what she was going to say.
"Should we tell Harry?" McGonagall asked.
"No. Not yet. There is no real danger yet."
The dream faded away, and Harry woke up. Five days later, Harry was still in the hospital wing. He wondered who was missing. The only students he'd seen since the accident were Ginny and Malfoy. And it was a he... Ron, Harry thought. It has to be Ron. Harry looked outside, and saw that it was dark. It was kind of hard to tell the time of day, because the lights were always on. Hermione must be having a fit. As if on cue, the door opened slowly and Hermione crept in, with Ginny closely behind her. When she got closer, he noticed that Hermione looked like she was ready to cry.
"What is it?" he whispered.
"I didn't want to tell you... but..."
"Hermione, hurry up." Ginny said.
"Oh... but I..."
"We don't have all night. If we get caught in here we'll have detention till the end of the year." The thought of detention made Hermione go faster.
"After the quidditch match..." she sighed. "Ron went somewhere... and we haven't seen him since."
"We just heard McGonagall and Dumbledore talking. They don't sound too confident." Ginny said. Harry's jaw dropped. "What?"
"Nothing." Harry thought it was a bit odd that he had just had a dream about the same thing they had just heard. "When was the last time you saw him?"
"Right after the match. He didn't even stay to hear that we had really won." Ginny said.
"Neville told me he saw him near the forest that night." Hermione said. "But they've sent Hagrid out there. Maybe they'll find him."
"It's been over five days Harry." Ginny said. Harry knew why they bothered coming all the way up there to tell him. They wanted him to save the day, again. He shook his head.
"I can't do anything."
"Yes you can." Ginny said.
"No, I can't. I can't even sit up."
"Since when have injuries ever stopped you before?" Ginny asked.
"Sorry... I just can't do it this time."
"I can't believe you! You won't go out there to help your best friend?"
"Well I don't see you two doing much either."
"We were on our way out there today. But we realized that there are some things in the forest that we won't be able to fight. That's why we risked getting detention to come get you. We're going to try again tomorrow night."
"I'm sorry. I wouldn't be much help." Ginny was about to argue back, but the light in the nurse's room came on, and the two of them quickly snuck out. Harry pretended to be asleep. He thought about what Ginny had said. Since when have injuries ever stopped you before? she'd asked. It was then that he decided that even if he couldn't do anything, he wasn't going to leave Ron out there. He was going to find a way to get out of there and go with them the next night.