Again, sorry for the lateness of this chapter, but like I said, I can only
write when I'm in the mood.
Thank you for all of you that reviewed. It is much appreciated! Please review this new chapter.
Thanks!
Lisa :o)
The Value of Friendship By LisaRosa
Chapter 3 – To Sleep... Perhaps to Dream
Having skipped breakfast, Lupin prepared a lesson for a first year class. He was just standing to stretch out stiff muscles only to startle when someone ran into the room.
"Remus, Dumbledore wants you in the hospital wing immediately!" Amanda said, out of breath and leaning against a desk.
"What happened?" he asked her, immediately putting away books and papers into his desk.
"It's Harry Potter. He fainted during breakfast. He's... " Amanda was about to say more when Remus suddenly ran passed her almost fast enough to fly. "...just had a shock..." she finished to the empty room. Looking around, she sighed and sat down abruptly in a desk, laying her hands on the surface.
****
One of the first things Harry noticed when the darkness receded was how warm and comfortable he was. Maybe it was a Saturday and Ron was allowing him to have a lie in rather than going out early in the morning to practice quidditch. Then he noticed the smell of disinfectant, then the whispers of people around him. Slowly opening his eyes, he blearily turned his head to look to the side of his bed. What he saw surprised him somewhat. Next to his bed sat his teacher Professor Lupin and his best friend Ron and his little sister, Ginny who quickly moved to sit next to him on the bed.
"Harry? Thank goodness you're awake!" She sighed in relief, putting a hand on his arm. "How are you feeling?"
"Very confused. What happened?" He took his spectacles that Lupin handed to him. He blinked his eyes a few times to let them adjust then looked at the worried faces around him.
"You fainted in the great hall, mate, after you saw the article in the Daily Prophet," Ron answered him. "Don't you remember?"
Flashes of the paper and the article about Sirius raced through his mind. "They cleared Sirius..." he said softly, looking up at the ceiling.
"Yes, they did. I'm sorry it took what happened in June to clear him, Harry," Lupin said, touching Harry's shoulder. "I wish it could have happened sooner."
"Did you know about this, Professor?" Harry felt the tears in his eyes beginning to form, still not looking at Lupin.
"No, I didn't," Remus answered, sitting back in his chair again, rubbing his eyes. "If I had, I would have told you."
"As I should have done," came another voice from across the room.
Professor Dumbledore walked into the room and next to Harry's bed. Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. After everything that went on, because his headmaster had not told him about the prophesy, how could he not tell him about the article.
"What are you saying?" Harry asked, his voice carrying the anger that was starting to well up inside him.
"I knew that Kingsley Shacklebolt was questioning the Death Eaters that had been captured to clear Sirius' name, but I had not realized that he had reported this to Cornelius Fudge." The old wizard sat on the edge of Harry's bed. "I am sorry, Harry."
Harry's anger disappeared immediately. His headmaster had not been holding back information after all. He signed and sat up slowly with the help of Lupin. Feeling weak but slightly better, Harry looked up at Professor Dumbledore again, feeling chagrined.
"I can't believe I fainted like that in the great hall," he said, embarrassed. "I bet Draco Malfoy is having a field day with it."
"Don't work about it, Harry. Seamus and Dean said they would take care of it if Malfoy tries anything." Ron gave his friend a reassuring grin which Ginny mirrored.
"You have nothing to be ashamed of Harry. It's to be expected when one is ill." Dumbledore patted his shoulder.
"Ill? You mean I've got what everyone else has?" He glanced around at the other beds until his eyes fell on Hermione. "How is she?"
"Still the same," Ron answered this time, looking sadly over at the girl. "Madame Pomfrey won't say anything."
"The healers from St. Mungo have arrived today to lend us their aid. They are guarded in Miss Granger's case." Dumbledore explained, standing from his seat. "I must be off. I have a meeting with your father, Mr. Weasley."
"My dad?" Ron's eyebrows went up to his hairline. Harry could see the near panic in his expression as he was trying to figure out what he had done.
The headmaster chuckled. "You have done nothing wrong, Mr. Weasley. It is merely a meeting concerning some muggle items that I wish to enchant. Good day to you all!" He gave everyone a nod before strolling out of the room.
Harry turned to glance at Hermione once more, watching her very pale face for any sign of movement. It wasn't natural for her to be so silent. He continued this until someone spoke up.
"Well, I should get back to my work." Lupin stood from his chair. "Harry, I'll be back later this evening to see how you are. Ginny, Ron, you're excused from classes today, but I expect to see you back tomorrow morning." He gave Harry a reassuring smile then turned to walk out of the room.
"How are you feeling, Harry?" Ginny asked moving once again to sit on Harry's other side.
"Fine for the most part, but I feel like I've run a hundred miles or something." Harry rubbed at his eyes. "Am I really ill like Hermione and the others?" he asked his friends.
"Yeah, at least that's what Pomfrey is saying," Ron replied resting his feet on the bed which Ginny slapped off again. Ron glared at her.
"Has anyone else died?" Harry glanced around the room again.
"No, not yet, but I've been hearing the Healers say it's only a matter of time..." Ron looked fearfully over at Hermione.
"She's strong, Ron. If anyone can make it, it's Hermione." Harry knew his voice sounded far from convincing. "She won't go down with a fight." Ron just nodded, his eyes never leaving Hermione's pale face.
Ginny was quietly sitting there, picking at a piece of lint on the blanket. "Ginny, what's wrong?" Harry took her hand in his.
"It's just... I can't help but wonder if we're all going to die from this..." She raised her eyes to Harry who noticed for the first time how beautiful they were.
"They'll find a cure for this before that happens." He squeezed her hand gently to comfort her. Ginny nodded, her eyes falling to the blanket once more. ****
It wasn't long before nighttime arrived and his two friends bid him good night to return to Gryffindor tower. Harry lay in bed, listening to the other ill students breathing harshly in some cases or coughing in an effort to breath. Just when he was about to drift off into sleep, he heard a scratching noise on the floor near his bed. Slowly sitting up, he looked down at the floor only to catch a small shadow in the dim lamp light scurry under the beds. His heart began to race. It couldn't be... It was then he heard Madam Pomfrey come over to his bed to check on him.
"Potter, you should be asleep." She forced him to lie down again and pulled the blankets up to his chin.
"Madam Pomfrey, I just saw something crawling under the beds. I think it might be a..." He started to tell her but was interrupted.
"Never you mind, Potter, it was just a dream." She checked his forehead only to pull her hand away with a shake of her head. "You have a fever and sometimes that can cause bad dreams."
"No, I know I saw..."
"That's enough, Potter," she said firmly. "Go back to sleep or I'll give you something to make you sleep." She bustled off to her office, leaving Harry frustrated and a tad bit worried.
*************
End of Chapter 3.
Please Review!
Thank you for all of you that reviewed. It is much appreciated! Please review this new chapter.
Thanks!
Lisa :o)
The Value of Friendship By LisaRosa
Chapter 3 – To Sleep... Perhaps to Dream
Having skipped breakfast, Lupin prepared a lesson for a first year class. He was just standing to stretch out stiff muscles only to startle when someone ran into the room.
"Remus, Dumbledore wants you in the hospital wing immediately!" Amanda said, out of breath and leaning against a desk.
"What happened?" he asked her, immediately putting away books and papers into his desk.
"It's Harry Potter. He fainted during breakfast. He's... " Amanda was about to say more when Remus suddenly ran passed her almost fast enough to fly. "...just had a shock..." she finished to the empty room. Looking around, she sighed and sat down abruptly in a desk, laying her hands on the surface.
****
One of the first things Harry noticed when the darkness receded was how warm and comfortable he was. Maybe it was a Saturday and Ron was allowing him to have a lie in rather than going out early in the morning to practice quidditch. Then he noticed the smell of disinfectant, then the whispers of people around him. Slowly opening his eyes, he blearily turned his head to look to the side of his bed. What he saw surprised him somewhat. Next to his bed sat his teacher Professor Lupin and his best friend Ron and his little sister, Ginny who quickly moved to sit next to him on the bed.
"Harry? Thank goodness you're awake!" She sighed in relief, putting a hand on his arm. "How are you feeling?"
"Very confused. What happened?" He took his spectacles that Lupin handed to him. He blinked his eyes a few times to let them adjust then looked at the worried faces around him.
"You fainted in the great hall, mate, after you saw the article in the Daily Prophet," Ron answered him. "Don't you remember?"
Flashes of the paper and the article about Sirius raced through his mind. "They cleared Sirius..." he said softly, looking up at the ceiling.
"Yes, they did. I'm sorry it took what happened in June to clear him, Harry," Lupin said, touching Harry's shoulder. "I wish it could have happened sooner."
"Did you know about this, Professor?" Harry felt the tears in his eyes beginning to form, still not looking at Lupin.
"No, I didn't," Remus answered, sitting back in his chair again, rubbing his eyes. "If I had, I would have told you."
"As I should have done," came another voice from across the room.
Professor Dumbledore walked into the room and next to Harry's bed. Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. After everything that went on, because his headmaster had not told him about the prophesy, how could he not tell him about the article.
"What are you saying?" Harry asked, his voice carrying the anger that was starting to well up inside him.
"I knew that Kingsley Shacklebolt was questioning the Death Eaters that had been captured to clear Sirius' name, but I had not realized that he had reported this to Cornelius Fudge." The old wizard sat on the edge of Harry's bed. "I am sorry, Harry."
Harry's anger disappeared immediately. His headmaster had not been holding back information after all. He signed and sat up slowly with the help of Lupin. Feeling weak but slightly better, Harry looked up at Professor Dumbledore again, feeling chagrined.
"I can't believe I fainted like that in the great hall," he said, embarrassed. "I bet Draco Malfoy is having a field day with it."
"Don't work about it, Harry. Seamus and Dean said they would take care of it if Malfoy tries anything." Ron gave his friend a reassuring grin which Ginny mirrored.
"You have nothing to be ashamed of Harry. It's to be expected when one is ill." Dumbledore patted his shoulder.
"Ill? You mean I've got what everyone else has?" He glanced around at the other beds until his eyes fell on Hermione. "How is she?"
"Still the same," Ron answered this time, looking sadly over at the girl. "Madame Pomfrey won't say anything."
"The healers from St. Mungo have arrived today to lend us their aid. They are guarded in Miss Granger's case." Dumbledore explained, standing from his seat. "I must be off. I have a meeting with your father, Mr. Weasley."
"My dad?" Ron's eyebrows went up to his hairline. Harry could see the near panic in his expression as he was trying to figure out what he had done.
The headmaster chuckled. "You have done nothing wrong, Mr. Weasley. It is merely a meeting concerning some muggle items that I wish to enchant. Good day to you all!" He gave everyone a nod before strolling out of the room.
Harry turned to glance at Hermione once more, watching her very pale face for any sign of movement. It wasn't natural for her to be so silent. He continued this until someone spoke up.
"Well, I should get back to my work." Lupin stood from his chair. "Harry, I'll be back later this evening to see how you are. Ginny, Ron, you're excused from classes today, but I expect to see you back tomorrow morning." He gave Harry a reassuring smile then turned to walk out of the room.
"How are you feeling, Harry?" Ginny asked moving once again to sit on Harry's other side.
"Fine for the most part, but I feel like I've run a hundred miles or something." Harry rubbed at his eyes. "Am I really ill like Hermione and the others?" he asked his friends.
"Yeah, at least that's what Pomfrey is saying," Ron replied resting his feet on the bed which Ginny slapped off again. Ron glared at her.
"Has anyone else died?" Harry glanced around the room again.
"No, not yet, but I've been hearing the Healers say it's only a matter of time..." Ron looked fearfully over at Hermione.
"She's strong, Ron. If anyone can make it, it's Hermione." Harry knew his voice sounded far from convincing. "She won't go down with a fight." Ron just nodded, his eyes never leaving Hermione's pale face.
Ginny was quietly sitting there, picking at a piece of lint on the blanket. "Ginny, what's wrong?" Harry took her hand in his.
"It's just... I can't help but wonder if we're all going to die from this..." She raised her eyes to Harry who noticed for the first time how beautiful they were.
"They'll find a cure for this before that happens." He squeezed her hand gently to comfort her. Ginny nodded, her eyes falling to the blanket once more. ****
It wasn't long before nighttime arrived and his two friends bid him good night to return to Gryffindor tower. Harry lay in bed, listening to the other ill students breathing harshly in some cases or coughing in an effort to breath. Just when he was about to drift off into sleep, he heard a scratching noise on the floor near his bed. Slowly sitting up, he looked down at the floor only to catch a small shadow in the dim lamp light scurry under the beds. His heart began to race. It couldn't be... It was then he heard Madam Pomfrey come over to his bed to check on him.
"Potter, you should be asleep." She forced him to lie down again and pulled the blankets up to his chin.
"Madam Pomfrey, I just saw something crawling under the beds. I think it might be a..." He started to tell her but was interrupted.
"Never you mind, Potter, it was just a dream." She checked his forehead only to pull her hand away with a shake of her head. "You have a fever and sometimes that can cause bad dreams."
"No, I know I saw..."
"That's enough, Potter," she said firmly. "Go back to sleep or I'll give you something to make you sleep." She bustled off to her office, leaving Harry frustrated and a tad bit worried.
*************
End of Chapter 3.
Please Review!