I know it's been a very long time since I've updated, but it can't be
helped. Very busy lately then there's this little problem of changing anti-
depression medication that set me going in circles for awhile.
Please review!
The Value of Friendship By LisaRosa
Chapter 4 – Nightmares
Lupin walked into the hospital wing first thing in the morning, feeling guilty for not having visited Harry the night before. He had been grading papers and lost track of the time. In one hand he carried a new defense book he wanted to show Harry and in the other, he carried the Daily Prophet, thinking that Harry might like to read the new article about Sirius' pardon. Fudge was going to make a public apology since many in the wizarding world were calling for it and for declaring Sirius a hero in trying to save the Boy-Who-Lived. Lupin chuckled silently at that thought. Sirius would have laughed at all the absurdity of it.
He walked up to the bed to find Harry still asleep, his face very pale. Laying a hand on Harry's forehead, he began to panic. "Madam Pomfrey?" he called soft over to the nurse who was caring for Hermione at that moment.
Madame Pomfrey turned and glanced down at Harry in concern then back at Remus. "He's getting worse, Remus," she answered the unspoken question the younger man's face.
"The healers haven't found a cure yet?" he asked as he sat down in the chair beside Harry's bed.
"No." Pomfrey shook her head sadly, glancing over at Hermione once again. "But they must find one soon. I don't know how long Miss Granger will hold on. We've already lost the Abbot girl."
"How bad off is Hermione?"
"She's in grave condition, Remus." The nurse pulled over another chair to sit beside the professor. "I've asked Dumbledore to owl her parents and to bring them here."
Remus felt the blood drain from his face. "You think she's..."
"Yes, I do." Madame Pomfrey's voice wavered before she could control it once more. "Her condition hasn't changed in the last few hours, but the healers and I aren't holding out much hope. Baring a miracle, I'm afraid Miss Granger will die."
He was hearing soft voices around his bed as he drifted toward wakefulness. Harry continued to keep his eyes closed as his head pounded and he knew the light from the windows would only make it worse. One of the voices he recognized as Professor Lupin's and the other Madame Pomfrey. Were they talking about him or Hermione? He asked himself, trying to listen harder. Then Madame Pomfrey's last words caught his attention.
"Baring a miracle, Miss Granger will die..."
"No!" Harry suddenly sat up and immediately regretted it as the room spun around. Hands grabbed at his shoulders, forcing him to lie back down. "You can't let her die..." he protested in a weak voice.
"Harry, calm down please," Lupin pleaded with him, still holding Harry down to the bed. "No one is going to let Hermione die, Harry. The healers are going everything they can."
"But Madame Pomfrey just said..." he began then started coughing until he was sure he had brought up his lungs. Remus permitted him to sit up then held on to him until the coughing fit was over.
"Are you all right now?" Lupin asked Harry, helping him to lie back down which Harry did willingly this time.
Harry nodded, but the panicked expression was back in his eyes as he glanced over at Hermione, his best friend, his sister in heart. "So you think there's still hope?" he asked his professor without his eyes leaving the girl in the bed next to him.
"Yes, I do," Remus answered, turning Harry's head back so that he looked him in the eyes. "What you didn't hear Madame Pomfrey say is that her condition hasn't changed in the last few hours, so there is still hope."
Harry searched his guardian's eyes and sighed. There was still hope. Remus would not lie to him. He was always truthful.
"It's you I'm worried about right now." Remus felt Harry's forehead again. "How are you feeling?"
"Achy, congested, can't breathe very well." Harry closed his eyes for a moment, trying to catch his breath. "It's hotter than anything in here too."
"It's the fever." Remus smoothed down his fringe than sat back in his chair. The nurse had long since left, leaving the young man to explain things to Harry.
"Where's Ron and Ginny?" He looked around the room, hoping to see one of them.
"They're at breakfast, I suppose, but they'll probably be up here before heading to classes." He glanced at his pocket watch. "Which I should be doing as well. Are you sure you'll be okay if I left you for awhile?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine." He gave his professor a small smile.
"Good." Lupin returned the smile then stood from his chair to leave. "Just do what Madame Pomfrey tells you and be good." Remus was trying to be as stern about it as possible, but he couldn't help the twitch of his lips into a smile.
"Yeah, right. This coming from a Marauder," Harry returned the joke, laughing slightly.
Lupin chuckled then left the room.
Harry spent the rest of the day watching Hermione closely when he was not sleeping. So far, she had not grown any worse, but she was not getting any better either. In his dreams, he found himself standing beside a gravestone, but he could not read the name written on it. Next to it was a taller stone of gray marble with the name Potter written upon it, but before he could see more, he would wake feeling worse than he had before.
By nightfall, he thought he was living in his own personal hell. He felt hot and achy and every time he coughed, he felt even weaker.
Ron and Ginny had visited that evening, but Ron had drifted over to sit next to Hermione, holding her hand. Ginny sat with Harry.
"Professor Lupin told us what Madame Pomfrey said about Hermione," Ginny softly told Harry, taking his hand as well. Harry could see the tears forming in her eyes.
"She hasn't gotten any worse, has she?" Harry glanced over at Hermione once more, not sure if he had missed something while he was asleep.
"Not from what the nurse just told us. They're holding out a little more hope that she'll make it." Ginny sided and rubbed Harry hand lightly.
Harry like the soothing feeling her touch brought him. His eyes started to close again, but before he could drift off to sleep, he opened them once again remembering something else. "Ginny, have you seen anything crawling in here?"
"What?" Ginny sat up more straight as she looked at Harry in confusion. "What are you talking about, Harry?" She looked down at the floor for a moment before returning her gaze back to Harry.
"Last night I thought I saw something crawling underneath the beds." He tried to sit up but was held down by Ginny.
"Harry, I think you just dreamed it. I haven't seen anything." Her expression changed from a concerned to downright worried. "It was your fever. Sometimes, they can make you see things..."
"I wasn't seeing things!" He spoke as loud as he could before being shushed by Madame Pomfrey from across the room.
"All right, all right, I'll keep an eye out," Ginny placated him, making him lie back down.
Harry sighed, feeling his head pounding again.
"How's everyone else?" He glanced around the room. Ginny remained silent, looking away from him. "Ginny, what is it?"
She sighed and glanced back at Harry. "They found Hanna Abbott dead in her bed this morning when you were asleep." Ginny took Harry's hand again. "You didn't even wake when her mother went hysterical."
Harry felt numb. He didn't know her very well, but well enough that he considered her a friend. Then something occurred to him. "Wait, her parents were here? I thought they quarantined the castle?"
"They did, but the disease seems not to affect the adults in the castle," Ginny answered. Tears were running down her face now. "Ernie McMillan was in the hall outside my class when they told him." She swallowed hard. "I never saw anyone so devastated. He and Hannah had been dating since last year."
Harry turned his head toward Hermione and Ron. If they lost Hermione, he knew Ron would be beside himself in grief. There was no guessing that Ron fancied Hermione. He could see it in his face whenever she walked into a room. Harry knew that he himself would never be the same if Hermione died.
A/N: Sorry to end it here, but my bed is calling me and really need to sleep.
Lisa
Review Please! It'll make me write faster.
Please review!
The Value of Friendship By LisaRosa
Chapter 4 – Nightmares
Lupin walked into the hospital wing first thing in the morning, feeling guilty for not having visited Harry the night before. He had been grading papers and lost track of the time. In one hand he carried a new defense book he wanted to show Harry and in the other, he carried the Daily Prophet, thinking that Harry might like to read the new article about Sirius' pardon. Fudge was going to make a public apology since many in the wizarding world were calling for it and for declaring Sirius a hero in trying to save the Boy-Who-Lived. Lupin chuckled silently at that thought. Sirius would have laughed at all the absurdity of it.
He walked up to the bed to find Harry still asleep, his face very pale. Laying a hand on Harry's forehead, he began to panic. "Madam Pomfrey?" he called soft over to the nurse who was caring for Hermione at that moment.
Madame Pomfrey turned and glanced down at Harry in concern then back at Remus. "He's getting worse, Remus," she answered the unspoken question the younger man's face.
"The healers haven't found a cure yet?" he asked as he sat down in the chair beside Harry's bed.
"No." Pomfrey shook her head sadly, glancing over at Hermione once again. "But they must find one soon. I don't know how long Miss Granger will hold on. We've already lost the Abbot girl."
"How bad off is Hermione?"
"She's in grave condition, Remus." The nurse pulled over another chair to sit beside the professor. "I've asked Dumbledore to owl her parents and to bring them here."
Remus felt the blood drain from his face. "You think she's..."
"Yes, I do." Madame Pomfrey's voice wavered before she could control it once more. "Her condition hasn't changed in the last few hours, but the healers and I aren't holding out much hope. Baring a miracle, I'm afraid Miss Granger will die."
He was hearing soft voices around his bed as he drifted toward wakefulness. Harry continued to keep his eyes closed as his head pounded and he knew the light from the windows would only make it worse. One of the voices he recognized as Professor Lupin's and the other Madame Pomfrey. Were they talking about him or Hermione? He asked himself, trying to listen harder. Then Madame Pomfrey's last words caught his attention.
"Baring a miracle, Miss Granger will die..."
"No!" Harry suddenly sat up and immediately regretted it as the room spun around. Hands grabbed at his shoulders, forcing him to lie back down. "You can't let her die..." he protested in a weak voice.
"Harry, calm down please," Lupin pleaded with him, still holding Harry down to the bed. "No one is going to let Hermione die, Harry. The healers are going everything they can."
"But Madame Pomfrey just said..." he began then started coughing until he was sure he had brought up his lungs. Remus permitted him to sit up then held on to him until the coughing fit was over.
"Are you all right now?" Lupin asked Harry, helping him to lie back down which Harry did willingly this time.
Harry nodded, but the panicked expression was back in his eyes as he glanced over at Hermione, his best friend, his sister in heart. "So you think there's still hope?" he asked his professor without his eyes leaving the girl in the bed next to him.
"Yes, I do," Remus answered, turning Harry's head back so that he looked him in the eyes. "What you didn't hear Madame Pomfrey say is that her condition hasn't changed in the last few hours, so there is still hope."
Harry searched his guardian's eyes and sighed. There was still hope. Remus would not lie to him. He was always truthful.
"It's you I'm worried about right now." Remus felt Harry's forehead again. "How are you feeling?"
"Achy, congested, can't breathe very well." Harry closed his eyes for a moment, trying to catch his breath. "It's hotter than anything in here too."
"It's the fever." Remus smoothed down his fringe than sat back in his chair. The nurse had long since left, leaving the young man to explain things to Harry.
"Where's Ron and Ginny?" He looked around the room, hoping to see one of them.
"They're at breakfast, I suppose, but they'll probably be up here before heading to classes." He glanced at his pocket watch. "Which I should be doing as well. Are you sure you'll be okay if I left you for awhile?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine." He gave his professor a small smile.
"Good." Lupin returned the smile then stood from his chair to leave. "Just do what Madame Pomfrey tells you and be good." Remus was trying to be as stern about it as possible, but he couldn't help the twitch of his lips into a smile.
"Yeah, right. This coming from a Marauder," Harry returned the joke, laughing slightly.
Lupin chuckled then left the room.
Harry spent the rest of the day watching Hermione closely when he was not sleeping. So far, she had not grown any worse, but she was not getting any better either. In his dreams, he found himself standing beside a gravestone, but he could not read the name written on it. Next to it was a taller stone of gray marble with the name Potter written upon it, but before he could see more, he would wake feeling worse than he had before.
By nightfall, he thought he was living in his own personal hell. He felt hot and achy and every time he coughed, he felt even weaker.
Ron and Ginny had visited that evening, but Ron had drifted over to sit next to Hermione, holding her hand. Ginny sat with Harry.
"Professor Lupin told us what Madame Pomfrey said about Hermione," Ginny softly told Harry, taking his hand as well. Harry could see the tears forming in her eyes.
"She hasn't gotten any worse, has she?" Harry glanced over at Hermione once more, not sure if he had missed something while he was asleep.
"Not from what the nurse just told us. They're holding out a little more hope that she'll make it." Ginny sided and rubbed Harry hand lightly.
Harry like the soothing feeling her touch brought him. His eyes started to close again, but before he could drift off to sleep, he opened them once again remembering something else. "Ginny, have you seen anything crawling in here?"
"What?" Ginny sat up more straight as she looked at Harry in confusion. "What are you talking about, Harry?" She looked down at the floor for a moment before returning her gaze back to Harry.
"Last night I thought I saw something crawling underneath the beds." He tried to sit up but was held down by Ginny.
"Harry, I think you just dreamed it. I haven't seen anything." Her expression changed from a concerned to downright worried. "It was your fever. Sometimes, they can make you see things..."
"I wasn't seeing things!" He spoke as loud as he could before being shushed by Madame Pomfrey from across the room.
"All right, all right, I'll keep an eye out," Ginny placated him, making him lie back down.
Harry sighed, feeling his head pounding again.
"How's everyone else?" He glanced around the room. Ginny remained silent, looking away from him. "Ginny, what is it?"
She sighed and glanced back at Harry. "They found Hanna Abbott dead in her bed this morning when you were asleep." Ginny took Harry's hand again. "You didn't even wake when her mother went hysterical."
Harry felt numb. He didn't know her very well, but well enough that he considered her a friend. Then something occurred to him. "Wait, her parents were here? I thought they quarantined the castle?"
"They did, but the disease seems not to affect the adults in the castle," Ginny answered. Tears were running down her face now. "Ernie McMillan was in the hall outside my class when they told him." She swallowed hard. "I never saw anyone so devastated. He and Hannah had been dating since last year."
Harry turned his head toward Hermione and Ron. If they lost Hermione, he knew Ron would be beside himself in grief. There was no guessing that Ron fancied Hermione. He could see it in his face whenever she walked into a room. Harry knew that he himself would never be the same if Hermione died.
A/N: Sorry to end it here, but my bed is calling me and really need to sleep.
Lisa
Review Please! It'll make me write faster.