Disclaimer
see chapter 1
Annie
Chapter 14
Annie briefly wondered where she was as she opened her eyes. By what she could decipher in the dim light, she must be in the hospital wing.
"Welcome back Annie." Annie turned her head to see Madam Pomfrey take her hand and check her pulse.
"What happened?"
"You collapsed, not to put to finer point on it, in the Gryffindor Common Room just after lunch."
"What time is it now?"
"Everyone's at dinner, so you weren't unconscious that long, although the knock to your head didn't help things."
"Who..."
"Professor McGonagall had to tell me Annie, otherwise it would have been harder for me to look after you. Now drink this, it will help you feel better."
Annie sat up and took the glass from the nurse. It tasted horrible and she had trouble swallowing it. At that point, Tom came bursting into the wing.
"Annie!"
"Thomas Dandolson, please, try to be quiet when there are patients in here."
"Yes Aunt Poppy."
Annie stared as Madam Pomfrey walked towards her office.
"Madam Pomfrey is your aunt?"
"Yeah."
"How come you didn't tell me?"
"I guess I forgot, didn't seem that important really, although, Aunt Poppy was a bit upset that I haven't been to see her at all during the first term."
"At least you haven't ended up in one of beds," laughed Annie, wincing a little at the pain in her head.
"You'll never guess what?"
"What?"
"I saw Celia and her lot following Professor McGonagall. I reckon they'll be in loads of trouble now." Annie didn't look too pleased at this.
"That just means more trouble for me."
"Perhaps not. Anyway, I brought these along," Tom put a chess board and both his and Annie's sets on the bed, "I remember you promising me a game, after dinner, and well, it is after dinner."
"I guess I did, didn't I?" Annie laughed again. "Ow."
"What?"
"Oh nothing, my head hurts a bit though. Just so you know, I played a lot of chess at the orphanage, so I hope you're ready for a challenge?"
"You bet I am."
"And that, Thomas Dandolson, is what I hear they call 'checkmate'."
"How did you do that?"
"With a lot of skill."
"Yeah right, with a lot of luck maybe..."
"Tom, are you saying that I'm useless at chess?"
"No, I'm just saying that I could beat you anytime."
"I'll hold you to that."
"Tom, I think it's time you were going to bed," Madam Pomfrey said, giving another glass to Annie, who wrinkled her nose at it.
"But Aunt Poppy, it'll be just me in the tower. All alone."
"I'd get used to it if I were you, Annie will be here a few more nights yet," Poppy glanced at Annie, "drink it Annie, it will make you feel better." Once again, Annie had trouble swallowing it. Madam Pomfrey was shooing Tom out of the Hospital Wing as Professor McGonagall walked in.
"Goodnight Tom."
"Goodnight Professor." And with one last wave to Annie, he was gone.
"How are you feeling Annie?"
"Ok Professor," Annie answered as she lay back against the pillows, smoothing the sheets, "but my head is still sore."
"The potion will cure that," said Madam Pomfrey, as she came over to check Annie's pulse and temperature.
"It's horrible though."
"Be that as it may, it will do you some good." Madam Pomfrey felt the girl's forehead and shook her head. "Your temperature is still far too high. That knock to your head didn't do you any good at all."
"How long will I have to stay here?"
"As long as necessary, and by the looks of things, that could be at least a week."
Annie sighed as Minerva perched on the edge of the bed.
"Well we want to fully recovered for the new term Annie, although I'm sure that if you did miss the first few days of term, you would have no trouble catching up."
"Thank you Professor, but I'd rather not."
"I understand." Minerva smiled and patted Annie's hand. "Annie, Professor Dumbledore and I have spoken to the three Slytherins involved and we finally got them to admit to what they had done to you. I thought you might like to know that Celia was expelled..."
"Expelled?"
"The school will not tolerate behaviour like hers. We had to, for our benefit and most certainly yours. Between you and me, I won't anyone upset my lions, so it was the only logical thing to do. Now, I think it's time for you to get some sleep, it's almost ten o'clock."
"It's not even late yet Professor."
"Don't tell me you stay up all night long."
"Only to study more."
"Annie," Minerva sighed and shook her head, "at your age you should be getting as much sleep as possible. I don't want you falling asleep in lessons. I'll allow you to pull all nighters in fifth year."
"Yes Professor," Annie giggled.
"Now come on, before Madam Pomfrey throws me out for keeping her patients up."
Annie made herself comfortable and realised she was actually quite tired. She found it hard to stifle a yawn.
"See?" Professor McGonagall laughed, "I told you, you would be tired. Goodnight Annie."
"Goodnight Professor," Annie managed to say, and Minerva wasn't surprised to see that the girl was asleep even before she had left the bed. Minerva glanced at Annie one more time before she left the wing.
"How is Miss Clareight?" Albus' voice made Minerva jump slightly.
"As well as can be expected considering the circumstances. What brings you here?"
"I just want a word with Poppy."
"Can I assume that our chess match is still on?"
"Of course, I'll be along in a minute."
Once Minerva had left the room, Albus made his way to the nurses' office.
"Poppy, can I ask you something."
"Sure, is there anything wrong?"
"I don't think so. Tell me, have you noticed anything familiar about Annie?"
"Not in particular, why?"
"Let me be more specific, have you noticed how much she looks like Minerva?"
"A bit I suppose, Albus, where are you going with this?"
"I have reason to believe that she is Minerva's niece."
"You mean Anni, as in Anni McGonagall?"
"Yes."
"Albus, are you sure you haven't hit your head too."
"Don't you think so?"
"No, I do not. Albus listen to me, Anni's disappearance was hard on all of us, but she was never found, despite the Ministry using every magical method possible."
"So I shouldn't tell Minerva?"
"No! She has been through enough already, without you giving her false hope. This is a hard time for all of us Albus, but just forget this notion of yours."
"As usual, you make perfect sense Poppy. Now I must bid you farewell, for I have a certain deputy to beat at chess."
"Get along with you, and not a word to Minerva!"
AN: the plots moving along a bit...sorry it took this long to get this far....i would post the next chapter but it's not finished and I'm having a bad case of writer's block.......the same with all my other fics.......plz review? ;-