Contagion in Close Quarters
I hadn't left the infirmary for the first two weeks of term. I really hadn't. I'd been eating there, hitting myself with freshening charms in lieu of bathing—you get the point. The convergence of students from all the places they lived had produced a resistant, highly infectious magical flu that felled students right and left. Severus lived in his lab like I lived in the infirmary, and Hermione hadn't taken long to decide she ought to join him and help produce healing potions. They'd come in twice a day together, bedraggled but suspiciously happy.
Needless to say, I was dying from the inability to share my suspicions that they were snogging. But with whom would I share such a thing? Hermione herself was out. So was Ginny, the bigmouth. Neville'd just have a nervous breakdown when I mentioned Severus. I'd also rejected Remus: too likely to tell Black.
I jerked my thoughts back to the four remaining students in my wing when Abby called me to the floo. Severus' head floated in the flames, his face grim.
"What happened?" I demanded.
"Hermione has been fainting. She refuses to admit she is ill." His voice was tight with annoyance. "I am sending her through the floo. Do not allow her to return to my lab."
"Wait." I commanded. "Give me the duration of her symptoms from what you've observed, please. She won't tell me all of them herself."
"Troublesome woman," Severus groused. "She has fainted four times this morning. She fainted first last night, just before dinner. I believe she did not keep dinner down." He grimaced. "This morning she took Pepper-Up potion."
"Is she running a temperature?"
"How should I…" He started, then snapped his mouth shut. "She has complained of warmth for the last two days. She has kept her hair up, and has not been wearing her robe." I struggled not to raise an eyebrow.
"Thank you, Severus." I prepared a landing space for Hermione, who I'd started to suspect Severus had stunned. "I'd like you to give your lab the most thorough cleaning possible and to dose yourself with muggle vitamin C, please." I paused, wondering if it was wise to continue to test his patience. Damn the torpedoes! "And tell me if you develop any symptoms. I'll give you treatment instructions."
"Very well."
"I'm ready for her." Hermione's unconscious body barreled out of the floo moments later. He had stunned her. I allowed myself to giggle a while before waking her.
I'd prepared a curtained area around a larger bed near a window and put her there. I hoped she'd take the special bed as a peace offering and decide to be docile, but I knew the odds were poor unless she really felt terrible. Taking a final deep breath I woke her up. Her eyelids slowly cracked open. "Anna?" She asked in a thick voice. "Are you in the lab with me?"
"Nope." I summoned a vial of sleeping draught and a potion to fix the rattle I could hear in her lungs. "We're in the hospital wing, where you're going to stay and let me take care of you."
"I don't need…" she started to sit up, then sank back.
"Yes you do." I said firmly. "I'm the expert and I say so."
"You're enjoying this." She accused.
"Not really." I said. "You've let this go a little longer than I wish you had." I showed her the vials of potion. "Now I need you to take this potion for the congestion in your chest—which I can hear all the way over here—and I need you to take the second one for sleep. Don't you dare try to fight me on this."
"Oh all right." She said crossly, but weakly. She took the potions without any further protest. I handed her a glass of water.
"Is everything all right for you to sleep?" She nodded, trying to focus her eyes on me. "I'm going to have Abby check on you while I'm in Hogsmeade getting more supplies, but I'll be back by tonight."
She nodded drowsily, then allowed her eyelids to close. I tugged her sheet and blanket up a little farther, noticing that she already was missing her shoes and robe. I smiled to myself, picturing Severus removing Hermione's shoes. I put my face back into a neutral expression and emerged from the curtains, then cast a ward to keep the area quiet.
"Abby?" I called. Her head popped out around the far set of curtains. "I'm going to go to Hogsmeade for supplies, if that's okay with you."
"Sure," she called. "And could you grab some chocolate from Honeydukes? I think there ought to be a consolation for all the time they've spent here."
"Really good idea. I'll do it." I slung a scarf around my neck and pulled my cloak on over my Hogwarts healer robes. I started to head out, then reconsidered and headed to the floo to call Severus.
"Severus?" I called. "Severus?" I could vaguely hear shuffling in another room, then saw him walking briskly toward the floo, his robes off and his sleeves rolled up. I was momentarily shocked by his state of undress—well, more accurately his unbuttoned state—and I think it showed on my face.
"Yes?" He snapped.
"I'm going to Hogsmeade for supplies. Do you need anything?"
"No," he said, then seemed to reconsider for a moment. "No thank you."
"You're sure?"
"Of course I'm…" He glared, then his face softened slightly. He looked nervous. "Please tell Miss Granger that I regret stunning her."
"I will." I swiftly closed the connection so I could grin like a fool. Severus and Hermione sitting in a tree, I sang in my head. I barely suppressed the desire to bounce in place.
A chill wind picked up my robes and cloak as I walked out of Honeydukes with a pile of chocolate and sugar quills. Hermione didn't need to know about these, I mused. Those dentist parents of hers really made an impression on her. Thinking about her tooth lectures I smiled as I walked down the street.
"Happy to see us, Anna?" I barely had time to blink out of my musing before the twins had flanked me, each slinging an arm around me and relieving me of my packages.
"Speechless, I'd say, Fred." George peered down at me, smiling.
"Right you are, George." Fred added. "It is understandable."
"I can't escape you, can I, boys?" I smiled.
"Boys?" George blustered.
"You have the pleasure of walking with two of the most wanted bachelors in Britain, Miss Arthur!" Fred gestured wildly with his free hand.
"Really?" I raised my eyebrows at him.
"Indeed," George continued, "my other half does not lie." They guided me around a turn and toward their shop. "In fact, we'll show you the magazine."
"Magazine?" I asked as we crossed the threshold of 3W. They walked me up to the counter, where George brandished a copy of Witch Weekly at me. "Oh ho ho," I crowed, "Britain's twenty-five hottest bachelors."
"We are, aren't we George." Fred mused, batting his eyelashes like a thirteen-year-old girl.
"What does Mother Weasley have to say about this?" I laughed.
"We think she's restraining her excitement for the sake of our less-hot siblings." George mused.
"Who are the other twenty-three?" I asked.
"Oh, there are a few names you'll recognize." Fred said.
"And we'll tell you if you join us for lunch." George continued. "You could use some meat on your bones." He grinned, then reached down and tickled my ribs. I squealed, jumping toward him to avoid his hand.
"It seems she's already selected her favorite hottest bachelor, George." Fred teased.
"Try not to mourn, Fred." Between them I fought the blush starting in my cheeks.
"Quit it, you two." I ordered. "Where are you taking me to lunch?" I batted my eyelashes at them, imitating Fred.
We settled at a corner table in the Three Broomsticks, and George brought out the magazine. I sat between them, perusing the glamour shots of the twins. They are handsome men, but so help me if I'd ever let them know I thought so. I smiled to myself. I looked back up at the twins to see George's attention focused on an adorable blond standing near the door.
"Who's that?" I elbowed him.
"It's Katie." Fred answered in a low voice. "George's been after her since Hogwarts."
"Should we invite her over?" I muttered to him. He gave me a half smile. George remained oblivious, watching her unwind a scarf from her neck.
"Oi Katie!" Fred shouted. She looked around for a moment, then saw us and grinned broadly. She had a tiny chip in one of her top teeth that showed when she smiled. That's it, I thought, she's officially the cutest thing I've ever seen. She greeted the boys happily and agreed to join us. I decided to meddle.
"Hey George," I said, "Let Katie in between us. I think she needs to see your moment of triumph as much as I do." I brandished the magazine. George looked nervous, but got up and let Katie slide down the seat next to me. Fred elbowed me lightly. I put the magazine between myself and Katie, and flipped to the start of the article. "Behold the Weasley glory," I teased.
Katie looked at the pictures of Fred and George like a woman looks at photos of something she can't have. She looked happy, and ready to joke with us, but wistful. Every so often her eyes would stray to George's freckled hand resting on the table in front of her; then she'd blink and look away. I wondered if I'd been cruel to ask her to look at the magazine. In a spasm of self-doubt I flipped ahead to the next bachelor, making some crack about shopping for a husband.
"Sirius Black?" Katie asked. She turned to me. "Surely you're kidding."
"I didn't know he was next!" I protested. "I don't even know who's on the list!"
"There's got to be someone better." She said matter-of-factly, flipping past the picture of a winking Sirius Black leaning against a brick wall. "Oh, ew." She said to the next name, one I didn't recognize. The next several got the same treatment. "Oliver's in here?" She looked up at George for confirmation, a delighted look on her face.
"Yeah," George managed. His ears were coloring.
"How do you three know," I consulted the magazine, "Oliver Wood?"
"He was the quidditch captain while we were all on the team," Fred explained.
"You all played?" I turned toward George. "What positions?"
"Fred and me were beaters; Katie was a chaser." George explained. "Then Katie played professionally for a while." Katie shook her head. I looked at her curiously.
"I was always in the reserves." She said humbly.
"Shouldn't have been." George insisted. Fred elbowed me again.
"You still haven't told me whether I want to marry Mr. Wood." I teased.
"You'd have to beat his current girlfriend." Katie laughed.
"Well, that's out." I said, flipping the page. And there was Harry Potter, emerging from 3W with a smile on his face, the sun hitting his messy hair. My stomach flipped and I fought to keep my face neutral, thinking of how awful life would get for me if the twins knew about my pointless crush. I started to flip the page, but Katie stopped my hand.
"Harry played with us, too. He played seeker." She half-grinned at me. "You might want to marry that one." The twins snorted.
"I'm sure I'd have to beat his girlfriend, too." I said.
"Harry's not dating anyone." Fred corrected.
"Hasn't for a while." George added.
"And he could use a healer around, being an Auror." Fred mused.
"Too right," George said, "especially one like our Anna." He reached around Katie and patted me on the back. I fought the urge to squirm. Katie looked at me keenly for a moment.
"We're agreed," she said, "that Harry makes the short list." I took a nervous drink of my butterbeer and forced a smile onto my face as Katie turned the page.
