It was not morning. The light could not be shining in my eyes from the giant hospital windows. And most of all, Harvest could not be sitting by my bed, saying all the reasons she was sorry. I was just too tired.
My eyes were stuck shut with sleep and I had to rub them open. "Yes, I know, you're really sorry." I interrupted Harvest's tangent of sorrys.
"Were you awake?" Harvest jumped up. "I've got to go! You shouldn't have heard that!"
"Why? You were just saying sorry." Racking my brain for things I heard that Harvest shouldn't have said, I sat up and reached out to Harvest's shoulder. "Don't go. I've been sleeping for a while, I think, and I want some company other than the dust motes and nightmares."
Harvest sat back down. "You've only been sleeping for about a day. You were awake at about midnight last night and Madame Pomfrey gave you some medicine to calm you down. You were quite scared of something or someone named… 'Black,' was it?"
I gulped. "Must've been nightmares. I don't remember that."
"Huh. Well, the Madame said I had to give you this once you were awake. It's not sleeping draught, don't worry."
I took a corked bottle filled with a deep purple liquid from her. Gulping it down, I set the bottle down on the nightstand. "Tastes like grapes. Pretty good." I made a sour face. "Until the aftertaste. Dirty socks, anyone?"
Harvest laughed. "Yuck. By the way, you're off bed rest tomorrow."
"I'd better go to sleep. Time passes fast when you're fast asleep."
"I'll leave you to it." Harvest got up and walked away. I was asleep soon enough.
The next day I was eager to get off bed rest. My first class was Potions with the Gryffindors.
"Finally back, Malfoy?" I started at Snape's use of my current foster family's surname.
"Yes, sir. I'm glad to be off bed rest." I forced a smile.
"Good, good. Now, today we are going to mix Angel's Trumpet Draught. This commonly used potion contains a flower called Brugmansia, nicknamed the trumpet flower. Brugmansia has several magical properties, including being a kind of stimulant for plants. Therefore, the dregs of this potion after you have sifted it make excellent fertilizer. The purpose of Angel's Trumpet Draught is to remember things. You can remember things from when you were small, or just what you need to bring to class. The potion works by stimulating the part of your brain which controls memories, making that part of the brain work faster and better for a period of time. However," Snape finally took a breath here, "one side effect is that other parts of the brain may not function as well while the potion is in effect. So this potion is not a tool to help you remember things for school. It is considered cheating." He emphasized the last word, staring at the Weasley twins. They attempted to look innocent, which was unconvincing, as Fred was trying not to laugh and George was smirking.
"Now, just follow the instructions on the board." Snape settled down in his chair, picking up a large black book off his desk and beginning to read.
The potion was easy enough. I mixed, chopped, minced, and sifted the potion until it was magenta, as described in the instructions. For remembering, I thought. Maybe…maybe I could remember my dad…and my mom! I picked up a small bottle on the table beside me and slipped it up my sleeve. Scoop! A small dose of magenta potion sat in the bottle. I corked it and put it in my pocket. Surely no one would miss it.