The Nice School of Magic
by Healer Pomfrey
All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.
This story is COMPLETELY AU. If you don't likt it, don't read it!
Harry was so relieved to be able to lie down that he did not care what was going to happen anymore. He just closed his eyes and was about to drift off to sleep, when his father and Susan's aunt entered the room.
"What's wrong with them?" Severus enquired in the soft, baritone voice that Harry liked so much.
"They've both caught the dragon pertussis," Poppy informed them in a grave voice. "They'll be in for a rough time."
"I'll go and brew the potion for the dragon pertussis as well as the preventive potion," Severus promised and hurried away, while Amelia took a seat on a chair between the two beds.
"They probably caught it when we went to Marseille last week," she said to the healer, who nodded in agreement.
HP
During the following days, Harry and Susan both became very ill with a high fever and a horrible cough that took all of their energy. Harry barely ever noticed his surroundings. Only a few times, he was conscious enough when he woke up to see that his father and Susan's aunt were sitting next to their beds on a sofa speaking together in soft voices.
Once, Harry woke up during the night, he heard the adults speak with each other.
"I just hope they're going to be better soon," Amelia breathed, sounding tear-stricken. "I'm so worried. What if anything happens to them?"
"Don't worry, Amelia," Severus replied in a soft voice, gently rubbing circles into the witch's back. "They're strong, and they're going to pull through this. Give them a few more days and they'll begin to improve."
"We'll be all right," Harry mumbled, before he drifted back to sleep, leaving the adults to wonder if he had spoken to them or if it had been their imagination.
Another night, Harry woke up feeling much better. He glanced towards the foot of the bed, where Severus and Amelia used to spend their nights, noticing that they were both asleep, Amelia with her head resting on Severus' shoulder and Severus with his arm round his colleague's back.
'Maybe they like each other,' Harry thought, somehow feeling very pleased at the idea. 'I like Amelia too. She's really nice, just like Susan,' he thought, happily.
One day, both children were awake at the same time during the day. Seeing that neither of the adults was present, Harry whispered to Susan, "Do you think that your aunt and my father like each other?"
Susan let out a few harsh coughs, before she smiled and said, "I'd like that."
HP
It took still another week, before the healer deemed them well enough to return to their dormitories and grudgingly allowed them to attend classes from the following day onwards.
"Thank Merlin, I'm missing Robin terribly, and Barkymort must be missing you too," Susan said, as they finally left the hospital room in relief.
"No," Harry replied, chuckling, before he explained, "Barkymort is able to turn himself invisible. He has been with me in my bed the whole time."
HP
"Harry, Susan," Hermione spoke up in apparent relief, when they entered the common room. "Thank Merlin you're finally back. You missed more than two weeks of classes."
"So long?" Harry asked, horrified.
"Don't worry..."
"... we'll all help you catch up," the twins threw in, grinning.
"Have you seen the tree house?" Harry remembered to ask, recalling that visiting the tree house had been the last thing that they had done before being stuck in the hospital room.
"Tree house?"
"What?"
"But how...?"
"Where?" their classmates asked in apparent excitement.
"In the park. Come," Harry replied, and the first years hurried outside, following Barkymort, who had obviously decided to lead the group.
HP
From that time onwards, the first years spent every free minute in the tree house much to the chagrin of the teachers, who always kept looking for any of the first years in vain if they wanted to speak with one of them. Unbeknownst to the students, the teachers went as far as making a bet about what the children were doing. While one group around Professor Flitwick was sure that they had to be quietly studying somewhere at a secret place, the other half around Remus Lupin insisted that they were surely planning mischief, considering that no one could find them.
"I don't know what they're doing, but I know where they are, and they're safe," Hagrid reassured his colleagues, however, kept his secret as he had promised Harry.
It was only by chance that Severus one day discovered the first years' secret. One day, Harry had caught a bad cold, and Amelia, who was teaching the first years in the last afternoon class, sent him to the hospital room. Knowing better than to not obey, Harry went to see Poppy, who gave him a Pepperup potion and accompanied him to his dormitory, instructing him to rest for an hour. Neither Harry nor Poppy realised that they accidentally locked Barkymort into the hospital room.
"I'll come back and check on you again before dinner," Poppy told Harry, before she left to return to her domain.
However, knowing that the last afternoon class was already over, Harry grabbed his book bag and headed to the tree house, unaware that Barkymort was not following him, invisibly.
One hour later, an enraged healer contacted the Potions Master, who now went to search for his son, stumbling over Barkymort as he went.
"Barkymort, where's Harry?" he asked in a stern voice. "He probably still needs some potions, so please show me to him."
Ten minutes later, the first years, who were diligently studying in their tree house room, realised in shock that not only Barkymort entered the room but that he had brought the Potions Master with him.
HP
"It seems to have escaped your attention that dinner is going to commence any minute now," Severus spoke up, quirking an eyebrow.
"Professor..."
"... will you please..."
"... keep our secret..."
"... and not tell anyone..."
"... about this place please?" the more than annoying Weasley twins spoke up in their ridiculous sing-song.
"If you keep to the rules and don't need extra invitations for the meals in the future, I won't tell," Severus promised, smirking as he thought how he was going to win the bet together with Amelia, Minerva, Poppy and Filius. "Hurry up now," he advised the students, before he addressed his son.
"Harry, how dare you disobey and come here in spite of Aunt Poppy's instruction to stay in bed?" he asked in a stern voice, shooing Hermione, Susan and Neville away. "I'm well able to accompany my son to the Hall Magnifique," he sneered, causing Harry's three best friends to flee behind their classmates.
"I'm sorry, Dad," Harry replied, and Severus noticed that his eyes were swimming in tears.
"Well, you will be grounded for a week. Apart from classes and mealtimes, you'll remain in the common room the whole time," Severus replied, not wanting to further punish the boy, knowing what he had endured at his relatives' house. "Are you feeling well enough to attend dinner?"
"Yes sir," Harry said, quietly, absentmindedly petting Barkymort's ears.
HP
To not only Harry's, but also the teachers' surprise, all first years remained in the common room during the whole week, while Harry was grounded.
"You really don't have to stay with me," Harry protested in a small voice, cuddling Barkymort close.
"But we want to stay with you," Hermione and Susan replied, simultaneously.
"It's no problem, Harry. It's a nice change to study here for a few days," Cedric reassured him.
"Maybe we could use the opportunity..."
"... to take a break in studying..."
"... and to think of a few pranks..."
"... that we can play on the teachers?" the twins suggested.
"That's a good idea. We're much too well behaved," Adrian spoke up.
"Does anyone have an idea?" Lee asked in apparent excitement.
'Oh Merlin, I'm still grounded. I really don't want to get in any further trouble right now,' Harry thought, however, feeling too grateful towards his classmates to voice his thoughts.
"We'll think about something," the twins promised, grinning broadly. "Give us a day."
HP
At the same time, the teachers were having their weekly staff meeting.
"I'm very impressed at the behaviour of our first years," the headmistress spoke up, smiling. "Not only because they studied so much and helped us win the bet, but because they stick together so well. Harry is grounded this week, but the whole class is studying in the common room instead of spending their time wherever they use to hide. I also like the fact that they always show up in the Hall Magnifique for the meals together. No other class ever does such a thing. I really wished I could award them house points."
"Maybe we could setup a point system for the classes?" Amelia suggested, glancing at Severus. "We can award and take points from each single class, and at the end of the school year, the class with the most points will win some reward."
"What kind of reward for example?" Pomona enquired, interestedly.
"For example a voucher for a visit to Marseille for the following school year," Charlie suggested. "At least for the younger students, that would be a real treat."
"For the older students, we can still think about something," his brother Bill added.
'If the first years continue to behave like they do, they'll definitely win the prize,' Severus thought, feeling very happy for his son to have such nice friends and classmates. 'Thank Merlin that we don't have different houses here.'
HP
Just after a house-elf had mixed the joke potion, which the Weasley twins had secretly brewed during the night, under the teachers' drinks, the headmistress rose from her chair, pointing to the newly established hour-glasses at one side of the Hall Magnifique, and explained about the new point system.
"The new system commences right away, and even if it's only about four months until the end of the school year, we're going to have a winner, who will be announced at the leaving feast," she informed the students, causing the first years to pale visibly.
tbc...
Thank you for your kind comments, here and on FB...