Fever

The next few days passed in a haze of nightmares, potions and hushed voices. I didn't feel any pain but the fever seemed to be high. "A typical course for the second stage of Dragon Pox," I heard Madam Frobisher say but that didn't keep Andromeda from blaming herself and being blamed.

I heard her talk to another woman, a woman I had never met before. "Why did you have to tell her? You could have done so when she's better," the other woman said. "So keen on spreading Dumbledore's party line?"

"She already knew most of it. This went very badly, I know," Andromeda said. "I didn't know it would affect her like that. Telling her the truth has nothing to do with Dumbledore's party line though. You can't deny what they did."

"I'm not trying to. We need to ask ourselves why they did it though. The Aurors weren't angels, Andromeda. They thought it was a funny idea to leave a little girl with Muggles to get revenge on the parents."

"I never claimed they were angels," Andromeda answered. "But that doesn't justify, nothing can justify what they did to these people."

"It was war. Cruel things are done in war. By people on both sides. They weren't bad people."

"This is a hospital," Madam Frobisher chimed in. "Don't disturb the patients. And by the way, we do not tolerate any downplaying of Death Eater crimes here. Do you really think you're doing the child a favour this way? Think again."

Madam Frobisher approached my bed and looked over me, her brow furrowed. She performed the spell to check the fever but didn't share the results with me, Aunt Andromeda or the stranger.

"There's another potion we can try," she said.

I drank obediently. By now, I was used to having various potions poured down my throat and barely registered their taste anymore. This one made me fall asleep rather quickly.

When I woke up again, Aunt Andromeda and the other woman were still there.

"Either way, thank you for owling me," the unknown woman said. "I might never have seen my granddaughter otherwise." She was sobbing now. "I was one of the first to give my boys the immunisation and it has always been so important to Rodolphus when he worked there. That his own daughter would catch this awful disease and get it so badly, it's, it's not fair."

I drifted off to sleep once more.

When I woke up this time, the woman I didn't know was the only one by my side. She had straight blond hair that she wore tight up to a knot. There were some streaks of grey in her hair; her eyes were as grey as my own.

"Hello," I said. My voice was very weak.

"Hello Vivien. My name is Renata Lestrange. I'm your grandmother."

"Renata Lestrange? So you're my father's mother?"

"Yes, that's right. I've been living in France for many years now, that's why we never met so far. Rodolphus hasn't told me about you." There was a distinct hint of hurt in her voice.

"He didn't tell anyone I think," I told her. My grandmother. There really were quite a few family members I had left. Only a few months ago, this would have been a dream come true but I couldn't really be happy about it now.

"Yes. They even used a spell to hide you so you wouldn't turn up on the various family trees," my grandmother said. "Probably thought it was safer. The Aurors backed away from nothing if it would help them against supposed Death Eaters. They don't want to hear this in here though. Anyway, your Aunt sent me an owl and I took the Magic Express to Britain right away."

"Thank you for coming here," I muttered. "I'm sorry I'm so tired." This wasn't a nice way to greet my grandmother whom I've never met before.

"Don't be, you're very ill," she said.

Polite or not, I feel asleep rather quickly again.

"The last potion seems to have worked," Madam Frobisher said when I woke up again. "The fever is down."

"Thank you very much for your efforts," my grandmother told her. So she was still here.

"There's no need to thank me. I'm only doing my job."

Both I and Madam Frobisher were startled when she started to cry at these words. "Everything alright, Mrs Lestrange?" the Healer asked kindly. "We've found a potion that helps. Your granddaughter will be better soon. There's no need to cry."

"It's just, well my son always used to tell people the same thing," she said. "He did so much for these people and they simply told him he couldn't work here anymore for no reason. If this hadn't happened, he would never-"

"I don't think he's truly been working for You-Know-Who while he was here," Madam Frobisher said. "But still, someone who's capable of such cruelty shouldn't be anywhere near helpless patients."

Betraying my family like this felt horrible but I had to agree with Madam Frobisher. If Andromeda had told me the truth, my father really shouldn't be responsible for other people's health. I didn't want to imagine what it would be like if I had to fear that Madam Frobisher secretly enjoyed seeing her patients in pain.

"I couldn't imagine it either, back then," Madam Frobisher said. "And I'm sure it must be much harder for you as his mother. There is no doubt though. I don't think you're doing yourself or anyone else a favour when you're blaming other people."

"Well, maybe. I don't want to keep you from your work any longer," my grandmother said.

"Sorry Vivien for letting you wait," Madam Frobisher said turning to me. "Do you think you can eat something today? Some soup?"

"Yes, I think so," I told her. I really felt a bit better now. I wasn't sure if this was a good thing though. When I got better, I had to return to Hogwarts. They would make me go, I was quite sure about that. I didn't want to return though. By now, I thought that both Mandy and I never should have come here. We had been so eager to believe that we were different and could do something the others couldn't do but it wasn't so great at all. Mandy was right, we didn't really belong here at all. My family's past would always haunt me in the wizarding world.

My grandmother tried to start a conversation with me but I wasn't quite sure what we could talk about. In the past, I had been keen to know as much about my parents as possible but at the moment, I really didn't feel like listening to stories about the great person my father had been and how he had been wronged by others.

Instead, I decided to tell her about my own childhood in the orphanage. She was shocked by the idea that I had shared my room with Muggle girls, I didn't really understand this. Muggles weren't really different safe for the magic. I didn't feel strong enough to argue about this at the moment though. My grandmother told me a few things about my great-uncle and cousins who all wished me well as well. Quite a few people had written get-well-cards for me. Dora and Mandy both promised that they'd visit as soon as Aunt Andromeda allowed it, Ted had sent one with a funny poem and there were cards from my cousin Roger and his father and grandfather as well. All of them basically wrote that they hoped I would get better soon so they could get to me. My grandmother told me what they were doing and who they were related to but my brain was too mushy to take much of it in.

I was quite relieved when Mr Lufkin brought my lunch. The mashed potatoes tasted okay and I found out that I was able to eat again.

A few minutes after I had finished eating, the door to the ward was opened and a round-faced boy walked in. Neville. What was he doing here?

"Can I help you," Mr Lufkin asked.

Neville looked up at him timidly. "I'd like to visit Vivien Lestrange," he muttered.

I lifted myself up into a sitting position. Why did he want to visit me? He had always avoided me like the plague before and I couldn't really blame him. My grandmother looked at him tensely.

"Miss Lestrange is extremely ill," Mr Lufkin said. "She can't have many visitors. Are you family?"

Neville nodded. Maybe that felt easier to him than speak a lie aloud.

"This boy is lying and I don't want him to bother my granddaughter," my grandmother said loudly. "He's Neville Longbottom."

Neville stared at her, obviously shocked because she recognised him. "Who are you?" he asked quietly.

"My name's Renata Lestrange and I'm Vivien's grandmother."

Neville went pale. "You, you are the mother of-" he stuttered.

Madam Frobisher bustled into the ward. "What's going on here?" she asked quickly glancing around. "The patients need rest."

"This young man here wants to visit Miss Lestrange and her grandmother doesn't approve of the idea," Lufkin explained.

"Vivien's awake so let's just ask her," the older Healer said. "Vivien, do you want to talk to Neville?"

I hesitated. The conversation probably wouldn't be exactly nice but I'd have to have it sometime so why not here? At least, there weren't any other Hogwarts students around this time. "Yes, I do."

"Good," Madam Frobisher said. "You're welcome Neville. Madam Lestrange, I don't want to be rude but it might be better if you waited outside. My colleague and I are both in the room if there's some sort of trouble."

My grandmother didn't look happy but I thought it was a good idea. She obviously didn't like the Longbottoms at all. Her presence would make the entire situation even worse than it would be anyway. Mr Lufkin accompanied her to the door and Neville approached my bed slowly.

"You can sit down here," Madam Frobisher said kindly. "Don't worry, the disease isn't contagious anymore, we've taken measures against this."

"Yes. It wouldn't matter though. I got the immunisation anyway. Healer Jones insisted," Neville said.

"A wise decision. Too many people still underestimate Dragon Pox," Madam Frobisher said. "Well, I'll be right here handing potions to the others."

She walked on and left Neville sitting on the now empty chair beside my bed. I took a deep breath. "Hello Neville. I'm really, really sorry. I had absolutely no idea. I've grown up in an orphanage and I knew nothing about my family at all."

If only it had remained that way, I thought. A drug-addicted prostitute and some client would have been so much better than this.

"Yes. My grand-uncle Algie explained some of this to me," Neville said. "He had heard it from an old colleague. He used to be an Auror but he's been retired for a while now."

I remembered the knightly man from Gringotts. He hadn't been hostile towards me.

"Alright, anyway, I just want you to know that I don't agree with anything my parents said and did. I don't think Muggles or Muggle-borns are inferior and I don't approve of-" I couldn't bring myself to say the word torture.

"Yes, I believe you. I know you've stood up against Malfoy and everything. I've been rather rude back then as well. I'm sorry. It was just; I didn't like getting help from you of all people."

"I understand that now. If I had known, I would have stayed away," I said. I couldn't remember ever having heard Neville talk so much. Did he feel bad because I was so ill? He really shouldn't. This wasn't his fault at all.

"Algie told Gran she should apologize to your aunt as well," Neville said. "Don't think she will though. She didn't mean to attack you. She was simply shocked cause Mum was so scared. And she often shouts at the Healers as well. She thinks they should be able to do something you know."

"This must be a very difficult situation," I said. Neville's supposed lack of talent and hard life at Hogwarts didn't make it better either.

Neville sighed. "Yes, it is."

"Maybe the teachers would be nicer to you if they knew," I said.

"They do and I don't want people to pity me," Neville said quickly. "Please don't tell anyone about it, okay? I don't want people to know. They'll make fun of me and my parents and I don't want that. They've been treated badly enough, I don't want some idiot like Malfoy to make fun of them as well."

What an odd request, I thought. I was surely going to walk around Hogwarts telling everyone what monsters my parents were. I didn't understand why anyone would find this funny either though. If Malfoy was like this, I really didn't want to make my relation to him known.

"Of course I won't," I said. "I don't want people to talk about it either. Everyone would think I was as bad as they are. Better they think I'm a Muggle-born."

As I said this, I realised that this would only become a problem if I returned to Hogwarts. I hadn't wanted to do this at all, had I?

"Will you promise me?" Neville asked.

"I promise," I said. Keeping this promise would be in my interest as much or even more than in Neville's.

"Thank you," Neville said quietly.

He looked as if he wanted to leave but I felt so bad about this, I felt like I had to do something. "Listen Neville, if there's anything I could help you with, simply tell me," I said.

"Thanks but I don't think there's anything," Neville said.

Then he looked thoughtful. "Well, you are supposed to be really good in Potions Parvati said. You probably know that I'm not. Maybe, well, maybe you could explain some of it to me."

"Of course," I said. Potions was my favourite subject and I'd like to spend more time on it. "I'll help you with Potions."

As I said this, I realised that I'd really have to return to Hogwarts if I wanted to do that. I sighed. Wanting to leave Hogwarts probably hadn't been a very good idea anyway. Mr Tonks had already said so, it was necessary to learn how to control your magic. Running away was never a good option. Maybe I could make up for my parents wrongs a little bit if I could help Neville do better.

"Thank you. I have to warn you though. I tend to forget everything. Teaching me probably isn't fun," Neville said.

"Don't worry, I've often helped younger children in the orphanage with their school work as well," I told him.

"Will you tell me what it's like to live with Muggles?" Neville asked. "But not today probably or Algie'll get impatient. He came here with me you know."

"Alright. I'm still quite tired as well. I'm sure I'll be able to tell you another time," I said. We said goodbye and Neville left the ward.

I took a deep breath. This was really unexpected. I had believed he hated me and after learning what my parents had done, I wasn't surprised. The fact that he obviously wanted to give me a chance to prove I was different after all made me happier than I had been for a long while. Maybe returning to Hogwarts wouldn't be that bad after all.

Madam Frobisher had obviously been right. The last potion she had given me had really done the trick and I was improving steadily now. The pustules on my skin started to heal as well and I was allowed to have more visitors. Dora, Mandy and Ted all came to see me. Both girls had been very worried.

"I'm so sorry. It's my fault that you got this rubbish in the first place," Mandy said. Dora, Andromeda, Ted and I all tried to assure her that it wasn't her fault.

"Almost everyone gets Dragon Pox at some point of their life if they aren't immunised," Andromeda said. "Usually, it happens earlier and then it's less severe but you can really catch it anywhere. There's no reason to blame yourself at all."

My grandmother wanted to know what Neville had been here for and I told her. I half-expected her to be against me having anything to with Neville. Therefore I was very surprised by her next words. "If you really want to do remedial potions, just go up to the seventh floor. There's this portrait of Barnabas the Barmy trying to teach trolls to dance the ballet. Simply walk three times past the wall on the opposite side and think that you need a room to make potions. Then there will be a door and behind a room where you find cauldrons, water and anything else you need. Safe for the ingredients but you have those anyway."

"Thanks," I said with a smile. Magic was really astonishing and I didn't really want to give up on it completely. This sounded really useful. I had already wondered where we could practice. Snape probably wouldn't give us a room. He was known to dislike Neville and he didn't exactly like me either. He merely tolerated me.

When I was finally allowed to leave the hospital, the holidays were almost over. I would have one single day left with the Tonks, than I'd have to go back to Hogwarts. This wasn't the way I had imagined my Christmas holidays but anyway, at least, I'd be immune against Dragon Pox in future and the pustules would heal completely, Madam Frobisher assured me. Until it was done, I had to apply to different kinds of ointment every day, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon.

The visit to the Lestranges needed to wait till my next holidays. I didn't tell my grandmother so but I didn't really mind that too much. Her attitude made me uncomfortable from time to time even though it might be normal for pure-blood grandmothers. Neville's wasn't a very kind and considerate person and if Andromeda had been right, my maternal grandmother was far worse than either.

After this illness, I was really looking forward to one last, nice day with Aunt Andromeda, Uncle Ted, Mandy and Dora.