Author's Note:
Just in case anyone's confused (and you can always send me a review with anything that's confusing so I can clear it up), treat the summer before Harry's fifth year like a regular summer for him: no dementor attacks, no escape to Grimmauld Place, and no contact between the Golden Trio besides letters from the time when Harry was taken back to Privet Drive to the time when Harry was taken to the Burrow for the last week of summer holiday. It was just a regular summer for Harry.
Chapter 9
Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat in a corner of the Gryffindor Common Room, talking quietly. They'd been at Hogwarts for about a week, and most of the Gryffindors had already adjourned to their dorms, the remaining students slowly trickling out of the common room. Eventually the members of the Golden Trio were the only people left, the fire the only comfort they had left besides each other.
"Hermione, why did you tell us to stay down here until everyone left?"
"We were never alone for long enough this summer since one of the Weasleys always intruded on us when we'd started talking to each other, and I wanted to ask Harry some questions."
"Questions about what, 'Mione?"
"I haven't been able to find anything about what happened to you at the end of last year. Can you remember anything else about what happened? Do you know what spell they cast on you? Did the potion you were taking have any distinct taste; did it make you feel anything different than what you would normally feel? I wrote down everything that I could about what it looked like, but I haven't been able to find out anything. I was hoping that you could tell me something to make my search a bit easier."
"Of course, what do you want me to start with?"
"The spell. Do you know what they said or what it looked like? Do you happen to know the wand movement they used when they were casting it?"
Harry shook his head. "I had my back turned to them, and it hit me as I was leaving. I wasn't able to see any of it."
"Well, can you remember anything that Madam Pomfrey said about your condition? When we talked to her she didn't know what was wrong with you."
Harry thought for a moment before he answered, trying to remember what he was told in the Infirmary. "When she started talking, I didn't catch what she said since I was too busy adjusting to my surroundings. I took a potion she gave me, and it took away the pain—"
"It was probably a pain relieving potion then. Continue."
"Then she gave me another potion. She said it would protect my organs and anything else I needed to stay alive—"
"Your situation must have been pretty bad. From what it sounds like, she probably used Protectoseum; that's one of the strongest preserving potions in the world. I mean, you looked terrible when you came back to the Quidditch Pitch, unconscious and all, but I don't think any of us knew it would be that bad."
"After that, she said they didn't know what was wrong with me, but they had one idea. I needed to tell them what happened, and when I tried all I could do was cough. It felt like pins were pricking my throat every time I tried. I'm not sure how I managed to swallow the potions when it felt like that, but I did. I pulled the memories of what had happened to the front of my mind and Snape looked at them. His eyes were wide when he finally pulled out and he just stood there staring at the wall for a few minutes. Then he went to Pomfrey's office and used the floo. Pomfrey started running scans on me, and I was too exhausted to put up a fight. I felt horrible. The pain potion had helped, but it was already starting to fade—"
"Harry, pain relieving potions are designed to work for at least four hours. It couldn't have been that long since you had taken it. They called us back to you after around five hours."
"All I know was that I was in pain everywhere, 'Mione. Anyway, Snape came back and told Pomfrey that he was right. Dumbledore was going to Romania, and it would take him two and a half hours to brew the potion. He wanted her to put me in stasis, but she said my condition was too unstable. She gave me a vial of Dreamless Sleep, and that's all I remember. Oh, Snape said that Charlie had to get an ingredient for him, too; that's probably why Dumbledore was in Romania."
"Ron, how long does it take for an owl to get to Romania and back?"
Ron sighed and thought for a moment. "It's a day's trip for an owl one way. It would probably take three days for us to get a reply after we sent it unless he uses a different owl to send his message back."
"We'll send him a letter first thing tomorrow. Harry, what happened after they woke you up?"
"Pomfrey ran some scans, and then they gave me a potion. Then I'd pass out and they'd give me another one once I woke up. Eventually Dumbledore cast Stupefy on me."
"Do you know why he cast Stupefy on you?"
"No, but he lifted it a minute later. Charlie cast a spell at the same time. I didn't catch the first part since Dumbledore was talking, too, but it sounded like Stupemagna Creatura. I've never heard of it before. Light wrapped around me from both of their wands, but that's normal for spells that are working together. Dumbledore called a staff meeting, and McGonagall left to get the two of you. That's all I know about what happened."
Hermione was furiously scribbling on a piece of parchment. "I'll have to look that spell up. It might help me with research. Can you remember anything distinct about the potion? You had to take it a lot then, and you had to take it four times a day at Ron's house. I'm sure you remember something about the taste or how you felt."
Harry laughed. "It was smoky. I coughed a bit after I took it when I was at Ron's house. I think I was in too much pain when I took it the day of the tournament to do anything other than pass out. I suppose I felt a bit out of sorts for the first minute or two each time I took it, but then I felt stronger than ever. That probably doesn't mean much since I was so weak then."
Hermione nodded. "Can you remember anything else that might help me?" Harry shook his head. "Have you talked to Pomfrey, Snape, McGonagall, or Dumbledore about it?"
"I've tried to talk to Pomfrey, McGonagall, and Dumbledore, but they won't tell me anything. If they won't talk, I don't see any reason why Snape would, and I can't stand being around the greasy git anyway."
"Alright, we'll send a letter to Charlie tomorrow. Hopefully he'll help us."