Chapter 14 : Return from the dead
The month of March had finally come to an end. Then the month of April did the same. And almost the one of May as patients continued to come and go in the St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. However, there were more patients than usual due to the fact that the weather was starting to get nice and warm which meant the return of outdoor activities.
The problem was the nature of these activities as wizards were more inclined to roam outside in places not frequented by muggles but infested with more or less dangerous magical creatures. And for those who preferred sports, it was the return of Quidditch with its countless falls and other spectacular accidents.
However, these injuries caused by seasonality didn't apply to the Healers in charge of the fourth floor also called the Janus Thickey Ward. It was there that patients affected by spells with severe, irremediable or unknown effects were "healed". This word had to be taken carefully as it was rare for these patients to get an efficient cure for their illness. Most of them were there for their whole life as everyday was more or less the same for their treatment.
But it suited their Healers – and especially the lady who was at the head of this floor - as they liked to keep their daily routine without seeing new faces all the time. Indeed, the last patient who arrived in this service two months ago was a young third-year student from Hogwarts. She was found unresponsive from what seemed to be a violent curse casted on her. It had been impossible to wake her up and her condition was deemed critical when she was taken to the hospital with her heart barely beating. However, she unexpectedly survived until that day. From then on, her progress had been very limited. She was getting a little better day by day but that was it. Her state was really unpredictable and nobody could tell when she would wake up.
So on this last Tuesday of May, the Head Healer lady from the fourth floor expected no difference as she began her morning round. It consisted first in seeing the patients of her floor to find out about their current condition, which was most of the time the same as the day before. To do so, she had taken everyone's files with her but she immediately dropped them when she heard the sound of breaking glass coming from the room she was heading to.
Panicked by what could have happened, she rushed to the door and threw it open. She then discovered some of her patients – the ones that could walk - grouped around one of the few windows of this room. As she approached it, she saw that the latter was broken as the cool morning air was coming in.
"What happened ?" She asked hastily but she got no response from her patients who were either as shocked as her by what happened or too seriously ill to give her a coherent answer.
But a quick look around the room gave her a clue as she noticed that one of her patients was missing.
"Can someone tell me where Miss Chitsute is ?"
This question didn't get any answer and Akira's disappearance was reported. As everyone – and especially her Healers – were worried about her, Akira was wandering in the streets of London which were crowded by people going to work.
She had been quite surprised to wake up in a hospital that didn't look like the Hospital Wing. Being out of Hogwarts during her school year didn't reassure her and even pushed her to leave the place as quickly as possible by jumping out of a closed window. Said like this, it seemed to be a rather silly idea but she panicked when she realized after opening her eyes that she didn't know the place.
"Weird." She said to herself while turning around to look at the facade of the hospital with its broken window from which she escaped.
Akira was in no better shape than the window as a stabbing pain in her ribs made her wince, especially after her abrupt landing on the concrete from the fourth floor. The pain was so lively that Akira had to put a hand on her ribs while leaning forward, attracting the worried gaze of bystanders.
The pain was so excruciating that it was enough to even pass out. However, fainting in the middle of the street wasn't an option as she began to regret having left her comfortable hospital bed. On the other hand, it was impossible for her to keep going in these conditions so she dragged herself to the Leaky Cauldron as she recognised the street that led to it once she realized she was in London.
She took a room there without waiting and joined it in an attempt to get some rest after escaping from this hospital in such an adventurous way. She laid down carefully on the bed to not aggravate her condition and began to stare at the ceiling while thinking about the events that had just occurred.
Why was she no longer at Hogwarts ? Why was she waking up in that hospital in the middle of London ? Why was she in so much pain when she didn't have any visible injury ?
So many questions that remained unanswered as she didn't remember well about the last few days. For now, all she wanted to find out was what exactly had happened to her. There were several alternatives and having a failing memory couldn't help her to figure out which one was the most likely. At least, she knew that the last place she was at was Hogwarts so going back to her school might perhaps lead her to some clues. The only issue was how to get there ?
Thinking about a way that didn't include the train gave her a headache and she only wanted to rest even though her numb limbs indicated that she had overslept. She soon found herself in a doze that the sound of someone knocking on her door managed to dissipate.
Akira didn't feel like getting up to answer. Instead, she remained motionless in complete silence while hoping that the person would go away without insisting. But that was too good to be true as the door slowly opened to let Albus Dumbledore in.
"You !" Akira exclaimed while straightening up abruptly in her bed before shoving her fist in her mouth to keep from screaming in pain.
"I was reassured to learn that you left St Mungo's Hospital recklessly but I notice that you didn't completely recover." Dumbledore said in a half amused half worried tone.
"St Mungo ?" Akira repeated as she already heard the name of this magical hospital several times. "I fled of it because I didn't know where I was. What happened exactly to me to wake up in an other place than Hogwarts ?"
"It's unfortunate that you don't remember. I hoped that you would have the answer to your own question." Professor Dumbledore told her before sitting on a chair. "Because the only information we have is that you were found by Mr. Black and Professor Olhrom in the Shrieking Shack at the end of March, approximately two months ago."
"Two months ?" Akira exclaimed as she had lost track of time. "I blacked out for so long ?"
"It's a reasonable time given the seriousness of your condition. During that time, I took the opportunity to ask some of my contacts to investigate in order to find out what had happened to you but without success so far."
"There's still no clue or culprit ?" Akira wondered.
"No. The student who informed Mr. Black and Professor Olhrom about your whereabouts is in such a state of shock that he's unable to say how he got this information." Dumbledore advised her which wasn't of a great help for Akira who would have wanted to learn more.
"I'm sure Corvi is behind this one way or another." Akira suggested while clenching her fist angrily as this Professor wanted to see her dead since Akira's first year.
"Professor Corvi. And no, she didn't know what happened to you."
"How can you be so sure ?"
"Let's just say that I can read people's minds." Dumbledore replied with a faint smile before looking serious again. "But we suspect that someone at Hogwarts is responsible although we can't say for sure yet. With such a threat hanging over you, I'll understand if you don't want to go back to school."
"But I want to !" Akira cut him off sharply. "That's the only way for me to know what happened. And I'm fine. I'm a little shaken but I'm fine." She added while trying not to wince in pain.
"You're not scared to may live under the same roof as your attacker ?"
"I've seen much worse." Akira informed him while remembering her last summer when she and the twins were chased by a kind of killer ghoul that used to knock them out with a baseball bat. "But I no longer want the protection of Tolfius like last year. It was really painful."
"Don't worry. Hogwarts security will be increased without anyone noticing it. You won't have to suffer from being followed too closely until you go back to your village for the summer holidays."
"That's weird. I spent two months unconscious and now I have to integrate that it's almost the end of the school year." Akira realized before startling. "I completely forgot the exams ! I didn't start my revisions yet and I missed a lot of lessons when I was at the hospital. With all this, I won't pass in fourth year !"
"Calm down." Dumbledore advised her in an attempt to make her stop fidgeting. "Your case is special. With the attack that you've been through, it's obvious that you aren't in the state of taking exams. That's a valid reason in the school rules to let you pass your year without getting exam results."
"Phew. That's reassuring." Akira sighed as she began to relax.
"That was the last news I had to tell you. Now that you're aware of the whole situation, I'll let you rest. Since you desire to come back to Hogwarts despite what happened to you, I'll give you this to do so." Dumbledore told her while getting up.
He then took out a small bag from his pocket and put it on the table as it seemed filled with sand.
"Is that Floo Powder ?" Akira asked him as it was the only means of transport she knew that had this aspect.
"You're right. If I remember well, you already know how it works ?"
"Yes. I saw Matsuo and Tatsuno use it in your office on Christmas to go back to Konoha." Akira replied.
"It will take you straight to the Gryffindor fireplace. In your state, it's better for you to reach directly your common room but in order to not attract the attention of your comrades, I would ask you to appear in the middle of the night. Between three and six in the morning should guarantee that no one else is around. Are you fine with it ?" Dumbledore asked her nicely as he was letting her the choice to refuse.
"Yes but with the exams coming, students might be awake all night in the common room to revise. So I doubt that no one will notice that I suddenly arrive out of nowhere." Akira pointed out to him as she remembered her last two years revision cessions.
"With intensive revisions and fatigue, I doubt that they will realize that you weren't in the common room before. And if they're suspicious, you can still say to them that they dreamt and that you were here the whole time." Dumbledore advised her mischievously. "But while waiting for the night to sneak into the school, I recommend you to take advantage of the radiant sun outside. I'm thinking of stopping by Florean for an ice cream before returning to Hogwarts myself." The Headmaster added before leaving the room.
Akira looked out the window to find out that Dumbledore was right about the weather which was nice. But she didn't have the strength to get an ice cream in Diagon Alley like him. All she wanted to do was to stay still on her bed for as long as possible so she simply laid back.
However, she was unable to take advantage of this moment to sleep as the mystery around her sudden awakening in St Mungo was still unresolved. And given the pain that kept coming back to her ribs, it wasn't reassuring to have no memory of the events.
So Akira just tossed and turned in her bed while staring the walls of the room. She didn't even notice that it had started to get dark outside and hunger was the only thing that snapped her out of her thinking. But getting something to eat downstairs was too much of an effort for her so she simply ignored her empty stomach. She just staid in bed and waited for the time to return to Hogwarts discreetly.
She thus regularly scrutinized her watch before sighing when she realized that it wasn't yet three o'clock in the morning. This fateful hour nevertheless ended up arriving and forced Akira to sit up in bed, which tore a new grimace of pain from her. She then slowly rose to her feet and grabbed the bag of Floo Powder that Dumbledore had left for her on the table. She reached the fireplace and stopped in front of it before lighting small flames in it with the help of her wand. Once the fire was ready, she took a handful of powder and threw it into the flames which took on an emerald green hue.
"Gryffindor common room fireplace." She said loudly in an unsteady voice while hoping that she had been specific enough with her destination.
Indeed, she had said enough as she arrived in the circular room familiar to her after seeing lot of various houses while spinning in the ashes.
After discussing with Dumbledore, Akira had expected the common room to be empty or at worst to be occupied by two or three weary students in the middle of their revision. But not to see only Arcturus fast asleep on the sofa facing the fireplace with pieces of parchment all around him. Even if he was a heavy sleeper, the noise that Akira made when arriving in the fireplace woke him up in a jump.
"I know the answer ! The culprit is always the last suspected." Arcturus exclaimed in an incoherent way before glancing at Akira who was standing right in front of him. "Cool ! I went from a nightmare to a nice dream. If only that was the reality."
"It's the reality." Akira advised him while crossing her arms.
"No way. If it was, you wouldn't be here. But to be sure, I'll pinch myself." Arcturus said before executing.
He winced with pain as he pinched himself hard and he then looked up at Akira who hadn't disappeared. This finding filled him with so much joy that he jumped on her to hug her hard which wasn't recommended with her injured ribs.
"Ouch. I'm also happy to see you again but could you just let me go ?" Akira asked him calmly to not let him see that she was still hurt.
"Not after almost losing you." Arcturus replied before squeezing her even harder.
"Seriously. Stop it." Akira told him sharply.
Her tone was enough to make Arcturus obey. However, he couldn't stop smiling brightly as he was looking at her.
"Dumbledore told me that you were released from the hospital today and that you didn't remember what happened to you but he never mentioned that you would be back at Hogwarts tonight." Arcturus summed up. "After I received this information, I got back to my investigations to find out what happened to you but even if I wrote a lot of ideas, I didn't go that far. It has to be said that without your indications, it's difficult to retrace the events." He added after pointing at the pile of parchments that was surrounding him when he was on the sofa.
"You don't revise for your exams ?" Akira asked him while grabbing some papers to see what Arcturus had written on them.
"No. I don't need it with my memory and also I was so worried about you that I couldn't do anything else than investigate your case." Arcturus told her before letting himself fall on the sofa among his parchments.
"I won't have to revise either. Dumbledore informed me that I exceptionally didn't have to pass my exams to be sent in fourth year." Akira explained to him while taking a seat on an empty space next to him.
She then spotted on a parchment a name circled several times.
"Who's Mr. Mortam ?" She asked Arcturus while frowning.
"It's the student who knew that you were in the Shrieking Shack where me and Professor Olhrom found you unconscious. So I'm telling myself that this student knows more about the events than what he revealed."
"And where can we find him ?" Akira added without taking her eyes off the name.
"Among the Slytherins. And not just any of them. He's part of the group who dreams of becoming Death Eaters. It's therefore really suspicious that he was the only one to have information on your position." Arcturus said while displaying a worried look.
"I find it too. I'll have to ask him some questions." Akira said as she was happy to finally have a clue on where to begin with her investigations.
"Not so fast ! You'll need a support group. Now that Olhrom and I have been put in the secret, it's normal that we help you. Especially to interrogate some culprit."
"Olhrom ? She must have better things to do than acting like my bodyguard." Akira replied as she wanted to act freely without having a Professor on her back.
"You're in such a mess that it's better to have the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher with us. And also she's pretty cool. When you're talking with her, you have the impression that she's still a student here." Arcturus added in an attempt to convince Akira.
"We'll see that tomorrow. I'm too tired now to think about anything else than sleeping so good night." The latter told Arcturus before reaching her dormitory as she was completely exhausted by her day.
Hello dear readers,
In the end, things aren't so bad for Akira who's badly hurt but still alive. That was a necessity for this story to continue because I wasn't going to write several chapters from the point of view of a devastated Arcturus who lost his best friend. But defying death once doesn't mean that it won't strike again. Akira has to be extra careful in Hogwarts now if she doesn't want to end up again in the hospital or worse.
However, summer holidays aren't so far away. Akira only has to survive one month before going back to Konoha. Where she'll put again her life in danger during missions. That's a never ending loop but when you're a witch and a ninja at the same time, it's part of the job.
