Chapter Forty Six
Pansy sat, shaking, half out of cold and half from shock on one of the hospital wing beds. Harry, Cho, Daphne and Hermione all sat on their own beds in a similar position. Madam Pomfrey had wrapped them all in warm, fluffy towels and given them clean pyjamas for when they felt up to changing. Neville and Draco were sitting on two chairs, being treated for cuts and bruises as they'd managed to avoid getting dragged into the water.
William was sitting next to Pansy on the bed. It was closer than they'd ever been, especially for so long, but Pansy couldn't deny she felt much calmer snuggled into his shoulder, even if she did feel slightly guilty for soaking one side of his robes.
Dumbledore was pacing slowly in front of Harry's bed, listening to him recount what had happened.
"I don't get it." Harry said, "We've been down at that lake a hundred times and the squid has never done more than a playful splash. It nearly killed us!"
Dumbledore nodded, stroking his long beard, "It is… troubling. They will be all right, Poppy?"
Madam Pomfrey nodded, "They should be. They will all need to stay in over night, those who were in the water anyway. Other than swallowing a lot of unclean water, it's sprains, cuts and bruises. Miss Greengrass had a broken arm, but it was a small, clean fracture so that's already fixed."
Dumbledore nodded, "Very good. I must talk to their parents, you will send me a full report of their injuries so I can inform their parents correctly?"
"It's already on your desk, Albus." Madam Pomfrey smiled, "I assumed you would want to contact their parents as soon as possible."
"Parents?" Professor Umbridge asked, walking boldly into the hospital wing, her heels still failing to clack on the polished floor, even though it was a new pair. She slammed the door shut behind her "Why are you involving parents?"
McGonagall huffed loudly, "School, and Ministry, protocol says that an incident involving the harm of a student, however serious, must be reported to their parent or guardian." she snapped.
Umbridge twisted her face into a clearly fake look of concern, "A student has been hurt?"
"Several." Dumbledore informed her, "That is why we are all in the hospital wing, Dolores."
Umbridge looked around, with an exaggerated gasp, "My goodness! What on earth happened?"
"We were attacked by the squid, in the lake." Harry snapped. He hated the fact she was even there, and her theatrics were grating on his last, very frayed, nerve.
"Mr Potter, telling lies again?" Umbridge sighed.
"No." Professor Sprout glared, "It looks like that is exactly what happened."
Umbridge gave them a tight smile, "Well, my my. We should discuss what happened Professor Dumbledore. If what Mr Potter says is true, it is very worrying."
Harry was wondering why she was making a show of being so unbelieving about what happened when there were a couple of dozen witnesses.
"Of course Dolores, but first I really should let the parents know what has happened. I'm sure that many of them would like to come and check on their children." Dumbledore said simply.
"Of course they should be informed," Umbridge said, "But I don't think it is appropriate for the parents to come here."
"Really?" Harry snapped.
"Yes. Especially as one of them has been asked to leave his profession here." Umbridge reminded him cruelly, "Besides, all of the students look fine. They will recover by tomorrow?"
Madam Pomfrey nodded slowly, looking between Dumbledore and Umbridge, "Yes. I believe so."
"Well there you go, by the time the parents get here all the children will already have been released from the hospital wing." Umbridge smiled, "Now shall we go and write to the parents?"
"I was going to contact them by floo power, much quicker." Dumbledore told her.
"If you insist." Professor Umbridge sighed, she turned on her heel and walked from the room, "Come along then, since time seems to be so important."
Dumbledore smiled and followed her from the room.
"I should really get them all settled for the night." Madam Pomfrey said briskly, annoyed at Umbridge's interference.
"Of course." McGonagall said kindly, "If you need anything."
"We'll let you know." Hermione smiled weakly.
"You can go too Mr Culpeck, Mr Malfoy and Mr Longbottom." Madam Pomfrey said, "You should be just in time for dinner."
"Can't we stay?" Draco asked.
Madam Pomfrey sighed, "I thought you simply had a few bruises and scrapes which have been treated?"
Draco and Neville nodded.
"I'm sorry." Madam Pomfrey said sympathetically, "Professor Umbridge has ordered that no students, who are not patients, are permitted in the hospital wing. It is to help the patients "rest and recover as quickly as possible", she says."
"When did she bring this in?" Neville spat.
"It's Educational Decree Number Fifty Six." Madam Pomfrey explained, "She brought it in this morning."
Harry looked up, this morning sounded a little too convenient. Draco and Neville sadly waved goodbye and left the room, shutting the doors behind them.
"Mr Culpeck, I'm sorry but I really must insist you leave." Madam Pomfrey said, gesturing to the door.
William looked sadly at Pansy and gave her a small kiss on the forehead and a tight squeeze before leaving the room as well.
"Everyone into your pyjamas please. It's important we get you warm and dry." Madam Pomfrey said, swishing her wand, the screens flew into place around the beds.
Harry slowly pulled off his soaking clothes and rubbed himself dry on the towel. His freezing fingers weren't cooperating as he tried to do up his pyjama shirt buttons.
Once they were all changed Madam Pomfrey removed the screens back to being neatly stacked in the corner of the room. She measured out several medications and set them on five trays of food.
"Miss Chang," Madam Pomfrey said, placing a tray of food on her bedside table, "How is your hip?"
"Aching, a little." Cho said, "But better."
Madam Pomfrey nodded, "I've given you an anti-inflammatory, take it after you've finished diner. Any other bruises?"
Cho shook her head.
"Very good." Madam Pomfrey said, moving on to Harry.
"Mr Potter, any other bruises?" she asked.
"Nope." Harry said, forcing a smile.
Madam Pomfrey looked over some nasty looking sucker marker on Harry's arm, "If they've not faded in the morning I will try bathing them in Witches Hazel. Having never had need to treat such an injury I am loath to put anything on it unless needed."
Daphne was next, Madam Pomfrey waved her wand over Daphne's bandaged arm.
"The bone has already knitted, you should be completely pain free by morning." Madam Pomfrey declared, "Your ankle will take a little longer, ligaments are always difficult to heal." Madam Pomfrey propped up her ankle on a couple more pillows, covering it with a bitter smelling bandage and gave her her tray of food, "Your bruises will also need another Witches Hazel treatment in the morning. As will you Miss Parkinson."
Hermione pulled herself into a sitting position and let Madam Pomfrey check her over before taking her tray of food gratefully.
Pansy also struggled to a sitting position, wincing as she pulled her ankle.
"Don't push yourself." Madam Pomfrey told her, "You need to rest this. You might be on crutches for a day or two."
Madam Pomfrey propped up Pansy's ankle as well, also covering it in the strange smelling bandage. Pansy felt the pain lessen immediately as a cooling sensation spread over her foot and lower leg.
"Thank you." Pansy smiled, taking the tray.
"You and Miss Greengrass also have an anti-inflammatory." Madam Pomfrey informed them, "It's the two blue pills, I strongly suggest you take them. The red liquid you must all take, it will clear your lungs and stomach of any lingering water. Secondary drowning is very serious, even for magical medicine, if left too long."
The five students nodded and all quickly drank down the sweet liquid. It was spicier than Harry was expecting and burned inside his chest for a moment before dulling to a pleasant spreading warmth.
Madam Pomfrey nodded, "Well done. Now eat up and get some rest."
William stormed through the castle to the Ravenclaw table and flopped down in his seat, slamming his Quidditch gloves down on the table. He was quickly surrounded by students asking what had happened and was everyone all right, news that the squid had attacked and apparently tried to kill several students had quickly spread through the school.
He filled them in on what he knew, which admittedly wasn't much. The squid had attacked, they had thankfully finished Quidditch practice in time to help a little. Cho was fine and should be back with them tomorrow. What was troubling him was Umbridge's new decree. It seemed odd that she would have released such an order, let alone just before there was an attack. Add that to the fact she was so strangely dramatic in the hospital wing.
William glared up at her, sitting, smiling as always at the teachers table. She caught his eye and the smile broadened.
"Where was Umbridge?" William asked Davis suddenly.
Davis look confused for a moment, "We couldn't find her, why?"
William shook his head, "No reason. It's just… just a feeling."
William tried not to over think things and filled his plate, but he wasn't hungry and picked listlessly at his food, leaving most of it uneaten. All he could really think about was Pansy being released tomorrow and being able to make sure she was all right.
He lay awake in his bed that evening, staring at the roof of his four poster bed, listening to his dorm mates sleeping peacefully. He had tried to see Pansy again, after dinner, but Madam Pomfrey had said she simply couldn't let him in. Umbridge had arrived soon after he had and said, all too sweetly, that she would have to order him a detention if he didn't stop bothering Madam Pomfrey.
William had stormed back to his room and dived into his homework, staying up until well passed midnight in an attempt to tire his brain into sleeping. It had failed but at least he'd cut down on his pile of homework he thought hopelessly.
Down by the lake the giant squid trembled, just under the water, it's memory of that afternoon was hazy at best but he remembered tossing students around like rag dolls and then coming to, nearly at the bottom of the lake with five frantic figures swimming away from him.
He loved Hogwarts, and the generations of students it had seen come and go. Being over six hundred years old, and having spent the last four hundred of those years in the Great Lake, there had been many he had considered his friends. They swam with him in the summer, played and tickled him, even fed him bread on occasions; he would never of harmed them.
Only he had, that he was sure of, even if he couldn't remember exactly.
He ached painfully, two or three of his many tentacles scorched by spells he couldn't remember receiving, or clearly ignoring, several others still heavy from stunning spell he'd also apparently ignored. Had they attacked first? Was that why he'd attacked?
No, he'd been attacked before. Every once in a while there was a student who thought it would be funny to harm the creature and he simply swam off, out of range for a while. It was always dealt with quickly, he was beloved by too many of the students for any real harm to be done to him.
The squid could feel someone coming, the smallest speck of light moving closer to the water under which he was laying. He rose up, perhaps he could show he wasn't going to hurt anyone again and start to slowly rebuild the trust.
A squat, angry looking witch stood at the waters edge, holding her lighted wand up to see where she was going.
"I don't suppose you remember anything do you?" Umbridge spat, "Worthless lump. Dumbledore should of kicked you out of here years ago, you'd best make yourself scarce when I get control, mark my words, it won't be long." Umbridge paced back and forth and smiled nastily, "I mean, you did attack students." she said innocently, "And for what? I found nothing; unwashed socks and pictures from his simple little brat of a sister. 'oh I miss you Harry'." she mimicked in a high pitched, whining voice.
The squid was afraid of her, he remembered her coming down the other night as well, talking to herself and then, everything went blurry.
"I needed to find something, I won't get another chance!" she wailed, "Wait, what was that?"
Umbridge stopped her venting and froze, just as she turned, the light from her wand had caught on something in the water, shinning just for a moment. Umbridge waved her wand slowly before her and whatever it was caught the light again.
"What the..." Umbridge moved forward, "Get away you beast!" she spat, jabbing her wand at the squid, it moved away, deeper into the lake and away from the witch.
Umbridge reached down and picked up a handful of silt and what it was that was catching the light.
"Scourgify." Umbridge said, jabbing her wand at the pile of mud in her hand.
The mud vanished leaving in her hand, a shiny new Galleon. Umbridge sighed, she had little use for a single Galleon, students having money on them wouldn't do her cause any good at all.
"One of them must have dropped it." Umbridge said, rubbing her fingers over its surface, "Well, I can't give it back." she sniffed, "They'd wonder why I was down at the lake."
Umbridge was about to slip it into her pocket when the number around the edge changed under her finger tips. She dropped the coin in shock before dropping to her knees to grab it.
Holding up her wand she looked more closely at the numbers, a broad grin spreading over her frog like face, "Well, well, well. Maybe I did find something. If I am not mistaken, this is a date and time..."