2nd June

By the time the sun rose, George had told me what had happened in the common room when I was in the hospital wing. He said that everyone was talking about me and what happened, but he didn't think many knew about the sepsis. He mentioned that he and Fred sent another message to Ludo Bagman. He said that Harry's next task was some sort of maze on the Quidditch pitches. As we heard the first people get out of bed, we both went to get ready for the day, and to meet back in the Common Room to go to see Madam Pomfery together. He had a free period first thing, apparently.

I walked into my dorm, invisible, not wanting to deal with the commotion that seeing my room mates would bring and put on my uniform. My bed hadn't been slept in for days. Lavender was the first to speak as the girls got out of bed, "I wonder if Kathryn's okay this morning. Was she really that sick, Hermione?"

"Yeah, she was just so pale when I saw her yesterday. Even Madam Pomfery was worried for a while, but she said last night that her temperature had come right down, so I'm hopeful." She said, "I just hope that she remembers…"

"Yeah, it was awful seeing you crying the other day, did she not remember you at all?" Parvati asked.

"No, but she remembered me two days ago, but wasn't fully aware of what was going on." Hermione sighed, "I felt worse for George, she just looked at him as though he was just a friend. It broke his heart. I've never seen him like that before. Then Kathryn took ill and he stayed by her bedside, hoping she'd wake up, but Madam Pomfery made him go to his own bed last night…"

"If you get to see her today, will you tell her we miss her?" Fay said, by that stage I was fully dressed and went to brush my teeth before the bathroom was crowded.

Then I went downstairs to meet George. I took a hold of his hand, still invisible and said, "Let's go. Don't draw too much attention to yourself, people can still see you!" So George walked, seemingly on his own, opening the portrait door and walked towards the Hospital Wing.

"I hope she's okay, mate." Someone in Ravenclaw said.

"Going to see Kathryn before breakfast?" Cedric Diggory asked, stopping beside George, "Give her my best, I heard she's got some sort of infection? Krum mentioned it two nights ago."

"Yeah, she's really sick…" George said, "I'll pass on the message, thanks."

"CEDRIC DIGGORY? ASKING ABOUT ME?" I asked.

George mumbled to himself, "You'd be surprised how many people have been asking me about you. Krum came by the Hospital Wing every day. He feels terrible. No one knows what happened and that's why everyone's talking!"

"Neither do I, unfortunately…"

George opened the door of the Hospital Wing and Madam Pomfery appeared to be in a state, "Have you seen her? Please tell me she's okay?"

"Me?" I asked, smiling.

"YOU. You, young lady almost gave me a heart attack! Sit back down on that bed." She pointed and I nodded, she was lecturing me, "A powerful Memory Charm went wrong, nightmares, early onset sepsis, going walk-about in the middle of the night. You really are-"

"The worst patient ever, I know."

"So you're back?" she smiled, performing spells over my body, taking her time, feeling my pulse, listening to my breathing, my temperature was now within normal limits, "And you seem to be healed. I don't get paid enough to do this job."

I got up off the bed and gave her a big hug, "But seeing the worst patient ever leave the Hospital Wing all better because of the work you have done, doesn't that feel amazing?"

"Not so fast." She shook her head as I headed towards the door, "your head."

"Is still fuzzy," I explained, "I know that the memory charm is still intact, I ran down to the Forbidden Forest and wake up on the ground a few metres away, it doesn't make sense. I just want to get on with my day and pretend none of this happened."

"Kathryn, I don't think you realise how serious this is?" Madam Pomfery pulled up a chair beside me, "If I was your mother-"

I shook my head, "You are many of the women in my life who-"

"Do not interrupt me," she said, "If I was your mother, I'd try and wrap you up and make sure no one is going to hurt you again. But you're not going to let that happen. So, I'm going to give you a number of potions to take and you are going to take them or I'll not discharge you, and I will enjoy every minute of detaining you." She raised her eyebrows, "You can't scare me with that stare of yours. I've worked here a long time; don't you think I've seen it before?" she went into her store and returned with a dozen bottles. She slapped my hand away as I tried to lift one out, George, who had now taken a seat beside me sniggered. She got out a large roll of parchment and started writing down the names of all the bottles, when to take it and how much and what it's for, because she knew I'd be curious.

"Pepper up potion," she showed me a familiar looking bottle, "Take this if you feel flu-like and make your way straight to me. I do not care if Professor Snape threatens you, you walk out of his class and bring a friend if you can. You went downhill so fast, I still don't understand…" she picked out a second bottle, "This one is to stop your head being so fuzzy and might help with your clarity, one or two drops every couple of hours will do." I took a drop of it immediately, "this third one is for headaches, which you'll no doubt get…" The rest of the bottles were for nausea, generalised pain, dreamless sleep, something to calm me down, a potion to help my memory return (I took a swig of that one, too), something to reduce fatigue (I ate that sweet), something for dizziness and she took the last bottle away, claiming I wouldn't need it. "Now, you will sit and eat some breakfast." She looked up at the clock, "you've missed half of your first lesson."

"I'm not missing anything in History of Magic, promise." I packed all of the potions in my bag, trying to learn all their complicated names and George tested my memory.

"What's the one for the dizziness called?" he asked.

I thought about it, "Nevertigovorso."

He looked impressed, "Your memory still works, I'm impressed." He took a bite of my toast.

"Did you pump any caffeine into my veins?" I asked Madam Pomfery, "I think I'm withdrawing…" I held up my shaky hands.

She chuckled, "That's the side effect of the memory potion, I'm afraid… Besides, you will get all the caffeine you need in those chewy tablets I gave you, I don't need you returning here, bouncing off walls, because that will literally happen if you drink coffee in the rate that you do with those tablets."

"Darn." I looked up at George and he knew exactly what I was thinking, he could use those to make a new product. I slipped a couple into his pocket.

"Stop looking all lovey-dovey into each other's eyes and eat, Kathryn, you haven't put proper food into your stomach for at least two days,"

I dramatically lifted the croissant and took a massive bite and said, "MMMMMMMMmmmmmmm. De-lish."

Madam Pomfery rolled her eyes, "You two are perfect for each other, now get to class. Both of you, if you feel at all unwell, come straight back. Even just a little bit. Promise me."

"You mean after I take the potion for a fuzzy head or…?"

"Anything different. Anything. Sweaty, hot, cold, very dizzy, weakness, sickness."

I nodded, "Got it." The bell went and I walked towards charms class. George kissed my forehead before he went in the opposite direction to Transfiguration. He looked a lot happier and relieved to see me back in working order again.

I knocked on the door to our Charms class, feeling exhausted to have climbed all the stairs and still be late, "Sorry I'm late!" I smiled, walking in and seeing Harry, Ron and Hermione looking dumbstruck.

"Miss Pink!" Professor Flitwick said excitedly, "It's so good to see you! How are you?"

I realised I had everyone's eyes on me, Gryffindors and Ravenclaws alike, I nodded, "I've been better, but it's nice to finally be out of the hospital wing!" I set my bag down at my desk beside Hermione.

"Well, doesn't someone look a hundred times better than this time yesterday?" Hermione whispered.

"It's good to know you're not going to die on us." Ron said from the other end of the table, "I don't have to be sympathetic anymore."

I stuck out my tongue at him. Then the class got prepared to revise the summoning and banishing spells. I slowly got back up on my feet and took out my wand. "It's so strange to think that three days ago I didn't know what this was." I said, taking a pillow from Professor Flitwick, allowing Harry to summon it and banish it to me.

"Do you want a go?" Harry asked, "Not that you need the practice."

"Alright then!" I said, trying to banish the cushion to Harry.

Seeing that I was struggling, Hermione came to my aid, "Depulso." She said, "Sweep your wand."

"I know." I said, looking at her, "I know how to do it, I've done it hundreds of times." I put my hand into my hair and held on tight to stop my hands from shaking.

"It's okay," she said, putting an arm around me, "you're recovering still, it's only natural."

Professor Flitwick, who was making his rounds, stopped and said, "So Miss Pink, off you go." I thought with every bit of my fuzzy brain about putting that cushion into Harry's face, but the more I concentrated, the more my head hurt, at least this time I had manged to move the pillow a metre away. I could see the look of surprise on Harry and Ron's faces. Professor Flitwick assured me that it was alright, but I felt like a failure, I had never not been able to do it before. "Perhaps you might want to sit this one out, you were very ill and with a brain injury…"

I willed myself not to cry as I took a seat at the side of the room. With worsening shaking hands, I lifted out one of Madam Pomfery's potions to relieve my headache. I then sat with my head on the desk for the rest of the class, hoping the fuzz would go away. I was not going back to Madam Pomfery if I could help it.

I entered the Great Hall with everyone's eyes on me again, I tried to turn and leave, but Hermione grabbed me and pulled me along. By this stage I had myself worried to the point I wasn't going to eat, but Harry, Ron and Hermione told me that I had to.

"What happened to my happy bunny this morning?" George said as I sat down beside him, put my head on his shoulder and hid my face from everyone, "What's happened? Are you feeling ill again?"

I couldn't help as my eyes filled with tears and my lip quivered, "I couldn't do the spell, George… I couldn't, my ability… gone."

With an arm around me, George went into my bag and lifted out a number of potions, "Your head has gone all fuzzy, because the Katy I know wouldn't fret over this. Come on, take these potions for me." I didn't even look as he instructed me, my hands weren't still enough to hold the spoon still, "Now, how do you feel?"

"Better." I nodded.

"Good." He said, wiping a stray tear with his napkin, "Now eat something. I'll feed you, if I have to. I'm sure you'll be a mess, by the end, mind."

I smiled.

"There you go. There's that beautiful smile." He gave my hand a tight squeeze, "You can do this."

"I heard a rumour that Kathryn Pink, the girl who was dying two days ago was in the Great Hall eating lunch with everyone else." Ginny nudged me.

"It's a pleasure to see you too." I gave her a dirty look as she sat down beside me, in the space she made between Hermione and me. I grabbed a bread roll and filled it, realising my hands weren't stable enough to hold cutlery just yet, "So Gin, tell me, since when did you become the replica me? You were very naughty telling me all that stuff in the Hospital Wing, you know."

She smiled at me, "I have no idea what you're going on about."

Before I had the chance to reply I heard a very loud, "GIRL!" as Ange entered the Great Hall, if people hadn't noticed me before, they certainly noticed me now. I set down my sandwich and stood to give her a massive hug, "You were so ill… Oh, but you look so good. McGonagall warned us not to ask but-"

I shook my head, "Nothing."

"I bet George is happy to have you out of the Hospital Wing."

"I think he got more than he bargained for with me." I said and George looked up at me and shook his head, I cupped his face with my hands and smiled, "We've had our fair share of overnighters in the Hospital Wing."

Ange laughed, "I'm pretty sure that came out wrong."

"Just like how the two of us have been up to no good in their dormitory in the middle of the night?" I straddled the bench, sitting down as Ange and George's cheeks went pink, "I've missed you guys." I turned and finished my sandwich feeling content with myself. Ron and Hermione were talking about going to the library before potions, but Harry, who was sitting opposite me didn't want to.

Clunk, clunk, clunk.

I nearly fell off the seat at the sound approaching the Great Hall. My heart started racing and I grabbed onto George's hand and squeezed tight, petrified. "Katy, what's wrong?" George squeezed back, "Oh Merlin, she's gone all pale and sweaty again… Someone grab her bag-"

I pointed at the man who had just entered though the large doors, "Him." He walked between the Slytherin and Hufflepuff tables toward the teachers table. His blue eye focusing on me. Clunk, clunk, clunk.

George felt my forehead, "Katy, that's Professor Moody, he's a teacher here. It's okay, he's not going to hurt you."

As soon as the clunking sound stopped, between Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny, they had managed to find the potion to help my anxiety. Pouring a healthy amount down my throat, I immediately relaxed, "I need to get out of here…" I said, re-packing my bag and leaving the Great Hall.

"Perhaps you should go back to the Hospital Wing… I don't think you're ready for this just yet…" George said as nicely as possibly as he followed me up the many flights of stairs towards Gryffindor Tower.

"Yeah, Kathryn, you've been through a lot, one more day isn't going to hurt," Hermione said, "I can keep taking notes for you, it's really no bother."

I shook my head, "I have to do this." I said, in the middle of a quiet corridor, "I'm me! I'm still me, I'm not like this."

"Yes, Kathryn," Harry said, "But you're not well. It's okay."

I nodded, "But I'm not going to do myself any favours sitting in a hospital bed, feeling depressed at not being able to perform a stupid charm. Do you know what I need?"

Ron answered, "A time turner?"

"Heh." I said, "I wish. I need some good old fashioned Snape time. Just be prepared for Gryffindor to lose a few house points."

"I don't know if I should be proud or worried…" George said.

Harry, Ron and Hermione all smiled, "This is going to be good."

"Nice of you to finally show up to class, Miss Pink," Snape sneered at me as I arrived in his class a few minutes later, "Did you grow tired of your lies and deceit?"

"Well, if you bothered to come visit me, then you'd know I wasn't myself." I stared at him, "Oh, I remember, Sir, I remember."

"Do you? Ten points from Gryffindor." He smirked.

I smiled, "Or was that you holding my hand? Aw, Sir."

Snape looked like he was swallowing an extremely hot beverage, "Perhaps you wouldn't be alive right now if it wasn't for me brewing you up that sepsis potion."

"I'm glad you realise the severity of my illness." I nodded, "I could have died. Two nights ago I was close to death," I let out a booming laugh, "Funny, isn't it? There are so many people in this world who would have just let me die. Instead I get a memory charm, which for all I know, could have been given by yourself, and then I came down with a life threatening illness. Curious. I'm glad to know you're on my side, Professor."

"You ought to be very careful, Miss Pink."

"So should you, people might think you're… up to something." I said, repeating his exact warning words to us a few years back. I sat, quite content staring at him, as he challenged me to continue. "Oh, and just to let you know, if I appear unwell, let me know in good time, so I don't collapse and crack my skull open, like last time." Giving up, he started the lesson, and I got on with my work. Harry, Ron and Hermione were impressed, hiding their giggles. I could see Draco open his mouth at one point as though he was considering talking to me. Perhaps he missed me nagging in his ear, or my intermittent sarcastic comments, but he closed his mouth as though he thought better.

Towards the end of the lesson where Snape was teaching us he stopped and said, "Miss Pink," He was smirking in the way he did when he had an idea, one designed to humiliate, "Last week when you were considered incompetent of attending this class, we brewed the Girding Potion… Tell me, do you remember from our previous theory lesson the key ingredients for that particular brew?"

I smiled, "Dragonfly thoraxes, fairy wings, flying seahorses and doxy eggs, Sir." My memory did not fail me.

I could see Snape grit his teeth, "Characteristics?"

"The potion is a golden colour and has a pungent smell." I nodded.

He then showed his teeth, approaching me, he handed me his chalk, "Why don't you write up the instructions on the board as part of class revision?"

I stuck my hand out, "You're going to have to excuse my handwriting, you see, the memory potion has wonderful side-effects…" Reaching into my bag quickly, I grabbed the page of notes Hermione made for me during last weeks' classes. She always wrote the potion instructions at the top of the page and today I was extremely grateful. Making it invisible, I walked up to the front of the class and my hands shook as I covertly leaned my left hand against the board, holding up Hermione's notes as I wrote with my right,

Add one set of fairy wings.

Heat until the potion turns turquoise.

Add one measure of doxy eggs.

Heat until the potion turns pink.

Add the toasted dragonfly thoraxes until the potion turns red.

Heat until the potion turns blue.

Add toasted dragonfly thoraxes until the potion turns silver.

Heat the potion until it turns red.

Add three measures of doxy eggs.

Add some dragonfly thoraxes.

Heat the potion until it turns blue.

Add three flying seahorses.

Heat until the potion turns green.

"And of course, as you leave the potion for the suggested time of two days, it turns golden in colour, but it is effective when green, it just doesn't last as long." I nodded, handed Snape back the chalk and sat back down again.

Snape looked flabbergasted, "Thank you, Miss Pink."

That was the end of the lesson.

"How did you do that?" Hermione asked me, helping me pack my bag. I poked one of the potion bottles in my bag and made it invisible. The look of shock and pride overtook her facial expressions.

"Miss Pink?" Snape called.

"Yes?"

"Professor Dumbledore wishes to see you in his office, bring Potter with you." Snape snarled, clearly disappointed at not being able to embarrass me.

Harry looked at me and shrugged his shoulders, "Shall we?"

I nodded at Harry and as soon as we left the potions classroom I asked Ron and Hermione, "If you don't mind, please inform George where I am, I don't want him panicking."

Ron smiled, "I'm going to tell him that Snape murdered you and that he made us bury you in the Forbidden Forest."

"Let's see how well that goes down." I said.

Harry and I walked towards Dumbledore's office and suddenly something dawned on me, "Harry?"

"Yeah?" he answered distractedly.

I laughed, "I never actually found out what the next task is, with everyone else going on!" I couldn't believe I had forgotten, "George mentioned something about a maze in the Quidditch pitches?"

He smiled, "I genuinely thought you'd forgotten about the tournament."

"I wish I could say that I would never forget, but that, unfortunately, isn't something I can, indeed, promise." I shook if off, "So are you going to tell me?"

"Basically there's a maze and we all go in and defeat any obstacles along the way before finding the cup in the middle." Harry said, "I hope it's that simple."

"I'm sure we can get practicing on spells and stuff, but I suppose you three have already started?" I realised with the look on Harry's face, "I'm sorry…"

Harry looked terribly guilty, "I know deep down, it's my fault, I shouldn't have told you to go down there. I shouldn't have left -"

We had arrived at the entrance to Dumbledore's office on the third floor. Viktor Krum was standing, seemingly waiting for us, "I vos hoping you'd be here. I've been vanting to discuss vot happened vith you."

I nodded, facing the gargoyle which was concealing the entrance to the office. The Gargoyle stepped aside as Dumbledore walked down the winding set of stairs, quickly followed by Moody. The clunk sound made me feel both agitated and scared. I tried to not make it show. Dumbledore welcomed us into his office, having been there before, I knew to take a seat in front of his desk. I walked past a vast number of portraits I hadn't noticed before, there were all sitting silently, watching expectantly as I walked. I bypassed the table of silver artefacts and devices and sat in the middle of the three available seats.

"I have organised this meeting to discuss the happenings in the Forest last week," Dumbledore's piercing eyes found mine, "by unceasing request of Mr Krum."

"What do you want to know?" I turned to Krum.

"I vant to know who attacked us."

I raised my eyebrows, "I'd very much like to know the answer to that one, as well. You were stunned, I had a memory charm gone wrong, I suggest you might be the person with the upper hand on this whole matter."

"Vot are you saying? Your memory has returned." Krum looked shocked.

I shook my head, "Everything apart from what happened in the forest." I folded my arms, "For all I know, it could have been you."

Krum sat up a little straighter, "But you don't believe that, do you?"

"All I'm going to say is that I know what I can remember and there is a huge chunk gone. I can't trust anything but my instincts and I think Professor Dumbledore would commend me for playing my cards close to my chest."

"I didn't do it. I svear it." Krum sat forward, "You know I voodn't!"

Harry sat forward too, "Wait, is there something I'm missing here?"

I exhaled, trying not to smile.

"Oh, is this about the conversation we had? About Hermione? Are you serious about her?" It was as though a light switch went on in Harry's brain, it was very amusing.

"Okay, suppose it wasn't you…" I said, "What did you see? Who do you expect?"

Krum shifted uncomfortably on the wooden chair, "Harry told me to vait with Mr Crouch as he vent to get Professor Dumbledore, he vos mad, Mr Crouch, he vos talking to himself! Harry vos taking ages, I heard someone running – I turned my back on Mr Crouch for two seconds! Then I vos stunned."

"That was me running." I said, imagining the scenario, "I ran down the hill after Harry told me what was happening, he said that he had found Mr Crouch and that you were watching him. He asked me to go down and help you."

I turned to Harry and he nodded, "I ran up the stairs, to Dumbledore's office, Snape saw me trying to get in, then Dumbledore arrived."

"I had been discussing the Third Task with Mr Bagman." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as we put the pieces of the jigsaw together.

"Then I told Dumbledore what had happened and I led the way. I saw Krum lying unconscious on the forest floor and Kathryn was coming around. She hadn't a clue who she was and what had happened…" Harry's voice tailed off.

Breaking the silence, I said, "I arrived at the forbidden forest and I remember hearing something I peered around the tree and the next thing I wake up on the forest floor. I was probably… what? 5 years old?" I struggled to remember what had happened when I woke up, "Harry… where was I, when you found me? Was I beside the tree?"

Harry shook his head, "No… there weren't any trees beside you, it was like you were heading back up to the castle again."

"Did they ever find Mr Crouch's body?"

The three men around me all leaned forwards, but Dumbledore spoke, "Body, Miss Pink?"

I closed my eyes and grabbed onto the sides of the chair, "there was a red light, then a green one. Viktor was stunned and Mr Crouch…" I opened both eyes, "I didn't remember that before…" I covered my face with my hands and leaned my head back, "Professor?" I asked.

"Yes, Miss Pink?"

"Am I going to remember what happened? Or am I going to be tortured forever? Remembering snippets, but never faces?" I looked at him.

"Keep taking your potion and we'll see."