Sirius woke to a familiar smell. It was the Hospital Wing. He noticed it was nighttime, because it was dark in the room. He sat up slowly. He felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Lay down, Sirius," Melania said gently. "You are still healing." Sirius shook his head.
"I'm fine," he said quickly.
"Sirius, do I need to get Madam Pomfrey?" Arcturus asked.
"No, oh fine! I'll lay down," Sirius gave in. He then realized that his grandparents must have been in there the entire time, waiting for him to wake up. They both looked tired, but also very concerned.
"Do you want anything to drink, dear?" Melania asked.
"Water, please," Sirius requested. Melania called for Dinky and requested a glass of water for Sirius. "So, how long have I been out?" Sirius questioned.
"Nine hours," Arcturus answered. "Before you ask, Mr. Filch is no longer here at this school. What he did to you is inexcusable. I warned him about these kinds of punishments during the first staff meeting, but he did not listen, as we now know."
"What about Mrs. Norris?" Sirius asked. "Is she still here?"
"No, we handed her over to St. Mungo's, and they will revive her when they are able," Arcturus said.
Sirius nodded. "Good, so who's going to be the caretaker now?" he asked.
Arcturus chuckled. "We don't need a caretaker when we have house-elves. Hogwarts has hundreds of elves, and only about fifty of them have something to do. The others have not had anything to do since Dumbledore hired Filch. Those house-elves now have a job." Sirius smiled. He was glad that the house-elves had something to do.
"Have you both been in here all night?" Sirius asked.
"We've been here for the past six hours," Melania told him.
Sirius then remembered something. "Amara Dunn! She was, well..."
"Petrified, yes," Arcturus finished for him. "The Bloody Baron as well. Which brings me to my next bit of news. New rules."
Sirius groaned. He hated new rules. "What are they, then?" he asked.
"Until we find how to stop these attacks, professors will be escorting students from class to class. Students will also have to be in their common rooms from after dinner until breakfast the next morning. Lastly, students will have to be with at least one other student whenever they leave their common rooms. Any questions?"
"No, I don't have any questions," Sirius said. "I hate it, but I know it's necessary."
"Mr. Black! You're awake!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed. She waved her wand over him and said, "You are good to go, but you need to rest. I don't want to see you back in here because you didn't take it easy."
"Yes, Madam Pomfrey," Sirius said. The medi-witch handed him his clothes. He slipped into the bathroom so he could change. When he came out, his grandparents walked him back to Gryffindor Tower.