Back to Normal?
Harry opened his eyes. It took him a few seconds to realize that he didn�t have his glasses on. He tried to reach over to get them, but he could barely move. He shut his eyes again and tried to remember what happened.
He had realized that he couldn�t go on the way he was. He�d picked up the knife and walked to the window. Then he turned around to say one final goodbye. Placing the blade on his wrist, he cut.
The rest was a blur. He saw the blood and heard himself screaming, but it was as if he had been separated from his body. Then he fell, but never felt himself hit the ground. That was all he could remember.
And yet, there was something else. He knew something had happened after that. But he couldn�t remember. He strained to remember what happened. All that came to him were a few words: dark, cold, and alone.
The strongest memory was that of being alone. Harry�d spent the last few months wishing people would leave him alone. Now that he�d finally had time to himself, he couldn�t remember it.
All he knew was that, wherever it was that he had gone, he hadn�t wanted to leave. And now, he wished he could go back.
A slamming door interrupted Harry�s thoughts. He opened his eyes and saw Madam Pomfrey leave her office and walk to a small cupboard. She pulled out a small stack of parchment and a quill. She walked over to Harry, looking down at her parchment and muttering to herself. Harry caught a few of her words.
�Such a thin little boy� never in all my years� hope he wakes up soon.�
She looked up from the papers and jumped back, her hand flying up to cover her mouth.
�You�re awake!� she gasped. �I must tell Minerva!�
She ran to her office and came back with a small leather bag. She took a pinch of something from the bag and threw it into the nearest fireplace. The flames glowed emerald green and doubled in size.
�Minerva!� Madam Pomfrey called into the fire. �Minerva I need to speak to you!�
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Ron stared blankly at his unfinished essay. Professor McGonagall had given him an extension on it. She seemed to know that he had other things on his mind.
Ron lifted his eyes from his desk and tried to concentrate. Professor McGonagall was lecturing the class and he was supposed to be taking notes. But his mind kept wandering back to the hospital wing where his best friend lay in a coma.
Ron was brought back to reality by a muffled shouting. It was coming from Professor McGonagall�s office. She stopped talking briefly, listening to the voice.
�Start your homework,� she said. �I�ll be right back.� She went to her office. Ron heard her say, �This had better be good� before the door shut.
The room was filled with urgent whispers as people turned to their friends and gave their opinions of what was going on. The only people who didn�t say anything were Ron, Hermione and Neville, who was still thoroughly traumatized from seeing Harry lying on the floor, bleeding. He hadn�t spoken a word to anyone since it had happened.
About ten minutes later, Professor McGonagall came out of her office and cleared her throat to get their attention. The whispering stopped abruptly as everyone listened intently to Professor McGonagall, hoping for an explanation. Ron forced himself to listen.
�Normally I wouldn�t tell you what that was about,� she said, �but I promised to keep one of you updated and the rest of you are probably wanting to know what�s going on. That was Madam Pomfrey. Mr. Potter has woken up. Mr. Weasley, I have asked, and Madam Pomfrey has agreed, that you be allowed to visit him. I�m sure you won�t be able to pay attention through the rest of the class, so you may go now.�
�Thank you, Professor,� Ron said, standing up. He could feel the eyes of everyone in the room watching him as he left. As soon as he was outside the classroom, Ron started running. He wanted to talk to Harry. He wanted to hear Harry say that what Madam Pomfrey had said wasn�t true.
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Harry watched as Madam Pomfrey talked to Professor McGonagall. From what he heard, Ron had just been sent to see him.
�Mr. Weasley is on his way here,� Madam Pomfrey said when she�d finished talking to Professor McGonagall. �He�s the one who found you.�
�Found me?�
�Um� yes,� she looked slightly uncomfortable. �He found you in your common room. He told Professor McGonagall and she brought you here. You�re very lucky. If Mr. Weasley hadn�t found you, you might have�� She choked slightly and cut off. �Anyway, he�ll be here in about half an hour.�
She went to her desk and picked up what looked like a snow globe. She tapped it twice with her wand. It glowed blue for a second before turning clear again.
�Harry Potter sir!� came a little voice from the door. Harry looked up to see Dobby the house-elf standing in the doorway, holding a tray of food. �Harry Potter is awake ma�am?� he asked, handing the tray to Madam Pomfrey.
�Yes,� she said, �he�s awake. Thank you, you may go back to the kitchens.�
�Goodbye Harry Potter,� Dobby squeaked, bowing as he backed out of the room.
�Poor little guy�s been really worried about you. He�s been wanting to visit you, but Fudge wouldn�t allow it.� Madam Pomfrey shook her head slightly and set the tray on the table next to Harry�s bed. �Eat quickly, Mr. Weasley will be here soon.�
Harry stared blankly at the tray before pushing it away.
�Now don�t give me that,� Madam Pomfrey said sternly. �You�ve been unconscious for over a week. You need your strength.�
Harry glared at her.
�Okay, I had a feeling this would happen.� She picked up the tray and headed toward her office. When she came back she had a goblet in one hand and her wand in the other.
�Drink this,� she ordered, handing Harry the goblet. He stared at it for a minute then looked back up at her.
�Either you drink it, or I put the full body bind on you and pour it down your throat.�
Harry looked back down at the goblet. It was filled with a murky-brown potion. He took a deep breath and drank the potion. It tasted a bit like drywall and was hard to swallow. He suddenly felt very tired and had to lean back.
There was a knock at the door and Ron walked in, looking like he�d just run a marathon.
�Professor McGonagall sent me,� Ron said.
�Of course,� Madam Pomfrey said. �I�m going to my office to finish some paperwork. You may stay as long as you like, but I ask that you not stay too long. He needs to regain his strength.�
�Okay,� Ron said. When she was gone, he sat in a chair by Harry�s bed. They sat in silence for a moment before Ron spoke.
�I found you by the window,� he said, his voice shaking slightly. �Your wrists were bleeding. Madam Pomfrey said that you�� He broke off and put his hand over his wrist, drawing an imaginary knife over it. Harry turned his face to look out the window and didn�t answer.
�Tell me it isn�t true,� Ron said.
Harry was silent for a few minutes. �Why did you have to find me,� he whispered. It was more of a statement than a question. Ron was smart enough not to answer. They were silent for a few more minutes.
�I�m going to go,� Ron said. �It�s nearly lunchtime and I have to go tell Melissa and Sheila the g� the news.�
Harry noticed how Ron stopped himself from saying �good news� but he didn�t care. He was mad, not at Ron, but at the world. He found that he couldn�t be mad at Ron, no matter what he�d done. After all, Ron had only done what he thought was right.
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