Harsh Reality
Melissa limped toward the hospital wing. She felt useless for not being able to go with Sheila to find Harry.
�Come on in dear,� Madam Pomfrey said, gesturing toward a chair. �Have a seat.�
Melissa sat down and slowly pulled off her shoe. This took a while as her ankle had to swollen to twice its normal size. Madam Pomfrey pulled out her wand and examined the ankle.
�Twisted,� she muttered, tapping it with her wand. The swelling went down considerably and the pain was reduced. �That should do it. Of course you�ll have to�where are you going?� Melissa had gotten up and started walking toward the door.
�I have to find my sister,� Melissa said, continuing toward the door.
�You will do no such thing,� Madam Pomfrey said, grabbing Melissa�s arm and leading her back in. �You need to rest your ankle, or you may hurt it worse.�
�I don�t care! You don�t understand. I have to�� a slamming door cut Melissa off. George had just walked in, carrying Harry.
�Oh dear!� Madam Pomfrey said. �Get him over here!� She gestured toward the nearest bed. George set Harry down where he lay motionless.
Melissa nearly screamed when she saw him. He was ghostly white and his lips were turning blue. His robes, which had looked a little big on him earlier, now engulfed him like a tent.
�He isn�t breathing!� Madam Pomfrey said, pulling out her wand. �You two go to the cabinet! Bring back as many blanket as you can carry!�
Melissa and George ran to the cabinet. When they came back, they saw Madam Pomfrey pointing her wand at Harry, saying the same spell over and over. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Harry sat up, coughing violently.
�Get those blankets over here,� Madam Pomfrey ordered. �Wrap him up in them. I�ll be right back.� She hurried to her office, leaving Melissa and George with Harry.
They picked up the blankets and started wrapping them around Harry. This job proved to be easy as Harry didn�t put up much of a fight. He�d stopped coughing and was now staring blankly at the wall.
�At least we got him awake,� George said, sitting in a chair.
�Did we?� Melissa asked, sitting next to George. �Did we really?�
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Sheila tripped and nearly fell over. She was beginning to feel a bit faint. Blood from her wrist had soaked through her robes, already soaking wet from melted snow.
�Almost there,� she muttered to herself. �Just a few more steps.�
She reached out her hand, grabbing the door handle. With the last of her energy, she pushed it open. She had a glimpse of Melissa and George�s surprised faces before she blacked out.
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�Sheila!� Melissa gasped as her sister collapsed onto the floor. �George, help me!�
Between the two of them, they managed to get Sheila up off the floor and onto a bed. She wasn�t in much better shape than Harry had been, but at least she was still breathing.
�What�� Madam Pomfrey stopped as she walked into the room. �Not another one! One of these days a generation of Potters� and their friends are going to be the death of me.� She pulled out her wand and pointed it at Sheila. A jet of electric blue light shot out from the wand, hitting Sheila�s chest.
�Harry!� Sheila shouted, sitting up.
�Calm down,� Madam Pomfrey said gently. �He�s going to be just fine. Was there anyone else out there?� She directed this last question to everyone, all of which shook their heads except for Harry, who continued to stare at the wall.
�Mr. Potter, did you see anyone?� Madam Pomfrey asked again.
Melissa thought it rather pointless to ask. Harry barely ever talked to anyone anymore, even his closest friends. After a few moments of silence, she stepped up in his defense.
�I�m sure if he saw anyone he�d tell us,� Melissa said, putting herself between Madam Pomfrey and Harry.
�Of course,� Madam Pomfrey said, backing up a few steps. �I was merely asking to make sure no students are left out there. My next question is if you would please go check to see if anyone�s out there. Mr. Potter would have to stay here of course. I could put warming charms on your cloaks and��
�That won�t be necessary.�
Professors Wilson and Felina walked in. Both were covered in snow and leaving muddy tracks on the floor. Professor Felina seemed to be having trouble walking. Wilson was holding her arm and guiding her into the room.
�Mom, what happened?� Melissa asked, pulling up chairs for them.
�Fudge sent me out to find any students who may have been left on the grounds,� Professor Wilson said, helping Professor Felina into a chair. �I found Carol, no one else.�
Madam Pomfrey brought blankets for them. Professor Wilson gave hers to Professor Felina, saying she didn�t need it.
�What were you doing out there?� Madam Pomfrey asked, sitting across from Felina. �You should know better than to go out in a snowstorm.�
�I didn�t think it�d bother me,� Professor Felina said. �It�s always cold where I�m from. I was just going to take a walk around the lake, but I got lost when it started snowing. If Elisabeth hadn�t found me, I probably would�ve frozen to death.�
�Well you seem to be doing fine now,� Madam Pomfrey said. �Professor Wilson, please help her upstairs. I�ll send for a kitchen-elf to bring you some tea.�
�No, I don�t want to trouble them,� Professor Felina said, standing up and setting the blankets on her chair. �And I don�t need help. I can manage.� She walked away, leaving them to gape after her.
�I�d better make sure she makes it there okay,� Professor Wilson said, hurrying out the door.
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Madam Pomfrey turned to the children who remained in the room. All, with the exception of Harry, were watching her, as if asking what to do next.
�Right. Let�s see about that wrist,� she said, picking up her wand and examining Sheila�s wrist. �Hold still. This may hurt.� She picked up the hand, lining up the bone. Then she tapped the wrist with her wand.
�That should do it,� she said. �You all may go back to your common room except for Harry. I need to keep him here until he�s fully recovered.� She chose her words carefully so as not to upset Melissa again. They thanked Madam Pomfrey and left.
Madam Pomfrey went over to Harry, picked up his arm, and immediately dropped it. His skin was cold as ice. She tried again, checking his pulse. It was very faint and seemed to have slowed quite a bit. It was amazing he was even conscious.
�I thing you�ll be just fine,� Madam Pomfrey said, �but I�d like to keep you here a while just in case.� She made a mental note not to release him till his pulse was normal again.
Harry didn�t respond or even seem to hear her. She sighed and walked to the door, turning around to look at him.
�So much like your father,� she whispered. �Let�s just hope your luck holds out longer than James�s did.� She shut off the lights and left.
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Though it didn�t seem like it, Harry heard everything that was spoken around him. Mostly he didn�t answer because he wanted to be alone, but there were other reasons.
He�d been asked if he saw anyone. He didn�t see anyone, but he knew there had been someone watching him. He hadn�t answered for fear of being questioned. He�d been momentarily grateful to Melissa for standing up for him, but this had been shattered by the arrival of the professors.
Melissa calling Professor Wilson �Mom� brought Harry crashing back to reality. It was just a reminder that Melissa and Sheila were so different. They had a mother, even if she wasn�t blood-related.
They were the lucky ones. They hadn�t gone through the pain Harry had. They could never understand.
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Author's note: I know I know, ya'll think I'm trying to kill Harry off. Don't you thing if that was what I was doing I would've done it already? Anywho, I'm happy, I finished this chapter. If you have any questions e-mail me and I'll answer as best I can. Get used to author's notes, your gonna be seeing a lot of them.
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