The Healer | Part 1: The Hogwarts Years

The Hospital Wing

George

Edith's near-death experience was all anyone in the school could talk about that day, Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. Even when Fred and I retreated to the common room that evening, students continued to tell wild variations on what had actually happened. I wasn't sure exactly what had happened, but I knew it wasn't likely that Edith had dove in herself either in an effort to join the merpeople or as a suicide attempt. And even I knew that the other bloke hadn't pushed her in. I might not like him, but he had jumped in freezing water after her and I had to respect him for that.

'Should I go visit her?' I asked Fred that evening after supper. I hadn't seen her and knew she was likely still being kept in the Hospital Wing. I didn't know much about Healing, but I figured you'd need at least a couple of days to recover from a near-drowning.

'No,' Fred said almost at once.

'Why not?' That hadn't been the answer I wanted.

'The girl nearly died, you think your face is the first thing she wants to see when she wakes up?'

'Bold words coming from someone who looks exactly like me,' I glowered at him.

'You look exactly like me,' he gestured with his fingers, pointing at me first then to himself. 'Firstborn, remember?'

'How could I forget?' I replied through clenched teeth.

'Just let her rest,' Fred replied. 'Leave her be for a minute, there are already too many people fussing over her as it is.'

I said nothing and turned angrily back to my watch which was laying on the table in front of us. Fred and I had been trying to bewitch it with a Shield Charm for the last hour. I needed to do something to distract me from everything. All of the rumours circulating the school seemed to be that she wasn't even awake yet. One even said she had succumbed to her injuries and was now a ghost haunting the Hospital Wing corridor. I needed to focus my attention on something complicated to keep my mind occupied, but it wasn't working so far.

'What d'you reckon?' He asked and I knew he was talking about my watch this time.

Personally, I figured if I pointed my wand at it one more time, I would probably blow it up beyond repair. And I couldn't do that, I needed it and couldn't afford another.

I wanted to blow something up though, that was always a good way to relieve tension.

'I think I fancy a walk,' I stood up abruptly.

He raised an eyebrow at me, we had only just returned from supper an hour ago. But he said nothing and stayed where he was while I strode out of the common room and into the school corridor.

I flew through the corridors and down the steps, with every intention of going outside and blowing up the first thing I could find. I barely registered what I saw as I passed other students and glanced reflexively into the Great Hall.

Suddenly, I froze. I looked back into the Great Hall.

The bloke that had rescued her was in there, I had to look twice to make sure it was him. It definitely was, seated with his classmates at the end of the Slytherin table.

I paused, feeling all of my pent up fury suddenly vanish. If he was there, maybe Edith was awake. And if he was in the Great Hall, he definitely couldn't be in the Hospital Wing. I glanced over to the Ravenclaw table just beside the Slytherin one. I could see the other three Ravenclaw girls Edith was usually with. She must be alone. She was never alone.

Never one to waste an opportunity when it was served on a silver platter to me like this, I turned abruptly and headed in the direction of the Hospital Wing.
I was so focussed on getting to my destination as quickly as I could, that I didn't think it through properly until I had my hand on the door to the Hospital Wing.