The Healer | Part 1: The Hogwarts Years

In Too Deep

George

I felt better after spending time with Edith, if one could even call it that. I had been near her, and alone with her, and that was enough for now.

Her friend, Phillips, came up to me at lunch the following day to tell me she was awake. Apparently Madam Pomfrey had wanted her to tell me. I was grateful Madam Pomfrey wasn't anything if she wasn't discreet. Phillips didn't offer me any further details and I didn't ask for any. Fred, as usual, was sitting right beside me and I hadn't told him about what I had done the evening before.

'That's good then, eh?' Fred nudged me in the ribs.

'Of course it is,' I scoffed. 'Blimey, Fred, let's hold you under frozen water for five minutes and see how you fare out.'

'Alright, easy!' He chuckled.

'Alright, George?'

Someone else called my name, I looked up. Alicia had appeared behind me.

'Yeah, alright, Alicia?' I nodded to her. She took a seat on my other side.

'Mad about the squid, isn't it?' She said, I felt my stomach lurch.

'Er... yeah, it is, isn't it?' I replied.

I turned back to Fred who had an odd look on his face.

'What?' I asked him.

'Nothing,' he said, his face cleared, customary smirk back in place.

'Reckon that girl's going to be alright?' Alicia went on.

'Probably, or Madam Pomfrey would have sent her to St Mungo's by now,' I turned back to her.

'Yeah, Katie's in the same year as her, it's really spooked a lot of them,' she replied.

'Yeah, would do,' I agreed.

'Do you have any plans for Hogsmeade this weekend?' She asked. I raised an eyebrow. Where did that come from?

What did Hogsmeade have to do with anything? I hesitated and I turned back to Fred, he was still smirking.

'Er... I'm not sure, still waiting to hear back,' I replied honestly enough.

'Oh,' she said, raising her eyebrows. 'About what?'

'Lee,' Fred interjected quickly. 'He had detention with Snape this weekend and he's trying to skive off.'

I turned to him and raised my eyebrows. I didn't know Lee had detention this weekend.

'Fat chance of that,' Alicia scoffed. 'What did he do?'

'He got caught,' Fred shrugged.

This was news to me. I hadn't heard of anything Lee had done that was against the rules lately. That he'd been caught at anyway.

'Well, let me know, will you?' Alicia said. I turned towards her again, she was looking right at me.

Why did she care what I did in Hogsmeade anyway? I looked back at Fred for help, but he only shrugged.

'Er... alright then,' I told her.

'Well, I'd best get my things, I'll see you in class,' she stood up and walked briskly back up the Great Hall.

'What did Lee do?' I turned back to Fred.

'Nothing,' he answered.

'Then why does he have detention?' I asked.

'Are you really that thick?' he laughed.

'What?'

'She was asking you out, tosser!'