The Year of the Revolution IV. The Outbreak

16. Medimagic

At dawn, the trio accompanied Remus to the Infirmary, exhausted, as always after a crisis. Poppy opened right away, but this time she didn't let them in to take him to the bed. Because Sev is inside too, he thought. He let the mediwitch herself help him get there. How strong she is.

"I imagine that they have told you what they have done, haven't they?" she asked him."

"They have. In full detail."

"What a night you must have passed."

This one already knows everything, Remus thought. Besides, Sev is not seen in any bed, he must be behind the screens. I'm going to vent a bit. "You don't know how I want to get rid of them."

"Professor Dumbledore will surely punish them, I warned him last night as soon as I attended him, and he was talking to your girlfriend and later with him for a long time."

Wow... they've already made contact. But he will have convinced him not to. How much will he have revealed to him? I trust his cunning.

They reached the bed. Sev, indeed, is in the one across the aisle.

"Do you need me to help you undress, don't you?" asked the mediwitch.

Usually the others do. They leave the clothes here and then she picks them up so I can drink Sev's Restorative Potion. But if she does, she's going to take the clothes right away and I'll lose the potion and the vial. Well, what does it matter, if she already knows everything. "Okay, thanks, Poppy, help me."

The mediwitch helped him, and also to put on his pajamas. "Well, go to bed, dear."

"Wait, Poppy, give me the shirt. I'm going to tell you a secret."

The mediwitch looked at him fondly and expectantly.

"Summon a chair, it will be a moment," he added.

She pulled her wand out and did it. She handed him his shirt, taking the rest of the clothing in her hands.

"Have you ever wondered why since Christmas I recover at noon and not at night?" Remus asked.

"Yes of course. But I thought you would have found some remedy on your own," she replied.

Remus was already pulling the little vial out of the seam and showing it to her. "Look at this, it wasn't me who found it. The boy you see across the aisle invented it when he stayed at school for Christmas. He combined two sleep potions, 'Restorative' and 'Immediate Sleep', and not only that, he enhanced the effect of the Restorative so that every hour of sleep was worth three. So it's enough for me four hours of sleep that are worth twelve."

Poppy's eyes and mouth were wide. "But... isn't he in fifth year yet?"

"Yes, Poppy. But you should know by now that he is an exceptional wizard and a very good person."

"Of course... but still it seems incredible to me. In fifth year a postgraduate work, and very advanced. Is he preparing the Medimagic OWL?"

"He isn't. Defense and Potions," Remus replied.

"Sure, Potions. But he must have consulted treatises on Medimagic NEWT to do so. It is quite a discovery. He should patent the recipe, he would get income for it."

"Can he do it as a minor?"

"I'm not sure, I've never heard of such a case. I will inform myself," Poppy said.

"Tell him when he wakes up, you'll give him a joy."

"Of course. So I guess you don't need the sleep potion."