In Another Life

Year 2- End of Year

Allyson's family and friends mourning her current state. Cassilynn still cries every night and visits her sister often. Draco wears the ring with pride, answers questions about it with a sad smile, cries when he is alone and still visits his soulmate often typically after hours. Hermione and Penelope were in the hospital wing, petrified. Draco had given them a page he ripped out of a book at Flourish and Blotts. Draco had done everything he could to be able to fix this, even offering his help to Severus Snape on preparing the potion to administer to the students petrified.

Draco had tried to join Harry, much to his disdain and personal surprise, down in the Chamber of Secrets. Harry all but begged him to stay out of it, knowing Allyson would have his head if he let anything happen to Draco if it was in his control for it to not happen. The school year was drawing to a close, now. The mandrakes were ready, and the potion just needed to be brewed. As soon as it was, the students and the ghost that were petrified would be back to their normal selves. 

Dumbledore was back as headmaster. Errold was on his way to have Hagrid set free from Azkaban. Lockhart was now in a padded room at St. Mungo's hospital. All seemed to be going back to normal. The students and teachers all hoped that next year would be worry and danger free. Everyone but the first years without older siblings, were tired of two years in a row of something going wrong. However, something told them this was only just the beginning.

*Allyson's POV*

The world around me looked the same, however it was starkly different than the usual Hogwarts I knew and loved. It was warmer than it was what felt like a night ago. However, I woke up in the hospital wing and my eyes burned as if they were extremely dry. My head was pounding and then memories of last night flooded my brain. I was in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom; I was washing my hands and face, then when I looked up after washing off my face, I was eye to eye with a giant green lizard snake looking thing with big yellow eyes. Finally, as I sat up with a rush a scream that was trying to escape before it all went black escaped my throat with such force my throat was sore.

"Hey. Hey. Hey. You're okay. You're alright. You were petrified. You've been frozen since December."

"Madame Pomfrey? What do you mean? What day is it?"

"It's the end of May, dear."

At that I couldn't contain the tears. I just cried and soon dad was beside me. He wrapped his arms around me, and I cried into his chest. I had missed so much school. I had so much work to catch up and so much studying to do before finals in a week or two. As soon as I calmed down, dad sat down in the chair beside my bed.

"Allyson, welcome back. We have a lot to catch you up on. You have Christmas presents to open, homework and class work to do, and most of all friends and family to hug tightly. They all miss you so much. Cassi didn't take the news well. From what I hear, none of them really did. The heads of Houses were the ones to break the news to your family and friends. So, I was only able to see Draco, Cassi, Orion, and Vesper's reaction. I'm not sure how close you were to Taytum Lang, but Orion, Cassilynn and Vesper told her. Everyone visited you here every day they could. I stayed by your side most of winter break, Harry and the Weasley's as well. All of us have been keeping notes for you from your classes, Harry, myself, the Weasleys and even Draco. Now, you and the other students will have to spend a few days to make sure you all are fully recovered."

"Dad, did you give my gifts to them?"

"Yes, I did. Thank you for writing names on the sales tags. Else, I wouldn't have been able to keep that promise."

"And... The ring?" My voice was barely a whisper, but he heard me.

"He hasn't taken it off without reason for months. He boasts about how you got it for him, when anyone asks about it." He had a slight chuckle in his tone as he finished his last sentence.