I woke up in a daze. My head spinning, the last thing I remembered was stumbling around London drunk from a night of pub crawling with some friends.
When my vision cleared, I could see I was in some sort of medieval hospital.
Next to me, in a chair, reading a book, was the most beautiful woman. Her hair was red like fire, her eyes were a mossy green. With a dash of freckles across her nose. Her hair was a bit frizzled, yet it was long and wavy. She wore a black robe with dark blue lining and some coat of arms embroidered on her right breast. Underneath the robe, she wore a beige sweater vest and a white collared shirt with a blue and white tie.
"Oh, you're finally awake." She said, looking a bit startled at first when she saw me looking up at her. She quickly shut her book, placing it gently on her lap as she reached out to feel my forehead and face. "How are you feeling?" She asked in her native accent.
I didn't respond. I was too confused about what had happened and how I ended up here.
And of course, I was already getting lost in those eyes.
"Can you hear me?" She asked, her expression changed to one of worry.
"Y-yeah." I finally answered in a low voice.
She let out a sigh of relief. "Bloody hell, you scared me. I thought you perhaps had become a dullard."
"What happened to me?" I finally asked her.
"You attacked by a dog infused with corrupted magic, don't you remember?"
I thought for a moment. "I remember a dog. Do you mean rabies?"
"No, magic." She said firmly. "A powerful and terrible magic."
"Are you trying to say that a rabid dog is magical? Or something else is."
"The former. Rabies is a disease." She stated, a bit annoyed at my questioning. "This was magic."
"I... is this a joke of some kind?" The girl was very pretty, but her story made no sense.
She glared at me, offended. "This is no laughing matter. It would have corrupted you as well."
I shook my head, wanting to move on from that conversation. "Where am i?"
"Oh, you're at hogwarts." She answered, seemingly delighted to tell me.
"Hogwarts?" I questioned.
"Yes." She beamed.
"This a hospital?" I asked, looking around the room.
"Sort of." She nodded. "It's a school. The best wizarding school there is."
"So, I'm at a magical school, and my injuries were caused by a dog."
"Precisely." She answered with a big ol' grin
"Yeah, that all makes perfect sense."
"Glad i could help." She said, grinning even wider.
"And I'm the queen of England." I said flatly.
Her grin was replaced with a scowl. "I can assure you that I speak the truth."
"And you're a wizard?"
"A witch, actually. But yes, I am a student here."
I raised an eyebrow at her.
She rolled her eyes. "What is this act of ignorance? Are you trying to be a bloody muggle? I saw you use magic to fight that dog."
"What?" I asked, not understanding the word.
"You used magic." She explained. "I know you are a wizard."
"I didn't use any magic." I said, not knowing what she was talking about.
"I saw it with my own eyes. A bolt of lightning struck that dog before it could kill you."
"I didn't." I was dumbfounded.
"It's okay, you're a bit rusty."
"Rusty? Lady, I don't know what you're talking about. I don't do magic." I stated.
"Are you a muggle born or something?"
"A what?"
"Are your parents wizards?" She asked.
"No."
"Then you're a muggle." She said matter of factly.
"The fuck is that supposed to mean?" I was starting to get annoyed.
"Do you not know anything about magic?"
"No, obviously not."
"That explains it." She sighed.
"Explains what?"
"Why you don't remember using magic."
"How did I use magic? That shit isn't even real." I argued.
"I'll show you." She stood up and reached into her pocket, pulling out a stick.
I looked at her confused, then suddenly she flicked her wand and a blue light came from it, and then suddenly a flame was lit on the tip of her wand.
"Cool, you got a fancy zippo lighter." I remarked.
She now looked like she was about to pop a blood vessel as she waved the wand again as the bed I was in began to shake violently before it rose from the floor.
"Alright, I believe you." I said, still trying to hold on to the bed.
I saw the smile on her face, and I knew she wasn't done having fun yet. She sent me all the way to the ceiling as she laughed, and i begged her to let me down until she finally relented
"Come now, it was funny." she chuckled
"Not from there." I shot back."Who are you anyway?"
"Oh right, I never introduced myself, how rude of me. My name is Elizabeth. Elizabeth Watkins." She answered with a curtsy.
"Samuel White." I introduced myself.
"So Samuel, what exactly were you doing in London anyway?"
"Studying at the University of London. Civil engineering." I answered.
"Ah, a scholar." She mused as she sat back down. "I can tell you're not from Britain, Samuel. Would you, by chance, be a yank?"
"How could you tell?"
"I can't quite place your accent. American, but I can't pinpoint where exactly. I'm assuming you're from the Midwest."
"Good guess. Indiana."
"I see." She said with a nod. "I'm originally from a little village called Hogsmead not far from here."
"I figured as much."
"How long have you been here?"
"Less than a month."
"Oh, so you're new."
"Yeah, the guys at the dorm took me out for a pub crawl. I had a little too much to drink and stumbled home. The next thing I remember is that dog attacking me."
"I see." She mused, a look of thought on her face.
"Is it safe for me to leave the hospital?"
"Not quite." She answered
"Why?" I asked, feeling a little concerned.
"We need to keep an eye on you, just for a while at least. Also, some of your muscles were torn in the attack. We can fix it, but it'll take some time before you're fully recovered."
"How long?"
"About a week."
"Shit, I guess you're stuck with me for a week." I smirked
"I'm stuck with you for a week?" She raised a brown, placing her fingertips on her chest.
"I just assumed you were my nurse, is all."
"I volunteered to watch over you, I didn't say anything about being a nurse. I just need an excuse to keep my healing magic sharp. Speaking of which, I need to take you for your walk." She said, grabbing a glass bottle from the table next to my bed. "Drink this." She ordered, helping me up rise up with one arm as she held it to my mouth.
I drank the red liquid compliantly. It tasted like apple juice. "What was that?" I asked.
"It's called Muscle-Gro. That thing really ripped through your muscles, this'll help regrow them, but you need to exercise those muscles in order for it to work." She explained. "Now, let's get you up."
I struggled but managed to stand up with her help. She was a small thing at a height of five foot two and just barely reaching my shoulders. She had one arm around my lower back and one hand on my chest.
"Alright, just take a few steps. You've been in bed for a while. Your legs may feel a bit stiff."
They were indeed stiff as I felt some aches and pains. She took me to the end of the bed. "Hold onto the railing for me, I'll get you a coat." She instructed gently.
I did as she said and grabbed the metal railing at the end of the bed and held on tight.
"Here." She returned in half a second with a dark gray long coat, helping me put it on before walking me out of the room. "I'll have to take you by the arm. The potion is making you a bit wobbly."
"Alright, lead the way." I said, letting her take my left arm as we walked out of the infirmary.
