𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 (𝟐) || HARRY POTTER LOVE STORY

29

Harry came round, rain falling on his face, still lying on Julie's lap, with someone new leaning over him.

"Oh no, not you" he moaned as he saw Lockhart's beaming expression.

"Doesn't know what he's saying" said Lockhart loudly, the anxious crowd of Gryffindors pressing around them. "Nothing to worry, Harry. I'm about to fix your arm!"

"No!" said Harry. "I'll keep it like this, thanks..."

He tried to sit up, but fell back onto Julie's lap. She heard familiar clicking noise nearby.

"I don't want a photo of this, Colin" Harry said loudly.

"Lie back, Harry" said Lockhart soothingly. "It's a simple charm I've used countless times"

"Why can't I just go to the hospital wing?" said Harry through clenched teeth.

"He should really, Professor." said a muddy Wood, who couldn't help grinning even though his Seeker was injured "Great capture, Harry, really spectacular, your best yet, I'd say"

Julie spotted Fred and George wrestling the rogue Bludger into the box. It was still putting up a terrific fight.

"Stand back" said Lockhart, who was rolling up his jac green sleeves.

"Professor I think we sho-" Julie started but Lockhart was already twirling his wand and a second later had directed it straight at Harry's arm.

It seemed as though Harry's arm was suddenly made out of pudding. Harry had shut his eyes, his face turned away from his arm, while the crowd including me gasped and Colin Creevey began clicking away madly.

"Ah" said Lockhart. "Yes. Well, that can sometimes happen. But the point is, the bones are no longer broken. That's the thing to bear in mind."

"No longer broken?" Julie snapped at Lockhart while glaring at him. "He has no bones left!"

She resisted the urge to call him a git.

"Er- so, Harry, just toddle up to the Hospital Wing - and Miss Clarke would you escort him? Along with Mr Weasley and Miss Granger
- and Madam Pomfrey will be able to - er - tidy you up a bit!"

They carefully helped Harry up to his feet and walked to the Hospital Wing with Harry's boneless arm.

Madam Pomfrey wasn't at all pleased.

"You should have come straight to me!" she raged, holding up the sad, limp remainder of what, half an hour before, had been a working arm. "I can mend bones in a second - but growing them back-"

"You will be able to, won't you?" said Harry desperately.

"I'll be able to, certainly, but it will be painful." said Madam Pomfrey grimly, throwing Harry a pair of pyjamas. "You'll have to stay the night..."

Hermione and Julie waited outside the curtain drawn around Harry's bed while Ron helped him into his pyjamas. It took a while to stuff the rubbery, boneless arm into a sleeve.

"How can you stick up for Lockhart now, Hermione, eh?" Ron called through the curtain as he pulled Harry's limp fingers through the cuff. "If Harry had wanted de-boning he would have asked!"

"Anyone can make a mistake" said Hermione. "And in doesn't hurt any more, does it, Harry?"

"No" said Harry, as he swung himself onto the bed and his arm flapped pointlessly. "but it doesn't do anything else, either"

Hermione, Madam Pomfrey and Julie came around the curtain. Madam Pomfrey was holding a large bottle of something labelled 'Skele-Gro'.

"You're in for a rough night" she said, pouring out a steaming beakerful and handing it to him. "Regrowing bones is a nasty business"

Apparently so was taking the Skele-Gro. Harry coughed and spluttered the Skele-Gro right into Julie's direction.

"Watch it, Potter!" she said as some of the liquid got on her Quidditch robe.

"Sorry, Jules" Harry coughed. "It was an accident."

"Accident?!" she repeated. "You aimed at me, Potter!"

"Did I?" Harry said, mock-thoughtfully. "Or did you just happen to be in the perfect position to take the hit? Almost like fate put you there."

"Fate is about to punch you in the face," she grumbled, grabbing a napkin to clean her sleeve.

Still tut-tutting about dangerous sports and inept teachers, Madam Pomfrey retreated, leaving Ron, Hermione and Julie to help Harry gulp down some water.

"We won, though" said Ron, a grin breaking across his face. "That was some catch you made. Malfoy's face ... he looked ready to kill!"

"I want to know how he fixed that Bludger" said Hermione

"We can add that to the list of questions we'll ask him when weve taken the Polyjuice Potion" said Harry, sinking back onto his pillows. "I hope it tastes better than this stuff..."

"If it's got bits of Slytherins in it? You've got to be joking." said Ron.

The door of the hospital wing burst open at that moment. Filthy and soaking wet, the rest of the Gryffindor team had arrived to see Harry.

"Unbelievable flying, Harry" said George. "I've just seen Flint yelling at Malfoy. Something about having the Snitch on top of his head and not noticing. Malfoy didn't seem too happy!"

They had brought cakes, sweets and bottles of pumpkin juice, they gathered around Harry's bed and were just getting started on what promised to be a good party when Madam Pomfrey came storming over, shouting.

"This boy needs rest, he's got thirty-three bones to regrow! Out! OUT!"

"Can we stay for another 5 minutes, please" Julie pleaded with no use.

"NO!"

She smiled at Harry one last time before he was left alone, with nothing to distract him from the stabbing pains in his limp arm.