Frozen Lily

Chapter 7 - The best timing

Everything was white. I could feel that my eyelids were closed, and I could feel the tips of my fingers and toes, but I couldn't use them. It was like I was in a shell of my body. The ground was solid beneath me and I was sure I must've cracked my skull on the fall down.

I could hear giggling and some people walking away, and as the sounds of walking died out I was left in silence.

The giant squid was lazily skimming its tentacles on the surface of the lake, and then I heard something splashing in the water. There was high pitched giggling coming from the lake.

"Oooooh, I wonder what happened to you...?"
I instantly recognised the voice as Moaning Myrtle's and fought to try and move a finger, a hand, something.
I felt cold. Myrtle must have glided through me or something. But I was cold everywhere, a stabbing, painful cold like ice.

I 'woke up' in a soft bed in the hospital wing. I still couldn't see anything, my vision taken up by endless white. I tried moving a finger. Nothing.
I could hear Miss Fletching, a pretty young witch only a few years older than me; 25 at most, with light brown hair braided neatly down her back, and soft brown eyes. I heard her adjusting her pointed white witches hat as she walked between the beds, administering potion to some, fluffing up pillows for others. She got to my bed and I could feel her heating up the bed magically and then she murmured a spell I couldn't hear, but it felt like the very edges of my body were warming up. I still couldn't move a muscle.

After counting down the time before lessons ended, I heard some people running into the hospital wing and being told to shush by Miss Fletching. They came closer to my bed and stopped right next to me.

"Aww no, Lily, what happened...?" I could hear Chloe ask, worry laced into her quiet voice. Someone sat on the edge of my bed and sniffled, blowing their nose loudly.
"It'll be alright Mia, when has Miss Fletching ever failed?" I recognised Jess's voice comforting Mia.

Mia sniffled again and gulped, and I could tell she was nodding.

I strained to open my eyes. Nothing.

"Whoever did this is going to be worse than a frog when I catch up with them..." Jess threatened, patting my arm. I could feel someone holding my hand and flinching.
"She's so cold, like she's made of ice or something... Maybe I should get Miss Fletching..." And I heard Mia run and call Miss Fletching over.

"No, she is okay, she just got hit by some sort of freezing spell, but not one I've ever seen before. She'll be back to normal in a few days, tops." Miss Fletching answered. A few days?!
I wanted to get up and strangle whoever froze me. I'd miss the Hogsmeade weekend! I wouldn't be able to go out with Alec!

Miss Fletching eventually told them to leave and I was left in silence again. Every so often I could feel her using that warming spell on me, but I still couldn't move.

***

I woke up in darkness.
It was early morning, by my guess. I knew I was somewhat better because the whiteness was gone and I could see the darkness behind my eyelids. I still couldn't move.

There were quiet footsteps coming from the doorway up to my bed, and someone sat on the very edge of my bed, careful not to jostle me. I could feel them holding my hand.
"I guess we'll have to go out another weekend maybe," he said, not knowing that I could hear him. I could feel my heartbeat racing. It was Alec, holding my hand and visiting me, even though it was because of me that we couldn't go out...

I was brought back to reality by the sounds of the doors opening and closing, to allow a group of teachers in. They stopped at the bed opposite mine and lay someone in the bed.

"Annie? Annie, there's been another one, but they were found just outside these doors... A Slytherin first year, it seemed like she wanted to sneak in..." I could hear Headmaster Moody explaining in his calming voice. Miss Fletching hurried over to them and examined the student.
"Just the same as before. It'll be only a few days before they're back to normal!" She exclaimed overly optimistically.

Alec squeezed my frozen hand before standing up and placing something on the table next to my bed.
"I've gotta go, see you soon," I heard him say before he walked out. I hope he can't hear my heartbeat because it is racing. Then I remembered that he thought I was unconscious or something.

Not long after, I felt Miss Fletching using the same warming spell as before on me, and it felt like more of my body was heating up. The stabbing pain lessened at the tips of my fingers and toes. I tried opening an eye tentatively when she moved on.

The plain, arched ceiling of the hospital wing had never looked so beautiful.

I immediately tried to move fingers, toes, something else, but I could only move my eyes. I heard Miss Fletching using the same spell on the first year opposite me, who I saw was also frozen. I recognised her as the girl from the lake. She looked like she was made of ice. Was that how I looked? I looked down at my hands and they did look pretty icy. I glanced at the table beside me and noticed that Alec had left a bunch of pastel pink jasmines next to me. They smelled beautiful.

A while later, I saw Mia hurry into the hospital wing and she sat on my bed again. I closed my eyes and pretended to be frozen.

"I saw Alec at breakfast today and he looked pretty sad... It's horrible timing, just before you went on a date with him..." Mia brooded. I opened my eyes.

Mia jumped six feet into the air and had a hilarious expression, I couldn't help but smile. I felt the muscles in my face comply and I grinned wider.

"Lily! Your eyes! Mia pointed dramatically before pulling out her compact mirror and showing me my eyes. They were white, like ice, tinted slightly blue. It was unnerving. My eyes widened and I immediately squeezed them shut. It was like I had someone else's eyes, they were the complete opposite of what colour my eyes usually were; like amber honey.

Mia had brought Miss Fletching over to examine my eyes.
"Well, it looks like you're recovering well, so that's good, but your eyes may take a little longer to heal."
Mia looked at her confusedly.

"What spell did she get hit by?" She asked.

"Not one that I know. It's turned her into ice - it won't melt, which is a good thing - but it'll take a little while to turn back to normal." She repeated. I shivered mentally. I can't go out looking like this! I made a mental note to always wear sunglasses.

Mia sat on my feet and grinned at me. "Only a little while longer until you can get up and move again!" She played with a lock of auburn hair and stared into space. "I wonder how we're going to get Alec to ask you out again..."

A few days later, on Friday the 31st, I was sitting on the side of my bed while Miss Fletching examined my arms. I was mainly back to normal, which was awesome, but my eyes were still like shards of ice. A ray of late afternoon sunshine was beaming on me and I felt warm, after a week of cold that I couldn't shake off.

"You should be okay to go to the feast then, providing you don't do any strenuous activity, running etcetera." Miss Fletching nodded. She passed me some enchanted muggle contacts to wear and I leapt up, skipping to the door, seizing a heavy handle and pulling the door open just enough to allow myself out. The door closed behind me, creaking ever so slightly, shutting out the sunlight. I hurried through the shadowy corridor towards the Great Hall, where the Halloween feast was surely about to begin.