The Fifth Marauder (Under Editing)

Chapter 6: Palmer Drama

Madam Pomfrey insisted the three injured students spend the night in the hospital wing, despite their wounds being superficial. She doused them in Murtlap essence, which immediately cured the pain but did nothing for their appearance.

Adelle apologised profusely to the two boys, and they were both very gracious about it.

The boy with the hurt leg whined when told, he’d have to walk on crutches for the a few days, but he quickly got the hang of it and enjoyed swinging himself from one end of the ward to the other.

The other boy’s face looked worse now. He had a bad graze over the right side of his face, deepest around his eye.

Adelle’s face showed her guilt, every time she looked at him.

“It’s fine, really. My girlfriend’s a Hufflepuff. She’ll say I look ‘ruggedly handsome’. Trust me, you’ve done me a favour,” he said, with a wink.

The afternoon sun splashed over Adelle’s face, making her tired. She closed her eyes and dreamed lazily of the quidditch trial. She heard a faint tapping on the hospital door, but didn’t open her eyes.

“Are you ready?” said a faint but familiar voice, from the crack in the doorway.

“Yes dear, just let me put on a coat,” Madam Pomfrey’s replied.

Adelle sat up quizzically, as the voice registered in her head. She tried to peer through the gap in the door, but the bright light shining in from the doorway showed nothing but a blurry shadow. Adelle put her feet to the cold, stone floor and stood, with the intention of heading to the door.

“Uh-uh!” snapped Madam Pomfrey, “Back in bed.”

 “But...” Adelle tried to argue.

“Now!” Madam Pomfrey cut her off.

Adelle reluctantly sat back on her bed, but kept her eyes on the door.

The visitor stepped back out of the frame, as Madam Pomfrey went to leave, giving Adelle no evidence, and only a half remembered voice, to ponder.

‘Was that Remus?’

Adelle had since fallen asleep, but was now woken by a distant howling noise. She sat up slowly, rubbed her eyes and looked around.

The other students were fast asleep and a gentle glow coming from Madam Pomfrey’s office, suggested that she had returned.

Adelle kneeled on her bed, and looked out the window at the magnificent full moon. She watched a pair of bats, as they seemingly tried to tackle each other out of the sky. She smiled as they rose and plummeted, until they were gone. She looked out dreamily, for other creatures of the night to entertain her.

One of the school owls plucked a field mouse from the ground below, with precision and grace.

Adelle admired the owl’s swift victory over its prey. She lay back down in her bed and thought of bats and owls, until she fell asleep again.

Adelle woke early the next morning, well rested and eager to find out the quidditch trial results. She walked hurriedly towards the door but was rounded upon by Madam Pomfrey, for one last examination. She held Adelle’s hands and turned her arms over, surveying the wounds.

“Madam Pomfrey?” Adelle asked quietly.

“Hmm?” she said, without looking up.

“Where did you go last night?”

Madam Pomfrey frowned and dropped Adelle’s hands.

“Well you can’t think I stay up here forever? I went... out.”