A Hogwarts Legend: Round Two [2]

Chapter Twenty Two

Unedited

Chapter Twenty Two - "I think that you're a fat bitch!"

Hermione remains in the hospital wing for several weeks. There's a flurry of rumour about her disappearance when the rest of the school arrived back from their Christmas holidays, because of course everyone thought she had been attacked. So many students file past the hospital wing trying to catch a glimpse of her that Madam Pomfrey takes out her curtains again and place them around Hermione's bed, to spare her the shame of being seen with a furry face.

Harry, Ron, Maya, Elinor (who've been filled in with what happened) and I go to visit her every evening. When the new term started, we bring her each day's homework.

"If I'd sprouted whiskers, I'd take a break from work," says Maya, tipping a stack of books onto Hermione's bedside table one evening.

"Don't be silly, Maya, I've got to keep up," says Hermione briskly. Her spirits are greatly improved by the fact that all the hair has gone from her face and her eyes are turning slowly back to brown. "I don't suppose you've got any new leads?" she adds in a whisper, so that Madam Pomfrey can't hear her.

"Nothing," says Harry gloomily.

"I was so sure it was Malfoy," says Ron, for about the hundredth time.

"What's that?" asks Harry, pointing to something gold sticking out from under Hermione's pillow.

"Just a Get Well card," says Hermione hastily, trying to poke it out of sight, but I'm too quick for her. I pull it out, flick it open and read aloud:

"To Miss Granger, wishing you a speedy recovery, from your concerned teacher, Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defence League and five times winner of Witch Weekly's Most-Charming-Smile Award."

Ron looks at Hermione in disgust.

"You sleep with this under your pillow?"

But Hermione is spared answering by Madam Pomfrey sweeping over with her evening dose of medicine.

"Is Lockhart the smarmiest bloke you've ever met, or what?" Elinor says as we leave the hospital wing and start up towards Gryffindor Tower. Snape's given us so much homework, because he's a dick. Ron's just saying he wished he had asked Hermione how many rat tails you were supplied to add to a Hair-Raising Potion, when an angry outburst from the floor above reaches our ears.

"That's Filch," Harry mutters, as we hurry up the stairs and pause, out of sight, listening hard.

"Excuse me, Ron," I say indignantly. "I know the answer to that question, it's four."

"You don't think someone else's been attacked?" says Maya tensely.

We stand still, our heads inclined towards Filch's voice, which sounds quite hysterical.

"... even more work for me! Mopping all night, like I haven't got enough to do! No, this is the final straw, I'm going to Dumbledore ..."

His footsteps recede and I hear a distant door slams.

We poke our heads around the corner. Filch has clearly been manning his usual post: we're once again on the spot where Mrs Norris had been attacked. It's easy to see what Filch has been shouting about. A great flood of water stretches over half the corridor, and it looks as though it's still seeping from under the door of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Now Filch has stopped shouting, I can hear Myrtle's wails echoing off the bathroom walls.