Dream & Shadow

28* The Hospital Wing

A large owl slid noiseless through the dawning darkness of the early morning. The utterly quiet flight changed into a ruckus. A strong beak hammered against closed windows. Leonor woke like showered with a bucket of ice water. Pauline screamed piercingly. The urgency of the call killed Leonor's last hour of sleep. She dressed in seconds, snatched the first aid bag and apparated with a hectic plop at the school's gates ignoring the fully lit windows of the neighbours and the ranting and raving from some bedrooms around. Running uphill made her quickly breathless. She closed the eyes cursing herself for being out of condition and regained composure walking down the wooden stairs into the body of the ship. She pushed a way through the watching boys.

"What's the matter?" she asked without preamble, shoving the teenagers aside. One of the Durmstrang students lay motionless in a bunk bed. His face was hot and glowing with ugly bluish red blotches. The rest of the twitching body was covered in sweat.

"Mika woke us. He moaned and then collapsed," explained one of the terrified students.

"How was he yesterday?" questioned Leonor while examining Mika and heaving the body to a sitting position. The lower abdomen was hard and swollen, the heart was pounding fiercely in complete disorder. She conjured a little stone and put it unceremoniously into the boy's mouth. But he didn't swallow it. Leonor used a reviving spell and a glass of water to make the boy swallow the bezoar. He quickly fell back writhing in pain; passing out was an unsatisfying relief in that situation.

"Mika was crestfallen, but we thought it was because of the funeral."

"Funeral?"

"Professor Karkaroff returned with Mika over the weekend. An aunt died unexpectedly over Christmas. Mika was home."

"What did he eat after his return?"

"Not much." The students shrugged, likely nobody paid attention to it.

"When did he return?"

"The evening before yesterday."

"Where has he been?" asked Leonor and levitated the unconscious boy to a stretcher.

"At home," said a student bewildered.

"And where is home?"

Karkaroff's acrid comment sliced the horror-stricken slumber party. "He was well when I returned with him. Have you or your friend made him work with dangerous potions in one of the lessons?"

"It's Monday morning. Mika was not in class last week. I'm interested in what the boy ate or drank. The bezoar wins time of course," answered Leonor coolly. Leonor instructed Pauline with the request to inform Madam Pomfrey and the owl flew up the wooden stairs and out into the night.

"A village up in the north."

"But was there anything strange? Did you eat with the family?" Karkaroff negated and spat, "There's something wrong with the food at Hogwarts!"

Leonor frowned without taking Igor's accusation serious and said, "I'll bring Mika to the hospital wing and you do me a favour to let his classmates check the belongings for any food from home. Bring it to me as soon as you find something."

Leonor left, and the boys nodded starting to search the stowed away luggage. The hawthorn wand balanced the stretcher carefully along the way to the castle. Leonor was deep in thoughts. She was sure the boy was poisoned but had no clue about the venom causing the symptoms when opening the large door to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey prepared a bed and gestured to lay the boy down with a concerned look.

"Merlin's beard, the blotches!" Poppy arranged the pillows and looked questioningly at Leonor.

"He ate something toxic. His heart rhythm is in disorder. He returned from an aunt's funeral on Saturday," said Leonor thoughtfully dribbling some drops of a heart stabilizing medicine into the boy's mouth and felt the pulse.