Empty Gold • d.meadowes

-49-

Dorcas woke up, heavily dazed and scared. She couldn't remember where she was, but once the recollections of the events prior to her losing consciousness came back to her, a strange disappointment overcame her. She wasn't dead, she wasn't going to meet her mother. She was so expectant, hopeful even, but as she thought of how the chance to see her mother again has slipped through her fingers, she had the horrible urge to weep.

But where was she? Surely this wasn't the dungeons; it wasn't as dark. And even though she has never been to the Slytherin common room, she could tell that it didn't have whitewashed walls and ceiling and a strong smell of antiseptic in the air.

Antiseptic?

The smell brought her back to her senses. She knew the smell, it was the one distinct to the Hospital Wing, and as she scrambled to a sitting position, she realised, sure enough, that she was lying on a four-poster bed with its white curtains drawn protectively around her. A pale white blanket was draped over her body, and she was in a comfortable white dressing gown.

How on earth did she end up here?

Confusion gripped her as she tried to get off the bed, but her eyesight swam terribly and she was forced to lie back down. If she was in the Hospital Wing, surely Maeve and Silver would be here too? Where were they?

"You're up!" a voice cried out joyfully from somewhere on the left side of her. "Madam Pomfrey, she's up!"

A second later, the curtains around her was thrown aside, revealing a very white-faced, but very excited looking Leigh. "Hi," he exclaimed, grinning.

Her confusion deepened even more. "Leigh, what -" she stopped speaking as she realised how sore her throat was, her voice was hardly audible. Slowly, she lifted a hand and touched the front of her neck. The skin seemed to be bruised.

She remembered Crabbe having got hold of her neck and trying to choke her. Millions of questions swirled around in her head, all attempting to escape through her mouth, but her voice refused to cooperate. She stared helplessly at Leigh, wishing for an explanation.

He sat down by her bed, taking her hand. "How are you?" he asked, just as Madam Pomfrey bustled in and began to check her. She pressed her wand to various parts of her body, muttering to herself, and apparently satisfied, she said, "Well, you're perfectly fine. You should be able to leave the wing after you've had a filling lunch." She looked disapprovingly at Dorcas, as though she though that Dorcas should stay in the Hospital Wing forever, and venturing out into the world would be an immense crime. Unable to find any excuse to keep her however, she left them alone.

"Water," she managed to croak. Leigh quickly leapt to his feet and poured her a goblet of water, which she drank gratefully. Her head was starting to ache now, and she wanted to ask him a hundred questions. But all she managed to say was, "What - happened?"

And Leigh sat down and told her everything.

Apparently she wasn't as invisible as she had assumed when crossing the Great Hall. Juliet had spotted her going towards the basement, but then moving away to head into the dungeons instead. She was really worried, informed Leigh. But as she was to sit for her exam in ten minutes, she couldn't follow her into the dungeons, and had instead found Leigh and asked him to check on Dorcas.

"I went near the dungeons and I waited for you to return," he continued the story, his voice suddenly becoming low as he lowered his head to stare at the bedsheets.  "I - I was scared to go in, Dorcas, so I turned back and I informed Professor Slughorn who was just coming out of the Potions classroom."

He paused, slightly pink in the face. "I'm sorry, Dorcas."

His apology bewildered her and momentarily pushed the sluggishness out of her body. She pushed herself up and rested back against the headboard. "What on earth for?"