Howling At The Moon

Chapter 2

The first thing Harry hears when he wakes up from whatever nightmare he just had was a loud beeping coming from his right side. It was echoing as if throughout a large room. The room was also bright, as if there were large luminescent lights above him.

He wearily blinked his eyes open, only to discover he could only open his right eye. He gently touched his face and realised there was a bandage over his left eye and half his face. He looked down at himself and noticed he was in fact wearing hospital clothes and was laying in a hospital bed and when he lifted up the gown, he saw his entire torso covered with thick white bandages, too.

So the nightmare he had about the animal attack was real. He thought it was just his vivid imagination. It hurt so bad, though. How did he get here? Those people rescued him, didn't they? They must have heard his pleas for help, after all. He must thank them, if he gets the chance.

Wait, what time is it? Is it still night time? Is it the next day? How will he get home? What will the Dursley's think? Will they know, will they be worried? Worse. Will they be mad? Of course they will be. They specifically didn't want him to cause trouble. But in his defence, he didn't go asking for this to happen.

Just then, the door opened and in walked a young looking nurse who smiled at him once she saw he was awake.

"Finally, you're awake! I was wondering when you'd pop back into the land of the living." She joked around, as if to lighten the tension in the room, given the situation. Harry appreciated it. "You're quite the fighter, y'know." She looked quite proud of him.

"Um, thank you..." He mumbled shyly. "What... um, happened exactly?" He asked confused, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh, well it appears that you got attacked by what appears to be either some large rabid dog or a bear that must live out in the forest, according to the people who brought you in here. Very uncommon for them to approach people nearby, but maybe it was just going on a stroll and looking for a meal and unfortunately you got caught in the crossfire." She told him sympathetically. "You are pretty small, after all."

Harry blushed and shrugged. "I guess." He then remembered the people from before. "Where did those people go? Are they still here?"

The nurse smiled at him and sat down on the edge of his bed, careful not to disturb his wounds. "No, they left a little while ago. They knew you'd be grateful, though. And they said that they hope you get much better." She grinned at him and he nodded back. "Now, down to the important stuff."

Harry sat up a bit straighter, not knowing what to expect. Was he in trouble over something? He always was. He really didn't mean it, it wasn't his fault! "O-okay. What stuff?" He stuttered out.

"Well, we don't know anything about you. How old are you? What's your name?" She asked casually.

Oh. "I'm ten. Nearly eleven." He blushed when she looked him over and raised an eyebrow. Yes, he's scrawny, he gets it. "My name's Harry."

She smiled at him and got out a clipboard. "Alright Harry, my name is Paige. I'm a nurse here and I guarantee you can trust me with your safety. Okay?" He nodded politely at her and she smiled at him. "So, do you have parents? Any contact information? We really need to get in touch with them right away so they can come collect you and take you home. You are a child, after all. Plus, they must be really worried."

Harry had to hide an eye roll, as if. They probably didn't even notice he was gone.

"I live with my aunt and uncle, actually." She nodded and asked for their contact details. Harry thought about lying at first but what would be the point? When nobody would show up she'd get worried and start asking even more questions. He sucked it up and just told her his address and telephone number. She wrote it down and turned to him again.