An Empty Shell

Chapter 7

(Two Weeks Later)

Pansy collapsed into the chair beside me. "I'm starving. Want some food?" 

I shrugged. "Why not? Where's Hermione?"

"She's in the loo. Should be out in a moment."

We had stayed at the hospital since we arrived for my Ministry-mandated appointment. The nurses had finally given up on trying to get us to leave and had set up a new room for Harry that had a couch, two cots, and more chairs. Pansy still tended to sleep in the waiting room, though. Hermione often joined her. She said it was good to get fresh air. None of us wanted to go outside quite yet, so it was the closest we could get.

The Weasleys had come by and stayed with Harry for a few hours, but had to leave. For the first time in ages, Hermione had looked genuinely happy, and when we asked why, she said it was because Fleur Delacour had had her baby. She had apparently gotten pregnant during the war, but didn't want to tell anyone because of how bad everything was. Mrs. Weasley would not shut up about how pretty the baby was, and I did my best to pretend to care.

When the Weasleys left, we all went back to the waiting room for some coffee and a change of scenery.

By then, I knew St. Mungo's better than some of the Healers. I knew several shortcuts, could get to almost any room in five minutes, and had a basic knowledge of medicine. One of the Healers had taken me under her wing and started teaching me. She said I was a fast learner and it could be a good career for me if I wanted it to.

"There she is. Can we go now?" I asked, and Pansy rolled her eyes. "What? I never said I wasn't hungry, I just said I could go for it." 

She chuckled, then looked over at Hermione.

Hermione smiled as she walked over to us. Her eyes were still tired, but she seemed to sleep more often since she and Pansy became 'cuddle buddies'.

"Ready to---" Hermione was cut off by Ron, who had suddenly come dashing into the waiting room. "He's awake! Harry! He's awake!" he practically shouted.

We all looked at one another, then jumped up and bolted through the waiting room and down the hallway. My heart was racing. Was it true? Could it be true? He had seemed to be getting a bit better. At least around me.

I skidded to a halt in the doorway. Harry was sitting up, and a nurse was handing him a cup of dark purple liquid that was smoking. No question, Harry was awake. But he didn't seem quite right. Something about his twitchy features and his nervous glances made me uneasy.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. She ran over, then pulled him into a tight hug. "You're okay! I knew you would be! I knew it!"

She pulled away, and I saw her smile falter when Harry looked at her in a bit of panic.

"I-I-I-" He didn't seem quite sure what to say.

"Mr. Potter has been in a semiconscious state for quite a while, so we need to run tests and make sure that his brain is still acting normally," the nurse said.

"Normally? Why? What could be wrong with him?" Ron demanded as he walked over and stood beside Hermione.

"That is what we have to run tests for. You see, he was in the kind of state where he could hear everything around him, but couldn't quite wake up. That is what we believe, anyway. And something like that can take a toll on a person. The stillness. The inability to communicate. That is why we have to see what his current mental state is."

"But will he be alright?" Hermione asked.

"That depends on the---"

"It's a yes or no question! Right now, does your assessment say that he will be alright?" She snapped. Pansy and I had had a wager when she would, and I quietly groaned as I slid five galleons into her palm.

"How long will the tests take?" Ron asked, putting a reassuring hand on Hermione's shoulder. I saw Pansy glare at him.

Harry was looking between the two confusedly. He then looked around the room and something seemed to shift in his eyes when they rested on me. They looked like there was a bit more clarity in them.

"We will let you know by tomorrow. But for now, Mr. Potter needs some space. And so do the Healers." She gave them a kind look, but still started herding Ron and Hermione out of the room. Pansy and I stumbled backwards as well.

"Bloody Healers..." Ron mumbled as he looked through the window and into the room after the door slammed shut.

"He looked at us like strangers," Hermione said sadly. Pansy wrapped an arm around her comfortingly, but didn't seem sure what to say.

"It's probably just a bit of memory loss," I said. "It should last a few weeks, a month, tops." They all looked at me in surprise. "What? Unlike you lot, I haven't been idle." 

Ron rolled his eyes, and Hermione pushed him aside so she could look through the little window on the door.

"But he's awake. That's what matters, right? That he's awake?" 

We all nodded, looks of relief on our faces.

"He's awake," I said softly, and Pansy squeezed my hand.