Harry Potter: 19 Years Later

Chapter 23: Holly's Fate and A Race

"Doctor, she's been here for nearly a year and she hasn't moved. What are we going to do?" the nurse said, spoon-feeding porridge to Holly Longbottom.

The doctor looked at his most complicated patient. The 15-year-old girl, who came out of her comatose state two months ago, has been laying motionless in her hospital bed with her eyes wide open ever sense. Her brain activity is functioning well; she just can't respond by talking or moving. Holly just stares blankly at the wall all day long.

And what makes it worse is that she has cancer. While her body is in this state, she is being treated for the cancer also.

"I don't know. I'm trying to give her a chance since she's awake. I understand her parents aren't here to pay her medical expenses, but just trust me. She might respond to us within the next two weeks," the doctor said. He seemed unsure.

"And what if she doesn't? What if she's stuck like this forever? We've tried various magical remedies and spells. She's not responding to us," replied another doctor.

Suddenly, the door flung open, and a petite witch nurse with pointy ears and pixie cut purple hair rushed in with a stack of papers. She looked like she'd just run a mile.

"Nurse Piper! You know you're supposed to knock!" The doctor scolded her.

Nurse Piper smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, it's just I thought you might want to see this." She eagerly handed the papers to the doctor. He pulled out his glasses and skimmed the first page, afterwards dropping the whole stack on the floor.

"Great, Merlin!" The doctor gasped.

"What is it?" A nurse asked, beginning to collect the papers he dropped.

The doctor smiled, clearly in shock. "We've cured her cancer."

While the doctors and nurses excitedly skimmed through the papers that gave them the good news, they were oblivious to the motionless girl on the hospital bed. No one was aware Holly Longbottom could hear everything they were saying.

Slowly in one swift motion, Holly moved her arm for the first time, lifting it until it touched her porridge bowl on the tray table next to her. Then, she jerked her hand forward and shoved the bowl onto the floor, smiling at her success. The doctors went over to her bed, in shock, and saw the happy cancer-free girl smiling the tiniest of smiles.

* * *

"Okay, Rose, I give up! You've beaten me ten times already!" Albus exclaimed, flinging chess pieces on the floor in frustration. Since they happened to be magical chess pawns, they screamed on the way down on the ground. Rose chuckled at her cousin trying to keep a straight face, even though he was hiding his grin with his hand.

"I told you I was going to beat you, Al," Rose said in a sing-song voice. Her voice had miraculously come back so she was speaking by herself now without a spell. She couldn't wipe the smug smirk off her face. Victory was pretty sweet.

"Oh yeah?" Albus had a sudden gleam of mischief in his eyes. There was no telling what kind of plan was hatching in that brain, under that untidy mop of black hair. Then Albus pushed himself shakily out of his chair using his arms, barely standing without wobbling. "How about I race you down the hallway?"

Rose stared at him. He must be still confused from his coma. "You've got to be joking. You'll fall straight on your face."

Albus shrugged. "At least I can stand, unlike you." He gestured to Rose's sitting position in her wheelchair. Rose squinted at Albus. Oh, so he wanted to go there.

"Alright," Rose said, adjusting her seating and her hands on the chair's wheels. "You're on. But I get a ten second head start since I'm crippled."