Willow Song

XI. Darkness

Two weeks later school started. It didn't take Serena long to see that Draco was still hurt and angry. Since he was in first year NEWT level classes, she saw him more in the hallways than she had the previous year. The steely look in his eyes and his narrowed lips, along with his motion of quickly looking the other way, made his resentment obvious whenever he saw her. Pansy Parkinson, on the other hand, instead of being delighted to have Draco to herself again, acted even more jealous and spiteful of Serena.

This intensified until mid-October. Serena headed back to the potions classroom after lunch to pick up some forgotten notes when she suddenly found Crabbe and Goyle in her path and heard, "Expelliarmus" from behind. Serena's wand flew away before she could grab it. Pansy had disarmed her. Crabbe and Goyle aimed their wands at her head. With no one to help anywhere nearby her, Serena was trapped. "Petrificus Totalus!" cried Pansy, and Serena found herself stiff as a board, flat on the floor. Crabbe and Goyle picked her up roughly and carried her into the nearest empty dungeon classroom. Pansy closed the door behind them and sealed it with a silencing charm. "Finite Incantatem!" yelled Pansy, pointing her wand at Serena. Serena struggled to her feet.

"Why?" she asked.

"Wingardium Leviosa," called Pansy, holding Serena in the air with her wand.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Serena repeated.

"Because of you," Pansy snarled, "Draco doesn't trust his mum. Because of you, Draco's miserable. Because you got the kiss that was meant for me, you've ruined everything. Draco didn't like you. He overheard you telling Snape that your father was a dark wizard. He wanted to learn your secrets and use them to please his father. It was all an act to use you. Except he ended up humiliated and miserable. I'm going to force you to tell your secrets to me so Draco will see how much he needs me."

"I'm not telling you anything. And it's not my fault that his mum put a love hex on him. He shouldn't trust her."

"You will tell me everything before we're done with you." Pansy began to spin her wand and as she did, Serena spun like a top. After several minutes Pansy jerked the spinning to a stop, and Serena reeled dizzily as her head lolled to the side.

"Who's your father?" she asked menacingly. Serena couldn't even look Pansy steadily in the eye, but still held her lips defiantly together.

"Okay, we'll add something else. Vincent, Gregory, one of you hit her with a Conjunctivitis Curse." They both complied and Serena received a double whammy of the curse. Both eyes were immediately covered over with gooey, itching, burning, yellow-green crusts. Serena couldn't open her eyes, couldn't rub the crusts out, and the pain was incredible. Parkinson, Crabbe, and Goyle laughed wickedly. "Now are your ready to tell me who daddy is?" Pansy teased with false sweetness. Serena's resolve to remain silent only intensified.

Next, Pansy flipped the still suspended Serena upside down. "Name your father and this is all over!" she bellowed. "Crabbe, go get the Veritaserum out of Snape's office, we'll make her talk." Crabbe left. Serena tried to keep herself covered, but failed. Pansy shouted mockingly, "Ooh, look at her knickers, Goyle. She doesn't wear good-girl panties. She wears slut panties!!" Goyle laughed and heckled her as Serena realized to her horror that she was wearing the red and black lace panties that Ginny had given her as a joke her last birthday. "Who's your father?" Pansy snarled again.

The door burst open with a loud bang as Snape entered the room holding Crabbe by the ear. "What is the meaning of this?" he shouted. "I find Crabbe going through my personal potions and, and now this!" he exclaimed, pointing at the upside-down suspended Serena. He angrily grabbed Serena's wand from Parkinson's pocket. "The three of you, detention, my office, 6 PM tonight! Now out!"

The three Slytherins skulked off angrily. Snape positioned himself under Serena, commanded, "Finite Incantatum" and caught her as she fell. As he righted her on her feet, he muttered sardonically, "Nice panties, Miss Willowsong."

"Thank you," she snapped, her anger holding back her rising tears.

"Did you tell them anything?"

"No."

"What happened to your eyes?"

"Those two Slytherin gorillas of yours simultaneously hit me with Conjunctivitis Curses."

He slapped Serena's wand into her hand. "I must forbid you from walking the hallways by yourself anymore. It's far too dangerous, and you obviously lack the skills to defend yourself. I insist you have a fifth year or above or a teacher with you whenever you are in the hallways or on the grounds."

"Yes, sir," Serena mumbled, thinking that for a member of the Order, Snape really was an ass.

"I'll take care of those three, but I can't give them half the punishment they deserve. You do understand why I must continue to favor the Slytherins, especially those who are related to Death Eaters. Now, let's get you to the hospital wing."

Snape lead her down the corridor and towards the hospital wing until he saw Neville Longbottom and asked him to take her to Madam Pomfrey. Neville took Serena's hands, tucked them above his left elbow, and put his right hand firmly over them. He walked so confidently that Serena knew he was pleased to be asked to help her. She explained to Neville that Crabbe and Goyle had both hit her with Conjunctivitis Curses and felt the muscles in his arm harden with tension and his breath become measured with anger.

Neville stayed by her side as Madam Pomfrey tended to Serena's eyes. "I'll have you cleaned up in a jiffy; double hexes, it's a bad case all right. Now, you don't have any allergies, do you?" Serena nodded. "Oh good heavens, yes! Eye bright! How could I forget? Well, this changes everything. I'll have to use a slower way of clearing you up."

Madame Pomfrey gently washed out Serena's eyes with a warm liquid, and then applied a thick, sticky unguent to them. She then lightly wrapped her eyes in gauze, telling Serena that she needed to keep her eyes closed for a few days and get her eyes washed and the dressing changed every eight hours. "You can stay here in the hospital, or if you have some friends who will walk you between classes and bring you here every eight hours, you may go."

"I'll help her," said Neville.

"Are you sure, Neville? I really don't want to miss several days of class, but I'll be an awful nuisance to lead around."

"I want to. Please let me help you. And after you can see again, I'll still walk with you to protect you from those Slytherins. I can do it, you know. I helped Harry fight the Death Eaters last June."

"Thank you, Neville. You're a good friend to me."

So for the next four days Neville took Serena to and from the hospital wing to get her dressings changed, to and from her classes and Gryffindor tower, and to and from the Great Hall. Other Gryffindors offered to take their turns, but Neville refused to let anyone else take the job, even though it made him late for all of his classes.

Studying without eyes was a huge challenge in most of Serena's classes, but her classmates were generally helpful, as were her teachers. The only class that was easier was Divination. Even Trelawney was impressed. Without her eyes, her second sight grew stronger. Her legilimancy grew stronger too. She no longer needed to look someone in the eyes; she just focused intently on a person near her to open his or her mind. She managed her personal hygiene unaided, but meal times were trickier. Ginny helped with this, telling Serena what the choices were and filling her plate with what Serena wanted.

After four days the bandages came off permanently, but the increased inner eye stayed. Serena's eyes were not as good as before--they were more sensitive to light and harder to focus. She asked Madame Pomfrey about the change, but the healer thought it was from the lingering affects of the conjunctivitis and would soon clear up.

She talked to Professor Snape one day after potions while waiting for Neville. "Where is Longbottom?" he snarled.

"He said he'd be late today. He's helping Professor Sprout in the greenhouse. May I talk to you about something?"

"Certainly, but make it quick."

"My eyes haven't completely healed, but since they've been sick, my Legilimancy and Divination have gotten stronger. Even with the bandages off, my inner eye can see more. I can Legilimens now without eye contact."

"Can you?" Snape's voice lilted skeptically. Snape lit his wand tip and held it to Serena's eyes. She squinted from the light. "Has Madam Pomfrey examined your eyes thoroughly?"

"I think so."

"I suggest you go to an ocular healer at St. Mungo's over the Christmas break. Perhaps you just need glasses. Now, show me how you Legilimens," he said, turning his back to her.

Serena concentrated on Professor Snape. His thought impressed into her mind. "The greatest seers were usually blind. You should prepare yourself for that possibility. It would certainly be a great sacrifice."

Serena turned and looked at Snape. "You think the sacrifice might be the loss of my vision, and the fact that my other ways of seeing are getting stronger is why you believe that?"

"Well done, and yes. But it's just a possibility. It's more likely temporary, or a slight change requiring some glasses to correct." Snape looked at her probingly. Serena didn't miss the concern he tried to mask.

"Thank you, Professor."

Neville entered awkwardly and cleared his throat. "Hmmm hmmmm."

"Longbottom! If you insist on imitating Umbridge, I shall have to throw you to the centaurs! Willowsong has been waiting for you. Try not to trip on your way out."

Serena was noticeably quiet on the way to Gryffindor Tower with Neville.