The New Lightning Bolt

Chapter Eight

Wisecracks, Windows, and Worry

Damn light. Why does it have to be so bright? Harry thought to himself, squinting against the harsh morning sunshine pouring in through the window. He reached over to the table and tried to grab his glasses. His sleepy hand crawled around the surface for a few more seconds before it fell off the edge. Harry had forgotten that he didn't need his glasses again. He opened his eyes and looked around the room and saw Madame Pomphrey tending to a patient, Malfoy in the bed next to him, and a foul looking potion sitting on the table he had just been groping for his nonexistent glasses. Then the scene registered in his mind. This wasn't Snape's dungeon classroom or his Gryffindor dormitory.

Madame Pomfrey came over to Malfoy and Harry's little corner of the room and didn't notice that Harry was awake. She went to Malfoy's bed and pulled the covers up to his chin and brushed the hair out of his eye. She traced the swirl with her finger and looked over to Harry. He heard her gasp slightly and watched as she put a hand over her heart.

"Mister Potter, you scared me," was all she had to say. She was blushing because he had just seen her playing with Malfoy's hair.

"Sorry," he mouthed.

"Professor Dumbledore wants to speak to you before you do any magic. I will go get him now," she said as she composed herself. She left.

Harry pulled himself into a sitting position. He looked around the room and noticed a Slytherin first year on the other side of the room. She had her arm bandaged and placed gingerly in a sling. She was too busy supervising her practice on opening and closing her hand to see Harry watching her. She opened her hand then closed it and repeated the process a few more times. Once she had bored herself of the exercise she took her free hand, held her bandaged one, and started to carefully move her wrist back and forth. She loosened her muscles and removed her uninjured hand. Harry saw her wince as she tried to move her wrist on her own, but the pain didn't stop her from working it back and froth.

Madame Pomfrey isn't going to like her working it like that, but look what house she's in, he reminded himself. He didn't think that the girl would care if Madame Pomfrey were irritated at her. Stubbornness must be a quality in all Slytherins.

Now why would you say that? Draco Malfoy pushed the covers off him and sat up. He blinked a few times trying to get his eyes adjusted to the light. He pushed the hair from his eye as he turned to look at Harry obviously wanting an answer.

Because I have a classic example sitting right next to me.

Then, stupidity must be a quality in all Gryffindors.

Ha. Ha.

Professor Dumbledore walked into the room and headed towards their beds. Madame Pomfrey immediately went over to the first year Slytherin and gave her an ear full. As Harry had expected, the Slytherin girl just shrugged off her words of warning and continued to move her injured arm when Pomfrey turned her back. Harry had a snide comment ready to give Malfoy, but the presence of Dumbledore stopped him even though only Malfoy would have heard him.

"Good morning boys," Dumbledore said as he stood at the foot of their beds. He waved his wand and conjured up a big squashy armchair, in which he sat in promptly. "First off I shall tell you the good news Professor Snape discovered, which is that your little incident didn't affect your potion. Next, I want to know why you were fighting." Dumbledore pulled out a peace of parchment; he looked at it, and then said, "Explain."

Potter was making fun of my parents.

I was not. He was calling Hermione a mudblood.

I only said that because he was making fun of my mother.

I was not!!!

Was to.

Not!

To!

Tell the truth fag.

I am, Homo.

"Boys!" Dumbledore shouted. They dropped their hands and the Slytherin girl looked over. "Can you not have a single conversation with out fighting or using such language?" They hung their heads while secretly cussing each other out in their heads. "And stop talking in there," snapped Dumbledore giving them his all-knowing look. Harry raised his hand.

If Malfoy says I was making fun of his mother than I guess I shall not let him let him down...your mother was stupid for stepping in to save you.

Malfoy growled but nothing was heard.

Same goes for you.

Dumbledore sighed. Harry looked over to Malfoy on the other bed and raised his hand to him. Malfoy started to float upwards and he tried to grab something to hold on to, but only successfully grabbed his cover, bringing it up with him as he went higher. He looked over to Harry outraged. He held his hand up to him and lifted him up as well.

"Boys! Can you not go five minutes with out fighting? Put each other down! You are going to tap into each other's power and cause another problem," Dumbledore had risen from his chair and taken out his own wand. He pointed it at Harry and safely got him down onto his bed, but Harry took this opportunity to further humiliate Malfoy.

Harry took his other hand and started wrapping the cover Malfoy held in his hand around him. He pinned his arms to his sides and his legs together. Harry looked satisfied.

Tell the truth, you lying sack of shit.

Put me down.

No. I won't until you tell the truth.

I am warning you, Potter!

You are in no position to make threats, Malfoy. Tell the truth! Harry tightened the covers around Malfoy and saw him wince slightly.

Professor Dumbledore had his wand pointed at Malfoy, but nothing was happening. He looked at Harry. "Put him down, Harry," Dumbledore ordered.

Harry didn't hear him do to the blood that was rushing in his head. He flipped Malfoy over in air and the repeated it. Getting a continuous rotation he started to turn him as well. Draco Malfoy looked like he was on one of those Muggle amusement rides Harry had seen on TV. Harry could see Malfoy turning green as he continued teaching his "lesson" for lying.

Smoke started to form around Malfoy's area of revolving and Harry slowed him down. Harry stopped him and saw that Malfoy's hand was sticking out of a burnt section of his cover cocoon. Too dizzy to focus he flicked his wrist in the general direction of Potter.

Harry Potter wasn't hit squarely on by his spell, but instead it hit his shoulder, making him tumble off his bed and into the window behind him. He went into it head first and glass shattering could be heard throughout the room. He hung half way out of the window unconscious with blood mingling with his midnight locks.

As soon as Harry was hit the spell that held Draco dangling in the air lifted and he started to fall towards the ground. Draco only saw the ground coming to him, dancing side to side and up and down, to notice that his aristocratic face was save by quick thinking of Albus Dumbledore.

"Wingadrium leviosa," he snapped catch him just in time. He made him float to his bed and motioned the all too shocked Madame Pomfrey to help him control the world from spinning. She quickly went into action and went bustling into her storage room for the anti-dizzy draft.

Albus went over to the boy hanging dangerously out the window and magicked him to his bed. His face was covered in blood from the impact and pieces of clear glass stuck on and into his skin. A huge shard was sticking out of his abdomen, from where he laid on the sill. Dumbledore quickly concluded that this piece was what held him from falling. The blood was staining his clothed and trickling down his sides to the bed.

Madame Pomfrey's SSS (Something Staining the Sheets) radar went into a frenzy and she looked up from pouring Draco's dosage to see blood. Blood was staining her precious sheets. She set the medicine aside and went straight for Potter. Only when she reached him to give him an earful of not telling her that he was bleeding that she noticed he was unconscious and in dire need of medical attention. She quickly pulled out her wand and set to work on mending his wounds.

Albus Dumbledore stepped aside and let her work. He went to Draco who still had a hard time trying to focus and lifted the all ready pored solution to his lips. Draco sputtered the first few sips, but mastered the art of swallowing after he realized it would make the world stop spinning. He almost immediately felt better.

Draco looked over to Harry Potter hoping that he did a lot of damage. He did. This, somehow, didn't make him happy or satisfied as he was expecting it to, but made him feel...sorry? No, it couldn't be. Potter got what he deserved. Did he? He was only trying to make Draco tell the truth, in a rather foolish way. Did Potter deserve to have he head bashed into a window? On any other day Malfoy would have said yes, but something kept him from disclosing this, deep inside.

Albus Dumbledore held a glass to Malfoy and without asking he drank it. He knew what this was. A sleeping draft, but why would he need this? He turned to the headmaster and fell straight asleep, his question unanswered.

Albus Dumbledore waited until Madame Pomfrey finished with Harry. She had healed his wounds, both on his head and stomach. She placed gaze on his head to soak up the blood still mingling with his hair. As soon as she stepped aside Dumbledore casted a hand binding charm on their hands, the same one Voldemort used, on both the boys.

"Well, at least we know there was no magical residue on them," Dumbledore said aloud.

"How do you know that?" Madame Pomfrey said as she tucked the covers underneath Malfoy's chin.

"If there would have been any, it would have interfered with the magic they just performed. I am certain that they both meant what they did on the other person, concluding that there was no interference."

"You mean that they purposely did that? Why?" Madame Pomfrey said as she brought her hand to her mouth in a theatrical way of surprise.

"From what I understand Mr. Malfoy was lying about what they were fighting about in the first place and Harry didn't like it. So he retaliated, but in a foolish way, may I add." Dumbledore turned around to the sounds of a banging door and two people panting.

"Is he..." Ron managed to get out before he took in another mouthful of air, "...okay?" He looked up at Dumbledore with concern and pain as he tried to concentrate on bringing in air for his lungs.

"Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger...Harry is alright," Dumbledore said walking to them.

"W-we saw h-him," Hermione said as she gulped, "hanging o-out the..." she ended and pointed to the window with a shaky finger. She swallowed again as she tried to wet her dry throat.

"Window," Ron whispered as he tried still to catch his breath.

"There is no need to worry, Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger--"

"No need to worry?!" Hermione shouted.

"He crashed through a window..." Ron started.

"He almost fell out of it..." Hermione added.

"And it looked like he was unconscious!" Ron finished.

"It looks like you two found your wind, then," Dumbledore said staring at them over the top of his glasses. They both blushed, embarrassed.

"Can we see him?" Ron asked trying to seem a little more polite.

"Not until he wakes up," Dumbledore said as he raised a hand to stop the groaning and whining. Turning to Madame Pomfrey he said, "Would you inform these two when his friend awakes?"

"Of course," she said.

"Thank you. Now," Dumbledore said as he turned back to the Hermione and Ron, "I don't want you sneaking in here to see him until then. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," they both mumbled in unison.

"Good," Dumbledore said smiling. "Now I want you to go back to class with Hagrid and be good students."

"Yes, sir," they mumbled in unison again.

Dumbledore waved his hand to the door and they turned around and left. He watched as the door closed and he turned back to Madame Pomfrey. "I would like it if you informed me first about their awakening so I may have a talk with them before they see their friends." She nodded her understandment and he walked out the room.

A Slytherin first year watched Professor Dumbledore leave the hospital wing and she tried to understand what had just happened. She forgot about her arm and mentally reviewed the spectacle and she smiled wickedly. There was useful information she had just seen and she was sure that not only would the others be interested in the information, but that her status would change for the better with it. Besides the injured arm she felt the best she had since she started Hogwarts.

***

Ron and Hermione were in Care of Magical Creatures discussing the last few days before Harry came crashing through the window, while examining Hagrid's new supply of Fire Crabs.

"I just don't understand, Hermione. What could be taking them so long to wake up?" Ron asked.

"I told you, Ron, they are recovering."

"I know that, but I don't get why it is taking so long. Harry has been in worse situations than a little light show and he usually only needs one day to sleep, not three, and then he's fine."

"This is totally different from any other situation. From what I've read that 'little light show' hasn't occurred for over 900 years. I require so much magic I am surprised that they are not dead," Hermione said a bit anxious. Ron gulped.

There was a very uncomfortable silence that followed Hermione's statement. They both focus their attention to the fire crabs, which were now starting to fight each other. Their shells made it had for them to move around much. Hermione was drawing a picture of them while Ron sat there and became mesmerized with them. A loud scream brought his attention back to the real world.

A Hufflepuff girl was clutching her hand, which was smoking. "It attacked me," she said as Hagrid came over to her with a bottle of Burn-Be-Gone potion.

"It couldn't 'ave attacked ye, unless yer were provokin' it," Hagrid said as he held her hand to inspect it.

"I wasn't doing anything to provoke it. It wasn't even my fire crab, it was theirs," she said pointing a finger at Dean and Seamus.

"Want t' explain?" Hagrid asked them.

"We were...just..." Dean said looking down at his hands.

"Trying to get it to pose...for our picture..." Seamus said nervously.

"Yeah, for our drawing, you know," Dean said lifting the poorly done picture.

"And?" Hagrid asked as he applied the potion to her hand.

"I guess it didn't like it...and..." Seamus said.

"She was in the line of fire...and..." Dean muttered.

"It was an accident," Seamus finished for him.

"Sorry," Dean said as he hung his head. Seamus nodded his apology.

The girl inspected her hand and turned to them. "I guess, it's okay. No hard feelings."

"Ye two should be more careful, nex' time," Hagrid said They nodded to him. When Hagrid turned his back and when the Hufflepuffs weren't looking at them they smiled wickedly to each other.

"Bloody brilliant," Ron said to them as he gave them thumbs up. They smiled and gave each other a pat on the back.

Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes. "I swear, one day they are going to get caught..."

"For what?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Lying," she said in an exasperated voice.

"You mean acting," Ron said as he grabbed Hermione's drawing to look at the progress.

"Same difference," she said snatching back the drawing.

They were silent for a while. Hermione continued to work on her drawing and Ron stared out and into the Forbidden Forest. He started to remember the close call they had in there with the spiders. He shivered. Spiders were his fear and the fact that Aragog was so huge unnerved him so much it became a full-blown phobia. Even the word spider sent shivers running up and down his spine. Spider, he thought and he shivered. Spider. Shiver. Spider. Shiver. Hermione looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"It's been three days--"

"You aren't still on that bloody issue are you?" Hermione sighed as she set her quill down. "Look...Harry almost died trying to get his powers back from Malfoy and it is going to take a while for him to recover."

"He wouldn't be there if Malfoy hadn't stolen his powers," Ron said in a pout.

"No, Ron. They each tapped into the others power and their bodies rejected it. Harry stole as much from Malfoy as Malfoy did from Harry."

"How do you know this?"

Hermione looked surprised. "Did you not spend a whole lunch hour in the library researching this exact issue to learn nothing?"

"I did, but I was too busy thinking about food to comprehend anything," Ron whined.

"That...is obvious."

"Hey!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Anyways, at least we got our school stuff retransfigured."

"Yeah, I bet you were going through some major homework withdrawal," Ron said sarcastically.

"Hey!" Hermione squeaked as she hit him.

"Ouch, Hermione," Ron said as he grabbed his arm. "Why did you do that?"

"You were being mean, Ron."

"I didn't hit you when you were being mean to me."

"Because you know better than to hit a lady," Hermione stated.

"You're not a lady, you're the devil--Ouch!" Ron grabbed the other part of his arm where Hermione had just slapped. "Hermioneeee!"

Hermione was laughing at him. "Oh, grow up you big baby."

"It hurts," he said now rubbing his arm.

"If it hurts so much you can go see Madame Pomfrey," She said still laughing.

"Maybe I could go see her right now and check on Harry," Ron said in a serious voice.

"You aren't really hurt though," Hermione pointed out.

"You don't know that! You pack a pretty hard slap, but anyways I'll just act like I'm sick and go see him."

"You mean lie."

"Same difference, Hermione. I just want to see Harry," Ron said ignoring her disapproving looks.

"Can't you wait until lunch or something?"

"You want me to skip another lunch!?"

"For your best friend, yes," Hermione said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"If I go now--" Ron began, but he was cut off by a loud crash.

The whole class looked towards the castle and saw that someone was hanging out of a broken window.

"Harry," Hermione cried. She and Ron stood up and started to run towards the castle hoping that Hagrid would understand them for leaving without permission in the middle of class.