❝"I want to save them."
"You're just saying things that I already know, Nellie."
"You're not going to try and stop me?"
"On the contrary, my little Witch. I'm going to try and help you."❞
***
Viatorem Atramento: Ink Travellers. That was what Noell...
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The water didn't feel very cold. In fact, if she was being honest it didn't even feel like water. She was distinctly aware that she was floating, suspended somewhere between this world and the next, and briefly wondered if this was what drowning is meant to feel like. Then there was a flash of light and she felt it surround her gently — and then she was falling, falling, falling into some place colder than ice, something long and sticky curling around her waist.
***
"Where did you find her, Hagrid?" asked a woman sternly. As the vestiges of sleep clung to her, Noelle could vaguely detect a hint of worry in the voice. She belatedly realised the woman — whoever she was — was talking to someone named after the half-giant in her favourite book series.
Hagrid?
"Outside, jus' floatin' in the Black Lake, Professor McGonagall. The Giant Squid was holdin' her up, stoppin' her from drownin'," rumbled a rough voice in reply.
Sirens blared in Noelle's head. Professor McGonagall?! Had Noelle hit her head somewhere? Was she dreaming? She could have sworn she was at Spencer's shop only a few minutes ago...
The sound of doors bursting open resounded across the walls of where ever Noelle was, and the room was instantly filled with worried chatter. She felt a drowsy tug behind her eyes.
"Lucky the ground was so soft," said a voice.
"I thought he was dead for sure!" Exclaimed another.
"But he didn't even break his glasses!"
There was a shuffle and a loud thump from right next to Noelle, and the sound of curtains being drawn, before everything faded once again.
***
The second time Noelle awoke she had managed to open her eyes, squinting through the instant burn as the reflective colour attacked her retinas. There was a whole load of white which Noelle resented, and as she took the time to survey her surroundings Noelle realised she was in some kind of infirmary. There were several beds resting against the walls with bed pans and privacy screens.
Noelle groaned in pain. Her arm felt like it was on fire, but her body felt stiff in a way that indicated she had been stuck somewhere cold for a good portion of the day. Her eyes darted to the open window as she pushed herself up into a sitting position; the bed squeaked in protest as Noelle stood up shakily.
A voice spoke up from beside her, "I don't think you're supposed to do that," he said, "Stand up, I mean."
Noelle turned and nearly fell down. "What the—" (Later she would argue with herself and anyone who asked that it wasn't because he was mind-blowingly good-looking.) The boy had unruly jet-black hair which looked to be in a constant state of bedhead, and bright green eyes trapped behind round glasses. Noelle didn't need to look at his forehead to know who he was. "—Holy crap—" she muttered, eyes widening like saucers as they darted around, "Where—uh—God, where am I?"
The boy looked at her, a confused expression taking over his face, "You're at Hogwarts," he answered plainly. "Are you alright?"
Noelle's legs gave out from under her and she sat abruptly on her bed, hands fisting the sheets as she paled rapidly. Hogwarts? She was at Hogwarts? But that's impossible! She had jumped from a bridge into water — there's no way she could have transmigrated into a fictional world! This had never happened in her dream — as soon as she jumped she would wake up immediately. Was this the extended version of it? Was she still dreaming?
Before Noelle could even begin to think of formulating a response, there was a startled cry from the matron. "You're awake!" The woman hurried over, wand in hand, and started to wave the magically imbued stick to perform some diagnostics on the shell-shocked girl. A part of Noelle's brain was telling her she looked positively stupid, sitting there like a duck crashing from steroids. The woman, Poppy Pomfrey, tutted gently as she reviewed her results. "Still not much better, I'm afraid. Though your body temperature is back to normal, that arm will take another night to heal," she paused and frowned as Noelle registered her words.
'Another night'? How long had she been there for? "I need to fetch Headmaster Dumbledore—you lay down, have a rest. I'll be right back." After pushing the girl down onto the bed, Madam Pomfrey ran back to her office with speed Noelle thought wasn't possible for a plump lady such as herself.
Her mind was reeling. It took all she had in her not to faint.
After all, she wouldn't want to do that in front of the famous Harry Potter, now, would she?
