Fifteen Years

Part Twenty-One

It was the sun that woke him up. The open curtains let in a flood of light, and it washed over him like warm water. The luminous feeling settled in his pores as his eyelids fluttered open. Light reflected off the white hospital walls and the pale-blue furniture. Carefully, George propped himself up on one elbow and looked around. From outside, he could hear a chorus of birds chirping contentedly over the sounds of rumbling traffic. Rubbing his eyes, he began to think about last night. He looked down at his hand, the one that Fred had tried to hold. A small smile spread over his lips as he realised the warm feeling was still there. At first, he wasn’t sure what it was. He hadn’t felt it in a long time. Eventually, the cause of the feeling dawned on him.

                True happiness.  

That was it; happiness. The absence of the sadness that had preyed on his mind for the last fifteen years. It was an indescribable feeling. It was as if his heart could beat freely again -without hatred, guilt, resentment… depression.

A small sparkle caught his eye. The resurrection stone glittered in the sunlight, the beams of luminescent light bouncing off its smooth surface. Quietly, he leaned down and plucked it from the floorboards. Holding it carefully between his thumb and forefinger, George inspected it closely. Suddenly he realised that it was not over. As his mind began to buzz with nervous anticipation, he placed the stone carefully in his wallet.

There was still one more thing he needed to do.

***

When the Healers came in later that morning, they were amazed at his progress.

“You look like a new person,” one of them remarked as she unwrapped the bandage around his left hand. The burn had been caused by cursed fire, George knew it would never heal entirely. However, the faintly glowing scar on his hand only reminded him of the warm feeling that Fred had left in him.

“I feel like a new person,” he said.

The Healer beamed down at him, and continued to undress his wounds. “You’re healing brilliantly,” she said, tracing her wand over some of the injuries.

“Does this mean I can go home soon?” he asked.

“I should think so,” she responded, a gentle look in her eyes.

“Wicked,” he said. The Healer laughed and walked out of the room, carrying her clipboard proudly in front of her.

Charlie walked in to his room a few hours later with a bright look on his face. “They say you’re ready to leave,” he said.

George nodded as he buttoned his shirt up, discarding the hospital-nightgown on top of the bed.

“You’ve been given the all clear,” Charlie continued, a slight tone of disbelief in his voice. “Pretty quick turnaround from the way you looked yesterday.”

“I feel a lot better,” George said, “about everything.”

Charlie gave George a rucksack, and helped him to throw all of his belongings inside it. George took his wallet from the drawer and placed it carefully inside his breast pocket.

“Thank you Charlie,” George said.

“Oh, no problem-”

“No, I mean -thank you for looking after me, and for caring so much.”