The Cupboard Series 2: Hermione's Book Nook

Chapter 34

Without even giving him an option, Madam Pomfrey conjured a pair of stretchers and bade Harry and Lisa to lie down. Then, with a quick flick and swish of her wand, she began levitating the two towards her Hospital Wing.

-oOoOo-

It was sometime later that Harry found himself sitting up in his hospital bed, surrounded by adults. In the background, Madam Pomfrey was muttering darkly to herself, annoyed that her insistence that the boy needed to take some dreamless sleep potion to allow his body a chance to rest and heal itself was being ignored for now.

And while Harry was tired, the fact that he was now cleaned and the vast majority of his cuts, scrapes and bruises had been treated had made a world of difference. His knee was still bandaged, this time with a clean white dressing, but he had been assured that by morning he wouldn't even have a scar to show for his trouble there. His shoulder, though, had been a different matter.

When Madam Pomfrey had first eased away the matted mess of a robe that he'd been using as a make-shift bandage, she'd gasped before leaping into action. Just the action of pulling away the material had caused it be begin bleeding again and quite heavily at that. Not being able to stop himself, Harry'd taken a single look at the wound. That'd been more than enough to nearly make him vomit.

A long cut, deep enough for him to see the white of bone underneath the skin and muscle ran from his collarbone, across his shoulder and into his upper bicep. From the comments that Madam Pomfrey later made when she'd been talking to Sirius that he'd been able to overhear, he'd been lucky not to lose his whole arm. It also sounded as though he'd be lucky to be out of the Hospital Wing in time for the Leaving Feast and that was still ten days away.

With a sigh, he prepared himself for the coming interrogation.

Sirius stood over his left shoulder in what was clearly a very protective mood. In front of him stood Madam Bones with Auror Robards off to one side, a wad of parchment and a quill ready to take notes. Professor Dumbledore, eyes twinkling merrily away, was also there with Professors McGonagall and Flitwick sitting on the next bed over. Slightly behind Dumbledore, leading against the wall, looking like he was trying not to be noticed, was Professor Snape. And then there were the three School Governors, Lucius Malfoy, Madam Longbottom (who'd given him a small smile) and a third, a man that hadn't been introduced at all.

"Mister Potter, are you ready to tell us what happened?" Madam Bones asked, almost gently.

At his nod, she asked, "I think it would be a good idea to start with you explaining your assertion that Miss Turpin was possessed."

Harry reached across Sirius and grabbed up the remains of the diary. The black leather was marred by a massive hole in its centre as though a red hot poker had been shoved through it, charring the edge of the pages that it'd touched.

"It was this diary," he began. "Voldemort used this to possess Lisa when she wrote in it and made her do things that she didn't know that she was doing."

"Are you saying that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Name has been in the school?" Madam Bones asked, concern clear in her voice.

"Yes. No," Harry shook his head. "I got to see him and talk to him when he came out of the diary, but he looked like he was only sixteen or seventeen. And he didn't know anything about what'd been going on since then apart from whatever Lisa, Luna and I told him."

"I truly believe that this is not a discussion for so many people," Dumbledore said quickly. "This knowledge needs to be kept strictly confidential. Perhaps it would be best if Harry told his tale to me first before we involve others."

Madam Bones shot the Headmaster a look that clearly told him what she thought of that idea, before dismissing him and turning back to Harry.

"Let me check to make sure that I understand you correctly. You-Know-Who's teenage mind was able to possess Miss Turpin when she wrote in the diary and cause her to do things that she ordinarily wouldn't do without her even realising it?"