"What do we do?" I whispered to the Professor.
"I'm sure you can come up with something," McGonagall said hurriedly.
"Percy," Alex said. She pressed something into my hand, "Eat it."
"What?" Professor McGonagall said.
I turned red. "Are you sure-?"
"For gods' sakes, trust me," Alex hissed.
Reluctantly, I swallowed it. The ambrosia tasted like heaven. Like warm blue cookies and smoothies-
My legs became as heavy as lead. I fell to my knees. My head was swirling, and I felt like closing my eyes and falling into a deep sleep.
"Percy!" Alex called, hoisting me up with her arms. "Come on!"
Professor McGonagall was frowning so hard I thought her eyebrows were going to become a unibrow.
"What just happened?"
"He just had a Fever Fudge," Alex responded. "Courtesy of Weasley twins."
I didn't know two squares of ambrosia could work as Fever Fudge, but hey, whatever floats your boat.
"Unfortunately," Alex added, "there's no simple cure for it, either. So let's rush him to the Hospital Wing."
"Very good, Ms. Marine," McGonagall said, her eyes wide. "Can you stand up, Jackson?"
"Yeah," I whispered, getting up and putting an arm over Alex for support.
"Minerva!" a voice called.
I turned around just to see the faint outline of Professor Umbridge. She was wearing a pink night dress. How very predictable of her.
"Dolores," McGonagall greeted the Professor, but continued to lead us to the Hospital Wing. We walked past her, until Umbridge turned around and started following us.
"What are you doing-" Umbridge asked, stopping McGonagall on the way. "Are those students?"
"Well," I heard Alex say, "unless you want the students to become one student and a dead body, you might want to move away, professor."
"Now," McGonagall said, "there's no need for that talk. Dolores, we can speak later."
She brushed past Umbridge, and we followed her lead.
"Hem hem. Minerva- what are you doing with these students?" Umbridge was back to pacing behind us.
"What does it look like I'm doing? Giving them detention?" McGonagall turned around, facing the witch, and I could almost hear her glare. My eyesight was getting poorer by the second.
"I just heard from Mr. Filch that students are out of bed," Umbridge said, almost jogging to keep up with McGonagall.
"Sure you did," Alex huffed. "Did he happen to mention that one of the students is dying?"
"And that they have a teacher with them?" Professor McGonagall added.
"But-" Umbridge began.
"Dolores," Professor McGonagall said coldly, "you can either stay out of this and get nothing, help Jackson and get some good on your list, or you can have this child's blood on your hands and stop me as I take him to the Hospital Wing."
"And I can assure you," she added, "that this institution keeps the student's life at top priority. Not the rules, not your educational degrees."
The clickity-clackity of Umbridge's pink heels stopped. She was so dumbstruck that she had fallen back.
"Now, Marine, do me a favor and light your wand as well, please," McGonagall said, "I'm afraid I can't see much but pink furs in this dark environment."
Alex snorted, but she brought out her wand. "Lumos."
Minutes later, Alex pushed me onto a bed at the Hospital Wing. "Good job, brother mine."
McGonagall rushed in with Madam Pomfrey by her side. All I could see were outlines, and Alex was grinning mad.
"What happened?" Madam Pomfrey asked.
"He had a- what did you call it again, Marine?"
"A Fever Fudge," Alex responded. "But it'll wear out in no time if you give him a bit of chocolate."
"What?" Madam Pomfrey said, dumbstruck.
"I thought it has no easy cure," McGonagall said.
"Yeah, it's not easy to find any chocolate here at all," Alex said. I could hear her smirk.
McGonagall sighed. "I'll go down to the kitchens."
"Okay."
A few moments passed, and Madam Pomfrey left as well, muttering something about stupidity at its finest.
Alex smiled over me. "Chocolate certainly won't cure you, you know that?"
I coughed. "Idiot."
Alex laughed. "Alright, alright," she said, and pressed her fingers to my temples. The headache drained away, and my vision cleared. My legs felt good. I sat upright, filled with energy.
"You're still going to need to act sick," Alex commented, pushing me back onto the bed.
McGonagall came back in a few minutes later, her hands wrapped around a large bar of chocolate. Striding by her side was Professor Dumbledore and to my surprise, Professor Snape.
"Here you go, Jackson," she said, her hands slightly trembling.
I took me a lot of effort to act like it took me a lot of effort to grasp the bar of chocolate. Alex, pretending to be very worried, opened the chocolate and fed a bit to me. "You can have the rest by yourself, I hope."
I was worried that she was actually worried.
I sat up slowly. "I'm feeling better, thanks Professor."
"As good as that idea was," McGonagall scolded Alex, "I do not like my students getting into mortal peril, Marine. I hope you will remember that the next time you pull this stunt."
"But clearly he's not in mortal peril," Alex remarked.
"And you will make sure of it."
"Yes ma'am." Alex saluted the professor, grinning.
"Good thinking on your part, though," Professor Dumbledore said. "I heard from Weasley that you somehow cured Harry?"
"Oh, it was Ague," I said, the words flowing out of my mouth on their own, thanks to Hecate. "The sweating, the chills, the fever, the blood vomit- it was a clear case. And we knew the uses of whole Ashwinder eggs, thanks to Professor Snape. Didn't take Alex too long to find one."
Dumbledore seemed genuinely impressed. His eyebrows were raised and his eyes were twinkling. "You must be very proud of your students, Severus."
Snape cleared his throat. "They're not bad," he said smoothly.
Alex rolled her eyes.
"But surely such a valiant act must be appreciated," Professor McGonagall said, standing proudly. She seemed to love the whole 'Gryffindor Pride' thing.
"Yes, yes," Professor Dumbledore said. "Intelligence is rare. But to put the intelligence into use practically in life is much more rare. I award fifty points to each of you for cool use of intellect."
"But professor," Alex frowning, "surely you aren't here to just award us with points?"
Dumbledore chuckled. "Of course, sharp as a tack, you are, Ms. Marine. I'm here to inform you that Professor Snape will be escorting all of you to Ariana's house tomorrow morning."
"As in, Number 11, Grimmauld Place?"
"Yes," Dumbledore confirmed. "It is a muggle house, however, and I hope you won't be of much trouble to Ms. Adler."
"We won't," I grinned at Dumbledore. "I can guarantee you that much."
Dumbledore nodded. "However, I must say," he continued, "that you will not be allowed to meet Sirius more than twice over the next few weeks."
"Wha-"
"The tree cannot have two fruits at the same place," Dumbledore explained. "Otherwise it will be easy for anyone to pluck them."
"Weird metaphor," Alex remarked. "So, you're telling us we're the fruit?"
"I cannot afford to let Voldemort take any one of you," Dumbledore said. "If Harry is gone by the end of this year because of Voldemort, the Wizarding World will still have you."
"And if we're gone because Voldemort somehow finds out about us," I nodded, "you'll still have Harry."
"But if we're in the same place," Alex said, "the probability of either one of us surviving become even more less. Correct me if I'm wrong. Fair warning, I'm never wrong."
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