Slowly, I pry my gold eyes open but I swiftly close them again when a bright light pierces them. I try to lift my right arm but for some reason, it is unusually heavy. Giving a light sigh, I try to lift my left arm and this time I sluggishly move it over my eyes. Having that cover over my eyes, I open them more quickly without having to worry that a light is going to blind me again. I don't know why but my entire body feels unnaturally tired. Holding back a groan, I move my head to the right and I realize that nobody is next to me. I thought that maybe there was a person on my right arm which would explain why I couldn't lift my hand, but there is nothing that would keep my arm from moving. Maybe it is just because my body feels tired.
Looking around the room, I notice that I'm not in the girl's dormitory and I'm in a place that I have never been in before. There is a ton of windows in the cement brick walls and I continue to look around in confusion. How did I end up here? Right as I look around in the direction where a large wooden door is, a waft of medicinal smelling herbs that cause me to scrunch my nose up. Okay, I must be in the Hospital wing because there is no other place in the school that only smells like medication.
Sighing, I let my head fall back onto the pillow and I try to remember how I got here. The last thing that I remember is going into the Forbidden Forest for detention and...there was a unicorn killer. Everything else is fuzzy but the last coherent memory is about that unicorn killer. Every time I try to remember what happened after the unicorn killer it makes my head hurt to the point that it feels like it is going to split into two pieces. Why can't I remember what happened?
Before I could hurt my head more than I already have, I hear the large wooden door creak open from my left. I let my left arm fall back onto the bed while I look over to see who enters the room. The medium-length black hair and long black cloak make the person instantly recognizable. Professor Snape immediately notices that I am awake and walks slowly over to me with his usual scowl on his twenty-year-old face.
"I see that are finally awake, Miss Potter," he says and I smile at him before waving. Unfortunately, my happy mood is ruined with confusion when his words register in my mind.
"Professor Snape? What do you mean when you said 'finally awake'?" I asked inside my mind before pushing into his. He looks at me before sighing and taking the seat that is next to my hospital bed. He looks off into space for a few seconds as if he is trying to figure out how to tell me something.
"Miss Potter, you have been in a mild coma for three days now," he says without any stalling. My mouth opens with shock as my brain tries to process what he just said but for some reason, it is a very difficult concept to grasp.
"W-W-Why was I in a coma?" I ask him through my mind.
"It appears that you have an unhealthy body than other people. Your body can tire out faster than others and you may have difficulty performing more complex magic as time goes on because of this. If you overexert yourself in either physical or magical activity you could end up entering a coma for a longer period of time than just three days." He explains to me as I look out the opposite window. I just don't understand this!
"I don't understand this, Professor!" I say in denial as I look straight into his black eyes. I am perfectly fine and healthy as a horse!
"Don't give me that, foolish girl. Tell me, have you experienced times where after performing magic you felt tired or weak? Have you gotten really tired when you did physical activities?" he says as he raises an eyebrow at me. I am about to protest when memories start to flash throughout my mind. Every time I used the 'Alohomora' spell my arm felt unusually tired. If what he said is true then the reason behind the weak arm is because Alohomora is a more complex spell and my body just can't handle it. Memories of having to sleep on the school roof also pop into my mind. Every time Dudley had the opportunity he would terrorize my brother and me with his friends. My brother and I would end up hiding on the school roof in order to get away from our cousin.
"I-I guess you're right, Professor Snape. Except, why is my body unhealthy? I take care of my body as much as the other students here," I ask him inside his head after carefully thinking through my memories.
"Your body isn't unhealthy like you don't take care of it. It appears that from looking over your body with spells, by Madam Pomfrey of course, it seems that there could have been a complication at your birth. Most likely you were not supposed to have survived birth," my head of the house informs me and my world drains of all color. Was I really not supposed to have survived being born. How different would life be if I wasn't a part of it? Was I a mistake? A hand on my shoulder stops me from thinking to dark and I turn to look at the owner of the hand.
"Don't think such depressing thoughts, silly girl. If you were a mistake then you wouldn't be here having a happy life," Snape says to me as he pats my shoulder. Without even thinking about it, I throw my arms around his neck and start to silently cry on his shoulder.
"Am I not supposed to be alive, Professor?" I whimper into his mind and he doesn't reply to me. Like I expected, he doesn't hug me back but he awkwardly pats me on the back. After a few seconds, I pull away from him and lean back against the pillow as I feel emotionally drained. Against my will, my eyelids start to slowly close before sleep finally takes over my tired body. The last thing that I hear before I fully fall asleep is my potions teacher saying:
"You are definitely supposed to be alive, silly girl. You might not see it now, but there has to be a reason why you survived," he drawls and I drift off to the land of dreams, where pleasant memories fill my mind.
Two days later, I am finally released from the hospital wing. Taking what the potion master said to heart, I decide to not tell Harry about how I shouldn't have survived birth. In fact, I haven't told anyone about that but I did tell my friends that I have a weaker body than most. Of course they were worried about me but after reassuring them that I'm not going to drop dead or anything, they all calmed down.
The fire is crackling in the fireplace as I am sitting on one of the couches in the Gryffindor commons. Hermione, Harry, Weasel, and I are the only ones up as my brother decides to tell us something important. Apparently, the person that I hit with a stick back in the Forbidden Forest was Voldemort and learning that key piece of information really is making me sick to my stomach. I'm pretty sure that I'm on his death list now.
"So, are you saying that You-Know-Who is out there, right now in the forest?" Hermione says as my brother is pacing right in front of us.
"Yes but he is weak and living on unicorn's blood," my twin says as he takes off his tie. My fear is replaced for with anger at the mention of the unicorns being killed but disappears again when my brother continues to talk, "Don't you see?!? We got it wrong. Snape isn't stealing the stone for himself, he wants it for Voldemort. With the Elixir of Life, he can come back." My brother sighs before plopping down on the armrest. Worry bubbles up at the idea that he might come back and I get up to stand next to my big brother. I place my hand on his shoulder and he gives me a weak smile.
"Do you think that if he comes back...he will kill you?" Ron asks and I tighten my grip on his shoulder. My big brother must have seen how frighten I am by that thought because he pulls me to sit next to him on the arm chair. Unfortunately, there isn't that much room on a arm chair for two people but we are thin enough were we can just make it.
"I think that if he had the opportunity he would have done so that night," my twin says and I whimper slightly at the thought. First, I recently found out that I shouldn't have survived birth and now I learn that my twin almost got killed a few days prior. Harry hugs me as I lean into his side and I try to reassure myself that I have nothing to worry about. I feel a hand rubbing my back and I look up to see that it is Hermione.
"Hang on we are forgetting one thing. Who is the one wizard that Voldemort has always feared?" she asks us and a light bulb appears above my head, figuratively. I grab my notepad from the coffetable and I write down the answer. After finishing the name, I flip it around and show it to everyone. Hermione smiles at me before nodding her head, "Yes, Anastasia is correct. It is Dumbledore and as long as Dumbledore is around, Harry you are safe. As long as Dumbledore is around you cannot be touched."
A peaceful smile appears on my face as I process her words. I look up at my brother and I notice that he also has a slight smile on his face. I think about everything that has happened lately but one thing is for sure. That horrible man that killed my parents is out there right now and he almost got my brother as well. All of this new information is making my body and mind drain out of energy. A yawn escaoes my lips and I cover my mouth with my hand. Nudging my brother, I indicate that I'm going to head back to the Slytherin commons and he nods his head while hugging me goodbye. I hug my best friend next and I give the Weasel a handshake.
As I am walking throughout the halls toward the Slytherin house. So far I have not been caught by any of the teachers that are patrolling the halls at night. Another yawn escapes my lips as I walk past the entrance hall. Unfortunately, the more I walk while being tired the more likely chance that I'm going to fall flat on my face. I don't realize that until right as I give another yawn and I accidently trip on the hard floor. Giving a shriek, which in hind sight probably wasn't a good idea, I close my eyes while holding my hands out in front of me. Weirdly enough, no pain followed the fall but actually a soft thud took the place instead. A pair of laughter makes me open my eyes and directly in front of me is a chest with its arms around my waist.
"You must be-,"
"Really tired to almost-,"
"Fall on your face," a pair of semi-masculin voices finish each others sentences. I look up to see my new prankster friends with ginger hair looking down at me while still laughing. Smiling, I wave at them as the one holding me, which if I'm correct is George, helps me back on my feet. I yawn again and they look at each other before they grab my arms. I give them a questioning look and they must have noticed because Fred answers me.
"We are your friends-,"
"And we are also gentlemen-,"
"We cannot allow for our friend-,"
"Who is a girl-,"
"To walk back to her dormitory at night by herself," Fred finishes and I nod my head at their reasoning. They escort me down to the dungeons and we stop in front of the Slytherin commons. I look up at the two boys with a smile on my face while also being grateful that these two pranksters are my friends. Happiness and gratitude seep through my very core which explains my next actions. Getting onto my tippy toes, I kiss them both on their cheeks before pulling my arms away from them. Giving them one last smile, I turn around and walk through the painting doorway. As the painting closes, I hear Fred whisper something to George but I couldn't hear what they said. Shrugging my shoulders, I head up to the girls' dormitory to get some good nights sleep.
The next afternoon, I am walking outside with Draco and we both let out a sigh of relief. We have just finished the last of our tests for the year. Even though I love to read and I have studied for the tests with Hermione, I still get jittery. I think Draco gave a sigh of relief because he didn't really study for the tests. Smiling, I grab his hand and start to swing them. He smiles at me but our friendly moment is ruined when I feel a push from behind me. Our hands are pulled apart when fall to the ground on my hands and knees. Slightly tearing up, I quickly turn my head back and I notice that a girl with medium lengthed black hair is standing next to Draco with a smile on her face. She looks familiar but I just can't place her. Looking at her green tie and her cloak, I can assume that she is also in Slytherin.
"Pansy! Why did you do that?!" Draco exclaims at the black-haired girl while helping me up from the ground. After I get back on my feet, my best friend checks my arms and legs to make sure that I'm alright. There is a few scrapes on my hands and a couple on my right knee. He touches them but I jump back from the stinging feeling.
"Whoops, I didn't see you there," she says while she still has a smirk on her face. I know that she isn't telling the truth but being the better person, I nod my head while giving her a small smile before focusing on my wounds. I don't understand why she would hurt me all of a sudden. I mean, I haven't even met her or anything until now.
"Draci! Why don't you spend any time with me?" the girl, who is named Pancy, whines at Draco. He rolls his eyes as he is looking at me which makes me smile with laughter. Draco turns toward the girl and they start to talk to each other. I look over around and I notice that Hermione, my brother, and the Weasel are rushing towards Hagrid's hut. Tugging on Draco's sleeve, I point at Hagrid's hut when he looks over at me. He gives me a look of 'please, don't leave me alone with her' but he also nods his head at me. Giving him a sympathetic pat on the back, I limp my way over to the hut as Hagrid is telling something to my brother and our friends.
"-Of course he was interested in Fluffy! How likely are you to come upon a three-headed dog even if you are in the trade. I told him, 'The trick on how to tame any beast is to know how to calm them. Take Fluffy for an example just play a little bit of music and he will fall straight to sleep.'" I stop next to my brother and Hermione. We all look at each other as I put pressure on my left leg. Who just tells a complete stranger how to take down the first protector that protects the Sorcerer's Stone? Hagrid's face scrunches up in a 'oh, no' expression as he says, "I shouldn't have told you that."
We run off towards Professor McGonagall's classroom. Unfortunately, half-way there my body starts to grow tired while the pain from the scrapes grow and makes me bite my lip. Honestly, I don't even know why we are going to Professor McGonagall but I'm just going to follow along with them.
By the time that we arrive at her office, I am wheezing while trying to not faint. I think this is exactly what Professor Snape was talking about when he said that I'll grow exhausted when doing physical exertion. I limp over to one of the desks and I sit down while my brother is asking for Dumbledore. McGonagall explains that Professor Dumbledore isn't here because he got an urgent message from the Ministry of Magic and he left for London this morning. My eyes widen as I realize that whoever is going to steal the Stone is going to steal it tonight.
"Now, but this is important! It is about The Sorcerer's Stone!" my brother says and I notice that my transfiguration teacher's eyes widden behind her glasses. Harry apparently doesn't notice her reaction, "Someone is going to try and steal it!"
"I don't know who you four found out about the stone, but I assure you that it is perfectly protected. Now, why don't you four go back to your dormitories, quietly," she says and shoos us away with her hand. My brother, Ron and Hermione have their heads hung down low and start to head out of the classroom. Sadly, I am still wheezing and my exhaustion is taking over my body almost completely. With the last bit of strength I have left, I push my body out of the seat and walk slowly behind my friend. The exhaustion is overtaking all of my other emotions even the pain.
We stop in the middle of the corridor and my brother starts to talk about his 'Snape is the one behind all of this' rant while I try to not faint. My body has never gotten this tired before but I think it is because just a few days ago I just woke up from my three day coma. I believe that my body is still recovering from the Forbidden Forest incident and it is definitely not happy with all of this running around. In the background, I hear Hermione start to say something about Dumbledore being gone when she is interrupted by someone.
"Good evening, everyone," Snape drawls behind us. While everyone else is turning around to look at him, I lean against the cement block wall as I continue to keep my body awake. He stops for a second before he continues the conversation, "Why would three Gryffindors and a Slytherin like yourselves be doing indoors on a day like this." No one says anything back and I continue to find some strength within me to turn around. A few seconds pass before Hermione tries to stutter out an explanation, but he stops her, "Careful! It would almost seem like you are up to something..."
"P-P-Professor? Please, hel-help me," I whisper through my mind to his. A firm hand grasps my shoulder and I almost slip down the wall but the professor's hand keeps me from falling. He turns me around and takes my palness into consideration before he sighs.
"After our last conversation, you decided that the best thing to do was to run around the school," he drawls and I nod my head with a painfilled smile. Professor Snape takes notice of the pain and looks down at my right leg. Looking back up at me, he supports me as he starts leading us toward the hospital wing, "Come, silly girl. Madam Pomfrey will take care of your wounds while you can rest for a little bit."
I nod my head while giving a backwards wave towards the rest of the group. Apparantely, no one follows us because I don't hear anyone following us. We walk in silence for a little bit as we past windows that are letting in sunlight into the corridor.
"Did you h-hear my brother's th-thoughts?" I ask him in his mind to break this silence. He nods his head but doesn't break his stride.
"Yes, he doesn't hide his thoughts but I'm curious as to how he found out about the Sorcerer's Stone," he says and I sigh while I play back how we found out about the Sorcerer's Stone, minus sneaking into the Restricted Section. He nods his head and we finally reach the doors to the hospital wing.
"Do you think that I'm trying to steal the stone?" he asks me as he helps me onto one of the hospital beds. I shake my head while choosing my words carefully.
"I never thought that you were the one behind taking the Stone. Honestly, I think it is someone that we would never expect because those are the most dangerous people."
"How are they dangerous people?"
I smile as I lean forward a little bit before whispering in his head, "Because they are the ones that are basically invisible and can go around this entire castle without being seen." Leaning back into the bed, I close my eyes and finally allow my exhaustion to consume my mind. I feel like the ending is coming and with that ending to this Sorcerer's Stone madness there will be danger. Will I...be.....ready....for that..................dan..ger?
Happy Friday the 13th! Stay safe everyone and watch creepy movies or Harry Potter! :-)