Flowerpot

12 Days for Katie

Part 1

Harry should’ve seen her dilated eyes when he exited the three broomsticks, he should’ve known Malfoy would try something to hurt his friends, he should’ve been there for her.

There was nothing more terrifying than what he had witnessed, nothing more chilling than her screams that emanated throughout the whole of Hogsmeade, he had run towards her praying to each and every deity there was for survival, merlin or not, it didn’t matter to him right now, only Katie did.

He distantly was aware of Ron and Hermione screaming his name, pleading for him to stop and they were right, he was once again going blind folded in the face of adversity to save his friend but he simply couldn’t help it, people called it his saving people thing, he disagreed.

It was simply humanity. To help others and expecting nothing in return.

Her body twisted and turned in irregular and unnatural pattern in the air, it was horrific, Harry could almost feel the pain coursing through her body, he had been subject to cruciatus many times himself before but little did he know that, that was just the beginning.

He caught her as she fell from the air all limp, not responding.

“Katie…” he whispered softly, hoping against hope for one small miracle.

Her eyes opened for a second sporting a new shade of yellow before Morpheus claimed her

Part 2

“I refuse to believe it madam Pomfrey, she opened her eyes once, I saw it myself” Harry argued along with his whole quidditch team, Ron and Hermione.

“She is in a magically induced coma Mr. Potter and while you can argue all you want with me, that damned necklace you’ve brought with her, has unfortunately deteriorated her whole nervous system, she has 11 or maybe 12 days at max to even survive at this rate.” She returned heatedly as she cast preservation charms on the skin of contact.

She took a deep breath in silence that was cast due to her words, there was nothing magical in what she had just said, only the cold hard truth.

“Then she dies.”

Part 3

first four days‘Aaaarrggghhhh’ were around the first thoughts that came to Katie’s mind as she tried to open her eyes, everything was black but she could hear voices, blurry voices that penetrated her ears, she tried to move her body and hands but she found that she couldn’t, her eyes refusing to even open up, bright emerald green eyes were the last thing she remembered, she had gone to the washroom, she thought or something along the same lines before she fell into the sturdy hands of Harry of all people, she wanted to giggle stupidly but she found that she couldn’t. The alcoholic smell of the hospital wing, wafted in her nose as the sounds became clearer.

“You can’t stay everyday here, you four, you have work to do, and so do I. I understand your pain…”

“No madam Pomfrey, you don’t. she’s been here for the last three days, she’s hurting Madam Pomfrey, we can’t just leave her here.” That was a familiar voice, Angelina’s maybe.

“So, what are you all going to do? Stay here for the entire twelve da..” yep, she was in the hospital wing, that was Madam Pomfrey’s voice which was interrupted again.

“No, don’t say that, with all due respect you are wrong madam Pomfrey, you don’t know that, she opened her eyes, I saw it myself, she did it.” An almost sobbing voice heatedly argued. That voice giving out pure pain and agony through it. It was Harry.

The matron didn’t argue with that it seemed. A tired sigh escaped her lips and the voice of footsteps coming near her came.

“Harry, you need to sleep. It has been three days, if any development occurs, it is going to be through magic only, you, all of you will be the first ones informed.”

After a moment she felt someone coming near her, his breath tickling her neck and it said, I’ll come back in a jiffy under my cloak, I Promise.

It had been half an hour maybe but it seemed an eternity to her, all the footsteps had receded, only the voice of a loud fang barking in Hagrid’s hut came in through what she could only assume was the window, she had tried opening her eyes for the last twenty-five minutes or so and she had been somewhat successful, or so she believed.

“Hey Katie, it is me again”, a voice said as footsteps neared her. She desperately tried to open her eyes.

“You know, I almost got caught by Filch”, he said in a laughing but sad voice, she felt him sit beside her, he took her hand in hers.

“Slughorn gave me felix felicis, you know? The liquid luck? I have enough here for twelve days, I don’t believe Pomfrey, not for a second, heck I was out for a week when that bludger hit me, you’re a tough nut Katie, I know you won’t crack so easily.” She could hear the smile in his voice but couldn’t make out head or tail of what he was saying, again she desperately tried to open her eyes, just to see one glance of Harry Potter sitting next to her, just for her, in the pale moonlight. She doubted even here, in this position that adorable idiot would know that she fancied him.

She’d fancied him for a long time.

“Someone dropped this obscure book to cure eyes in my dorm last night, I don’t know who it was, but today this spell will work, I am sure of it, I am sure nothing will go wrong for the next twelve days Katie.” She believed him.

She heard the sound of a book opening and Harry taking out his wand.

“I’ve lost too many people Katie, do you remember Sirius Black?”

She remembered the mass murderer of course.

“He was my last family Katie, he was the only one whom I truly loved as family Katie, I lost him and I couldn’t do anything about it.” His voice cracked at the end.

This was a bomb dropped on her, this explains at least why he was so morose at the end of last year.

“You on the other hand Katie, are also very important to me, but you haven’t died and you won’t die. I will make sure of it.” There was a resolve in his voice, a steely resolve impossible to break.

The only thing she got out of that sentence was important to him, she was important to him!

“Alright Katie, ready?” he asked mostly out of obligation.

She once again desperately tried to open her eyes.

“Give me back what once was mine, oh powerful forces so divine”

“oculi disciplinam”

She gave it one final push as yellow once again met emerald.

Harry gave a silent cry of joy she saw as everything came into focus again.

“I knew you could do it Katie, I just knew it” he said as tears of joy spilled from his eyes like a waterfall.

“I… I should go now”, he said after a moment of eye contact.

Her eyes moved frantically from side to side indicating or screaming one message.

Stay.

So, he stayed.

A stream of tears could be seen streaking Draco Malfoy’s cheeks as he closed the door of the hospital wing.