Chapter 18 - Out of Body, Out of Mind
The next hour was spent pacing around the hospital wing. Harry had helped to carry Malfoy from the Great Hall, while Hermione sprinted on ahead to tell Madame Pomfrey of the impending arrival. A Healer was immediately summoned from St. Mungo's and though between them they managed to stem the bleeding, Malfoy remained unconscious and unresponsive.
The part of Harry that greatly disliked Draco Malfoy thought this new state suited him rather well and that, given time, Harry could even grow to get on with this form of him. This nasty thought was tempered by the sight of two great scars which spanned Malfoy's face; one ran from his forehead across his right eye, the other down the entire left side of his face. Professor McGonagall, Harry was glad to see, was visibly shaken by the whole incident. Pale and concerned, the Headmistress sat in pensive silence watching Malfoy being tended to. After an hour, during which no-one said much, Madame Pomfrey left the St. Mungo's Healer to work alone.
"What is it, Poppy?" asked Professor McGonagall as the Nurse walked over. "Do you know what has happened to the boy?"
"I'm afraid not, Minerva," said Madame Pomfrey, glancing back towards Malfoy's sedate form. "I'd guess its some sort of curse but I've never seen anything like that before. Nothing that either I, or Healer Pye, has tried has been able to revive him. He is, at least, stable."
Professor McGonagall thanked Madame Pomfrey and she left for her office. Harry seized on the chance to speak and turned to face the Headmistress.
"What do you think now?" he asked forcefully. "Is that enough proof for you?"
"Proof of what, Potter?"
"That the school is not safe, that it's under some sort of stealth attack."
"Stealth attack?" McGonagall exclaimed. "I suppose you think this has something to do with Severus Snape?"
"Of course it is!" said Harry, his voice rising. "How could it not be? He turns up in the middle of the night, next thing is someone gets attacked. I know maths isn't taught here but I think we can all add 2 and 2."
"You think that Severus Snape has managed to break into Hogwarts?" asked McGonagall. "And that he has attacked one of the students? A favourite member of his old house lets not forget."
"Like Snape sets store by anyone," said Harry acidly. "He'd kill his own shadow if it would get him somewhere."
"And can you explain how he managed to enter the school?" asked McGonagall.
"He must have found a way to break through the enchantments," said Harry. "Sirius did it once. The place isn't impervious. That's why we need extra security."
"Speaking of security," said McGonagall. "Where is yours? Why didn't she prevent this attack?"
"She's only just got here!" said Harry hotly. "There was no way she could have prevented this. Where is Enola anyway?"
"Over by Malfoy," said Hermione nodding to the far end of the ward.
Harry got up and moved along the ward. Hermione joined him, trotting to keep close. Harry had noticed this over the past hour; the attack on Malfoy seemed to have wrought a change in Hermione's behaviour and she appeared to be sticking close to Harry as though afraid for herself - or for them both.
Enola was peering over Malfoy from the right side, whilst Healer Pye examined him from the left. The two of them were whispering to each other across the bed but stopped as Harry and Hermione approached.
"What are you doing?" asked Harry.
"Just having a look at him," said Enola. "They don't know what the matter with him is so I thought I'd offer to help."
"Do you know anything about Healing then?" asked Hermione.
"A little," said Enola, shyly. "I'm not too great at the fixing bit but I can diagnose pretty well. I would try and help here but this guy doesn't want to let me have a go."
"As I explained, young lady," said Healer Pye, "I am not aware of any qualifications you have or any other expertise that would permit me to let you tamper with my patient."
"Tamper with him!" said Enola hotly. "I'm not going to tamper with him, I just want to find out what his wound is."
"And you intend to do this through some sort of telepathy, you say?" said Pye churlishly.
"Yeah, cerebral scanning," said Enola simply. Pye appeared to stifle a cough.
"Is that dangerous?" asked Harry.
"Oh no," said Enola brightly. "There's no contact involved. It's more like connecting my mind to his body to find out what's wrong."
"It can't hurt to let her try, can it?" Hermione asked Pye. "What is there to lose?"
"I don't believe you are giving the orders around here, miss," said Pye.
"And I don't believe you have any choice in the matter," said Harry stepping forward and drawing himself up. "Now step aside."
Pye moved away from the bed muttering something about not being able to work in such conditions. Harry, who had half a mind on cursing him for his rudeness, beckoned Enola to conduct the procedure she had spoken about. After expecting something flashy and mystical, Harry felt rather disappointed at the whole thing. Enola simply moved around the bed passing her hands a few inches over the spot where Malfoy was injured. Eyes closed and sounding like she was humming to herself, Enola worked for several minutes until she abruptly stopped and announced her findings.
"Whatever caused this, it wasn't magic," she said. Even Pye perked up at this.
"How can you be sure?" asked Harry.
"I can sense some sort of foreign substance in the wound, a toxin of some kind."
"A toxin?" said Hermione looking, herself, at Malfoy's injuries. "Can you guess what kind?"
"I'd say it was organic," Enola replied. "I don't know - maybe venom."
Harry and Hermione looked at each other, the same expression on their faces.
"C-could it be from-" Hermione began slowly, "-from a snake?"
"Quite possibly," said Enola, before adding seriously, "but you shouldn't really keep snakes in a school. It's highly irresponsible."
"We don't keep snakes," said Hermione.
"But we know someone who does," Harry added darkly.
"In that case," said Enola. "I can help you find out if it was a snake bite."
"And how's that?" asked Harry.
"Shamanistic technique," said Enola. "I can go into a sort of trance and relive what happened. But I can't do it by myself."
"Now that does sound dangerous," said Hermione looking worried. "What do you think, Harry?"
"I don't know," said Harry. "Is it dangerous, Enola?"
"Not if it's done properly," said Enola assuredly. "And I've done it loads of times. Come on, let's go somewhere empty and I'll tell you what do to."
"I don't think you will do anything of the kind," said Professor McGonagall, who nobody had noticed coming up to them. "What did I tell you about risking the safety of any student?"
"And don't you remember what you said about Enola being my responsibility?" Harry replied. "And anyway, she isn't a student."
"Don't be flippant, Potter," said McGonagall.
"I don't think you should get involved, Professor," said Hermione. Her tone was so curt it caught both Harry and McGonagall by surprise. "This is Harry's concern and if he wants to take Enola up on her offer he shouldn't have to run it by you."
"If the girl wants to risk her health, that's up to her," said McGonagall. "But in my school? You'd do well to remember where you are, Miss Granger?"
"But you did offer Hogwarts to us," said Hermione. "For mutually beneficial purposes, I remember you saying. It's hardly worth it if Harry has to check with you if every little thing he does is allowed. He should be allowed to act independently or we will get nowhere."
Harry had never heard Hermione talk to a teacher like this before. It was almost shocking but it had the desired effect as Professor McGonagall merely nodded mutely and allowed them to leave.
"What was all that about?" Harry asked Hermione quietly as they walked along the corridor.
"What?" answered Hermione innocently.
"All that with McGonagall," said Harry. "I've never seen you like that before."
"Oh that," said Hermione. "She's just annoying me over all this. Turning a blind eye when it's obvious and right before her eyes. I'm sick of her not taking you seriously. You're totally right about what's going on, and it's not the first time you've seen things others don't. I'm guilty of not believing you as well and I'm sorry for that."
"Don't they call that projection or something?" said Harry. "Taking out your own bad feelings on someone else."
"I know, but she did deserve it," said Hermione with a slight grin. "Besides, when you're right, you're right. And you've got it spot on this time. I was wrong to say you shouldn't have sought outside help and wrong to doubt Enola. I think she could be a real use to us."
"What do you think this thing is she's going to do?"
"I don't know," said Hermione, whispering so that Enola wouldn't hear behind. "But it sounds a bit mad to me."
Harry had to agree. He had no idea what a Shamanistic technique might involve but the thought of going into a trance to see the past sounded both bizarre and far-fetched. He was, however, open to all possibilities and as he led Enola and Hermione into an empty classroom his eagerness to get a clearer picture of what happened to Malfoy overrode any niggling doubts he had lingering in the back of his mind.
Enola stood at the centre of the room and drew both her wands. With a casual flick of both all of the desks and chairs flew to the edge of the room while at the same time a squashy recliner chair materialised at Enola's side. Harry and Hermione swapped impressed looks as Enola settled herself down.
"Right, this is how it works," she said. "I'm going to start some breathing exercises. When I start breathing quickly and irregularly that's where you come in."
"Are you talking about hyperventilating?" asked Hermione.
"Yes, exactly," replied Enola, happy that Hermione had cottoned on so quickly.
"But that is really dangerous," said Hermione anxiously. "Why do you need to do it?"
"Oxygen deprivation," explained Enola. "It reduces the brain to its basic functions and allows me to access the trance state. Trust me, its safe. I've done this so much and nothing's ever happened to me. Well, I'm a bit mad but nothing else."
Enola flashed them both her arresting and assuring smile. As if by some unseen magic they both dropped their worries.
"Okay," said Hermione. "What do we need to do?"
"When my breathing goes funny I'll be half way between this world and the astral world. I need some grounding so I need you to say my name. You'll know I can hear you when I answer. It probably won't be speech, more like mumbling or grunting."
"Then what?" asked Harry.
"Then one of you has to say something like, `now you are leaving this world' and count backwards slowly from ten. Once that is done I will be under and my perception will be clear and in that world. I will tell you what I can see and what's happening. The most important part comes after that. When you've heard everything you must lead me back here and reverse the process, beckoning me back to this world. Count up from ten until I come back. I have to be sitting here, though; anything else and my mind will go funny. I have to be exactly where I am. Understand?"
Hermione nodded in a business-like way. Harry felt as though his own mind might have gone funny just from listening to the description Enola offered. But before he could dwell on having his mind one place and his body somewhere else, Enola had begun. At first, it was all quite normal; she was breathing deeply as if falling asleep. After a few minutes, however, he breathing changed. Each breath grew shorter, sharper, as though she were running very fast or climbing a high mountain.
"When will we know to speak?" asked Harry quietly into Hermione's ear.
"I don't think it's yet," Hermione whispered back. "Her breathing is still normal, it has to be erratic for proper hyperventilation. Ooh, a bit like that."
Sure enough, Enola's breathing had changed yet again. Gone were the short breaths, evenly spaced, replaced by various gasps of differing length and frequency. She also seemed in some distress and for the first time, Harry felt worried.
"Enola," said Hermione in a clear, but forced voice. "Can you hear me?"
The convulsing form of Enola made some bizarre grunting noise.
"O-okay," Hermione continued unsurely. "You are going to leave this world now. I'm going to count down from ten and when I'm done you will be in another place."
Enola grunted again. Hermione took this as confirmation that she was doing her part right and with renewed confidence began the countdown.
"Alright, here we go. Ten - nine- eight- seven - six-"
Harry watched as Hermione made the slow countdown, his anxiety growing as Enola's state seemed to get worse with each number until eventually she seemed on the verge of tearing herself apart. As Hermione reached zero, though, everything stopped. Harry watched in amazement as Enola righted herself in a split second until she was sitting there calm and relaxed, her eyes closed as if in a deep sleep.
"Enola?" said Hermione. "Can you hear me?"
"Yes," Enola replied. Her voice was distant and dreamy and Harry was reminded strongly of Luna Lovegood.
"Um - where are you?" said Hermione.
"Where would you like me to be?" said Enola.
"We need you to go back a couple of hours," said Harry. "We need you to find someone called Draco Malfoy."
"Come with me," said Enola dreamily. She got up and walked towards the door, which Harry opened quickly before she walked into it. She led Harry and Hermione back along the corridor and down one of the back staircases and out into the courtyard. There she stopped abruptly, causing Hermione to do the same. Harry, who was too busy wondering where this was going, didn't notice and walked straight into Hermione as she stopped.
"Steady on," she said with a mischievous grin. "Try and keep it decent, Harry. Someone might see."
Harry, whose mind was now in the gutter with Hermione's, watched Enola walk out into the courtyard and lean against the fountain at the centre.
"This is weird," said Enola, who was now sounding so much like Luna that Harry found it distracting. "I feel funny. I'm moving around in an odd way - speeding up, slowing down, turning. I'm trying to catch something in front of me. Like a little walnut with wings."
"The Snitch," Harry whispered to Hermione.
"So Malfoy must have been playing Quidditch…on his own," she replied. There was a trace of pity in her voice that even made Harry feel sorry for Malfoy for a second.
"I'm falling," Enola continued. "I'm coming close to this courtyard. Now I'm stable again, standing just over there."
She pointed across the courtyard to a shed where the school brooms were kept.
"Oh, my hairs just stood up on the back of my neck," said Enola sharply. "I'm anxious. Someone's watching me. Where are they?"
"Can you move about?" Harry called.
"I'm walking around the fountain, one hand inside my jacket," said Enola. "There's someone here, I know it."
"So she must actually be Malfoy," Hermione breathed into Harry's ear.
"What a horrible thought," Harry added.
"I can hear you! I can hear your feet! Come out you coward!" called Enola. Disturbingly, she had actually taken on Malfoy's voice. "Oh, it's you. What do you want?"
"That doesn't sound right," said Hermione. "If it was someone who was about to attack him he wouldn't be talking to them like that."
Enola was speaking again. "I was just flying, not that it's any of your business."
"He's obviously in conversation but we can only hear his bits," said Harry. They watched for a while as Enola talked inanely to her invisible companion but she never mentioned a name so it was impossible to tell who the other person might be. Besides, Harry thought, Malfoy talks the same way to everyone so the list of possibilities was vast.
Suddenly, Enola shot into a crouching position and drew one of her wands, pointing it around the courtyard.
"Did you hear that, too?" she asked the invisible friend. "You did? Good. That means I'm not going - AARRRGGGHHH!"
Enola fell hard to the ground clutching her face, screaming in agony so real that Harry could almost feel it himself. He took off with Hermione on his heels and they tried to calm Enola. But they couldn't get through to her. She was still in her astral world, as she called it. The screaming and tears pouring down her face were causing Harry to panic.
"What do we do?" he called to Hermione.
"We have to get her back upstairs," she replied. "Can you carry her? It'll be quicker than using magic."
With Hermione's help Harry managed to lift Enola, kicking and screaming, onto his shoulder. It was a good thing she was so dainty, Harry thought as he carried her up the stairs and back into the empty classroom where this had all began. He dropped her rather unceremoniously back into her squashy recliner and Hermione, panting from running, closed the door.
"Enola! I want you to come back to us now, come back to this world," Hermione cried.
"It burns, it burns," Enola sobbed, in her own voice now, the sound of which made Harry so guilty he felt himself welling up. "Please make it stop."
"It will, just do as I say," said Hermione gently. Enola nodded meekly. "I'm going to count up to ten and when I reach ten you will be back with us, okay? Here goes - one -two-"
The effect was instant. Enola stopped crying at two and by the time Hermione had reached six the erratic breathing was back. At nine she was breathing normally again, though it was a few seconds after ten that she actually opened her eyes again.
"Are you alright?" asked Hermione hesitantly.
"Oh yes," said Enola who sounded perfectly chirpy, if a little groggy. "Bit fuzzy but I'll be okay. Oh dear!"
She tried to stand up but collapsed, laughing, back into her chair.
"I think I'll give it a minute," she said. "So, did you find out anything useful?"
"What?" said Harry. "You mean you don't remember anything?"
"Oh no," said Enola brightly. "I never remember it, that's why you have to have someone there, isn't it? Otherwise it'd be a bit pointless, don't you think?"
"We did learn that there was someone else there," said Harry. "But you didn't identify them.
"That could be for lots of reasons," said Enola. "Could be that their feelings are mixed up on the person - you know, not sure if they like them or not - or it could be someone you are afraid of. Emotional responses can distort the images in astral travelling. Sorry to be rude, but, do you have somewhere I can lie down, only it's quite late and that took a lot out of me."
"Of course, you must be exhausted," said Hermione. "Come on, we've put your things up in the girls dormitory. You can sleep there whilst you are with us."
The three of them walked quietly up to Gryffindor tower. The shadows cast by the torches alight in the corridor revealed how late it truly was. Once in the common room Harry slumped into a chair by the window as Hermione showed Enola up to the dormitories. She returned a few minutes later and sat down next to Harry, looking quite as thoughtful as he felt.
"Well, that was, er, interesting," said Harry. "What did you make of it?"
"It was disturbing," said Hermione. "And I'm not wholly convinced it was safe. I don't know how they do things in this Celticania - or whatever she called it - but I'm glad we aren't like that here. It was frightening."
"At least we know there was someone there when Malfoy was attacked," said Harry. "If we can find out who it was then maybe they can tell us if it was a snake that did it."
"I can't see us being able to do that easily," said Hermione. "Malfoy doesn't like anyone so it could have been any of the students he was talking to."
"I know that," said Harry. "It's a shame we can't be there ourselves, rather than looking through someone else's eyes."
Hermione's eyes suddenly shot open wide. "Harry - I've got an idea."
"What?"
"I'm not sure, it might be difficult to get hold of," she said, mostly to herself. "Just meet me here at ten in the morning and I'll tell you then. Oh - and bring your Invisibility Cloak."
With that she gave Harry a quick peck on the cheek and bounded upstairs leaving Harry wondering if she was going a bit mental.
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