"Merlin's beard!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed when Harry and Hermione had finally managed to drag the two brawlers to the infirmary. "What have you two done to each other this time? Come now, sit on your bed, both of you. SIT!"
The healer was not to be denied. Ginny and Draco sat passively on an oversized bed, which had apparently been set up for their use since the accident. They were sitting as far apart as their condition would allow them, and their eyes were hard-set, though they refused to look at one another.
Madam Pomfrey tutted at them while she poured the contents of a packet into a glass of water. "Honestly, you would think the pair of you would have learned to get along by now. Here you go, Miss Weasley, drink up," she said, handing Ginny the concoction she prepared. Ginny took the glass tentatively, and had reflexively brought the glass up to her nose to smell it before she remembered that she hadn't a nose at the moment. She grimaced at her forgetfulness and swallowed the potion in just a few gulps, and it was only a few seconds before she yelped and dropped the glass in order to put her hand up to her face. Luckily, the glass landed on the soft bed mattress, and Madam Pomfrey quickly retrieved it before it rolled off.
"Of course it hurts, dear," Pomfrey said in response to Ginny's whimpering. "It's much harder to retrieve a body part than to make it disappear. Just be glad you didn't lose a finger or some such. Bones are much more painful to re-grow than cartilage. Just ask Mr. Potter here, he's had first hand experience."
Madam Pomfrey then moved to Draco and began to inspect his ears, and Ginny's gaze flicked towards Harry. She already knew about the incident where he had lost his bones, of course. That infernal Gilderoy Lockhart had mistakenly removed them from Harry's arm after he fell off his broom during a Quidditch match in his second year at Hogwarts. Now he was safe and sound in St. Mungo's, suffering from memory loss. Ginny managed to smile at the memory, though her expression was slightly pained, and Harry grinned warmly back at her for reassurance.
Meanwhile, Draco had his head tilted to one side as Madam Pomfrey sprinkled some shrinking solution into his ears. He had an extremely sour look on his face, and Harry suspected that he couldn't really hear what Madam Pomfrey was telling him to do, because she had to keep moving his head around for him when he didn't comply right away.
"For Merlin's sake, Virginia," she scolded as she waited for the solution to take effect. "I thought that once Fred and George had graduated I would be a lot less busy in here. Instead, you had to pick that very year to become almost as bad as they are! I guess I should thank the lucky stars that there aren't two of you as well…ah, here we go!"
Madam Pomfrey then harvested Draco's potatoes, pulling them from his ears with a loud pop. Draco recoiled slightly from the noise, and shook his head some to get rid of the strange sensation that came with having one's ears totally plugged. "Now then, Mr. Malfoy, would you like to keep your potatoes?" she asked, holding them out to him by the leaves. Harry and Hermione tried to stifle their laughter as the blond looked at the woman with disbelief.
"I thought not," she said absently. "They're fine looking potatoes, though. Perhaps the house elves can find a use for them."
If the four young adults had been at all hungry before, they certainly weren't now. Madam Pomfrey didn't notice the disgusted looks on their faces, though she did peer at Draco intently. "Mr. Malfoy, you're looking a bit green," she noted, oblivious to the cause. "Perhaps you've strained yourself a bit too much for one night. Why don't you rest for a while?" she suggested. He swallowed and nodded, staring nervously at the potatoes.
"You too, Miss Weasley. It should be a while before your nose finds the right shape again. Mr. Potter, Hermione, my patients need their rest. Thank you for bringing them to me right away; there's no telling what they might have done to each other if left to their own devices."
"No problem, Poppy," Hermione said. "We've got to go speak with Minerva anyway. Don't let them cause any trouble for you!"
***
Once they emerged into the castle corridors, Hermione turned to Harry. "Couldn't you have fixed them up yourself?"
Harry shrugged. "Maybe, but most of my cases aren't quite that serious. Hexes tend to be a lot more troublesome than the after-effects of plants, and I don't have enough magic to reverse some of them. Besides, I wouldn't want to take work away from the Department of Accidental Magic now, would I?" Harry chuckled, remembering when he had caused his aunt's head to blow up like a balloon before his third year at school.
"I suppose you're right," she said, and they began to walk towards McGonagall's office, which had formerly been Dumbledore's. "I just hope we can solve Draco and Ginny's problem ourselves. It's dangerous to take them to St. Mungos; we know that the former Death Eaters definitely have contacts there, and we can't let any harm come to them. This is one time where they'd definitely be safer in Muggle care."
Harry wholeheartedly agreed, but said nothing. They continued through the halls without comment, and Harry found himself looking at the portraits and other decorations fondly. Being at Hogwarts again made him feel very nostalgic, and he realized how much he missed being a real part of the wizarding world. He knew he didn't really belong there anymore, though, being without magic like he was. He even had sympathy for miserable old Filch, the caretaker of Hogwarts. It must be difficult knowing about magic all your life, and not being able to fully experience it on your own.
They finally reached the gargoyle that was the entrance to the Headmistress's office. "Pickled blueberries," Hermione stated firmly, and the gargoyle allowed them to pass. McGonagall's passwords are just as weird as Dumbledore's were, Harry thought with a smile as they made their way through the passage. They were soon in McGonagall's office, and she bade them to have a seat.
"Good evening, Hermione, Harry," she said, nodding at each of them. She seemed sterner than ever and lacked the twinkle that Dumbledore always had in his friendly blue eyes, but she had gained his knowing expression and looked upon the pair fondly. "Here to talk about our little incident?"
"Yes, Minerva" Hermione said. "We thought it would be best if we all went back to the Muggle hospital where Harry works at. The Muggles are used to seeing strange things there, and we could expand Harry's fidelus charm to include Draco and Ginny," she explained.
"I believe you are quite right," McGonagall agreed. "In fact, Dumbledore suggested the same thing when I contacted him by fire with the news. He thinks he might remember something about the plant we've discovered, and he assures me that he will look into it. Meanwhile, I have arranged a room for Harry in the faculty wing, and he will spend a night or two here while Severus and I prepare your equipment."
Harry remembered that Severus Snape had become Deputy Headmaster once Dumbledore retired and Professor McGonagall stepped up to fill the position. He wasn't exactly pleased to have to deal with the hook-nosed potions professor again, but he had to admit that if it hadn't been for Snape, Harry wouldn't have his current position at the hospital right now. The work required a good skill with potions and recipes, after all…though he doubted that Snape would ever give him credit for his abilities. The man had loathed Harry since the very first time he set foot into Hogwarts.
"Thank you, Headmistress," said Harry. "I really appreciate this."
"Tut tut, Harry," she chided with a smile. "It's no trouble at all to make arrangements for you. And do call me Minerva."
"Sure thing, Min," he grinned mischievously.
McGonagall laughed. "Don't push it, Potter!" she said. "Out with you now; Dobby will show you to your room."
***
Upon exiting the Headmistress's office, Harry and Hermione almost tripped over a small creature with wide eyes - the house elf known as Dobby. He hopped right back up to his feet and jumped excitedly around Harry, which was quite a sight considering that Dobby was wearing a strange assortment of clothing, many of them in the wrong places, and all of them were all sorts of different colors.
"Oh! Dobby is so happy to be seeing Harry Potter again, sir! Dobby has been missing Harry Potter for a long time, he thought maybe Harry Potter would never come back!" Harry looked slightly baffled, as he hadn't been subjected to Dobby for the past two years and wasn't used to him anymore.
"Uh, I missed you too, Dobby," he said slowly. Of course, this was too much for the house elf.
"No one has ever said that to Dobby before!" the little creature said, his eyes filling with tears. "Harry Potter is just as kind, just as noble-"
"Dobby," Hermione interrupted. Harry looked relieved. "We need you to show Harry to his room. He's quite tired."
"Yes, yes, of course, miss!" Dobby exclaimed as he began walking animatedly down the corridor. "Harry Potter has had a long journey! He must get some sleep."
Hermione glanced at Harry with a smirk on her face, and he shrugged back at her, looking a bit embarrassed. They followed the house elf to the faculty wing, which wasn't very far from the gargoyle entrance to McGonagall's office, trying to stifle chuckles at Dobby's incessant chattering. They were also close to the corridor where Professor Flitwick had roped off a section of swamp that had been placed there by the Weasley twins during Harry's fifth year. Harry wondered fleetingly whether or not it was still there, but a sharp pang in his chest, and he reminded himself that he mustn't think about that year any longer.
"Here is Harry Potter's room!" Dobby's voice rang out. They had stopped in front of a portrait of Queerditch Marsh, where Quidditch had first came to be. A few players were flying around, though apparently not in the middle of a game. One of them paused in midair and looked at those standing outside the portrait.
"Password?"
"The password for Harry Potter is 'snitch stitch'," Dobby informed them. The portrait did not wait for Harry to say the password, however, because Dobby had already said it. It swung open, and Harry turned to Hermione to say goodnight.
"Thanks for helping us," said the bushy haired girl. "We all really appreciate it. Everyone here has been so busy, that it's hard for anyone to find the time to help…"
"It's no problem. Really," he replied with a grin. "Just make sure I get up in time for breakfast tomorrow. If I'm going to have to see Snape again, I want it to be on a full stomach."
Hermione promised she'd stop by in the morning and Harry stepped into the portrait, closing it behind him as Hermione walked away to her own quarters. He lay down on his bed without changing, starting up at the ceiling. "Now what do I do?" he said to himself. He honestly didn't have the foggiest idea why anyone thought he could help Draco and Ginny. In all likelihood, he probably wouldn't be able to do anything at all with them, especially since Madam Pomfrey couldn't think of anything to help.
He rolled over onto his side with a sigh. There was still no denying that Draco and Ginny would be safer with him at the Muggle hospital, even if he really couldn't do anything. If Draco had been pissed at Harry in 5th year for putting Lucious in jail, he was even more furious at Lord Voldemort for killing his father a year later, followed by his mother. The Dark Lord took away everything that Draco had ever cared about that night.
In a fit of anger, Draco told Dumbledore everything that Lucious had ever told him about the Dark Lord, and he had agreed to spy for the Order of the Phoenix. He even joined the light at the front lines during the final battle. The Death Eaters that were still in hiding, as well as the families of those who were killed and put in prison, wanted Draco's blood for his betrayal.
Of course, that didn't cause Harry to like the young Malfoy any more than Harry liked Snape, even though he knew they were both working for Dumbledore's Order. He and Malfoy had come to an uneasy understanding, but Draco Malfoy was still an asshole, and a pompous one at that. Harry had to admit, though, that Draco had tamed down some since Voldemort was defeated.
He figured that this was because of Ginny.
Not that Harry thought Draco wanted to be nice so Ginny would like him. He reckoned it had more to do with keeping Ginny from flinging the bat bogey hex on him all the time. It was a frightening experience, being on the receiving end of that curse.
Harry closed his eyes and pushed his thoughts aside. He shouldn't be thinking about this stuff now; he needed to get some rest so he could get through the day tomorrow. He would ask Madam Pomfrey and Professor Snape what had been done for the victims already once his stomach was satiated.
And with that, he fell into a peaceful slumber.
***
Author's Note: Sorry about another filler chapter. It probably bored you to death, but I wanted to explain some things a little bit more. I'm having a little writer's block too; I know how to get them apart, I just don't know what to write to get me up to that point. You know, with experiments and how they discover what it is the plant does. So if you don't get another chapter for a while, feel free to email me with ideas!