Chapter 132
Chapter 132
“Does it feel as though you’re completely drained, without the least bit of strength?” Madam Pomfrey arrived quickly. She prodded and pressed Suer all over as she asked about his condition.
“Yes…” Suer replied hoarsely. While Hermione had gone to fetch Madam Pomfrey, he had tried moving his body. He could feel it and move, but he was extremely weak.
“Does your head hurt?” Madam Pomfrey asked again.
“Yes…”
Hermione watched anxiously from one side as Madam Pomfrey examined Suer.
After a long while, Madam Pomfrey withdrew her hands and a smile tugged at her lips. “There, you’re all right. The wounds healed some time ago, and the poison has been completely purged.”
“Mmm… The blood you lost has been replenished as well.”
“Your head hurts because you overtaxed the magic inside your body. If you weren’t so young and your magic weren’t still growing, an adult who pushed themselves like this would already have lost all their magic and become a Squib!”
“Professor Snape’s Magic-Restoring Potion is still brewing. I must go and hurry him along.” After instructing Suer to remain in bed and rest without moving about, Madam Pomfrey turned and left the ward, muttering to herself.
“Did you hear that? If you hadn’t been lucky, you could have become a Squib! Do you understand?” Once Madam Pomfrey left, Hermione could not help continuing her lecture.
Suer had long since grown accustomed to Hermione’s nature and understood that nagging was simply how she showed concern, much like a mother lecturing her son.
If it had been Ron, he would probably have angrily driven her away by now.
A smile tugged at Suer’s lips. “Hermione?” he called softly.
“Do you understand any of… What is it?” Hermione had still been scolding him, but when she heard Suer call, she moved closer and tucked the blanket around him.
“Nothing.” Suer’s voice was hoarse. “It’s wonderful to see you again.”
As he spoke, he laboriously raised a hand and placed it atop Hermione’s head, feeling the furry cat ears twitch beneath his palm.
No regrets left… Suer gave a deeply satisfied sigh and closed his eyes.
Hermione’s whole body stiffened, embarrassed fury rising in her eyes.
“Even now, you’re still thinking about touching my ears! Do you have any idea…” She tried to continue, only to discover that Suer’s breathing had already become steady.
A long time passed.
Only then did Hermione carefully take hold of Suer’s hand, gently move it from her head, place it beneath the covers and tuck it in.
She raised a hand to wipe the corners of her eyes and sniffed softly.
No one knew how frightened she had been during the time Suer lay unconscious.
Fortunately, Suer had finally awakened.
…
Suer had awakened shortly after noon. He slept again until the following morning, when Madam Pomfrey woke him.
Snape’s Magic-Restoring Potion had just finished brewing, and the bottle still held some residual warmth.
“Quickly, drink it while it’s warm,” Madam Pomfrey said. “Snape spent two whole days and nights brewing this potion.”
Suer swallowed it with a frown, fighting the urge to spit it out.
It was terribly bitter, like the concentrated essence left after juicing several hundred bitter melons and distilling the result over and over.
Could a wizard’s emotions be brewed into a potion too?
Before he could ponder the question further, the potion began to take effect and his eyelids fell heavily shut.
Snape’s potion might have been bitter, but its effects were excellent.
At the very least, when Suer awoke again at dusk, strength had returned to his body and his head hurt much less. He breathed out softly. Hunger surged through him, demanding attention. It was time to eat.
Hermione was still in the neighbouring bed, head lowered as she busily moved a quill across a sheet of parchment.
Madam Pomfrey had not missed a single day of Hermione’s treatment. Her cat ears had grown much smaller, and she would probably recover completely and leave the hospital wing before long.
“Hermione?” After the potion’s treatment, his voice was not as hoarse.
“Mm?” Hermione stopped what she was doing and turned to look at Suer.
“I’m hungry…” Suer said sheepishly.
Hermione rolled her eyes at him.
“Wait. Madam Pomfrey will bring food in half an hour. Have a little cake to tide you over.”
As she spoke, she picked up a small paper box from the bedside cabinet, took out a little cake, divided it into several pieces and fed them to Suer one by one.
In truth, Suer wanted to say that he could manage on his own. He felt that some strength had already returned.
But selfish motives made him suppress the impulse.
A little catgirl was feeding him… Hermione might love nagging him, but she was very gentle when caring for someone…
And so Suer began his life of feigning illness with a clear conscience.
Ah, no. How could it be called feigning illness? He really was a patient! Exactly!
Madam Pomfrey entered precisely half an hour later carrying his meal. Since Suer had only just awakened, he could eat nothing but liquids for the time being, such as pumpkin porridge.
He could only watch Hermione eat delicious meat pies and sandwiches one small bite at a time while shedding silent tears inside.
That evening, Ron and Harry came to the ward together. They brought Hermione the day’s homework and expressed heartfelt delight that Suer was awake.
Even Ron had completely forgotten the slight unpleasantness caused by Crookshanks earlier.
The two were very curious about why Suer had been admitted to the hospital wing. They at least knew Hermione was there because she had drunk cat Polyjuice Potion, but they knew nothing about Suer.
Suer briefly explained that he had been attacked by a dangerous magical creature while adventuring in the Forbidden Forest.
During their conversation, Suer also learnt how long he had been unconscious. The new term had already been under way for nearly two weeks.
Everyone had been talking about the disappearance of Suer and Hermione, producing a great many rumours. The most widespread had come from a certain little snake in Slytherin.
“Malfoy said you were purged for being close to Muggle-born wizards,” Harry summarised briefly.
“Only an idiot would believe him,” Ron scoffed. “If what Malfoy said were true, then not a single wizard studying in the castle would escape.”
Early the next morning, Hagrid was the first to visit the hospital wing. He brought biscuits he had made himself, expressed his delight that Suer had awakened, and reproached him for sneaking into the Forbidden Forest alone. Hagrid stressed that if Suer was interested in the forest, he could take him for a walk there during the day.
This made Hermione furious. She rebuked Hagrid and told him that taking a young wizard into the Forbidden Forest without good reason violated school rules.
Even though she herself had already broken at least a hundred school rules.
Hermione remembered very clearly that Suer had been injured in the Forbidden Forest the last time he entered the hospital wing. This time he had been injured there again, and far more seriously. He had nearly lost his life!
Under the pressure of Hermione’s stare, Suer politely declined Hagrid’s kind offer. He accepted the biscuits and urged Hagrid to reward Fang properly.
Fang deserved a great deal of credit for Suer’s survival.
By noon, most of the students had heard that Suer was awake. They crowded noisily outside the hospital wing, hoping to catch a glimpse of him.
Madam Pomfrey drove them all away on the grounds that her patient needed proper rest.