Chapter 23 - Recovery
Tom woke up around midday. It took him a few moments to remember where he was and why he was there. He looked down at his arm and was amazed at what he saw. All the darkness had vanished and there was no wound anymore. All that was left was a long, thin, vertical scar, running down his bicep where the knife had pierced. He moved his arm around a bit and felt overjoyed. It didn’t hurt one bit, and the scar didn’t matter to him. In fact, he felt cool having a war wound. It would always be a reminder to him that he fought against Moldywart and survived.
He took his attention away from his arm, looked round the room and found Hermione watching him. They smiled at each other. “Rough night,” she said.
Tom chuckled. “Are you any better?” he asked.
“I feel fine, albeit weak. Madam Pumpkin says I won’t be able to walk yet.”
“Do you know what they did to you?”
“No. All Madam Pumpkin said was that my body had suffered horrendous forces and it would take some time for my strength to return to me.”
“I’m glad you’re ok.”
“Thanks… Thanks for carrying me as well. I don’t think I would have made it otherwise.”
“Don’t mention it.”
There was an awkward silence and then Hermione started to look away from him.
Tom hurriedly asked, “Do you know what happened to me? My arm is so much better.”
Hermione seemed happy to continue the conversation. “Sorry, I don’t know. I was asleep up until half an hour ago.”
“Oh,” Tom said, feeling disappointed.
About 20 minutes passed where Tom and Hermione talked about the previous night’s events. Then the hospital wing doors opened and Snipe came in. “You alright Tom?”
“Yes, thanks sir. Do you know what happened to me?”
“That knife was imbedded with dark magic that works from the inside. It would have slowly spread to your whole body and you would have died a very slow and painful death if I hadn’t saved you.”
“You saved me?”
Snipe rolled his eyes. “Of course, who else could have done?”
“Fair point. Thank you.”
“Just be glad I was here to help you… I’ve come to check on you to make sure you’re healed properly.” He walked over to Tom’s bed and examined his arm. “Ah, you can be scar brothers with Trotter,” Snipe said, sniggering. He then said, “It looks fine. I’ll leave you in peace now.” He turned to leave but then changed his mind. He glanced at Hermione before saying, “How did you manage to cast that elemental magic?”
Tom thought Severus was being stupid. “You gave me the book sir.”
“I know I did but I never expected you to actually achieve anything. I gave it to you as a bit of a joke. I’ve not know anyone to cast any of those spells for decades.”
Tom felt elated. “Really?” he asked.
“Really. Even I can’t use those spells.” Tom lay there in silence, caught up in his own thoughts of possibilities. “Anyway, I must go. Tom, Danger, get well soon,” he said and left.
Tom thought he’d been lucky to be caught on the arm and not in the heart. Only now did he realise Moldywart hadn’t been aiming for his heart. Which also meant that Moldywart hadn’t been trying to kill him. Tom’s happiness of thinking he held off Moldywart in a duel was starting to seep out of him.
“So it’s true?” Hermione asked.
“What?”
“It was really you who cast those spells? The earthquake and the avalanche?”
Tom couldn’t help smiling as he said, “Yep.”
“Wow.” Neither of them spoke for a minute. Then Hermione said, “How am I going to have beaten you in the exams if you can do that!?”
Tom laughed. It seemed odd to think that after all they went through last night, they’d also did something as ordinary as an exam yesterday. “How can you be thinking about that now?” he asked in disbelief.
Hermione dropped the subject and instead asked about Lyrotth. She seemed genuinely interested in the Lyrotth. How she had come to be at Hogwash, how Tom had come to befriend her and how she saved Tom when in need.
Madam Pumpkin appeared at 1 o’clock with lunch. She gave them each a tray of roast dinner. They thanked her and she returned to her office, without a word. As her door closed, the main doors opened and the entire Ravensnore Quidditch team came in. “Dude, It’s all over the papers! How? What?” asked Ryan, gobsmacked.
Tom couldn’t help but grin, but he also felt sad. His cover was blown now. He could no longer work as Dumby’s spy.
Natalie said, “The papers say you fought you know who at the Ministry and you flew off on a dragon!”
“It’s true,” said Hermione.
Tom received hugs from everyone and then set about telling them what happened although they seemed to know most of it already. Too soon however, Madam Pumpkin came out of her office and insisted some of them leave. Everyone said bye to Tom and wished him well and left, apart from Amber who stayed by his side. When it was just the two of them, and Hermione, Tom set about telling her all the bits he’d left out of his previous tale. She gasped and sighed in all the expected places and when Tom told her about the poisonous knife, she jumped up from her chair in shock. Tom showed her his scar and said, “I’ve got another scar now. One more for the collection.”
“This one isn’t as cool though,” she said, unimpressed.
“You know what’s weird?” She looked at him blankly. “I don’t like my chest scar but I like this one, whereas you’re the opposite.”
“Why don’t you like the chest one?” she asked in surprise. “It makes you look tough.”
“I think it’s because the chest on is a reminder that I was an idiot. Whereas this new arm one is a reminder that I fought against Lord Moldywart.”
“Good point. I still prefer the other one though,” she said cheerfully.
The conversation meandered on for around 20 minutes until Hermione fell asleep. Tom then brought up something he wanted to tell Amber in private. “I killed 5 people last night.”
“What!? You killed!?”
Tom didn’t like that way Amber was looking at him. “Yes. I dislodged rocks from the ceiling and crushed death munchers with them.”
She looked worried and concerned. “How do you feel about this?”
Tom took a deep breath. “I felt weird at first. But now, I think I’m ok with it. They were trying to kill us and they posed a threat to society. I think I did the right thing.” Amber just stared at him for a moment. Tom wanted a response. “Please say something.”
She said, “It was you that made that big hole in the roof of the ministry! The papers say it was Lyrotth.”
“Yeah it was me.”
“But how? I thought you were in the DRM.”
“I only was at the beginning, which reminds me, please don’t work there.”
“What? Why not?”
“It’s not natural that place. The magic is weird. One man hit a pole and shrunk to 3ft tall!”
Amber looked at him suspiciously. “You’re trying to trick me aren’t you?”
“No. I’m serious. Please don’t work there. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
For the first time ever, Tom seemed to have touched a nerve. “You were just in a battle, fighting for your life, and you don’t want me to work in a place that has some potential dangers! Sorry, but, no. I’m not going to not work there just because you say so. You’re being quite hypocritical. Why should you get to have all the fun!?”
Tom didn’t like it but he knew she was speaking logically. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. You’re right. I can’t tell you not to do it. It’s your decision.”
Amber calmed down. “Thank you. As for the killings, I’m not sure if I could ever do it and I’m surprised you did, you’re only 16! But, I don’t think less of you because of them. I knew long ago you’d have tough decisions and scenarios ahead of you.”
“I’m so g
lad. I was worried you’d think I’m evil.”
“Don’t worry, I still love you.”
He smiled, “That’s good to hear. Don’t tell anyone though. If the ministry find out, I could be arrested.”
Amber remained by his side for the rest of the day whilst other people popped in and out throughout the afternoon. Harry, Ron, Neville, Luna, Ginny, Hogrod, the heads of houses, some of Hermione’s friends who Tom didn’t know, Isabelle, Clara and both Dumby’s. They all brought words of sympathy and admiration. Hogrod told them Lyrotth was recovering well and Albus brought them news of the order of the thunderbird. He said they had calmed down the press and had cleaned up the mess in the DRM. He also mentioned that they had had to move headquarters to the burrow.
Once he left, Hermione explained to Tom what the burrow was and about their old headquarters and so on. She didn’t seem bothered that Amber was present. “I can’t believe you’re a member! We all wanted to join but they wouldn’t let us because we’re too young.”
“Well you ended up being a part of it anyway so does it really matter if you’re an official member or not?”
“I guess you’re right.”
Tom hated being stuck in bed all day but he had to admit, it had its perks. Most of the visitors had brought them food and drink and one of Hermione’s friends brought her a copy of the daily preacher. Once all the visitors had gone, including Amber, she started reading out loud articles for their amusement. As she read, it startled the pair of them to learn how much the Ministry had found out. They’d noted the deaths of Sonrus and the multiple death munchers. They’d mentioned Lyrotth in detail and the destruction she caused. But they also mentioned how Tom had saved Harry Trotter and his friends from the clutches of the death munchers. It then went on to say how Tom had prevented Moldywart from causing any more deaths or destruction by duelling him. “They make you sound like a hero,” Hermione observed.
Since his spy secrets were out, Tom was secretly very happy that the world knew what he’d been through and what he was capable of, but he didn’t want to sound big headed. He replied, “I’m not though. I just did what anyone would have done in my situation.”
“What, ride a dragon to the Ministry, kill a few death munchers, save mine and other’s lives, and stop Moldywart!” she said in disbelief. “Oh yeah, anyone could have done that,” she finished, sarcastically. Tom smiled and felt elated at what he thought was her admiration for him.
She carried on to say, scoffing, “You can be really stupid sometimes.”
“Ok, ok,” he said, sounding annoyed, although he found it hard to supress a smile.
Tom and Hermione were confined to the hospital wing for two more days. They received regular visits from Amber, Harry and Ron which made their stay more enjoyable but even so, Tom was very glad to be rid of the place when he was finally released.
Tom Collivander and the Order of the Thunderbird, A Potter Parody Page 33