Chapter 18

Arriving at the Hospital Wing, Pansy Parkinson went straight to Grace’s bed after spotting her lying across from Harry.

She could see clearly that both Harry and Grace were fast asleep. Even so, she still cast the Bedazzling Hex on herself. The spell would make her completely unseen and unnoticed for about fifteen minutes. This kind of advanced magic was something she had learned long ago at home. Being a pure-blood meant it was only natural for them to be taught things far beyond what was covered in class. She just never expected she would ever use it for something like this.

Once the magic settled over her, she walked closer and stood right beside Grace. She found herself observing her closely. Grace looked calm and a little distant while sleeping, nothing like how she was when awake. Her long blonde hair spread out around her, shining softly under the light. Her skin was fair like snow and looked so smooth and soft that it made one want to reach out and touch it. Her eyelashes were long and delicate, resting against her cheeks. Her nose was slender and perfectly shaped, refined and elegant from every angle.

Then her gaze fell to Grace’s lips. They looked soft and full, naturally pink just like the gentle colour of flower petals. The upper lip had that beautiful distinct cupid’s bow that looked so smooth and graceful while the lower lip was slightly fuller, giving it a soft and plump appearance.

Pansy suddenly felt heat rushing up her neck and flooding her face. She quickly took a step back and patted her own cheeks, trying to calm herself down. This was the first time she had ever looked at Grace this closely. Only now did she truly realise just how beautiful Grace Ashworth really was. It was not that she had chosen not to see it before. It was simply because of her prejudice against Gryffindors and her earlier assumption that Grace was a rival that she had deliberately overlooked everything.

After standing there for a while, she slowly turned and walked out of the Hospital Wing. She hated feeling like she was losing control of herself and she hated even more that she was getting distracted by a Gryffindor of all people. Yet despite her annoyance, she had to admit that coming here was worth it. That heavy, uncomfortable feeling she had been carrying in her chest all afternoon had finally faded away.

~

Grace slowly opened her eyes the very second the strange feeling of being watched disappeared. She had not moved or opened her eyes earlier because she knew someone was there. Even though she could not see them, she recognised the scent immediately. It was that familiar expensive and distinct perfume that only Pansy Parkinson wore.

To be honest, she had been lying there nervous the whole time, scared that Pansy might hear how fast her heart was beating. She realised afterwards that she was definitely overthinking things.

‘Pansy is just a child, what is wrong with me?’ Grace felt confused by how she reacted lately every time Pansy was around her. ‘Is it because she is pretty and cute? Hmm… Yes, maybe that really is the reason. She looks cute even when she is angry, and Pansy always says those sarcastic remarks that I never get to hear from anyone else.’

She kept thinking about the reason behind her feelings and finally came up with an answer. ‘Maybe I just want to be her friend, but I don’t know how to make that happen. In my past life and even now, it has always been other people who approach me first.’

She couldn’t help but smile to herself. She had no idea why Pansy had come or why she had stayed, but she felt genuinely happy about it. She sat up and stretched her limbs. Feeling that her strength and energy had finally returned, she quickly looked for Madam Pomfrey to thank her before hurrying out of the Hospital Wing.

~

Grace was confused why Harry had to stay at the Hospital Wing for a week when both of them used the same spell but she still managed to recover that afternoon. She had some confusion and wanted to know the answer.

She tried to remember the plot but because she was really not interested in movies, she only remembered the memorable and crucial parts when she was dragged to watch it. This was unlike her close friend who was a fan of Harry Potter and could remember even the small details.

She was confused and wanted to visit Harry but every time she visited she would see people surrounding him, so she would step back and just leave.

Today however was different. She figured that she could visit Harry at night, so upon arriving at the Hospital Wing she saw Harry in a daze.

“Harry, how are you?”

Harry was startled for a second but seeing that it was Grace he calmed down. He smiled wryly. “I’m fine.”

“Really? It’s been a week and… you still look bad. Do you still feel uncomfortable?”

Harry hesitated. He had not told anyone about the Grim, not even Ron and Hermione, because he knew Ron would panic and Hermione would scoff.

The fact remained, however, that it had now appeared twice, and both appearances had been followed by near fatal accidents. The first time, he had nearly been run over by the Knight Bus. The second, he had fallen fifty feet from his broomstick. Was the Grim going to haunt him until he actually died? Was he going to spend the rest of his life looking over his shoulder for the beast?

And then there were the Dementors. Harry felt sick and humiliated every time he thought of them. Everyone said the Dementors were horrible, but no one else collapsed every time they went near one. No one else heard echoes in their head of their dying parents.

Because Harry knew who that screaming voice belonged to now. He had heard her words, heard them over and over again during the night hours in the Hospital Wing while he lay awake, staring at the strips of moonlight on the ceiling.

When the Dementors approached him, he heard the last moments of his mother’s life, her attempts to protect him, Harry, from Lord Voldemort, and Voldemort’s laughter before he murdered her.

“Harry?” Grace called out upon seeing him in a daze again.

Harry woke from his thoughts. He felt that it was unnecessary to tell her his concerns so as not to cause any trouble or burden to anyone. He shook his head at Grace and reassured her that he would be able to attend classes on Monday.

Grace reluctantly stopped asking. She said goodbye to Harry then went to find Madam Pomfrey.

” Madam Pomfrey, good evening,” Grace greeted politely.

Madam Pomfrey smiled. ” What brings you here? Did you also visit Harry?”

” Yes.”

” You don’t need to worry. He will be able to attend classes on Monday.”

Grace nodded. ” Madam Pomfrey, can I ask you about something?”

Madam Pomfrey looked at Grace, who had a serious expression. She stopped what she was doing and asked Grace to continue.

” Harry and I used the same spell that day, but I managed to recover quickly while Harry has been in the Hospital Wing and yet.. he still looks bad.”

Madam Pomfrey nodded as she understood Grace’s concern,” Because his pain isn’t just physical, it is trauma and memories. You two might have experienced the same thing but unlike him, your strength of mind is far greater. You managed to calm yourself and stabilise your thoughts so quickly that the pain or magic couldn’t affect you deeply. Harry on the other hand.. he is not strong enough yet to guard his own mind or control his emotions.”

Grace nodded and bid her goodbye. She analysed Madam Pomfrey’s words while walking on her way back to the Gryffindor tower. She finally understood everything. Her body was only thirteen years old just like Harry, however her soul was already mature and with life experience from another world. So as an adult she could calm down and analyze everything quickly. As long as there was nothing like Dementors that could affect her memories and emotions, she could take care of her own feelings well enough.