Saviour of Magic

P-P-Parselmouth?

Harry opened his eyes and groaned softly. He could feel pain in every part of his body, but his head throbbed horribly. He had never experienced anything like this, and after all the beatings he had received from the Dursleys, that was saying something.

"Potter," said Madam Pomfrey as she saw him wake up. "Here, drink this; it will make the pain go away."

She waved her wand and the phial of potion carefully came to Harry's mouth; the liquid quickly travelled down his throat. The moment he finished drinking the potion, he sighed in relief as the pain reduced drastically.

"What happened?" murmured Harry, feeling disoriented.

"Cracked skull," replied Madam Pomfrey as she filled another goblet with a blue coloured potion. "I've healed it, but you need to be here for the next two days. A broken skull is a nasty business and has to be taken care of delicately to avoid brain damage. Here, drink this."

Harry grimaced when she tipped the contents of the goblet down his throat. He saw Daphne sitting in the corner, her eyes bloodshot, holding his broomstick.

"Ahem … hi Daphne …"

"How're you feeling?" asked Daphne softly as she rushed towards him. "Your teammates had been here an hour ago, but you were unconscious. They returned the broom to me and said that they'll come back later."

"I'm fine," muttered Harry. "Not sure what was wrong with the bludger, though."

"Someone had tampered with it, without a doubt," Daphne scowled. "I tried to complain, but Dumbledore put it off as a tragic accident."

"That's nothing out of the ordinary," he said wryly.

The next few hours went by with Harry being visited by some of his acquaintances and also the Quidditch team. When it was time for dinner, Madam Pomfrey poured a few drops of nutrient potion down his throat as he was not fit to get up yet.

"This has got to be the most uncomfortable place to sleep in," said Harry quietly as he closed his eyes, feeling quite frustrated.

Daphne simply smiled. "It's only for two days. You can then be back in your room. Is there anything I can help you with? Curfew is in five minutes, so I'll have to go, but if there's something you want ..."

"I'll be fine, Daphne," he said, with a hint of a fond smile on his face. "Don't worry about me."

Daphne smiled too. She leaned in and placed a lingering kiss on his forehead. "Good night, Harry," she murmured. Brushing his hair lightly with her fingers, she smiled once again and left.

Harry took a few deep breaths. His cheeks were flushed and his pulse was racing. Unable to help himself, he grinned, staring up at the ceiling with wide, happy eyes.

Maybe this accident wasn't so bad after all.

HP*SAVIOUR OF MAGIC*HP

Hours later, Harry winced as he woke up around pitch blackness, his head still throbbing. For a moment, he wondered why he had woken up when he realised that someone was sponging his forehead in the dark. With a yelp, he cast a wandless banishing charm at whomever or whatever was next to him.

"Lumos!"

A ball of light illuminated in his palm, bathing his surroundings with brightness. "What the hell – Dobby!"

"Harry Potter came back to school," whispered the elf miserably. "Dobby warned and warned Harry Potter. Ah sir, why didn't you heed Dobby?"

"I need more proof that something is wrong before I quit school, Dobby," said Harry, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Did your master put you up to this? Why does Lucius Malfoy want me out of the school?"