𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐥𝐞 | h. granger

xx | back to the muggles

Hospital Wing

── •✧• ──

𝐈𝐓 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐀 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐏𝐋𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐒 since everything went down. Dakota had been right about the others being wrong about Snape, but she never would've guessed that Professor Quirrell was the one trying to steal the stone.

Harry was unconscious when Dakota found him. She'd carried him up to the hospital wing, where he'd been resting ever since. A pile of sweets was stacked up on a cart at the foot of his bed. Dakota sat in a chair beside him, reading an astronomy book aloud to him.

She sighed and closed it. She was boring herself into oblivion. She set it aside and moved her chair closer to Harry's bed. She reached for his hand. A quiet gasp fell from her lips when his hand closed around hers. "H-Harry?"

Her cousin's eyes slowly opened. With his free hand, he rubbed his face and slowly sat up, grunting softly when Dakota threw her arms around him in a tight hug. "H-Hey, Kody. . .I'm alright."

"Thank, Merlin." She let go of him so that she could give him his glasses. He sat up and put them on. A smile spread across his face when he saw the many sweets and cards that surrounded him. "It turns out a lot of people really like you, even after you lost Gryffindor a good amount of points this year."

"Shuddup." Harry scoffed, chuckling. "You lost Slytherin points, too."

"Yeah, but not as many as you lost Gryffindor." Dakota scrunched her nose playfully and ruffled his hair.

"Good afternoon, Harry and Dakota."

The two giggling kids turned at the sound of Dumbledore's voice. Dakota's eyes went wide in awe. She'd never been face-to-face with the headmaster before.

"Good afternoon, Professor Dumbledore," she replied, nodding politely.

"Ah. Tokens from your admirers?" Dumbledore asked when he saw all of Harry's goodies.

"Admirers?" Harry questioned.

"What happened down in the dungeons with you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret. So, naturally. . .the whole school knows." Dumbledore grinned, and Dakota and Harry laughed. "Miss Dakota, would you be so kind as to allow me and Harry a moment alone?"

"Of course, sir." Dakota grabbed the astronomy book. "Glad you're awake, Hairball. I'll go let Ron and Hermione know." She turned and left the hospital wing.

As she walked through the corridors to find her friends, Aliyah rounded the corner in a hurry. She gasped when she saw Dakota.

"Kody! There you are!" She ran up to her, her black curls bouncing. "Have you seen my astronomy textbook? I've looked everywhere. I swear, I'm starting to think that it grew legs and walked away."

Dakota chuckled softly. "It's right here, Ali." She handed it back to her friend. "I borrowed it to read to Harry. I was trying to bore him awake knowing how much he hates studying, and I think it worked."

"Harry's awake?! That's great! I've been so worried." Aliyah smiled. "I'll see you at the feast, okay?"

"Okay." Dakota returned her friend's contagious smile. She watched as she skipped off down the hall to meet Lyra before continuing on her search for Ron and Hermione.

She found them at the top of a flight of stairs. She ran up and told them the good news, and the three of them chatted until Harry appeared on the floor below them. The four friends exchanged smiles.

"All right there, Ron?" Harry asked.

"All right." Ron nodded. "You?"

Harry shrugged. "All right. Hermione?"