ruins ; harry potter [1]

twenty eight ; hospital days

Diana was never religious, but she seemed to be spending a lot of time in cathedrals.

She only ever came in her dreams, the first time being around the time she had arrived at Hogwarts. Just like last time, the walls were lined with dull wallpaper that depicted some old battle, with paintings of armored men and green and red streaks of light, with giants and blood and spiders. In fact, she realized this was the first time she had actually been able to cognitively understand the pictures; all of the previous times, they were only a blur, producing one thought in her head over and over until it didn't sound like real words anymore.

"The Battle of Hogwarts."

Her eyes caught on a certain section on the back wall of the cathedral, being spotlit in a mysterious light that shined through one of the giant windows on the opposite wall. It seemed to be sectioned off, like it had nothing to do with the great landscape it depicted on all sides. It was important, she felt, but meant something else. Something much more important.

She moved toward it cautiously, her footsteps echoing in the abandoned church, her eyes trailing the walls to find any context, but the pictures were gibberish to her.

She was feet away, and she could finally see the painting clearer; painted over a midnight black background were images of objects intertwined around a snake. There was a necklace, a cup, a crown; there was a long, silver sword decorated in crimson rubies and a black book and a ring.

She reached her hand out hesitantly, and just as her index finger grazed the cracked paint, her globe necklace burned white-hot against her skin. Where the necklace touched her skin, it burned as if it was on fire, turning red and then blistering, and her ear-splitting screams echoed eerily in the cathedral as she tried yanking it off, but no matter how hard she tried it only began to burn her hand.

Her screams echoed back at her tauntingly and tears ran down her face, and the walls seemed to rattle with her pain and the windows looked as if they might burst with her screams and she felt like she could die, her body welted and blistering, all starting with the necklace she had worn for her entire life.

++

Time was a funny thing. One minute, she was in McGonagall's office after Katie had been cursed, and what felt like weeks, or maybe minutes, she was blearily waking to the bright setting sun streaming through the tall windows lining the walls of the hospital wing.

She groaned as she tried to adjust herself on her bed, but her legs and arms seemed to be bolstered down under thick, cloth ropes that kept them pinned. She grunted as she yanked at them, but they were unforgiving.

"Get me out!" she yelled through gritted teeth. "Get me OUT!"

She began to yank furiously at them. She remembered this, from what felt like so long ago back at St. Mungo's. Sometimes, she'd get so out of control that they'd have to physically restrain her or else she would hurt herself or someone else. Her eyes blazed maniacally as she yanked at them, an angry, panicked scream echoing through the wing. She felt tears building in her eyes; she had to get out, get out, get out, get out--

"Oh, dear!"

Madam Pomfrey came hurrying out of her office, her face ashen as she waved her wand and the restraints sprung open, letting the girl free. She stumbled to her feet, her tears having subsided after being freed and she rubbed her wrists, attempting to control her panicked breathing.

"You're awake!" Madam Pomfrey rambled, bustling around the room collecting different potions and herbs. "Here, take these. It'll help with the panic, dear."