The Cupboard Series 1: The Cupboard Under The Stairs

Chapter 22

Harry woke slowly, content in the feeling that he'd just had the best sleep that he'd ever had. He breathed in deeply, before frowning slightly at the feeling of hunger that was slowly growing in the pit of his stomach. With a stretch, he reached out for his glasses, only to find that the set of drawers that sat beside his four poster bed was missing.

Opening his eyes, he looked around. Wherever he was was definitely not the Gryffindor dormitories. Two large white screens sat either side of the narrow bed. A bright square of light above his head could only be a window. Anything further away than that was lost for the moment in the midst of blurriness.

Finding a small cluttered table on the opposite side of the bed from what he was used to, Harry peered at it until a comforting shape made him smile. Putting his glasses on caused a massive gasp to escape. The small table was filled with cards of all sizes and colours, all expressing the sentiments that he 'Get Well Soon'. Indeed, the cards weren't confined to the small table. The overflow cascaded across the window sill and some even looked to be stuck to the wall as well.

Two more small tables at the foot of his bed caught his attention. But these didn't hold cards. No, these tables were piled high with Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans, Honeydukes Chocolate bars, Chocolate Frogs, and other delights that Harry had didn't know the names of. A couple of tiny posies of flowers had managed to survive in amongst the mountain of sugary sweets.

"Tokens from your many admirers," a wispy voice announced.

Harry looked up to find Headmaster Dumbledore beaming at him. He was rocking slightly on his feet, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Sir?" Harry asked, confused.

"The sweets and chocolates are from your fellow students, all wishing you a speedy recovery after what happened in the Entrance Hall. Alas, that recovery seems to have taken longer than we all would have liked," Professor Dumbledore explained.

And with that, it all came rushing back. The duel between Snape and Quirrel. Voldemort's face. Hermione and Neville nearly being blasted. Professor McGonagall falling. The floor under Snape exploding. The searing pain in his back when he jumped at the two girls. Him, trying to stop Quirrel / Voldemort by grabbing hold of their faces.

"How long have I been here?" he asked, picking just one of the many questions floating around in his mind.

"Three days," Professor Dumbledore replied. "Tonight, we have our Leaving Feast before tomorrow the Hogwarts Express is boarded to mark the beginning of the summer holidays."

Harry's eyes widened at the thought of being unconscious for three days. It was no wonder that he was feeling hungry.

"What happened, Sir? What was Quirrel trying to steal? And was that really Voldemort's face in the back of Quirrel's head?" Harry blurted.

"Well, considering that I only arrived after you had already dealt with the problem, quite nicely, too, I might add, although you did put yourself at some unnecessary risk, I dare say that you know almost as much about what happened in the Entrance Hall as I do," Professor Dumbledore replied, his eyes twinkling as he gazed at Harry.

Harry roughly shook his head. "I know that I saw what happened, Sir, but I don't know why."

"Ah, as to that, well, I think that that calls for some speculation on my part."

Stepping forward, Professor Dumbledore raised his wand and twirled it, creating a plush red lounge chair that he sank into. Then, steepling his hands, he looked at Harry over the top of his half-moon glasses.