Jennifer Potter and the marauders (book 5) 19 Years Later

The Long Stay Ward

Jenny was glad when her hectic week was finally over and she could relax.
At the end of the first week of challenges, Hogwarts had 1 point, thanks to Victorie winning one of her subjects. But Uagadou were in the lead, after winning 2 of the 5 challenges.
The students at Hogwarts though, were hopeful that their champions could still win the tournament.
Although she wanted to spend the weekend catching up on her marking, Jenny decided to go to Florence's leaving party at St Mungo's on Saturday afternoon.
"I wasn't sure if you'd come" admitted Florence, when Jenny walked into the room where the gathering was taking place.
"Well I wasn't going to let one disagreement between us destroy years of friendship" replied Jenny.
"I think we've had more than one disagreement over the years" smiled Florence.
"That's true".

Jenny stretched out her arms and handed Florence the gift she had brought her.
"It's just a little something to say thank you for your years of service, and to wish you good luck in your retirement" admitted Jenny.
"Thank you, it's so kind of you to get me something... I still remember the little girl who I used to treat, and force to drink numerous potions to keep her alive, even when she didn't want to. And look at you now" smiled Florence, as she placed Jenny's present onto a large pile of gifts that she had already received.
"Well I never thought I would live this long" sighed Jenny.
"Neither did I, you were such a sick child, no one thought you'd live to be an adult. But now you are happily married with a daughter. You have beaten all the odds"
"Hmm, maybe. My sickness isn't the only reason I thought I'd never make it this far. I have lived through two wizarding wars and come out on the other side".

"Luck has definately been on your side, that's for sure. It's like there's an angel up there, who's been watching over you, and keeping you safe for all these years" said Florence.
"You don't really believe in that kind of thing do you?" Questioned Jenny sceptically.
"The Muggles have lots of ideas about what happens after we die. And who knows, maybe they're right"
"I guess as you get older, it's comforting to have something to believe in"
"So you don't believe that there's a place where your spirit goes after death?"
"I can't afford to think like that. If I start thinking that there's a place out there, where all the people I loved and lost are, then it becomes very tempting to go there myself".

"But you have people on Earth that you love, don't you?" Quizzed Florence.
"Of course I love Charlie and Sky, and all of my extended family. But the downside to being one of the only survivers of two wars, is that the amount of people you've lost, outway the ones who lived" admitted Jenny sadly.
"Do you still think of them often, your friends?"
"The Marauders? Yes. Even now, all these years later, I can barely get through a day without thinking about them. I am happy, don't get me wrong, but I do miss them a lot, and it hurts that the world goes on without them"
"I understand. When you get to my age, you find that a lot of people you knew are no longer around. I'd say that was the worst thing about getting old".

"It's strange to be back here. St Mungo's is filled with so many memories. Good and bad" admitted Jenny.
"You did seem to spend a lot of time here" agreed Florence.
"An awful lot of my earliest childhood memories are of this place"
"But you still have no memories of the 14 years that you spent here?"
"No, not one... Actually about that, there was one favour I would like to ask you"
"Anything, within reason of course"
"I know that today is techinally your last day here. But I wondered if you could take me back to the long stay ward. I haven't been there since I was discharged over 20 years ago. And I think it would do me good to go back and get some closure"
"I think that is a very good idea, and I would be honered to be the person who takes you back there".

Jenny and Florence snuck out of the party room and began to make their way through the hospital, until they reached the ward where those with perminent brain damage lived.
The second Jenny stepped inside the room, she began to feel like she'd made a terrible mistake by going back there.
Although she had no memories of being in that room for 14 years, she could still remember the day she woke up in the hospital bed, and learned about all that she had missed.
Without needing to be told which one was hers, Jenny immediately gravitated to one empty bed on the far side of the room. She reached out and placed her hands onto the rail at the end of the bed, holding it tight.

"Yes. This was your bed" confirmed Florence, who had followed Jenny accross the room.
"I used to visit you from time to time to check on you, even though I never worked on this ward" continued Florence.
"When I woke up I was told that Remus visited me here every month, and left me flowers" Jenny said quietly, looking at the empty vase on the bedside table.
"Yes. Every month without fail, on the same day of the month that you were attacked, Remus Lupin would come and sit by your bed" replied Florence.
"I never gave him the proper thanks that he deserved for doing that for so long"
"I'm sure he knew how grateful you were".

"You know, there's something I never understood. Why did I wake up? I mean, I'm glad that I did. But I don't know why I did. If Remus visited me so often, how come he couldn't wake me?" Questioned Jenny.
"You baffled us all when you woke up from the state you were in. No one quite knows how Harry Potter did what he did. But since Remus came so regularly, I don't think his visits had much of an impact on you. Harry on the other hand had never been, and you hadn't seen him since he was baby. There's also the fact that he looks so much like your brother. Those things combined, somehow shocked you into waking up" replied Florence.
"Harry looks even more like his dad now, except for his mothers eyes of course. It makes me wonder what James would've looked like if he'd been able to grow up and get old".

Florence rested her hand onto Jenny's shoulder and squeezed it supportively.
"I think we should return to the party" Florence suggested.
"You go. I want to stay a bit longer" revealed Jenny.
"Are you sure? I don't want you staying too long and getting bad again"
"Don't worry, I won't stay too much longer"
"O.K. Well, I'll see you in a minute"
"Yeah. See ya".
With Florence gone Jenny did the best she could to remember something that had happened during her stay in the bed. But no matter how hard she tried, no memories came, and her past remained a mystery to her.