CONFUNDUS; harry potter [UNDER EDITION]

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

HARRY

Harry is pacing outside the Hospital Wing. His breath is uneven, his chest aches and he can't stop thinking about Lucca fainting in front of him. He was too slow to catch him on time, he hit his head on the floor and he isn't waking up.

He is aware of Lucca's problem. Ron mentioned it in their first year when Harry commented about a boy from Ravenclaw who always stared at him.

"That's Lucca Sallow," Ron said. "Percy says he was cursed when he was a child, he has memory problems or something like that."

And Harry saw him many times faint before. He fainted in front of Harry before Transfiguration and Harry knew what to do, he reacted calmer than now. So why does it feel worse? Because it should not be happening. Lucca shouldn't faint, he fought the curse, right? Then, why did he faint? Why is he unconscious? Why was he acting strange before? Who was he talking to? Does Lucca see ghosts?

It should be illegal to feel this level of stress at his age.

"Harry?"

Milan is rushing towards him, with Terry and Cedric following behind.

"What happened?" she asks.

"He passed out," Harry mumbles, feeling unnecessary stupid. "I was with Lucca and then... I don't know what happened but he fainted and I thought I saw him talking to someone and couldn't catch him on time –"

"Maybe he didn't have much sleep," Cedric says, reading Milan's face. "Or he didn't eat enough. He is fine, he is going to be fine."

"It's been a long time since he fainted! And he has a strict routine to follow!"

"Trust me, he has been eating and sleeping," says Terry. "We've been checking on him. It's impossible — I mean, he's been doing perfectly since he came back and..."

The desperate tones in their voices make Harry feel guilty. He knows it isn't his fault. Lucca was cursed when he was a child, he had been fighting it for a long time. But at the same time he can't help but feel awfully blamed about the situation. Terry, Milan and even Cedric would have known how to react, they have been taking care of Lucca since he started Hogwarts and Harry is recent in his life. He barely knows how bad the curse affects Lucca.

"I'm sorry," Harry says, interrupting Terry's and Milan's conversation. "It's my fault, he hit his head because I wasn't fast —"

Milan shakes her head and offers a kind smile. "It's alright, Harry. You just got surprised. Next time you will be faster."

"If there is a next time," says Terry bitterly. "Mils, do you realise what it means that he fainted? He bloody fainted after weeks! He was barely recovering from his last –"

"I know," she cuts him off at once. Harry stares, confused. What aren't they telling him? Why is it bad Lucca fainted again? "He will be alright. Maybe it's because his new Healer reduced his potions."

Harry looks at Milan uneasy, anxiously fixing his glasses. She doesn't sound sure about it.

"What does it mean that he faints?" Harry asks Terry. "You said it as if it is bad."

"For normal people it's common," says Terry. "But as for Lucca and the curse..."

"It means he loses consciousness for a few hours or days," Milan continues. "When he was cursed, the Healers couldn't detect the magic that took over him, it was too dark and dangerous. It damaged a part of his brain and they said... They said eventually Lucca would fight it back with his own magic, a slow healing process, or.... Well..."