Heretic - A Mila Vance Story

10 - St. Mungo's (Year 1)

Mila opened her eyes. Something orange was floating above her head. She tried to rub her eyes but her arms were too tired. Slowly as everything came into focus she could make out Sophie, Ron, Theo and Coray all staring looming over her inquisitively. 

She remembered what had happened in the dungeon and instinctively jerked herself upwards to run. Except the ground beneath her wasn't solid, and she wasn't wearing her school robes. She found herself wearing a hospital gown and lying on a not-so-comfortable bed. She assumed she was in the hospital wing.

'Where's the blonde prick,' she said groggily

Sophie gestured toward the bed next to Mila, he seemed okay. He was alive.

Coray rushed forward to embrace his sister, before Madam Pomfrey had realised Mila had awoken and shooed them all out the hospital wing. 

'What happened?' she asked Draco after Madam Pomfrey was satisfied with her check up  and had whisked away out of ear shot.

'Well you saved us from the mountain troll,' he said not quite meeting her eye.

'And? What are you not telling me?'

'Why do you think I'm not telling you something?'

'I just know,' she replied sternly 

'Okay, okay let me finish. McGonagall, Flitwick and Dumbledore, came rushing in afterwards and sent us to the hospital wing, but the troll was gone. Dumbledore summoned some stretchers and made us follow him on them to the hospital wing. They fixed up my arm but wanted me to stay another few nights because I cracked a few ribs and bashed my head. McGonagall and Flitwick went to go follow the troll and apparently Potter and Weasley and that Granger girl knocked it out in the girls lavatory,' he bit the inside of his cheek. 'The thing is something weird happened, Mila. You kind of screamed and all this black smoke started coming out of you and your eyes went black. The teachers only saw the end of it - I didn't tell them the rest or they might lock you up at St. Mungos.'

'St. Mungos what the hell I'm not insane! No I want to stay here.'

'I overheard them talking about it last night they are thinking of sending you there to get you tested,' his eyebrows furrowed in concern. 'You are okay aren't you?'

'I don't know.'

Later that evening Mila's mother had arrived at Hogwarts, Mila wondered what all the fuss had been about, nobody else's parents seemed to be coming in, she just wanted to go back to lessons she felt fine. It was all a load of nonsense. Ron, Hermione and Harry hadn't even been in the hospital wing after fighting the troll - she didn't understand why she had to stay. Maybe they just thought she was fragile because she wasn't a brave old bloody gryffindor.

'Mum please don't let them take me to St. Mungos.'

'Honey, I'm trying my best but Madam Pomfrey and even Dumbledore insists on it.'

Snape walked oddly into the room, he wasn't walking normally. Was it a limp?

'Miss Vance is not going to St. Mungo's,' he announced in his usual monotone.

'Calm, Severus, we have substantial enough evidence and we here simply do not have the expertise to understand this illness.'

'Illness?' laughed Mila. 'Are you joking me?'

'Perhaps illness isn't the correct way to phrase it Miss Vance but we mustn't put you at any risk at your time here at Hogwarts.'

Mila would have normally felt bad arguing with an old man if she hadn't have been this desperate to stay.