Chapter 18: Infirmary

“He… is he dead?” a girl whispered, panic trembling in her voice.

The Ravenclaws who had witnessed the scene were now gripped by terror at the thought of Flying Lesson—especially Michael, who had been chattering nonstop earlier. His face was as pale as parchment, staring at the motionless figure lying on the grass patch. His voice shook as he asked, “Was… was it my fault?”

Wade placed a steadying hand on his shoulder. “It’s probably not that bad—he didn’t land on his head.”

Michael swallowed hard, unable to speak.

Thankfully, Madam Hooch rushed over immediately and quickly lifted Neville to his feet. Relief flooded through the crowd. The boy only had a slightly twisted wrist. Madam Hooch guided him toward the Infirmary, shouting at the other students to stay put. “Don’t touch anything!”

“W-Wade…” Michael pleaded. “Can we go check on Neville?”

Wade glanced at the stunned students frozen on the lawn, then nodded. The two of them sprinted down the corridor toward the Infirmary.

“—Flying Lesson, was it?” came Madam Pomfrey’s voice from behind the door, sounding utterly unimpressed. “Every year at this time, some first-year manages to cause a mishap. I can’t even remember a single year when things went smoothly…”

Wade gently pushed the door open. Michael squeezed his head inside first.

There sat Neville, sniffling on a hospital bed, tears still clinging to his lashes. Madam Pomfrey held his arm gently, waving her wand over it. A soft, feathery glow pulsed from the tip.

“Then I’ll leave this student in your hands,” Madam Hooch said urgently. “There are still over twenty students out on the lawn with unattended brooms! If I had time, I’d have Mr. Filch watching them!”

Madam Pomfrey replied, “Of course, I’ll—”

But Madam Hooch, ever the impatient one, only caught the word “of course” before spinning around and hurrying off. The sudden opening of the door sent Michael stumbling forward into the room.

Madam Hooch’s eagle-like eyes snapped to attention—ready to scold. But then she noticed the blue and bronze tie on the two boys. Her anger dissolved instantly.

Since they weren’t from her class, she had no time to hassle them. She vanished down the hall in a blur.

“—Take good care of this boy,” Madam Pomfrey murmured, more to herself than to anyone. She gently patted Neville’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, it’s just a minor thing. We’ll fix it in no time. I promise you won’t miss dinner.”

She waved her wand, and a bottle floated down from the shelf. She made Neville drink it, then pointed the wand at his arm and whispered a soft incantation.

In what felt like a blink, the broken wrist snapped back into place. Neville’s face didn’t even cringe—apparently, the pain was barely noticeable.

Wade stared, utterly amazed.

“Now, you two,” Madam Pomfrey turned to the doorway, “what about you? Injured? Sick? Or did you eat something bad?”

Michael’s lips trembled but he said nothing.

Wade stepped forward. “Madam Pomfrey, we came to see Neville.”

“Oh, visiting a friend?” Madam Pomfrey brightened. “Mr. Longbottom just needs to rest a little longer. Once his bones are fully healed, he can go back with you.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Wade said. Neville echoed the thanks.

Once Madam Pomfrey had left, Wade asked, “How are you feeling, Neville? Still hurting?”

“No, not really,” Neville said, lifting his robe to show a scrape on his leg that was already healing fast. “Look—this is almost done. Madam Pomfrey’s healing spell is incredible. It’s probably just like St. Mungo’s.”

“St. Mungo’s?”

“The biggest magical hospital in Britain. The best healers are there.”

Michael hesitated, then stepped forward, voice low. “Neville…”

Neville looked up.

Michael dropped his gaze. “I… I’m sorry. I lied. I’ve never actually ridden a broom before. The tips I gave you… I heard them on the wireless radio. I didn’t even know how to ride one myself…”

Neville blinked slowly.

“I knew that,” he said.

“What?” Michael’s eyes widened in shock.

Neville smiled faintly. “Hermione said if you’d ever ridden a broom before, you wouldn’t have been so excited about the lesson.”

Michael flushed crimson. So everyone had seen through his bravado?

“But Hermione also said…” Neville added, “—you were right about everything. It’s all in the books. But flying isn’t something you can master just by reading theory, right?”

For some reason, Michael suddenly felt like crying.

Wade watched the scene with a quiet smile.

He’d always felt a little like a caretaker toward these younger students. But now, for the first time, he thought—maybe they weren’t just kids to look after. Maybe they could actually be friends.

…

Though Madam Pomfrey had fixed Neville’s wrist in seconds, waiting for the bone to fully knit took time. Overcome with guilt, Michael refused to leave Neville alone in the Infirmary and insisted on staying until he was completely healed. Then, they got lost on the moving staircases, doubling the usual walk back to the Great Hall.

In the end, when they finally arrived, the last slice of dessert had vanished from the Long Table.

“Oh no,” Michael groaned. “There’s still some candy in my dorm—”

“Hey, Michael, Neville, Wade!” Theo and Liam appeared, their usual inseparable duo.

“We heard about Neville’s accident during Flying Lesson,” Theo said, concern in his eyes. “Are you okay?”

“My wrist was broken,” Neville said, lifting it. “But Madam Pomfrey fixed it in a second.”

“That’s great!” Theo examined the arm, then grinned. “Did you eat dinner?”

“No,” Michael said, looking at them with hopeful eyes. “Did you… save us a bit of bread or something?”

“No,” Theo said, “but better than that!”

He grabbed Michael’s arm and pulled him out of the Great Hall. “Come with us!”

“Where are we going?” Neville asked, confused.

“You’ll see soon,” Theo said, grinning. “This is a secret only Hufflepuffs know. A senior student told us yesterday.”

“I’ll bet nothing escapes the Weasley twins,” Michael muttered to Wade, who nodded in agreement.

They passed through a door and descended a stone staircase into a wide, torch-lit corridor. The walls were lined with paintings—just like the rest of the castle—but instead of people, the portraits were filled with mouthwatering food.

Theo stopped in front of a massive painting of a pear. He reached out and gently scratched the fruit.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end