October arrived with a damp chill that crept over the lawns and seeped into the castle. Suddenly, a wave of colds began to spread among both staff and students, keeping Madam Pomfrey busier than ever in the hospital wing.
Anne wasn't spared. One Tuesday morning, she was woken by Fanny, only to find the world spinning around her. Dizzy and disoriented, she groaned, "Ugh… I feel awful."
Fanny reached over and pressed the back of her hand to Anne's forehead, then sighed and said with exaggerated patience, "Anne, you can't just use the cold weather as an excuse to stay in bed… Besides, it's Professor Binns' History of Magic this morning. Boring as he is, we still have to show up."
Anne blinked at her. "Do I look like the kind of person who would fake an illness to skip class? Maybe I've got a cold! Can I take a sick day?"
Fanny gave her a cheeky smile and said, "Honestly, Anne, you'd probably go pretty far just to avoid getting out of bed. And Hogwarts doesn't do sick days…"
"Hmph! This place has no sympathy for sick students," Anne muttered as she dragged herself out of bed. The chilly air hit her immediately, making her shiver but also slightly clearer-headed. She reached up to touch her forehead. No fever. Not yet, anyway.
But by the time she made it to the frigid History of Magic classroom and sat through the class, she knew without a doubt that she really was sick. She couldn't concentrate, and by the end of the lesson, her forehead was burning hot and her cheeks were flushed red.
After class, Fanny gently touched Anne's forehead again. Her guilt was obvious.
"I'm sorry, Anne," she said, remorseful. "I shouldn't have doubted you this morning." Then she promptly went to Professor Binns and explained the situation. Upon seeing it was Fanny making the request, the ghostly professor agreed without fuss.
Anne was thrilled to skip a History of Magic lesson, but her excitement quickly faded when she reached the hospital wing.
"I've got a few Pepper-Up Potions," Madam Pomfrey said briskly, "but as for the cold itself? You'll just have to let it run its course. Should be gone in a week."
Anne deflated immediately. "So… no cure?" she asked again. "Can I at least get a sick note?"
"Don't be silly, dear," Madam Pomfrey replied. "It's just a cold. Hopefully it doesn't get bad enough that you need a sick note."
As Anne stood there watching a Hufflepuff student drink a steaming vial of Pepper-Up Potion, his ears immediately began to billow smoke, she quietly decided to pass. She grabbed Fanny and started walking away.
"Wait, Anne, maybe you should take one!" Fanny said, worried.
Anne shook her head fiercely. "No way. Not happening. I'm not drinking that stuff. I'll tough it out, seven days max!"
Fanny, defeated, had no choice but to let it go.
The rain poured down on the castle for days like bullets hitting the windows. The lake rose, flowerbeds turned to mud, and Hagrid's pumpkins grew to the size of garden sheds.
Anne remained visibly under the weather. Her days were reduced to a strict triangle of classroom, dormitory, and dining hall. Fanny worried about her constantly and often regretted not forcing her to drink that Pepper-Up Potion.
One day in the Great Hall, Fanny tried persuading her again.
Anne croaked, "That's not even cold medicine! It won't help. Wizards don't even have cold medicine. I miss antibiotics... and aspirin…"
Fanny blinked. "Wait, are those those tiny white pills from the Muggle world? I think I had them once as a kid when I visited a hospital…"
Anne gave a weak nod, poking her food listlessly. She didn't have much of an appetite, but still forced herself to eat a few bites. That, at least, was something she remembered from her past life, eat even a little to help your body fight off illness.
Once Anne was done eating, she waited for Fanny to finish. They walked side-by-side toward the greenhouses for Herbology class. On the way, they were stopped by Hermione.
Hermione came running up to them, panting slightly, eyes full of concern.
Anne looked worse than usual, her pale face tinged with an unhealthy flush, and her usually bright amber eyes looked dull and tired.
"Hey…" Anne said quietly.
"Hi, Hermione," Fanny greeted her. "Are you looking for Anne?"
"Hi, Fanny." Hermione caught her breath, then without hesitation, reached out and placed her hand on Anne's forehead. Anne didn't even flinch.
"I heard you had a cold!" Hermione said anxiously. "Oh, good. No fever. I brought these…"
She dug through her bag and pulled out several small square boxes.
"Cold medicine! My parents sent them with me…"
Anne's eyes lit up. Cold capsules! Antibiotics! Real medicine!
She snatched the boxes with both hands and rasped excitedly, "Hermione, you're amazing! Antibiotics! Your parents are geniuses!"
Hermione blushed and smiled shyly. "I hope they help."
Anne nodded eagerly. "They'll help loads! Thank you so much."
"Anne was literally just moaning about wanting aspirin," Fanny added cheerfully. "So this is perfect, especially since she won't drink Pepper-Up Potion."
Hermione smiled, then looked concerned again. "Try to rest your voice, okay? You should head to class now, I need to get to mine too."
The next day, Anne took the cold medicine and felt significantly better. It didn't completely cure her, but it soothed her sore throat and helped with the fatigue.
Rain continued to fall throughout October, and by Halloween Eve, there was still no sign of it letting up. But the holiday brought with it a much-needed spark of joy, Hogwarts finally had something to celebrate.
The Great Hall was decked out in full Halloween flair: live bats swooped through the air, and Hagrid's massive pumpkins had been carved into glowing jack-o'-lanterns and hung magically from the ceiling. Rumor had it that Dumbledore had even invited a skeleton dance troupe to perform for the students.
Each House table was lined with towering pumpkin cream cakes, pies, scones, and every kind of pumpkin-based dish imaginable, but there were plenty of other delicious options too. Fred and George Weasley were selling prank masks and joke fireworks, and even the thunder rumbling outside couldn't dampen the festive mood.
At the Slytherin table, Anne was happily stuffing her face. She tried every new dish: spaghetti bolognese, Parmigiano cheese, salami, roast foie gras, seafood pizza, and onion soup, an unexpected spread of Italian cuisine.
"These house-elves must've gotten their hands on a new cookbook!" Anne said between bites, clearly impressed.
Fanny, as always, ate politely and didn't speak with her mouth full. After swallowing a tender bite of grilled beef, she dabbed her lips and said, "Tell me honestly, Anne. Does this sudden menu change have anything to do with you?"
Anne froze with a slice of pizza halfway to her mouth. After swallowing, she took a sip of mushroom soup and smiled. "Well… maybe just a little something to do with me. Oh look! Dumbledore's band is here!"
The doors to the Great Hall opened, and in marched a band made entirely of skeletons, each draped in flamboyant, colorful robes.
A student from a wizarding family gasped, "Wow! It's the famous Skeleton Ensemble!"
Halfway through the feast, Fanny noticed something odd. "Hey… where are the Gryffindor trio? They're not at their table."
Anne glanced over without much concern. "If those three are off together, I'm not worried. They're probably off on another prelude to some grand adventure."
The feast continued, full of music, food, and laughter. Anne was reaching for another helping when Fanny tugged her sleeve.
"Anne, it's really late. If you eat anymore, you'll end up sleeping through all of tomorrow's classes!"
Grumbling, Anne let Fanny pull her away. They lagged behind the crowd a little, but quickly caught up, only to find a massive group of students blocking a corridor.
The hallway was packed. Anne tried pushing through to see what was going on but couldn't get far. So she stood with Fanny at the back of the crowd.
Fanny stood on tiptoe to peer ahead. "Anne, I think there's a clear space up front… and something's hanging from a torch bracket on the wall."
"Let's just wait. We'll find out when we get back to the common room," Anne replied, rubbing her stomach. She had definitely eaten too much.
Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed from the front:
"Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudblood!"
Draco Malfoy.
The crowd burst into a buzz of whispers and gasps.
Fanny's face changed immediately. Her eyes flashed with anger. "Malfoy? How could he say something like that? Who's he threatening? I can't believe he, "
"What's going on here? What happened?" Filch's voice screeched as he elbowed his way through the students, drawn by Malfoy's shout.
Anne watched as he pushed to the front, followed closely by several teachers, Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall, and Lockhart. Anne instinctively stepped aside to let them pass.
When Filch reached the front, he let out a strangled cry. "My cat! What happened to Mrs. Norris?!"
Then his voice turned venomous. "You!" he shrieked. "You killed her! You killed my cat! I'll kill you, I'll, "
"Argus." Dumbledore's voice cut through the air, low and firm.
He stepped past Harry, Ron, and Hermione and gently removed Mrs. Norris from the bracket.
"Come with me, Argus. Harry, Ron, Hermione, you too. Everyone else, return to your dormitories."
Lockhart jumped forward. "My office is closest, Headmaster, just upstairs! You're welcome to, "
"Thank you, Gilderoy," Dumbledore said calmly.
The crowd parted in silence, watching them go. Lockhart followed with a pompous grin, trailed by Professors McGonagall and Snape.
As Dumbledore passed Anne, he paused and looked down at her.
"Miss Reeve," he said gently, "if you don't mind, would you fetch Madam Pomfrey for me?"
"Uh…?" Anne, who had been absentmindedly fiddling with her silver Sicko coin, looked up in confusion. She'd been too absorbed in her thoughts about the original plotline to realize he was speaking to her.
But Dumbledore didn't seem bothered. He repeated his request kindly, then added, "Please ask her to meet us in Professor Lockhart's office upstairs."
Can I say I mind? Anne thought silently. But Fanny was already tugging at her sleeve, and everyone, the teachers, the trio, was now watching her.
"…All right, Headmaster. I'll go right away," she said quickly.
Dumbledore nodded and moved on. But as he, the trio, and the teachers passed her, each of them cast Anne a curious glance.
Once they were gone, the crowd broke out in a storm of whispers and speculation as students dispersed back to their dorms. Anne only had time to whisper to Fanny, "Wait for me in the common room," before sprinting off toward the hospital wing.
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A/N: Yes, wizards can catch colds, this bit is inspired directly from the original books!
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