You Load 50 Kilos of Dragon Dung--

Before they had made it through the Mórrígan Tower walk-around Kerry was feeling the effects of his physical labor. His back hurt; his shoulders hurt; his arms hurt. They all hurt--a lot. He didn't want to sound like a whiner, but . . . he wasn't used to that sort of work, and it was showing.

"Annie," he said, almost groaning, "can we visit the hospital? I'm really, really sore." He hated to look weak, but right now it was deal with it or suffer tonight. And tomorrow was Dark Arts, and the last thing he wanted to do was show up there out of it.

Annie agreed with him without complaint. She was in a lot of pain too; her arms quivered whenever she tried to lift one and her back screamed as they made their way to their coven tower.

She smiled up at him. "I think Nurse Coraline will be happy to see us," she said, pulling his arm back toward the way they had come.

Kerry was tempted to say, "It'll be nice to see her again," but wondered if Annie would get the wrong idea. Nurse Coraline was certainly . . . pretty, and Kerry had to admit he'd never seen a lot of women like her, but the truth was, she was really the first person they got to know at the school and the one who pretty much set him straight on Annie. In more ways than one, he thought.

"Agreed." He did an about-face with Annie and headed back into the Great Hall, hoping it wouldn't hurt too much to climb the stairs this time.

Coraline sat behind her desk and stretched. It was another long day administering potions to complaining students who had either fallen off their brooms or got on the wrong end of a wand.

She smoothed her taut charcoal skirt over her thighs and pulled her cropped white jacket tighter around her ample bosom. The hospital wing was silent; she leaned back into her chair, closing her eyes to enjoy a few moments of peace when she heard the door open.

She was on her feet before the students got a few steps into the room and swiftly joined them before they could make it much further.

“Ah,” she said, smiling at the familiar way they both stood next to each other. “It is my friends, Annie and Kerry. What can I do for you both?”

As before, Kerry helped Annie into a chair. Even though I feel like I'm dying, Annie comes first, he thought. "Hello again, Nurse Coraline," he said. "We, uh, just got back from Herbology, and Professor Semplen had us doing some shoveling; a lot of shoveling, actually--"

Kerry winced. "We're a little sore. Do you have anything that can help?" he asked as he sat.

Coraline watched Kerry carefully lower Annie into a chair and then plop into one himself. She laughed as he mentioned their first Herbology class.

“Holoc always pulls stuff like that for his first class,” she said, still smiling. “Just be happy he didn’t have you collecting bark samples from the flesh eating trees out behind Gwydion Manor.” She winked at him and turned to examine Annie first, positive he wouldn’t object.

Coraline assessed her condition as fatigue and produced her wand. “This might feel a bit funny at first, but I promise you will be in perfect condition by the time I am through.” She pointed her wand squarely at Annie’s head. Before she began, she turned to Kerry.

“Quite calm?” she asked, unsure if the boy would be able to watch what she was about to perform.

The "flesh eating bark" comment gave Kerry a bit of a double-take moment, but it passed quickly. What sort of plants do they have here? he wondered, then remembered their assignment. Annie and he would probably find out soon enough.

Coraline pulled out here wand and pointed it at Annie, then asked him if he was calm? Uh, oh, that sound like a loaded question. But he nodded. "Sure, Nurse." He tried not to sound too concerned. "I'm good.

Coraline, certain that Kerry would remain seated while she attended to Annie, began her work. She leveled her wand, taking aim once again directly at Annie’s forehead.

“Corpus relaxat,” she said, and her wand emitted a radiant purple light, hitting Annie directly above her eyes. She felt the girl jerk under her wand and increased the force of her spell into her small frame. She heard Annie let out a scream and then it was finished. Annie slumped forward in her chair, passed out.

Coraline rushed over and pointed her wand at the chair beneath her. “Align cubitum,” she muttered. The chair transformed into a bed and Coraline laid the girl down to recover.

“There now,” she said, smiling over at Kerry. “Who’s next?”

Trying to put on a brave smile, Kerry looked Annie over closely. "That, um . . ." He tried to think about what he would say next. "I know you wouldn't hurt anyone, so I know she's okay."

He looked around, wondering if he should move. "Do you want me to sit here, Nurse? Or is there some place else you want me?" He gave Annie another look, wondering how long she'd be out--and also realizing he'd never seen her asleep before now.

Coraline smiled at Kerry, who seemed to be riveted to the sleeping girl. She held her hand out for his and brought him to Annie's side.

“The spell really does look worse than it is,” she said, adjusting the pillow under her head. “In order for the muscles to relax, they must first be brought to their limits. I assure you, she will wake up feeling better than she has in a long time…and completely relaxed.” She smiled at him. “I seem to remember that Annie has a bit of trouble with relaxing.”

She turned to him. “She will be out for about five minutes. I will leave it up to you to watch her come back around or to undergo your own treatment.” She looked down at Annie and patted her hand. “What do you say?”

"She does have some trouble relaxing," Kerry said as he looked at Annie resting. So quiet and relaxed and . . . peaceful. And there was an image in the back of his mind, right then and there, but it was faint, almost like when he had that "thing" with Professor Arrakis, where he could feel and hear things, but not see it very clearly.

And Kerry knew what he wanted.

"Sitting her watching her sleep is kind of rude, don't you think?" he asked Coraline. "And why make Annie wait for me?" Kerry straightened himself. "I'll go now. That way we can both go to dinner together." He smiled softly. "Meatloaf tonight, I hear."

Coraline grinned. “I’m glad we’re both on the same page,” she sighed. “To be quite frank, I don’t think Annie would be able to contain herself if she were to watch you getting healed.” She pointed her wand at the chair Kerry had just occupied. “Align cubitum.”

She pointed to the new bed. “Hop on and try not to struggle.” She waited until Kerry was comfortable on the bed and pointed her wand at his head. “Ready?” She listened for his reply and then hit him with her spell.

Kerry just managed to squeak out a "yes" when it felt like someone was compressing him into a ball and then stretching him hard. It hurt, yeah--

But he didn't worry about it after that, because with but a single slip of a loud yelp, he was out, sleeping soundly for at least 5 minutes.

Annie opened her eyes…and felt magnificent. She was aware that she was lying down and the room was very quiet around her. She had been having a lovely dream about the lake. She was swimming—it was dawn—birds were taking flight and she heard a voice behind her… Kerry.

She remembered that they were in the hospital wing and Kerry should be there with her, but she didn’t hear anyone. In a panic she sat upright and saw him lying beside her in a bed similar to hers, sleeping.

She reached over and shook him. “Kerry,” she said, her voice starting to rise. “Kerry!”

Coraline heard Annie begin to stir and before she could reach the girl, she was in full on panic mode, shaking Kerry to wake him.

“Annie,” she said softly, coming up behind the girl being careful not to frighten her. “Annie, Kerry is fine. He is just asleep. His body is adjusting to the spell and he will wake up in a minute or two.”

She looked her over, considering conjuring up a calming draught just in case.

Annie looked down at Kerry and touched his cheek. “He’s just sleeping,” she said, reassuring herself that his skin was warm and his chest was rising up and down with each breath. She smiled up at Nurse Coraline.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “He was petrified today in potions and I…” Annie swallowed hard. “I had a hard time watching that.”

Coraline’s eyes widened at Annie’s admission. She patted her shoulder, trying to comfort her. The calming draught was sounding like a better idea with every passing second.

She looked down at the sleeping boy. “He is quite a catch, isn’t he,” she said. Without waiting for Annie to reply she disappeared, giving them some privacy.

Annie wasn’t sure how to respond, but before she could answer, Nurse Coraline was walking away. “Yes, he certainly is,” she whispered down to Kerry as he slept peacefully next to her.

To Kerry it seemed as if he'd only been out a few moments, but he felt like they were good moments. All the pain was gone; all the stress he'd felt today had vanished.

He felt incredible.

Kerry looked up and saw Annie sitting on the edge of his bed, looking down on him. "Hey, Pumpkin," he said softly, grinning. "This is twice today I've woke up with you looking over me."

And just that instance he remembered something. He reached out and touched her hand. "You gonna tell me you love me again?"

Annie flushed a deep red. “I..” she stammered. “You—heard me?” She gazed down at him lying on the bed and she took his left hand in hers. Her heartbeat quickened.

“Obicham te,” she whispered. “I love you, Kerry.” She looked down at his hand lying between hers. “I wish you could have seen what I have, Kerry. It is all so confusing and I know sometimes I don’t make sense but…” She wasn’t sure how to finish without sounding completely mental.

She let out a big sigh. “I am just overly sensitive, I suppose.” Annie leaned over and pressed herself close to Kerry. “But I know that I’m absolutely crazy over you.” She kissed him gingerly on the lips…

The moment Annie's lips touched Kerry's he was off floating again. So much going on the last few days--history, flying, transfiguring, astronomy, getting petrified in potions and then shoveling dragon dung--it sure as hell wasn't secondary school in Cardiff.

And I never had a girl like this interested in me when I was there, he thought. One that held my hand and kissed me and told me she loved me . . ..

Right now he wanted to go somewhere with her--though he had even crazier ideas, like taking Annie off on a broom and flying around the institute. Sure, he thought. First we gotta get out of the equipment room!

"Annie," he whispered, slowly breaking the kiss, "we're gonna get in trouble if we keep this up."

Coraline was careful to leave the youngsters alone long enough to let Annie relax, but not too long that she would have a full on snog-fest in the middle of her hospital wing. She re-entered the room to see that her timing was perfect.

“So,” she said loudly. “It looks like my two patients are doing well.” She crossed the room smiling brightly at the young couple. “Are there any complaints? Dizziness, headache, nausea? Sometimes that can happen with a spell such as the one I have given you both.” Coraline looked at both of them and couldn’t help but smile. Their faces were bright with excitement—the excitement that comes only from young love.

“Well then, if you are both well I think you should get a good dinner into your tummies. Off you go.”

Kerry swung his legs up and over, and stood next to Annie, helping her down. "Thank you, Nurse Coraline," he said, taking Annie's hand, not thinking that, given the things the nurse told them the first time, she would say anything this time. "Thanks . . . for everything."

Turning, Kerry led Annie off toward the dinning hall, wondering if he really did want the meatloaf--

Coraline watched the two of them walk toward the door and then called Kerry back.

“Annie,” she said, “would you mind waiting for Kerry outside. He won’t be long.” She watched Kerry walk her out and then come back inside. Yes, he is quite the gentleman.

She reached her hand into her coat pocket and lifted out a small blue glass bottle. “I think you should take this with you, Kerry.” She pressed the small bottle into his hand. “It is one dose of calming draught. Normally I wouldn’t hand these out to students, but I think the two of you seem to be a special case.” She smiled at him. “If you feel Annie might need it, I would ask her to take it.”

Coraline rested her arm lightly over Kerry’s shoulders and walked him toward the door. “Ok?”

Kerry couldn't believe what Nurse Coraline was handing him. Oh, man, talk about getting perks! He was got just a tad uncomfortable thinking that they might get in trouble for this, but then . . . Dark Arts was tomorrow, and who knew what was gonna happen there?

He nodded when Coraline put her hand and his shoulder and more or less made him swear to be the keeper of Annie's nervousness. It was just then that he got a sudden, very weird feeling. Annie's gonna be grown up one day--soon. He cast a glance up at Coraline. There was no chance that Annie would look like her, but . . . Kerry was suddenly seized by the notion that, in a few years, Annie is gonna start growing.

What is she gonna look like? I wish I knew--

Kerry nodded. "Sure, Nurse Coraline," he said, making sure the draught was secure in his backpack. "I won't let it get wasted." He stopped and looked up into the nurse's eyes. "Thank you . . . for everything."