Basilisk Eyes

Chapter 5: Floo hell

Madam Pomfrey seemed nervous as she gathered her medi-bag, Harry's chart, and prepared for their departure to St. Mungo's. A student had just come in needing attention after a disastrous attempt to jinx a cold away and the interruption seemed to unsettle Madam Pomfrey. Which struck Harry as odd, since she never seemed flustered on the other occasions when he (or Ron or Hermione) had shown up unexpectedly in the hospital wing for their various mishaps (missing bones, puking slugs, or partial cat transfiguration).

Harry rolled the hem of the sleeve of his robes between his fingers as he waited. He didn't like not being able to see what was going on around him. It was unnerving. Now he was starting to worry that it wasn't the delay of their departure that was making Madam Pomfrey apprehensive—that it had something to do with the appointment at St. Mungo's and his damaged vision.

Not being able to see was not good, especially for someone who seemed to attract evil monsters. He wanted to be able to see whatever was coming at him. Hadn't the universe thrown enough at him already? Didn't he have enough to be going on with as it was?

Harry shifted from foot to foot as he waited.

"Oh, you should take off your glasses, Harry. Don't want to lose them in the floo network," Madam Pomfrey seemed to have her items sorted out.

"Right. I really don't like traveling by floo," Harry said nervously as he tucked his glasses into an inside pocket.

"Have you traveled by floo powder before, dear?" Madam Pomfrey asked absently as she nudged Harry closer to the fireplace.

"Yes, just twice with the Weasleys last summer."

"Oh, well. It's just one way to travel since we can't apparate from within the school grounds. You remember how to do it, right? We just throw this powder in the fireplace like this... " Harry jumped as a loud bang erupted from the fireplace in front of him; it was hard to hear Madam Pomfrey over the hissing the fireplace was making. "And state clearly where you want to go—St. Mungo's!" she shouted in a firm voice, "then step in like ... " The hissing noise had stopped abruptly.

Harry stood there, head cocked to one side. He could hear the ticking of a nearby clock, the rustling of sheets no doubt made by the student recovering from the misused charm in the bed nearby (regrowing a nose)... and nothing of Madam Pomfrey.

He wondered if she expected him to follow her into the fire. He stepped back from it. He really didn't want to do this again. His first experience traveling by floo powder had gone terribly wrong. Besides, he had no idea where the floo powder was. Even if he did find a container of powder, he wouldn't be able to tell if it was the right powder. He could be tossing baby powder into a fire and then catching his trainers on fire. He wasn't that stupid.

So he waited.

Finally, the fireplace hissed again and Madam Pomfrey stepped forward, exclaiming, "Oh, dear Harry. I thought you'd follow me. But how could you? Silly of me. I'm so sorry. Let's try that again, shall we? This time you go first."

"But, but... " Harry sputtered as she pulled him near the fireplace, a cloud of dust tickling his nose making him sneeze, as Madam Pomfrey announced the destination and shoved him into the fireplace.

He felt like he had been tossed in a washing machine, tumbled around, his elbows, knees, back and head knocking into bricks and stones until he figured out how to hold himself still in the eye of the tornado. He'd shut his eyes against the flashing bright lights and closed his mouth to avoid inhaling soot, swallowing his screams instead. He was completely disoriented, banged up, and not knowing if he was up or down or sideways. The sensation was worse than the first time he'd traveled by floo powder, worse than the tilt n' hurl at the local fairgrounds, worse than falling off his broomstick. It kept going and going and he wondered if he was stuck in floo hell for eternity. Finally a hand grabbed his wrist and pulled him forward onto a stone floor. He vomited violently again and again, still not sure which way was up or down, but thankful to be on solid, still ground.