When Loki woke up sometime in the middle of the night he heard an elderly wise voice talking to Madam Pomfrey and since there was nothing else to do he decided to listen to the conversation outside.
"It would be best if I could speak to them now Madam Pomfrey. I've already spoken to Hagrid, he's told me his side, I need to know theirs so I can find a solution to this mess. The other students in the castle might still be in danger if I do not." The old voice said.
"And I said they need to rest! The students and Professor Snape are still in danger! Especially that girl, she had the most courage out of all of them to attack the man you've brought into the castle, and yet she's suffering the most. Forcefully awakening them now will only push them closer to the edge."
"Wasn't there a student that wasn't infected, would he not know what happened? Could I please speak to him at least?" The old voice reasoned.
"He's asleep." Madam Pomfrey said in a simple manner. "I will call you when he wakes-"
*sssshhhheeeesssshhhhhh*
The curtain around his bed was pulled open softly, startling Loki as he promptly jumped back, reached for his wand and pulled it out after priming it with spirituality out of instinct.
"Our student in question seems to be awake Madam Pomfrey." The old voice which Loki now saw belonged to Dumbledore who had on his old wrinkly face a kind smile.
Madam Pomfrey only glared at Dumbledore and left with the final words, "I will only give you twenty minutes to wrap your stuff, after that you promise to leave me and the patients alone."
Dumbledore nodded and with a grandfatherly smile turned to Loki.
Loki's mind was going through a lot of things until now but in a moment his entire focus was to not let his mind wander and so before Dumbledore could ask anything, Loki immediately said, "I don't know anything. If I did I wouldn't be so confused about everything that happened."
But instead of seeing Dumbledore surprised or god forbid angry, he saw Dumbledore extend a calm voice that instantly made Loki feel like he was in the embrace of mother nature and everything that would happen here would be beneficial for him.
But knowing this was Dumbledore using his Beyonder abilities, Loki only put up a facade of letting his guard down by relaxing his shoulders that had become tense.
"Would you care for a lemon drop?" Dumbledore asked patiently offering Loki a piece of candy from his pocket.
"No thanks, I don't like sweet things." Loki shook his head and lied without remorse.
"Oh? That's a shame." Dumbledore spoke unhurriedly.
A short silence settled as Loki wondered why Dumbledore was wasting so much time but since Dumbledore had made the atmosphere so comfortable Loki was feeling sleepy again.
And just as Loki was about to slip into the world of dreams for the second time during the night, he heard Dumbledore ask a question and wake him up.
"Could you tell me what you saw in the forest?"
"...I was searching for the blood trail after Hagrid informed me that a Unicorn had been hurt, I was searching because I've grown close to them after spending time with them whenever Hagrid went to the Forbidden Forest."
"And then?"
"Then once I located the trail, I carefully ran until I met with the dying Unicorn. Over the Unicorn, I saw a robed man trying to drink its silver blood and in a moment of anger, I used the Confringo charm by overcharging it with as much spirituality as I could."
"What happened to the robed man?"
"He flew and hit a tree and looked like he fell unconscious, but immediately after he got up like a puppet with all his limbs in the wrong place and loose and he ran away into the cover of the night."
"Was that it?"
"No, I healed the Unicorn with a potion I had made earlier during my detention with Professor Snape and just as the Unicorn was fully healed the man came back, but the Unicorn pulled me up on its back and strode along with me towards the entrance of the Forbidden forest and left me there."
"And what about Hagrid and the rest? Do you know what happened to them?"
"No, just as I brought Madam Pomfrey back to the Forbidden Forest I saw Hagrid come out with Hermione in his arms, she had blood dripping from her mouth and it made me feel very nauseous. That was also when Professor Snape arrived and got hurt."
"I see." Dumbledore smiled and then nodded. "Thank you for telling me all of this, I don't expect it to have been easy, but thank you for protecting my students."
When Dumbledore was finally about to leave, Loki asked him a question by gathering a little courage, "Professor, do you know what happened to Hermione? I asked Madam Pomfrey, but she wouldn't say."
Dumbledore paused and looked at Loki with his glassy blue eyes from under his half-moon glasses waiting for a while to seemingly confirm something.
After a minute or so when Loki was feeling like his body wanted to do nothing other than sleep, Dumbledore responded, "She's been cursed with sickness after she attempted to attack whatever attacked you, it does not have a direct cure yet but I'm sure Madam Pomfrey will figure it out eventually. It was your timely help that saved them all and for that, I am thankful to you. You have my gratitude."
"Professor, Hermione looked into the matter of the Philosopher stone you are protecting in the forbidden third-floor corridor, is it possible to use a little bit of the stone to cure her?"
"Unfortunately for her, it is not possible for me to currently move the stone out of the place it is being protected in, but I assure you I will not let a student die on my watch."
Loki felt hateful for a moment but he held it in place, not letting it furrow or grow or show on his face and that was the last thing Loki remembered before he fell into his pillow, falling deep into sleep once again.
Loki woke up the next day to find Snape gone and with exams approaching in a couple of days, Loki was forced to leave the Hospital wing after just a day, even though Madam Pomfrey seemed to want to keep him longer.
So before he left she left a part of herself with him.
"Loki, take this, and keep this with you at all times, if you ever need help just pour your spirituality and throw it at whatever is hurting you after shouting, 'LUX'." Madam Pomfrey said with a motherly smile on her face.
Loki didn't understand what he was given but since he felt a warm feeling come off of it he took it with a grateful expression.
Once in Loki's hands he carefully examined the shiny metallic piece that he was holding and realised what it was, 'The Flaring Sun Charm!'
'What the hell!!!.'
Loki barely concealed his shock at being handed a Beyonder item out of nowhere and spoke to Madam Pomfrey to thank her, "Thank you, Madam Pomfrey."
The Matron calmly brushed Loki's hair and said with a sweet smile, "I hope you don't need to use such a thing, but I promise whatever you use this on will be gone for good once you use it."
"Un." Loki nodded with his eye glimmering and left the Hospital after leaving Hermione one lingering glance.
He hadn't fully made up his mind but he did have a little idea about what he would do next.
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A/N : There'll be an extra chapter following this today or tomorrow.
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