The water tore me out of the world, I'd been sojourning in, tepid and soft it streamed over my skin, stroke me like silk, a cold kiss against the burning pain, null but pleasant. There, where some droplets were touching my hand, the net of pitchblack veins thinned out, but didn't disappear completely.

Draco shook the nearly trance-like state off too, in which we had just been floating, his tears were still streaming over his cheeks, just like mine. My humours didn't hold any soothing virtue, not like the water, which had given me some solace, unlike my sweat and tears. They were probably already filled with the poison.

"Indeed, water is helping", Draco murmured in a low voice, nearly sleep-drugged. His eyes were mist-shrouded, his figure not stiff anymore but sleepy; nearly carelessly he dried his cheeks, stroking his skin with the rough fabric of his robes, before pointing his wand at me. "Aguamenti."

A stream of water broke out of the wand's tip, hit me hard and drenched me completely, a soothing hug, and the fire in my body wasn't able to wrench from it. Cooly, the steady jet of water hold the pain embraced, smothered harder and tighter with balmy words until nothing was there anymore except for malicious, maleficten embers, but the water suffocated it too, gentle and certain, squashed every rising, hungry spark.

Then Draco fell over, now even he was kneeling in front of me, lied at my feet, only one body of many. They had quitted curling in pain, were merely lying there, still, just like serenity had come to me.

In this moment, it didn't feel awkard that humans were lying on the ground in front of me, maybe consumed by my anguish, perished of my feelings. Humans, I was knowing and appreciating, or strangers, whose life was worth something. Who I had maybe ripped into doom.

"What has happened?", Clarisse asked, her gaze brushing the multitude of motionless bodies, sprawled out over the floor like Kronos had just thrown up his lunch. It was a veritable miracle, that Clarisse hadn't stepped on anyone when pouring the water over me. Rattling, Clarisse put the jug down.

I didn't know how to answer, so instead to do so I watched my tears, dropping onto the palms of my opened hands. They were clear and pure but still from me. And this, after I had harmed people, yes, I hadn't done it because I had absolutely wanted to but still - I had tormented them, martyred them, maybe even killed them.

My head bobbed up and I left the bed to search for my victims' pulse. But everything was spinning, I felt sich but- here! Faintly, it pulsated against my fingers and reliefed I fell back, sank like through viscous water, leant against the cold metal of the bed.

Clarisse seemed like if she was still waiting for an answer but then she started to pick up the unconscious and dumping them into the sick beds. I could only hope that they didn't need any special treatment as I didn't think that Madame Pomfrey would be able to give them such cure and I didn't believe, that Clarisse or I would be able to provide something like that.

"Lay down, Percy, go into your bed. Only because you aren't directly standing at the abyss right now, doesn't mean, it isn't near."

~~~

Clarisse left to report the mass-unconsciousness to Gonni and ordered me, to take care as good as possible of my victims. My eyes wandered over the filled sick beds and I felt so incredibly bad. Nobody deserved something like this, especially not such kind people like Gregory or Hazel. Nobody deserved getting screamed to death from me. Or to get strange announcements of death.

Earlier than expected, Clarisse returned, I did hardly have time to drown in my thoughts, waters of self-loathing and loss.

"I've met my house ghost, the nearly headless dude. He tells McGonagall and she then makes something", Clarisse reported, going nearly into to much detail.

A short time later two healers appeared, if I went after their uniform, I'd say they were also from St. Mongo. St. Mango? St. Mungo? Yes, I think, this one was it. "Thank you very much for holding position." The young healer smiled at Clarisse, the older one started immediately to check the unconscious, but was peering again and again - just like the chubby woman - curiously to me. "You can attend your classes now again."

Clarisse shot a glare at me, which was threatening me with something because of somewhat but I didn't know what she was really wanting.

Now the female healer was also facing her patients, her movements vivid but gentle, full of concern and care. As soon as both healers had checked on all of my victims, the two of them turned to me, their lips pursed the same way, their eyes sparkling of briskness and interest.

"I whish you a good morning", the man greeted me, his voice was deep and grouchy but very sonorous. Now, where he was near, I was able to catch sight of how dark his skin was coloured. It told stories of stony beaches, sparkling spray, dry grass and salty air. He was sun-kissed, in more than one way. Apollo's aureola was embracing his figure, so his hands would heal and his words sooth, balm for the soul.

I produced an uncertain noise, after all I had nearly died this morning and killed a few people while doing so. I didn't even want to know what would have happened, if Clarisse and Draco hadn't drenched me. I knew, that my earthquakes were able to cause much more than just shake a castle a bit and I could only assume, that something was blocking this ability of mine. If not, the castle would lie in ruins and its inhabitants under them, not more than pools of blood, bone splinters and scraps of cloth. Lifeless flesh, squashed of stone; battered skulls, crashed of rocks; dead souls, swatted of my distress.

"Do you know, what has happened?" Thrilled, the choppy female bobbed on the balls of her feet, what let her seem even younger than she already did. Her cinnamon hair was bouncing with it and her eyes held a curious twinkle. Their colour was striking, an unusual light blue, two parts of cloudless sky of perfect, sunny days. Probably they were shining out like that because her teint was equaling her colleague's.

"Aaaah", I made, shilly-shally. I was only able to hope that my victim's wouldn't be able to remember anything or I would be smitten. Not only, because I would clearly not pass as wizard anymore, no, I als think, that I wouldn't be able to live with Hazel and Pansy knowing how much I had betrayed them, hurt them, abused them. I wouldn't be able to bear their accusatory gazes, burning of anger or blistering of hurt. Or, even worse: averted eyes, filled with fear, erring around frantically or stiffly aimed on one point, everything, as long as they didn't have to look at me, the person, who had caused them suffering.

Of course I wasn't wishing because of this, that Gregory, Blaise and Draco were able to remember everything clearly, but I would still be able to live better with this case. It would certainly destroy the beginning of wonderful friendships, but maybe I would at least be able to keep my old ones.

The secret was weighing heavily on my shoulders, took my breath away. I would keep it a secret, that I had nearly murdered them. Keep it a secret, that I had lured them into the icy depths of my sorrow. Whenever I would look at them, I'd see the blood dripping out of their ears, cruelly distorted faces, due to pain bared teeth. I could be near them, but with me, maybe death would come, always present but hidden under a mask, locked up but not behind bars but simple cloth, which was only waiting to get shredded.

"Oh, don't be this unpolite, Calla", the male healer scolded. His eyes were dark brown like earth, warm and steady. "So, how are you called, my boy?"

"Percy Jackson", I answered. "And you?"

"This is my niece, Calla Corbalis, I am Eoban Corbalis. The two of us are healers from St. Mungo and here to take care of the case. Of course it would help us enormally with the cure, if you would be able to tell us, what has happened?", Eoban grummbled.

"I don't really know", I answered defensively. "But they've been bleeding out of their ears, if this helps?"

Eoban had hoped for more but he didn't turn a hair, totally the professional healer he was.

"Then we will check on you now, Percy", Calla explained with her wide smile. "Say 'Aaaaah'!"