When I woke up, I found myself utterly confused by my surroundings. I was looking up at the Hospital Wing's ceiling; masked by candle light and the night's shadow.

It took me a solid few minutes before I even remembered what had happened prior that caused me to slip unconscious. The moment those memories came crashing back, a wave of mortification followed by panic erupted in my stomach and had me on the move.

My entire body ached, as if a weight had compressed itself on my muscles, and they in turn were straining under the pressure. My temperature was fluctuating, with my clothes- a hospital provided gown, damp with sweat. Or, it could have been my body's reaction to the numerous blankets wrapped tightly around me, including my head, which was wrapped around my ears to my scalp like a stretched headband. Slowly, I reached a shaking hand to my face and then pushed the blanket away from my head stubbornly. The sounds of the hospital sharpened into focus. The sounds of Madam Pomphrey's skirts rustled on by to a bed not too far away and the sheets to the bed next to me moved. I tried to sit up but couldn't, and so I flopped back on the mattress, feeling easily defeated and in surprising pain.

"Well that was sad to watch."

I started at both the familiarity of the voice and by how close it was to my bed. I tried again to push myself up on my elbows just enough to turn my head, and this time, before tumbling back down on the mattress, I saw the dark eyes of Sam staring back at me in the next bed over.

"What-" I said in a rasped voice, that made me painfully aware of how dry my mouth was.

"Madam Pomphry..." Sam called out to the healer from her bed in a voice loud enough to break from my cozy moment.

"Have you ever heard of a peaceful night's sleep? Or do you always shout when you chatter on?" another voice, unfamiliar in tone, erupted from a bed a few spaces down. It sounded like one from a young boy. First or second year I would guess.

"Oh I'm sorry duchess. Why don't you go back and get some beauty sleep," Sam retorted in such a personal fashion that it almost made me grin at the familiarity.

"Miss Spencer, Mr. Buchanan! How many times must I tell you to keep your voices down? Patients are sleeping! As should the both of you. Immediately," Pomphry dictated, as the sounds of her clipped heels and the rustle of her skirts drew near. I strained to glance but only caught sight of her cap in the shadows.

"She woke me up! I'm the innocent one!" the boy's voice complained.

"That is quite enough Mr. Buchanan. I suggest you pop off to sleep now," Pomphry critiqued.

"Yeah, Pop off, duchess-"

"Miss Spencer"

"Ava's awake," was all Madam Pomphry needed to hear before rushing to my bed. Her face appeared above me as she peered over me.

"You barely slept a wink, Miss Fountaine. I must adjust your sleeping potion immediately!"

"May I have a glass of water first, please?"

"Of course, of course. Let's prop you up, shall we? Ah, yes, that's a dear," she said as she lifted my shoulders off the bed and slowly leaned me back on a mound of pillows; situating me in a half sitting position. At least now I could see the full hospital wing in full.

"Here you are." Pomphry passed me a glass on my night stand and watched me take a sip without mishap. I was taken back by how warm the water was in my cup. Lukewarm.

"You gave your friends quite a scare, Miss Fontaine. And your brother was fit to be tied. Why you would go wondering outside in a dress such as that in the middle of December is beyond my imagining," Pomphry continued worriedly. I caught Sam watching from her perch, her back resting upright on the head board, her sly smile half hidden behind the mess of curls covering her face as she angled her head toward the ceiling.

"I see you've gained a fever," Pomphry added, placing a hand on my damp forehead. "I will go ahead and start on a potion for that here as well. You go on and drink that glass up in full, you understand?" I nodded before watching her go.

I took another sip of my water slowly while trying my best to avoid eye contact with Sam, who was very close to me in proximity to the size of the hospital wing. Why did they have to put us so close together?

"Well this is awkward," Sam said, reading my mind. I turned to look at her as she maintained that sly smile of hers and turned to the pitcher to pour herself a glass of water. The face of disgust she made after taking a sip was enough to make me snicker quietly.

"Merlin, that's nasty!" Sam complained. "At this point just make it tea."

"I thought you disliked tea," I responded in stronger voice. Sam looked right back to me, like a hawk.

"Oh I do. But at least tea has flavor. This is... deplorable."

"You want to know what else is deplorable? Listening to you speak!" a boy, two beds down from Sam with ruffled red hair muttered from his covers. Bright red spots covered what little forehead protruded from his covers.

"Really? I could have sworn you were going to say being sick in bed on Christmas is deplorable. But sure, have it your way," Sam said back with a shrug. Little Buchanan was not amused, and promptly rolled over. Sam turned back to watch me take another drink before beginning again.

"Look, not that us being stranded here like this is forcing my hand or anything, but-"

"Are you apologizing?" I quipped back abruptly, accidently sloshing water down my front. The water felt much colder on me than it did in the cup, causing my teeth to chatter.

Sam quickly got out of bed and took the headband-esc blanket laying on my pillow and started to dab it on my neck and chest.

"Look what you did. You interrupted my heavily rehearsed apology and managed to get yourself to turn into an icebox again. Top stuff, Ava. Top stuff."

"I just didn't expect you to be the one to apologize. I thought I had to do it." Sam stilled her hand and frowned at me heavily.

"Seriously? After what I said to you, you were going to apologize to me? And say what? I'm sorry I'm such a spaz at communicating through letters-"

"It sounded better in my head," I confided guiltily. Sam let off a chuckle before Madam Pomphry started on over to us, her angry gaze glaring at Sam's out of bed situation.

"Do I have to cast a bedridden spell on you Miss Spencer?"

"Maybe a sleeping draft is more like it," Sam confided as she quickly stepped back into bed.

"Please give her a sleeping draft!" Little Buchanan said from his bed. Pomphrey paid him no mind as she handed me a glass of a grey mixture. A second glass she placed on my bedside.

"This will counter your fever," she explained, nodding to the potion in my hand. "And this", she continued as she placed my empty water glass back on the nightstand next to the other potion glass, "is your sleeping drought. I will place you back on the bed when you finish it. Last thing I need is to have you fall and not get back up again. Your muscles are still revamping after that cold spell of yours."

"Will I be able to move again tomorrow?" I asked anxiously, glancing back to my new drink.

"I will make no promises. But suffice it to say, you are in for a rotten night, Miss Fountaine. Best to drink that potion quick. As for you Miss Spencer-"

I started on my potion hurriedly while Sam was tucked into bed rather forcefully while Little Buchanan giggled at the view. The moment she left, Sam promptly sat back up in bed again and looked my way curiously.

"Remind me, why are you hear exactly?" I asked, glancing at my otherwise healthy classmate.

"Bad stomach. You missed the worst of it. I only stopped vomiting an hour ago. Theo was there to see me in my glory, don't you worry. Though he wasn't paying much attention to me, nor your friend for that matter."

"Friend?" I repeated horrified. "I'd hardly call Malfoy a friend." Sam's expression contorted into confusion followed by suspicion.

"What are you talking about? Malfoy never stepped in here. Only one of your French friends I see you with all the time. Don't know her name of course," she added, seeing my questionable look. "Dark hair, black and white dress-"

"Jacqueline," I said, remembering the dress well. "What was she doing here? What was Theo doing here?" I added, further confused.

"He came in with Jacqueline. Both were half dragging you through the doorway. Said you collapsed at the bridge."

I thought back, but all I could remember was Malfoy. Not my brother, nor Jacqueline. Had they appeared after I collapsed or had Malfoy run and grabbed him?

"Remind me, how does Malfoy filter into this conversation?" Sam asked curiously. I hid from her question by taking another gulp of the tasteless potion.

"It's nothing."

"You're a horrible liar."

"Well you would judge me on this if we were friends. I'd hate to see your reaction about it now," I retorted plainly before going at the potion again. Sam remained silent for a moment before sitting up straighter, her face set.

"Ava, I'm sorry for how I've acted toward you. I was out of line earlier and you should have every reason to avoid me."

"Avoid you? You were avoiding me!" I quipped back immediately, almost spilling my glass in the process. Sam's eyebrows shot up clear across her forehead before settling again.

"You and your French friends don't exactly give off the warm and welcoming look."

"What do we give off?" I asked back curiously. Sam sighed, looking up at the ceiling.

"Judgmental, snobby, inability to make friends outside of their own clique-"

"Wow that's low coming from someone trying to apologize."

"You asked me a question and I answered!" Sam defended back, her wide eyes returning to me. I snickered at her outburst before taking another sip. She cooled off immediately.

"No, honestly you all are too intimidating for me to fit in. Not to mention I don't speak a word of French."

"Neither did Jasper, but he did fine."

"Did he?" Sam asked curiously. My emotions must have come across clearly on my face as Sam turned to face me full on, and leaned in.

"What did he do? Was it Malfoy who screwed things over or was he just another figment of your dazed sleeping self?"

"What do you mean about another?" I asked, cutting off the topic. Sam grinned slyly again before rehashing my sleep talking that had occurred since being knocked out.

"Something about waltzing in a dream and feeling electric."

I felt my cheeks blush fiercely before diving for the last of the potion in my cup. Like a cat after a mouse, Sam pounced on that cue.

"Tell me. Please."

"No. You'll judge me. Harshly." Sam glanced to the ceiling again, as if cursing internally before returning to look my way.

"Ava, take a guess as to why I am here."

"Stomach ache. You told me already-"

"Yes, but not what caused said stomach ache." I waited in silence, expectantly before Sam went on.

"You know that five-pound bag of chocolate frogs you gave me for Christmas?"

"Yeah," I said slowly, not sure where this was going. Sam nodded, expectantly but seeing that I was still clueless, kept going.

"I ate them. All of them." My gaze went understandably wide as I gapped at her. She just nodded along, nonchalantly.

"Yeah. I did that. In two hours to be exact."

"Sam, how is that possible? There were over a thousand chocolate frogs in there."

"Well not everyone had a ball to go to. You danced away your feelings and I ate mine."

"And then vomited," I concluded. Sam shrugged before nodding.

"Pretty much. Looking back, I can't say I would do anything different." I scoffed before bursting into weak laughter that Sam grinned, all glorified in.

"So you don't have to feel all self-righteous on me after the mess I made," Sam concluded. My laughter died down at her words. I glanced at Sam before looking away.

The next five minutes I spent doing a rundown of my night, start to finish, ending with my collapse at the bridge. At first it felt awkward bringing up something as personal of an experience as a kiss to Sam, but I only had to look at her to relax a bit. Because after all, this was Sam. She was the same old friend I had in first year. Except maybe a little bit more mature looking.

When I had finished talking, Sam was quiet and I was dreading the words that would come out of her mouth. But to my surprise they were not at all what I had originally expected.

"Not to say that I didn't see the you and Malfoy thing coming, but I so did-"

"Really. After that entire story, all you have to say is that you saw it coming?"

"What did you expect me to say? That I would be disappointed in you?"

"More like hate me for pissing off Jasper." Sam snorted.

"Jasper is an ass. More than an ass. He is a literal pansy. He straight up tried to guilt trip you after acting like a wuss and running off scared. Pathetic."

"He wasn't scared, Sam. He said he pitied me and was the only reason why he came."

"That's a lie," Sam retorted back knowingly. "He fancied you since you shimmied your way through the great hall." I cast her a look that she returned. "What? You did. Literally shimmied. To a corner." I dropped her gaze, feeling defeated.

"Well he didn't act like he crushed on me."

"He fancied you hard. I mean, think about it," she said, coming closer. "He made a huge fuss all day preparing and even at the last moment totally lost his cool, and almost didn't show up. He was fretting on Dom and I until I pegged him with a few chocolate frogs (which I now regret wasting) to get him going and Dom fixed him up to see you last minute."

"Well he didn't show up late. But only barely," I confirmed. Sam nodded.

"He almost didn't show up because he was getting heavy nerves about being around you and your intimidating friends. You said he didn't dance with you at first and that you had to ask him, right?" I nodded.

"I've told him before that you dance. And we have all seen the Beauxbatons girls running around with their dance slippers in their bags. He was dreading dancing with you. Thought he'd make a fool of himself on the dance floor," she added, to my outraged look.

"That's so stupid," I confided. Sam nodded along in agreement.

"Oh I know."

"So does he not actually have to work at the library tomorrow?" I asked back. Sam paused to think before shaking her head.

"No, I highly doubt it at least. He's supposed to meet with me, Ginny and Dom for a Charms assignment at 10 tomorrow morning. Not that I'll be there now."

I scoffed rather loudly, causing Madam Pomphry to turn our way and start over.

"Drink the sleeping potion before she pegs us," Sam whispered quickly before laying back in her bed, all innocent like. I reached for the glass and downed the potion in two massive gulps. When I lowered it, Pomphrey was there, with a stern glare.

"That will do. Now let's ready you for bed."

After laying me flat, Pomphrey did a final tuck in for me and Sam ("If I see you get out of bed again Miss Spencer I will use that bedridden spell") before going out of sight.

The potion was already starting to do its magic as Sam started to talk again, though softly.

"What are you going to do about Malfoy when you get out?"

"Avoid him. I'm so mortified that I kissed him, Sam. Like I don't know what came over me."

She was silent for a moment before responding.

"He's going to go looking for you no matter what, you know. Best to just tell him straight-out that you were delirious from early stages of hypothermia. And that you're still angry at him. Maybe call him a tool while you're at it."

"I'll think about it," I said back wearily. Sam snickered lightly, making me smile at the sound. Who knew a friend's company can make you so warm inside?

"I'm glad we're back to talking again," I confided as an afterthought.

"Me too," Sam agreed.

I closed my eyes, expecting the sleeping draught to take me but just as I was about to go under, Buchanan had something to say.

"You girls are weird. First you're talking about chocolate, then boys and then all this wishy washy stuff about being friends-"

"Oh shut up Duchess," Was the last thing I heard before passing out into a blissful sleep.