Scene :: Nick, Ben & Jake in the Infirmary
The ceiling was vaguely familiar, a memory from bygone years.
When Nicholas Wu realised that it was the whitewashed ceiling of a modern English building instead of an ancient Chinese one, he bolted upright in bed. He was home! But where was he?
Privacy curtains around the bed. That nightstand. Early morning sunlight streaming through a window beyond the curtains. Light snoring coming from somewhere nearby. He knew this place.
Nick put his feet to the floor. His feet. He was unashamedly giddy with joy to be back, yet it felt strange to be back in his own skin. It took him ages to get used to a much smaller female body. He was sure he'd continue to walk around daintily for a while.
He swept aside the curtain and found Jake Darrow slumped in an armchair just outside, snoring quietly, with an open book facedown on his stomach. They were in the Hogwarts hospital wing. Yep, Nick knew the place.
"Hey." He patted Jake on the shoulder. "Wake up, Rumplestiltskin."
The boy woke up with a start and stared up at him, almost instantly alert. "Nick?"
"Yes." Nick paused, realising that he just spoke in Chinese. "Yes, Jake. It's me. I'm back."
A look of relief flooded Jake's face as he sat up properly. "Thank goodness." he said. "One thing less to worry about. One thing back to normal."
"What? You mean things are ever normal here? I'm in Hogwarts, aren't I?"
"Yes. Good point."
The curtain of the cubicle next to Nick's parted as well and a face looked out. "Big brother?"
"Benben! You're here too!"
Ben Wu's face was the colour of ash. "I am so sorry."
Nick squinted at him. "Why?" He sat back down on his bed carefully.
"I sent the bloody thing to you. Something that did this to us. It was Macmillian's cheesecake, wasn't it? Jake?"
Jake nodded. "Yes, it was."
"You didn't know." Said Nick lightly. "Although to be fair, you should have been the one who had to be the girl."
"I was an 80 year old man! They thought I had gone off the deep end!"
"Holy shit. Riley! Riley ate Drew's cake!"
Jake hushed them before their voices woke anyone else up. "Get back into bed. I'll let Madame Pomfrey know you're awake and yourselves." He said. "Riley is fine. She's in the castle too. You can see her later."
"What's the date?" Ben asked suddenly.
"It's the third of June."
There was a dead pause before Ben said something rather violent in Chinese, or at least, Jake thought it sounded violent.
Nick stared across the gulf between their beds with an expression of disbelief. "Very nice, Ben. I feel completely at home now that I'm among people who actually swear." He paused. "In a language I didn't learn until recently."
"The NEWTs! I haven't studied! I miss more classes than I.... ARRGH!"
It was at that moment when Nick spotted the letter on the nightstand, addressed to him.
When Nicholas Wu realised that it was the whitewashed ceiling of a modern English building instead of an ancient Chinese one, he bolted upright in bed. He was home! But where was he?
Privacy curtains around the bed. That nightstand. Early morning sunlight streaming through a window beyond the curtains. Light snoring coming from somewhere nearby. He knew this place.
Nick put his feet to the floor. His feet. He was unashamedly giddy with joy to be back, yet it felt strange to be back in his own skin. It took him ages to get used to a much smaller female body. He was sure he'd continue to walk around daintily for a while.
He swept aside the curtain and found Jake Darrow slumped in an armchair just outside, snoring quietly, with an open book facedown on his stomach. They were in the Hogwarts hospital wing. Yep, Nick knew the place.
"Hey." He patted Jake on the shoulder. "Wake up, Rumplestiltskin."
The boy woke up with a start and stared up at him, almost instantly alert. "Nick?"
"Yes." Nick paused, realising that he just spoke in Chinese. "Yes, Jake. It's me. I'm back."
A look of relief flooded Jake's face as he sat up properly. "Thank goodness." he said. "One thing less to worry about. One thing back to normal."
"What? You mean things are ever normal here? I'm in Hogwarts, aren't I?"
"Yes. Good point."
The curtain of the cubicle next to Nick's parted as well and a face looked out. "Big brother?"
"Benben! You're here too!"
Ben Wu's face was the colour of ash. "I am so sorry."
Nick squinted at him. "Why?" He sat back down on his bed carefully.
"I sent the bloody thing to you. Something that did this to us. It was Macmillian's cheesecake, wasn't it? Jake?"
Jake nodded. "Yes, it was."
"You didn't know." Said Nick lightly. "Although to be fair, you should have been the one who had to be the girl."
"I was an 80 year old man! They thought I had gone off the deep end!"
"Holy shit. Riley! Riley ate Drew's cake!"
Jake hushed them before their voices woke anyone else up. "Get back into bed. I'll let Madame Pomfrey know you're awake and yourselves." He said. "Riley is fine. She's in the castle too. You can see her later."
"What's the date?" Ben asked suddenly.
"It's the third of June."
There was a dead pause before Ben said something rather violent in Chinese, or at least, Jake thought it sounded violent.
Nick stared across the gulf between their beds with an expression of disbelief. "Very nice, Ben. I feel completely at home now that I'm among people who actually swear." He paused. "In a language I didn't learn until recently."
"The NEWTs! I haven't studied! I miss more classes than I.... ARRGH!"
It was at that moment when Nick spotted the letter on the nightstand, addressed to him.