Green Apples and Parchment

Chapter Twenty-One

A few days later, I was sitting in Transfiguration and deliberately giving Draco the cold shoulder. The tension between us still hadn't thawed. He had tried to talk to me a few times, but every time he opened his mouth, all I heard was his comments about muggles. 

Hannah, like she always did, was being supportive of me. Over the past few months, She had warmed to Draco. They weren't friends by any means, but Draco would no longer ignore Hannah, and Hannah stopped making snide comments about Draco. After our argument, though, all of Hannah's (semi-)kindness towards him went away. 

"Find a partner and practice!" McGonagall instructed us, concluding her lecture for the day. 

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Draco struggling, although most people probably wouldn't be able to tell. He clearly wanted to talk to me, and McGonagall was unknowing offering him a chance. However, like Draco always reminded me, he had a reputation to maintain. 

Draco seemed to make up his mind, and to my surprise, he left Crabbe and Goyle to partner with each other and started walking towards me. "Connolly. Be my partner?" He greeted. 

Hannah protectively grabbed my arm. "Sorry Malfoy, but she's already got a partner." she said, not sounding sorry at all. 

Draco stepped closer to our table and lowered his voice. "Please Cass. We need to talk."

Hannah rolled her eyes. "I already told you-"

The door opened suddenly, and the class looked back as Filch walked into the classroom. He strode up to McGonagall's desk and began whispering furiously to her. 

"Miss Connolly?" McGonagall called. Her eyes found me, and her face seemed much softer, instead of her normal piercing gaze. "You are excused from class. Mr. Filch will escort you to where you need to go." 

I cautiously stood up, grabbed my bag, and followed Filch out the door. He gave me no explanation, instead starting a brisk walk across the castle. I followed him until we reached the stone gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office. My stomach churned at the sight; I had never been in the headmaster's office before. 

"Sherbet Lemon." Filch said. The gargoyle began to spin, revealing a spiral stone staircase. My escort wasted no time in heading up the stairs, and I was quick to follow. 

We soon reached a modest wooden door. Filch knocked aggressively. "Come in." Dumbledore's voice sounded through the door. 

Filch grabbed the handle and opened the door. Dumbledore's office was beautiful. An intricate desk sat between two massive bookcases. A phoenix rested near the desk, cleaning its feathers. More stairs led up and disappeared behind the back walls, which I assumed led to the headmaster's privIate rooms. Historical and magical items and relics lay in cases through the office. I even spotted the sorting hat sitting on one of the shelves. 

"Ah, Miss Connolly." Dumbledore gestured for me to sit down as Filch excused himself from the room. Once I had sat in the chair across from him, the headmaster spoke again. "I'm terribly sorry to tell you this, but your father is is the hospital."

"My dad? What?" I couldn't form a complete sentence. 

"I will admit that I do not have all the information, but I believe that your father is suffering from the effects of a spell gone wrong. He is currently in Saint Mungo's. You have been permitted to go home to visit your family at this time." 

I sat in my seat in silence. Dumbledore's already kind face softened even more. "If it helps, Cassandra, I have seen many people recover from similar situations." I nodded weakly. 

"I'm sure you're anxious to leave," the headmaster continued. "Professor Sprout will collect you from your common room half an hour from now, and she will take you to either Saint Mungo's or your home, depending on your mother's preference." 

I nodded again and stood up. As soon as Dumbledore dismissed me, I rushed to my dormitory. I threw everything into my trunk without really paying attention to what I was packing. Before I knew it, Sprout tapped my gently on my shoulder. 

"It's time to go honey." Sprout said. I followed her to the carriages, and we rode in silence to Hogsmeade. I half expected to have to ride the train by myself until my head of house pulled out her wand. "We're going to be apparating there, since it's an emergency." I nodded and grabbed onto her outreached arm. 

The world squeezed around me, and I couldn't breathe. A pressure surrounded my body. Just when I felt like I couldn't take it anymore, the sensation disappeared and I found myself in Saint Mungo's hospital. Sprout said a few words to the witch at the reception table, then started leading me to my father's room. 

My mother was already there, and by her expression, it seemed like she had been by his bedside for awhile. I rushed over to my dad to see that he was out cold. I grabbed his hand as Sprout wheeled my trunk into the room. My professor laid a reassuring hand on my shoulder before stepping back and disapparating. 

I sat there for a long time until a healer entered the room. "Good news. He's going to make a full recovery." I visibly relaxed in my seat. "He'll likely wake up either tomorrow or the day after, so you should go home and get some rest."

I didn't want to leave my dad, but I was exhausted. The healer noticed my indecision. "He'll still be here tomorrow and you can visit him then. I'm sure he'd want you to get some sleep." she said kindly. 

She was right. I was still in my school robes, and I was desperate to change. And besides, I really needed to shower. I got up and grabbed my trunk, but my mom made no move to leave my father. "Mom, are you coming?" I asked. 

She shook her head. "I should stay here." She rifled through her purse and pulled out some paper money. "Use this for a cab ride home."

I tentatively grabbed the money from my mother. "The healer's right, though. You should get some sleep." 

"I will. But I'm not leaving your father." As a muggle, my mom didn't really understand how much more advanced healing was than muggle medicine. A spell gone wrong wasn't something she really understood either. 

"Alright." I said after a while. "I'll see you tomorrow then." My mother didn't respond, instead settling down further in her seat. 

I grabbed my trunk and wheeled it out of the hospital. I hailed a cab and gave the driver my address. He looked at me curiously before I remembered what I was wearing. 

"I'm in a play. Rehearsal just ended." I told him, and he shrugged and looked away. 

The ride passed quickly; I didn't live too far from the hospital. When we pulled up to my driveway, I thanked the driver before grabbing my trunk and heading inside. 

I climbed up the stairs to my bedroom. I was surprised to see that my owl, Lyra, was waiting inside with a letter. 

Cass,

When you didn't come back to class or the common room, I assumed they sent you home. Is everything okay? Please write me back.

Hannah

(p.s. I thought you'd want your owl, so I sent this letter with Lyra)

I scribbled a quick letter back to explain what happened and sent it back with Lyra after stroking her feathers and feeding her a treat. Once she was gone, exhaustion hit. I showered as quickly as I could and changed into the first clothes that I pulled out of my trunk. I fell into an uneasy sleep as soon as I hit my bed. 

A/N: I don't know how many of you live in the US, but I'm writing this during days three and four of the election and I'm going crazy. I tried (and failed) to finish my homework, but I ended up watching the news for three hours WHOOPS. Anyways, uh,  just wanted to get that off my chest. I hope everyone is doing well, both mentally and physically! <3