2.| ✮𝓛𝓸𝓿𝓮, 𝓑𝓲𝓵𝓵. ✮ {𝓑. 𝓦𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓵𝓮𝔂}

\\𝒢𝒪ℬℒℰ𝒯 𝒪ℱ ℱℐℛℰ\\

Fred and George followed her over to meet Eleanora's father. She hadn't laid eyes on him in nearly five years. When they got close enough to talk, neither of them did. Eleanora stared at her father's face, studying him. He looked older, his dark brown hair flecked with gray. There were dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep, and his eyes looked darker than usual.

"Cher- cherry tree," Cillian said in a low, tired voice. It was the code word he'd told her he would use so she would know he wasn't under the imperious curse.

"What are you doing here?" Eleanora whispered. Cillian dropped his gaze to the ground, took a deep breath, and then met her gaze again.

"It's Daisy, Eleanora. She's in the hospital."

"What, why?" Eleanora asked, eyes widening in panic.

"Stephen," Cillian said. That was the only explanation she needed.

"Let's go."

Eleanora wasted no time telling Mrs. Weasley the situation, or at least what she knew of the situation, and promising she would write with more information as soon as she had it. Mrs. Weasley hovered over her, asking if there was anything she could do, until Eleanora finally pried herself away.

"It's okay, Mrs. Weasley," she said hurriedly. "I'll write or visit as soon as I can."

"Do you want us to come with you?" Fred asked, looking concerned.

Eleanora shook her head. "No, no. I'll see you lot later," and she hurried over to join Cillian by the doors.

"Dad, what's going on?" Eleanora asked when they'd climbed into his car. Now that she was sitting there, inhaling the scents of her childhood, she let panic take over. "Is she okay? What's wrong with her?" she demanded, turning in her seat to face her father.

"She's okay," Cillian said calmly. "She's in the hospital now, she just had a nasty... incident with-"

"What- did- he- do-?" Eleanora said slowly. She had known for seven years now that leaving her little sister at her mother's house with their mother's violent boyfriend was a disaster waiting to happen. Whatever had happened to Daisy would be Eleanora's fault. She shouldn't have left. She shouldn't have let Daisy be alone with them. Cillian interrupted her thoughts.

"Well, you know better than anybody how Stephen deals with things." Eleanora grimaced at the memories. "I suppose this time, he just... didn't have anything else to take it out on."

"Why didn't my mum do anything about it?" Eleanora said.

Cillian took a sharp breath and started the car. "You would know that better than me. You know I haven't been... around- for awhile."

"I haven't either!" Eleanora cried, hitting the back of her head against the headrest. "I haven't talked to my mum in..." she tried to remember. "Three years. I haven't seen them in three years." Cillian and Eleanora sat in silence for the rest of the drive.

"Why's she at a muggle hospital? Why wouldn't you take her to St. Mungo's?" Eleanora asked as she jogged to keep up with her father in the parking lot.

"I didn't take her, your mum did," Cillian said, holding the door open for Eleanora.

She walked through, not looking at her dad. "Then why isn't Mum here?" she muttered, following him to an elevator.

"Your mum's dealing with other things right now. She told me to handle this situation."

Eleanora couldn't help giving a mirthless laugh at this. "You? She wants you to handle the situation?" she said, voice cracking.