"Oh God, will someone turn those lights down or something?" Cassidy groaned, shutting her eyes tightly, and rolling over under the covers.
Someone let out a very big breath, and a few other sighs could be heard.
"Oh thank goodness..." the was Madam Pomphrey's voice!
The lights dimmed, and Cassidy opened her eyes. She was in the hospital wing, and Snape, Dumbledore, and Madam Pomphrey were all standing around her. Cassidy tried to sit up, but she felt very weak, and submitted to jut lying there. Her stomach hurt something awful, and the scar on her side felt very fresh. Despite the fact that she could not remember how she got in the hospital wing to begin with, and the fact that she felt awful, she had a feeling that she had overcome some kind of large obsticle.
She could have sworn she saw a faint smile on Snape's mouth.
"I'm glad to see you've recovered," Dumbledore told her gently, his eyes twinkling. "We were worried for a little while."
"What happened?" she asked weakly. "All I remember is falling through the ice...and falling asleep...is the monster slain? My friends! Berii, Terra, everyone!"
"Oh cut it out," Snape half snapped. "They're all fine, no thanks to you."
Cassidy would have said something if she hadn't felt so sick.
Her stomach took the oppertunity to rid itself of the food she had eaten yesterday. Madam Pomphrey brought her a bucket. Cassidy blushed, embarassed that she had vomited in front of the headmaster.
"Well," said Dumbledore, getting up. He placed a hand on her head, feeling the warmth of life that had been absent from her that night. "I am sure the Great Hall will be happy to hear of your recovery. I shall send a note to Gryffindor Tower to tell your friends right away."
"Thank you, sir," she said, smiling weakly.
"Alright, all of you!" Madam Pomphrey ordered the staff that had gathered to see Cassidy. "Out out out!! Cassidy needs her rest!"
She shoved the last of the staff out of the room, and darkened the lights. Cassidy turned over on her good side, and had a nice, long nap.
***
Andrew recieved a note from Snape that morning, early, and opened it eagerly. He recalled a bunch of Cassidy's friends offering him comfort last night after the incident, but it was all a blur to him. Now that he held the letter in his trembling hands, he almost dared not open it. But he did:
Your sister is fine. Go and visit her in the hospital wing. Bring her potions homework to her.
Snape
Andrew chucled, and slipped the letter under his robes. Relieved, he dashed towards the hospital wing, hoping to see his sister. He could not remember the last time he was happy to see her.