the siphon | h. potter

~eighteen~

cassandra

"If she doesn't wake up soon we're going to have to send her to St. Mungo's."

"With all due respect, Poppy, I don't think that's a good idea."

"With all due respect, Albus, it's not your decision to make. You put me in charge of the hospital wing and it's my responsibility to give these students the best care possible... We still don't know the curse that was used against her. St. Mungo's has more resources than I do, they will be able to treat her better."

"My apologies. You're right of course. If this potion doesn't work... we will transfer her in the morning."

Cassandra could feel the thick veils of sleep lifting as she listened to the conversation. Slowly, she gained the ability to wiggle her toes, then the other parts of her body.

By the time she opened her eyes, Dumbledore was already calling Madam Pomfrey back into the room.

The room around her was unfamiliar, but the stone architecture alerted Cassandra she had somehow made it back to the castle. The last thing she could remember was her fight as Voldemort. Her skin crawled as she remembered the feeling of his magic.

"Wha- what is going on?" Cassandra mumbled.

Sticking out of her left arm was a long tube with a bright blue fluid flowing through it. Cassandra raised her shaking arm to rip it out, but a hand stopped her.

"Calm down, Miss Dalton," Dumbledore said softly.

Madam Pomfrey came running into the room and began fiddling with the medical equipment around the room.

It was difficult for Cassandra to see the adults looming above her bed. A large beam of sunlight was shining directly on her face. The warmth was comforting, but it was difficult to see anything past the intense light.

"Wait," Cassandra said while raising her hand to block the light. If it was light outside then she had to have been unconscious for at least a few hours, "how long was I out?"

"You were unconscious for almost two weeks."

"Two weeks?!"

"I know this might be difficult to process, but I need you to remain calm," Madam Pomfrey said while wrapping a blood pressure monitor around her arm.

"How is that possible?"

"You were hit by an unknown curse and it left you in a coma-like state," she explained. "You teenagers are so careless. I mean for heaven's sake going to the Ministry of Magic to fight Death Eaters? Unbelievable," Madam Pomfrey muttered while continuing to take her blood pressure.

The reminder of the Department of Ministry brought Cassandra back to her senses.

"Sirius? He's dead, isn't he?" she said softly.

"Poppy, could you give us a minute?" Dumbledore asked politely. Madam Pomfrey agreed, but made it clear to Dumbledore she wholeheartedly did not approve.

Once Madam Pomfrey left the room, Dumbledore turned back to Cassandra, "I'm sorry my dear girl, but yes, Sirius is dead."

Although she already knew, it was hard to hear Dumbledore confirm the nightmare. Everything that happened at the Ministry seemed like it had happened to someone else. She wanted nothing more than for it to have all been one really bad dream. But she wasn't that lucky.

"He was my—"

"Your father, yes. Professor McGonagall told me."

"It's bloody amazing isn't it? I mean who needs parents anyways?" Cassandra laughed while ripping the tubes from her arms.