bruises - james potter

eighty-eight

( chapter eighty-eight )

MADAM POMFREY LET OUT A SIGH AS she saw that it was Cassiopeia Black sitting on the hospital bed at the end of the ward, what seemed like most of her friends surrounding her.

The woman's sigh was short, but it was full of worry. Madam Pomfrey didn't know if she would ever admit it, but the Black girl was one of her favourite students and the amount that she had been through already in her life made her heart ache.

She found it hard to believe that anyone could ever hurt anyone as happy, kind and funny as Cassie.

But the countless times that the girl had been in the hospital wing made it evident that there were some people out there who couldn't care less about anyone but themselves.

A small smile made its way onto Madam Pomfreys lips as she saw Cassie pull her hand away from James' with a small frown on her lips, only for her to moments later grab his hand and move it to her lap.

The nurse pulled the silver bun that rested on the top of her head slightly tighter as she walked over to the group of Sixth Years, the smile gone from her lips but a small light shining in her eyes.

"How can I help you today Miss Black?" Madam Pomfrey asked, raising an eyebrow at the girl, noticing the worried looks on everyone's face apart from Cassie's.

Cassie shrugged, not moving her and James' hands from her lap as her legs began to swing back and forth under the bed.

When Cassie didn't give her an answer, Madam Pomfrey turned to the four Gryffindors that were besides her.

Sirius was the first to speak up, running a hand through his raven hair as he did so.

"James was the first to notice it, but he told me straight away so I realised it not long after he did." Sirius spoke, more worry in time than Madam Pomfrey had ever heard before.

Once again, it made her heart ache for the children in the Black family, they had been through so much more than anyone she knew, and they were the least deserving people she knew.

Sure, they could sometimes be annoying and get on her nerves but, and she was sure other teachers would say the same, all students could be annoying, it sometimes made their job more entertaining.

"Cassie has been. . ." Sirius stopped to think for a second, not knowing how to put into words what had been going on with his sister.

"Cassie's been loosing her marbles slightly." James bluntly stated.

Cassie raised an eyebrow as she looked up at her boyfriend.

"The actual fuck is a marble?" She asked, but no-one answered her question so she looked back down at her lap, where her and James' hands were still joined.

James' thumb was running over the back of her hand, as always.

"She's just forgetting things just as easily as she breaths, but it only takes her a moment to go back to normal." James continued.

"It first happened on the train on the way back to Hogwarts after Christmas, she just seemed to zone out for a moment, but that was it. But then at dinner later that day she forgot where to go when she was going to her dorm-"