𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝟐 & 𝐇𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐭

𝙃𝙖𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙙'𝙨 𝙋𝙖𝙨𝙩

RIO REMAINED IN THE HOSPITAL wing for several weeks. There was a flurry of rumor about her disappearance when the rest of the school arrived back from their Christmas holidays, because of course everyone thought that she had been attacked. Kim Seungmin had nearly died of worry and declared a riot, his friends always following along. Holiday also insisted on sleeping in the hospital wing.

So many students filed past the hospital wing trying to catch a glimpse of her that Madam Pomfrey took out her curtains again and placed them around Rio's bed, to spare her the shame of being seen with a furry face.

The friends went to visit her every evening. When the new term started, taking turns and brought her each day's homework.

"Oh good! Put those anywhere," Rio smiled, noticing the stack of books her friends were carrying for schoolwork.

There was no 'anywhere'. Her surrounding was filled with stacks and stacks of books, so they just dropped it.

"Madam Pince asked that we relay a message to you," Jay mentions, "She'd appreciate if you could leave a few books for the school."

"If I'd sprouted whiskers, I'd take a break from work," said Sunoo, tipping a stack of books onto Rio's bedside table.

"Don't be silly! You know I've got to keep up," she said briskly. Her spirits were greatly improved by the fact that all the hair had gone from her face and her eyes were turning slowly back to brown, but then her furry tail twitches into view.

    Jungwon, fascinated, was smiling as he played with it—which Rio wasn't pleased about—but that only made him play with it more.

"Is that thing ever going away?" Jisung asks. "It'd be nice to have you back at the Tower. I can't get my Charms done if we're only given thirty minutes together!"

    "Any day now, according to Madam Pomfrey. I should just be grateful I stopped coughing up fur-ball," Rio sighed, her tail brushing itself on her clinic pajamas and cardigan.

    "Trust me, we all are," Jay sighs.

    "At least you got extra milk, right?" Soobin teased.

    "I don't suppose you've got any new leads?" Rio added in a whisper, so that Madam Pomfrey couldn't hear her.

    "Nothing," said Beomgyu gloomily.

    "I was so sure it was Hugo," said Heeseung, for about the hundredth time.

    "And has it gone any better?" Rio asks.

    "Well. . .Zhao James asked to borrow a tubeworm in Potions yesterday—" Taehyun answered.

    "Which is pretty random if you ask me, but suppose that's something," Arlo adds with a nod.

    "What's that?" asked Kai, pointing to something gold sticking out from under Rio's pillow.

    "Just a get well card," she said hastily, trying to poke it out of sight, but Jaemin was too quick for her. He pulled it out, flicked it open, and read aloud:

    "To Miss Lockwood, wishing you a speedy recovery, from your concerned teacher, Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award."

    Sunghoon looked up at Rio, disgusted. "You sleep with this under your pillow?"

    But she was spared answering by Madam Pomfrey sweeping over with her evening dose of medicine.

    "Is Lockhart the smarmiest bloke you've ever met, or what?" Ni-Ki asks as they left the infirmary and started up the stairs.

    "Snape's given so much homework, it's very likely to we'll be sixth years before we finish it," Soobin groaned.