The Emerald Manor

Chapter 42

Mathilda scurried out of the room quickly. Cora presumed to contact Jessie. Cora had sent an owl to Jessie on the first night. She didn't share any details; just saying that she was taking time off work for a personal matter, she was safe and to let Gawain know.

She didn't want the whole Auror department launching a full-scale investigation when she didn't come to work for a few days.

Cora had resigned herself to the fact that she'd need to tell someone what was going on. Draco wasn't getting better. Dolohov was rotting in a field. She'd have to......accept the consequences of her actions.

She used the killing curse. It was illegal, there we no exceptions. When they examine Dolohov's body it would be clear how he was killed. When they examine Cora's wand it will be clear that she was the one who cast the curse.

She would be arrested. There would be a trial. She would be sent to Azkaban. There had been zero tolerance for unforgivable curses, even in life threatening situations. The Ministry had cracked down on post Voldemort.

She was praying Draco would recover before she was arrested so she could hear his voice one more time. Although it seemed more and more likely he wasn't going to recover at all.

Healer Johnson had come in yesterday to talk to her. Told her that with no change in Draco in the last two weeks it was becoming increasingly unlikely he'd ever wake up. Cora wanted to see Jessie first. She wanted to tell Jessie......be honest with her......about everything.

Cora spent the day lying on Draco's chest, like she did every day. She heard voices outside of the door to his room and looked out to see Mathilda speaking to Jessie.

It had taken Jessie maybe only a few hours to get to St. Mungo's, based on owl travel times. Jessie most likely came as soon as she got Mathilda's owl.

The door creaked open, and Jessie walked in skittishly while Mathilda stayed outside. Jessie wasn't her normal self. She wasn't running in being exuberant and asking her normal barrage of questions.

Cora got the feeling Mathilda had given Jessie an update letting her know how pathetic Cora had become.

Jessie stopped short of the bed and stood silently looking at Cora. There wasn't tension, but it was as though neither one of them knew what to say or how to start. Jessie stared at Cora; holding Draco Malfoy's hand, cuddled up on his chest.

Jessie stuttered. "Cora.... I." She stopped, unsure what to say. The look she gave Cora cut like glass. The corners of her lips were strained into a frown, her eyes hooded. "Cora. What happened? You look ghastly."

She wasn't wrong. Cora had barely eaten in the last two weeks, her cheeks had sunk in. She wasn't drinking enough. Her skin was sagging and flaking from dehydration. The dark circles under her eyes had become a permanent fixture and she doubted they would ever go away. Her hair was greasy and matted and she had been wearing the same clothes for days.

Cora was subdued. Her demeanor was contrite, she had given up. "Jessie. My boyfriend is Draco Malfoy."

Jessie gave her a small nod of acknowledgement.

"That's good. Cause if he wasn't it'd be a little weird for you to be feeling him up like that." Her eyes darted to Cora's to see if the joke was appropriate or if they needed to stay in somber silence.

For the first time in weeks Cora's lips curled up and she chuckled.

"So, are you going to tell me what happened? How'd you get that scar? Also, why we're holding a death vigil next to Malfoy's bed?"