SPLITAPARTS: lessons in love ✔️

The Terrible Twosome

Madam Pomfrey knowing that Cassie was an empath, rushed to get her auscultator and listened to Cassie's heart. She listened to her lungs and took her blood pressure and checked her pulse.

"Your pulse is very weak. What did it feel like, besides the pain," Pomfrey asked.

"A void and everything—bad," Cassie said.

"How do lungs feel?"

"Heavy—full of gunk."

"Well, they are. Your breathing is very shallow, as if I needed to tell you that. I'll give you something to expel it and you'll need plenty of bed rest."

"I don't have time for bed rest."

"My dear, you are presenting like you've had what the muggles call, a heart attack but it was probably just the shock of being that close to a dementor--still, you will rest even if I have to tie you down with a sticky charm. It's either that, or it'll be straight off to St Mungos with ya!"

"Sirius is so gonna kick my ass," she said as she allowed her body to sink into the mattress. Soon, Remus was at her bedside as were her children and Harry. Cheerfully, she tried to console the terrified children and with Remus's assurances, they unhappily left her for their common rooms.

"There's more to that story, isn't there?"

"Maybe—you have to teach me to conjure a protronus, Remus."

"Well, I'm teaching Harry, I can teach you as well—I just have to think of a safe way to do it. You have to believe—and you'll be able to bring a strong happy memory to your mind in an instant—I'm using a boggart for Harry—You shouldn't need that at all though."

"His boggart is a dementor? Oh gods, the poor baby—"

"He's not a baby, Cass."

"I know," she said as she started to cry, which caused her to enter into a major coughing fit, bringing Madam Pomfrey immediately to her bedside with a small glass of yellow liquid.

"You should probably go, Remus," she said gently.

"Yes, of course. Get some rest Cassie—I'll bring you some tea and croissants in the morning."

"Okay, thanks Remus--good night."

Cassie slept uneasily in the hospital wing; she would have rather been allowed to stay in her own room, on the third floor. Before long, she awakened uneasily as she could feel that someone was watching her. Albus sat in a rigid chair at her bedside waiting for her to awaken on her own as he wanted to talk to her, but since they weren't alone, he felt that due caution was warranted. While he believed that Sirius would not harm Harry, he wasn't entirely convinced that he was innocent of the crime of betrayal.

"He said that he knew all the entrances to the castle. How is it that he knows, Cassiopeia?"

"Well, the three of them, you know, him, James and the ratfink—they'd helped Remus with his monthlies."

"I don't understand?"

"They went on lots of walk abouts during the full moon."

"I see. I do recall that they were of bed after hours quite often. Often times we found them outside."

Cassie nodded her head. "He's in the castle now, actually."

"Can you see where he is?"

"No. It's dark."

"Perhaps he's in the dungeons."

"I don't know, maybe?"

"I can see if I may borrow Harry's cloak and if I can find him—"