Little Miss Marauder

Chapter 11 - It Can't Be Goodbye

Chapter 11 - It Can't Be Goodbye

Remus was pacing outside of the hospital wing, after he had been told to leave. It's wasn't as though he had wanted to, but after the nurses had asked him, and Poppy Pomfrey was rushing around the bed, trying to find out what was happening to Cassadee, he realised that being in there was not best for somebody in his... condition. He couldn't get too worked up, not here, he couldn't put all of the students here in danger. Well any more danger than they already were. Cassadee was usually the one to calm him down when he was like this, she knew what he was afraid of happening and knew exactly what needed to be done to calm someone like that down. She had had to do it enough before. He needed her. She was the only one of them left other than him.

There were footsteps heading towards the hospital doors but deep in his thought, Remus did not hear them. He only felt the grip on his arm as it tugged him away from taking further steps in his erratic pacing. He glanced at the hand on his arm and then up to the face of a woman he knew well. "McGonagall... What... What are you doing here? Well not like here... I guessed you still worked here... but as in here here.." Remus babbled out as though he was a first year again, terrified of the woman.

"Remus... I was going to ask you the same thing. I'm here to see Madame Pomfrey. I have many things to talk with her about." Minerva was surprised to see the man in front of her. She still saw him as one of her students, making trouble with his friends. She always had a secret soft spot for the five children. Finding their pranks quite funny, just as long as no other student was harmed. But to say seeing him back here as an adult surprised her would be an understatement. She knew how hard it must be for him to stand in the corridor of the place where he had so many good memories of his friends. But she couldn't help but wonder why she did not know of his arrival or his means of being there.

"Erm.. Cassadee... Potter... she had an incident on the train here. Poppy... Madame Pomfrey told me to leave when she.. Erm she..." Remus was reliving the scene from moments ago in his head. He could barely describe it to the woman in front of him. "Cassadee Potter? She is here as well?" The disbelief in McGonagall's voice was clear. Cassadee was one of her best and favourite students all those years ago. She was such a bright student, even after all she had gone through, Minerva only knowing a fraction of it, Cassadee managed to be able to laugh and mess around with her friends and brother as well as try so hard in her lessons, unlike some of the others that surrounded her. McGonagall was once again surprised that Cassadee had come back to Hogwarts, last she knew Cassadee was holed up at the Ministry and they were not going to let her leave anytime soon.

"Yes. We are both here to fill the Defence Against the Dark Arts role. Did Dumbledore not tell you?" Remus managed to keep a steady and even voice, even though he continually glanced to the hospital doors, praying that Poppy, or one of the nurses would come out and let him go in to see his friend. He was genuinely shocked that she had not heard of their position and arrival before but this confusion was not enough to overpower his concern.

Harry was sat at the Gryffindor table and looked for Professor Mcgonagall, in hopes that he could ask her about the man on the train. He could not see past the choir that Professor Flitwick was conducting but he could still feel eyes on him. Glancing around the hall he was hoping to see either then man or Mcgonagall but he still could not locate where the stare he felt was coming from. As he heard applause, Harry focused back towards the front of the room as the choir dispersed, but yet there were three chairs empty at the front of the room, between Snape and Dumbledore.

Mcgonagall was stood in front of the first years outside the great hall, explaining to them what would happen once they walk through those doors, but yet her mind set was not fully there. As she looked at the cluster before her, she could only remember those years ago, seeing the group of students stood in front of her, their eyes filled with awe, much like the ones there now. She remembered the fear she saw in two students eyes. The others around them had eyes full of glee, yet she could spot the fear and mischief in a group of students. Minerva was so worried for the girl in the hospital wing now. She thought of her as family and just wanted to be with her now.

Remus knew he was missing the sorting ceremony and that he should be at the feast to be introduced to both faculty and students, but he could not bare to leave the corridor, just incase Poppy came out with information or he could go in to see Cassadee. Just as he was pacing again, the doors opened and out stepped Madame Pomfrey. "Remus... She... It..." Remus fell to the floor once he saw the expression on her face. He just knew something was wrong and his legs gave up. No. No. He couldn't lose another friend. Not like this. Not now. He couldn't go through the loss alone again. She was the last of his family. He couldn't do it alone.