Bruises ~ In editing

~12~

I watch the other students as they all practice their spells, Harry sitting beside me as he watches me.

"Focus Cassie, you've got to perfect these spells," he says, grabbing my focus off of everyone else.

I stare up at the large mannequin, focusing as I point my wand towards it.

I whip my wand, focusing all my mind on the Stupefy curse, but the mannequin only wobbles.

I shake my head in frustration as I write on the chalkboard.

"This is hopeless if I can't do the proper stance."

I see Harry bite his lip as he stares at me.

He approaches me as he speaks, "We're going to try something, and it may take some time, but I want you to trust me, okay?"

I look up at him and nod my head, and suddenly, his hands are firmly placed on my sides and I'm out of the wheelchair.

My legs wobble uselessly under me, but I grip tightly around Harry's neck as he reaches, one hand at a time, to place my feet on top of his.

I move my arms to his shoulders after his hands are firmly on my sides again.

"Now I'm going to walk, and I want you to focus on the way your legs are moving, alright?"

I nod, confused as to how in the bloody hell this will even work, until Harry is suddenly moving.

I look down, staring at my legs as the move forward with each of his steps backwards.

I focus on them carefully, watching every movement, how my legs should be moving, though they won't.

We do this for probably an hour or two, and I've grown very tired, my weak body worn out by the physical effort.

I watch as he moves me back to the chair, sitting me down, "Did that help at all."

"I'm not sure." I write on the chalkboard, "It was sure nice to be moving again though."

When I look up, everyone is staring over at us, until Ron yells at them, "Keep practicing. Nothing to see here."

As I'm staring away, Harry looks over at me as places his hand on my thigh, "I'm sorry it didn't help at all."

My head whips around as my eyes land on his hand, and then flash up to his eyes.

At first, he's confused, but realization flashes onto his face, "Wait, you-"

I nod as I smile, making the chalk write, "It was soft, but yes, I felt it."

Harry smiles as he stares at my legs, "Maybe they just need more exercise! Hold on."

Harry carefully lifts me out of the chair and places me onto a table, laying me back on it as he grabs one of my legs, "I'm going to stretch it and see if it helps at all. We might have go do this pretty often to get your strength back, but if we work hard, you should be able to walk again."

I nod as Harry lifts my leg, moving it in different directions to stretch the muscles.

After he's done with that leg, he moves onto the second, and I smile as I feel soft tingling in the tips of my toes and my thigh.

He sets it down and lifts me up, setting me back down in my wheelchair.

"Don't worry, we'll do this often. You're going to walk again Cassie, I'll make sure of it."

Over the next weeks, my legs improve greatly.

With the braces Madam Pomfrey gave me to keep them straight and steady until I can get my balance back, I've moved from a wheelchair to crutches.