Epiphany |Scorpius Malfoy|

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Classes that day seemed exhausting to Isabelle. It had been a long day, as her thoughts kept going back to Cassidy's troubles at home and then Scorpius's suggestion to let Bernard know about her situation. All of that was making her rather stressed, as the pressure her professors put her through was getting the best out of her with the NEWTs coming closer.

She was tired of all that pressure and need to live up to expectations she had set up herself. She wanted to rest for the duration of her life, but she also didn't want to as that way she would lose any chances she ever had at managing to become a healer. Even that future of hers seemed foggy at the moment though. The way things were going, she had started doubting that she would be able to become a healer.

And that thought scared her.

From the time she could remember herself, Isabelle had always wanted to be a healer. She had always felt like she had to help those around her and with her disability, she thought it was essential to try to help as many people as she could, even if that didn't mean that she would get the rest of her leg back. To begin with, she had never even had it in the first place.

She had always been fascinated by the idea of being able to heal others but her true love for healing had begun when her parents had hired a woman to take care of her while they were at work. That woman had been one of the witches that were particularly talented in the use of healing magic. Isabelle had been able to witness her talent first-hand, as not long after the woman was hired, she had hit her head on a corner and had managed to hit it so hard it had turned all bloody.

She could remember the incident like it had happened some days ago. She remembered how the woman had pointed her wand at her head, muttered a few words and she was free to go again. She had been impressed back then, but that hadn't been the main reason she had been convinced to become a healer.

Her father used to have all kinds of herbs in the backyard when she was little. He would take care of them while she joined him, learning all about their properties. Whenever she was ill, one of these herbs would bring an end to her illness. She had really liked her father's small garden, but it was destroyed because of the cold one year and he had never tried planting other herbs.

These experiences in combination with her state had brought her to like the profession of the healer and from a young age she had decided that this was what she wanted to do when she was older. She still wanted to go down that way, help as many people as she could. She found it completely unfair that some grades had the power to get in the way of her future. However, she knew, there was nothing she could do about it.

When Cassidy arrived at the library about an hour later at the time they had discussed so as to study together, she found Isabelle sitting at a table all by herself, her Herbology textbook open in front of her. She wasn't paying any attention to it, though. Instead, her eyes were glued on the table, unmoving. Without making a sound, Cassidy sat down opposite her at the table, her eyebrows furrowed as Isabelle didn't react in any way. She waited for some time, and then, slowly reached forward and placed a hand over one of her own resting on the table.

Isabelle jumped at the contact, and startled, Cassidy retracted her hand, her eyes wide as she looked at her friend. Isabelle took in her surroundings before glancing at the person that had made themselves comfortable opposite them. As soon as she noticed Cassidy, she sent her a smile.

"Hello. Have you been there for a long time?"

"Not really, I just came," she admitted, her eyebrows furrowed as she watched her. "Is everything alright?"

Isabelle started nodding before her nodding turned slower. Confused, Cassidy watched her as she shook her head in denial. "Alright, so something is wrong. What is it? Perhaps I could help you with it?"