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Cinder

Cinder stuffed a forkful of pancake into her mouth, barely bothering to chew before swallowing. She wanted to get breakfast over with so she could finally leave the Titanium table. She'd been attending Artemisia for two full weeks now and still hadn't befriended anyone within her own house. Sad? Maybe. But it wasn't Cinder's fault that everyone in her house was always busy with extra credit assignments. At least she knew when to take a break!

Cinder paid no heed as the air suddenly filled with an assortment of screeches and flapping wings. She never got any post, except right before the holidays when Adri would send her a to-do list for when she got home. Naturally, Cinder spent as many holidays as possible at school.

It wasn't until a letter fell right on top of her pancakes was Cinder distracted from the important task of shovelling food into her mouth. Was Adri sending the to-do list early this year?

Cinder lifted the envelope out of her breakfast and turned it over. The return address was barely visible beneath the maple syrup the letter had picked up. As soon as Cinder managed to interpret the address, her heart started beating harder that a dragon's wing-beats:

PHOENIX HOSPITAL

BEIJING

CHINA

It can't be that bad, Cinder told herself, it's probably just a medical report about my hand and leg or something.

Still, Cinder's hands shook as she tore open the envelope and pulled out the letter inside, cursing the maple syrup as it clung to the paper.

Dear Cinder Linh,

It is with deepest sorrow that we inform you that Peony Linh has recently contracted letumosis. You will receive a letter every time Peony Linh moves on to the next stage of the disease. Please ensure that all belongings of Peony Linh in your possession or objects that have recently come into contact with Peony Linh are destroyed by tomorrow to remove any and all chances of the disease being transmitted to others in your community.

Our deepest condolences,

Phoenix Hospital

The letter fell limply from Cinder's numb fingers.

Peony Linh has recently contracted letumosis

Peony Linh has recently contracted letumosis

The words ran through Cinder's head over and over, but she just couldn't process them. Peony couldn't have letumosis. Peony was young, healthy. And where would she have picked up the virus anyway? She's been at Hogwarts for the past two weeks! No way would a school like that house any trace of the illness! The uncurable, fatal, quick-acting illness…

Suddenly, the Great Hall felt incredibly stifling. There were too many people, all of them unwittingly intruding on Cinder's grief.

Cinder forcefully shoved her plate of pancakes away from her, ignoring her schoolmate's cries of protest as they fell off the plate and onto their own letters and parcels. Shoving past the people sitting next to her and nearly falling off the bench in her haste to get away from the table, she ran out of the hall.

Cinder had no particular location in mind when she left, just somewhere private, with no students or teachers to try and talk to her, to say that Peony will be okay. Even as she blindly stumbled through the castle hallways, Cinder desperately tried to force herself to believe the lie. But she couldn't. Nobody survived letumosis. Cinder's own stepfather was proof of that.

Tears stung Cinders eyes, turning the world around her into a mess of blurry colours and shapeless blobs. It was only when the colours turned from the dull greys of the castle's stone walls to the vibrant green of grass did she gain any indication as to where she was.

Dragging a furious hand across her streaming eyes, she stumbled over to an oak standing at the very edge of the Black Woods. She slumped against it, silently thanking it for its steadfast trunk since her legs didn't appear to be working. And then, and only then, Cinder let herself cry.

She wasn't sure how long she sat there, sobbing with all she had, but eventually, a gentle hand placed itself on her shaking shoulder.

Cinder glanced up at the visitor. It was difficult to see through her tears, but Cinder could still make out their many blue braids. Iko.

"I saw you run out of the hall." She murmured softly, "Anything I can do?"

Cinder couldn't stop herself from snorting. "Not unless you know the cure for letumosis. Peony's caught it somehow." When she said Peony's name, her voice cracked. Why, of all the student's at Hogwarts, did it have to be Peony? Sweet, kind little Peony…

Iko gasped in horror and her hand flew to her mouth. Cinder could see that her eyes had become slate grey, like when Cinder had told her that Garan had died from letumosis as well. She guessed that colour meant sympathy.

Iko wrapped her arms around Cinder's shoulders and pulled her close for a hug. "I'm so sorry."

Cinder didn't reply. Her throat was too clogged up with tears for her voice to work.

"You know," Iko said, "you're not the only one dealing with this. I think Kai's dad might also have letumosis."

Cinder blinked at her in surprise. Kai always seemed to be in a good mood, always smiling and laughing. How could his father be dying?

"It's just a theory, he hasn't specifically told me," Iko continued, "but during our DADA lesson with the Regoliths last week, his boggart was his father, dead from letumosis. I just thought that's an oddly specific way to die."

It was oddly specific. It was not uncommon for boggarts to take the form of dead loved ones, but a loved one dead from a particular cause? That was unusual.

Iko stood up and offered Cinder a hand. "Come on, we should get you to your dorm. Maybe you should take the day off. I'll just tell the teacher's you're sick."

"Can't I just stay here?" Cinder murmured. It felt good to be out in the fresh air.

"I don't think that's a good idea. The centaurs living in the Black Woods have been getting all riled up for some reason. Best not to be seen near their territory. It's become a pretty common sight to see their arrows sticking out of the tree trunks."

Cinder scowled and peered into the trees, half-expecting to see a centaur there with an arrow knocked in its bow, ready to be fired straight into her heart. She knew centaurs were dangerous from when she took Care of Magical Creatures back in Hogwarts, but she was also pretty sure they were withdrawn creatures that preferred to avoid conflict with humans. So why were they aggressive all of a sudden?

A/N: PLEASE DON'T KILL MEEEEE! *Covers face with hands*

Okay, I know you all are probably really mad at me for giving Peony letumosis since you probably don't want to go through that again, or Kai's father with letumosis for that matter, but when a story has letumosis in it…

We've got some really sweet Cinder/Iko friendship going on here (as well as a broken heart for each of us who've read this chapter) and a mystery to boot. What's going on with the centaurs? Will Cinder talk to Kai about dying family members?

Please review!