"Come on Morgan. You need to get up." Morgan slowly opened one eye and looked at Hermione who was currently standing at the edge of her bed with a mildly disapproving look on her face. "You have to go to class."
"Actually, Professor McGonagall said I could take the week before the holidays off. Obviously, she's of the same opinion as me." She saw the puzzled look on Hermione's face and explained. "That my mother's probably been tortured to death by now."
Hermione gave a small gasp. "You can't say that! You have to keep up hope."
"Why bother? Hoping never got me anywhere before, I'm just being realistic. Now if you don't mind," she said, getting up and taking hold of the curtain's edge, "I was sleeping."
As the curtain sped past her face Hermione sighed. There seemed to be no talking to her. Every time she tried, she got shut out.
When Hermione got to the breakfast table, both Harry and Ron looked up from what they were doing. Hermione sighed and shook her head. "No luck. I couldn't even convince her to get out of bed."
Ron was just about to say something when Professor McGonagall came over. "Do any of you three know where Miss Malfoy is?"
All three looked at each other, realization dawning. Harry asked, "Is there news about her mother Professor?"
"News or not, it doesn't concern you Mr. Potter. Now do you know where she is or do I have to go and find her myself?"
Harry knew there was no good going to come from trying to argue with her. Defeated, he said, "She's still in bed."
Professor McGonagall merely nodded in acknowledgement before briskly walking off. Harry, Hermione and Ron shared a brief look, then all three of them simultaneously got up and followed their head of house out of the Hall.
As soon as they were out of the hall, Harry called out, "Professor McGonagall, we want to come too, Morgan is our friend."
"I told you beforeā¦"
About to repeat the refusal, she was interrupted by an elderly woman. "It's quite all right, Minerva. She will need her friends now more than ever."
"So it's bad news then." Hermione said grimly.
The old woman sighed. "Sadly, yes. Well then," she said heavily, "let us go and break my granddaughter's heart."
Along the way, Morgan's grandmother turned to Harry, Hermione and Ron. "As you have hopefully realized, Morgana is my granddaughter. She calls me Granna, and it is just easier if you do too." She sighed. "I wish we could have met under better circumstances."
When they reached the common room, they found Morgan sitting in one of the armchairs reading. She looked up as they entered. The second she saw her grandmother, she bolted over to her. Granna stretched out her arms and Morgan ran into them. Her head buried in Granna's hair she whispered, "She's gone, isn't she? I knew this was coming, I could feel it."
Granna gently stroked the back of Morgan's head. "Come on dear, let's pack your things, I'm taking you home for awhile."
Morgan pulled away, nodded mutely and headed slowly up the stairs to gather her belongings.
