Chapter 5: Close Call
The early autumn sun beamed down on the little animal hospital where Cecilia sat in the backyard with Lucy. She always brought her dog with her to the clinic on Saturdays when she came to check on the patients who had to stay for the weekend. It was her favorite time to be alone with her craft. She loved seeing the perplexed face of old Dr. Lewis when he explained the miraculous recovery of some of the patients that were critical or near death going into the weekend. Sometimes she wished that she could just come out of the muggle closet and admit that she was a witch, but she knew that much scrutiny would follow. She enjoyed the mystery surrounding her healing abilities, but the novelty was starting to wear.
Dr. Lewis always disagreed with her tactics and just shrugged it off as "new medicine"; Lena could never figure out why she never wanted to date. So for now she was contented with her day of solitude in a place where she was so misunderstood.
The sky had grown a bit dark, and she briefly wondered if it was going to rain today. Funny, the weatherman hadn't announced it this morning. Cecilia stepped in the building to check up on a bird with a broken wing. As she was changing the bandages, she heard the back door rattle. Hmm, must have been the wind, she thought casually as she went to the waiting room to feed the fish. As she walked into the dark room she saw a dark figure jump from the window ledge. She stared at the window in curiosity for a moment before dismissing it as a stray. The rattling on the back door grew louder as she fed the fish. Setting down the food, she walked to the front entrance and looked out the window. The trees were still, and the sky was clear. "Lucy," she called, but there was no dog or bark in reply. Did she forget to let Lucy in with her? Her silent question was answered as her dog ran to her side, whimpering and shaking. Cecilia gave Lucy a reassuring pat and walked cautiously towards the back of the hospital and looked for something blunt. If the rattling was from a buglar, she could defend herself. She glanced at the alarm by the door and her heart sank as she read the note on the box that said DEACTIVATED FOR REPAIRS, DON'T FORGET TO LOCK UP! -EL.
The rattling grew louder and a wave of panic gripped her. Finally the door flew open and a gust of wind knocked her down. Lucy hid under a pile of towels. Dazed, Cecilia slowly sat up and opened her eyes. Standing in the doorway was a large figure hidden by a tattered black coat. No, no please, not here, she thought. She opened her mouth to scream, but only a whimper emerged. The last thing she remembered before fainting was the beautiful white light behind the advancing dementor.
Her head was pounding. The bump that she had taken when she fainted was going to need quite a bit of pain medicine to subside. Suddenly she remembered what had happened. Her eyes flew open and she sat up and darted her head around to see where she was. She was in the staff room. How she got here, she wasn't sure, but she made a mental note never to sleep on that uncomfortable couch again. "Lucy?" she called, and the retriever jumped up from the corner and ran to her master's side. Cecilia smiled at her dog and scratched her ears affectionately. "I know, girl, we had quite a scare, didn't we?" Lucy barked in agreement and ran into the main office, where Cecilia could hear rustling. She crept to the doorway and froze when she had full view of the office. Sitting in a chair facing the window, petting HER dog, was Severus.