Chapter 7

Author's Note: Thank you, McLoggernaut, for the review! Although Chapter 6 ended on a morbid and somewhat sad note, but our hero shall survive and go on to have many adventures in the wizarding world! The vision (ending in Avada Kedavra) at the end of the last chapter was merely her re-experiencing her death in her past life as Cedric. Hope you keep enjoying the story, and please review if you have time :).

An ambulance hurtled from downtown DC toward the George Washington University Hospital.

"Charging 120… stand clear!" Two metal paddles landed on Hope Marshall's chest, delivering a shock to her heart. But her heart didn't start beating again.

"Get it ready, Derek, we're trying again."

"Marie, we've done this 6 times!

"I know her, she's amazing! Come on, she deserves one more time!"

Ceding to the pleading look in his coworker's eyes, Derek got the defibrillator paddles ready for a 7th try.

"Charging 120 again… stand clear!" A second later, another shock entered Hope's heart, and this time, her heart once again started beating.

"Oh my God! Thank God, thank God!" cried Marie.

Derek stared her wide-eyed, because normally, Marie was the epitome of unflappable professionalism whenever they were on the job.

As the ambulance hurtled through downtown, they made sure Hope's life signs were stable and tended to her wounds.

The ambulance pulled up and the Derek and Marie unloaded Hope on a stretcher to see her into critical care.

As they offloaded her, she moved and moaned. "Harry, take my body back… take my body back to my parents…"

And then a moment later, she sat bolt upright and shouted, "You'll never get away with this, Voldemort! Harry Potter will defat you!"

Then, she fell back onto the stretcher, motionless once more, but still breathing.

"What even WAS that?" asked Derek.

"I have no idea," replied Marie.

They didn't have time to ask Hope since she was unconscious once again and she was being taken away from them and into critical care.

"Hey, why were you so desperate to save her? How do you guys know each other?"

"I met her last year when I shadowed at Wellesley College as a prospective student. I was supposed to be staying overnight with another Wellesley student, but it turned out that when I arrived there – in a torrential rainstorm, might I add – that she had to leave on a last-minute personal emergency.

"So, there I was, soaked to the bone and trembling like a leaf outside the Tower Court dormitory. These students were rushing in out of the rain when one of them saw me waiting and beckoned me inside. She said I seemed nervous and asked me if everything was ok and when I told her what was up with the student I was supposed to be visiting/shadowing, she told me I could stick around with her, and we could figure things out.

"Then, she let me stay on an air mattress in her dorm room and let me follow her to classes and introduced me to her friends. Like, she was student body VP and also captain of the hockey team and she also had midterm exams that week – but she STILL made time to help me out. I feel like that's just who she is, you know?"

"Well, that makes me really glad she's still alive," sighed Derek.

"Me too," sighed Marie.

Just like after she'd experienced the death of the unicorn, Hope woke up to bright white light and beeping machines.

"Thank God, thank God, thank God!" she heard her mother exclaim as she opened her eyes.

"Mom? Dad? Where am I? Why are you here?"

"God, it was horrible, honey! You passed out in the middle of a crosswalk and then you got hit by a car! We're just so relieved you're safe! They said you might also have a bit of a concussion, and you might not remember what happened very clearly."

Hope cleared her throat, which was dry. Her mom held out a straw from a cup so she could have some water. "Start… start at the beginning. What happened?"

And so, her parents told her what the person who'd called 911 had seen.

Hope nodded but trying to move even a little was painful. "How bad are my injuries?" she asked.

"Honey, you were hit by a car. It'll take quite a while for you to recover from your injuries. You're lucky to just have a broken right elbow, several bruised and cracked ribs, and a concussion. Plus, your scrapes."

"How long have I been here?"

"You were unconscious for three days. The, uh, EMTs who rescued you came to check on you, and loads of your friends have been calling. A couple of your professors too, even!"

"And Andrew?" It was odd that her parents hadn't mentioned her boyfriend yet. Surely, he knew that Hope was hurt. Surely, he was worried because of that. Had something happened to him, too?

"He sent flowers," her mother replied curtly.

Though it hurt, Hope turned her head to look at the floral arrangement, which would probably be on a table by her bed. The table held several bright bouquets and cards from her friends, but it was absolutely dominated by a giant crystal vase that was full to the brim with perfect red roses. A card on gold stationery sat atop them.

"What does the card say?" she asked.

"Get well soon, love, the Sigourney family," read her father. "And there's something else scribbled here, ah, 'Sorry about your injury, babe, but you'll be back on your feet soon and then we can let the good times roll! Love, Andrew.'"

"That's… nice of them," said Hope. "It's a really pretty arrangement." She remembered telling Andrew that roses weren't her favorite (she preferred wildflowers), but who was she to complain.

Her parents nodded silently, not seeming to know what to say.

Hope spent four more soporific, painful days in the hospital. Some of her friends came by to check on her and her parents were by her side every day. But Andrew didn't show up. Didn't he know where she was? He had sent the flowers.

Hope thought to ask for her cell phone to see if he'd called her, but it'd been destroyed in the crash. So instead, she borrowed her mom's phone when she wasn't busy or asleep, and left Andrew a few voicemails to let him know that she was on the mend, but missing him, and that he could call her back on her mom's cell phone or reach her at the hospital.

But he hadn't called back, hadn't tried visiting, hadn't done a thing to reach her except for sending that giant, ostentatious bouquet. When Hope and her parents left the hospital, that bouquet had wilted, so they'd left it behind – along with its giant crystal vase.

"Mom, can I borrow your phone?" Hope asked when she was back in the hotel suite her parents had rented while they stayed in DC to be close to her.

"Sure."

There had to be some understandable reason for Andrew's absence. Maybe he was just really busy with an emergency of his own.

She rang his number one last time.

"Hey, babe, I was at campaign fundraisers in Georgia all week, but I get back tomorrow. How about I check in with you then?"

"Uh, sure?"

"Great! I've got to go take care of something. See you soon, babe!"

And he hung up.

When Hope ended the call, she found her parents standing over her with concern written all over their faces. They'd been supportive of all her decisions all her life, but those decisions had been good. But this one would be drastic, and she wasn't sure how they'd take it.

"Mom? Dad? I think I need your help with something."

Hope was sitting in an armchair waiting for Andrew in their apartment when he returned from his campaign fundraising trip to Georgia.

"Babe! It is so good to see you again! Hey, look, you'll be on the mend in time," he said, referring to the cast on her arm. He strode over casually and planted a big wet kiss on her mouth.

But unlike so many times before, Hope didn't return the kiss.

"Babe," he said, pulling back to examine her face, "Your face is still a bit yellow on the right side, but I bet with some concealer, you could totally be presentable. Then you could come with me to that dinner with Congressman Ratchet! He and his wife like you. Hahah, maybe they can sign your cast!"

Hope held up a hand. "Andrew, stop. Please. I'm not going to dinner with you and the Congressman tonight."

"Oh, yeah, right. Look, I'm sorry if you're tired, but maybe you can get a nap in beforehand and then have some coffee to energize you for dinner? It'd really help me if you were there."

"I'm sorry, Andrew," said Hope, "But I'm not going to dinner with you tonight or any other night."

"Come ON, Hope. Don't be stupid! You're my girlfriend – soon to be fiancé – so of course we're having a lot of dinners together. In fact," he said as he sat on the arm of the chair and looked down at her with lust in his eyes, "We may even indulge in a little dessert first."

He lowered his head to kiss her neck while his hand pushed down one of the straps on her tank top, letting him know exactly what he meant by "dessert." But Hope was out of the chair and gently shoving him away before he could do anything.

"What's WRONG with you?" protested Andrew.

Hope sighed and ran her good hand over her face. "Just stop. I need to know something. When and how were you going to propose to me?"

Andrew rolled his eyes. "Oh, lord. Well, it was supposed to be a surprise, but – ok, if you must! I was going to ask you at a campaign event in, like, mid-October! You were going to be all adorably surprised and then the crowd was going to go wild! You know, I'm glad your left arm's uninjured so you don't have to have a cast in the pictures of your engagement ring."

Hope stood there silently for several moments.

"What, does the proposal not meet with your standards? What is even WITH you, Hope?! Here, I'll get the engagement ring! See?" He dove into a closet by the door and pulled out a blue Tiffany's box. He opened it up to reveal an enormous, flashy diamond ring that probably cost more than most people made in a year.

"It's a beautiful ring," Hope said flatly.

"You wanna try it on?" Andrew asked hopefully.

"No. I want to know why you didn't visit me in the hospital."

"Ughhh," he groaned in the tone of voice people tended to use when explaining a very simple concept to a very petulant child for the millionth time in a row. "You were unconscious, babe. And I had a lot to do that week, okay?"

"And why didn't you return my calls? I left you voicemails, you knew how to reach me."

"I was BUSY, Hope."

"Andrew," she said in a voice that sounded choked, "there's no easy way to tell you this, but we're over."

"What? No, we're not! Come on, Hope. You're smart. Jeez, don't go getting all emotional on me!"

"My parents and I moved all my stuff out of the apartment this morning. The necklace you gave me is on the desk there. Here's your key."

"What the Hell, Hope? You can't just leave me now, stop being hysterical!"

Hope was furiously wiping away her tears now. "Well, Andrew, I thought you wouldn't leave me in the hospital by myself for a whole week with nothing but a tacky flower arrangement your assistant ordered for you, but I guess you did!"

"Come ON, Hope, you can't expect me to drop everything anytime you snap your fingers or get mildly injured. I'm a busy man."

Whenever Hope and Andrew had disagreed about something in the past, they'd been reasonable. Hope had always been a good listener and she'd never raised her voice with Andrew. Which was why, even now, they were restraining themselves to civilized behavior even though both, on the inside, were spoiling for a fight.

It was Hope who finally broke the forced calm. "Too busy to make me part of your life?!" she spat through her tears. "I was DEAD, Andrew! My heart stopped beating and they had to try to shock me back to life SEVEN TIMES before I came back! My life is too short for me to spend it waiting around for someone who doesn't care!"

At this, Andrew softened. "Of course, you'll be part of my life, Hope. You'll be by my side when I get elected to the Senate and then I'll marry you and one day I'll be President and you'll be my first lady! My campaign staff are saying that could totally happen!"

Hope was silently sobbing now, and she didn't resist when Andrew put his arms around her and held her close.

"Come on, Hope, it'll all be okay. I'll give you everything, I promise."

Hope lingered in his embrace, breathing in the scent of his cologne and remembering all the wonderful memories they'd made together throughout their 6-month relationship. She claimed just a few more seconds in the arms of the person she thought she was going to spend her life with. "I do love you, Andrew," she said tearfully.

But then, she swallowed and cleared her throat. "But with all due respect, I'd rather be with someone who loves me back."

In the taxi back to her parents' hotel, Hope allowed herself to cry some more over the life she wouldn't live with Andrew. Still, she had no regrets. After all, what was love without loyalty? She was better off shot of him.

She should be wondering what to do with her life now that she couldn't work for Andrew's mother anymore, but ever since she'd woken up from the accident, she'd had a mysterious desire to go to England.

As she got out of the taxi and fished her hotel room key out of her pocket, her fingers slipped and she dropped it. But before she could bend over to pick it up, it simply floated back up into her hand. Things like this had happened a couple of times recently. Brandon told her that spontaneous magical events could be used to identify a witch or wizard. Did this mean she was a witch?

The day before, she'd penned a note to Brandon simply asking, "What do you know about the wizarding community in England?"

She'd get his response soon, and then she could plan her trip.